Chapter 6: House's back! But things get harder… Once again I want to apologize for my bad English. I just hope you enjoy it in spite of the mistakes I made.

"Why is Foreman at Princeton General? Why does he want me to come there?" thought Chase to himself as he drove to the hospital.

"Foreman, what happens? Why do you need me here?"

"Follow me. We have a situation." Foreman whispered.

Chase, intrigued, followed Foreman through calm and deserted hallways to a room. A man was lying unconscious on a bed, his head bandaged, a heart monitor beeped regularly. He had a bruise on his left cheek and a beard, but Chase recognized him. He looked at Foreman who nodded silently.

"There was a fight in a backstreet. Someone called 911 to say that a wounded man was lying on the ground. They found him unconscious. Apparently a guy stabbed him and he lost a lot of blood. He had also a head trauma, two broken ribs, a few bruises… but his life is not in danger. The police couldn't identify this homeless man. The only thing he had in his pockets was a picture of Cuddy" Foreman said.

"Why did they call you?" Chase asked, staring at House. He was impressed by House's "transformation". Of course, he knew that House would live with homeless people for a while, and then looked for a fight. It was the first part of his plan. But he didn't think House would become one of them.

"A nurse of the ER did an internship at Princeton Plainsboro three years ago and she recognized Cuddy on the picture. And they thought I can identify him."

"Did you do it?"

"Not yet."

"Why?"

"I wanted to inform you before."

"Why?"

"Because you're my friend and you're dating Cuddy. I thought you had to know that House is back."

"Can we transfer him to Princeton Plainsboro?"

"I don't know if the police and our colleagues will agree."

"We have to try."

"Well I hope you have good arguments to justify a transfer."

"I suggest that we avoid the police."

"Chase, we have to tell them the truth, don't you think so?"

"But House is supposed to be dead, don't you remember?"

"I know but it's not our problem, it's House's."

"We maybe could wait for him to wake up"

"Why do you want to protect House?" asked Foreman after a while.

"It's just that… it wouldn't be correct to… Remember what he did for your brother" Chase tried to convince Foreman. "He deserves a chance to explain his "death.""

"Okay. I'll tell them that I prefer to seek the advice of a colleague to be sure of the identification of this guy. So go home now without drawing attention to yourself. And enjoy the rest of the night. I'm gonna talk to the Dean of the General".

-oooooooo-

When Chase came in his apartment, he found Cuddy. She drank the whole wine and looked tired.

"Chase! Here you are! Explain me what you… you wanted to… to explain me" she said and tried to get up but fell back on the couch. The room around her turned as a carousel.

"Cuddy, you're too drunk to listen to me. Come, I'm gonna help you to go to bed. I'll sleep on the couch."

And Chase helped Cuddy to go to his bedroom. He wanted to help her undress but she stopped him: "I can do it myself". Chase nodded and left her alone. Once in the living-room, Chase lied down on the couch and thought. Then he fell asleep. At 6.00 am he woke up. He hoped Foreman convinced the General to transfer House to Princeton Plainsboro. He took his sheet and his pillow and put it back in a closet. Then he went to the bathroom. He's just come out of the shower when someone knocked at the door. A towel around his waist, he opened. It was Foreman.

"Nice outfit!"

"A cyclone struck the town and cut the entire telephone network or you just desperately wanted to see me?"

"He'll be at Princeton Plainsboro in about" Foreman didn't end his sentence because he saw the shoes and the jacket of a woman.

"Who should be when at the hospital?"

"Is that Cuddy's?" Foreman showed the shoes and the jacket on the floor. He was puzzled. He was so sure that Chase lied about his relationship with Cuddy. And yet, she seemed to have spent the night here with him.

"Of course, it's Cuddy's. I told you we are together. And if you could whisper it would be great because she's still sleeping."

"Really! You were not kidding!"

"Why is it so surprising?"

"I don't know it's just that…"

Meanwhile Cuddy surfaced slowly. "Where am I?" she looked around her. She was half naked in a bed, but she didn't recognize the room. She tried to collect her thoughts but she had a headache and it wasn't easy. After a while, she remembered: she was in Chase's apartment. They had to talk. But someone called him and he had to go to the hospital and left her. She remembered he told her something, but what? "That's it! Foreman believes we have a relationship" she whispered to herself. Why? And what happened then? She remembered he helped her going to bed but… then nothing. A black hole in her memory. Did they … do something? No, no, probably not. But she had to ask him as embarrassing as it may be. Then she heard two men whispering in the living-room. She recognized their voices. She got up, tried to get dressed but didn't find all her clothes. So she opened a cupboard and took a shirt. And that's how she appeared in the living-room.

"Hi!"

Chase and Foreman looked at her. Chase went to her, gave her a gentle kiss, hoping she remembered what he told her the day before. Much to his relief she let him kiss her and put her arms around his waist.

"Did you sleep well, honey?" Chase asked her. "I hope we didn't wake you up"

"It's okay. May I just ask why Foreman is here so early in the morning?"

