Life and Limb
Chapter Fourteen – "Life with Mama"
By: purpleu
"Lydia, don't drag this out. You can't possibly want me around you…and the kids…after this," House said returning his gaze out the passenger window. He swallowed hard several times to try and maintain his composure.
"Greg, look at me," Lydia said quietly, but firmly. House didn't want to make eye contact with her. There was too much he had screwed up in a matter of a few short hours and he didn't want to see the hurt in her eyes. "Greg…please," she said as she reached for his hand. House let out a deep breath and turned to look at Lydia. He was startled; he had expected to see anger, recrimination, blame…but there was none of that. "If you can look me in the eyes and tell me that you don't think that our relationship is worth enough to get through this, to work this out…then…fine. I'm not going badger you to make you stay. I stayed with someone I didn't love long enough and it is the worst feeling in the world; I would never do that to you…I love you too much." Lydia's eyes were beginning to fill with tears; House turned his head away.
"If you're questioning whether I love you, I'd hope you'd know the answer to that by now," he said resting his head against the seat back. "That's why I think it'd be better if I got out." He turned his head to her. "I can't do this to you. We've been together…two, two and a half months…and I'm already pulling a stunt like this?" House thought back to the times he would disappear on Stacy: when he was supposed to be meeting friends for dinner, meeting her for lunch, having a quiet evening at home with her…and whatever it was that set him off, he simply didn't show up. He gave no excuse, offered no apology when he returned home. He shook his head. "No, Fraulein, I can't…"
"That's right." Lydia said. "We've been together only two months or so. How could I possibly expect you not to fall back to old habits? You're not used to having someone around to support you, to be there for you. You have fought everything by yourself for your entire life. Even considering the close friendship you and James have, being with someone in an intimate relationship is just something very different and very special. As far as what you did tonight? You did exactly what I thought you would do; got drunk and sought out Vicodin. It's not surprising considering everything you've had to deal with in the past twenty-four hours. I'm just glad you didn't take any of the pills; with how long you've been detoxed and the amount of alcohol in your system, they could have killed you. The thing that happened that…scared the hell out of me the most…was finding you on the floor, choking. I wasn't sure I could do anything to help you. I thought as quickly as I could to figure out how to position you, how to position my hands. I tried to ignore how my fingers felt…" House closed his eyes at the memory of her crying in pain. "I thought you were going to die right in front of me…" Lydia said as she broke down crying. The stress of the past days was getting to her, too; she had a lot of tears to let go of.
"Fraulein, come here," House said leaning over and putting his arm around her. "I'm not going anywhere; not if you don't want me to. I just don't understand how you could see me at my worst like this and still want to keep me around." Lydia shook her head.
"This, tonight…this wasn't you at your worst," she said as she reached in the back for her pocketbook and fished around for tissues.
"Could've fooled me," House said glumly as he took a sip of water from the bottle he brought with him from his apartment.
"Oh no. Back at Mayfield…" Lydia began.
"I wasn't that bad at Mayfield," House said interrupting. "I was a troublemaker, a roustabout, a pain in the ass…" House saw the expression on Lydia's face. "It's what that place needed; but I have the feeling you're not talking about that. You mean that unfortunate thing with Freedom Master? That came out OK for all concerned; didn't think I'd have to remind you about that." Lydia once again shook her head.
"I'm talking about before all of that," she replied.
"Before that I was hallucinating." House took a deep breath. "And some things don't change." He closed his eyes and rested his head carefully against hers. "OK, tell the tale."
"I had been in a meeting with Nolan. He wanted Annie transferred out to another facility that would be 'better equipped' to handle her. The real problem is that she wasn't one of his success stories; there was no cake, no candle to blow out…she had been in there for years with no progression. I was in his office for over an hour…arguing, begging and pleading. He wanted her to go to an out-of-state facility!" Lydia said angrily. She was becoming very passionate relating the story and House knew his head couldn't take being in such close range, so he returned to his seat and leaned his head back. "I'm sorry, Greg; was I yelling?"
"That's OK; when talking about Nolan I yell, too," House noted. Lydia managed to laugh.
"Well, I had to take the elevators that would let me out at the back of the building because they were doing repair work on the main ones. I was so busy looking through the papers and booklets that Nolan forced on me, that I pushed the wrong button in the elevator; I didn't even notice that I had gotten off at the wrong floor. I only became aware of my mistake when I realized there was no activity, nobody moving around. I had made it about half-way down the hall, then turned around to go back to the elevators. My footsteps were echoing in the space, and the whole thing felt…eerie. And then I heard someone talking, yelling, actually. 'You can't leave me like this…someone get the hell in here and help me!' I figured out which room the voice came from, and I looked at the name by the door: Gregory House. I was floored; I thought it can't be the same Gregory House…"
"You were the one at the door looking in at me; you spoke to me. The damn door was so thick, it hid your accent," House said, almost in awe. There were very few things in the world that tripped him up, but this revelation by Lydia had stunned him.
"Yes. Your bed wasn't flat against the wall, I guess because you were strapped down to it by your hands and feet. As I looked at you…oh my God…I couldn't believe what I saw." Lydia was becoming very emotional. "It was bad enough you were restrained like that, but you had obviously thrown up and tried to turn your head, but without much luck. It was all over your left shoulder and chest. The worse part…"
"I had done the double P…pooped and peed on myself." House shook his head. "I don't know how long I had been calling for help, but I was desperate. Then I heard your voice. You said, 'Don't worry, I'm going to help you.' Truer words were never spoken." Lydia smiled.
