Chapter 6

"Respiratory failure, loss of kidney function on top of everything else." Cameron reported to House by phone.

"What are we missing? Come on, people, there has to be something!" House was nearly shouting with frustration. Instead of getting better, the patient was slowly getting worse. It had been days, and all they done was rule out everything they could possibly think of while this little girl slowly died.

"It almost mimics the symptoms of a neuro-toxin, like a venom, but she hasn't been bitten by anything, " Foreman suggested.

"Are you sure about that?" House asked.

"We checked for snake bites, House, there's nothing there." Chase replied.

"What was she doing when she collapsed?" House asked again.

Cameron sighed, "House, we've been over this, she was at home, family reunion party, remember?"

"A reunion with who?" House asked.

"What difference does it make?" Chase asked. "None of the rest of the family is sick."

"With who?" House asked again, impatient now.

"With her uncle," Cameron answered. "He just came back from Mexico."

"Why was he in Mexico?" House continued.

"He's an entomologist. He went there to study bugs. What does that have to do with anything?" Chase asked.

"Because maybe he didn't just bring back sombreros and tequila." House suggested.

"Chase, Foreman, find the uncle. Ask him what he brought back with him, and see if there is anything little girls shouldn't be playing with. Cameron, go back and ask the girl again if she was snooping through Uncle's things for something." House ordered.

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Chase and Foreman found Jenna's parents in the hall.

"We need to speak to Jenna's uncle, the one who was in Mexico." Foreman told the parents.

"Why, what does he have to do with this?" Jenna's mother asked.

"We don't know, maybe nothing. But Jenna's symptoms are very similar to those we would expect from a venomous snakebite. We know she wasn't bitten by a snake, we're thinking her uncle may have brought back some type of insect that could be harmful." Chase told them.

Meanwhile, Cameron went back into Jenna's room. The girl was sleeping. Cameron shook her arm lightly to wake her.

"Jenna, it's Dr. Cameron. I need to ask you something, and it's very important that you tell me the truth. Just nod your head if you understand." Jenna nodded. "Good, I need to know if you were touching anything that belonged to your uncle, maybe while he wasn't looking? Something that you weren't supposed to touch?"

Jenna slowly nodded her head, she couldn't speak, but Cameron had enough information to give Chase and Foreman a place to start.

"She said she was looking through the uncle's things when he was out of the room. The stuff she wasn't supposed to touch" Cameron told them as she came out into the hall.

Foreman and Chase arrived at the patient's house with the father. They found the uncle in the backyard, sitting alone.

"Mark, these are two of Jenna's doctors," her dad said. "They need to ask you about the things you brought back from Mexico."

"What, you mean like souvenirs?" he asked a little blankly.

"No, we mean like any insect specimens you might have brought back." Foreman replied.

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"Well?" House asked as he picked up the phone.

"You were right," Cameron said. "The uncle brought back a part of a colony of Mexican army ants. Apparently, they weren't quite as dead as he thought. She opened the container, and then dropped it on the floor. A bunch of them bit her while she was trying to put them away. She didn't tell anyone because she was afraid she'd get in trouble."

"I'd call almost dying getting into trouble, wouldn't you?" House snarked. "The things kids will do so mommy and daddy won't send them to bed without dessert. Start her on the treatment, call me back if she doesn't start improving."

House hung up the phone, pleased with himself for solving the case, but exasperated because it meant once again, he had nothing to do. Everybody lies, he thought, even adorable 8-year-old girls. He got up off the couch and made his way toward the bedroom. Might as well take a nap. He pulled out his bottle of Vicodin, and noticed he was already getting low. He'd have to call Cameron and ask her to bring him a refill. He barely glanced at the bottle as he swallowed two the little pills, but something about it seems a little off. He looked more closely and noticed that the bottle stated 'No refills'. That was odd, usually Wilson wrote him a prescription with refills available. The pharmacy must have screwed it up, he thought to himself. Idiots, I'll have to call Wilson tomorrow, House made a mental note, and then went to take a nap.