"Good morning, Cuddy. We have a case and I need Chase. I hope you'll forgive me to take your boyfriend away."

"I'm sorry, Lisa. What about having lunch together?"

"Go to work and save a life. I'll come for lunch" she replied and gave him a peck.

"Foreman gives me a lift, so you can take my car, the keys are just here" Chase said.

Once in the car, Foreman exclaimed: "You are surprising, Chase!"

"Why? Because I have a relationship with Cuddy?"

"I thought you like younger women…"

"Cuddy is beautiful, smart, funny and… well you never slept with her, you can't understand" Chase replied and smiled because of Foreman's face. "And about House?"

"He should be at Princeton Plainsboro in about thirty minutes."

"Great. I know you'd succeed."

"Chase, we have to talk. Yesterday, you didn't want to tell the police that the homeless man is House, why?"

"I don't know. An intuition."

"Chase, tell me the truth."

"I don't know!"

"Okay. Then I'm gonna tell the police about House"

"No! You can't do that!"

"Give me a reason not to do it." Foreman gazed at Chase. He wondered why Chase didn't want that the police identified House. There was something weird.

But Chase didn't answer. He thought. He wondered if he could tell Foreman what was going on. He could help them. Or not. Foreman parked the car, turned to Chase and said: "Tell me why we have to protect House."

"Do you think he deserves to go back to jail? If I remember well last time you helped him to get out of it earlier as he should have."

"He broke the MRI and partially destroyed the room! Just for fun!"

"That's a good reason to send him into jail." Foreman didn't reply. "And you blame me for being an ass just as House was" Chase added.

"You're right. But how long are we going to hide his identity to the police?"

"I just ask you a few hours more. We need to talk to him first" Chase said and stared at Foreman.

"Okay. You have two hours."

"Thank you. I knew I could rely on you."

"But then I want the truth."

"It's a deal" Chase replied and got out of the car.

-oooooo-

When House arrived in the ambulance, Chase waited for him and drove him to a room. Once alone, Chase whispered: "I'm impressed, House. The first part of your plan worked perfectly. Well if we except Cuddy."

"Cuddy?"

"She's here. Well at my place. And people believe we have a relationship."

"What?"

"Shh, I'll explain you later. We only have two hours ahead of us to put in place the second part of the plan. So let me do what I have to". Chase made various blood tests and a scanner. He also examined House and when Foreman came with a policeman everything was ready.

"House, how are you feeling?" Foreman asked.

But House didn't reply. He just looked at the two men.

"House, can you hear me?"

"Oh sorry, you were talking to me?" House replied and made a funny face.

"Okay, if you want to joke, it's your problem, House." Then Foreman turned to the policeman and said: "This man is Gregory House. He died five months ago in a building in fire."

"Dr. Foreman, are you kidding?"

"No."

"But you just said that this Gregory House died five months ago. How can he be there then? Do you mean that the man here is a ghost?"

"Of course not. A charred body was found in the building and it was identified as Gregory House. But apparently it wasn't."

"Who was this Gregory House? He seems to be fascinating. I'd like to be him." House said.

"House, stop it with your joke. It's not funny anymore. The police officer is here to arrest you."

"But why? Because I got knife?!"

"You don't remember?"

"Remember what? The fight in the backstreet with two guys? Of course I remember! Look at me!"

"No, I mean your death."

"Are you sure your colleague is fine?" House asked Chase.

"Dr. Chase, do you agree with Dr. Foreman about the identity of this man?" the police officer asked.

Chase looked at Foreman, then at House and finally turned to the police officer: "Yes. This man is Gregory House. But you have to know that he doesn't know who he is. He suffers from amnesia. His memories don't go back beyond five months. I guess it's probably due to the trauma he suffered in the building in fire five months ago." Foreman looked surprised at Chase, then at House. Would it be possible that he forgot everything since the fire in the building? Foreman thought to himself. That would explain why he didn't come back. He probably lived, well survived, in the streets with other homeless people.

"Are you positive, Dr. Chase? This man is Gregory House."

"Yes. His right leg has a very special scar. I ran some exams but I need to do more tests in order to help him get his memory back."

"Dr. Foreman, is it possible that amnesia lasts several months?"

"Yes, it can. It depends on the type of amnesia. Dr. Chase is right; we have to run other tests. That means we have to keep him here for a few days more."

"Well, I'm going to inform my boss. But I'll post a man in front of his room, just in case he'll want to escape."

Once the police officer gone, Foreman turned to House: "House, you really don't remember what happened five months ago?"

"My name is Mike, Mike the lame. And no, I don't remember what happened five months ago. I was probably in another town trying to get a job. But nobody wants to hire a lame. And living in the street is not easy, believe me. It hurts, can you give me something?"

"I come back, stay here" Chase replied.

"Where do you want me to go? I'm wounded, don't you remember?"

Foreman followed Chase and House remained alone.