The Fault in Knowing
"What does it say?" Gregory House asked as he entered the dark-lit room slowly- he couldn't really move that fast anyway. His useless leg always weighed him down.
"I was right." She whispered, her voice barely heard by her boss. She wiped her eyes, even though no tears had fallen out of them.
"What?" House limped over to her, "you don't have it? But I thought…"
"No." Thirteen cut him off softly. "I do." House peered over her shoulder to confirm his employee was indeed telling the truth. His heart skipped a beat when he caught a glimpse of the positive word, and, for just a moment, he began to feel sorry for her.
"Then why did you say you were right? Right about what?" Thirteen sighed, again wiping her dry eyes.
"I was right," Thirteen continued sorrowfully, "I shouldn't have checked. I shouldn't have listened to you." Her voice inherited venom that House never knew existed in her.
"Contrary to your belief, I actually did you a favor. So instead of being angry with me, which I'll admit is very sexy, I would be thanking me if I were you." After hearing House's words, something inside of Thirteen snapped.
"Thank you?!" She shrieked, tears pouring down her face at an extremely quick pace. "Thank you for what?! For ruining my life?!" Thirteen shook her head. "Yeah, well in that case, thank you House. Thanks a lot."
"Ruining your life?" House repeated, squinting his eyes. "You know, last time I checked, I wasn't a genetically inherited disease called Huntington's. Of course…" he scratched the side of his head, "that was a few weeks ago. Maybe I should get checked again?" There was a moment of silence before Thirteen spoke.
"I didn't have to do this test." She seethed, as even more tears cascaded down her face. "I didn't have to do it now. I didn't have to know right now."
"Doesn't matter." House tapped his foot softly against the side of the table. "You could have done the test another day; sure. But even if you did wait, you still would have gotten the exact same results. And you would have reacted the exact same way. So, really, I saved you a few curious years." Thirteen seemed to take his words into consideration, for the next time she spoke, her tone wasn't angry. It was almost… wishful.
"When I was little, before my mom died," she started, sniffling, "I always wondered. Did I have the disease? Would I end up like my mother? Could there be a chance I didn't have it? I was so darn curious." She laughed bitterly, a smile just barely grazing her face. "I wanted to know the answers to my questions so badly. I wanted to be prepared.
"Of course, my parents never let me get tested." Thirteen chuckled lightly. "Thank goodness for that. I wouldn't have been able to handle it; the truth." She paused, as if House needed time for that information to sink in. He didn't, obviously. He never said anything though. "It's just… now that I know…" House looked at her expectantly, waiting for her to say something; anything. But she was silent.
"You're scared?" House posed, trying to read her. Thirteen bit her lip and nodded reluctantly. "That's normal. Seriously."
"I know." She swallowed hard. "I know." There were so many tears coming out of her that House was surprised she really had any left.
"I just want…" She choked, sobbing loudly, "I just want a life."
"You have one." House pointed out.
"No," Thirteen corrected him, "I don't. Not… not a real one. I want; I want to live." House placed a hand on her neck and grinned in a slightly triumphant way once he felt her pulse. Thirteen quickly realized what he was doing and swatted him away before he could say anything. "You're such a jerk."
"Okay, then," House sat himself down in a chair close to Thirteen, "what is living? To you, I mean. You already know my definition."
"Living is…" she sighed in a dream-like fashion, "living is… being free. Being yourself, being," she paused for a short moment, "being happy. I want that."
"You can still have that, you know." House lifted his legs and placed them onto the table. "Just because you have an un-curable disease doesn't mean you can't be happy."
"This disease. It's like a burden. I have to live the rest of my short life waiting. Waiting for the day it strikes. The day I won't be able to walk. The day I won't be able to talk. The day I won't be able to breathe. It's a curse." Thirteen stood up and grabbed her bag, along with the little slip of paper. House wondered why she had not decided to throw it out already, but he didn't question the girl's actions.
"All curses can be broken." He spoke softly. Thirteen had heard him, and she spun around, her face stained with tears.
"No," she whispered, shaking her head back and forth. "They can't."
A/N: This is only my second House one-shot so go easy on me. I know this really doesn't have a plot, but for some unknown reason, I just had to write it. I just love Thirteen.
Review please?