CHAPTER 5: ANOTHER REUNION

House had a real quick talk with Dominika's landlord. He informed the other man that she was moving out and thanked him for his understanding. "That's done", he told her, "You can go and make your suitcase. Give me a call when you check in at a hotel", he suggested. "In a heartbeat", she answered, asking him, "You sure will be okay?". "I'm not a baby and, besides, it's full of docs and nurses here", he replied. She stood over him, gave him a peck on the cheek and left. House was left alone with his thoughts. It wasn't only for her difficult to take in what had transpired during the last 24 hours. It still had a sense of surreal. Could it be that he had his chance to find happiness in life, to find what was constantly and persistently dodging him for so long? Maybe the advice he'd received was right, he should move on. All too often Wilson used to say to him, "House, you'll die alone". Seldom did he pay any heed to his friend's words, but now they rang in his ears like a dreadful warning. A warning that he couldn't ignore anymore. Definitely, life itself was giving him a chance and he shouldn't act like a moron and remain stuck in the past. He doubted himself, he doubted he would ever be able to improve, but at least he could try, try to find some happiness instead of remaining in the realm of pain.

His train of thoughts was interrupted when the door opened and the physician about to examine him walked in. House couldn't believe his eyes! "Masters?", he said in puzzlement. "That's starting to look like a second-rate film", he remarked. "Nice to meet you again, House", the young redhead said. "Really? Last time we met, you quit", he replied. "I had a chance to reconsider since then", she responded. "And I found out you were right. Sometimes, it's better not to say the whole truth to a patient", she confessed, beginning her examination. "You're growing up", House observed, adding, "Textbooks and theory are good, but they don't prepare you for the real world. And that's not only about medicine". For some time, they were both silent, until Masters commented, "You are not in danger. What madness drove you to take that experimental medicine?". "I tried to fix my leg", he just responded. Masters looked at him intensely and said, "There is another reason I personally requested to take care of your case". "Other than you miss those days you were in my team?", he enquired. Ignoring him, she kept going, "After I quit working for you, I applied for a position here. And, I discovered that you had the right approach. After handling a difficult case, using some of your methods, the Dean of Medicine said he'd recommend me to a colleague of hers, in Oregon. When Dr. Cooper- the Dean in the Oregon hospital- became aware, he called me with interesting news. They're setting up a Diagnostics department, inspired by yours. Being your fellow, I have a place in that team, secure. I start working there from September". House looked as if he was going to say something, but the younger doctor continued talking, before he managed to interrupt her, "The other important piece of news is that he'd like you to lead the Department". "What?", House asked. "As I said. A couple of days ago, he told me in a call he was going to email you. Haven't you checked your emails in the last few days?", she responded with a question. "Was too absorbed in the experimental compound", he blurted out, adding, "When I'm out of here, I'll check it out. Any comment on when I'm gonna go back home?". "Not today and not tomorrow. The day after tomorrow you will be able to return to your home, provided nothing new develops", was her answer. "Consider it for real, however. The offer from Oregon, I mean", she added. "I've rejected many offers those years", he replied, but added, "Gotta think about it". "I have clinic duty, I have to go now", Masters informed him. Turning to leave, she again faced him and announced, "By the way, Dr. Cooper isn't going to require any clinic duty of you or any member of the Diagnostics team". With those words, she left him and went to take care of her other patients.

Minutes after Masters had left, House's phone buzzed. He had a call from Dominika. "What's going on, old ball and Ukraine?", he asked. "I checked in hotel", she answered, further clarifying, "Left my things there and I'm returning to you now. What did your doctor say?", she finally asked. "If nothing bad happens, I'm out in two days. Got some news, as well", he informed her. "What news?", she enquired, her curiosity evident. "Come here and I'm gonna tell you. See you soon", he answered, hanging up.

