Chapter 14:
Wilson walked in to the hospital, ignoring all the looks curious he got from the other doctors, and headed straight for his office where he placed his things and went to grab a cup of coffee before his first appointment. He smiled after he walked into the diagnostics department and found that House was the only one there; the ducklings hadn't made it in yet. He really had rubbed off on the misanthropic doctor and not in a bad way either.
He grabbed a quick cup of coffee and then scurried back to his office, bumping in to his patient who had arrived early, knocked on his door, found it to be locked and was leaving. He hissed and groaned when he ran into her on his left side, jarring his broken wrist and injured shoulder and spilled scalding hot coffee over his right hand.
"Oh, Dr. Wilson!" Savannah, his patient, exclaimed surprised. Her surprise turned to concern when she noticed his bindings. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine." He answered with a smile, hoping to reassure her. He led her into his office, closing and locking the door and the balcony so as to avoid any unwanted interruptions in the form of House.
The smile must have turned into a grimace because she raised a skeptical eyebrow, "Are you sure? You still look like you're in pain." When he looked up at her with a quizzical look on his face she continued. "I'm a cancer patient. I know you're pain when what I see in the mirror every day is reflected in my doctor."
"Ah, well don't worry, I'm fine." Wilson placated. "Fell down the stairs yesterday." He dismissed as he began perusing her file. She looked like she didn't believe him but didn't argue either.
They sat in his office for an hour, talking about her current options, how she's been feeling and just giving her someone to talk to. The way Wilson saw it, being a counselor or therapist of sorts is part of the job since the disease is so taxing on the patient and they are often feeling alone. He can at least give them some sort of insight and advice based on what he sees and knows others go through every day. She left feeling a little bit better about her situation and gave him a gentle right-sided hug.
He walked her out needing a break and wanting to refill his coffee. What little he had in his cup after the spill, he drank during their meeting. His right hand was still red from the coffee but it no longer burned so much as dully throbbed and he could tell that the meds were wearing off since every step jarred his injured arm a touch and caused him to wince, managing only to do so with his eyes.
He grabbed his coffee cup and walked in to diagnostics. He stood in the doorway for a little while, waiting until the team had finished their DDX before he strolled in for the coffee which was always fresh.
"Dr. Wilson," Masters greeted shyly, "how are you?"
Just as he opened his mouth to answer in a dismissive but assuring way, House barked. "Masters! Wilson doesn't need you to hold his hand and try to make him feel better. Our patient on the other hand does so while you're there draw 3 vials of blood, get a urine and stool sample and an MRI."
Wilson looked at House who was staring at her with an expression bordering on annoyance but the rest wore smug looks on their faces before they all exited leaving Wilson and House alone.
"What happened to your hand?" House asked seemingly indifferent.
"Broke it remember?" Wilson answered sarcastically.
"No," House responded, the word idiot hanging in the air, "the other one."
Wilson looked down at the red splotch that covered part of the back of his right hand and his wrist. "Spilled coffee, burned it." He answered with a one-shouldered shrug. He turned around to leave only to come up short so he didn't run House over. The man sure knew how to be quiet!
House took the coffee cup out of Wilson's hand and set it down on the glass table then picked up his hand, inspecting it. Wilson felt himself go a little weak as House softly ran his hands over Wilson's and then he almost purred when House brought the hand up to his mouth and started giving it loving little nibble-kisses.
"H-house." Wilson managed to get out before he gasped in pleasure as House put one of Wilson's fingers in his mouth and suckled gently. It shouldn't be THIS easy to get him going! "House, I've got a patient."
"When?" House answered as he continued his "examination" of Wilson's hand.
"T-ten minutes." Wilson choked out, wanting nothing more than to grab the man by his collar and drag him into the closest office.
"Perfect." House replied silkily. "We've got plenty of time."
Wilson pulled his hand out of House's grip and grabbed his friend's jaw to look at him directly. "No it isn't." He said with nothing but lust in his eyes. "Once I get going I'm going to want hours with you."
House sneered but not in a sleezy way. It was the sneer of a man who liked the idea. "I don't think you could last that long." He challenged gruffly as he came closer and bent down to nibble on Wilson's ear. He pulled back and limped (less heavily than he was a few minutes ago) back to his office. "Go." he said with a smirk.
"Manipulative bastard." Wilson commented with a loving smile before he picked up his cup of coffee and left.
Wilson had trouble focusing on his next 3 patients because of his little tête-à-tête with House. His body craved the contact with the older man, often distracting him from what was going on. Eventually he was able to get his last patient before lunch out the door and leaned against it heavily. His shoulder and wrist were starting to throb painfully in time with his heartbeat and he knew he needed to take his meds. He didn't want to do it with coffee however and since that was all he had he had to make another trip over to diagnostics to steal one of their bottles; he'd pay them back later.
He pocketed the pills, deposited his lab coat on the coat rack and left, locking his office door. He ducked into the conference room, grateful that everyone seemed to be out doing something, and grabbed a bottle of water. Wilson walked into House's darkened office and sat down in his recliner. He took the meds and sat back to relax for a bit, feeling his eyes grow heavier and heavier. Wilson hadn't realized how drained he felt and soon found himself asleep.
House walked in to his office only mildly surprised to find Wilson asleep in his chair, snoring slightly. His eyebrows were knitted together in pain and every time he moved he'd let out a small moan of complaint. House took this opportunity to examine his friend. He hadn't been around much today, both having been busy with their patients, and earlier he'd meant to examine Wilson's hand and arm but his mind and body ran away with out him.
He stood a little closer, examining Wilson's injured arm and shoulder. The hand and fingers were swollen, even with the sling helping to elevate them, and after some gentle prodding he could tell that the shoulder was as well.
