AN: Sorry it took me this long for another chapter. I hope you'll like it and I'll try to update sooner this time! :) Enjoy!

Chapter 8

They all knew what to expect, but actually being confronted with it gave them the chills. Chase lay in a bed, his eyes closed. He was sleeping but somehow his body appeared to be tense.

Cameron was the first to move. She walked to Chase and placed her hand on his arm. Foreman followed her but he didn't touch him. He just watched Chase sleep and breathe.

Wilson stayed at the foot-end of the bed and picked up the chart. Matthews' word that Chase was going to be fine just wasn't enough. He needed to see the test results.

'Oh god…' he exhaled as he saw the writing on a specific page.

'What is it?' Cameron asked, her gaze on Wilson's face.

'They, euhm…They did a rape-kit and,' he took in a deep breath, 'it was positive.'

'He was raped?' Cameron nearly yelled.

Shock filled her face and she felt tears being formed behind her eyes. She tried to force them back as she didn't want anyone else to see her in such a fragile position.

A loud bang made them all jump and Cameron and Wilson quickly turned to the origin of the sound.

'Sorry.' Foreman apologised as he rubbed his hurt hand. He had punched the wall behind him as he couldn't control the anger anymore. 'If I ever see the guy who did this to Chase, I swear I'll hurt him back!'

'Get in line.' Wilson murmured.

The door swung open and House entered. Everyone looked at him; expecting him to say something. House just walked over to Wilson and took the chart out of his hands to take a look for himself.

'He'll be fine.' He eventually said.

'That's all you can say?' Cameron asked with a high voice, '"He'll be fine"?'

'What do you want me to say? That he'll probably never feel safe again? That he'll need a shrink? You already know that, you just don't realise it yet.'

Cameron wanted to say something back but se quickly closed her mouth again. She watched Chase's face and streaked away his hair.

'Look,' House said, addressing everyone in the room, 'he'll be sleeping for the next couple of hours, it's no point in staying here. Go home. Take a shower. Eat something. I don't want to see any of you in here until the next morning.'

Nobody moved.

'Now!' House said in a strong voice. Foreman and Cameron did what was told to them. They didn't like it, but they knew it was for the best? What good were they when exhausted and hungry?

Wilson stood beside House and watched Chase sleep. He sighed and turned his gaze to House.

'You should have seen him standing there all panicked.' Wilson nearly whispered, 'it was awful!'

House didn't say anything for a long moment and watched Chase as well.

'Go home, Wilson.'

And then House was alone in Chase's room. It surprised him everybody had listened to him that quickly. They usually always protested and tried to have it there way.

House walked over to an empty chair next to Chase's bed and sat down. Leaning his hands in his cane and his head against the wall, he watched Chase and thought about so many things, but they all came down to Chase.

He would never admit it to anyone else, but he cared about people. Not like others did, but in his own weird and cynical way. It did matter to him if his people were okay and this…this was a lot to cope with. He wanted to just get up and walk away from this room. He wanted to leave Chase and never see him again until he at least could come back to work. He didn't really like people with problems because they intend to nag about them often. That's why he never visits patients. He had only 1 goal: fix the problem and never meet the person.

This was different. This was Chase. He already knew the person and he actually, sometimes, liked him. And he couldn't fix the problem.

That's why he wanted to walk away. He felt powerless because there is nothing he could do. He felt like he couldn't help Chase. But he stayed. He kept sitting in his chair because being here, being here for Chase, that was the only thing House could do.

Nurses passed and checked Chase's vitals. Cuddy visited every hour or so. Hours passed and not once House left the room.

'I thought you'd be gone by now.'

It was Cuddy. She stood at the door and watched her most troublesome employee.

'It's passed midnight.' She added.

'So you want me to leave?' But you always try to keep me here.'

'This is time is different.'

'That's true.' House agreed.

Cuddy walked to the other side of Chase's bed and laid her hand upon his hair. She sighed and then let her arms drop next to her body.

'You look exhausted.' Cuddy said as she saw the blue shadows under House's eyes. His normally blinking eyes that gave House his boyish look had dimmed.

'I don't feel exhausted.'

'You probably wouldn't even make it to the nurses' desk without falling asleep along the way.'

'How is it possible to fall asleep while you're walking?'

Cuddy rolled her eyes.

'You get my point.'

House smiled and shifted his weight to the front of his chair.

'I'm not leaving.' He simply stated.

'That's what I thought,' Cuddy sighed, 'but you can't blame me for trying. Is there anything that I can get you? Coffee?'

'No, I'm fine. You can go home too.'

Cuddy let her gaze drop to Chase again and thought about how horrible he must have felt, how alone and desperate. She just wished there was more she could do.

'I'll take care of him.' House promised, reading Cuddy's expression.

Cuddy smiled, feeling reassured. She knew House could seem cold to outsiders, but he could in fact be very worried. But still, this behaviour surprised her. House and Chase hadn't been the best friends, but yet, it was House who now sat next to the bed of the young doctor.

'I'll see you in the morning.' Cuddy said.

House watched Cuddy leave and as soon as he knew he was alone, he leaned back into his chair and closed his eyes.

'What happened to you?' House murmured to the still sleeping Chase.

He opened his eyes and sighed.

'You know, it's kind of ironic. You like puzzles and now…you have become one and we have to solve it. What happened to you? Who did this to you? Why? I never thought that I could hate a puzzle this much because I normally quite like them. I mean, that's why you become a doctor, right? To solve things. To fix things. That's why I hate this; I can't fix you. I can't give you a pill that will make the pain go away.'

House shook his head and grimaced as he realised he was talking to a sleeping person. Nobody could hear him. He rubbed his fingers through his hair and wished he could get answers to his questions.

And then Chase moved. Not much, but it was a sign of life. House stood up and went standing next to Chase's bed. Chase moved his hand and brought it up to his face where he touched his black eye.

'Chase? Are you awake?' House asked softly.

Chase dropped his hand and let out a groan. Slowly, he opened his eyes and searched for the person that was speaking.

'Chase?' House repeated.

'Where am I?'