Chp Three

It took them a little over twenty minutes to get to the hallway where House's office was. It usually only took them five minutes from the clinic, but the pain in House caused him to limp even more and take each step with caution. It was as if he was paranoid that there was water spilled somewhere else that hadn't been cleaned up yet.

Before they reached the door to his office, however, House stopped and started shaking his head. He changed his mind.

"What? What is it?"

"I wanna go into your office."

Wilson gave him a confused look.

"Couch and more privacy."

"Oohh." Wilson understood. Or at least he thought he did, depending on which way House's mind was headed. In fact, House could be very happy or in a lot of pain, and his mind would still go the opposite direction of how he was actually feeling. Wilson found it astonishing.

They took the few extra steps pass House's office to get to Wilson's office. As the oncologist pushed open his door, House leaned heavily on him, his right arm now thrown over his shoulder. Wilson felt like he could collapse, but he keep strong knowing he needed to be the most between the two of them. House was counting on him, and unlike other times, he was willingly and eagerly accepting his help.

"Come on, one step at a time." Wilson's words were gentle to House, coaxing him along in a friendly and reassuring manner.

House gradually made his way into Wilson's office and near the small couch. Once seated on the brown leather material, he let out a heavy sigh and closed his eyes. Leaning back, he stretched out his left leg, but he couldn't move his right leg at all. He could hear the door being closed and curtains drawn shut. He then heard the gentle footsteps of his best friend and a warm hand touched his face gently when they stopped.

"On a scale from one to ten, how bad is the pain?"

"Twenty." He said it through gritted teeth.

"Oh, House." Wilson wanted to give him another Vicodin but he just couldn't. Nothing could magically take his pain away; only time would settle it. "Why don't you lie down on the couch? I can run down and get a pillow. I'm sure they won't mind missing one for a while."

A hand was suddenly gripping Wilson's wrist, stopping him from moving before he even thought about it.

"No…no, don't leave me. Please, Jimmy, don't."

Wilson sat down next to House on the couch and slipped House's hand from around his wrist to interlacing their fingers.

"I won't leave," he said. "But I want to help make your pain go away. I want to help make you feel better."

"Just being here is helping." House opened his eyes and looked them directly into his best friend's. "How come you didn't wake me when you woke up this morning?"

The look on his face gave away he was surprised by the random question. But figuring it would probably get his mind off the pain, Wilson decided to answer.

"I was in a bit of a rush myself, that I figured your alarm would wake you up. I'm guessing you forgot to set it. Again."

House smiled slightly and rested his head on the fist he made, elbow now resting on the arm of the couch. "Yeah. You had me pretty occupied last night, and got me so tired I didn't set the alarm."

A small blush crept up the back of his neck. It had been pretty wild last night.

A thought suddenly struck Wilson's mind.

"You don't think that because you couldn't take a Vicodin this morning, and because things were a little rough last night, you're in a lot of pain not only because of the fall but because of that too?"

House picked his head up and looked at Wilson.

"If I said no I wouldn't be sure if I was lying or not."

"Well, were you in pain when you woke up?"

"I was dying for a Vicodin by the time I got to the clinic."

"How much walking around did you do this morning?"

"The usual. But I think it was knowing Cuddy was going to be in my face within the next five minutes is what was pushing me to take a Vicodin."

"Yeah, that's good," Wilson replied sarcastically. "Glad knowing you're taking the pills because of Cuddy and not the leg."

"Would it be bad if I said it's for both, plus having the deal with a man who thinks I'm racist, a woman who's in love with me, and an Australian man who can't get over the fact that he's British?"

"It's bad you're taking the pills in the first place."

House didn't respond.

"I'm guessing that I'm somewhere in the reasons why you take the pills."

"Sometimes."

Wilson mockingly looked hurt.

"Oh, please. You have the energy of a teenager, both in and out of the bedroom. How else am I supposed to keep up with you?"

Wilson grinned and leaned in for a kiss.

A moment later, House pulled back breathless and looking at his lover with eyes misted over.

"See what I mean?"

Wilson kept grinning and was about to lean in for another kiss when there was a sound at the door. A knock came first and then the handle was jiggled. Two people entered the room, both looking pissed off and frustrated.

Volger was more pissed off, and Cuddy was more frustrated.

Wilson, who had pulled back quickly at the sound of the knock, was casually resting against the back of the couch. He hadn't noticed his whole right side was touching House's whole left side, making him look connected to his best friend. Volger, however, had noticed, and bells were going off in his head and the wheels had begun turning.

Cuddy didn't noticed at all. She was too worried about the money that was about to walk away.

"Dr. House, I heard what just happened at the clinic."

"Wow, those nurses sure do spread the gossip fast."

"Dr. Cuddy had told me."

