When a Trembling Hand Reaches

Chapter Two

{I am sorry in advanced if any of the characters seem a little out of character.  I will try my best.}

The young girl wakes up in a white room.  She doesn't need to look around to know she is in the hospital.  She can hear the beeping and buzzing of the machines.  She can't think of how many needles and medication are going into her.  She doesn't feel a thing but a sharp pain and coldness in her leg.

Without opening her eyes she says, "Oh God no."  What if they phone her foster parents or real parents? She just won't tell them who she actually is, no one will ever know.

"Oh good your awake.  I'm Dr. Wilson and this is Dr. Cameron.  I found you on the side of the road passed out. How are you feeling?" a mans voice says her side.

Still without opening her eyes she says back groggily, "Like crap."

A small silence washes over the room before a more gentle, female voice speaks, "Why were you on the side of the road? Do you remember what happened? What's your name sweet heart?"

"I was walking down the road.  All I remember is excruciating pain. My name is Grace. Grace Tesar," Grace say keeping her eyes closed for as long as She can.

"Can you please open your eyes Grace," Dr Wilson asks her.

The girl reluctantly open my eyes green eyes looking into his a face of annoyance written on hers. "Is that better?"

"We need to know where the pain was.  Can you tell us?" asks the female she  guesses is Dr. Cameron.

"My leg," Grace says simply rubbing her leg that still feels like someone is stabbing it.  "It feels like someone is stabbing it repetitively and its cold."

"We'll be right back.  I have to tell my boss about this," Dr. Cameron says walking quickly out of the room.

"Thank you Grace.  Trust me you have the best doctor in the world.  He will fix you," Dr. Wilson says turning to leave.

"What's his name," she asks just loud enough for him to hear her.

"His name is House," he says before walking out.

Cameron runs down the hospital hallways heading to House's office knowing that he would probably want this case, besides he didn't have a case right now anyway.  Cameron makes a sharp turn and marches into House's office.  House is sitting at his desk, his leg stretched out subconsciously rubbing it as he watches his sop.   Cameron walks up right to the television and turns it off throwing the folder to House.

House gives her an angry look and says, "This better be good.  What is it?"

"Fourteen year old female, found on the side of the road passed out, excruciating pain and coldness in her leg.  She is also super pale, but her BP and heart-rate are steady," Cameron reports.

"This can be handled by a nurse, she probably just pulled a muscle and got dehydrated," House says reaching for the remote.  Cameron grabs it before he can reach it.

"I feel like there is more to this than it is, just give it a little time.  Please take the case, besides I think you would like the kid," Cameron tells House giving him pleading eyes.

"Fine! But if I waste my time and it is a pulled muscle and dehydration, you owe me fifty bucks," House says grabbing the folder, opening it.

"Sounds good, but it will be more than that," Cameron says turning around going to gather Foreman, and Chase.

"I have two questions one, why didn't you run a full tox-screen, and two why would I like this kid," Dr. House asks Cameron.

"We already know she was on drugs, we will finish it soon.  Her backpack was full of painkillers, two bottles empty, another two nearly empty.  And she's a bit of an ass like you," Cameron says at the door laughing a little before fulling walking out. 

In the hospital room, Grace looks at the wall for a while until her leg begins to tighten and start to have a spasm.  She yelps out in pain and grabs a hold of her leg trying not to cry.  Nurses rush into the room and removes her hands and arms from her leg and inserts a needle into her arm and inserting chlorzoxazone into her blood stream.  After a while, the antibiotics kick in and her leg stops having a spasm. 

Grace looks up when she sees a man leaning on a cane walk in and stops at the end of her bed and stands there observing her.

After a minute Grace gets annoyed and says to the man rudely, "What do you want?"

"She was right I do like you kid," the man says to Grace.

Grace glares at the man and says, "Why the hell are you in my room? Who are you?"

The man looks at her and smirks, "I am your doctor, I'm Dr. House."

Grace looks the man in the eye, "Oh."

House chuckles a little and walks over to Grace and sits down next to her, "What seems to be the problem?"

"I thought you weren't the 'meet the patient' kind of guy," Grace says to him.  House just shrugs.  "I have excruciating pain in my leg, it feels like someone is stabbing it.  I just had a spasm and..." Grace stops in her tracks and jumps up from the bed and quickly limps to the bathroom and throws up, despite the pain shooting up her leg. After throwing up she just sits on the ground not wanting to move because of the pain walking is causing to her leg. 

She hears walking and a cane and looks up when House appears in the doorway. "Side effect of the medicine your on."

"Why can't medication just not have any side effects that causes things like, vomiting and nausea.  It sucks," she says bluntly.

"Why was your backpack full of painkillers," House asks her.

"For the pain in my leg, I found painkillers, got them and got more, it lasted me a few days," Grace says up to House.

"How did you get them? And don't try lying to me," House says sternly.

"I bought them," she says.

"No you didn't," he says.

"Yes I did," she says back at him.

"Tell me the truth Grace!" he yells.

She looks down then back up at him, "I-I stool them."

House looks down at her, "Why."

"Because I need something sooth the pain, I had no other way to get it," she says.

House looks at her sympathetically, he leans down and offers her his hand.  She looks at her hand than at him.  After a minute of thinking she grabs his hand and he pulls her to her feet.  He then helps her back to her bed when they get there she readjusts herself and winces at her leg.

"It's that bad huh?" House asks.

"It's worse," she says before House nods and walks out.

Grace was all alone again just her in her room by herself.  House walks into his office and grabs a marker and writes- spasm, pain, coldness in leg, and vomiting on his white board.

House sits there and stares at the board for a half hour.  His eyes widen and he gets up and covers vomiting up and then walks out and grabs his tennis ball and throws it across the room, collapsing on his chair looking at the ground.

{What do you think is wrong with Grace? Comment your ideas.}