[CLOSED] Epidemic
Two deaths now. There was no doubt about a link. Three patients presenting in the morning, and another four with similar symptoms by dinner time. There was no sense blowing out everyone's arse anymore - it was an epidemic, plain and simple. If only they knew what is was. But that would be too easy, wouldn't it?
Chase had dealt with medical crisis since he had been dumped in the head role at the Medical Centre. Before this, there were all those weird attacks on the beach and the stolen blood. Then there was Lorenzo with his screaming about the Plague at the resort and setting fear to almost epidemic proportions just from the sheer volume of islanders that rocked up to the clinic wanting to be checked over for the Plague. The boat crash alone had seven casualties, some of which were still patients. And Chase dealt with it all. But here, now, in the face of having to deal with House all over again, he felt like this was being made one hundred times more stressful than it needed to be on everyone. He wanted to grab House's cane and slap some sense into the bastard. For him to even expect this differential was going to run like any other back home was just deluded. He was forgetting he basically had a room full of strangers before him, all from different times, different levels of aggravation over the years that House himself had put them through. No matter how much it was wanted to be denied, every single person in that room that evening was on the island because of House, and now they all needed to work together.
But it was neither here nor there and Chase really wasn't as teetering on the edge as House hoped to believe he was. It was easy for House to run differentials if he thought everyone were idiots. None of that was anywhere near why Chase wanted to talk to his ex pain in the arse boss. Far from it. Right now, however, he just needed to get away from that scenario. He had realised quite early on in the meeting just how much he didn't miss Princeton or the Princeton dynamic. He liked being on the island. He liked his job. He liked the people he worked with. He liked the patients. It was more than he could ever say for Princeton. Being dragged back to his past sucked, but he wasn't going to let it affect how he operated this current crisis. If he did, he risked his attention slipping from the patients, and they would die.
He sat forward on the chapel pew, resting his elbows on the pew in front and burying his face in his hands with a rough sigh. Seeking solace in a chapel. It was something he hadn't done in a very very long time. It was quiet, almost like the rest of the island didn't exist at that moment. He knew it did, though. Beyond these four small walls was the rest of the Medical Centre and seriously ill people that needed him to deal with this as best he could. The two deaths were already weighing heavily on his shoulders. A patient death on his watch always did. But then there was Peter, and it opened a whole other can of worms Chase hadn't been ready to deal with yet. Peter's life was at risk and Chase's choices and decisions were going to dictate whether he lived or died. How the fuck was he supposed to deal with that?
He had no answers, just like he had no answers as to the illness creating all this. The soldier's condition was rapidly detoriating, even though he was staying mentally strong despite it (though it could perhaps just be delusion or fear ruling that). It was almost like they could look at Rob and it be a picture of what would soon happen to the others if they didn't hurry up and find the answer. They had to be missing something simple. It was why Chase wanted to try and answer as many questions as he possibly could by putting everyone in House's office that evening to work, including himself. He would be fucked if his decision on that changed, too. Even Cuddy, who wasn't a Med Centre employee, was working the case. House seemed to be the only one objecting to that, but tough shit.
Chase shook his head and sat back a little and scraped his fingers through his hair. He was willing to draw on anything right now. So he closed his eyes and started to pray, just like he said he would. If nothing else, he just prayed for the health of his patients and for the strength to do this without failing.
Chase had dealt with medical crisis since he had been dumped in the head role at the Medical Centre. Before this, there were all those weird attacks on the beach and the stolen blood. Then there was Lorenzo with his screaming about the Plague at the resort and setting fear to almost epidemic proportions just from the sheer volume of islanders that rocked up to the clinic wanting to be checked over for the Plague. The boat crash alone had seven casualties, some of which were still patients. And Chase dealt with it all. But here, now, in the face of having to deal with House all over again, he felt like this was being made one hundred times more stressful than it needed to be on everyone. He wanted to grab House's cane and slap some sense into the bastard. For him to even expect this differential was going to run like any other back home was just deluded. He was forgetting he basically had a room full of strangers before him, all from different times, different levels of aggravation over the years that House himself had put them through. No matter how much it was wanted to be denied, every single person in that room that evening was on the island because of House, and now they all needed to work together.
But it was neither here nor there and Chase really wasn't as teetering on the edge as House hoped to believe he was. It was easy for House to run differentials if he thought everyone were idiots. None of that was anywhere near why Chase wanted to talk to his ex pain in the arse boss. Far from it. Right now, however, he just needed to get away from that scenario. He had realised quite early on in the meeting just how much he didn't miss Princeton or the Princeton dynamic. He liked being on the island. He liked his job. He liked the people he worked with. He liked the patients. It was more than he could ever say for Princeton. Being dragged back to his past sucked, but he wasn't going to let it affect how he operated this current crisis. If he did, he risked his attention slipping from the patients, and they would die.
He sat forward on the chapel pew, resting his elbows on the pew in front and burying his face in his hands with a rough sigh. Seeking solace in a chapel. It was something he hadn't done in a very very long time. It was quiet, almost like the rest of the island didn't exist at that moment. He knew it did, though. Beyond these four small walls was the rest of the Medical Centre and seriously ill people that needed him to deal with this as best he could. The two deaths were already weighing heavily on his shoulders. A patient death on his watch always did. But then there was Peter, and it opened a whole other can of worms Chase hadn't been ready to deal with yet. Peter's life was at risk and Chase's choices and decisions were going to dictate whether he lived or died. How the fuck was he supposed to deal with that?
He had no answers, just like he had no answers as to the illness creating all this. The soldier's condition was rapidly detoriating, even though he was staying mentally strong despite it (though it could perhaps just be delusion or fear ruling that). It was almost like they could look at Rob and it be a picture of what would soon happen to the others if they didn't hurry up and find the answer. They had to be missing something simple. It was why Chase wanted to try and answer as many questions as he possibly could by putting everyone in House's office that evening to work, including himself. He would be fucked if his decision on that changed, too. Even Cuddy, who wasn't a Med Centre employee, was working the case. House seemed to be the only one objecting to that, but tough shit.
Chase shook his head and sat back a little and scraped his fingers through his hair. He was willing to draw on anything right now. So he closed his eyes and started to pray, just like he said he would. If nothing else, he just prayed for the health of his patients and for the strength to do this without failing.