Back with my usual disclaimers and whatnot. Don't own House, and therefore don't make a dime off this.

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House felt himself drifting in and out of consciousness, coming to again to the sound of voices surrounding him. Nothing was moving, so not the ambulance. The voices were unfamiliar, so not Plainsboro. Just where the hell was he?

He opened his eyes to see someone working over him, squinting to read the name tag. So they did bring him to General. Good. He didn't want anyone from Plainsboro to see him in his current condition.

He had really managed to screw things up this time. The events of the night were hard enough to deal with. New pain on top of that made things intolerable. Hence the misguided attempt to self-medicate with the Vicodin he had kept hidden behind the now shattered bathroom mirror.

"Doctor House." The female voice drew him out of his thoughts. "I'm Doctor Sheldon. I need to ask you a few questions."

He turned his head in an attempt to focus on the voice in front of him. "What do you want to know?"

"We're told you were in pain." She answered. "Where does it hurt?"

House snorted softly. Asking where it didn't hurt would have been an easier question to answer. "Everywhere."

He thought he saw Doctor Sheldon's mouth quirk up slightly at that. "Okay, where does it hurt most?"

House placed his hand on the front of his hip. "Right here, radiating upward into the abdomen."

"What kind of pain?"

House was having trouble focusing long enough to think about the answer. "Mostly stabbing."

Doctor Sheldon frowned and made a note. "I'll schedule an angiogram. It will show us where the blood is or isn't flowing."

House automatically rolled his eyes. "Think I remember that from med school."

Doctor Sheldon smiled a little wider, letting out a tiny laugh. "Then I'm sure I don't have to explain the procedure. Someone will be here to prep you shortly."

House was alone again in the cubicle, listening to the sounds of the bustling ER. It was different from Plainsboro, and yet, almost the same. The same voices soothing patients, giving orders, calling out for medications. He almost felt at home.

"Hey." He vaguely recognized the voice that was suddenly at his side, but he couldn't recall from where.

House turned his head, frowning when he realized that it was his neighbor again. "Why are you here?"

Jason shrugged, looking awkward. "I just wanted to see how you were doing."

"About the same as when you last saw me." House told him sharply. "Nothing's changed."

Jason fell silent, looking around as if unsure about something. House let out an exasperated huff. "What?"

"Mind if I hang out?"

House thought it was an odd request. "Why?"

"So you can have someone to keep you company." Jason answered. "You shouldn't be alone."

House was oddly touched, but damned if he was going to let Jason know that. "Do what you want."

Instead of leaving, as House expected, the young man pulled over a stool and sat down, pulling out a cell phone as he did so. Soon the sounds of a puzzle game filled the space. "Dang it."

The game started again, with a similar result. House's curiosity finally got the better of him. "What are you playing?"

"Bejeweled." Jason replied, his eyes focused on the small screen. "My best score's 226,000. I hit that and haven't gotten close since." His mouth twisted as the game ended again. He shook his head and held the phone out to House. "Want to play a round?"

"Sure." It wasn't as if he had anything better to do right now. "How do you play this thing?"

"You've never played Bejeweled?" Jason looked surprised. "It's easy. I'll bet you'll be kicking butt in no time."

He quickly showed House some of the basics of the game before handing it over to House. Soon he was completely absorbed in the game, blocking out the excited noises that Jason was making with each match of the little jewels on the screen.

The game ended, and Jason let out a low whistle. "Dang, Greg. 217, 500. Not bad for a rookie."

House handed the phone back to Jason. "Think you can beat that?"

Jason flashed a grin at House. "I can try."

They passed the phone back and forth, trash talking each other as the competition continued. It wasn't until House heard someone clearing their throat that he was aware of how much time had passed.

"We're all ready for you." Doctor Sheldon appeared again. "I'm afraid your son will have to wait outside."

She left, and House gave Jason a baffled look. Jason merely shrugged. "I had to find a way to get in here, so I told the nurse I was your son."

