"I don't know why I'm here." House कहा as he propped his leg on the तकिया and lay across the plush leather sofa.
"What could be some reasons, Dr. House?"
"Uhh, is this what the whole घंटा is gonna be like? Me saying a statement and आप basically flipping it into a question?"
Dr. Auden took off his glasses and rubbed between his eyes.
"For a man who spends much of his time asking सवालों आप seem have a problem with answering other's सवालों of you." Dr. Auden stated.
"I ask सवालों to save lives. आप ask सवालों to break people down into simple little boxes, and if they don't fit those boxes then they're emotionally damaged. Blah, blah, blah."
"So, you're completely healthy inside and out? I've never met such a perfect specimen of humanity do आप mind if I take a few pictures?" Dr. Auden asked with a grin.
House couldn't help but to grin back.
"The leg is the first cue of my imperfection. The cane only helps to magnify it." House कहा as he pulled out his bottle of Vicodin and dry swallowed three pills.
"But the leg is only part of how आप see yourself. I'm guessing the damage goes deeper than your chronic physical pain."
House turned his gaze out the window.
"Don't underestimate how painful pain can be."
"Let me clarify, Dr. House. You're here because something else has been irritating you. See, if it was merely your leg then आप would have been in my office fifteen years पूर्व to deal with that. The leg pain has only been a catalyst for all the emotional stressors of your life. The feelings aren't tangible. The leg pain is so that's what आप use to define yourself."
House turned his gaze back to Dr. Auden.
"Lately, the pain in my leg has been worse. My life has been better these last few months but alot of things have been..."
"Different?"
"Everyone is moving on in ways that I have never been able to. It's hard to feel happiness for them. I've never been one for happiness. It's such a fleeting emotion I'd rather not get invested."
"So, instead आप feel contempt?"
"More like I want to make them feel ashamed of their good fortune. I want them to feel like their living on borrowed time..."
"An interesting phrase to use, Dr. House."
House rubs his leg gently.
"Why is that?"
"Because we're all living on borrowed time. There is no way to know when our last breath will come."
"Believe me I understand how fragile life is."
"Of course आप do. आप have saved lives that others have all but दिया up on."
House shifted his head back against the sofa.
"Reading up on me?"
"It's always a good idea to do a little research." Dr. Auden कहा as he opened his notepad and scrawled something down.
"Well, I'm not always a success at saving those lives."
"You have a very high percentage of saved patients."
"Sometimes the percentage left over is larger." House stated as he twidled his thumbs.
"No. It's smaller, Dr. House."
House smiled at the exchange it reminded him of a similar one he had years पूर्व with Cuddy about Emma Stone and her baby.
"Why the smile, Dr. House?"
"I was smiling?"
"Yes."
"Thinking of my friend and her blind optimism."
"Why do आप call it blind?"
"Because as a doctor she would be better if she kept her दिल in her chest and not on her sleeve."
"What's her name?"
"Cuddy...Lisa Cuddy...She's my boss at Princeton Plainsboro."
"So, she is your superior."
"In job शीर्षक only." House snickered.
"And otherwise? How do आप classify her?"
House started to lean down to pick up his cup of coffee.
"She's alot of things, a pain in the ass, too motherly for her own good, too sexy to be Dean of Medicine but people respect her nonetheless. She's neurotic, guilt-ridden, sympathetic, surprising, smart, funny, and..."
House trailed off and looked up to find Dr. Auden staring intently at him.
"She's alot of things." House finished saying.
"It definitely seems that way."
"I've known her since I was in medical school and she was an undergrad."
"Tell me about that time."
"She was really only a kid, 19 years old, and very eager to learn. I was 25 and in my सेकंड साल at med school. She was dating a friend mine. He was her T.A."
"So, आप two became फ्रेंड्स through him?"
"No. We weren't exactly friends. She couldn't stand me and I couldn't stand her. But I liked that she fought with me on everything especially medicine. She always had balls as well as amazing breasts."
"What mattered more? The balls या breasts?"
House chuckled at Dr. Auden brazen question.
"I'd say it was about a tie."
"So, she was a challenge to आप and your philosophy of life."
"And I was hers."
"You light up talking about her." Dr. Auden stated as he wrote down a note.
"I do not."
"Yes. It's very noticeable. The way आप talk of her now and the way she was then, creates a noticeable glow in your face. आप smile alot when talking of her."
"It's और of a smirk than a smile."
"The point is your body language went from slouched and withdrawn to sitting upright and engaged within a few short minutes."
House scratched his head.
"It's not like she revitalizes me."
"Interesting word choice."
"Why? Can't I use a word without there being a hidden meaning?"
"Yes and no. But we'll get to that अगला time. Our घंटा is up. I am free अगला Wednesday at 2 and Thursday at 4. Which दिन time would work better for you?"
"An घंटा is up already? That went surprisingly fast...Why do आप automatically assume I'll be seeing आप again? Maybe I'm all talked out." House कहा as he eased his leg off the sofa.
"Because you're a man who loves to solve mysteries and the biggest mystery is that of Gregory House, himself." Dr. Auden कहा as he closed his notebook and stood up.
House rolled his eyes and grabbed his cane.
"Thursday will be fine." House कहा as he limped out the door.
"See आप then." Dr. Auden कहा with a knowing grin.