06x05 - Instant Karma

[bunniefuu]

[Opens with a guy sitting in a chair staring into space. He looks unhappy, cut to a dog at his feet lying down with a ball in front of him. Dog puts his head down and makes a noise, like he is also sad. Guy continues to stare at nothing.]

LADY: Mr. Randall? [The lady is standing in front of him.] They're here. [He nods.]

[You then see Roy Randall making his way into a mansion. Cut to a boardroom with several people sitting around a large table.]

BUSINESS MAN: $52 million includes over $6 million already issued pursuant to the over-allotment option.

ROY: When can we close?

OLIVER: It would be subject to regulatory approval in both Toronto and...

ROY: [Interrupting.] I didn't say, "how," Oliver. I said, "when." [Everybody looks down and remains silent.] What?

[The man at the opposite end of the table to Roy decides to speak up.]

KEN: You sure this is a direction you want to go, Roy? This would move us from energy service into energy...

ROY: You don't think oil's going up?

KEN: Well of course it's going to go up. The question is when.

ROY: The question is always when, and if we wait until the deal makes sense to everyone else, we're going to be waiting in line behind everyone else.

KEN: All I'm saying is...

ROY: The same cover-your-ass crap you always say. [Checks his phone.] We're going to have to wrap this up. I've got to go.

KEN: Where are you going?

ROY: Upstairs. [Stands up.] Get the regulators on it. I want to close by the end of the month. [Starts walking away from the table.]

KEN: Come on, Roy. There are ten other items on the agenda.

ROY: Which will have to wait until next week.

KEN: You can't drag us all out of the office, get halfway through, and then just kick us out.

ROY: Yeah, I can. [Leaves. We see him walking down a large hallway with the same depressed look he had earlier.]

[Cut to toys on a window sill. We see various toys and posters on the wall, clearly a child's room. We then see a heart rate monitor. We then see a wide view of the large room filled with toys and other things, Roy is standing in the middle of it talking to a doctor.]

DOCTOR: The antibiotic treatment had no effect. Both the fever and the pain are getting worse, which means it's not clostridium difficile.

ROY: But you said that was the only diagnosis that made sense.

DOCTOR: It was. We need to get him to a hospital.

JACK: [Lying in the bed.] Dad? [Roy walks over to him.] I don't want to go.

ROY: I know, buddy. But we may need to.

JACK: Am I going to die?

ROY: No, of course not.

JACK: How do you know?

ROY: Well, I just do. [Smiles.] And I'm always right, aren't I?

JACK: [Smiles back.] Yeah.

[Opening Credits.]

[Cut to Roy in Cuddy's office.]

ROY: I want House.

CUDDY: I understand, but I told you Dr. House isn't available. Dr...

ROY: Call him. Tell him I'll have a private jet pick him up from whatever island...

CUDDY: He isn't on vacation. Dr. Foreman's one of our best doctors.

ROY: Is House in jail?

CUDDY: No. Foreman is currently working with two of House's most veteran associates.

ROY: Rehab?

CUDDY: No. Mr. Randall, your son will be in good hands.

ROY: My son... has already been in good hands, and he's still dying. I'm through dealing with good. I want the best, and everyone I've asked says that's House. So unless he's dead, comatose, or insane, I want him treating my son, today.

[Cut to Cuddy talking to House in the Diagnostics Office. Cameron, Chase and Foreman are also in the room.]

HOUSE: You could have said no, in good conscience.

CUDDY: The kid'll still be Foreman's patient, but his dad wants you making the decisions.

FOREMAN: Then he's not my patient. You want to give me none of the responsibility and all of the liability?

HOUSE: Which means I get... [Looks excited.] Oh, cool.

CUDDY: [Looks are Foreman.] Don't let him do anything crazy.

FOREMAN: When is he getting his license back so we can stop playing this game?

HOUSE: [Looking at the file.] Maybe never. This game is fun.

CUDDY: You also need to prepare President Dibala's case for this week's morbidity and mortality conference. [Chase looks worried.]

HOUSE: Oh... Unfortunately I'm overdue a mani-pedi appointment.

CUDDY: Not you. Foreman's department.

HOUSE: Oh, right. Well, he's got all the time in the world.

FOREMAN: We made the wrong call, he d*ed. There's nothing to present.

CUDDY: It obviously garnered a lot of curiosity.

CHASE: And we don't have more important things to do than satisfy everyone's idle curiosity?

CUDDY: It's not idle. The question of how we deal with two possible diagnoses whose treatments are contraindicated is worth discussing. [Cuddy leaves. Chase looks over at Foreman.]

CAMERON: Abdominal pain increasing in severity and frequency, fever, dehydration, diarrhea, weight loss.

CHASE: Mom d*ed from kidney failure caused by type one diabetes, which has been ruled out.

HOUSE: 17 doctors. Everything's been ruled out. Which means we have to re-rule out. Get a new history and physical. [Looks at Foreman.] Unless that's crazy, boss.

[Foreman nods to Cameron. Cut to Cameron giving Jack an exam while Roy watches on.]

