House: Emancipation (Episode #608)

We meet this week's case, Sophia, at a factory where she works.  Seemingly in a manager-type position, she begins having trouble breathing after fighting with a co-worker.  Not only does she begin hyperventilating, she basically passes out on a converter belt bound for a metal chopping mechanism.  She clutches her heart and pink foam begins spewing from her mouth.  If it wasn't for the co-worker she fought with pressing the emergency stop button, she would have been sliced in two.  Which now begs the question, why did such a young girl have a near heart attack.

Meanwhile, Wilson asks House if he has asked out Cuddy yet.  After hearing his not so clear no, Wilson makes the decision to stop even asking (or giving advice) to House.  House obviously has problems with this.  He gets distracted when Kutner introduces him to Sophia, a 16 year old girl whose parents died last year and is emancipated.  House thinks she is a runaway who is pathological, like he thinks of all his patients.

Formen is ready to think for himself.  After asking House if it was OK for him to do clinical trials, and after House tells him no, Forman takes it upon himself to gain a House-like patient.  A young boy who has been throwing up blood for two days with no known cause.  Forman is determined to save this boys life, however, he still has to work on Sophia's case.  Delegating is not exactly his instructions from House.  Forman was quick to jump to drugs being the cause of Sophia's heart issues.  Everyone else disagrees, especially Kutner who has a growing connection to Sophia, and believes she is telling the truth, unlike what House thinks.  Thirteen and Taub search the girls apartment.  They find a bong.

House tells the team to start Sophia on beta-blockers, because if she were on drugs, the alternative treatment (steroids) would kill her.  After talking it over with Sophia, Kutner believes she doesn't do drugs and decides to put her on steroids.  Moments later, she begins having a psychotic episode.  Forman says beta blockers don't cause psychotic breaks.  Kutner informs him about the change in plans.  

In the meantime, House is trying everything in his power to take up all of Forman's time.  Against House's instructions, Forman has Taub and Thirteen set up everything he needs to perform a test on Sophia and page him when their ready for him.  While they are doing that, Forman is taking care of a Jonah, the young boy, whose heart has stopped beating.  Chase brings the boy back and Forman succumbs to asking House for help.  House refuses. 

In other parts of the hospital, Kutner challenges Sophia's claim that her parents are dead.  Sophia says her father raped her and her mother didn't do anything to stop it.  Kutner still thinks something is fishy.  House thinks the emotional stress of being on her own (and possibly raped) may have caused brain issues.  The team loads her up with an anti-depressant.  Taking a break from Jonah, Forman stops in to see Sophia when he notices her pee is brown.  After further testing, they realize she has arsenic in her system.  They finally solved this case.  Or so they think...

Sophia begins seizing and the team learns the arsenic wasn't killing her. It was actually saving her from the small tumor-like things that have grown on her brain since removing the arsenic poisoning.  A biopsy reveals leukemia and Sophia needs a bone marrow transplant.  Since she refuses to contact her parents who would be the most likely match, Thirteen takes it upon herself to look for Sophia's parents herself.  She quickly learns Sophia has lied again.  She assumed the identity of another young girl.  Thirteen returns to talk to Sophia and tells her they cannot perform a transplant without parental consent, now that Thirteen knows she has been lying the whole time.  Thirteen finally reaches Sophia's real parents, who rush to the hospital.

Before they arrive, House wants to know what Sophia did that is making her and her parents not speak.  After some House like intimidation, Sophia breaks, telling House she killed her brother when she was supposed to be watching him.  Every time she looked at her parents she thought of how she killed their son.  It seems all is forgiven though.  Her parents arrive full of love and support.

In another family drama, Forman figures out the reason Jonah is so sick, all by his self.  Without any help from House.  Turns out, Jonah's older brother thought if he ate more vitamins then he was supposed to, he would get big and strong much quicker.  Instead, the extra vitamins made Jonah sick.  Medicine was given and all is well with both boys.  The mom gives Forman a big hug before they leave the hospital.  Wilson tells House what a good thing he did for Forman.  Refusing to help so he would realize he can do it himself.  Aww...House is such a softy.  Forman marches into House's office and TELLS him he is going to do clinical trials.  House says OK.  House and Wilson walk out together, noticing Cuddy in the clinic.  House stares, looking rather sad.  Wilson tells him everything will be alright.  House says OK.