Hi guys!
Sorry, I'm once again a bit late with the update, but I promise that next chapter will come before the end of this week!
House is still determined to find out what's going on with Wilson and decided to ask Cuddy to help him with the issue. She agrees to talk to the oncologist, but only to be sure that he is OK. But Wilson's conversation with the Dean brings him to a unexpected conclusion, together with a brief conversation he has with Sophia right before. How is he going to deal with his new doubt?
Thanks to everybody for reading, and especially to sofi10 and the guest who keep reviewing! I really enjoy and appreciate your comments! ^^
Please let me know what you think about the chapter!
Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own nothing apart from the plot and the original characters. House - M.D. belongs to its rightful owners!
Note: Eventual slash (House/Wilson), don't like, don't read please!
Chapter 7 – Reasons and doubts
Cuddy was busy reading some files about the latest donation she had managed to get for the hospital. It had taken her a month and five boring dinners with the donor to get that money and she was quite proud of herself. Even if she hadn't appreciated at all the advances she had had to bear. She signed the papers and put them aside, grabbing another folder. Now it was the time to find a solution for that problem in radiology. But before she could open the envelope the door of her office shot opened without warning and a too familiar pace hit the floor.
"House, I'm busy. If you are here to annoy me, go away or I'll double your Clinic hours. If you want to subject one of your patients to an illegal and dangerous treatment, the answer is no" she stated without lifting her eyes from the documents. "I have no time for your games right now. Go back to play with your puzzles."
"Wilson is acting weird since yesterday" House claimed sitting on a chair in front of her. "I want to know why."
Cuddy shot him a glance, putting down the sheets. "Maybe he is just stressed. He has just lost another patient and one of his kids is not doing well. Leave him alone. Or maybe he is still upset because of your last awful joke. He was the one who felt more betrayed that time. And nobody can blame him. He thought his best friend was going to die of brain cancer" she said a bit harshly. "He acted normal with me when he came in my office half an hour ago. So it must have something to do with you."
"He has forgiven me like everybody else, I'm quite sure. Maybe the atmosphere between us is still a little tensed but we are OK" he reassured sounding confident. "Or, at least, we were before he talked to that idiot."
"Which idiot? You are surrounded by them if we listen to you."
"My second patient. He wanted to talk with Wilson yesterday. He must have told or done something to him because when we got home he was quite in a fool mood". House's face turned deadly serious. "Jimmy yelled at me for no reason yesterday night. And then he left without giving me the time to say anything."
The woman raised an eyebrow. "Let me guess. You got bored while waiting for the tests results and decided to come here and trying to make me worried about Wilson" she snorted shaking her head. "Sorry, I'm not buying it. He is fine and you had Clinic duty. Now get out."
"But…Our sweet Wilson yelling! How can you not be at least a little distressed? He never yells, not even at me!" the diagnostician insisted. "Something is wrong! You can't deny it."
The Dean of Medicine kept quiet for a moment. She knew she was probably playing into the hands of her employee but she couldn't deny that the image of Wilson freaking out wasn't something she had seen often. Especially if there was no apparent reason. There was always the chance that House was lying about the oncologist's motives but she couldn't afford to have the two head physician starting some kind of stupid war. Because she was sure that the diagnostician wouldn't have given up until he got to know what was going on. Besides Wilson was a good friend of her and she had the right to worry about his mental health.
"I know you're playing with me so let's be frank. Everything I do is for Wilson's good, not for you" she surrounded at the end. "What do you want me to do?"
"Talk with him. You are quite good at that, aren't you? You know which buttons are to be pushed. Besides Wilson usually trusts you and tells you things" the older man said, satisfied. "I'll hide in the bathroom and listen!"
"No way I let you eavesdrop! I'll listen to what he has to say and then I'll decide if I can tell you or not!" she opposed firmly. "I'm doing it for Wilson, I told you already. If I can fix the problem without needing your intrusion I'm not letting you know what's going on. No discussion on this point."
"That's not fair! He is my best friend! I have the right to know what's wrong with him!"
"No, you don't. You lost that right years ago. And, if you really acted as his best friend, you would be investigating because you are worried about him and not to satisfy your curiosity. Now get out. I'm calling him in and I don't want him to find you here or he won't say a thing even to me". Cuddy pointed the door. "Quick, House. You have patients waiting for you."
"It's not over!" he warned her shooting her a nasty look, but got up and exited.
The woman sighed tiredly and grabbed the phone. It hadn't been that hard after all. And she didn't know if she had to worry about that. She had the feeling that House would find a way to interfere. He always did after all. He only had to hope that his intrusion wouldn't make things more complicated.
"Sylvia? May I ask you a favour?" she spoke in the receiver. "Can you tell Dr. Wilson to come to my office as soon as it is possible? I need to talk with him. It's important but not urgent, so if he has work I can wait. Yeah, sure. Thanks."
