House (2004–2012): Season 3, Episode 12 - One Day, One Room - full transcript

Stuck with clinic duty, House almost wishes he had the boring patients back after he encounters a young woman with an STD and the need to talk.

How can I help you
this beautiful morning?

You got any cases?

Three. Got a teenage
African American lung transplant...

Next two days you'll be doing
nothing but clinic work.

I just said...

You were lying.

Well, then why'd you ask?

Because if you told the truth

I was only gonna give you
one day of clinic duty.

That's dishonest.
I refuse to participate in this...

You'll do it. You owe me.



I kept you out of jail.
I can put you back.

Perjurer.

Felon.

How can I help you
this beautiful morning?

I told the nurse
I have a runny nose.

But I don't.

I think I have
syphilis or gonorrhea.

I think I have an STD.

I think I have a...

(PEOPLE CHATTERING)

Who is here for a runny nose?

It's a cold!
It'll get better. Go home.

Those of you who stayed
obviously do not have colds.

You will be
assigned to a doctor who is not me,



because I am tired
of wiping crotches.

House. You're doing this.

(SCREAMING)

- It hurts!
- Sir...

(MAN SCREAMING)

Call security.

Should I get a sedative?

No, I'm good. Thanks.

MAN: It hurts! My head hurts!

(SCREAMING)

(STOPS SCREAMING)

Need a team here.

- I have the sedative.
- Little late.

Just in time.

What did you give him?
A paralytic.

CUDDY: Why would you do that?

Somebody had to
stop the screaming.

Then he's still in pain.

Yeah. But quietly.

Paralytic's
stopped him breathing.

If he goes hypoxic,
he's gonna be quiet forever.

So either I can continue
to swab people's privates

or I can figure out
if this guy's delirium, pain

and insanely high heart rate
are life-threatening

or just a personality quirk.

I think the latter choice is the better
for all three of us.

FOREMAN: He's sedated.

It took five CCs
of haloperidol

to get him down after
the paralytic wore off.

So, pain in his right ear,
psychotic behavior and dizziness. Go.

Nurses said he was
holding his head.

How do you know
it was specifically his ear?

Because he was dizzy.

Means the problem was
affecting his inner ear.

Nurses said he was
running in circles.

Doesn't mean he was dizzy.

He wasn't running in circles.

He was running in oblongs.

Looked like a three-year-old kid
drew them.

Acoustic neuroma that started
a hemorrhage.

Explains the pain,
vertigo, everything.

Get an MRI.

What else?

If it explains everything...

Might not explain everything.

Well, what if he
was psychotic first,

then self-mutilated,
damaged the ear.

Excellent.

We need a complete
psychiatric work up.

Your turn.

I was gonna say
what Foreman...

Say something else.

He came to the clinic.

Good.

Decent chance he had
a chronic illness first,

especially given
the rapid heart rate.

Lingering ear infection,
pressure builds up in his inner ear,

bursts through the mastoid bone
while he's waiting in the clinic.

Oh: yes!

Get a head CT.
Draw blood cultures.

Run a chem panel and get
a complete blood count.

Oh, while you're at it,
pour some alcohol into his ear

and take out the cockroach.

He has
a cockroach in his ear?

He was scratching
that ear

right before the event,
so I took a peek.

My guess is it
started biting.

Nothing else wrong with him?

Isn't that enough?
It's pretty gross.

So why are we
doing the tests?

Well, it's either that or
I have to keep doing clinic duty.

You can do the tests
or just stay out of (Buddy's sight.

I don't really care which.

(BIRDS CAWING)

Why are you here?

Because it's not a hospital.

It's a jogging park.

You're not jogging.
You can't jog.

I'm watching jogging-

I sit and I watch
and I imagine.

So what do you watch for?

That guy's running in shorts.

He's not running.
He's trolling.

You're good at this.

How long are you
going to stay here?

Beauty of this place is that it's
the last place Cuddy will look.

How can I help you?

The doctors gave me this.

What doctors?

At the other hospital.
Last month.

Do you know what this says?

Yes.

"Patient has a six-centimeter
mass in the right lung.