"Oh, believe me…Nolan, that whole place, actually…didn't know what hit them. I yelled at the nurses to get down to your room and take care of you, and when they didn't move fast enough for me, I grabbed the phone at the nurses' station, called Nolan's extension and told him to get his ass down there or you and I would own Mayfield and him, too."
"Aaah. I forget how feisty you can be when you're pissed," House said with a smile.
"Greg, no offense, but I didn't care who you were at that point; no one should be subjected to those conditions. The smell when they opened your door was horrific; I demanded you be placed in a different, clean room…not just one they had done a cursory wipe down to. I was in the hallway with Nolan ripping him a new one, when they pushed the door closed, and helped you get washed up and changed…" Lydia started to smile. "But you weren't content to wait until the cleaning up and changing were completed."
"Oh crap," House said closing his eyes. "I think I know what you're going to say."
"Yes; you stepped out into the hallway clean as a whistle and as naked as the day you were born," she said laughing. "But you really were very polite. You scowled at me, not even really looking at me, and said, 'Enjoy the view.' Then they pulled you back into the room."
"So that's why you were willing to talk to me the day I sat with you and Annie in the rec room; you liked what you saw and wanted more."
"That's beside the point," Lydia said as she looked down and then looked back at House flirtatiously. House returned her look for a moment, then became serious.
"You went into the puke room they had me in," House said, staring straight ahead as he recalled the events of that day. "You're the one who packed up my clothes and brought my suitcase into the new hellhole they were putting me into." He turned to Lydia. "You wouldn't let them restrain me again. You threatened to call the state medical authority if they did."
"I guess I became even feistier as I realized you were Dr. Gregory House; brilliant doctor and the man who asked me out for a drink. We never had that drink, but standing in the hallway I so wanted to ask you to sit down and have a cup of coffee just so I could find out what in the world was going on." Lydia began to tear up again. "You're going to ask me why; why would I care about you, especially after seeing you like that? You're not going to like the answer: There was just something about you…and there still is now…that gets to me. I felt it when I went up to you after you spoke at the lecture. It wasn't that I was…some naïve, little doe-eyed student bugging out over the famous doctor; although I certainly was interested in the concept of a DDx based department. I was just drawn to you, and I can't give you any firm reasons as to why that's the case. I can describe them, but they would never be defining. I love you. Period. And the reasons why are a mystery I don't need to figure out to be happy with you." Lydia reached over and ran her hand down House's cheek. He smiled and leaned in to give her a kiss, when suddenly, he pulled back.
"I did rinse with mouthwash and brushed my teeth before we left the apartment," House noted.
"I know; I smelled the mint all the way into the bedroom," Lydia said as she began to move over to House; now it was her turn to hesitate. "I thought you had told me that you needed a new toothbrush at the apartment."
"I did," he admitted. "And now you do, too." Lydia did a double take.
"You used my toothbrush?" she asked indignantly. "OK, forget the drinking, the Vicodin, the hooker hallucination and the puking all over the place, including on me…you used my toothbrush? That's it, we're finished," Lydia said echoing what she thought Cuddy sounded like in House's hallucination from the medially induced coma he had been in. She tried her hardest to keep a stern expression on her face, but when she looked at House and saw an over-exaggerated expression of horror on his face, she couldn't hold back any more.
"I knew it," House said mournfully. "We'd already dealt with me forgetting to take the garbage out. I knew one of these days it would be the toothbrush or leaving the toilet seat up that would finally bring us down. I just didn't know what and when." Lydia was now completely dissolved in laughter.
"Greg, I love you," she said as she wrapped her arms around him. "For the fact that we can sit and laugh over the past when other couples aren't secure enough to even bring something like this up. I love you for this and so many more things."
"I love you, too, Fraulein," House said as he brought his arms around Lydia. He gently began to kiss her neck and felt her start to squirm. "Guess I'd better not start anything I can't finish," he said nuzzling against her.
"No offense, but I don't really think you could handle it right now," Lydia said as she gave him a kiss.
"I don't think either one of us could," House said ruefully. He ran his fingers lightly across the bandage that was on her forehead. "This one and the ones on your fingers have to get changed, especially after we get done with our showers."
"Speaking of which, why don't we get inside and get going with things. We might actually be able to get a few hours of sleep," Lydia said as she unlocked the doors. "Promise you're not going to run away?" House slowly shook his head.
"Not a chance," he replied. Lydia smiled and exited the car. She opened the sliding door on the van to get the laundry bag they brought home.
"Leave it. I'll get it," House called out as he came around the back of the vehicle.
"How are you going to carry that in? You can't even carry yourself at the moment," Lydia said giving him a skeptical look. House grabbed the bag and dropped it on the ground. He took a hold of it by the knot Lydia had tied at the top and proceeded to drag it along the ground.
"Never said I was going to carry it," he replied. Lydia shook her head as she followed him into the house through the garage entrance. "Want to run these now?" House asked bringing the bag into the laundry room.
"I'm going to put them on pre-soak for now, I'll run the machine before we go to sleep."
"I'm clearing out of here," said House as he headed over to the stairs. "Any form of loud noise isn't going to sit well with me right now." He slowly labored up the first few steps.
"We can make the shower quick so you don't have to listen to the pounding water for too long," Lydia suggested. House looked over his shoulder.
"We?"
"I'd thought we'd practice water conservation," Lydia replied employing the term House used for taking showers together. "Unless you don't want to be in an enclosed space with me wet and naked." House got to the top step, turned around and smiled.
