A/N: Here's an update.

Disclaimer: I don't own.

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The frenzied night of pulling House from the brink of death faded into a hopeful dawn. Wilson sat sleeping in his wheel chair his hand resting on House's arm as if were tethering him to the Earth. House awoke to see Wilson's faintly grey-flecked head laying on his bed and his friends warm hand protectively holding onto his IV free arm. He didn't want to wake Wilson but he was fighting the vent, he wanted it out. Before he could begin struggling in earnest, Wilson opened his eyes and smiled at him with the goofiest smile he'd ever seen. It was just enough to distract him from his discomfort.

"You're awake."

House rolled his eyes.

Duhhhhhh.

Tears glistened in Wilson's eyes.

"Sorry, I'm just so happy your okay." He wiped the tears away blushing with embarrassment.

House looked at him, his arctic blue eyes never wavered their gaze. There were things he wanted to say, things that needed to be said, but there was more than a ventilator preventing House from saying them. There was forty plus years of hiding his feelings standing in his way. It was a wall his crippled spirit was afraid to climb.

Instead of indicating to Wilson how he felt, he pointed at the tube going down his throat insistently.

"I know you want that thing out but we need to clear it with respitory and cardiology first."

House gave Wilson a look that said, "Are you serious?"

Are you serious, you're a doctor! Hell I'm a doctor, get this fucking thing off or I'll rip it out myself!

Wilson could see House was becoming more agitated by the minute and his heart rate reflected it.

"House, calm down. I know you're pissed, but you have to keep your heart rate down. We just got you back, so you don't need to irritate your heart into another unstable rhythm."

House leaned back and grunted in frustration. He tried to relax and let the machine breathe for him, but that in itself was causing beads of sweat to pool upon his brow. Wilson saw his growing anxiety and made the decision to remove the vent himself. He would be yelled at but that was better than watching his friend fight his way into another heart attack.

"Okay, you win, just hang on, a second."

House looked at his best friend, thanks in his eyes and a hint of something more.

Wilson set the brake on the chair and leveraged himself up by the armrests. He winced as he felt his back lodging a complaint, it was payment for sitting in wheel chair all night, a sharp, but familiar pain.

House looked at him with concern.

"I'm fine it's just my back. Now, let's get this thing out of you."

Wilson patted House's hand and looked at him with such happiness it made the older man's stomach flip, to think he may have taken that away by choosing to die.

"You know the drill, you ready?"

House nodded, and Wilson deflated the tiny balloon hanging from the tube.

"One, two, three, cough!"

House gave a weak cough, but it was the best his battered body could manage, and though Wilson pulled the tube out as carefully as possible, House's throat screamed with pain.

Holy crap that hurts!

"Here have an ice chip."

Wilson pulled an ice cube from a styrofoam cup full of melting ice that sat on the side table, along with House's iPod and a few medical journals the ailing man hadn't read.

Wilson you think of everything.

The ice felt wonderful on his raw throat.

"Just one or two for now, let's get you on some oxygen. I think a mask to start with just to be safe."

Again all House could manage was an agreeable nod. He was already beginning to tire, and he'd only been awake for ten minutes. He closed his eyes and listened to Wilson puttering around the room trying to find a mask and tubing, he was almost asleep when he felt his head lifted gently as Wilson slid a mask hissing with oxygen over his mouth and nose.

"Thanks." House croaked.

Wilson smiled a curious sort of smile, "My pleasure."

House was already asleep before he heard Wilson's response. But Wilson said anyway, "You rest Greg, I'm not going anywhere."

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"So what do you think we should tell him about his heart?"Wilson asked.

"The truth, obviously, there's been too much trying to manage him; frankly it's what got us here."

"He's so fragile right now, I'm not sure."Cuddy's voice was small; she was the one who was fragile.

"Look the thing you seem to forget is that he obviously wants to be here, if he didn't he wouldn't have come back, of that I have no doubt." Wilson pulled his fingers through his hair in frustration.

"He's not stupid Lisa, and he is a doctor. He knows his heart his damaged, he is well aware his life is going to change. So we give him the respect he deserves and tell him the truth."

They looked at each other and nodded in agreement, and they all came quietly into House's room.