Cancerous. inoperable."

Do you understand
what this means?

Is it okay if I
sleep here tonight?

It's cold outside.

What are you doing here?

I thought House had a case.

He doesn't.

(BIRDS CAWING)

You ordered a CT on a patient
with a bug in his ear.

How did you know I was here?

I ran into Cameron
in the clinic.

"Ran into"?

You ordered
pointless tests just to...

Wouldn't have been pointless
if you hadn't "run into" Cameron.

She got punished.

She's stuck with
another dying patient.

Is that Vicodin?

Breath mint. Thought you
were gonna kiss me.

What happened to rehab?

I got out.

It was a scam?

Enough foreplay. Are you
going to kiss me or not?

You are going back to
the clinic. Or jail.

You perjured yourself
to keep me out of jail.

How are you going to tell...

I only did that because
I thought you were getting clean.

So it's, "Do clinic duty
or go to jail"?

Yes.

Then it'll be, "Finish your paperwork
or go to jail."

"Help with
fundraising or go to jail."

"Do your job or go to jail."

I think I'd rather go to jail.

You owe me.

HOUSE: Beautiful.

MAN: Thank you. It's dry.

Who cares? It's beautiful.

If my lawn were half
as well-maintained as that,

pigeons wouldn't have
the nerve to poop on it.

Good grooming is important.

Was that a shot?

People do judge you
on your appearance.

When you entered,
I noted your shirt hadn't been pressed.

You hadn't shaved
in quite some time.

I extrapolated you
are a person for whom

detail was not
a major concern.

I was worried you might apply
that same standard in your...

Do you use toenail
clippers up there?

They're longer
so they allow me

to better reach
the upper hairs.

I'm wearing a rumpled shirt
and forgot to brush my hair this week.

You've got
athlete's foot in your nose.

I'm ready to be judged.

Okay.
50 dollars to any patient

who's willing to
leave here right now.

MAN: Sounds good to me.

House. You can't...

My money.

I don't care.
People do not...

If they'll leave for 50 bucks,
they're not all that sick.

Or they're poor
and desperate,

which is why
this place is here.

If they're that poor,
then they'd rather have 50 bucks than...

(COUGHS)

- Can I have the money?
- Look. It's monogrammed!

He doesn't need money.
Ergo, he's not sick.

And the blood?

Could be anybody's.

Monogram's definitely his.

We need to talk.

Doesn't matter what you say, do or
threaten, I will find a way out.

How can we make this
more interesting for you?

How can we make
the sky green?

How can we make
the tall short?

You cannot make
the uninteresting interesting.

I'll pay you 10 dollars
for every patient

you diagnose
without touching.

You pay me 10 dollars
for every one you have to touch.

You're making this
into a game for me.

From which I can only conclude this
isn't a game for you.

No.

Why? You think if I deal with enough
people I'll find some humanity?

Yes.

Why do I have to
do this myself?

I got a bum leg. Say, "Ah."

Ah.

Feels rough.

Yes. It's a rash.
I'm gonna need more than "rough."

Well, it... It's just rough.
Can't you feel it?

Well, I could.

But then what
satisfaction would you get?

Got it!

Start counting.

How many?

Twenty-six.

Okay. Either you suck at math
or you're gonna die in two seconds.

You suck at math.

Diagnosis. Prescription.
You owe me 30.

I owe you 10.

Test results are back
for your STD patients.

I'm not paying you for them.

You already touched them.

HOUSE: How old are you?

30.

And you've never seen
an after-school special?

Dawson 3 Creek?

How do you get to 30
and not know about condoms?

Oh, God. I have an STD.

No. But you will.

Every patient who comes
in here for an STD test

has one thing in common.

They had SWS,
"sex while stupid."

How old are you?

Sixty.

You're lying,
but that's not the point.

Have you never seen
Dawson's Creek?

And you've never seen
an after-school special?

How do you live to your age
and not know about condoms?

I have an STD?

Yeah. You're actually
the first one today.

Lucky day. Well, not for you, but you
gotta feel good for everyone else.

($055)

It's chlamydia.

As bad news goes,
it's about the best.