"Oh, right, trusty ol' Dr. Cuddy. Did she happen to explain the fact that since I have a bum leg – you know, the reason why I take the Vicodin, not just because I have a pain problem and am addicted – the fall caused me to be in a lot of pain and that I can't have any visitors right now. Because I know how GREATLY you care for my well being and HATE to see me in pain."

"House, you caused a big scene down in the clinic; a lot bigger and more dramatic then it had to be. You – "

"Oh, I'm sorry. Where you even there?"
Volger was getting more pissed off with every word House was saying.

"No, but that does not exclude the fact that I believe what Dr. Cuddy tells me. You yelled

at patients who were seated in the waiting area, you disrespected Dr. Cuddy when she offered your help, you pushed Dr. Cameron away when she offered you help, and then you displayed a great amount of disrespect towards everyone when Wilson had to shove a Vicodin down your throat."

"Yeah, 'cause God forbid people actually care how I feel."

The two continued like that for the next three minutes. Volger kept yelling at House and wouldn't shut up. House replied sarcastically and even insulted Volger a few times. It was unsure if Volger caught on, but if he did he didn't show it.

Wilson let out a sigh and rubbed his forehead. He looked over at Cuddy, who stood there nervous as could be now. She was breathing through her nose, with her lips pressed tightly together. Her eyes went back and forth from Volger to House. She prayed silently that Volger didn't take the money away, and she was begging House to just stop talking.

Neither the praying nor the begging worked. And it turned out that it wasn't Volger or even House's fault.

"Dr. House, I know all about your leg and your condition, which is why I have requested to Dr. Cuddy to allow you to take a leave of absence for a month."

"What?"! House banged his cane on the ground in sync with his shout out. Sometimes Wilson thought that getting to bang the cane around was one of the reasons House liked it so much.

"It would do both the hospital and you some good. Also, Dr. Cuddy, against my wishes, had decided to cut back Wilson's hours so he can keep an eye on you."

Wilson's head turned sharply to the two people standing in the room. He didn't like that one bit, but before he could say anything of it, his mind went blank. Sighing, he stood and walked to the other side of his office, eyes on the ground away from Cuddy's stare.

"It would be best if you left early today. You are obviously in a lot of pain."

"I can't go on a leave of absence. I have a patient right now in critical condition, and my team needs me here. A month is too long for me to be gone. Plus, how would the clinic ever survived?" The last remark wasn't as serious as the others were.

"You don't even like the clinic. I'm sure you won't miss it."

"And you don't like me, so you are trying to get me fire. But Cuddy won't fire me, so you had to go with the best you could get." From the position he was in and the fact that he was sitting on a couch, House didn't look as funny or intimidating as he usually did when he had that kind of tone in his voice. Of course, he was usually standing, so sitting did make all the difference.

"This hospital needs what I can offer. It can live without you."

"I think it's been doing pretty good for the past eleven years, don't ya think, Cuddy?" House's eyes were now on Cuddy, daring her to say something against Volger. But she didn't take the dare; she just stood there still praying for the money not to walk away.

"You have no respect for the patients you treat. You use them as experiments and based their illnesses on theories. You take way too many risks with their lives and put them in great danger. You play games, House, and you are going to put this hospital in serious jeopardy."

"I save people lives."

"But you don't have any feelings. You don't care about the people that are affected by what's going on with the person they love who is sick. You need to start seeing things from their point of view."

Wilson was leaning against his desk now. He didn't like the fact that Volger was picking on House, and he had a feeling things weren't going to end well.

"I'm a doctor. I find out what's wrong, treat it, and send them on their merry way. Why should I have to told their hand as well?"

"You have pieces of paper that call you a doctor. You are a cripple, House. You're not a real doctor. You only have the mind, not the heart and soul that completes the package."

A look struck House's face, and from that moment on Wilson knew there wasn't much left to say from the hurt man. Those words, You are a cripple…you're not a real doctor, most definitely hit a place in House, and Wilson could see it by the way he now held himself and the silence that filled the air. Wilson wanted to hold his lover now, to kiss his gentle lips and take him in his arms, but he didn't like what Volger said. He needed to defend his best friend before he saved House from drowning in his misery.

"Take that back."

All eyes shifted to the oncologist, who was standing tall and walking very slowly towards Volger.

"Excuse me?"

Wilson thought of a comment House once made about Volger being deaf, but he let it be and allowed his own mind do the talking for once.

"I want you take back what you said about House." His face and body was giving away a lot about how Wilson was feeling at the moment. Cuddy caught the lowered brows and his fits clenched by his sides. She knew he was angry, and he was getting angrier every second Volger was wasting.

"Well, Dr. Wilson, I'm afraid I can't do that. I never take back my word."

Wilson started to laugh.

Both Cuddy and House has startled expressions on their face.

I truly believe this handsome man has gone crazy, House thought. He rested his hand on top of his cane, which stood upright, just in case he needed to stand up quickly.

