Look At Me

Chapter 1

It's human nature that the people who love you most, be it a spouse, a parent, a sibling or a friend, will be there for you with words of advice and encouragement throughout your life.

Ironically, it's often the words of a stranger that ultimately affect us most …

oOoOo

Dr. Gregory House was a man who rarely listened to any advice that was given to him.
He had little interest in other people's opinions, concerning himself or anything else for that matter.

He was a loner. A world renowned diagnostician, he was the Head of the Department of Diagnostic Medicine at the Princeton Plainsboro Teaching Hospital and although he would never admit it, this was his dream job. Along with his three fellows, Dr. Robert Chase, Dr. Eric Foreman and Dr. Allison Cameron, he was able to indulge his love of medical mysteries; they worked on the most difficult cases that one could imagine and no two days were ever alike.

House was not a happy person by nature, but he was content. He had more than enough money to indulge himself but it was rarely spent on typical luxuries. His apartment was comfortable, yet there was seldom any food in his kitchen. He had more than a passing acquaintance with the menus of every fast food restaurant in his neighbourhood and you would be generous if you called his style of dress "casual". House wore the same thing every day; a graphic print tee under a button-down shirt, blue jeans, running shoes and occasionally a jacket in the cooler weather.

His hobbies were child-like in many ways; monster truck racing, cartoons, soap operas and electronics. He loved music. His beloved grand piano was his pride and joy and he carried his iPod to work every day in a backpack filled with his toys; the latest hand-held video games and his portable TV.

House had one true friend, Dr. James Wilson, an oncologist at PPTH. Wilson had been there for him in good times and in bad and although House rarely shared his feelings with anyone, he and Wilson loved each other like brothers and House trusted him like no other person in his life.

Little did he know, when he walked into the hospital on that cold February day, that the words of a stranger would change the course of his life forever.