Author's Note: Title subject to change. I'll update when you comment, mmkay?

Disclaimer: I own basically nothing in this story. Except the plot and a few characters. But House is not mine.

Sooner or Later

1. Clinic

Izzy seated herself in the seat nearest the door, just in case she felt the need to make a quick escape. She bounced her leg rapidly, the way she always did when she was irritated and nervous.

She began to wish she hadn't come the clinic. All she had was a cold, but being the hypochondriac she was, Izzy had come anyway.

The cold medicine was beginning to work its magic. The girl curled in to a comfortable position and tried to stay awake. 'Genius, Izzy,' she told herself, sitting up. 'Take the nighttime stuff when you're already sleep deprived and then get comfortable.'

A lethargic-looking man leaning on a cane called out her name. He couldn't possibly be a doctor, Izzy thought. But she stood and followed him to an exam room anyway.

"So what's wrong with you?" House drawled as he closed the door.

His unprofessional manner stuck Izzy, and she had to think for a second just what was wrong with her. Finally, she was able to speak. "I've had this cold for a couple of weeks."

"That all?" he asked in a bored tone.

"I can sleep," she added. "And I keep having these weird chest pains and…"

"What kind of chest pains?" House asked, suddenly interested.

"Like tightening. And it hurts," Izzy finished weakly. 'What the hell do you think?' she asked House in her head.

"How old are you?"

"Seventeen. What does that-?"

"Let's see. Seventeen years old. Getting chest pains. Odd, yes."

"Oh, right." Izzy wished he hadn't told her that. Her paranoia started kicking in. She glanced at a poster of the human body on the wall and suddenly began naming the parts in her head in Spanish. Or at least trying. 'Three years of Spanish class and I still can't do it,' she thought. 'What a waste.'

"Hello?" House waved his cane in front of her face. "Focus on me. I'm the one that matters here. Now, anything else?"

"I, um. I don't know." She suddenly couldn't think of anything. 'That's something.' "I keep forgetting things."

House scribbled it down. He might be getting lucky, an actual patient. The only thing good that came out of clinic duty.

Izzy tried to thing of anything else. The doctor seemed to think everything was important. She was suddenly thinking about weeks ago. She often thought of the breakup and of Benji, but it was so odd at a time like this…

"I'll add easily distracted to the list," House said, rousing Izzy from her thoughts. "Interesting mix of symptoms. Thank you for making my day. Now faint or seize or something so I can check if they're all related."

"No problem," Izzy muttered as she slipped of the exam table and on to the floor, tears abruptly streaming from her eyes.

"I know you're a teenage girl, but there's no sense in getting all emotional, jeez." House finished his sentence, but they fell on deaf ears. Izzy had, as if obeying him, fainted.

"Wonderful, this power of mine," House said before calling for assistance.

A/N: Shall I continue? Please comment. No flames, though. Remember: what goes around comes around.