Cameron was beside herself in worry. She was willing to try anything. She got an idea and left the room. An hour later, she came in with an ipod. She put the headphones on a still motionless Chase.
"Let's see the playlist." House asked. She handed him the ipod and he examined the song list. He got a complete look of digust on his face. "This is all that new age relaxation crap. What do you want to do, turn him into a bigger whimp than he already is? Here, these are the songs he needs." He pulled his ipod out of his pocket and handed it to Cameron.
She looked at his playlist. "Peter Gabriel, Loretta Lynn, Motley Crue, Etta James, The White Stripes, Chick Corea, Otis Redding…Black Flag?"
"He needs something that's going to evoke every emotion possible. Black Flag covers the angry part." said House.
Cameron couldn't argue with that point and hooked up House's ipod to the headphones.
"Headphones?" said an appalled House. "You couldn't find a speaker dock so we could all jam together? I play a wicked air piano on 'Girls, Girls, Girls.' Never mind. I'm going to Wilson's. Let me know if there are any changes."
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House entered Wilson's office. "You realize that you will be detected if you keep moving around like this. I should have gotten you your own VIP room." said Wilson.
"I own this hospital. Who would rat me out?"
Wilson flashed him another one of his 'get real' looks. "So you are just going to sit in here until something happens?"asked Wilson.
"Let's play our usual game of seeing who annoys who first."
"You win." replied Wilson. He could tell House was a little troubled by what was happening. "Thinking you pushed him too hard?"
"I push all of them too hard. How is this different?" House replied.
"It isn't. Chase is doing what he always has done when you push him too hard; retreat instead of fight back. Why did you think this time would be different?"
"That is why I find Chase the most frustrating of the three. There is no situation important enough where he stands up and becomes the person he is capable of being, no matter how hard I challenge him."
"Isn't that why his Dad insisted he work for you? He probably figured you were the only person that could force the best out of his son."
"He didn't live long enough to find out, and I'm not done yet. I just need to knock all that self doubt out of Chase."
"If he doesn't snap out of this I doubt you get your chance in the cozy confines of the rubber room. Maybe you'll have to admit you just couldn't break him." Wilson told House, realizing his friend might need that reality check.
"I know that he is trying to come through for me." House replied. "If he is really hallucinating, it could actually be his mind working out the details. I'd like to think of it as a computer rebooting itself."
"Computers start a lot quicker than this. He has been out for a couple of hours. You have to admit, the longer he is out, the more distant he is becoming with reality."
"He's Catholic. He was never about reality anyway."
"House…" Wilson said in a scolding tone.
"I know you think I'm doing all this to protect a so far failed mission, but in the end I do care what happens to Chase. I care about all of them. He has too much to offer be lost now. Is that what you needed to hear Mr. Touchy- Feely? There I said it."
Wilson just looked at House and smiled. He had to force House to admit he cared once in a while.
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Cameron sat in the corner of Chase's room nervously waiting. She kept staring at the unresponsive Chase with complete worry. She was scared that she might not get to talk with him again. Foreman entered the room and sat down next to her.
"You okay?" he asked, knowing the answer was no.
"What have we done to him? He has no one left to be here for him. I can't imagine how that must have felt, not having anyone to turn to at moments of great despair. We try to help, and we end up pushing him further into despair." Cameron replied with her voice quivering.
"He knows you are here. In times like these people learn who they can count on. I think you have surprised him by not leaving him alone. You could have always left him to fight this battle on his own in his apartment. Trust me he appreciates everything you have done."
"How long do you think we have before we send him to psych?" Cameron asked, scared that Foreman would give her the answer she already knew.
"We should have already. He has been out for four hours." Foreman replied.
"Normally this is the point where I take matters into my own hands and take the proper course of action. This time I'm too scared. I'm not being objective."
"None of us are being objective otherwise we wouldn't have done this at all. We will talk to House when he comes back and tell him it is time to give this up." Foreman assured her.
Cameron nodded as tears started to fall from her. Foreman was right, even though she couldn't bear the pain of giving up on Chase.
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"House!"
House cringed at the sound of that voice. He turned and gave the "oh damn" gesture to his overbearing boss. "You are supposed to be taking a few days off." House said to Cuddy.
"I keep my spies around. Even though you are out on medical leave, I knew you would likely take advantage of a few days off."
"I'm here to see Wilson. He is checking up on my well being while you are gone."
"You were spotted going into the room of one of Cameron's patients. One I have since found out is a VIP. You better not be here practicing medicine. You are officially on medical leave yourself."
"Old friend, thought I would say hello."
"I'm watching you. Wilson, take him home."
Cuddy left Wilson's office in a tizzy. "I think we better check in on that old friend." House told Wilson. They both left the office together, careful to not be seen.
House and Wilson entered Chase's room. "We have been found out. We don't have much time. Any new developments?" House asked Cameron and Foreman.
"Your ipod died." Cameron said handing him the player. "Other than that, nothing."
"Look House," said Foreman, "What you have been doing for Chase has been remarkable….
"Here it comes." House responded.
