House gets home later that day and he feels empty. He tries not to think about what would have happened if he hadn't argued with his friend. He and Wilson would probably be spending the evening together watching some stupid movie, but anyways... Wilson wouldn't have to end like this (let alone where exactly he is).
He snaps shut the bottle of Vicodin and lets it fall onto the floor. No TV tonight, but he just isn't sure if he can sleep at all.
Steve welcomes him with a squeak. "Good boy, here you are." House gives him his food and water and he doesn't remember being so kind to his rat. Something is wrong. Deep down he feels it.
The next morning he sits absently in his office, but he isn't listening to Cameron and Foreman argue about some medication in the next room. They have no patient now and it makes everything even worse.
House stands up from his comfortable recliner. With no idea what to do he goes into Cuddy's office, and he realizes he's been there quite a lot lately.
"No news?" He asks from the door, hope in his eyes.
"House, I know you're worried, I get it and guess what, I'm worried too. But you can't just come over here every five minutes asking for news. I have work to do." She is a little bit annoyed, but she looks at him understandingly.
"I'm not worried...I just...," he doesn't know what to say. Is he really over there every five minutes? Probably not, but still...
"House, you are friends. It's natural to be worried, is it so hard for you to admit this to yourself?" She's not angry anymore and her voice is soft.
House's looking at the floor, memorizing one favorite spot. He speaks again after a while. "Just give me work or I'm going to go crazy."
"Well, there's always a lot of clinic work to do." Cuddy says it only to lighten the situation, but she has to stare at him with an open mouth when he turns around and goes in the direction of the clinic without a word. She runs out of the door, stopping him in the middle of the corridor.
"Is it really so hard for you to admit that you care about him?" Her hand is on his shoulder faster than she can stop it.
He looks at her with a serious face. "I already did." And without any more explanation he leaves her standing there, confused.
After killing time, House is done in the clinic. It didn't help to be there either. He still has to think about Wilson. He is heading towards his office when Cuddy meets him in the hall. It makes him stop and he gives her his attention.
"The police called."
He looks at her with a hopeful glare. "And?"
She shakes her head. "They don't have anything, it's too early." House lets his head fall down slowly, sighs, and turns to leave.
"I'm sorry." Cuddy calls behind him, but even she is touched by the fact that one of her best employees, one of her friends is gone and that there's no evidence leading to him so far.
She takes a deep breath and continues back towards her office. There is another person who wants to know the news, even the bad ones, and Cuddy is not looking forward to her next conversation with Mrs. Peggy Wilson.
The third morning Wilson wakes up again in the awful room. Still, it takes a few minutes for him before he's able to say where he is after awakening.
The other man, Barry, Wilson remembers, is still sleeping on the floor. He refused to take the bed and Wilson didn't complain. Complaining can lead only to trouble; he knows that already.
The water is gone. The small bottle for both of them wasn't really much, but who cares about dehydrating when you have only a few hours to live? No more food yesterday. Big boss has evidently decided that they have had enough.
Wilson realizes he's started to stink. No wonder after three days of being stuck in a messy small room with a cold floor, but hot and not very fresh air. Life sucks.
Barry stirs and opens his eyes just a minute before the door opens and there is Gorilla standing in the entrance. Again with the mask covering his face. Wilson doesn't even have time to say goodbye to the other man. Barry is just dragged out of the room and Wilson is alone, again.
He hears the voices complaining and shouting. He hears Barry yelling 'I don't have your money anymore!' And then he hears a crash and a scared scream. The gun fires two more times and then there is a silence, at least for Wilson. He scrambles to the corner, his corner, where he was before. He drags his knees close to his body and then he's shivering and maybe crying. He doesn't feel the pain in his wrist anymore. He just hears Barry's scream and the following silence in his head. Again and again.
tbc...
I'm looking forward to your reviews! Thank you for reading.