A/N: Thank you all for your reviews; I love receiving them in my inbox. This story will definitely turn slashy (although not in this chapter), so for those of you who don't like slash, you may not want to continue reading.

Chapter 5

Doctors House and Wilson left the office together and began walking towards the elevator, each man caught up in his own thoughts. The older doctor contemplated how the evening had come full circle for him, the excursion consisting of a harrowing emotional roller coaster. He had started the evening comfortably content… with the assistance of his cherished Vicodin, of course…..then was abruptly plunged into deep despair, followed by overwhelming relief and back to the beginning of the circle emerging somewhat worse for wear.

The younger man, however, was dealing with different issues. As they walked down the hall he found himself fighting off another strong wave of nausea and an uncomfortable feeling of lightheadedness. His uneasiness grew more intense and despite trying to fight it off, he suddenly found himself in the center of a vortex, the walls spinning uncontrollably around him. Caught off guard by its swift onset, he reached out and grabbed House's left arm, falling back against the wall at the same time. The older man barely managed to stay afoot, his cane clattering to the floor as he toppled against Wilson's chest, attempting to use his friend as leverage to regain his bearings.

"Jesus, Jimmy what the hell…. ?" House grabbed his colleague by his shoulders to keep him from sliding down the wall.

The young doctor's eyes were clamped shut, his breathing quick and shallow, sweat beading on his forehead. He reached out blindly and grabbed onto House's forearms, gripping them tightly.

"Jimmy, open your eyes and look at me," House said soothingly, attempting to calm him down.

"Can't," the young man managed to force out between breaths, "room's spinning."

House leaned into his friend to prevent him from falling to the floor and to keep himself upright at the same time. He spoke quietly. "Okay. Try to slow your breathing down or you'll start to hyperventilate."

He received no reaction from the younger man.

"Jimmy! Listen to me," House raised his voice, gently shaking his friend by the shoulders.

Apparently it worked as Wilson made an effort to control his breathing.

"Good, that's good. Keep breathing slowly. Now I want you to open your eyes."

The young doctor's head was against the wall, eyes squeezed tightly shut, his respiration now slower and seemingly more controlled. "Open your eyes, Jimmy, and try to focus on my eyes."

Wilson slowly opened his eyes but quickly closed them again, gasping for air as his breathing picked up speed. "Room's spinning…. can't," he cried out near panic.

"Don't worry. It's okay, just give yourself a few minutes," House said reassuringly. "Try to slow your breathing down again."

The oncologist did as his friend instructed and after several seconds his respiration grew slower and more controlled.

"Good, Jimmy. We'll wait a few minutes and then I want you to try to open your eyes again."

"No!"

"Not yet, wait until you're feeling better. I'm here, I won't let anything happen to you."

House was worried that the concussion was worse than he had originally thought. This could be just a single attack of vertigo, or it could be a sign of more to come. He would order an MRI as soon as they got to the clinic.

Several minutes passed; the young doctor seemed calmer; his eyes were still closed but his expression was more relaxed.

"Okay, Jimmy, we're going to try this again. Open your eyes and look at me. Focus your attention on my eyes."

As Wilson's eyes fluttered open, he tightened his grip on his friend. "I got you, don't worry," House said, "just look directly at my eyes."

The young oncologist was able to keep his eyes open, focusing his attention on his best friend's intense blue eyes. In the bright light of the corridor House could see that his pupils were still uneven as they had been during the exam.

He smiled. "It's over… you're okay."

Wilson loosened his hold on the older doctor's arms and took a deep breath, continuing to stare into his eyes. After several moments, he was able to speak. "Jesus…that…that never happened to me before."

"I know it's a scary thing, but it's very symptomatic of a concussion. I'm going to order an MRI to make sure nothing's going on in that pretty head of yours."

Wilson smiled sadly as he dropped his arms to his sides. "You can let go of me now, I can stand."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just… uh… I'm nauseous again."

"You gonna spew?"

"I don't think so…it seems to be subsiding. But you definitely were in harm's way a few minutes ago." Wilson glanced down and saw the cane lying on the floor.

"Sorry about that. I didn't mean to…."

"Not necessary. I'm glad I was here."

"I'd pick it up for you, but that's probably not the best idea at the moment."

House smirked. "Ironic, isn't it?" He bent down to retrieve his cane managing to keep one eye on his friend. He pulled his cell phone out from his jacket pocket. "I'm calling Foreman to get a wheelchair….."

"No!" Wilson cut him off.

"It's just to the clinic…."

"I don't need a wheelchair!"

House returned the phone to his pocket. "So you're good to walk?" he asked, prepared to catch his friend if he lost his balance again.

"I'm better." Wilson moved away from the wall, maintaining contact with one hand just in case. When he felt confident of his balance he removed his hand and slowly made his way towards the elevator. House made a point of walking directly alongside his friend.

tbc