Title: Outside the Haze
Author: Arwen Kenobi
Rating: G
Pairing: House/Wilson
Summary: House is sick, Wilson worries
Timeframe: None in mind when I wrote this, insert where you will
Spoilers: None
The punch sends Wilson spiralling to the floor. He lies there for a few moments as the ducklings and a nurse manage to pin House's limbs to the bed while a second nurse injects a sedative. Cameron is hauling Wilson to his feet and inspecting his face without a word. It's nothing, Wilson knows. It's going to hurt and he's going to have a wicked bruise, but he's not going to die from it.
He stares at the man on the bed and tries to remember how they got to this point. He finds he can't remember any details, but he doesn't really matter right now. All that does matter is the fact that House is sick. His temperature is just short of ice bath requirement levels, he's in all kinds of pain and very confused. House hasn't recognized anyone since admission; whenever he's been awake that is, and that time is brief. A blessing for him but a torture to Wilson when he locks eyes with the man he knows so well only to see that he doesn't know him.
That hurts more than the punch.
- - - -
He sends Cuddy away for the umpteenth time. He's not leaving House, not now. No matter how many threats she shouts at him. He knows that House is so disoriented that he has no clue who he is, where he is, or who anyone else is, but that doesn't mean he's going to leave him. Not when House needs him the most.
i I'm not Stacey. /i
House does little else but sleep, when he does wake up he doesn't say anything. Just stares at Wilson. The look on his face is a ghost of the one that appears when he's trying to solve a difficult puzzle. It breaks Wilson's heart a little more each time he sees it.
So he tries to be consistent for his sick friend's benefit. He continues to hold tightly to House's hand and to drag his fingers lightly through his hair. Wilson talks to him too, about everything and nothing all at once, hoping that something will seep into the fever addled brain and bring him back.
House's eyes open; Wilson smiles at the dull, barely open eyes, and welcomes him back to the land of the living. Healthy House would have either groaned or offered a small smile in response to this comment, but, as Wilson expects, he receives nothing but that blank, puzzled expression.
As Wilson continues to ramble on House suddenly starts to move his free hand. It moves slowly and shakes but Wilson remains still in anxious silence as House reaches out for the first time in too many days. The long fingers touch the bruise on his face, tracing the outline of it gently. As the hand falls away House slurs out a sentence, Wilson can only identify the word 'sorry.' He kisses the palm of that hand and smiles at the sick man again.
- - - -
Wilson finally manages to get Cuddy to release House to his care. He hopes that perhaps his friend's confusion will subside if he's somewhere familiar and not a stale hospital room. House has managed to stay awake a bit longer, enough to get in a few bites of food and that's that. No indication that he knows where he is or who he's with, even after several days.
House moans quietly and Wilson leaps to nuke some chicken noodle soup, he hasn't opened his eyes or eaten anything solid in at least two days. Wilson lost track of the exact timeframe long ago.
When he enters the room House is awake, eyes fully open and looking a fair bit better.
He smiles at his friend. "Dare I say that Greg House is on the mend?" The hope in his voice is unmistakable and that hope is crushed as House says nothing to him. He blinks and stares blankly ahead at him, just as usual.
When Wilson sits down and starts to feed him, he thinks he catches a hint of disappointment on House's face.
- - - -
House is shaking violently as he throws up what little was in stomach. Wilson does his best to hold his friend steady as he soothes him quietly. He rubs his back and keeps repeating stuff like "It's okay, Greg. I'm here. It's going to be okay" over and over again.
When House finally stops, Wilson leaves to dispose of the basin and comes back with another basin of cold water and a few washcloths. He wets one, wrings it out, and tenderly washes House's face with it. House sighs softly in contentment and Wilson continues this for several minutes before he finally rests the cloth back on the sick man's forehead.
House reaches out suddenly to grab Wilson's hand and he squeezes. Wilson confidently squeezes back as stares at his friend, trying to see a hint of recognition in the blue eyes. He begins running his fingers though his hair again.
Wilson doesn't find what he's looking for as House's eyes begin to close again. But, before he slips into sleep again he whispers one word to Wilson that gives him a bit more hope.
"Stay…"
- - - -
Wilson has continued to sleep on his side of the bed from they day he brought House home. He wanted to be close to House should anything go wrong in the night, and he missed sharing the bed while he was in the hospital. Wilson woke up every morning to find House still slumbering most times, sometimes he'd be awake and staring at nothing but usually Wilson would wake up first.
He was awoken this particular morning by the sensation of something rubbing against his cheek. He slowly opens his eyes and he registers that it was House doing this to him, and he was wide awake. After a few moments of the two staring at each other, Wilson quickly registers the change that has happened in his friend.
House i knows /i him.
The older man smiles weakly as he moves his hand to curl around Wilson's neck. He gently pulls until their foreheads are resting against each other and he squeezes Wilson's hand.
"Jimmy…" is all that House manages to say to him but it is all that's needed. Wilson releases a grateful sigh and tries in vain to stop the tears from falling. House says nothing scathing, merely manoeuvres them so House is lying on his back again and Wilson's head is tucked under House's chin. He also finds his hand released, which grants Wilson the opportunity to cling tightly to the other man as he continues to cry softly with joy and gratitude. House holds him and gently hushes him and the tears eventually stop.
"Sleep, Jimmy," are the next words Wilson hears and he knows House has already fallen asleep himself. Wilson, as always, follows House.