House felt remorse more often than anyone could have guessed, but generally it was only a flicker that was easily brushed away and forever banished.
There were some exceptions: Remorse over hurting Stacy still plagued him from time to time. Remorse over being even indirectly responsible for the death of his best friend's girlfriend was so strong he felt like it would never leave him.
Now he felt remorse for having pushed too hard. That almost never happened; his whole personality and reputation were based on him taking things too far and not caring in the least. Yet today he was bothered by it, and he had the overwhelming urge to make it right.
He caught up with her in the Diagnostic Imaging wing, where she was being subjected to a variety of full body scans. When he entered a viewing room he expected to find part of his team but found only a technician. "Kelly Janes?"
The technician nodded. "Just finishing up. You here for the results?"
"No. I need to talk to the patient."
"Give me another minute." He activated the microphone. "Ma'am? Hold still, please; we're almost done."
"Don't call her 'ma'am'," House said quietly.
Too quietly. "Pardon?"
"Ah... nothing."
And a minute later, Kelly was surprised to see House standing there when the machine expelled her. "Greg?"
"I'm sorry," he blurted, and immediately felt both embarrassed and relieved to have said it.
She slipped on a robe and got to her feet. Glancing to the right, she saw the technician hunched over the computer through the tinted glass. "Let's take a walk."
In the hallway, she leaned against the wall. "Talk to me. What are you sorry for?"
He distanced himself from her, standing by the opposite wall, looking at the floor between them. "I... um... I said some things that... well..."
"Oh, Greg." She stopped herself from approaching him, afraid it might make him feel more uncomfortable than he already obviously was. "You were just doing your job and being you. I knew that. I didn't take any offense."
"I just felt..." Who was he kidding. He had no idea how to talk about his feelings.
"You have nothing to apologize for," she assured him. "But now that I know you have it in you, you'll have no excuse for the next time I DO deserve an apology."
"Damn. I KNEW this was a dangerous precedent to be setting."
House now felt free of remorse and also free of embarrassment. And Kelly felt free to cross the hallway and take a place next to him, leaning casually against the wall, their arms touching.
"Hey, can you spring me for dinner?" she asked. "I mean, this is a nice place you have here and all, but I kind of miss the outside world."
He rolled his eyes and sighed dramatically. "You're such a lightweight. You can't have cabin fever already."
"Just a hint. Best to nip it in the bud early, I'd say." She looked at him hopefully.
He checked his watch. "Where are you supposed to be right now?"
She shrugged. "Aren't YOU supposed to know?"
"Haven't you figured it out yet?" His voice dropped to a conspirital whisper. "I don't actually do any WORK around here."
Kelly tapped her nose twice. "Got it. Well, if I'm setting my own schedule, I'll be ready to eat in an hour or so. Think that's enough time for you to stage a jail break?"
Kutner arrived then to collect her, and was obviously more surprised to see House than she had been. "Is something wrong?"
"No," House said. And that was all he said, despite Kutner's expectant pause.
"...Alright then." He addressed Kelly instead. "Ready to go?"
"Sure. Where are we going?"
"Back to your room. We're all done for today."
"Lead on, Dr. Kutner." She looped her arm through his and left House behind, but not before she looked back at him and mouthed "one hour?" and received his answering nod.
Kelly Janes had a dinner date. And she felt no remorse.