Disclaimer: House and all respective characters do not belong to me. I am only borrowing them for personal enjoyment.
Also I am not a doctor so I have decided to borrow cases used earlier in the show for medical accuracy. My creativity comes in with building and developing character relationships as well as introducing original characters. Reviews are most welcome. Hope you enjoy.
A little later, Thirteen met up with Adam and Taub in Cyrus' room. Jennifer and Phil are with him.
"We're giving you more cancer," Taub states. "The risks of that are kind of obvious."
"We'll scan you and run your blood at frequent intervals," Thirteen says. "We believe this is our best chance at finding the underlying genetic flaw." They hand Cyrus the consent form.
Cyrus looks at the consent form for a second. He then looks at Jennifer. "Will you marry me?"
Thirteen, Adam, and Taub look at each other and then back at the scene in front of them.
"Don't be stupid," Jennifer replies flabbergasted.
"If this cancer overwhelms me, at least I'll die happy here and now, instead of hoping for a future I may never have," Cyrus says calmly. "I love you."
"No, you don't," Jennifer says. "You don't know. You can't know. We both need more time. And I believe we're gonna have it."
Taub, Adam, and Thirteen leave and are talking in the PPTH lobby.
"Do you notice she's wearing different clothes every day," Thirteen asks Taub.
"As opposed to the same, Starfleet-issued tunic," Taub asks back.
"She said she came for one night," Thirteen says thinking aloud. "Why'd she pack for more?"
"So she stuffed an extra sweatshirt in her bag, or she bought something," Taub says.
"Used," Thirteen asks. "She's here because an old beau struck gold."
"She turned down a proposal," Adam reflected. "How long a game you think she's playing?"
"I think if she said yes after 14 hours, even he'd be suspicious," Thirteen responded.
"You're lucky you're hot and smart, because…well, you're just lucky you're hot and smart," Taub says.
She rolls her eyes.
"It's not impossible to know you love someone right away," Adam says. "If people would get out of their own way and not worry about all the stupid stuff, love would be much easier." Adam trailed off. He looked down and bounced his cane off the floor. Taub and Thirteen looked at each other not sure what to make of Adam's comment.
Later that night, House enters his office. He opens his drawer to retrieve something and notices Foreman in the outer office, folded in two, holding a yoga pose. House walks in giving him a stupid look.
Foreman looks over still with his legs folded over his head. "I need a hooker."
"Not if you can make that work," House responds.
Foreman gives up and sits. "How is that supposed to relax you," Foreman says in disbelief. "It's not for me. It's for Chase."
"I'm saving myself too," House responds. "Maybe you should get a couple."
"You're riding me. Why not ride him," Foreman asks.
"Because I can get a rise out of your BP," House replies simply. "His pee-pee on the other hand… Forget yoga. Embrace Zen. You're a repressed idiot. He's a horny idiot. Neither one of you can do anything about it. Pretty sure that's Zen."
The next day House is lying in a patient's bed eating in his socks. His portable TV is on. Wilson and Cuddy enter the room, look startled at the view of a coma patient lying on the floor. They notice House's shoes at the foot of the bed, but don't say anything.
"Thought we were meeting in Cuddy's office," House asked curious at how they found him.
"And I put one of the radio frequency tagged sponges from the O.R. in your portable television," Wilson says back.
"However much it hurt, I did have a right to break up with you," Cuddy states.
"You just want everything to have a hidden personal agenda," House says.
"You need to get over it instead of torpedoing our jobs out of spite," Cuddy responds.
"Couldn't just be that you're a pain professionally," House says back.
"Stop," Wilson shouts cutting them both off. "You're both at fault here. You for trying to manipulate House when you used to know better, and you for… being you, which is an especially bad idea under the circumstances."
"I had good reasons," House says.
"You had lame rationalizations," Wilson replies.
"If I hadn't played him, he'd have found out about the meeting and crashed it anyway," Cuddy defends.
"Would have been a lot more efficient," House retorts.
