The experiment, chapter 9, The Game.
"Life is just like a game, First you have to learn rules of the game, And then play it better then any one else".
- Albert Einstein.
Staring at a light like a fly,
A deer caught in the headlights,
a man lost in the sea of nothingness as time passes.
House now stood in a wasteland,
a place between the desert and the ocean from where he once was.
A small boy stood there in the distance.
House moved towards him.
The child looked like one of Wilson's cancer patients.
"Where am I?"
The rugged man asked the boy although he probably just asked himself for the most part.
The child only smiled looking at him as if it was a play date.
"What is this place?"
House asked, this time wanting a answer from the boy,
thinking he must know.
"Does it matter?"
The child replied while holding a small hourglass in his hand.
'What is that?" House asked before realizing.
Perhaps this was no ordinary child, surely this place wasn't ordinary at all, and the thought crossed his mind that he should leave this place as quickly as possible.
As he walked away from the boy he noticed he himself was a body again, no longer a form like a fish.
He was walking normally and without pain.
He stood in a land of dead trees and a ground made of ashes and gray clay.
The sky was reddish,
nothing seemed real.
The boy appeared again holding his mini hourglass.
House was not having this.
"Look kid I already gave to the girl scouts, sorry I'm all out of whatever the hell it is you want."
The boy follows the diagnostician around as they walk for some time.
"Look I don't know why you are following me, I'm lost in the middle of nowhere..."
House is interrupted by the boy.
"Who told you that?"
"What?" House questioned.
"That you are lost,
maybe you are right were you are supposed to be."
The child replied giggling.
"Okay look I've had enough of this
place and who or whatever the hell you are!"
House said feeling like himself for the moment but frustrated.
Off In the distance a little ways was two chairs and a small table, up top it was a chess game already set.
"Wanna play a game?"
The boy asked.
"For all I know you are probably a hallucination I am having, but why the hell not!?
I don't have any plans...apparently." House said sarcastically as he sat down, he then noticed that he could not get back up again, it was as if his ass was glued to the chair.
"If I win, you have to stay here with me.
and If you win, I will show you the way out of here."
The boy instructed.
Shadows sat on the diagnostician's face as another day began at Opulent Research Facility.
It had now been four months since House was placed in the coma, the team at opulent were still unable to awake the man.
His own medical department was there as well.
Cameron, Chase, Foreman and even 13,
everyone was concerned.
Cameron sat at the edge of his bed one morning and she talked to him but feeling as if it was mostly to herself in comfort.
"You taught me a lot you know?
if it weren't for you I don't think I would have continued being a doctor or challenging myself.
I wouldn't speak up for myself even when I know it's the right thing to do, without you encouraging me to do so.
You taught me not to give a damn about what others think and to always look outside the box.
To never settle for the obvious answer.
You also told me things that I hated about myself but of course you were right and I tried to work on those very things you mentioned. You have to pull through this because I have more things to say."
With that Cameron left the room and went into the morning light to seek out breakfast.
13 visited in the afternoon and her conversation went like this.
"You're a very difficult person to get along with, but maybe not difficult to understand.
As someone that has dealt with so much pain and suffering, you still found a way to exist while teaching others.
For better or worse you made me who I am today, maybe it wasn't the person I wanted to be,
but it was the person I needed to become.
I'm no longer afraid of the future and what might happen.
I don't have a fear of death anymore, I live in the here and now and I accept things as they are.
You know I have you to think for that.
I don't run away from things anymore, and I don't pretend like it doesn't bother me, I allow myself to feel whatever I'm feeling in the moment, and then I move past it.
I could have never done that without you pushing me whether I like it or not.
You're stronger than this,
I know you can come back from this... if you want to."
With that 13 left with her girlfriend and ventured out into the afternoon hours to seek what would await them.
"Do you believe in God?"
the strange boy asked.
House was more and more convinced that this was not a boy at all but perhaps a demon, although he didn't believe in that either.
"I must be in hell" House scoffed under his breath in annoyancy at the idea of a god, the line of questions in this conversation and that the boy was quickly becoming a thorn in his side.
