House, M.D. s08e21 Episode Script

Come on in.
I'm not doing any more chemo.
Good plan.
You'll be dead in five months.
We went for a cure, it didn't work.
I've thought about this a lot.
Five more months on this Earth is reasonable.
A year in the hospital in excruciating pain is not.
With two weeks on, two weeks off of chemo, you could have way more than a year.
Maybe two or three.
House.
I'm sorry.
I'm not gonna let you just die.
He?' You know' management research shows that the best ideas come from casual contact.
So, one set of season tickets.
I got the seat next to you.
First game is October 8th.
It's about one month after Wilson's expiration date.
This isn't an unstructured collaboration.
You're trying to be the new Wilson.
I'm trying to show you there are other people who care about you.
Relax.
I'm probably not gonna fall apart.
Five, six, seven, eight.
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight.
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight.
Here we go.
Cradle.
One Put down the pom-poms and step away from the computer.
oncologist refuses treatment.
Foreman already gave us a case.
Wants us to keep things as normal as possible for as long as possible.
Wilson is dying, Chase is gone, how close to normal do you think we can come? admitted with massive nosebleed and dizziness.
Wow, cool, I just completely forgot that my best friend is dying.
Wait, that just reminded me.
Head CT is clean.
How can we turn Wilson from a terminal idiot into an interminable pain in the ass? A mini-stroke could explain our patient's neuro symptoms and his butterfingers.
But not his bloody nose.
My best friend is trying to kill himself.
He just wants to die with a little dignity.
There's no such thing.
It's not your choice, House.
Your only choice here is between acceptance and misery.
It's a midline granuloma.
Get your patient a PET scan.
No lesions along the optic track You already covered that.
Maybe we should get someone else to take this case.
Why'? Because someone somewhere is dying? Oh, crap! Turn off the mic.
It is off.
Not according to his brain His temporal lobe is completely lit up.
Auditory portion.
He's hearing something.
Foreman's trying to date me.
I assume that's because you called him.
No, I Did you put something in my coffee? You know how you can be there for me five months from now? Don't be dead five months from now.
Hey, Wilson Seriously? Just a little picker-downer.
I assume this unwanted interruption means you're looking for me to discuss the latest development in a case I don't want to discuss.
Our patient is hearing voices.
He denies it, but the PET scan says otherwise.
He's at the right age for the onset of schizophrenia.
Yeah.
You really need me.
Ultrasound his abdomen to check for schizophrenia.
We already ordered a psych evaluation, but drugs could also cause Tox screen was clean.
Ultrasound his dorm.
Whoa! You guys can't just come busting in here without a warrant.
We're not cops.
We're your roommate's doctors.
Any idea what flavor of drugs would be making your roommate sick? Objection.
Entrapment.
I'm pre-law.
Derrick doesn't party.
Look at this.
Why would he have a picture of a little boy? Maybe it's his nephew or something? Hidden in his sock drawer? Whoa! Creepy.
We need to talk to Derrick about some medical matters.
Well, she's my girlfriend.
She can be here for that.
We found this in your dorm room.
Who is that? Nobody.
Then why was it hidden in a drawer? Derrick, what's she talking about? It's my brother, Christopher.
You never told me you had a brother.
Well, he's been dead almost 10 years, so Is that the voice you hear in your head? Mmm! And, lo, he is risen.
So now my hair's gonna fall out next week? No, all I did was temporarily kill you.
How was it? Look, I wasn't dead.
I was unconscious.
No dreams or thoughts.
You experience nothing.
Now, imagine that without the waking up on the couch part.
Just nothing, times infinity.
You didn't just prove death is nothing.
You proved propofol is.
You're saying the end is not the end'? I was expecting, "Nothing is better than something lousy," but not, "The angels are waiting for me.
" I'm not having this conversation.
Why? Because it doesn't make sense? Because I'm not gonna change your mind, and I don't care.
More importantly, you're not gonna change mine.
There is no heaven, there is no hell, your soul is not gonna float out of your body and join some great, unifying energy force.
The fact that you're dying is not gonna change that.
Please, just go.
House.
I have spent the last 20 years holding the hands of people as they die.
When I watch that transformation I'm sorry, I don't believe that we're just a bag of chemicals.
So are we gonna talk about the patient, or wait for House? Viral encephalitis.
It's been going on for 10 years.
I'm gonna go in there and invite him to participate.
I think he'd welcome the distraction.
Come with me? Why? When was the last time House listened to anything we said about anything personal? Maybe you'll feel better, but sometimes, the truth is, there's nothing anyone can do.
Temporal lobe epilepsy.
Causes voices, dizziness.