She put the phone down and turned her attention back to the report. It had better not to be anything really serious and especially not House-related or the diagnostician would have found himself drowned by Clinic hours for the rest of his life.
xxx
A gentle knock made Wilson distract his attention from the paperwork he was doing. He looked at the clock a little surprised. His next patient wasn't arriving before a hour and he was sure he wasn't waiting anybody else. "Come in" he said.
Sophia's head appeared from behind the door. "James? Are you busy?" she asked shyly. "I asked if we could talk earlier this morning, do you remember? Is it a good moment now?"
The oncologist sighed putting is pen down but nodded, gesturing her to enter. He had been tempted for a moment to tell her he had no time but he knew that postponing the problem wasn't a solution. He watched his friend sitting in a chair in front of him and playing quietly with her hair. "So, Sophia. How did your emergency went?"
"Quite well. I spent four hours in the operating theatre but we managed to save the patients" the intensivist answered forcing a smile. "It was a really bad accident. One of the cars had fallen in a river. It's a miracle that nobody had died!"
"I'm glad to hear that" he offered politely. "Come on, talk. I'm listening."
She cleared her throat. "First of all, I'm sorry. I've been a jerk. I should have warned you before doing anything with Gre…House. He is your best friend and you two had a fight. I have been selfish. He caught my interest since the first glance and I jumped on the first occasion I got with him. I should have thought about the consequences for you" she told in a low voice. "But I want you to know that I didn't go to his place and just had sex with him. He called me saying you had freaked out and he needed to understand why. He was convinced I knew the reason even if I tried to convince him I had no idea". She shrugged. "I went there and we talked. Not about you actually, just about everything and nothing. Gregory is one of the most charming men I have ever met. Even if I think he acted like I was one of his call girls. But I don't want to bore you with the full account of our encounter. We ended up in bed and after the act he suddenly said something about your fighting. Just a sort of curse. I took the chance and got him to explain me what had happened. He had been really reluctant, but luckily you men are always more tractable after sex". She ignored the vexed face that Wilson made at her last sentence. "He told me about it and your conversation with his patient's best friend. I listen to him and then I tried to make him talked about you in general terms."
"Why would you do such a thing? Did you succeed?" James asked sceptical and a bit confused. He wasn't sure he wanted to know where Sophia was trying to arrive.
"You know why, don't play dumb with me, James Wilson" she warned crossing her arm shooting him the same glance she had gave him the day before when she had met House. "Anyway, yes, I made him talk about you. I had to force him step by step but I gather some nice information about the history of your relationship. He told me the most embarrassing things about you obviously, but I also got some serious comments hither and yon."
"I find it difficult to believe you" the oncologist commented raising an eyebrow. Then he sighed again. "Listen, Sophia. I'm not mad at you. I'm glad you have come and apologised. I was quite shocked when I found you at House's, and quite upset too, but I'm fine with it. I'm glad to know he was somehow moved by our fight even if not as much as I was. Thanks for coming to talk to me."
"But…Don't you want to know what Gregory told me?" she asked a bit surprised. "It's…"
"I don't want to know. Firstly, because I know what you were looking for and your point of view is not objective. Secondly, because you can never know when House is sincere and when he is lying" he interrupted. "Quit it. There's no need to talk about it. And I'm sure it is nothing that I don't already know. And if it is, I don't want to know."
Before the young woman could protest the office phone started to ring. Wilson picked up and spent a minute talking to the receiver before hanging up again.
"I have to go, Cuddy wants to see me" he explained turning his attention back to his friend. "What about having dinner together tonight? At seven?"
"Sounds good. Do you mind if I may bring a date? I promise I will be good and I won't talk about Greg" she gave up standing.
"A female date, I guess. Yeah, I don't mind."
"Thanks! And, James…Let me just tell you a thing. He cares a lot about you, even if he always acts as he doesn't. He may lie to you, put you in trouble, steal you money and food, hurt you. But he really cares."
Wilson fixed his brown eyes in her green ones. "I know" he simply said, knowing she wasn't finished. "I'm his best and only friend."
"Yeah. And I'm starting to understand why you love him so much in spite of everything". She reached the door and gave him a knowing smile. "Don't make the great boss angry! See you tonight. Usual place. Bye, James!"
Wilson watched her leaving before getting up in turn. The simplicity of her last statement had surprised him. He was expecting something more provocative or cryptic, but she had just pointed out a fact even if her smiled had made him considering carefully her words for a moment. He decided that it was better not to investigate further and left his office wondering instead why Cuddy wanted to see him again. He smelt a rat.
xxx
Wilson found the Dean of Medicine sat at her desk, completely absorbed in her documents. He knocked lightly on the open glass door to gain her attention and stepped inside.
"Did you want to see me, Lisa?" he asked politely.
