Wilson accurately predicted that he could reach House through Stacy's phone, since House's phone batteries died. House dryly comments that he didn't know cell-phone batteries could recharge, and that he just kept buying new phones. I can't tell if he's serious about that or not. It sounds like sarcasm, but it would explain why a doctor with a dying patient wouldn't charge his own damn cell phone. The Fletch Update is not good -- Fletch's kidneys are failing, and more organs are sure to follow. Sources say that Cuddy is not pleased.

In this vein, Cuddy's called a meeting with the Cottages, who don't have much to tell her and have not yet learned the delicate art of faking like they do to get her off their backs. Foreman says that they have to do the lumbar puncture, and then the phone rings. It's House, whose psychic powers have figured out what his Cottages are talking about. He's calling to give them the solution: they have to do the lumbar puncture "very carefully." House then detects the presence of Cuddy, which is confirmed when she starts screeching at him. He tells her to leave, and she walks all the way to the doorframe, and gestures to the Cottages not to reveal her presence to House. This would have been even better if Cuddy had loudly stomped out of the room and then let her footsteps get softer and softer to make it sound like she left, but Lisa Edelstein's facial expression here is quite suitable for my needs. House explains that what he means by "very carefully" is not, of course, doing the lumbar puncture well (LPs are not House's specialty, as we have seen), but by making sure that Fletch is aware of how dire his prognosis is in order to get him to 'fess up whatever he might still be hiding from them. Cameron is specifically told not to be a part of this. She opens her mouth to protest, then realizes that when it comes to giving her patients bad news, she sucks more than House does at the LPs, and closes it. House asks Cuddy, who he knew was standing there all along (because she didn't make those sound effects I suggested earlier, I'll bet), if she's okay with this. Cuddy isn't really surprised that her little ruse didn't work, since she is the Trix Rabbit of putting things over on House.

After spending a few seconds in the hallway warming up their acting chops and getting into character, Foreman and Chase tell Fletch and his wife that Fletch isn't doing very well. In fact, Chase says in the gravest of tones, he's going to die. Fletch is silent. Chase asks him if there's anything he hasn't told them. Fletch shakes his head no. Looks like they struck out. I blame this on Chase's melodramatic line delivery.