Chapter 7: A Broken Heart's Education

There's no way that you'll
Ever be the same again.
Now you are a fool to fate
Like it or not, like it or not
There is no way you can escape

From a broken heart's education
A broken heart's education

"Education" - Jump Little Children

"He's a lot more interesting than you'd expect your average lunatic to be," House quipped before he left the room.

I looked back at Eames and smiled. "Sorry about him," I apologized unnecessarily. "He doesn't see the point in being absorbed with social protocol."

She gave me a tense smile. "You must spend a lot of time apologizing for him then?"

I sighed. "Unfortunately so." I cleared my throat. "I wouldn't want a pretty girl to get the wrong impression about the company I keep."

"And what impression would that be?" Her expression was more serious than flirtatious, hinting at just how formidable Detective Alex Eames might be in a professional capacity. I found the thought strangely arousing.

I shrugged. "I'm not even sure I know."

"If it's any consolation, it feels like I spend half my life smoothing things over after Bobby's outbursts. He's brilliant but ... difficult."

I laughed, exasperated. "Sounds familiar." I considered the possibilities, spending time with someone who already had an understanding of how people like House could be. "D'ya wanna get a cup of coffee?" I asked. "I'm not in any big hurry to get home and I suspect you're as curious about House as I am about Bobby."

She nodded and that's how we ended up at a local diner, where Alex seemed to be operating in detective mode when it came to House. She asked about our friendship first -- and then our working relationship. I found myself divulging a good bit about myself in the process.

"I don't mean to say that he really interferes in my relationships. He just doesn't really know how to share the people he needs with other people. He wants their undivided attention. He considers them irreplaceable. He's addicted to reciprocal devotion."

Alex frowned. "He sounds a little obsessive. Has he been like that in other relationships?"

I nodded. "He's very much like that. He means well, though."

"Sounds like Bobby," she said, shaking her head. "Those two together may be more than either of them can handle. I hadn't anticipated this problem," she admitted.

"Well, I was surprised House befriended someone so quickly, but I doubt that would lead to any trouble. Not on House's part. Do you think your partner's likely to get involved in something that's against the rules?"

"I'm just thinking that neither of them is emotionally stable. Neither has a very firm hold on reality at the moment. Both are obsessive. A relationship seems like a bad idea at this point but I got the feeling that Bobby was already pretty intensely involved. I can't help being a little worried."

I sighed. "Well, I may sound crazy, but I don't think having a friend in a place like Mayfield could be such a bad thing. It's not an affair."

She raised an eyebrow. "And if it were?" I looked for some sign that she was kidding but she seemed completely serious. The idea of her partner with House didn't seem to surprise her. I, on the other hand, felt like I had suddenly entered the twilight zone.

"You can 't be serious!" I said in disbelief.

"Why?" she asked, as if my reaction were completely irrational. "House all but announced it himself. Did you not follow that part of the conversation?" She eyed me quizzically and I couldn't help feeling a bit defensive.

"What part of the conversation?"

She paused to consider before answering my question with a question of her own: "Why do you think House asked if Bobby could keep secrets from me? After discussing his possible gay relationship with you?"

"I don't know. It isn't exactly House's first non sequitur." I sipped my coffee, considering her point. "So is Bobby gay?"

"Is House?" she answered without skipping a beat.

"Not that I know of."

She shrugged. "Sometimes we don't know -- if our friend doesn't want us to know." We exchanged questioning looks and I let her continue. She seemed to be sifting through evidence as she might do in one of her investigations, laying out her position but open to a compelling counter-argument. "I know that House is exactly the kind of guy that Bobby would go for. Did you see how the two of them couldn't keep their eyes off each other when they were sitting on opposite sides of the room?" She raised an eyebrow inquisitively, waiting for my observation.

I thought it over. She was right, but I couldn't wrap my head around the idea of House with a man . "They can't have known each other long though and House doesn't get close that easily."

