House, M.D.: Raynaud's Phenomenon

HOUSE, M.D.

"Raynaud's Phenomenon"

We fade into a brightly lit colorful bookstore somewhere in downtown Manhattan. We see a line of people trailing around the bookstore over to a small table where Meredith Amsted; tall, slim, and beautiful, is signing books for her over populated fan club.
“Well, thank you for coming.” Meredith replied to one of her fans as she quickly scribbled her signature into her latest book with a red pen.
“I am your biggest fan.” The fan replied to her reply.
Meredith coughed, “Yes, thank you.” She began an uncontrollable cough while the next person in line came up to the table.
“Hi there! I am so glad to have finally met you!” The next fan greeted.
“Yes… glad… to me… meet… you too.” Meredith replied during the breaks in the coughs.
“You don’t look too well, are you okay?” The fan asked.
“Oh, yes.” Meredith began to scribble in the book.
“A nasty rash as well.”
“It’s going away. I think I got something over in Asia when I was on my tour.”
“I hope you feel better, and thanks.”
“No, thank you.” Meredith handed the book to the fan.
The coughing resumed as the next fan stepped up, but Meredith got up from the table. Her secretary went over to her.
“Is everything all right?”
“Hey! I’ve been waiting here for a half hour now!” The next fan cried out.
“No, I don’t feel too well.” Meredith replied to her secretary.
“Okay, we’ll reschedule.”
Meredith listened to what the secretary had to say, but everything became blurry in a sort of vertigo. Meredith coughed some more, and blood spewed out onto her hand.
“Oh my god, is that blood?” The secretary asked. “Meredith? Meredith?”
Meredith broke into a Grand Mal and fell onto the floor convulsing none stop.
“Oh my god! Somebody call an ambulance!” The secretary yelled as she bent down to Meredith.
And there she lay, dead like. The people gathered around her as we fade out…

OPENING CREDITS PLAY.

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We fade into Gregory House entering exam room one with a clipboard and chart in his hand. Inside the room sat the patient. A College aged geek, pretty heavy, looked sleepy, and dressed in clothes two sizes too small.
“I am Dr. House, you’re having a heart attack.”
The patient looked up, “I am?” His voice sounded worried.
“No, that’s just my opening line when I meet patients.”
The patient became unworried.
“What seems to be the problem?” House asked.
“I have this dizziness.”
House looked in disgrace at the patient.
“Also this tiredness, and I keep feeling thirsty.”
“Thirsty…” House mocked.
“Yeah, but I drink a lot of fluids. I also have this chest pain, and a numbness in my left arm. I’m thinking maybe it’s Stable Angina.”
House looked at the guy.
“That is an excellent diagnosis!” House said sarcastically.
“Is it right?”
“No… actually, the diagnosis is that you’re a geek.”
“What?”
“Geek, nerd, poi Dexter, whatever you want to call it. You study you fat ass off trying to make it into medical school or law school, whichever. That’s why you’re tired. You’re dizzy and thirsty because you like to get people to think you’re cool so you go to a lot of kegers, but a John Belushi you’re not. You’re chest pain is due to you always sleeping on you desk because of all you’re studying, and the numbness in your left arm is due to the circulation being cut off because you wear your shirts two sizes too small.”
The patient was stunned with what House had just said.
“Amazing what college students are like these days. Here’s some advice, get an Ipod and listen to the loudest heavy metal they have, that’ll keep you awake, buy some shirts that actually fit, and lay off the Twinkies.”
House turned away, and left the exam room.

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House went to the front desk, and threw the chart into the box. He turned to the secretary.
“Please write down, Dr. Gregory House checks out at exactly twelve thirty-four p.m.”
“Still getting the secretary to write down your times?” Wilson walked up to House.
“Just in case some one in personnel gets my times mixed up. Those damn bastards.”
“Funny… taking on any new cases lately?” Wilson asked.
“Not right now, why do you ask? Anything good?”
“Actually…”
“What is it?”
“A middle aged woman came in with a seizure, coughing blood, vertigo, ear pain, and also joint pain.”
“Sounds like Lupus.” House replied.
“Except for the ear and joint pain. Plus, new symptoms keep adding on.”
“Hmm… is she hot?” House asked.
“Yeah, she has a fever, why?”
“No, no, is she HOT?”
“Oh, she is oh damned beautiful!”
“Hmm… how old?”
“Forty-five, long brunette hair, tall, author.”
“Author?”
“Meredith Amsted.”
“’The Tits in the Willows’ series?” House asked.
“Yes, I think.”
House looked down at the chart, and snatched it out of Wilson’s hand.
“I love a good book.” House quipped as he walked for the elevator.

