Disclaimer: Not mine. Not mine. Not mine. If you think it's mine, you're wrong. It's not.
House scooted into the elevator, pushing hard on the 'close door' button. He leaned his head back against the wall of the elevator when he heard a familiar voice.
"Dr. House, hold the elevator!"
Dr. Cameron was walking toward the elevator, half expecting to see the doors close. At the very last second, House's cane shot out and kept the doors apart.
"Thanks," she said as she came into the elevator.
"Next time I'm not holding it," he said, leaning his head back against the elevator wall. She rolled her eyes.
After a few moments of tense silence, the elevator reached their floor. Cameron darted from the elevator. House sauntered nonchalantly after her. Suddenly someone stepped in front of him.
"Ah, Cuddy. What is it today? Am I being sued? Judging from the look on your face, it's certainly not a warm welcome back to the hospital after a long night."
Cuddy looked at him, eyebrows arched. "You didn't do your clinic hours yesterday," she said.
"Hmmm," he said, "must have slipped my mind." He attempted to maneuver around her, but failed.
"House, after we lost Vogler's $100 million, the least you could do is work your clinic shift," she said.
"Are we still hung up on that hundred mil?" he asked. Cuddy gave him a withering look and turned to go to her office. House shrugged, continuing on his way back to his office.
An hour later, Foreman opened the door to House's office. House was sitting, iPod on, listening to the music and completely oblivious to Foreman's entrance. Foreman sighed, walking up and sitting down. House gave Foreman a bewildered look that said 'what could be so important that you would interrupt this?'
"New patient," said Foreman. House pulled out his ear buds, pausing his iPod.
"What?" he asked. "Couldn't hear you. I was listening to The Who."
"New patient," repeated Foreman. "20-year-old female. Staying at home with her folks. Hasn't been feeling well for the past couple of days. They decided to bring her to the hospital."
"Attack of the hypochondriacs," commented House as he heaved himself out of his chair. Foreman shook his head, following House to the patient's room.
The girl lay in a hospital bed. She was very pale. Her mother and father sat next to her, and her little sister was standing in a corner looking just as pale and very frightened. Dr. Chase was asking the girl's parents some questions and Dr. Cameron was talking to the sister, trying to calm her down.
Foreman detailed more about the case. "Her name is Robyn Kaufmann," he said. "She's been having severe abdominal pain. She had an x-ray a few days ago. It showed gas bubbles suspended in her colon, but the doctor they got it from said not to worry about it." House rolled his eyes. Foreman knew what was coming.
"Idiot," said House. Foreman nodded. "Gas bubbles in the colon can be indicative of toxic megacolon. That's bad." Foreman shrugged.
"Not everyone is as good of a diagnostician as you," said Cameron from across the room. Robyn's little sister, who was thirteen, was now sitting with her parents, looking slightly less ill. House turned to face her.
"Thank you," he said sarcastically. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I hear my iPod calling to me." He turned toward the door, pausing as he was about to exit. "Oh, start her on treatment for toxic megacolon. We'll keep checking back." Then he sauntered down to his office. Cameron looked apologetically at Robyn's family.
"He's always like that," she said with a small smile. "He's a great doctor though, Robyn is in good hands." Robyn's little sister, Jordan, smiled gratefully.
"Thanks," she whispered to Cameron as her family left. Cameron smiled at her.
"Sure," replied Cameron.