RED AND GRAY
Doctor Gregory House sat at his desk, his back towards the door facing the window. As he so often did as he sat and thought over the more puzzling aspects of his latest case his hands found themselves wrapped around the overstuffed red and gray tennis ball. The ball gave his hands something to do while his mind clicked and whirred through the latest patient mystery.
The first ball was a gift from Stacy. She had found it one day while they while they were browsing through the sporting goods section of Walmart. Stacy had disappeared down one of the aisles, appearing with a grin and the red and gray sphere.
"I think will help with our lessons." Stacy smiled brightly at Greg.
House immediately got the joke. One the golf course or running track Stacy was Greg's equal but at tennis, despite House's best efforts to teach her the game, her efforts were met with disaster. Stacy joked she just lacked the coordination and eyesight to see a speeding ball heading at her at high speeds.
The ball was one of the last things House had gotten rid of after the infarction. After Stacy moved out, House had thrown away or destroyed most of the remnants of their relationship. But the ball remained. Its size fit perfectly in his hand and whenever the pain would hit he would clutch the ball until the pain passed or the drugs took effect. One day in a rage House threw the ball out an open window. It bounced down the street disappearing around a curve. House was immediately sorry for his actions and despite Wilson's best efforts to find the ball after a while House realized the ball was gone. House searched for a new ball and found one finally in a pet supply store. Since that day there have been two tennis balls, one at his house and one at the office because you never know when you might need a distraction or something to help you concentrate.