"Fraulein, that is one of the few things I actually enjoy in this world." He gave her a kiss as she came to the top of the stairs, then headed for the bedroom.
"Do you want anything to drink or eat?" Lydia asked from the kitchen.
"Sprite, if we have some," House answered as he sat down on the end of the bed and removed his sneakers and socks. His head was still spinning, but he no longer felt nauseous and he wanted to keep it that way.
"Why Sprite? You usually want Coke or Pepsi or some other cola," Lydia said as she entered the room with the soda. House cracked open the bottle and took a sip.
"Studies from China have shown that Sprite is the best thing to help a hangover and reduce the effects before they even happen. It's better than green tea or anything else." Lydia shook her head.
"I'll take your word for it. I'm going to start the shower. Do you want me to put some PJ's on the bed for you? Or…"
"I don't want anything touching my stomach at the moment," House said as he slipped off the sweats and boxers he wore home from the apartment. "It's calm and I'm not going to do anything to change that. I'll just take advantage of the fact the kids aren't home and go naked; you'll have to control yourself."
"Trusting me to see you naked twice in one night and not do anything about it? You do like to live dangerously," said Lydia.
"Thought I proved that earlier tonight."
"You certainly did. I'm just going to grab one of your t-shirts for tonight." She headed into the master bathroom, but after a few seconds, poked her head out. "Are you going to be alright getting in here? I was wondering because you left your cane by the stairs." House put his head down and thought for a moment.
"I'll be OK; if I can't make it, I'll just collapse on you."
"Sounds like a plan destined to fail," Lydia said shaking her head. "But we'll make it work."
We always do, House thought to himself, because of you, Fraulein. This relationship he had with Lydia worked in ways that he never thought a relationship could. He didn't run the other way from relationships in the past because of the lousy example he saw from his mother and fath…oops, mother and John House. House never felt like any woman could match him, keep his interest, and keep him on his toes. Not that women were inferior in general; unlike what most people thought, he was not mysogynistic. It just bothered the hell out of him when women used only their bodies and rampant emotions to get what they wanted. Like men, a certain number of them were born with a higher than average IQ. Wasting it, whether the person was male or female, just pissed him off. But Lydia never did that. He had watched her recently at a department head meeting; the only reason he attended was because of her. With few exceptions, most of the supervisors were men and most of them had some pretty stupid ideas on how to make changes around the hospital. When it was Lydia's turn to speak, she calmly and confidently pointed out the flaws in their plans, but in a way that wasn't demeaning. She put them at ease, then skillfully presented the benefits of her thoughts without losing her sense of self. You never forgot she was a woman; you also never forgot she had a brain and an extraordinary one at that.
"Greg? Are you joining me?" Lydia called out from the shower.
"Be right in." House forced himself to stand up; he walked slowly, but made it to Lydia without crashing. She was still making a final adjustment on the shower; House stood near her, smiling. She was, of course, naked by this point; but even if she wasn't he would still think she was the sexiest, most sensual, beautiful woman he had ever met. He had everything a man could want in one package, but like the obsessive/compulsive fool he was, he needed to know why and how he got this lucky.
"Here, give me your hands," Lydia said. She had put plastic bags over her hands to protect the bandages and secured them with Elise's ponytail holders. The bandage on her forehead, she had simply taken off.
"You shouldn't be doing anything with those," House said. "Let me wash up quickly; then I'll take care of you." Lydia was about to protest, but she realized House was right. Her hands hurt her a lot at the moment, and it would be best not to overuse them. She watched as the water ran down House's back and over his undeniably sexy ass. His body was so muscular, so strong…it was such a shame that his right leg made him forget what a gorgeous man he was. She tried, she tried in so many ways to reassure him of his physical desirability; his mental prowess was a given. But when you've lived with the kind of pain and embarrassment that he had with his leg over the years, nothing could erase the feeling of inadequacy both as a person and as a man. Lydia tried, but it seemed he would always have doubts as to why she wanted and loved him…
They finished the shower in a short amount of time so as to not overdo it with House's leg and head. Lydia could see the pain on his face as he stopped to try and massage the scar and the area around it. She wished her hands were in better shape so she could help him, but that wasn't going to be happening.
"That felt good," Lydia said as she dried herself off. She had to re-direct House's attention as he washed her hair and body in the shower, but she was glad to see he was still being himself despite the lingering effects of the booze and pain.
"I could have made it feel even better if I felt better," House said rubbing his towel on his leg. Lydia had slipped on one of House's t-shirts and was brushing her hair.
"Speaking of feeling better, do you want to try to eat something? Maybe some peanut butter on some crackers and a few of the cookies I made the other day?" House gave her a look.
"In addition to all the other chapeaus you wear in this life, now you're a mind reader, too?" House asked. "Yeah, that sounds good." Lydia left for the kitchen, and House went to hang his towel up; he felt the chill in the early autumn air that had permeated the house. It was too soon to turn up the heat, but he was starting to feel like he was going to need an extra layer on his body as he slept. If it weren't for the fact that both he and Lydia tended to toss and turn in their sleep, he'd go with the concept of utilizing their body heat. But since they were both restless sleepers, he put on a pair of his pajama bottoms and a white t-shirt when Lydia came back into the bedroom.
"I thought you were going to be naked tonight," she said sounding genuinely disappointed.
"Since it feels more like late November than early October, I need some more insulation on my body."
"I'm glad you said that; I got cold out in the kitchen and wanted to put on a pair of PJ pants, too." Lydia placed the plate of crackers and cookies on the bed and retrieved the pants from her dresser drawers. "That's better," she said as she slipped them on.
