Friday, Day 5

The next morning Wilson didn't speak to him. From the moment they woke up until they had finished their breakfast in the cafeteria not a single word came from the oncologist.

They skipped the shower that morning and got dressed at home. House even offered to get his left hand cuffed this time but Wilson still refused to talk to him.

"Why don't you just tell me what you expect me to do so we can end this kindergarten shit right now?", House finally asked him. Wilson shrugged. "Nothing."

"Then why won't you talk to me?", House went on

Wilson furrowed his brows.

"Because it's not worth it", he mumbled and got up to bust his trey.

But House shook his head. "No. I won't stay in the game like this."

"You think making me lose that bet to Cuddy will improve my mood?"

House thought about it for a moment.

"Come on, I have to go", the oncologist urged him.

"You want me to end this? I go and tell Cuddy I gave up. I go ask her out for a date and you have your freedom back."

Wilson shook his head. "I'd still have to clean her house."

House cocked his head and looked at him with squinty eyes. "And you also couldn't punish me with your ignorance and your monosyllabic answers, could you?"

"So you are in or out?", Wilson asked him annoyed.

House finally nodded. "I think I deserve it", he mumbled and got up as well.

Wilson stayed hard this time. He chased his buddy around oncology to check on all his patients. They did two hours of clinic duty and spent the afternoon in Wilson's office catching up on their paperwork. Even House brought some files along this time. He couldn't find anything else to do anyway. He didn't even a patient. But Wilson didn't say a single word to him and after he had tried to force him into talking for three hours House gave it up.

After two hours in his office suddenly Wilson's pager went off. The oncologist looked at it.

"Crap!", he mumbled.

"What is it?", House wondered.

"Michael, the 12 year old is dying. I have to be there."

House nodded and followed him into the elevator.

Wilson hurried through the oncology ward and House had trouble following him.

"I thought he was in that trial. You told me he was improving", House said.

"He was. But then he got pneumonia. His immune system is too weak to fight it off."

When they reached the room House held him back.

"Wait a second."

"House, I don't have time for this. And you better behave yourself or I'll use physical violence. I promise you I'll kick the shit out of you."

House didn't answer him. Instead he got the key from his pocket and unlocked the handcuffs. Wilson looked surprised. "What are you doing?"

"Maybe you can treat your patients one-handed. Holding hands with a dying kid though surprisingly works better with two hands."

"You are giving up in order to help this kid?"

"I'll be right here outside the room. Maybe Cuddy is decent enough to accept this. Go on. I'm not in the mood to watch a kid in agony. Too much crying."

For a moment Wilson smiled. He gave his friend a nod. Then he turned around and entered the room where a dying kid and his crying mother were waiting for him. House watched them for a moment before he asked a passing nurse to get him a chair.

"I'm sure there's one in your office", she snapped and walked on.

House rolled his eyes but he had no choice. He had to stay there so he sat down on the floor and leaned against the glass wall of the room.

20 minutes later Cuddy came along. Lucas had told her where to look for her department head. When she saw House without Wilson she grinned.

"So where is Mr. Hyde?", she asked him.

"You mean Dr. Jekyll. Mr. Hyde is the bad one. You wouldn't insult Wilson like that, would you?"

"Where is he?", she wondered.

But House didn't need to answer that one. Cuddy threw a look into the room and her grin vanished from her face immediately.

"I really don't know what he gets out of his specialty. I couldn't listen to those kids. Too annoying", House mumbled.

"You are not sitting out here because they annoy you, you are here because you care. Wilson is rubbing on you. We should make this a permanent state."

"I am sitting here because I want Wilson to cook me dinner for a month. Speaking of which, tell me, are we still in the game? If not I have better things to do as sitting here on the cold floor", House snapped.

"No, as long as you stay here it's ok with me. But don't leave!"

House looked up to her.

"Damn it, I wish that skirt was shorter", he smirked.

Cuddy rolled her eyes and turned around.

