House M.D. Episode 4.04 Guardian Angels

Working alone in a funeral home's prep room, Irene Walesa cuts the hair of a cadaver. As she pours herself a cup of coffee, she has a feeling someone alive is in the room with her. She turns to see a man standing in front of her, ready to attack. Irene grabs a pair of scissors but the man takes them. Suddenly, the other dead bodies are also attacking her. She calls out for help, but she is choking and gasping. When a co-worker arrives, he finds Irene on the floor having a grand mal seizure as if someone were shaking her. The corpses she thought were alive still lay dead on the tables.

The remaining Fellows wait for House in the lecture hall of the hospital. Amber tries to suck up to Thirteen, but she is interrupted when the phone rings. House is calling from his office. Cameron enters with news about Foreman being fired from Mercy Hospital. She then accuses House of being extra hard on Cole. They make a one hundred dollar bet that Cole will confront House.

The fellows discuss Irene's case, as Taub and Amber give the patient an MRI. Irene sees her mother is there to comfort her. Yet it is a delusion. Irene's mother has been dead for a long time.

Foreman interviews for a new job. Meanwhile, Cole, Henry and Kutner search the funeral home for clues. Cole suggests that embalming fluid could have caused the seizure. House dismisses him over speaker phone. Although Irene is a vegetarian, she could have gotten a brain infection from one of the carnivore cadavers.

House orders the Fellows to dig up a corpse embalmed by the funeral home two years ago which could have had a case of Mad Cow Disease. Cole cannot go because he is a single father. Amber tries to curry favor with Cuddy by offering her assistance to the hospital clinic. Cuddy tells her to just do whatever House asks.

The Fellows unearth the grave to get a brain sample from the corpse. Amber arrives three hours late. The Fellows are annoyed with her, even though she has brought coffee and donuts. Amber continues to unnerve the very private Thirteen by asking personal questions.

Back at the Hospital, Cuddy questions House about the grave robbing. The test on the brain tissue does not support the diagnosis. Every suggestion that Henry makes is welcomed by House.

Cole, Amber and Thirteen are treating Irene when they realize that she is hallucinating that her dead mother is present. The Fellows struggle to diagnose her. Amber and Thirteen clash on how to react to Irene's delusions. Irene mentions the imaginary guy in the wheelchair that she sees. It is Stark, the man that died under Thirteen's watch.

Cuddy and Foreman meet in a restaurant to discuss the possibility of Foreman returning to work for House. Foreman resists, but Cuddy needs someone who knows how to handle House. Foreman attends another interview. Although it goes well, his actions at Mercy Hospital disqualify him from consideration.

The Fellows tell House that Irene saw Stark. They must find out how Irene's mother died because only Irene believes her mother is still alive. House visits with the patient, and Irene claims to see Grandpa House in the room. House hides out in Wilson's office to make Irene think that he believes her. He hopes to gain her trust so that she will divulge what her mother had. When House returns, he is able to talk to Irene about her mother. He deduces that Irene has inherited Parkinson's Disease.

Irene has a psychotic episode imagining that Thirteen is attacking her arm with a needle. Thirteen sees that Irene's arms are covered with red welts. The Fellows lean toward a diagnosis of vasculitis, which restricts blood flow to nerves and electrical function.

Cameron advises Cole to stand up to House because he will respect that. She then goes to House to discuss Cole.

Amber and Thirteen are checking Irene's eyes when a dog collar appears on a table. Irene becomes sickened from the eye exam and vomits up blood. Chase and Cole perform intestinal surgery on Irene's enlarged spleen. They notice that her liver is severely damaged. House instructs Cole and Brennan to perform a visceral angiogram. Cole is saying a prayer over Irene when she grabs his inner thigh lasciviously. Cole is alarmed, and Irene suffers another seizure.

The Fellows go to consult with House. He debates with Cole about his religious and scientific convictions. House provokes Cole to the point that he punches him. The discussion about historical cases of persecution makes Amber realize what is wrong with Irene. She has Ergot poisoning from moldy bread. The organic rye bread she eats has caused the hallucinations and symptoms similar to those displayed by young women burned at the stake as "witches."

Amber and Thirteen treat Irene, and her illusion of the mother disappears. House has to let one of the Fellows go. He hands out peonies to all except Henry, who is actually not a doctor. Although Henry has offered ideas, they are ones that House has already thought of. The team is necessary to come up with new, fresh ideas.

Cameron collects her winnings from House's bet on Cole. Foreman comes to see Cuddy and accepts her offer to return, but he has a few requests. Cuddy rejects them because she knows that his options are limited. She is the only one that will hire him.