Trauma from a seizure would explain the nose bleed.
You know about all of my siblings, and cousins, and aunts and uncles, and You're overreacting.
Because you don't trust me enough to tell me about Sorry.
It's time to go down for your test.
If you want to wait here, it'll only take about an hour.
No, she's leaving.
Derrick, come on.
I mean, we should at least talk.
No, I'd rather you just leave.
And you don't need to come back.
Time.
Any odd tastes or smells? No.
Feel fine.
Things looked fine on my end, too.
So you won't admit to your doctors that you're hearing your brother's voice, which is dangerous.
And now, you lost your girlfriend over it.
Which is stupid.
I assume there's more to the story? That's how I was raised.
Short story.
Yeah.
My boss is losing his best friend to cancer.
And instead of talking about the pain, he's pretending there is no pain, because everything can be fixed.
My father tried to deal with it.
Ironic that he'd drink himself into oblivion after my brother was killed by a drunk driver.
Do you need a tissue? After Dad left, my mom moved us away.
She got rid of all the pictures of Christopher and never mentioned him again.
It was like he never existed.
And that worked for us.
And, yet, you kept one.
Uh My right eye I was seeing spots, but now I can't see at all.
Is that from the test? No, this is something else.
Ah! That hurts! Sorry.
How many fingers? Two.
Fuzzy ones, but two.
It's a clot in the artery behind your eye.
I just broke it up.
Is that bad? Don't know.
Because I don't know why it happened.
He?' Saved us a table.
There are no tables.
I recently hacked into your old files.
Found a 6-year-old boy with bilateral retinoblastoma.
Doctors wanted to take his eyes out before the cancer spread to his brain.
But you fought them.
Advocated for a new photon beam radiation.
Saved the kid's vision, probably saved his life.
That was my first case at PPTH.
Mikey Kimble.
It's Michael, now.
Oh, yeah, this is our table.
Wow.
How are you? I'm doing great.
Graduating next month.
Already? Little Mikey? And I got accepted to Princeton.
I'm planning on going to med school.
He's going to be a doctor.
Instead of being dead.
Dr.
House told me all about your situation.
That's why I came.
There's just so much good that you can do, even in a small amount of time.
I wonder Hey! Is there anybody else here who's alive today because of Dr.
James Wilson? Gastric adenocarcinoma.
Fifteen years in remission.
Six grandchildren that I never would have met.
Thank you, Dr.
Wilson.
Squamous cell lung cancer.
Twelve years in remission.
I was able to walk my daughter down the aisle last May.
Thank you, Dr.
Wilson.
I did the math.
Seventy-four children are alive today because of you.
Fourteen grandchildren.
Mikey Kimble started kindergarten before the age cut-off.
He would have graduated high school last year.
I flunked a year? Was anybody in this room really a patient of mine? They're somewhere.
They're giving you a standing "0" somewhere.
They exist.
You saved their lives.
It's actually more impressive that they're too busy to be here.
What's this? A glowing letter of recommendation you just wrote for me on my laptop.
I noticed it's lacking your signature at the bottom.
Don't you think you're being a bit premature predicting House's demise? Not demise, just implosion.
He's going through a rough time.
But, so far, he's been handling it House? Your shoes are wet.
Glad to see your emotional turmoil hasn't dulled your powers of observation.
I know you're responsible.
No, you don't.
Because I didn't do it.
Whatever "it" is.
But if I had shoved those season tickets down some toilets, I would have done it because you asked me to.
You wanted to replace Wilson.
I prank Wilson all the time.
Enjoy.
I got you three, but I drank them.
You didn't have to call me, but I appreciate I made the list.
It wasn't entirely unselfish.
I didn't feel right approaching any of my terminal patients, but What is it like? Hmm Does it ever stop being surreal? It'll stop in about five or six months, give or take, in your case.
You know what happened to me today? One of my patients suddenly started crying.
It can't be your first It was the first one who was crying for me.
It's the human response.
It's either overly saccharine, because giving sympathy makes them feel better, or they ignore you, because hiding from mortality makes them feel better.
Well, why can't they just say something that makes me feel better? Like what, exactly? I don't know.
No.
Mmm You'd be doing what? Two weeks on, two weeks off? So maybe do your first round, see how it goes.
May be not as horrible as you fear.
Then do the second round, enjoy your two weeks off, and revisit the decision.
Rinse, repeat.
I just can't envision spending my remaining time in a chemo suite in Princeton.
I want to enjoy myself with family and friends.
Friends, or friend? Hi, this is Greg House again.
Third message.
Hopefully indicating how much I want you to call me back.
