Chapter 9

"Darling?"
A gentle hand ran across Kate's forehead. "Mmm," she turned and opened her eyes. "Mom?"
"Hey Katie," said Colleen. She was sitting on the edge of Kate's bed. She pointed to the IV bag, "They're giving you platelets before the surgery to make sure you clot."
Kate nodded. Part of her was surprised her mother hadn't read her entire chart. This was the third lot of platelets she'd had in the last 48 hours.
"Oh darling, this is just awful," Colleen said softly as she stroked Kate's hair off her face. "Brain surgery, it's…well, it's a lot."
"I know," said Kate.
"You know you're a bit yellow, you have jaundice."
Kate frowned, rubbed her eyes, "I know. It's the liver and kidney failure."
Colleen looked at Kate for a moment, then nodded. "Of course." Colleen stroked Kate's hair once more before getting up and picking up the chart from the end of Kate's bed. Kate watched her mother as she frowned at the back page before flipping back to the first page. Colleen scoffed, rolled her eyes and said "what?" several times but Kate said nothing but lifted up her bed so she was sitting. Finally, Colleen had read almost the entire chart, she closed the chart and put it back at the end of the bed. She took a few deep breaths and steadied herself on the bed. "This hospital…" she said.
"They've been good," said Kate.
"I've never even heard of this Doctor Finch."
"Maybe since you're a malpractice lawyer that's a good thing?" Kate offered.
Colleen stared at Kate. "What was that?"
Kate realized her mistake and shook her head. "I'm sorry, I'm just tired."
"Hmm," said Colleen. "You're going to be a lot more tired after this surgery, you need to make sure you keep a level head."
"As everybody knows post-brain surgery patients find it very easy to keep a level head," said a voice from the doorway.
Colleen rolled her eyes at Doctor House.
"Colleen," said House, "It's barely 7.15 and you're already here."
"I thought you started work at 10? What are you doing here so early?" asked Colleen.
House shrugged and walked over, he pointed at Kate with his cane. "She's my favourite patient."
"She's not your patient."
House shrugged. "Not officially, but it's my suggestion that found the mass and white matter in your daughter's brain."
Colleen scoffed and looked at Kate. She shrugged. House watched them.
"Why would I lie?" said House.
"You just like being right," said Colleen.
"Of course I do. Being wrong is no fun." He looked at Kate, she was staring at her hands. Interesting.
"It was just random circumstance that had Kate end up here," said Colleen, "there are plenty of other hospitals in New Jersey."
"But this is the one down the road from her study group. Was that a coincidence?" asked House.
"It's a good library," said Colleen flatly.
"And near your husband's workplace, yes?"
Colleen pouted. "Yes."
"Convenient."
"What the hell are you doing here, House?" asked Wilson coming into Kate's room.
House turned and smiled at Wilson. "She's my favourite patient."
"Kate's not your patient," said Wilson. He came in and handed Kate a cup of ice chips. She smiled in thanks.
"But you all wish she was," said House. "I'm a brilliant doctor."
Kate silently put some ice chips in her mouth and let them melt on her tongue.
"I think we'll all survive without you involved in Kate's medical care," said Colleen.
"Considering her doctor didn't want to give her an MRI in the first place, I highly doubt that," said House.
"House, just…leave," said Wilson.
"Oh, all right," he looked at Kate. "I'll see you when you're mass and white matter free."
Kate smiled at him. "Okay." She took more ice chips out of the cup.
House made a face at Wilson and left. Wilson and Colleen stared at each other for a moment.
"What time is her surgery scheduled for?" Colleen finally asked.
"Eight," said Wilson.
Kate instinctively reached for her hair. Foreman was adamant he'd only need to shave the bottom part of her hair but the last few nights she'd dreamed of waking up with all her hair gone or clumps of hair fall out in her hands. She twisted the lock around her finger several times.
"It's going to be fine," said Wilson.
"Just because you keep saying that doesn't make it true," said Kate.
"What if I'm manifesting?" suggested Wilson.
"What if it doesn't work?"
"Then I'll get to be mad at the universe forever."
"And if your manifesting does work?"
"Then I get to say 'I told you so'."
"That doesn't seem worth it."
"It does to me."
"What the hell?" asked Colleen.
"What?" asked Wilson and Kate in unison.
"What the hell are you two doing?"
Wilson and Kate exchanged a look. Kate saw her mother's face and then bit her lip.
"Talking?" said Wilson.
Colleen shifted her feet.
A nurse appeared. Colleen insisted on helping Kate get in her operation gown in the bathroom. The nurse unhooked the IV, and checked Kate's vitals. An orderly then appeared with a too big smile.
