Greg continued to sullenly glare at the ceiling as Claudia worked on her laptop next to his bed.

After about 30 minutes, Claudia broke the silence.

"I'm ready to talk whenever you are."

She sounded pleasant, but there was a stubborn, blunt undertone.

House's mind was on overdrive like a hamster in a runaway wheel.

His femur barely showed any change after 5 weeks! There was just a bit of healing that he wasn't even sure was actually there...how was he possibly supposed to be optimistic, or talkative, about this?

Pete and Mathis were both optimistic, but he was feeling like crud...not to mention his 'advanced age' as Pete so tactfully put it.

He was previously pumped full of endorphins from the exciting prospect of getting out of this damn bed, but what was the point now?

He felt deflated. Without the excitement, the pain and fatigue came rushing back.

Is this what people always talked about when it came to positive attitude and healing?

It was all just a chemical reaction. Didn't they know this?

Ya' feel happy and positive - it's called endorphins. Eventually they wear off and you're back where you started.

Damn leg!

He stared at the deformed log that was his leg. Yeah...everything was all nice and aligned inside that shell...but he was still missing a huge hunk of muscle and the damn fracture wasn't healing!

"It sounds like they're still planning to adjust your brace today. Maybe you can get out of bed...we could go outside?"

Claudia wasn't sure of this, but he needed to hear something reassuring from her.

He was jerked out of his thoughts by Claudia's words.

WE?

She wasn't going anywhere?

The fury pumping through his body started to fizzle out.

She wasn't going to abandon his crippled butt here in the hospital?

House felt a sudden desire to embrace Claudia. He reached for her hand. Once he caught it, he slowly pulled her out of the chair.

Claudia was surprised when Greg's hand darted out to seek hers. She met his hand as he pulled her towards himself. She quickly deposited the laptop on the chair and stood up.

He pulled her right up to the edge of the bed and she perched next to him. He pulled his hand out of hers but used it to reach behind her back and pull her closer.

She wasn't in a good position, so she tucked one knee under her and allowed herself to be drawn in.

She leaned in and tucked her hands around his shoulders to give him a gentle hug.

"Do you care if I have to use a wheelchair for a while after this?"

She had already assumed he would have to.

"No. If I have to drag you around on a gurney, I'll do it."

She was still sitting next to him when they heard several sets of footsteps outside the door.

Pete, a nurse, and a couple orderlies came in to move Greg.

The nurse got him ready and put one of those little blue surgical masks over his face. She assumed it was to protect him from germs due to his low immune system and to protect the open sores on his lips.

They unlocked the brakes on his bed and began to push him out the door of his room.

Pete turned to her, "You can come, too."

Greg didn't say anything, so Claudia followed.

They took him down the hall to a part of the hospital Claudia hadn't been in yet. They rolled the bed into a large room with a special frame that looked like it could be adjusted to hold a person in certain positions.

Greg apparently knew what was going on, but Pete noticed the puzzled expression on Claudia's face.

"This is a special type of frame we normally use when positioning people to apply specific casts. Obviously we won't be applying a cast, but we can use this to keep him stable as we adjust his brace."

The techs measured Greg and then began to adjust the frame and change out several parts. The process took a while because they'd measure him, go back and adjust the frame, measure a different part of him, go back...and so on.

Once things were adjusted, Pete and his assistant left.

A few minutes later, Mathis, Wilson, Pete, his techs, and a nurse all came filing in.

"First, we're going to get you out of bed and positioned in the frame. It's already adjusted to fit you."

"I know. I was right here being measured while they did that." House just wanted to get this show on the road.

"Just be still and let us do all the work."

"Nah, I thought I'd stand up and walk over. Save us all some time."

He had been almost affectionate with her just a few minutes ago – that mood was apparently long gone.

It only took a minute before they got Greg positioned in the frame. They made a few more adjustments to the frame and soon he was completely supported.