I'd say that your son is dying to increase the urgency, but you probably already know that.
The fake people who care that Wilson stays alive didn't work, so I need the real people who care about him to tell him what an idiot he's being.
Where are we going? Well, I just got paged to go to the bathroom.
I don't know where the rest of you are going.
Some of our patient's symptoms might be physiological and some might be psychological.
You think being forced to bury painful memories is making his symptoms worse? Grief avoidance can lead lo all sorts of anxiety disorders, which can manifest into physical illness.
Let's assume that all his symptoms are real symptoms.
So we're going to avoid grief avoidance? Studies after September 11th showed that repression was actually better for coping than dwelling in misery.
What about polycythemia vera? RBC's are slightly elevated, but not that much.
Hodgkin's lymphoma? Would have shown up on the PET scan.
What if our guy got hurt at practice and, like everything else, just didn't tell anyone? Could have set off DIC.
Would explain everything.
I thought you had to go to the bathroom.
I didn't say I had to go in.
Need some more mops in here! What exactly are you looking for? Blood.
If your spinal fluid is yellow instead of clear, it means you've had a subarachnoid hemorrhage.
What does your brother say to you? Does he tell you you're gonna be okay? It doesn't really work like that.
I think you hear your brother's voice for a reason.
I thought you guys said that I hear things because I'm sick.
Yes, but that doesn't explain why you don't hear a different voice.
I think your mom didn't let you deal with the grief of losing your brother properly.
There are people here who could help you with that.
Okay.
The opening pressure's way too high.
The prodigal daughter returns.
You taking me up on my offer to off you? I think I've still got some leftover propofol.
I spoke to Wilson.
He's angry because I want him to live longer.
Who wouldn't be? Friends respect each other's decisions, even if they don't agree with them.
It's called loyalty.
Loyalty is a tool to get people to do things they don't want to do.
But you do want to.
And you may have rationalized it 100 different ways, but the fact is you fired me so that I'd be forced to spend the rest of my life doing exactly what I wanted to do.
It was probably the most selfless thing anyone has ever done for me.
And you don't even like me that much.
I surrender.
I have been a disloyal, disrespectful jerk.
I should've listened to what you wanted.
I'm still not letting my parents return your call.
I made a reservation for two at Carmine's.
Tonight, 8:00.
No more tricks.
No more manipulations.
Said Machiavelli.
Just two friends enjoying the time they have left.
Please, don't I'm not.
I promise.
Just dinner? That depends on how much you have to drink.
Sounds nice.
Mom.
I came as soon as I got your message.
Is he gonna be okay? We're hoping it's just excess fluid on his brain from an extreme migraine.
Which isn't good, but it's treatable.
He's scheduled to get an MRI as soon as these meds start taking effect.
We found that picture in his dorm room.
I'm not sure what Derrick's told you, but he's been hearing Christopher's voice for the last 10 years.
And it's possible that repressing all that grief he's felt is actually causing some of Derrick's symptoms.
I don't even know if this voice in my head is something I invented, or if it's what Christopher was really like.
With no photos, no video, my memories, I really don't have any anymore.
Maybe you could just tell me a little bit about him? I'm sorry.
It was a long drive in.
I'm gonna go get a coffee.
Okay.
Seventy-nine years old and you told her she was pregnant.
Well, it cured her hiccups.
I'll say I didn't expect her to cry for quite so long.
Now, I know that the tiramisu is great here, but I actually ordered off menu.
Greg, Hold you you didn't hang the bear bag high enough.
It was a smart bear.
I'm almost certain he untied my knots.
Well, he wasn't that smart He left the Oreos behind.
You hiked for 32 miles eating nothing but creamy filling.
The black stuff is overrated.
To climbing the hill.
Okay.
If I did decide to stick around a little longer Don't do that to me, Wilson.
No, I'm not.
I'm just I do feel pretty good, and maybe I should try it.
For a little while.
I think that's reasonable.
Are you conning me? You're conning me.
What? Just because you folded, that means it must be some evil plan? Well, that's usually how it works with you.
You drown me in nostalgia, so I'll think about our friendship and feel some kind of loyalty, and agree to more chemo.
Thai was real nostalgia, it was real emotion, it's a real decision.
A decision that I just made for you.
I need you, okay.
I want you to be around as long as possible, because I don't know what I'm gonna do without you.
No! No.
Don't do that I don't owe you anything.
Our entire relationship has been about you.
My dying is about me.
Look at you.
You don't wanna die.
Of course, I don't wanna die.
Then fight.
I did.
I tried.
One time.
House, get out of my car.
You don't have to just accept this.
Yes, I do have to accept this.
I have five months to live.
