The clinic was full to the brim with people, all suffering from things that looked highly contagious and disgusting. Cuddy nearly sprinted about the floor trying to find whatever help she could. Cameron, Chase and Foreman were already shuffled into rooms wading through the mucus and cold sweats. But it wasn't them Cuddy was worried about, she hadn't seen House's cane grace the tile of the clinic in hours. She was fuming and was hoping that her face was getting hot due to that rather than a sudden fever she had contracted from the five year old boy who sneezed on her. She stomped her way down to his office, her heels making sharp pointed clicking sounds on the floor. It was the sound that struck fear into the hearts of many, except one. She wheeled on his office and was about to start her rampage when she noticed that the room was empty, the sunlight shining cheerily through the window. She stayed silent in the middle of the hallway, like a young girl trying to find her friends during a game. Then she heard it, coming from four doors down, Addison's room.
"Oh Rick, I thought you had left me for good. Ever since that bitch, Monica entered our lives there has been such a wedge placed between us." Her eyebrow rose in anger and the sharp clicking began again towards the talking.
"But, Salene, she's carrying my child. Surely you must understand why I had to leave with her."
"You left, Rick, before I could tell you, I'm also carrying your child." She stood in the middle of the door frame, hands on her hips watching as House's eyes became wide in shock as he watched the television in the corner.
"No way! Totally didn't see that coming! I thought for sure Salene was his sister! Damn it I owe, Chase fifty bucks." With that House popped a Vicadin and smiled at Cuddy.
"I can't believe this." She began, shaking her head.
"I know, I thought Monica was such a better catch than that slut Salene, but hey to each their own right?" House continued to watch the television, not even paying mind to Cuddy's vein pulsing out of her forehead.
"There is a bottle neck a mile long in the clinic, sick people House, really sick people, that need doctors attention." She was trying to clam herself down as she spoke.
"Wow, that sounds terrible, too bad I'm already busy." His eyes were glued to the television.
"Too busy, watching your damn soap operas?" The vein looked as though it were going to burst at this point.
"Well, contrary to popular belief there are some men that can multi-task and that is exactly what I am doing now. Not only am I losing fifty bucks to Chase, but I am also monitoring my patient." He quipped finally taking his eyes from the screen and looking over to Addison's bed. But his eyes didn't go back to the television, they stayed glued to Addison. Cuddy followed his gaze and too became awe struck with what she saw in front of her. Addison's eyes were open, she was looking at the television questioningly and hazy eyed.
"See? Told you." House stood from his chair and limped over to Addison's bedside, Cuddy following him. She took her pen light from her coat and flicked it on, preparing to look into Addison's eyes.
"Addison, can you look at me?" Addison looked around the room confused and then back up to the television which was captivating her.
"Addison?" There was still no real response. "Can she hear me?" Cuddy proposed. House clapped his hands near Addison's ear, making her flinch.
"It appears she can." House looked to the television and limped over, pressing the power button and making the screen go dark. Suddenly without her distraction, Addison looked to the face next to her with groggy eyes. House motioned for Cuddy to hand him the penlight, which he clicked on and brought up to Addison's eye. The moment it was raised to the point where she could see it, she started shaking and cowaring back into the blankets, beginning to choking on her breathing tube.
"Addison, shhhh, we'll get the tube out, hold on." Cuddy advanced, at this point Addison was shaking harder then ever, trying to struggle out of the bed. Cuddy grabbed a restraint from the bed and wrapped it around her wrist.
"House do you mind helping me here?" She breathed as she struggled to keep the girl calm. But House simply stood watching her, trapped in almost a hypnotic state of thought. Cuddy sighed and reached across for the other restraint securing it around her other wrist.
"Shhhhh, you're okay, you're okay." She gripped the end of the tube and pulled. Addison felt the long tube move up her throat harshly and slid out her mouth. She started coughing violently, continuing to shake and then hiccup making her body convulse. Her eyes flew from the ceiling to the faces around her.
Just then there were three faces in the doorway, Cameron, Foreman and Chase entered the room, all in immediate awe at the fact that Addison was finally awake.
"She's awake!" Cameron breathed, smiling, but the smile quickly faded as she closely observed the scene in front of her.
"Shouldn't you three be in the clinic?" Cuddy ran a hand over her face, winded from the struggle with the breathing tube. House hadn't taken his eyes from the bed since seeing Addison awake.
"We need some help with this guy, he's yelling in the waiting room, threatening to sue the hospital for the long wait." Foreman crossed his arms over his chest, magnifying his feelings that he believed the man was a moron. House watched Addison take in these new people and noticed that her hiccuping got more violent and her shaking more rapid.
"Sounds like the clinic's in need of you Litigation Woman, why don't you, Robin, Batgirl and...Foreman, sorry I don't remember any black sidekicks, go take down the evil man in the waiting room." House finally took his eyes from Addison and stared Cuddy hard in the face.
"I can get someone else to deal with him." Cuddy looked down at Addison, feeling a pang of guilt in the girl's condition.
"God, you really can't take a hint can you? You need to leave...now...all of you." Cuddy was aghast at House's forwardness.
"She's having a panic attack. Now we could give her a sedative, but that wouldn't help us find out what kind of damage her mother's done to her if she's drooling on herself. No, I perfer to try the holistic non-invasive method of curing her panic attack by having you four leave." Cuddy looked back down at Addison, who was staring down at the floor continuing to shake and hiccup. She knew House was right, the girl had lived in complete isolation and now was being forced to deal with five new people at once, in a new place. She motioned for the three others in the room to start walking towards the door, she followed, glancing back at House and the girl briefly before disappearing down the hallway.
House limped to the door and shut it, waiting for a moment before limping back to his seat next to the bed and picking up the remote for the television set, flicking it on. The screen lit up and Rick and Salena were now in a dress shop looking at wedding dresses.
Addison continued to shake and hiccup, staring at the floor. House wanted to appear as though he was watching the television, but was closely observing her out of the corner of her eyes. Slowly, Addison's eyes began to lift from the floor and up to the television. Her hiccuping slowed and her shaking became minimal. After a while longer, she was quiet and simply laying in bed with her face on the pillow watching the credits of the show go scrolling across the scene and an add for Frosted Flakes come on.
House glanced at Addison once more to make sure she was calm before standing and limping over to the bed. It seemed as though he wasn't even there as Addison was mesmerized by Tony the Tiger. He took her wrist and checked her pulse. It was returning to normal. The commercial ended and Addison looked up at House and then slowly down to his pocket, where the penlight was sticking out. House noticed and reached in to get it out, she shrunk back slightly and it was then that House noticed a tell tale sign of severe abuse, like a dog that's been hit to many times cowers when there is quick movement. He moved slowly and placed the penlight on the bed by Addison's hand and undid the restraint on that side. She was cautious looking from the penlight to the floor and back again. House moved to the other side of the bed and went about changing her IV bag, once again pretending not to be watching. Carefully, her fingers crept down the blanket and touched the light, bringing it up closer, she turned the light slowly on the bed, examining every side, and then saw the switch. She felt it for a moment and then, to House's surprise switched it on. She leapt back slightly when the thin beam of light hit the wall on the other side of the room. She let go of the flashlight sending it rattling to the floor. It was then that House realized the full extent of this girl's neglect. She didn't now language, she didn't know how to interact with anyone, she was fearful of anyone and everything, yet down deep inside was a curiosity and interest in the unknown. House had discovered his ultimate mystery and as he finished changing the IV bag he grew excited about the possibilities and theories that this girl could prove or disprove. Addison watched the flashlight spin on the floor and saw the light hit the floor and the wall in a flowing spiral. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.
