Disclaimer: Don't own. Don't sue.
Chapter 7: Another Hospital Fundraiser
"Know what the best part about a man in a tuxedo is?" House murmured into Wilson's ear. "Knowing how much fun it will be to get him out of it, piece by piece."
At Greg's words, James's mouth went dry, and his fingers fumbled as he attempted to tie the black bow tie. Deftly, Greg reached over and did it for him. "Later," he whispered suggestively.
They were both standing in front of the mirror in the bathroom, getting ready for the charity event at the hospital. Wilson looked at his lover appreciatively, before asking, "you're not going to shave?"
"Yeah right. If I did, Cuddy might decide to change her mind about auctioning me off tonight. It's risky even showing up."
Wilson was confused. "You mean you're NOT in the bachelor auction? I thought she told me that every department head who was single had been persuaded to sign up."
House grinned evilly. "That was before I made her a better offer: Chase and Foreman. You've gotta admit that they will raise a hell of a lot more cash than I would."
"You got them to agree to do this? How?"
"It may have involved a little blackmail, maybe a bet. It's really best you don't know the details," House hedged.
"If I had known it was that easy to get out of this…"
His wistful words were cut off by House. "Given the fact that this event is to benefit the pediatric oncology wing, every non-married doctor in your department was already committed for the event. You're just jealous because I had bargaining chips and you didn't."
Wilson sighed. "Come on. Let's get this over with."
When they arrived at the hospital, the event was in full swing. Wilson grimaced when he saw the runway that had been set up in the middle of the tables. House saw the look, and smirked in triumph at having avoided the fate of his colleagues. They made their way over to a table that was already occupied by Drs. Cameron, Foreman, and Chase. Wilson was even able to enjoy the dinner, distracted by the playful banter of House's minions, with the occasional sarcastic comment from House. House was in one of his rare mellow moods, and he enjoyed sitting back and watching House interacting with the others at the table. He watched the long fingers playing with the silver topped cane that had replaced the everyday wooden one. He imagined what those fingers would be doing to him tonight, and when House caught his eye, he knew that the other man was thinking the same thing. It was only when Cuddy stepped up to the microphone to begin the auction that he remembered what was about to happen in the next few minutes.
"Good evening ladies and gentlemen. I would like to thank all of you for coming to the first annual bachelor auction, to benefit the renovation of the pediatric oncology ward of this hospital. I would like to thank all of the doctors who have graciously donated their time, and to the local businesses that have donated the meals and entertainment, so that each and every 'date' will be a truly memorable event for those of you lucky enough to win an auction. So remember, this is for a good cause, so dig deep into those pocketbooks!"
Wilson watched as his colleagues were called up the stage one by one, dreading the moment when his name would be called. Some were obviously ill at ease at being the center of attention, while others seemed to relish their time in the spotlight, strutting down the runway to the sound of catcalls from the audience. He watched in amusement as the bidding was fast and furious for Dr. Chase; the private tour of the natural science museum was probably not the main reason for the interest. Two bachelors later, Foreman was on the runway, egging on the bidders until he was "sold" for $3950, which was $100 dollars above the highest bid for his colleague.
And then, suddenly, it was his turn. He forced himself to get out of his chair and make his way up to the stage. As he walked down the runway, he tried to distract himself from the knot that was forming in his throat by listening to the words that Dr. Cuddy was saying. "Tonight's final bachelor is Dr. James Wilson, head of the oncology department here at Princeton Plainsboro Teaching Hospital. Dr. Wilson and the lucky winner will enjoy a romantic dinner for two at Gaston, one of the most exclusive restaurants in the city. After dinner, you will have orchestra seats for the premiere of Le Traviata, followed by desert at Carruthers. Throughout the evening, transportation will be provided by AA limousine service. Bidding will start at $1000."
To Wilson's surprise, the bid price went up quickly. Maybe it was the fact that he was last bachelor of the evening, and therefore his auction was the last opportunity for people to give to such a worthy cause. Maybe there were opera lovers out there? He tried to look out into the audience to identify the women that were bidding on him. Finally it was down to two women: the octogenarian holding the number 35 placard was a regular at hospital charity events, but the younger woman holding number 128 was a newcomer. As the price climbed over five thousand dollars, Wilson felt slightly faint; no other bachelor had broken that number, and it looked like the bidding was going to close somewhere around six thousand dollars. The bidding was still going up in fifty dollar increments, but the younger woman was beginning to hesitate before upping the bid. Finally, Cuddy was about to close the bidding at $6,250 when a new voice came from the back of the room, "I bid $10,000."
The outrageously high bid was completely unexpected, and suddenly the room was alive with people whispering. Wilson was unsuccessful at keeping a goofy looking grin from spreading across his face. Eventually Dr. Cuddy regained the power of speech, "OK, we have a bid of $10,000 from Dr. Gregory House. Do I hear a bid for $10,050? No? Then Dr. Wilson is sold to," she seemed to stumble for a moment before continuing, "Dr. House for $10,000. This concludes tonight's auction. I want to thank you all for coming. Tonight we have raised over $200,000 for refurbishing the pediatric oncology wing. Thank you for your generous support, and enjoy the rest of the evening."
As she was leaving the stage, she caught up with Dr. Wilson. She was still trying to formulate a sentence, when he shrugged and said, "well, I guess this means we're going public now." As her jaw dropped, he smiled weakly and turned to go across the room.
When Wilson returned to the table, the ducklings were still looking stunned, while House just smirked, enjoying their reactions. Wilson sat down, and something in their body language must have confirmed something for Dr. Chase, who finally asked, "does this mean that you two are," he searched for the right word, "together?"
James merely nodded, but it was Greg who answered, "well, duh! You think I would pay that much money just to go to the opera?" He leaned back in satisfaction. "Told you that we would find out who Wilson was sleeping with tonight."
Immediately Chase and Forman sighed and reached for their wallets and Cameron opened up her evening bag. Almost in unison, three hundred-dollar bills were handed across the table. "You bastard," exclaimed Cameron, except that she was giggling as the words were spoken. "You planned this all along."
"Again. Duh!" House exclaimed. "I had to do something to help pay for the massively expensive date I just purchased."
Wilson was laughing along with the rest of them. "So is this how you persuaded Chase and Forman to participate in this meat-market of an auction?"
Chase was quickly coming to the realization that he had again been manipulated by a master, "no that would be the bet on whether you were sleeping with anyone, which was oh so conveniently confirmed the next day by a hickey on your neck!" He turned to Cameron, "you're right, he is a bastard." And once again, everyone at the table was laughing.
The End
Author's note: I hope you have enjoyed this story. I had a lot of fun writing it. Thank you to everyone who has followed this story, and has been kind enough to review or add this story to their favorites list. Now for a shameless, self-promoting plug. I have just posted the first chapter of Two Wishes. This is the very long (30 chapters!) story that took over my brain in the middle of finishing A Screwed Up Relationship.
