House is celebrating Rosh Hashana with his husband and his in-laws. Neither of the two believes in any deity, but he does appreciate Wilson's involvement with Jewish culture, and in particular likes the idea of devoting a week to reconsidering the year just finished. Decidedly a good year. A very good one, even.
His relationship with Wilson has become deeper with the added sexual dimension. They were both worried about it: House had never had a longterm gay relationship and very few straight ones, and Wilson had no previous same-sex experience and had fucked up three marriages. It turned out surprisingly well, and indeed their physical connection has become the most rewarding in each of their lives. As a result James has never felt tempted to cheat (and not for lack of chances) and House keeps paying verbal homage to Cuddy's graces only out of common politeness. They hired a couple of times House's favorite "masseuse" to teach Wilson how to do her job; he has now become almost as good at it as she used to be.
House's relationship with the colleagues in PPTH has also improved: he hasn't changed much (although being very happy does improve his mood) but everybody knows of their doomed love and is therefore willing to cut him some slack. Wilson has so far reacted optimally to every therapy; he misses patient contact, but he realizes that this way he has more time and energy to devote to House. He has even become almost famous among the readers of "The dying oncologist", his blog dedicated to pain management and end-of-life issues in cancer patients.
"The cancer is not responding." How many times has he spoken these words in his career? And now he's hearing them, holding his husband's hand, in a New York full of snow and of lights to celebrate the coming Christmas. "There's an experimental protocol" continues Dr Gupta; "it seems to gain some extra months, but it is demanding on the body and significantly lowers life quality for the four weeks in which it is delivered". Dr Gupta goes on to describe other possible protocols, gives them references to all the necessary literature, and a week to think about their options.
House has taken a month off, and they're renting an expensive flat in New York so as to be comfortable and near to the hospital. They also hired a nurse, because the more physically demanding parts of Wilson's care cannot be done by a cripple. Still, it is House that is at his side when (four times a week) Wilson spends the day and the night vomiting, He cooks light and delicious food, which he slowly coaxes Wilson into eating, and buys him not-quite-legal supplies of inhalable THC to boost his appetite (they usually end up sharing). When he started losing hair Wilson shaved his head; his face is puffy and almost unrecognizable. But the treatment (torture is how House calls it when Wilson can't hear) is working, the cancer vanished again and they mark every passing day on the calendar until the end of this difficult time. The hardest part in these weeks is neither Wilson's physical pain nor House's exhaustion, but rather the knowledge that this is but a preview of what will happen once no more remission can be obtained... and in that case, there will be no way to know how many days are left, nor any happiness beyond pain cessation to look forward to. They never talk about it.
Once in remission they do not quite go back to their previous lives. Wilson's hair has grown back, but it is thin and gray; he has regained only part of the lost weight, and his (until recentfly youthful) face has now almost as many age lines as his husband's. He feels weaker than before, and some days needs a wheelchair; he has also problems concentrating: the blog gets updated twice a month at most, and there are no more consultancies. Still, there's comfort in the arrival of spring: the lack of ice and snow helps House to walk around safely, and the mild weather is less demanding on Wilson's weakened immune system.
House has obtained permission to work from home when needed, and does spend less hours than before in the hospital. Foreman has been promoted to vice-head of diagnostics, which means he's in charge whenever House is unavailable. A less hectic schedule has improved House's pain management problems, especially since he regularly attends physiotherapy. In fact, it is evident to everyone that knows them that House has been taking much more care of himself since Wilson's diagnosis. He knows he needs to stay healthy. Of course nobody dares mention this in his presence.
After careful discussions with Wilson, House has worked out a plan for the time when he will be in leave of absence to provide for his husband's final hospice care. He has contacted a provider of outpatient nursing services, so that they can stay at home until the end, and Cuddy, Thirteen, Foreman, Taub, Cameron and Chase have all agreed to take regular turns visiting to provide practical support and allow House some respite.
Finally they all meet one evening at their condo: their friends finalize the schedule and get a copy of the keys, together with Wilson's list of where to find important items such as clean bedclothes, emergency medical supplies, legal documents, and of course THREE copies of the list itself taped inside the door of different pieces of furniture. After dinner Wilson gets tired and retires, but House and the others go on to a private room in a nearby karaoke bar and spend there a couple of hours, singing and laughing and reminiscing. When House leaves the others stay on, remembering old jokes and happier times. At some point the name of Cutthroat Bitch comes up, and soon they're all crying: about Amber, about Wilson, about House, about everything which could have gone better and didn't.
A/N I love reviews. Even really negative ones. I also rewrote my profile, in case you read profiles.