Hell above water [RP for House and anyone who wants to jump in]
OOC: This is the intro post for the storyline I hinted at a couple of days ago. Please forgive any medicial inaccuracies...This post is open for House and any other members of the House fandom who want to jump in. I do have a few key facts in my head, but in the interest of surprise, I'm not telling, so just do as you please. Takes place after Mark's failed marriage proposal and Jennifer's stint at CTU. Also, the song is "Faith Alive" by The Wish, which you can listen to here.
Jadwin Gymnasium was quiet. The Princeton Tigers didn't play a game for more than a week, so everyone had gone to focus on classes and other things. Jennifer was enjoying the time off, but she popped in for an hour to make sure that there weren't any unreturned phone messages or other administrative things piling up. That part of the job never stopped.
In retrospect, she was in the right place at the wrong time to get the call.
The phone on her desk rang and she snapped it to her ear, figuring it was probably someone else in the athletic department needing a hand. "Hall," she said briskly, leaning back in her chair.
"Jennifer Hall?" the female voice on the other end said.
The lack of familiarity made Jennifer sit back up straight again. "Yeah," she said, narrowing her eyes. "Is there something going on?"
"You're the listed emergency contact for Jake Hannigan?" she asked.
Oh, fuck. Jennifer cinched her eyes shut as soon as she heard her ex-boyfriend's name. Jake was a front-line agent with a propensity to get into trouble; everyone always expected that one day something would happen to him. What she had forgotten was that, with his parents dead and no real friends in sight, she had been on his paperwork when they were together. And either he hadn't remembered to change it, or...no. He probably just hadn't remembered. "I suppose that I am," she said. "What happened to him?"
"He's at Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital," the woman explained. "He was shot three times. He's in surgery right now."
Jennifer looked out the window of her office. If she looked really hard, she could see PPTH from where she was. It almost made her laugh. She had no idea what Jake was doing in New Jersey to get himself shot, but since New York was the only CTU office in the area, it could have been anything. She swallowed, wanting to hate him for doing this to her.
"I'll be there as soon as I can," she said, and hung up the phone.
She had to give herself a moment to process everything. Jake was bound to get himself into trouble. He had one of the most difficult jobs in the organization. It was like House had told her: it was part of the job. That made her chuckle, considering he was now on House's turf. But Jake had it coming. And most of the time, he was an insufferable bastard.
Most of the time.
She slammed her hand down on her desk, feeling a surge of anger rush through her. A surge that quickly passed, as she grabbed her things and went to make the short trip to the hospital.
Once she got there and was escorted to the surgical waiting area where they were still operating on Jake, she was more than surprised at who she found there. She'd been expecting at least one agent -- someone had to bring him in, and from that someone she could possibly extract information about what had happened -- but not this one.
====
Mark Holden is standing in a corner of the room, watching the surgery down below. She can see flecks of blood on the midnight blue of his dress shirt. She takes a good, long look at him: you're not supposed to be here.
"Mark, what the hell are you doing here?" she asks, moving into the room and closing the door.
His head snaps around. "Jennifer," he says simply. "I was on TAD with the New York guys. I was on this call. You're his contact?"
"Yeah. I guess...it was that way years ago but I guess he didn't change the paperwork." She shook her head. "I thought you were off-duty. Just here with your girlfriend."
That gets her a cynical laugh, and for the first time she can see the hurt in his eyes. "I needed something to do with myself," he admits. "Julian did the papers this morning. I...I asked her to marry me and she said no. Thinks I'm just doing it to make her happy."
"Are you?" she asks bluntly.
He shakes his head. "Did it so there could be some security in our lives. For moments like this." He looks down at where they're still operating. At all the blood. It doesn't bother him that much.
Jennifer is looking at Mark. The two of them were friends when they used to work together. Not particularly close -- Mark has never been that close to anyone -- but they went out for a drink or two. She understands how hurt he must feel, and if she could comfort him she would. But she can't.
"What happened to him?" she asks instead.
