Chapter 29
My little girl has been stuck in COVID jail, and me along with her. So, I've had a bit of extra time to write, in between doing her school work and keeping her amused, of course.
I've used this chapter to try to explore how the brain injury has affected House, and those around him. I hope you like it.
Wilson moved quickly around the room collecting items from their various places stashed about the small area. It was amazing how far House's belonging has migrated over the course of a few weeks. His eyes however, strayed to the door of the small private bathroom. House had been in there for almost 10 minutes, washing and dressing in preparation for his departure. The younger doctor's ears strained for the slightest sound, and he was ready to burst into the smaller room at the merest hint of trouble. He needn't have worried however, when the door opened, less than a minute later, and his friend slowly exited the room, leaning heavily on his crutches, still a little unsteady on his feet. He was dressed in his usual jeans and band t-shirt, both of which hung a little more loosely than they had four weeks ago. House looked sheepishly down at his belt which dangled loosely, and Wilson hurried over to secure it in place, buttoning the top button of the jeans for good measure, then resumed his packing. House moved unsteadily over to the straight-backed chair and lowered himself, so he was perched on the edge, his eyes following Wilson as he worked. Wilson didn't mind however, tidying up after himself had never been House's strong suit, and now more than ever, he needed help.
"The transport will be here in 15 minutes. You about ready to go?" Wilson asked, not really expecting an answer. When none was forthcoming, he looked his friend over. He would need his hoodie and coat on before he left and where were his socks and shoes? Pondering for a moment, he recalled that he had put House's clothes in the bathroom. He walked in and retrieved the footwear and sweater. "Do you need help, or can you do it yourself?" He asked, tactfully, knowing already what the answer would be. Again, House was silent. Placing a smile on his face, he brought the garments over to the chair and knelt down. He un-balled the socks and looked questioningly to his friend, who gave the slightest of nods, then gently took each foot in turn and put the socks on, then, with a little more effort, slid the sneakers in place and tied the laces. Next, he picked up the sweater and handed it to the man in the chair who slid his arms into place and pulled the fabric to meet in the middle. He paused here, looking at the zip, his eyebrows knitted together in concentration. Wilson watching him for a moment as he tried to insert the tab into the zip, it slipped out, and he tried again, on the third try Wilson couldn't help himself. "May I?" He asked, lifting himself off the floor, his knees popping as he moved. Gently, he zipped up the sweater and fixed the tangled hood, ensuring his friend was as presentable as he could be in jeans and a rumpled jumper.
As he turned to grab the leather biker jacket his eye was drawn to the person leaning against the doorway, previously unnoticed by the two men. A sad smile was drawn over Cuddy's face as she met the oncologist's eyes. He watched as she took a steadying breath and composed herself. "Good morning. It's nice to see you up and about, finally." She beamed at House, who gave her the ghost of a smile in return. "Your ride is here. Are you ready to go?" When House didn't answer Wilson jumped in.
"I think so." His eyes scanned the room, ensuring he hadn't missed anything, he crossed the small space to check the bathroom and emerged empty handed. "We're ready." He handed House a pair of dark sunglasses, which were quickly pulled into place, and his jacket. But he stopped himself from helping his friend insert his arms into the sleeves. Then held himself back as House fumbled with the crutches before securing them under his arms, and pulled himself to his feet, wobbling slightly. Cuddy stepped into the corridor, retrieved a wheelchair, and pushed it into the room.
"You won't need those yet; you get to leave the hospital in style." When he looked at her, his expression blank, she added. "It's hospital policy, so don't even think about arguing with me on this." She aimed her steely gaze at him, hoping that he would at least put up a little fight.
He looked at her, perplexed. "Why would I?" His gravelly voice was bewildered.
Supressing a sigh, she shook her head to dismiss her comment "My mistake." She smiled at him, then helped him into the chair, handed him the crutches to hold and wheeled him out the door. Wilson grabbed the bags and brought up the rear.
The hallway was crowded and noisy, the bright lights made House grimace despite the dark shades. He reached behind him and flipped his hood over his head, muffling the ambient sounds from the ward and blocking the lights further. When it was obvious he wouldn't be making any attempts at conversation, Wilson quickened his pace, so he was level with his boss and filled the quiet. "I hear that Princeton General's neuro rehab facility is the best in the state." He kept his tone light. He and Cuddy had looked at all of the rehab centres within a hundred-mile radius and were relieved to find their neighbour hospital was comparable with the best in the country. The elevator arrived and they boarded, Cuddy skilfully turning the chair, so House faced the doors.
"I'm sure PPTH will catch up soon. The donation from Sarah Hamilton's family will go a long way towards securing accreditation. Thank god they honoured Hamilton's promise to pay for your medical bills." She aimed this at the man in the chair. "They even agreed to pay for your rehab. Princeton General's programme is outstanding, there's no way our insurance wouldn't stretch to cover it." She didn't really expect a response but didn't want House to feel excluded from the conversation.
When the doors finally parted Cuddy faltered and then gasped, shocked by the scene that greeted them. The lobby was teeming with people: stretching from a few feet from the lift doors and wound their way all around the front desk towards the exit doors. "What the hell..?" She heard Wilson utter, before his words trailed away. The sound of clapping suddenly filled the spacious room as the staff of PPTH realised the House had finally arrived. House tensed at the noise, his hands gripping the arms of the chair, knuckles turning white.
Chase broke away from the group, followed closely by Cameron and Foreman. He knelt so he was level with his boss, smiling gently and spoke softly to him. "Sorry about this. The staff got wind of the fact that you were leaving today and wanted to see you off. Do you want me to tell them to get lost?" Cuddy and Wilson strained forwards to catch his response as Cameron and Foreman blocked his view of the crowd.
House's eyes studied his employee's face, then looked at the hopeful expression Cameron held, Foreman, as always, was impassive and unreadable. A quick sweep of the room behind his fellows told him how many people had come to see him off. He looked back to Chase and slowly shook his head. "No… It's ok." He said, his voice suggesting that it was anything but ok. But he broke eye contact staring straight ahead. When he didn't feel the chair move, he prompted Cuddy. "Let's go."
As he was moved forwards his team fell in beside him and walked him through the crowd. Dr Hourani broke away from the gathering, his hand outstretched, ready to shake. "It's good to finally see you up and about. What you did for that woman was impressive. And getting that criminal, Hamilton locked up like that… It was impressive." He smiled, looking from his own hand to House, who made no move to grasp it. Foreman intercepted and whispered something to him. He held his hands up and backed away. "Good luck." He called as House was wheeled past him. As they walked towards the exit House kept his head low, eyes on his hands knotted together in his lap, but Cuddy, Wilson and the team saw a lot of familiar faces. No one else approached him but Dr Santos waved goodbye, nurse Brenda called something that was lost to the noise of the crowd, others nodded their heads, some just settled for smiles.
House was wheeled outside and felt fresh air and the tepid warmth of the sun on his skin for the first time in a month. He raised is head towards the sky, enjoying the sensation.