Second Opinions
Chapter 9: Opening Up
Izzie strode across the parking lot to Joe's to meet Dr. Wilson… James. She'd be lying if she said there wasn't something about him that wasn't appealing. He was like her. He understood her pain. They sat down at the bar and ordered. Wilson turned to her.
"I hear you haven't been back at the hospital very long." Wilson opened, shooting her a sidelong glance.
She toyed with her glass. "Not since Denny…My fiancé, died. I've only been back about two weeks." She replied dully.
He nodded. "I'm sorry about House. Sometimes he just sort of goes off half cocked. Check that, he goes off half cocked all the time." He apologized.
"It's OK. I've taken plenty of shots already for being the doctor who broke the rules and fell for a patient." She told him, her voice soft and weary.
"It's not OK. And they shouldn't take shots at you. You fell in love. Love doesn't know jobs or faces or rules. Love is an emotion. Love is a feeling. One you really can't stop. It's a train. Get in its way and it'll run you down." Wilson told her, his voice low and quiet, his eyes staring off into the distance.
For the first time in a long time, Izzie started to relax. "Wise words. Been married before?" She asked, hoping to lighten the mood of the conversation.
"3 times." He said with a chuckle as he swallowed a drink of his wine.
She smiled. "So either very wise or very stupid." She assessed, offering him a small smile.
He glanced over at her. She wasn't just a dumb blonde. Not that he'd ever thought she was but he was glad to see she was more observant than people seemed to give her credit for.
He arched an eye brow at her. "Touche. A little bit of both I suppose. I've had… fidelity problems." He muttered, not enjoying rehashing his past.
"Your fidelity or hers?" Izzie questioned as she took another drink.
"Both, but mostly mine. More than once." He said with a sigh and a slight chuckle.
"How did you do it? Didn't you feel bad for hurting them?" She asked. He glanced over at her. She was being genuine.
"Izzie, you can live with anything if you don't think about it too much." He replied, his words full of the knowledge he'd only received because of experience.
"I guess I can understand that. Love makes you do crazy things I guess." She said, her voice quiet and full of understanding.
"It's not always love. Sometimes it's just because they're there… You know how it is in hospitals. It's always easier to fall for and be with people you work with. You're constantly around them, forever seeing them. It's almost difficult not to fall for the people you work with." He explained.
"Is that why your marriages failed? Too easy to fall for someone at work?" Izzie asked.
He smiled. "I wish I could say it was as simple as that. I could've been a better husband, I didn't have to cheat. I suppose deep down I knew I didn't care enough. On some level, I knew my marriages weren't going to last." He explained.
"Kind of pessimistic, don't you think?" She questioned as she tipped a bit more wine into her mouth.
"Reality. It'll do that to you if you aren't careful. I know it doesn't feel like it now, but this situation, it'll help you in the end. It teaches you." He told her as he got another glass of wine.
"Well right now, all it does is hurt." She shot back, her voice soft.
"It's going to. But you'll be better for it. Now you know that no matter how much you love someone, they can always be taken away from you." He reasoned.
"Talk about learning things the hard way." She replied, playing with her finger nails.
"Talk to House. He knows all about learning things the hard way." Wilson deadpanned.
"Him? What's his deal anyways?" She asked, cocking her head to the side.
"He was hurt. A long time ago. He was, in his mind, betrayed by the woman he loved. That betrayal was what led to his needing the cane. And now, he trusts hardly anyone, figures it's easier to keep out everyone than trust just one person." He explained.
"I don't know. Seems like he's close to Dr. Cameron." She mused, sipping her wine.
"Cameron… That's nothing if not complicated. She's the first woman he's even considered trusting, in over 5 years. He's in a constant struggle with himself as to his feelings for her and if he should trust her or not. We don't talk about that with either of them. They'll never get anywhere near a relationship if people are hounding them about it." Wilson explained.
"Sounds like you guys have plenty of relationship problems in your own hospital though." He continued.
She smiled in spite of herself. "Like you said, it's too easy to fall for the people you work with, especially in a hospital setting. Especially when you're dealing with interns." She told him.
She was quiet for a long moment. He knew it was hard for her. She was putting up a brave front. "I just feel trapped sometimes. My service, the hospital, even Seattle itself, I feel like it's one huge trap." She muttered.
Wilson took this in. He could see how she'd feel like that. "Your friends are here. Don't you have family here?" He asked.
She shook her head. "I have my friends, but they're interns, so they're busy. They're busy with their own lives. And the only family I have is my mother and we don't speak much." She explained softly.
An idea was forming in his mind. Should I broach it? Is it worth it? Will she even take the offer seriously?
He cleared his throat and took a drink of his wine. "What would you say to finishing your internship at PPTH?" He asked.
REVIEW