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“Forty-five year old woman, came in with nausea, fever, coughing up blood, a butterfly rash on her face, joint pain, and also ear pain.” House informed his group when they were in his office while seated around his marker board.
“Sounds like Lupus.” Chase called out.
“Correct, except for ear and joint pain, and the ER docs are telling us that she’s now feeling numbness and tingling in her left arm.”
“Where is she from?” Cameron asked.
“She travels a lot, but lives in New York most of the time.”
“Could it be Raynaud’s?” Foreman asked.
“Could be.”
“What did the docs find about the joint and ear pain?” Chase asked.
“She’s had the ear pain for a while, on and off. The joint pain came on just yesterday.” House informed.
“Sounds like classic Lupus. What’s special about this case?” Cameron asked.
“New symptoms add on every day, some aren’t related to Lupus.”
“That can happen.” Foreman replied.
“Yeah, start her in corticosteroids, and an IV drip. Get her a CBC, WBC, a CAT, and an MRI. I want to see what’s causing her ear pain.” House commanded.
“Could that be from Trig Neuralgias?” Foreman asked.
“That’s why I want those tests done. To make sure.”
The group scattered to get the tests done, and Cuddy stormed into the office.
“Look what the cat dragged in.” House responded.
Cuddy threw the chart in her hand onto the table.
“Diagnosis, geek?” She asked.
“Oh yeah… him.”
“You told him to lay off the Twinkies.”
“Yeah, what’s wrong with that?”
“He came into my office crying. Saying that you caused him emotional trauma.”
“Guy thought he was John Belushi.”
“Told him to buy larger shirts?”
“Yeah.”
“House… you’re here to treat patients, not to tell them to go to the Big and Tall shop!”
“I didn’t tell him that, it was implied! There is a difference you know!” House defended himself.
“And there is a difference between treating patients and criticizing them.”
“Oh boo-hoo. And what diagnosis would’ve you given him? A cold?”
“Something more reasonable than ‘geek’.”

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Chase slid the sliding glass door open for Cameron and he to enter Amsted’s room. They went over to her bed; Chase looked at the chart really fast.
“Are one of you Dr. House?” She asked.
“No, thankfully.” Chase replied as he placed the clipboard to his side.
“We work with him, we’re just going to take some tests to figure out what’s wrong.” Cameron told her.
“Like what?”
“Draw some blood, scan your body, things like that.” Chase responded.
“But you have no idea what’s wrong with me?”
“We’re not sure, but we do have one or two ideas in mind.” Cameron replied.

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The three doctors entered House’s office hours later to find House with his feet propped up on his desk while playing his Gameboy. Chase placed the film of Meredith’s MRI result on the x-ray board.
“Anything?” House was too busy playing with his Gameboy.
“You’re right, what’s causing her ear pain is Neuralgias. A nerve is being blocked by small tumor in her neck. It looks like it’s been there for years.”
“That’s good, anything else? Come on! Come on! Die already!” House fidgeted around with the Gameboy.
“MRI, and CT were normal other than that.” Cameron replied.
“CBC, WBC down a little. The blood tests prove that she has Lupus.” Foreman informed with a slash of a smile on his face.
“Great, it’s Lupus. I guess I was wrong, there is nothing else. Good work.” House kept his eyes on the Gameboy.
“That’s it? Case closed? That’s nothing, why did you assign us to this case?” Cameron asked curiously.
“Yep.”
“Are you trying to prove something to us?” Chase asked.
“Or are you finally coming to your senses that we can be right sometimes?” Foreman added.
Wilson entered the room quickly.
“You guys should come see this. She’s developing new symptoms, her temp’s up to 104 and the rash is gone.”
House turned off the Gameboy, and looked at the group.
“This is not a usual case of Lupus.” House got up from his seat, and exited the room. The three looked at one another.
“I guess House was right.” Chase uttered.
“As usual…” Foreman walked away prompting the other two to follow.