(SNIFFLING)

Oh, settle down.
It's treatable.

It's actually curable.

(SNIFFLING)

All you gotta do is
take these pills...

Don't touch me!

Oh, God.

I need someone to
cover a patient.

House, you committed to...

She was raped.

You think I'm
the right doctor for her?

We've assigned
another doctor to your care.

I didn't mean to
upset Dr. House.

He knows that.
That's not why we're doing this.

I'd like to keep
being treated by him.

Why?

Just do.

Trust me. It's better if you
deal with somebody who specializes...

I'm fine.

You told Dr. House
it's been less than a week.

You haven't told
anyone other than him.

Emotionally you're still...

You know what
I'm dealing with?

You know what
I'm going through?

No.

You think Dr. House does?

I'm not suggesting either one
of us be your doctor.

Dr. Stone is a psychiatrist.

If Dr. House is too busy,
I could wait.

Why do you want me?

I don't know.

I don't want to treat you.

You're just saying that
so I'll see the psychiatrist.

True.
Except for the word "just."

I'm saying I don't
want to treat you

so you'll see
the psychiatrist

and because I don't
want to treat you.

Why don't you want
to treat me anymore?

I never wanted to treat you.

The fact that you were raped

(HOUSE SIGHS)

holds no interest for me.

It's nothing personal.

There's nothing to treat.
You're physically healthy.

Okay-

But I want you
to be my doctor.

Why?

I don't know.

You gotta have a reason.
Everything has a reason.

I trust you.

Ah, you see?
That's a bad reason.

'Cause I'll lie to you.

I'll tell you anything just
to get you out of here.

I don't care.
I want to talk to you.

Look, you were raped.

All control was
taken from you.

You're trying to
find that control again.

You want me
because I don't want you.

I'm raping you?

In a very non-invasive,
more annoying than traumatic...

Get the hell out of here!

I'll send in Dr. Stone.

I didn't consent to
all of this medicine.

You've been out
on the streets. No treatment...

I'm dying. There is
no treatment for dying.

We can make you comfortable.

Don't want to be.
Why not?

Because I screwed up my life.

So you want to punish yourself
for messing up your life?

Please, stop the treatment.

(HICCUPS)

It'll go away on its own.

It's not. Can't you...

Nope. It'll go away.

It's been all day.

There must be
some treatment you...

Nope. It'll go away.

Or it won't go away.

I read about a treatment.

Some doctor won
a prize for it.

I read about it.

You don't have the hiccups,
do you?

Make a note,
"Drug-seeking behavior."

- Morphine?
- No. Anal digital stimulation.

How long has Stone
been in with her?

Are you concerned?

You know how many people get
raped every day?

So it's common,
therefore boring?

If we were to care about every person
suffering on the planet,

life would shut down.

How about just
the ones we meet?

They deserve our sympathy
more than the other people?

So your solution is not to give
a damn about any of them.

How do you do that?
How do you take that theory

and put it in practice?
You met her...

Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hey! Whoa!

Hey! I paid these people
50 bucks to leave here an hour ago.

Yeah, we came back.

Then you owe me 50.

The kid needs surgery.

And he could
walk way back then.

Stand up, kid.

He swallowed a magnet.
We got to cut it out.

- How old are you?
- Eight.

And he swallowed
something stuck to a fridge.

Darwin says, "Let him die."

If it's already below the stomach,
it should pass on its own.

Strong magnet.

It's messing
with the imaging.

We have no way to...

You got x-ray vision, House?

Whoa, whoa! You're gonna
cut him open? Right here?

It's well into the intestines.
He's fine.

I want my 50 back.

STONE: I need a crash cart!
Stat!

What happened?

Pills. Benzos. We need to get
her stomach pumped.

- Respiration's shallow.
- What did you say to her?

Nothing that would
make her want to...

CUDDY: Heartbeat's irregular.

- What did she say to you?
- Nothing.

I gave her a couple of sedatives,
turned around,

- and she grabbed the whole bottle.
- You must have said something.

I said plenty.
She said nothing.

I was with her
for over an hour.

She didn't say one word.

