Some more shots sounded from out the small examination room, the patient shooting from the doorway.
''Drop your gun and step out with your hands raised above your head.'' The police yelled.
Finally, the gunfire stopped.
As soon as the man had stepped out he was still holding the gun. He looked at Chase, he dropped the gun, The police jumped him and pushed him to the floor.
House and Cuddy made their way forward immediately. Chase was laying face down on the ground, almost in his own blood and they quickly turned around, blood gushing out of the wound in his neck. ''Get a gurney!'' House yelled at the team and they rushed away, Cuddy and him sitting down by the young doctor.
''Bullet hit him in the neck.'' House mumbled as he pushed his hand down on the bullet wound. ''We need to get him into an operating room as soon as possible!''
''House, he still has a pulse.'' Cuddy said. ''Plus, you need to get him on a backboard.''
''He still has a pulse now, but not for long, we don't have time for a backboard. Get a neurosurgeon – Foreman, you are coming with me, we are scrubbing in.'' House said, walking as fast as he could, followed by Foreman.
''House you should put him on a back-''
''He will die!''
As quickly as they could, they scrubbed in for surgery, as well as the neurosurgeon on call.
Cuddy, Thirteen and Taub had prepped him for surgery. He was already receiving blood and was on the ventilator when they came in.
One of the support staff of the operating room was still pressing his neck closed and they knew they had to close it soon, or he could very soon bleed out.
Getting ready, Foreman and House stood ready. As soon as the nurse removed her hand. They started moving rapidly and soon had removed the bullet and fixed the artery.
''Pulse is really low.'' Foreman said as they had managed to stop the bleeding, but worried that he was still bleeding internally.
House was stitching up his neck, only looking up to the monitor every now and then.
''House, his blood pressure is still dropping.'' Foreman said worried as they looked at the monitor.
''I repaired it all.'' House said and after looking at the sheet, he saw some blood had formed a into the sheet as well. Foreman saw it as well now and House pulled a part of the sheet away.
High up is back was another wound. It wasn't bleeding heavily. Looking up at the theater, he saw Cuddy and Thirteen standing there, worried.
Behind House, Foreman and the neurosurgeon grabbed one of the portable ultrasound machine so that they could look at how it was looking in his desk.
''how did you miss that?!'' He yelled at Cuddy.
''We didn't see it.'' She said worried.
House just turned around and limped back to the operating table.
''House, his whole vertebrae and disk are damaged, we need to repair it.'' Foreman said as they looked on the screen.
''Then do it.'' House just said.
''If we do that now he dies. Doctor House, we need to stabilize him first before working on his back, there is no way we can do this now.'' The neurosurgeon told them. ''We need to clean out the bone fragments, stabilize his back and repair the disk. There is no way we can do that now.''
''He could end up paralyzed! The bone fragments could cause a disaster in his back.'' House said angry.
''But he will live.'' Foreman told House. Even though he wanted to fix Chase's back just as much as the next person, he knew his colleague would not make it through the surgery.
''Get him off the table then.'' House finally said, waking out of the operating room.
He had just showered when he walked into the PACU. Chase was in one of the beds, almost hidden under wires and with his back and neck in a brace. For a moment, he sat by the bedside. The man was almost thirty, but suddenly seemed very small and young. He seemed so pale as well because of all the blood loss and even though they had repaired the artery, he knew Chase was not out of the woods yet.
One of the nurses saw him and came walking his way.
''We are keeping him in the ICU tonight. Hopefully tomorrow we can move him to a private room. Really depends on how he makes it through the night.''
''He is still receiving blood right?'' House said a bit worried.
''Yes.''
Looking at the young man whose life had just been set upside down by a man he didn't even know, he walked out of the PACU.
The clinic was closed for today and he looked at the blood they were still cleaning off the floor. Silent, he just stood there for a while, trying to make sense of the events of today.
Cuddy came walking his way, looking exhausted.
''The police took him in custody. If Chase isn't going to prosecute him, we will.''
''I don't think that will be on his mind any time soon.'' House admitted.
''I talked to Foreman and looked at the footage as well, things aren't looking good.'' She sighed.
''I know.'' House mumbled.
''I am sorry I didn't see that second bullet wound. There was blood everywhere and-'' Cuddy said upset.
''it is not your fault.'' He just said softly.
''House, I am really sorry this happened.''
''You didn't shoot Chase.'' House mumbled before walking away, on his way to the ICU to see how Chase was doing.
He stood against the glass of the ICU. A nurse was moving his limbs, slowly and carefully because they were worried about making the damage in his back even bigger.
''We will do a CAT scan tomorrow. Even though there might be some streaks from the bullet it should give us an idea about the damage. Plus we can't MRI him with the bullet still lodged in his back. It's too early to tell the damage now but he is breathing on his own so far.'' Foreman said as he came walking up and stood beside House.
''Thanks.'' House said, glad Foreman had talked with the head of Neurology already.
''Is there anybody we need to call?'' Foreman asked.
''He has no emergency contact listed and I know he doesn't have much family in Australia.'' House shook his head.
''Be honest with me, how is he going to recover?'' House asked Foreman and Foreman was surprised that the senior doctor asked him that.
''I think you know better than me, to be honest.'' Foreman told house as he wanted to walk away.
''I don't know, I just know things will never be the same again.'' House sighed. They looked back at Chase, hoping that everything would still turn out alright for the young doctor.
You are still absolutely allowed to hate me. I hope you liked the continuation of this story. Thank you so much for reading, please let me know what you thought by leaving a review and hopefully till next time!