House limped into the conference room and grabbed two instant ice packs, daring his team to comment or question him, and then returned, activating them and placing one over Wilson's shoulder and the other over his casted wrist. Wilson gave a shudder and then a small moan of contentment but didn't wake. House took the lab coat, that he never wore but kept in his office "just in case", and threw it over the sleeping oncologist then called Julia, Wilson's assistant, and asked her to clear Wilson's schedule for the rest of the day; he wasn't feeling well and would be going home after he had a short nap. Once he was sure that Wilson was comfortable, House locked his office door so no one could enter and wake the slumbering man and then walked in to the conference room.
He stayed close to the door, guarding it in case anyone wanted to enter. The ducklings could tell by House's body language that if anyone tried to enter they'd be stuck doing clinic duty for a week.
They finished their differential quickly, ending with House giving orders as usual and taking the patient file into his office to work. Though he would never admit it out loud, a good portion of the reason he was completing the patient file in his office was to stand watch over Wilson, guarding him and protecting him. It was an impulse he had been having lately and most of the time it took all of his willpower not to give in but sitting behind his desk, staring at his partner who looked so vulnerable whilst sleeping House gave in easily, standing guard like a pit bull over its master.
When he finished his filing, he proceeded to play his PSP for awhile, not wanting to wake Wilson but not wanting to leave either. Periodically one of the ducklings, mostly Taub or Foreman, would duck inside the conference room and get his attention to update him and get new ideas or instructions but they were smart enough not to enter the office.
3 hours after House had found him asleep, Wilson woke up. He groggily looked around, not having remembered falling asleep in House's office, and then focused on the man behind the desk. House sat behind his desk, his feet on top of the desk, seemingly playing his PSP but he kept watching Wilson with eyes smoldering with protectiveness. "House?" he asked, bringing the other man out of his reverie.
"Good morning sleeping beauty!" House greeted, his voice cheerful but his eyes still glowing fireless.
"How long have I been asleep?" Wilson asked, slowly sitting upright from his slouched position. His muscles ached, letting him know that they had been in that position awhile.
"About 3hrs." House answered absentmindedly looking at his watch.
"What? House you should have woken me up! I had patients I was supposed to meet with. Didn't Julia come looking for me?" Wilson asked flustered that he had missed the patient meetings.
"I cleared your schedule while you were asleep so no, you didn't have any meetings and no, Julia didn't come looking for you." House answered. "Cuddy has been trying to call you though. Your staff informed her of the schedule change and like a good administrator she was worried about her Head of Oncology." House continued mockingly.
Wilson let out a heavy sigh as he used his one good hand to scrub his face and massage his neck. "I should call her. Apologize for falling asleep and having others take over for me."
"Nope." House answered. "No need. She's not mad because you "flaked" on your job. She's worried and insisted that you go home once you woke. She even gave me the rest of the day off as well. She said to let her know if you want tomorrow off as well." House rattled while he walked over to the chair and sat down on the ottoman, examining Wilson with a practiced eye. He still looked exhausted and if he had a guess, House would say that the pain meds had worn off judging by the pain in his eyes.
Wilson nodded, standing up and almost falling down from lack of energy.
"Wilson?" House asked, annoyed that he couldn't keep the concern out of his voice.
"I'm fine, just stood up too fast. Guess I'm more tired than I thought." He offered with a small chuckle.
House continued to examine him and then nodded. "Stay here. I'll grab your things and then we can leave. The ducklings can handle things for the rest of the night." Wilson gave a sleepy nod and settled back into the chair, asleep before his head hit the chair. House gave a sad smile. He was glad that he was able to take care of Wilson and provide the man some degree of comfort but he hated that it had to be done.
House left his office via the balcony door after posting a sign on the conference room door that read "ENTER UNDER PENALTY OF DEATH". He hopped over the wall and stepped inside Wilson's office. He shut down the computer and grabbed the coat, opting to leave the briefcase and files that it would contain there; he wasn't going to allow Wilson to work tonight either.
House hopped back over the wall and re-entered his office, Wilson still asleep. He sat behind his desk once again and debated whether or not to wake the exhausted oncologist. He was torn between letting Wilson get another couple of hours of sleep, it was only 330p after all, or just waking him up and getting him home so he could sleep uninterrupted in a comfortable bed.
The bed won out and House gathered his own things, slipped his coat on and woke the slumbering man. Wilson woke groggy and still clearly exhausted. House helped him put his coat on, Wilson giving sleepy gasps and hisses of pain when the heaviness of the coat settled on his sore shoulder, and then marched his friend out the doors of the hospital and into the car where he proceeded to fall asleep again.
They repeated the process of the march to get into the condo and the bedroom where Wilson stood beside the bed like a half asleep statue. House just rolled his eyes, "God you're needy." He complained to his lover who only responded with a sleepy mumble. He undressed Wilson as gently as he could but given that his meds had worn off, he was in a fair amount of pain every time his shoulder was moved.
Once Wilson was changed and settled in bed, House actually woke Wilson, wanting him to be completely awake so he could take his pain meds.
Wilson looked around the bedroom, confused about how he got there but took the meds willingly, his shoulder burned with throbbing pain. As he took his meds, he watched House changed into more comfortable clothing and climb in bed with him. Wilson put the cup of water that House had handed him on the bedside table and snuggled closer to House, the diagnostician coiling himself around Wilson like a snake. Wilson fell asleep instantly with House's warmth to comfort him and House fell asleep soon after knowing he was there standing guard.
AN: Here we are everyone. A little loving H/W and a little protective House. Such a wonderful mix!