So...it's been a very long time on this one as well. Now that I've gotten another one of my long-dormant House fics complete, it's time to try and get through some other ones.
# # #
House felt himself floating somewhere between sleep and alertness, his head feeling as if it were stuffed with cotton. Aftereffects of the general anesthetic, he knew logically. The foggy feeling meant he was still alive. Mission number one accomplished.
"Doctor House?" A familiar female voice cut through the fog.
House forced himself to open his eyes and focus on the source of the voice. As he became more aware of his surroundings, he also became more aware of the dull pain in his chest and leg. "Hurts." He managed to rasp out.
"We've got you on a non-narcotic drip for the time being." The voice explained. "If need be, we can switch you over to a small, short-term dose of a narcotic. Obviously, we'd both prefer to avoid that, but pain management will take precedence."
House nodded dully. He'd prefer to avoid narcotics himself, even as the lure seemed irresistible. It might not knock out his pain, but it would make him feel better about his current situation.
"As soon as the anesthesia clears out of your system, we'll move you back to your room." He more fully recognized the voice now. It belonged to Sheldon, and the thought made him smile a little bit. "Is there anything you need right now?"
House shook his head, and he felt Sheldon lightly squeeze his shoulder as she left the recovery room. He was grateful for her presence and her willingness to keep him up to speed on what was happening to him. It was more than anyone had done for him in a long time.
Slowly he started to feel more and more alert, and as the anesthesia wore off, he became more aware of the pain from his chest incision and his leg. He fumbled around until he found the call button, pressing it hard.
A nurse soon appeared, a concerned expression on her face. "What's wrong?"
"Hurts." House managed to croak out.
The nurse picked up House's chart and scanned it, replacing it with a quick nod. "I can increase your drip. Hold on."
Before House knew it, the nurse hit the button on the IV twice. She gave him a warm smile. "That should kick in within a few minutes. If you don't feel a change, don't hesitate to hit the button."
House nodded, closing his eyes and waiting. He didn't expect to feel any effects, but within a short time, he could feel the pain from his incision fade to a dull throb. His leg still hurt, but he had expected that. Nothing short of the real deal would dull that pain.
It seemed like an eternity before Sheldon reappeared, greeting him with her usual warm smile. "You look better. How do you feel?"
"Like someone sliced my chest open."
Sheldon laughed gently. "Your sense of humor has returned. That's good. We're setting up a room for you. It should be ready before too long."
"Good." House answered. "How long before I go home?"
Sheldon's expression sobered. "You'll still be here for a few days. We want to make sure you're healing correctly before we kick you out. There will also be questions of at-home care."
House rolled his eyes. "I can take care of myself. Done it all this time."
Sheldon's lips pursed in a gesture House had seen a thousand times on Cuddy's face. "We'll discuss it once we get you moved."
House shot her what he hoped was a withering look as she lightly squeezed his shoulder. She merely responded with a shake of her head as she left the recovery room.
House let out an irritated huff. It was bad enough that he was going to be here for a few more days. Having someone babysit him at home for who knew how long would be even worse.
Eventually two aides arrived, along with a nurse, and he was wheeled to his room. He had just barely gotten settled in when there was a knock on the door frame.
"Hey." Jason poked his head in. "I've been chasing you all over this hospital."
House gestured expansively. "Well, you found me."
Jason looked a little unsure of himself. "Is it okay if I come in?"
"You're already here, aren't you?"
Jason nodded and entered the room, easing himself into a chair. A long silence stretched out as House flipped through channels on the TV *until Jason broke it. "I did a little clean-up at your place. Just the bathroom. Figured all that broken glass would be a hazard. I didn't touch anything else."
House nodded, only half-listening as he tried to find something that might hold his interest. He was already thinking ahead, resentful at the thought of needing extra help once he was released, resentful at the thought of being coddled and babysat. He should be able to manage on his own, shouldn't he?
The reality was that he probably wouldn't be able to, at least at first. But the thought of everyone treating him like a delicate flower bothered him, just like he'd been treated when he got out of Mayfield.
Finally, after finding nothing of interest, he gave up and turned off the TV, closing his eyes.
"Hey, do you want your DS or something?" Jason offered.
"Not sure I'd be able to concentrate on it for more than five minutes." House answered.
"Well, I'll just put it right here in case you want it." Jason told him. "I think I've got your iPod and some other stuff in here if you want that instead."
"I'll take the iPod." House answered, opening his eyes.
Jason did so, and House immediately stuck the earbuds in his ears, finding an album and turning up the volume.
Jason shook his head in amusement. "I can take a hint. I'll come back tomorrow after I get off work."
House nodded, closing his eyes again and losing himself in the music. It wasn't much of an escape, but it would do for a while.
Time didn't seem to mean much here. Nurses and aides came in and out of his room, meals were served, eaten, taken away, different personnel came in as shifts changed.
