Chapter 5

Apologies for the delay in updating this story. RL has now calmed down and this will be updated and finished asap. Hope you still like it.

Kutner, Foreman, Taub and 13 sat around the diagnostic table, waiting for their boss to arrive. He hadn't made it in on Friday at all so they had done clinic hours. But 13 had arranged for their new patient to be admitted today, so they were just waiting.

House spied the minions sitting around the table as he entered his office promptly at 9.30am. He took 2 Vicodin, picked up the files from his desk and the cup of coffee that had now gone cold and made an entrance into the outer office.

"Why are you just sitting here? Where is our patient?" He demanded.

Kutner looked up from the journal he was reading "He hasn't turned up yet"

"Good! That gives you all time to get up to date with his file" He said, throwing copies on the table "Read it, digest it and give me some ideas by the time I refill my coffee" He said making his way across the room.

Just as he finished making his coffee the office phone rang, it was admitting, to say that their patient had finally turned up.

"Kutner and Foreman go greet our patient. Make sure you take a complete history. His file is a little light" He ordered.

Kutner and Foreman found their patient and his Dad and took them to a patient room. "We will take some fresh blood and a urine sample to see if anything has changed" explained Kutner while Jonah sat on the bed with his eyes screwed tight and just nodded.

"You ok?" Questioned Foreman seeing the pain on his face.

"pain" was the only response they got "Can you do something for him?" Said his Dad getting agitated.

"Scale of 1-10" demanded Foreman ignoring the Dads request

"8"

"Have you taken any pain meds" Asked Kutner looking at Foreman

"Yep about an hour ago!" Said the patient between hitched breaths "Can I lay down now, my legs hurt like this". Both Foreman and Kutner moved to help him. Kutner went to get him some pain meds sorted out while Foreman spoke to his Dad.

"Can I ask you some questions now?" Asked Foreman to his Dad

"OK, sure" Said his Dad

"Any recent travel?"

"Yes, my wife and I travel a lot for business. 3 weeks ago we were in Berlin. 2 months a go Turkey and I think the one before that was 6 months in Taiwan. But we always get inoculations" He said producing miniature medical cards and handed them to Foreman. "Both my wife and I carry these. It has all our up to date inoculation data"

"Thank you" said Foreman amazed at the level of detail that was kept as he skimmed through "What about Jonah?" noting that his name wasn't mentioned at all on the cards.

"He doesn't accompany us on the business trips. The last vacation we took was to Hawaii last year"

"ok. When Jonah was admitted last, he said that you guys had been here for about 10yrs is that correct?"

"I think so. I'm actually Jonah's Step Dad. I've only known them for 6yrs. I believe they came over from Australia about 10/111yrs ago. His real Dad died about 13- 15yrs ago. Jonah doesn't remember much about him. But Marie will be in here tomorrow, maybe you could check the details with her"

"Ok, that's great, we will" Foreman and Kutner disappeared from the room, to take the samples to the lab where 13 and Taub would carry out the relevant tests so they could be compared later.

Foreman and Kutner took the rest of the new information back to the diagnostics office and handed it straight to House. Upon reading Foreman's notes House looked up from the notes with a sarcastic grin on his face "I knew that kid was not a real Schwartz, should've put a bet on it" he gloated as he wrote the current symptoms on the board.

Kutner got himself and Foreman a cup of coffee and sat at the table reading through the file and looking at the board "We really don't have much to go on yet"

"Is this a state the obvious competition? Cause if it was you would win right now" House chastised in his normal acerbic tone. Whilst standing staring at the board. But it was true though.

Taub and 13 followed each other in with the current test results. Nothing had changed.

"Something has to be different!" Stated House with disbelief at what the had told "He is in a lot of pain. The nurses have called up already to see if we can up his dose. It has to be coming from somewhere"

"What about an old injury, exacerbated by the fall he took a couple of months ago?" Offered Taub

"A fall?" Questioned House seriously

"It says right here in the notes you took when he first came in " Countered Taub.

House looked away for a moment "Go x-ray his legs, see if there's anything in the bones that shouldn't be there" he instructed.

"Could be cancer" Kutner chipped in before Taub could leave.

"Nope! Would've shown up in the blood work. Go do the x-rays, lets start somewhere" House motioned with his head for Taub to go.

"What about DVT's" Offered 13.

"Test for those too" He called after them.

X-rays came back clear, as the kid was stable and for the moment there was nothing else they could do, he sent the minions home. They might as well get an early night while they could. They would get more info from the Mom tomorrow, maybe that would give them something else to go on.

House lay watching TV when he heard a knock at his door. Not expecting anyone himself he ignored it thinking they would go away. The knock persisted and got louder, he frowned at the door and looked at his watch. It may only have 8pm but he didn't want visitors. The knocks continued to get louder and he eventually decided to get up and answer it. He opened the door abruptly and glared at the woman standing in front of him. Suited and booted, hair pulled back into a tight bun with a few tendrils of curls that had escaped after a long day no doubt. He held the door open at arms length "Whatever you are selling I ain't buying" He remarked closing the door before she could speak. Just as the door was about to shut it stopped sharply.

"haha nice!" came a chuckled response

He peered back around the door and glared.

"You do know that glaring like that doesn't actually hurt anyone" She said rolling her eyes. "You're the doctor treating Jonah?"

"Who are you?" He countered

"Nevermind!" She said bowing her head and taking a deep breath. She looked back up to House and smiled "I was visiting him today and I noticed that he was walking funny. When I came home and spoke to Ella she thought you might want to know" She said about to move away.

"Your daughter walks funny too, should I be diagnosing her because of it?" He questioned

"No actually she's all done. But you walk funny too, maybe you should find out what's wrong with you!" She retorted frustrated by his tone and marched away.

He pushed the door shut and went back to the couch, crossing his arms with irritation he resumed his position and continued his General Hospital Marathon. His patient that now walked funny could wait until tomorrow.