Author's Note: I made some progress writing so I decided to go ahead and put this chapter up. Yay for one of my favorite characters showing up =)
"Thanks, Stephen," she said as they arrived at her apartment building.
"Anytime, you know that. And listen - it's 2:45 now. Get some sleep. You are NOT allowed back at that hospital until at least noon tomorrow. I know your shift doesn't start till three, so don't BS me," he half-teased.
"Yes, Mom," she rolled her eyes at him and laughed, opening the car door.
His eyes narrowed as he heard the fatigue and concern behind her light-hearted tone. He caught her hand and pulled her back toward him, embracing her. "Call me if you need to."
Closing her eyes in his arms for a moment, she realized how exhausted she really was. "Thanks. I'll be okay." He pulled back and gave her a warning look. "But I'll call if I need to," she added quickly. He knew how she tended to push away from people. "Goodnight, Stephen." She slid out of the car and hurried to her door.
"Goodnight, Remy," he whispered, watching her go. "Sleep tight."
***************
She quickly changed out of her work clothes into a tank top and comfortable sweatpants. Setting her alarm for 9:30, she settled into bed to get some much needed sleep. To her dismay, it didn't come immediately. Though her body was exhausted, her mind was racing. What could have happened at Princeton-Plainsboro to send House running like this? There were few things in the world he cared about enough to impact him like this - Wilson, Cuddy, and his job were the only three that came to mind.
Remy found herself wishing she wasn't so out of the loop at PPTH. It had been a clean break three years ago - she hadn't made contact with anyone since she walked out. She assumed everyone was still there, but who could she call to find out what was going on with House? Her options were limited, since she'd never gone out of her way to make friends outside Diagnostics, and there were few people at the hospital who didn't steer clear of the department's head anyway. Wilson was the obvious choice, but he was also the one most likely involved in what was going on. Cuddy would run to Wilson first thing if she got a call about House, so she was out. And somehow, maybe from years of being brainwashed that Cuddy should be mislead and subverted at any opportunity, calling her would feel like a kind of betrayal. Taub and Kutner? Remy almost smiled as she realized that even after all these years, she still thought of them as Taub-and-Kutner, like one person. For all she knew, they weren't even at Princeton-Plainsboro anymore. Their fellowships would surely have ended by now. She rubbed her forehead, nearly out of options. No way was she contacting Eric - he'd have too many questions, and none of them would have to do with House. Everyone else in the hospital gives House a wide berth. No one else would even notice if he was more on edge than usual.
Wait...his old team? She didn't know either of the other doctors well, but she could recall their names - Allison Cameron and Robert Chase. They'd worked with Eric, and most of what she knew about them was from his stories. He told her how Cameron had fallen in love with House and spent years trying to get his attention; conning him into taking her on a date and using Chase to make him jealous. Not who I want to call right now. She didn't need a crazy, hopeless romantic type to do something stupid and upset House. Chase, on the other hand, Remy had always kind of liked. He seemed levelheaded (enough to balance Cameron's insanity), and since he and Remy hadn't been close, she could call him to find out what was going on without facing too many questions about where she'd disappeared to three years ago. He was bound to know what was going on with House, with Cameron no doubt keeping him informed whether he cared or not, but he wasn't so attached to the man that he'd tell Wilson or Cuddy.
Mind made up, she reached for her laptop. Although she wasn't sure what position Chase held now or if he was even still at PPTH, this was the best way she could think of to find a number to contact him. Typing in the Princeton-Plainsboro web address from memory, she selected the Administrators, Doctors and Specialists tab in the header and did a double-take as the page loaded. "Dean of Medicine Alexander T. Bryant" was the heading, and a stiff, formal picture of a balding man in a suit accompanied the information underneath.
This was the last thing she was expecting; she'd just assumed Cuddy and House would play their control-struggle game forever. Without her to hold him in check, he'd induce a lawsuit a week. Cuddy was one of the only people who could stand House, and one of the only ones who could get through to him. Remy skimmed the paragraph and found that Bryant took over the hospital more than a year ago. So this isn't what set House off...unless he got fired? Holding her breath, she scrolled over the Departments and Heads menu. Diagnostics - Gregory House, M.D. So that wasn't it. Two rows down: Oncology - James Wilson, M.D. Then one she wasn't expecting: Surgery and Operations - Robert Chase, M.D. She should have known House would pull strings to get the only surgeon who would indulge his ridiculous requests in charge. Clicking his name, she smirked at the picture. Although she'd never been much for stereotypes regarding sexual orientation, this man was the epitome of gay. His perfectly styled hair and almost comically eager smile made it difficult to take him seriously. Reaching for a pen and stickynote, she jotted down the number under his name.
Damn. She pulled back the hand already reaching for her cell phone. It's almost four in the morning. Sighing, she realized she'd have to wait until a reasonable hour. Her plan of action made up, she was suddenly tired again. Placing Chase's number by her computer, she curled up again and was asleep in minutes.
