Thanks for the lovely reviews! They make me so happy! You finally figure out what's wrong with Kara now! Yay! Now, we can all worry about how Kara's going to get her parents together. Gasp, I said too much! Disclaimer: Anything you aren't familiar with is MINE!!!!! And there is a part of this story that is dedicated to Gabiroba for telling me that important fact! It might not seem like much, but don't worry, it'll will come up more than once!
Chapter Nine: Say Goodbye to Your Little Friend
"We have a new symptom. Brain Fog." House said raucously as he entered the conference room. "Now, what could cause that symptom?" He asked, looking at the ducklings. They all seemed to sit up a bit straighter, watching House write the symptom on the board. Cuddy entered the conference room silently, leaning on the wall.
"Well, that means she must have a neuroimmune disease. That or Inattentive ADD." Foreman began slowly, thinking.
"She could have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia..." Cameron drifted off.
"Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lyme Disease, Multiple Sclerosis," Chase picked up. "It could be Systemic lupus erythematosus since the MRI did show punctured white matter lesions."
House looked up at the board. The deer tick was beginning to become more common over the eastern coast. Everything seemed to suddenly fit in. "Cuddy, ask Ms. Charles if any of the orphans went outside to play in brushy areas." He asked unexpectedly, interrupting Chase as he began to come up with another idea which sounded like cerebrovascular disease.
"You really think she could have Lyme disease?" Cuddy asked, grabbing the door handle.
"It's the most reasonable one." House said. The kids could have been doing anything. They could have been playing tag and Kara could have tripped or something and landed on a bush or something and the tick could have easily just crawled onto her jacket and planted itself somewhere. He looked up, watching Cuddy look back at him. "What?" He asked. She was just as bad as the ducklings, staring at him after he told them to do something. She frowned slightly at him. He sighed. "Fine." He got up and followed Cuddy out of the room.
Cameron looked at Chase and Foreman. She stood up and started to walk out. Chase and Foreman scrambled after her.
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Cuddy and House entered Kara's room again, watching Kara stare off in space tranquilly. Ms. Charles and Skyler both looked up, smiling at the doctors. "Everything alright?" Ms. Charles asked raising an eyebrow as House searched the drawers that held all sorts of medical apparatus in it. Giving up, he pulled out a pen.
"We think we might know what's wrong with Kara." Cuddy answered, smiling. The door slid open and House's ducklings walked in. She frowned at them, wondering why they had followed. Didn't they have...stuff to do? "What are you doing here?"
"We work here. And, we want to know what's going on." Cameron said, crossing her arms. Chase and Foreman nodded. It seemed that they weren't courageous enough to stand up to House and Cuddy.
House scarcely acknowledged his ducklings being in the same room. "Kara," He began, snapping his fingers in front of her face. She slowly turned her attention to House, looking at him with an insubordinate stare. "Have you gone anywhere in the past few months? Predominantly anywhere outside."
Ms. Charles frowned. "How is that suppose to help?" She asked.
House looked up at Ms. Charles resignedly. "Have they been anywhere outside in wooded areas?" He asked.
Ms. Charles shook her head. "No, I don't allow them to run rampant wherever they please. So far they have been at a museum and that's it." She said, remembering that horrendous trip that was four months ago but seemed like two weeks ago. Not only did Kara hate it there, some of the other little kids decided that it would be more fun to play hide-and-go-seek.
House puffed out his cheeks and let out a long breath. "Has she suffered from any fevers, headaches, sore throats, or fatigue in the past few months?"
Ms. Charles opened her mouth to say something that looked like a 'No' but Skyler quickly interrupted. "Yeah. They started about two months ago but began to get constant and worse over time." Skyler answered, looking now apprehensive. She didn't think that it was a life-threatening medical quandary. Every kid got sick!
House and Cuddy exchanged glances. "Skyler, did any kids at the orphanage sneak out to play recently?" Cuddy asked dexterously, leaning down. Skyler looked at Kara and then at Ms. Charles before back at Cuddy. "Skyler, we need you to tell us this. It's very important to Kara's health." Cuddy urged her. House was already checking the hair on Kara's arms.
Skyler sighed. "Yes. All the older kids go out at least once a month just to hang out and do whatever. Usually we just walk around or try to slip in to a movie theater. Two months ago, we all went just walking. It sounds stupid, I know, but it's the only free time we really get to ourselves. We were all really just running and Kara tripped. We all laughed and she laughed too and got up. Does that help?"
"Yes, it does." Chase answered when Cuddy was now looking at the hair on Kara's legs. House was already on to Kara's hair.
"So what are you looking for exactly?" Skyler piped up. They looked like two monkeys grooming their child.
"We're looking for a tick." House answered, sighing. "You have so much hair."
"No thanks to me, right?" Cuddy asked sarcastically.
