House limps through the lobby. The thud-step rhythm of cane vs. tennis shoe a distant background noise in the busy setting. He glances around, looking something, looking for her. His eyes find her as she rounds the front desk, speaking in a hushed voice to the nurse occupying the chair. She ascends on him in her all-business-no-play stride. Her heels clacking crazily against the tiles of the floor. He looks away as she nears, not wanting anyone to see the emotion in his eyes. In a flash, it's gone and his dark, neutral eyes meet get grey ones.
"Welcome back...Mrs. Wilson" He manages to force out.
"You weren't there" she states as if he hadn't known already.
"I didn't want to be" House taps his cane roughly, distracting himself from the urge to tell her the truth. His truth as to why he didn't go to the ceremony.
"He's your best friend" She tries to extract emotion from him. Any emotion at all.
"He was, now he's yours" Looking around House realizes that it's time to fight or flight. Not willing to surrender what he kept hidden for so long, he adjusts his grip on his cane and prepares to step around her.
"You didn't want me" She states, placing her hand on his arm.
" You never asked." Shifting his eyes to the floor he moves past her, toward the elevators, toward salvation.
"House" He almost made it.
He pauses mid-stride, unwilling to face her.
"If I had asked...would you have.." She trails off, afraid of what he would say.
"It wouldn't have mattered" And it doesn't matter, not to him.
House limps through the lobby, the thud-step rhythm of cane vs. tennis shoe a distant background noise in the busy setting. The busy-ness not being able to blank out his pounding heart, or the clacking of heels as she rushes the other way. Away from him for the last time.
