A/N: So we've come to the end of yet another House fic where House finally learns that he too can be happy. He just has to learn to roll with the punches. This story may have ended to quickly for some, but I have another idea in my head dying to get out for you all to read. Thanks again to my partner in crime, PurplemintPatty for her patience and help revising. We hope you enjoy the final chapter. We put a lot of thought into the ending :)
Chapter 13
Three weeks later:
"I really don't want to do this," House groaned as he threw his arm across his eyes to block out the sun as it peeked through the blinds.
"A promise is a promise, Greg," Tina reminded him as she started moving around the room looking for her clothes. She chuckled when she found her panties at the foot of the bed.
"I know but..."
"No ifs, ands, or buts. You promised. It's time, Greg. You know it as well as she does. You've been putting it off for a week now. So put on your doctor pants and get it done. Do you want me to come with you? Will that help? Because I will if you want me to."
House seemed to consider it and then nodded. He hadn't expected Thirteen's condition to deteriorate so rapidly that he would have to keep his promise this soon. Foolishly, he had been hoping for at least a few more months before he had to honor his word.
"I think she'd like that, too."
"I'll go start the coffee," she said as she pulled her shirt on, and then her jeans while he watched her. When he entered the kitchen, she'd already fixed him a bagel and his coffee.
"I was wondering," she began.
"What?"
"Why do you call Remy "Thirteen"?"
"When I had to hire a new team, I made a game of it and hired 40 people with the intention of whittling it down to three. Each doctor had a number. Hers was thirteen and the name just stuck with her."
"Have you ever called her by her real name?"
"Nope, not that I can recall, just like she's never called me Greg or even Dr. House. It's a thing," he said as he smiled into his coffee.
It was a gorgeous day and House opted to take the motorcycle. With Tina's arms wrapped securely around him, he found it quite comforting on the long ride over to the hospice. Thirteen was awake and sitting up in bed, seemingly waiting for him and she smiled at Tina and nodded.
"Thanks for coming," she said. Then she looked over at House, who looked resigned to the task at hand and didn't say anything.
"House...can I have a moment?"
Tina took that as her cue and excused herself to grab herself some water from the lounge.
"It's time, House," Thirteen said to him.
"I know. I just thought I would have more time, that it would be easier."
"It's never easy to help someone die, no matter who they are. Look, I'm not going to get all emotional here; I can barely talk as it is and I've all but lost control of my body, but I will tell you that of all the doctors I've worked with, and I've worked with plenty, you're the only one I respected." Remy managed to say.
House merely nodded. "You were a good doctor."
"Because of you, I was better. Now, let's get this show on the road."
He nodded and left the room to set things in motion while Tina returned and sat next to Thirteen's bed.
"Are you scared?" Tina asked her, curious.
"Not at all. Look at me. I've lost all quality of life. I have no regrets about this decision or how I lived my life. I would have liked to be here longer, but it's not to be."
"Other than Wilson, you're the only person who expressed a sense of comfort with their impending death. I'm not sure if I'm brave enough to feel the same way, but good for you. Life's too short for regrets." Tina said quietly.
House returned with the IV drip and hung the bag on the pole. He didn't say anything as he set the drip to slowly but comfortably take Thirteen from the prison her disease had put her in. He sat on the bed and took Thirteen's hand in his. She smiled at him and then at Tina when she took Thirteen's other hand.
"Thank you." She mumbled as the morphine slowly coursed through her twitching body, calming it for the first time in at least a year.
"Yeah, yeah. Close your eyes."
"How long will it take?"
"I don't know. Not long. Just relax."
"You'll stay here?"
"Yes," Tina spoke for him and gave her hand a squeeze.
"Good."
What felt like an eternity for House in reality was only a few hours when he felt Thirteen's grip on his hand loosen. He took out his stethoscope and listened. Her heart was still beating, but it was very slow. He lifted the sheet covering her and saw her skin was beginning to mottle, signifying death was imminent. It wouldn't be much longer.
"I wonder if she still has thoughts." Tina mused quietly, but House heard her.
"What are you talking about?" House replied, bracing himself for an afterlife discussion.
"I always wondered what it would be like. Afterwards, I mean," Tina said softly, still holding Thirteen's other hand.
"There is no afterwards. That's it. When you're dead you're dead. There's nothing," House said quietly.
"I don't believe that."
"What?" he chuckled. "You expect to see angels and harps?"
"I think your brain comes up with whatever it has to to ease your body into the transition. If you expect to see angels with harps then you will. If you expect to see green meadows and babbling brooks while a choir sings in the distance, you'll see that, whatever makes you feel at ease, so you're not afraid."
"If that's what you choose to believe," House said.
"Haven't you ever thought about it?"
"No because I don't believe in life after death."
"Why not?"
"Because there's no proof that there is such a thing," he snapped at her.
"How do you know? Have you died?"
"I've come close enough more times than I care to mention, but I'm willing to buy your brain hallucination story a lot more than the one about my soul going to heaven."
Tina merely shrugged and dropped the subject, turning her attention back to Thirteen's labored breathing. If this discussion were to continue, it was going to be much later, if at all.
An hour later, Thirteen took her last breath. House didn't say much, other than calling the time of death and making the preparations for her to be taken out of the room.
The orderlies wheeled her away, past a stunned Cathy Baker, who just happened to be hovering nearby.
"Oh Greg, I'm so sorry," she said as she placed her hand on his arm.
He looked down at her hand like it was poison and she removed it.
"Fuck off," he muttered and followed the orderlies.
"You heard him," Tina said as she passed by. "Fuck off."
Then she stopped and turned around to face Cathy.
"Hang on, how the hell did you know we were here?"