"He took three. One in the chest, one just above his collarbone, another in the neck. Punctured lung, at least." His eyes flick back to her. "We didn't know the guy had a gun. He shoved me out of the way. It should be me down there."
"Stop it," she cautions roughly. "Nothing good ever comes of that."
Her eyes flick to the surgery going on down below. Jake has had his share of hospitalizations. She's seen him get the crap kicked out of him. But that was a long time ago, and she doesn't know if she's ready to see him like this. On death's door.
Knowing all she can do this time is stand here and wait.
====
She loses track of how much time passes. At least an hour, maybe more. Neither of them are in the mood for talking, both consumed by their own screw-ups, eyes riveted to the floor below even though they don't understand what's going on. She goes to get coffee, and when she comes back there's a doctor in the room with Mark and they both look like they've been waiting on her.
"What?" she says, not in the mood to be screwed around with. "What?"
"We've managed to stabilize him, and move him to the ICU," the doctor explains. "He's still in serious condition. One bullet collapsed a lung, and with the amount of blood he's lost...he's not out of trouble yet. He'll need to be closely monitored over the next couple of days. There are some things we want to check out, as well."
Some people might be confused at that sentence, but Jennifer just snorts. She knows Jake has enough wrong with him that it's really not a surprise. She just asks when they can see him.
====
Jennifer isn't ready for what she sees.
She has this image in her head of Jake Hannigan. The tough as nails, arrogant as fuck soldier. The rich kid who somehow grew into a would-be hero. The guy who fell from grace hard and paid the price. The man who used to want to hit her one day, and the next just sit quietly beside her, letting her know she wasn't alone.
Not this. Not the tubes and the wiring and the monitors and everything looking so broken. He's too strong, too proud, too much to end up like this. It seems wrong. It's the first time that it really hits her what's happened to him.
She asks Mark for a moment alone.
this is the real life
this is the heart, the soul we breathe
you turn around, it's passed you by
total surrender is no return
and those who fall are not left behind
Jennifer settles in the solitary chair next to her ex-boyfriend's bedside. She looks away from him, feeling a lump forming in her throat. A shaky laugh escapes her lips at the idea that she is so upset over this.
By all accounts, she shouldn't be. Their relationship is contentious at best. They disagree on almost everything, and their last year as colleagues was fraught with screaming matches, death threats, and one misdemeanor sexual assault. He's an asshole, through and through, and she ought to hate him. If for no other reason than the fact that he cut her loose as soon as something better came along.
But she can't. And it's not because she's stupid or she's a masochist. It's because she's seen the man underneath the anger, the ego and the force.
She saw Jake at his most vulnerable point after being betrayed by a man he trusted. She saw him struggle with what that meant, and the weight of carrying an entire field office on his back -- something he did without complaint, because it was the right thing to do. She saw him do what no one else could, and shoot her to save her life and the lives of other people. She was by his side for two years. It wasn't love, but she saw that he actually had a tender side to him. A side he kept hidden, because he'd been burned too many times.
He was just struggling to find himself and something to hold onto. She couldn't hate him for that.
She reached over and took his hand gently in hers, sitting there while she ignored the water pressing behind her eyes. She had no idea what was happening, but she was upset and she was angry. Whatever the state of her and Jake's current relationship, the past had proven that when everything was down, he'd do the right thing. He had entrusted her with his life, and she needed to do the right thing for him.
If only because had the tables been turned, he would do the same.
She let herself cry, but she would never admit it.
it's getting harder while we fight
I don't know why
I know we have to keep our faith alive
even with these broken wings, we still can fly
we just have to keep our faith alive
====
The doctor appears in the room hours later with the results of the tests. Jennifer looks at his face and doesn't like what she sees.
"Once he stabilizes, I'm referring his case upstairs for treatment." The doctor looks over at her. "We ran several blood tests on him...and we found a substance in his blood we can't identify."
"What the hell's that supposed to mean?" she asks. Sports medicine doesn't teach her much about blood tests and tox screens unless it's about the dangers of steroids. "Is he going to be okay?"
