Author's Note: Holidays are great, but it's good to be home! Here's another installment; thanks again to everyone who's reviewed and signed up for alerts - it's really encouraging! Hope you'll all continue to enjoy. And yeah, I still don't own the sexy man with the cane.
When House reached Baker Street, he was relieved to find open parking spaces right in front of the building. He moved as fast as his leg would allow him up the steps and down the hall to Sarah's door. He knocked quickly before unlocking the door with her key. Maggie had started barking when he knocked but when she saw him her tone changed. She ran to the gate, jumping on it and wagging her tail in excitement.
"Sarah?" House called, moving the gate. "Sarah!"
"What are you doing here?" Sarah appeared in the entrance to the hallway, a towel wrapped around her head. "Is something wrong?" She was still pale and she had one hand out against the wall. House rushed toward her, relieved to see that she was alright.
"I called," he said, the words tumbling over each other as he spoke. "You didn't answer your landline or your cell phone. I was… worried." He reached out to touch her face, gauging her temperature and reassuring himself that she was there. She felt warm.
"I took a bath," she said. "I didn't hear the phone. I'm sorry I scared you."
"You still feel feverish," he told her.
"It was a warm bath," Sarah said. She sagged against the wall and House reached out to put his left arm around her.
"Let's get you sitting down," he said. They moved slowly toward the couch. House's leg was screaming from the extra weight it was forced to bear as he helped to support Sarah. They made it to the couch and sat down beside each other. Sarah was breathing heavily.
"I'm sorry," she said. "It's like I just… ran out of steam. Your leg…"
"It's ok," House said quickly. The leg was throbbing but he was more concerned with Sarah. He reached out to pick up her wrist and was glad to find that her pulse was steady if a little fast.
Thirteen entered the conference room about twenty minutes after House had dispatched the team to start treatment. Foreman was still complaining that his diagnosis was the correct one and she was tired of listening to him. She left Taub monitoring the patient and went back to the conference room.
Chase hadn't even made it to the patient's room before he'd gotten annoyed with Foreman. She found him sitting in the conference room, reading a journal. He looked up when she came in.
"Had enough of Foreman?" he asked.
"Where's House?" she asked, ignoring the question. House's office was dark. "Did he get called to the clinic?" It seemed like House was getting called to the clinic a lot these days.
"No. He went home."
"What?"
"Yeah. I came back here and he nearly ran me down on his way to the elevator. All he said when I asked where he was going was home. This showed up about 5 minutes ago." Chase held up an envelope. Thirteen recognized it immediately. It was test results from the lab; House had gotten a similar one when he'd tested her for Huntington's. She took it from Chase's hand and ripped it open.
House had been in Sarah's apartment for about forty minutes when there was a knock on the door. Sarah had just closed her eyes and he hurried to get to the door before the knocking woke her. He didn't put the gate back up; Maggie was up on the couch with Sarah, lying across the woman's legs. She lifted her head at the knock but didn't offer to get up.
House was surprised to find Thirteen outside the door. She held up an envelope.
"This came for you. Seems you are a woman, and you have the flu." House took the envelope from her. Thirteen craned her neck, looking around him to see into the apartment. "Cute dog!" She moved past him and Maggie leapt down from the couch to come and meet her. House closed the apartment door and turned. Thirteen handed him a bag and knelt to greet Maggie.
"What's this?" House asked, peering into the bag. Inside he found a thermometer, a blood-pressure cuff, and stethoscope. There was also iv tubing and a bag of saline solution.
"A few things I thought you might need," Thirteen said, rising. "How's she doing?" She moved toward the couch to get a closer look at Sarah. House followed, setting the bag of supplies on the sofa-table.
"She's feverish and dehydrated," he said, pulling out the iv equipment. "We're going to need a pole."
"Got one in my car," Thirteen said. "I thought I'd see if you needed it before I carried it in."
"I haven't started an iv in years," House admitted. Thirteen nodded and took the bag from him, pulling out what she needed.
"Of course not. That's what you have minions for." She smiled, taking the sting out of the words.
