"Ghosts of the Past"
Chapter Seven – "Voices in the Night"
By: purpleu
"Talk to her 24… House, what the hell are you talking about?" Foreman asked. Lydia passed by House as she came around the end of the bed.
"Is it still in your credenza?" she asked. House fished around in his pocket. He took out a set of keys and tossed them to her.
"Top right-hand drawer," he replied. Lydia ran out of the room.
"House… what brilliant, although most likely warped, idea have you come up with?" Wilson asked.
"Observe and learn," he said going to the side of Cuddy's bed that had the monitor. "Hey, Cuddy… what color thong are you wearing?"
"House, that's not appropriate," Foreman admonished.
"Since when did House ever do anything appropriate?" Chase asked.
"I'll do it again; pay attention this time, you morons. Cuddy, I have a girlfriend; her name is Lydia. We had wild sex on top of your former desk in your former office."
"House, stop!" Cameron exclaimed.
"Guys, look at the monitor…the numbers are rising even more than they did earlier," Thirteen said. Cuddy's blood pressure was up to 86/58 and her pulse was 62; much improved numbers from when they walked into the room.
"Got it!" Lydia said running over to House. She handed him a small metal object.
"We're going record things to say to her…all of us, Mama Cuddy, Cuddy Junior, too…talk to her about anything. Tell her you're getting married…again; tell her you're going to be a daddy," he said to Wilson. "Trample her ego by telling her that you two are now running 'her' hospital," House said glancing at Foreman. He held up the object Lydia retrieved; it was a mini digital recorder.
"What do you use that thing for?" Foreman asked. "I hope you haven't been secretly recording conversations around here."
"Would I do anything as nasty and underhanded as that? I'm making notes for my memoirs. The chapter about you is called 'Dealing with Black… Ah… Holes.'"
"We could just take turns coming into the room; but with making a recording, no one has to stay in here constantly," Lydia pointed out. "If I'm not mistaken, that can play for up to twelve hours straight."
"And go back and replay everything in a continuous loop," House added.
"We can even have Thomas and my kids record something," Lydia said. "Whatever it takes to keep those numbers up." House looked deep in thought.
"What are the odds that we can get her a slot in dialysis today?" he asked.
"Probably not good. Nephrology has it booked solid on the weekends," Thirteen said. "We have a lot of people on seven-day schedules. Plus, we're helping to take the overflow from Princeton Central Dialysis ever since they had that fire. They should be up and running again in the next two weeks."
"That's all lovely," House said cynically. "But it doesn't do us a damn bit of good right now. Lucky for Cuddy, nephrology is one of the many things I'm good at," House replied.
"House, the dialysis unit is not going to let you near their machines," Foreman said. "It doesn't matter what you earned a specialty in; it's not happening."
"Maybe if we talk to them and explain how important it is that Cuddy get started right away; maybe they can make some sort of concession," Wilson suggested. "Either before or after their normal hours of operation." House nodded at Wilson's idea, then turned to Lydia.
"Since it would appear we're in need of some well-handled diplomacy…" There was a murmur of chuckles in the room.
"I was already assuming I'd be the one to do it. Let me call them now and see what I can arrange. How many hours will she need on the machine per visit? The standard four hours?" Lydia asked. "And for how many days?"
"We'll take what we can get, but four is preferable," House noted. "Hopefully we can get her kidneys to handle things on their own within a week; maybe less. Anyone think to check for the labs yet?"
"I'll do that now," Thirteen said heading to the door.
"I'm going to use the in-house phone at the desk by the nurses' station," Lydia said. "Be back." The two women headed out of the room. House looked up at Cuddy's monitor; the numbers had begun to drop again.
"Prodigal child," he said to Cameron. "Come on over and tell her how your life has been all sunshine and butterflies since you left the darkened halls of PPTH." Cameron walked over to Cuddy's bedside; Chase grabbed a chair for her. She took a sip from her water bottle, sat down, and then started to speak.
"Cuddy? It's Allison Cameron. I'm back here at the hospital…"
"To beg for her job back," House interjected. Cameron shook her head and ignored him.
"I'm back here to attend a conference for the directors of ER departments. I just received a promotion at my hospital down in Bethesda, St. Charles' Hospital. I'm going to be the director of the ER department there. And that means I'll be working closely with my fiancé. His name his Phil Carson and he's a PA in the pediatrics department."
"It means he couldn't be bothered taking the time to finish medical school and become a real doctor," House said leaning over the bed opposite Cameron.
"Forget him; keep going," Chase encouraged her.
"We're going to be doing something down there that PPTH ought to think about; having a level-one pediatric trauma ER. It would enhance the hospital's reputation," Cameron added. "Especially since the ER here is already designated as a level one center. Thanks to you."
"The BP is staying around 85/60; the pulse is 60," Wilson noted. "Fantastic."
"Amazing," Foreman said. House rolled his eyes.
"You were standing right here when it happened earlier," said House. "Are you insane enough to expect a different result?"
"I wasn't sure if she was reacting to our external stimulation or to something going on with her internally," explained Foreman.
"It's not unheard of for a person in a coma to respond to stimuli, especially familiar voices or people discussing familiar topics," Taub said. "The increase in vitals is a common way used to confirm that they actually heard you."
"The fact is when she left here, there was no way she would ever be capable of this," Foreman said.
"Not with the amount of brain damage she had," Chase added.
"As much as doctors think they know how it works, the brain keeps pulling a shell game on us," House commented. "Keep talking." Cameron turned to Cuddy again.
"Phil… my fiancé… is a liaison between pediatrics and the ER department. So he'll have a lot of input as to how we set things up. I'm also setting up something else; a nursery. Phil and I are expecting a baby in the spring. I… I saw your daughter… " She looked around the room to have someone clue her in as to the child's name.
