School Days, a house, m.d. fanfic

This idea has been stuck in my head since I last watched the Dead Poets Society...kind of depressing. In case anyone is confused the stuff in Italics are flashbacks. (I'm sure you figured that out already though!)

Cameron, Chase and Wilson sat around the cafeteria table drinking coffee. "So that is how I met House." Wilson laughed. He paused and took a sip of his coffee. "Any other long and boring stories you two would be interested in hearing?"

"You went to college in Canada didn't you?" Chase asked.

"Yeah. McGill University in Montreal. Why?"

"I was just wondering. House said something about your younger brother attending Princeton and your older brother graduating from Harvard…"

"Tell House at l least I never got booted out of school for cheating. McGill is a great school. Some people call it a Canadian Ivy League."

"I'm not saying there's anything wrong with it. I was just curious…"

Wilson sighed. "My brothers both graduated from very prestigious boarding schools. I went to a private school near where my parents lived at the time."

"Why?" Cameron asked.

"Now that...." Wilson sighed again. "...is a very long and very boring story."

Chase looked down at his watch. "I've got time."

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Twelve-year old James Evan Wilson stood nervously in front of the brick building he was now to call home. The place did not look friendly and James did not want to be there. It hadn't even been a whole day yet and he already wanted to go home. He hated his small, musty dorm room, his scratchy school uniform, and his heavy new textbooks. When his parents dropped him off that morning he had wanted to cry and beg them to let him go home. But James knew better than to shed tears in front of his father and older brother. All it would earn him was disappointment. James Wilson did not like to disappoint his father. He could have cared less about Michael if he wasn't quite certain that his older brother would tease him about being a baby for years if he ever saw James cry.

"Move it Mr. Wilson. Lights out in twenty minutes."

Mr. Wilson! James hated that name. It reminded him of the old man from Dennis the Menace. James hated that comic strip. Gritting his teeth, the brown eyed boy made his way up to his dorm room and threw on his pajamas. His roommate, a pudgy boy who didn't seem all that friendly, was already in bed. James threw himself down on his bed and buried his face in his pillow. He began to shed silent tears into the stale smelling pillowcase.

"Lights out." Someone reached in the room and flicked off the lights. James cried himself to sleep. He felt like he had only been asleep for a minute when he felt a rough hand pulling him out of bed by his arm.

"What?" James looked around in surprise. He was being drug down the hall by an unfamiliar man who he could only assume was a teacher. He hadn't met some of his teachers yet. The man shoved him into a line of his fellow dorm mates out in front of the headmaster's office. "What's going on?" James whispered to the boy in front of him.

"Shut up." The boy whispered back. "Do you want to get us in more trouble?"

James was confused. He hadn't done anything wrong. He had been asleep! He watched as a sobbing boy who looked to be a little younger then himself left the headmaster's office and made his way past the line. The office door opened again and the headmaster stepped out. He grabbed the kid at the front of the line and yanked him into the office. The door slammed. James felt like he was going to be sick. He was pretty sure what was about to happen to him but he wasn't sure why. He had been asleep! How could he have done anything wrong?

"Mr. Wilson." What seemed like an eternity went by before James found himself at the front of the line. The headmaster grabbed him roughly by the shoulder and pulled him into the office. "Bend over the desk please." The huge man motioned to an oak desk in the middle of the room.

"Umm…you…I didn't do anything wrong!" James squeaked. "I was…" He suppressed a sob. His older brother had told him about the harsh punishments at his boarding school but the younger Wilson was pretty sure you had to do something wrong to receive one. Even the notoriously defiant Michael somehow managed to avoid a trip to the headmaster's office! "I didn't do anything wrong!"

"Quit arguing and get over the desk!" The headmaster barked. "In this school if one of your dorm mates is found out of bed after lights out then everyone on that floor pays along with the guilty party. You were expected to read the manual listing school rules before classes started. Now bend over!"

James bit his lower lip as he leaned over and held the edge of the desk…

"Let me guess." House took a seat at the table. "Mommy and daddy found out that the mean old principal gave poor baby Jamie a spanking and came to rescue you."

"Not exactly." Wilson looked down at the table. "Aren't you supposed to be in the clinic?"

"And miss the heartwarming story of sweet baby James and his loving parents? Not a chance." House reached over and took a sip of Wilson's coffee. "How can you drink this sugar water? Did you even put any coffee in this cup?"

"Shut up House." Chase snapped. "Some of us actually want to hear the rest of the story."

"I don't know why." House scoffed. "All of Wilson's stories are almost as boring as his ties."

"My ties are ugly, not boring." Wilson pointed out.

"So you admit it!" House said triumphantly.

Wilson rolled his eyes. "I was quoting you. Will you shut up and let me finish the story?"