"From the gunshot wounds, he's got a good chance," he replies, "but until we know what this thing is I'm reluctant to give you a firm answer. It could be nothing."
She swallows. "Or it could be everything."
She's grateful when the doctor leaves again. Mostly, because she has no idea what to do, and she knows she's the only person who can do anything.
Jadwin Gymnasium was quiet. The Princeton Tigers didn't play a game for more than a week, so everyone had gone to focus on classes and other things. Jennifer was enjoying the time off, but she popped in for an hour to make sure that there weren't any unreturned phone messages or other administrative things piling up. That part of the job never stopped.
In retrospect, she was in the right place at the wrong time to get the call.
The phone on her desk rang and she snapped it to her ear, figuring it was probably someone else in the athletic department needing a hand. "Hall," she said briskly, leaning back in her chair.
"Jennifer Hall?" the female voice on the other end said.
The lack of familiarity made Jennifer sit back up straight again. "Yeah," she said, narrowing her eyes. "Is there something going on?"
"You're the listed emergency contact for Jake Hannigan?" she asked.
Oh, fuck. Jennifer cinched her eyes shut as soon as she heard her ex-boyfriend's name. Jake was a front-line agent with a propensity to get into trouble; everyone always expected that one day something would happen to him. What she had forgotten was that, with his parents dead and no real friends in sight, she had been on his paperwork when they were together. And either he hadn't remembered to change it, or...no. He probably just hadn't remembered. "I suppose that I am," she said. "What happened to him?"
"He's at Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital," the woman explained. "He was shot three times. He's in surgery right now."
Jennifer looked out the window of her office. If she looked really hard, she could see PPTH from where she was. It almost made her laugh. She had no idea what Jake was doing in New Jersey to get himself shot, but since New York was the only CTU office in the area, it could have been anything. She swallowed, wanting to hate him for doing this to her.
"I'll be there as soon as I can," she said, and hung up the phone.
She had to give herself a moment to process everything. Jake was bound to get himself into trouble. He had one of the most difficult jobs in the organization. It was like House had told her: it was part of the job. That made her chuckle, considering he was now on House's turf. But Jake had it coming. And most of the time, he was an insufferable bastard.
Most of the time.
She slammed her hand down on her desk, feeling a surge of anger rush through her. A surge that quickly passed, as she grabbed her things and went to make the short trip to the hospital.
Once she got there and was escorted to the surgical waiting area where they were still operating on Jake, she was more than surprised at who she found there. She'd been expecting at least one agent -- someone had to bring him in, and from that someone she could possibly extract information about what had happened -- but not this one.
====
Mark Holden is standing in a corner of the room, watching the surgery down below. She can see flecks of blood on the midnight blue of his dress shirt. She takes a good, long look at him: you're not supposed to be here.
"Mark, what the hell are you doing here?" she asks, moving into the room and closing the door.
His head snaps around. "Jennifer," he says simply. "I was on TAD with the New York guys. I was on this call. You're his contact?"
"Yeah. I guess...it was that way years ago but I guess he didn't change the paperwork." She shook her head. "I thought you were off-duty. Just here with your girlfriend."
That gets her a cynical laugh, and for the first time she can see the hurt in his eyes. "I needed something to do with myself," he admits. "Julian did the papers this morning. I...I asked her to marry me and she said no. Thinks I'm just doing it to make her happy."
"Are you?" she asks bluntly.
He shakes his head. "Did it so there could be some security in our lives. For moments like this." He looks down at where they're still operating. At all the blood. It doesn't bother him that much.
Jennifer is looking at Mark. The two of them were friends when they used to work together. Not particularly close -- Mark has never been that close to anyone -- but they went out for a drink or two. She understands how hurt he must feel, and if she could comfort him she would. But she can't.
"What happened to him?" she asks instead.
"He took three. One in the chest, one just above his collarbone, another in the neck. Punctured lung, at least." His eyes flick back to her. "We didn't know the guy had a gun. He shoved me out of the way. It should be me down there."
"Stop it," she cautions roughly. "Nothing good ever comes of that."
