Chapter 15

House was staring at his white board as the three fellows walked in. The board was blank except for the word 'Pericarditis.'

"House..." started Mathiesen.

"You were right," finished Hart.

"I always am," said House half-mindedly, "Wait, about what?"

"The rash is moving up. It's in her mouth," said Riley.

"IN her mouth?" said House.

"In her mouth," confirmed Mathiesen.

House stared at the white board again and crossed off Pericarditis.

"House..." said Mathiesen. He turned to her. "Why are you..?" He cut her off.

"Pericarditis isn't a symptom."

"But..."

"We never said the sac was enlarged." House picked up the MRI results. "Little girl's got a big heart." House began to write on the board again.

Fever

Foot Rash

Enlarged Heart

Foaming of the Mouth

Decreased Fever

Mouth Rash

House stared at the white board. Then he remembered Amy's parents, and smiled.

"Why... are you smiling?" asked Hart.

"What were Amy's parents wearing?" asked House retorically.

"What does that have to--" House cut Mathiesen off.

"Dad was wearing overalls; Mom was wearing a sweater and skirt," said Riley.

"Bingo."

"Again," said Mathiesen, "What does that have to--"

House said, "Shut up," before crossing off 'Enlarged Heart' and 'Mouth Rash.' Next to them, he added his own symptom ideas.

Fever

Foot Rash

Myocarditis

Foaming of the Mouth

Decreased Fever

Oral Blisters

House smiled and sat down. Brilliant. "So..." he began. "Differntial?"

"House," said Riley, "If you know what's wrong then--"

"I'm the teacher. You're the student. I can't do everything for you, can I?" The fellows stared at him in disbelief. Was he really letting a little 8-year-old girl die while THEY tried to figure out what was wrong with her? Was he insane?!

"House, you can't just sit there while a little girl dies!" shouted Mathiesen.

"Oh she's not dying..." he looked at the white board and saw 'Myocarditis' again. "Oh wait, she is. Better hurry."

"Fine, how long does she have?"

"Sorry, that was my last clue." House smiled at his fellows. They really were idiots. He was sure his little comment about Amy's parents' unusual wardrobe would surely give it away. Appearantly not.

"Amy lives on a farm," began Mathiesen, "She's exposed to cattle every day." House smiled.

The other two fellows raised their heads in disbelif. "Oh come on!" shouted Hart.

"That's extremely rare in humans!" finished Riley. He and Hart both knew now what Mathiessen was thinking.

"Rare does not mean impossible," said House. "Aphtae Epizooticae," began House before glaring at Mathiessen.

"FMD," she concluded, smiling.

----------

As the fellows walked towards Amy's room, they began to argue.

"Oh come on... Foot-Mouth Disease?!" began Hart.

"How does House expect us to figure THAT one out?" said Riley, "It almost never affects humans, and even if a human DOES catch it, they're more likely to carry it than to show any symptons!"

"Rare is not impossible," she said smiling as she handed Amy two pills.

"What're these?" she asked.

"Tylenol," answered Mathiessen, handing her water. There's nothing else we can do to help. She shrugged. "Get lots of rest, drink lots of water, and these pills are all that can help."

Amy's parents looked at them questioningly, "You mean... that's it?"

"There's no cure for FMD," said Mathiessen (Hart and Riley were still frustrated), "However, it does go away after about 6 days. All she needs is rest, fluids, and a little bit of Tylenol." Mathiessen smiled and walked out of the room. Riley and Hart followed leaving worried parents behind.

"I can't belive that... there's only been 40 cases... ever..." said Hart.

"Make that 41," said House, waiting outside Amy's room.