James returned to his dorm room sore and unhappy. He had never been hit that hard in his life. He limped over to his bed and hid his head under his pillow. He could hear his roommate sniffling on the other side of the room but was too embarrassed by his own tears to offer any words of comfort. He tried to go to sleep but couldn't get comfortable. The mattress seemed ten times harder now. Before long the sunshine was shining through the room's tiny slit of a window and a loud voice was calling from the hallway.

"Get up boys! Put on your gym clothes! It's time for a run!"

A run? James had never been asked to run before eating breakfast before. He winced as he pulled on his gym shorts and made his way down to a field where a bunch of other boys were already waiting. "You know the drill boys!" The athletics teacher barked. "You have 30 minutes to run the one mile around this field. Those of you who don't finish in time don't get breakfast! Now get moving."

James's stomach sank. Usually running one mile in under 30 minutes would be no big deal. James had always been very athletic. His trophies from tennis and track stood proudly alongside his older brother's awards from football and rowing. But he had never been this sore before. He could hardly walk comfortably, let alone run. No wonder Michael was so mean to him if this was how he had been treated in school! James took a deep breath and started across the field.

"Too late Wilson." The athletics teacher smirked as James finally reached the end of the field. "40 minutes. Go upstairs and get showered. You'll need to be to your first class in your uniform in fifteen minutes."

James was in shock as he walked back to his dorm. He quickly showered and changed into the already hated uniform. He felt ridiculous in the black suit and red tie. At home he never wore anything but slacks and polo shirts. He wondered what his friends from public school would say if they saw him dressed like this. "You're going here to make your dad proud." James reminded himself as he limped down to his first class and took a seat. "You are going to go to Harvard and become a doctor."

James felt light headed as class began. He had never skipped breakfast before. Even when he was sick his mother always made sure he had some tea and toast. He tried to concentrate on what the teacher was saying and take notes but he couldn't get his eyes to focus on the blackboard. "Is there a problem Mr. Wilson?" The English teacher asked harshly. He was a grumpy looking old man with beady eyes.

"N-no sir." James stuttered. "I just feel a little sick."

"Faking illness will not get you out of doing your work in this class." The teacher snapped. "I suggest you stop daydreaming and take notes."

"Y-yes sir." James hand shook as he picked back up his pen. The hard chair he was sitting in wasn't doing his backside any favors and his stomach was growling. The young boy couldn't remember ever being this uncomfortable, not even when he had the flu. The next thing James knew he was leaning over the side of his desk and puking dark yellow bile all over the classroom floor.

"Oh gross!" A kid sitting in the next row exclaimed. "Wilson just puked!" All the other boys in the room started to laugh.

"Silence!" The teacher roared. "Mr. Aaron will you please escort Mr. Wilson to the nurse's office?"

A tall, skinny boy with bright red hair jumped up and took James by the arm. Face red with shame James followed the kid down the hall to the nurse's office. Once inside he collapsed on a cot. He could hear the nurse in the next room calling his parents.

"That's when Jimmy's parents came to rescue him in the Wilson-mobile. Can't let poor little Jamie have a tummy ache and a sore hiney." House smirked.

"If you want to tell the rest of the story, be my guest." Wilson took his coffee cup back from House. "You seem to know it better than I do."

"Oh come on Wilson. I've met your parents…"

"And they told you this story?" Chase asked.

"No." House grumbled. "They didn't have to…"

"House if you don't want to hear the rest than go back to the clinic." Cameron pointed to the cafeteria door.

"You wish. Wilson is just about to prove me right." House leaned back in his chair and waved an arm. "Continue."

Wilson woke in the back of his parent's station wagon. He could hear his parents talking. "You're overreacting Ruth! So the boy got a little sick. He's probably just nervous. James has never had the strongest stomach."

"I'm not leaving my son at school when he's sick David! He could have the flu. I'm not sure if I like this place. They seem much stricter than the school Michael went to."

David Wilson scoffed. "A little discipline never hurt anyone, Ruth. If you ask me you treat James too much like baby. The boy is twelve years old. We never went to pick Michael up from school."

"James is more sensitive than Michael. He doesn't need someone being too hard on him. They'll break his spirit."

"He'll be fine Ruth. We'll take him home and get him over this illness but then he is going right back to school. We wouldn't want to hurt his chances at getting into a decent college would we? You know he wants to go to Harvard with his older brother. He's wanted to be a doctor since he was four!"

"I know." Ruth said quietly.

When James woke again he was tucked into his own bed. There was a glass of tea on his bedside table and his mother had changed him into his pajamas. He blushed at the thought of his mother seeing him in his underwear. He was twelve years old for god's sake. He looked up at the glow in the dark stars on his ceiling. It did feel good to be back home. "Jamie?" His seven-year old brother Daniel stood out in the hall. "Are you sick?"

