The Itch - Recap

A man, Stewart Nozick, has collapsed on the floor of his home and sees people gathering outside and bursting in. The EMTs come in and administer treatment and prepare to take him out. As they take him outside, he panics, gets off the stretcher, runs back into the house, and slam the door in their faces.

Cameron presents the case to the team: she’s familiar with Stewart through her work with the community outreach program. He’s an agoraphobic, after being shot. House notices Cuddy outside and goes to talk to her. She notes that she was upset the previous night when they kiss, and he was human enough not to take advantage of her. House goes back inside and immediately boasts of having scored with Cuddy, so no one believes him. Foreman and Cameron come up with a diagnosis suggesting they set off a seizure to get an EKG to find the cause, and Cameron takes the team to Nozick’s house. He eventually lets one of them in, Cameron, and he talks about how he’s okay with his life and doesn’t want her sympathy.

Wilson talks to House who tells him the same thing he told the rest of the team. Wilson believes him and wants to know what he’s going to do. House is more occupied with an itchy bug bite but Wilson thinks House is worried since he hid the kiss from Wilson. The team calls House to inform him that Cameron hasn’t found anything in the House. House asks about Cameron’s engagement and is seemingly more interested in that then Nozick’s case. He asks where Stewart had his seizure and House suspects it was brought on by proximity to the outside. House decides to expose him again to determine the symptoms and goes to the house with several patients from the hospital. He takes them into Nozick’s bedroom and he starts to have stomach pains: Cameron determines it isn’t a seizure.

The team run a differential in Stewart’s house but there’s no way to run further tests without hospital equipment and a biopsy via surgery. House confronts Stewart and warns he could die if his bowel ruptures, but Stewart insists he’d rather live in there then die in the outside world. House suggests that Chase operate in the home but Cameron objects. Outside, House explains to her that they’ll render Stewart unconscious then take him to the hospital, and return him after the operation none the wiser. Cameron objects and House insists on talking about her relationship. She finally gives in and they begin the operation. Once Stewart is unconscious, they take him to the hospital.

Wilson talks to Cuddy in the cafeteria, and she readily admits that she kissed House. When she says she doesn’t think of House romantically, Wilson asks why and she quickly diagnoses their entire future potential breakup. She says she’ll be more careful but he suggests that a relationship with novelty doesn’t have to end badly. She quickly leaves.

As they bring in Stewart, Cameron suggests that Chase stay over but he’s reluctant. Cuddy stops them, having learned that Stewart didn’t give his consent. She says they have to keep Nozick at the hospital and House agrees. As they go, Cuddy notices his hand bleeding but he dismisses her concern.

They prepare to operate on Stewart and Cameron wakes Stewart up and explains what’s happening to him. He starts to panic and starts bleeding, until she and Cameron can restrain him.

Stewart calls his lawyer and goes back home. Cuddy informs them that Stewart’s lawyer has the medical proxy and orders them all off the case. House accepts her decision quietly and a surprised Cameron asks why he didn’t argue. House plans to ignore her and have Stewart brought back in. Chase notes that Cameron has been ordered off the case and asks why she’s staying with House on the case, and she notes Chase was fired.

Cameron goes to Stewart’s house to apologize to him through the door and assure him she won’t let him down again. Stewart lets her in.

As House tries to treat his itch, Wilson questions his reaction and figures that he’s scared to get involved. House insists people working together shouldn’t date. Wilson says he wants House to be happy and House wonders if he’s trying to live through him vicariously. He suggests that Wilson is trying to make House miserable since he’s unwilling to date yet. House then calls Cameron at Stewart’s house: she has the house set up to operate. They can’t get Chase to perform the surgery so Taub goes ahead and operates. They find intestinal atrophy and blockage, indicating Whipple’s Disease, and the gas build-up ignites. They put out the flames and close him up.

Chase visits the house later and suggests Cameron stay at his house that night, but she says she’s busy with the case. He notes she isn’t on the case, but they’re interrupted when Stewart calls out, saying that his legs have gone numb. The team goes back into differential and Foreman concludes it wasn’t Whipple’s. House tells them to force-feed him wheat and see if there’s an allergic reaction. Cameron notes it’s a painful test and House is trying to force Stewart to come in. Foreman goes along with House over Cameron’s objections although they also order less painful blood tests.

Wilson visits Cuddy and admits he’s had feelings for her. She asks if he wants to date but he says no, it’s too soon after Amber. She responds by suggesting they have dinner and he agrees. then she suggests they just have sex in front of House’s office, and figure Wilson is trying to make House jealous. He admits she’s right and she doesn’t think it’ll work.

Cameron watches as Stewart eats wheat, and says she understands how losing someone is traumatic. He explains that he’s been agoraphobic since childhood. His girlfriend Angela was the only reason he wanted to go out, and once she died he retreated from the outside world.

House goes to see Taub as he does the blood tests, and dumps the blood out. He wants Taub to substitute saline for morphine, then suggests that Taub did the surgery and is working extra hours because his marriage is falling apart. Taub insists he’s just sleeping on the couch, but agrees to make the substitution anyway.

At home, House sets up a propane tank and sets it to emit gas to attract the mosquito that hit him. As he tries to hit the mosquito, he hits the gas valve on his stove and an enormous explosion goes off… and House wakes up from his dream. House goes to Wilson’s house and Wilson insists that the mosquito is House’s hallucination. House insists that he and Cuddy are both better off if they don’t date. Wilson kicks him out and he goes to see Stewart. Cameron checks Stewart’s stomach again but his heart stops. House calls Stewart’s lawyer so they can take him to the hospital because they have a justified emergency. The lawyer gives permission but Cameron manages to stabilize Stewart so they can’t take him in.

Taub puts in a temporary pacemaker and House is angry that Cameron revived Stewart. House concludes it must be a poison but there’s no sign of poison in the house. Thirteen notes the house is incredibly clean and House asks Stewart how often he cleans his tub. They realize that the cleaning compounds give off chlorine gas which accounts for the symptoms. Taub warns that that he can’t fix the heart permanently. Cameron goes to Chase, who refuses to install a permanent pacemaker because of the high risk. He wonders why she asked when she knew he’d refuse, and he wants to know what’s wrong with their relationship. He asks why she kicks him out every morning even though she invites him over to her place every night. Chase says he can’t keep chasing her forever and if she’s still getting over her husband, he’s not going to chase her any more.

Cameron calls House to let him know Stewart’s status and reveals she knows that House switched the morphine for saline, and switched them back. When House realizes Stewart had stomach pain when he was on morphine, House figures Stewart has lead poisoning. He cuts open Stewart’s abdomen and removes several lead frgaments. The surgeon didn’t get them all out when Stewart was shot, and the lead dissolved in Stewart’s blood. The poisoning doesn’t account for Stewart’s agoraphobia, but House points out he’s miserable and he knows it. House points out that the rose petals indicate that he was trying to go to his girlfriend’s grave, but he’s a coward. House tells him to face his reluctance to go outside rather than rationalize it.

Later, Cameron talks to Chase and admits he’s right… and tells him she’s cleaned out a drawer for him.

House is at home playing the guitar when a mosquito lands on his hand. House looks at it, then blows it away. He drives to Cuddy’s home.

Stewart braces himself and goes outside.

Chase puts his clothing in Cameron’s drawer.

Taub’s wife hugs him.

House stands outside Cuddy’s window looking in. He then turns around and leaves.

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