"The nurse was a moron." House muttered. "One look at you and one look at me and she should have known that there was no resemblance."

"I could have been adopted." Jason countered.

"I guess." House reluctantly admitted.

Jason rose from the bench, looking intently at his cell phone screen. "I guess I'd better call my boss and let her know I'm not going to come in today."

"Why would you do that?"

A slight smile crept across Jason's face. "Friend of mine's been in the ER all night. I'm in no shape to work."

"Another lie." House commented.

"Not really." Jason answered. "You've been in the ER, and I've been up all night. For that matter, so have you. Well, except for that part where you were passed out, but you weren't really sleeping, so I guess that doesn't really count."

"But the friend part…" House countered. "That part's a lie."

"Friend, neighbor, whatever." Jason shrugged casually. "Same thing."

House would have argued the point if Jason hadn't turned his back and left the little cubicle. He was almost irritated that the young man just wouldn't leave him alone.

On the other hand, the simple puzzle game and the friendly competition had provided a welcome distraction while he waited. House couldn't be too upset at him for that.

"Okay, Doctor House." Doctor Sheldon was at his side again. "It's showtime."

He was prepped and injected with the dye, and he turned his head slightly in an attempt to see what was happening on the screen.

The frown on Doctor Sheldon's face told House it wasn't good news. He had suspected that for a while, but had avoided doing anything about it. Of course it would come back to bite him in the ass.

"There's definitely a blockage." Doctor Sheldon told him, turning the screen to give him a better view. "That blockage is causing an aneurysm right where you're having the pain. We get in there, take care of the blockage, put in a stent to bolster the site of the aneurysm, and you should be good to go." She fixed him with a steady look. "Of course, that's just a short term solution. Obviously we have to find the root cause."

House wasn't concerned with that at the moment. "And the pain?"

"Based on your history, we'll put you on something non-narcotic." She explained. "But perhaps something a little better than ibuprofen."

Doctor Sheldon reached out to squeeze House's shoulder. "We're going to take good care of you, okay? You've got nothing to worry about."

"I wasn't worried." House snapped, angered by what other people would have heard as comforting words. To House, they were nothing but lies. Lies that were meant to calm and comfort, but lies just the same.

Doctor Sheldon simply nodded, removing her hand. "I'm going to schedule the surgery, and you'll be moved to a room soon. Do you want me to let your son know what's going on?"

"He's not my son." House huffed. "He's just my neighbor. A big pain in the ass neighbor at that."

Doctor Sheldon was silent for a moment before answering. "You're damned lucky to have a neighbor like him. You'd be in far worse shape otherwise." She paused again. "Actually, you might not be here at all."

House was having trouble finding the downside to that right this moment. He closed his eyes in response, hoping that the doctor would leave him alone at least long enough for him to rest a bit.

He was tired. Bone deep, mind numbingly tired. The angiogram only confirmed what he already knew. His body was falling apart on him. They would be able to patch him up this time, but who knew how long that would hold? He wasn't exactly getting any younger. What would be the next thing to give out on him?

He felt a hand on him, and he opened his eyes to see Doctor Sheldon there again. "I'm going to cry sexual harassment if you don't keep your hands off me."

She rolled her eyes in response. "I just wanted to let you know that you're being moved to your room. Didn't want you to miss the ride."

House couldn't help smiling a little at that. While he wouldn't go as far as to say that he liked Doctor Sheldon, he didn't hate her, either. She wasn't bad as far as doctors went. And as far as he could tell, not bad to look at, either.

It was a short ride from the ER to his room, and the aide soon had House resettled in his new digs. The young man took House's snark in stride, even affording a small smile at some of his more outrageous comments.

Soon House was alone again, and he idly flipped through the limited cable line up, settling on Cartoon Network. A nurse stopped by to check his IVs, and the same aide that had brought him from the ER stopped in with a Styrofoam cup full of ice water.

