Chapter 23
-Aww! Cuddy moans.
-Cuddy! Where does it hurt? House says as calmly as he can, caressing tenderly her cheek.
-House, I … my chest hurts… I… aww … my belly hurts too… House…, Cuddy manages to answer. Her face is distorted with pain, her eyes seem to implore House to give her something to soothe the pain.
-I can’t give you morphin because we need to run other tests to find what’s wrong with you, Cuddy, I’m sorry. But as soon as we finish, I’ll give you some… House replies and holds Cuddy’s hand tight. Cuddy nods.
-Hm, can I make the scan of your abdomen? Chase asks and nears Cuddy. House looks over Chase’s shoulder, suddenly he stops his fellow.
-Here, come back to her liver…
-Yup! … hey, what’s this?
- It seems to be a hepatic congestion…, House replies the eyes locked on the monitor of the scan. Then he looks at Cuddy, she writhes in pain, beads of sweat pearl on her forehead, she’s very pale.
-It could be in connection with her heart failure, what do you think? Chase asks.
-Maybe… we have to do a biopsy to be sure.
-Hm, before you do the biopsy, we have to make the MRI, Foreman says on the threshold of the room. Cameron stands there too and looks at House, trying to guess what he thinks at this time. And she can see a huge despair, the fear of losing the woman he loves and maybe some glimpse of hope too, she sees a broken man, but also a man ready to fight to save the one he loves. She hardly recognizes House.
House nods and looks at Cuddy that Foreman and Cameron take to the MRI room. He feels a hand on his shoulder, Chase tries to comfort him:
-Don’t worry, we’re gonna find what’s wrong with her, she’s gonna be ok.
-I hope so…
-Cuddy, try to relax and don’t move…, Foreman says.
Cuddy is ready for the MRI, she knows she has to be perfectly still, but she feels so bad, the pain is so strong…
-Do you think that she loves House? Cameron asks while looking at the screen in front of her. Foreman turns to look at her.
-Why do you ask? It’s obvious that she loves him…
-Yeah, I know, I meant do you think she loves him for who he is, with his defaults, his chronic pain, his drug addiction, or does she love the image of him, the idea of him that she has since the Med School?
-Excuse me but I don’t understand you, are you still attracted to House?
-No! Of course not! Cameron replies. Foreman looks at her, he doesn’t believe her.
-Don’t fool me, Allyson, everyone knows that you had the hots for House…
-Hey, look! Here, her heart, that’s some diffuse nodules, isn’t it?
-Yeah, it looks so…
-Myocarditis?
-Maybe … What about an endocarditis?
-We have to run new blood tests to confirm it…
-Let’s do it!
Foreman and Cameron take Cuddy back to her room, House has left.
-My eyes are burning, Cuddy says breathless in a low voice.
-Let me see, Foreman says and nears Cuddy to examine her eyes.
-A new symptom? Thirteen asks and comes in.
-I guess yes… Come and look at this, Foreman replies and moves slightly back to let Thirteen go to Cuddy.
-I’d say she has conjunctivitis… but why? I don’t know, it’s weird, it doesn’t fit with the other symptoms…
-Has she swelling of the lymph node near the ear? Taub asks.
-Hm… maybe but it’s hard to tell… Why do you ask? Do you think of something?
-Yes, that could be Parinaud's oculoglandular syndrome…
-And?
-And she can have a cat scratch disease, which could explain her heart problem…
-So her heart problem would be an endocarditis? Chase suggests.
-And why not a lupus? Cameron adds. It can fit with the symptoms too…
-I’ll do an echocardiography, Chase says.
-Why? What did the MRI show? House asks suddenly. He was standing on the threshold of the room since about 10 minutes and listened to his fellows, trying to decide which of their ideas would be worth to examine deeper.
-They are some diffuse nodules around the myocardium, Cameron answers.
-But she has also a granulomatous conjunctivis with concurrent swelling of the lymph node near the ear…, Taub adds.
-Let me see, House replies and nears Cuddy. To see her in a so bad state, suffering, hurts him, he tries to concentrate on the medical puzzle but he knows he’s not objective. Taub and Thirteen, run blood tests to confirm the presence of Bartonella henselae and try to see if you find some sign of a lupus or of an endocarditis… Foreman make the echocardiography, Chase and Cameron do a biopsy of the myocardium in the setting of angiography… Go ! Run the tests I asked! I don’t want to waste more time, she’s in a hard pain! he almost shouts. Then he sits down on the chair near Cuddy’s bed and holds her hand. She turns the head and stares at him.
-House, I… I want to… to tell you…
-Cuddy, I…
-House, if… if something happens to me…
-Everything’s gonna be alright, Cuddy…
-House, let me end my sentence, if something happens to me… I… I want you to take care of Rachel… please, House, promise me you’ll take care of her…
-Cuddy, I… are you sure? Last time you chose Julia and…
-It was last time as you say… Rachel always talks about you… as her dad… House, accept please…
-Do you think I can take care of her like a father would do?
-I… yes.
-Ok, I promise you, but she won’t need me because her mother won’t die…, he tries to be persuasive but …
-House, I heard your fellows, I heard their diagnosis, I know there are 50 chances I get better, but there are also 50 chances I…
-Cuddy, are you ready for the echocardiography and the biopsy? Foreman asks. She nods and gives House a last glance full of fear.
-Cuddles, do you want me to be by your side while they do the tests?
-House, you shouldn’t…, Chase begins.
-No, Chase is right… But be by my side when I come back.
House nods, bents over her and kisses her softly.
A few minutes later, Wilson comes in. House leans against the window, he seems to be lost in his thought.
-House, I brought you some clothes… How is she? Have you a diagnosis?
-Yes, we have 2 or 3 hypothesis…
-Good or bad news?
-It depends…
-And what are…
-Cat scratch disease, lupus, endocarditis, myocarditis… or maybe we’re wrong and … I don’t know, Wilson.
-Where is she?
-With my team, they run some other tests.
-And… how do you feel?
-I… how do you think I feel, Wilson? House turns violently and yells at Wilson.
-I think you should go to take a shower and change your clothes, I’m gonna buy you something to eat… Wilson is about to leave when House says:
-Thanks, Wilson.
Wilson nods and leaves.
When he comes back, House has changed his clothes and waits for Cuddy and the results of her tests.
-Don’t you have an office?
-Sure, but I prefer to stay here…
-Here’s a sandwich and a bottle of water.
-Thanks.
-House, Cuddy is in intensive care, the biopsy went well but we prefer to keep her there for a few hours, Chase says. We should have the test results in one hour. House nods and leaves the room. He’s tempted to swallow vicodin, but he made a promise to himself, for Cuddy: if he ever had another chance to be with her, to be happy with her, he won’t take vicodin anymore… House hesitates and throws his bottle out. This time he won’t make the same mistake, he’ll prove Cuddy that he does care for her. Then he heads to the intensive care. Cuddy is sleeping, the nurse explains him that they gave her sleeping pills so she can rest a little. House looks at her, she’s pale and looks drawn, she has lost weight… but even so he finds her beautiful.
