Chapter Twenty-Five: The Thunder Rolls and The Lightning Strikes
Seasons change for the warmer; decorations around workplaces change for the Easter-er; the weather changes for the rainier and sunnier; hair color on false-dyed-hair changes as well. But the only thing that almost never changed was how House and Wilson felt about each other. They did have their first lover's quarrel though…well…the first one they had as a "couple".
It seemed like a normal morning in March. The dark purple rain clouds swirled over New Jersey; promising rain for some areas and just poor driving conditions for the others. Princeton was a mixture of both, it would rain harshly and then the wind would blow the rain clouds away, and then bring more to take their place shortly thereafter. The morning alarm clock went off just as it always did at 7:30 A.M.
It was House's turn to press the "OFF" button on the little iPod speaker but he slept right through it. The night before had many times that called for sleep, but he hardly got any…Wilson had made sure of that. Wilson's sensitive ears woke up to the alarm right away and he gently rubbed House's bare shoulder, "Greg?" The song "A Hard Day's Night" by the Beatles echoed through the room.
House was still asleep for his first full two hours of the night and didn't respond with anything more than a snore. Wilson still wanted to wake his lover up because the alarm wasn't on his side of the bed. "Greg? Its morning…time to get up..." He shook his boyfriend's shoulder, a little less gentle this time.
House stirred in his sleep, and slowly began to wake up. He willed his arm to slump onto the alarm and turn it off. His bare back facing Wilson turned stiffly to face him, his rain-puddle blue eyes bloodshot and a bit aggravated. Then the gruff tone that came from his mouth wasn't just groggy from sleep, it sounded bitter, "You expect me to put in a good day's work when last night I didn't even do a hard night's sleep?"
Wilson had seen House bitter about plenty of things, but lack of sleep wasn't one of them. He didn't realize that his need for some "comfort" last night caused House to be grumpy the next morning and his ears burned in humiliation. The tone that came from his own lips tried to sound supportive and reasoning, "I am sorry, Greg, really. You only have two hours left of clinic duty and today is the last day. After lunch we can just walk around the hospital. We'll still be on call but won't be doing anything too mentally strenuous." He offered a kind smile.
House's response was just as lightning quick as it had always been and it was electrified with sarcasm, "Too strenuous, eh?" House yawned a loud obnoxious yawn and leaned over the bedside table and grabbed his pill bottle. It was just refilled the day before and he popped himself double his normal dosage because of the extenuating pain radiating from his thigh.
Wilson noticed that his lover took four pills instead of two and instantly sat up in the bed with worry, "House! Why did you take four? I have been told to watch your dosage of two every two hours."
Greg took notice of Wilson's sudden transition from "James" to "Dr. Wilson" and just squinted bitterly at him as he tried to sit up in bed. "I took four, Dr. James Wilson, because someone wanted to keep it exercised last night, and someone doesn't know how it feels to have a someone demanding sex all the time on a bad leg." The words came out without his control and he felt little remorse for saying them, instead making his slow and painful way to the bathroom.
James noticed his Gregory's transformation from the man he loved to the man he looked after and despised. As the thunder rumbled overhead and the lightning flashed, Wilson lowered his head onto his lap in shame and in silent anguish. He felt really bad for what happed last night…
What Happened Last Night?
The "comfort" was because James had received an extremely uncomfortable phone call from Julie, his last ex-wife. House had watched his lover answer his cell-phone will a heavy-hearted facial expression and just watched as the body language got more and more burdened. Wilson kept calm through the whole conversation, his voice remaining informative and neutral, but as time went on, there was sitting and eventually laying down on the couch and a lot of nervous habits.
After promising to send the missing alimony check to her, and a common courtesy of, "Goodbye and good luck with your new boyfriend, Jeffrey," Wilson hung up the phone and buried his face in his hands. He hated talking to them…the women in his past. They walked all over him, upside and backwards for money. Three ex-wives sucking him dry for every last drop of his money. Hence why he lived in a cheap hotel since the past September; he couldn't afford an apartment.
Wilson lay on the couch suddenly mentally and emotionally drained after the stressful phone call. House watched the whole thing with observance and polite silence from his piano bench. When he saw his lover anguished he felt his heart bleed for him. He felt empathy for him and without a word he got up and limped over to Wilson's collapsed form on the couch.
House gently lifted Wilson's arms that was lying over his eyes, and smiled at him sympathetically. Wilson looked up into the aqua eyes with questions in his own brown ones. House didn't take any of those questions when he mustered up all his personal strength and kneeled by his lover's side and pulled the arms he was still holding onto around himself. It was his best attempt at a comforting hug, and even though his leg was surging with great misery from kneeling, his heart told him to comfort the other man.
Wilson was shocked at House's selfless behavior but his heart needed to be mended with a hug…of any kind. He squeezed into House's embrace until he was buried in nothing concerning Julie or the others. He was buried in love, comfort, security, House's stubbled cheek, and the warmth from someone's body whom he loved with every part of himself. They stayed like that for a long while, one man supporting the other, until in wordless actions they began to talk each other through it with kissing and fumbling for clothes. The couch was uncomfortable for House's leg but it did the job for helping Wilson through his heartache.
They made it to the bedroom after they both needed to rest their backs on something at the same time. They lay there. House listening and Wilson emotionally ranting about his ex-wives and how he felt about them. Greg stayed awake and listened and then allowed the passion to drown him again…this time with Wilson on top. He remembered on how when he lived with Stacy he would (sometimes) act selfless and she would feel better about whatever was bothering her. He just hoped that he could get some sleep…
…Back Where We Started…
Wilson still felt horrible as the morning went on. He went into the shower after House stepped out, the silence between them feeling thick and making him feel ever guiltier.
They ate breakfast, of Wilson's making, in quietness the only sounds were clanking of silverware and chewing. House left for work right after eating, not even doing his usual act of kindness of putting the dishes in the sink. Wilson still had to put the finishing touches of getting ready so he took care of cleaning up after finishing his own meal. He wanted to apologize to House but didn't know how to…
As he climbed in his car he couldn't help but have the memories of his ex-wives wash over him once more and how they would fight with him and give him the silent treatment too. The rain washed down his windshield as he drove to work, the weather matching his mood.
How Does House Feel?
Pain. Sleep made the worst of the pain go away…or at least in his sleep he dreamt of being pain-free. And it was comforting to be like that. But when House was kept awake, his leg would throb with increasing agony by the hour. Especially when his leg was put under exertions such as making Wilson feel better about himself.
House limped with noticeable favoring of his right leg into the clinic right when the rain started up again. He wasn't mad at Wilson…Wilson was the man he loved with all his heart and soul. He was mad at Wilson's need to be comforted…and now his need to apologize. House grabbed a stack of files and wobbled his way into Exam Room 2. That is where he plopped into his doctor chair and while waiting for the first patient to arrive, he fell asleep.
Authors Note: I know it seems like the walls are crumbling down for House and Wilson in this story right now but I assure you things will work out. I just recently had enough free time to reread what I have already written and it occurred to be it was a bit "too happy" for a story all about House and Wilson. They have their fights on the show so why can't they have a little tiff in my story. Plus…well…this story is kind of reflecting how I feel right now. I am just mentally and emotionally upset with the world. Not my readers…you guys cheer me up every day. More-or-less, I am frustrated with my own boyfriend and how school is just too stressful for the end of the year. But I will get better by the time I update again. Which will be soon. The rain clouds will clear. In both my worlds.