Author's Note: Hello, again! I still don't own House, which is truly a bummer. Thanks for the reviews - we've topped 100 now. Please keep 'em coming - they really help me keep focused on getting these chapters completed and up each day. Things are getting more complicated for our heroes and it's going to get worse before it gets better. It'd be a boring story otherwise, don't you think?
Sarah had run without any further thought than to get away. She very nearly retraced her steps to the dean's office before she slowed down. Only then did she dare to look behind her. All she saw were students, some strolling and talking while others walked hurriedly. She stood where she was, panting.
"Sarah?" She nearly jumped a foot and turned to see Anna Martine coming down the path. "Are you ok?"
"I'm fine," Sarah said. "I… I was just delivering some papers to the dean's office." She waved a hand vaguely in the direction of the building and Anna nodded.
"I'm heading to class," she said. "Mind if I walk with you?"
"Sure," Sarah said. She stuffed her hands into her coat pockets to hide the way they were shaking and fell into step with the young woman.
"My paper is coming along great. Thanks again for your help."
"No problem," Sarah said. Her breathing was coming back under control but she still couldn't manage whole sentences. She could feel sweat cooling on her skin and she shivered. Her eyes scanned the path ahead, looking for him. She felt sick to her stomach. Beside her, Anna chattered about her classes. They made it to the history department's building and parted as Sarah went on to the office and Anna went to her class.
At her desk, Sarah clenched her hands in her lap. She couldn't get them to stop shaking. She was shivering now and wished that she could leave her coat on. All she wanted to do was run, get in her car, get Maggie, and drive.
When House returned to the hospital with his car, he found Cuddy waiting for him in the lobby. She looked pointedly at her watch.
"You've been gone over an hour," she said. "The clinic is packed. I need you to get back in there."
"I'll just go hang up my coat, catch-up on my soap…" House told her, moving on toward the elevator.
"House…" Cuddy narrowed her eyes at him.
"I'll be right back," he said. He didn't want to go back into the clinic but he also didn't want to argue with Cuddy. He didn't have a case and he could see that it was standing room only in the clinic waiting room. He was surprised when Cuddy didn't follow him or insist that he go straight to the clinic. He briefly considered finding some place to hide instead of returning. It was only the realization that if he did do that, he'd have to spend the rest of the day on the move, trying to keep a step ahead of Cuddy. She'd probably waylay him in the lobby when he tried to leave at the end of the day and he didn't want to be late meeting Sarah. He hung up his coat and went back to the clinic. He almost smiled at the stunned expression on Cuddy's face when he walked up to the counter and collected a chart.
Four hours later, House's leg was aching and he was wondering if playing cat and mouse with Cuddy might have been the wiser, or at least less painful, course. He slapped his last chart onto the counter and caught a familiar whiff of perfume as Cuddy stepped up beside him. House scribbled a note into the chart and dropped it into the tray.
"House…" Cuddy started.
"Waiting room's empty, charts are complete, and I am out of here," House said, cutting her off. It was almost 6 o'clock and he wanted to get home. He went quickly up to his office to collect his things before heading out of the hospital. As he walked through the lobby, he glanced up to see Cuddy and Wilson standing together on the second floor balcony.
Sarah turned on to Baker Street for the second time. She'd driven around her block, making sure that she didn't see any signs of anyone following her. Getting out of her car was still nerve-wracking as she tried to watch in every direction at once.
She breathed a sigh of relief once she got into her apartment. Maggie greeted her, and Sarah knew she was going to have to go back outside to walk her. The thought made her break out into another sweat. She just wanted to hide in her locked apartment.
Sarah forced herself to take the dog outside, but instead of turning toward the park, she went in the opposite direction. Maggie was confused but Sarah didn't want to follow her usual routine. By the time they got back to the apartment, she was trembling again. She sagged against the locked door.
A knock sounded on her door and she nearly screamed, jumping away from it like it was on fire. Shaking now, she moved to look out the peephole. Greg was waiting outside her door. Sarah didn't know what to do. There was no way she could hide her physical reaction from him but the last thing she wanted to discuss with him was what had happened. She drew in a deep breath and blew it out slowly, trying to slow her heart rate and ease the trembling. Greg knocked again, causing Maggie to bark. Sarah opened the door slowly.
"Hey…" Greg's greeting died. "What's wrong?" he asked, stepping into the apartment. He reached out toward her face and Sarah moved back quickly.
"I'm fine," she said, turning to move back into the apartment. Greg followed her.
"You're not," he said. "I can see that you're not. What is it? Are you feeling sick again?"
"I'm not sick," Sarah said. She went on into the kitchen, trying to avoid facing Greg. He followed her. She started getting Maggie's dinner together but her hands were shaking and she spilled the scoop of kibble all over the counter. Greg moved up to take hold of her hand. She pulled away and turned, but he was blocking her path. She was trapped between him and the counter.
"Tell me what's wrong," he said.
"I do not want to talk about this," she said. Her voice shook.
When House got home, he dropped off his coat and back-pack in his apartment and went across the hall to knock on Sarah's door. He had just knocked for the second time when she opened the door.
"Hey…" he started to say. One look at her face stopped him. "What's wrong?" Her face was pale, she was sweating and trembling.
"I'm fine," she said, turning away from him to move across the living room. He followed her.
"You're not. I can see that you're not. What is it? Are you feeling sick again?"
"I'm not sick," Sarah said. She continued in to her kitchen, moving to get the dog's dinner. Her hands were shaking and kibble scattered across the counter. House reached out to take hold of her hand. She pulled away from him but he side-stepped so that she couldn't walk away.
"Tell me what's wrong." He was alarmed. If she wasn't sick, then what was wrong?
"I do not want to talk about this," she said and he thought she was on the verge of tears. He hated seeing her this way. A small voice in his head was telling him that he should back off but he couldn't do that.
"Tell me," he said again.
"Please move," she said, her voice shaking. He hesitated and she almost shouted. "Move!" He stepped aside and she walked back out into the living room, pacing in agitation. House followed her, standing by the kitchen doorway.
"Sometimes talking does help," he said and she stopped, whirling to glare at him.
"I said I do not want to talk about this. Why can't you just respect that?"
"I want to help," he said.
"You can't help. Please leave."
"Sarah…"
"You don't know anything about me. You think you can step in and fix my life? You don't know anything about it. You've never even tried to find out before now."
"Sarah…" he began but she turned away. He went to her, reaching out to turn her to face him. He tried to put an arm around her but she pushed him away. His leg was tired from clinic duty and this added pressure was more than it could take. He felt it give way and he staggered into her sofa table.
"Just get out of here, Greg," she said angrily. "I don't need another crazy person in my life." Her words were like another blow. He was stunned and hurt at first, and then he was angry. He'd put up with hours of clinic duty today, tolerating annoying parents with sick children, Nurse Brenda and her snide remarks, and pain in his leg. It had all been so that he could leave the hospital on time to see Sarah. He was offering to help her and she responded by using what he'd told her about himself to attack him.
"Fine," he snapped. "I don't need a paranoid lunatic in mine." He got the leg back under him and stalked out of her apartment, slamming the door shut behind him.