House had gotten so used to people coming in and out of his room that when it finally went quiet, it was a little disconcerting. At least now he could finally rest without being disturbed.
It meant that he was alone with his thoughts, too, and that was rarely a good thing. He couldn't help wondering what might have happened had Jason not found him. Sure, he probably would have made it, but it was also just as likely that he would have died among the rubble and shattered glass, and it would have been a day or two before anyone noticed.
No, as irritating as it was to have a nosy neighbor, it had probably saved his life. And he and this nosy neighbor were starting to become friends, after a fashion. If nothing else, Jason was steady and reliable, when so few people in his life were.
But that was probably his own doing. After all, he'd spent much of his life pushing people away, having little reason to trust in them. Old habits were hard to break, but he was going to have to in order to heal and recover from such major surgery.
The realization didn't bring him much comfort as he finally fell asleep.
# # #
"Good morning, Doctor House." Sheldon's voice caught House's attention, and he set the DS aside to glance up at her.
"Almost had that level beaten." House told her with a huff.
Sheldon smiled warmly at that. "You'll have plenty of time to try again once you're released."
House shifted slightly. "And when's that?"
"If everything looks good, probably in the next day or two." Sheldon replied. "We want to make sure you get up and moving, make sure everything's healing as it should. Do you have help at home?"
House didn't want to answer that. "I think so."
Sheldon arched an eyebrow. "I don't want to send you home without proper support. You'll need some assistance over the next few weeks, at least."
"I'll see what I can put together." House answered cagily.
"I'll start putting together a care plan." Sheldon responded, clearly still skeptical. "We'll get you set up for cardiac rehab as well."
"Great." House grumbled. If it was anything like the rehab he was offered after his first infarction, he would probably blow that off, too.
As Sheldon left the room, House heard her talking to someone out in the hallway. Both Wilson and Cuddy. How lucky could he get?
He braced himself for their reaction, knowing they would want to fuss over him, and that was the last thing he wanted. He mostly wanted to be left in peace, but that wasn't going to happen.
They both entered the room, their concern obvious, and Cuddy took a seat on the chair near his bed while Wilson stood at the foot of his bed.
"I'm sure you're wondering why I've called you all here today." House threw out casually.
Wilson sighed and shook his head while Cuddy moved a little closer. "We spoke to Doctor Sheldon." Cuddy told him. "We'll need to work out a plan to take care of you for the next few weeks."
"If that involves the two of you hovering over me, I'll pass." House replied sharply.
Wilson and Cuddy looked at each other before Wilson folded his arms across his chest. "No hovering. But we could possibly arrange for a home health aide for a few weeks. We'd come visit, of course, but just visit. And of course, there are a few others that would like to come see you, too."
House paused to consider that. "Make her young and cute and you've got a deal."
"House, honestly." Cuddy already sounded exasperated.
"I'm sure he's kidding." Wilson assured her before turning his attention back to House. "You are kidding, right?"
House shrugged, and Wilson rolled his eyes. "Anyway, you're supposed to be released in a couple of days, so we want to get this in place before you get home. You're going to need to take it easy for a while."
"I know, no hookers and blow." House told him. "Got it."
Wilson looked pained, pinching the bridge of his nose. "For God's sake, House, can't you be serious for once?"
House fell silent. This was serious business, and of course he wanted to recover at home with minimal fuss. If having someone who wasn't Wilson or Cuddy would assist with that, he'd make that deal. After a long moment, he nodded.
"Great." Wilson was visibly relieved. "Doctor Sheldon's going to have a more complete care plan soon, but I'll start making some phone calls to get things arranged."
House spotted something out of the corner of his eye, and he looked over to see Jason poke his head in the door. "Am I interrupting? I can come back."
"Might as well join the party." House answered.
Wilson all but lit up when he saw Jason. "Actually, I'm glad you're here. We were just talking about how to help House out when he gets home."
"Hey, yeah, I'd be happy to help." Jason agreed as he stepped into the room. "Just tell me what you need me to do."
"They're getting me a home nurse." House told him. "Hoping for a hot one."
Jason laughed at that. "Well, I'll be just across the hall, and I'm mostly home at night, so if you need some extra help, I can either just drop in or stay over."
"I don't need you to stay over." House answered sharply. "It's not a goddamn slumber party."
Jason looked a little hurt, and House immediately regretted his words. "But you can come hang out, I guess. Just don't cramp my style."
"Don't worry about that." Jason assured him. "I'll stay out of the way."
Cuddy smiled slightly, looking rather relieved herself. "Well, it sounds as if we have the beginning of a plan. Good."
House didn't love the idea of all these people invading his space, but he didn't have much of a choice. He wouldn't be able to get around much at first, and having some extra help would go a long way toward getting him back to the hospital and driving everyone up the wall.
The thought of that made him smile. Maybe that would be the incentive he needed to get through this.