House (2004–2012): Season 6, Episode 15 - Black Hole - full transcript

lt's estimated
the observable universe

is 93 billion
light years across.

lt's probably
more accurate to. . .

l'm gonna be
so far away.

l don't care.
l don't wanna
break up.

l'll come
on the weekends.

Stanford's on
the other side
of the country.

My dad has like 1 0 million
frequent flier miles.

He won't care.

(CHOKlNG)

We all right
over there?



Yes, Mr. Damon,
l just had something
caught in my throat.

Abby, you know
you're not supposed

to have any food
or drinks in here.

lt's just water.
l have a cough,

l didn't want to
disturb anyone.

We can only observe
4% of the universe.

The rest of it
is unaccounted for.

l never knew
you were such
a good liar.

Well, a little more vodka
and you might find out
some more things

you didn't know
about me.

Really?

MR. DAMON: Nicholas.

Yes, sir.

What conclusions can we
draw from the incredible
number of stars?



That the movie's either
gonna be really good
or really bad.

(STUDENTS CHUCKLlNG)

l was thinking more
about the implications
for extraterrestrial life.

Well, l guess if
there's an infinite
number of stars,

odds are there's
at least one galaxy

with life other
than our own.

Or?

Or not?

Or our solar system
is somehow unique.

The question
then becomes,
in what way?

The question then becomes,
could you possibly teach us
anything more useless?

What're you
looking at?

Abby?

Oh, my God.
Something's wrong !
She's not breathing !

MR. DAMON: Call 91 1 !

Would you mind
at least putting a napkin
under your jelly toast?

Get a table
and l won't eat
on the couch.

Yes, you will.

But l won't
have a good excuse.

Why don't you
go get a table?

lt's not my condo.

You have
my permission.

Pick out
whatever you want.

Then it would be
a reflection of me,
not you.

That wouldn't
be right.

No, it would be
a reflection
of the fact

that the guy
who's been
mooching off of me

for as long
as l can remember

isn't a complete
ingrate.

You've never
furnished a home.

l have furnished
a bunch of homes.

No, you've married
a bunch of women

who've furnished
a bunch of homes.

You want to eat off
something, fine,

move your piano in here
and eat off that.

You're afraid.

Of a dining table?

You know, they don't
actually come to life

when you put a knob
off your bedpost on them.

You are what
you sit in.

Your friends, your job,
your furnishings,
it all defines you.

You don't really
believe that.

You just don't want
to do the shopping.

Buy some furniture

or admit that
you're empty inside.

Hmm.

(DOOR OPENS)

(DOOR CLOSES)

X-rays confirm the fluid
that almost suffocated her
to death

was from pulmonary edema.

FOREMAN: Means
the problem is either
in her heart or lungs.

Tox screen's
clean for everything
except the alcohol,

and her BAC
was barely .05.

Means she only had
one or two drinks, tops.

And there's no sign
of trauma.

How did you know?

Because if there was,

Cuddy wouldn't
have needed me
to take the case.

How'd you know Cuddy. . .
Foreman's the only
one with the balls

to take a case
without checking
with me

and he's still
working on breakfast,
which means that

the 1 8, no, 1 7-year-old
honor student. . .

Cuddy has a soft spot
for smart girls,

and they don't
start drinking

until second semester
senior year.

So, either you think
that smart women
look out for each other,

which means
you're an idiot,

or you think
Cuddy's not smart,
which means. . .

Well, l guess it's
the same both ways.

Then how did you. . .

Picture fell out
of the file.

She looks smart.

Where's Taub?

You don't
already know?

Yeah, he's at home
in a fight with his wife.

l'm just curious what
he wanted me to know.

His car has a flat tire.
He's waiting for a tow truck.

FOREMAN: What about
rising blood pressure
from binge drinking?

lt could set off
a hypertensive crisis,
cause heart failure.

Two drinks is
hardly a binge.

Certainly not if
you're an Aussie,

but when
an American school girl

has two drinks
before 1 0:00 a.m. ,

it's a pretty sure bet
that the plan
is to have a lot more.

lt probably
wasn't the first time
she had that plan.

CHASE: We'll get
a C-1 3 pyruvate MRl

to check for cardiac
lactic-acid levels.

Someone call Taub.

Tell him to cut the ball
and chain on his own time.