"Actually, I prefer the minimalistic clothing look; but I agree, given the climate change, this does feel good. Have a seat and let me get a look at those fingers." House took a cracker and started to nibble on it as Lydia settled down next to him on his side of the bed. The fact that he was eating it slowly, rather than popping the whole thing in his mouth in one shot as he usually would, told her just how bad he was feeling. She also sensed, however, that something else was bothering him, too.
"Come on; fess up," she said, wincing as House undid her bandages.
"'Fessing up' is not something I normally do on a regular basis," he noted. "What is it you think I did?" Lydia sighed.
"I've just been getting this…vibe from you ever since you came into the shower. Sort of like, 'She's still here…why is she still here?'" House kept his eyes on Lydia's fingers; they looked raw and ugly which made sense since the burns occurred only a little over twenty-four hours before. He didn't want to answer her, but the silence would be far too awkward.
"I guess I'm transferring what would normally be my own reaction on to you; when things get…complicated, get tangled up in problems, especially where emotions are concerned, I usually like to run and hide. Just like I did tonight," House said making a face as he looked over Lydia's hand. She was very quiet for a moment. When she did speak, House wished she hadn't.
"For better or worse, in sickness and in health, in good times and in bad…" House looked up at Lydia, clearly petrified.
"Now is not the time to take advantage of my vulnerability; it wouldn't be fair," House said as he concentrated twice as hard on tending to Lydia's fingers.
"Don't worry, I'm not," Lydia said laughing. "I'm the last one in the world to be prophesizing about relationships, but I've seen too many couples who decide that those…commitments…should only start when they step up to the altar. I'm not saying it should start on a first or second date; but once the words 'I love you' enter onto the scene, those promises should have already started to be a part of the relationship or else those two people may find out the hard way that they aren't capable of fulfilling them. And no amount of hardware on the fingers, no five-carat lump of compressed coal is going to change that. You take the good with the bad from a very early stage, and build on it from there. I know we both hated the place, but I think Mayfield actually gave us a very good jumping off point." House shook his head.
"Don't use the phrase 'jumping off point' and 'Mayfield' in the same sentence. Makes me think of the stern, disapproving looks I got with the Freedom Master thing too much." Lydia started to laugh, and House finally looked up at her. "I get what you mean about taking the good and the bad together. I've just always thought that my bad is worse than everyone else's." House let out a deep sigh. "You can't tell me that you weren't mad or hurt by what I did tonight. Cause if you're going to say no, my mantra of 'Everybody lies' will have been given new life."
"Was I hurt by what you did?" Lydia asked. "No. It's not like I expected you to stop outside the hospital doors, call me and say, 'Come help me get through this.' That's not you at this point in your life; that's not us right now. I hope one day it will be. Was I mad?" Lydia looked away for a few moments. "Regardless of the fact that you did exactly what I thought you would do…I was worried about you. For hours I was checking my cell phone every five minutes, hoping and praying you were OK. I knew that was the way things would happen, but it doesn't mean I had to like it. So yes, I was mad…for all of about two minutes, because unless you had really screwed up, I can't stay mad at you for very long." However non-incriminating Lydia's words were at their heart, House still wanted clarification.
"Define 'screwed up.' Are we talking if I actually took the Vicodin? If the hooker had actually been real?"
"What…are you checking on the limits for next time?" House looked away, sorry he had asked the question. "Yes and yes. The Vicodin because it could have either made you terribly ill or killed you, especially combined with the alcohol. And I would be very…pissed if you did anything to make me lose you," Lydia said as she brushed tears off her cheek. "As far as the hooker thing…I want to believe that I'm the kind of person who can forgive; but what I saw my mother go through with my father, how it broke her heart…I was a child watching that and it left a deep impression on me. I know I've told you this before, back when I returned to New Jersey…but it's something I have a hard time leaving in my past."
"I sometimes get the feeling it's your own lack of self-esteem that makes you fear it so much. You are a beautiful, classy, smart lady; and no matter how much make-up they put on…they're still hookers. There's nothing special about what they do, because they'll do it for anyone for a price." House looked down at the floor. "I know…and I'm sure you know…I'm not the kind of person to be forthcoming with compliments or platitudes. But I just hope you'll always remember that I think you are far more interesting, intriguing, sexy and wonderful than any woman I've ever known. And yeah, I'm including everyone." He very carefully reached over and placed his hand in Lydia's. "I'm going to try my damnedest not to do anything to screw this up, cause I think I'm beginning to understand what happy is about. Not that I'm happy…I'm just getting a handle on the concept." Lydia smiled through her tears as she let go of House's hand and hugged him. "Well, I guess we've got the better and worse and good and bad covered; the only problem now is that sickness and health clause."
"Greg, you are in excellent health despite all the abuse you've piled up on your body over the years. I know your leg is a major hang-up for you, but I don't see you limping and think, 'Oh, look how sick Greg is.' I think about how much it's hurting you and it kills me. You never had the ultrasound that Tom wanted you to have so we can check and see if there's necrotic tissue in there that's pressing on the nerves; maybe it can be removed and give you some relief. I don't care…I will do whatever I have to so you can have a break from this agony." House saw that Lydia had tears trickling down her cheeks again; he was glad the box of tissues on the bed was full. He felt his eyes stinging from tears, too. He knew she meant what she said, that she would do anything to help him; it was a promise he never believed from anyone before.
