"She has high amounts of protein in her spinal fluid," Foreman was saying, wishing they had a better place than the waiting room to diagnose.
"That points to an autoimmune disorder." House said, in a high pitched voice, while pretending to flip hair over his shoulder. When both Foreman and Chase gave him quizzical looks, he shrugged, "I was playing the part of Cameron."
"Lupus?" Chase suggested, ignoring the impression of his ex.
"Pretty boy doesn't like it when I mock his wife." House jabbed.
"Ex-wife." Chase corrected.
"Nuances." House smiled, "And it's not Lupus."He rolled his eyes, "We're still missing something." He grabbed his cane which was hanging off of a chair and limped back into Cuddy's room.
Julia had taken Rachel home while Arlene slept in a chair by Cuddy's bedside. Cuddy was already awake, a worried look on her face. House swallowed and steeled himself, "Dr. Cuddy, we're missing the screechy voice of the feminine persuasion. Since Cameron is clearly ignoring my summons that leaves you."
"You want her to diagnose herself?" Foreman said entering behind House.
"Why not? She's the one experiencing the illness and she's a doctor." House said, simply in his superior way.
"Because she's too personally involved with the case." Chase answered, still in the doorway.
"She promises to stay objective, don't you?" House asked Cuddy, who finally spoke up.
"I'm fine." She assured them.
By this time, Arlene was waking, "Did you find anything from the Lumbar Puncture?"
"Protein." House said, looking at Cuddy, "In elevated amounts."
Cuddy closed her eyes for a moment, "Nervous system breakdown and abnormal amounts of protein point to an autoimmune disease."
"See?" House said, turning toward Chase and Foreman with a self-satisfied look, "Shall we start you on immunosuppressants?"
"If we're wrong, then that would trash my immune system." Cuddy pointed out, "It's moving very fast for an autoimmune disease."
"True, and if the influenza virus is still present, we're looking at some bad consequences. Like crossing the streams in Ghostbusters bad." House was impressed that Cuddy could talk about her own illness, especially one as progressive and debilitating as an autoimmune disease and not blink.
"What if she never had the flu?" Chase suggested.
"And it's all the disease?" House asked, "Could be. Should we just risk it all and find out?"
"I say we go with antibiotics and them immunosuppressants." Chase repeated.
"And risk tanking the liver." House pointed out.
It occurred to Cuddy that House was being awfully careful. Each time someone suggested a treatment, he pointed out the risks. More often than not, it was Foreman and Chase who were talking him out of risky treatments, not the other way around. "Test for autoimmune diseases first." House decided, taking an even safer route.
"That could take time." Foreman protested, "If we wait much longer to treat…"
"House," Cuddy spoke up, "Do what you think is best, not safest."
"Lisa." Arlene cut in, "It's better to be sure, isn't it?"
House bit the inside of his mouth and refused to look at Cuddy, "Your heart is going to continue to get weaker and you'll have another cardiac arrest if we don't treat for the right thing soon. But, if we treat for the wrong thing…"
"You make the call, House." Cuddy said. No matter what had happened between them, as a doctor, she trusted him explicitly. He had been right time and time again when they worked together and his judgment saved far more lives than cost them. If anyone could make the right call here, it was House.
House finally looked at her, his blue eye indecisive, "We'll treat with immunosupressants and antibiotics." This is the call he would have made with any other patient, he thought, and that's what Cuddy had wanted. The pit of his stomach churned however, knowing that he just might had sentenced Cuddy to death.