If there was a god, why would he allow a child to be abused the way that he was?
why would he allow him to be in that house for so many years unable to escape the torture, unable to really reach out for help? Noone seeing the bruises, cuts or burns.
Noone asking questions,
Noone even trying to pull the child away from any speculative possibility of abuse.
No, if there was a god there wouldn't be so many children starving, or ones dying of cancer.
Wars fought and thousands killed in the name of some god for some religion.
If there was a god why allow the planet that they created to be destroyed by their creation to be brought to such a ruin?
If there was a God, they would see that we were a mistake,
and they wouldn't have allowed us to continue to begin with.
All of these dark thoughts circled around his mind.
"Well what if I was to tell you that there is a god?" The boy said almost gleaming.
"Look kid do you want to play this game or not?
because I can't move and I'm pretty sure you have something to do with that, so I'm unable to leave until I complete this little game of yours. Are we going to play or what?"
House said feeling frustrated and his anger started boiling over into his face.
"Relax, we have all the time in the world here.
Besides I'm playing, I just made a move."
The boy replied in an erie confidence that wrapped around his face.
The game was now in check,
House would have to move his King.
Chase sat in a chair next to House's bedside.
He read some poetry,
probably nothing House would have liked but then again you can't always know him.
Chase certainly felt like he was a man that you couldn't always know or understand, no matter how much you tried.
Still there was something about House that tied everyone together.
There was a balance with him even amongst all of his bereavement and sometimes torturous words, he still had a way to speak the truth that was unlike anyone else.
He could see into people, he could see the liars, the cheaters, the ones just fooling themselves.
But maybe that was because when he saw them,
he saw a part of himself.
Chase pondered these things even amongst reading, then he sat there quietly for a while just studying the diagnostician's face.
"It's your move"
The dark boy said.
House did what he could to salvage the game and place the boys king in check.
"So you don't believe in God then?"
The boy asked again as if he needed clarification.
House glared at him,
eventually answering with a short
"No, I don't."
"But you believe there's a reason for everything, you place logic above everything else.
To you it's perfectly logical that there must be a reason for human existence, additionally you yourself must have been made for a reason, right?"
"Look kid when you break everything down we're just a bunch of small cell organisms running around in space just trying not to kill each other, and we're doing a poor job of that because we're more animal than anything and we can't seem to ignore our instincts to just destroy everything in our sights.
So to answer your question: yeah there is probably a reason for our existence but why the fuck would I give a shit?
I create my own reason."
House said as he placed the boy's King in check.
"Oh that's a good move"
The boy said while laughing oddly at the game board.
A pink greeting card sits besides House's bedside nightstand early the next morning,
it's adored with stickers,
it reads as follows.
"I heard about your experiment from Wilson who I ran into on my way home,
after dropping the card you gave me.
I wish dearly that you recover from this, because I want to have more conversations with you, and don't forget about our lunch.
You showed me the importance of caring for myself and I have really started thinking about what I want to do with my life, I want to become a doctor like you."
Get well soon.
signed Saya Kon.
House may not have been a pro at chess, but he knew a thing or two.
After some time and with what felt like forever House finally wins.
It may just be a game, but it felt more like a war that he just won.
The small boy shows him the way out as promised.
They walk to a old weeping willow tree and a door appears at the base of the tall tree. The two walk through it and come to a large empty white room with the exception of three large mirrors set in the center of the room.
House looks at one of the mirrors to his left but he doesn't see his reflection, instead he sees an happy pain free version of himself holding the hand of someone.
In the center mirror he sees again another version of himself, this one is much older with white hair and he is holding the hand of a small child, although he looks happy, he also looks like he is in a great deal of pain.
The final mirror to his right reflects only shadows, there is nothing visible in this mirror.
"What is this!?"
House said with a demanding tone.
"Possible futures, just possible futures"... The boy replied cheerfully.
"This is you're way out, you can choose one of these possible paths, and walk through the mirror.
But there is no guarantee you will have what you see there.
Or"...
"Or what!?" House asked.