"Griselda," House responded.
"Rachel," Wilson corrected.
"Rachel," Cameron said focusing her attention back to Cuddy. "I didn't actually get a chance to say hello, but she was with other children playing and laughing. They were going out to play soccer and she seemed really excited."
"Tell her who her kid was playing with," House said smugly. Cameron rolled her eyes.
"House wants me to tell you Rachel was going out to play with his step-children," she said trying not to laugh.
"I told you; they're not my step-children. I found them on a street corner. I'm paying them five bucks each to act as if they like me," House said. "The urchins have to be back before midnight."
"OK, the truth is, they're his girlfriend's kids. We're all taking side bets on when the wedding will be," Cameron said with a smile.
"And all of us are saying it'll never happen," Chase said. "Of course, no one's broken the news to Lydia yet." It was just then that Taub noticed that House had the recorder in his hand.
"Checking to see if it still works?" he asked.
"Want to see how sensitive it is," House replied. He hit replay and all of the voices from the past few minutes could clearly be heard. As he was setting it up to continue recording, Thirteen walked back into the room; she did not look happy.
"Her kidneys are clearly shutting down, and that bastard from dialysis is giving Lydia a hard time," she announced handing the print-out to House. He grimaced as he read over the numbers.
"How bad is it?" Wilson asked.
"Creatine is 2.7, BUN is 27. Her potassium, magnesium, and sodium are all far below normal levels; she's badly anemic," House said. "WBC is holding at 22,000. Cardiac enzymes are normal. What kind of crap was dialysis giving Fraulein?"
"Nothing I couldn't handle," Lydia said returning with a pissed off look on her face.
"What happened?" Foreman asked.
"I was dealing with Whitford; he's the PA who was overseeing the dialysis unit today. Now, I can take someone disagreeing with me or telling me 'no'… but do NOT interrupt me," Lydia said in an annoyed voice. "I was explaining why Dr. Cuddy was here and what the situation was; Thirteen had even shown me the lab numbers which I started to relate to him… and that's when he wouldn't let me finish. He said there was no way he would have any room for Dr. Cuddy today or any time in the next few days and that I should look elsewhere for another dialysis unit. I told him it would be dangerous to move Cuddy around; plus I was aware of the fact that the unit here was handling extra patients at the moment, and that I was sympathetic to his situation." Lydia took a deep breath. "He was not sympathetic to mine. He said the answer was no, period, the end. That's when I told him I was sorry to hear that, as Dr. Locke the head of the dialysis unit, would be sorry when he had his weekend interrupted by a call from me."
"What did Attila say?" inquired House.
"I don't know; I hung up the phone on him and paged Locke's beeper," she replied. Wilson walked over to her and put his arm around Lydia.
"I'm really… really glad you're on my side in life; and not just because of who my wife is going to be."
"You do know how to tell a person to go to hell so that they would enjoy the trip," Taub said laughing.
"I'll even give them GPS instructions, and have them text me when they get there safely," Lydia replied tersely as she crossed her arms.
"Whose number did you give him to call back on?" wondered House.
"Mine. If I can't get anywhere with him, I have Cuddy's doctor, aka the head of diagnostics here, and the two Deans of medicine standing in the room. We'll get her in there," Lydia said with a set determination.
"You know, as much as St. Charles wants this pediatric trauma ER, we've already hit resistance in the early planning stages. We could use someone like you to light a fire under things," Cameron said to Lydia.
"Thank you," Lydia replied. "But I have enough on my plate around here. Also, I couldn't ever think of moving the children again. At least the next move will be within the town when the new house is finished."
"Which reminds me; Scotty wants to stop in to show us plans that would include a small elevator in the house. With my leg a question mark and Bell staying over on frequent occasions, I thought it might be a good idea."
"Isn't that expensive?" Lydia asked hesitantly. "And I would imagine it would require special permits."
"Scotty's handling the permit question, I'll handle the money," House replied. He glanced over at Cameron; she was shaking her head.
"You're still an ass, but the more I see how you treat Lydia, the more I like you," she said.
"You liked me from the start," House reminded her. "Besides, why wouldn't I treat her well? She cooks for me, cleans for me, handles issues of an intimate nature… I buy us a house with an elevator. It's a fair trade-off." Lydia's cell began to ring before anyone had a chance to reply to what House said.
"Showtime," Lydia noted as she left the room to take the call.
"Do what you have to," House called out. "Within reason." Lydia stepped into the hallway just outside the room; House and the others could see her through the window.
"Hello? Yes, this is Lydia Strohman…Oh, hello, Dr. Locke. Thank you so much for returning my call so quickly; I'm so sorry that I had to interrupt your weekend. We have a grave matter happening here, and I was unable to reach a satisfactory resolution with PA Whitford; in fact my encounter with him was quite unsatisfactory." As Lydia began to pace, she move out of earshot, but she could still be seen; she was nodding her head, rolling her eyes, pausing and putting her hand on her hip.
"Do you think she'll be able to get anywhere with Locke?" Chase asked as he checked Cuddy's urine collection bag; the liquid was a dark yellow.
"Locke's a nice guy; I've dealt with him before," Wilson said. "I'm…really surprised he has someone with a bad attitude working for him."
"Maybe they guy was just having a bad day," Taub suggested.
"He was rude to Fraulein; not a good move on his part. She'll not only let Locke know exactly what happened, but she'll let him know just how unhappy she was about it. They maybe a separate entity from the hospital, but insurance billings and issues still have to go through her department. They don't want to mess with her," House said as he sat down.
"I wouldn't, that's for damn sure," Foreman said. Several minutes went by as they all waited for Lydia to rejoin them. House noticed Cuddy's numbers dropping again; he had Taub come over to talk to her so he could record another voice for Cuddy to listen to.