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House lay in his ICU bed trying like hell not to complain about his ribs or the searing burns on his chest. His leg was a mere shadow of pain stalking him from the perimeter like a predator. He knew if he complained they may not believe him, or they would say he couldn't have anything because of his liver, or addiction, or whatever. So, he lay there suffering in silence. However, his body revealed the truth to any who wanted to see, "this man is in pain" was spelled out on the monitors, and in the tight lines of his sweat covered face.

This is how they found him, his hands and teeth clenched, and breathing shallowly to prevent the pain from his broken ribs overwhelming him.

"House?" Lisa asked, as House turned to see who had come into his room.

Wilson picked up the chart hanging on the bed and began reading the notes.

"No pain meds since the morphine Cuddy gave him."

"Dammit he's in pain and no one has given him anything? Are they trying to kill him?"Nolan said in anger.

"I'm going to give him something now." Lisa walked out of the room looking quite pissed.

"Hang in there House, we'll fix you up."

Wilson grimaced at his word choice and prayed House wouldn't notice. But that was stupid because even at his worst House noticed everything.

Nolan gave Wilson a look that said, "Are you an idiot?" It was comment enough Wilson got the point.

"Greg, can you talk? More importantly are you up to talking?"

Why the hell not I'm just laying here in agony.

"Yeah…Go ahead. Talk." His voice was strained and breathy.

"Okay, good. Do you remember what we were talking about before?"

"What the going back to the nut farm thing or running away with Wilson in a gay fantasy thing?"

Nolan heard himself guffaw at the remark Wilson however looked unamused.

"I'm glad to see you were listening and your sense of humor is still intact."

"Well? What do you think?" Wilson asked nervously.

Lisa walked in with a syringe and a vial.

House's eyes followed her across the room, his mouth watered in anticipation.

Maybe this isn't such a good idea…

Lisa paused at his reaction.

Nolan saw the reaction Greg was having and wanted to reassure him.

"Greg you need pain relief. Don't worry we'll keep an eye on you, and if there's a problem we'll deal with it."

House gave an imperceptible nod, and Cuddy pushed the plunger down.

House could feel himself relax as the pain dulled to a more merciful level.

Good she didn't give me as much this time.

"Better?" She asked.

"Yeah, at least you didn't give me enough to trank a horse this time."

"Sooooo where were we?" Wilson looked down at the floor as if it was the cure for cancer.

"We were about to discuss my exciting future."

"How do you feel about that?"

"Oh for God's sake Nolan, don't you ever let up on the shrink act?"

"Sometimes… but only on special occasions."

House laughed, "I guess this doesn't qualify as special."

"Maybe in a short bus kind of way."

Even House was shocked at the snarkiness Nolan was engaging in, but he was loving every minute of it.

"Why Dr. Nolan I find it quite disturbing that a psychiatrist, a healer, would make fun of those less advantaged."

It was Nolan's turn to laugh, "Do you even listen to yourself? Talk about the pot calling the kettle."

"Yes, but I never pretend to be nice or even a healer, that's Boy Wonder's schtick." House nodded in Wilson's direction.

Wilson was growing angry at the banter and wanted to get things decided now.

"Will you two please shut up! I need to know what's going to happen to my life !"

House grew quiet and his eyes were suddenly cold.

Dammit Wilson you idiot! He is pissed and going to let you have it.

Wilson rubbed the back of his neck furiously, averting his gaze from the frigid stare of House's angry eyes.

"I see, I didn't realize we were here to discuss your life. Do forgive me James. Please go on Dr. Nolan."

Ah hell I really did it now.

"House, come one don't be that way."

"What way would that be James?"

Cuddy had been enduring all of their infantile behavior and had had it.

"Enough! This is about all of our lives! Now quit acting like ten year olds and let's get this figured out."

The men, mollified by her correction, grew silent.

"Dr. Nolan presented you with his recommendations for your… aftercare. What do you think of what he has proposed?" She asked in full administrator mode.

When House was floating along in the warmth of what must have been heaven he didn't have time or the inclination to think. On the bus, while he didn't think, he was given food for thought. He was reasonably sure he knew what he wanted to do, but didn't think Nolan would approve.

"I think, I need to do cardiac rehab here, with out-patient treatment weekly or more often. I think I need to move back into my own apartment, and I think I need to keep my job."