Felicity
by Wordsmith14
Disclaimer: I don't own House or anything else mentioned that did not come off the top of my head.
The patient is dying, and yet, she is happy.
He does not understand. There is no dignity in death, he once told a patient, and death is twice as pathetic when pain is intertwined with it (like the pain that wracks this woman's body).
But look, she smiles, laughs at her children's funny faces. It's like the morphine pumping through her veins has become permanent (perhaps chemically combining with her body's elements).
She must be lying, he decides (Everybody lies, after all), and indeed, she whimpers pitifully when she thinks no one can hear (He does).
This satisfies him. She is creating an illusion of happiness (a magician's trick, nothing more).
He feels his thigh throb. This is real, he thinks (although he wishes for a moment for the woman's illusory dexterity).
He is no wizard, though, and he fumbles for the bottle, taking out a pill. He swallows (the fourth pill of the morning).
His boss will disapprove (She'll call him an addict again). He is no addict, he reassures himself (He is in pain).
A crumpled paper on the floor catches his eye; it's hard to miss (It's fire-engine red). The words blare: "Do you suffer from depression?"
No. It's a silly question to ask because he is in pain. A different sort of chemical reaction fuels his moods (not the cocktail of chemicals that characterizes depression).
He decides he wants a movie and switches on the TV. Tonight's an eighties-era flick, and he has missed the beginning. The princess in red has already been rescued by the rogue in black, and they're fighting (how cliche).
"Life is pain!" shouts the dark, masked man.
He's seen the movie before and knows the shadowy fiend is actually the scarlet-garbed lady's lost and noble love (He nods in agreement, anyway).
Why isn't everyone unhappy, then?
He doesn't know (or so he thinks). Everybody lies, but even he doesn't think everyone can be hurting and miserable and still fake a smile all the time (although many can and do).
He's not one of them (He's too honest), but no matter how hard he struggles, he can't banish the pain (He's no knight or little blue engine).
Happiness is not the absence of pain but the acceptance of it.
It's a pity he never heard this statement.
Fin.
Author's note:
The ending quote is a synthesis of many aphorisms from various people.