Chapter Ten
Back in the 'war room', the fellows had gathered with their various test results. They were all a bit confused. Everything was negative. Full chemistry panels and repeat CBC yielded no new information. Neither did the MRI or the LP, both were clean. The speech therapy eval showed no physical abnormalities which could explain the slurred speech. There were no difficulties swallowing, no problems with thought process or expression. The patient knew what he wanted to say and understood others, there was no aphasia. Chase had found nothing new on the physical exam. No neurological deficits of any kind. The only glimmer came from Cameron. Two uncles, a cousin and a grandparent, all male, had died early in their fifties of what had been labeled a stroke. All the females in the family were relatively healthy.
"Huh." Was House's only response. He returned to the white board, "So what does that leave us?"
CVA
Cranial nerve dysfunction
Parkinson's
Paralysis of the soft palate
Infection
Demyelination
"Aren't you going to cross out Infection?" Queried Cameron
"Lack of elevated WBCs has fooled us before," House responded almost absently. "Get the medical records of the family members that died of 'stroke', that's too much of a coincidence for my liking."
"That may be difficult in the case of the grandparents, especially. No one left to grant permission." Cameron stated.
"Check with legal, find a way!" House replied, still a bit absent. He was pulling at his lip now. The ducklings just watched him. "Well? What?"
"What are you thinking?" Foreman was looking at the white board. "If it's infection, what kind of infection shows up with no elevation in WBCs and no fever? He's not on steroids and shows no sign of immunosuppression. If it's demyelination, there are a slew of possibilities from ALS to Multiple Sclerosis. We need an EMG and an EEG."
House nodded his head, "Go. Double check the immunosuppression angle, make sure we're not dealing with HIV or anything else that would shut down his immune system."
Chase lingered at the conference table, a serious expression on his face. "You were right. I spoke with the 'leader' of the cell Chloe's been involved in. She is planning something, but he wouldn't tell me what. The good news is that whatever it is, it's going to play out on neutral territory, not in one of Adler's playgrounds."
"So, how does one dress in this little squash court?" House definitely had a plan, what it was, Chase couldn't imagine.
"Expensively," was Chase's reply. "The stronger the presence, the more expensive the garb. House, you're not planning on interfering are you?"
"No more than she is."
"Well, I can't imagine a more alpha Alpha male than you."
"I didn't know you cared."
"I don't, but Chloe will kill you if you try to stop her, she's an alpha female, you know."
"And in a wolf pack, only the alphas are allowed to mate." House dropped it at that. Chase gave him an odd look and left the room, headed for the clinic.
"Chase!" House called out after him, "Find out where this little shindig is supposed to take place if you can." Chase nodded and left.
House hopped on the internet for a little 'research'.
"What you're suggesting, Chloe is unorthodox, to say the least. It's been years since I recall a sub buying out another sub's contract." Arthur Johanssen was seated behind his massive oak desk located in his massive oak-lined law office. He chewed a little on his quite pleasantly scented cigar. Arthur was a cigar connoisseur. "How do you propose doing this?"
"The owner of this particular contract is a user, Arthur, he'll want meat. I'm prepared to give it to him, for this girl's sake." Chloe's words were full of venom.
"Tell me the story." Arthur pulled out a legal pad and began to take notes.
Chloe began at the beginning and told him everything about Esi and Jason Adler, including the FBI's involvement.
"Oh my God, you're going to take on Adler? Are you insane? He won't honor any agreement I can broker, you know that!"
"Arthur, Jason has for years craved recognition by the community, I'm betting he'd do anything to see that happen. He's just egotistical enough to believe we'd give him that recognition. He very well could let his guard down long enough. The tricky part is the timing. This has to happen just before the FBI nabs him. I may be able to arrange that, I'm not sure."
"Not many in the community will want to be witnesses to this transaction, Chloe."
"The Taken In Hand faction would be more than willing. All I need are three witnesses. His agreement to forsake the contract he made for Esi must be recorded, preferably by video. We've got to have that up front, or no deal."
"And you don't think he'll smell a trap?"
"I think, no, I know, he's just narcissistic enough to think no one could trap him into anything. That's what I'm betting on. He'll be so focused on humiliating me, he won't listen to reasonable counsel."
"Okay, Chloe, if you think this is the best solution."