"Or you can choose to stay here with me... forever."
Back at Opulent, Doctor Keorri checks the vitals for House as she examines the many machines that he's plugged to and then proceeds to fluff up his pillows as though he asked.
She sits for a moment as a sadness fills her eyes, a sadness that if anyone saw they couldn't deny it.
she holds his hand and remains quiet, only looking out the window from time to time staring out into the garden.
Before leaving Keorri places a blue greeting card next to the many others on the nightstand.
It reads:
"You know the funny thing about scars is you think that you will always have them, but as time passes they fade and you forget about them, or others simply stop noticing them and it's as if they're not even there."
It had now been five months since House was placed in the coma and they still had no explanation of why he wasn't coming out of it.
One thing was certain after reports from Keorri about all of his vitals looking worse, the entire medical team was called and his own team showed up as well, just as Wilson the next of Kin walked in last.
"What is this!?"
Why is everyone here!?"
Wilson demanded.
Doctor Luke Borvo
answered.
"The current test results show no improvement in House's condition, additionally he's getting worse.
So we're all here to discuss what's going to happen now".
"Why are you saying this? why are you talking about him as if he's already dead?"
Wilson said quite visibly upset.
"It has been over five months, we've done everything we can,
it's time to look at this statistically."
Doctor Donna Tang chimed in.
"I don't give a shit about statistics, this is House we are talking about God damn it!"
Wilson quickly fired back.
"I don't want to let him go either Wilson, but you of all people know all too well, you've have seen many cases like this, Wilson you know what the outcome is going to be."
Cameron said trying to diffuse the situation.
"This is my best friend you're talking about, maybe you can all move on with your lives as you have anyway, and it won't make two cents of difference to you, but I'll be damned if I'm going to give up on him."
Wilson said now visibly shaking.
"You're not the only one who cares about him, do you think I'm happy about this situation?
But what else can we do?"
Keorri asked.
Just then Chase chimes in.
"Maybe we should look at this again, maybe there is something that we might have missed, something else that we could perhaps try."
Both medical teams decide to go over all of the treatments and medical reports one last time to see if there is anything they missed.
"You know it wouldn't be so bad staying here with me"
The small boy said.
"Think about it: you could be whatever you want, you could do whatever you want and you'll never be in pain or need to eat."
Both House and the boy sat outside of the white room under the weeping willow tree.
"what do you mean about (be whatever I want) ?"
House asked mostly out of boredom.
"Here let me show you"
the boy stands up spreads out his arms and closes his eyes, then moments later he transforms into a crow, he then flies to another tree right next to the weeping willow staring right back at House.
House stares in disbelief, a strange and dark realization comes to him about the reality of the situation.
" If I'm here, where's the rest of my team?
If I'm here, where exactly am I?
what exactly is happening to me right now.?"
Back at Opulent,
debates were ensuing about whether or not another treatment could take place, and if it was another possible option of waking House up.
The medical teams were at each other's throats, each turning the other's idea down stating why it couldn't happen either because of a drug interaction, or that they had already tried something similar.
During all of this Foreman was the quietest, he didn't really say anything while this was going on.
Foreman simply placed his own greeting card upon the nightstand and looked at House.
"Well what do you think Foreman?"
Wilson asked.
He was quiet for a moment and then replied.
"As long as I've known this man he's been a ball of pain and suffering and confusion or maybe I was the one who was confused.
one thing I know for sure the only time I ever saw House really happy was when he was high as a kite off his ass, or he damn near killed himself by overdosing on something.
And all of it done in a pursuit to get rid of an obvious real pain he was dealing with, that none of us can really understand.
We're all here squabbling about what we should do now, but honestly are we even thinking about what he would want?
I know none of you want to say it, so I will, he would want to die."
Sounds of frustration between the medical teams and arguments ensue as Foreman continues and talks over them.
"Think about it!
why would he agree to something so outrageous, so experimental, so extreme that this is literally the only country and place in the world that's even doing it.
It's because he knew it would fail, and maybe he wanted it to."
