Disclaimer: I don't own House or any of the other characters from the show. The idea for this story came from the movie The Butterfly Effect, whiach i also don't own. What would happen if House could change events from his past to chang the present? What would he change and what would he keep the same? Read to find out. And please send me reviews.
"So how's the time traveler doing?" asked House as he walked into his office.
Cameron, Chase, and Foreman were all sitting at the table in the conference room pouring over the charts and test results of their most recent patient, an elderly man who believed that he could travel back in time and change different aspects of his past. He had originally been admitted to the pshyc ward, but once he had started having continuous seizures followed by heart attacks he had been transferred over to House and his team, who were still unable to provide a diagnosis even after the symptoms continued to progress, and the patient was now close to death.
"His latest round of tests have given us no conclusive answers," said Cameron, "and now he has new symptoms."
House walked over to the white board and wrote the new symptoms on the board with the black marker, then stared at the board in silence for a few moments. His ducklings continued to discuss their ideas behind him but he wasn't listening to them. After a few moments house left them and went to sit in at his desk and listen to his ipod. This case was particularly challenging and he was beginning to get frustrated with it. He also had to deal with Tritter hanging around the hospital continuously and now Cuddy was regulating how much vicodin he could have. He could really use a few of those pills right now, his leg was killing him and even his usual distractions weren't helping to take the edge off. It was time like these when House began to wonder what his life might have been like if he had never had the infarction, if Stacy had stayed and they had maybe even got married. That thought reminded house of something the old man had said earlier that day, something about changing an event in his past and ending up here, dying. Intrigued now to find out more House got up and headed out of his office towards the patients room, his ducklings didn't even see him leave as they were still engrossed in discussion over his latest symptoms.
Reaching the patients room house slid pen the glass door and let himself in before allowing it to close with a slight bang. The old man jumped slightly at the sound as he was startled into consciousness.
"You know most people consider it a courtesy to knock before disrupting another person's sleep."
"Was never big on that whole courtesy thing, wastes so much time if you ask me." House answered sarcastically. "I need you to clarify something for me. You said something earlier about changing your past and then ending up here, what does that mean?"
The old man looked at House with a look of shock in his eyes, as though House was the first person who had not just dismissed him as a ranting old lunatic, though House probably was the first person to ask for an explanation. The man hesitated for a moment and then spoke. "I probably shouldn't tell you this, but I know I'm dying and someone should know I suppose, so here goes. Quite a few years ago now I was having some hard times and then I ran into this nice woman who told me her secret. She told me that I could change my whole life if I wanted to all I had to do was focus on the event I wanted to change, then try to remember all of the details and if I focused hard enough I would somehow be transported back to that time so I could alter major life events and change my future. I didn't believe her at first, but when you're life is in the gutter you'll try just about anything to get it back on track. So a few months later I found myself giving it a try." The old man paused and looked down at his hands and slowly turned his wedding ring around on his finger. House smirked at him.
"And this is you're idea of a better life? Sorry to rain on you're crazy parade but dying isn't exactly a fairy tale ending."
The man looked up at him again, "Oh no, you don't understand, it worked. I went back changed my life, became wealthy, married the girl of my dreams and had a good life. She died two years ago of natural causes and I'm all alone now, we never had any children. So I devoted my time to trying to figure out how it had worked. I mean how I was able to travel back, and that's when my butler reported me as being crazy. No one has believed me and I've been stuck in a variety of nut houses for the past year before I got sick, and really I just think my time has come. I know I'm only 78 but I feel like I'm ready to go."
House let out an exasperated sigh and then said "Ok, well story hour has been fun today; you should consider a career change. Unfortunately I have places to go, people to mock, and little time to do it. So I'm just gonna leave now. My lackeys should be around later to poke at you some more, in the mean time relax and enjoy the food."
With that House exited the room as quickly as he was able, it was time for his vicodin rationing and his leg was starting to really hurt. He made his way down to Cuddy's office and barged through the doors. "It's pill time," House said as he walked up to her desk, "Hand em over." House stretched out his hand and waited for Cuddy to dump his ration into his hand, but she didn't. Instead she just looked up into those deep blue eyes and said plainly, "No."
"What do you mean no?" House asked slightly shocked, "I need those pills now or you can just forget about those clinic hours I'm supposed to do today."
"And I was pretty sure I said no. Tritter has offered you a deal, go to rehab and you can skip out on the jail time, not to mention the rest of us get our lives back." Cuddy said as she grabbed some files and began to leave her office. "I expect you to take the deal and to encourage you I'm cutting of you're vicodin supply and suspending your treatment privileges until you do. If you want to keep your job you'll take the deal, you have three days to decide." With that she walked out the door and headed out of the clinic towards the elevators. House tried to follow her but she was walking to fast for him to catch up so he yelled after her "I won't do it, you can make me."
"Yes you will if you value your career." Cuddy called over her shoulder as she began walking up the stairs. "Three days House." And then she was gone.
Great thought House, just what I needed now I don't even have my case to distract me. So he headed back up to his office, maybe he could find some creative way to annoy someone. But once he got there he just sat in his chair staring out the window and once again began to wonder what he would be doing now if his life had been different. Then he got an idea, why not give the crazy guy's idea a try. After all what was the worst that could happen, he'd waste a few minutes of his life thinking about the worst parts of his life and fell stupid for trying to time travel. If nothing else it should provide a bit of a distraction. So House settled back in his chair, twirled his cane in his hands, closed his eyes and began to recall the day he had gotten his infarction.
He pictured the golf course, with its perfectly manicured grass and sparkling water traps, the smell of a late summer's breeze and even what he had been wearing. He tried to remember every possible detail about that day, and willed himself to be there again. But nothing happened. Ok so the old guy really was crazy, well I'll give it one more try and then find more productive uses of my time, like raiding the other departments lounges for food. So House tried one more time, and part way through he thought he felt a change in surroundings, so he opened his eyes and looked around in complete astonishment.
"This definitely is not my office, well Toto I don't think we're in Kansas anymore."