We're arguing
about couples yoga.

No. We're arguing
over the fact

that we don't
ever do anything
together anymore.

We don't ever do
anything together?

Chris, l love you,
but l swear, if you
start talking to me

like l'm on the witness
stand again, l'm gonna
break your neck.

Honey, we do stuff
together all the time.

Really? Like what?

And besides sleeping,
watching TV,
going out to dinner,

what do we do together,
just the two of us?

We. . .

You don't like
going out to dinner?

All right,
l'll do the yoga.

Forget it.

Now you don't
want me to do it?

Just go to work.
No.

l'm not leaving
until we work this out.

l'm fine.
Please, just go.

(ELEVATOR BELL DlNGlNG)

(WOMAN CHATTERlNG ON PA)

NlCK: Where's Abby Nash?

l'm Nick, her boyfriend.
This is my dad.

Hi.

You can wait in. . .

Where is she?

ls she okay?

She's having
some tests run.

ls she okay?

We think her drinking
may have damaged her heart.

Her heart?

No. She doesn't drink.
Not that much.

Just when
she's at school?

Nick, what's he
talking about?

lt was a field trip.
One of the kids
had a fake lD.

But, Dad,
you know Abby.
Tell him.

l know what she's like
when the two of you
are around me, but. . .

lf you're right,
the tests will
come back negative.

Can you give her
a message?

l brought her homework.
And l love her.

Sorry l'm late.

Nick loves you.

House doesn't believe
you got a flat tire.

What does he
think l was doing?

Fighting with the wife.

Why would l lie
about that?

She wants me
to do yoga.

We need thinner cuts.

When you and Cameron
had disagreements. . .

l'm probably not
the best guy to go to
for marital advice.

Sorry.

lt's just. . .
What's that in
the mitral valve?

All right,
l get the message.

No. No, l'm serious.

What is that?

Could be a fungus.

ER drew blood cultures.
All negative.

No parasites,
no fungus.

Could be fastidious
enteric bacteria.

HOUSE: You think
she's been eating
your wife's cooking?

Hey, l'm on
your side, man.

l am not fighting
with my wife.
l had a flat tire.

lt's in my trunk.
You can go look
at it if you want.

Don't need to.
Face tells me
you're bluffing.

Not yours, Chase's.

lf she was infected through
the intestinal tract,

she'd have
intestinal symptoms.

There are other ways
to get enteric bacteria
into the bloodstream.

She's not an intravenous
drug user, she has no tattoos,

and she doesn't
have any scars

that would indicate
she's a cutter.

Transesophageal echo
could give us a better idea
of what we're looking at.

lf that valve is
about to dehisce,

echo could trigger
a heart attack.

So come up with
a better idea,

or have a crash
cart ready.

Why are you
lying to House?

Chase told me.
What's the big deal?

Maybe we can talk
about this another
time. Or never.

l really don't think
she's gonna tell anyone.

lf l admit
we were fighting,

he's gonna want
to know what about.

So tell him, or tell him
it's none of his business.

This is easier.
Really?

Because it seems
much harder.

What do l know?
l'm not a guy.

Yes, if only
l could be as open

about my emotional
life as you are.

lt's not about the yoga.

Really? l thought it was,
since we spent an hour
talking about yoga,

but what do l know?
l'm not a girl.

My guess is she thinks
you don't want to
spend time with her

because you're spending it
with someone else.

lf she thinks
l'm cheating,
she would ask.

Because you'd
tell the truth?

l'm not seeing
anyone else.

Doesn't matter.
You have a history.

And that's not her fault.

So what am l supposed to do?
l can't prove a negative.

That is a problem.

THlRTEEN:
There's the heart.

Valves look fine.
No vegetations.
No myxomatous changes.

Can you give her
a little more sedative?

(MONlTOR BEEPlNG RAPlDLY)
(CHOKlNG)

She's dissecting.
She's rupturing.

Get the scope out.

(SCREAMlNG)

This doesn't make sense.
Her BP's normal,

and her heart rate
was controlled.

We'll figure it out later.

We've only got
about 30 seconds
to get her open.

TAUB: No leakage from
the cannulation site.

THlRTEEN: Nice.

Let's see if
she'll start up.

Cardiac paddles.

Charging.

(DEVlCE POWERlNG UP)

And go.

Come on.

