Suddenly he rain stopped hitting his face though it still fell all around him, and House turned to see whose umbrella had come to his rescue.

Wilson.

"Why are you standing out here in the rain?"

It was hard to say who was more shocked by House being reduced to silence, but for the life of him he couldn't think of one thing to say. Well, more accurately, he couldn't think of one thing to say out of the millions of things that trolled his mind in that moment.

Wilson tried again. "House? Is something the matter?"

"What are you doing here?" he finally blurted.

"I work here," Wilson answered, but he understood why the question was asked, so he followed up with: "I got the 911 page like everyone else, so I decided to come in and lend a hand."

Wilson went on personal leave when Amber had died, and since that time he and House hadn't been in contact. Not for lack of inclination; both had picked up the phone on numerous occasions but had never finished dialing.

Wilson wasn't ready to deal with House as he was. And House wasn't capable of being anything else.

"House, you're soaked through. Do you have your car here, or your bike? Do you need a ride home?"

"Car."

"Okay, let me walk you there."

They walked in silence. House had started to shiver.

"This isn't your car."

House had forgotten about that detail. "I'm borrowing it."

"Car jacking is a felony." Wilson was trying very, very hard, even though he knew it should be House doing the trying. "I didn't know you knew anyone in California."

"I was out with a friend when I got the page. I dropped her off and took the car."

House had volunteered this information without much thought, and it in turn gave Wilson much to think about. House had a friend? A female friend? What wasn't he saying? And where did this girl come from? Hookers weren't generally so generous with their belongings. And he'd known House for a long time --- he'd never mentioned anyone from California. A college friend, maybe, here visiting? Could -

"I, uh... Thanks." House stepped out from under the umbrella and opened the car door. "I'll..."

"Bye, House."

And as House drove home, it was Amber's reaching hand that was haunting him.