Here's the next installment. I don't own either House or Crossing Jordan. If you're liking what you're reading, click the little grey button at the bottom. Enjoy.
(Two hours later) Woody was coming up with a big goose egg trying to track down the hard copy of Leah's tox screen. The last person he wanted to have to deal with was Lu again. He was a little surprised when his search was interrupted by ADA Wolcott.
"Looking for anything in particular Detective?"
"An old case file of mine, tying up some loose ends." Said Woody
"Uh-huh, tell me another one. You're looking for something on the Rysten Case."
"And what if I am?"
"Then you Detective, are skating on a very very thin patch of ice. Stealing evidence and letting the morgue twist it isn't going to do you any favors."
"I'm not twisting anything," said Woody as Wolcott's cell phone then rang.
"Wolcott. Oh really? Thanks, I'll be right down. Seems that Garret didn't tell me that Leah was awake."
Crap. Woody thought to himself as he said nothing as Wolcott left. Woody gave Wolcott a good three minute head start before he dug out his cell phone and dialed Boston General. "This is Detective Woodrow Hoyt, I need to be connected to Leah Rysten's room. Thank you."
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James Wilson had just entered Leah's room when the phone rang. He was about to head back out when Leah motioned for him to come into the room. "Hello? Woody, woah, slow down. What? Great, no, I'm fine, just tired of this whole mess. Oh, don't worry I won't." said Leah as she hung up the phone, sighed, and slumped back into her pillows.
"What was that all about?"
"The A.D.A. is coming to see me and probably ask me a few questions. So that means we're going to need to get a hold of Pierson, unless Wolcott called him to give him a heads up."
"Don't worry about it. You're starting to look better. I'm surprised your dad isn't here playing guard."
"After Cuddy came in? Dad's trying to say away from her if at all possible." Said Leah with a sigh.
"What's going on in that head of yours?"
"You want to play my conscious?"
"Would you quit channeling your father please." Said Wilson giving her a stern look.
"I'll try my best. I'm scared. What if-"
"Don't start the what ifs that's not going to do you any good."
"I know, it's just I don't know how anyone is going to get me out of this mess, and what in the hell that JD was working on that would get me landed in jail for his murder and here."
"You know that everyone you know is working on trying to find that out right?"
"Yeah, I do. I just hope that it's not a wild goose chase that they're undertaking because of me." She said then going on, "I wish I could just piece back whatever happened."
"Don't get yourself stressed out, the harder you try to think back, the harder it will be to get that information back. Your father would have my hide if I got you riled."
"And I would too." Came a voice that they knew as Adam Pierson.
"So, who called you?" questioned Wilson.
"Dr. House, why?"
"ADA Wolcott somehow found out that Leah's awake and she's headed over here."
"And how do you know that? So help me if you're the one that spilled that information."
"It wasn't me that told her. I'm Leah's godfather for crying out loud. Detective Hoyt called Leah to let her know that she'd be getting a visitor."
"You're not saying anything. Ah, don't argue with me. You're in no condition to go through any round of questions that Wolcott may have for you. The only way you're talking is until you get a clean bill of health from either him or your father."
"Okay, I'll let you tell her that." Said Leah as Wolcott then came into the hospital room.
"I hope that you didn't break any traffic violations on the way over here." Said Pierson as he turned his attention to Wolcott.
"No, I didn't. I have a few questions that I would like to ask Ms. Rysten."
"I'm afraid that's not possible."
"She's awake, unless she's lost the ability to talk she can write her answers out."
"As of right now, she's in no condition for any high stress questioning from you. So you can wait until she's discharged."
"And whatever you would want to ask of me is under doctor patient confidentiality, so, it's going to have to wait." Said Wilson.
"You know this isn't over." Said Renee.
"We know that much." Said Pierson waiting to see what Renee would drop on them next.
"Just contact me when she's ready to talk."
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Two evenings later, everyone that was able to attend Lily's wedding were there. Jordan, Garret, Nigel, and Woody. The others were either working on Leah's case or staying away entirely. "Any idea on where Bug is?" questioned Garret.
"I think he decided not to come, don't ask me why." Said Nigel.
"Any more word on Leah?" questioned Woody
"I talked to her briefly she seems to be okay, but then it's hard to say, she can be good at hiding her feelings." Said Jordan as they all heard murmuring, the group turned to see Lily coming towards Jeffery and his mother, but she wasn't in her wedding dress. She was in the dress that she had been wearing earlier in the day.
"Excuse me," said Lily softly as she made her way towards Jeffery and Elaine.
"That's not the dress."
"I'm so sorry. I can't do this." Said Lily
"Okay" said Jeffery not really knowing what Lily was getting at.
"Okay?"
"It was wrong to push. The wedding doesn't have to be today we can postpone it." Said Jeffery as Lily shook her head.
"I don't mean that I can't marry you today. I just can't. I'm so sorry." Said Lily as she took off the ring and handed it back to Jeffery who was standing there in disbelief as Lily made her way forward to address the crowd.
"Jeffery and I are so grateful that you all are here on this special day, this is completely my fault, don't take it out on Jeffery, he's a kind and great man, I- just can't- the wedding's off." Said Lily as she then raced out of the room. The guests and everyone stood there somewhat shocked.
"Woah" said Nigel.
"I'm going after her." Said Jordan as Garret then placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Jordan, just let her be."