"It's the only solution I can think of, Arthur. He's going to kill that girl and Dr. Chase and maybe even me if I don't agree with what he's proposed."
After a little more discussion and planning, Chloe left the office and headed to the local office of the FBI and Special Agent Michaelson.
"You want to do what?" Michaelson had thought he'd heard it all, but this was downright weird.
"Adler is, I'm sure, planning to leave the country as soon as he knows you have the contract. The only thing that will keep him here is his ego. He won't pass up this opportunity. He's an idiot."
Michaelson shook his head. They talked for a long time. Chloe rejected the idea of using recording equipment. Michaelson wanted to have an agent in the room to keep an eye on her.
"This is a tight-knit community, Special Agent, anyone not established with it will stick out like a sore thumb. Besides, there will only be five people in the room, everyone will be well-known to the others. You just need to be outside to grab him when he leaves the premises. I and my friends will take care of me. You can count on that. Then you can send Esi home to her parents."
"Damn, this is crazy. When are you planning this little outing?"
"Next Wednesday night."
Chapter Eleven
House had seen her leave the offices of Johanssen, Huess & Wojtyna, PLLC and when she left, he entered.
"Good day, sir, may I help you?" The receptionist was young and pretty, not the stodgy matron he had expected.
"Yes, I'm here to see whomever Chloe Marzhal was here to see just moments ago." House watched her face. She never flinched.
"One moment please, sir. If you'll have a seat, I'll see what I can do." He sat and she rose, turning to enter the inner offices. Her hips swayed ever so gently.
'Nice legs', thought House.
In a moment, Arthur Johanssen appeared, looking quizzically at House. "May I help you?"
House rose with the help of his cane, which Arthur noticed, and offered his hand. "I certainly hope so. House, Greg House."
Arthur shook his hand, "Mr. House, it's a…"
"Doctor, Dr. House," he interrupted.
"Ah, of course, I should have guessed. Please come into my office."
Chloe had spoken of House several times, but Arthur had never met him. He offered House a chair, then some refreshment.
"Scotch if you have it," was House's reply.
Arthur poured them both a glass of Glenfiddich and having handed one to House, took his seat behind his desk.
"Now, Dr. House, what can I do for you?"
"Chloe Marzhal just left here, I'm here to find out what you discussed." House took a sip of the very fine whiskey.
"I'm sure you can appreciate, Dr. House, that any communication I have with my client is confidential. I am prohibited from disclosing the nature of her visit."
"Chloe has something planned. She has not discussed it with me, nor has she requested my permission for whatever it is she about to do. I'm not happy about that. If she is contemplating breaking our agreement, I'd like to know about it."
Arthur was taken aback, "You are Chloe's…"
"I wouldn't be here if I weren't, none of this would concern me in the least otherwise. I'm sure you can appreciate that I am distressed at even having to be here." Everybody lies.
"Yes, I can imagine," Arthur stroked his chin. "Well, Dr. House, you are correct in your assumption that Chloe has something planned. However, leaving your service is not what she has in mind, although I'm sure she's taken the possibility that this might be destructive to your relationship into consideration." Arthur grinned, "she is a willful woman, that one. Always has been."
"Indeed. I will deal with that later. What can you tell me, Mr. Johanssen?"
Arthur discussed at length Chloe's plan to free Esi from Adler and avoid any harm coming to Dr. Chase. The two men then came to an agreement of their own.
"Understand, Johanssen, I will not tolerate his misuse of Chloe. Abrasions, cuts and bruises heal, however, there will be no exchange of body fluids. I will not have her permanently damaged. May I assume that the usual prohibitions will be in force? I believe I have a right to these demands."
"Yes, of course, no blood, no scat, no permanent markings or piercings. It will be as you wish, Dr. House, you certainly do have that right. I will make sure your wishes are respected."
"Thank you." House rose and left the office, a little shaken.
"Where the hell is House?" Chase was concerned and annoyed.
"Who knows, why? What's wrong?" Cameron inquired.
"All the tests for immunosuppression are negative." Foreman went to the white board and crossed out Infection.
"So that only leaves us Demyelination. What did the EMG and EEG show?" Chase asked.
"EEG is normal, but the EMG shows slight weakness in the right lower leg. This could be one of those odd X-chromosome mutations." Foreman's face had an intense look, then his eyes brightened. "We need a sural nerve biopsy!"
