Torchhouse (part 4 - Complete) [ Torchwood/House MD ]
Title: Torchhouse (part 4 - Complete) (Torchwood/House MD)
Word count: 1105
Characters: Jack, Owen, Cameron, House, OC.
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: None
Spoilers: Nothing specific. It’s set outside the canon timeline for “House” and somewhere between episodes 4 and 9 of “Torchwood”.
Disclaimer: As with all fanfiction, this is not-for-profit, just for fun, and all the assorted other words that really mean nothing but look like an attempt.
Summary: It starts with a routine investigation by Torchwood and ends up as House’s patient of the week. Our heroes perform a covert operation, someone is naked, and someone gets snogged. Or not. Also, the end.
Owen woke to the sound of Jack in the tiny bathroom. He sat up, looked around the room, and rubbed his eyes. “Must’ve slept like a rock,” he said to himself.
Jack’s head appeared around the door frame, hair wet and sticking to his scalp and a toothbrush protruding from his mouth. “Say something?”
“I didn’t hear you come in. Did you even sleep?” The empty side of the bed looked untouched; the wrinkles in the bedsheets were probably from Owen winding up in the blankets.
Jack disappeared into the bathroom again, “Yep. I didn’t need blankets.”
Owen pushed in behind him and made his way to the toilet. Jack glanced down and grinned. Owen glared.
“Shake it more than twice and you’re playing with it,” Jack said as he checked to see if he had toothpaste left on his face and if he’d missed any spots while shaving. Owen stepped to the sink and nudged Jack out of the way.
“Fine! I can take a hint!” Jack draped his towel over Owen’s head and stepped back into the room to finish dressing.
They talked while Owen showered, Jack leaning against the sink, Owen shouting over the rush of the water. “Tosh and I whipped up something that will jigger his thyroid. The tricky part is going to be getting it into him, and getting the chip out.
“I don’t think there will be too much trouble with that. I’ll just ask if I can have a few moments alone with Nathan. Business about his status at the university or something. Hey, did you get the amnesia drug into Nathan’s cocktail?”
“Sorry, boss.” Owen stepped out of the shower and ignored Jack’s obvious stare. “The cocktail’s got to go into a vein. We don’t know what happens if you inject the amnesia drug into someone. Not too many people have wanted to volunteer for that one.”
“Talk to Ianto when we get back. See if he can get us some test subjects.” He followed Owen back into the room and sat down on the foot of the bed. “Nathan was still on IV medication. Can we introduce it to the mix?”
“I think so. If it’s just saline, prep the needle, tap out the air, slide it into the shunt, and push it in. Piece of piss. Then just retcon him the way we do everyone. If it’s not saline, find a vein and… shoop. You take care of that, and I’ll distract the doctor.”
A strange look flickered across Jack’s features. It was there and then gone in a split second, but not before Owen noticed it. Jack’s body language made it clear that whatever it was, it was no business of Owen’s. Owen made a mental note to snoop later.
Owen stood just outside Diagnostics. The three younger doctors were seated around the conference table. House was nowhere to be seen. He cleared his throat and Cameron looked up from her paperwork.She rose and took a step toward the door. “Doctor Harper, I’m sorry. House isn’t here.”
“Oh, do you suppose he’s with Nathan?”
The three laughed. “House? With a patient?” Cameron raised an eyebrow. “He’s just late. Can I get you anything while you wait? Coffee maybe?”
“Yeah, actually. Thanks.” He crossed the threshold and stood at the end of the table. The blond one, Chase or something like that, looked up at him, then he stood and offered his hand.
“Doctor Harper, I’m Doctor Chase.” Owen shook his hand. Firm, strong grip. His hands were dry, smooth, and warm without being uncomfortable. He allowed himself to wonder about this man’s “bedside manner” until Cameron smiled prettily and held out a mug of coffee.
Christ. I’d never get a moment’s work done around here, he thought and sipped the coffee.
“We were just discussing the patient. We’re running out of ideas and his system’s getting weaker.” Chase indicated the seat next to him. “Please, any input you have to offer would be appreciated.”
Owen sat down and pretended to read the file. He hemmed and hawed and asked vague questions about things with obvious answers. He questioned the duplication of some of the tests (”House says everybody lies,” Foreman explained. “He’s also convinced that lab results lie.”).
Owen stole a look at the clock on the microwave. He hoped Jack would show up soon because there was no way House was going to be much later.
As if on cue, Jack strode down the hallway from one direction just as House was stepping off the elevator. The two men stopped and stared at each other. Chase whistled the theme from “The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly,” earning a laugh from Foreman and a stern look from Cameron. Owen smirked and watched as Jack stepped forward. House moved forward, and soon the two men were standing face-to-face. House scowled. Jack grinned.
Owen leaned over and whispered “Test his thyroid” in Chase’s ear.
Chase turned and stared wide-eyed at Owen. “That’s it! That’s what we’ve been missing. It fits!”
“Not the hallucinations.” Foreman offered.
“He’s been feverish and his systems are failing. I think that’d make a person hallucinate,” Cameron countered. “House! We think we’ve got it.”
“Graves’ disease?”
The trio looked crestfallen.
“Stop standing there looking like a bunch of kicked puppies. There are tests to be run!” He limped into the room and waved his cane dismissively. They filed out and headed for the patient’s room.
“As for you two,” House said. “Get the hell out of my country.”
House was deeply engrossed in the movie. Wilson, however, was busy turning over facts and trying to figure out why it felt like something was wrong.”House.”
“Jimmy.”
“You tested his thyroid function.”
“Mhm.”
“But the results weren’t anywhere in his file.”
“They got lost.”
“House, when you went out for a walk last night…” Wilson shook his head. Things were really not making sense. “What happened?”
House smiled. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”
Wilson was quiet for several minutes. He watched Elvis gyrate in some film that was exactly like every other Elvis film he’d ever seen. “No, I think it’s better if I don’t know anything at all.”
“I’ll tell you one day. When you’re older.”
November, 2008
Cardiff, WalesJack dropped the tiny sliver of alien metal into a plastic bag and pressed the seal. He put the small bag into a large, brown envelope, signed and dated it, and handed the envelope to Ianto. Ianto signed it and pressed the wax seal in place.
Silently, Ianto left to file the envelope. Case closed.