Chapter 10

Two months later.

"Why don't you call her?" Wilson asked House again. He had been asking that same question continuously since Kate had returned to her apartment.

"Call who?" House said, bouncing his ball on the floor and pretending he didn't know what Wilson was talking about.

"Stop that. You've been miserable…well, more miserable than usual since she left. Just call her, work it out."

"There's nothing to work out. She left, it's over."

"But you're in love with her."

House glared at him. "You're the one who keeps saying that. I'm not in love with anyone."

"Then why do you bite my head off? Why do you treat your team like crap?"

House threw the ball at the wall. "Maybe I just don't like you. Maybe they just get on my nerves. Maybe you all do with your inane and pointless questions." House sat up in his chair. "Maybe I just want everybody to leave me alone and stay the hell out of my private life."

Wilson shook his head and sighed. He'd been getting this reaction from his friend ever since Kate left. He knew that House was deeply hurt. He also knew that he would never admit it. "Look, why don't…"

House cut him off. "Why don't you just go back to your own office? Don't you have some dying kids to comfort?"

Wilson put up his hands. When it got to this point, there was no talking to the man. He walked out of House's office. House continued to glare at the office door after Wilson left. Then he turned his head to the window. The glare disappeared, replaced by sadness. It was the same sadness that was in his heart ever since she'd gone. It was easy for Wilson to tell him to call her. But he knew that even if he did, there was no way she'd want him back.

She'd said, "There's no future for us."

While he knew that at the moment she said it, she meant because of her past. But he also knew that the more she thought about it, the more she would realize that he wasn't worth her effort. What would a vital, strong woman like Kate want with someone like him?

After her revelations, he had hoped that she would call him and that they would try to rebuild their relationship. But when she didn't he realized she was glad to have a reason to get out of it. So while there was great sadness in his heart, he was resigned to the fact that it was over.

His team came in a few minutes later and he joined them in the conference room to discuss the progress of a patient. They were in the middle of the differential, when the door burst open. Four eyes looked up to see Kate walk in.

"You son of a bitch, what the hell did you do?" she yelled at House.

"You'll have to be more specific, I've done a lot of things. And I'm usually a son of a bitch." He responded, wondering what had brought her here today when he was just thinking about her. Not that he ever really stopped thinking about her.

"I never got any bills from the nursing service. So I called them and asked for my bills. And do you know what they said?"

"No, but I bet you're gonna tell me."

"They said that all my bills had been paid!"

'Wow, that's atrocious. I'd never let them get away with saying that." House said, turning away from her.

"I told them I hadn't paid them, so how could they be paid. And then, you know what they told me?"

"Again, I don't need to, because I sense I'm about to hear it."

"They told me they were paid by Dr. House!"

"Well, I can understand why you're angry. I would be pissed to have my bills paid. Or wait, would I?"

"What right have you to pay my bills? I'm a grown woman, I have a job. I can pay my own goddamn nursing bills!" Kate was really yelling now.

House did some yelling of his own. "You're a cop, you make peanuts. I paid the goddamn nursing bills. Get over it."

House's team were watching with fascinated eyes at the encounter.

Kate was full of rage. "Why the hell would you pay my bills?"

"Because I'm in love with you!" House shouted.

"Yea, well, I'm in love with you too!" Kate shouted back.

"Well, okay." House shouted.

"Yea, okay." Kate shouted.

They both stood there for as moment, then Kate turned and left the room.

House continued to stand where he was, watching her go.

His team all started to speak at once:

Foreman: "What the hell are you doing?"

Chase: "Don't just stand there."

Cameron: "House, go after her!"

House looked at them and turned his head, not sure what to do next. He started limping towards the door, as fast as he could with his leg. At that moment, Kate appeared and entered the room again.

They both stopped and stared at each other.

"Do you mean I?" she asked.

"Yea. You?"

"Yea."

He limped towards her and she matched the distance until they were face to face. He reached for her and she fell into his arms. Their kiss was long and heartfelt. After a minute or two, his team started clapping with Foreman and Chase hooting. Cameron's eyes were filling with tears.

Wilson had been padding the office and had heard the yelling. When he came in and saw the couple in each other's arms, he smiled. Maybe, just maybe, his friend would now find a way to be happy.

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A/N: Okay, not a real long chapter, but I didn't want to leave House in misery for too long. This isn't the end. After 20 years of marriage, I know that happy endings aren't guaranteed once you say I love you. So there will be more.