"…but he has been out for five hours. We can't do anything else for him. We need to get him up to psych right now."
"You can't send him up to psych. There's no telling what those hacks will do to him. They might make him worse."
"Well they can't do any worse than what we have done. Look at him!" jumped in Cameron.
"I just know that wherever his mind is right now, it's helping itself. We just need to give him more time."
"Face it House, we don't have anymore time." said Foreman.
"We had good intentions but we failed." Cameron added. "We were up against too much damage. They can take the proper amount of time upstairs and give him what he needs to go on."
"If he officially gets diagnosed with the deep level of post traumatic stress he's got they will never let him work as a doctor to his full capacity again. The best he could hope for is to end up being the strange man that puts band aids on boo-boos at the free clinic." House argued.
"At least he will have a mind to work with that is if it isn't already too late. I don't know if you can live with the guilt of permanently damaging the mind of someone close to us, but I won't be able to." Cameron pleaded, on the brink of tears.
"I've seen too many people put in the hands of traditional mental health only to come out with their needs neglected and in far worse shape than they were when they got there. These professionals are over worked and they don't care. They won't do for him what we can do. We can actually help. We just need a little more time. He will go on when he is ready." House argued.
Cameron and Foreman realized that they weren't going to with this round. "One more hour," said Foreman sternly to House, "and then I'm taking him to psych myself."
House stood there silently, hoping that Chase would come through for him. He walked over to the corner with a sad look and sat down. "Go take a break." he told Foreman, Cameron, and Wilson. "I'll wait this out with him."
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House sat in the room alone with Chase, staring pensively at him. "What could be going through that mind right now?" he thought. "Is he fighting or retreating?"
"Chase, everything I have said and done to you is so that you would be stronger." he said knowing that he likely wouldn't yield a response. "Now you must start showing that strength. We have a limited amount of time here."
"You don't have anymore time." Cuddy said as she walked in.
"Did Foreman get you?" House asked with intense hurt in his voice.
"No, but I had to beat the truth out of Cameron. Foreman caught me after that. Come on House, this has gone on long enough. Some one from psych will be down shortly to get him."
Cameron and Foreman walked into the room. House flashed them a look of disapproval.
"He's working this out. I know he is. Just give him more time. Sending him to psych will ruin everything he has worked for." House begged Cuddy.
"House, he has been in an unresponsive state for six hours." Cuddy replied. "This is now irresponsible. Psych needs to evaluate him now."
''No!" A voice from the other side of the room sternly said. "House must continue."
Every one quickly turned around, recognizing the Aussie accent that muttered those words.
"House needs to finish this now. This is my last chance." said a very alert Chase.
They all rushed over to him. There was a huge feeling of relief, but still tension over what to do next.
"Chase," Cuddy said, "you would be better off right now upstairs. They can treat you properly."
"No. I'm getting what I need here. Let House finish what he started."
"Chase," Cameron said, "you were in an unresponsive state for a long time. We can't risk that happening again."
"It won't happen again. I will guarantee that." he reassured her.
"How? We don't know for sure." Cameron replied.
"I know for sure. I will be fine."
He flashed both Cameron and House a pleading yet convincing stare. Everyone then stared quietly at Cuddy, waiting for the final verdict.
"Fine, I'll cancel psych for now. I didn't say who they were getting so no harm done." Then she pointed at House, "If you have one more complication, game over."
"Yes boss." House said, pretending to be scared as she left the room.
"Chase, what happened?" asked Cameron. "Can you remember anything?"
"Althea. She was here. She touched me and everything started feeling better. I was out for six hours? It felt like only a few minutes."
Cameron and House looked at each other. They weren't sure if it was wise to continue after such a vivid and lengthy hallucination.
"I'm ready to finish this." Chase said in a determined voice. "I feel great. I don't feel sick inside anymore. I haven't felt this way since I was a child."
"Chase, for all practical purposes, you were seeing ghosts. I think we have pushed you too far." replied House.
"No, you haven't. If anything, you finally pushed me where I needed to go. I know I can finish this quickly. We are almost there."
House looked at Chase carefully. He had to admit, he looked different. There was something in his expression that indicated this time that he would be alright. "Okay, we'll go on. Take a few seconds to focus."
Chase took a deep breath, and then he got a very puzzled look on his face like he was trying to remember something.
"What is it?" asked an alarmed Cameron.
"Oh. It's nothing." Chase said. "I have a song in my head that I can't get rid of. I'm trying to think of who does it. I could swear it is Black Flag."
Everyone broke out in laughter. Chase was puzzled by the reaction but pleased that everyone was so amused.
"Okay Chase." House said still smiling. "Listen for the alternating sounds."
Chase focused on the image that had been haunting him for so long for the umpteenth time today. The sight wasn't bothering him anymore. 30 seconds then passed by as Chase focused on the alternating tones. He was extremely calm. "Okay, clear your mind." instructed House. Chase sat there peacefully and very content showing no signs of distress. House cracked a small, relieved smile. "Congratulations Chase, we can move onto the next step. Take a moment to think of the positive belief about yourself we discussed. I'll start the sounds again."