For one of the few times in her life, Cathy was speechless. To admit how she knew they were there would be to admit she had been discreetly following House since his return to Wyoming. She turned and went to her mother's room without another word.
It was a quiet drive back to House's place and he immediately went to the liquor cabinet for a drink. "Want one?" he asked her.
"Absolutely. Whatever you're having."
He poured them each a scotch and handed her one as he joined her on the couch
"Long day," was all he said next before taking a long sip.
"Very."
He looked over at her and nodded. "Are you sure you want to stay in this town?"
"Yeah, why?"
"In spite of all that's happened in the last month? You think being with me is going to make everything all better, that Cathy and the others are just going to back off and leave you alone?"
"I don't give a rat's ass about Cathy and the others."
House arched his eyebrow at her and looked surprised.
"Okay," Tina said as she put down her glass. "I admit I did before and I was ready to run for the hills and never come back. But now, I want to stay. With you." She reached over and placed her hand over his.
"I don't care what this town thinks of me anymore. And as for you, I think you should start practicing medicine again."
"Oh really?"
"Yeah, really. I'm sure you'll figure it out. In the meantime, I'm here for you."
He let his fingers brush over hers. "You are, huh?"
"Always."
House stood up and pulled her to his feet with him. "Come on."
"Where're we going, Dr. House?" she asked, even though she knew where he was heading.
"Oh I think you know."
"I do, I just like hearing you say it."
"We're going to bed. I need a nap."
"You want to nap or you just want to lie down with me in your bed?" she teased.
"Both. Except we'll be naked."
"Of course."
XXX
Tina lay in bed next to House and watched as the room got darker. The sun was going down, but she was wide awake while he snored softly beside her, his arm across her stomach, holding her close. Their lovemaking had been nothing short of amazing, as it always was, but there was a sadness that she had detected that had been there in the past.
"I can hear the wheels turning," he mumbled, eyes still closed, bringing her out of her thoughts. "What time is it?"
"A little after nine. Go back to sleep."
"Why aren't you asleep?" he murmured as he opened one blue eye and looked at her.
"I don't know."
He continued to stare intently at her. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
"Tina."
"It's just..." she tried to figure out how to say what she felt without coming off sounding needy. He didn't need to know about her insecurities at the moment. He had enough on his plate to deal with. On the other hand though, she knew he wouldn't let it go.
"Are you happy?" she blurted.
"Happy? I just put a friend and colleague to death."
"Because you promised her. You didn't kill her. You didn't execute her, you helped her die. You did what she wanted, and now she's at peace. But aside from that, do I make you happy? Do you feel happy being with me? That's what I want to know?"
"Why do you want to know?"
"Because lately...I don't know, you've just seemed sad and as much as I've tried to distract you, I can't help but worry if it's me, if you're not happy with me."
"It's not about you, Tina. It's about losing Wilson, finding out who set me up, getting my medical license back, and fulfilling a promise to Thirteen that I thought would never happen because I would always be on the run. And it's all happened within a very short time. I'm trying to get my head around it."
"Okay," she said and then turned away from him, sighing as she fought back tears. Her eyes were stinging but she blinked them away.
"What do you mean, okay?" he asked, his voice softer as he moved closer and gently stroked her arm. "If it hadn't been for you, I don't think I would've made it this far. Actually I know I wouldn't have. As corny as it sounds, you saved me. I would have either become a raging, useless alcoholic or OD'd on Vicodin. You've made me happy, something I've long been convinced would never happen. You just...swooped into my life and took me along for the ride. And I know I don't say "I love you" often enough, but I've always been a man of actions, not words."
"I know," she said with a nod. "I guess I just...wanted to hear it. Because sometimes I just don't know what goes on in your head."
"It's probably best that you don't," he chuckled and then kissed her shoulder, then nuzzled her neck.
"C'mere," he whispered and rolled her onto her back as he leaned over her. "I want you to be here when I wake up every day. I want you here when I go to sleep at night. If you want to stay in this town then we will, but I want you here...with me. I'm not telling you, I'm asking. Okay?"
"I want to be with you, Greg," she said as she gently stroked his face, feeling his whiskers against her fingertips. "And I want to show the others that I am worthy of being with you."
"You don't have to show them anything. They'll never get it."
"I know, and it pisses me off. Why do they think these things? And it's even worse since now they know you're a doctor, they think you deserve someone more...I don't know...upper class."
"You think being a doctor is upper class?" House said as he threw his head back and laughed.
"I drove a fifteen year old car and lived in a one bedroom apartment for years. I wasn't exactly living the typical lifestyle of a department head even though I certainly could have. I'm the cheapest man alive, but I never hesitated to spend money on something I wanted."
Tina shook her head. "I don't believe it. In all our time together you've never once complained or mentioned money."
"That may be true, but my point is that it takes more than a title of doctor to render someone upper class, and that is not me. I was a military brat who grew up on military bases. I was nothing close to upper class even then, which probably explains why I just stayed in that apartment and kept the same car when I could well afford to have more. It was stability for me after living the life of a gypsy for so long. I'd say you had it much better than I did growing up, if the size of your mother's house is any indication."
He kissed her, nibbling her lower lip as she pulled him down on top of her. Her legs wrapped around his as their kisses heated up and before long, they were holding each other close, enjoying the after-glow.
"Y'know, there might be a way to get Cathy off my back for good," he murmured against her cheek as he kissed it.
"Mhm? What's that?"
He glanced down at her. "We could get married."
To say she was stunned would have been an understatement. She sat up and looked at him like he was insane.
At first she didn't say anything, but then she started kissing his face, peppering it with kisses.
"I like that idea. Oh hell yeah, I like that idea a lot! Let's do it."
So they did.
And Cathy Baker pitched a fit.
And no one gave a rat's ass!
The end