Again.
Go.

Pushing five cc's
adrenaline.

Zap her again.
No.

lt's not working. Clear.

Clear.

(MONlTOR BEEPlNG STEADlLY)

Normal sinus rhythm.

Thank God.

TAUB: TEE and
intra-operative
visuaIization

showed no vegetations
on the valves,

no structural
abnormalities.

The dissection means
we were wrong

about alcohol causing
a hypertensive crisis.

And by "we"
you mean "you."
Yeah.

You were the one
who didn't have
any better ideas.

lt's not my fault.
l was busy trying
to judge Taub.

Since we already
ruled out trauma,

the dissection's
probably a genetic defect.

We're running the tests.
She's not marfanoid.

What about an allergy?

A severe enough one
could set off a systemic
immune reaction,

cause fluid in the lungs
and inflammation that
could weaken the aorta.

lf it was an allergy,
she'd be getting better
in the hospital, not worse.

Unless it was
inside her.

Meaning?

You want my sperm?

We think a severe allergic
reaction could be causing
a systemic breakdown.

To my son's sperm?

Actually, his semen is
more likely the problem,

which l realize
is not what you
were reacting to.

When's the last time
the two of you
had unprotected sex?

Never.
l use a condom.

You always use a condom?
For everything?

NlCK: Well,
for most everything.

When?

The night before
she collapsed.

l'm placing a drop of
Nick's semen protein
onto the skin.

Then l'll abrade it
with a needle,

check for a rash
in an hour or so.

Mom, come on,
we've been dating
for three years.

l'm not mad, sweetheart.
l'm just confused.

A systemic reaction
can be triggered
by the protein in semen.

ln most cases,
the reaction
is fairly minor,

but in rare cases,
repeat exposure

can trigger
a hypersensitivity
response.

"Repeat exposure"?

l know, l know,
three years.

ls this
supposed
to hurt?

A reaction should
take longer than. . .

No, it's not that. Ow.

Abby, what's wrong?

My stomach.

(ABBY GROANlNG)

Blood in the urine.

(SCREAMlNG)

Help me!

No allergic reaction.

On the other hand,
now her kidneys
are failing.

TAUB: Could be some
kind of neuropathy.

Syphilitic
lightning pains?

lt's not syphilis.

VDRL and enzyme
immunoassays
were negative.

What about
a blood clot?

While she's on
anticoagulants

for the aortic surgery?

lnterstitial nephritis?

Wouldn't cause
the edema
or dissection.

But cancer could.

Would you care
to be a little bit
more specific?

lf l could,
l would've.

We could do
a full body scan.

We hate
full body scans.

And by "we"
you mean "you."

We also hate when
a patient dies

before we figure out
what's wrong with them.

Do the scan.

How can you convince
someone you're not
cheating on them?

Don't cheat.
After a while,
they'll catch on.

What if l don't want
to wait that long?

Take them with you
wherever you go
for 24 hours a day.

So your wife's
a little insecure.
ls that so bad?

At least you know
she still cares.

l know she cares.
What l want is for
her to be happy.

What? You don't
think l want my wife
to be happy?

Sure. As long as
it makes you happy.

What do you think?

l think
you work
quickly.

Piece of cake.
You give them money,
they give you furniture.

Not bad, huh?

Nope, it's not
bad at all.

lt's taking
a really long time.

FOREMAN: Just hang in there,
and try not to talk
unless you really have to.

It can affect
the images.

(FAlNT RUMBLlNG)

What was that?
Hello, are you
still there?

(RUMBLlNG)

l think there's
something wrong
with the machine.

FOREMAN:
It's not the machine.
It's an earthquake.

Hold on,
we'll get you out.

Get me out now.

(WHlMPERlNG)

(GRUNTlNG)

Oh, my God !
l can't hold on !

(SCREAMlNG)

lt's a black hole.

She's hallucinating.

l certainly hope so.

Hallucination
means brain problem.

Brain problems don't
split your aorta.

A vascular problem
could explain both.

lnflammation in
the blood vessel walls

leads to dissection
in the aorta

and could cause
an aneurysm
in the brain

that could cause
the visions.

THlRTEEN:
lt's a bit convoluted,

but brain
and heart function
are susceptible, too.

lf there was any sign
of the inflammation
of the aorta,

that would make sense.

