The experiment chapter five Nightmares.
"You learned to run from what you feel, and that's why you have nightmares. To deny is to invite madness. To accept is to control."
Megan Chance, The Spiritualist.
"Gregory House you get out here right now!"
His father yelled out in a drunken stupor.
"Yes sir."
An eight year old House answered back in military fashion.
"What is this here!?"
He points to a small area on the kitchen floor.
"Didn't I tell you to sweep the floor!?"
He returned.
"I did." the boy replied before realizing his mistake to question the man.
He grabs the boy by the neck and forces him on hands and knees to look at the floor.
Upon it only a small ketchup packet, planted by him no doubt, just so he had something to argue about.
"I'm going to teach you how to listen to me." He said as he pulled off his brown leather belt, folding it in hand, raising his arm up readying himself to strike the boy.
His face changes into a red faced demon with yellow eyes and horns upon it's head.
A long black tongue escapes it's mouth, and oozes a thick black fluid as the tongue stretches out to eat the boy.
House awakes in his room at Opulent research facility.
It had been a week of the treatment and he was beginning to experience side effects.
The sweating was the most difficult at the moment, due to him needing three IVs just to stay hydrated.
The nightmares were no picnic either.
The sedatives were just barely keeping him from breaking everything in sight.
"Whoa look out Mr wheel man coming through."
House said while zooming around in a wheelchair.
As he was trying to distract himself from the shitty sleep he got.
Meals were served in a dining hall.
Another wall size fish tank adored the room with Koi of many colors.
"Good morning House."
Doctor Tang Said.
"You all sure love fish around here." House replied.
"The Koi represent prosperity,
longevity and perseverance."
Doctor Keorri chimed in.
"These are the things we are working towards".
Doctor Borvo added.
"Well, since the whole scooby gang is here, can we talk about my next treatment." House cutting to the chase.
"I would like to not remain in this chair."
"We just want to make sure you're safe." Tang said.
"I don't want you to fall again." Borvo added.
Keorri sits down next to House, she had a bowl of miso soup with a small dish next to it of rice, grilled fish and vegetables. Most of everyone was eating the same for breakfast, but for House it was always gonna be a bagel with cream cheese.
Later at the treatment lounge.
Doctor Keorri sets up the injection.
"I bet you are looking forward to walking again." She said while a small smile formed at the corners of her face.
"Yes, and what are you looking forward to?" House asked while looking at her dark eyes intensely, she avoids looking into his, there must be a reason for that he thought.
"I will be there looking forward to seeing you walk as well." She answered back while hanging an IV.
There was a tremor in her hands ever so slightly, that if you weren't a doctor you would probably miss it.
Later that day.
House passes by another patient's room.
A woman around her 30s is
Yelling; "I can't take it anymore!" repeatedly before she started throwing up.
In his room House wheels himself to the shower, the hot water would probably help his leg.
Granted he wasn't in the worst pain ever, but things sure as hell could be better.
A small but useful bathroom.
There was a potted plant in the corner, "A tree?" He thought as he got into the shower.
"Why the hell is there a tree in here!?"
A weird thing to obsess over but he was missing episodes of his favorite soap opera Prescription Passion, so it was making him a little bit cranky.
"The people around here sure like their plants." It's not like House had any plants at his apartment, he would always forget to water them. It was the same for pets.
Come home one day and Spot isn't moving.
He just didn't have the time or patience to care for something else.
All of his time was spent managing his pain when he didn't have an interesting mystery case to solve.
The hot water was helpful, that is until it wasn't.
A sharp pain runs down his leg, and
the room was beginning to spin about, it felt like the world was collapsing in on itself.
(Ding goes the call button.)
Doctor Tang rushes in, catching the rugged man just before he falls right out of the shower.
"We got to stop meeting like this Doc, or people will start talking."
House remarked before passing out.
That night he awoke to the sound of a fire alarm, as an automated announcement sounded.
Fire on floors 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7.
Please proceed to the nearest exit.
