Finally back. This working thing is really cutting into my writing time. :D As usual, I don't own House.

# # #

The drive back to Rob's gave House an extraordinary amount of time to process things. After pulling into the driveway, he shut off the truck, rubbing absentmindedly at his thigh as his thoughts kept circulating through his head.

He had been debating with himself the entire drive. He wanted to see Caroline, just long enough to make sure these yahoos that passed for doctors out here knew what they were doing. On the other hand…he had seen enough of her for one day. Waiting by someone's bedside wasn't exactly his style.

Finally he huffed irritably and heaved himself out of the truck. The stress of the day had finally gotten to him, leaving him tired and sore. He wanted nothing more than to take some meds and crash.

Rob lifted his head when House crossed over from the kitchen into the living room as he finished buckling his prosthesis. House frowned at him. "That thing healed yet?"

"Nope." Rob slowly rose from the chair and shifted his weight to his left leg. "Gave it a little extra paddin'. Should get me through the night."

House let out a short chuckle. "Or at least long enough for that woman to take it off of you."

Rob flushed slightly and dipped his head. "I ain't gonna get my hopes up."

House snorted and started down the hallway when Rob's voice stopped him. "How's Caroline doin'?"

"Okay, I guess." House told him. "They're keeping her overnight."

"You gonna go see her?"

House let a long silence draw out before answering. "I've caused enough problems for her, don't you think?"

He heard Rob huff irritably behind him. "I got a news flash for you, man. This ain't got shit to do with you. That son of a bitch would have hunted her down anyway."

House absorbed Rob's words, knowing the other man had a good point. "Doesn't matter. I wouldn't have a way there tonight."

"Celia's pickin' me up." Rob countered. "Keep the keys. Just stay out of trouble, 'kay?"

House allowed himself a small smile at that. "Wow, it's almost as if you know me."

"I'm serious, Greg." A firmer note had crept into Rob's voice. "Go see Caroline, but...you know, let the sheriff's department do their thing with Kevin."

"Might be easier for them to find a pile of bloody bones." House threw out casually.

"That might be so, but…" Rob sighed heavily. "You're a smart man. Use that big brain of yours for somethin' useful, huh?"

"No promises." House muttered as he continued down the hallway and into the bedroom, digging for his sleep pants out of habit before he remembered that he had given them to Caroline.

He sighed and eased himself down on the bed after popping a couple of painkillers. For some reason the image of Caroline in his clothes wouldn't leave his mind.

House tossed and turned for a good hour before finally giving up and pushing himself out of bed and making his way toward the living room.

"Let's say I were going to go see Caroline." House postulated. "How would I track her down?"

A slight smile crossed Rob's scarred face. "If it were me, I'd probably call the hospital and ask for her."

House rolled his eyes. "Just ask for Caroline, huh? Why didn't I think of that?"

Rob found the hospital's phone number and dialed it before handing the phone to House. "Her last name's Smithers."

"Good to know." House took the phone and waited for someone to pick up on the other end.

"University Medical Center." A cheerful voice soon answered.

"Uh…I'm looking for someone." House was suddenly nervous for no good reason. "Caroline Smithers?"

The voice gave him the room number, and House scribbled it down and shoved it in his pocket before hanging up. He fixed Rob with a sharp glare. "There. Got it. Happy?"

Rob shrugged casually, that slight smile never leaving his face. "I think she'll be glad to see you."

"I don't know why." House muttered, sitting down heavily on the couch. Baxter soon hopped up on the couch next to him, nudging at him in a bid for House's attention.

"Baxter, down." Rob told him firmly, and the dog whined briefly, but seemed to reluctantly obey. He took up residence at House's feet instead, and House reached down to absentmindedly scratch the dog's head. Rob shifted in his chair to face House. "Look, I'll admit that I don't know jack shit about you, but…you seem like a decent kind of guy. Caroline sees that too. I ain't sayin' y'all should rush right out and hook up or anythin', but it'd be good for her to get a little kindness from a guy, you know?"

House snorted and shook his head. "I don't want to encourage anything, not when I'm taking off soon."

Rob threw him a baffled look. "Thought you were hangin' around."

House shrugged. "Still got things to take care of there before I think about coming back here. If I come back here."

Rob looked thoughtful. "If you do…you've got options. Can't hardly swing a cat around here without hittin' a hospital of some kind. The closer you get to Nashville, the more options you've got."

House nodded. "That's all well and good, but if no one will hire me, it's kind of moot."

"Why the hell wouldn't someone hire you?" Rob asked with a puzzled look.

"Lots of reasons." House huffed as he pushed himself off the couch. "Think I'll head into town, maybe check on my bike."

"Alright, man." Rob nodded. "See you around."