"Really? Because Bobby's only been at Mayfield a week." Another pause as she looked away, considering what she'd seen during visiting hours. "Bobby's intense -- obsessive even. He obviously saw something in House that attracted him and went for it."

An unbelievable prospect. Almost. "House is obsessive, too."

She sighed. "If I'm right, I can't help wondering if it's divine intervention or some hellish irony that they've found each other. What do you think?" She looked worried and deeply interested in my assessment.

I shrugged. "I wish I knew." It seemed entirely probable once she communicated her considerations. "Maybe it's a sign that House is getting better. Does Bobby usually move so quickly?"

"I don't know if anything about this situation is anything like the usual." She suddenly seemed fascinated with the small circles her fingertip traced on the tabletop. I wanted to console her somehow.

I reached out and covered her hand. "What'd you see when House looked at Bobby? Could you tell anything by looking at him?"

"I thought they seemed drawn to each other. I thought I saw a spark. But you didn't notice anything unusual in how House related to Bobby?" She sounded unsure all of a sudden.

I thought it over. "Come to think of it, he wasn't nasty when Bobby talked about his mother. That was unusual."

She sniffed and her eyes widened a little. Apparently in her world, dying mothers were rarely the subject of mockery.

"House can be insensitive when it comes to death. He sees so much of it. And hasn't lost anyone he really loved. But he's driven to save lives. Not all bad."

"I thought you were the one who saw so much of it, Dr. Wilson. House made you sound like the Angel of Death!" She muted her challenge with humor but it was detectable. "And, yet, I doubt you're known for mocking people's dead mothers." She waited silently for an explanation. I wasn't sure I had one.

"Honestly. He isn't as bad as even he thinks." The doubt on her face made me think she might try to talk Bobby out of whatever was going on with him and House. "He's an acquired taste," I admitted.

"You two are close?" she asked.

I nodded hesitantly. "I'm kind of all he has."

"Should I worry about Bobby if I'm right and he and House are involved?" Here was the bottom line for Eames. She would protect her partner at all costs.

I took a deep breath. "House is pretty dedicated to anyone that doesn't betray him. So should I worry about House?"

"Bobby's bipolar. Even at the best of times, he can be difficult to get along with, but he's a good man. If Bobby cares for House, he'll go to any lengths to protect him. He wouldn't hesitate to sacrifice himself for House."

I nodded. "I couldn't stop House pursuing this if I wanted to, regardless of the consequences."

"Ditto," she agreed. "Maybe it's enough that we keep an eye on them and be ready to pick up the pieces if something goes wrong." She laughed. "Of course, what could go wrong with a love affair between two men experiencing hallucinations and confined to a mental hospital? Wasn't there a Broadway show with that plot?" She put her head in her hands in mock horror, the smile never leaving her face.

I smiled. "It'd be really great if House found someone."

"He's been alone for a while then?" she asked, inviting me to fill in more details, probably hoping to set her mind at rest.

"He really has," I confessed, thinking over the Stacy situation. "He was with someone for a long time. She made some decisions against his wishes regarding a surgery for his leg. That was it for them. I think that, since then, he hasn't wanted to put himself in the situation to be disappointed again. To have to end another relationship that made him happy."

"If something is going on with the two of them, then I guess House is likely to be taking it seriously." She looked thoughtful. "They do seem to have a lot in common."

I smiled. "Maybe we can talk about something else, then? Like you?" I asked, hoping she didn't mind a little flirting.

We shared information back and forth about our jobs, our families, our marital history, where we lived. I heard some unbelievable stories about Bobby and cases that Alex had handled with him as her partner. He sounded impossible and impressive -- just like House.

Alex and I exchanged phone numbers and agreed to try to coordinate our visits for the time being so we could observe simultaneously and exchange information afterward. We decided that coming on the weekend was our best bet. I wondered whether there was a chance of turning our post-dinner debriefing into a date -- but I kept those thoughts to myself. I'd never dated anyone like Eames. She interested me. As we headed back to our cars, I couldn't help wondering if she ever used her handcuffs for recreational purposes.