Author's Note: Here we go! I still don't own House - just borrowing him. Please keep those reviews coming - they're better than Vicodin! :)
Thirteen got to the hospital early the next morning. She was determined to find a case for House. Cuddy had kept him in the clinic all day. He hadn't complained but she'd seen him rubbing his leg several times. He didn't need to spend another day on his feet but she wasn't sure that Cuddy would listen if she went to her.
She dropped off her coat in her locker and headed up to the diagnostics office to start a pot of coffee. She wanted a cup before she headed down to the ER to snoop through their cases to see if there was anything that might interest House.
Thirteen entered the conference room and headed for the coffee pot. She got the coffee started and walked over to the desk in the corner to check her email while the coffee brewed. She came to a dead stop as she looked through the glass wall into House's office. The diagnostician was in his chair, his coat pulled around him like a blanket, fast asleep.
What is he doing here, Thirteen wondered. Did something happen? Thirteen hesitated, wondering if she should wake him. She didn't think he'd want to still be here asleep when the rest of the team arrived so she went on into his office and moved over to the chair.
"House," she said softly, not wanting to startle him. He stirred in the chair but didn't wake. She moved closer, reaching out tentatively to touch his shoulder. "House." He jumped when her hand touched his shoulder. His eyes flew open and he jerked in the chair, gasping. His hands reached for his thigh and Thirteen stepped back.
"Shit," he gasped, rubbing at the leg.
"I'm sorry," Thirteen said quickly. "I didn't mean to startle you."
"Yeah, great job with that," House muttered.
"What can I do to help?" she asked, ignoring the sarcasm.
"Just give me a minute," House said. He moved his left hand from his leg to fish a bottle out of his pocket. He stopped massaging his leg long enough to shake three pills into his hand, which he swallowed dry. Thirteen took the bottle away from him before he could stuff it back into his pocket.
"You can't take that much ibuprofen on an empty stomach," she protested, reading the label. "You'll give yourself an ulcer." She got up and went into the conference room, getting a bottle of water from the mini-fridge. She returned to his office, opened the bottle, and pressed the bottle into his left hand. "At least drink that." He looked at her for a second and then took a long drink from the bottle. He held the bottle back out to her and she took it, setting it on the edge of his desk. She gave him space enough to stand but stayed close, ready to catch him if he needed it.
"Hand me my bag," he said as he got to his feet. Thirteen waited until he was standing and then moved to get his back-pack. He took it from her, collected his cane, and started out of his office.
"You ok?" she asked him.
"I'm fine," he said, never breaking stride. She watched him walk away. She definitely had to find a case today. Aside from his leg hurting him, he was also in a foul mood. She didn't know what had happened that prompted him to spend the night in his office and she knew he wasn't going to offer information. The best she could do now was offer him a distraction.
The tears had started down Sarah's face the minute Greg slammed the door shut. She went to it and locked it, her hands shaking. Maggie squeaked at her and Sarah made her way blindly into the kitchen to finish getting the dog her dinner. More kibble spilled across the counter but she couldn't stop her hands from shaking. She put the plate down, scattering food across the floor. Maggie stepped forward and started eating it anyway. Sarah walked out of the kitchen slowly, making her way into the bathroom. She hardly recognized the red-eyed, puffy-faced person she saw in the mirror.
"How could I have said that to him?" she murmured, remembering her words to Greg. I don't need another crazy person in my life. The words echoed in her head. She sagged against the wall, sliding down to sit on the floor, her knees pulled up to her chest. She began to sob, covering her face with her hands. A moment later she felt a cold nose on her arm as Maggie tried to shove herself between Sarah's chest and knees. A warm tongue lapped at her wet hands, trying to lick the tears away. Sarah dropped her knees and pulled the dog into a hug. "He's better off without me, Maggie. He'd wind up getting hurt. I don't want that." She started sobbing again.
Sarah didn't know how long she'd spent on her bathroom floor. She knew that her legs were stiff and her butt hurt when she finally dragged herself up. She stumbled toward her bedroom and Maggie followed her, squeaking. With a groan, Sarah turned around.
