A/N So, this is another conversation between House and Grace. I tried to be a little funny here... Whatever. NJOY

Sleepless

It was late in the evening when Grace decided to have a walk through the hospital. She could not fall asleep because she spent nearly the whole day sleeping and was still bored to death. Her headache was gone for a while and she felt better so she hoped to get something to read from somewhere. She just did not know where to look. That was why she ended up walking up and down the hallways all by herself.

"Shouldn't you be somewhere else right now, Kid ?" a rough voice shook her out of her thoughts. She looked up and saw House standing a couple of steps away from her.

She can't sleep. Who wonders ? I couldn't sleep here either.

"Meaning that disgusting and depressing room that has 'You're dying' written on its discouraging white walls ?" she answered sarcastically.

That's exactly why I couldn't sleep here.

"I guess so."

"I can't sleep and I'm bored. I've got nothing to do. For me, being here is nothing more than a waste of my very precious time." She said.

I wonder if you know that you've got only three or four months left to live. We could maybe help and you can't think of anything else than leave as soon as possible ? You're right, we can't help you. Maybe Cameron's right and that's why I want to spend time with you because I can't do anything to cure you. You really make me feel useless, Kid.

"What about you ? Why are you still here ? It's pretty late." She wanted to know.

Hmmm. Good question.

"Can't sleep either."

Nobody's home waiting for me. It doesn't matter where I am. Where is the difference between being here and being at home ? There is none, except maybe that one's never alone here. Not really.

As she looked into his eyes, she could see hundreds of thoughts running through his mind. He sympathized with her. It was a feeling he did not really know but he really started to care about Grace Dawson. She was the kind of patient he liked to work with. She was not some emotional wreck who was lost in self-pity all day long. She was one of the people that he would have liked to save but still, she would die and he could not change it. It was ironic that he had so many lives that he had not cared about, and now, he really started to open up to somebody and that somebody was the one he could not help. He felt the emotion coming up and he desperately tried to hide it. Any other person would have gone for it. But somehow Grace seemed to know exactly what was going on with him. He needed to tell her the truth although it was not easy. In fact, it was way harder than he had ever thought.

That's exactly the reason why I don't like to get in touch with the patients. Too many of them die and that makes me feel helpless somehow. Gee ! I start getting' sentimental ! I don't like to tell her this but I have to. Dammit, she's cool. Why can't I help her ?

"It's less than a year." He said in a soft tone. Grace gave him a questioning look.

"You've got less that a year to live." He explained.

"How much less ?" she asked with a now trembling voice.

"If the tumour keeps growing like this… I'd say three months, maybe four." She had to swallow and take a deep breath to calm herself down. A rush of emotions were now running through her head.

Should I really have said that ? I didn't mean to upset her. Rewind… What did I just think ?

"That means I'll have to hurry up with planning my funeral. Found any good song yet ?" She tried to be funny. But she actually felt horrible by hearing the bad news. She had not expected it. One year sounded like it was a long time. But four months - that was too damn short.

See, that's what I like about her. No tears, no screaming, no self-pitying. Good girl. Oh no, don't do this again. Sad look is coming. I have to leave.

"Whatever. I have work to do." He mentioned and was about to leave her alone. He could not stand her company. She was ripping his covers apart and he could not do anything to avoid it, except leaving her.

"Scared ?" she suddenly asked. House turned around and looked at her kind of confused.

Are you kidding me ? I'm not scared. Not of you. What the bloody hell is there to be scared of ?Maybe there's something… I knew I shouldn't befriend with patients.

"Of what ? You ? Definitely not. You're not the first person I'm bringing bad news to."

Haha. There you go. I'm stronger than you think.

"No. Yourself. You just started to like me and it somehow touches you that I will die so soon." She told him. Now he could not resist any longer. There was definitely something wrong with this kid and would find out why she made him feel so uncomfortable. But he would surely not show her his interest.

She might be right about that. How does she know what I feel before I even realized it myself ? I have to find out. For cryin' out loud, I'm too damn curious. I shouldn't be.

"Very self-confident, huh ? First of all, I don't like you at all. Secondly, this is a hospital, people die here every day. You're nothing special. I just happen to have a good day. But I'm interested.

"I know."

I definitely should get drunk with her. Could be fun.

"So, would you like to get drunk, Kid ?" he offered to her surprise.

"I'd love to. And a walk outside would be cool…. Well, we can also just sit somewhere…" she corrected herself, when she remembered his damaged leg. "I like autumn nights. And I really could use some fresh air." She said and followed him to his office.

"You're lucky that I don't give a shit about your health, otherwise I definitely wouldn't agree to this." He muttered.

"It was your idea. By the way, where's the rest of my personal stuff ? I'm missing some things…"she asked as they were walking slowly to his office.

Personal things. Ha ! Drug addict.

"Meaning the drugs you had with you that night ?" he came out with it right away.

"Oh gee… Drugs. That sounds so bad and illegal although to me it's nothing more than a stronger kind of aspirin." She returned grinning.

"You compare 10 grams of marihuana to aspirin ? Aspirin could never get you to jail, sweetie." He stated sarcastically.

"Do you really believe the cops would imprison me after I told them that I have only a few months left to live ? It happened several times that I got caught but they let me go after they figured that I was telling them the truth. It's true, even the cops have hearts. And anyway, d'you really think the crap you give me to take away the pain is better ?"

No, I don't.

"As your doctor I must tell you that smoking can cause an early and painful death." Grace took a look at his face and started to laugh out loudly.

I can be so funny.

"That's the advantage of it all. You can do drugs and alcohol and whatever you want without being afraid of the consequences. You don't care about lung cancer because you've already got cancer in your brain that will play the early-death part. And anyways, I think you should be the last one to teach me 'say no to drugs'." She said.

How does she know about the Vicodin ?

"I get the Vicodin legally on a recipe." He defended himself.

This'll do.

"Oh no, you're not fooling me. I don't think that it's legal to eat more than a dozen of these pills every day. You are an addict." She argued. "You should try the marihuana-thing. It's a natural stuff without all the chemistry in the Vicodin. No side effects at all. Pain's gone, you're completely high but it just feels good. Believe me, it makes the lousy days bearable."

I might be able to fool myself but not her. Huh, scary. Still like her.

"I can't give you drugs. But I could offer some whisky. Done ?"

"Done." She answered as he took a bottle of whiskey out of his office.

TBC...