Summary: Chase is having a bad day after day after day. Basically just little bits and pieces of what life is throwing his way of late. Spoilers for Season 3 to date.
R rating for mature language.

SO YOU HAD A BAD DAY...part one

Chase made a pit stop in diagnostics. He hadn't spent much time there in the three months since House had been shot. None of them had. Cameron split her time between the labs and the clinic. Foreman did consults in neurology and attended a few seminars, all with Cuddy's blessing. Chase figured he'd lucked out because Cuddy let him rotate between ICU, NICU and PICU. He discovered he enjoyed his time in pediatrics ICU the best. It was hard to see kids who were sick and who often died, but there was something almost epiphanic about saving the life of a child. It was different from working with newborns, different in a way Chase didn't want to figure out.

Today he stopped in the conference room to take a break. He'd been on a ten hour shift and he was going to do an extra few hours for the Intensivist on call who was going to be late. But he needed a bit of down time and a good cup of coffee, so he headed to the counter to make his own - since the stuff already in the pot looked like tar - and had just poured a fresh-brewed cup and was sitting down at the table to work on one of his puzzle books, when Cameron entered.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, looking surprised to see him.

"I work here," Chase was sublime in his response, not looking at her as he studied his puzzle, so he missed the frown Cameron threw his way.

She poured herself a cup of coffee then joined him, drumming her fingers on the table top until he looked up at her, then she smiled. "House is due back in three days," she said, in a tone that suggested she was revealing some kind of secret.

It was Chase's turn to frown. "Yeah, I know." He'd heard it through the grapevine, so to speak. It was hard to keep secrets in this place. Everyone seemed to know everyone else's business. Like when he and Cameron had slept together. Chase hadn't told anyone and he knew Cameron hadn't. House had figured it out, of course, but he didn't seem a likely candidate for telling. Which left Foreman as the blabbermouth, but Chase hadn't called him on it. It was something he wanted to stay in his past and bringing it up again would just make it linger. He figured if Cameron had had a problem with it, she'd have pursued it, but she seemed to have followed his lead and put it behind her.

"It's going to be weird coming back here to work." Cameron's tone was almost hesitant, like she wasn't sure how she felt about what she was saying.

"A good weird," Chase stated, earning a surprised look from Cameron. He rolled his eyes at her. "What? I like it here."

She made a face at that, then heaved a rather dramatic sigh. "I've missed it."

Chase snorted at that. "You've missed House."

"And you haven't?" Cameron countered, looking offended.

"Not the way you have," Chase shot back at her. It was no secret how she felt about House, so he wasn't going to pretend otherwise. "I don't want to sleep with him." He was crossing the line into asshole territory, but he didn't care. He was too tired to care. The fact that he hadn't been sleeping great for the past few weeks added to the weight of his exhaustion, making it drag him down far more than the extra shift hours normally would. Which also meant he was tired enough to say stupid shit. Which meant he might say more stupid shit if he didn't watch himself. Cameron was like a sponge whenever anyone gave up personal information. He didn't want to give her any information she could turn back around on him in the future. Her imagination, coupled with their past history, had given her more ammunition than he was happy with as it was.

Pinning Chase with a hurt look, Cameron couldn't seem to stop herself from prodding him. "Why do you like it here? House treats you like crap."

Chase shrugged at that, and finding her words amusing. "He treats all of us like crap," he reminded her.

"But he seems to ride you the most. Or rather, he's more...cruel." Cameron didn't look happy with her own words. Like saying them left a bad taste in her mouth.

"What do you care?" Chase found himself responding. Then silently cursing himself because his question was an open invitation for Cameron to continue with this particular subject matter. Which he was not the least bit interested in pursuing.

Making a face at him, Cameron took a moment as if considering her reply. "We've worked together for three years, Chase."

He made a face back at her, one that clearly conveyed the confusion he was feeling at her reply. "So? What does that matter?"

"It means we've known each other long enough for me to care about you." Cameron was almost stuttering in her attempt to explain herself.