"I'll take you out," she said, making her way toward the living room. "But you've got to hurry."
After Thirteen woke him, House went to the doctor's locker-room to shower. He had a change of clothes in his backpack, kept there in case a patient vomited or spewed other bodily fluids on him. When he'd stormed out of Sarah's apartment the night before, he hadn't wanted to stay in his. There were too many memories there. He'd grabbed up his coat and backpack and headed for his car.
He hadn't known where he was going when he drove off but he came to a stop in the parking lot of a bar. He's just sat in the car, staring at the place for several minutes. Finally, he started the car and drove off, winding up at the hospital. His leg had been really hurting by then so he'd stretched out in his chair, putting his legs up onto the footstool.
He'd fallen asleep eventually, but his sleep had been restless. He kept remembering Sarah's appearance – her pale, sweaty face and the way she'd trembled. Trapping her against the counter had obviously been a mistake; she'd nearly panicked.
House sat in the shower stall, letting the hot water run over him, relaxing away the cramping in his leg. He was torn between wanting to go make sure that Sarah was ok and wanting to avoid her entirely. Her comment about not needing another crazy person in her life still stung. Another crazy person, he thought. Another implied that there was already one crazy person in her life. House felt frustrated; Sarah had been right. He didn't know anything about her life, save her love of mystery fiction. Where was she from? What had brought her to Princeton?
"Ok, Maggie. I'm going to go and get some things we'll need and then I'll come back for you." Sarah was speaking rapidly, her voice and hands shaking. "We're getting out of here. I'm going to keep you safe." She scooped the dog up and hugged her quickly before putting her down again. She got into her coat and collected her purse. "I'll be back soon." She stepped out into the hallway, feeling very exposed. Her steps slowed as she neared the door out to the street. She didn't want to go out there. Taking the dog out this morning had been horrifying. She looked over to Greg's apartment door but it was after 8 – he'd surely be at the hospital by now. Besides, he probably never wanted to see her again, after what she'd said to him. She took a deep breath and stepped out the door and down the steps, trying to scan in every direction as she made her way to the car.
Thirteen found a potential case in the ER and snatched the file. She turned and was making her way out when she encountered Cuddy.
"What are you doing down here?" the older woman asked, her eyes dropping to the file in Thirteen's hands.
"Looking for a case," Thirteen said.
"House sent you."
"No," Thirteen protested. "I just… He needs a day out of the clinic, off of his feet. His leg…"
"His leg is bothering him?" Thirteen couldn't decide if Cuddy sounded concerned or skeptical.
"Just give him a break, for today at least?" Cuddy arched a brow in surprise.
"Fine." She turned and walked away. Thirteen breathed a sigh of relief. Now she just hoped that the case she'd found would be sufficient distraction for House.
When House returned to the conference room, he found his fellowship team sitting around the table, going through a chart. They looked up as he entered.
"Got a case," Thirteen said. House slung his back-pack into his office and headed to the table to take the file from her.
"You went to the ER to find a case?" he asked, noting the chart's origin.
"Dr. Grant asked us to take a look," Thirteen said. House was fairly certain that she was lying. He looked through the chart. If he had a case, maybe he could get out of clinic duty. He'd figure out why Thirteen was looking for work for the team later; at least she had picked an interesting case, much better than some of the ones that Cuddy had tried to push on him in the past.
Sarah had finished the last of her errands. Her gas tank was full and she'd withdrawn cash from her bank account. She didn't know where she was going to go but she didn't want to stay in Princeton, not if he was here. She wanted to get Maggie and leave.
Sarah drove around her block slowly, scanning the sidewalks and parked cars. She nearly slammed on her brakes when she saw him, standing on the sidewalk across the street from her apartment. A horn sounded behind her and she hit the accelerator, speeding away. He'd found her apartment! She drove, not knowing where she was going. Her heart was pounding and tears were streaking down her face. Maggie! How was she going to get to her? She couldn't just leave her! She pulled into a parking lot and sat, watching to see if he'd followed her. She took in great gulps of air, trying to calm herself. What was she going to do? She couldn't abandon Maggie. There had to be some way to get to her dog without encountering him.