"House, what's Cuddy's favorite music? Maybe we could record some of that for her; it worked for you." Thirteen noted. Squirming in his seat, House looked over at Wilson.
"I have no idea; she never told me or anyone else," he said. Wilson silently gave House points for admitting that out loud.
"Alright… here's what I was able to do," said Lydia as she swept back into the room. "Today is out of the question; Whitford has a prior engagement he has to go to and they won't let anyone run the equipment without someone from nephrology there. However, tomorrow at 2:30, Cuddy can come down and use the machine for two hours; a different PA will be there. Then starting on Monday, they can give her three hours a day, in the afternoon. The only requirement," Lydia said looking at House. "Is that you accompany her each time. Dr. Locke had no idea nephrology was your other specialty, and it's only because you're available to be with Cuddy during this that he's allowing her the time. It will take pressure off his employees if you're there to help out."
"Who said I was available?" House asked looking bothered.
"I did," Lydia quickly replied. "But the good news is you won't have to deal with Whitford again. I told Dr. Locke what happened, and this isn't the first time he's been obnoxious toward a staff member. He's going to make sure no one from here will have to cross paths with him."
"How's he going to do that?" Foreman asked. "It's a small space with six machines down there; it's going to be a little difficult to avoid him."
"Not if Locke fires him," Lydia responded. "Which is a strong possibility as he has prior warnings in his employment file. If he loses it when Locke calls him in to discuss this incident… "
"Great, another lawsuit for unlawful termination," Wilson said.
"He may try it, but he won't win. Besides his lousy attitude in general, he particularly has no respect for women. Several sexual harassment charges have been filed against him," noted Lydia.
"And he hasn't been fired yet?" Foreman asked. "Why not?"
"Ask Cuddy why not; they all happened on her watch," Lydia answered. House knew she was really annoyed over the entire situation; her last statement was more typical of him. But in a case like this, the similarities between the two of them that no one ever seemed to notice, became abundantly clear. So did their differences; in a little while, Lydia would express regret for what she said. He never would.
"Well, we'll… cross that bridge when we get to it. For now, Cuddy's at least got some time in dialysis," Wilson said. "What do you want to do about her labs?" he asked House.
"Start to fix what we can. Begin a slow drip of saline; piggyback on potassium and magnesium for now. We'll add straight sodium later," House said looking at the labs. "Keep her hydrated so when we start the dialysis we don't take out too much too quickly. Too high of a removal rate is what usually prompts coronary issues." He looked at the print-out again. "Hang a bottle of whole blood for now; we'll start platelets later."
"I'll call down to the pharmacy," Chase said. "Maybe this time they'll actually move their butts and have the order ready in a reasonable amount of time." He moved to the corner of the room, flipped his phone open, and started to inform the pharmacy of what Cuddy needed.
"We're going to have to address nutrition factors, too," Taub noted. "Discounting the edema, she's had severe weight loss. Her colostomy bag is virtually empty." Cameron rose from her seat and headed over to the chart from the nursing home. She began flipping through the notes.
"You're assuming she's been properly fed and watered while she's been away. What was she on when she left here?" House asked. Thirteen got the chart from Cuddy's admission after the crane collapse.
"An enteric tube was placed in the peritoneal cavity four days after she was admitted. We started her on a lactose-based polymeric formula at that point, and she continued on it until she was released to the care center. It was part of her discharge instructions that she continue on the formula," she said.
"I see here that they did continue with that therapy," Cameron said. She continued to flip through the pages, then stopped. Looking puzzled, she moved the pages to look backward in the book. "What the hell?"
"What's the matter?" Thirteen asked moving over to her.
"Since her admission, she was receiving the polymeric three times a day. Then a little over two weeks ago, she was switched over to a Ketogenic-Enteric Formula."
"Why was she put on that stuff? It's received enough criticism after that bride in Florida used it to lose weight to fit into her wedding gown. No one uses it except if the patient's grossly overweight, and even then with extreme caution," Chase said.
"How long was she on it?" House asked.
"Ten days, the standard dosage… but…" Thirteen said. "There's no notations after that of any nutrition being given her." Everyone looked at each other in shock. House, who had risen out of his chair, strode over to the side of Cuddy's bed; he held up Cuddy's colostomy bag.
"That's bile and gastric juices she's putting out. When's the last notation of when she was fed?" House asked.
"Six days ago," Cameron said.
"Get her on what she should have been given all along," House said sounding royally pissed off. "Deliver it at half the normal rate, but in a continuous feed. We'll ultimately get more into her without shocking her system."
"What… happened to her in that place?" Wilson exclaimed. "Wounds left untreated, improper nutrition?" What… " He turned and saw Annie standing at the door.
"I'm sorry to interrupt, but Tom just texted me that they're coming in; Rachel fell and scraped her leg, so if you give me some First Aid stuff, I can practice being a mommy," she said trying to smile. "And the guy from Cherry Valley is in the lobby."
"You're going to be a great mom; you don't need any practice," Wilson said giving her a hug. Annie could tell from the way he was holding her, that he was upset.
"Is she that bad?" Annie asked quietly. Wilson pulled back from her slightly so he could look at her.
"She… it would appear that a lot of things went wrong with her while she was in the nursing home. And none of it makes sense. How could a doctor not see what was happening to her? How could he not know?"
"Stein knew," House said sharply. "He was causing it." He took a few steps out into the hallway. "They're not up here yet?" he asked looking for Arlene.
"House, we've all agreed that Stein has messed things up badly; I even questioned whether he was a doctor…" Foreman began.
"He's a doctor. Who practices his own brand of medicine," House replied. Lydia could see how agitated he was, and felt it best to get him away from the group so he could vent.
"Why don't you take a ride down with me to pick up the food?" she suggested. "We can continue this conversation after we take a few deep breaths and get some lunch into us."
