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Sheets Of Blood Stained Cotton Prt. 2
by WillsWombat007
Sheets Of Blood Stained Cotton
Chapter Two
"The second time Chase! This is the second time you've hurt someone because of your damn emotional problems!"
Chase buried his face into his hands as he sat in Cuddy's usual office while she, as usual, had a hissy fit while she paced back and forth. Although most would say, in this situation, she had the right to. Chase had broken House's other leg, now subjecting him into a cast and a wheelchair. Chase wouldn't be very surprised if he was fired right then and there. Chase found himself caring alot less than he should. This simply was not Chase's day.
Cuddy however, seemed to be stalling and he just wished she would just get on with it and say the words, "your fired".
Cuddy finally stopped pacing. Chase braced himself.
"The patient has decided not to file charges, youre lucky. Now, I'm not going to fire you this time, but if anything gets screwed up because you wanna act like a damn high school kid again, you're out of here."
Cuddy stared at Chase, looking for some sort of sign of relief or any reaction at all, even a look of thanks, but Chase just stayed there, his hand on his forehead, looking as stressed out as ever.
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Meanwhile, Cameron silently changed the patient's water bag. Despite her calm and unfazed look, her heart was thumping as fast as fast could go. Chase had screwed up one too many times, and she knew this would be his last. Even if she didn't want a relationship with him, he was still an...almost good friend. But as she contemplated the good, platonic memories they had had together, ones that didn't involve sexual intercourse, she realized that--there were none. Her train of thought ceased when the door opened and James walked in. He still had a black eye from Chase's fist.
"Wheres Robert?" He asked, and in a much sterner voice than he had used before.
"Dr. Chase is in a meeting right now. On his behalf, I apologize for his behavior, what he did was uncalled for. This isn't like him at all, I don't know what got into him."
"Naw, its fine." James chuckled, "On the contrary, its very much like him. Like the old Robert. I suppose we just have one too many unsettled issues."
"Were you guys close?" Cameron asked. She knew it wasnt any of her business, and she felt like she was prying into things that probably shouldn't be pryed into, but her curiousity came before her morals.
James looked extremely hesitant, and at first seemed to be saying "yes" but halfway into the "ye-" he finally said, "No."
Cameron nodded, "Well anyone who knows him at all would know that this job is all he has, and even though he acted like an idiot, I dont think its really a reason to press charges---"
"Oh no, no, no my dear." James flashed her a toothy grin that sent an odd chill up her spine. "I always had my own --- special way of working these things out with Robbie. And lawsuits are most certainly not it."
Cameron wondered what that meant but decided to stop there, simply smiled and said, "Well I'm sure he'll appreciate that."
"Youre his girlfriend aren't you?" James asked.
Cameron blushed, "No, I'm not. We're co workers and nothing else." She felt like she was saying that more to herself than to him.
"Really? Such a shame," James stepped closer to her. A bit too close. He then took a finger and twirled a strand of her hair in it. "Youre so beautiful." She inched a bit farther away, her eyes wide. She stared at him with fear. He was making her a bit too uncomfortable. He was so close she could feel his warm breath on her neck. She saw his other hand moving slowly to her waist. She felt like shoving him off her, but she was simply to scared to move. Her mouth opened, she wanted to yell at him but she was too frightened to speak.
And suddenly, and very randomly, the patient next to them began to hyperventlate and the beeping from the monitor indicated that his pulse had become rapid. The patient began to convulse and struggle, kicking frantically at the blankets.
James immediatley ran to his brothers side.
"Charles?? CHARLES??? WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING TO HIM??" He screamed.
"Hes going into septic shock!" She yelled back as nurses ran into the room and they struggled to save Charles Chase, and yet despite the stressful situation, Cameron took a sigh of relief.
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Cameron and Foreman found themseleves sitting in House's office. House, in a wheelchair and a cast, was writing the new symptom of septic shock down on his usual white board. "Any suggestions?" He spun his wheelchair around, only to find Cameron and Foreman staring at him with looks of pity.
"What? You never seen a guy in a wheelchair before?" When he got no reply, House slapped his hand on his forehead mockingly, "Oh, stupid me, we're at a hospital, theres never any of those here!"
"You think Chase is gonna get canned?" Cameron asked.
"Hes probably already gone by now. How many times can a guy screw up before he gets fired? And this time he doesnt have any dead people to use as an excuse." Foreman replied.
"He will if we don't figure out this case." House spoke.
"Well what if he really did have a reason? What if it was self defense?" Cameron suggested. Now that she had gotten to know James a little better, Cameron was beginning to think maybe Chase was acting like less of an idiot than she thought.
"We never even knew he had a brother!" Foreman said.
"Right, because Chase tells us everything." Cameron said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Hes told me alot." Said Foreman.