CAMERON: You been out of the country or on any recent camping trips?

ROY: No camping. But we were in Montreal back in January.

JACK: We went to see the NHL all-star game for my birthday.

CAMERON: Awesome.

ROY: Where's Dr. House?

CAMERON: In his office. He's really more of a decider than a do-er. He's decided we should start over. Never know what previous doctors may have missed. [Presses down on Jacks abdomen, notices something.] Like this. [To Jack.] Does that hurt more when I push there?

JACK: Not really.

ROY: What is it?

CAMERON: I'm not sure.

[Cut to Chase and Foreman in the Diagnostics Office.]

CHASE: Just keep it clean, simple. We did a test that called into question our initial diagnosis, so we changed our mind.

FOREMAN: And if they ask how the test was done?

CHASE: Why would they do that? It's a routine lab test.

FOREMAN: Routine lab tests don't involve blood you stole from a corpse to trick me into giving the guy the wrong treatment.

CHASE: Yes, and if you brought that up, it'd certainly make for a lively debate about the morality of murdering murderers. But since you b*rned the only evidence of that.

FOREMAN: To cover for you, not me.

CHASE: You're protected. The decision was a coin flip. There was no right or wrong answer. The body's underground, 8,000 miles away. Nobody can prove anything.

FOREMAN: That room will be filled, not because of a coin flip, not because of the patient, but because House's department screwed up. They're going to be like sharks in a chum-filled swimming pool, and there's no way I'm jumping in unless I'm in a steel cage.

CHASE: So what do you want?

FOREMAN: I want to know you have everything covered.

HOUSE: [Suddenly appears in the doorway.] Got what covered?

CHASE: We're just reviewing the Dibala case. Making sure we didn't miss anything.

[Chase gets up and walks away from the desk, with his back to House.]

HOUSE: We didn't. Except of course the thing that k*lled him. [House stares at Chase.]

[Cameron walks in behind House.]

CAMERON: He's constipated. Physical revealed a mass in his abdomen, so I repeated the X-ray. [Shows the X-ray to Foreman.] Old one was clean. New one shows that his colon's almost completely impacted.

FOREMAN: Obstruction would explain the pain. You think they just screwed up the old X-ray? [Looks at House.]

HOUSE: Nope. [Smiles at Foreman, who looks back at the X-ray.]

[Cut to Foreman talking to Roy in Jacks hospital room.]

ROY: Hirschsprung's?

FOREMAN: It's a congenital disorder of the nerves in the colon. Very rare in a child your son's age. Most doctors would never think of it.

ROY: And you came up with this?

FOREMAN: It's House's idea.

CAMERON: We need a barium enema and biopsy to confirm. [Cameron pour some powder into a glass of water.]

JACK: Let me guess. It tastes really bad, but it's going to make me feel a lot better. [Foreman smiles and looks at Cameron.]

FOREMAN: Actually, you're not going to taste it. [Jack looks at the bag of liquid that Cameron is now holding. He then realizes what's going to happen .]

[Cut to House sitting down at a table in a Cafe.]

HOUSE: [To the person behind him.] You should try searching for "Misty May digs for gold." [Thirteen's turns around surprised.] Make sure you put it in quotes.

THIRTEEN: I'm making travel plans. Just need to get away. Have some time to myself. [Looks back at her laptop.] You getting the hint?

HOUSE: So that's it? [Turns his chair around so he can see her.] You're done with your little experiment with Foreman?

THIRTEEN: It wasn't an experiment. It was a relationship. You may want to look into the difference. [They look at each other, Thirteen smiles.] I'm glad you're better, House. I actually liked working for you. But I'm not coming back.

HOUSE: Good. 'Cause if you came back, Foreman would try and save the relationship and he'd give up being the boss.

THIRTEEN: Are you here to try to save my relationship with Foreman?

HOUSE: God no. Trying to save MY relationship with Foreman. Right now I'm Kobe, playing the game I love, however the hell I want. Phil Jackson has to listen to everyone else bitch about it. [Gets up and starts to leave.] Enjoy Cabo.

THIRTEEN: I'm going to Thailand.

HOUSE: Really? Interesting.

THIRTEEN: [Smiles.] Good-bye, House.

HOUSE: Good-bye Thirteen. [Leaves.]

[Cut to Cameron showing Roy and Jack three X-rays. Points to each one.]

CAMERON: Last week, yesterday, today.

ROY: I can't believe it. He's pain-free for the first time in months. He's even hungry.

JACK: I'm starving.

CAMERON: We're still waiting for the biopsy results, but obviously it's a good sign. [Starts to examine Jacks abdomen.]

FOREMAN: You're going to want to take it slow. Don't try to regain all the lost weight in one meal.

ROY: What's wrong?

CAMERON: The abdomen feels normal, but it looks bigger.

ROY: Jack, are you feeling... Jack? [Jack is just lying there, his eyes wide open but not moving.] Hey, Jack, you okay?

FOREMAN: [Shines a light in Jack's eye.] Right eye's fixed. Lateral rectus palsy. [Monitors start going off. Jack starts seizing.] He's seizing. [Yells out to the corridor.] Need five milligrams of diazepam. [Nurses rush in.]