"Come here; I haven't put the bandages on yet and you don't need to get them wet." He leaned over, and took out a tissue for each of them. "I know you would do whatever I asked of you to help me. It…it just goes back to not feeling like I deserve this…the slack that you cut me, all the kindness and caring and love that you show me. Hell, I am so far from perfect…I just don't get it," House said looking at Lydia.
"Well, it's a good thing you're not perfect; I never could have fallen in love with you if you were." Seeing the puzzled look on House's face, she continued. "Our flaws, our quirks…they make us who we are. Without them, we'd be boring, one person just like another. Could you imagine if I didn't walk around here singing the songs from 'The Sound of Music' all the time? Or have my spices arranged in alphabetical order? Or have my clothes hanging in the closet in color groups?"
"I try, believe me I try," he said securing the gauze on the third finger on her right hand. Lydia shot him a look and gave him a playful tap on the arm.
"You are far, far from boring Gregory House. And I hope I am, too."
"Doctor," House said. "Doctor Gregory House." Lydia rolled her eyes.
"Excuse me, Doctor Gregory House." House took the roll of gauze and began to wrap the burnt fingers on her left hand.
"You know there are plenty of people who would rather I be a little more boring," he said.
"Well, they can just go to hell; I like you the way you are. I love you the way you are." Lydia gave House a hug, holding on to him as tightly as she could. He returned the gesture, holding on to her, still not believing that after all that had happened, she didn't walk away when he needed her the most, like others had done before. He kissed his way up her neck to her face and kissed her over and over. Lydia responded in kind, until they both realized they shouldn't push things any further.
"I never thought I'd ever have anyone I could love and trust the way I do you," House said quietly as he looked at her. "Where the hell did you come from?"
"I've told you: Make a right at the moon, thirty-trillionth star on the left." House gave her a look.
"I wasn't born yesterday," he said looking at her disapprovingly.
"I wasn't either. It was billions of years ago, but it took this long for me to travel from my planet." House kissed Lydia again and brushed the back of his hand down her cheek.
"I don't care what you say, I'm an idiot. I should have just calmed down, told Wilson I needed to get some rest, and came back here and had my way with you. The evening would have had a much happier ending." Lydia looked thoughtful.
"That would have been lovely," she agreed. "But I think this worked out just fine. I got to remind you that you're stuck with me unless you tell me to leave, and that I love every crazy, quirky part of you."
"I love you, too. I…I never wanted to leave you; that would have been insane on my part." House hesitated for a moment, then grabbed Lydia and pulled her into his arms. Other than a few sniffling sounds, House didn't say a word; his head had too many thoughts to process, not the least of which was after he almost lost everything that really mattered to him…his best friend, the woman he loved…he was finally realizing being with Lydia, he had gained all he wanted: someone to love him for just being himself. When House's shoulders stopped shaking, Lydia gently pulled back from him.
"Why don't you finish this up, and try to get a little more food into you?" she asked indicating her fingers. "Then we can both get a few hours of sleep." House nodded and completed the job of protecting Lydia's injured fingers. He was able to put a smaller bandage on her forehead than the one he utilized from the hospital. While Lydia put the supplies back into the bathroom, House sat up against his pillows and ate the crackers with a little more confidence than he did before.
"Mind if I take one?" Lydia asked pointing to one of the crackers left on the plate. "I'm just running downstairs to start the washer."
"Sure, why not? Take food out of the mouth of a starving man," House said sarcastically. "Go for it." Lydia smiled and started to munch on the cracker. She made the round trip to the laundry room in short order and was soon climbing into bed.
"I set the alarm for seven; since we took showers tonight, we'll just have to get dressed in the morning. That should give us an hour plus at the hospital with James. I have the coffee maker set for six-thirty and I made some cinnamon muffins when I was waiting for you earlier. Oh, and I finished packing our suitcases tonight. After you look yours over, we can put them in the van and be ready to head to your mom once James' operation is done." House shook his head.
"You think of everything. I can just sit back and show up and not have to worry about anything. You spoil me beyond belief," he said looking at her.
"Well, at least I'll know you'll have had something to eat and have gotten a little sleep," Lydia said taking a sip of her water.
"Now you're sounding like my mother. When I talked to her earlier, she kept harping on me to eat and go get some sleep."
"So you're telling me I remind you of your mother?" Lydia asked as she tried to hide a smile. "Oohh…real sexy."
"I never said…" House began, but was interrupted by Lydia giving him a kiss.
"I appreciate the compliment," she said as she gave House another kiss. "Mmm…you taste like gingerbread." House made a face.
"Great; you remind me of my mother, and I remind you of your grandmother…seems to me kinky is more like it." Lydia giggled uncontrollably until she fell against House.
"You are nutty and sexy and wonderful…and I love you for all that and more," she said. House moved his arm up so Lydia could nestle in against him.
"I love you, too. Even if you are crazy for loving someone like me," House replied.
"I don't love someone like you," Lydia said as she moved the empty plate off of the bed. "I love you." House reached up and turned the light off on his night stand. He readjusted his pillows into a comfortable sleeping position and plopped down onto them. Lydia moved in against him and rested her head on his shoulder.
"Good night, Hon. I love you."
