CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE - Error in the O.R.
Cuddy has just left the exam room where Bonnie Vaughn had been after she collapsed in her office. She doesn't know what set her off but she is going to have it taken care of. She steps off the elevator and heads to the conference room where she knows the gang is, probably doing nothing. When she opens the door and looks at the three she is surprised that they each have a folder in front of them.
"Hey, guys. Glad to see you are keeping busy," she says as she walks in. Foreman looks up and Cuddy is taken aback by the expression on his face but she ignores it. "What are working on?"
"I'm taking a look at Bonnie Vaughn's history. You know the patient, the one you took care of." There was bitterness in Foreman's voice when he says that.
"I'm looking over House's," Cameron interjects as she looks back at the papers spread out in front of her.
"I don't know why you are looking at that. He's better now," Chase says.
"Well, you never know," she tells him.
"Foreman, Ms. Vaughn passed out in my office. I think there is something more going on with her," Cuddy tells him, which gets the attention of Chase and Cameron. "Can you get an MRI and some blood work on her?"
"Dr. Cuddy, she made it perfectly clear she doesn't want me as her doctor," Foreman objects.
"I know, but she's out now. She won't know."
"Why don't you have Chase or Cameron do it?"
"Foreman, that's just one lesson that you'll learn as you get more experience. I know you were doing clinic duty for House as your "initiation" and it happens to the best of doctors," Cuddy tells him.
"Wait, Dr. Cuddy," Cameron interrupts them. "Didn't you have House get the dose of Ketamine he requested?"
"Yes, I told Dr. Zhang; he did the surgery. Why?" Cuddy asks suddenly very worried.
"Because, according to his records, he never got it," Cameron stammers.
HOUSE MD HOUSE MD HOUSE MD
Blythe is still in House's room trying to get House to talk to her about the morphine in his bedroom but he is not say a word about it.
"Mom, I just don't want to talk about it."
"Okay, so, I'm just supposed to stand by and wait for you to OD?" she asks incredulously.
House gives her a sharp look. "That won't happen."
"How do you know? It happened to Mick, remember?"
"I'm not Mick. Look, I don't want to do this right now. Besides, Wilson is trying to sleep," he says as he turns his head to look in his direction.
"Oh, you mean James is here with you? That's great – no, I don't mean great, just that you're in the same room. That should make for a quick recovery for the both of you," she says in a "Donna Reed" voice, a completely different voice, as if she hadn't just been chewing him out.
"Yeah, I need to wake him every 30 minutes just to make sure he is still breathing," House says as he closes his eyes.
"You better not! He needs his rest, Greg," Blythe says right before she gives a little laugh because she knows he's joking. "Speaking of rest, I'll leave you alone and let you get some. I need some fresh air." House nods his head but doesn't say anything. "I'll be back in a bit." And she leaves his room.
"Are you on restriction?" says a voice after a few moments of silence to make sure they are alone in the room.
"Nah. I'm never in trouble," House says as he slowly sits up, throws his legs over the side of the bed, stands and pulls the curtain open between them before he sits back down. "Well, you look a little better."
"Better than you," Wilson answers.
"Nah, I'm always this good looking and hotter than you, sick or not. How's your head?"
Wilson grunts a little before he says, "I don't know. Is it still attached?"
"Hey! Try to do the Linda Blair Exorcist head turn around and that'll tell us. That'd be cool to see!"
That got a little chuckle out of Wilson then he gasps as the pain ripped through his stomach from the internal bleeding. "Damn, my stomach is killing me," he groans.
"They had to do surgery to find where the bleed was," House tells him and Wilson nods then closes his eyes.
After a moment Wilson slowly pulls up the top sheet and looks down at his waist. He doesn't say anything but presses the nurse's call button repeatedly.
"Wilson, what's going on?" House asks as he suddenly hears the heart monitor blaringly beep a warning tone. House instantly knows his heart rate is dramatically and dangerously increasing while his blood pressure was steadily falling.
"I, uh, there's a lot of blood…," Wilson answers before his eyes roll in the back of his head and he loses consciousness.
HOUSE MD HOUSE MD HOUSE MD
Several hours later House lies awake in bed worrying about Wilson; he's been in surgery since he discovered he had started to bleed out through his rectum. House knew that was a possibility but he had also been optimistic about that never happening.
His mother left an hour ago to call and check on John at home to see if their home had flooded. House was thankful for that because he wasn't in the mood to talk to his mother, not just about the morphine but to talk to her at all. She was always able to get him to talk. He'd teased her years ago that she should have been a detective because she has the ability to make people talk even if they don't want to. He loves him mother dearly, but he resents that motherly talent.
Cuddy walks into House's room quietly, hoping he is asleep but knowing he probably wouldn't be. House is indeed awake, staring out the window and hasn't noticed Cuddy walking in and standing on the other side of the bed.
"How is he?" House asks and Cuddy is taken aback that she is mistaken about him knowing she has come in.
"They've stopped the bleeding. There was a tear in his lower abdomen; that's what caused him to bleed out. He'll be fine." House doesn't answer but nods his head a little.
"House, there's something else I need to tell you," Cuddy says, holding her breath.
"Can't it wait?"
"No, not really. Have you noticed any relief in your leg since the surgery?" she asks.
"I still need the morphine so I'd say no. Why do you ask?"
"Dr. Zhang didn't give you the Ketamine," she tells him bluntly.
His eyes fly open then he sits up in bed. "WHAT?"