ROY: What, what's happening?

FOREMAN: Hold down his head and turn off the lights. I need to see his optic disk. [Someone turns off the light, Foreman tries to look into Jack's eye.]

CAMERON: Heart rate is elevated.

FOREMAN: Come on, hold his head.

NURSE: I'm trying.

ROY: Wait! Where, where's House?

CAMERON: [Moves him back.] OK, Mr. Randall, we need you to step back.

FOREMAN: His optic disk is swollen. He's got intracranial hypertension. Furosemide. 20 milligrams IV.

CAMERON: If we could intubate him, we could hyperventilate him...

FOREMAN: [Over the top of Cameron.] Need five more milligrams of diazepam. DC the monitors. Push 500 milligrams phenytoin.

CAMERON: [Semi-whispers.] We can't push that much.

FOREMAN: We got to relieve the pressure or his brain could herniate.

ROY: Oh, my God.

CAMERON: 50 milligrams of phenytoin in. [No effect.]

FOREMAN: [Shakes his head.] Page Chase. Tell him to meet us in the OR.

[They start wheeling him down the corridor they are almost running, Jack still seizing. Roy is following behind. Cameron is holding Jacks head down while pushing the bed.]

FOREMAN: [To Roy.] We need your consent.

ROY: What's happening to him?

FOREMAN: Pressure in his skull's too high. If we don't reduce it, it could irrevocably damage his brain.

ROY: But he was just talking. He was smiling.

FOREMAN: We need to drill burr holes.

ROY: Drill into his head?

FOREMAN: Phenytoin's not working. Paralyze him. Three milligrams pancuronium. Then intubate and hyperventilate. [They push him into the OR where Chase is scrubbing in.]

ROY: Where's House?

FOREMAN: House isn't here. Do we have your consent? Do we have your consent? [Roy watches from in the doorway as they get ready to lift Jack onto the operating table.] Ready? One, two, three. [They lift him on.]

CAMERON: Injecting three milligrams of pancuronium. [Jack stops shaking. They intubate him.]

FOREMAN: [Walks over to Roy.] Look at the monitors. He's still seizing. We need to do this now. [Roy nods his head.] Go.

[A Nurse guides Roy out of the room. While Chase starts to drill a hole into Jacks head.]

CAMERON: Electrical seizure activity's stopped. [Everyone watches the monitor.]

FOREMAN: Intracranial pressure's declining. [Chase puts a small tube into the hole.] Come on. Keep going. Pressure's down to eight. [Everyone looks relieved.]

CAMERON: I'll go tell the dad.

CHASE: What happened?

FOREMAN: I have no idea.

[Cut to everyone in Radiology looking at the X-rays.]

FOREMAN: He hasn't had any more seizures, and cytological examination of the subdural fluid showed no abnormalities.

HOUSE: Don't usually see brain damage after a rectal biopsy.

FOREMAN: He was fine after the procedure. No headaches. No mental status change. It wasn't anything we did.

CAMERON: It's not just his brain. He's continuing to build up fluid in his abdominal cavity as well as the Dura. We've inserted shunts to drain it.

CHASE: Got to be some sort of systemic infection.

HOUSE: Not after spending the last week getting pumped full of IV antibiotics.

FOREMAN: Notice anything odd about the shape of the fluid collection?

HOUSE: Oh, God, it's... The Virgin Mary. [Cameron rolls her eyes.]

FOREMAN: The edge should be tapered, lens shaped.

HOUSE: [Stares at the X-ray.] Unless... The Dural layer was already separated from the brain when the fluid started to build up. Get a Dural biopsy to confirm brain cancer. [To Foreman.] Nice catch.

[Cut to Thirteen in a cab, talking on the phone.]

THIRTEEN: Bangkok. Flight 799.

CAB DRIVER: Wow. Bangkok, that sounds awesome. How long?

THIRTEEN: Not sure yet. Luckily I have a friend who's staying at my place, taking care of my dog. He's really big, so he needs a lot of exercise. [Back to the phone.] Remy Hadley. H-a-d-l-e-y.

CAB DRIVER: What, you think I'm going to rob the place?

THIRTEEN: No, of course not.

CAB DRIVER: In case you haven't noticed, I have a job.

THIRTEEN: Look, I'm sorry. I don't know you. You're either honest or dishonest. I figured the safer choice is to...

CAB DRIVER: Is to treat a stranger like an ass. Nice way to live your life... bitch.

THIRTEEN: I said I'm sorry. [To the phone.] Oh, hello. I was wondering if there were any business class seats open that I could use my miles to upgrade to.

CAB DRIVER: I don't know you, but I assumed I could trust you. Welcomed you in my car.

THIRTEEN: Okay, you're a saint. [Back to the phone.] That's impossible. I confirmed my reservation last night. So rebook it. Well, obviously it was a mistake on your end, not mine. No, I'm on my way to the airport right now.

CAB DRIVER: They didn't believe you, huh?