It repeated the announcement in Japanese.
House looks at his phone for the time. 11:11 Pm, he gets up noticing that his wheelchair is on the other side of the room.
He decides to try and walk into the hallway to see what is going on.
"Maybe it's a drill?" He thought, although would they really do that in the middle of the night?
The hallway was completely empty, the lights were flashing.
He walked towards the dining room hall when he saw the fire.
"It must have come from the kitchen." He thought.
"Where the hell is everyone?"
The building was already collapsing in this area.
"Help me." A voice called out.
One of the nurses was injured by the falling debris.
House rushes over. He sees her leg had a large gash in it, must have hit an artery, she had lost a lot of blood.
The rugged man looks around for something to tie her leg off with, he walks to the nurses station and finds a belt.
A shadowy figure crosses his path.
"Hey!
is anyone there!?"
House called out.
"I need help."
There was nothing but silence.
A notebook with a red string
laid around his neck.
He returns to the nurse and ties her leg. The fire is spreading and the smoke is getting thick.
"We've got to get out of here." he told her.
But the nurse couldn't walk, she was going into shock, and House couldn't carry her.
He sees a figure of someone.
"Hey I need help over here!"' he called out again.
"No you don't."
A familiar voice said with laughter as the figure came closer to him.
"What!?"
"Wilson!?"
"What are you doing here?"
House asked before saying
"Nevermind, get your ass over here and help me."
Wilson only stares blankly as he says; "It's time to wake up House."
(He snaps his fingers.)
House is back in his room,
he is now sitting on his bed when he notices little pink flowers all over the floor, he walks into the bathroom and there is a large plum blossom tree
taking up half the space of the small washroom.
"What is this!?"
He asked, mostly to himself as the pages of the notebook fall out,
he notices that all of them are blank, except for one that reads
"Everything will be okay."
(A snapping sound is heard again.)
"Can you hear me?
Blink once for Yes, House can you hear me!?"
Doctor Keorri said while talking to another doctor.
"He's coming out of it."
"Can you tell me you're name?"
"Gregory House."
He said with a horsed voice.
"Do you know where you are?"
he wanted to answer but it was like his voice was locked.
He knew the answers, he just couldn't speak them
"House you were hallucinating."
"Where's the fire?" He manages to mumble out.
"There is no fire, everybody is fine." Keorri continued.
"The difficulty speaking is normal for the medications we had to add to your regimen, it should be wearing off soon."
"Why?" House asked.
"We're not sure yet as to why you were hallucinating, but Doctor Borvo is running some tests.
It could be side effects of this treatment."
Doctor Keorri said.
His blood turns cold, that feeling you can't describe, but know it as a fear that lays into your skin like insects.
"I don't want to stop the treatment." He said.
"No matter what happens."
"We're not there yet, so don't worry."
Keorri said.
The next morning Doctor Keorri invites House outside, she wheels him to an outdoor smoking area.
She could clearly see the pain in his face.
Keorri lights a cigarette.
"Didn't know you smoked Doctor Blue." House said.
"It's not a cigarette." She said as she lit another one for him.
"So you're learning Japanese." She asked as she handed him the pre-roll.
"I'm picking up a little."
he said.
"You know this is just gonna make me hungry right!?."
he remarked.
Keorri laughed.
"It shouldn't be that bad, it is only a 50/50 blend of CBD and Delta 8."
House grins at her smile.
"Ok but if I end up in the kitchen stockpiling up the food, it will be your fault."
"It was the only thing I could find that wouldn't interact with this treatment or the medications we have you on."
For the level of pain he was in, anything was better than nothing, even for awhile, anything to keep his mind off of that damn mangled leg.
Moments later and it was like the world had shifted, as the night was melting and the light of morning was hitting his face for the very first time.
The sweet smell of plum blossoms, or Keorri's perfume, or the sound of the wind passing through the trees.
It was everything and nothing, it was a moment of peace however small from the pain of his body and the nightmares of his mind.