Chapter 11

Jason walked in the patient's room to get another blood sample. The patient was curled up on his side in obvious abdominal pain. There was no way he would be able to take a sample with the patient like that, so he headed to the nurses' station and paged Dr. Taub. The nurses rushed to the patient's room and managed to get there just as the patient started vomiting. Taub followed shortly and ordered the nurses to start the patient on anti-emetics for the nausea and morphine for the pain. Jason walked back in the room and made preparations to take the blood sample when Taub started arguing with the nurses outside the room, "I told you to wean him off the steroids, not take him off cold turkey."

"We have weaned him off, he's still on a low dose now," the nurse countered.

"Then why would he react like that?" Taub asked.

Jason moved to the side of the bed and glanced at the IV bag. The nurse was correct in that the IV was a lower dosage of the steroid. He asked the patient, "Are you feeling any better?"

"Some yes," he answered. "I was feeling so much better than usual and then you took me off that medicine and now the pain has come back."

"What pain?" Jason asked. "I mean other than your hand."

"My belly always hurts some, but lately it's been hurting a lot," he answered.

"Why didn't you tell the doctors?" Jason asked.

"I didn't think it was important. Do you think it is?" the patient asked.

"You never know what is important or not, so it's always a good idea to let us know everything just in case it's related," Jason explained. "When do you notice that the abdominal pain hurts the most?" Jason continued his conversation with the patient as Taub dismissed the nurse and left for the conference room to call House.

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"The nurses swear they didn't take the patient off the steroids cold turkey," Taub was explaining to House on the phone when Jason walked in the door.

"It wouldn't matter, the patient wasn't on the steroids long term enough to cause that big of a reaction," House's voice said from the conference speaker phone.

"Dr. House?" Jason inquired. He waited and listened to the silence on the other end.

Finally the voice spoke again, "Are you going to say something or not?"

"Sorry, I was waiting to…..," Jason started.

"Don't care, what were you going to ask?" House asked.

"I was going to ask if Crones disease could cause neutrophilic dermatosis ," Jason said.

Taub answered, "No, they're two completely unrelated….."

"In rare cases, yes," House interrupted. "Why do you think he has crones?"

"Because he mentioned feeling better than he had in a long time while he was getting the steroids and I asked him about it. When he started telling me about it, I realized it sounded a lot like my grandmother and she has Crones."

"Get a biopsy and confirm. Start the patient back on steroids," House said and hung up.

Taub looked at Jason, "You scored points; let's go get the biopsy."

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Susan smiled to herself. Jason had done well; she was proud of him. She'd make sure to tell him when she got back to work.

"Quit smiling; he got lucky because he recognized the symptoms from his grandmother," House said.

"He got lucky because he paid attention where your fellows didn't," Susan said. "I told you he would be good."

"Still don't need him," House said as he mixed the cornmeal in with the flour.

"Regardless, you have a lot of work to do with your team," Susan said. "Taub usually works better than this."

"He and Chase bounce off of each other a lot and it helps both of them, which helps me," House said. "I need Chase back. Pull out the milk, butter, and eggs and some cheddar cheese."

"So pin him down," Susan said. "Go to his apartment and flat out ask him when he's coming back." She went to the refrigerator to get the items, "I think I need to put some of this outside. It's not very cool in here."

"It'll freeze outside. Go scoop some snow in a cooler and bring it inside. I don't think Chase wants to come back," House said.

"Yes he does, he just doesn't realize it yet," Susan said setting down the items within House's reach.

"He hasn't accepted my apology," House said.

"Give him time," Susan said as she walked out into the garage to find the cooler. She walked by the back door and saw her coat on the floor. She picked it up; it was still wet. She sat it back down and continued to the other side of the garage to where the cooler was stored. She shivered with cold as she grabbed the cooler and headed back toward the kitchen. She opened the back door and as she did so, House opened the door between the kitchen and the garage, "Relax, I'm only going far enough to scoop snow into the cooler." House turned around and went back into the kitchen, but left the door open behind him. Susan filled the cooler with snow and brought it back in, grabbed her coat and carried everything inside.

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David was traveling along the interstate at a mere 20 miles per hour. It was so slick, he didn't dare go any faster, four-wheel drive or not. They had finally made it passed Ewing and the next town on the horizon was home. Fourteen more miles, he thought to himself. He glanced at his speedometer and did a mental calculation. At this speed they should be home in just under an hour. It was pitch black outside; his headlights glaring off of the snow banks on either side of the single lane the crews had managed to clear. Phillip had leaned his seat back and dozed off thirty minutes earlier. This was all a big adventure to him, but sitting in one place for so long had finally worked its magic and lulled him off to sleep. David took a big breath and focused on the road.

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Susan finished rinsing the beans and put them in the stock pot covered with water to soak overnight. "Mother always started them cooking the same morning," House said.

"And that would be why you associate beans with 'plenty of fuel'," Susan said. "Soak them overnight and drain the soaking water the next morning before you start cooking them and it helps cut down on 'fuel issues'."

House finished preparing the dough for the fried cornbread. He made up three patties and headed to the fireplace. Susan followed behind with the fry pan, a spatula and some oil. Once at the fireplace, House put the pan on the grill, added the oil and when it was hot enough, added the cornmeal patties. It wasn't long before they were both munching on the treat.

"OK, I'm sold," Susan said as she swallowed her last bite. She got up and went to the kitchen to cover the rest of the dough and placed it in the cooler to keep overnight. Back in the living room, House was already stretched out on the couch. Susan looked at the chair where she had been sleeping and then glanced to the floor. Decision made, she headed upstairs.

"Where are you going?" House said.

"Attic," Susan said and disappeared.

House heard her traipsing around overhead and things being shuffled around. It wasn't long before he heard her exclaim, "Sweet." He wondered what she was so excited about and he didn't have to wait long to find out. Susan came downstairs carrying a bedroll. She unrolled it and made up her bed on the floor. The last thing she did was to place the coffee and the water in a place on the grill where it would stay warm. David and Phillip would be home soon and she wanted to have something warm for them to drink.

"Would you settle down?" House admonished.

"I'm finished, I just wanted to….," she started.

"Hush," House interrupted and closed his eyes.

Susan looked over at him and smiled. She lay down on the floor and drifted off to sleep.