Doctor Sheldon stopped in again with a clipboard full of paperwork. "We've contacted your medical proxy, but most of this we can go over with you."

He wondered if Wilson would bother to show up. Mostly likely he would once he'd heard that House had taken the Vicodin. The man could hardly pass up such a prime opportunity to lecture him.

"Fine, let's do this." House held out his hand for the pile of paperwork, and he scanned each page, signing and initialing as he did so. Finally he handed the whole pile back to Doctor Sheldon. "There, my part's done. Now when do you do yours?"

"Still working on securing an OR." She answered. "I'm sure you're familiar with that problem."

House shrugged. "I usually just muscle my way in."

Doctor Sheldon laughed. "And does that ever work?"

"You'd be surprised." House couldn't help smiling a little in response.

"I'll have to try that sometime." She answered lightly. "But not today. I'll keep you posted."

House nodded and resumed his cartoon watching. So far, he had to admit, things hadn't gone nearly as badly as he had assumed they would. While he still wouldn't say that things were looking up, they were looking a little brighter than they had a few hours ago. That was something, he supposed.

Suddenly Doctor Sheldon's reassurances were starting to feel less and less like lies. House didn't know what to make of that, but he didn't feel like bothering to analyze it, either. Sleep took precedence over everything else right then, and he succumbed easily, for once.

# # #

Jason resumed playing Bejeweled after explaining his absence to his boss. He agreed to touch base with her later on regarding a couple of projects he was working on, and assured her that he would most likely be in the next day.

He was so absorbed in his game that he didn't hear anyone sit next to him. After the game ended, he looked up and nodded at the newcomer. "Hey."

"Hello." The dark haired man nodded politely in response.

"Waiting for someone?"

"A friend of mine." The man went on to explain. "I guess his neighbor found him after he took some pills." He shook his head in befuddlement. "I don't understand why he'd want to come here. Normally he'd go to Plainsboro." He then looked at Jason. "What about you?"

"My neighbor." Jason told him. "I heard a bunch of noise and breaking glass late last night, so I thought maybe someone was breaking into the place. Found him in the bathroom with a pill bottle in his hand. He looked like he'd been through a war or something. Anyway, turned out he was just hurting so bad that he needed something a little stronger. Guess he screwed up the dose or something."

The man seated next to him seemed to pale slightly. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"What's your neighbor's name?"

"Greg House."

"Dammit." The man ran his hand through his hair, letting it settle at the back of his neck.

Realization dawned on Jason. He and this man were waiting for the same person. Jason held out his hand. "Jason Sanders. I live across from Greg."

"Doctor James Wilson." Wilson shook the outstretched hand. "House's friend."

Jason was baffled. Why wouldn't House want to call his friend? "Nice to meet you."

"Same." Wilson flashed Jason a brief smile that quickly faded. "So House did take the pills."

"That's what he said." Jason tilted his head curiously at Wilson. "He shouldn't have?"

"He's supposed to be off them." Wilson explained. "I didn't even know he still had any around."

"I guess he must have been pretty desperate, then." Jason told him. "He was still hurting pretty badly when I found him."

"I'm surprised he let you stay."

"Oh, he tried to kick me out." Jason answered. "Didn't work."

"I'm glad it didn't."

"Yeah, me too."

The two men fell silent, and Jason started his game up again. He managed to keep himself occupied until he heard the sound of footsteps.

"Doctor James Wilson?"

Wilson lifted his head. "Yes?"

"Doctor Kathleen Sheldon." She held out a hand to Wilson. "I understand that you're Doctor House's medical proxy."

Doctor? Jason had no idea that the scruffy older man who seemed to live in jeans and t-shirts was a doctor. He certainly didn't fit the type.

"I am." Wilson affirmed. "So what happened?"

Doctor Sheldon went on to explain everything. The words went over Jason's head, but whatever it was, it didn't sound good.