"Hes told me too much." Cameron grumbled.
"AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!" House screamed loudly as though he were in deathly pain. Cameron and Foreman stood up in horror, ready to run to their boss when he suddenly stopped and said softly, "Can we please focus on the case now? Thank you."
Cameron and Foreman rolled their eyes and sat back down.
Cameron was about to suggest a possiblity for Charles' illness when Chase walked in looking very unkempt and distraught.
"Just great." House mumbled. He faced Chase. "Well hey there guy who broke my only good leg, did Cuddy fire you? If so, please tell me so I can break out the party supplies."
"If you want me fired so damn bad, then why don't you just fire me?" Chase said as he took a seat.
"It is one thing to give someone a quick death by putting a bullet through his head. It is another, more brilliant thing to use a knife and peel of their skin, making them suffer horribly. And then kill them." House snarled at Chase.
Cameron nudged Chase, "What the hell happened to you?" She said in a low whisper. Chase just shook his head at her. Cameron glanced at Foreman who could only shrug.
"Well while your still alive Chase, guy just almost went into septic shock, usually not caused by blood vomiting so there got to be something we're missing."
"I'll be damned if I ever help that bastard!" Chase yelled. He just didn't care anymore.
House stared at Chase. He saw the coldness in Chase's eyes, a cold ness he had never seen in all the years he he worked with him. A coldness that as of yesterday, he could have never imagined Chase possessing. House knew whatever these men had done must have been a horror of all horrors, for he had seen that look before. He had seen it in a crying blonde christian girl he had once treated. He saw it in people who were victims of the same case, but not even House would dare think that Chase had been subjected to such abuse. But that kind of coldness did not come from problems as simple as stealing your girlfriend or getting a higher grade than you. House knew, unless he was misreading Chase, Chase would not help this case. Probably only make it worse.
"Go home Chase."
"What?" Chase asked, bewildered. This was the first time House had ever sent him home.
"I don't know whatever the hell is going on between you and this patient, but I can't have you breaking people's legs or knocking out peoples jaws. I'll give you a call when you can come back in. Till then don't even think of coming back." House sneered.
"But I--" Chase stammered. Okay, on second thought maybe he did care about his job. He looked at Cameron and Foreman for help, but they both just looked away from him. A surge of anger rose up like bile. He stood up and looked at House.
"I won't think of coming back. At all. I quit."
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Chase was walking down the hallway. He realized walking down it took alot longer when youre walking down it for the last time. He walked past the glass room where his brothers were and stared through the wall for a moment. James, who was standing over Charles' bed looked up at Chase. They only stared for a moment, until Chase walked on.
Nearing the exit, Chase slowed down his walk. Until he simply stopped in the middle of the lobby. Did he even know what he was doing? This would be the end of alot of things. Of nearly everything. But its not like he ever really wanted to be a doctor. His father wanted him to be. Maybe now he could pursue his real dreams. Problem was, he had long forgotton what those even were.
He heard running. From behind him, Cameron ran to catch up with him. She grabbed his arm.
"Chase you can't do this." She said, panting and looking up at him pleadingly.
"Why do you suddenly care?" Chase didn't even look her as he said it.
"This isnt---you cant----I dont think that---" She stammered trying to think of anything she could say besides the reason of "I need you."She failed. She spun him around so that he faced her, she grabbed his face and pulled him into a long, hard kiss. She parted her lips from his and whispered, "Because I'm madly in love with you."
Chase's brain went into overdrive. So first she wants nothing to do with him, then she wants to screw his brains out every night, then she denies any emotional attatchment at all, and now shes saying shes madly in love with him. He took both his hands and put them on her shoulders. Then he shoved her. Hard. And as she stumbled back, shocked, she watched him speed walk out the sliding doors. For what was probably the last time.
Neither of them saw James Chase follow Chase closely behind.
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The next day.
Foreman, House, and Cameron sat at the table in House's office. Charles was positive for Lupus, but negative for seizures. House was still in disbelief. More or less about the Lupus part than the seizure part.
"It can't be Lupus!" House plucked at his stubble with his hand trying to think of some way that the test was wrong. Foreman however was looking at Cameron who was still distracted from the events of last night. Foreman whispered to her, "Chase must just be having a really bad week, its not your fault."
House grimaced. It also bothered him that Cameron couldn't stop him. It was the biggest shock he had all week. He knew that if she couldnt stop him, the problem must be something devstating to Chase, yet intresting to House. Popping 3 pills of vicodin into his mouth, he said, half for medical reasons, half because of curiosity, "Conduct a search of the patients house. Bring back anything that could trigger bad allergies, drugs, meds, or just anything Robert Chase related."
Employee or not, House was going to the bottom of whatever was bothering his ex duckling. Either way, he had every right to, it had cost him a good leg after all.
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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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