"Oh, James. Please, close the door and sit down" she exclaimed, pointing the chair in front of her. She waited for him to comply and then resumed the talking. "It's not about work. It's personal. I want to talk you as a friend right now."
"Uh, OK?" he said giving her a questioning and confused look.
"James, are you OK?" she asked softly. "I've noticed you have been acting a little weird this morning. You look distracted, distant. Is there something bothering you? Is it a bad periods with you patients?"
"Not more than the usual. I've lost a patient two days ago and it caught me off guard, but I'm fine now. It's nothing I can't manage" he answered, trying to read her expression. She didn't seem so worried when they had met only half an hour before. "I'm my usual self, Lisa."
"Are you sure? Isn't there something you want to tell me?" she pressed. "I could help if something has happened. Even if it's a personal matter and it don't concern the hospital."
Awareness hit him at her last words. "House came and told you about our fight" he stated with a sigh. "He's only playing with you. I apologised to him, Lisa. We are OK, we're not fighting anymore. He teased me a time too much yesterday and I got annoyed. That's it. It's our routine. He just wants attention."
"I know he is just playing his little games. I told him I wasn't going to help him" she nodded calmly. "This is not about House. I called you because I'm concerned about you. It's not in your normal routine to freak out, James, not even with your crazy best friend."
The oncologist started to feel uneasy. "I had a long day. I worked with House's team yesterday. I was tired. Something unexpected happened and it had unsettled me more than it should have. That's it. I'm fine now."
Cuddy's gaze was intensely fixed on him. "Is this "something" concerning House?"
"No. Yes. Ugh…I don't know actually" he stuttered. "Not quite. But I'm starting to think it has since I had freaked out with him."
"You aren't going to tell me what had happened, are you?" the woman sighed.
James paused for a moment, considering how much he could confess. "If you promised you won't get mad, I'll tell you part of the story" he said in the end. He waited for her to nod before resuming the talking. "I can't tell you what happened yesterday at the hospital. It's about House's second patient and he made me swear I wasn't telling anyone. Anyway this thing had left me distressed as I told you. I went home with House to spend the night at his place and he kept on teasing me the whole time. After dinner, out of the blue, I couldn't take it anymore and yelled at him to leave me alone. Then I actually left him. This morning I went to his apartment because he wasn't answering his phone. I thought he might have overdosed again. Instead he was with…a woman."
"Wait, what?" Cuddy almost shouted, shocked. "He ignored our calls because he was with a prostitute? He is getting hundreds of hours in the Clinic!"
"Lisa, you promised not to get angry. Please, let me finish" Wilson reminded her, trying to calm her down. "He wasn't with a prostitute, but with a friend of mine. I'm not telling you who she is, so don't ask."
"Don't worry, I don't want to know. Now I get why you are upset with him" she snorted indignantly. "He was completely tactless! And he dares to wonder what's wrong between you two…He is unbelievable."
"I told him that. But he is obsessed with wanting to know why I freaked out."
"So he wants to know that something you don't want to tell". The Dean of Medicine sighed, shaking her head and fixing a black lock. "He is not going to give up and you know that better than me. Can you manage to bear him until he finds something else to focus on?"
"I think I can" the oncologist nodded. "He is just…House. Nothing really new."
"Yeah, just House" she laughed. "You really must be a saint or madly in love with him to tolerate all he puts you through."
Wilson eyes widened at the joke. I'm starting to understand why you love him so much in spite of everything. Now he could see what Sophia had meant with her comment. He should have imagined that she wasn't referring to friendship with the word "love". But what was bothering him was that both the intensivist and Cuddy had said the same thing, even if using completely different tones. Whatever happened he was stuck by House's side willingly. The man made him go crazy, hurt him, made him sad, upset, wanting to kill him and sometimes even himself. House was a mess, he brought misery wherever he went, pain to whoever he met. He tried to destroy everything that had a bright side because he was drowned in darkness.
But, at the same time, he was also the one who could always find the right even if harsh words to keep James from loosing himself in desperation, the one who made him laugh, made him do things he had never imagine to do, made him break rules and boundaries, making him understand that they weren't so important at times. House was the one who could show him how reality was without filters and the only one with who he could really be himself without feeling the need of putting on his everyday masks. And Wilson was fatally drawn towards him because he couldn't live without that shiver, without the taste of forbidden. Sophia was right, his best friend was charming, in a dangerous but far too exciting and addictive way.
He had grown more and more protective towards House during the years they spent together and he had made a silent vow to stick at his side, no matter how many times he was hurt, chased away and betrayed. He had come to realise that their bond was the only true one he had ever manage to build, in spite of all his efforts. He was ready to give everything for that screwed up friendship that they had and he wasn't letting go. Never ever. He needed that shiver as much as the diagnostician needed that stuttering stability the oncologist could offer him. Could it be that those feelings of closeness and intimacy had grown so much that they had gone beyond the limits of friendship? Could he have fallen for that egocentric but far too charming and brilliant bastard without noticing?
