Snowmelt Chapter 15 Part 2

"Dr. House, this is the duty nurse in rehab. Dr. Payson asked me to call you when your wife woke up. Unfortunately, we had a plumbing leak in the visitor area. I've sent your wife down to the cafeteria area with one of our orderlies. She's waiting for you down there."

House was groggy, he had been sleeping in his chair, "It's 1:30 am? Is the cafeteria still open?"

"The cafeteria is closed, but not the area by the vending machines, she's there."

"Okay."

House went pee and then took off for the cafeteria. He felt a little anxious, wondering what she would say or what it would be like to see her. He walked through the corridor, saw the doors to the cafeteria locked shut and continued another ten feet to the cafeteria annex. It was a large overflow area with vending machines for the graveyard shift to use. No one was in the annex except an orderly sleeping in one of the booths and Maia sitting in plastic chair slightly back from the table. She looked small and frail, her hair pulled back with a hair band. The t-shirt was the same green as the knee-length skirt she had on. Her shoes were hospital slippers. Ironically, music was playing over the cafeteria speakers. It was Eric Clapton's, "Cocaine."

She looked up and swallowed. Her eyes were normal and her face scrubbed. House thought she looked like a schoolgirl on the first day of school. He walked up and leaned on his cane, looking down at her he studied her face. She was anxious too.

"How are you feeling?"

She gave him a lopsided smile, "Better. The headache is just a dull roar now. I'm not as jittery. How are you?"

"Fine. When do you leave?"

"6:00 am. Greg, thank you. Thank you so much for this. I promise to pay you back. I'm good at paying people back."

"Talk about paying back, who's your dealer? I'll pay that and put it on your tab. You don't want to pay mafia interest rates."

She looked up sheepishly, "Gino Matuchi. You can find him at the Foxy Nyph."

House nodded.

"I feel stupid, putting you through this. Did you get the envelope?"

He nodded again.

"I want you to know that you can file those anytime you want. I won't hold it against you. If I have to end my treatment early so that you can get the annulment, don't hesitate. I'll call you as soon as I'm out of treatment and you can file."

She looked so earnest, so desperate to take care of him,that House had to look away. He nodded, "I'll file it when you call."

They were quiet. She stood up, only a few feet from him. "I'm so sorry."

House smiled, realizing that the overhead speaker was playing, "Back to the Island." He hesitated at first, but then took a chance. Reaching out a hand, he took her wrist, pulling her close to him. Slipping an arm around Maia, he started to sway to the music. House took a few steps. She followed. They began to dance a slow, sad, sensual dance, her head on his chest, his arm around her back, slowly rubbing her body underneath her t-shirt.

But the time is past for living in a dream worldLying to myself, can't make that sceneOf wondering if you love me or just making a fool of me,Well I hope you understand I just had to go back to the island

Maia held on to him as if she was drowning and he was a life raft. He placed his lips on the top of her head, smelling the jasmine fragrance of her shampoo. She felt like a bag of bones in his arms. House wished he could keep her with him, keep her safe. But he knew that would be foolish; he hadn't done a very good job of it in the past. He closed his eyes and continued to sway to the music, holding her body tight, until the song was over.

Well all the fun has died, It's raining in my heartI know down in my soul I'm really gonna miss youBut it had to end this way with all the games we playedWell I hope you understand, I just had to go back to the island.

House looked at the sleeping orderly and picked Maia up in one arm, carrying her like a child half on the shoulder of his left side. He and his cane limped out to the hall where he started looking in the different doors.

"Greg? What are you doing?" She was wiggling to get down, "Where are we going?"

He threw one open and smiled. It was the linen closet about eight feet wide by seven feet deep. He started pulling towels and sheets down on the floor and then gently dropped Maia on the floor. He closed the door and lowered himself to the floor where they laid on a layer of linens.

Worried that he was acting impulsively, Maia pushed away, shaking her head. "Greg, if we do this there's no grounds for an annulment."

