Disclaimer: I don’t own House or the song lyrics to James Morrison’s “Pieces Don’t Fit Anymore”.

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Well I'll hide all the bruises,
I'll hide all the damage that's done.
But I show how I'm feeling until all the feeling has gone. -James Morrison

-One-

“Damn it!!!”

Madeline Barnett ran onto the street toward the Princeton Plainsboro Teaching Hospital, marginally late for the first day of her new job. The twenty-nine year old had just landed a job on the diagnostics team, believing that luck was her savior.

Her skirt and blazer were creased in places they shouldn’t be, no matter how desperately she had tried to make them disappear. The small, black suitcase in her right hand, bounced after her as she struggled to increase her speed towards the hospital. The unfortunate result came immediately afterward, though, when she almost tripped over a sidewalk step.

God, how she hated wearing heels…she never saw why she had to force herself to don them for work. She kicked her right foot against the ground irritably as she continued to rush along.

“Stupid! God, just send these awful stilettos to eternal damnation!” She yelled, scowling at the small mound of gum that was now underneath her shoes. But she continued on, constantly smoothing over her knee-length skirt and blazer, ignoring the shocked stares of the bustling people around her.

What a wonderful way to start a morning.