"Enough," Wilson shouts again. "Okay, here's what's gonna happen. Tomorrow I drive both of you to Arlene's. You're gonna write her a personal check for $30,000, and tell her she can stay in her own home with your blessing. You're gonna do this because you actually give a crap about your job and this hospital and your mother, and possibly even House." Wilson then looks at House. "And you're gonna say, I'm sorry, and not utter one syllable more."
"Because I'm an idiot," House asks.
"No, because if you don't, I'm gonna tell the pharmacy to stop issuing Vicodin prescriptions in my name," Wilson responds glaring at House.
"I'm not paying for gas," House says.
Meanwhile Thirteen is examining Cyrus in his room.
"Anything look different," Cyrus asks.
"Not yet," she responds. "Where's Jennifer?"
"She's embezzling money from my Swiss bank account," Cyrus responds seriously. "That's what you think, isn't it? I'm being taken for a ride?"
Thirteen is slightly shocked by the accusation. "I think she wouldn't be here if you were still fixing refrigerators. One random set of numbers doesn't change human nature."
"Those sets of numbers are what kept me going," Cyrus says. "Clutching those tickets, thinking about the life I could have, finding Jennifer again."
"So you figure if one long-shot dream came true the other one will as well," Thirteen asks.
"You think you're protecting me," Cyrus asks. "I think you're sad. Can't stand to see somebody happy."
Later that day, House, Cuddy and Wilson are standing in front of Arlene's door waiting for her to answer it. The door opens and Arlene stares at the three people in front of him.
"Mom, here's a check, Cuddy says. "It's a settlement for all you've been through. Of course you can stay in your home. It was wrong of me to suggest otherwise." She slips away. Arlene smiles at House, waiting.
"I'm sorry," House says. "That we saved your life…in the way that we did."
"B-plus," Wilson says. "I hope this resolves everything. I can tell you that both your daughter and Dr. House…"
"This is thirty grand," Arlene says.
"Which is what you asked for," Wilson says confused.
"This covers pain and suffering," Arlene says. "What about the probate lawyer?"
"Do you two…" Wilson starts.
"I have to change my will, leave everything to Julia so this one doesn't try more funny business to get control of my home," Arlene says.
"I'm sure we can toss in another twenty-five hundred," Wilson says.
"Well, I guess I'll have to kill you tonight then," Cuddy says. "Mom, I'm not interested in…"
"You already think you own my body," Arlene says. "Why not my home too?"
"Everybody stay calm, and…" Wilson starts.
"You have to lash out at everyone who tries to help you," Cuddy interrupts. "Live in your own kitchen sink for all I care."
"Harsh. I didn't think you had a case before, but that is no way to talk to a patient," House says to Arlene.
"You are right," Arlene says. She rips the check up and closes the door.
Meanwhile in the PPTH lobby, Foreman, Taub, and Adam are watching Chase getting friendly with a pretty blonde nurse. While they speak, we can see Chase and the nurse doing exactly what Foreman is describing.
"Chase has had his eyes on this one for months," Foreman says.
"Meaning he has eyes," Taub questions.
"So what, she's hot," Adam says.
"So, I paid her 100 bucks," Foreman says smiling. "When he hits on her, might be tonight, might be next week, she's gonna slap him and storm off."
"So your plan is to prove you're both full of crap all in one move, Taub asked.
"First he'll compliment her hair. That's how he breaks the ice," Foreman says. "Next comes some kind of joke or story. He's sharpening his harpoon."
"Are my moves this predictable," Taub asks a hint of concern in his voice.
Adam laughs at Taub's comment.
"She's grabbing his arm. He's going in for the kill," Foreman narrates. The nurse leaves Chase, goes to Foreman, slaps him in the face and gives him his money back. Foreman turns to Chase, who just noticed Foreman standing in the hall. Chase smiles and waves at him.
Taub pats Foreman's arm. "Don't let it get to you," he says.
By this time, Adam is laughing hysterically. "Don't make him angry," Adam says to Taub as they walk away. "You wouldn't like him when he's angry."
Taub laughs at Adam's joke.
An hour later Taub is performing an ultrasound in Cyrus' room. He looks worse. Jennifer is holding his hand.
