Chapter 5

Lock and Load

House was shocked at how fast Teagan's cousin went downhill. When she died, Wilson was there and was somewhat distraught. Just a few weeks ago he was sure that she was going to make it. This patient was hard for him to lose; he liked his patient and he really liked her cousin, Teagan.

After the machines had been turned off and her cousin had peacefully slipped away, Teagan went over to Wilson and put her hand on his. She tried reading his feelings and soon realized that the good doctor was getting tired of death. Someone very close to him had died and he still felt it deeply. Wilson had desperately wanted a positive outcome, needing it so that he could continue to do what he does so well, give the hopeless hope.

"Dr. Wilson, I think if you wait, you'll find that this wasn't your fault." She wanted to tell him that the drug he used on her cousin had been tainted. It worked in the beginning because he had received an untainted dose from the pharmacy. But the drug company was in financial trouble and had started to take short cuts, resulting in several bad batches. Teagan knew that there was nothing she could have done. No one would have believed her and there wouldn't have been enough time to get in a new batch. Teagan continued, "Next week a little girl with Stage IV leukemia is going to walk through these doors and you're going to save her. She's going to grow up to be the Ambassador to Italy. You do great work and are a wonderful doctor. You'll save many lives, so please don't beat yourself up over my cousin. She was tired and ready to go."

Wilson knew she was speaking metaphorically about a little girl, but it was still a kind thing to say. In fact, he felt much better. Her words, her comforting gesture, it had all been helpful.

The day before her cousin died, House walked into Cuddy's office while she was on the phone with one of the FDA inspectors. After House began singing at the top of his lungs,, "....she never lost her head, even when she was giving head, she said, 'Hey babe, take a walk on the wild side, hey babe take a walk on the wild side. And the colored girls go..do,.do...." Cuddy hung up.

"Ok, you have my attention. What do you want, House?"

"I'm taking ten days of vacation and then you're giving me ten days to get to the seminar, give it and get back."

"You don't need ten days; the flight to San Francisco is only one day. You have three days at the seminar and two days travel."

"Not flying...I recently developed a fear of flying. I'm going to drive. Road trip. I need four days to get there and three days to get back and one to recover."

"No."

"Then I'm not going. I'm willing to honor my contract, I'll give the seminar, I just need time to get there—by car."

"What's going on in that head of yours? Why do you need three weeks off all of a sudden?" Lisa's tone went from accusatory to concerned.

House allowed himself to relax and be honest, "I haven't had a vacation in years, hadn't wanted to take one. I need to do this. I have a chance to take a road trip with someone and then I figure when I get to California I'll rent a car and travel the west coast for awhile. It will give me time to think and visit my Mom."

"Who will take over for you while you're gone?"

He waved his cell phone, "The team can survive for a month without me. I'll have my cell phone; they'll have you and Wilson. They have to start functioning on their own sometime. I won't always be there to babysit them."

"Ok, but you better be willing to fly from now on."

"Deal."

"When will you be leaving?"

"When Mrs. McCormick dies." He knew that would confuse her and House always liked to leave Cuddy a little bit off kilter. So, without explanation, he turned around and left.

House went up to the McCormick room and saw that Mrs. McCormick's husband was back, but Teagan was nowhere to be seen. "Where's Teagan?"

Mr. McCormick gave him a sober look, "She had to pick up her car. She'll be back soon. Are you Dr. House?"

"Yes."

"You're really going to drive with that witch across the USA?"

He was amused at the sincerity in Mr. McCormack's voice when he called Teagan a witch. "Yes. As soon as your wife dies we're out of here."

The man was stunned by House's frankness. "You're asking for trouble. The men who sleep with her end up-- changed. I'd think twice before climbing into that witch's bed, or car, if I were you."

"Excuse me? What do you mean, 'changed?'"

"Just that, they're never the same. She does something wicked to them. They all end up leaving her and when they do, they're different...weird."

"That's all interesting in an X-file sort of way, but I have no plans of sleeping with Teagan. I just need a ride out to the west coast. Don't worry, Teagan is interesting, but she's not my type. I won't be sleeping with the witch."

"Yeah, that's what you think, but she'll bewitch you, she'll get in your head. You'll be sorry."

House, amused by the man's sincere belief that he could be bewitched, smiled, "Whoa, where's the gratitude? She just spent a month out of her life taking care of your dying wife."

"Oh, I appreciate that, but a spade's a spade. And she's a witch, always has been."