"Good night, Fraulein. I love you, too." House couldn't believe he was actually at home, falling asleep with Lydia in his arms. At the start of the evening, he never could have predicted it would end this way. He tried closing his eyes, but there was a thought that kept repeating through his head: For better or worse, in sickness and in health, in good times and in bad… If this, he thought looking down at Lydia's head, if this is what that's all about…maybe, just maybe he'd be able to handle it, accept it someday. House shook his head. Not until he really learned to trust in Lydia's love completely…and she was making that easier and easier to do with every day that went by…
The doors of the elevator opened onto the floor where the ICU was. House and Lydia stepped off and made their way through the hallways to the nurses' desk near Kevin Sheeler's and Wilson's rooms. House dreaded coming back into the hospital; seeing the aftermath of him storming away from his responsibilities here was not a task he relished. He just hoped that for Sheeler's and Wilson's sakes, things went well in his absence.
"Good morning, Dr. House, Ms. Strohman." Cassie, the young nurse was on duty again. "How are you feeling?" House shot her a look. "Dr. Chase said you picked up a twenty-four hour bug, which is why you left early yesterday." House made a mental note to not bust Chase's chops as much as usual in return for covering for him with the newbie.
"Feeling better," House said with no enthusiasm as he placed his coffee travel mug on the counter. Lydia had made sure they were ready to hit the road when the time came.
"Good," Cassie said smiling at Lydia. "I have both Mr. Sheeler's and Dr. Wilson's charts here; which one would you like to see first?" Just as efficient as ever.
"I'll take the fireman's." Cassie put Sheeler's binder on the desk in front of House. He opened it and started to flip through the pages.
"Dr. Ellis has already made his rounds and notated the charts for both of them," Cassie pointed out, nodding toward both Kevin and Wilson's room. House saw that Ellis only had to go 3 inches above the ankle when removing part of Kevin Sheeler's leg. It won't lessen the physical pain, thought House; but the psychological impact would be tremendous. Lydia was reading the notes over House's shoulder and shook her head.
"Such a shame that this whole thing didn't have a different outcome for him," she said sadly.
"The roughest part for him will be answering questions about their little side trip; the outcome of that will have the greatest impact on his future work with both fire departments. Tom should be able to get him up to department standards so he can get recertified," said House as he closed the chart. "The question is, will anyone want to hire or re-hire him?"
"I know Tom is good, but this is going to be tough for Kevin; he's going to blame himself for what happened." House looked at the door of Kevin's room and nodded.
"He should; but as long as his wife stays with him on this, he'll be fine. Between her and the upcoming bundle of joy, I think he'll do well. I understand the love of a good woman can do wonders," he said with a quick glance and a smile directed at Lydia. He picked up his coffee and headed towards Kevin's room.
"I'm surprised," Lydia said. "I would have thought you would want to see James first."
"I wanted to get this over and done with," House said gesturing to Sheeler's room as he took a sip of coffee. "Once I see Wilson, I'm not going to want any other interference. I'm going to watch the surgery, see that he's good in recovery, and then we're hitting the road. After this visit, the daddy to be is my team's problem." House slid open the door, and stepped into the room.
"Good morning," Susan said, standing as House and Lydia entered the room. "How…how is everything going?" Still a nervous nelly, House noted. He hoped she wasn't going to be the type of mother to make her kid twitch. Kevin seemed to still be asleep.
"Everything appears to have gone well with the surgery," House said as he lifted the covers and checked out the bandaged stump that remained of Kevin's left leg. He eyeballed the difference between Kevin's two legs; while obviously noticeable, it was not insurmountable.
"How does it look, doc?" Kevin had awakened; even through his groggy voice, his anxiety could be heard.
"The bandages won't be changed until later today," House said, replacing the sheet. "But Dr. Ellis' notes indicate you'll be playing hopscotch with your kid, no problem."
"That'll be a few years from now," Kevin responded looking at his wife.
"Gives you plenty of time to get good at it," House noted.
"Has anyone from either firehouse contacted you yet?" asked Lydia. Susan smiled and walked over to the far side of Kevin's bed. She pulled up a large basket that was filled with baby supplies.
"This came from Kevin's work, along with an envelope with over a thousand dollars in it that they collected. The firehouse where he volunteers dropped of a Babies-R-Us gift card with five hundred dollars on it. I…we're in such shock."
"You shouldn't be; firemen and policemen are known for the brotherhood they have," Lydia said. "They take care of their own." Susan nodded.
"They certainly do."
"From this point forward, my team will be overseeing your care along with Dr. Ellis," said House. "I have to leave town on personal business. There are a couple of dozen fish in a distant stream quaking in their gills over my upcoming arrival." Lydia, who was standing behind House, caught Susan and Kevin's attention and shook her head. They both got the feeling from the look on Lydia's face that this was not going to be a fun or leisurely trip.
"Dr. House? Does it get easier to deal with this," Kevin said pointing at his leg. "Does it ever really get better?" House closed his eyes and dropped his head down. A lie wouldn't be fair; the truth wasn't going to be easy.
"With the help of your therapist, and you have a good one, things will get easier. The pain will never stop; either the phantom pain that's all too real or the mental pain of why the hell did this happen to me? But you have two things that will make anything you go through a hell of a lot easier: Your wife, who can make the pain go away better than any pill you can take." House took a deep breath. "And the other thing is your kid-to-be. I understand that babies can make anyone…almost anyone…smile." Susan came over to her husband, took his hand, and placed it on her stomach.
"It already does," Kevin said as he felt the baby kick. As much as Lydia loved looking at the scene, she knew House would want to get into Wilson.
"We have to go see another patient," Lydia said. "But we wish the both of you the best of luck with your future family." She walked over to Susan and gave her a hug, then took Kevin's hand. "I'm the head of insurance relations," said Lydia as she took out one of her business cards and handed it to Susan. "If there's any difficulty processing the claims on your case, please don't hesitate to call me."