"If you never take back your word, then how come you are threatening to take away the one hundred million dollars you are giving us?"

"I have my reasons."

"So, then you admit it?"

"Admit what?"

Cuddy was very nervous right now. Wilson looked like he was about to do something bad, and Volger looked like he didn't want to being having this conversation right now.

"You admit that because of House you will take away your money. That because of one doctor, who does his job differently than other doctors, you are going to take away what this hospital hoped on and already starting planning for?" Humor could be heard in his voice. If you didn't get it before, you could clearly understand how Wilson had become to dislike Volger.

"Now, Dr. Wilson, that wasn't a very nice thing to say. You have to understand that because of House, people are put in risk and I have come to realize that it should be stopped. You just said so yourself that House doesn't practice like others doctor do, and because of that his ego has been inflated. Therefore, people who work with him are forced to bow to his snark and his attitude that he is always right."

"But is he always right." Wilson was standing about two feet away from Volger now. His fist were still clenched tightly. He had never felt so mad before in his life. Well, there was that one time with his second wife, but that's a whole different story.

"James, it has been a long day for you and House. Why don't you two just go home and rest. A month off for House and less hours for you will be good. Although, I prefer House have a longer leave of absence – " He should have done it will Volger called him James; only House was allowed to call him by his first name in public. But he knew that was childish, so he did it when Volger insulted House again.

Silence filled the room. Cuddy gasped, but the shock took he breath away. House didn't make a sound, nor move, and Volger, who suddenly became the victim, just took a step back and brought his hand to the side of his face. All eyes, House and Cuddy's that is, went from Volger to Wilson, back and forth, for a long time until one finally had the courage to speak up.

"Oh my god…" Cuddy approached Volger and tried to move his hand so she could look at it. Volger just shoved her own hand away and turned to Wilson. His eyes promised death.

"I have been proved wrong about you, Dr. Wilson. And I'm going to see it that you never touch another human being again." His words didn't promise death, but House got the sudden chill and felt like they did.

Cuddy chased after Volger, who stormed out of Wilson's office and was sulking down the hallway. You could hear her apologizing over and over again. "I'll suspend him, Edward – please, don't be mad!" Her voice was distant down the hallway, but House heard that loud and clear.

Blue eyes landed on the oncologist, and it wasn't a surprise as to what they saw. Wilson was standing there with his eyes opened wide, a shocked expression on his face and sudden fear of the consequences for his actions. He was just standing there, and House was sure he wasn't going to move unless someone made him.

"Jimmy, come here."

Wilson turned his head slowly and met House's gaze.

"House…I can't believe I just did that."

"Neither can I. Now come over here so I can kiss my hero." House patted the seat next to him and smiled.

But Wilson looked as if he was about to cry. "House! I hit him!" He approached the couch and flopped down next to House. "Oh my god, what have I done?" He covered his face with his hands and sighed. Tears were on the verge of pouring out, but they weren't pushing it yet. Wilson didn't want to cry, and if he could he would wait until he was in more private corridors. It wasn't House sitting next to him that made him paranoid, it was his fishbowl office.

"Listen, the worse he can do is take away the money, and Cuddy said something about suspending you, but there's no worrying about losing your job."

Wilson removed his hands and looked up at the older doctor. "But House, what about my reputation? You may not care about what others think, but I do! I can't have them think that every time I lose my temper I'm going to hit someone."

"You his Volger because of me. People will understand that."

"Yeah, right. The next board me, I'm not getting invited too. Volger will clearly brings this up and I have a lot to lose."

House sighed and placed a warm hand on Wilson's back. "You're not going to lose me, Jimmy."

Wilson let out a sigh smile and nodded his head. A small tear escaped, quickly falling down his cheek, and Wilson suddenly wrapped his arms around House. House embraced him back, placing a gentle kiss on his neck.

A few minutes later, House nudged Wilson and pulled back slightly.

"Come on," he said. "Let's go before they change their minds."

Wilson nodded and brought himself to his feet. He then helped House up, grabbing him around his waist and taking hold of one hand. The cane fell to the floor and Wilson quickly scooped down and picked it up. House just rolled his eyes.

House's limp was worse than usual but he made it to his office without Wilson's help. The oncologist stayed behind to gather his stuff, and when he met up in House's office, he found the older doctor finishing up as he stuffed his Game Boy and iPod into his bag.

"Ready?"

"Yep."

As they walked out of his office and headed down the hallway towards the elevator, Wilson had both his and House's bags on his left shoulder. His right arm was around House's waist, giving him extra support, and House's cane made a slight sound each time it met the ground. All was quiet between the two and they made their way, and even though the looks were there, they pretended that they weren't. For his sake, House really didn't care, but he knew Wilson's reputation was important, so he just hoped to God that word had not gotten out yet.