House chuckled outloud as Teagan walked into the room.

"I was just sharing thoughts about you with Cotton Mather here and we were going to erect a stake in the parking lot to fry you. Care to utter any last words?"

Teagan rolled her eyes. She was very aware of what Bob McCormack's views were about her. He had made it plain to her that she wouldn't be welcomed at her cousin's funeral, but then she already knew this.

xxxx

"Teagan, what kind of car do you have? I need to know what to pack and how much. If you've got a Miata I won't pack my baby grand piano."

"I have a 1965 Mustang and it's a stick." She put her fists on her hips and shook her head, "And I haven't said yes to you coming along. I know you're going to be more trouble that you're company and gas money is worth." But she knew it was fruitless. It wasn't as if she could see anything about them on a road trip, she tended to have a hard time "seeing" things about herself, but she knew he wouldn't take no for an answer.

"I can drive a clutch. Here's my cell phone number. Let me know when she..." House looked at her cousin, gave them a silly face and then made the "slicing the throat" sign with his thumb. Bob almost lost it, but Teagan found it amusing. Her cousin would have laughed if she were conscious.

The following night while kicking back on his leather sofa, House received a phone call just after her cousin died.

"We're leaving in the morning at 6:30 so be ready." Teagan's voice was tired, weary.

"6:30? Are you a masochist?" House lamented.

"I need to get out of here and since I wake up early I thought I'd get out of here as soon as possible. I'm not going to wait around for your sorry ass, so if you want a ride, be ready and give me your address so I can pick you up."

"Gee, you don't have to be so testy. I promise to bring chocolate and xanex."

The next morning, the weather was in their favor. It was clear and sunny, no hint of rain. Groggy and grouchy, House was barely ready at 6:30 when the knock on the door came. "We're stopping for coffee or I promise to make your life a living hell." He told her.

"Grab a pillow and bring it along, you can sleep the first leg. Then we'll stop and get coffee."

He went into the bedroom to get a pillow and use the bathroom. While he was preoccupied, she went over to the piano and touched the keys. The strong residue of psychic energy in the piano surged up her arms and through her body. It was so powerful that she could have told you House's entire history if she had been given the time to absorb it, but House came out from the bedroom.

"Do you play?" he asked.

She pulled her hands away, "No, not the piano. You must because no one has a grand piano without being good at it." She smiled and put the cover down over the keys, "I'd like to hear you play sometime, but we have to get out of here!"

Turning on a light in the corner to give the appearance that he was home, he turned and asked, "What is your hurry?"

"I just want out of here." She was more upset about not being able to go to her cousin's memorial service than she thought she would be.

House grabbed his backpack, duffle bag, brief case and suit bag. Teagan thought about helping him but decided against it. She didn't want him to think she had anything close to pity for him. He was used to pity and he was used to milking it for all it was worth. In reality, other people had made him more handicapped than he was. But as he locked up, he shoved the briefcase into her arms and didn't bother to ask for it back as they walked to the car.

Parked like a wet dream was a mint 1965 Mustang convertible. A grin curled up one side of House's mouth, "Sweeeet."

She was used to the adulation of males when they saw her car, "It's a late 1965 four speed manual. Engines in the late '65s are more powerful; the 200 ci six cylinder picked up nineteen horsepower giving this baby a cool 120 hp. It 's a 4 barrel version of the 289 cubic inch V8 and in late 1965 it was boosted to 225 horsepower. It has the Special Handling Package, rocker panel stripes, manual front disc brakes, grille mounted fog lamps, chrome exhaust trumpets and GT emblems. The color is the original Burgundy color. I had it stripped, primed and painted. I don't drive her around the mountains much. I have a truck for that. But I love to take her on road trips."

"Cool." House was drooling as he approached the car.

The top was up on the car, but with such good weather, House was hoping she'd put it down once it was his turn to drive. He threw his bags in the trunk and got in on the passenger side. Looking around, he saw that the interior was clean and in the back seat sat an old style metal Coleman Cooler. Teagan put it in gear, started the powerful engine and then eased out on the clutch. They were on their way.

