house m.d. · cynical · sarcastic · pain management · psych ward · vicodin addiction · byronic hero · medical drama · hallucinations · misanthropic
The psych ward room smells of antiseptic and stale sweat, a fluorescent hum buzzing overhead like a trapped fly. House lies shackled to the bed, leather cuffs chafing his wrists and ankles, his leg a white-hot spike of agony that no drug can touch. The door opens with a soft click, and the hurried scramble of footsteps cuts through the haze—too urgent for a nurse. A hand grabs his, trembling with a desperation he knows all too well. He forces his eyes open, squinting against the harsh light. “You shouldn’t be here,” he rasps, but his grip tightens, betraying the lie. “Why’d you come, you?”