"Wait," said Cameron, "Are you talking about adrenoleukodystrophy? Doesn't that usually affect children? Have we checked his adrenal function?"
"Ever see Lorenzo's Oil?" House came ambling into the conference room, "It's your kind of flick, Cameron, lots of sniffing and nose-blowing."
Cameron rolled her eyes. "That's my point, doesn't X-ALD usually affect young boys?"
"Not as much as over-zealous seminarians," House snarked, pleased with himself. Chase threw him an evil look.
"Two to three percent of those with X-ALD are men in their forties or fifties. He may have been walking around with this for years and not even he knew he had a problem. Adrenal function studies may be perfectly normal." Foreman finished the thought.
"Exactly. Get the sural nerve biopsy. And check his adrenal function as well, might as well cover all the bases."
Foreman started to leave, then turned back. "We won't be able to offer this guy much if this is X-ALD you know."
"The diagnosis is the thing, says so on the door there." House quipped.
Foreman shook his head and left the room.
Chapter Twelve
Their bodies swayed every so gently in rhythm to the soft strains emitted from the stage. He loved the scent of her hair. Her arms were draped almost carelessly about his shoulders, her cheek pressed lightly against his.
This was the first time they'd had a chance to be alone in awhile and she wanted to go dancing. For some reason, she craved close contact but, at the same time she wanted to be somewhere public. Her mind and her emotions were a jumble and she didn't like that.
The small jazz club was his favorite. It was comfortably dark, you could barely see the person sitting next to you at your table, much less anyone else in the room. Everyone felt they were the only ones present. That's exactly how he felt at that moment, he and she were alone in the room. It was intoxicating.
His gentle touch slid effortless over the back of her silk dress. She sighed and nuzzled his neck. What did she want? Who did she want? Why was she always fighting for that which she couldn't have?
The trio slid naturally from one composition to another, the various couples on the dance floor barely registering the changes. He pulled her a little closer, if that was possible.
"What are you thinking, Allie?" He whispered into her hair.
"The physically improbable existentialism of life as we know it." She couldn't suppress a giggle.
"Don't mock me, you little devil." He gave her a squeeze.
She pulled her face away from his neck to look into his eyes. "I have no idea what I'm thinking. Thoughts just flit in and out and don't leave a trace."
"Well, here's another thought." He kissed her lips gently.
"I cannot lie," she murmured, "I like that thought."
He kissed her again, watching her eyes flutter shut. "Who are you kissing, Allie?" He whispered into her mouth.
"Well, his name is Robbie, but let me check my dance card." He kissed her again, teasing her lips with his tongue.
"Ah, yes, Robbie it is," she whispered.
He didn't believe her. Yet. He would continue the gentle prodding until he could, finally, know in his heart who it was she was kissing. It was painful, but he was sure he could get her to forget House, eventually.
"Let's get out of here, before I ravish you in front of all these witnesses." His voice had taken on a huskiness that excited her.
She took his hand and they left the club, headed for his blue BMW 650i. The last gift he'd had from his dad. That fact always made him sad. She sensed the drift and slid her arm around his waist, drawing him closer to her.
He smiled and hugged her back.
Just before they reached his car a voice came to them from out of the darkness. "Dr. Chase?"
They both stopped and looked around. Suddenly a man stepped out of the shadows and confronted the pair. Instinctively, Chase pulled Cameron around behind himself. "Who are you and what do you want?"
"My employer has asked me to give you a message, Dr. Chase. All will be well if you follow my instructions. Do you understand?" His voice was deep and menacing.
"I understand your employer is trying to frighten me." Chase's eyes darted about, assessing escape routes.
"Just so, Dr. Chase. You would be wise to heed my employer's message."
"Get on with it. What does he want?"
"My employer wishes you to withdraw from this investigation into his personal affairs. He is not happy with your involvement."
"I have no control over any investigation into Jason Adler's business. That is a matter for the authorities."
"Tsk, tsk, Dr. Chase. If it hadn't been for your phone call to certain parties, my employer wouldn't be in this unenviable position. He simply requests that you reconsider your testimony. I'm sure your friends would advise you to do the same. You wouldn't want harm to come to anyone, would you?" The menace had turned to venom.
