Chapter 15: Foreman Loses to David Again
By the time David arrived at the room, the boy had just gotten settled with Cameron's help.
His parents stood nearby, watching the boy anxiously, lost in worried thoughts.
David walked over and handed them the two cups of coffee.
"Don't worry. House is the best diagnostician in this hospital.
As long as you don't withhold any information, House will find the source of the problem and treat it appropriately."
Hearing David mention withholding information, Dan's parents clearly exchanged glances and used the act of sipping coffee to mask their discomfort.
Evidently, they were still hiding something they hadn't disclosed.
David, who already knew their secret, didn't care whether they came clean or not.
Once he collected those coffee cups later, he'd have all the evidence he needed.
Just then, Dan—who'd been sleeping soundly in bed while staring at the pendant dangling from Cameron's neck—suddenly gripped the bedsheet tightly with both hands.
His eyes filled with terror, cold sweat broke out on his forehead, and he started trembling all over.
Moreover, as time passed, his symptoms became increasingly severe.
Noticing the crisis, Cameron quickly assessed Dan's condition.
"He's having auditory hallucinations. David, I need assistance!"
David, who'd been conversing with Dan's parents, immediately attached 2 mg of Ativan to the IV pump beside the bed.
It was a sedative and anxiolytic medication.
As the IV drip administered the drug, Dan's breathing gradually stabilized, and his eyes showed obvious signs of drowsiness.
His eyelids grew progressively heavier until finally, under the medication's influence, he fell into deep sleep.
After Dan drifted off, Cameron released a long breath and let go of the hand that had been steadying Dan's body.
"Thanks. I really couldn't have managed that alone."
"No problem. It's what I'm here for. Let his parents spend some time with him.
They won't be able to be with him during the upcoming procedures."
Hearing David's loaded words, Cameron nodded, stood, and stepped outside.
David said goodbye to Dan's parents, explained the situation, then carried the two empty coffee cups out of the room by their bases.
Outside, David immediately placed both cups into evidence bags and handed them to Cameron, who was waiting in the hallway.
Cameron took the bags from David with a confused expression:
"What's this for?"
"These are the cups Dan's parents drank from. I need you to run a DNA sequence comparison between them and Dan."
Cameron still looked puzzled:
"Why would we do that? I looked into Dan's background beforehand—they are his biological parents."
David glanced at Dan's parents inside the room, who were too distracted to notice them, and said quickly in a low voice:
"No, they're not.
Dan was adopted, and his symptoms are very likely hereditary, so we need proof."
Then David added:
"House wants you to do this."
Cameron, who'd been about to protest further, stopped after hearing House's name.
She took the samples and hurried toward the lab.
As for David, having completed his task, he pulled painkillers from his pocket and dry-swallowed half a bottle like they were Tic Tacs.
Then, acting as if nothing had happened, he walked back to Diagnostics to await Cameron's results.
Seeing David return, Foreman was the first to speak impatiently:
"Kid, did you actually get their DNA? You better not be planning to substitute your own for the comparison.
Cheating isn't tolerated here."
David shook his head:
"No, I don't need to cheat.
Dan has a cleft chin, and neither of his parents do.
A cleft chin is an autosomal dominant trait, so there's a high probability Dan was adopted."
Hearing David's words, Foreman's body went rigid, and he frantically tried to recall what Dan and his parents looked like.
But the more he remembered, the more despair set in.
It seemed David was absolutely right.
Dan really did have a cleft chin! His parents didn't!
Foreman slumped back in his chair, feeling drained. He'd lost again!
If it were just $3,000, he could shrug it off.
But $6,000?
That would seriously hurt!
Damn it, why had he overlooked such an obvious dominant trait?!
Chase, standing nearby, also realized the problem.
However, coming from family money, he was far calmer than Foreman.
Three thousand dollars? Pocket change.
Besides, the DNA comparison had already started—whatever the outcome, it was already determined.
And what if they actually encountered a statistical anomaly?
With this thought, Chase spoke:
"Hold on. No need to panic. The DNA test is already running.
Biology is unpredictable. Isn't it pretty absurd that humans evolved from primates?
It's extremely low probability for parents without cleft chins to have a child with one.
But it's not impossible, right?
I think we should patiently wait for the DNA results."
After hearing Chase's words, a faint glimmer of hope flickered in Foreman's defeated eyes.
Chase was right—what if? What if he turned out to be correct?
Then he wouldn't have to pay $6,000!
In his anxious state, Foreman could no longer sit still.
He stood and paced back and forth across Diagnostics, trying to relieve the pressure crushing his chest.
House, who hadn't spoken the entire time, didn't share any of this anxiety.
He calmly propped his legs on the desk, picked up a medical journal, and started reading.
About two hours later, Cameron—whose position gave her priority equipment access—returned with the results.
Her face wore an expression that was difficult to interpret. Foreman took several quick steps and came before her, asking urgently:
"The results? What are the results?"
Cameron sighed softly:
"David was right. They're not Dan's biological parents."
Cameron's words hit Foreman like a lightning bolt, obliterating his last shred of hope.
Foreman snatched the DNA report and examined it.
But no matter how hard he stared, the data all indicated non-paternity!
Dan really had been adopted by that couple!
It was at this moment that House put down his journal and said:
"Looks like you guys lost. Let's go get the truth from his parents."
Foreman, who'd lost six thousand dollars in such a short time, followed behind House in a daze.
He didn't even register when they'd arrived at the patient's room.
Why? Why was it that he—who'd always won bets before—couldn't win a single one after meeting David?
The guy was just an intern!
How much could an intern possibly know?
Why could he always accurately predict everything?
Did he have a damn supercomputer in his brain?
Foreman stared at David, who was standing beside House, with dark eyes.
That used to be his position, but somehow, it had become David's!
Foreman felt the tightness in his chest intensify. He took a deep breath of the antiseptic-scented air, forcing himself to calm down.
The guy was just an intern—his clinical experience was nowhere near Foreman's own!
He just needed one opportunity to prove himself capable again in front of House!
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