"Actually, it's really boring. I could use some company", he tried next.

"I'll go find the janitor for you", she smirked but sat down a moment later right next to him.

"So you made a bet with Wilson in the middle of our bet? Is this allowed?", she wondered.

"Cuddy, there are no universal rules about betting. We can do whatever we want as long as we don't interfere with the bet between you and us."

"And what's the bet between you and him?"

"I'll drive him nuts and make him give up", he explained.

"And what's in there for him?"

"I will pay for my own meals for a month", he lied to her.

Cuddy looked inside the patient's room.

"I thought this kid liked you. Maybe you should get in there", she suggested.

"I think he has enough company in there."

Cuddy watched House. With sad eyes he starred at the floor. He would never admit it but this got to him. This is the part of his beloved medicine that even he hated. There was no justice in this. He has had dying patients before and although he never made a difference between his files even he had to admit that a dying kid was amongst the worst.

And this was the part of House Cuddy liked best. Because it showed her that there was a heart. It showed his human side because he was caring after all. Unfortunately he showed this side not very often.

"Maybe Wilson could use a helping hand."

"He had my hand all week long. No, this is the part where he beats me every time, patient care."

"And everything that includes running", Cuddy mumbled.

"Thank you very much", he grumped.

"So how was your night in prison?"

"We got out last night", House told her.

"Because you finally admitted your misbehavior and apologized?"

House shook his head. "Not really, no."

Cuddy smirked. "Wilson got you out of there, right? Like always."

House exhaled deeply and noisily. Cuddy took that as a yes.

"Are you guys ok now?", she asked him after a silent moment.

House shrugged. "I don't know."

He pushed himself up and walked a few steps to stretch his leg.

"You need a chair", Cuddy pointed out.

House looked around. "They are out of reach."

"I could get it for you", she suggested.

He gave her a nod. "That would be very kind of you."

A few minutes later she came back. House's heart did a little jump when she brought along two chairs. She would stay a little longer there with him. While she was gone, House had thrown another look in Michael's room. So far Wilson seemed ok but House knew this would keep them busy the entire night.

He sat down next to Cuddy now.

"Did you finally find your car?", House asked her now.

"Yes, it was in my garage. Clever, probably the last place I would have looked. Where would that paper chase of yours have ended?"

House smiled. "You'll never know. You didn't play by the rules."

"I'm sorry about the rain. It must have been terrible."

"The rain was ok. Wilson was annoying."

Cuddy chuckled.

"You always say that. Why are you still friends if he's that bad?"

House focused on the floor again and pursed his lips. His cane tipped the floor a few times before he answered her.

"Because he's an idiot."

Cuddy looked skeptically. "I'm not sure what this means but it doesn't surprise me that you are in a fight."

Suddenly Foreman showed up.

"What are you doing here, House? We have a case."

Cuddy got up. "Well, then better go back to work, House."

"I can't!", he objected.

Cuddy smiled. "You've proven often enough that you can work anywhere!"

"I can't do my ddx here in the hallway", he said.

Cuddy shrugged. "Then I see you Saturday morning at 8am. You can start with my kitchen."

He glared at her. Starred in her eyes and didn't move his look at all while he addressed Foreman.

"Get the team down here now. Bring the file and everything we got on him."

Foreman looked confused.

"House, we should….", he couldn't finish the sentence.

"Just go!", House ordered him.

Now the diagnostician looked around. "Let me have that lounge over there", he pointed at the end of the hallway. "I don't want to blockage the floor with my team here."

Cuddy nodded. "It's a deal", she said and walked away.

House limped about 15 feet and collapsed on the black leather couch who was actually reserved for family members. There he waited for his team to show up. Every now and then he threw a view over to the patient's room. Wilson wouldn't show up for hours.

At half past nine House had been sitting on that couch for nearly six hours. His team was busy testing their patient and all the fluids they collected from him. House took his cane and walked over to the patient room and glanced inside.