[Aerial sh*t of PPTH.]

[Cut to Chase and Cameron explaining the situation to Roy outside Jacks room.]

ROY: Brain cancer?

CHASE: We should know for sure by the morning.

ROY: Our luck just keeps getting worse, huh?

CAMERON: Treatment options are getting better every day. There's no visible mass, so even if the biopsy comes back positive, we've caught it early.

ROY: Oh, so you're telling me this is good news?

CAMERON: I'm saying we will do whatever we can.

ROY: Right. [Signs the form as Chase's pager goes off.] Sorry. [Hands the form to Chase and walks away.]

CHASE: I've got to go. Foreman needs more help with the M&M prep.

CAMERON: Okay, I'll come up and help after I finish the biopsy.

CHASE: [Shakes his head.] We can handle it. I'll see you at home later.

CAMERON: If you're here, I might as well be.

CHASE: Go home. Get some rest. 'Cause I'm going to be waking you up as soon as I get home.

[Cut to Thirteen at House's apartment. House opens the door.]

THIRTEEN: Stay out of my life.

HOUSE: Okay. [Goes to shut the door but Thirteen stops him.]

THIRTEEN: I know you canceled my reservation. You obviously saw me log in when you were spying on me in the coffee shop.

HOUSE: I was talking to you. I was spying on the milf in the running shorts.

THIRTEEN: I'm not coming back on the team.

HOUSE: I don't want you back on the team.

THIRTEEN: I cannot work for, with, or around Foreman.

HOUSE: Which is why I don't want you back on the team. Now that you're out of the picture, he's better than ever, which is going to make me less miserable than ever, which is why neither of us Gives a damn how, when, or on what island in the Bahamas you want to get from it all.

THIRTEEN: The Bahamas?

HOUSE: Costa Rica?

THIRTEEN: I told you Thailand.

HOUSE: I assumed you were lying, because it would have been idiotic of you to tell me truth. Yet another reason I have no use for you. [House shuts the door.]

[Cut to Chase walking into House's office. Foreman is standing behind House's desk.]

FOREMAN: We've got a problem. When Cameron sent Dibala's blood to the lab, she specifically asked for the anticentromere antibodies test.

CHASE: So?

FOREMAN: The printout they sent you included just the anticentromere antibodies, but the lab also did a full blood panel.

CHASE: So, I'm not an idiot. I obviously made sure the cadaver I got the sample from had the same blood type.

FOREMAN: You apparently didn't check its cholesterol. [Chase looks worried.]

CHASE: How far off?

FOREMAN: 20%. [Chase takes the report to look for himself.]

[Cut to Cameron at home, in bed asleep, alone. Light is coming through the window, it's morning, the alarm goes off. Cameron reaches over and turns it off. Then looks over and see the Chase still isn't home.]

[Cut to Chase and Foreman talking in the cafeteria.]

CHASE: Dibala didn't die of high cholesterol. Why would anyone even bother to compare the two reports?

FOREMAN: The same reason I did. Because they're looking for anything we might have screwed up.

CHASE: We could claim the blood analyzer broke.

FOREMAN: We can't. Cameron documented that it was perfectly calibrated when she did the test.

CHASE: So the numbers are off, it's weird. Who cares? If it comes up, just act surprised like it's some irrelevant curiosity.

FOREMAN: I can't do this. I can't go in there and stack lie upon lie. You've got to figure out a way to explain this.

[Cameron walks up to them.]

CAMERON: Hey.

CHASE: Hey. [They kiss.]

CAMERON: Missed you this morning.

CHASE: Yeah, sorry. I needed to get in early. I didn't want to wake you.

CAMERON: I thought you did want to wake me. At least that's what you said last night.

FOREMAN: I'm out of here.

CAMERON: No, no. I got the biopsy results. [Hands Foreman a file.] It's not cancer.

[Cut to everyone in the Diagnostics office]

FOREMAN: How can so much be wrong with nothing being wrong?

HOUSE: Since when has cancer been considered nothing?

CAMERON: I just said it's not cancer. The cell morphologies were all normal.

FOREMAN: And so are the most recent CT scans.

HOUSE: On the other hand, adenocarcinoma of the stomach would cause pain, constipation, nutritional deficiencies that could cause seizures.

FOREMAN: And wouldn't show on a CT.

HOUSE: You were right about the cancer, just wrong about the place. [Looks at Chase whose mind appears to be elsewhere.] Continue to say nothing if you agree. [Chase looks up at House surprised.]

FOREMAN: Go scope him. Get another set of biopsies. [Cameron and Chase leave.]

HOUSE: I'd get canceling her ticket, if you then showed up with two more to somewhere better.

FOREMAN: What are you talking about?

HOUSE: Or showed up at all. But how does just ruining her plans get her to agree to yours?

FOREMAN: You talking about Thirteen? Where's she going?

HOUSE: Well, nowhere this week, thanks to you.

FOREMAN: I didn't stop her. I'm not going to stop her. I've already done all I could. Now all I can do is move on.