"If you're threatening my friends, don't…" Just at that moment, Cameron screamed as she was pulled away from Chase by someone behind her.
Another man had crept up on the pair and now had Cameron by the throat. She struggled, grinding her heel into the man's instep and shoving her elbow into his ribs as hard as she could manage. It was enough to loosen his grip on her. Just as she was spinning away from her assailant, she caught a glimpse of Chase laying into the man with all his fury. Fists flying and a few nice round-house kicks thrown in for good measure had the attacker on the run in short order.
The first man had disappeared as a nearby car started up. Squealing rubber assaulted their ears as the second man piled into the vehicle. The automobile sped away into the night.
They were left in the street alone. "Oh my God, Robbie, are you alright?" Cameron was completely taken aback by what had happened. How could anyone threaten other people that way? It made no sense to her.
"What a couple of bumbling idiots!" Shouted Chase. Realizing that saying any more would upset Cameron, he left the thought dangling. "I'm alright, nothing a nice hot shower won't cure. Come here, tiger!" He grinned at Cameron. "Quite a few moves you've got there, girlfriend!" He hugged her close to him, aware of the near miss they'd just had. Those two could have killed them if they'd chosen to do so. No one else was about, and supposedly they were professionals.
What Cameron had witnessed was a little different. Chase couldn't see his own face, couldn't see the determination and resolve which had rarely needed expression. What had emerged was a man Cameron was seeing for the first time. He really did care about her. Cared enough to put himself in danger for her. She felt safer with him now than she ever had. For a moment, there was only Chase. She hugged him tight, burying her face in his shoulder.
Quickly leading her to his car, they left the area and headed for safety. In the morning, he would call the FBI and let them know what had happened. But not now, not tonight.
Tonight was for Allie.
Chapter Thirteen
Cameron stared out the window of the car. The streets seemed so deserted, even the lampposts seemed dim. Her world was clouding over. The realization that she and Chase could have been badly hurt just now was ever so slowly dawning on her. Her Pollyanna world was collapsing. She started to cry.
Chase slowed the car. "Allie, what's wrong?"
She was shaking now. "My God, Robbie, we could have been killed, those men were, they were, oh my God!" She buried her head in her hands.
Chase pulled over. "No, no, don't stop 'til we get home! Please I want to go home!" He complied, reaching over to gently squeeze her hand.
When they finally reached Cameron's apartment, her weeping had calmed to a series of sniffles, but she was still in something of a shocked state. Chase helped her out of the car and into her home. He made sure all the doors and windows were locked and that no one was in the apartment that didn't belong. Cameron stood in the midst of her living room, just watching him. Then he returned to her, bearing two glasses of wine. He led her to the sofa and they sat, Chase closely watching her. The wine began to have its affect and she relaxed, finally laying her head on his shoulder.
"Allie, it'll be alright. No one's going to harm you."
"Robbie, don't leave me."
"I'll not leave you, Allie, I promise."
Soon their wine was gone but she still felt uneasy, as though something was missing. Something had been taken away. She wanted it back.
"Robbie, I need you."
He didn't have to ask why or what for. He stood turning to look at her. She seemed so small just then. Something primal swept over him. He reached down and scooped her up into his arms, carrying her to where she would feel the safest, her bed. Laying her gently on the comforter, he kicked off his shoes, shrugged off his jacket and lay down beside her, gathering her to him like a child.
She snuggled in close, inhaling his scent. There was nothing intellectual here, nothing quantifiable, nothing calculated. She just needed to feel alive again. She hadn't realized until now that he was the one who made her feel that way. Before she knew what was happening she had his shirt unbuttoned and was literally burying herself in his chest, licking and sucking with abandon, accompanied only by his soft moans of delight.
He let her take the lead, gently stroking and caressing, as he watched while she give herself over to basic need. She made quick work of his clothing, tasting every part as she revealed him bit by bit. With no thought for anything but the right here and the right now, Allison Cameron devoured the man she had once dismissed as a plaything.
Finally, he could stand it no longer. His passion matched hers as they tumbled through the dance, their cries of wanton lust filling the air. He held her tight and she held him tighter. Their hearts pounded against one another, speaking a language only lovers can hear.
"I love you, Allie." It was the last thing she heard as she melted into her dream-filled slumber.