Chapter 12

PT or Not PT

Kelly's day had started well. Waking without pain was something new, and very good. To her change was something that couldn't be trusted, but she decided it wasn't all bad. After letting all the gray slip away, she listened carefully, trying to see if any good colors were around. Finding lots of non-threatening colors, but none like the teal, or the bold plum, gold, and blue, she let her mind wander. It was a game she had devised while still in the bad place. She would map her body mentally, finding all the places that didn't hurt. Back then the game didn't take very long, but this morning the only places she couldn't add to her mental list were her knee, which throbbed but didn't hurt as badly as before, and her back. The latter itched like crazy and if she wasn't careful about how she moved, it pulled and burned. Overall, she decided that this was the best she had felt in a long time.

It wasn't long after finishing her self-survey that two colors got much brighter, and Kelly felt the awkward tingling that meant she was no longer alone in a room. The one color she recognized from earlier, and with it came the memory of good feelings, and the relief of pain. It was a soft sky blue, but with it was a color that worried Kelly. It was a deep maroon, and that was far too close to red for her liking. The two colors swirled and blended together, and soon she felt a hand on her shoulder. It was gentle, but insistent. They wanted her awake. Deciding that going along was the safest route; she opened her eyes to see a young woman standing over her. This must be the sky blue. She tried to give a half smile in thanks for before, but Kelly didn't know if the woman got it. Shifting her gaze to the other person, she was immediately worried. The man that stood there was HUGE. His face was twisted into a smile, but she didn't trust it. After a moment, Kelly realized that the woman was talking to her.

"…get you started," the nurse finished.

Kelly looked at her blankly, but obviously the other woman was not looking for a reply, because she just smiled again and nodded to the man. He pushed a strange contraption towards her. She remembered this thing vaguely; metal and hard plastic, with large wheels. She searched her memory for a name, but fear and worry made it hard to think. She could feel the gray pushing at her, trying to draw her back into safety, but she pushed back, and won.

"Ok kiddo, we've got to get you dressed a little more, and then we can head out." The man's voice was deep, but Kelly couldn't decide if it was friendly or not. When the woman handed her a light blue top, she at first looked at it blankly, and then realized what was wanted. They wanted her to get dressed. After struggling with the stiff top, and a sore back, the woman smiled, and the man stepped forward. He took her leg out of the sling and pulled out another odd looking thing. It was a bunch of black lines and circles; all arranged in a seemingly random pattern. She focused on the object, and slid into the gray. This happened sometimes when she focused too hard on one object or thought. Too tired to fight, she stayed in her world until a jot of pain snapped her out of it.

She looked around and found herself in a strange place, alone with the maroon man, and he was moving her leg in a painful way.

No she signed, hoping this was all just an accident. She thought she was free of the bad place, and the pain that went with it. When he didn't stop moving her leg she tried again.

No

"Ok, you're all stretched out now, how about we get you standing?" she knew the words had meaning, but concentrating on them enough to understand was too hard at this point. When he moved to pick her up, she struggled a little, knowing that any resistance would most likely be met with more pain.

"Come on, I know it's not fun, but the sooner we get you up and around, the easier it will be later. You only have to stand, no walking today. Come on try?" he spoke again, but while the words did not seem threatening, she couldn't help but be afraid. He then lifted her from the table where she had found herself sitting, and placed her hands on two wooden poles. Pain flared as she found herself vertical, and her legs turned to jello. She sank to the floor, and into her gray world.

Another indeterminate amount of time passed, when she found her attention drawn outwards. Something familiar was in her hands. She gently felt the object, and its identification immediately calmed her. It was the smooth thing that belonged to the …House. Slowly opening herself up, she could hear the soft sounds that produced the soothing teal color, and she finally looked at him. He was on the ground next to her, talking without really thinking; she could see his gaze was set on the far wall, and his eyes were slightly unfocused. He finally noticed her gaze and spoke to her. She concentrated carefully, and answered with what she thought was right. She was still fighting the gray, and communication was not an easy task. After a few more questions, her mind cleared a little and she was able to ask a question.

