Chapter nine - Karma
A guilt-ridden Foreman chewed the inside of his cheek all the way to work that morning.
After stopping off for coffee, he made his way to House's office. Taub and Kutner were already there, and were shooting possible ailments at their boss, all of which he promptly dismissed, finding flaws with each of them. House didn't even bother to look up. "Late night?" he asked sarcastically.
"No." replied Eric quickly. Everyone looked up at him. House stood, and squared up to Foreman.
"That smell poorly disguised by minty freshness means you had more than your fair share of alcohol last night. Your shirt's not pressed or tucked in, and your tie's not done up properly. Means you left in a rush this morning. And unless you're finally coming out as a cross-dresser, which I'll admit would be more interesting, then the perfume you reek of means that you weren't with Thirteen last night. " he smirked at his employee and limped back to the whiteboard, and circled two of the symptoms.
"Go do an ECG." and with that, he left the room, leaving his three employees sitting in stunned silence.
Remy
My chest hurts, and it's getting harder and harder to breathe. I think I need help.
I reach for the call button, press it once, twice, three times. No one comes. It's broken. I try to shout for a nurse, but my cry comes out as a whisper. Shit. I pull myself out of bed, but my legs are too weak and give way. The fall rips the IV out of my arm and the heart monitor gage from my finger. Machines start beeping.
Thank God.
Cameron
On hearing Remy's monitor flat-line, I ran into her room. She was on the floor, disconnected from her monitor altogether.
"Oh God" I mumbled, gently turning her over. Her breath is coming out in gasps, and I listen around her heart with the stethoscope I now keep around my neck for all of my work hours.
"Remy, what's wrong? Does your chest hurt?" She nodded.
"Cyanosis, tachycardia, dyspnea... Hemothorax." I announce. "I need a chest drain, and someone needs to page Dr. Chase to theatre one please. It's urgent."
Sorry it's such a short chapter.
In case anyone's interested, hemothorax is blood in pleral space, the space between the lungs and its coverings-the pleura. Chest drains are a temporary solution that will allow the blood to come out of this space into an external bag