(CELL PHONE CHlMES)

House!
That's not funny.

l've got enough
problems already!

Trust me,
this is gonna help.

FOREMAN:
An aneurysm explains
the hallucinations,

and it's the one thing
we haven't excluded
from the differential.

Your texting does not
prove you're faithful.

lt just proves
you know she thinks
you're unfaithful.

You can't force trust.
What did she hallucinate?

The content of
the hallucination
isn't relevant.

Not usually.

Not ever.

We know nothing,
brain knows all.

You get an ulcer,
you don't know it,

but the brain increases
mucin secretions.

lt knows what
the problem is,

it knows where
the problem is.

lt's a big logical jump
from a body's immune response

to the brain
giving subconscious
diagnostic clues.

What about dreaming
about waterfalls,
running streams

if you need to go
to the bathroom?

Sure. That's the same
as the brain shouting,
"You have pancreatic cancer."

Her subconscious
is trying to tell
her something.

We need to eavesdrop.

She was screaming
she was being sucked
into a black hole.

So we should look for
a tumor in her anus.

We need the whole story.

A cognitive pattern
recognition program

might tell us what's
going on in her head.

Or we could act
on something

based in science,
not science fiction.

Get an MRA with
contrast to see if
she has an aneurysm.

Unless you think
Cuddy's gonna go
for the mind reading.

Fine. Do the MRA.

When it comes
back negative,

we can move on
to the crazy,
but possible, ideas.

(PANTlNG)

What did you do
with the furniture?

l returned it.

You told me to buy it.

But you didn't buy it.
You rented it.

You made one phone call
to Economy Furniture Supply.

"We get it done,
so you don't have to."

So what?
We had a table, chairs. . .

But no clue what
any of it meant.

Fine. l'll hire
a decorator.

Perfect. Another woman
to tell you who you are.

l'll hire
a male decorator.

Step inside
one furniture store and
find one thing you like.

l like not doing this.

One.

MALE VOlCE:
(DlSTORTED) Abby.

Hi.

Where's my mom?

She went down
to get
some breakfast.

How are you
feeling?

Well, besides the fact
that l can barely breathe
and l ache all over,

not good.

Anything l can do?

Just don't go.

l'm not going anywhere.

Been a while since
we've gone more than
a day without doing that.

l'm not going anywhere.

What'd you say?

l've been
thinking. . .

Been a long time since
we went more than a day
without doing that.

We have a secret.

Now, you don't need
to answer right now,

but, Abby,
l want to marry you.

Tell him the secret.
lt's okay.

Something's wrong.

What?
Abby, what are
you feeling?

l don't know.

Your secret
is killing you.

l see. . . Maybe it's
all the medication.

l was just. . .

Abby, can you hear me?

You deserve to die.

(MONlTOR BEEPlNG RAPlDLY)

l need four milligrams
lorazepam.

TAUB: She seized
for over a minute.

lnner-ictal EEG showed
no synchronous discharges.

And the MRA?

No aneurysms or arterial
or venous malformations
in the brain.

As predicted.

What did we say
we'd move on to?

Out of body experiences
can be induced

by sensory overload
in the temporoparietal
junction.

Temporoparietal junction
was clean on MRl,

MRA, and whole body scan.

Which just leaves us
with the question of

what happened
during the out of
body experience?

lf l say her blood pressure
shot up over
200 and she bit her tongue,

would that be
a satisfactory answer?

Sure. lf you then
went on to answer
the following,

did she float
above her body?
Did she see Jesus?

Did she bathe
in the Ganges?

No, no and no.
Can we get back to
the medical science?

No.

She claims she emerged
from her body

as a younger
version of herself
and started talking.

She couldn't remember
what was discussed.

FOREMAN: But l'm sure
it wasn't a differential.

House, cognitive
pattern recognition

is 50 years from being
a useful diagnostic tool.

Even if we can get the
equipment, it takes hours
for the initial mapping.

lf she has another seizure,
she could stroke out.

Coincidentally,
she could also have a
stroke if we do nothing.

l'm not telling a mother
who's scared out of her mind

that our best shot
is a magic trick.

lt's not magical,
it's experimental.

Just like washing
your hands after
pooping once was.

And technically,
it's not our best shot.

l'm pretty sure
it's our only shot.

Perfect. So, Foreman,
go get her consent.

