Author's Note: Well, here we go again. My husband tells me that I'm just mean to leave things where I do here. You'll have to let me know if you agree with him! As always, I do not own House. Bummer.
House didn't sleep much Tuesday night. He didn't know how a 12-pound dog did it, but Maggie had him pushed to the very edge of the bed. He had picked her up and moved her over a few times but somehow he always wound up back at the bed's edge. At 6 he gave up and got up. The dog lifted her head to look at him.
"You are a bed hog," he told her, hobbling off to the bathroom. How did Sarah manage, he wondered. He hadn't found a dog bed in her bedroom. Did she spend each night fighting for bed space, or was there some trick that he didn't know?
When House got out of the shower, he heard Maggie squeaking outside the door. He hurried into clothes so that he could take her outside. When they returned to the building, he took Maggie into Sarah's apartment. He went to the kitchen to get her food while the dog ran through the apartment, clearly searching for Sarah. House felt sad, watching her. The dog had been well-behaved but it was obvious that she was feeling lost. He called her in to the kitchen but she only ate a little of her food before running off again on another fruitless search.
House checked Sarah's answering machine and found another message.
"Sarah, its Tony. Todd is out. He's on parole and he's not supposed to leave the state but… just be careful. I guess this all happened last week. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner but I just found out. Call me when you get this message." So, House thought, the mystery man's name is Todd and he's on parole. Did Sarah have something to do with him going to jail? Is that what he meant about her causing him trouble?
Maggie squeaked at him and he looked down to see her standing at his feet.
"C'mon," he told her, returning to the kitchen. "Eat your breakfast." He pulled over a chair and sat down by the plate of food. The dog looked at him for a moment and then came forward to eat.
Thirteen pulled into her parking space at the hospital shortly before 7:30. She wasn't sure why she'd gone home in the first place. She knew that House didn't really expect the treatment they'd started to work; he was still looking for more clues. She'd expected a page from Chase, who'd drawn the short straw and stayed to monitor the patient, and was surprised that she still hadn't gotten one.
Thirteen started across the parking lot and was surprised to see House's battered car pulling into his parking place. He was here early. Her steps slowed as she watched him get out of the car. He hobbled around to the passenger side, moving carefully on the black-top. There had been a frost the night before and Thirteen had been watching her own footing. House reached into the passenger seat and pulled out a pet carrier. Thirteen moved forward as quickly as she dared.
"You've got her dog?" she called and House turned in surprise. She closed the distance and reached out to grab the carrier.
"She didn't come home last night," House said. He hadn't let go of the carrier's handle.
"I'll carry this," Thirteen said. He looked at her for a second before reluctantly letting go of the carrier. He reached back into the seat and pulled out a dog bed and blanket. He tucked them under his arm and shut the car door.
"Maggie – the dog – seems lost. I didn't want to leave her alone." Thirteen nodded, deciding not to comment on that. House usually grew prickly if anyone suggested that he was doing something nice.
The lobby was empty and no one stopped them as they got into the elevator. The diagnostics office and conference room were also empty. House led the way into his office. Thirteen followed him, setting down the carrier and opening its door. Maggie came out, tail wagging and Thirteen dropped to her knees to pet the dog in greeting. House put the dog bed down by his chair and took a seat on the footstool. Maggie accepted the petting for a moment before scurrying off to explore the corners of the room. When House looked back at Thirteen, she was watching him.
"Who monitored the patient last night?" he asked.
"Chase."
"Go check on him." Thirteen stood up but didn't leave.
"You know Foreman will report that you have a dog in your office."
"Yeah."
"We haven't broken in to this patient's home yet." Thirteen smiled briefly before going back into the conference room. Chase was just coming in and she stepped between him and the door to House's office. House saw Chase look past her and spot him. He sighed. So much for keeping things quiet. Chase stepped around Thirteen and came into the office.
"Why do you have a dog in your office?" Chase demanded. Maggie ran up to him, tail wagging. Chase looked down at her and his lips twitched.
"She belongs to my neighbor," House said. Chase reached down to pick up the dog, who proceeded to lick at his face, her tail wagging faster.
"She's cute. Why is she… hey!" Chase sat the dog down, revealing a spreading yellow stain on his lab coat. "She peed on me!"
"She got excited," Thirteen said, trying not to laugh.
"Good girl," House murmured, and Thirteen burst out laughing. Chase shook his head, trying to look aggravated. House could see his lips twitching as he turned to stalk out of the office.
When Taub arrived a few minutes later, Thirteen stayed with the dog in his office. House told Taub to wait for Foreman in the lobby and go to the patient's home with him. Taub grumbled but left without getting a glimpse of the dog. Chase came back in a fresh lab coat. He sat with the dog while Thirteen went to check on the patient. House studied the list of symptoms on the white-board, trying to figure out why his patient seemed to be improving in spite of being given the wrong treatment.
Sarah had spent a restless night in the hotel. She'd been relieved to know that Maggie was safe and being looked after. It made her feel even more horrible about what she'd said to Greg. She wanted to call him to apologize and let him know that she was ok, but she was afraid to turn her cell phone back on. Each time she had done so before, she'd found more voice mail messages from Todd and he'd called her. She knew he couldn't have the technology to trace her through her cell phone but the calls still frightened her.
She had another problem. She'd barely eaten the day before and now she was so hungry that she felt sick. She was going to have to leave the safety of her hotel room to find something to eat but even the thought of going down the hall to the vending machines was terrifying.
House was still trying to sort out what was going on with his patient when Cuddy entered the conference room. Chase and Thirteen had just smuggled Maggie outside for a walk. House hoped that they would take their time.
"It's time for your drug test," Cuddy said. "And then you're needed in the clinic."
"I have a patient," House said, knowing that wouldn't make any difference. He wanted to get Cuddy out of here before Thirteen and Chase returned with Maggie but he knew that if he didn't put up some resistance, Cuddy would wonder why.
"You started treatment last night," Cuddy said. "Are you saying you don't think that it's the right treatment?"
"Patient's getting better. It must be the right treatment." House lifted his cane from the conference room table and stood up. "Let's get this over with."
Sarah gave herself a pep talk, reminding herself that Todd couldn't know where she was. She needed to eat something and then she could drive past her apartment again and see if it was safe to go in. She didn't know what Greg had done with Maggie today. Did he leave her in her apartment, or put her in his?
She made it out of the hotel without incident and drove to the nearest fast food place, going through the drive up. She parked in the lot, leaving her car running while she ate. When she'd finished, she took a deep breath, steeling herself, and drove to Baker Street.
She rounded the block twice, seeing no sign of anyone lurking, and parked near the corner. She resisted the urge to run all the way to the building. She didn't want to attract attention to herself. Once in the building, she couldn't contain herself any longer though and she ran the few remaining steps to her door.
The gate wasn't up when she got inside and her heart sped up.
"Maggie?" she called but the little dog didn't come. Sarah moved quickly through the apartment. Nothing was disturbed but when she checked the front closet, Maggie's car carrier was gone. A second trip through revealed that the small dog bed she kept in the living room was also gone. Her answering machine was blinking and she reached over to hit play, bracing herself for another tirade from Todd.
"Sarah, you bitch!" Todd was screaming, his voice harsh. "I don't know who the gimp is with your dog, but he can't keep us apart. I won't let him! Do you hear me? I won't let him!"