"James? Is something wrong?". Cuddy worried tone brought him back to reality. She surely had noticed the shocked expression that had appeared on his face as soon as the doubt had invaded his mind.
"N-No. I'm OK, Lisa" he managed to say, desperately fighting to calm his inner turmoil. "I…I was just…thinking". He forced a smile. "Well, if we are done I'd rather to get back to my office. I have to see a patient."
"Oh, sure!" she nodded smiling in turn. "If you need to talk you know where I am!"
"Thanks, Lisa. It means a lot to me."
She patted his arm sympathetically and he turned to leave. But he had just put his hand on the doorknob when the door of the private bathroom shot opened and a voice exclaimed: "Wait! You had to make him confessed what had happened! He can't leave like that!"
The other two watched House entering quickly in the room and pushing James away from the door. Cuddy's face went red with indignation and incredulity while the oncologist felt himself start panicking. What the hell was the diagnostician doing there?!
"House!" the Dean of Medicine shouted. She couldn't believe he had hidden in her bathroom for real. She had gone out only once and for few minutes to get some documents. She was furious. "How did you dare? I told you to leave him alone!"
"And I told you I wasn't going to do that! I needed to know!" he talked back. "But you haven't done what you were supposed to do!"
"I wanted to make sure he was fine, not to discover what he is hiding! I'm not tactless and completely selfish unlike you!"
House growled at her and then turned towards Wilson who was standing motionless next to him. "Come on, spit it out, Jimmy! What has happened between you and that idiot?"
The other man stared at him looking lost. He could feel those piercing blue eyes fixed on him and he was afraid they could read what was going on inside his thoughts. "None…None of your business, House!" he managed to exclaimed after a while, his voice almost shaking. He needed to get out from that room to clear his mind. And there was no way he could do that having House a hair's breadth away from him.
"That's not an answer, Wilson" House pressed, studying his best friend curiously. Wilson was clearly avoiding his gaze, distressed, as if he was afraid he could notice something he didn't want him to know. He had seen him so agitated only few times, but never as shocked as he was in that moment. "You can't hide forever. I'll find out eventually, so you'd better confess it!"
"I…" the oncologist started, looking for an escape. "I have to go!". And he pushed the older man, freeing the door and literally running away.
House and Cuddy got out of the office in turn and watched him bumping into a nurse who was carrying a pile of files that crashed on the floor. He didn't stop to help her as he would usually do but just shout a quick "Sorry!" before throwing himself in the elevator and disappearing from the hall, leaving everybody completely astonished.
The Dean of Medicine turned towards the diagnostician, too dumbfounded to stay angry at him. "What the hell have you done to him?" she asked.
"I don't know, but I enjoyed it" he smirked amused. What an interesting reaction. Now he was even more determined to discover what had happened to the oncologist.
The woman understood immediately what he was thinking and gave him a little shove. "House. Clinic. Now" she ordered pushing him towards the front desk. "You have a lot of hours to catch up! And don't you dare to call Wilson for a consult!"
"But Mom!" he whined unhappily, but the grin didn't leave his face. "I'll be bored without my favourite playmate!"
"Well, you have to survive without him for now. Have fun!" she stated and gave him a folder. She turned towards the waiting patients. "Simon Tucker! Room five with Dr. House."
The diagnostician made an exasperated face as he saw a middle age man coming towards him. Considering the embarrassed expression on his face he clearly suffered from some rash that had appeared in some inconvenient place. He shot a deadly glare to Cuddy who ignored him and got back in her office, leaving him alone with the patient.
"Can we go, doctor?" the latter asked. "I think my problem is quite an urgent."
"Oh, I'm looking forward to see the rash on your fat butt!" House mumbled aloud rolling his eyes.
"How do you know it's a rash?! Can you see the future or something?" the man exclaimed surprised looking at him as if he was an alien. "But it's not on my butt actually. And it's not the only symptom I'm afraid. Can we go?"
"You are kidding, aren't you? About the place where the rash is, I mean" he sighed. The universe really hated him. "And, just for the record, all that paranormal stuff you are used to see in your dear science-fiction films doesn't exist in our reality. No people with strange powers or aliens here. Just problems and science. Got it?"
The poor man could do nothing but nodding. He was already starting to wonder if coming to the hospital had been a good idea.
House caught his expression and gave him an obviously fake smile. "Don't worry, not all the doctors are like me. You have just been enough unlucky and have found the bastard one in a bad mood" he mocked sarcastically. "Try again. Maybe next time you'll get the gentle and caring one". He pushed the man inside the room. "Let's make this quick. I have to take care of more interesting things!"
