The Last Night on Earth
House stood on the edge of the cliff watching the sunset turn the ocean into a fiery pit below. Wilson had been dead for just a little over twenty-four hours, and today had been Gregory House's last day on earth. He'd survived a lot longer than anyone had thought possible, five months had come and gone with very little change to Wilson's health. Neither had questioned it, but had thanked the fates that she'd brought them a few extra precious weeks together. They'd now been on the road for two years.
House had never intended to live very long after Wilson died – it was the reason he'd been able to say goodbye so easily to everything he'd ever known; his job, the hospital, his family, his friends. He'd never intended to go back, and he'd certainly never intended to live the rest of his life without Wilson. Dying had been the easiest decision Gregory House had ever made.
He dug his hand into his pocket and pulled out the bottle of pain medication he'd been saving – Vicodin. He hadn't had a taste of any narcotics in well over three years and he longed for the burn of a single pill on his tongue. As far as the rest of the world was concerned Gregory House was dead and there was nobody left to tell him what to do.
House sat – his feet dangling over the cliff edge, as he imagined his feet trailing in the water below. He thought about life, about death, about everything which had led him to this moment, and he replaced the pills in his pocket. Massaging his throbbing thigh he looked out to sea – he had no idea for how long he sat, deep in thought.
He remembered all the good times he and Wilson had shared, and all the fun they'd had – especially over the past couple of years. He thought of all the bad times too.
House sat, watching the sun go down until the skies turned dark, at which point he struggled to his feet and limped slowly away, popping a couple of pills as he went.
Tomorrow the sun would come up on a new day – but House knew that he wouldn't get to see it. A life without Wilson was just too much to bear. Gregory House had just watched his last sunset, and had spent his last day on earth.