Confrontation
"Good morning everybody!" I said in my usual sarcastic tone as I limped into my office ignoring the horrible pain in my leg. Thirteen, Taub and Foreman were sitting at the desk, waiting for me with frowns on their faces. I stood there in the middle of the office for a couple of seconds thinking picking out the best acerbic phrase to use.
"Wow, not even a single teensy 'Hi' this morning. What's got you three in such a bad mood?" I said tramping to my office and sitting down. Thirteen, Taub and Foreman followed.
"What now?" I asked annoyed.
"Why did you ditch us yesterday?" Foreman asked, bold enough to make the first move.
"Oh you've got to be kidding me", I whined grabbing my football off my desk and turning it around in my hands, keeping them busy, hiding my embarrassment. This wasn't a story I would easily divulge.
"Well?" Thirteen asked curtly, crossing her arms. I turned to look at her, staring her down with my piercing baby blue eyes.
"None of your business", I muttered looking away, flustered. If there was ever a good time to have your poker face on, it was now.
"Um...excuse me, but I think we have a right to know!" Taub said his voice rising ever so slightly.
"I told you, it's none of your business. Now if you have-"I said standing up and grabbing my cane.
"House, we want to know", Foreman cut me off walking right up to me and giving me a threatening stare.
"Hello? Have you ever heard of personal space?" I said without skipping a beat subconsciously smiling at my coolness. Foreman gave an annoyed huff but backed off.
"Whatever reason you have we deserve to know and if it's a bad one, we deserve to chide you for it" Thirteen said evidently enjoying standing up to her boss.
"Oh come on, I ditched you and you didn't like it, let's just leave it at that" I said flinging my head back and limping towards the door as swiftly as I could.
Taub headed me off:" Whatever reason you had, you have to admit it was a horrible time. I mean, come on!" Taub said his voice rising again, intimidated.
I turned around, now pacing around my office pinching the bridge of my nose, trying to stay calm:" It was the only thing for me to do. And I don't even know why we're talking about this except for the fact that you three think that I have a crappy reason-"
Before I could say anything else, I was cut off by Thirteen, yelling now.
"But how could House!? You just abandoned us and a patient for your own selfish desires. How do you expect us to-"
"I was hallucinating!" I yelled back, losing it. This sudden piece of knowledge shocked all three of them. They stood there, paralyzed for a full ten seconds until they could speak.
"You-you were hallucinating?" Taub said, apparently trying on the phrase.
"Yes. I was hallucinating! Dr. Gregory House, one of the most brilliant medical minds of this time was hallucinating!" I yelled, still fuming, "what did you expect me to do, just stand there when there is someone else who actually isn't there telling me what to do! I would have killed the patient!"
I reached into my jacket pockets turning them both out. "Damn, I want some Vicodin right now!" I said wiping sweat off my forehead.
"What were you, well, seeing?" Thirteen asked carefully, now calm. I paused before answering, contemplating
"Amber" I muttered softly, looking away again.
"And when Wilson came and you were acting strange all the time it was because you were hallucinating?" Foreman said brushing his face, looking guilty. All I did was nod and look down.
"Was it because of the Vicodin?" Taub asked, concerned.
"Well you haven't seen me take any this morning and I don't have any with me, ergo it's because of that and I'm stopping it" I answered bitterly, rubbing my leg.
"You're not taking Vicodin anymore?" Thirteen asked, evidently confused, not believing I was capable of doing such a thing.
"Yeah" I muttered glancing at her. Her face was confused but her eyes communicated something completely different, sadness, understanding even. I looked down again, hiding my shame.
I looked down again, unsure of what to tell them. Then, without another word I grabbed my cane and promptly limped out of my office.