HOUSE: I think... I actually believe you. If you're telling the truth, you're even more rational than I... Well, not more. Then again more sane. You're going to be a good boss, boss.

[Cut to Cameron and Chase walking down the corridor.]

CHASE: I told you there's nothing wrong.

CAMERON: There's obviously something wrong and I'm not even saying we need to talk about it right now. I just don't see why you have to deny it.

CHASE: I'm not.

CAMERON: Now you're denying you're denying.

CHASE: No, I'm denying that there's anything to deny.

CAMERON: [Stops walking.] Robert, you can't do this. You can't hide things from me.

CHASE: There's a problem with the Dibala M&M. The HDL numbers on one of his early blood panels don't match a later panel.

CAMERON: That's weird.

CHASE: Yeah... [Starts walking again.] It's no big deal. Cholesterol didn't have anything to do with his death, but, you know, after being let go from Mercy and then that thing with Thirteen's drug trial, Foreman's paranoid about people questioning the way he handled the case.

CAMERON: Well that's ridiculous. If anything, Foreman should be feeling secure. He's the one who had the right diagnosis. We're the ones who talked him out of it.

CHASE: I know. Don't tell him I told you. He doesn't want to show any signs of weakness, especially now that House is claiming he wants him to stay in charge.

CAMERON: All right.

[Cut to Chase and Cameron in Jacks room.]

ROY: So it's still cancer? It's just somewhere else?

CAMERON: That's what we're looking for, but it would explain all the symptoms and all the normal test and imaging studies.

CHASE: Got biopsies of the mucosa and the sub-mucosa, moving towards the pylorus.

ROY: It's my fault.

CAMERON: Adenocarcinomas aren't caused by diet or environmental factors.

ROY: I inherited a $10 million pipeline business when I was 24. By the time I was 30, it was worth over a billion. Since then, I have been involved in over 50 deals that make that first one look like a loser. Everything I do, everything I touch turns to gold... Except my family. First, my wife. And now... my son. This is my fault. It's karma.

CAMERON: That's obviously not true. [Machines start beeping.]

CHASE: He's seizing again.

CAMERON: Get the scope out. Need five milligrams diazepam.

CHASE: How's the ICP?

CAMERON: It's...[Looks at the monitor.] Eight. But the shunt's open and clear. This isn't intracranial pressure.

CHASE: Then what the hell is it?

[Cut to House looking at Roy and Jack from outside Jack's room.

CHASE: Seizures stopped, but he hasn't regained consciousness. No sign of any masses in his stomach or esophageal lining and he's still accumulating subdural and peritoneal fluid.

HOUSE: And every time we look to see where it's coming from, he starts seizing.

CAMERON: You think we're setting this off?

HOUSE: I think something is.

FOREMAN: One of his stomach biopsies shows an arteriole partially occluded.

CAMERON: But with no abnormality in the other layers and no evidence of a cellular inflammatory reaction.

HOUSE: It's definitely not cancer.

CHASE: Then it has to be some sort of infection.

FOREMAN: We already ruled out infection.

CHASE: Only because he was treated for it and got worse.

FOREMAN: Seems like a sound reason.

CHASE: Unless it's a drug-resistant strain.

HOUSE: [Turns around to face them.] Drug-resistant strain of what? Bacterial cultures, viral serologies, ANA and a NCA were all negative.

CHASE: Everything's negative. We obviously missed something.

CAMERON: Maybe the seizures aren't a new symptom. They're an old one.

CHASE: No doctor noticed a thrashing kid?

CAMERON: Abdominal epilepsy. The seizures would just look like pain until it spread to his motor cortex.

FOREMAN: It wouldn't explain the fevers.

CAMERON: Protein malnutrition can cause fevers and nothing causes malnutrition like excruciating stomach pain that gets worse every time you eat.

[They all look at House.]

HOUSE: I'd be a lot more certain if it was my idea, but it's the best we got.

FOREMAN: Start him on gabapentin. Hook him up to an intracranial EEG for continuous monitoring.

[Cut to Chase catching up to Foreman in the hallway.]

CHASE: I gave him statins.

FOREMAN: What?

CHASE: If they ask about the cholesterol, just say I prescribed a statin and forgot to put it in the chart.

FOREMAN: You want to solve a problem in the records by creating another problem in the records?

CHASE: It's not a problem with the records. It's a problem with my record keeping. There's no way anyone can prove me wrong.

FOREMAN: How'd you get access to the statins? You going to get someone in the pharmacy to confess to yet another record-keeping problem?

CHASE: I saw an open cart. Just took it.

FOREMAN: Why would you steal a drug you could just as easily ask for?

CHASE: 'Cause I'm trying to get you off the hook.

FOREMAN: A story that raises more questions than it answers only puts the hook deeper down my throat. It's all right. I'll handle it.

CHASE: How?

FOREMAN: By telling the truth.

[Cut to Foreman in Cuddy's office.]

FOREMAN: The truth is I don't have the time, I'm not in the mood, and I don't see the point.

CUDDY: You don't want to do the M&M because you're not in the mood?

FOREMAN: This kid is dying and I've got House trying to push all his responsibilities onto me.