"They're ready for you," he said.
Kate looked at her mom who squeezed her hand. "It'll be fine."
Kate mutely nodded and looked to Wilson. He gently smiled as the orderly got behind Kate's bed and started pushing her out.
The orderly got Kate's bed and began pushing her out.
"She's going to be fine, right?" Colleen asked Wilson.
"Yeah," Wilson managed to say. "Yeah."

"What the hell is that?" asked Kate when she arrived in the OR.
"Your chariot," said Foreman.
"Looks like a torture chair," Kate said, gripping her bed.
The OR bed was almost in pieces, the top piece bent up like a chair, but attached were some metal pieces that looked awfully like they were meant to be attached to her head. It didn't help that Foreman was standing there with an electric razor in hand.
"It's fine. This gives me the best access to your brain stem, and you'll be unconscious, you won't even notice what position you're in."
Kate shook her head. "Now I will." She gripped her bed tighter. Someone took her hand and put something on her finger.
The orderly lowered the sides of the of the bed and Kate gripped the sheets with her left hand, tight.
"Foreman, maybe we should…" it was a female voice. Doctor Cameron? Kate couldn't remember.
A beeping noise started, quite fast. "It's going to be fine, Kate," said Foreman.
Kate took a deep breath but it was shaky. She could just see the metal helmet like thing attached to the top of the bed. "Are those screws?" she asked. "For my head?" The beeping got faster, its noise digging into Kate's head like she imagined those screws would.
Foreman looked at the contraption. "Uh…"
The beeping noise got louder and faster. "Can someone turn that off?" Kate yelled.
"She's panicking," said the female voice. She came over to Kate and took her hand, slipping something off her finger. The beeping became one note and then stopped.
Kate gripped the hand tight. She was sweating, it was hard to hold the hand. Kate looked up to the doctor's eyes. They were friendly.
"My name's Doctor Cameron," she said softly. "What can I do?"
Kate took another deep shaky breath. "I want my dad," she whispered.
Cameron nodded. She told the orderly to call Doctor Wilson.
Kate couldn't calm her breathing; she was beginning to hyperventilate.
Doctor Cameron held Kate's hand tight and to her chest, her heartbeat. "You're going to be okay," Cameron said gently. Doctor Cameron put her other hand on Kate's back, pressing firmly down as she rubbed up and down. "This is all going to be over soon. You're going to be okay."
Kate couldn't believe it. There was so much wrong. So much wrong. And her head was going to shaved. And her cut into her. And screws into her head. And now she couldn't breathe. Kate flopped forward; her head landing on Cameron's shoulder as her breath was shallow and fast and tears began streaming down her face.
"What happened?" asked Wilson when he came into the OR.
"Panic attack," Foreman said as if it was almost an inconvenience.
Wilson sat on the opposite side of Kate's bed to Cameron and looked at Kate. "Here," he said to Cameron.
Cameron pulled her hand and Kate's from her chest and placed Kate's hands in Wilson's. Kate didn't notice at first. Her head just hung long as her breathing only slightly had improved from before.
"We're going to give a dose of midazolam," Cameron said to Wilson.
Wilson nodded.
That was when Kate noticed something had changed. She looked up and saw Wilson. The way he was looking at her sadness, pity, and something else. Kate felt ashamed.
"It's okay," Wilson said. Kate lowered her eyes. Not knowing what else to do, Wilson let go of Kate's hands and pulled her into a hug. At first, he feared he'd made it worse as her breathing almost stopped, but instead her hyperventilation gave way to sobs. Crying. Not exactly the best, but it was hard to properly sob and cry and hyperventilate. Cameron came over with the syringe.
"Cameron's going to give you something to help calm down," said Wilson. "Then we'll get you in the surgery chair when you're ready, okay?"
Kate nodded, barely. But Wilson then nodded at Cameron who gave Kate the shot.
After a few minutes, Kate's breathing had evened a bit and she was no longer sobbing into Wilson's chest.
"Is Doctor Foreman really going to put screws in my head?" she finally asked.
Wilson had to hold back a laugh. "Kind of."
Kate pushed herself up to sitting on the bed and wiped her eyes with her arm. She shook her head. "I don't…I…" she struggled to find the words. "I'm scared."
Wilson held Kate's shoulder. "I know. But trust me, it's not that scary once you're in there."
Kate looked over her shoulder at the chair and the torture device. She looked back at Wilson.
"I promise," he said.
Kate nodded.
"All right," said Wilson. He stood up, the orderly came over again and they helped Kate to sit on the OR bed.