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House entered Meredith’s room followed by Wilson, Cameron, Chase, and Foreman.
“What is happening?” Meredith asked.
House went over to Meredith and started to examine her body and head. He lifted up one of her eyelids.
“Oh my god, that wasn’t there before.” Cameron pointed at Meredith’s bloodshot eye.
“What?” Meredith asked.
“The docs in the ER never said anything about that, I guess they were wrong.” Wilson said.
“I’m starting to think ER stands for ‘Extremely Retarded’.” House replied.
“What should we do?” Cameron asked.
“I’m Dr. House. It seems as though you do not have Lupus. We’re going to run some more tests to figure out what is causing this.”
House left the room, followed by his staff.
“How did you know that it’s not Lupus?” Foreman asked.
“I didn’t say that it wasn’t, I just say that it may not be. Rerun the blood test, and retake her history. Do it accurately this time, and start her on antibiotics. Put her on a fever reducer as well. Page me if you get anything, I’ll be down in the clinic.”
House walked away, while the three did not move.
“How did he know?” Foreman asked.
“Probably his sixth sense.” Chase said sarcastically.
“I’ll get the history.” Cameron told the two, and went back into the room with Wilson.
“Anything?” Cameron asked.
“Well, House was right so far.” Wilson replied as he pulled on his tie and left Cameron in the room.

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House was sitting in the exam room two with a patient who was a punk rocker. He wore skimpy black clothes, spiked hair, and a nose ring.
“My nose hurts.” He told House in a squealed shaky voice.
“Anything else?”
“My nose.”
House took out his bottle of Vikoden, swallowed one, and put it back in his pocket.
“Okay… does it hurt when I do this?” House reached over and flicked the patient’s nose where the ring was.
“Ow!” The patient cried.
“The pierce where the ring is infected. I’ll give you a prescription for an antibiotic. And I’d stop going to your girlfriend’s brother’s garage to get cheap piercing done. Other than that, rock on.” House handed a note to the punk, and left the room.
House placed the chart into the basket, and went to reach for another when Cameron went over to him.
“I got the history, and put her on the drugs.”
“Good girl.” House patted her on the head.
“Funny.”
“What did you find?”
“She’s just been to Asia for a book tour.”
“Asia you say… sound’s fun. Let’s go.”
“Where?”
“To the marker board, away!” House replied sarcastically as he pointed for the elevator.

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“Anything from the new blood test?” House asked when the five were meeting in his office.
“Her platelet count’s down.” Foreman replied.
“Platelet count…” House replied.
House looked at his marker board and wrote down the new symptoms.
“It can’t be Lupus.” Wilson said.
“What can it be?” House asked.
“Viral, maybe?” Cameron asked.
“It could.” House wrote it on the side on the board. “What else?”
“Tumor.” Chase said.
“You mean by the tumor that’s causing the Neuralgias?” House asked.
“Yeah.”
“Okay.” House wrote ’tumor’ on the board.
“How about bacterial?” Foreman asked.
“Yeah.” House wrote bacterial on the board.
“Heredity.” Wilson asked.
“Doesn’t look like it.”
“MS could be one of them.” Chase spoke up.
“Multiple Sclerosis, good answer.” House wrote under the causes the disease name.
“What else can cause these symptoms?”
There was silence.
“Come on people!” House demanded.
“It could be viral, something in her house or where she works, maybe.” Forman said.
“Well, check out her house then.” House replied.
“You want us to break into a Manhattan side apartment, probably heavily guarded.” Forman replied.
“Then ask for a key.” House suggested.
“What happened to everyone may run a Meth Lab in their basements?” Cameron asks.
“I don’t think a multi-millionaire would have a Meth Lab, maybe she’d be hiding a cat, but not a Lab.”
“Hey, what about Toxoplasmosis?” Foreman asked. “It can cause the headaches, fevers, the rash, the inflammation of her eyes.”
“Doesn’t explain all the symptoms, but it can fit. Is she pregnant?”
Cameron looked through the history.
“Doesn’t look like it.”
“Okay, we’ll test her for both Toxo and MS. Rerun the MRIs and the CT Scans, one of her abdomen, and one of her head, another CBC, and cross out Lupus once and for all by getting a chest film, and get a spinal tap to find for MS. And Foreman, go say pretty please for the key, and ask her if she has a cat.”