(MACHINES BEEPING)

(VIDEO GAME BUZZING)

You gonna do that again?

You're gonna be okay.
Physically.

Which is all
that interests you.

But you're here.

Under orders.

Why would you tell me that?

'Cause I don't
like hypocrisy.

But you don't have
a problem with cruelty?

Which brings us back to,
why do you want me?

I don't know.

You tried to kill yourself
because you couldn't talk to me.

You must have a reason.

Why does there always
have to be a reason?

Can't we just talk?

There's a phone.
Talk to a friend,

a family member.
Call the police.

(SIGHS)

You want to talk about
what happened to you?

No.

You want to talk
about your STD meds?

No.

You don't really
seem to want to talk.

No, I do.

About what?

(SIGHS)

I don't know. Anything.

The weather?

You were raped and
you want to talk about the weather?

Yeah.

I'm not gonna talk to
you about the weather.

- You help her.
- She wants you.

God knows why.

She doesn't know
what she wants.

She knows she wants you. You were the
first person she spoke to about this.

The fact that I
was in the wrong place at the wrong time

should be trumped by the fact
that I'm useless at this.

No, you're not.

You romantically
wanting to believe that

is never going
to make it true.

I'm agreeing with you.

You're the last person
she should be talking to.

If she wants to talk about the weather,
talk about the weather.

She wants normalcy. She wants to feel
like the world didn't end.

Right. I'll tell her
that everything went on without her.

Babies were born,
people got married,

thousands of people
will remember the day she got raped

as the happiest
day of their lives.

You might not want to
phrase it quite that way.

You need to get her to
talk about what happened.

FOREMAN: No, he doesn't.

Pretending it didn't happen...

Wrong.
Pretending this didn't happen

is the best thing
she could possibly do.

She's got to make this real.

You know what we should
be trying to make real or process?

The few decent
moments in our lives. Not the crap.

Maybe you're right.
Except there's no way

she can pretend
this didn't happen.

So she has no choice
but to process it.

You've got to tell me
what happened.

You don't
really want to hear.

Sure I do.

You're lying.

This doesn't have
to destroy your life.

I know.

It doesn't mean
anything about you.

It wasn't your fault.

I know.

You did nothing wrong.

Some jerk hurt you.
That's all.

I know.

You're worried that you can
never trust men again.

No.

Statistically, there was always a chance
this could happen.

The fact that it did happen
doesn't change anything.

The world doesn't suck any more today
than it did yesterday.

I know all that.

Well, then what do
you want me to tell you?

Nothing. I just want to talk.

About nothing. If we talk about nothing,
nothing will change.

It might.

How?

Time.

Time changes everything.

That's what people say.
It's not true.

Doing things changes things.

Not doing things leaves things
exactly as they were.

Why do you have to suffer?

I gave my word.

Who would make
you promise that?

My father.

He said I would die
alone and miserable.

That's not a promise.

And even if it was,
he's dead.

And even if he's not,
he's not going to care if...

Why did your husband
have to suffer?

- How do you know about my husband?
- Well, I just know.

You have to die in pain

because of a promise
you made to your father?

If I say "yes," you'll use that
as proof that I'm insane.

Force treatment on me.

Did the nurse tell you
about my husband?

No.

- Nurse!
- Yes.

It's under control.

I'm sorry. I was just
trying to freak you out.

Why?

Because I need you
to remember me.

I need somebody
to remember me.

Where did you go to college?

Northwestern. You?

Hopkins. What was your major?

Comparative religion.

Why do you trust me?

I don't know.
Can't we just...

That's not rational.

Nothing's rational.

Everything is rational!

I was raped.

Explain how that
makes sense to you.

We are selfish, base animals
crawling across the earth,

and because we've got brains,
if we try real hard,

we can occasionally aspire to something
that is less than pure evil.

(SIGHS)

Has anything terrible
ever happened to you?

What do you want me to say?

You wanted this conversation.

You wanted to talk about
something that matters. Talk.

She's waiting
for your answer?

She's asleep.

I sedated her.

Why do you care
what you say to her?

Because I don't know how to
answer these questions.