Shakily, Kate let herself be leaned back. The orderly and Wilson strapped Kate's waist and arms down, Foreman placed the head brace on her gently. Kate closed her eyes and clenched her fists. The anesthesiologist placed the mask over Kate's nose and mouth.
"Just try and relax," said Foreman.
Kate stared up at the ceiling and clenched her fists tighter. But then, she couldn't. She looked down. Wilson was holding her hands.
"Breathe deep," said the anesthesiologist.
Kate took as deep breaths as she could before her vision of her father faded.

"Finally," said Foreman. "Cameron?"
Cameron rolled her eyes but came over and sectioned off Kate's hair, "Here?" she asked.
"Yeah, that should be enough," said Foreman.
Cameron tied the top part of Kate's hair up tight with gel and into a bun on the top of her head. She took another hair tie and tied off the bottom part of the hair before taking a deep breath, and chopping it off. Foreman came in behind her with the razor and shaved her hair clean off. A nurse tightened Kate's straps and Foreman then began to attach the brace to Kate's head.
"Wilson?" Cameron asked.
Wilson looked up. "Yeah?"
"This isn't going to be quick, or nice," said Cameron.
"Right," said Wilson.
"Pony tail?" Cameron offered, holding out Kate's hair still tied up the hair tie.
Wilson laughed a little, but took the hair and left the OR.
"What did you do?" asked House.
Colleen looked up from her magazine in Kate's empty room. "Excuse me?"
"Your daughter. What did you do to her?"
Collen rolled her eyes and went back to her magazine.
House walked over and knocked Colleen's shoe with his cane. "Come on, even you're not stupid enough to think all these medical issues are an accident."
Colleen took a breath and looked up at House. "Did James send you here?"
"No. Where is he?"
"Apparently a patient needed him."
"Ah. Come on, Colleen, tell me, what happened to Kate?"
"Greg, I'm not going to admit to something that I know didn't happen. Accidents happen, all I want is for my daughter to get well, and come home."
House frowned at her. "You're lying."
Colleen laughed. "Oh of course, you haven't changed."
"Don't pretend you know me."
"Of course I know you. I knew you 16 years ago and you're exactly the same now. So yes, I do know you."
"Then I can say same of you. You're still a vapid bitch with a god complex who lies to get what she wants from everyone."
Colleen glared at House.
"That's why you became a lawyer, isn't it?" said House. "So you can lie and be paid for it?"
Colleen grinned. "Takes a liar to know a liar, Greg."
"You know your husband is guilty, just for some reason you're pretending he's not. Why?"
"You never told James, did you?"
"Told him what?"
Colleen put her magazine down and stood up. "About you and me. A month before James and I met, and then, that beautiful night after we had…" Colleen was on her tiptoes her mouth close to House's.
"Why are you defending your idiot husband?" demanded House.
Colleen sighed and went back down on her feet. "He's not an idiot. He's developed three effective drugs in the last decade."
House smiled. "Thank you," he said and left the room.
"What are you doing?" Wilson asked House as he was walking past him in the hallway.
"Talking to your charming baby-mommy."
"About what?"
"She knows Doug is guilty…I just don't know why she's defending him."
"House, we all know he's guilty!"
"Yes, but doesn't it bother you?"
"It bothers me that you seem far more concerned about why Colleen and Doug are lying than you are about Kate's health."
"Why? She's not my kid," said House and he continued down the hallway to his office.

Wilson looked into Kate's room. Colleen was reading a magazine. Wilson debated going in but quickly decided he'd rather do paperwork. Cameron came in hours later to let him know they were bringing Kate back up from the OR. Wilson finished up and headed down to Kate's room. She was just being set back up in her bed and attached to everything. Colleen was watching nervously, her back against the wall.
"I was able to get the tumor," said Foreman, "I'm pretty confident I got it all and I've sent it to pathology for biopsy. The white matter wasn't too bad, I cleaned what I could but I think the rest can be dealt with medication, I think the effects from the poisoning caused the flare up, and with proper treatment it should resolve itself."
Wilson breathed out a sigh of relief.
"When will I be able to take her home?" asked Colleen.
"Uh…" Foreman struggled to find the words, "We're going to keep her for observation still, Kate is still on daily dialysis and her liver and kidneys are in bad shape."
"So she's just going to be stuck here?" Colleen said.
"Kate's getting the medical care that she needs," said Foreman.
Colleen eyed Wilson out of the corner of her eye. "This is just what you wanted, isn't it?" she said to him.
Wilson and Foreman had no words to that.