"Don't. Don't care about me, not in any way," Chase countered, sounding a bit more sharp edged than he had intended too. He liked Cameron. When he let himself think about her, he recognized that he was still attracted to her. But he wasn't a fool, or an idiot, no matter that House liked to call him one. He knew Cameron wanted House and that the only reason she'd slept with him when she was high was because she knew he was attracted to her and that she could manipulate him into doing it. Not one of his finer moments, and definitely not a moment he ever intended let be repeated. He didn't need Cameron. There were plenty of nurses in the hospital he could sleep with, if he wanted too. Although the few he had slept with had tended to gossip about it, hence he'd not called them back again. Chase had never had a problem getting women to like him, so he didn't need to complicate his already messy life by letting his attraction to Cameron get in the way of his job. Really, he couldn't think of anything worth risking his job for, but he'd almost fucked that up once already with the Vogler debacle.

Not that that whole mess had been of his making. Cuddy had pushed him into that FUBAR scenario and it had nearly cost him everything that mattered. Not that Chase wanted to think about that anymore. What was done, was done. He realized he had zoned out with his thoughts when Cameron smacked her hand down on the table to get his attention. "What?" Chase said, trying to hide his irritation.

Cameron was eyeing him with concern. "You look tired."

"I am tired." Chase pushed away from the table, dropping his puzzle book and snagging his coffee. He took a few long sips and willed the caffeine to rejuvenate him. He also wished for Cameron to leave him alone.

"How long have you been here?" Cameron asked, following him over to the counter. She watched him warm his cup then reached for a mug and held it out to be filled.

Chase poured the coffee for her, not answering her question for the moment. But when she wouldn't stop staring at him, he countered with a question of his own. "Have you been to see House at all?" Once the Diagnostician had been released from the hospital, he had disappeared somewhere for his rehab. Chase hadn't bothered to ask around. He figured if House wanted to disappear, it was his right to do so.

The question seemed to rattle Cameron a bit and she got up to dump her untouched coffee, before replying. "No. Not since he left. You?"

"Why would I?" Chase was surprised that she'd asked. She knew they weren't exactly friends. Most of the time, Chase wasn't exactly sure how to define what he and House were. Boss and minion mostly, he supposed. A fact that probably should have bothered him a lot more than it did.

"I dunno," Cameron replied, then she heaved a rather dramatic sigh. "I just feel like we're supposed to be talking about him, but it feels awkward."

That was the most honest thing she'd probably said to him in months, Chase thought. But he kept that comment to himself. "Why do we have to talk at all?" he shot back.

Which earned him a glare from Cameron. "Because that's what people do. If they're in a room together, they talk."

"You're getting touchy," Chase pointed out, because Cameron's voice was starting to get a bit shrill. "Maybe you should go home."

"I'm not the one who's been working double shifts!" Cameron shot back, sounding defensive.

It occurred to Chase to wonder that she knew about his hours. And if she knew, then why had she asked him? Then again, it was Cameron. The one thing she had in common with House was the desire to know things. Only most of the things she wanted to know tended to be none of her business. Since he really didn't have a response for Cameron, nor did he feel her comment warranted one, Chase simply focused on his puzzle book. He hoped Cameron would get the hint and either leave or sit there, silently. She could always go and answer House's email, like she usually did.

But Cameron chose to stay and pace, bumping into Chase's shoulder as she passed behind him. He knew it was an accident so he didn't respond to it. But he did respond to his beeper going off. Tossing aside the puzzle book, he shot to his feet then found himself gripping the side of the table to keep his balance when a wave of dizziness hit him.

"Chase?" Cameron, of course, had noticed and was by his side in an instant. "You okay?"

"Fine." The dizziness quickly passed and he made himself smile at her. "Just got up too fast. Stupid head rush. Gotta go." The page had been from ICU, so it was a definite emergency. Chase stepped around Cameron and ran for the door. Two minutes later he was back to work.

Twelve hours later he was home but gave up on trying to sleep after he spent two hours tossing and turning. Instead he watched Lord of the Rings. Two of them, before heading for the shower and back to work.

OoO

The next day, Chase split his time between ICU and Peds ICU. He was in Peds and making rounds when his beeper went off. Which surprised him. ICU had coverage and he was in Peds so if there was an emergency he would have heard the alarm. Cursing under his breath, Chase grabbed his pager and stared at the message. Daddy's Home. He knew what that meant.

House was back.

That fact startled Chase a bit, since his boss wasn't scheduled back for two more days. Then again, House never followed the rules in general, so it wasn't really surprising he'd show up early. Still, Chase was scheduled for Peds, so it wasn't like he could just walk away.