In less than an hour, Dominika was back by his side. "How's the hotel?", he asked her. "Good. They don't make good kulich, though", she replied, partly in a joke. "Bad for them", he commented, before beginning to speak in a serious tone, "I got some interesting news, I told you on the phone. Just after you left, my doctor came to check on me. Turned out my case was transferred, from that moronic doctor of yesterday to my former team member, Masters. You remember, the redhead. From September onwards, she's going to Oregon. Someone there is setting up a Diagnostics department and he'd like me to head it". "And are you thinking of saying yes to the offer?", she asked him. "Don't know yet. The offer is interesting and I'm gonna be free from clinic duty", he replied. "But you don't wanna leave your old job, right?", she enquired, looking at him inquisitively. "I leave in Princeton for more than 15 years, I have this job for more than 10 years. If I say yes, it's gonna be a tough change", he confessed. "It's always hard to leave your life behind", she remarked in an empathetic tone, allowing herself to reflect on her own mixed feelings about leaving her homeland. "Right, as an immigrant, you have your fair share of leaving a life behind. How're you coping with missing your friends, your family, everything in general?", he enquired, eager to listen to her perspective. "Hard in the beginning. I remember my little brother- Fedir, ten years younger than me-, he begged me not to leave. My older sister, Iryna, said she gotta miss my cooking more than me personally", she answered, chuckling as she completed her sentence. "You communicate with them a lot, no?", he kept asking. "I talk to my mom on the phone twice a week. Same with my siblings. From time to time, I miss them, but...", she paused for a moment, then continuing, "If I had to choose between life there and being with you, I pick second option". "Wow", he uttered, not able to formulate a longer reply. "It's mostly Wilson you're reluctant to leave, no?", it was her turn ask. He didn't answer verbally, merely nodding, again absorbed in his thoughts. After a few minutes, he looked at her and said, "It's that I don't like changes. Changes are for the worse most of the time. What's new is usually for bad". "If your cane breaks, you ain't buying a new one?", she asked. "Nice. You're trying to apply the analogy to changes in life. Ingenious, but not to someone skilled in analogies and metaphors", he answered, with a dose of cynicism. "What I'm trying to say is, maybe it's time for change. If you don't try, how can you know it's good or bad? Agreeing to be together is not a change?", she held her own edge. "Don't know where this argument is gonna lead, but I know for sure you ain't boring", he responded, before returning to the main thread of the conversation, "It's a risk I'm willing to take. Being with you, I mean. The rest, I said I don't know yet. What you gotta understand is, people don't change. If you think I'm about to change if I live somewhere else, you're wrong. And boring". "I never wanted you to change", she blurted out. "Last time I heard that, I soon had to deal with a breakup and relapsed on Vicodin", he remarked. "Then, your ex didn't mean it. Thought she could change you. I want you as you are", she replied honestly, smiling while looking at him, directly in the eyes.

"Oh, crap", he said, distracted by his buzzing phone. A call from Wilson! "Who's calling you?", Dominika asked him. "Wilson", he answered. "Gotta answer, I'm getting back to you later", he said, answering the phone with those words. "House? Are you there?", Wilson asked. "Saw your morning calls. What's happening back there?", he responded nonchalantly. "Seriously now? You call in the middle of the night, then you disappear, then I hear from your neighbor you had to be carried somewhere by car, and now you're asking me what's going on? Where are you, House?", Wilson responded, almost exasperated. "Somewhere with a lot of casinos and gamblers", he said mischievously. "You okay? I phoned five hospitals, thinking you'd overdosed and sought help", the oncologist replied. "I'm being taken special care of, by a redhead know-it-all and my old ball and Ukraine. Be back there in a couple of days", he answered, his cryptic statements making Wilson exhale audibly. "Since you ask, I had to fill your place in Diagnostics. Some kind of friend of Thirteen's was admitted in the hospital last night. We almost screwed up, but we managed to find what she had and she's getting better. Cuddy is furious, though. She said that, if you don't appear within 48 hours, she's firing you", Wilson updated him. "Good job with the patient. As for Cuddy, tell her I'm back in two days. Gotta go now, will call you tomorrow", House replied, hanging up. He turned to Dominika, saying, "You're right. Time to move on".