Everyone was gathering supplies and starting to swarm around Greg. Claudia wasn't sure what to do, so she just stood at a distance.

Pete seemed to read her mind.

"It's okay. You can hold his hand. Just stay at his head out of the way."

She was relieved to hold his hand. She might need it more than him - at least there was something for her to do.

He gave her a squeeze back, though, so she did feel appreciated – or at least noticed.

Wilson looked less than thrilled to see Claudia holding Greg's hand. She still didn't understand this man. Perhaps he was hoping to play 'best friend' and hold House's hand. Maybe he was jealous?

"We're going to start by opening up the torso part to remove the padding. We can wipe you down a little bit before we move on. Don't move at all. The frame will support you and we're right here, we just need you to stay still."

"Okay."

Greg had apparently ditched the snark in favor of cooperation now that he felt precariously positioned with people surrounding him.

"You ready?"

"Yes."

Instead of using the window opening at his hip that they normally used they undid several straps and totally opened the brace to his abdomen. Half of it lifted away. She could immediately smell stale sweat and had to stifle a cough. Judging from his expression, Greg noticed as well. Five weeks' worth of sweat - it was no wonder.

Claudia fought with herself not to pull away and suck in a clean breath. She held her breath and turned her head away. She felt somewhat ashamed and turned her head back to Greg. Fortunately, she didn't think Greg had seen her turn away.

They cut through the padding and pulled it away. They cut through the liner after that.

The smell got worse.

A nurse stepped in with a basin of water, a washcloth, and a dry towel and began to gently wipe him down with warm water. She didn't use soap, but this was better than nothing. They were probably worried about skin irritation since he was about to be braced again. It obviously felt good judging by Greg's contented sigh.

She irrationally wished that she was the one wiping him down, which was kind of weird. It wasn't a caregiver instinct because she never felt compelled to offer Casey a sponge bath. She always let the nurse do it.

Her desire just had to do with Greg.

The nurse patted him dry and stepped away.

"Dr. House, we're going to remove the back plate. You will still have part of the brace over your hips. Try not to tense up."

They fastened a strap across Greg's abdomen. It was almost like a seatbelt.

"We're going to raise the frame, now." The whole frame moved up slowly when the nurse pressed a lever.

They now had access to Greg's back from underneath. They didn't have to turn him or anything.

Claudia thought this was all pretty clever.

The back half of the torso portion of his brace came off now.

It was strangely like plate tectonics from geology except that these fit together very tightly and didn't shift at the fault lines or allow for volcanoes.

The padding and liner was once again peeled away and the nurse came back to wipe his back down as well.

We're going to place this special pad behind your back and adjust the frame to keep you at the same angle now that the brace isn't holding your torso.

"Okay." He was now in the habit of replying to Mathis's every instruction.

He felt something firm behind his back that curved around his torso and the frame adjusted to meet his back.

"We're moving on to your left leg now."

Greg was starting to look more pained as they moved about this process.

Everything repeated itself as they removed padding and wiped him down.

A nurse came in with something that looked a bit like a blow dryer.

"We're just making sure you're totally dry and that we don't risk further irritating your skin. We're going to go ahead and reapply the padding and brace before we open your hip. All we've cleaned and changed the padding on so far are the parts of your brace that hold your surrounding body in place. Next comes the parts supporting the actual injury."

Claudia watched as they applied a liner and liberally wrapped him in padding.

"We're going to re-apply the brace now."

"Okay."

They started to apply the brace, but then stopped and applied additional padding.

"We need more padding than we thought around your abdomen to compensate for your weight loss."

After that, they put the brace back on his torso and left leg.

Once everything was fastened, Greg closed his eyes and leaned his head back. Greg had been watching the process, but she had no idea what was about to happen.