"I'm not going to tell anyone it happened, are you?"

She grinned, "No, I guess not. This never happened."

He pulled her skirt up and helped her with her panties, pulling them over the boney curves of her hips. He watched and committed everything to memory, her smell, the sounds, the looks, her gestures, her breathing, her eyelashes. He was the camera, his eyes the shutter, his hand the scanner, his mind the memory card. He was going to breathe her in and keep it to remind him of what was good in this world.

The panties slid down over the wavy pubic hair, revealing the folds between her legs. He reached down as soon as they came into view and kissed her on the mound of Venus while his fingers continued to pull the little cotton briefs over her knees. She kicked them the rest of the way as she pulled at his shirt which he took off, yielding his t-shirt.

House pulled on her t-shirt and it came off quickly over her head revealing the simple cotton bra. Looking down her body, he winced at the bones, pronounced and ugly, pushing up through her skin.

"Please eat," he said.

She nodded as she fooled around with the buckles of his belt. He assisted her and then removed his jeans, leaving them in a huddle at the end of their feet. Maia slid her skirt off, leaving just the bra to remove. House, the expert at unlatching women's bras, flicked it and in one swoop her breasts were free. They were smaller as a result of the weight lost. But he was happy to see the pert, pink nipples peaking up at him. He kissed them one at a time and then smiled up at her.

It was somewhat cramped, but House was able to get his body in between her thighs and the door. He pushed a pile of towels under her sweet ass to prop it up, giving him a better angle.

He looked down, separating the folds with his fingers, finding his target before he dipped down with his tongue. Maia breathed in when she felt the tongue tease her clit in circles and then in broad strokes. He switched to a gentle sucking motion, making her squirm with the little previews of pleasure. She pushed her hips up into his tongue feeling the congestion of electricity forming in her groin.

"Greg, that feels so good. Oh, God, I missed this so much. It's, oh damn, oh, God, I'm coming…Christ this is fast. Oh, oh, oh!" She bucked up, making it hard for House to keep his tongue concentrated where it needed to be, but he managed to keep the rhythm, driving the orgasm through her body in a current of ecstasy. He wanted to watch her face, her body, but he didn't dare lift his head from its current position. She finally pulled back, signaling that she was over the crest and now reaching discomfort. House climbed quickly up her white body, needing to enter her before he exploded all over her abdomen. Picking up a leg at the crook of her knee, he spread her further, making it easy to enter. He guided himself in and pushed as deep as she could take him. Not moving for several seconds, he let himself feel her, capture in his mind what she felt like, what it sounded like, what she tasted like.

Maia thought that something might be wrong. But then she saw that he was smiling, his eyes closed. She watched him slowly open his eyes, the blue piercing into her heart, her soul. He started slowly, smiling down as he drilled in and out of her. He grabbed one of her breasts and took it in his mouth, tickling her nipple with his tongue until she giggled. He pulled up and shook his head.

"You're so beautiful." As he spoke, he adjusted his angle and started pumping faster, harder, with a desire to own all of her. He clenched his teeth as he felt his balls contract and the climax shoot through his shaft and up his torso. Everything was on fire; he was dizzy as he ejaculated into her over and over. It felt as if the orgasm wasn't going to end. Each thrust brought another wave of pleasure. Just as it started to leave, Maia gave one last thrust, milking the last ejaculation out of him along with the final wave of pleasure. His breath caught and he looked down at her and chuckled.

"Oh, you're good…that last move. That was good."

She giggled, "I hoped you'd like it."

He caught the curve of her smile and noted it along with her voice, it was lower, huskier from the sex. He reached down and kissed her, letting his tongue explore her mouth. He devoured the memory of it.

She didn't know that he was doing this, memorizing the essence of her. She just knew that he was gentle, caring and kind to her while they lay in each other's arms. He stroked her hair, brushed over her breasts and down her abdomen, sending chills and goosebumps over her body. His eyes roamed all over her body, finding a wayward freckle, a tiny mole, the bullet scar. After he had memorized her, he grabbed her up into his arms and held her as if she were the only thing in the world worth saving from a fire.

