Okay, chapter three!! Thanks for all of your wonderful reviews. Keep 'em coming, I love attention:) --VFD

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter Three

Bad News

"Aha, so you were on crack!" House exclaimed with a wave of his cane. The teenage patient in room 1 of the clinic looked at House confusedly. "Uh, all I said was that my headache got worse after I took Tylenol." The teenage boy rubbed his brow, taking out a bottle of pills. "I took these! It's not crack!" he said. House shrugged, scribbling on a prescription paper. "Hey, I was just making a generalization. Don't blame me for what your era has done to itself," he said nonchalantly.

Handing the paper to the teenager, he stood and began to hobble to the door. "W-what's this?" the boy said. "This is the address of the local drugstore. Go get some real Tylenol," House stated with his back to the teen. "Somebody played a prank on you. You're eating TicTacs, which is why it isn't helping your headache." Turning, he added, "Aren't you smart enough to figure out that Tylenol isn't minty fresh?"

Outside the door, Chase, Cameron and Foreman were patiently waiting for their boss. When the door opened, they all leapt at it with excitement. "House! We have bad news," they all said at once. House slammed the door shut on their faces. Bewildered, the doctors waited again for House to open the door. "Let's try that again," a muffled voice said through the clinic door. "Cameron, you speak for the boys today. Go."

The door opened again and this time only Cameron came forward. "House," she said hesitantly, "we think that Dr. Olivieri is trying to take your job." House gasped with fake horror. "No! Alas, for me, my days of doctoring are finally coming to an end… I'm going to go sit in a corner and drink until I drown, now…" he rambled on sarcastically. "House!" Cameron demanded. House looked at her in bafflement, surprised that such a quiet doctor could reach that volume.

The clinic area went silent for a moment. When chatter resumed, House, who was now gaining a feeling of dread, said, "My office. Ten minutes. Now, shoo!"

As House was informed of this news, Keira was in Cuddy's office, nervously awaiting whatever news she had been called there for. "Dr. Cuddy?" she asked as she poked her head in the door. Cuddy looked up from her computer screen, obviously startled, and smiled, saying, "Come on in. I have to talk to you about something." Dr. Olivieri forced a smile, cautiously sitting in a chair in front of Cuddy's desk.

House's boss smiled, somehow relieving Keira of her anxiety. "I just wanted to check up on you on your first day, just to make sure House didn't do brain damage with his cane or anything. How is it going?" she asked. Keira sighed, saying, "Oh, it's going well. House is tolerable. Chase, though…" Cuddy frowned. "Dr. Chase? He usually doesn't cause problems," she said.

At that moment, Cuddy's door burst open, and House was in the room waving his cane dangerously around. "Traitor!" he yelled, holding it out towards Keira. "Huh?" Keira said as she toppled off of the chair, trying to escape the cane. Cuddy immediately looked furious, as though she was about to snatch House's cane out of his hand and cut his head of with it.

House shrugged. "I don't know," he said, "just wondered why you were in here." Keira sighed, lifting herself off of the floor. "I don't know either. Dr. Cuddy called me here, and personally, I don't think it's any of your business," she said. House's eyes widened in mock surprise and he let out a girlish 'Uh!' and said, "Well, I can see where I'm not wanted!"

Cuddy glared at him and growled, "Good, I'm glad you see that. Now, go do your job." House eyed Keira one more time and limped out of Cuddy's office. Dr. Cuddy smiled, waving a hand towards Keira's seat. "Let's try this again," she said. The two doctors sat down and Cuddy started again. "Hello, Dr. Olivieri. I'm going to get straight to the point," she said. Keira looked at her questioningly.

Dr. Cuddy looked Keira straight in the eye and said, "Do you want a higher position in this hospital? Because I think I know just the right one."