"We're going to move the brace away from your both of your hips now. Pete brought a replacement plate that we'll adjust and insert as we move you. This will hurt. We can't give you an anesthetic injection until we've completed the adjustment, though, because we need you to be able to feel the position to let us know if it is going to be a comfortable angle. You need to tell us how it makes the muscles in your bad thigh feel. Once we've got that positioned, though, I insist on giving you an injection. I already have it ready to go."

Mathis half expected a protest from Dr. House on the injection, but he didn't say anything.

"Dr. House, I'm going to be at your right leg with my hand around your hip as we shift. A nurse will hold your leg, but I'll be the one guiding it. Dr. Wilson is going to hold your left hip. If the pain gets too bad, just say 'stop' and we'll pause or adjust.

Pete and his assistant are right beside me ready to apply padding and get the brace on once we're ready. We're not going to wash this area. We've been cleaning your incision area and I think it would be too painful to take the time to wash you. Once the brace is closed, we've got the portable X-Ray machine ready. As soon as we're sure the position is okay and you say so, we'll give you the injection and take you back to your room. Does that make sense?"

"Yeah."

"Any questions?"

Greg readjusted his hand inside hers and met Claudia's eyes before he answered, "No questions."

"Removing the brace now."

Greg squeezed his eyes shut and groaned.

Now that his brace was off, Claudia thought this might not be too bad.

Once the brace was off and the padding was cut away, Claudia watched as Dr. Mathis placed her hand around Greg's hip.

Claudia was getting used to the smell and was no longer tempted to turn away.

"I'm about to start moving your leg."

As Mathis shifted his leg, Greg moaned until he was almost screaming.

So much for the pain not being too bad.

With their positions, Claudia briefly wondered if this is what it might be like to help someone through childbirth.

Greg was gasping and moaning. Claudia wished they could get this over with and give him the anesthetic. She used her other hand to stroke Greg's cheek, but he didn't seem to react to her.

He was obviously trapped in the pain right now.

A nurse told Claudia not to move and to hold his hand, but reached around her to place an oxygen mask over Greg's mouth and nose.

She was so concentrated on her man that she wasn't watching the doctors' progress at all.

When she looked down at his body, they were wrapping him in padding, then preparing to fasten his brace.

"We just have to take X-Rays now." Mathis's voice was even and calm.

Greg only response was a grunt. His eyes were still squinted shut and his forehead was wrinkled up. He was squeezing her hand to the point of discomfort, but she didn't care.

"Almost done, Dr. House. Hang in there. Deep breaths." This was Pete's voice now.

Claudia watched as they positioned the portable machine over him and waited.

"Dr. House, the x-rays look okay. Does it feel like the angle of your hip is going to make the thigh any worse?"

House only groaned.

"Dr. House?"

"I don't know."

"Your leg is still turned and resting on its side just like before, your leg just isn't extended as far laterally. It won't be stretched across the bed as far anymore. Concentrate here for a minute."

Claudia could tell Greg was trying to think.

"It's not gonna make my thigh any worse."

"Okay. Dr. Wilson, get the injection."

It only took a minute for Greg to sigh and relax into the numbness around his hip.

"Inject my thigh, too."

Mathis got another injection and moved to his thigh.

The tension was soon gone from Greg's body.

They still had to get him situated in his room again.

Claudia trailed him back to his room.

With the new angle of his leg, they had to get his pillows adjusted differently and it took a bit. He was still wearing the oxygen mask and a nurse was reattaching his fluids to the central line.

"Dr. House, is this okay?"

Greg rested his right hand on his thigh. "It's numb, but I think so."

"Call the nurse if you need anything and she can page me. Okay?"

"Yeah."

Once everyone was gone Greg turned to check his oxygen saturation.

She watched as he pulled the mask off and shoved it away.

"Claudia."

"Yes?"

"Thanks for staying today...I was a jerk, but you helped me through all that anyway."

She didn't really know what to say, so she leaned forward and kissed his temple.

Greg looked exhausted.

"I'm going to go to sleep."

"Good idea. I'll see you tomorrow."

(Thanks for reading...I hope you'll review.)