The others begin arguing amongst themselves for such a comment that Foreman has made,
at the thought of such a heart-wrenching suggestion but then Chase chimes in.
"He's right, I've seen House at some pretty low points.
I know when the pain gets really bad he's not himself anymore and I don't mean like a grouchy self that he always is, no... I mean a downright you don't know that he's a human being anymore self, the kind of self that he doesn't even want to see.
It's not far-fetched."
"I can't believe what I'm hearing from all of you.!
You're all insane!
We're not pulling anything!
everybody get out!"
Wilson demanded.
The boy flies off of the tree and transforms back into a child.
"Okay kid riddle me this: if there was a god why would we be here?
also if you can turn yourself into anything, why don't you just turn yourself into an adult?" House said now no longer believing anything that he seeing in this place,
and questioning where he really is.
"Why would I turn myself into an adult if I was never one in the first place? I can only be things that I really know and understand. Besides all you adults seem so grumpy and unhappy, why would I want to be anything like that?"
The boy replied.
"Good point" House returned.
"Actually I don't know why I'm here, but it's the coolest thing ever.
Like I said you could have whatever you want.
"And if you want to see God House all you have to do is look."
the boy continued.
House gives him a look before replying "so are you saying...
the boy interrupts him.
"Look in the mirror."
"Oh that's original... anticlimactic..."
House replied irritated.
"You could have anything you want here, at least while you are here. We are Gods!"
The boy replied with a smirk.
House scoffed. "Sounds more like a genie to me".
"What!? No way!
I can get whatever I want and it goes way beyond three wishes." The boy excitedly explained.
Just then a small white fluffy dog walks up to House who is still sitting underneath the weeping willow tree.
He is taken back by the image but reaches out to pet the dog, everything feels and seems real but he knows that this has to be impossible.
"Coconut!?" House calls the dog as it starts wagging its tail wildly and whining to be picked up.
It was a dog he had in his childhood around some of the roughest times of his life.
A dog his father killed maybe out of spite or annoyance, or maybe he just couldn't stand to see House happy with something and wanted to take that happiness away.
Or perhaps he was just a fucking asshole and it didn't matter the reason.
This however wasn't possible the dog was dead so this was either a dream, a hallucination or House was dead.
But he didn't believe in an afterlife which meant none of this could be real.
Still for a dream it was nice to see an old friend again.
Back at Opulent, Wilson sat by House's bedside holding his hand.
It was a very early morning.
Doctor Tang came in to ask Wilson if he would like anything to eat. He however said nothing to her or to anyone else for that matter and simply stared at House.
It been a few days already since the medical teams had had their back and forth arguments about what to do, and he hadn't ate much since.
He barely even wanted to leave the room afraid they might pull the plug on the man without his permission, he was starting to become paranoid and didn't trust them even though he was the only one that had the legal right as next of kin.
Still he wasn't sleeping well either and this was causing delusions.
Doctor Keorri invited him out into the garden, thinking the fresh air would do him some good but Wilson refused.
So Keorri left a tray of food behind on a small table hoping he will eat something later.
The morning turned into afternoon quickly as the rays of sunlight went from bright yellow to a golden orange hue.
"Don't you give up on me because you know I wouldn't have given up on you." Wilson said as he walked over to the small table, lifting the lid of the food tray to see one of House's favorites, a bagel and cream cheese.
Wilson smiles as tears run down his face.
The small boy attempts to amuse House by transforming himself into other animals, and transforming back, all while making an array of jokes. For a little while this seems to entertain House.
Later.
House gets up and walks into the white room he stares for quite some time at the three mirrors and the possibility of what all of this really means.
"Please don't leave me."
The small boy said.
House turns around to look at him almost empathetically, he pauses and then he turns back to the mirrors as he says to the boy.
"Make yourself a friend kid."
he walks into the right mirror
choosing the possibility of oblivion, uncertainty, nothingness and pain,
but that's what life is...a game, a roll of the dice.
Sunlight pours onto the diagnostician's face as a beeping sound is heard and Wilson turns around looking at the machines.
"FIN."