CUDDY: They're not his responsibilities. They're yours. You're the one who wanted to be in charge.

FOREMAN: I wanted to be in charge, not a figurehead.

CUDDY: Then do the M&M. It's all yours.

FOREMAN: You want me to get flogged? For what? So you can have an academic debate about a diagnostic dilemma no one's ever going to face again?

CUDDY: What the hell's going on here?

FOREMAN: I just don't want to do the M&M.

[Cut to Foreman leaving Cuddy's office.]

CHASE: Did it work?

FOREMAN: Not even close.

[Cut to House still watching through the windows as Cameron attends to Jack. Cuddy walks over to him.]

CUDDY: Everything okay?

HOUSE: Just waiting for whatever is about to go wrong.

CUDDY: Thirteen called.

HOUSE: She have a theory that makes more sense than abdominal epilepsy?

CUDDY: She said someone hacked into her email account and canceled an airline reservation. I'm guessing Foreman.

HOUSE: Really? You're accusing Foreman, not me? Cool.

CUDDY: You really want Foreman to stay in charge of the team?

HOUSE: Makes sense. He loves power, and I love puzzles.

CUDDY: You love power and puzzles.

HOUSE: True. But when I had them both... It wasn't Foreman.

CUDDY: How do you know?

HOUSE: He said he's moved on.

CUDDY: And you believe him?

HOUSE: I believe that he believes it. [House's pager goes off, he looks at it.] Looks like it's time for me to get off the bench. [Walks into Jacks room.] What's up?

ROY: Are you Dr. House?

HOUSE: I understand you're a big fan. I'll have my guy send over a signed glossy.

CAMERON: Continuous EEG shows no interictal spikes. It's not abdominal epilepsy.

HOUSE: You paged me to tell me what it's not?

CAMERON: I paged you to show you this. [Opens Jack's gown to show several large red spots on his chest.]

HOUSE: That... I did not expect.

ROY: Well what the hell is that supposed to mean?

HOUSE: Darn it. I knew I should have stayed outside. Fantasy's always much better than the reality.

ROY: You think this is a joke? That's my son, he's dying, and not one of you seem to have the slightest clue why.

HOUSE: I know. That's why it's so interesting.

[Cut to Diagnostics office, House is pacing back and forth.]

HOUSE: Fever, stomach pain, seizures, peritoneal and subdural fluid collection and now spots.

FOREMAN: Could be an allergic reaction to one of his meds.

HOUSE: That suddenly developed eight hours after he started the meds?

CAMERON: If it's not cancer or infection, it has to be autoimmune. Systemic lupus complicated by a CNS vasculitis would explain the rash, fever, ascites...

HOUSE: CNS vasculitis would cause a stiff neck along with a headache.

FOREMAN: And would've showed up on the Dural biopsy.

CHASE: What about polyarteritis nodosa? It can occur in kids.

FOREMAN: Except you can't have arteritis without inflammation.

CHASE: Okay, you come up with something better. [Everyone looks up at House.]

HOUSE: Go on.

CHASE: [Turns back to Foreman.] There was some inflammation in the skin biopsy, plus he's got elevated diastolic pressure.

FOREMAN: It's barely elevated, which you'd expect given the number of procedures he's undergone.

CHASE: Well, barely is more than not barely. [They look at House again.]

HOUSE: Not my decision. But if it was, I'd say start him on prednisone and get a testicular biopsy. If he's going to have any real inflammation, it'll be down there.

FOREMAN: Cameron and I will do it.

CAMERON: Why? It was Chase's idea.

FORMEAN: Kid's father is not going to be happy about a fourth set of biopsies, and you've got a better rapport.

CAMERON: What's really going on here? You need Chase to help you over-prep for the M&M?

FOREMAN: Yes.

CAMERON: Then say so. Don't be a child. [Gets up to go.]

HOUSE: Is it on his penis? [Cameron stops and looks at him.] Kid's rash?

CAMERON: Yeah, why?

HOUSE: Means it's most likely affecting the small blood vessels. That's why we didn't see any inflammation on the biopsies. It's not polyarteritis. It's Degos disease. [The all just stand there.] I'll do it.

[Cut to House walking into Jack's room.]

HOUSE: Your son has Degos disease. Causes micro blood vessels in the brain, skin, GI tract to break down, clot off. It sometimes manifests early on with atrophic papules on the penis. In your son's case, we don't know why, but they came much later.

ROY: What's the treatment?

HOUSE: There isn't one. It's incurable.

ROY: You're wrong. You've already been wrong a bunch of times.

HOUSE: We've rechecked the biopsies. It's definitely Degos. I'm sorry. I wish there was something we could do.

ROY: How long?

HOUSE: Not much longer.

ROY: What does that mean?

HOUSE: A day at the most. [Roy starts crying. House nods and leaves the room.]

[sh*t of PPTH. Dusk.]

[Cut to Chase in Diagnostics office, looking tired and worried. House watches him from his office but Chase doesn't know. Chase gets up and leaves.]

[Cut to Chase walking into Cuddy's office. Cuddy is on the phone.]

