Part 34- Ghost

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A few days later, the team finally received their first case since the conference happened. They'd all been fairly bored the last couple of days, making themselves busy however they could, but they were happy to finally get back to a routine. While Cuddy was taking a few days off from the hospital, the case was immediately given to House's department. 

House tossed the files onto the silver, metal table where his team sat: 

"Read them over, brainstorm and get it to it." House instructed them. He was monotoned, and less than enthused. 

"When do you want us to give your our theories?" Taub spoke up. House looked back at him with eyes that were glazed over. "House?" 

"My services are needed elsewhere." House informed his team with a smug little smile. "Babies aren't really my thing."

"Okay, babies are also not really my thing either, but this is the case we got." Thirteen asserted. 

"Foreman." House raised his voice, "you're taking charge of this case." 

"Uh?" Foreman grumbled. 

"That wasn't a question." House clarified his prior statement, "Besides, black babies are the cutest. You'll love it!" 

And with that, House took his bow and left the team to their own devises. He'd been adamant about his me-time lately which, evidently, required slim to no conversing with his colleagues. 

House who was already reserved in his own ways, hardly spoke to anyone this whole week, most of all Madelyn. They passed through each other like ghosts. 

"Okay. What do we know right off the bat?" Foreman asked the group. He stood at the whiteboard to collect all the information in one place. As the group began listing things off, Foreman was already feeling the pressure. "So far we have: hypothermia, muscular deficiency, salinity deficiency, and possible under-active amygdaloid signals." 

Foreman stood in silence, clearly running over all the hypotheses in his mind; he was at least happy that his colleagues were all resourceful.

"Madelyn?" Foreman called, "what do you think?" She was the only other neurologist in the room, thus he was slightly biased. 

"Um, yeah I think we should run an fMRI, do an IV..." Madelyn answered sluggishly, "an ECG would also be beneficial, but we'll definitely need NICU's approval." 

Foreman nodded, agreeing with her suggestions and taking note of them. 

A few minutes later, after Foreman had sent everyone off to various jobs, he couldn't help but notice something off with Madelyn. He watched her stroll to radiology: 

"Are you checking her out?" Chase asked, nudging Foreman out of his thoughts. 

Foreman rolled his eyes, "Of course not. I'm worried about her, though." 

"Why? She had good suggestions." Chase replied. 

Foreman had always been the empath between the two of them. 

"She's just lethargic it seems like... I'm wondering if it has anything to do with the tension between her and House." 

Chase laughed audibly, "Foreman? She's fine. It's probably just organizational burnout. It always happens several months after you've begun a new job. It's natural." 

"Maybe." Foreman responded, not fully believing Chase was onto anything. 

Being that he was overseeing the case, Foreman decided it couldn't hurt to confront his colleague about what he'd been observing. To Foreman, it was better to offer Madelyn support and her not need it, than to assume she was fine. 

"Hey." Foreman said to her, entering the radiology lab. She'd just begun running the fMRI. 

"Hi Foreman, everything good?" Madelyn replied, her eyes fixed on the computer screen that was lighting up all over. The baby was hooked up to some wires in the adjacent room. 

"I don't know, you tell me?" 

"What do you mean?" 

Foreman sat down in the swivel chair beside her, and took a deep breath before he spoke. He always thought things over twice. 

"You're scaring me a little, Eric." Madelyn confessed, half smiling half concerned. 

"Look, I think something might be wrong. I'm getting the sense that you're having a hard time." 

"What exactly is giving you that sense?" Madelyn defended. 

Still feeling nervous about approaching her, Foreman's gaze darted around the room,

"Well, I've noticed you're really lethargic. You're slow to participate and to answer." Madelyn watched the computer run its scans, but still listening to Foreman's words closely. "You've been super quiet, reserved, and you don't seem like your usual upbeat self." 

Madelyn turned her body to face Foreman, and with gentle, compassionate eyes she responded:

"I'm fine." 

That was not the answer Foreman wanted to hear. "That's a load of crap and you know it." 

"I'm really fine. I'm just tired, and burned out."

"You're 30 years old, brand new in your profession, and working for one of the best doctor's in the country. Not to mention you just won an incredible scholarship to not only study abroad but conduct medical research with legends. And you're telling me this is just 'burnout'?"

Madelyn scratched at her hair a little, pulled back in a high ponytail today. She stayed silent.

"Please, Madelyn. We're friends. I'm making sure you're okay, as my friend." 

"I'm exhausted, Eric. I just need some time this weekend for self-care and relaxation. You know how busy last weekend was."

"Yes, I do. But it was also last weekend. You would not still be this bent out of shape almost a week later." 

"Okay well I'm sure my little tiff with House has something to do with it too." 

"So you admit you're depressed?" Foreman insinuated. Madelyn looked at him shocked. 

"Who said anything about being depressed?" 

"You're the only other neurologist on the team. We know better than anyone that the brain can do just about everything. Until it can't."

Madelyn knew what Foreman was indicating to her, but still asked, "What are you trying to say?"

"I think it's okay to admit you're really depressed right now. I don't know exactly what your relationship with House was before the fight, but I know you were really happy. I also know he was happy and that's not something I would ever think to describe House as." 

"Yeah, we were." Madelyn said under her breath. 

Right now, it was hard hearing so much sense thrown at her when she didn't want to hear it, but later on Madelyn would thank Foreman for caring. 

"I'm not depressed. I just need some time this weekend to myself is all." Madelyn insisted, really convinced by her words the more she said them. 

Foreman wasn't convinced, however,

"You're exhausted, you're down in the dumps, upset, and anxious. You're self-doubting a lot and fixating on stuff you normally don't. You're depressed!" 

"I'm not!" 

"You're either depressed," Foreman guffawed, "or" 

Madelyn watched as Foreman looked down at his feet, as if she'd really offended him or something. 

"Or what?" Madelyn repeated. 

"You're pregnant." Foreman deduced, meeting her gaze. 




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