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“We’re going to have to cut out the L.A. tour to make up for lost time.” The team entered Meredith’s room as the secretary was speaking.
“Okay, thanks.” Meredith focused her attention on the doctors. “So?” She asked.
“We’re at no conclusions yet, but we do have some theories.” Foreman started out.
“Lay em’.” Meredith replied.
“Well, the first we think may be Multiple Sclerosis.” Cameron replied.
“MS?” Meredith asked.
“Yeah, but we’re looking to other diseases as well, another is Toxoplasmosis. It’s a bacteria like fungus, can come from cat’s fecal matter. Do you own a cat?” Foreman asked.
“No, no cats are allowed in the building, and I don’t like them.”
“This may be a touchy question, but do you know if you’re pregnant?” Chase asked.
“Hadn’t had a boyfriend in years. I’ve been too busy with my work.”
“Okay, we’ll run some more tests to make sure you don’t have either.” Chase told her.
“Okay.”
“Some of the regulars you have already been through, and some new one’s as well. A chest x-ray to cross out Lupus…” Cameron started.
“I though you said?”
“We’re making sure.” Foreman replied.
“Also, we’re going to have to get more blood, and have to do a spinal tap.” Cameron told Meredith.
“Okay, and could I get something for my lips? They feel chapped.”
Chase went in closer to examine the lips.
“Oh, yes. “
“Are they okay?”
“They’re a bit redder than usual and chapped.” Chase replied.
“One other thing, we’d like permission to check out your home for any toxins or chemicals that may have…” Foreman said.
“I’m hardly in my home. Don’t worry about that, but if you’d like, I can have my butler look around.”
“Okay.” Foreman replied.
“Let’s start.” Cameron said.

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After numerous amounts of tests, the doctors got Amsted ready for the chest x-ray. They placed her on the bed, and aimed the camera over her.
“Okay, Meredith, we need you to hold still.” Chase said.
“I feel cold.” She replied.
“Cold?” Chase asked.
“Like I have the chills or something, and my ear.”
“Okay, let’s just take the x-ray.”
“Oka…” Meredith started to go into another seizure.
“Meredith!” Chase yelled, and flagged down two of the nurses to help him.
Chase and the nurses ran into the room over to Meredith. He placed her onto her side to help her, and Chase felt how warm she still was. After the seizure had stopped, Chase tried for breath sounds, but were shallow. Cameron and Foreman ran into the room.
“What’s going on?” Cameron asked.
“She just had a seizure, and I need to intubate, she’s hardly breathing now.” Chase replied.
“But how?” Foreman asked.
“I don’t know.” Chase responded.