CUDDY: All right, great. [Hangs up.]

CHASE: We need to talk.

CUDDY: Unless it's life or death, it's going to have to wait.

CHASE: It's about Dibala.

CUDDY: Well, let me rephrase. Unless it's a current life...

CHASE: Foreman can't present the case at the M&M.

CUDDY: I know you guys are busy, but he's just going to have to suck it up and make the time.

CHASE: It's not the time.

CUDDY: Then what is it?

CHASE: The anticentromere antibodies test. The test that caused us to change the treatment from blastomycosis to scleroderma... It wasn't...

CUDDY: Wasn't what?

[A Nurse walks in.]

NURSE: Dr. Cuddy? [Both Chase and Cuddy look at her.] They need you in the pediatric ICU.

CUDDY: Who's they?

NURSE: I don't know. But I think they're lawyers.

[Cuddy stands up and gets ready to leave, looks at Chase.]

CUDDY: If you guys screwed something up, just come clean. It's not going to be that bad. [Leaves.]

[Cut to House sitting in a Chair in Jack's room. Watching on as Ken, the business man from the meeting at the start of the episode, is telling Foreman off.]

KEN: With all due respect, you don't know what's at stake here.

[Cuddy walks in.]

CUDDY: What's going on?

KEN: You need to stop him! [Points at Roy.] He's about to ruin his life.

ROY: [Looking over some papers.] Like you give a damn about my life.

OLIVER: Roy, he's right. You're borrowing money to buy options that are already out of the money. Even you won't be able to cover the losses. Your house, cars, bank accounts. You'll lose everything.

HOUSE: That's the point. The billionaire thinks that the gods will treat him better if he's broke. I suggested he give it to me...

ROY: There's got to be some sort of balance. You can't have all the good fortune in just one area of your life. It's not how the world's supposed to work.

HOUSE: Who said the world is supposed to work?

OLIVER: Don't just wipe everything out. Put your assets in a trust. Give it to a charity.

ROY: I can't get anything back.

OLIVER: He's insane.

HOUSE: He's irrational. So are most people. Unfortunately it doesn't make him insane.

KEN: If he signs that paper, he's not only going to destroy his own life, but the lives of thousands of people who rely on this company to make a living. If he is insane, we will sue this hospital...

CUDDY: Mr. Randall... [Walks over to face him.] I know you're upset. But you shouldn't make a decision like this right now. Give it some time.

ROY: My son doesn't have any time.

FOREMAN: Your son's dying from an incurable disease, not bad karma.

ROY: No. He's not dying. It's not going to happen, I'm not going to let it.

KEN: Roy, please!

[Roy looks at his son.]

ROY: I'm sorry. I can't let him die.

HOUSE: People don't get what they deserve, they just get what they get. There's nothing any of us can do about it.

[Roy signs the paper and hands it to Ken.]

ROY: Deliver it. Or I'll make sure you end up the ones with nothing. [Ken and Oliver both leave.]

[Machines start beeping.]

FOREMAN: Call a code. He's flat lining.

[Cuddy and Foreman both rush over to Jack and start performing CPR. House and Roy just watch.]

[Cut to Wilson in his office. Thirteen appears at the door.]

THIRTEEN: Thanks.

WILSON: You're welcome. [Looks confused.] For what?

THIRTEEN: For thinking I was worth breaking the law to keep around.

WILSON: That's just the way I am, but still don't know what you're talking about.

THIRTEEN: Cuddy had IT trace all the IP addresses who've logged in to my email account. There were two. Mine and yours. [Walks over and sits down in front of Wilson.]

WILSON: Obviously House decided he needs you more than he's...

THIRTEEN: I already asked House.

WILSON: And he'd certainly never lie.

THIRTEEN: No, he'd lie. Except he wants me gone. And he'd do a lot better job of lying than you just did.

WILSON: [Looks surprised.] Really? It was that bad?

THIRTEEN: No, actually. But it doesn't matter anymore. Why? Because of House or Foreman?

WILSON: You're good for both of them, but Foreman's not my best friend.

THIRTEEN: House will be fine.

WILSON: Maybe. But with you on the team, he'd be better. He needs someone... Who doesn't need him. You're the only one he's never really been able to suck into his crazy House vortex. Keeps him grounded. His ego in check.

THIRTEEN: Why didn't you just come to me?

WILSON: I figured you'd only stay if House asked... And I knew he would, eventually.

THIRTEEN: [Smiles.] Bye Wilson. [Gets up to leave.]

WILSON: This is a great job. Maybe even better now that House is at least trying to have real relationships with people. [Thirteen stares at him.] I said "trying."

THIRTEEN: [Shrugs.] It doesn't matter.

WILSON: The job you love doesn't matter? Don't throw it all away just because of a bad break-up.

THIRTEEN: Bye Wilson. [Leaves.]

[Cut to House in his office, Wilson walks in.]

WILSON: I just confessed. [House looks up at him.] I told Thirteen I was the one who canceled the plane ticket.

HOUSE: Why?