"Yeah, I'll be a big help carrying the food. Give me the tray of wings and I'll leave a trail of sauce so everyone will know where the good stuff is. As opposed to the ptomaine palace offerings," House said referring to the cafeteria.
"You're strong enough to carry a few things," Lydia said dismissively. "Come on." She turned toward the elevators.
"Do you want any help?" Chase asked. "I'm on my way down to the pharmacy to pick up Cuddy's medicine."
"No, thanks. We'll be fine." Chase caught the look in Lydia's eyes and realized she wanted to talk to House alone. He headed to the stairs to go down and make the pick-up of the medicine. The rest of them headed for the lounge, leaving Lydia and House alone by the elevators. She reached over and pushed the call button.
"Why do you think Stein deliberately did this to Cuddy?" she asked. House looked around, clenching and unclenching his hand as held his cane.
"Because I think Mama Cuddy's been talking for a while now that she wanted her daughter to hang around for a specific amount of time," House began. "He probably disagreed with her take on how to handle things. Rather than argue with his wife's best friend, he created a situation that would slowly accelerate Cuddy's decline."
"So why bring her here? He'd have to know you'd spot the problems." House shook his head.
"That wasn't his idea; that was Cuddy's mother's plan. He was probably turning inside-out and green over the fact that we have our hands on her 'chart.'"
"So you don't think he ever let anyone else see the book?" Lydia asked as the elevator arrived and the doors opened. "How can that be? There is staff at the place." They entered the car; she pushed the button for the lobby.
"Who had little to no medical knowledge of how to handle someone in Cuddy's condition. I'm guessing that there is no true staff doctor there; just someone on call for emergencies. Stein is Cuddy's private doctor, hired by Mama Cuddy. She trusted her old pal, and he did all the work himself. The notes he made were to remind himself of what he was doing." The doors opened on to the lobby, and Lydia could see the delivery man from Cherry Valley Deli standing to the left of the reception desk. He had three wheeled cart with him, each with two shelves that were loaded with food.
"Hi, I'm Lydia. I'm the one who placed this order."
"Hello. I'm Gary from Cherry Valley Deli. Where are we taking this to?"
"The second floor," Lydia replied. "Can we give you a hand?"
"Thanks. Which elevators are we taking?"
"The ones right back there," she said indicating the ones she and House just came from. "We go to the second floor, and the lounge is right there. I don't think all three carts will fit in one elevator; should we grab one, and you take the other two?" she asked.
"Works for me," he said. The delivery guy moved over to the left elevator and pushed the button; Lydia and House moved over to the right one.
"Did you have any idea how bad Cuddy was when she left here?" Lydia asked as she called for the elevator. "I know you were just coming out of the medical coma, but did anyone ever sit down and tell you the exact details?"
"My team kept telling me she was fine, that they took good care of her. I didn't doubt that they did," House said looking downward. "But I wanted to see things for myself. So after I got home, but before I came back to work, I had Wilson bring me her chart. He hemmed and hawed about it; I wasn't sure if he was afraid he get caught by big brother or if he didn't want me to see what was in it." The elevator car arrived and the two stepped aside to let the passengers out.
"You could have waited until you got back to work," noted Lydia.
"I could have, but I'm glad I didn't; I had better things to occupy me on my first day back," House said, managing a slight smile as he looked at his girlfriend. It was on his first day back after the crane collapse that Lydia came to PPTH looking for him. The elevator was now empty, and they stepped in.
"So even before that phone call came in last night, you knew what shape Cuddy was in…except for whatever mistreatment Stein had done." House nodded and pushed the button marked two.
"I wasn't opposed to treating Cuddy per se; it was the circumstances being presented that bothered me. I knew from what I read, the kind of pain she'd be in; pain I can understand," he said. "Forcing her to stay around in that kind of pain because Mama Cuddy can't deal with losing her daughter or with sitting down and explaining one of the unpleasant facts of life… namely death… to Cuddy Junior, is why I tried to resist treating her. Right now, I'm not trying to keep her alive to be a decoration at the upcoming holidays; I just want to relieve her pain as much as possible, and then let nature take its course." The doors of the elevator opened up back to the floor housing the ICU; Lydia pulled the cart along, House tagged behind. They entered the lounge to find that someone had gotten white exam table paper and covered the set up Lydia and Wilson had put together earlier. The fellow from Cherry Valley was almost finished emptying his two carts, and with Lydia's help the other one was soon done, too. She signed the credit card receipt for him, then handed him a tip.
"Thank you. I included a few extra menus with the paper goods. If you're happy with our food and service, we'd appreciate your spreading the word."
"I'm sure everything will be fantastic as always, Gary. Tell Sean I said thanks for putting this all together on such short notice. Enjoy the rest of your day," Lydia said.
"Same to you," Gary replied as he left the lounge. As Lydia was talking, Annie started to set up the food with House's help.
"Are you going to say anything to Arlene yet?" Lydia asked him quietly.
"Want to solve the blood pressure mystery first," House replied. "I have a feeling I know what he's doing, but I want to confirm it before I set-up the gallows for the son-of-a bitch." He walked away and headed over to where Cameron was sitting. She had brought Cuddy's chart from the care facility with her. He had a theory, but he wanted to think things over before asking her to check on something from the book….
"James and the others filled me in when you went down to get the food," Annie whispered to her friend. "Big problems."
"There are going to be accusations and raw emotions," Lydia said in reply. "All of which will be quite justified; it's just that you know how Greg has a way of saying things." Annie smiled.
"Yes, I do," she said. Lydia laid out the last of the plates and napkins, then called out to group.
