House's Addiction to Death

Chapter 1: Not Addicted

"A month." Doctor Cuddy proclaims, doing her best at trying to prove her best doctor, Gregory House was addicted to his pain medication, Vicodin, something he had been taking for years now. Doctor House only chuckles as a response. "You're really willing to start a bet saying if I go off my medication for a week you'll give me a month off of clinic duty?" He smirks, feeling more confident than ever in front of his superior. Cuddy only nods and watches the man. House tosses his bottle of Vicodin towards Doctor Cuddy who catches it with a smile. House then begins to limp towards the door of Cuddy's office "get ready to lose because I'm not addicted" House smirks and leaves the room leaving Cuddy to do her work.

House felt fine up until he accidentally placed a slight amount of too much weight onto his bad leg. Wincing, he digs into his pockets attempting to find the reassuring bottle that was always on his person, but he couldn't find it. "Almost forgot..." He mumbles to himself remembeirng the bet he had made only moments before. Groaning, his hand tightens around his cane, closing his eyes for just a moment before the elevator stopped at his designated floor.

House walked out of the elevator and hobbled down to his office, opening the door and sitting at his desk. Closing his eyes just to rest for a moment, the door opens once more. "You feeling alright, House?" a familiar voice asks. House half opens his baby blue eyes to see Foreman staring directly at him. "You're sweating." the man continues. House stares at Forman and cocks his eyebrow. "Maybe I've been running." sarcasm drips from House's mouth and Forman can only pull his disapproving face. "He made a bet with Cuddy." a new voice calls.

"Is my office now a party room? If so, where are the hookers?" House smiles rolling his eyes as he looks at Doctor Cameron who was now in the room. "Now we're just missing Chase!" House rolls his eyes, and almost as if summoned, Chase walked in the door.

"I saw through the glass that everyone was here, are we studying a case in here rather than the DDx room?" His thick Australian accent queries. House stands up, holding his cane close to his body.

"Alright!" he begins, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I made a bet with Cuddy that I can go a week without my Vicodin in exchange for a month off clinic duty, that's an easy 30 days of freedom because guess what team," he pauses for effect. "I'm not an addict!" House extends his arms like he was telling a group of pre-schoolers a story about self-worth.

"Well, I've got us a new case," Chase says, throwing a new folder onto House's desk. Narrowing his eyes, House looks down at the folder. "Female, 28, came in with a rash, severe fever, poor circulation, severe weight loss and complaints of severe pain." Chase explains. Cameron furrows her eyebrows.

"Lupis." She announces. House shakes his head.

"Its never Lupis."

"But it could be, the symptoms fit." Foreman explains.

House pinches his nose. "Send her for an X-Ray and MRI. Do bloods and monitor. Don't come back to me without a definite answer as to what it is." No one moves. "Well? Are you waiting for my shoe in your ass? Go!" House booms. The group leaves the room and does what they're told. House begins to feel that eruption of pain in his leg and he sits down once more, leaning back in his chair and closing his eyes, trying to ignore the pain. He desperately wanted time off clinic duty, and he was willing to do anything for it.