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Chrysalis Part VI
by gorblimey2
***
Foreman and Wilson met the plane and watched as House was unloaded from the
plane and placed into the ambulance. Wilson drove back to the hospital while Foreman
rode with House in the ambulance.
"How do you feel?" Foreman asked.
"Sorry," he said with the female paramedic nearby, "I didn't go through with it, the doc
said my penis was already too big for the implant. But you know, I stayed anyway, it
was a plastic surgery farm and all the breast augmentation patients wanted me to test
drive them."
Foreman waited, he knew that once House was done with his retorts he would answer
the question.
"I'm in less pain than when I left and the leg feels stronger. But I do need to get up and
walk to get the circulation going."
"House, you know you're a walking miracle. You're going to be studied for the next
several years. I just want to know why?"
"Why what?"
"Why did you let her do it? She risked everything. If she had waited another seven or
ten years she could have done it without repercussions."
"Oh hell, what is her career compared to me having a few years of painfree walking?
It's not like I put a knife up to her throat." He rolled his eyes in anger, "Christ, Foreman,
she had me sign phoney protocol releases. I thought I was part of an experimental
protocol."
"I wish she hadn't done it, I wanted to work with her."
"I wanted ...ah hell, it doesn't matter anymore what I wanted. It is what it is." Foreman
shrugged his shoulders. When they arrived at the hospital the press was waiting
outside. Cuddy told them to pull around to the back entrance. They brought him in
through emergency and up to the third floor. A PET scan and a MRI were scheduled
for the morning.
Cuddy and Wilson came to visit him that night. Foreman was still examining him,
marveling at the improvement and the color in his leg. "You know House, she's brilliant.
This is incredible work."
Lisa told him, "Foreman, Wilson and I watched the tape of your surgery. The artificial
nerve and ligaments are incredible. The FDA doesn't have the tape yet. We're making
a copy of it. She has three felony charges on the books right now if she comes back
and is looking at 15 years and the permanent loss of her license to practice. They told
us though that they'll make her a deal if she comes back in the next thirty days, 8 years
prison time and out in five for good time served. They'd let her serve it in a minimum
security facility and she'd be able to apply for her medical license after eight years."
The monitors went nuts, House's pulse went high, his blood pressure went through the
roof. Cuddy looked at Foreman. House gave the monitors an annoying look. But they
told the truth. Hearing that she really would get prison and lose her license because of
him just made it all real. She would never come home to be with him.
Foreman ran to the medicine cart, "House, House...you have to calm down. Calm
down. I'm going to give you some Ativan."
"No, no drugs...I'll be ok." House looked at the ceiling. He didn't say anything.
Lisa put her hand on House's arm, "I'm sorry House, I shouldn't have said anything.
We're hoping your operation works. So much is at stake. If it works, they may give her
a break. I know you didn't know what she was doing, we all know that now."
Over the next few weeks House felt like a freak. The FBI and the Assistant Attorney
General came in and spent six hours trying to get him to say something about Jordi.
The only thing he admitted was that he had signed the phoney release. The AMA
came and did the same thing.
Foreman had House walking every day. On the last day before House was to be sent
home, Foreman personally walked House into the neurology department and then took
him into his office, sat him down in the chair and turned on the computer. Within a few
minutes there she was, her perfect face.
"Hello Mr. Rogers! How are you doing?" She was all smiles.
House turned around and looked at Foreman and frowned. Foreman laughed, "Ok, I'm
leaving. Just press this when you're done." Foreman stepped out and closed the door.
He turned back to the screen. "I'm doing well. But it's been a three ring circus. They
don't know whether to make me a scape goat for the ethical violations or the trained
monkey...showing off my leg." he looked away for a second, trying to figure out what he
should say, "Jordi, I don't have to take Vicodin anymore. It still hurts but it's nothing
compared to what it was. The muscle is growing and the artificial nerves are
conducting impulses to the brain."
She knew all of this because Foreman was sending all of the data to her. It looked
great so far. He looked healthier than he had in years. "I'm so sorry about the publicity.
I've had a lot of visitors too. Everyone wants me to come and work for them or finance
me down here. So you see, I'll be ok."
"Yeah, but you won't be here."
"House, find someone else, I'm not going to take the deal, why should I?"
"You think it's just that easy? You think that I can just turn it off?" Once again he looked
away from the computer screen while he thought, "Everyone assumes that I knew what
you were doing, that you were throwing away your career, your home. Your friends
blame me."
"I talk to Foreman and Cuddy all the time and they both know that you thought I had
FDA approval. I even talked to Wilson. He understands now why I had to walk out on
him. He doesn't understand why I did what I did without going through the proper
channels, but he doesn't blame you. I keep telling him, Foreman and Cuddy that I
couldn't let you go any longer with that kind of pain. Wilson wants to come down and
see me. Please convince him not to. I don't want him caught up in the broohaha."
House looked at her and shook his head, "Now what? It seems I've substituted one
pain for another."
"You get on with your life, you have it back, please do something with it. Stop being just
a bitter misanthrope...I did this so you could have your life back. Please don't make my
sacrifice worthless by being bitter or angry or depressed."
"Oh for God's sake...don't be so understanding and self-sacrificing...aren't you angry?"
"No, I feel great about what I did. I just want you to feel great too. All of this will mean
something if you feel great too. House, this will all die down and you'll be able to live
life normally. Just wait."
He didn't want to live life normally, he wanted to live it with her.
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Legal Disclaimer: The authors published here make no claims on the ownership of Dr. Gregory House and the other fictional residents of Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital. Like the television show House (and quite possibly Dr. Wilson's pocket protector), they are the property of NBC/Universal, David Shore and undoubtedly other individuals of whom I am only peripherally aware. The fan fiction authors published here receive no monetary benefit from their work and intend no copyright infringement nor slight to the actual owners. We love the characters and we love the show, otherwise we wouldn't be here.
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