Title: How to save a life
Rating: T for language in later chapters
Summary: When a patient dies House begins to spiral into depression.
Author's Note: This idea came to me two nights ago when I was watching a House music video, and the song 'How to save a life' by the Fray was the background music. I just knew exactly what I wanted to happen in the story, and so I set about writing it. It may take a while to write, as I've got a few others that still need finishing as well.
Please bare with me, but I'll try to get chapters up quickly, or as quickly as I can.
Also please do read and review, I love getting them. :) They make me happy.
Enjoy
"It'll be okay, baby. The doctors are just gunna take you through those doors, and then you'll be asleep. Everything will be fine." A young woman was stood over the bed of an eight-year-old girl, the woman was obviously trying to hold back tears, but the girl seemed to be oblivious to this fact.
"Okay, Mom. You'll be here after, right?" The girl had short blonde hair, and beautiful blue eyes that looked directly into those of her mother's as she spoke. No doubt searching for an answer.
"Yeah, 'course I will." The girl smiled faintly, and her mother smiled back. The glass door slid open suddenly, and the young woman looked up. The woman had blonde hair, like her daughter, although hers was a bit longer and her eyes were brown, not blue. She looked no older than twenty-eight, and yet her eyes had the look of one who had seen more of then world than many people would in a life time.
The door had opened to reveal a tall, male doctor with short brown hair. He smiled kindly at the woman, before turning to her daughter.
"So, Rebecca are you ready?" The little girl nodded, before turning to her mother.
"Mom,"
"Yes?"
"I love you." At this the male doctor looked down at the ground, obviously feeling like he was intruding on something.
"I love you too darling, and I see you after. Promise." The woman gave her daughter's hand a squeeze, before two more doctors arrived and began to move the gurney out of the room. She watched as they took her daughter away from her, and finally she let the tears fall.
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox
Wilson watched the entire operation from the observation room, his heart thumping incredibly fast as he saw the surgeons try to cut out the cancer that had attached itself to the girl's lung and pancreas. Every time he looked at his reflection he could see the girl's mother in his mind's eye, waiting outside, desperate for news of her daughter's progress.
"How's it going?" A gruff voice sounded from behind him, he didn't turn around. He knew that voice.
"So far so good." He replied, not taking his eyes from the operation. He heard his friend walk closer, and soon he could see House out of the corner of his eye. The grey suit, dark blue shirt, blue jeans, trainers and cane reflected in the window.
Neither of them spoke for a while, both too absorbed in their observation. They had both worked with the kid, well okay House had only met her a few times and most of the time he'd sent the ducklings to do the history and stuff for him. Wilson had been surprised that when House had actually gone to see the girl, he'd gotten on quite well with her. He supposed that she was at an age where she was inquisitive, but not yet nosy. Also the girl was intelligent, another thing that House valued in people.
"Where's Cameron?" The female doctor had grown quite attached to the child, and Wilson was surprised that she wasn't with them.
"With Chase and Foreman." The short reply did nothing to stem Wilson's curiosity. Why was she with them? Did she think she'd find it too painful to watch?
"Why…" Before he could finish the question, a loud, monotonous sound began below them.
"No!" He turned back to the window, his eyes widening as he saw the surgeons readying the defibrillator. He felt his heartbeat quicken.
'Please let her be all right, please don't do this to her! She's too young!' He glanced quickly over at House, and saw his friend's knuckles whiten on his cane.
The 'beep' continued below them, and Wilson felt like banging on the glass, to get them to do more to save her. The surgeons worked frantically, trying to get her heart to start again but it was no use. The flat line continued to appear, and finally they gave up.
"No." The whisper came from his own lips this time, and his head fell forwards onto his chest.
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox
Wilson and House walked down the steps together, the silence that stretched between them was strained, both knowing what they had to do once they got outside to the corridor. As they reached the bottom of the steps the head surgeon came towards them, taking off his mask.
"There was no way we could have saved her, it was too far gone." The sorrow on his face was genuine, and Wilson nodded and smiled weakly. House on the other hand didn't even look at him; instead he walked towards the doors and towards the corridor.
"House." Wilson called after him, but his friend ignored him. He swung the doors open and walked out into the corridor, right past the young mother sitting anxiously on one of the uncomfortable chairs. With a sigh James Wilson began to walk towards the doors himself, behind him he heard the surgeon turn back around, no doubt to wash his hands of this incident. Whenever a child died it hit everyone hard, but this little girl had touched everyone's lives. She'd been so brave, but had still let her childhood innocence shine through.
He pushed open the door, and walked towards the young woman. She stood up at his approach,
"What happened? She's all right, right? The other doctor, Doctor House just walked past, he wouldn't tell me anything…" She trailed off as she saw the look on his face; with a strangled sob she fell back on her chair.
"No." Tears were falling freely from her eyes, and sobs were making her body shudder. Wilson sat down next to her, and placed a comforting arm on her back, rubbing circles and trying to offer he some solace.
"I'm so sorry." He whispered, as she lent into him, still crying.
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox
House was sat in his silver swivel chair in his office, staring at the bookshelf. His chin was resting on his cane, and his eyes were slightly unfocused. His desk was littered with folders, pieces of paper, pens and CDs. He didn't seem to care about this; instead he just kept on staring.
A soft knock on the glass door managed to rouse him from his melancholy state. The female that entered the room had long dark hair, and her nametag read 'Doctor Lisa Cuddy'.
"House?"
"Cuddy?"
"I heard about Rebecca." She moved forwards, watching him carefully.
"Yeah." No emotions stirred behind those blue eyes, but his gaze turned back to the bookshelf.
"I just…"
"Wanted to know how we were bearing up?" One eyebrow rose slightly as he surveyed the woman before him.
"In a way, yeah."
"Well I'm fine. She was just a kid, there are hundreds more." Cuddy sighed slightly, his brash attitude and rude remarks making her regret coming up here. Of course he wouldn't admit to feeling anything for the little girl, this was House and he wasn't the kind of person to go around telling people that he actually had feelings.
"Fine. But…"
"Just go, Cuddy. I'm sure you've got other patients to see." With that she was dismissed, and he swivelled around to face the window, through which he could see the rain slowly begin to hit against the glass. A fitting end to a terrible day.
Behind him he heard the door close, and let his head fall back against the back of the chair. He hated it when death came a-knocking at the hospital's door, but he knew that this was a part of the job, and that he couldn't have done anything. But still there was this horrible feeling that he should have done more to help her, maybe gotten her that stupid toy she'd gone on about those few times he'd seen her. For a strange reason he didn't want people to know that he was grieving, maybe because then he'd appear weak and loose his reputation as someone who just didn't give a crap. But also because then he'd have to let people in, and that…that was just too hard.
The words spoken to him only a few months ago floated back to him, 'A man's life can't be measured by how many tears are shed when he dies'. Maybe these were true, but this poor girl had just died for no reason, she had had so much to live for…and now she was gone.
House swivelled back around to face his desk, dropping his cane on the floor. It hit the ground with a clatter, which echoed around the quiet room. His left hand came up to rub his forehead, and at last he let his defences fall. He closed his eyes and let out shuddering breath, still not allowing any tears to fall. Gregory House does not cry!
Suddenly he felt anger appear out of nowhere and his hand, which had previously been resting on his forehead, hit the table, hard. He felt something crack, and the welcome relief of pain washed over him. He sat there for a long time, just letting the pain wash over him, numbing him to everything else around him.
Is it any good? Please let me know as this is only my second House story, and my first House continuing story.
Read and review people, you know you want to.