The kid seemed to be asleep, at least he didn't feel much pain obviously. His mother was sitting in a chair next to him. She had her back turned towards him but he could still tell she looked really exhausted. Wilson sat on the other side of the bed. When he saw his buddy in front of the door he signed him to come in. House was not really in the mood for this but he entered the room.

Wilson stood up and stepped towards him.

"Do me a favor and get Ms. Reager some tea."

He turned around. "Are you hungry, Sophie?"

The woman shook her head weakly and turned around. She had redden eyes and sniffed.

"But tea would be great, thank you Dr. House."

He gave her a nod. "No problem", he mumbled and looked at his friend.

"What about you? You need something?"

"Some water would be great. Thanks. Are you still sitting out there?", he wondered.

House nodded. "But I have a new case that keeps me busy. Don't worry."

"Be assured, I don't worry about you", Wilson mumbled.

House nodded and left the room. He told one of the passing nurses to get the tea and some water before he returned to his team that was already awaiting him.

They told them about their latest results and waited for him to share his opinion with them.

"Is he stable now?", he asked them instead.

"Yes, he's a sleep", Foreman told him.

"Good. Then go home, all of you. Catch some sleep. We'll talk about it in the morning."

They exchanged some confused looks.

"Are you alright?", Thirteen wondered.

"Sure. We can't do any tests right now anyway and I like my doctors fresh and clean. Now go."

They did as he said and left the diagnostician alone behind on that couch.

The nurse at the counter watched him pacing the hallway for the next half hour. He had a busy mind right now. Part of it was working on the case, part of it was thinking about Cuddy and another part was guilt ridden about Wilson.

When he passed Michael's room for the 100th time he saw Wilson giving the mother a hug. She was covered in tears and wouldn't let go of the oncologist. The monitor was on stand-by now indicating that Wilson had shut it off after the boy had passed away.

House stood there and sighed. He was tired, hungry and in need for the men's room. But most of all he was frustrated. This is not why he became a doctor. And it was certainly not the reason why Wilson became a doctor. And still the oncologist dealt with this every day. While House wouldn't even meet his patients usually Wilson built up a personal relationship with all of them. Sometimes he knew them for years. He made himself vulnerable because every time one of them died he had not lost a case but a human being with a history.

Ten minutes later Wilson stepped out of the patient room and joined his buddy on the couch.

"She wants to be alone with him for a moment", the oncologist explained and stretched his limbs.

"How's your patient?"

"Stable so far. We'll keep on working in the morning."

Wilson nodded. "Good. I'm starving. Can we get something to eat?"

"Sure. So we are still in the game?"

"Hey, it's only two more days. I think we'll make it."

They were about to leave to find a midnight snack when House's pager started.

"Damn. My patient's heart just stopped", he told Wilson.

Wilson yawned. "Where is your team?"

"At home", House mumbled and got his cane. "I have to go there. Why don't you go home? Get some sleep?"

"I can't. Cuddy will find out."

House threw him a pitying look. "I'm sorry."

Wilson got up and joined his buddy on the way upstairs. When they arrived a bunch of nurses was busy trying to keep the patient alive.

"How long?", Wilson asked them while House got the paddles. The nurse who did the CPR stepped back from the patient.

"2 minutes max, we paged you immediately."

House shocked the young man but he stayed in V-Fib.

"Again!", House said and told everyone to step back. The third time was the charm in this case.

"He's back", Wilson announced after he checked the vitals. "But his O2 sets are down. You should intubate him."

House nodded. "Get me a tube", he told the nurse and took the laryngoscope. Half a minute later the patient was on a respirator.

House checked the meds his team had given the patient so far to exclude any side effects. He browsed through the file and made some notes.

"It's a new symptom", he finally mumbled and due to lack of his white board he noted it in his mind.

"Now let's go and find something to eat", he said to Wilson after he had given some instructions to the nurses.

They found an open McDonalds. Wilson hated that crap but at half past twelve he didn't really care what he got for dinner.

