Title: Wilson in the Morning: Independence

By: lbc

Pairing: House/Wilson

Rating: G

Genre: pre-slash

Disclaimer: I sure wish I owned these characters.

Words: 733

Summary: House wakes Wilson with some advice.

Note: This concludes the 3-part arc. Thanks for reading. Feedback welcome.

5:30 am, February 15:

Gregory House lay on his back with his right arm over his eyes. He was not asleep, and the warmth of James Wilson's body comforted him in his niche only inches away. For the last 3 mornings the two men had slept next to each other. It was time for House to make a decision: a decision that was painful, but might preserve his friendship with the younger man.

House had slept very little, and, for once, it had not been because of the throbbing pain of his right thigh. He had always been an insomniac but even more so since the infarction. The Vicodin usually let him relax but not always sleep. Strangely, the mere presence of James Wilson, in his bed, seemed to alleviate that situation to some extent. Now, however, House was resolved to take drastic steps so that his dependency on his friend did not stretch into an area where loss of Wilson's friendship might be waiting.

House knew the moment when Wilson woke. The younger man now lay between that world of sleep and full waking. It was time for Greg House to make his move.

"You finally awake?"

"What?"

"Did you forget what day this is?"

Wilson ran his hand over his face, blinking several times as he often did when he first put in his contacts. "What are you talking about? It's a Wednesday . . . I think. Is that meaningful . . . or even relevant to this discussion?"

"Of course, it is. It's independence day!"

"What are you talking about . . . that's not for months, yet."

"Wilson, for a man who was Magna Cum Laude and a Phi Beta Kappa, you are remarkably dense. Today is independence day . . . for both of us. Remember the rousing speech that the President gave in that movie? Well, today some ass is going to be kicked! I think it's time that you stop hanging around here. Stand up; be a man; go tell your wife . . . "Honey, I'm home; let's go to bed. If that doesn't work then, Honey, that big gorilla that's in my place in bed is going to be named co-respondent; let him pay for your support."

Wilson pushed himself up on his elbows and looked through the gloom at House. "House, what are you talking about?"

"Jimmy, you've been hanging around here for days. You always do that when you've had an argument with one of the wives. I'm tired of being an enabler; go get a backbone and bring on independence."

Wilson tried to cover his stricken face, but he couldn't do it quickly enough. House briefly thought of reneging on his promise to himself, but lay there silently. Wilson shook his head and blurted out. "Man, do I have to pee."

Grabbing a sheet, he quickly got up and headed for the bathroom. House slumped back on his pillow, covering his eyes. Apparently Wilson hadn't understood his less-than-subtle message. He would have to be blunter. Suddenly, House's remembered that Wilson had left his clothes in the bathroom, but it was too late. The older man could hear the quiet click as the front door of the condo was shut.

His body barely cooperating, House got out of bed and limped quickly into the living room. As he looked out the window, he could see the silver Lexus, driving away. House tried to tell himself that he should feel satisfied that his strategy had worked, but he felt totally empty, just as he had done all those years before when he had walked out on the younger James Wilson.

The pain in his leg was like a hurricane blasting through concrete defenses. House started to limp out to fix a cup of coffee and swallow some Vicodin when he spotted a piece of paper on his piano. The slender figure stood there, projecting the agony that he felt.

House,

The divorce was final two weeks ago. Sorry, I bothered you.

Wilson

House closed his eyes, shutting out the independence he had gained at such a cost.

The End of this arc