James sat up in bed. "I'm okay Danny. I just have a stomachache."

"Oh Jamie." His mother came into the room. "I was so worried about you."

"I'm fine mom." James said quietly. "I guess I was just a little nervous. I'll be ready to go back to school tomorrow."

"Are you sure honey?" His mother asked in a worried tone.

"The boy is fine Ruth. You heard him. He just got a little nervous. Get some sleep James. Your mother will bring you up some dinner in a little bit." He took the youngest Wilson by the arm. "Come on Dan. Your brother needs his rest." James lay back down and didn't wake until the next morning when his father shook him awake and told him it was time for him to be getting back to school.

James felt like he was going to be sick again as his father pulled into the school's parking area. He could see the boys out on the field about to begin their morning run. "I better go join the others dad." James motioned to the kids on the field. He hoped he wouldn't be in trouble not wearing his gym clothes.

"Good kid." James's father gave him a pat on the back. "I'm going to talk to the headmaster. I'm hoping we can get Danny in here in a few years. I'll come say goodbye before I leave."

James nodded and headed out to the field. "Hey baby! Did daddy bring you back after you got an upset tummy? Little baby better run really fast if he wants his breakfast." A boy from James's English class taunted. James ignored the kid and started running. "Hey baby! I'm talking to you!" The kid came up behind James and shoved him to the ground. "Aren't you going to fight back, baby?"

Losing his temper James jumped to his feet. He had never been picked on like this before by anyone but his older brother. He swung his fist and hit the kid hard in the nose. The kid swung back but James quickly ducked out of the way. The next thing he knew the athletics teacher had him by the back of the neck and was dragging him across the field. James felt his heart stop as the teacher dumped him in front of the headmaster's door. "We have ourselves a trouble maker out there Professor Jacobs."

James could hear his dad laugh. "Fighting huh? Well boys will be.." James hung his head as he entered the office. "James?"

"I'm sorry father." James sniffed. "The other boy, he started it. He.."

"I don't want to hear excuses Jamie. I can't believe this behavior." The senior Wilson turned to the headmaster. "Will you let me deal with this?"

"Be my guest."

"Come here." His father said firmly. James's face turned Beet red as he drug his feet across the wood floor. His eyes grew wide as his father stood up and removed his belt. James had never been whipped with a belt before but he had heard his older brother yelping from his bedroom after such a spanking. He gulped as his father sat back down and bent him over his lap.

"Dad, please!" James was already crying as his father lowered his pants and undershorts.

"I'm sorry Jamie…"

"I thought your dad was a nice guy." House said in an uncharacteristically outraged tone.

"He is." Wilson was staring at the floor.

House regained his normal cool, semi detached tone of voice. "I guess everybody lies."

"He's nice!" Wilson insisted.

"Just get on with the story." House rolled his eyes. "So your dad beat your ass. Then what? He felt horrible and took you out for ice cream?"

"Really, do you want to tell this story? Because…"

"Quit being such a drama queen. The ducklings." House motioned at Chase and Cameron. "Need the rest of their bedtime story before they can have their after lunch nap."

"You're the one that takes naps." Chase pointed out. "I see you all of the time, sleeping in your office."

"Will you both just shut your mouths and let Wilson tell his story?" Cameron turned to Wilson. "I want to hear what happens."

James left the headmaster's office feeling dejected and humiliated. He had embarrassed himself in front of the head of his school and he had let his father down. His dad hadn't even hugged him when he left. Wiping the tears from his face James headed off to his first class. He hated school. He hated the boy that started the fight, and most of all he hated himself. It seemed like he couldn't do anything right anymore. He wished he were back at his old public school with his old teachers and his old friends. He had never once gotten in trouble there and he had certainly never been made fun of.

"Hey baby." A kid in the hall shoved James into the wall. He ignored the kid and kept walking. News must have traveled fast around the school because it seemed that no one liked him. No one wanted to sit next to James in class or be his partner at sports. Everyone seemed to know about how his dad had punished him in the headmaster's office and made snide comments about it whenever the teachers weren't paying attention. In class James somehow managed to keep up his grades, even after missing breakfast for two week in a row because he was afraid to keep up with the other boys. He didn't want to get into any more fights.

James sat in the school dining room poking at his dinner. The school food tasted like it had been preserved in salt for years before being hydrated and served to the unlucky boys who had to eat it. Luckily for James his pudgy roommate was forced to sit next to him at dinner and was always more than happy to inhale anything that James didn't want to eat. "Here Thaddeus. Do you want my soup?"

"Why don't you ever eat, String Bean?" Thaddeus greedily sucked down the soup. "Are you afraid that you're going to lose your girly figure?"

"No. It tastes like salt."

