Title: Mending a Broken Man
Disclaimer: Angst, slash and language.
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Chapter Forty-Six: For the Last Time
He nearly got into an accident himself on the drive to the hospital. Thoughts were racing through his mind so fast that he couldn't even pick them all out. A few of them passed through in bold scripture and those were the ones he did not want to think of; House leaving him, living his life without the man he loved, the kiss they'd shared just that morning. He focused on the kiss while he sat at a red light that he thought would never end. Why had he felt compelled to kiss House this morning? He had never kissed him before, mainly because they left at the same time. But for the first time he'd kissed him before letting him leave the apartment. He'd been hit with this unexplainable urge to do so and now he couldn't help but wonder why; what force had been at work earlier this morning?
The light turned green and he pressed the gas peddle down as far as it would go. He had to get to the hospital to make sure that House was okay. His cell phone, sitting on the passenger seat where he'd thrown it, kept ringing, no doubt someone from the hospital trying to reach him. But he didn't bother reaching over to answer it. He was a matter of minutes away when that car pulled out in front of him, cutting him off. He hit the breaks, the tires screeching on the slick pavement, his cell phone sliding off the seat and landing on the floor. The person in front of him then had the audacity to stick his hand out the window and give the one fingered salute. Normally Wilson would sit there wondering what the world was coming to but all his thoughts were about House and getting to the hospital.
Finally he reached his destination, parking in the first available space he could find. He left his cell phone on the floor, locked the car, and raced toward the building entrance. At one point he slipped on the ice, just barely managing to keeps his balance. The automatic doors of the hospital entrance opened with a whoosh. Cameron was waiting for him at the front desk. Instead of stopping to chat with her he headed straight for the elevators, even though he didn't know where they'd taken House. His first guess was the emergency room, then he'd check intensive care.
The doors to the elevator were about to close when Cameron managed to slip through. They were the only two in the elevator. Her eyes were red from crying. He was afraid to say anything for fear of falling apart himself. He knew if he said anything he would start to cry.
Cameron wiped her nose with a tissue. "Wilson…"
He closed his eyes, waiting for the inevitable. But instead of an endless stream of incomprehensible words there was only silence.
In the next minute she threw her arms around him, taking him by complete surprise. A few days ago he'd been thinking about how much he disliked the way she looked at House. Now she was crying on his shoulder, looking for comfort. Wasn't he the one that was supposed to be crying? Shouldn't he be seeking comfort? Neither one of them said anything on the ride or during the walk down the hallway. He knew when they were nearing House's room because he saw Chase and Foreman milling around in the hallway. The closer he drew to the room the more surreal it all seemed. This wasn't right. This wasn't happening. Any moment now he was going to wake up and it would all be just a bad dream. And even as that thought crossed his mind he knew that it was wrong. This was not a dream. This was reality.
This was how it felt to have his heartbroken.
Cameron said something to him but he didn't hear her, the words not reaching his fogged brain. He was working on autopilot, pushing open the door to the hospital room. His brain registered the change from the noisy hallway to the room with the beeping of machinery. Cuddy stood beside the bed. She turned at the sound of the door opening and when she that it was Wilson she walked toward him. They embraced. Wilson looked at House lying in the bed, the bandages. He looked away, letting his eyes focus on nothing.
"How…" he managed to choke out. The rest of the words wouldn't come, wouldn't form.
"We got lucky," she said, her voice hushed. "There was an off-duty cop at the bookstore on the corner. He witnessed the accident and called it in. First on the scene, he did his best with helping House but he's not a trained paramedic. And-"
"How did it happen?" Wilson knew that he was stalling. He didn't want to hear about House's condition. He wasn't ready yet. The bandages, the smell, the fact that House was not awake; he felt that he could barely stand. He looked away again.
"According to the officer, the light turned green, House pulled into the intersection. The other person ran the red light and House tried to avoid him…"
"Is he going to be okay, Cuddy?"
"He's got a lot of scraps and bruises, Wilson. His leg got caught between the bike and the pavement-"
For some reason Wilson felt compelled to ask, "Which leg?"
Cuddy closed her eyes and that was enough of an answer for Wilson. She placed a hand on his shoulder, drawing his attention to her. "Wilson, even though he had his helmet on…the force of the impact….he hasn't regained consciousness….if he doesn't wake up…"
"Don't," Wilson said his voice gravely. "Don't even say it. He's a stubborn fool. He'll be okay."
"Wilson…"
"He's House. He has to be okay."
"I know, but you have to be realistic, Wilson. There's a chance-"
"No," he said rather harshly, the word slicing through the air like a knife. "This morning will not be the last time we kiss. I won't let him go. Not without a fight. He's going to be okay. He'll fight."