The ducklings exchanged glances. "What's that suppose to mean?" Foreman asked. Everything kept on getting more confusing. When were they going to get straight answers?
"Didn't they tell you?" Ms. Charles said, frowning. "Kara's their child." She finished before House and Cuddy could say anything to stop her. Skyler watched the three doctor's mouths drop open.
"I knew it!" Cameron whispered to herself.
"You just thought that Kara was House's child not Cuddy's as well." Chase pointed out.
"She doesn't even look like Cuddy." Foreman offered.
Cuddy looked over at Foreman with a death glare. "Thanks Foreman but I'm pretty sure she's my daughter since I did go through three hours of labor with her." House smiled slightly, remembering those long agonizing hours. If anyone thought that Cuddy was the devil reincarnated now, they should have seen her thirteen years ago. "Have you found anything yet?"
"If I did, I would have said 'Found it.'" House remarked, looking her head over. The search was beginning to look fruitless. What if it wasn't Lyme disease? But everything fit in immaculately with Lyme disease.
"You know if you really are related to her. You're not supposed to be treating her." Foreman offered again. Ms. Charles and Skyler looked up at Cuddy and House.
"Are you going to rat us out for caring?" House snapped, glaring over at Foreman. Cuddy looked down guilty. She knew that and she knew the consequences for the action. But how could she not want to take care of her daughter? Suddenly, House saw something. "I think I found it but I need some tweezers."
"Did you check the drawers?" Cameron asked, going over to them hurriedly.
"Of course I checked them. They weren't..." House began.
"Here they are." Cameron interrupted, holding them out to him.
House looked at her awkwardly before grabbing the tweezers. He yanked something out and held out the deer tick triumphantly. Cuddy smiled and Ms. Charles looked at the tick nauseatingly. She evidently didn't like bugs. He turned to the ducklings. "Start her on 2 grams of Ceftriaxone." He ordered. They nodded and all of them headed out. Kara blinked and looked up at House. "Say goodbye to your little friend."
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Cuddy stood in her office, gazing out her windows as rain drizzled down lethargically. Although it looked desolate outside, Cuddy wasn't going to let that down her feelings. Today was just a magnificent day. The sun should have been shining but it wasn't. Kara was diagnosed, the tick was gone, and Cuddy had her daughter. Though Kara did have to stay in the hospital for a bit to make sure Lyme disease didn't continue and to make sure she didn't have any other tick-borne diseases like ehrlichiosis, babesiosis, or even bartonella. After making sure she didn't have any of those, they still had to check up on her to make sure she wouldn't suffer from any physical disabilities from the late diagnosis like congestive heart failure. Though, since Kara didn't suffer too badly with the symptoms, she doubted that would happen but there always was a chance.
The door to her office opened and there was a loud rap on the door. "House." She said, not even looking back. She knew it was him even without the rap. He hadn't made a sarcastic remark to her all day since this morning, which was a record. It was about time he showed up. She turned to the door and blinked. He wasn't there. Frowning, she looked around. She jumped slightly when she realized that he was right next to her.
He grinned. "So, how are you feeling?" He asked, tilting his head to the side.
Cuddy raised an eyebrow. Since when did House come to someone just to ask them how they are feeling? "I'm happy." She said, crossing her arms over her chest. "What did you really come in here for, House?"
He looked at her, traumatized. "Can't a guy come to visit the Malevolent Dean of Medicine? You know, that's not the best way to make friends." He told her, shaking a finger at her.
"You know, now that Kara's healed, there's nothing stopping you from doing some clinic duty." She offered.
House frowned. "I think you and the tick should be best friends." He said grouchily. Cuddy rolled her eyes. "It'll be awhile before Kara can write properly again."
"I know that." Cuddy told him, rubbing her forehead. It didn't take long for House to give her a headache.
"And it will be a bit longer after that before Kara can actually come home with us." He looked over at her for she had indisputably thought over this since she was a woman. They seem to think about everything and anything.
"Your point, House?" She finally said a bit perturbed. He could drag things on forever. She wondered if he planned these things or just did something to see what would happen.
"Are you just going to invite her in your house with nothing but the clothes on her back?" He asked.
She blinked. Was House actually thinking of the future? Was he proposing that they go shopping for Kara's new clothes together? "Well, of course not. I just haven't got her measurements yet. Why are you suddenly so interested?" She asked.
"She's my daughter. I'm allowed to be interested and concerned. I mean, someone has to be the grown up around here." House said, heading to the door. Cuddy laughed. House? A grown up? He was more like a little child that rebelled against everything Cuddy, the grown up, said. "So, when are we going shopping?" He asked, throwing the door open.
"Shopping? With you? I'm not going shopping with you. I will go on my own." She told him, crossing her arms.
"That's what you think." House sneered, limping out of Cuddy's office, leaving Cuddy standing there dumbfounded by his behavior.
Hmmm? What does House exactly mean by that? I guess you will find out if you only review:)