"Does not, String Bean." Thaddeus had decided to rename his roommate 'String Bean Wilson'. The name caught on pretty quickly with the other boys. James decided it was better than being called 'baby' and he had to admit he had lost a lot of weight in the past few weeks. He didn't even bother to show up for tennis or track try-outs."You'll die if you don't eat you know?"

James shrugged. He had started to wonder if being dead would be better than being at a school where everyone hated him. Even he realized this was a pretty morbid though for a twelve year old boy but he was truly miserable and there was no way he could call his parents and ask to come home. His father probably still hated him for embarrassing him in front of the headmaster. The young boy got up and shuffled off to his next class.

"Mr. Wilson! Pay attention!" A ruler slammed down on James's desk. He quickly snapped his head up. "What's the matter with you boy? Is my lecture not interesting enough for you?"

"No sir." James answered quietly.

"Then you must be sleepy huh? Do you need something to help keep you awake?" The teacher's voice was low and dangerous.

"No sir." James squeaked. His history teacher seemed to take joy in smacking his students across the hand with his ruler.

"Then pay attention Wilson or I'll drag you up in front of the class and tan your hide!" The teachers didn't seem to pick up on the fact that the other kids were tormenting James or they plain just didn't care. They thought he was just being sullen, not miserable and on the edge of breaking down. This lack of understanding often got James in trouble and despite his continuing good grades none of the teachers seemed to really like him.

"Yes sir." James struggled to focus on the teacher but found his thoughts wandering back to how much longer he could go without eating before he died. Maybe he could get sick again and…

"That's it Mr. Wilson! To the front of the class! Now!" James tried to get up from his seat but his trembling legs wouldn't allow it. When he finally made it to the isle his legs turned to jell-o and the room started to spin. "Mr. Wilson!" The room continued to spin until everything when black.

When James woke again he found himself in a hospital bed. A curtain had been pulled around it and he could see the outlines of his parents on the other side.

"If you keep babying him he is going to turn out just like your brother!" He father roared.

"Look how much weight he's lost David! We can't send him back to that place! What are they doing to him? My Jamie has always been a good eater. He hasn't been playing any sports, he hasn't talked about any friends in any of his letters…"

"Look at his grades! He probably doesn't have time for friends or sports! Do you want your son to get into at decent school or not?"

"My son won't be going to college if he starves to death David."

"Fine. Pull him out of the school. I'm sure there are other decent boarding schools in this area. We can always send him to the school Michael went to and he can spend holidays with his grandparents."

"After all he has been through? He could have died. I am bringing my boy home. Boarding school might have been good for Michael but it is obviously not working for Jamie."

"Fine. He's your son. Do what you want." The words his father never meant him to hear broke young James Wilson's heart.

"My parents brought me home and I never went back." Wilson studied the inside of his empty coffee cup. "It took a long time for my father to get over that. I don't think he was proud of me again until I graduated from medical school."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Chase said quietly.

"I have to get back to the ER." Cameron said just as quietly. "That was an awful story Wilson. I'm so sorry."

"Ancient history." Wilson shrugged. "I got into McGill, got into medical school and became a doctor. Everything turned out fine." Both Cameron and Chase looked a little sad as they left the table. Wilson turned to House. "I take it you won't be coming to Thanksgiving at my parent's house this year?"

"And miss your mom's turkey stuffing?"

"You hate my mother's stuffing."

"Well in that case it would upset my life goal of seeing how much free food I can get out of people with the last name Wilson. I'm going up for a world record against that fat kid from your boarding school."

"Thanks House." Wilson said sarcastically. He got up to leave. House came up behind him.

"Why didn't you ever tell me?"

"Oh I don't know. Maybe because I thought you wouldn't care. Or you would just make jokes about how I gave my dinner to a fat kid." Wilson was surprised when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"A lot of people had crappy things happen to them when they were kids. I'm sorry you were one of them." House said in a low voice.

"Thanks House." This time Wilson was genuine. "I'm sorry if you had something terrible happen to you to."

House gave an exaggerated yawn. "Enough of this sappy shit. Let's sneak out of here and have beer before Cuddy catches us. Or are you really just as boring as those ties?"

"My ties are not boring…"

"Oh that's right. They're ugly."

"At least I wear a tie. You look like an overgrown teenager in your stupid t-shirts."

The pair left the cafeteria arguing and laughing good-naturedly. Later that night as they left the bar House pulled Wilson into a cab. "If anyone ever hurt you in front of me I'd kill em." House growled drunkenly. Wilson thought about telling House to shut up and that he didn't mean what he said because he was drunk. Instead he just laid back and closed his eyes, hoping that House was drunk enough to forget the entire story Wilson had told earlier that day along with threatening to beat up a man that had bumped into Wilson in the bar.