-1CHAPTER SIX- The Chase Begins
Cameron storms into the conference room after talking with Wilson, pushing in the door so hard the glass wall vibrates. Chase jumps in his seat but Foreman merely looks up at from a patient's folder. She walks over to the desk and plops heavily in the chair, turning it around to face the window, away from her two coworkers. They just shrug their shoulders as they look at each other but they knew she was angry; they've heard her raised voice from Wilson's office a few minutes earlier.
"Think she needs to lay off the coffee," Foreman jokes to Chase, trying to lighten the mood and they both snicker.
"Shut up!" Cameron shouts at them. They look at each other perplexed at why she was angry at them.
Foreman stands and approaches her, holding his breath. "Cameron, are you okay?"
"Yes!" she snaps, but Foreman knows better to say anything more, mainly because he's never really seen her this upset before, and it has to be something more than House being shot.
Back in House's room…
"Son, I know this isn't a good time to bring this up, but once you are better you and I need to have a talk," Blythe says, adjusting the top sheet covering House.
Instantly he feels sick to his stomach; not from the surgery, bullet wounds or not eating the past almost 24 hours, but from the fact that he knows, he just knows, his mom had found the tool box. He nods his head slightly and closes his eyes.
"I'm glad you're ok, Greg. Get some rest. We'll be around today, here in the hospital if you need us, okay? I love you, Tigger."
Again he nods his head, but with a look of "uggh, I hate that nickname" but inwardly smiles because it has been a pet name of hers for him since he was three years old. His eyes remain closed but doesn't say anything. Within seconds he is asleep again and Blythe watches her son as she waits for John to come back with the coffee.
HOUSE MD HOUSE MD HOUSE MD
Almost a half hour passes, and Foreman and Chase have been reviewing the patient's case Foreman has when Cuddy walks into the room.
"Hey, guys. I forgot to tell you what I came in earlier for," she says as she walks to the table, pulls out a chair and sits down. She's noticed Cameron sitting at the desk with her back against them but doesn't say anything to her, knowing she'll be listening anyway.
"I was going to have Dr. Sam Cartwright fill in for House but he got an emergency at home and can't do it. So, until House is back on his feet and fully recovered, Foreman, you will fill in for House."
Foreman's egotistical self instantly plumps up his chest like he's just been crowned the Alpha Male of the hospital. It is soon deflated, however, when a heavy sigh echoes from the corner Cameron is sitting in.
"Cameron, do you have a comment or anything to say?" Cuddy asks with no derogatory or condescending tone of voice.
Cameron whirls the chair around, stands (almost losing her balance) and walks toward the table, standing beside Foreman. "Can I go home?" she asks him. She doesn't ask him because he's now her boss again, but because at the moment Cameron isn't speaking to either Cuddy OR Chase.
Foreman looks at Cuddy but she remains motionless. He looks up at Cameron and asks, "Are you sick?"
She hesitates a moment and says flippantly, "No, I've got a thorn in my side that I need to have removed." As she said that she looked directly at Chase, and he just stares back at her, expressionless.
"Sure, Cameron. I'll call if any new cases come in," he tells her.
"Don't," she says and walks out the door.
She practically runs out of the hospital but when she gets in her car she just sits behind the wheel. The vision of House being shot and seeing him lying on the floor bleeding profusely, the news that Foreman is her boss again ('oh, won't that be fun' she thinks to herself) and her feeling betrayed by Chase all run her brain. She feels the tears start to build up and fights them back, unsuccessfully, as they roll down her cheeks.
She is startled by a rap on the car window and jumps. She looks out the window and sees Chase, who's 'cranking his fist' in a motion for her to lower the window. She hesitates a moment then cracks it just a little.
"What do you want?" she snaps. Chase's face changes to one of hurt then it fades as he sees a single tear roll down her left cheek.
"Allison, I'm not going to let you go home like this. Talk to me. What's wrong?" She doesn't answer but looks out through the front window, ignoring him.
"Cameron! If I need to I'll stand behind the car so you can't pull out!" Chase cautions, starting to feel anger rise up in him.
"Fine! I'll run your ass over, then!" she screams at him through more tears that have come. At that challenge, and offer to run the prat over, she starts the engine but hesitates a moment; she's actually waiting for him to stand behind the car.
"I mean it!" he warns.
She puts the car in reverse but doesn't release the brake, which prompts Chase to run behind the car to prevent her from leaving, just as he threatened to do. He sees her look at the rear view mirror and her eyes squint, with a look of hatred he'd never seen in her eyes before, her beautiful eyes nonetheless. He stands about three foot from the bumper and waits to see if she's really going to back up and run him over. Sure enough, a second later he sees the car back up slowly, but he defiantly stays glued to the spot.
"Do it, Cameron! Since you're so pissed off it'll make you feel better if you run me down! I promise it will! I've killed a few wombats when I was pissed and let me tell you," he screams as the car comes closer and closer to him. "it was much cheaper than a psychotherapist!"
At that last word the car brakes to a halt and he sighs with relief knowing that she wasn't going to really run him over. He stands his ground waiting to see what she will do next. He looks in the side view mirror and sees her hands clutched on the wheel, leaning forward on the steering wheel and her head on the back of her hands.
And it breaks his heart. He slowly walks to the passenger door and peers in then tapping on it for her to open the door. At first she ignores him but then, without looking at him, unlocks the door and he gets in silently, closing the door as quietly as he can. He doesn't say a word but just sits there staring at her, her upper body convulsing with her sobs. He has no idea what to say to make her feel better, or better yet what to say to make her talk to him about what is wrong.
A few minutes pass and the silence is broken when a 'honk' blares and he turns back to see a car drive by, the driver giving them a dirty look. This prompts him to tell her she should pull the car back up and cut the engine. A second later he hears a deep sniffle and she sits back, puts the car in 'drive' and slowly drives it forward, puts it in 'park' and cuts the engine.
"Allison, are you okay?" he asks her, but doesn't push her to answer when she doesn't.
He reaches his hand out to her shoulder and when his fingers brush against her shirt she shutters, pulling back from his touch. He sits back against the back of the seat and watches her. The tears come harder and faster and he can tell she is on the verge of hyperventilating, but he does nothing.
After about ten minutes and she seems to have calmed down a bit, he is about to start talking to her again when, before he knows it, she's opened her door, gets out and runs toward a small gathering of bushes that separates the building of the hospital.
He curses and chases after her, calling her name and telling her to stop - no, pleading for her to stop.