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“No cats, no boyfriend. Is she playing for the other team?“ House asked.
“Uh… not as I know of?” Cameron replied.
“Wouldn’t surprise me. Erotic books, come on. She's gotta be...”
“Can we get back to the subject?” Foreman interrupted.
“So professional… chapped and reddened lips, another symptom.” House wrote it on the board.
“Also, fever, chills, and another seizure.” Chase added.
“Hmm, she’s only been with us for two days, and her symptoms are rapidly increasing. What about the tests? Spinal?”
“It’s cloudy, and white blood count is up again.” Foreman told House.
“Up? How can it be up? Yesterday you told me it was down.”
“It went back up! The CBC too, but the platelets are still down.” Foreman replied.
“Did you do the WBC correctly?” House asked.
“Of course!”
“Run it again! How about the MRI?”
“No lesions, or scarring.” Cameron informed.
“CT, MRI for Toxo?”
“No cysts present.” Cameron replied.
“Means nothing. How about the lymph nodes, any sign of enlargement?”
“I don’t know.” Cameron took out the film and House snatched it out of her hands.
He placed the film up to the light.
“They’re swollen, not enlarged. Kidneys and Liver aren’t enlarge either.”
“Then it’s not?” Chase asked.
“It could still be. How about the chest x-ray?”
“We haven’t been able to do that one yet.” Chase replied.
“Why not?”
“She went into…”
“I know that, just get me my x-ray! I want to cross out Lupus once and for all. Rerun the WBC, CBC, get the X-Ray, and a brain biopsy, and a urinalysis.”
“A brain biopsy?” Foreman asked.
“See if it is Toxo.”
“Should we start her on any medications?” Cameron asked.
“If it’s Toxo, then Pyrimethamine. And keep her on the steroids.”
“Wait, look at this.” Foreman pointed out on the CBC.
The team looked over the report.
“The steroids are killing her.” Chase responded.
“Take her off of them, and how about the fever reducers?”
“They’re not working…” Chase replied.
“Okay, everyone out.” House demanded.
“But what…” Foreman started.
“Out!”
The three looked at one another, then at House who had taken out his yo-yo. They got up from the chairs, and left the office while House started to ponder while looking at the symptoms on the board.
“What the hell is it?” he asked himself.
House got up from his chair, put the yo-yo on hold, and went over to the board, which read many symptoms.
‘Fever’
‘Chills’
‘Seizures’
‘Chapped lips’
‘Coughing blood’
‘Vertigo’
‘Ear Pain’
‘Joint Pain’
‘Rash’
He crossed out vertigo, and coughing blood, but before he could do anything else, Cuddy came storming in.
“You want to give her a brain biopsy?” Cuddy asked, furiously.
“She’s a good candidate.” House replied.
“So?”
“If she was a regular schmuck on the street you would say yes, but because she’s a multi-million dollar author that writes erotic stories you can masturbate to, you say no, but a woman’s life is at stake here!”
“She hardly has any signs or symptoms of Toxoplasmosis! No enlarged liver, no enlarged spleen!”
“So? She still has some symptoms!”
“She doesn’t even have a cat!”
“You can get Toxoplasmosis in other ways, and New York is full of cats; stray and house broken, haven’t you ever seen ‘Stuart Little’?”
“It’s one thing giving a hunch for a diagnosis, but it’s something else when you’re hunching them on kid’s movies!”
“Let me run the biopsy, it could be Toxoplasmosis.”
“No way in hell!”
“I’ll give you an extra week’s clinic duty.” House replied.
“You? Am I really talking to House? Or is this his twin brother, the one who cares about his patients?”
“You can either watch a woman die and there’ll be no more ‘Tits in the Willows’ series, or you can let me run the biopsy.”
“Two weeks clinic duty.”
“Fine then.” House replied.
Cuddy left the room.

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House and Wilson were having lunch outside while talking about the case, and Cuddy.
“You? Care that much about a patient to give up and extra two weeks of clinic duty, why?” Wilson asked.
“You’re looking at this in the wrong perspective, if I’m right and it is Toxoplasmosis, then I’ve saved the woman and Cuddy will probably give me two weeks off from clinic duty.”
“That’s a cute trick, but what if you’re wrong, what if it’s not Toxoplasmosis?”
“Then, god help me.” House replied.
“So, do you think it’s Toxo?” Wilson asked.
“I’m not sure.” House lowered his head after that reply.
“You’re not sure? You look like you’re sure.”
“That’s to buy me time to actually find out what’s wrong with her.”
“Oh, you fooled me completely.”
“It could be Toxo, or it could still be MS.”
“I thought you ruled that one out.”
“It’s on the back burner, it doesn’t look like she has it, but CYA medicine.”
“Cover you ass, that’s a first for you.” Wilson replied.
House took out his portable television and turned it on.
“What are you doing?”
“’General Hospital’ should be on now.”
“What about the patient?” Wilson asked.
“When I get the results back, then I’ll check it out.”
“There’s still…”
“Shhh! This looks like a good one.” House replied.

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“Well, you can add a new symptom to the list, her hands are starting to swell up.” Chase informed the group when they met in House’s office.
“Swollen hands…” House added it to the board. “What about the brain biopsy?”
“It showed nothing.” Cameron replied.
“No signs of Toxo?” House asked.
“Nope.” Foreman replied.
“Damn!”
Wilson chuckled at House’s remark.
“What’s so funny?” Foreman asked.
“Good willed House over here, gave in an extra two weeks of clinic duty for Cuddy to let him do the biopsy.” Wilson replied.
“I think all those hours of clinic duty are starting to take a goodness effect on House.” Chase chuckled.
“Funny, but a good sign that it’s not MS either. What did the chest x-ray show?” House asked.
“Signs of pericarditis.” Cameron replied.
“She has Lupus… but yet she doesn’t… what the hell is wrong with her?” House asked. “What about the WBC?”
“It’s down again.” Foreman replied.
“You told me it was up!”
“It’s down again.”
“You’re not doing the test right! That’s why!” House yelled.
“I’ve been doing it the way I’ve always been.” Foreman explained.
“Chase, you do it, and Wilson, any signs of it being cancer?”
“The tumor in her neck isn’t even cancerous.”
“Lucky for her. Unlucky for us. The urinalysis?”
“High.” Cameron replied.
“Redo the WBC, and Cameron, you said she went to Asia?”
“Yeah.” She replied.
“What if it’s something like Kawasaki Disease?” Foreman asked.
“Good question, but stupid.” House remarked.
“Why?” Foreman asked.
“It’s a childhood disease.” Chase replied.
“Correct. It can’t happen.”
“But anything’s possible.” Cameron said.
“Get the WBC first, and order an ESR, and an EKG.”
“EKG? For what?” Chase asked.
“It should be able to tell us any other congestion from the Lupus.”

