A/N: Ok! I've decided to do something drastic: A patient comes in, he's got a paramedic's hand and a bomb inside him…Oh, whoops. Wrong TV Show to parody. Now, here we are going to find out some of the story behind Idnax and Chase's previous relationship…and why she's refused to see him now. Serious this time, I hope this doesn't get pretentious.

Chapter 18: Choice

"Geez, he really thinks that I could find a dragon in a hospital." House mumbled inside his head. Personally, he didn't really think that Idnax would run off like this. She was the jumpiest of his team, yet she always managed to pull herself together when she was needed, like if a patient coded. It was a job requirement to be able to pull yourself together if you were a cardiologist, she knew the most about the heart compared to any of his ducklings and here she was breaking one, or two, he couldn't decide just yet.

"If I was running from St. George, where would I go?"

The roof. She knew that House sometimes went up there when he was tired, or angry about something. He hobbled over to the lift, hoping that he wasn't wrong.

--

Idnax didn't know exactly why she couldn't face the music about it. The roof just seemed like a good temporary escape. Yes, it was, she nodded to herself as she wrapped her black shawl around her tighter. Chase probably found Cameron a lot more useful than her at the moment. Idnax who fainted in a lecture on a liver dissection. Idnax who couldn't tell whether warafin was useful for a heart patient in a final exam. Idnax who burnt the toast and sent the whole dorm running at 5:30 in the morning because of the smoke alarm, every day of the first week.

They all had thought she was just odd and downright annoying at times. She tried to keep to herself, not to irritate anybody. Except Chase…

Seven years ago, Meri was beside herself with humiliation. How could it only be her that could screw up a henna rinse so badly? From some stupid chemical in that had reacted with her hair, she now looked like Cookie Monster. If only she could just melt up into the earth.

There was a knock at her door. Shit.

"Gimme a second!" she called out; scurrying around her messy coffee table for a scarf she'd dumped there the other day. Idnax opened the door to see Chase standing there, not realising half her hair was still on display.

Oh, heavens. Why did it have to be this gorgeous guy?

"Um, hi. I just moved into the flat next door, and now I've realised I'm out of milk. May I have some of yours?"

She thought about this one. "That's not really that good an idea."

"Why?"

"Because, it's Crazy Meri! I drink out of the carton, and there's no way I'll be giving you my insanity!"

He laughed at that. "You don't seem insane; just messy, clever and not very good with hair dye." He noticed, Double Shit.

"Want to come in? You look able to keep your hair in good condition, got any tricks?"…

Their first conversation together that might have taken off from somewhere. Thank God she'd found somebody on campus who didn't mind if she couldn't cook, cleaned her house when a rat appeared and laughed at the lecturers. So why couldn't she face him now? Did she have to be so jealous of Cameron? She knew that her relationship with Chase was no more than him being a big brother, so why was she feeling so insanely jealous about her baby? Maybe it was because she had known Chase was afraid when she'd collapsed…

Five years later, another graduation party was on tonight. They didn't spend as much time in classes as they used to; he'd found more interest in intensive care, she in cardiology. That didn't stop them from moving in together as flatmates. Rumours started about them sexually, but she didn't care.

"You finished in there?" Chase called out to her from the lounge.

"Um, yeah. Just find my handbag, could you?" she cried out. She didn't want to tell him that her stomach hurt badly, her period was due, and he didn't need to know.

Just a quick flick back of her wet hair, and…

"Meri! What are you doing in there!" Chase called out from the door, opening it up to get a scream back in response.

"Rob…it really hurts…"

He'd got an ambulance for her as quick as they'd been taught to do. They all thought she had appendicitis, but it wasn't as simple. One doctor had shown her an ultrasound of her ovaries; one had a tumour as big as a chicken's egg growing on it. It was benign, thank God, but it needed to be removed. One of the students had used her as a practice surgery, and accidentally removed her ovary with it. She thought the chances of getting pregnant would be slim. The chances of getting her best friend pregnant even slimmer…

Five months ago, how weird did it feel to be working with Chase again? It was their first surgery together, for that minute, they were just scrubbing up.

"So, four months is it?" she said, letting her mask hang around her neck while she helped him tie up his gown. "How are you today?" finishing up her job, and giving him a hug. She knew he had a girlfriend, but come on; it wasn't like she could hurt her from it.

"I feel sick from this sterile environment, have heartburn, and-" he said, pausing and wondering if he should tell her the truth. "You're hugging my incredibly tender chest."

"Oh." She said, drawing back and fixing her mask to her mouth, confused. "I mean, I read somewhere that it's not as impossible for guys to conceive now, but lactation?"

Chase laughed shaking his head while tucking his hair under the required cap. "No, I guess that I'm storing fat there. It's gross, I know."

"Not really." She said, twisting her hair up into a bun that would fit under her surgical cap. Looking at him, Idnax could see that he had gone up the scales a bit, but nothing major. His stomach had also begun to swell. Thinking of the devil, one of his hands had flown to it in a protective way.

"You alright?" she asked, pushing her glasses up her nose.

"Think so…it's just that…I've never felt this before." He pondered. She placed one of her hands on it to feel what he meant. She giggled.

"I think Joey's moving, Rob." She said, hoping that he could see her smile while giving Joey a pat.

They walked into the surgery again. The others in the theatre were curious about what was causing them to be so cheery and secretive in a heart transplant operation…

It was starting to snow now. She should go in; before she wound up with the flu. Idnax turned around, into an unshaven face that smelt of coffee and Reuben.

"There's no need to take the Best for Baby thing so seriously. I mean, the roof is a bit over the top if you were smoking."

Idnax didn't want to talk to him right now. Couldn't House get his head out of everyone else's business?

"I did go to see him. Cameron just seemed to be doing the better mothering job when I saw them hugging." Shit, did she make it obvious that she was jealous?

"Cameron does that. She sees a being that needs a shoulder to cry on, and then pounces when there's nothing in her way."

"I don't think I should get in their way."

"Oh, God's sake! So you think that because you've made his belly grow big and round you can play not part in his life because of her?"

"I don't want to get in their way; they've probably tapped each other! I'd just be a third wheel who provided their picture perfect baby!"

House knew that the truth would hurt right now. "Yeah, they have."

Big mistake, she had tears all the way down her cheeks now, now she could never be much good at getting her point across. "I knew it; they can just go and have their life. Cameron's won."

"You've hugged him way more than she has. Gone to see the classics, swapped clothes, picked out a flat. Cameron doesn't even know what a wombat is."

She smirked; her bout of crying was clearing up. "So, I guess I have a choice."

"Yeah. Either you take the lift to the ground floor to run away to a circus and dazzle them with your wits, or take the lift to the fifth floor, watch him sweat it out a bit, and then have a commitment for eighteen years. It's all yours, think about it, just not too long."

Idnax fiddled with the lapel of her white jumpsuit. She'd always wanted kids, but Cameron seemed to be so good at what she was doing…

"Fifth floor for me, thanks."

--

The two walked back to the private room, only to be met by a flustered looking Martine and Pip.

"Thank God you're here. It's been an hour!" Pip said while trying to catch her breath again, "Martine, can you explain what's happened?"

The Eurasian nurse nodded, patting down her braided sides "Chase has dilated to seven, but he's not acting so well."

"What do you mean?" Idnax asked, pulling her shawl up around her shoulders.

"He's given into the pain, not doing anything to manage with it. He's just given up, he needs you in there, girl." Pip said drawing the bottom line.

"Oh God, the Drama!" House said.

A/N: Actually, that last comment's more Xandi than House. You get the picture, no?