Finding A Dead Man

A Glass of Milk

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Chapter One: Consult

Wilson groaned as he opened the door into Exam Room One only to see Dr. Gregory House looking through folders on the patient bed which had no patient.

"Cuddy's going to kill you when she finds out you aren't doing clinic hours." Wilson said shutting the door behind him. House made a grunt but otherwise didn't acknowledge the man. Wilson grabbed one of the spare chairs in the room and sat beside House, waiting for his friend to say something. When he didn't he rolled his eyes.

"You going to tell me why you called me down here for a consult when there isn't a patient?" Wilson asked. House was looking through folders and his game boy and teen magazines were no where in sight. He grabbed a folder that House was looking at and got confused. It was a publication on Cancer diagnosis.

"Did you really need my help? Where's the patient?" Wilson asked, flipping through the magazine.

"He's a current resident at Greenwood." House mumbled as he threw a record closer to Wilson. Wilson looked at him confused before his eyes widened.

"Greenwood cemetery?" He asked, nearly dropping the magazine. House nodded and passed a file to Wilson. He finally turned and looked at the other man for the first time since he entered the room.

"I'd appreciate it if you kept your mouth shut about this by the way." House said as Wilson snatched the file. Wilson had a burning in his gut that was telling him what he was doing was bad and that whatever it was House had planned could get them both into some major trouble but…this was to good to pass up. And the burning could just be indigestion.

Wilson looked at the file, not paying any attention to the name and instead read the information.

"24 year old white male. Mother died of Cervical cancer. Father has high blood pressure…" Wilson read on and shook his head. "I don't get why you're looking through all of this House. The guy is dead, he died of Thyroid cancer. Sad but true, and I'm pretty sure its easier to figure out what someone died from after their dead." House shook his head and stood up and pointed at something in the file about the diagnosis of the cancer. Wilson read it out loud. "October 1995…" His eyes widened. "He died in December that year? That makes no sense…you can diagnose Thyroid cancer easily enough. Someone comes in complaining of a sore throat, you feel around and you can begin to tell if he has it." Wilson said, shaking his head. He didn't see House grinning at him, but it wouldn't have made any difference because Wilson was angry. House pointed something else out.

"Look at the charts. See what his last doctor visits were about." Wilson did as he was told and was surprised at what he saw.

"Numbness in feet… bullet wounds… ear aches." Wilson looked at House suspicious. Not with House but whoever did the charting. House was grinning at him.

"It doesn't say bullet wounds." House said, smiling. Wilson rolled his eyes.

"Oddly shaped punctures in the skin caused by moving projectiles with major bleeding. Also known as bullet wounds." Wilson said. He was silent for a moment though. "He never complained about anything with his throat…Extremely unusual for someone with thyroid cancer."

"I've corrupted you well, young grasshopper. Look into things." House leaned back in the doctor chair and nearly fell off but caught himself before Wilson saw. Wilson closed the file and waved it at House.

"I still don't know why you're interested. Yeah, this is strange, but the guy died in 1995. Why bring it back up? He didn't even go to this hospital – how'd you get the records?"

"By saying I had his twin brother here who needed treatment." Wilson opened the file and turned to glare at House.

"He has no siblings." He said. House smirked.

"And the nurses there are stupid… as for my interest…have you not seen the name of the man yet?" House asked. Wilson looked at the top of the file and gasped.

"You can't do this House." Wilson said. House groaned.

"Why not?"

"You could hurt her. You can't do that. Let this go by."

"You're always on me about how I never have cases-"

"Living people cases, not people who've been dead-"

"Supposedly been dead." House interrupted, but Wilson didn't stop his rant.

"-for ten years. Don't do this House." Wilson finished, slapping the file onto the bed. House looked at him silently for a moment before sitting back down and leaning forward on the table.

"But what if he's alive? What if he lied to her?" House asked. Wilson opened the door to leave but closed it again to look at House.

"Why are you doing this House?" He asked. House looked up at the other man then quickly looked down again.

"Why shouldn't I?" he asked.

"Because it's none of your business." Wilson pointed out. House looked up at him and smiled a small sad smile.

"Too bad. I have a new obsession to keep from crying." House leaned back and watched the confusion that went over Wilson's face.

Wilson remembered one time when House took paternity bets on the patients parents and how he said it was trivial things like that that kept him crying. This was different though. This could hurt everyone involved.

"House-" Wilson started but his friend just shook his head.

"I'm doing this, with or without your cancer knowledge." House stated. Wilson understood now why House bothered to contact him at all. House usually does these things on his own unless he can play with people. He could play with one person eternally for what he had but even he wasn't that cruel. Wilson sighed.

"I'm in, but if Dr. Cameron finds out, I know nothing." Wilson stated. House grinned at him.

"Deal." He turned back to the table and grabbed some more files and handed them to Wilson. When Wilson looked at them he realized they were copies of everything he just looked at. "Let's learn more about our new dead friend, Kale Cameron."

-fin chapter-