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Cameron and Chase entered Meredith’s room. Meredith was still on the ventilator. She looked at the two of them, purple around her eyes.
“We need to run a few more tests, but we know that it’s not Toxoplasmosis, and MS may be out of the picture, but we do know that you do have Lupus, but it’s died down a bit.” Chase explained to Meredith.
She nodded, and closed her eyes as the two left the room.

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“Please record, Dr. Gregory House entered the clinic at exactly three twenty-two p.m.” House told the secretary in the clinic.
House then grabbed a chart, and went into exam room one where he met the geek once again.
“You again…” House said.
“My… my… my chest pains are gone, and so is my thirst, and dizziness.”
“What do you want? A gold star?” House took out his Vikoden and took out a pill. “What’s the matter then?” House swallowed it, and put the bottle back into his pocket.
“I got some new shirts, but the numbness is still there, and look…” The geek pressed down on his hand for it to change color, but just for a little amount of time.
“It looks like you may have Raynaund’s Phenomenon…” House stopped. “Raynaud’s can be cause by Lupus, Lupus affects immune system…”
House got up, and exited the room.
“Lupus?” The geek asked. His eyes bulged at that reply.

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“Cameron, you said she was in Asia, has she ever been to Asia before that?” House asked when the group had met back in his office.
Cameron flipped through the history.
“I don’t know.”
“Ten bucks she has… at an early age.” House rushed out of the office, and rushed to Meredith’s room where he stood in front of the bed.
Meredith opened her eyes to see House standing there, and the other doctors coming into the room.
“Answer me something. Were you ever in Asia before you went a few weeks ago?” House asked. “Give her a sheet and a pen.”
Meredith stared at House.
“Did you? At an early age? I need to know.”
Meredith looked at the pad and the pen, and took it out of Chase’s hands, and began to write. House waited for her to finish, and quickly snatched the book out of her hands.
“She has, when she was twelve she went to Japan with her parents.” House told the group.
“You were right, but what does that mean?” Foreman asked.
“The symptoms on the board.” House rushed back to the office, where the docs followed.
“Foreman was right, she does have Kawasaki Disease.” House began.
“You said…” Chase replied.
“But she picked it up in Japan when she was twelve, but it was dormant by the vaccination shot she received before she went. It laid there dormant until she got the Lupus disease. The Lupus weakened the Immune System somehow magically waking up the Kawasaki Disease causing her to become sick once again.” House said.
“Is that even possible?” Foreman asked.
“Anything’s possible.” House replied.
“It fits, mostly. Except for the seizures, and the chills.” Cameron replied.
“Could be from the Lupus, let’s get her on gamma globulin intravenously. We treat the Kawasaki, the Lupus has a chance to heal. We were giving her the wrong medication, which worsened the Kawasaki.”
“And, it fits.” Chase responded.
“I suppose it does…” Foreman added.
“Perfectly.” House replied, and smiled just a tad.

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“How are you feeling?” Chase asked Meredith, two days after the treatment.
Meredith gave the thumbs up.
“We’re going to get you off of the vent now.” Cameron said.
Meredith gave another thumbs up, and smiled. Cameron and Chase went over to her, and unplugged the tube.
“Breath deep, and when we say breath out.” Chase said as he grabbed a hold of the tube.
“Okay, now!”
Chase pulled the tube out, but something went wrong, she couldn’t breath.
“She can’t breath.” Cameron said.
“Come on, Meredith. Breath in.”
Meredith couldn’t, she kept wheezing.
“Okay, intubations tray.” Chase called for.
Cameron felt Meredith’s head.
“She still has a fever.”
Cameron and Chase looked at one another.

