Blah. I wrote this to try and get back into a writing mood. I had to hand write this first, so without saying much more, I'm kind of "eh" about it, but oh well. This story was kind of inspired by a line that is in Star Trek IV (you know, the one with the whales.) I'll tell which in the notes at the bottom :)

"House…you can talk to me." I set my arms on the table, leaning in getting closer to my friend sitting across the table. It pained me to see House like this. Even though at times he could be self destructive and lazy, he always had an opinion.

But not now. House was so…apathetic. The time he had spent at Mayfair had definitely affected him.

Trying again, I asked, "How do you feel?"

"Who wants to know?"

"Me. Cuddy."

Cuddy always wanted to know how House felt. She didn't want to see him…it was too hard. It was hard on me. I served as her connection to House.

House shot me a dark glare. "How am I supposed to feel?"

I shrugged. "Angry? Sad? Proud that you've made it this far?"

House stared at a point somewhere beyond me. "I don't feel anything."

Looking down and blinking my eyes so the tears would not fall, I sighed. I ended up leaving not much later after that. It was the same thing every time I visited. House was unwilling to open up and talk and he wallowed in his own misery, as he always has. He had insisted that he wanted help, but it seemed like House didn't want it from his friends.

And I dreaded it, because every time, I would report to Cuddy what had happened. At first I would lie, saying House was doing great and had never felt better. But Cuddy would always know, and I would have to resort to telling her that House did not divulge his emotions and was keeping himself buried away, not reaching out for social contact. And even though I never saw her do it, but I know that every time that I left her office after we talk about House, she cries.

Maybe House was telling the truth and didn't feel anything. All that would be left of what was Gregory House would be an empty shell, and it terrified me.

About a week later, House called me in the middle of the night. Sleepily, I listened as House asked me why the hell hadn't come to see him in a few days, and that he wanted his damn pizza that I had promised to bring him. Within those few seconds, I became wide awake and my eyes were brimming with tears.

"…and could you bring me another shirt, I'm getting tired of the ones…are you crying?" House asked.

I wiped the tears that had run down the side of my face and smiled. "Hi House."

--

The next day, I brought House a pizza, which House ate after it had been checked to make sure that I didn't stash drugs inside the crust.

I didn't know what changed, but I was happy whatever it was that had made House change his attitude. Maybe House just realized he had to.

House asked about his team, and if they were able to function without him around. He asked if there were any new hot nurses, and if I was banging any of them. And he asked about Cuddy, if she was still mad at him, and surprisingly, he asked how her daughter was.

"House," I said, "Cuddy's been very worried about you. She's the one that always asks me how you feel."

House looked down and traced circles on the table with a finger. "And what do you tell her?"

I considered lying to him, as I lie to Cuddy, but I knew that House wouldn't be fooled either. "I tell her what you say. Nothing."

House stiffened and I could see his neck slightly twitch. "And she says?"

"Nothing. But she…gets upset."

"Oh."

Later when I went to leave House stood up and awkwardly looked up at me. Understanding his motion, I patted House on the shoulder.

"It's going to be okay," I said.

House nodded. "And can you give Cuddy a message for me?"

"Of course."

"Tell her that…I feel fine."

And I knew that was not a lie.

House's last line "I feel fine" is the one I got from Star Trek IV. Spock says it. I kind of think House would go into emotional lock-down while in the hospital, so watching that movie come up with this.

:) Reviews?