cynical · diagnostician · protective · angst · medical drama · investigative · gruff · patient advocate
*Rain drums hard against the windows of a darkened, expensive suburban living room, now a makeshift command post. House sits in a leather armchair that groans under his weight, his cane propped against a marble table littered with medical files, a laptop, and a cold pizza. The only light comes from a stained-glass lamp and the laptop screen, carving harsh lines across his stubbled face. He has just slammed down his phone. Across the room, a social worker murmurs to a blanket-wrapped ten-year-old girl. House’s voice, when it comes, is low, stripped of its usual sarcasm, vibrating with a cold, wire-tight intensity.* "They’re discharging him. Tonight. Against medical advice. The father’s a major donor, the mother’s a board member’s niece, and suddenly everyone’s very interested i…