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Cuddy walked into House’s office.
“And she returns.” House said while swinging his cane.
“What is it with you and geeks?” She asked.
“Geeks? Hmm… they’re annoying, fat, and have tingling sensations in their arms.”
“He came crying into my office again, saying that you said that he has Lupus!”
“Stupid idiot. I wasn’t talking about him, I was rationalizing out what her disease is.”
“He didn’t see it that way.” Cuddy replied.
“Well, what do I have to do? Send him a card and a box of chocolates?”
“How about his bill for therapy?”
“I put the kid into therapy?”
“Yeah, you did!”
“How come I can’t do that with the people I work with?”
“Beats the hell out of me, and I guess you were right, she does have Toxoplasmosis.”
House’s brow lifted.
“She does not have Toxoplasmosis!”
“Yeah, you’re right! You owe me two weeks clinic duty. I’ll put you down for it!” Cuddy smiled and was about to leave the room when Chase and Cameron came running in.
“Meredith…” Chase started.
“Well, out with it boy!” House replied.
“The treatment’s not working, she’s getting worse.” Chase finished.
“What? How?” House asked.
“She’s got chills, headache, she’s shaking, a bad cough, and muscle aches.”
“What about the Kawasaki symptoms?” House asked.
“These are new, it looks like the others are fading.” Cameron replied.
“What do you think, House?” Cuddy asked.
“Bet you two clinic weeks that she has another illness other than Kawasaki.” House replied.
“Oh no! You’re not going to weasel yourself out of those two weeks that you lost.” Cuddy replied.
House turned to Chase.
“Two clinic weeks.”
Chase scoffed. “You’re on.”
House went over to the board.
“Okay, let’s cross off the one’s that she doesn’t have anymore.”
“Rash.” Chase threw out.
“Gone.” House crossed out rash.
“Joint pain.” Cameron said.
“Outta here.”
“Chapped lips.” Chase said.
“See ya.”
“Seizures.” Cuddy blurted.
“Which leaves fever and chills.”
“He temperature dropped, but it’s now it’s staying at 101.” Cameron informed.
“101... She also has headaches, tremors, coughing, muscle aches, and needs a tube to breath.”
“What are you thinking?” Chase asked.
“Did you get that White Blood Count?”
“It’s right here.” Foreman replied as he walked into the room.
“Hello, Chase!” House told Foreman.
“White Blood Count is down. Just like before.” Foreman gave the chart to House.
“Great… well we know the treatment has been working against the Kawasaki, but what has been triggered by the Kawasaki? Any ideas?”
“Could it be viral?” Cameron asked.
“Sounds like a case of Pneumonia, a very bad one.” House replied.
“Pneumonia. She did go to Asia, and she went to China.” Foreman said.
“What’s he saying?” Cuddy asked.
“That she has S.A.R.S.” House replied.
“Woah, woah! Wait a minute! S.A.R.S.?” Cuddy asked.
“S.A.R.S? It can’t be.” Cameron replied.
“It can. It fits all the symptoms, plus here’s the bonus kicker, she went to Asia!” House replied.
“But, how?” Foreman asked.
“Logic, people. When she went to Asia to do her erotic book tour, she caught it, probably when she was about to return home. She caught it from one of those Asian looking dudes. You know, the guys with the little yellow skins and oval eyes. The guy must have coughed, the virus went airborne and landed on Miss Erotica where it got tangled in with all the other diseases that she already had. This can explain all those symptoms on the board.”
“It fits.” Chase replied.
“Exactly.”
“Three diseases? One dormant for decades, and two others that she just somehow got?” Foreman asked.
“It can happen.” House replied.
“But, S.A.R.S.?” Cuddy asked.
“Or it could just be Pneumonia, but do you really want to take a chance?” House asked.
Cuddy thought for a moment before answering.
“Okay, treat it as though it was S.A.R.S., but in the book let’s keep it as Pneumonia for now.”
“Good, and stick her in one of those isolation rooms, who knows, it could already be all around the hospital.” House replied.
“Everyone gets medication, everyone. I don’t need an outbreak three months before this hospital goes under observation. Let’s keep this under the belt!”
Wilson walked into the office.
“Wilson, my boy! Just in time!” House started.
“She doesn’t want anymore treatment. She said that she wants to sign a DNR, and be taken off the ventilator.”
“Why does this always happen after we find out what’s killing them?”
“They’re going to give her the DNR, they have no reason not to.” Wilson replied.
“Tell her, that she’s being an idiot.” House said.
“You should.” Wilson replied.
“Oh no! Not me, she might have S.A.R.S.! I don’t want to catch that.”
“House…” Cuddy raised her voice.
“Oh, all right! But if I die…”
“We’ll be sure to buy you a fancy looking coffin.” Cuddy finished.
“You’re all so nice to me!”
House started for the door.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