"So how do you feel about the kid?", House asked him after a while.

Wilson shrugged. "He's dead. He's done with the world and that damn cancer."

"Yes, but how do you feel?", House went on.

Wilson grimaced. "What is it House? Why the sudden interest in my feelings?"

"I just wonder. You and your neediness it's like me and my Vicodin. And you just got a huge dosage. Actually you should feel great right now."

Wilson sneered. "You are an ass, House."

"Probably. But still I don't get this."

"Of course you don't get this!", the tired oncologist yelled and made people turn their heads. "Because you'll never understand why people take care and are interested in other people not just to feed their ego but just to help someone."

"If I fed my ego in this job I would show up in my patients' room constantly to rub it into their faces that I'm the big, smart diagnostician around that place. I never do that. Any theories about that?"

"Obviously it's good enough for you to rub it into your colleagues' faces. Why would you care what a patient thinks about you? He's out of here after a week. But we are stuck with you until you finally break the line and Cuddy has to fire you. And you'll use that time to annoy us, that's for sure."

House cocked his head.

"Maybe you really are an idiot, Wilson. Seriously, why are you still here and friends with me? All I get from you are these lectures how bad and stupid I am."

He looked at the handcuffs. Damn! Perfect moment to walk out of there but he couldn't.

Instead he pierced Wilson with his blue eyes. "Come on, tell me!", he urged.

Wilson sighed and looked around. Maybe he had to make up an answer, or maybe he didn't want to share the truth but it took him a while before he began.

"I have no idea", he finally mumbled. "Seriously, I don't know. It's like you said, it's like you and your Vicodin. I know it's bad for me but I can't walk out of here." He observed House and didn't like the change of his friend's facial expression. "I still got hope that you might…", there he broke off. He had said too much and he knew it.

"Hope that I might change? Hope that one day I might become the person you want me to be so that you don't have to suffer any longer in this friendship? Well, thank you very much."

"That's not what I meant, House!", Wilson tried.

"It's what you said though."

"Look, we are both tired and annoyed. Let's just go", Wilson suggested.

That day left their friendship behind as a huge mess. Wilson was still angry about the stuff House had told him the night before but now he felt guilty about the insults he threw at him. House didn't know what to think. He felt guilty about insulting Wilson all week long but the oncologist had just revealed that he was in some sort of pity friendship with House. That hit him really hard.

But this time they weren't only hooked up by their crazy weird friendship that made it impossible for one of them to walk out now they were even forced to spend another night in the same bed. It was a very long night since they both couldn't sleep but they also wouldn't speak to each other. It was around half past three when House said the only words in that night.

"Wanna go watch TV?", he asked.

"Good idea", Wilson mumbled and they settled on the couch. Finally they fell asleep for two hours before the alarm clock woke them up.

After morning hygiene and breakfast they settled in House's office to work on his latest case. Wilson had a bunch of files with him and was busy. Taub was once more in charge of the white board and House kept on mocking him about his writing. In fact he used any opportunity to insult or mock every human being that came along. And he was very rude with his employees this morning.

After he had practically thrown them out 10 minutes later Wilson looked up.

"Don't let it out on them, House!", he told them.

"That's none of your business."

"It is if you insult people because you are angry with me."

House chuckled. "Sure, now you feel guilty for them. You are pathetic."

Wilson took a deep breath trying to keep his blood pressure under 200.

He was not in the mood for another round so he went on with his paperwork.

"I have to pee", House said a moment later and got up. Wilson didn't follow.

"I'm busy here."

House rolled his eyes. "This is your punishment for me? Letting me sit here until my bladder bursts?"

"No, I'm just busy right now and since you are not five years old you can probably wait 10 minutes until I've finished."

"Or I could just pee right here on your files", House suggested.

Wilson threw him a challenging look.

"Those might be my files but it's not my table and not my carpet."

House pursed his lips. Damn it, usually threats like this worked on Wilson. He had no choice he had to increase the pressure. Ironically that only worked by relieving his own pressure.