House gave Baxter a firm pat on the head before making his way back down the hallway, giving Elsa a scratch on her ears as he did so. After shoving his feet into shoes, he dug out Rob's keys and returned the way he came, nodding at Rob as he passed.

The piece of paper with Caroline's room information was burning a hole in his pocket as he drove down the road toward town. Even if he did go to see her, what would he say to her? Things were bound to be awkward. Maybe he shouldn't bother. She was due to be released tomorrow anyway. Chances were good he would run into her at some point before he left.

The thought of leaving made something squeeze in his chest. It was an unfamiliar feeling. He shook off the feeling as he pulled into the repair shop.

House pulled up in front of the office, spotting his bike just inside the garage. The boisterous sounds of Green Day blared through the open space as House limped inside.

Mike greeted him with a broad smile. "Afternoon, Doctor House. Sorry 'bout the noise."

"No problem." House gestured toward the garage. "How's it coming?"

"Good." Mike nodded. "Tyler's just about got it back together. Turns out you had a couple of other minor problems, too."

"Great." House huffed irritably. "How much extra is that going to cost me?"

"No charge, Doctor House." Mike answered.

House was baffled. "Are you serious?"

"Yep." Mike straightened the baseball cap on his head. "Just gonna charge you for the original repair. I'll even give you a discount on the labor since the boy's workin' on it and not one of my regular guys."

House merely shook his head. "It's a wonder you make any money off this place."

Mike shrugged. "I do alright."

The sound of House's bike firing up cut off any further conversation, drawing both men's attention to the garage. Tyler gave them a thumbs up sign and a wide grin.

Mike returned the sign, and Tyler shut the bike off before entering the office, wiping off his hands on a rag. "That's one sweet ride, dude…I mean…Doctor House."

House fixed the teenager with a sharp glare, holding out his hand for the keys. "I'll just assume that's speculation talking and not actual experience."

Tyler's eyes went wide. "I didn't touch it except to work on it and to start it, I swear."

"Good." House nodded firmly, oddly amused that the kid was so easily intimidated. He turned to Mike at the desk. "So, what do I owe you?"

Mike quickly ran down the bill, and House handed him his credit card. The other man ran it through the reader and handed the bill and the card back to House. "Sign here…here…and here."

House signed and took his copy of the bill, folding it and tucking it in the back pocket of his jeans. He couldn't wait to get back on his bike and go for a ride.

The problem dawned on him as soon as he exited the shop. There was only one of him, and two vehicles. Besides, his helmet and jacket were back at Rob's. He sighed heavily and went back inside.

"How late are you open?" House asked, a little embarrassed. "Forgot that I drove here."

"No problem." Mike answered with a chuckle. "I'm open til six."

House nodded and exited again, limping toward Rob's truck.

"Doctor House!" Tyler's voice stopped him just before he climbed inside.

"What?"

Tyler looked wound up and a little nervous. "Thanks for letting me work on your bike."

"You're welcome…I think." House was baffled by Tyler's behavior.

"Yeah…" Tyler shoved his hands in his pockets. "Dad says I might be able to get a bike when I turn sixteen. I'll be able to get my license then."

House couldn't figure out why the kid wanted to talk his ear off. "Have you ever ridden one?"

"Not yet." A slight smile crossed Tyler's face. "Wouldn't mind havin' one like yours."

House couldn't help chuckling. "Maybe you should start with something a little less dangerous."

Tyler's face took on a stubborn set. "You sound like my dad. He don't think I could handle somethin' like that, either."

House sobered immediately, turning an idea over in his head. "Look…I'm probably going to be around for a few days. Maybe I'll talk to your dad when I come to pick up the bike." He took a deep breath, amazed at himself that he was even thinking about this. "Maybe, if it's cool with him, we can take it out somewhere and you can try it out."

"Dude, seriously?" Tyler looked as if he would explode with joy and excitement. "You'd do that?"

"I said maybe." House told him firmly. "I'm not going to make any promises."

Tyler nodded furiously. "I got it, I got it." Suddenly the kid threw his arms around House. "Thanks, Doctor House. You won't be sorry."

House was stunned, but awkwardly patted Tyler on the back. "Don't get too excited. Your dad could still say no."

"I know, but…" Tyler stepped away, looking a bit embarrassed at his outburst. "It's still a cool thing." He shoved his hands in his jeans pockets. "Guess I'll see you later."

House nodded and climbed into the truck, shaking his head as he pulled out of the parking lot. If Mike said yes, House would be surprised. House was starting to question the wisdom of the idea himself.

He drove on for a short distance until he arrived at the bar. The 'OPEN' sign was lit, and it seemed like a good time of day for a beer and a burger. Better here than at the café under the nosy eyes and ears of Marge.