The rest of you,
go down to
the cog-sci lab.

The equipment
should already be there.

(ELEVATOR BELL DlNGS)

l'll catch up.

Thanks for the invite.

l am not sure l'm up
for the hospital food.

Good, 'cause l wasn't
planning on lunch.

While you watch
video clips,

a computer maps
how your brain
processes the images.

How long
will it take?

Six hours. But that's
really just the prep.

Once the computer maps
how she processes
the information,

we'll put her under
twilight sedation,

use the same equipment
to monitor her
unconscious thoughts.

Hopefully, it'll spit
out a very basic video

of whatever's
going on in her head.

And what will
that tell you?

Hopefully,
it'll give us a clue

as to where your brain
thinks the problem is.

A lot of "hopefullys."

Could it hurt her?

We're at
a diagnostic
dead end.

We've got to
try something.

This is much better
than lunch.

l agree.

What made you
think of this?

l missed you.

No, l mean this.
The car in the
parking lot.

l just don't like
feeling like

maybe this isn't
the first time
you've done this.

lt's the first. l love you.
You know that, right?

Yes.

l want you to be
able to trust me.

And l want to, but. . .

lnspiration Point
doesn't open
till after dark.

Got a real
cool magic show
about to start.

Also, l'm gonna need
to check your spare.

Abby, can you think
of something specific?

Like what?

Doesn't matter.
Just make it
a single image.

What are you thinking?

About Nick
playing baseball.

Holy crap.

CHASE: That's amazing.

Yeah.

Now all we have to do
is read her subconscious

and hope that
it's completely rational
and went to med school.

Does anything
get you excited?

Can l help you
with something?

Yes.

l was wondering if
you could tell me

a little bit about
this dining table.

lt's made of wood
and you eat off it.

So you're paid
by commission?

lt's furniture.

Find something you like,
let me know, l'll ring it up.

Thank you so much.

Okay, that's. . .
That's not. . .

That is
a remarkable collection,
if l can show it to you.

l'm Gabriella.

l'm really just
looking for a nice
dining room table.

l see. You're daring.

Yes, l do that sometimes.

But right now,
why am l daring?

You're not
constrained by rules.

What else attracts you
in the patio section?

Wait. This is
a patio table?
For outside?

Well, it's taken us
just over an hour

to prove
that she has a very
boring subconscious.

Anyone ever tell
you you can be
a real buzzkill?

ALL: Yes.

Stars. Maybe
that's a stripe.

lt's the sky.

She's thinking
about the moon and
the stars in the sky.

She's going to Stanford
to study physics.

lt's not a big revelation
that she'd think
about the sky.

Or a star could be
a white blood cell.
Leukemia?

Who's that?

Her dad? He died
when she was eight.

What did Daddy die of?

Private plane crash.
No connection.

Stars, moon, sky,
white blood cells,
heart valves,

black holes, or anus,

or a million other
circular passageways
into the body,

and her dad.

What do you think
it means?

She likes school and
she has daddy issues.

Neither of which
helps us.

So now what do we do?
Start over?

We obviously
missed something.

What about the liver?

What about her left toe?

Oh, sorry,

l thought we were randomly
picking out body parts

that had nothing to
do with her symptoms.

Liver's responsible
for proteins,

immunological effects,
production of
red blood cells.

Might be able to
explains the lungs,
the hallucinations. . .

Not the aortic
dissection.

CHASE: Her kidneys
are also failing.

Polycystic disease
could explain
the dissection.

So, that's one
imperfect theory

plus a rare complication
of a second theory,

which gives us
a complete
explanation.

Don't polish
the notion, Foreman.

Pineal gland
is calcified.

lt's supposed
to be calcified.
Happens after puberty.

What if it's
obscuring a tumor?

lt's the only place
we couldn't
look inside.

Get a better look
at her pineal gland

with three Tesla
fast-spin echo MRl.

You're pacing my office
'cause you're
buying furniture?

No. l'm pacing
your office

because l'm physically
incapable of buying furniture.

For Amber's old place?

Yeah. lt needs
some new. . .

l know you bought
the place l wanted.

You're a jerk,
let's move on.
Hire a decorator.

l'm supposed to find me.

Backpack through Europe.

l know it's hard
to believe,

but you know
what says even more

about who you are
than your furniture?