So he leaned his cane against the chair and opened his belt. Wilson observed him but didn't change his facial expression at all.

House looked around. Why had there to be glass walls in his office? Nevertheless he unbottened his jeans.

"Can you hurry up please? Seriously man, I would have finished by now and we could be on our way to the restrooms."

House sighed and sat down. "I'm an adult. Do you really think I would pee in my own office?"

Wilson smirked. "Actually, yes. I think so. I'm a little bit disappointed right now."

"You would have been frustrated if you had met little Greg."

"So why call him little Greg?", Wilson chuckled.

He got up. "Come on, I have to pee."

House was ready to sit it out literally but his damn bladder told him otherwise. So he got up and followed him along. Wilson couldn't wipe the grin out of his face. Strike! Wilson 1 House zero!!!

After they had successfully released pressure they went to the cafeteria for lunch.

"So are we ever gonna talk about it?", Wilson said while House checked his Reuben's sandwich for pickles. He always told the staff to leave them out but most of them were lazy or didn't like him.

"Talk about what?"

"About yesterday?"

"Yesterday was a very long day. Maybe if you got a little bit more specific."

"Oh cut it out, House. You know what I mean!", Wilson grumped.

The diagnostician rolled his eyes. "God you are worse than women. You always want to talk about everything. Just forget it!"

"Forget it? You got me into jail, you called me an idiot for being friends with you."

"So what? You told me you don't like me and you just wait for me to magically reincarnate in your dream comes true best friend. But I don't whine about it."

"That's because you are an ass", Wilson snapped.

House nodded. "Fine, and since I'm such an ass I don't care about you or your neediness for that talk. Ha!"

"And when will you finally admit your feelings for Cuddy?", Wilson yelled now.

House usually didn't care what people thought about him but hearing his friend shouting around about him and Cuddy in the cafeteria was too much for him.

"Shut up!", he shouted.

Wilson grinned. "Ah, I stuck a nerve. How nice."

"I think I will call my shrink after this week", House mumbled.

"That's a good idea."

"Sure, I'll refer you to him. Stop talking about me and Cuddy."

Wilson pursed his lips. "Well this is sad. Maybe I should talk to her about this."

House glared at him. "You do this and you'll lose more than just your hand."

"Please, House. You can't even make me go to the toilet", Wilson laughed.

House was upset. When did their friendship or what was left of it turn into a Wilson controlled relationship?

House stole another French fry from Wilson's plate. As long as he could steal food there was still hope this rebellious behavior might just be temporarily.

But the worst thing was, Wilson was right. Every sleepless night this week he was close to getting up and hurrying over to Cuddy's place to talk to her. But he was not ready. Yet!

Just in that moment the dean of medicine approached their table and sat down with them.

"So, how are you guys doing?"

"Fine!", they answered simultaneously but not very convincing.

"Wilson, I heard about your patient. I'm sorry", she went on.

"I'm fine. Kind of got used to it a long time ago."

Cuddy nodded. "That's the worst part of it."

They were silent for a moment until House spoke up.

"So Cuddy, have you already written the new clinic roster? Don't forget to leave our names out of it!"

She smiled. "Not there yet, House. Still two days left."

She took his bag of chips and grabbed a handful.

"Hey. I'm the only one who is allowed to steal food. It says so in my contract."

Cuddy smiled benignly. "You steal from Wilson, I steal from you. Never heard of the food chain?"

House raised his eyebrow. "So far I've always been on top of it."

Wilson observed the two and was satisfied. They were so into each other.

"Well, House. You might be the lion in here, but it is still my jungle!", Cuddy said, grabbed some more chips and left the table. House cocked his head and watched her walk away.

Out of the corner of his eye he suddenly realized he'd been watched by Wilson and sat up straight.

Wilson starred at him and laughed. "I told you so."

"Shut up", House mumbled and wasn't sure if he had just blushed.