"Hey, everyone; lunch is served. There's cold cuts and all the things you need to make sandwiches, and fried pickles to satisfy the pregnant ladies." Cameron and Annie exchanged happy looks as people laughed. "There's also wings, mozzarella sticks, fried ravioli, a pasta salad, and a regular salad. Dive in when you're ready."
"I texted Chase to let him know the food's here," Thirteen said to Lydia. "And here… take this toward breakfast and lunch," she said placing some money into Lydia's hand and giving her a hug. "You have no idea how much easier you've made things for us today." Taub was standing behind Thirteen and smiling.
"Ditto from me, too," he said, also handing Lydia money and giving her a hug.
"Guys, you don't have to do this," she said looking at the money. "I was glad I could help."
"You always help," Foreman said pressing money into her hand. He looked over at House standing nearby. "I just hope he realizes how lucky he is." Lydia had opened her mouth to say something, when she felt a hand on her shoulder.
"How much do I owe you?" Cameron asked.
"Nothing," Lydia said. "Everyone is so thrilled to see you and hear your wonderful news. And to have you help out with Dr. Cuddy's case. It's like old times for Greg and the others." Cameron made a face.
"I can't imagine House being too thrilled about me being here," she said dourly. Lydia put her hand on Cameron's arm.
"Greg has been very blunt, very honest with me about his past. I know how you figure into it… personally and professionally. And I just wanted to say that I think it's great that we have the same taste in men." Cameron blushed slightly at Lydia's words.
"It was more of a crush than anything else; and probably inappropriate, too, considering he was my boss." Cameron looked at Lydia. "I don't have to tell you that House is a very special man in many ways. I wish when I left here..." Cameron was trying not to choke up. "That things were different. Some people got hurt by the way things ended, and I wish they didn't. But I'm glad to see that everyone now is in a good place, and I'm glad for House's sake and mine, that things turned out the way they did." Lydia smiled and handed Cameron a tissue from her pocket.
"No offense; but I'm very glad that things turned out the way they did, too."
"No offense taken," Cameron said, laughing as she wiped her eyes.
"Now, why don't you dive in there and get some of those fried pickles before that other pregnant lady steals them all from you," Lydia said indicating the spread of food.
"I think I will; the little one's letting me know they're hungry; so is it's mommy." Lydia nodded and saw that Ben and Elise were trying to pick out some food for themselves. Ben was doing fine; Elise needed some help. Cameron was about to grab a plate for herself, when she noticed House standing off to the side, deep in thought. She walked over to him; it took a minute before he acknowledged her.
"In between bites of food, take a gander at the joke book," House said referring to Cuddy's chart from the home. "See what if any mention is made of blood pressure issues, low or high." He wasn't making eye contact with Cameron, but when she didn't respond to his request, he looked at her. She was standing directly in front of him with her arms folded. "What?" he asked.
"If you ever do anything to screw up your relationship with that lovely, sweet woman over there," she said indicating Lydia. "Then you'll just prove you're not as smart as you think you are." House was a bit taken back by what Cameron said. Despite thinking things over with Cuddy's case, he did notice the two ladies talking a few minutes ago and was curious to know what they were talking about. Now he knew. He inwardly smiled, but kept his usual straight face forward to Cameron.
"I have no intention of screwing up my relationship with Fraulein," he said as he watched her make the kids laugh, balancing food plates on her arms the way a waitress would. "I know a good thing when I see it."
"Never stopped you before from putting a wall up," she replied, not resisting the chance to get a little dig in. House turned back to Cameron.
"I've learned from past mistakes," he said with a smirk. The comment surprised Cameron, but she appreciated the veiled compliment it was meant to be.
"Do me a favor… when the time comes, send me an invitation. I'm going to get some lunch now; we're hungry," she said patting her stomach. Cameron walked away without looking back, sure she wouldn't be able to keep from laughing at the look on House's face. And she was probably right.
"Tell junior to wait; mommy has work to do," he called after her.
"Yes, boss," she said sarcastically. House looked to his right and saw that just about everyone had taken some food was sitting down eating. Oddly for House, he had no appetite at the moment; but he knew Lydia would be checking to see if she could get him some food. As if on cue, he heard his girlfriend's voice from his left side.
"Hon, can I make you up a plate? A sandwich, wings?"
"Both. I'm hungry even though I don't feel like eating." He saw that Cameron was paging through the chart as he had asked her to; she was popping one fried pickle slice after another into her mouth.
"The blood pressure thing is still getting to you," Lydia said subtly putting her hand on his shoulder.
"It's biting me on the ass, only I can't turn far enough to see what it is," House complained. He felt Lydia's hand move slightly, and realized she was leaning backward, moving the bottom of his blazer aside and looking at his rear end. "I was speaking metaphorically."
"I know," she replied. "It was a chance to check out your butt and I decided to grab it… metaphorically speaking." Despite his mental mood at the moment, House managed to chuckle. Seeing that the others were engaged in conversation at the far table, Lydia leaned over and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.
"Can I have some more of that later with that glass of wine you promised? Because right now, it's about all I have to look forward to," House said quietly.
"More of that goes without saying," Lydia replied. "Now, what kind of sandwich can I make you? There's plenty of food left; there's a myriad of choices to use." She had started to walk over to the food, but when House didn't answer, she turned back to him.
"Greg, did you hear me?" Looking at him, she doubted that he did. But that was of no concern right now; something started coming together in his head. House walked over to the table where the adults were sitting; Lydia had set up the children at a side table.
"Go back a week or two ago in the Book of Cuddy," he said approaching the table. "See what notes were made about anti-hypertensive drugs being administered to her." Chase had returned from the pharmacy, hung the bags of medicine by Cuddy, and was now standing in the lounge near House.
"I don't recall Cuddy having any issues with hypertension," he said. "She sure doesn't now."
"She didn't" House replied. "Unless I was around to give it to her." He kept his eyes on Cameron as she read through Dr. Stein's notes. Her eye widened after turning several pages.