WILSON: You mean why did I confess or why did I do it?

HOUSE: I know you didn't do it, so I guess the first.

WILSON: You want her to stay because you want her back or because Foreman does? [Sits down in front of House's desk.]

HOUSE: Why would I care what Foreman wants?

WILSON: Because you're not as big a jerk as everyone thinks.

HOUSE: Yes I am.

WILSON: No you're not.

HOUSE: I just made a $10,000 short sale on a stock I know is going to crash because of what I saw a grief-stricken dad do on his son's deathbed.

WILSON: No you didn't.

HOUSE: Yes I did.

WILSON: You are a jerk.

HOUSE: She's making a mistake.

WILSON: So you did it for her?

HOUSE: She's a good doctor.

WILSON: So you did it for you?

HOUSE: I'm not the one in charge anymore.

WILSON: So you did it for Foreman?

HOUSE: She's a smoking hot, newly single bisexual.

WILSON: Why don't you just admit that you like having her around? She's good for you. You need her.

HOUSE: Because I was born with a heart three sizes too small.

WILSON: No you weren't.

HOUSE: Yes I... [Suddenly has an epiphany.]

WILSON: What?

[House grabs his cane and leaves as Wilson just sits there.]

[Cut to Foreman and Cameron attending to Jack as Roy sits beside the bed. Foreman sees House coming and leaves the room to meet him.]

HOUSE: He still alive?

FOREMAN: Yeah.

HOUSE: Good. Start him on heparin and IV immunoglobulin.

FOREMAN: For Degos?

HOUSE: The cardiac arrest wasn't just a "everything goes to hell in a hand basket" arrest. It was a coronary event. Coronaries are large vessels. Means it can't be Degos.

FOREMAN: But the biopsies confirmed...

HOUSE: Obstructed blood vessels. But they can't be obstructed because of Degos. Means it's primary antiphospholipid syndrome.

FOREMAN: You sure?

HOUSE: Nope. But I will be if he responds to the heparin and the immunoglobulin. [Foreman nods and walks over to the nurses' station.] By the way, someone screwed over your girlfriend and she ran to me, Cuddy, and Wilson. Everyone but you. She's not over you.

FOREMAN: Or she is. [Picks up the phone.]

[Cut to Chase in the Diagnostics office getting ready to leave. He notices an envelope on the desk and opens it. Pulls out a piece of paper and reads it.]

[Cut to Chase walking up beside Foreman.]

CHASE: Where'd you find it?

FOREMAN: Find what?

CHASE: The niacin bound chromium supplements. [Foreman gives Chase a blank look.] It was right on top of the file. You don't know about it?

FOREMAN: No. Been here all night.

CHASE: One of Dibala's previous docs was prescribing ultra high doses of niacin bound chromium to boost his HDL.

FOREMAN: So?

CHASE: So it gives us something to point to. We can explain the wide variation between the HDL numbers. We're safe. We're covered. You really didn't request the info?

FOREMAN: No. And obviously you didn't either. Which means...

[Cut to House waking up on Wilsons couch. It's morning. He notices the business section of the newspaper next to him, He looks at it and on the front page is a picture and article about Roy and how he bankrupted himself in a day.]

[Aerial sh*t of PPTH.]

[Cut to House walking into Jacks room. Both Jack and Roy are smiling.]

ROY: [Turns to look at House.] It worked.

HOUSE: The medicine worked.

ROY: It worked. [House rolls his eyes, shakes his head and walks away. Both Jack and Roy laugh.]

[Cut to Chase sitting at Houses desk playing with the ball. House walks in.]

CHASE: How'd you find it?

HOUSE: Fat old black guy. Knew he had to be taking something for his cholesterol.

CHASE: And what now?

HOUSE: I'm not the boss.

CHASE: You don't think I should be fired?

HOUSE: Why? I doubt we'll ever be treating a genocidal dictator again. Better a m*rder than a misdiagnosis.

CHASE: [Stands up.] Whether you want to be in charge or not. You are and you always will be. [Tosses the ball to House, who catches it, then leaves. House puts the ball back on his desk.]

[Cut to Cameron being woken up by her alarm. She turns it off, looks over and notices that she's alone again, bed looks like Chase hasn't been there.]

[Cut to Chase in the Audience while Foreman is presenting the case to a room full of people.]

FOREMAN: 75-year-old African man presented to our hospital following a rapid onset of hemoptysis. He'd been fine prior to onset. No chest pain, fever, coughing, or chills... [Cuddy is also in the audience. Foreman's speech fades out as the music takes over.]

[Musical montage. sh*t of Thirteen boarding an airplane. sh*t of Foreman giving his presentation. sh*t of Cuddy listening. sh*t of thirteen taking her seat in the airplane. sh*t of Cameron in bed, alone. Chase in audience. Thirteen buckling her seatbelt. Back to Foreman, still talking. sh*t of the For Sale sign in front of Roy's mansion, it says Bank Owned. sh*t of Roy and Jack in the hospital eating Pizza and laughing, and finally we see House sitting in his office staring at the ball on his desk.]

[End.]