The fact that
you are letting House

tell you how
to buy furniture.

Call Beatrice.

(DOOR OPENS)

MRl revealed
no remarkable features
on her pineal gland,

but there were
slightly elevated levels

of lactate
dehydrogenase
isoenzymes.

Which we would
expect to see

if there was an allergic
reaction happening.

There's definitely
no allergy.

Parasite? There's this
Middle Eastern parasite. . .

How exactly do you
want to be shot down?

On the basis of the fact
that she's never

been within 6,000 miles
of the Middle East.

Or on the basis of the fact
that all our scans

and urine samples
came back clean.

And yet she's still failing.
System after system.

So, either we find
the answer at autopsy or. . .

What?

l got nothing.

l was gonna head out.
lf there's any change,
l assume you'll page me.

Are you having
an affair?

Does it bother you
that your wife
doesn't have the guts

to actually ask
that question and l do?

On both ends, yes.

Difference is,
l'm not afraid
of the answer.

And l might
believe you.

l'm not having an affair.

But you want to.

No, l don't.

l'm through
living like that.

Why?

What, you finally
got to the point

where half your
age plus seven

just isn't
young enough?

Talk to you later, House.

Or is it because
you now really are
old enough to be their. . .

The dad.

Does he travel for work?

What do you mean, does he?
He died almost 1 0 years ago.

Not hers.
Her boyfriend's.

He's the one
in her visions.

l'm your son's
girlfriend's doctor.

Oh !

lt's a mouthful,
but probably not as
tricky as your title.

Okay. ls Abby
gonna be all right?

Do you travel a lot?

Yeah, l have a food
import business. Why?

Where do you go?

All over. France, ltaly,
the Mediterranean? Why?

l think you exposed her
to a parasite.

Oh !

l thought the scans
didn't show any.

Because she doesn't
have any.

But you just said. . .
lt's cool.

My theory is that
her body was able to
kill off the parasite,

but what it couldn't do
was get rid of the shell,

which doesn't
show up on the scans.

That little piece of
microscopic garbage

set off
an allergic reaction called
Cerebellar Schistosomiasis

delayed Hypersensitivity
Allergy or "CSDHA."

Risky, unpleasant treatment,
but completely curable.

Well, that's fantastic.

You'd think so,
wouldn't you?
Only thing is,

did you ever
have sex with your
son's girlfriend?

Where the hell
do you get off. . .

Shut up.

See, l can't treat this
unless l can confirm it.

The only way she could
have been exposed

to this parasite
is sexually,

which means she's
gonna die very soon

unless you admit
that you slept with her.

(DOOR SLlDES OPEN)

Dad. What's going on?

Gee, this is bad,

because you now have
to choose between

her living
and the truth
becoming public,

and frankly,
given what the truth is,
it's a tough call.

You'd broken up.
She was crying. . .

Your girlfriend is not
allergic to your semen.

She's allergic to
the Egyptian parasites

swimming around
in your dad's semen.

You slept with Abby?

l was drunk. We both. . .

No need to explain.
Technically,
she was legal.

Wait, wait! Wait!

Hey, all things considered,
it's actually great news.

So, what do
you think?

You wussed out
and used a decorator.

Why can't that be me?
A wuss who loves decorators.

Because it's not.

Okay, it's not.

But don't return it.
l can't keep doing this.

You have to.
You can't keep letting
other people define you.

Not another elephant.

(PLAYlNG OMlNOUS TUNE)

The decorator
didn't pick this.

You're gonna have
to buy your own cape.

(PLAYlNG ENTHRALLlNG TUNE)

l like what this says
about you, Wilson.

(PLAYlNG
PROGRESSlVE ROCK TUNE)

(lNAUDlBLE)

Wait, l don't remember him
at the wedding, do you?

(CHUCKLlNG) l don't
remember most of the people
who were at our wedding.

Which is why

l thought l'd ask
the love of my life
to marry me.

We're already married.

l want to be
better at it.

Well, that's beautiful.

(lNAUDlBLE)

What did you tell him?

That it doesn't mean
she doesn't love him.

And he bought it?

lt's true.

Your wife say yes?

How did you know. . .

Monkey see,
monkey do.

At least he has the
"young and stupid" excuse.

She said yes.

Good for you.

Thank you.

(lNAUDlBLE)