Ten minutes later in a daze Lily wound up at the morgue and found Bug going over some paper work, listening to music. Lily turned his chair around and Bug then took out the earphones that he had in his ears.
"Lily,"
"Why aren't you at my wedding?"
"I couldn't watch you marry him. Why aren't you at your wedding?"
"I couldn't marry him."
"Why not?"
"He's not you." Said Lily.
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Adam Pierson decided to pay the morgue crew a visit to see where they were getting on Leah's test results, he knew that some of the other evidence they had found would help clear Leah, but the case also hinged on the tox screen results. When Adam got near Garret's office he could tell that Garret wasn't too thrilled and there was a new person in the morgue. Once the blonde haired woman left, Adam knocked on the door,
"What did you want Pierson?"
"Who was that?"
"A new co-worker a Dr. Kate Switzer, she's here to help over see our cases to make sure that we aren't corrupting anything." Said Garret.
"Let me guess courtesy of ADA Wolcott."
"I wouldn't doubt it or from Detective Simons. We still haven't gotten any farther yet if you're looking for Leah's tox results."
"Great, well at least Ms. Redstone's findings should prove useful, now if we could only find out what in the bloody hell Pollack was up to then we could probably close this case."
"You're really beginning to state the obvious." Said Garret.
"So sorry, but the pieces aren't clicking together the way they should and we've got quite a few hiding somewhere."
"Tell me about it, and I'm trying to keep the majority of my workers in line and making sure they don't cross the line about getting the information in not so legal means."
"You know what they say, rules are meant to be bent."
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House decided to pay his daughter an early morning visit and was rather surprised to see Cuddy coming out of his daughter's room.
"What in the hell were you doing in there?"
"Just checking up on her that's all."
"Sure, and trying to pump her for information too, I can just imagine and then you'd be on the phone to your new bestest bud the ADA and spill every little detail."
"House, would you give me a break please, she's tight lipped and tired, not to mention stressed."
"Stressed what do you mean stressed?"
"I asked her and all she said was to ask Wilson."
"Ask Wilson?" questioned House as he then made his way into Leah's room with Cuddy following him back in.
"Care filling me in on what happened yesterday?" questioned House.
"Nothing much. Jimmy came to visit, and that was about it." Said Leah.
"Oh, please, I can tell from the look on your face that you're lying and you don't sound that convincing."
"House-" said Cuddy
"No, you're the one who brought it up. You asked her and she said to ask Wilson, so let's just cut to the chase, Who. Came. Here." Said House making each word a sentence.
"It was no big deal."
"It's a big deal to me. My patience is wearing thin, what happened? I can call Wilson and have him tell me, but I'd rather hear it from you." Said House who was trying not to loose his temper with his daughter.
Leah sighed, "Pierson came to see me yesterday, and ADA Wolcott showed up, some creative thinking on Pierson and Jimmy's part spared me her questioning."
"And why wasn't I informed of this."
"I didn't want to bother you with it."
"Bother? My own daughter could wind up spending the rest of her life in jail if we let them keep up the line that this is an open and shut case!! I'm bothered by it!!"
"House, yelling at her isn't going to do any good."
"Why are you bothered now? You mean to tell me you weren't bothered about three years ago when I was in a different hospital bed." Said Leah taking a breath and going on, "Weren't that concerned when your only daughter was in the hospital then, hanging on by a thread for awhile. Now that she's facing a chance at life in prison you change your tune."
"That's not true." Said House.
"Then why didn't you come to see me? I needed you!" said Leah. House stood there speechless.
"That bitch." Muttered House.
"What?" questioned Cuddy.
"Stacy. I had gotten the phone call and I was on my way there to see her, and then she said that she had gotten a phone call from Leah saying that the doctors had exaggerated and that she was fine. I should have trusted my own instincts." Said House then looking at his daughter, "Why didn't you call again?"
"Every time I did, Stacy was the one that answered the phone, and then you remember how pleasant you were when I came to see you." Said Leah softly.
"The two of you have a lot to work through, I'm going to leave you to it."
"And no snitching to the ADA." Said House as Cuddy decided to make her way out of Leah hospital room and bumped into Nigel Townsend.
"What are you doing here?" questioned Cuddy
"I'm here to check up on Leah. Jordan said that Leah didn't quite sound like her usual self yesterday and from what I caught standing out here that it wasn't the best day."
"You know about as much as I do. Look, I wouldn't go in there right now. The relationship between the two of them has been on the dysfunctional side ever since I've known them."
"I'll spare you the obligatory dysfunctional cliché then."
"Thanks, I don't know about you, but I could use a coffee, and you can fill me in on what's going on so far. House won't tell me much of anything."
"Can you blame him?" questioned Nigel.
Cuddy shot him a glaring look and Nigel held up his hands as they made their way towards the cafeteria.
"I know I'm his boss, yes what he's doing I find a little bit questionable, so it's typical behavior for him to not tell me anything."
"Yeah, but then there's the other side of the coin."
"What other side?"
"The father side of the coin. He nearly threatened to beat me to a pulp when I came into check on Leah when she was first brought into the ER. I don't know much about their relationship, but they do have the semblance of one." Said Nigel.
"Speaking from experience?"
"Let's just say that my father and I don't have the best relationship either, but Leah's got it a bit better than I do. But that's a story for another time."
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