"She knows how to ring every last dime out of the vipers," House noted. "Nickels and pennies if needed, too." The Sheelers both smiled.
"Take care," said Lydia as she and House left the room. They headed back over to the nurses' desk where House opened Kevin's binder to put his John Hancock on the chart.
"Where's Dr. Wilson's…" House did not get to finish his question as Cassie handed him Wilson's binder. He closed Kevin's and handed it back to her. She left the desk area as one of the other nurses called for her assistance. He watched her as she hurried away. "I hope she does hook up with Chase," House said under his breath.
"Being a sentimental fool for love? Hardly your style," Lydia commented quietly.
"Nope. Hoping to score a two-for-one deal on busting chops," replied House. He let out a sigh. "Everything looks good for Wilson's operation." House looked at the reports for the HRCT and the most recent blood draw. "His kidney function is improving; his pee should be a sunshiny yellow by now." He closed the binder and tapped his fingers nervously on the counter.
"Greg, let's go in," Lydia said gently. She took the tote bag she was carrying and her coffee mug, and headed to Wilson's door; House followed behind her. "Ready?" House nodded and Lydia tapped on the door.
"Come in," Annie called out. Lydia slid the door open and she and House entered the room. Wilson was sitting up in bed, Annie sat in a chair next to him. He looked like anything but a man about to have his chest butterflied open.
"Good morning," Annie said as she stood up to greet House and Lydia.
"Why is everyone assuming it's a good morning?" House asked as Annie hugged him. "Maybe it bites the big one."
"I think that all depends on the kind of night you had last night," Wilson said. "After the way you exploded out of here yesterday, I'm going to guess that yours was…less than wonderful."
"Don't be a smart ass," House said as he sat down in the Geri-chair in the corner. "You know exactly what kind of night I had." Wilson looked at Lydia and smiled.
"No, House, I don't. All Lydia texted to Annie was that the two of you were home safely. When I asked what happened, she said you'd tell me in the morning." House looked up at Lydia, a surprised look on his face.
"I wanted to let you tell them what happened," Lydia said indicating Wilson and Annie. "You said you had some things you wanted to say." House winced at the thought of reliving the hell from last night, and eating a small piece of humble pie beside; but he knew Wilson wouldn't rest until he got all the gory details out of him. It took House several tries before he was able to speak.
"I…I screwed up yesterday. It didn't matter what else was going on; I should have been here watching over everything for you." House took a deep breath. "I'm sorry." Wilson looked at his friend for a moment, then started to fiddle with the tubes and leads attached to him.
"House, I wasn't thrilled to not have you here, but if I was in your shoes…I probably would have done the same thing…"
"No you wouldn't," House quickly cut in. "I have a much higher tolerance for alcohol than you do. Mike would have been scraping you up off the floor after the fifth drink."
"Fifth drink?" Annie exclaimed.
"That was my opening salvo." he replied.
"So, you did go to Otto's," said Wilson. House nodded.
"I went to Otto's, and started the process of getting loaded. Mike realized something was up and tried to slow down the speeding bullet of my impending drunkenness; he kept giving me plates of wings, which I ate because I was hungry." House took a drink of his coffee. "Let's see what happened next? Oh yeah…after the afore mentioned five or six drinks I convinced Mike to sell me a bottle of whiskey to take home, bought some Vicodin off the guy in the bar who had also been at the crane collapse…"
"House!" Wilson exclaimed as he shook his head. "No…no! Don't tell me you…broke down and went back." Standing up, House went over and looked out the window.
"You didn't listen to what I said, you moron," he said to Wilson. "I said I bought it; never said I took it. Although the lady in white did her best to convince me I should."
"She did persuade you to lick it," Lydia pointed out.
"Wait! What…what the hell are you talking about? Are…are you telling me you hired a…hooker, too?" Wilson whispered.
"James, I'm sitting right here; I can hear every word you say," Lydia said. "If he had hired a hooker, I think I would have figured it out by now." Poor Wilson and Annie were totally confused. House finally gave in and told them how he had hallucinated about a hooker dressed in white that represented Vicodin, and all that followed. Needless to say, both Wilson and Annie were completely floored.
"That's right up the same alley as the hallucination you had in recovery," Annie said to her boyfriend.
"It wasn't a hallucination; it was a dream," Wilson corrected. "And it was no big deal."
"No big deal? You imagined you were a big time riverboat gambler and I was a girl who was supposed to…'take care' of you." Lydia and House were alternately impressed and disdainful of the fantasy.
"Ooh…very sexy, James. I like the way you think," Lydia said with a wicked tone to her voice. House gave the three of them a look.
"Really?" he said. "What happened? Was someone playing that song about the dying card shark?" House said referring to "The Gambler" by Kenny Rogers.
"No, as a matter of fact there was a really good piano player doing a bunch of blues songs," Wilson noted. House gave him a look.
"Don't include me in your kinkiness. The time for that is long past."
"Do-do-do-do, do-do-do-do. You have now entered the 'Twilight Zone,'" Annie said. Lydia laughed at her friend's commentary.
"That's a very precise description of all this," she said. "Especially considering what I found when I got to the apartment and went to the bedroom." Wilson looked hesitant, not sure if he wanted to know what his friend was doing.
"I…I really don't want to ask, but… what did you find?"
"Greg, on the floor, choking."
"Oh, my God!" Annie exclaimed. "Were you able to talk?" House started making overblown gestures to indicate someone choking, then fell back into the Geri-chair. Lydia shook her head.
"When he realized I was there, he used the universal choking symbol," she said. She related getting House situated, and performing the Heimlich maneuver on him.