"Poured a lot of gas on the fire. Ultrasound will give us a good look at the damage," Taub says. "Little more gel."
"I never made a will," Cyrus says. "I want to provide for you, if I don't…"
"Stop it, will you," Jennifer says.
"Like you to hold your breath for a sec," Taub says.
"Your money, there's charities, causes, your family," Jennifer says. "You got to ask yourself what's mattered to you most year in and year out."
"That can't be right," Taub says.
"Is it bad news," Cyrus asks.
"No. We've been pumping you with growth factor, but you don't have any new cancers," Taub says. "The tumors you had all shrank."
A few minutes later, the team regrouped in the diagnostics office for a new differential. Chase is setting up the blood pressure monitor, again.
"Three tumors disappearing means we were probably wrong about him missing a tumor-suppressor gene," Foreman says.
"How many mulligans are you gonna ask for," Chase questions.
"This test is what raised my blood pressure," Foreman responds. "I'm used to it now." He takes deep breaths and waves his arms. "Go. If it's autoimmune and he created antibodies that ended up fighting his own tumors…"
"Growth factor would have made the underlying autoimmune condition better," Adam says.
"Maybe it was never cancer in the first place," Taub suggests.
"Of course it was cancer," Foreman says annoyed. "We biopsied…" He glances at the monitor and calms down. "It could have been a false positive."
"Amyloidosis," Thirteen suggests. "His EKG voltage has been on the low end of normal. What if the tumors were actually protein deposits?"
"G.I. biopsy to confirm, chemo to treat," House says sitting on a bench leaning against the glass wall.
"She's making that diagnosis based off of low-normal EKG," Foreman says. "Low-normal is still normal." His blood pressure is rising. "That thing cannot be right."
"Low-normal is still low," House says. "And that thing does not have money riding on you being wrong, like the rest of us do."
"Chase fixed this," Foreman shouted.
"Oh, I think you're confusing Chase and Foreman," Thirteen snipes. "I used to do that all the time."
Adam laughs as he watches the personal dynamics of the team. Taking it all in.
"I know it's rigged," Foreman argues back. His blood pressure is still rising.
"Because you're Mr. Cool," Taub asks. "Nothing could possibly faze…"
"Because I took a beta blocker," Foreman shouts. The team is quite for a moment and they all shift their gaze to Chase. Chase shows them the remote he's been hiding. "Both times, right?" Chase nods. "His platelet count's still low. Chemo's still a death sentence. Treating for amyloid with normal EKG is like doing heart surgery on a guy because he's ten pounds overweight. It's insane."
"Well, we'll do it your way," House says. "Go shout at the patient till he gets better. G.I. biopsy to confirm, chemo to treat." The team files out of the ddx room. House uses the handle of his cane to grab Thirteen's arm on her way out.
"Here's the dirty little secret," Thirteen starts not waiting for House to say anything. "I just think we are who we are. And I think lotteries are stupid." She walks out.
A moment later Adam walks back in, "She's not an alcoholic."
"I'm not a marathon runner," House responds. "Sorry, thought we were listing obvious things." He stands up and limps to his office.
Adam follows him. "Every time we've had a differential today you've stopped Thirteen on the way out. Why?"
"We're setting up a time to meet for a little nsa after work," House snipes. "Keep it on the down-low."
"You're covering up something for her and I don't care why," Adam says.
House turns around and looks Adam in the eye.
"I just want to make sure she's ok," Adam says. "She's been overly bitter about this case, and you keep talking to her alone, I'd be an idiot to not notice something is going on."
House's gaze softens a little. He continues staring at Adam for a moment. "Very perceptive, why do you care?" His expression turns to one of puzzlement.
"I've seen people in trouble before and done nothing about it," Adam responds solemnly. "I know she has Huntington's, and I know the others are worried, they just won't say anything about it."
"Let me guess, girlfriend," House says waiting for a response.
"Yeah," Adam looks down and bounces his cane. "We lived together for a few years. She was clinically depressed, found her when I came home from class one day."
House nodded slowly. "She's fine. I'm keeping a close eye on her."
Adam nodded, turned and limped out of the office.