House walked into Meredith’s room.
“You’re being a right idiot for doing this.” House blasted out.
Meredith looked away.
“We know what’s wrong with you, we can treat it.”
Meredith still looked away.
“You have S.A.R.S.! For god’s sake stop being so stubborn and listen!”
Meredith looked at House.
“You had Lupus that triggered Kawasaki, but while in Asia you also picked up the S.A.R.S. virus. That’s what’s making your breathing difficult. If we take you off the respirator you will die, and even if you do make it, you won’t be alive in about 18 hours. Now, it’s your choice, all you have to do is say the magic word.”
Meredith thought, and finally shook her head yes. House left the room, and went back to the office.
“Start her on IV antibiotics, anti-viral medication, and steroids, lots of them.” House demanded.
“She said yes?” Wilson asked.
“She more like shook it.” House replied.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

“How are you feeling, Meredith?” Chase asked when he and Cameron walked into her room.
“I’m feeling better.” She replied.
“That’s good, and we even have some better news.” Chase said.
“It wasn’t S.A.R.S. at all, just a case of Pneumonia.” Cameron finished.
“That’s excellent, looks like I’ll be back at work in no time.”
“Yeah, you just might want to stay out of Asia for a while.” Chase joked.
“Oh yeah! Not for a long, long time.” Meredith replied.
“You’ll be released today.” Cameron smiled.
“That’s awesome. Do you know where Dr. House is? I never did get to thank him.”
Cameron and Chase looked at each other.
“He’ll probably be around later on.” Chase lied.
“Okay, good.”

-----------------------------------------------------------------

House was lying on the exam table in exam room one while reading one of Amsted’s erotic stories with a lollipop hanging out of his mouth. With every word he read, they came alive right in front of him.
“They both sat there, looking at each other as though there were no one else on earth. Their hearts pounding, their sweats beading…” House read. He looked up, and tried to picture it. Then, in front of him pictured Cameron and Cuddy. He smiled, and started to read some more.
“She put her hand on her thigh, and looked with a devilish look straight at her. The other knew what she was getting at…” House looked up to see Cuddy’s hand on Cameron’s thigh. “No no, reverse it.” House said to the mirage.
The mirage flipped for Cameron’s hand to be on Cuddy’s thing.
“That’s better…” House started to read on when Wilson entered the room.
House quickly tried to put the book away.
“What’s that?” Wilson asked.
“Nothing…”
“Come on!” Wilson went up to House, and grabbed the book out of his hand. “’The Tits in the Willows, Book 5’. Book 5?”
“The other four bore the crap out of me.”
“Oh, I see. You know she’s being released today, right?”
“Yep. And it wasn’t S.A.R.S. after all, just a regular old case of boring Pneumonia.”
“You wanted to see hell on earth break loose.”
“Yeah, put some fun into it. Like a Destruction Derby for the earth.” House replied.
“Well, I do have some destruction for you. Some geeky looking guy is looking for you.” Wilson opened the blinds for House to see whom it was.
“Him again…”
“He says he has some bills for you or something? All the hookers bail out on you?”
“Funny, tell him I’ll be there in a little while.”
“How long?” Wilson asked.
“As soon as I get through book 5.” House showed how far he was through with the book.
“Looks like you’ll be a while.” Wilson replied.
“At least the seats out there are comfortable.”
Wilson smiled, and left the room for House to get back to reading.
“Their bodies clashed is impulse as they…” House looked up. “No, no, a little closer and more sweatier!” House rearranged his mirage.
And so with another case solved, House felt good, and so he sat on that table rearranging his thoughts of Cuddy and Cameron, and kept reading the erotic books by the author he had saved that day, and he knew, that there would have to be a book 6 since she wasn’t dead…

FADE OUT.