"I wasn't doing too well when she got there; my arms were shaking so much, I had a hard time pushing myself up into a sitting position."
"You mean you weren't laying face first in your own vomit?" Wilson asked sarcastically. House made a face.
"We were beyond that point," he said. "It had already started to harden on my face and hair." Wilson shook his head.
"Well, whatever happened I am very glad you didn't actually take the Vicodin; what stopped you?" Wilson inquired. "Did it suddenly occur to you that what you were doing was a bad idea?"
"I realized that what I was doing was going to hurt the person I care about the most…and subconsciously, a few others who rank pretty high on my priority list, too." House looked over at Wilson and Annie. "I wasn't about to send you off to have someone dance around amid your internal organs knowing that I slipped up; didn't think you'd be too happy about that."
"No; no I wouldn't," Wilson admitted. "I'm glad you made the right choice…for once."
"I hope from now on," House said staring at the floor. "I make no promises."
"Fair enough," Wilson replied.
"I looked at your chart," House said. "Saw the results of the HRCT. Everything looks good to go."
"It is, but they've changed my operation to ten, possibly ten-thirty. Seems a tour bus collided with a tanker over on Route Three; there are a bunch of people coming here and Princeton General…OR time is at a premium."
"Great," House said looking over at Lydia. She read his mind: this would delay their leaving for Virginia. Wilson read it, too.
"House, head out to your mom as soon as you've got your bags packed. I'm…I'm not going anywhere except the operating room, recovery, and then back here. I'll eventually wind up home, but for now…I'll have plenty of good people taking care of me." House stood up and started to pace. "You've got to go, sooner rather than later. They'll keep you up to date on everything that's going on. God invented cell phones so overbearing mothers can antagonize their children; it also comes in handy when one best friend wants to check up on the other."
"Sounds like someone was busy having fun with Mummsy and Da-Da while I was gone," House noted.
"Oh, please; we finally convinced them to go to James' place to sleep. They've texted or called us at least a dozen times since they left, including calling James' phone and not understanding why he wasn't answering," Annie said as she shook her head. "I know they're upset and worried, but they are driving us nuts!"
"They're driving you nuts," Wilson said reaching for Annie's hand. "I'm used to them by now."
"I'll never get used to them," House said. "Then again, I don't have to. By the way, you're wrong; cell phones were invented by a bunch of nerds living in their parents' basements and worshiping Sponge Bob." He looked at Lydia; he could tell by the look on her face that she was agreeing with Wilson that they should take off for Virginia. House wasn't ready to hit the road yet. "Which surgeon did you pick?"
"Condozza. He's had the most experienced with this kind of operation. Chase is going to assist him and Taub will close so I won't start to look too much like Frankenstein with all these scars."
"Condozza, huh? Making a move up in this world from a House to a Condo," House quipped. All in the room groaned.
"Now I know you've had a rough night…or at least are tired," Wilson said. "However inappropriate your comments usually are, they're better than that."
"I'm fine. Lydia's offered to do the driving down to the hospital. I can sleep in the van."
"House…I want you to get down to Blythe, now. I swear to you…I'll be here when you get back," Wilson said looking at Annie and smiling. "We can figure out what kind of chemo and what the schedule will be for it when you're back home. Promise I'll…I'll wait for you to help me plan it out."
"You don't even know if you need chemo yet," House said. "It'll just result in you losing a bunch of hair and me making fun of your little old man look."
"Fine," Wilson quickly said. "I will not…care what you say to me, how much you bust my balls. I am not taking the chance of leaving this beautiful lady alone. Not…" he said reaching for Annie, who came and sat on Wilson's bed. "Not when this incredible woman has done me the honor of agreeing to be my wife." Lydia gasped as Annie held out her left hand. House looked at it with some skepticism.
"Is that a paper straw wrapper you made into a ring?" Wilson shrugged.
"It was all I had to work with on the spur of the moment," he said. Lydia, who was too overcome with shock and emotion to move before this, now got up from her chair and came over to Annie.
"Sweetie, I am so happy for you. I…I always hoped one day I'd get to watch you walk down the aisle, knowing that you finally found happiness with the right person," she said looking over at Wilson. "And is he ever right!" Lydia hugged Annie, then went over to hug Wilson; she stood up and took a tissue from the box on his bed tray.
"Depending on your point of view, you're either going to have the best seat in the house or the worst," Annie said. "Will you be my maid of honor?" Lydia embraced Annie, and her tears really started to flow freely.
"Hey, cut it out, Songbird; there's not that many tissues left in the box," House noted. The women both laughed at House's comment.
"Of course I'll be your maid of honor; it'd better not be anyone else," Lydia said as she wiped her face.
"What about you?" Wilson asked House. "Can I finally convince you after all this time to be my best man?" House looked away from Wilson for a minute, then turned back to him.
"Considering you're finally getting it right this time?" he asked smiling at Annie. "What the hell…I can wear a monkey suit for a few hours." The four of them were all smiling; this good news was such a relief from the stress of the past days. House was even willing to give Annie a hug and kiss and Wilson a fist pump.
"Have you have time to consider a date?" Lydia asked. "Or is it too soon?"
"We're thinking the first Saturday in December," Annie said looking at Wilson with a twinkle in her eyes and a big smile on her face. "We figured it would be far enough away from the heart of the holidays, but long before I begin to show." Lydia shook her head, unsure if she heard Annie correctly.
"Before you…"
"No…" House said with a grin.
"Yep…I'm pregnant!"
.