PART 4

Two months had past with things continuing pretty much the same way. House still snipped about this and that, complained that there was no piano and about how Wilson was a kept woman. Wilson settled into home life. He helped Cameron with the cleaning and also did most of the grocery shopping.

Somewhere along the line, her house had turned into their house. No one, especially Greg would admit it though. They spent most of their time there. Wilson had taken over a spare bedroom as his study. He needed the space for his lectures and research. Running the Oncology department took a lot of time and energy.

House paced a lot, also watched a lot of TV but he did do a fair amount of reading. Cameron even purchased him an X-Box. His eyes sparkled like a child's when they got it hooked up. He made them all stay up to 3 am playing re-match after re-match of Grand Theft Auto.

On one particular day in September, House was out of sorts. Really out of sorts. He was grumpy, snappy and just plain mean. He was short with Cameron and snide with Wilson. But it was Foreman and Chase that got the brunt of it. By the end of the day, the only one that could be found in the Diagnostics Department was House, laying on the floor, listening to his records with the blinds drawn and the lights off.

Allison gathered her stuff and left without a word. Something was bothering him, but he was not ready to talk about it, at least not with her. When she arrived home, she started dinner to try and take her mind off of it. Wilson and House showed up 15 minutes later.

They sat around the dinner table, no one said anything, and no one really ate anything. House yelled, "You need a FUCKIN' piano. I'm going home!" throwing his fork down and leaving, slamming the door behind him.

Allison sat there stunned. "What is wrong with him? What did we do?" She asked Wilson.

"It's not us, sweetheart. Today is six years since the infarction." James filled her in about the last 5 years. She nodded silently as a tear slipped down her face. Her heart broke for him, but he could never find out. He would see it at pity instead of love and he couldn't stand to be pitied.

James and Allison both went to bed early that night. The house was too quiet. They didn't make love, and they couldn't sleep. Nothing was right without House.

"We need to get him a piano," Allison said softly.

"For his birthday. It is coming up soon." James agreed as he pulled her into his embrace.

"Is he going to be alright?" she asked.

"I hope..., try to get some sleep Allison." he muttered into her hair.

Wilson's phone rang at 1 am. It was House. He opened it without saying anything, "Come get me," His speech was slurred and hoarse.

James got out of bed, his movements stirring Cameron and she muttered something to him. He kissed her on the cheek and told her to go back to sleep.

James drove over to House's apartment. As he entered, he saw his best friend, his lover, his life at his worst. He was drunk and looked like hell. Their eyes met across the room. House's were blood shot and glassy. He looked sad and lost, just like six years ago. Wilson's heart broke.

"Hey," he said. House grunted. "You ready?" Another grunt.

"I can't sleep." House informed him.

Jim walked farther into the room, "That is because you are sitting in a chair." He glanced at the empty bottle of scotch and sighed.

House smirked at him, "You disapprove of my beverage of choice?"

"You're killing your liver. Between the scotch and the pills, Christ Greg, you're going to be in liver failure in no more than five years."

"Yeah, probably, but you'll were be there to donate yours. You're always here to save me from myself..." he slurred. It had been along time since Wilson had seen House this bad and it was depressing.

"It's not just me this time. You scared the hell out of Cameron."

With this, House rubbed his hands over his face and said, "Right. Cameron. She ok?"

"She is trying to be."

A quick nod and he tried to stand. Wilson was there, as always, to slip an arm around his waist and help him up, to keep him from falling. Pulling him back from the edge, time and again. "Take me home Jim. I'm tired of being alone."

"You were never alone, Greg. Not then, not now, not ever. Allison and I are here. We aren't going anywhere." Greg just regarded him with his cool stare and then his signature nod.

Allison woke alone; an odd sensation and one she didn't care for. She heard the front door open up and the thump of House's cane. The muffled voices of House and Wilson. She quickly jumped out of bed and rushed to them.

House looked at her and gave her an awkward smile. "Allie, I'm home baby."

"Yes you are." She told him as she and James helped him back to bed. The undressed him, which wasn't as easy as it sounded. It wasn't that he resisted, it was the fact he was so big and didn't help them at all.

That night, House slept in the middle, surrounded by love.

House's birthday was two weeks later. He came home from work to find Wilson painting Allison's toe nails.

"You really are gay, aren't you Wilson?" He grumped at him.

"Not any gayer than you are." Jim shot back.

"Oh don't mind him, he's just jealous because I didn't ask him. He did them last week." Allison informed James. The both laughed at House.

"Shut up." he said, cursing under his breath. This made them laugh even harder. He paced, "You need a piano."

"So I have heard." Allison replied absently. "Greg, can you go into the study and get me my book?"

"Why can't you do it?" House whined.

"My toes are wet. I don't want to mess up the nice job Jim did." She told him.

"Then Wilson can get it."

"Hello, I'm comfortable, besides you are already up pacing." James said. Allison had her legs spread over Jim's lap as the snuggled on the couch.

"Sure, send the cripple. Lazy bastards..." He mumbled under his breath as he walked down the hall. "Greg, get me this, Greg, get me that..." Then silence. At the sound of the first note, Allison and James looked at each other and smiled.

They let House play the first song then went in to join him. He was sitting at the piano bench, his hands caressing the keys. The walked up to him, one on each side of his shoulders and both said, "Happy Birthday."

House nodded, not trusting his voice. It had been along time since he felt like crying, but this was one of those occasions. Jim and Allison were too good to him. What did he ever do to deserve this kind of love? He wasn't sure, but he planned on enjoy it.