Occam's Razor - House M.D.

Part 44- Say it Right

After a long, restless night for Madelyn, Wilson, and House, the three of them returned to work the next morning determined to put an end to their problems. For Madelyn, this meant getting her second ultrasound before making a final decision about her baby. For Wilson, this meant deciding whether or not to put himself out on the line for Madelyn one last time. And finally, for House, this meant becoming more vulnerable than he'd ever been before.

The time was 10a, and Madelyn had just entered the examination room for her appointment with Dr. Sartori, her OBGYN. Nervously, she positioned herself on the exam chair, and lifted her blouse for the doctor. 

"This is your second ultrasound correct?" Dr. Sartori asked her. 

"Yes, I had one about three weeks ago. Am I late on scheduling the second one?"

"Maybe just a tad, but I'm not concerned." Dr. Sartori assured her with a comforting smile. 

The doctor squirted the gel onto Madelyn's stomach, which she still couldn't get used to as it was awfully cold. Madelyn squirmed a little, 

"Sorry, I know it can be uncomfortable." 

"It's okay." 

The doctor spread the gel with the transducer and the two women waited patiently for the image to project onto the monitor. As the image began to pixelate, the door busted open:

"House?" Madelyn's voice sunk. She was startled to say the least, and his presence was completely unexpected. 

"House get out of here, this is a private ultrasound." Dr. Sartori said clenching her jaw, annoyed. 

"Private? Haven't heard of it." House replied playing coy.

"House, what are you doing here?" Madelyn spoke up, "You look terrible." Madelyn, of course, was referring to his bloodshot eyes and his still semi-perspired skin. She hadn't ever seen him during a withdrawal period. "Oh my god, did you stop taking your Vicodin?"

"For about 18 hours, yeah. But I'm back on, good as new."  House said popping a couple pills into his mouth, nonchalantly. 

"Alright," Dr. Satori interjected, "look here, and you can see the baby. I'm sure it looks bigger than last time, but it's still about the size of a peppercorn." 

House looked at Madelyn while she looked at the monitor. 

"Can I hear the heartbeat?" she asked, her voice a little shaky. 

The doctor fidgeted a little with the machine, and was able to produce the heartbeat so she could hear, 

"That's the heartbeat!" Dr. Sartori told her, cheerfully. "Again, House, what are you doing here?" 

"Well, I thought I'd stay. Considering I did that." He said pointing to the monitor with his cane. 

The doctor looked confused, and looked back at Madelyn who nodded awkwardly.

"I'll give you two a moment." She said as she exited the room. 

House sauntered towards the exam chair where Madelyn was, her face covered by her hands. She was crying. He pulled up a chair from the room and sat beside her in silence, and just watched her stare at the screen. Neither one of them was exactly sure how to break the silence. 

"Pretty cool... right?" House asked Madelyn hesitantly. He was referring to the heartbeat. 

"Very..." she exhaled, rubbing her nose. "What are you doing here?"

"Foreman told me where you were." 

"I thought you needed some space."

"I did... I do. I just wanted to see it for myself." House confessed, melancholy in his tone.