THE GOOD GUY COMPLEX Edited CHAPTER 1
Casanova. That was what one of the more audacious nurses in the Oncology department had dubbed him, and it had spread like wildfire throughout the years. And to them, this wasn't an insult, rather an honor, for all of the women inevitably were charmed by him in some way, shape, or form. They all had succumbed to his appeal, and secretly wished that his flirtatious manner meant more than what it did. They loved his charm and his boyish innocence, because they all knew that it was something that came natural to Dr. James Wilson. And what was not to love? A man filled with caring and kindness, perhaps a tad bit of a hero complex, Dr. Wilson was always known as the good guy. Inevitably, each female nurse had fallen for him at some point during their career at Princeton-Plainsboro and each nurse had a good reason to. The moniker Casanova was one that each one of them adored and admired. The entire female division of the department was impressed.
Except for one woman, and most others found it highly coincidental that she shared the same name as his ex-wife.
It wasn't that Julie disliked her boss, she just had never cared to get caught up in such things. She was a quiet character, and even her remarkable good looks couldn't have broken the barriers that this introvert had established. Her job was her job, and she took great pleasure in providing comforts to sick patients, hoping to make their last days as good as possible. She loved helping people, and perhaps it was her innocent and good nature that kept her at a distance, because she refused to get caught up in the games that most women played. She was cheerful and optimistic, always seen with a bright smile on her face and everyone loved her, but her connections with them ended there. She was a shy creature, and being alone was something she enjoyed. Even when she was with others, she wasn't really, instead she was lost deep in her own mind where she lived a rich life.
Casanova. It was a nickname that she laughed about with her peers, but was nothing more to this woman. Perhaps it was nativity, or perhaps it was simply a lack of understanding on her part...because she really couldn't tell anyone what it was like to be charmed by James Wilson. He had never attempted to break her walls, and she didn't mind in the least. She supposed that it was because of her quiet nature, and while others sent out subconscious invitations she had always preferred to keep work at work.
Dr. Wilson had never really looked at Julie under any pretense that wasn't completely professional. Well, perhaps this wasn't entirely true, for he had found she was very, very nice to look at, with long and thick golden hair that was adorned with large, curly waves, and a smile that could always catch his eye. A more fitting statement would be that Dr. Wilson had never really spoken to Julie under any pretense that wasn't completely professional. There was something that always made him stop, something that made him keep his distance. Around her he tried extra hard to be the good guy, to keep his speech edited and monitored. He could sense this was how she wanted it to be, and he had dropped the issue long ago. With any other he probably would have seen this as a challenge, but perhaps that was because there weren't any other women that he had encountered that were as genuine as his blue eyed department nurse. She played no games, and that was something that he had come to respect early.
Yes, Julie had managed to stay out of pretty much everyone's radar. Except for two men.
And it was no fortuity that the two were best friends.
In a very House-like manner, House was interested because Wilson was not interested, and like any reasonable misanthrope he wanted to know why. Of course, House was also interested because he knew that deep down Wilson really did pay attention to his sweet nurse, yet still didn't act on his curiosity.
"You know, there's irony to be found in the fact that the one women in the whole hospital that isn't interested in you shares the same name as your recently-proclaimed-ex-wife." This came up over lunch one day. It was inevitable, Wilson supposed as the two sat outside eating and talking and making fun of random things that had recently struck House's distastes. The woman in question sat a few tables away smiling and sitting with Danielle, a fellow nurse.
"Stop it, House" But of course Wilson's warning went ignored.
"I find it rather interesting too, how she can sit there and pretend that she's actually listening to her chatterbox friend talk about how gorgeous their department head is and still look polite. Id probably be gagging by now if I was her"
This at least earned half of a chuckle from Wilson. "Right, because I'm sure they don't have anything better to talk about than my stunning good looks and boyish charm."
House simply shrugged. "Well, it's a boring hospital."
There was a pause that lasted a moment or two, in which Wilson continued to eat and House flipped through the latest edition of People Magazine. It seemed as if the topic had been dropped, but anyone that knew House as well as Wilson did would have been prepared for round two.
"There are a dozen and ten good looking women in this hospital and she has them all beat. What I want to know is why you haven't hit on her. I mean, call me superficial but she would be the first one that I would try to tap." There was a smirk cast upon House's features and it came with his last statement, for he knew that his words would warrant some kind of response from his best friend.
The response was more like a hiss, and Wilson glared at him all the while silently cursing his gift for exaggeration. House had a way of taking things and stating them in the least eloquent way possible, and because of that Wilson just rolled his eyes and attempted to defend himself. "You really are an ass."
"So I've been told. But that doesn't make my logic any less true."
Wilson sighed. He wasn't going to win, not that he had expected to in the first place. "I don't know what to tell you, I'm just not interested. And even if I was, don't you think that she is a bit out of my league?"
House scoffed, sending one of his exasperated looks to Wilson. "She's pretty much out of everyone's league...except for maybe" He hesitated, looking down and flipping through his People Magazine. He went through the pages rather quickly, but he paused on a few and tipped his head as if he was examining them closely before finally shrugging and closing it, "Nope I was right, she's definitely got the entire world beat."
Wilson simply laughed as the two of them went back to staring and eating and staring and jibing and staring. Meanwhile the object of their conversation had finished her lunch and had stood up, following her acquaintance back into the hospital. As she passed their table, she smiled brightly and cheerfully greeted them as she walked by, and her speech was accompanied by a nod, "Dr. House. Dr. Wilson."
She was rewarded with a nod from the both of them, though Wilson's smile was a tad bit friendlier than House's grunt. Once out of range, House smirked and looked over at his companion, "See, she was practically begging you to get into bed with her."
Wilson stared at House incredulously and shook his head as if he had given up on his friend a long time ago and didn't understand why he still even bothered. "Good God, you're unbelievable."