House MD Jr

Pilot [2]

"Radiology, please call the page." The PA said, "Radiology, please call the page..."

Dr. House turned when he saw the familiar female figure approaching him. He pressed the down button for the elevator continuously, hoping it would be his saving grace.

"I was expecting you in my office 20 minutes ago," Cuddy said.

"Really?" House asked sarcastically. "Well, that's odd. 'Cause I had no intention of being in your office 20 minutes ago,"

"Do you think we have nothing to talk about?"

"No, I just can't think of anything I'd be interested in,"

"I sign your paychecks,"

"I have tenure," House walked into the now open elevator "Are you gonna grab my cane now, stop me from leaving?"

"That would be juvenile," Cuddy said as she followed House into the elevator. "I can still fire you if you're not doing your job,"

"I'm here from 9 to 5," House argued.

"Your billings are practically non-existent,"

"Rough year,"

"You ignore requests for consults,"

"I call back. Sometimes I misdial,"

"You're six years behind on your obligations to this clinic,"

"See, I was right. This doesn't interest me,"

"Six years, times three weeks. You owe me better than four months,"

"It's 5:00. I'm going home,"

"To what?"

"Nice,"

Cuddy followed after House, "Look...Dr. House...The only reason why I don't fire you is because your reputation is still worth something to this hospital,"

"Excellent, we have a point of agreement. You're not going to fire me,"

"Your reputation won't last if you don't do your job. The clinic is part of your job. I want you to do your job,"

"As the philosopher Jagger once said, 'You can't always get what you want,"

***

"You're not my doctor. Are you Dr. House?" The patient asked as she was wheeled down the halls of the hospital.

Alexandra bit back a retort as she continued pushing the patient's wheelchair.

"Thankfully, no." Chase replied, "I'm Dr. Chase,"

"Dr. House is the head of diagnostic medicine," Cameron explained. "He's very busy, but he has taken a keen interest in your case,"

***

"We inject gadolinium into a vein," Foreman explained to the patient as he readied the injection. "It distributes itself throughout your brain and acts as a contrast material for the magnetic resonance imagery"

"Whatever's in your head lights up like a Christmas tree," Alexandra simplified.

"It might make you feel a little lightheaded," Foreman added.

"Dr. Cameron." A nurse called out, causing the blonde woman to turn. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to stop you. There's a problem,"

***

Dr. House entered Cuddy's office. "You pulled my authorization!"

"Yes." Cuddy replied, "Why are you yelling?"

"No MRIs, no imaging studies, no labs..."

"You also can't make long-distance phone calls,"

"If you're gonna fire me, have the guts to face me,"

"Or photocopies," Cuddy continued to list. "You're still yelling,"

"I'm angry!" Dr. House shouted. "You're risking a patient's life!"

"I assume those are two separate points,"

"You showed me disrespect. You embarrassed me. And as long as I work here, you have no..."

"Is yelling designed to scare me?" Cuddy interrupted. "Because I'm not sure what I'm supposed to be scared of. More yelling? That's not scary. That you're going to hurt me, that's scary. But I'm pretty sure I can outrun you. Oh, I looked into that philosopher you quoted. Jagger. And you're right. You can't always get what you want. But as it turns out, 'If you try sometimes, you get what you need,"

Dr. House took out his bottle of pills. "So, because you want me to treat patients, you're not letting me treat patients. I need you to do your job,"

***

The team waited outside Cuddy's office.

Dr. House walked out. "Do the MRI. She folded,"

Alexandra smirked as she knew it was the other way around but followed after her teammates regardless.

Dr. House sighed as he looked at Wilson. "I've gotta do four hours a week in this clinic...until I make up the time I've missed. 2054." he calculated. "I'll be caught up in 2054. You better love this cousin a whole lot,"

***

Alexandra leaned over towards the microphone once Rebecca had been situated in the MRI machine. "All right, Rebecca, I know you may feel a little claustrophobic in there, but we need you to remain still," she nodded to Chase to start the machine.

"Okay," Chase sighed, "we're going to begin.

"I don't feel so good," Rebecca called out.

"It's all right," Chase reasoned. "Just try to relax.

"Rebecca?" Cameron voiced out of concern from the silence, "Rebecca? Rebecca,"

Alexandra stood up from her chair. "Get her outta there,"

"Ah, she probably fell asleep," Chase shrugged. "She's exhausted,"

"She was claustrophobic 30 seconds ago," Alexandra argued. "She's not sleeping; we gotta get her out of there,"

Cameron stood up to help Alexandra.

"It'll just be another minute," Chase said.

"If she's allergic to the gadolinium, she'll be dead in two minutes," Cameron said as she pulled the bed out from the machine.

"Hold her neck," Alexandra ordered.

"Oh, she's ashen,"

"She's not breathing. Epi point five,"

Cameron got the mask and began to pump the air. "One...I can't ventilate,"

"Too much edema," Alexandra huffed. "Where's the surgical airway?"

"Yep, coming," Foreman said.

Alexandra cut through the skin on Rebecca's neck as Foreman prepared the tubing for Rebecca's airways.

Once the tubing had been completed, Cameron returned with the airbag.

"Good call," Chase said.

"You can tell me it was a good call when she makes it through all this," Alexandra huffed.