It's a simple question.
"Has your life sucked?"

Tell her the truth.
Tell her you were shot. Tell her...

She doesn't want
to hear the truth.

She's looking for something.

Looking to
extrapolate some...

She's looking to
connect with you.

And that's what's scaring the hell
out of you. Tell her the truth.

There is no truth.

Are we role-playing?

Am I you?
I don't want to be you.

She's not asking
for test results.

She's not asking what
two plus two equals.

She's asking for my
personal life experience

so she can extrapolate
to all humanity.

That's not truth.
It's bad science.

It's not science at all.
Tell her the truth.

Tell her your life
has been good.

It hasn't been.

Tell her anyway.
She wants hope.

She wants to know that
what happened to her wasn't the norm.

That things can be okay,

which means maybe they can be
okay for her again.

Tell her your life sucked.

It didn't.

Tell her anyway.

She wants to know
she's not alone.

She wants to know
she's gonna survive this.

That other people
have been through this

and worse and come
out the other end.

She wants to know if
she's going to heal.

Act like you've healed.

Tell her...

Keep her asleep.

Thanks. You all
have been a huge help.

There's no wrong answer.

Because there's
no right answer.

Wrong.

We just don't know
what the right answer is.

Wake up.

It's not as bad as
what happened to you.

I don't think.

I don't know what
happened to you.

But given how lousy
you're responding,

I assume it was worse than
getting abused by your grandmother.

What did she do to you?

Parents traveled a lot.

They'd leave me with her.

She liked things
the way she liked them.

And she believed
in discipline.

She was right, I suppose,

because I hardly ever
screwed up when she was around.

Too scared of getting forced
to sleep in the yard

or take a bath in ice.

Your turn.

Your parents,
they never stopped her?

I never told them.

Why not?

Usual reasons.

I was afraid they
wouldn't believe me.

I was afraid they'd think
I'd done something wrong.

I opened up to you.
You open up to me.

What did you call her?

Oma.

And you kept calling
her that after this?

Dutch for "grandmother."
She was still my grandmother.

And she was still Dutch.

Is any part of
that story true?

All of it.

You wouldn't keep
calling her Oma.

Something would
have to change.

You don't know me.

You wouldn't keep
calling her Oma!

- Look, you're over-reacting...
- Do not dismiss me.

I'm not dismissing you.

I'm saying you're
not acting rationally.

I'm angry because
you are lying to me!

- No, you are...
- What can I do?

What the hell can I do
that you're not gonna dismiss

as just being
because I was raped?

Nothing.

Your story, is it true?

True for somebody.

But not for you.

These things happen.

It happened to somebody.

What do you care
if it happened to me?

- They're not in this room.
- No, they're out there!

Doctors, lawyers,
postal workers.

Some of them doing great,
some of them doing lousy.

You gonna base
your whole life

on who you got
stuck in a room with?

I'm gonna base this moment
on who I'm stuck in a room with.

It's what life is.
It's a series of rooms.

And who we get stuck
in those rooms with

adds up to what
our lives are.

CUDDY: House?

You gotta get me out of this.

There's nothing to diagnose.
There's nothing...

You only tested her for STDs?

I had seven morons
who forgot their raincoats.

It's all they asked for
so I didn't waste the lab's time. Why?

I wasted their time.
She's pregnant.

Do you understand?

Are you okay?

I mean,
I know you're not okay.

But are you more
or less not okay

than you were
five minutes ago?

About the same.

Good.

The termination
procedure isn't pleasant...

I don't want to terminate.

You want to keep the baby?

Abortion is murder.

True. It's a life.
And you should end it.

Every life is sacred.

Talk to me. Don't
quote me bumper stickers.

- It's true.
- It's meaningless.

It means every life
matters to God.

Not to me, not to you.

And judging by the number
of natural disasters, not to God either.

You're just
being argumentative.

Yeah. I do do that.

What about Hitler?

Was his life sacred to God?

The father of your child?

Is his life sacred to you?

My child isn't Hitler.

Either every life
is sacred or...

Stop it! I don't want to
chat about philosophy!

You're not killing your rape baby
because of a philosophy.