After finishing his rounds, Chase took note that Dr. Gray had arrived and he explained to her about his page and she told him to go ahead and she'd page him if she needed him. Chase told her he'd be back for rounds later then headed off. He felt almost nervous as he stepped into the elevator. When it opened and he stepped out onto the fourth floor, he hesitated a moment. Chase was glad House was back but he wasn't sure how he was supposed to react to his return. He then rolled his eyes at himself. Like House gave a crap what he did. So Chase would do what he always did and follow House's lead. He had learned that pattern of behavior from taking care of his mother. He would gauge how to be and what to do and say, based on her mood for the day. Doing so had made taking care of her easier on him.

A yawn snuck up on Chase and he realized he needed a caffeine hit. So he headed the other way, turning the corner and making his way over to the soda machine. He bought a Mt. Dew and downed half of it on his way back to the office. He had most of it gone by the time he walked through the doors. The slight buzz it gave him felt pleasant and he was smiling as he caught sight of his boss.

House was leaning against the table, smirking at Cameron. Chase heard her asking him about his rehab sessions and he could imagine how thrilled House was about that. Grinning to himself, Chase headed for his usual chair at the end of the table, only to find himself confronted by House.

"You're late," House said, looming over Chase.

"You're early," Chase shot back, and he was rather pleased by his come back.

House grinned at him. "Lame," he drawled.

Chase shrugged, then felt a bit awkward. Which led to his mumbling, "Um...good to have you back." And it was then he noticed House didn't have his cane, nor was he leaning with all his weight on his good leg. He was standing up straight and smiling. Which was more like a smirk, coming from House. They all knew about the Ketamine, but no one had expected this. "The treatment worked," Chase stated.

"Apparently," House replied, turning smartly and walking over to the whiteboard. He grabbed a black marker and uncapped it. "We have a case, boys and girl, so pay attention!"

"I'm still on shift with Peds ICU," Chase piped up. Although knowing House, he already knew that.

"You work for me," was House's reply, without turning around.

Chase didn't respond to that. If he got called he'd have to go and they both knew it. He'd just deal with House's griping later, if necessary. Instead he focused on the symptoms House was writing on the board, and on the file Foreman shoved in his direction. He didn't dwell on the fact that today felt a bit like coming home to him.

House without pain was like a whirlwind. He ended up surprising them with the fact they actually had two cases to work on, then he shot down most of their suggestions before splitting them up to handle various tests and the like between the two patients.

Taking his soda with him, Chase made another pit stop at the candy machine. He was going to need a lot of sugar and caffeine to get through this day.

OoO

They solved one case rather easily and Chase ended up not getting called to Peds ICU, which meant he could devote all of his attention to House and their cases and running tests and the like. House was on his game in most ways, but to Chase it seemed like there was something off about him. He figured it didn't help that Cameron seemed determined to psychoanalyze House every chance she got.

So he wasn't all that surprised when she suggested they go out for drinks after work. They being himself, Cameron and Foreman. Chase was tired, but not quite tired enough to attempt sleeping, so he agreed to go. A drink might help relax him, and he was pretty sure Cameron's House commentary would be amusing. And he wasn't wrong.

"It's great that he can walk without the cane!" Cameron enthused, the moment the waitress walked away with their drink orders.

"Sure," Foreman replied, fiddling with a napkin and looking like he'd rather be anywhere else.

Cameron pinned him with a glare. "You're not happy for him?"

Foreman rolled his eyes at her. "It's great he can walk without pain, but there's a chance it won't last."

"Which means his good mood won't last," Chase interjected, and he felt Cameron's glare turned on him. It was easy to ignore it after years of practice.

"You got that right," Foreman commented, with a chuckle, and he got Cameron's glare turned back on him.

"Lighten up," Chase chided her. "House isn't going to become Mr. Rogers just because he's not using a cane for the moment."

With a sigh of frustration, Cameron gave up glaring at them, but her tone was sharp when she responded to Chase. "Why can't you be happy for him for being pain free for the first time in years?"

Chase was surprised by the question. "What difference would it make if I'm happy for him or not? He couldn't care less what I think or feel."

Foreman snorted at that. "That's for sure. House doesn't care what anyone thinks about him. He's a miserable bastard, period. He might be riding the high of being pain free instead of a Vicodin high, but he's still House. Don't expect him to change, Cameron."

"I don't want him to change!" she protested, looking angry. "I'm just happy for him that he's not suffering right now."

