Wilson waited seven seconds before letting out a heavy sigh and buried the side of his face a little deeper into House's chest.
"I know," he said calmly, wishing that House didn't feel the need to ruin every moment with some wildly inappropriate comment.
"You know?" House questioned, very surprised.
"Mmm hmm," Wilson nodded lazily. "Cuddy told me earlier today. She said she knew you'd do something like this and wanted to warn me. Boy did she get a shock when she found out that I didn't even know you'd volunteered."
"Wait a second, Cuddy told you that she figured I'd tell you about this right after having screwed you into oblivion and left you lying naked and thoroughly sated on top of me?" House tried humor. Wilson usually fell for that.
"House," Wilson spoke his name in a long, drawn out warning. "You're killing the happy."
"I don't know. I think that's a very happy picture."
"Not the thought of Cuddy imagining it."
"That's the part I was talking about!" Wilson let out another heavy sigh at this statement, and House decided there was no avoiding this anymore.
"The reason I didn't tell you wasn't that I didn't want you to know," he said quietly, wanting to get this over with. "You were sick the day it happened. You didn't need the stress. Then you just kept getting sicker. And once you were well, you still needed time to recover. Stress doesn't do much for that either. There just was never a good time to bring it up."
"Oh, but right after a long round of mind-blowing man sex is a perfect time?" Wilson asked rhetorically.
"I'll admit I probably don't have the best timing in the world, but you're too tired to really annoy me about it. So, I'd call this one a win," House smirked involuntary when he felt Wilson's mouth curl into a grin.
"All right, you've got me there. Can we sleep now?" Wilson questioned groggily. House let out a short laugh.
"Good idea," he responded, planting a kiss on top of the younger man's head before he could think about it. "You're really okay with this?"
"I told you a long time ago I was. Sleep now. We'll worry later," Wilson sighed contently against him, and they both quickly fell into a deep sleep.
"Shit!" Wilson hissed loudly as he fell forward, catching himself on the counter behind the diagnostics conference table.
"Are you okay?" Cameron asked quickly, looking as if she were about to rise from her seat. Wilson put a hand up to still her.
"I'm fine. I just…tripped," he answered unconvincingly.
"Over what?" Chase questioned, glancing over the floor around Wilson.
"My own two feet?"
"You've been doing that a lot lately," House pointed out with a suspicious air to his voice.
"I've just been a little off since I was sick. It's no big deal," Wilson replied, standing upright again. At least he hoped so. It'd been three weeks, six days, twenty hours, seven minutes, and forty-five seconds since he'd been released from the hospital's care. Since then, he'd felt fine, but he'd been feeling strange for the past couple of days. He'd become rather clumsy, dropping things left and right and tripping over air. It wasn't like him, and it made him nervous.
"Wilson, you look like death warmed over. You'd better not be getting sick again. I can only take so much before I just kill you myself," House told him dryly.
"Thank you, my love," Wilson responded, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Any time, my darling," House fired back, batting his eyes.
"That just might be the creepiest thing I've ever seen you do," the oncologist crossed his arms with a grin. House snorted.
" Yeah, that's what you said this morning in the shower."
"No! No! Stop! Just stop that train off thought!" Chase suddenly yelled to everyone's surprise.
"You can't just stop a train. They take over a mile to stop. We can slow the train down, but stopping…" House let the sentence hang, too busy enjoying the twitchy reaction he knew such comments always gave Chase.
"So run it into the wall!" the Aussie suggested. "I'm really getting tired of all these comments about your love life."
"Why is that, Chase? Guy love make you uncomfortable?" House smirked. Chase closed his eyes, most likely counting to ten in his head.
"So, Chase, is there any group of people you do like?" Foreman questioned with an eyebrow raised. "You don't like fat people, you don't like gay people…"
"I never said that!" Chase defended himself.
"You don't have to say it," Foreman continued. "Trust me, your actions are more than enough."
"So, just because I don't enjoy hearing the details of House's sex life, I'm homophobic? Where's the logic in that?" Chase argued.
"All right, children, that's enough fighting," House interrupted, bored of this already. "Mommy and daddy have to go out for a little while, but we'll be back before you know it. Now, your sister is in charge while we're gone because we know that annoys you. Be good, and find me a case." House grabbed Wilson's wrist as he spoke and led him out the door.
"Where are we going?" Wilson asked as House continued to pull him toward destinations unknown.
"Cuddy's having her first ultrasound today. She asked me if we'd come," House responded as they reached the elevators.
"And you said yes?" questioned the surprised Wilson.
