Family
Chapter 4
Three hours later, 13 walked into the office and saw someone in loose jeans with a long shirt sat in House's chair with their back to her. A red ball was being lazily tossed and swiftly caught. 13 instantly assumed that it was House and threw a file on the desk.
"Three absent seizures in one week, trembling in the right arm, muscle pains in the right side, headaches. And," she added before she could be interrupted, "CT came back clean."
The chair was turned around and Millie looked at her with a frown. "White blood-cell count?" she asked, and 13 was so shocked and confused that she actually answered.
"Uh, twice as high as normal, but that's because he has a cold."
"Or maybe he has a cold because his white-blood-cell count is high."Millie said musing softly. "His body could be attacking itself. I suggest you run an auto-immune panel." She said with a frown.
"For who?" A voice asked from the door.
Millie shrugged and looked at the door. "Dunno. You're new patient I think." She muttered, throwing the ball at him with seemingly practiced skill. House caught them with similar skill and rolled his eyes.
"Up." He demanded and Millie sighed dramatically before standing.
Flopping down in the chair, House read the file before looking at 13. "Why are you still here?" he asked. "Run the tests." He flicked his wrist at her as if shooing her away. 13 left.
Millie rolled her eyes. "How long you gonna take?" she asked, "I'm hungry."
"Oh quit your whining." House put the file down. And smirked. "Besides, all you know how to cook is pizza. And Wilson's busy tonight, so he won't cook for us."
Millie shrugged, "so we order in."
"And what do we order?"
"Hmmm... I dunno. What is there to order? I grew up on cardboard, remember."
House grimaced and nodded in understanding, having grown up with military food. "What about Chinese?" he suggested.
"You eat Chinese people!?" Millie asked appalled.
Wilson poked his head into House's office. "Are you teasing her? Be nice." He scolded, smiling at Millie. He entered the room and sat down.
"Some of the tests came back." Taub said, bursting into the room. "We stopped the rest. We think it's MS." Thirteen and Kutner followed Taub into the room.
Millie answered before House could. "Sounds about right. Do an MRI and give him something for the pain." She ordered before looking at the shocked faces around her. "What?"
"You know about medicine?" Wilson asked in surprise as House dismissed his fellows.
Frowning, Millie just looked at the two people in the room. "Doesn't everyone?" she asked, "It's just there, I thought everyone knew it."
"What exactly do you know?" House asked, becoming interested. The patient was diagnosed, nothing for him to do, so now he was very interested in his relative's thoughts.
"Um. I dunno." Millie said, giving one of Abbey's shrugs. "How many words in the English language do you know?"
"Good point." House said, "Let's just test you,"
Smiling, Millie nodded, "O-kay..."
House pulled out a medical encyclopedia and opened it on a random page. "Here's how it goes. I'll give you a list of symptoms, and you tell me what you think it might be. We'll start off easy, then it'll get harder." House said, as all the others took seats – this would be interesting.
The test went on for two hours, and Millie got them all right, not a single wrong answer.
House put the book down and stood. Grabbing his cane, he headed out of the room and towards the elevator. Curious, both Wilson and Millie followed.
--
House bursting into her office was an event that Lisa Cuddy was used to. In fact, her day didn't seem complete until he was complaining about one thing or another. But this time, she became worried when House knocked on her door. House never knocked on her door.
A frown covered her face as she gestured for him to come in. He did so, and sat in front of her desk, silently, waiting for her to say something. He was leaning his head on his cane, staring at her.
"Who've you killed this time House?" It was meant as a joke and House smiled faintly.
"No-one this time boss. I want to hire someone."
That was why she liked House. He was to the point. It was one of his only good features.
"Okay, did you fire your fellows already?" She asked, going back to the paperwork she was sorting through.
"Nope."
"And you think I can afford to hire someone else for you?" Cuddy asked, glancing up at him.
House shrugged, "She's under minimal wage, and would only be able to work part time..."
"Under minimal wage? How old is she, 16?" After House paused, Cuddy looked up at him. "She is isn't she? House, a 16-year-old hasn't got the knowledge to be able to be in your team, not to mention the experience. I can't let you hire her."
"But mom." House whined like a three-year old. "She knows more about diagnostics than I do."
This caught Cuddy's attention. House never complemented anyone, and never said they were better than him. "I won't hire her until I've met her, and" She added, seeing House's smug smile, "have proof of her knowledge."
House walked out of Cuddy's office and into the clinic and saw Wilson and Millie stood waiting for them. Millie was looking around the room and pointing to people before whispering to Wilson. As House got closer, he realized that she was diagnosing them and describing what treatment they would need. Perfect.
"Millie, Wilson, come." House ordered as if speaking to dogs. And as such they responded, walking to him immediately.
"Why did you go talk to Cuddy?" Wilson asked.
"Cuddy wants to meet Millie." House explained and dragged them into the office.
Cuddy looked up from her files and smiled warmly at Millie. Instantly, she tensed, the smile making her uncomfortable. Standing next to her, House felt the reaction and smiled proudly. He was rubbing off on her.
"You must be the one House wants to hire." Cuddy said as way of introduction. "I am surprised. The man hardily wanted to hire the people he has now, it took him four weeks to decide."
Millie smiled nervously and looked at House.
"Cuddy, this is Millie, Millie, this is breastzilla." Cuddy gave House a warning look as he smirked. Wilson just rolled his eyes and checked out his boss's cleavage, it was definitely more pronounced than usual.
"Millie." Cuddy said with a nod. "I told House I wouldn't let him hire you until I have proof of your knowledge. I hope you won't take offence, but as dean of medicine, I need to know these things."
Millie nodded, "You want me to do the game Greg was making me do before?"
Startled at the use of House's first name, Cuddy just looked at House in confusion. House shook his head.
"It's too easy to cheat on that one. Let's let you do the real thing." House said before looking to Cuddy. "Take her into the clinic. Supervised by the three of us, and see what she diagnoses people with."
Thinking it was reasonable, Cuddy agreed and watched in amusement and wonder as Mille correctly diagnosed ten people and described what treatments they would need. The patients seemed doubtful that a teenager should be able to do that, so Cuddy would explain to each of them that that was exactly why they were there.
When they finally left the clinic, Cuddy led House to her office. "You're right, she's amazing. You can hire her, as long as she stays in school, stays away from practical procedures and works no more than eight hours a week. I'll pay her hourly and minimum wage. She can start next week." House nodded in agreement and turned to leave.
"And House. How do you know this girl?"
"She's family." House said with a shrug.
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