There were so many tempting responses to that comment and Chase had one on the tip of his tongue when his pager went off. He glanced at it and grimaced. "Gotta go."

Foreman looked concerned. "Our patient?"

"No. Problem in NICU and they're short handed. I told them I'd be on call." As he spoke, Chase reached for his coat and slid out of the booth.

"You're working too many hours," Cameron commented, eyeing him with concern.

Chase made a face at her. "Are you keeping track or something?"

Foreman replied before Cameron could. "Better watch out, Chase. House will put you in the dog house for not devoting yourself to his cases." It was said in a teasing tone, but there was an element of truth behind it.

"Don't I know it," Chase replied, grinning. But he was used to being out of favor with House and at this point he really didn't care. Shrugging on his jacket he grabbed the keys out of his pocket and waved at his co-workers. "See you tomorrow," Chase called over his shoulder, as he headed for the door.

He made it back to the hospital in five minutes and went straight to work. It was a rough night for two of the babies, both preemies, and Chase was beyond tired by the time he got them holding their own. When he glanced at his watch he realized he had about eight hours before he had to be back to work. Not a lot of time to sleep, not that he was likely to fall asleep anyway. Still, he changed out of his scrubs and headed home. A hot shower eased the tension a bit and Chase crawled into bed, fully expecting to stare at the ceiling for the next few hours. But, to his surprise he drifted off to sleep within minutes.

Not so surprisingly, he was up before the alarm. Only four hours of sleep, but that was about three hours more than he'd been averaging for the past few days, so he was content. He let himself drowse for an hour while flipping through channels on the TV, then he showered and got dressed before sitting down with his lap top and catching up on his emails. By the time he was done it was time to leave for work.

He was the first one into the office. Chase was glad. He liked being first, it gave him a bit of down time before hell broke loose. And now that House was back, life was going to be chaotic again. A part of Chase thought that might be a good thing. His job was the one area of his life where he didn't really mind a bit of chaos.

Heading for the coffee machine, Chase made a pot then settled in with a Sudoku book and had nearly completed one when he heard the door open. He expected to see Cameron, but House entered the room. Chase frowned at him. "You're early," he commented.

"Still a lame comeback," House replied, making his way over to the counter. He availed himself of the freshly made coffee and took a sip before stating," So I heard through the grapevine that you're the one who diagnosed the swollen tongue guy."

"Uh...yeah," Chase replied, feeling pretty sure House was setting him up for something. After all, he was months behind in his taunts and digs to Chase.

House smirked at him. "Nice work. I figured Cameron would be the one to go the allergy route."

Chase frowned at House, wondering what his point was. Since he was pretty sure there was a point to this conversation. "It was an easy diagnosis," he explained, although it was rather stupid of him to do so. Nothing like shooting himself down to save House the trouble.

"Neato peachy keen, man!" House replied, channeling Keanu Reeves. Then he took his coffee and went into his office leaving Chase waiting for the real punch line.

Strangely enough, House didn't say another word about it. Not to Chase or to Cameron and Foreman when they arrived. They worked on the second case, ran more tests, did various errands and procedures, then it was time to go home. He stopped by a nearby Chinese restaurant for take out on the way home, then he was dragging his way into his apartment, tossing the Chinese in the fridge. He was too tired to eat. Instead he took a quick shower and climbed into bed. He fell asleep watching the news and slept for six hours straight.

It occurred to Chase to wonder that he was sleeping better than he had in months, and it was all to easy to relate it to House being back. He didn't want to believe they were related events, but it was eerie. He'd started not sleeping the night House had gotten shot. The day House came back to work he started sleeping again. Not the night through or anything, but for longer stretches than he had managed before.

Shaking his head at himself, Chase slid out of bed and retrieved the Chinese from the fridge. He was starving. Once he'd waded through most of it he tossed the rest out, brushed his teeth and climbed back into bed. He managed to doze for the next hour before giving up and getting in the shower. After getting dressed he killed time checking his emails and surfing the web, and going through the mail he'd been ignoring for the past week. He paid his bills online and still had an hour to kill before he needed to head into work.

Because he was getting antsy, Chase decided to take the scenic route to work, which would kill thirty minutes or so. But even as he got behind the wheel of his car, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. But he tried to put it out of his head by slipping his favorite Green Day CD into the player. Later in the day he would curse himself for not listening to his sixth sense.

THE END...of part one