House entered the dark space, immediately relaxing as he took a seat at the bar and perused the menu.

"Greg!" A voice boomed out. "What brings you in here?"

House nodded in greeting as Dave approached. "I was in town checking on my bike and got hungry."

"Well, you came to the right place." Dave affirmed. "What'll you have?"

"Double cheeseburger, onion rings, and…" House was debating over his beer choices, finally shrugging. "…a Sam Adams."

"Comin' right up."

House's eyes wandered around the bar, where various newspaper articles were framed and posted. He squinted at one article in particular.

When Dave returned with his beer, he gestured at the article. "Is that who I think it is?"

Dave turned to look up where House was pointing. He took down the frame to look it over before handing it to House.

House held it almost at arm's length, squinting slightly. "That's who I thought it was."

"Yep." Dave confirmed. "Rob was All-State runnin' back our senior year. The recruiters were beatin' a path to his door."

House regarded the picture thoughtfully. Rob was in classic football pose, down on one knee with his arm casually slung across his helmet and a wide smile on his face. It was a very different person than the one that now resided in that house at the dead end road. "So what happened?"

Dave shrugged. "He did three years at Tennessee, met a girl, knocked her up, dropped out, and married her. 'Course, I always suspected the kid wasn't his, but he didn't care. Far as he was concerned, he was doin' the right thing."

"Huh." House frowned. "How'd he end up in Iraq?"

"Joined up with the Reserves to make some extra money on the weekends. Ended up gettin' called up when they started sendin' troops." Dave's face seemed to cloud over. "One thing about Rob. The man had a real passion for the job. It wasn't just a job for him. It was a real callin'. Enough for him to go for a second round when the Reserves came callin' again."

"And that's when he got blown to bits."

"Yep." Dave leaned on the bar, taking the framed article from House's hand. "When he finally made it home…it was like a stranger had taken him over. It changed him." He took the framed article from House with a sigh, a hard expression taking over his features. "He ain't been the same since."

A long silence stretched out between them before House broke it. "I heard you two were pretty close before the Iraq thing."

"Like brothers, man." Dave brushed his hand over the article before hanging it back up on the wall. "Afterwards…he didn't want to see me. Damned if I know why." The large man shook his head. "He's been down here more in the last week than he's been in the last five years. It's a damn good thing your bike croaked where it did."

House huffed irritably and took a long drink of his beer. "What is with you people? You act like I saved Rob from this…horrible fate. All the guy wanted was to be left alone. What's wrong with that?"

Dave smacked a large hand on the bar. "He tried to off himself a couple years ago. Would have succeeded, too, if the neighbor hadn't needed him for somethin'. She's the one that found him."

Something in House clutched at that. It was something he had debated with himself endlessly about over the years when the pain, both emotional and physical, had worn him down to nothing.

Dave seemed to catch House's expression, and Dave's own expression softened. "Look…there's a lot of people who give a damn what happens to Rob. He's always been kind of a private guy, but…now he's damn near barricaded himself in that house. At least with you around, he's been gettin' out a little more often. I think he needs that."

House blew out a short breath. "I can't stay for much longer, you know. Got things to take care of back in Jersey."

"Figured that." Dave nodded.

"He thinks he doesn't need anyone." House told him.

"He's wrong."

"I know that…and you know that." House answered. "Now you've just got to convince him."

"Tough job." Dave shook his head.

"Yeah, it is." House agreed. "But it's necessary."

"Order up!" Someone bellowed from the back, and Dave quickly made his way to pick up House's food, returning to set it in front of him.

"You want another beer?"

"Nope." House shook his head. "Still got a few things to do today."

Dave nodded. "Well, if you want anythin', just holler."

House nodded in response and started in on his food. The conversation had taken a strange turn. He didn't understand why he felt the need to drag Dave into the mix. Surely Rob would be just fine without House's interference.

He finished his meal and flagged down Dave to pay the bill, signing the receipt and leaving it on the bar before leaving. Now it was back to Rob's, where he hoped he could figure out a way to pick up his bike from the repair shop, then talk to Mike about letting Tyler get some practice time on the bike…

House snorted as he climbed into the small truck. This was ridiculous. He was busier now than when he worked for a living.

The thought briefly clouded his thoughts. He had enough sacked away to live on for a few months, certainly, but at some point he would have to get another job. If he decided to stay here, he would have to find a new doctor so that he could transfer his prescriptions, find a new place to live, move all his stuff down here…

It was more than he wanted to think about right now, and he shoved the thought aside as he pulled into Rob's driveway. Any big decisions could wait a couple of days until he was on the road again.

# # #

You know what to do from here. Read and review.