CHAPTER 3

Medical stuff left vague as I don't remember anything from secondary school Biology and Chemistry.

Disclaimer: Maybe If I owned House M.D, I would invest in Housing, become more rich than I already was and then have a bath in £100 notes. I'm not doing this so I therefore don't own House M.D.

An hour away from Princeton, Jenifer was stirring, fighting the black abyss that kept her from awakening.

"Morning Jen, time to wake up."

She opened one eye at a time, seeing the familiar calming grey walls and children's paintings that surrounded her.

"Illy" Jenifer mumbled as she saw the man that she had grown accustomed to over the past 4 years. The six foot gentle giant was kind and soothing. Jen only trusted Billy to carry her or touch her. She would freak and squirm if any of the other nurses tried to come near. Only her lover would trully know the reason behind this.

Billy stroked her hand as he tried to bring her back to consciousness. After seeing she was awake, he checked her vitals and disconnected her central line.

"Do you want to have some breakfast" Billy said gently. He slowly lifted her into the wheelchair, making sure her head didn't loll around.

"Mmmm"

He tucked the blanket firmly around her and wheeled her down to the cafeteria.

It was a homely place, secluded within the mountains. The residents was surrounded by cream walls and gentle caring voices. Patients had private rooms where family were aloud to fill them with personal items and pictures. Medical equipment was still in the rooms but it looked nothing like the bland, lifeless hospital rooms that many of the residents had spent time in.

Billy helped Jenny with her scrambled eggs and then wiped the remains off her chin.

"You definitly enjoyed that didnt you? You have half of it around you're mouth"

He proceded to clean her hands with anti bacteria wipes.

"Would you like to go and see Carol?"

" 'ano". Her chocolate brown eyes held a special sparkle, reserved only for the paino and her lover.

Billy took control of her specially built wheelchair and wheeled her into the community room. Carol, the sweet, retired lady who came in 3 times a week, was setting herself up on the piano. Billy always made sure that Jen was there to listen to the soft sounds Carol produced from the baby grand. It was the highlight of her week to listen. When her husband came by, he would bring his portable keyboard and played a list of her favourite songs. He sometimes even put on a show for the other residents in the community room. That's if he was in a particularly good mood. But mostly they spent the time together. Billy learned that her husband wasn't the most sociable man going. But when he was with his son or with Jen, he saw the man who truly adored his wife and spent every second he was with her, caring and soothing his brain damaged wife.

Billy had heard that Jenifer used to be a talented musician before her accident. If she was having a particularly bad day, music always helped to calm her. It was like she drifted off to a time and space that Billy wished he knew of. He had grown fond of Jenifer and liked to imagine an imaginative, intellectual woman who left her mark on society.

Billy put in a request to Carol and a version of Baba O'Riley started playing. Jen's face lightened up and her arms flopped onto her lap. Her lips curled up and she tried to hum along. Billy knew that it was her favourite song. She was in her own little place again. Thinking about some long ago time where she was happy. That made Billy smile.

" 'eg' " She sighed, still with a small smile on her face.

"He's coming next week remember? He will be able to play the keyboard for you then."

Billy never recieved a replied. Jen was still on her own little planet.

After carol finished, Billy wheeled her back to her room and reconnected her central line. Jen was one of the sickest patients. She suffered from epilepsy, had serious heart problems and arthritis. She needed near constant fluids, medication for epilepsy, anticoagulants to prevent further ischemich attacks and anti-inflammatories and pain medication for the arthritis. For this she was connected to a central line where the meds where given. When her husband came in, he had a tendency to try and meddle. He eventually managed to annoy all the doctors that they just let him adjust medications and examine her himself. Billy guessed that being a doctor, you wanted to know exactly what was going on. Especially involving a loved one. It gave him something to control within a scenario in which he felt out of control in.

But everyone knew that Dr Gregory House was not a force to be messed with. Especially regarding Jenifer.