Chapter 3

"Doctor Abernathy is a pro," said Cameron. She was sitting on a stool in surgery while Abernathy worked on Kate's back. The bleed was shallow enough that she didn't need to be put under. "You're gonna be fine."
"Thanks."
"Have you had a local anesthetic before?"
"A few times. Normally if I'm bleeding it's surface level."
"When was the last time?"
"You're trying to distract me from someone stabbing my back by talking about the last time someone stabbed me?"
"Is it working?"
Kate smiled a little. "I guess."
"So, the last time?"
"Two years ago, my left forearm."
"What happened?"
"I was carrying a stack of books back to a library for my stepdad and the walk was longer than I thought, and books had sharper edges than you'd think."
"Ooh."
"I had really cool bruises for a few weeks too, but I nearly burst two veins with all the blood."
"Not fun?"
"No."
"I didn't notice scarring…"
"A plastic surgeon fixed me up, the skin there is just a few shades lighter, also, annoyingly, it doesn't tan. I thought it was the worst because we were in San Diego at the time. We moved to Seattle after that so my pasty arms blended right in."
"Tanning's not super common around here either, so you'll fit right in here too."
"Good to know."

"Surgery went well," Cameron said to Wilson as the orderly wheeled Kate back into the room. "Removed the excess blood and the blood was clotting well from the IV. There were two lesions that Dr Abernathy was able to cauterize rather than stitch up. He said it was serious but minor. He used a local anaesthetic but she's asleep now from the pain meds."
Wilson took a deep breath. "Thanks." He said while staring at the unconscious Kate.
"She should wake up in the next half hour or so."
Wilson checked his watch. "She wants to be home by 11."
Cameron shrugged. "Why?"
"Her mom and stepfather are meant to by home by then. Kate doesn't want them to know."
"She doesn't want her own mother to know she just had surgery?"
"Thank you," said Wilson, looking at Cameron now. "That's weird, right?"
Cameron shook her head. "That's…a bit odd."
"She said it was because they'd go all protective on her…"
"But you think it's something else?"
Wilson nodded. "Wait, were you in the surgery with her?" he asked.
"Yeah."
"Why?"
"House told me to."
"Ah."
"He likes her," said Cameron with a smile.
"House doesn't like anyone."
Cameron smiled. "He likes Kate enough to have order me to be in surgery with her."
"He could also just be making sure you avoid something else," offered Wilson.
"Personally, I don't mind not being around the dominatrix loving patient."
"Fair enough."
"I've been looking for you everywhere," said Cuddy coming into the room. "Do you have your pager off?"
Wilson tapped his waist, "I uh, think it's dead," he said looking at the screen.
"This isn't a cancer patient," Cuddy said, looking at the still unconscious Kate.
"No."
"So, why are stuck to her bedside? Dr Greyson needs a consult."
"I can consult from here; send her over."
Cuddy put her hands on her hips. "Doctor Wilson, you have a job to do that doesn't involve preferential treatment of patients not under your care."
"Technically she is under my care."
Cuddy sighed and looked at Kate. "You know her?"
"I should hope so."
Cuddy frowned and picked up the chart and read it. She closed her eyes for a moment and put the chart back. "You never said."
Wilson sighed. "I normally barely see her. They move every 6-12 months all around the country, now apparently, they're in New Jersey for the foreseeable future."
Kate's eyes began to flutter.
"I'll leave you to it and send Doctor Greyson down in a while." Cuddy left the room.
"Welcome back," Wilson said.
Kate's eyes opened slowly and focused on him. "Hi."
"You're all cauterized up."
"How nice."
"How do you feel?"
"I hate anesthesia. It makes my head foggy."
"Here," said Wilson, handing her a cup of water.
Kate took a slow drink. "Your magic potion didn't work."
Wilson put the cup back on the bureau. "Sorry, I'll work on my potion making for next time."
Kate frowned. "There won't be a next time never ever again a next time"
Wilson raised his eyebrows. "I think there's going to be many next times."
"I've decided I never want a needle again, so I'll just be extra super-duper careful forever."
"Oh so your plan is to become bubble girl?"
"I don't need a bubble I just need to not bang hit or touch anything for any force or stuff."
"Okay, bubble wrap girl then."
Kate pointed a finger at Wilson. "Now you're talking daddy-o."
Wilson laughed. He got up and walked over to check her bag. "Ah, morphine," he said.
"So?"
"Morphine makes you weird."
"I'm not weird, I'm just foggy."
Wilson turned down the drip and pressed the call button. "Let's just get you some regular pain medication, shall we?"
"Pain? I feel no pain. There is only my floating head."
"Your head is not floating."
Kate wobbled her head back and forth. "Feels floaty."
"Give it a bit, you'll come back down." Wilson picked up Kate's chart and a pen from his pocket. He made a note on the chart.
"What are you doing. That's mine!"
"Yes, and I'm putting a note to not give you morphine. Ever again. Made you weird when you were 4, still makes you weird today. There are plenty of other pain medication options in the 21st Century so you can just have those in the future."
"But I'm bubble wrap girl."
Wilson put the chart back and sighed. A nurse appeared. "Doctor?" she asked.
"Can you get her something else for the pain, not morphine? But something strong."
"Sure."
"Not an opioid," Wilson called out after the nurse as she left.
The nurse waved her hand to signal she heard him.
"You're bossy," said Kate.
"Comes from being a boss," said Wilson. He sat on the bed next to Kate. "Lean forward."
Kate did so. "What are you a boss of?"
Wilson lifted up her shirt to check her back. Doctor Abernathy had done a good job, just two small cuts into her back, barely any bruising so far. "I'm head of oncology."
"That's being a head, not a boss."
Wilson put her shirt down and gently pushed Kate back onto the bed. "Head also means boss."
Kate raised her eyebrows and blinked out of sync. One eye and then the other. "Fancy schmancy Yancy fancy."
"That it is." Wilson pulled his penlight out and checked her eyes. They dilated fine.
"What are you doing?"
"Checking you."
"For what?"
"Making sure you're okay after surgery." Wilson moved the light; she followed them fine.
"Don't I have doctors for that?"
"I'm a doctor."
"You're not my doctor for me, the doctor that is doctoring me…you're just a doctor who knows me."
Wilson turned off the torch and put it away. "And we share DNA. Some would say that would make me more qualified to be 'doctoring you'."
Kate frowned. "I'm…okay. My head feels funny."
The nurse appeared with a cup of pills. "Here you are, Kate," she said.
Kate took the cup and put the pills in her mouth, Wilson handed her the water and she swallowed. Once the nurse was sure she'd swallowed them, she left.
Kate leaned back on the bed and closed her eyes. "I need to go back to the apartment."
"It's not even 6 yet, you'll be fine."
Kate nodded.
"Try and rest."