Maia was overwhelmed. It felt so good, so much like he was in love with her. But they had been down this path before and it had ended poorly. She wanted him to say it to her. Tell her that this was real, not just some fantasy interpretation of what love is. But he said nothing, not validating her feelings, so she said nothing in return. She was afraid he'd laugh if she said the three words to him.

They were silent, still savoring each other's body, the warmth, the smell of musk, sweat, sex, shampoo, aftershave and cleaning supplies in the corner. House had his arm draped over her breasts, his groin and leg draped over hers. Nothing was said.

Maia let out a yelp when the door flew open and an angry oderlie stared at them, shock written on every wrinkle of his face. Maia pulled towels over her body. House simply looked up, smiled at the man and shrugged his shoulders.

"You two Energizer Bunnies get dressed. Maia, time for you to go back to your cell." He closed the door and waited for them to dress.

Maia's mouth was wide open, "Do you think he saw anything?"

"Huh? Like the fact we were post-coital?"

She shook her head, "No, any of my body parts."

"God, I hope so. Otherwise, who's going to know I nailed a hottie?"

They were standing, Maia in her skirt and panties, starting to hook her bra. House realized this could be the last time he would ever see her breasts. Stepping forward, he reached up and fondled them, leaning down to kiss her.

"Greg…"she mumbled, pulling away from his mouth, "I need to get them back in the holster."

"I was just sad to see them disappear. I wanted to say goodbye."

"Well, thank you. They're glad you took time to say goodbye, but now they have to go back into their little homes." She pulled the cups over her breasts and the straps over her shoulders. House continued to dress and when they were both done, they opened the door and spotted the unhappy orderlie.

"Maia, this never happened." The orderlie demanded.

Both House and Maia nodded like naughty children. They got to the elevator and the orderlie stopped House and told him to catch another elevator. Maia was inside the elevator, only realizing just before the doors closed that they were being separated and that she wouldn't see him again for months. She jumped to the front of the elevator hoping to say goodbye, but the doors had closed. House pushed the button for an elevator, hoping to ride it to the fourth floor, and catch her.

The second elevator stopped at every floor on its way down to pick him up. By the time he got to the fourth floor it was too late. Maia had been whisked away. House was angry, upset.

Now what do I do? Are we still getting the annulment? We never talked...we should have talked.

"Her analyst says that she's doing well although she's going through the natural stages of recovery. She's been lethargic for the last few weeks. She was somewhat depressed, but things are better now. She's made friends with a new patient and they seem to be good for each other, egging each other along. She's started getting up and walking, playing ping pong, dancing. They've been good for each other."

"Good for each other? What's she in for?"

"Who?"

"This friend, the new patient?"

"Bradley?"

"Bradley? This new friend is a guy?"

Payson winced, realizing that she shouldn't have told House about the friendship, "Greg, it's not uncommon for patients to form alliances to get through the treatment." Payson fidgeted on the sofa next to House.

"Oh, for God's Sake, I'm not a child. I understand. So when will she get to come home?"

Payson knew from Maia's record that House and Maia had never lived together as husband and wife, "I assume you mean, when can she return to Princeton? I think we're looking at another six weeks."

"That's good, right?"

"Yes, she's slightly ahead of schedule. Greg, are you going to file the annulment?"

"Is it any business of yours?"

She smiled, "Yes, besides the fact that it impacts us; if we're going to be successful in treating Maia, we're going to have to have some idea of the problems she'll have when she gets home. I think her employer will give her back her job. He seems to be rather fond of her. But, she seems to be worried about whether she'll be married or single when she comes back. I think the uncertainty is bothering her."

"I can't file the papers until her treatment is over or the insurance won't pay for it."

"Well, that's understood, she just wants to know where she stands." Amanda Payson shifted in her chair admiring the blue of his eyes.

