Chapter 14: Not the Biological Parents
House turned his head and caught a sudden twitch in Dan's calf, which made him pause.
"Interesting. Cameron, admit him."
After speaking, House gestured to the other three with his eyes, signaling them to follow him back to Diagnostics.
Once they were far enough from the boy, House finally addressed David:
"What do you think?"
Foreman was surprised that House didn't ask for his opinion first as usual, but instead went straight to the intern.
A flash of resentment crossed his face, and his eyes held more than a trace of hostility toward David.
That sense of threat rose within him again.
If he didn't step up his game, this intern really could push him out of his position!
David didn't notice Foreman's reaction. After mentally reviewing the case, he said:
"This appears to be hypnic myoclonus—involuntary muscle jerks.
This phenomenon typically occurs during sleep onset.
It's a reflex triggered when the brain detects a drop in breathing rate and misinterprets it as the body shutting down—specifically releasing signals to jolt you awake.
But the patient is clearly awake, which means this definitely isn't diplopia or night terrors from head trauma.
There's got to be another cause."
House nodded:
"This indicates the brain is losing control of the body. So what comes to mind?"
Seeing that House had finally turned to him, Foreman spoke up before Chase could:
"I'm thinking either motor neuron disease or brain failure.
Either way, this kid's going to be in diapers and a wheelchair when he gets his high school diploma."
Foreman thought he'd made a darkly humorous joke, but clearly, aside from himself, no one else found it funny.
Foreman coughed awkwardly, shooting Chase a look to jump in and rescue the awkward moment.
Chase smiled diplomatically:
"Might not be that severe. Could just be a common infection."
House shook his head, clearly dissatisfied with their diagnoses. He looked at David again:
"What about you?"
This time, not only Foreman but even Chase noticed House's unusual focus on David.
In the past, even when their diagnoses were wrong, House would guide them toward the right path instead of soliciting a third opinion.
Was David really that special?
Chase started getting curious about David's background.
Could this guy be House's illegitimate son?
But he didn't look anything like him.
"I just reviewed his labs—no fever, no elevated white blood cell count.
Under these circumstances, I don't think we should rush to diagnosis. We need an accurate family medical history first.
I suspect this is likely a genetic condition."
Chase chuckled softly. He'd expected David to make some brilliant deduction.
Turns out David was stumped too.
Chase shook his head and interjected:
"While you were looking at labs, I spoke with his parents.
Based on our conversation, I can confirm that his family medical history doesn't include similar symptoms."
David smiled:
"You got the family medical history part right, but not necessarily his family medical history."
Chase paused:
"What do you mean?"
David clarified:
"The kid's adopted. Those aren't his biological parents."
Chase frowned slightly, finding David's explanation extremely far-fetched.
It felt like he was fabricating evidence just to justify his own conclusion.
"Do you have proof?"
Just as David opened his mouth to respond, House raised his hand, signaling David to wait.
Then he said:
"In America, roughly thirty percent of fathers are unknowingly raising someone else's kid.
So what David's suggesting is entirely plausible."
Hearing this, Foreman perked up immediately. When it came to this topic, he wasn't tired anymore!
Even if House was backing David, he had to push back!
He wasn't obsolete—he was an experienced diagnostician in this department!
"Actually, I did research on this in med school. The non-paternity rate in the United States is only about ten percent, not anywhere near thirty."
House glanced at the animated Foreman and shrugged:
"Whatever. But mothers probably prefer your version."
Foreman felt the frustration of shadowboxing.
He'd never expected the normally combative House to not take the bait.
He'd just recalled tons of statistics he'd prepared earlier, ready to show off in front of David.
Why wasn't House engaging?
Feeling deflated, Foreman refused to let the topic die. He spoke again:
"Want to bet on it? Three thousand dollars!"
House looked somewhat puzzled at Foreman, who typically never bet more than a hundred bucks.
Why was this guy suddenly so generous?
However, House—fairly confident about the outcome—didn't mind making some extra cash.
"Alright. Three grand it is."
Foreman, desperate to recoup his losses, turned his challenging gaze toward David.
David smiled. Someone was offering free money—he had no reason to refuse:
"I'm in. Three thousand dollars, betting the kid's adopted."
Seeing David join in, a smile spread across Foreman's face.
Perfect. What he'd lost would be coming right back.
He wouldn't actually be out the three thousand he'd just lost to House, so he wouldn't have to live on ramen this month.
He didn't believe David could stumble onto this ten-percent statistical anomaly.
As for House—he'd wanted to prove the arrogant bastard could be wrong about something.
Feeling satisfied, Foreman turned his gaze toward Chase, as if asking whether he wanted in on the action.
Chase considered for a moment and said:
"I don't think this is genetic. Could be systemic instead.
For instance, his liver, kidneys, or any other organ besides the brain.
So I'll bet three thousand that it's unrelated to hereditary disease."
Seeing that everyone had placed their bets, Foreman turned to House:
"So how do we prove this?"
Honestly, House didn't know how to prove it through medical means.
The most definitive approach would be DNA comparison.
But the parents might not cooperate with DNA testing, and paternity tests ran at least $2,300.
The parents weren't about to shell out for everyone's ridiculous bet.
Just then, David suddenly spoke:
"Leave it to me. I can get their DNA, but the cost of the paternity test gets split among everyone."
The other three exchanged glances and all agreed to David's cost-sharing request.
Then David walked to the vending machine and purchased two cups of coffee.
After asking for the boy's room number, he carried both cups toward the patient's room.
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