"That's what we have nurses for," replied House, but he smiled too.
"I'll go get the pole," Thirteen said.
House spent Friday night on Sarah's couch. He'd woken up Sarah and introduced Dr. Hadley. She had gotten the iv started and helped him move Sarah back to her bed. Once Sarah was settled, Thirteen left to go back to the hospital and make sure that the treatment of their official patient continued. House remained in Sarah's apartment, monitoring her.
By morning, Sarah was feeling much better. Her color had improved, her fever was down, and she no longer felt weak. House wanted to keep the iv going for another day to be safe and Sarah reluctantly agreed.
When House's cell phone rang at 10 that morning, he found that Thirteen was calling him from the hospital. She updated him on their patient, reporting that the treatment was working.
"How's Sarah?" she asked.
"Better," House said. "Fever's down."
"Do you need anything?" When House didn't answer immediately, Thirteen rephrased the question. "Does she need anything?"
"I don't think so," House said. He didn't know how to act around Thirteen right now. He couldn't understand why she'd turned up the night before. Did she really just want to help, or was she satisfying her own curiosity too?
"Ok. I'll see you on Monday."
"Thirteen," House said quickly before she could hang up. "Thank you." He hung up before she could respond. Whatever her motives had been, he appreciated the help.
"Was that the doctor who was here last night?" Sarah asked. She was lounging on the couch while House was sitting in one of the wing-back chairs, his legs up on an ottoman. His thigh was hurting this morning, the result of supporting Sarah the previous afternoon and then sleeping on her couch. He wanted to go soak in a warm bath but was reluctant to leave Sarah alone.
"Yes."
"It was nice of her to come by, and bring all this stuff." Sarah made a sweeping gesture, taking in her iv as well as the thermometer, blood pressure cuff, and stethoscope sitting on her sofa table.
"She's a good doctor," House said.
"Why do you call her Thirteen? I thought her name was Remy?"
"It is. Thirteen is a nickname." House didn't want to tell Sarah about the game he'd used to choose a fellowship team. He couldn't imagine her approving of his methods.
Sarah spent most of Friday lying in her bed, alternately shivering and then over-heating. The slightest efforts, like getting up to get an additional blanket, were enough to exhaust her. When Greg had burst into her apartment, calling her name, she'd been stunned. She'd struggled out of bed and up the hall to meet him. He'd sounded panicked and his relief upon seeing her had been obvious.
His fellow, Dr. Hadley, had turned up, bearing the test results from the nasal swab Greg had taken earlier in the day. Sarah got the impression that Greg had rushed out of the hospital when he hadn't been able to reach her and Dr. Hadley had been concerned by his abrupt departure. The woman had brought an assortment of medical supplies with her.
The two doctors had concluded that Sarah's weakness was caused by dehydration. Dr. Hadley had started an iv and then helped Sarah get settled in her bed. The iv had apparently done the trick, because Sarah felt much better when she woke up Saturday. Greg had wanted to leave the iv in place and Sarah hadn't argued. He'd spent the night on her couch and she knew that his leg was bothering him. She didn't want him to feel like he had to do that again.
She listened while Greg took a phone call. She guessed from his side of the conversation that he was talking to Dr. Hadley, though he referred to her as "Thirteen." He ended the conversation with an awkward thank you.
"Why do you call her Thirteen?" Sarah asked. "I thought her name was Remy?"
"It is. Thirteen is a nickname." Greg looked away and Sarah wondered what the story was behind the nickname. After a moment, he looked back to her. "Are you hungry?"
"A little. I think my appetite is coming back," Sarah said. She hadn't wanted to eat anything on Friday.
"I was thinking that I could make us dinner," Greg said. "I took some cooking classes a while back but most of what I make takes too much time for a weeknight dinner."
"What did you have in mind?" Sarah asked. She was ready for something other than crackers and soup.
"I make a pretty good ragú," House said. "I'd have to run out and pick up a few things."
"I'll be fine," Sarah said. "I will stay right here on this couch until you return."