It's murder.
I'm against it. You for it?

Not as a general rule.

Just for unborn children?

Yes.

The problem with exceptions
to rules is the line-drawing.

It might make sense to kill the ass
that did this to you,

but then where do
we draw the line?

Which asses do
we get to kill?

Which asses get to
keep on being asses?

The nice thing about
the abortion debate

is we can
quibble over trimesters

but ultimately there's
a nice clean line, birth.

Morally there's not
a lot of difference.

Practically, huge.

You're enjoying
this conversation.

It's just the type of
conversation I do well.

But the other type?

The personal stuff?

There are no answers.

And if there are no answers,
why talk about it?

You're healthy.
You shouldn't be here.

I don't want to go.

Fine. I won't discharge you.

Wanna go for a walk?

(GROANS)

It's the last of my journey.

You don't deserve pain.
You're just an insane old man.

- No.
- I am not going to watch you suffer.

I need you to remember me.

- I'll remember you!
- Why?

Because you're a nice man.

You don't know that.
You don't know anything about me.

Either you were a nice man
or you were an ass.

Either way you did something to somebody
that they're going to remember.

I have no family.
I have no friends.

I didn't even
have a real job.

If I die in peace,

then I'm just
another patient.

But if I die suffering...

It'll be horrible. Don't
do that to either of us.

No. I just need to
die knowing that something is different

because I was here.

(SIGHING)

(GROANS)

(GRUNTING)

Life goes on.

Is that the reason
why we're out here?

Know why I come here?

I sit. I watch. I imagine.

Sounds nice.

I imagine that one of
them will break a leg.

Just one false step,
one crack in the sidewalk...

You don't really.

I'm evil.

Evil people don't
say they're evil.

That sounds like
an easy loophole.

People can do good things,
but their instincts are not good.

Either God doesn't exist
or he's unimaginably cruel.

I don't believe that.

What do you believe?

Why do you
think this happened?

I don't want to
talk about it.

Me neither. Too bad.

You know, I don't think
there was a reason.

So God does exist,
lets you get raped,

needs you to keep
your rape baby for no reason.

Maybe he was challenging me.

He hurts you to help you.

Well, I guess it's better
than because he hates you.

You're trying to convince me
there's no God.

Why would you even say
something like that?

Because you're
throwing your life away.

I'm doing what I believe!

What you believe
doesn't make sense.

This is not helping me.

Then I can't help you.

If you believe in eternity,
then life is irrelevant.

The same way that
a bug is irrelevant

in comparison
to the universe.

If you don't
believe in eternity,

then what you do here
is irrelevant.

Your actions here
are all that matters.

Then nothing matters.

There's no
ultimate consequences.

I couldn't live like that.

So, you need to think
that the guy

who did this to you is
going to be punished?

I need to know that
it all means something.

I need that comfort.

Yeah.
Are you feeling comfortable?

You feeling good right now?
You fool warm inside?

I was raped.
What's your excuse?

(MONITOR FLATLINING)

(EXHALES)

Do you think the guy who did
this to me feels bad?

Would that help you?
Make you feel better?

Why do you always do that?

Ask why I'm asking questions
instead of just answering the question?

The answer
doesn't interest me.

I don't care
what he's feeling.

I'm interested in
what you're feeling.

You are?

I'm trapped in
the room with you, right?

Why did you choose me?

There's something about you.

It's like you're hurt, too.

It was true.

What was?

It wasn't my grandmother.
But it was true.

Who was it?

It was my dad.

I'd like to tell you
what happened to me now.

I'd like to hear it.

It was my friend's
birthday party...

(GREY ROOM PLAYING)

She terminated.
She's been discharged.

She's going to be okay.

Yeah. It's that simple.

She's talking
about what happened.

That's huge. You did good.

And everyone'll tell you
that's what we gotta make her do.

We got to help her, right?
Except we can't.

We drag out her story,
tell each other that it'll help her heal

and feel real good
about ourselves.

Maybe all we've done
is make a girl cry.

Then why did you...

(BALL THUDDING)

Because I don't know.

You gonna follow up with her?

One day, one room.