"Of course I said yes. It is my kid after all," House rolled his eyes.
"I thought you said this was Cuddy's kid? That you were just a sperm donor? What changed your mind?"
"Cuddy," House answered vaguely as he pressed the button for the ground floor.
"Really? What'd she say?" Wilson continued.
"She invited me to the ultrasound," House answered simply, and the elevator doors closed.
"Hey! Starting the party without us?" House practically shouted as they entered the exam room. Cuddy lay on the table with her shirt pulled up over her stomach as Dr. Isaac spread the warm gel over said part of her body.
"House, my appointment was half an hour ago. I wasn't going to wait all day," Cuddy responded, sounding slightly irritated. But Wilson knew it was just an act.
"I like to make an entrance," House shrugged, helping himself to the only chair in the room and planting himself directly in front of the screen.
"House!" Cuddy scolded. "Your big, balding head is blocking my view!"
"I like a front row seat," he defended.
"Today you ride in the back. Now move over," the woman demanded. Dr. Isaac shook his head but said nothing. He'd been working at this hospital for nine years. He knew how House could be.
"Okay, Lisa, if you'll look right here toward the middle of the screen, that peanut-shaped thing, that's your baby," Dr. Isaac explained. He knew it probably wasn't necessary, but it was how he was use to doing things. And figured it had probably been a while since Dr. Cuddy had read an ultrasound. "We're not detecting a heartbeat just yet, but that's nothing to worry about. Six weeks is just the starting point for the circulatory system's development. I'd like to schedule you for a transvaginal ultrasound within the next week, though. Just to rule out any complications."
"That's fine. I'll be here whenever you need me," Cuddy grinned. The lack of a heartbeat was really worrying her, but she forced her fears to the back of her mind and focused her attention on the picture on the monitor. Then looking to her left, she watched the faces and House and Wilson as they watched the monitor, and she smiled. They were mesmerized, for lack of a better word. Wilson was grinning like a madman, and House…House was…transfixed. There was a look in his eyes that she had never seen before, and she couldn't help but wonder exactly what it meant.
"House, do you think maybe I could have the chair now?" Wilson's voice threw Cuddy out of her reverie. Looking up at him, she could see that the goofy grin had been completely erased from his profile. He looked pale and tired, and, for a moment, she wondered if he might throw up. House looked up at him too and immediately rose from his seat. Five weeks ago, she would have thought this was an unusual action from the diagnostician, but, ever since Wilson had recovered, House had been acting differently toward his only friend. He'd been jumpy and extra cautious, and he always watched the other man carefully when he thought no one was looking.
"What's the matter?" House asked, trying in vain to mask the concern in his voice as he helped Wilson sit.
"My feet feel weird," Wilson answered vaguely.
"Weird how?" the diagnostician questioned while untying the oncologist's shoes laces.
"Pins and needles. Like they're going to sleep," Wilson let out a sharp hiss. Cuddy cringed. She knew how uncomfortable that feeling could be. The only question was, why was Wilson feeling it?
"Are they going numb?" House asked as he pulled off Wilson's fancy French shoes. Wilson shook his head.
"I don't think so. I can still feel your hands." Dr. Isaac handed Cuddy a towel as House continued his examination.
"How did this start? Were you standing awkwardly?" she questioned as she pulled her shirt down and sat up.
"No. I was just – AH!" Wilson's response was cut short as he screamed, almost knocking House to the ground as he grabbed for his feet.
"What is it? What's wrong?" House asked loudly, a look of half-panic in his eyes.
"Ah, it hurts!" was all Wilson could muster as he dug his fingers into his feet.
"Wilson, you need to tell us how it hurts," Cuddy said slowly, kneeling down next to him. "What does it feel like?"
"My m-muscles are cramping," he groaned through gritted teeth.
"Should I call someone?" Dr. Isaac questioned, feeling extremely useless.
"Could you get us a wheelchair, please?" Cuddy requested. Isaac nodded and made a hasty retreat. Cuddy watched him leave then turned back to Wilson. House had gotten him to release his left foot, and the older doctor had begun massaging it roughly, attempting to force the straining muscles to relax. Wilson had his other foot gripped tightly in both of his hands, pushing so hard on the muscles that his fingers were turning white. Cuddy placed a reassuring hand on his forearm and wondered what Wilson could have possibly done to deserve this.
Thank you all for your wonderful reviews! They are food for my muse, and I greatly appreciate them. I know I say it every chapter, but it never stops being true. Sorry for the long wait. I had a huge research assignment due, but it's done now and I'm back to my beautiful H/W world!