"One week ago… her BP was written down as 116/68. It was crossed out, changed to 166/98." Cameron flipped backward through the book. "For about a week before that, someone changed numbers that were perfectly normal to ones in a higher range," she said looking up at House. "And forward from a week ago to today, they're all written down as elevated readings."
"And those numbers are just a high normal," Foreman said. "Action didn't have to be taken even if they were true."
"Which they weren't. Now the question is what was he giving her and when was the last dose administered. If we know what it is, we'll be able to better estimate the point at which it'll get out of her system," House noted.
"Last night on the phone, he was telling us how low her pressure was," said Thirteen shaking her head.
"That's the problem with telling lies all the time; you begin to forget what the truth is," Taub noted.
"The man speaks from experience," House quipped.
So… her low blood pressure is a result of Stein giving her medication without cause?" Wilson asked. "He could have killed her!"
"So what; that's his goal," House said. Arlene Cuddy had been sitting at the table, listening to the conversation. While she was a little unsure of some of the earlier comments, she certainly understood House's last one.
"What do you mean by saying that Dr. Stein was trying to kill Lisa?" she asked firmly but quietly; she glanced over her shoulder at the children's table to make sure Rachel hadn't heard her.
"The words mean exactly what the dictionary says they do; Stein's giving her a hand to step into an early grave. My thought is that he disagrees with your desire to keep your daughter around so she can be a party guest at upcoming events. I disagree with you too. The difference between the two of us is he's trying to snuff her; I'm trying to save what little is left of her life." Arlene was clearly in shock, shaking her head back and forth.
"What proof do you have? I won't believe it until you show me proof!" The volume of Arlene's voice rose, catching the attention of the children. Lydia had followed House over to the table; she thought she should see if she could calm Cuddy's mom down a bit.
"Mrs. Cuddy, there are notes that are in your daughter's chart that are suspect. A doctor trying to save someone's life wouldn't take some of the actions he did. Her kidneys are failing, her blood chemistries are in horrible shape and the wound she has would have been addressed much sooner," Lydia said as she crouched down by Arlene's chair.
"No… no. What does a sore have to do with trying to kill her?" she demanded to know.
"If the wound remained improperly or under-treated," Taub said. "The infection that she would have developed could have caused sepsis… blood poisoning. Or the infection could have traveled up her spinal cord to her brain. If that happened… "
"Poof! Bye, bye, Cuddy," said House.
"Eight days ago," interrupted Cameron who had continued to examine the faux chart. "'Carv., 25mg., twice a day.'" She looked around the table. "What drug is 'Carv?'"
"Carvedilol," a voice said. House looked to his left, the direction the voice came from. It was Reverend Bell; House forgot he was even in the room.
"When did you pass your medical boards?" asked House in an annoyed voice. Bell shook his head.
"The doctor had put Blythe on that medicine almost a year before she died," he said. "It helps the heart and blood pressure. I understood that was its generic name; it's also known by something else."
"Coreg," House said, impressed and almost pleased that Bell added to the conversation. He looked puzzled for a moment, then addressed Cameron. "He started her on a full 50 mg. dosage right away?" Cameron nodded.
"That's supposed to be slowly built up over several weeks, correct?" Lydia asked.
"Yeah, except nothing's done correctly here. Stein ever have any of the staff help him with any of her care? Administering medicine or changing bandages?" House asked Arlene.
"No. He took care of everything for her. There were two other patients in the facility that needed some extra care, but nothing like Lisa. He said he took care of the other two also, but I never saw him in their rooms." Arlene saw the looks they all exchanged and put her head in her hands. "I… I don't know what to think. I assumed he was paid to take care of them, but he never charge me a thing to take care of my daughter. I'm not surprised; he's known Lisa since… "
"She was knee-high to a praying mantis," House interjected. "Yeah, we've heard the story too many times already, and it still doesn't mean squat." He had been fiddling with his phone while Arlene spoke. "How much did you say they were soaking patients for at that place?"
"Fifteen thousand a month," she replied. "I had asked friends who had spouses or relative in homes; the price was within range."
"Except that their advertised online price is nine large," House said turning his phone around so all could see. "The six thousand difference probably was split between a slush fund at the facility and the glove compartment of Stein's Jaguar."
"If what you're saying is true… how could he do this to me?" Arlene asked, clearly distressed.
"He's not doing it to you; neither is Happy Acres. This is a workman's comp case. If there's any solace in this, it's that they're sticking it to the insurance company," said House looking at his girlfriend.
"The problem is that theft like that makes for higher insurance rates for you, me, and everyone else," Lydia said shaking her head with disgust. "And if Stein was treating two other patients there, it's safe to say that they're probably also overpaying."
"How long has Stein worked there?" Thirteen asked.
"For years. Ever since he had gotten very sick with his heart, and the state board told him to slow down with things," Arlene said. House rolled his eyes.
"The state doesn't tell you to 'slow down'; they tell you to get out of the sandbox," House snapped.
"They took away his medical license," Lydia explained, seeing Arlene's confused look.
"Maybe he got it back; you know what that's like," noted Foreman.
"No matter what the case is with his license, the fact is there's something fishy going on with the payment and compensation system over at that place besides the lack of patient care," Wilson said. "Complaints are going to have to be filed with the state medical board." Wilson could see by the look on House's face that he wasn't happy about the idea of getting involved once again in filing charges against people, but this couldn't be ignored.
"We'll deal with slapping their hands after we're finished with Cuddy," House said grimly.
"She got the last dose of Carvedilol before she left the facility this morning," Cameron said looking at the chart. "Around six a.m."
