I can barely believe it myself when I say I'm actually posting... now, I realize the timing is a little off, considering that in the story it's still Christmas and in RL it's 95 degrees and sunny (at least where I am it is). Oh well.
Also, I HIGHLY suggest going back and reading at least the chapter before this... even I forgot half of the stuff that had happened, despite the fact that I wrote the damn thing.
Thank you so, so much, to any of my readers who actually continue to read despite the lengthy break. Sometimes life just doesn't go as planned and, well, some stuff has to get put to the side.
But i'm back now. SO HERE YA GO! :)
This is Chapter 27, Part II
With Thanksgiving over, the holiday season had begun. Greg had no idea what to get Lisa, nor did Lisa have an idea of what to get Greg. It was decided that on the first night of Hanukkah, they would celebrate at Lisa's house with Wilson and Emily. They decided that Christmas day they were just going to have a lazy day, just the two of them. That's what Greg looked forward to the most.
With winter came injuries and an influx of patients at the hospital. House did his clinic duty sans arguments…after all, he was sleeping with the boss, and while that meant he could get away with some stuff, he didn't want to sacrifice anything. Since their relationship had started, he actually seemed to take advantage of her less than he did before. He was more interested in making her happy than suiting his own lazy tendencies, though he'd never admit that.
They woke up early (House unwillingly, of course) and came home late. All the while, House was thinking about what to get Lisa for Hanukkah/Christmas. He even went so far as to ask Wilson. Lisa already had some ideas in mind for gifts for Greg.
The holiday season passed fast. The first night of Hanukkah, Lisa, Greg, Wilson and Emily all had dinner at Lisa and Greg's house. Wilson and Emily were getting serious, and Emily was getting more comfortable with the mismatched screwy family that was Lisa, Greg, Wilson and now she.
Time was passing so fast, it was like the days blurred together. On Christmas Eve, Greg carried two glasses of wine into the living room and sat down close to his woman, who was gazing at the Christmas tree.
"How are you doing?" Greg asked, handing her the wine and wrapping his free arm around her.
"I feel like Thanksgiving was yesterday."
"I know right," he replied, kissing her forehead, "~it's the most wonderful time of the year~," he sang softly.
"I'm not used to this," she laughed. "There's a fucking tree in my living room."
Greg chuckled. "One year, one of my few Christmas's in the States, my dad was hit with a niceness stick and let me pick out the tree. I fell in love with a tree that was perfect on one side, but the other side was like something had taken a massive bite out of it. We put it in front of the window so the dead side faced the street. We got a lot of comments that year."
Lisa laughed into his chest. They sat, curled together, in silence for a while. Greg left his wine untouched after the first sip; it wasn't really his thing.
"I love you," he said into the open air. "I know I don't say it much, but I do."
"I know you do," she tilted her head to look up at him, "I love you too. I love you so much."
"I'm glad we're here." It was a vague statement; it could've meant anything. But Lisa knew exactly what he meant.
"Do you remember the Lupus dinner? Our first date."
"Oh God," he laughed. "I remember that the food was terrible, you were sexy as hell and Cameron glared across the table at me the whole time."
"I remember that too. You danced with me."
"I remember that."
"I never thought you would dance with me. When I was getting ready, I was thinking about how much I wanted to dance with you that night, though I knew it wouldn't happen. But it did."
Greg didn't say anything for a second. Suddenly, he got to his feet, limped over to the stereo and pressed play. Johnny Mathis's "I'll Be Home For Christmas" started playing. Greg walked back over to the couch where Lisa was sitting and held out his hand.
"Will you dance with me?"
Lisa giggled and set down her empty wine glass. "Absolutely."
He led her to the open floor and pulled her close. He leaned on his left leg as they swayed to the beat of the music. The song was the last on the CD, and when it ended they continued dancing into the silence.
"My leg doesn't hurt much any more," Greg said abruptly. She was pulled tight, with her face next to his ear. He was glad he didn't have to see her immediate reaction to the next thing he said.
"I noticed it wasn't bothering you as much," she said. When she thought about it, he hadn't been taking Vicodin very often. "Your limp is shallower."
"I'm off Vicodin." Lisa stopped and pulled away just enough to see his face.
"What?"
"I haven't taken any Vicodin in a month." He had been hoping it would slide by. He didn't want any attention drawn to it. He should've known not to hope… after all, hope is for sissies.
"Really?" She was in shock. Now that she thought about it, she hadn't seen him pop a pill in a while… the last time she could remember was when he came into the kitchen to help her carry food out to the table on Thanksgiving. His mom's boyfriend, Paul, was a lot to deal with.
"Really. I filled a prescription to keep Wilson off my back, but I haven't touched it."
"Are you detoxing?"
"No." Lisa thought for a moment, and then realized the only logical possibility.
"Are you on something stronger?" She demanded.
"No!"
"Then how the hell is your leg better?"
"I have no fucking clue," he said. Lisa had been shocked, and now was upset with the thought that he was on methadone or worse. He grinned and kissed her forehead. "But my leg doesn't hurt as much any more. I told you because I'm happy. I've never… been able to say that before," he whispered.
She paused a second, looking into his eyes. The room was dark, but the light from the illuminated Christmas tree cast a soft glow across his face. Suddenly she grinned and shifted to her toes to kiss him on the lips.
"I'm really happy for you, Greg," she said, stroking his stubbled cheek. "How did you just stop taking it?"
He laughed and tugged her to the couch. He was still limping; it still hurt plenty, maybe an 8 as opposed to the previous 18 on a scale out of 10. He pulled her down into his arms and buried his face in her coconut smelling hair. Suddenly, he laughed.
"What?"
"I forgot."
"Huh?"
"I forgot to take the Vicodin. That's how I stopped. I went a full day, and then realized that I hadn't taken any, and then noticed that I didn't really need to take any. So I didn't. And that was it."
"Seriously?"
"Yup."
"That's weird. And good."
"Hell yeah."
Christmas was nice. Lisa had never celebrated it, and Greg didn't really care much, so they had a lazy day at home. Greg got Lisa a Wii with WiiFit- not because she needed it, he assured her. She had kind of fallen off the bandwagon lately of her usual Yoga and Pilates routines, which she loved, and he was worried he was pulling her from that. He hoped this would get her back to that. He also got her MarioKart, which he knew he would make more use of than her. She got him an awesome vintage record player to go with his impressive collection of vinyl, which he had recently moved into her house and was mostly in a box but also splayed over the guestroom bed… which is why she also got him a shelf system for it.
Three holidays down, one to go in the near future. Greg actually thought he would survive it. Holidays, gatherings… not really his thing. Hooray for Valentine's day in just two months…
The hospital held an annual New Year's function for charity on New Years Eve. House didn't usually go, but Lisa was forcing him. After all, she was running the thing. The last hospital dinner went well (hey, look what it turned into…) so he figured it wouldn't be so bad. This function was for the Save the Children foundation.
And there will be booze. That's a plus.
