Chapter 10 – The Surgery/The Drive

House wasn't sure how long he'd sat there. He didn't feel like moving, he popped another ibuprofen but he wasn't sure why, habit maybe. The damn things didn't touch the pain in his leg. He rubbed his hand up and down his damaged thigh. The thought of the stashed Vicodin in his apartment came to mind. He craved it. Finally he looked up at the clock, the surgery would be in a half an hour or so. He wouldn't be there, couldn't be there.

Maya was hungry but stopping for food wasn't really an option, as she came to a light she reached into her pocket for the energy bar she had stashed there. She took a generous bite and thought about her almost relationship and how she had been looking forward to something happening there and then thought to Greg's monolog on her voice mail. She was certain that she didn't want things to end that way, didn't even realize that her lack of response to his messages would get them to this point. She wondered about his friend and his liver donation. She thought about how distraught Greg seemed over it. She knew that his friends were precious few and from those that he did have…. Well… what kind of friends were they when they sent him on several hour wild goose chases on a holiday? The light changed just as she took another generous bite from her energy bar and she quickly stuffed the remainder back in her pocket and took off.

Chase had poured a cup of coffee in the conference room and saw House through the glass, sitting at his desk rubbing his bad leg. He walked through and sat. "Bad pain day?"

"Bad hair day?" replied House.

"Wha.." Chase began to pat his hair. "No, my hair is fine."

House smirked at Chase's reaction and vanity about his hair.

"So…"

House looked up in anticipation of Chase's next words. "So?"

"The rumor mill is buzzing like a beehive about Wilson."

"Yeah?"

"He's about to go into surgery you know."

"I know."

"I kinda thought you'd be there."

"He asked me to."

"Then what are you still doing here?"

"I said no."

"Look, I know it's stupid. I think he knows it's stupid. But he's your best friend, and he…"

House bit off Chase's words. He stood up and interjected. "Come on then, lecture me while we walk."

"Mind if I sit in too? Not often I get to sit in and not be hands on."

"Suit yourself," was House's reply as the two of them walked toward the deck overlooking the operating room.

House walked right up to the glass and looked down as Wilson was being put under. As Wilson started to fade the last thing he saw was his friend's face looking down at him and he drifted off peacefully to a dreamless slumber.

House stood there and watched the surgery, mindful of Chase close by. The guy didn't really want to watch. He was trying to be a friend. House wasn't really sure why, he'd just punched him a couple of weeks ago. Still, House respected him more, he'd come a long way since the Vogler thing several years back. House actually kind of liked him. He wasn't being all talkative and bullshitty either, he was just there, House liked that.

Maya was only about a half hour away now but the nausea creeping up on her would no longer be ignored. She pulled over and parked the bike on the side of the road and was barely able to dismount before the bile rose up in her throat. She gagged a few times as the remnants of the energy bar landed on the ground. Too much stress, she'd let the last week really take a toll. She took the other part of the energy bar out of her pocket, looked at it, shivered and threw it to the ground. She went back to the bike, found a bottle of water, swigged a bit, swished and spit. Then she took a mild sip and swallowed, the cool water felt good.

The weather was bad, she had no business being out on the bike in this kind of weather but she had sold her car in the spring and hadn't bought another yet. And the bike was fast, she needed fast right now. Her leathers were keeping her warm, she needed warm right now. She looked like she'd just stepped from a magazine in her cream colored jacket and chaps. Fortunately the roads weren't icy, she wasn't sure what it might be like on the return trip, but perhaps it was time to look for a new car. She got back on the bike (remembering her last long trip on it with Greg, how she'd practically been sitting on his lap the whole way) to travel the last little bit of her trip. She couldn't help the smile that tugged at her lips as she remembered how sexually charged the bike riding had been with the vibration of her tiny ass against his jean clad crotch. She certainly hoped that she'd be able to set things right again when she arrived at Princeton Plainsboro.

As the surgery finished up House stepped back and sat against the back of the observation booth next to Chase. His leg was now much more painful after standing there watching his friend give part of himself away to some creep. Chase said nothing for a few moments. Then after they had closed Wilson up, House stood to leave while Chase watched the transplant. Of course House didn't care about Tucker but Chase was sure that Wilson would want to know right away about the other man's surgery.

House stepped out into the hall. He rested his left hand against the wall in front of him, rested his cane on that arm and used his right to massage is thigh. As he looked to the right down the hall he could see a nurse pointing his way. She was speaking to a very small person who seemed to be running his direction. As she got a bit closer he could see the long black plait swinging behind her and the sexy leather outfit and instantly knew it was Maya. What the hell was she doing here? Had she drove straight here after his call? And if so, what did that mean?

He didn't have time to ponder the answers to his questions as she stopped just short of plowing into him. He looked down at her tiny frame and saw the large crystal blue eyes looking up at him. They looked almost pleading. Although she seemed unsure of what to say.

She bit her bottom lip for a split second then plunged ahead with, "How's Wilson?"

"I don't know, his part of the surgery is just finished, he won't wake up for a while. But it went fine."

She looked suddenly worried, cupped her hand over her mouth and looked away. She uncovered her mouth just long enough to ask, "Where's the restroom?"

He pointed down the hall to the right and she began to run. 'Damn, this would be an awful time to come down with something,' she thought. When she finally walked out of the ladies' room Greg was standing against the opposite wall. His leg was bent with his foot on the wall, he was looking down and held his cane upside down with the tip against the wall by his head. As he heard her he lowed both his cane and his foot to the floor and raised his eyes, not much however, he didn't need to raise them much to look down at her pale face.

"What are you doing here?" He asked with genuine interest.

She looked at him once again with a pleading look. "Greg… I wanted to be here with you. I'm sorry. I've been avoiding you. But not for the reason you obviously think." She looked up then, into his eyes. She used them to convey her sincerity, and he seemed to see that even if it was only what he wanted to see. "You're such a distraction for me… I couldn't stay concentrated on school. I was afraid of failing my exams if I kept thinking about you all the time… Please Greg, I came as soon as I got your message. Please forgive me."

House couldn't help but feel awkward after the idiotic message he'd left. Rarely had anyone deduced him to sounding like a desperate teen. He wordlessly just gave a short nod of his head.

The relief that washed over her small features was testament to the worry she'd felt on her drive over. Some color began to wash back in to her pale face. He smiled down at her, just a small smile. She immediately smiled back.