Cameron tried her best, but even blind House seemed to find some sort of perverse satisfaction in running rings around her. In some way that made Wilson glad.
He found him on the roof:
He sniffed softly to himself. "Hey Wilson."
"Now how did you know it was me?" asked Wilson.
House grinned evilly. "I can smell your terrible aftershave a mile off." He turned and even though his eyes were sightless they stared right into the exact spot Wilson was standing. "Besides, when it comes to you, I don't need to see." He tapped his head with a finger. "It is all up here buddy – even down to that hideous tie you are wearing today. Tuesday's tie is green of snot," he sing songed.
Wilson shook his head. "Busted."
House frowned. "What do you mean?" He reached out and his hand connected with Wilson's chest. "I sense a tie…" He trailed off as he ran his hand down the length of Wilson's tie.
"You aren't… you bastard!"
"I am and I truly am heartless. 'Quack quack'"
House waggled his head in disbelief, his hands on Wilson's shoulders. "Do you mean to tell me you waited until I was blind before you wore that tie I bought you?"
House could feel Wilson's shrug underneath his hands. "I knew you'd tease me if you saw it, so this little black duck thought this was the perfect time."
Wilson was silent, but House could sense there was more to that thought.
"And what," prompted House.
"An incentive maybe?"
House turned away. "Do they make Braille ties," he said bitterly.
"Look at me Greg."
"Is that meant to be a joke?"
Wilson roughly grabbed House and spun him round until his back was against the balcony wall. He held House's head in his hands and stared into his face. "I see two of them – big, bold and bright blue."
"Well bully for you, cos I can't see Jack."
"For now." He emphasized. "You don't know about tomorrow. Tomorrow you might be laughing at my Daffy Duck tie again. You just don't know. It could be temporary," he urged furiously. "Don't give up. The House I know would never give up."
At this House crumbled. "I'm sorry Jimmy. It's eating me away," he said softly. House's sightless eyes bored into his. "I am afraid that there won't be anything of my life left."
Wilson tugged on House's ears. "What are these – chopped liver?"
House said nothing and they were silent for a while.
"Not thinking of jumping were you?" asked Wilson eventually.
"Nah, just came up here to get away from my 'seeing eye dog'. She keeps using this as an excuse to grope me. Give me a Labradoodle any day."
"No, look for yourself."
"You can't just bully someone's sight back you know."
"Maybe. Maybe not. But I know you. You hate not knowing."
"What's the hint?"
"Think bacon."
"But you're Jewish!"
"I want you to reach out and touch Doctor Wilson."
House screwed up his face. "Dude?"
"You need to learn how to touch people Doctor House," said the therapist patiently.
"I touch myself," leered House. "Isn't that good enough?"
Wilson sighed in exasperation. He grabbed House's hand and put it on his chest. "Just keep it above the waist, OK…. Arghhh!"
Smirk.
"…you bastard House."
"How many of these did you buy?"
"Lots. I went to the Warner's Brother's store."
"So what's this one."
"Do you think I am that easy?"
"All right. What's the clue?"
"Ground control to Major Tom."
"David Bowie?"
"You're losing it House."
"Just joshing ya. I am thinking small, silly looking and from Mars."
"How did you get to that from Major Tom."
House smiled. "I am just that good."
Touch is highly underrated in modern society. We touch inanimate objects all the time. We rarely touch people. People are much nicer to touch than computer keyboards or steering wheels. People are warm and soft, not hard and cold.
Gregory House had never considered touch like this before. He had never to. Sight and sound made up his observational skills. Sorry Greg… got to stop you there. Sight and sound 'had' made up your observational skills he thought to himself.
Now he had no sight.
But he found touch worked nearly as well as an observational tool. During early childhood babies would stick everything in their mouths to work out what it was. Not all that feasibly possible for an adult House decided. He couldn't go around sucking on everything – although in some instances that didn't sound half bad. He wondered if he could get Cuddy to participate in an experiment.
House learned that he could tell a lot about a person from touching them. He could put a hand on Wilson's chest and tell how he was feeling by his heart rate, well that – and the amount of huffing and sighing. He could 'accidentally' touch/grope Cuddy's breasts and judging by her reaction (ie – did she slap him or just growl menacingly) he could tell how stressed she was that day.
Touch should be given more respect thought House. Even though they were barely touching, a bit of an arm there, a leg there… House felt comforted. It connected him to the outside world.
It was nothing like the little quiet room with the locked door. In that room he had felt like he was drifting through outer space – unable to cry out or warn as he watched planets and civilizations grow and die far away in the distance.
When he felt Wilson's warmth he was somehow connected to all the people Wilson had ever touched in his life – from his mother to his lovers.
Maybe because Wilson was an oncologist he knew this. Did he lay hands on his patients mused House. Did it work? Was the hand of another person better than all the drugs and modern science in the world?
They had never spoken about it. The first night home Wilson had just laid down next to him and gone to sleep as if he'd known House needed to be near a human being. That was that. And every morning House felt a little more reconnected to the world – and maybe Wilson did too.
"Foreman, come here."
"What."
"Which one is Doctor Wilson wearing today?"
"I am sorry Doctor House, but I am bound by my Hippocratic Oath. I cannot reveal that information."
"Do I have to remind you I am your boss?"
"I don't think giving you that information comes under any area of my contract."
"Traitor."
"You are just being mean because you are upset."
"Think of it this way Cameron." House leered in close. "How many years of medical school and now you are nothing more than a dog," he said.
Cuddy watched as Cameron went past and bolted into the ladies room. Damn him, she thought. She went to find Wilson.
After a few minutes composing herself she decided it was time to face the world again. Cameron walked down the corridor. She stopped when she saw Wilson walking into House's office. She crept up the corridor and peeked in. He went to stand behind House's chair, then after a few words he hit him lightly on the head. House spun around and began gesturing wildly.
This seemed to have no affect on Wilson and he continued to lecture House. She noticed as he talked he put his hand on House's shoulder.