A House M.D. fanfiction.
House OC pairing. Because I love OC's. And House.
A little, strange and taboo. Doctor patient thing. Enjoy.
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It started with a tickle in the back of my throat. It always started with a tickle in the back of my throat, as if my body was giving me a warning, telling me I had only a couple of minutes to get to a bathroom or sink, just to run away from whoever was near me. I had my elbows leant against the desk in front of me, staring at the board as the teacher talked to the class. I glanced down at the page in front of me. It was biology. I was good at biology.
"Human Immuno-deficiency Virus." I mouthed as I scanned the page on Virus's. I coughed quietly, looking back up at the teacher, and slowly raised my hand. He frowned slightly.
"What is it?" He asked, annoyed that I had interrupted his lecture.
"May I go to the bathroom?" I asked quietly and politely. He glanced over at the clock, and then shook his head.
"This class is over in five minutes. You can wait." He said. I could already feel my throat tightening and I winced. I didn't have five minutes.
"Sir, I need to go now." I whimpered. Everyone was looking me, a smirk playing on their faces. I crossed my legs, emphasising the point. I hated how it would sometimes creep up on me at the most inappropriate times. I knew that my teacher wasn't going to budge on the topic though.
"Five minutes won't kill you." He said through gritted teeth, "Now sit quietly, Emily, you're disrupting the class." I put my hand down in defeat, hoping that maybe I could manage a mad dash to the bathroom the moment the bell sounded. I glanced at the clock, four minutes.
"Okay, so, the HIV virus enters the white blood cells," The teacher continued. I pursed my lips together, feeling my throat constrict, trying to breathe normally. "This makes the white blood cells less capable of defending the body against other invading micro-organisms."
I began to fidget, running a hand through my mid length red hair, pulling my school skirt down slightly, tapping my fingers against the table.
"This is why people with AIDS often succumb to other infections." I was suddenly very aware that I needed to breathe. I attempted to inhale but I couldn't. I glanced at the clock, 3 minutes left. I wouldn't make it that long.
"Now, there are some drugs available that can slow down the rate at which HIV multiplies." I dug my fingernails into the wood of the desk. I desperately needed to cough, to clear my airways. I couldn't, not here, not in front of my class.
"It does this by blocking some of the enzymes which the virus uses to help it multiply." I could feel my body desperately needing oxygen; I glanced again at the clock, only a minute and a half. "Emily, are you okay?" I turned round slowly to face my teacher who had a concerned look on his face. I could feel my face turning purple. I opened my mouth, in an attempt to breath, but I couldn't, my airway was blocked. My hands were balled into fists, my knuckles going white. "Emily?!"
I was going to pass out. I was already dizzy, my brain wasn't getting enough oxygen. I bent over, opened my mouth and gasped, clearing my throat, feeling the warm liquid bubble past my lips. I coughed a bit more, tasting copper in my mouth, gasping and feeling air fill my lungs. People screamed, and I slipped off my seat, crouching on the floor, spluttering a bit more, but relieved that the sensation of being asphyxiated was over.
My whole class had gone mad, people had jumped out of their seats, crying out, someone ran straight out of the classroom, no one was used to seeing that amount of blood. It had gotten everywhere, it was on my school shirt, on my hands, on the wood of the desk, and some of it was in my hair. I could hear someone yell 'Is she dying?!'
Someone wrapped an arm round my shoulder; I looked up to see my teacher, his aged face looking panicked.
"It'll be fine, just breathe, someone's phoning an ambulance." He said quickly, running his words into one another. I gave another small cough and nodded, raising an eyebrow at him.
"Look, I'm fine." I sighed, wiping my chin, the bright red blood staining my hand.
"They'll be here soon, just hang on." He said again. I furrowed my brow at him, annoyed that he just hadn't let me go to the bathroom.
"I'm fine!" I snapped, "It's just a bit of blood."
--
House limped quickly through the reception area of Princeton-Plainsboro teaching hospital, leaning heavily on his cane, his sneakers squeaking against the polished floor. He looked as if he was in a rush, as if he had somewhere important to be. That wasn't true, he just didn't want to meet Cuddy on the way in to work and get roped in to doing clinic duty and diagnose colds for the rest of the afternoon.
He made it to the elevator without incident, and was pleased to find that he was in there alone. However, when the lift doors opened again he was greeted by three all too familiar faces. He frowned and stepped out, pushing past them.
"I get a welcome party now?" He muttered sarcastically.
"We have a new case." He heard Cameron say, he stopped and turned round.
"That couldn't wait the two minutes it takes for me to get from the elevator to my office?" He asked. He noticed the file in her hand and snatched it away from her, scanning over it quickly. He sighed, slightly disappointed.
"It's pneumonia." He muttered, handing it back to her. Cameron shot him a smirk; as if she knew something he didn't it.
"Seriously?" She asked, she glanced to her side, peering into the room which they were standing beside. In it was the patient, sitting up in bed, a book open on her lap. She wasn't connected up to any sort of apparatus except for a drip, and she had a smile plastered on her face as she flipped through the pages, "You honestly think she has pneumonia?"
"Fine then, Bronchitis." House murmured, taking one last look at the young girl. She didn't look like she was sick enough to be coughing up blood.
"Her only symptom is Haemoptysis!" Cameron protested. House continued to walk.
"Get a chest X-ray and do her blood work." House called back, Cameron quickly ran after him, standing in front of him, holding out the file.
"Just... look at her history." She sighed. He frowned and snatched the file off her, a slight smile spreading across her lips, "Thanks."
"Shoo!" He cried, pushing her out of his way with his cane and continuing to walk on until he reached his office. He opened his door and limped over to his desk, putting the file down on the surface and staring at it for a while. He then sat down and opened it, flicking through the pages, his forehead becoming more creased with every one he looked at. He read, and then re-read, and eventually a smile split across his face. He had hit the jackpot.