Doctor Greyson was at the door. Wilson watched Kate for a few moments before heading out for the consult.
"Lovely, I did great work if I do say so myself," he pulled Kate's shirt back down. "How are you feeling?"
"Fine," Kate said with a smile. "A little achy, but fine."
"Wonderful!" said Doctor Abernathy. He signed the discharge form and handed it to Wilson. "If that changes, do come back in."
Kate nodded.
"You're free to go. Love a good outpatient surgery, you free up the beds!"
"Uh, thank you?"
Doctor Abernathy smiled and left. Wilson looked at Kate, "Ready to go home?"
"Sure."
Wilson closed the curtain around Kate so she could get dressed. Doctor Abernathy was out the door. Wilson frowned but went out. "Abernathy?" he asked, the doctor was lingering out the door.
Doctor Abernathy nodded to the curtain Kate was now hidden behind. "She tell you how she got the marks?"
"Fell into a bookshelf."
Doctor Abernathy nodded once. "She had lesions too, healing, but still pronounced."
Wilson shook his head. "Don't know what they're from. Why?"
Doctor Abernathy turned to Wilson. "They look deliberate to me."
"Deliberate? They're on her back, how could she do it herself?"
"Not what I meant."
Wilson rubbed his face.
"Hemophilia B makes you bruise easily, and can lead to internal bleeding, but more than that, it's predictable. There's less of a chance of bursting vessels on the back than on the arms, legs, thighs, chest. And the back is almost always covered by clothing."
Wilson shuffled his feet. "Your point?"
"You know my point, Doctor Wilson." Doctor Abernathy walked away and before Wilson could say anything the curtain opened, and Kate was standing there dressed and expectantly. She smiled at him through the glass. Kate grabbed her backpack and headed out of the room.
"You all right?" she asked Wilson.
"Yeah, fine. I just…"
"What?" Kate asked as they began walking to the elevators.
"It's just, how are things at home?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, are things…" Wilson hit the elevator button for the ground floor. "Good?"
Kate glared at him. "They're fine. What are you getting at?"
"I mean the bruising on your back, the lacerations, your ribs?"
"Who told you about the ribs?"
"House, and that's not the point."
"What's the point?"
The elevator arrived and they stepped inside.
"The point is you have injuries all over you and you flippantly said you don't go to events your mom and Doug are going to and you practically begged me not to tell them about the surgery."
"And what are your suggesting?"
The doors closed as Wilson took a breath. "I'm suggesting maybe everything at home isn't 'fine'."
"And I'll suggest that maybe a few hours isn't enough to pass judgement on 358 other days of the year when I don't see you." Kate looked up at Wilson and gave him a judging smile.
Wilson nodded and looked away. They stood in silence and the doors opened. Kate rushed out.
"I'll take the bus," she announced to Wilson.
Wilson was a little taken aback. "I can drive you; I'm going home anyway."
"Great, keep going that way," Kate said and practically ran out the main doors.
Wilson stood dumfounded staring after her.
"Aww, did someone kick a puppy?" House asked appearing from the other elevator behind him.
Wilson gestured out to the door. "Kate just…left."
"And? People do that."
"I was going to take her home and I asked about home life, and she just said she'd take the bus and stormed out."
"Hmm. Yes, I think I know why."
"Why?" Wilson asked, shocked he already knew the cause.
"It's called teenageritis. Very dangerous." Wilson slumped. "If you're not careful it can last seven years."
"Thank you for your professional opinion."
"Any time."

It was just after 10pm when Kate finally made it back to the apartment building. She let herself up and, just in case, was as quiet as possible unlocking the door and coming in. All the lights were off, but Kate didn't trust it. She tiptoed down to her room, opened the door slowly, closed it slowly. Hung up her bag on the back of the door and tiptoed to her dresser to get out her pajamas. Kate undressed and dressed, careful to stay on her rug. She didn't turn on any lights in case the click gave her away. She slid into her bed, tucking herself under the covers. She pulled out the torch and her book and read in the silence under the blankets. It was over an hour later before she heard her mom and stepfather arrive home. Loudly and boisterously through the front door. Kate turned the torch off and slid the book and the torch under her pillow. She rolled over to her side, her back facing the door, her head out of the covers, eyes closed. She held her breath.
But today was apparently her lucky day, they ignored her room completely and went to their room. The TV blaring until Kate fell asleep in the calm of her own room, alone.