Title: The Fall
Relationships: none really
Rating: K
Warning: Nothing too bad. Mild language I guess…
Spoilers: Season 1
Disclaimer: I am not making any profit from this fan fiction, all recognizable characters belong to FOX and all of the others belong to me.
A/N: Just a little bit of drivel.This is a one-shot.
"Cuddy," he whines but I ignore him and walk into my office and shut the door; telling my assistant not to let House in unless he has a good reason to talk to me. "I'll get sick around all of these people and you know I just recovered from that horrible cold!" I hear him yell as my door closes and muffles the sound of his voice.
I knew House before the infarction and he wasn't a bundle of joy then either but he wasn't as rude and abrasive as he is now. In fact, Greg was a pretty fun guy to be around; especially when he was with Stacy. Those two always had some sort of comment to make and going out with them was always interesting and conversation topics never ran out.
I guess I sort of hoped that Greg would go back to being semi-normal with Stacy around but I know now that it was false hope. If anything, he's become more obnoxious and disturbing than he was before! He's frustrating and is always arguing with me about his clinic hours or some other such nonsense. I know he hates the clinic, he's always considered it a waste of his talents but sometimes I wish he could see how much he's needed down there. Sure there are plenty of other doctors that would be fine with filling in for him since they know how horrible his bedside manner is but I honestly think it's better if Greg does it himself.
Perhaps one day he'll understand why he needs to work in the clinic, but then again he barely understands why he should visit a patient in their room when he's their doctor! He's so frustrating. I understand why Stacy left, as horrible as that might sound; it's about the same reason that I stopped talking to Greg as a friend – as embarrassed as I am by that fact it's true. It seems that Wilson is the only one capable of putting up with him but then again, Wilson was the one that House didn't try to shove away like he did the rest of us.
There were days that Greg, James, Stacy, and I would place tennis together; Stacy and me against Greg and James. We almost always tied each other except for the rare times that Greg would volley a shot and Stacy or I wasn't quick enough to reach the net. Those were fun days but they were rare. I wasn't as close to Greg as James was and I couldn't talk to Stacy like Greg could but they were still my friends even if we weren't as close as I would have liked to be. I still knew Greg as a good human being as opposed to the snarky doctor that he seems to be now. I'm sure that the good human being that he used to be is the person Wilson still sees inside. It's probably one of the reasons James never left. I hope that's true because after the infarction Greg lost everyone who ever cared about him.
I still remember the weeks following House's infarction and all of the horrible things he said to me and Stacy. I was blamed for what Stacy did even though I hadn't agreed with her. Maybe deep down House knew I wasn't to blame but that didn't change anything – he still called me a traitor and refused to accept my medical care. I hope that the things he said to me were out of anger but I'll never forget how he said that I wasn't worth being friends with even if I was an OK doctor. I'll never forget him telling Stacy to get out of his life because she was a liar and then how she listened to him because after two weeks she just couldn't take the abuse. But above all, I'll never forget the pained look in Wilson's eyes when Stacy had gone and Greg asked him how long it would take until he left too.
Maybe one day Greg will come to terms with the past but I know that that day isn't today and it probably won't be tomorrow either. Hopefully it will be in the near future but what do I know? I'm not as close to him as I used to be and I'll probably never know him as well as I used to.
We still have some moments in which Greg seems to forget that he hates me but those are becoming fewer and fewer, especially now that Stacy is back with her husband. As much as the hospital could use her help, I sometimes wish she was gone. Personal matters come second for us doctors at a hospital and Greg is just going to have to grow up and get over his past. I know he can't take betrayal and that he can't forgive easily but she might help him.
If only I could talk to him and ask him questions like I used to. If only I could understand the way his mind works now. Of course, if I'm going to wish for these things I may as well wish that he had the full use of his leg back because it seems that he'll never speak to me like a friend again.
"Dr. Cuddy."
I look up and see James trying his best to look professional and graceful.
"Yes?" I ask him, covering my mouth with my hand as he pulls at his jacket.
"Dr. House fell and…"
I don't let James finish his sentence and he looks a little miffed as I run out of the office and towards the sound of House cursing.
"What happened?" I ask as two nurses help Greg to his feet and into a chair.
"A little girl grabbed his cane and he tripped," a nurse answered.
I sigh and walk quickly to Greg's side. He looks like he's in a lot of pain and I wonder how long it's been since he had a Vicodin. I know he normally pops one before he sees a patient but there's no telling if he's even been near a patient since he likes to hide out in Exam Room 2 all the time. He thinks I don't know about that but I do and I try to ignore it and give him a little bit of time before I hunt him down.
"Watch it!" he shouts at the two nurses as they lower him into a chair.
I look at his face and look away quickly because I know he's only yelling because he's embarrassed. Maybe I should call Wilson and see if he can convince House to go up to his office and watch TV or something. I really don't want House to be anymore uncomfortable than he already is.
Before I can get a page on Wilson, however, House calls me over to him.
"Pass me my cane," he says to me when I walk over to the chair he is sitting on.
I grab the piece of wood from where it is leaned against the nurses' station and hand it to him. I nearly protest when he starts to push himself to his feet but I know better and just watch him.
"I'm not going near the damn clinic again today," he says in warning as I walk slowly with him to the elevator, stand close just in case he falls.
"I wasn't going to ask you to," I tell him honestly. How could I force him to stay down there when I know he's embarrassed right now and just wants to hide for a little? I won't let him skip the duty tomorrow but I'll give him a little slack for right now since his leg is probably causing him more pain than he'd like to admit.
He scrutinizes me for a second before hobbling into the elevator and pulling out his Vicodin. He shakes one in to his hand, gives me a little nod that is almost friendly, and pops it in his mouth just before the doors close.
I nod back once the doors have closed and I feel an overwhelming sense of loss come over me. Greg use to nod playfully to me or salute me but now when he does those sorts of things it's just a ghost of the friendship, a reminder of what we used to have but no longer do.
I bite my lip and head back to my office; trying to push all thoughts of House out of my mind. I've got my own life, one that doesn't revolve around House, and it's time to get back to it and my job.
As the door to my office closes behind me I can't help but feel that I've failed once more with Greg and that I should have said something to him in the clinic. Words failed me after the infarction and they failed me after the fall, maybe I'll know what to say to him sometime, but it's going to take time for me to learn what to say just like it's going to take him time to learn to forgive.