**********
Arriving at Faulkner just after nine the next morning, she stopped briefly in the locker room before heading straight to the third-floor staircase, the only place she knew would be quiet and deserted. Cell phone in hand, she climbed the stairs while pulling the sticky note out of her pocket. She referred to it to dial the number, and held her breath as it rang. Once...twice...then the line clicked. "Hello?"
"Is this Doctor Chase?" The question was unnecessary; his accent clearly identified him. "This is Remy Hadley." A pause. "Thirteen."
"Oh, of course! A fellow ex-duckling. I'm sorry. It's just that you never introduced yourself as Doctor Hadley here."
She laughed at his term for House's teams, and realized he was right. "I guess I've gotten used to having a name again. How have you been?"
"Oh, wonderful...Allison and I are engaged as of a month ago." She heard the excitement in his voice and smiled, remembering how crazy he was about Cameron. "How about you?"
"Congratulations! I'm at Faulkner hospital now, working the ER."
"The emergency room is a change, isn't it?" he commented. "Took me a while to get used to the pace after I switched from House's team." Another pause - he was clearly wondering why she called.
"Listen, Doctor Chase - "
"It's Robert, please."
"All right, then call me Remy, Robert. I have a few questions, and I need to ask you to use careful judgement before repeating this to anyone."
"Alright..." he said, his accent more pronounced.
"Last night, a man came into our emergency room with severe burns over sixty percent of his body from a motorcycle accident."
"Oh God," he groaned, obviously seeing where this was going. "That fucking idiot."
"Exactly what I said. But there's more. The worst of the damage is on his right thigh."
Chase paused on the other end of the phone. "How bad?" he asked tentatively.
"In two to four months of rehab, he should regain almost all the mobility he had before the accident."
"Two to four months of rehab?"
"That's why I'm calling. As you know, of course, House can deal with pain. The daily struggle is nothing new for him. But to endure months of exercises and physical therapy, a patient needs to want to get better." She paused, unsure of how to continue. "When he woke up this morning after surgery, I asked him what he was doing so far from Princeton, speeding recklessly on a rainy night. I could tell from his response...there was a reason, and he didn't want to share." Chase sighed. "Is there anything you know of that could help the doctors here treat him? Is he in danger of losing his job, since his guardian angel apparently quit?"
He laughed humorlessly. "Yeah, Cuddy finally did it. She decided Rachel was her first priority, and someone else could keep him from running this place out of business with legal fees and lawsuits. At first we all thought she'd be back, but he knew it was for good. You wouldn't believe how he changed. As soon as Bryant took over - he's a prick, by the way - House pretty much gave up and blended in. No more ethical codes shattered, ridiculous shot-in-the-dark tests, or gross violations of privacy - and he lost three patients in three months. Taub and Kutner quit within four." Remy was silent, trying to get used to the idea of a compliant, subdued House. He sounded...lifeless. "I thought it would break him," Chase continued, "but he seemed to survive until a month ago. I don't know exactly what happened, but he and Wilson had some huge disagreement. I don't think they've spoken at all since then."
"Oh, God." She knew how much Wilson meant to him, although he tried to hide it. After Amber's death, when the men had parted ways for so long, he could often be found staring pensively across their shared balcony, twirling his cane. The new team was worried about how he would react to being dragged to his father's funeral months later (mostly afraid he'd terrorize and abuse them more than normal), but his mood actually improved after the trip. Taub was of the opinion that he was a heartless son of a bitch who was happy to see his father gone, but Kutner and Thirteen thought his restored friendship with Wilson was responsible. "Do you think they'll get over it?"
"I don't know enough to make a prediction," Chase sighed, "but from the way House is reacting...it doesn't look good." They were silent for a moment. "How long is he going to be there?"
"I'll have to look at the transfer openings. He's easily stable enough to be moved, so we'll probably send him down there tonight or tomorrow." She paused. "What will Wilson do when he finds out?" A pause, then - Click, grind...crack. "Are you chewing on a pen?"
They both laughed, breaking the tension. "Guilty," he said. "Means I'm thinking. With Wilson, it'll go one of two ways - and neither is good. He'll either play mother hen, which would not solve anything but force them to pretend they're okay; or not care, which would kill House." Remy couldn't picture Wilson staying away from his best friend's bedside - for Chase to bring up the possibility, the argument must really be serious. "Do you want me to tell Wilson?" Chase offered. "I could get an idea of how he'll react when House gets here."
"Thanks for offering...but I'd rather House didn't find out I called you. You know how he is - I don't think he'd want us conferring about him." Because I wouldn't. She didn't say it, but she understood his aversion to people focusing on him like this. "If you're comfortable with it, I don't really want House to know about this conversation."
"Good point. I'll keep it to myself." Remy hesitated. She didn't want to mention Cameron by name. "I know Allison can...over-react sometimes, especially when it comes to him," Chase continued. "I don't have to bring this up with her."
"I'd appreciate that," Remy said, relieved. "Thanks for the insight."
"No problem. Good luck dealing with House today - he's like a wounded animal when he's sick; you have to be careful trying to help him. I'll talk to you later, Remy."
I'm a little discouraged that I haven't gotten many reviews =( so feedback would be great!