"I'll get us to Greensburg and then you drive us to somewhere close to Dayton, Ohio. Ok?" She popped her IPOD into the device that plays it over the FM radio and played some classical music, music she hoped would make it easier for House to sleep. About an hour out of town she pulled in and got gas and ice for the cooler. Grabbing a diet coke and paying the clerk, she sauntered back to the car, put the coke between her legs and took off. She was daydreaming about getting home when she started hearing muffled noises coming from House. His head was leaning into the blue stripped pillow case covering his old pillow. The pillow itself was pinned up against the window by his head and shoulder. His arms had fallen into his lap and his body was twisted to the side of the door. His mouth was slightly open and he was snoring lightly. When he slept he looked like anyone else asleep, at peace with the world and themselves.

Teagan wanted to know more about him and this cynicism that he wore like a badge of honor. She tried to resist temptation but couldn't. Checking to see where the traffic was, she was glad that it was fairly light and that there was no cars around for several hundred yards. She looked at his face to see if he was still asleep and then reached out to touch him putting her fingertips on his left hand. She immediately saw the dream he was having. It was somewhere in a hotel, no a casino...two women were naked in his bedroom. Lydia and…she couldn't make out the second one's name, they were all having sex, hot sex.

Teagan pulled her hand away and giggled to herself. Men! The dream had been rather explicit, but there had been something else she had discovered, he was an addict. He wrestled with Vicodin all of the time and even now wanted to take more of it despite the fact that the pain was at a tolerable level. Interesting.

Harrisburg and Wheeling are typical industrial towns, not the type you stop in to take in the view. In Greensburg she was ready for lunch. When she turned off the car and looked over, she was surprised to find that House was still asleep. She nudged him awake, his head shooting up from his pillow with a snort. She chuckled.

"Hey sleepy head, time for lunch." She started to get out of the car and noticed how hot it was outside. Opening the trunk, she grabbed her shorts out of her duffle bag. House already had a pair of shorts and a t-shirt on. He was getting his sunglasses out of his case and getting out of the car at a painfully slow pace in an effort to give him time to wake up. He looked up and saw the familiar yellow sign of a Denny's advertising that they were always open. He followed her into the restaurant where they were seated in a window booth. They both looked briefly at the view of the parking lot and the highway beyond it with massive trucks rumbling by.

House rubbed his face, "I didn't get to bed until late, actually I didn't get to sleep at all." He looked around for the waitress, "I wish they'd get that water over here. My throat feels like cotton."

As if she heard him, the waitress showed up with two waters and the offer of coffee.

House gave her a flirty smile, "Yes Nurse, the coffee please."

"I'd like the chicken salad and water." Teagan gave the waitress back the menu.

"I'll have the same, with the coffee." House didn't want to take the time or effort to peruse the menu.

Teagan started to exit the booth, "I'll be back, I want to put my shorts on, it's getting hot."

House watched as Teagan strolled off to the bathroom. After several sips of the coffee the waitress had brought, he was starting to wake up. He watched as Teagan walked out of the bathroom. He had only seen her in Levis and a cotton shirt or t-shirt when she was in the hospital. She came out in a tank top and jean shorts and, although her legs were white, they were long for her body and very shapely. House sat up a little and smiled to himself. She plopped back into the booth.

"House started singing, "She's got legs...she knows how to use them...she's got legs—"

"Dr. House, you're no ZZ Top...I'd give it a rest."

"You know I love that you call me Dr. House, it makes me feel so superior, but maybe for the purpose of this trip you could call me Sir Greg, Greg the Delicious, My Liege Greg or just plain Greg."

The waitress sat the salad down on the table and politely asked if they needed anything else. After she left, Greg and Teagan tucked into the salads.

"I assume we're going up by Chicago and then shoot down." House said with his mouth full.

"No, we'll be going to Springfield, Missouri, Denver and then home."

"Did you say Springfield, Missouri? What in the hell is in Springfield, Missouri?"

"A friend that will put us up."

"I can afford a motel or even a hotel room."

"I want to see my friend and the extra gas to get there will be saved by the fact I won't have to get a motel room. It only adds six hours to the trip and I haven't seen her in awhile. Relax, you'll like her, she's your type."

"How would you know what my type is?"

"She's taller than me, brunette, thin with big breasts and she loves to screw."

House stopped in the middle of chewing his salad and stared at her. After a few seconds, he smiled and started chewing again,"Springfield, Missouri sounds like a nice place to visit."

"I thought so!" She laughed at him and he joined her.

Dear Readers, Most of the Comments are coming from people who have already read this story. So, if there isn't any interest in this story from others, I think I'll work on new stories. If you have an interest, please let me know. Also, this story did win first place int he Whiteboard Awards on the Fox Forum as an alternative universe story and o/c character (Teagan.)