No…h…u…r…t? The answer was not what she was looking for, but she made up her mind to trust House.

Yes she watched as House struggled slightly to get up. Watching him move, it was obvious he was acquainted with pain, just like she was. He stood for a moment, seemingly lost, and then pulled out…she again had to search her memory for the name of the small object. Phone, that was the name. He spoke into it for a moment, and then turned back to her.

"Ok, we'll be out of here soon, and then you'll have to give me my cane back," he spoke softly, but Kelly could sense an underlying tension. Something about needing his 'cane' back bothered him. Kelly would have tried to figure it out, but her pain was returning, and the effort involved was beyond her at the moment. She let herself drift off, and her hands went limp on the smooth.

House saw Kelly go limp, and for a moment panicked. He then realized that she had simply fallen asleep. He tried only once to rouse her, and then resigned himself to waiting for Foreman and the orderlies to get there. They arrived quickly, and had Kelly on a gurney in a matter of minutes. House was finally able to retrieve his cane, and he hated the immense feeling of relief that came with its return. He gave Foreman a quick nod, and followed Kelly back to her room. She stayed asleep through the transfer, and House decided that some quality time with his TV was in order.

He was startled out of his half-trance when the glass doors to his office snapped open, and Cuddy, along with another woman, strode purposefully into his office.

"Dr. House, this is, Melinda Hartford, and she works for DCFS, specifically with special needs children; she wanted to talk to you about Kelly." Cuddy gave him a look that said that he had no choice but to have this talk, and House was pretty sure that he wasn't going to like it. There was something about the other woman that annoyed him, but he didn't know what; she was dressed similarly to Cuddy, if a bit more conservatively, and her straight blond hair was pulled back sharply. He gave her a nod, and went back to his program. He would listen, and answer, but he didn't have to act like he was paying attention. He heard Cuddy sigh, and she left the room.

"Dr. House, what can you tell me of Kelly's progress in the past few weeks?" Mary… Meghan… Melanie…whatever asked.

"Progress, and by progress do you mean the fact that we now know that she's autistic, not deaf, and that she is no longer in horrible pain due to abuse suffered while under the "careful" supervision of your department?" he spoke without removing his eyes from the TV.

"Actually, Kelly was never sent to my department, and that was an oversight that has been of great concern for all involved. We have been trying to fix that ever since we discovered it. Now, about the pain, you have done a surgery to fix the problem with her knee, and she is no longer suffering from the illness that she was brought here for?" Again, she asked the questions in short clipped tones, but she had obviously done her homework.

"Yes, and for some reason, she seems to like me, God knows why, and I've been able to umm…talk with her, to an extent. She signs, but not very well. I've arranged a private tutor to come and work with her."

"I'm afraid that will not be necessary. We have found a proper placement for her; it's a school for autistic children, and we've worked it out with them that Kelly will be able to live there year round. It's really for the best. They will be able to get her to talk, and interact in a normal way." The way she said 'normal' made House want to rip her throat out.

"Normal? Really? So, because she chooses to speak in a way that makes her feel safer, and more comfortable, you're going to label her as abnormal, and send her off to a school to fix that problem? This girl has been severely abused; any type of discipline could send her into a near catatonic state, just like she was when she got here! She doesn't need to be "normal"! She's fine, she communicates, she's very high functioning, or she would be if she weren't an abuse victim." House realized that he was ranting, and cut himself off quickly. Taking a breath, he continued again.

"What would it take for her to be placed in a more normal home?"

The woman…M-something glared at him and gave him a small fake smile. "Well she can't read, she can't write, if she had even any basic skills at all, she could be sent to a more normal school and they could work with her there, but as she can't even do that…"

"So you're saying that if she could read and write, that she would be laced in a more conventional home…ok. Then I'll teach her to read."

"You could try, but she's being transferred in two days, I don't think even you could teach someone to read in two days. But, as I think this will be humorous to observe, if you can get her to write her name, and read from a first grade level book, I will get her a placement with a family."

"You're on."