"I see." Wilson was speaking again. "Is there any further damage?"

"Not that we can tell." Doctor Sheldon answered. "We'll know more once we get in there."

"And about the drugs?"

Doctor Sheldon sighed a little. "We have him on a non-narcotic IV medication for pain. Once he's out of surgery, we can discuss pain management options."

Wilson shook his head as he signed a pile of forms. "I thought he was doing fine on the ibuprofen. He never said anything."

"I can't help you with that." Doctor Sheldon's lips seemed to quirk upward slightly. "You can discuss that with him when you see him. He's in room 516." She then turned to Jason. "And you can see him too, without having to claim that you're his son."

Jason smiled a little at that. He was surprised the ruse worked at all. "Cool, thanks."

The two men rode the elevator together in silence until Wilson broke it. "Why the hell didn't he call me? I could have done something."

"I don't know." Jason answered. "I asked him if there was someone he wanted me to call. He said no."

"You weren't the slightest bit suspicious?"

"He was pissed off enough. I sure as hell didn't want to add any fuel to that flame."

Wilson just shook his head. "It just doesn't make any sense. If it were me, I'd want him there."

"Well, you're you and he's…him." Jason was getting irritated with this line of conversation. "And by the way, this isn't about you."

Wilson looked mildly affronted. "I never even implied that."

"Actually…" Jason was starting to get a little nervous after his initial outburst. "You kind of did. Maybe there's a good reason Greg didn't call you."

Finally they arrived at House's room, and Jason hung out in the hallway outside while Wilson went in. He only caught a few snippets of conversation, but it was clear by the rapidly raising voices that House was less than thrilled to see his friend.

Wilson strode briskly out of the room a few minutes later, muttering something that Jason couldn't quite catch. Jason decided that now would be an excellent time to find a vending machine.

He found one at the end of the corridor, selecting a Mountain Dew and cracking it open on the spot. It was enough to recharge him a little bit, and he felt a little better prepared to deal with what was sure to be a very ornery House.

Jason took a deep breath before entering the room. House was propped up against the pillows, the remote in his hand and a tense expression on his face. "Hey."

House's eyes flicked toward Jason in annoyance. "You again?"

"Yeah, I know. I'm a pain in the ass. Whatever." Jason plopped down into a chair. "So what's the word?"

"On what?"

"On whatever they're going to do to you?"

House rolled his eyes. "Still waiting on an OR. Once they get me in, it's pretty simple. They'll suck out the clot, put in a stent to support the aneurysm, and they'll kick me out in a couple of days." He absentmindedly rubbed his leg. "It's what they should have done for this thing ten years ago instead of trying to treat it as fucking muscle strain."

Jason wasn't sure what to say. "I'd say I'm sorry, but that seems kind of lame. I guess I don't know what to say."

"Don't have to say anything." House answered crisply. "You didn't do it."

Jason nodded, letting his mind wander for a few minutes. A thought occurred to him. "Hey, is there something you want from your place?"

House gave him an odd look. "Like what?"

"I don't know…If it were me I'd want my IPod, my DS…something. I'd get bored just sitting around."

House appeared to ponder this for a moment before nodding firmly. "There's an extra key on top of the door frame. My backpack's just inside. Just bring the whole thing."

Jason jumped up immediately. "Sure thing, Greg. I'll be back in a while, okay?"

"Fine. If for some reason I'm not here, just leave it."

"Okay, will do." Jason started out the room door.

"Hey, Jason?"

Jason poked his head back into the room. "Yeah?"

"Thanks." House's eyes dropped to his lap. "You're…not bad."

"No problem, Greg." Jason couldn't help smiling a little. "See you in a while."

As Jason left, he thought that perhaps the ice was starting to thaw between him and his neighbor. It wouldn't be the worst thing to happen to him or House today. Matter of fact, it could end up being a very good thing for both of them.

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