Susurrations

It was ten o'clock when Cuddy paged me. I rushed to her office, wondering what sort of shit Greg was knee-deep in this time. The man was a walking lawsuit, and I didn't want to miss another appointment with a dying patient watching him not testify.

"House tried to kill himself." Were the 'warm' words that greeted me as I turned towards the run-down woman. The bags under her eyes were screaming out, and it looked as though she had recently cried. As for me, I was utterly speechless. Some disconnected words dribbled off my tongue into air so think with tension, you could slice it with a knife.

"Did he...Is he...Vicodin?"

"He stuck a knife into an electrical socket. He still hasn't regained consciousness yet..." Superfluous, but who could blame her? One of the undoubtedly best doctors in the hemisphere just tried to commit suicide in her hospital. The woman can be expected to be redundant.

"Alright." I turned to leave, my hand on the doorknob. But I had forgotten... "Thanks, Lisa."

Jimmy, Jimmy, Jimmy...Always courteous, even in the worst situations.

After scrambling madly around the ICU, I found Greg's room. Quietly sliding open the door, I sat down in the vacant chair next to him, the bottom of my eyes stinging. I wondered if any nurses were coming to check on him... I scootched my chair closer to him, wrapping my fingers gently around his limp ones, my thumb running across his knuckles.

"Why'd you do it, Greg?" Were my susurrations, so low as to be nearly inaudible. I looked around timidly before grasping his uninjured hand tightly, as an awkward person would comfort a crying woman.

"Alright, I know that you think that unconscious people can't hear stuff, but I'm a bit more sentimental than you, so if you can't hear me, at least one of us will feel better. I care about you, a lot." Gulp.

"In-In fact, I think I'd have to say that I love you." What the Hell, Jimmy?

"Platonically, of course, Greg." A nervous laugh escaped my lips. "I mean, we've been through so much together...your leg, my divorces, you being a complete jerk-off...But I want you to know, I'll always be here." A tepid tear trickled down my cheek, leaving a cold line. I wiped it away.

"Just pull through this, and I'll always be here."

"But, I must ask, Greg, what the fuck were you thinking? You're a doctor, for Christ's sake!" I released his hand roughly and stood up, my hands on my hips, glowering at the slumbering form.

You can't deal with this right now. Get out.

I ran my fingers through my hair before rushing out of the room. Maybe some clinic hours could do me good...