"Effectiveness will lessen several hours after the first missed dose," House noted. "It should be out of her system entirely in forty-eight to seventy-two hours. In the absence of any magic potion to counteract the poison, we're going to resort to old-fashioned methods." House pulled the recorder out of his pocket and laid it on the table. "Make sure you get Cuddy Junior to say something, too." He turned to Lydia. "I'll take that sandwich now." She smiled and stood up from her position next to Arlene.
"Ham and Swiss on a hero roll and some wings?" House nodded as he sat down at the head of the table. He grabbed an extra chair, swung his leg up on it, and listened as the recording session began with Foreman. Lydia brought his sandwich and wings, and a can of Coke over to him. After Tom had recorded a message for Cuddy, he made his way down to where House was sitting.
"Leg's getting to you a lot today," Tom noted.
"Took my medicine late; this is the payback," said House as rubbed his leg. "How was the kid doing when you had them outside?"
"Oh, he's ready for tomorrow, that's for sure. Some time in at goalie, some time in at forward… Ben's got the travel team selection, no problem." Tom looked at House as he continued to massage his leg. "Are you sure you can make it there?" House looked over at the kids' table.
"He made me promise; I'll be there." Tom laughed and went back to his seat. Having finished most of his food, House leaned back and closed his eyes; every bit of rest he could give himself now, the better he would feel later on…..
"Just got a text," Taub announced. "Grimes has pulled in the parking lot. He'll be up in a few minutes to talk." House raised his head up and blinked a few times. He saw Taub and Foreman start to stand up, presumably to go to Cuddy's room. He glanced at his watch, and saw that he had been asleep for almost forty minutes; too bad it only felt like four. House joined Taub and Foreman to meet Grimes; the wound specialist looked a bit worn out from dealing with his car breaking down, but other than that, he was in good spirits. After examining Cuddy, he agreed with his PAs that the wound, while serious, had not reached a critical level. He felt the debreedment would be basic, and he was happy with House's preliminary choices for antibiotics; any changes needed would be made after the cultures came back. His PAs would follow up the debreedment with dressing changes for as long as Cuddy was a patient at PPTH, and he reminded his PA Dan to provide the family with the list of facilities that the wound care department was associated with. It may have taken Grimes a while to get there, but once he arrived, he was quick and no nonsense with his approach. It was the reason House had wanted him to handle this. Taub and Foreman left to scrub in; House returned to the lounge. It had started to rain lightly, so the kids were inside playing some sort of card game with Bell.
"I hope we don't have to deal with this rain during the games tomorrow," Lydia said coming over to join House. He pressed a few buttons on his phone and moved it around until he could see it.
"It'll be gone by tomorrow," he said. House looked over at his girlfriend and saw she was smiling. "Do I dare ask why the smile?"
"You're cute when you're stubborn; you're having more and more difficulty reading things, but you won't carry your glasses with you."
"House? Cute? Never," Chase said with a grin as he and Thirteen walked over.
"Watch it; one day you're gonna find a wallaby in your locker," House responded, giving them a sharp look.
"House, we were thinking that it might be a good idea to have one of us stay here overnight with Cuddy. Not that the nurses' can't handle her, but I heard Rachel tell Arlene that Stein left his car here."
"Who knows what that bastard's planning," Thirteen said. "He might be assuming that we're going to leave her alone, thereby giving him a chance to sneak in and finish what he started."
"For all we know, he has a loaded syringe in his glove compartment along with his ill-gotten gains," House agreed. "Who wants to take the first shift?"
"I'll stay overnight, then head out to see the kids' games. Ben asked me if I was going to be there; I don't want to disappoint him. I'll catch some sleep after that," Chase offered.
"I'm hoping maybe Taub or Foreman will take the morning till you get here in the afternoon for Cuddy's dialysis," Thirteen said. "I had Elise hit me up with a reminder about the games."
"Don't feel obligated to come," Lydia said. "They're just excited because if Ben's team wins, they've earned first place in their division. And the coaches are evaluating players for the travel teams and Ben's got a good shot."
"Let's see what we can arrange," Thirteen said.
Time passed as Cuddy was in surgery, but she wasn't there long; Stein was correct with his assessment of the wound not being too severe. When Taub and Foreman came back to the lounge, they all talked things over and worked it out so that Taub would take the morning and afternoon, House would cover the dialysis time, and Foreman would come in at six that night. Until they could actually confront Stein, none of them were comfortable leaving Cuddy with just the nurses on the floor. Cameron helped Annie and Lydia pack up the food; they made doggie bags for everyone to take home and one for Chase to eat there tonight. Wilson showed Arlene and Rachel where the room was to accommodate the family of a patient overnight; Lydia could see how tired Arlene looked, so she made them sandwiches, pasta salad and some fruit for their dinner. They all said goodbye to Chase, then headed down in the elevators. Chase had texted Cameron to park near the ER entrance, so they were all near each other. Cameron asked Lydia for directions to the soccer fields; her fiancée Phil played in a local league and she enjoyed watching the games. Promising to text Lydia when she was at her hotel room, Cameron was the first to leave. The others weren't far behind; tomorrow was going to be another early day.
"What time is your game tomorrow, dear?" Thomas asked Elise as Lydia pulled out leftovers from the party last night to add to the lunch leftovers. It was what Lydia liked to call a "pick-up" meal.
"My game's at eight-thirty, and Ben's is at ten," Elise said. "Mommy, is everyone going to be there?"
"I don't know," Lydia said as she poured milk for the children. "Dr. Taub will be at the hospital with Dr. Cuddy, keeping an eye on her. I know Dr. Chase and Thirteen will be there, but I don't know about Dr. Foreman."
"Rachel said she wanted to come, and her grandma said she'd bring her to the field," said Ben.