And you're making me go through this alone? I'm pissed because I'm dying.
That's not fair.
And I need I need a friend.
I need to know that you're there.
I need I need you to tell me that my life was worthwhile.
And I need you to tell me that you love me.
No.
I'm not gonna tell you that unless you fight.
Blood vessels are non-reactive.
It's not a migraine.
I'm not feeling so great, how much longer? Finishing up.
Thank you, Dr.
Adams.
It looks like the ceiling might What are you doing back here? We got a case.
I assume the status is patient's getting worse you guys are confused.
You think actually showing up for work is enough to make up for ruining an MRI? Endangering the patient, injuring us? I've got an airtight alibi that I'm working on.
This isn't about the damage You're back because something's going on with Wilson.
I'm done with Wilson.
What does that mean, you're done with Wilson? If he's not dead, you're not done with Wilson.
Suddenly, you think you're gonna make a difference? You can't just abandon him.
It's in his hands now.
Did you get any good pictures before the MRI drowned? Enough to know it wasn't a migraine.
And the patient mistook me for Adams.
Come with me.
He?' So what do you think's gonna happen when I stick a needle into his eardrum? You quizzing us? This is a good quiz.
He'll scream in pain.
Don'! listen to her.
Very small needle, very steady hands.
Now, when I pull back on the plunger, what do you think is gonna come out? Air.
Boy, that air sure is red.
Persistent Stapedial Artery.
It should disappear in the embryonic stage.
But just like his dead brother, he really can't let go.
So the artery's been pressing against the temporal lobe of his brain, right above the ear canal.
Explains the voices, the dizziness, everything.
Now you guys can explain how we're gonna make him better.
Will my brother's voice go away? You're being an ass.
I just cured a patient.
How about you'? You can't just give up on Wilson.
You know he needs you.
You know he's making an impossible choice.
He just doesn't want to live in pain.
Life is pain.
I wake up every morning and I'm in pain.
I go to work in pain.
You know how many times I've wanted to just give up? How many times I've thought about ending it? You here to yell at me, or give me hockey tickets? Had to delay the surgery because our patient drank ammonia from the janitor's cart.
I guess he didn't want to live without his brother's voice.
Where are you going? You can't wait to die? Here, lei me help you.
Hey! Hey! House! House! See? You wanna live.
He did something stupid.
He's not gonna do it again.
You're resisting me because it's our human responsibility to stay alive! You've made your point, House! Stop! You've spent your whole life looking for the truth.
Well, sometimes, the truth just sucks.
Um, um I'm going to be leaving, uh Quite a bit earlier than we had talked about.
Next day or two.
What happened? Something between you and House? He's not my child.
I cannot be responsible for the happiness of Gregory House.
I'll give these to Frankel.
Okay, thank you.
And you are responsible.
The past 20 years, you've had three wives, hundreds of colleagues, thousands of patients.
But you've kept that one best friend.
He wants me to suffer a misery that I don'! Want to go through.
Chemo won't make your life any better.
But caring will.
Enduring pain to do some good for someone you care about.
Isn't that what life is? Mom.
Yeah? That picture of Christopher that I had on the stand, did you take it? Yes.
Did you throw it out? If I agree to get this surgery, can you bring that picture back? House.
Not home.
I'm ready to start the next round of chemo.
Why? Because you need me.
And I don't think that's a bad thing anymore.
No.
You're the only one I listen to.
And the last couple of days, I didn't.
I almost killed my patient.
So I think it's time for me to accept that you're just smarter than I am.
Are you really okay that there's only five months left? No.
But it's better than nothing.
Um How do we start? Well, I'm not gonna say, "I love you.
" Thank God.
Got any Oreos? Hey.
How you feeling? The surgery worked.
How can you tell'? Because Christopher's gone.
And this is the peak.
Almost 8,000 feet.
You do realize that my leg situation has deteriorated a little since the last time we went hiking.
So add another day.
This is Matt Johnson, the hospital lawyer.
Yes, I have decided not to proceed with the sexual harassment case.
Are these yours? The plumber retrieved them from the hospital outflow pipe.
They caused the sewage back up that ruined the MRI.
And they have your name on them.
Gregory Danger House? It's a very common name.
These apparently have your finger prints on them also.
Okay, well, why don't you tell me how many hours of picking up trash you want me to do? House, I tried to keep this internal.
The fire department handed the tickets to the police, who contacted your parole officer.
It's felony vandalism.
He's gonna revoke your parole.
There's nothing we can do.
You have to report to Mercer County Jail on Monday to serve out the rest of your sentence.
And that's how long? I'm sorry.
How long? Six months.