Her eyes flick to the surgery going on down below. Jake has had his share of hospitalizations. She's seen him get the crap kicked out of him. But that was a long time ago, and she doesn't know if she's ready to see him like this. On death's door.
Knowing all she can do this time is stand here and wait.
====
She loses track of how much time passes. At least an hour, maybe more. Neither of them are in the mood for talking, both consumed by their own screw-ups, eyes riveted to the floor below even though they don't understand what's going on. She goes to get coffee, and when she comes back there's a doctor in the room with Mark and they both look like they've been waiting on her.
"What?" she says, not in the mood to be screwed around with. "What?"
"We've managed to stabilize him, and move him to the ICU," the doctor explains. "He's still in serious condition. One bullet collapsed a lung, and with the amount of blood he's lost...he's not out of trouble yet. He'll need to be closely monitored over the next couple of days. There are some things we want to check out, as well."
Some people might be confused at that sentence, but Jennifer just snorts. She knows Jake has enough wrong with him that it's really not a surprise. She just asks when they can see him.
====
Jennifer isn't ready for what she sees.
She has this image in her head of Jake Hannigan. The tough as nails, arrogant as fuck soldier. The rich kid who somehow grew into a would-be hero. The guy who fell from grace hard and paid the price. The man who used to want to hit her one day, and the next just sit quietly beside her, letting her know she wasn't alone.
Not this. Not the tubes and the wiring and the monitors and everything looking so broken. He's too strong, too proud, too much to end up like this. It seems wrong. It's the first time that it really hits her what's happened to him.
She asks Mark for a moment alone.
this is the real life
this is the heart, the soul we breathe
you turn around, it's passed you by
total surrender is no return
and those who fall are not left behind
Jennifer settles in the solitary chair next to her ex-boyfriend's bedside. She looks away from him, feeling a lump forming in her throat. A shaky laugh escapes her lips at the idea that she is so upset over this.
By all accounts, she shouldn't be. Their relationship is contentious at best. They disagree on almost everything, and their last year as colleagues was fraught with screaming matches, death threats, and one misdemeanor sexual assault. He's an asshole, through and through, and she ought to hate him. If for no other reason than the fact that he cut her loose as soon as something better came along.
But she can't. And it's not because she's stupid or she's a masochist. It's because she's seen the man underneath the anger, the ego and the force.
She saw Jake at his most vulnerable point after being betrayed by a man he trusted. She saw him struggle with what that meant, and the weight of carrying an entire field office on his back -- something he did without complaint, because it was the right thing to do. She saw him do what no one else could, and shoot her to save her life and the lives of other people. She was by his side for two years. It wasn't love, but she saw that he actually had a tender side to him. A side he kept hidden, because he'd been burned too many times.
He was just struggling to find himself and something to hold onto. She couldn't hate him for that.
She reached over and took his hand gently in hers, sitting there while she ignored the water pressing behind her eyes. She had no idea what was happening, but she was upset and she was angry. Whatever the state of her and Jake's current relationship, the past had proven that when everything was down, he'd do the right thing. He had entrusted her with his life, and she needed to do the right thing for him.
If only because had the tables been turned, he would do the same.
She let herself cry, but she would never admit it.
it's getting harder while we fight
I don't know why
I know we have to keep our faith alive
even with these broken wings, we still can fly
we just have to keep our faith alive
====
The doctor appears in the room hours later with the results of the tests. Jennifer looks at his face and doesn't like what she sees.
"Once he stabilizes, I'm referring his case upstairs for treatment." The doctor looks over at her. "We ran several blood tests on him...and we found a substance in his blood we can't identify."
"What the hell's that supposed to mean?" she asks. Sports medicine doesn't teach her much about blood tests and tox screens unless it's about the dangers of steroids. "Is he going to be okay?"
"From the gunshot wounds, he's got a good chance," he replies, "but until we know what this thing is I'm reluctant to give you a firm answer. It could be nothing."
She swallows. "Or it could be everything."
She's grateful when the doctor leaves again. Mostly, because she has no idea what to do, and she knows she's the only person who can do anything.