"Mrs. Cuddy is very tired, as a lot of us are," his mother said. "We'll see what tomorrow brings. Now, I want you to eat, and then take showers. Ben, you can use the one in mine and House's bedroom; Elise, you use the hallway bathroom so I can give you a hand. Then, it's off to bed. You can read for a while if you want, but I want lights out by no later than nine."
"Okey-dokey!" Elise said as she carried her glass of milk to the table. Ben followed behind her with his glass.
"Your children are such a delight!" Thomas said. "So bright, so thoughtful… you can tell they're being raised the right way."
"I'm very lucky; lucky that I have a good man to help me with them," Lydia replied.
"I still marvel at how Blythe did it on her own." Thomas dropped his head. "Then again, I've heard it said it's easier to raise strong children, than it is to fix a broken man." Lydia knew that seeing House in so much pain today bothered him a great deal.
"Go have a seat with the children, Thomas," Lydia said gently. Bell nodded, and left for the dining room to join the children. It didn't take much to get the kids to comply with Lydia's request to get to bed; running around in the fresh air had tired them out. Elise and Ben had both said their goodnights by eight-fifteen. The adults settled into the living room as House once again elevated his leg.
"Is there anything that can be done to give you some relief until your operation is done?" Bell asked. "I hate seeing you like this."
"Doesn't thrill me either," House said leaning his head back.
"Soaks in a warm tub, rubdowns of the leg… "
"And other areas," House chimed in.
"… do some good," Lydia finished. "The medication Tom has him on and some exercises. There's not much else."
"Speaking of those warm soaks and rubs, I think I'll do them now." House moved his leg down and slowly stood up.
"I think I'm going to head in myself," Thomas said, standing up easier than House did. "I brought a book with me; a bit of reading will send me off to dreamland. Goodnight, dear; goodnight, son." House scowled at Bell as he made his way down to Annie's borrowed apartment. It's just his way of speaking, House reminded himself.
"Do you want to get yourself settled in the tub while I pour that glass of wine I promised earlier in the day?" Lydia asked.
"Sounds good," her boyfriend replied. "Will you be joining me?"
"In the wine, yes; the tub, no. Too much temptation," she replied giving him a kiss.
"You won't have to worry about that…too much pain," House said looking away from her.
"Hey," she said putting her fingers under House's chin and turning his face back to her. "I promise to let you see me naked."
"Great; and with me not able to do a damn thing about it." Lydia reached up and ran her hand down his cheek.
"Go get in the tub. After you soak awhile, you'll get out, and I'll massage it for you. I got the aloe vera to help with the skin around the scar." House nodded.
"Thanks," he said as he headed into their bedroom. Before long, House was carefully getting to the warmth of the water he ran in the tub. It enveloped his sore limb and gave him a comfort he was grateful for. A few minutes later, his other reason to be grateful walked in; Lydia entered carrying two glasses of red wine.
"I thought with the cooler weather, a Pinot Noir would taste good," she said as she handed House his glass.
"You could have picked anything; I need both of these right now," he said indicating the wine and the tub. House looked at the short, silky robe Lydia was wearing as she sat on the edge of the tub, and started to pull on the tie around her waist. "I need this, too… damn!" he yelled as he suddenly clutched his leg. House's tugging on her robe made Lydia's chest quite visible, but even that distraction didn't ease his pain. "You're sitting there looking like the hottest, most beautiful woman… and I can't even… " Lydia knew that House's pain was getting so severe of late, it didn't always let his body do what his mind wanted. It also reminded him of John House's inability to be intimate with a woman and the taunts he used to throw at House, telling him that one day, he'd be just like him. She knew her boyfriend took those words to heart, emotionally and physically. Lydia thought it best to gently move the subject off to another topic.
"Hon, we're both so tired right now… I don't think I'd stay awake through the first few kisses." She reached over and took House's hand. "We've both been on our feet, it's been an emotionally stressful day; I'm getting tired just talking about it."
"Not surprised that you're tired; you ran around and took care of everyone and everything," noted House. He reached up and touched her face. "I guess I forgot to say thank you as usual."
"I know you appreciated it. It's alright if you don't say it and even nicer when you do," she replied nuzzling her face into his hand.
"You also did great in 'class' today." Lydia laughed.
"I love doing it, but I'm always afraid I'm going to say the wrong thing, and either kill the patient or disappoint you."
"I'd never let you kill a patient. And you'd never disappoint me; surprise the hell out of me since you usually get it right… " House absentmindedly let his hand fall down the side of her neck as he took a sip of wine; he let it wander down the space between her breasts, until he suddenly pulled it away. "Sorry… didn't mean to tease." Lydia took his hand and gave it a kiss.
"It's OK; it may be teasing, but I still like it." Lydia raised her glass to her lips; she needed a little fortification for their conversation. "Greg, what made you say that you were tired of being miserable, that you wanted to… well, be happy? What did James say to you?" House told Lydia about Wilson's rant concerning feeling guilty over having three ex-wives and how it was stopping him from enjoying his life with Annie, present and future.
"She had a talk with him about shaking off the burden of the past he was carrying around so he could enjoy their life. I don't think Billy Graham was ever more persuasive." House held up his glass and examined the contents. "Wilson said there was a correlation between his situation with Annie and mine with you. I still don't feel like I deserve someone like you, but I'm enjoying the hell out of what we've got. I might even venture to use the word 'happy' every once in a while." Lydia tried to hold back the tears of joy that were forming in her eyes, but it was tough. "I also had something else prodding me along," House said emptying his glass. "'Life, unlike the game of chess, goes on long after checkmate.'" He looked up at Lydia. "Checkmate and I are old friends."
"Isaac Asimov," she said giving credit to the originator of the quote.
"The fact that you knew that is yet another reason why I love you. Now, move back and give me room so I can dry off." House grabbed the pull bar he had installed when they moved in and stood up. "You, Fraulein, have a leg to massage… and a lot more."