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Chapter six - Going my way?

Leaving the dastardly Dean and her lackluster lawyer behind, House stepped out into the main lobby of PPTH. It was relatively busy and he was convinced he saw at least three people he had scared out of the clinic earlier that morning. Ignoring them he took a quick glance around, eyes searching for his prey. It was unlikely she had gotten far, especially if his hunch about her friend in the ER was right. His eyes roved around the lobby. It was on the bench facing the elevators that he eventually found her. For a moment he simply observed, like a hunter in the tall grass. The mingling crowd simply other wildebeest who would be spared todays chase. The girl looked as though she were trying to catch her breath, or perhaps simply waiting for an empty elevator to take back down to the ER. She had given off some signs of claustrophobia in their earlier encounters, perhaps being in one alone made it easier.

The elevator arrived and the carriage emptied. House watched the girl stand up and cross the short distance to the open doors. Stealthily, he made his move. Between the crowd he silently stalked, cutting a path towards the elevator. Up ahead the girl caught the doors before they closed and stepped inside. Pressing down hard on his cane, House had to force his leg to cover the remainder of the distance, lest the door shut and his prey escape.

Arin walked through the open doors and surveyed the list of floors before selecting the appropriate button, in her hands she held her cell phone. The device was turned off, the screen blank and filled with moisture. Giving the phone a little shake and so absorbed by its damage and the fact she hadn't thought about it until now, Arin failed to pay attention to the doors as they closed.

His timing perfect almost to the millisecond, House slipped inside the elevator. Beside him the girl held a cell phone and by the way she was shaking it about, House deduced that it too had gone for a swim. "So...Going my way?" House asked and smirked as the girl before him visibly jumped and stepped backwards away from him.

Arin scowled at House and shook her head in disbelief. "You just...don't know when to quit do you?" She asked. Her eyes flickered to the elevator doors and the lights that indicated their progress. She felt tired now and deep down part of her knew that this was some sort of karma payback for her stupid need to have the last word in the Dean's office.

"Or it could simply be that I'm a cripple and don't get along with stairs," House replied nonchalantly. Though he knew he should just cut to the chase, he could not resist a glib reply. Why break a habit of a lifetime? "Besides, quitting is for losers."

Arin continued to scowl at him. "Yeah it could be." She replied. "But it's not. Otherwise you'd have pressed a different button."

"There's only nine buttons. You do the math... actually have you even done probability yet?"

She sighed and debated arguing with him, her shoulders sagged down slightly further and she decided against it, her eyes did glance at the camera in the corner as she chose to ignore his last question entirely. "What do you want. I already gave you something for the juiced jeans and the phone. I promised I wouldn't sue. So what?" She rubbed her right temple again.

Again House felt the need to reply with a witty remark, however, he managed to reign in the compulsion. Contrary to what TV shows would have you think, elevator rides did not last long in the real world. Once down in the ER the girl could easily escape from him if she so desired, he needed to make this count. "I want to know why you apologised, gave me $200 and decided not to sue. Lionel Hutz back there was right, you had this place over a barrel."

Well that wasn't what she expected. She stared at him for a few moments, deep brown eyes roving his face for some form of hint to his thought process. Finally she glanced back at the lights and said. "Three more floors and this conversation is over."