Please Forgive Me

Chapter Eight

Both House and Wilson left their apartment within an hour of returning home from their spontaneous trip and drove back to the hospital with plans to begin their search through Cameron's patients' files, starting with her time spent working as Head of the Department in the emergency room. While on their way, House made a call to Foreman, Taub, and Thirteen to tell them he needed them to get to the hospital as soon as they could without telling them why they were needed back.

The team arrived within twenty minutes, with Chase in tow, and House spoke up first as he asked curtly, "Why did you bring him with you? If memory serves, he no longer works for me."

Foreman glared at his boss as he answered sternly, "It's his wife who's missing."

"His ex-wife," the narcissist responded smugly.

"The woman he still loves then," Taub replied as he helped Remy guide the man into the chair at the table. "Do semantics really matter here?"

House observed the Australian as Thirteen handed him a fresh cup of coffee and while Foreman continued, "If we're going to go about trying to find Cameron ourselves, which I'm all in, Chase has more right to be here than any one of us."

The genius doctor finally asked, "Are you drunk?"

"I'm not piss poor drunk," Chase answered in frustration, surprisingly without slurring his words. "I was out drinking before they showed up and pulled me away before I got myself arrested for vandalism, but I can work. You'd be smashed too if it were Cuddy who was kidnapped. We all know how you really feel about her."

"Yeah, I hate her," House responded quickly. "Glad to see that you've all actually retained something I've told you. Are you really okay to be here? We'll be going over your ex's patients' notes and files. This is Cameron we're talking about. Her notes are methodical to the point of tedious and far too neat for any doctor."

Wilson spoke up saying, "House, leave him alone."

Chase kept his eyes on his boss as he replied coldly, "No, it's all right. Say whatever you want about me, House. As you said, I no longer work for you. I'm going to help you find anything that might help us figure out who this bastard is who took Allison and if spending all night going through her patients' files while being stuck working with you a little bit longer, then so be it. I'm sober enough. There's also plenty of coffee."

"I'll go and get the files then," Taub stated as he turned and walked back out of the office.

"Foreman and I will go help him," Remy said as the two of them quickly followed after him.

Wilson looked at Chase from across the table they were sitting at with sympathy as he asked, "How are you holding up? I mean, I can only imagine how distraught you must be, seeing how upset you are right now, but are you really doing okay? Is there anything that I can do for you?"

Chase continued to glare at House until Wilson finished and turned back to him as he answered, "No, there's nothing you can do for me. Not unless you can turn back the clock to the day before Dibala came to the hospital, back to before I killed him."

"Wait, what do you mean, you killed him?" Wilson asked in confusion as he turned his head to look between the two men before him. "Don't you mean you made the mistake that killed Dibala?"

"Nope, I actually mean I killed him," Robert responded and then took another few gulps of his coffee. "I would have thought House told you. Why do you think Cameron left me? Dibala was a murderer and he threatened Allison. That was what set me off. But it wasn't until he admitted he had killed his people and to having plans to kill even more that I knew…"

House interrupted, "You really ought to shut up right now, you idiot."

Wilson glared at House as he replied angrily, "How could you not have told me any of this? And you lied about how he died at the hearing Cuddy set up!"

"Do you really want to know the details?" House asked cynically. "I wanted you to have plausible deniability. If I told you, you would have been under the obligation to tell the truth and we never would have gotten off scot free. I never intended to tell you. Thank you, Dr. Chase."

"I regret that I killed a man by faking his blood tests, but I don't regret that I did it to save all those people who would have died if he had lived," Chase spoke up again firmly. "Believe me, I feel sick knowing what I've done. But losing Allison now, especially knowing that she's out there somewhere terrified by whatever's happening to her, makes me feel far worse."

The genius doctor looked at the blond man as he asked, "Do you realize that Dibala's death isn't the only reason why Cameron left you?"

Chase glared at House again as he answered, "Of course. I chose to keep working for you knowing damn well that she wouldn't be able to. I chose you over her."

"She also has her own issues," House responded callously. "You act as though she's Jesus Christ and perfect in every way. It's pathetic."

"Allison does have her own issues to deal with," Robert replied. "I do realize that, but I don't blame her. She's broken and I've always known it. I still fell in love with her. If she dies…"

When he cut himself off, Wilson stated compassionately, "Hey, try not to go there. She isn't going to die. The police will find her, or we will. You've got to stay strong for her and away from the alcohol. It won't help her or you any. She's tough and headstrong."

Foreman walked in with two boxes full of files in his hands as he answered, "That's exactly what I tried to tell him. Cameron did manipulate House into going out on a date with her after all. We all know manipulating House like he does to us is near impossible."

"Cameron dated House?" Taub asked as he and Thirteen both walked in with multiple boxes in their arms as well. "Why the hell would she want to do that?"

"That's a conversation for another time," House responded coldly. "Or never. Where are the rest of the boxes?"

The former plastic surgeon glared at his boss as he replied, "We can only carry so many boxes. Perhaps if you helped…"

The narcissist cut Taub off as he answered, "Sorry, can't do any heavy lifting. I'm a cripple, remember? Come on, it's time for you to get busy. I'm going to go find us a late night take out place and get us some food."

"Are you actually planning on doing any work?" Thirteen called out after House as he stood up and walked out the door.

"Why should I?" House shouted back. "Why do you think I've got you?"