"What does she want?" House asked, bending down to tie his shoe.

Payson stared at the disheveled, but incredibly brilliant, misanthrope as he fiddled with his shoe, "You want her to be the one who pulls the plug, huh? So that you don't come off as the bad guy."

"You're not paying attention to the gossip are you? I don't care if I come off looking as the bad guy."

"Not with others; but you don't want it to end badly with Maia. In fact, you don't want it to end, but you're afraid that she does want it over. So, rather than risk your feelings, you play blind man's bluff, hoping it's Maia who flinches." Amanda reached up and rubbed House's back, "Greg, she's not going to flinch. She thinks you're just being nice by sending her to rehab to soften the blow when you file the papers. And because she's grateful, she's not going to risk making you feel guilty by telling you she loves you and wants you to tear the papers up. I'm afraid you two are headed right back to where you were months ago. Neither one of you knows how to put your feelings out on the table. You're both so gun shy it's painful to watch."

House smiled, "You have Maia and I all figured out, don't you?"

"I know that you came to me five days after Maia left asking for my help in getting off Vicodin. Now why would you do that? You didn't do it when the board warned you, when the court almost prosecuted your or when you showed signs of side effects. But you did it for Maia. You know that they're probably advising her that it's not a good idea for an addict to be with a non-treating addict. Do you like your therapist?"

House was immediately going to say no, in some witty way. But, he knew that he did, in fact, really liked his analyst, Geer, and knew how to get House to open up. He had been surprised when Payson had referred him to Geer, rather than treat him herself. She informed him that she would help with the pain management aspect, but he needed a male therapist, one that wouldn't put up with his crap. She didn't think it was a good idea to counsel House since she was going to be Maia's counselor when she returned. It had turned out for the best. House had thrown tantrums, screamed, clammed up and bullied, but Geer had stuck with him. He was starting to make some progress, but not without some painful results. The more he discovered his feelings, the more his leg hurt and the more he wanted to slam back the Vicodin.

"Greg, you're almost an addict. I would diagnose you as physically dependent, rather than an addict. It's a hard diagnosis because you have a psychological component that has you reaching for the Vicodin every time you have a crisis in your life. Physical dependency sounds the same as addiction, but pain specialists recognize it as a separate problem. Addiction is characterized by craving and compulsive use of drugs, which, to some extent you have. Physical dependence occurs when a person's body adapts to the drug. Physical dependence is a normal response to repeated use of opioids and is distinct from psychological addiction, but like I said, you have a psychological component, putting you on the fence. Unfortunately, you need the drugs for the pain, but you're also using them for their psychic brain effects. So, your addiction presents a special problem."

"I'm not an idiot, I read the literature. I've detoxed; I'm seeing the shrink and the physical therapist, but now the ball's in your court. I'm on fentanyl; now what?"

Payson looked through the journal, closed it and handed it back to House, "I think you'll do well with the Buprenorphine patch, especially since you're so motivated. How's the physical therapy?"

"Painful at times. But, I can feel a difference, I'm sleeping longer now."

"Good. You look rested, healthier than when you first walked into my office."

"Don't go getting a big head, we don't know how well I'll respond to the Buprenorphine."

"We'll go to the lowest dose and work up. I'll give you acetaminophin as a rescue drug. If you start taking the rescue drug, I want a liver panel once a week. Keep up your pain journal and I'll see you next week."

House nodded, picked up the journal and started out the door. Payson noted that he was walking better, not using the cane as much for stability. He really was working hard.

"Greg."

House turned around to face her.

"Are you getting the annulment?"

He looked away, "Well, it seems as if Maia is moving on, doesn't it?"

Amanda wanted to kick herself for telling him about Maia's friendship with Bradley. She knew that House was the type that would always be looking for ways to sabotage his own happiness. "They're friends Greg, friends."

He turned and left.

Dear Readers...the next post is the last! Hope you have enjoyed it.