Chapter five:

"What do you mean I began to seize?" Housed demanded, scrutinizing Wilson.

"I mean you started to have a seizure."

"What happened?"

"I don't know… they went to make the incision and you started to shake—," Wilson started, but House cut him off.

"I know what a seizure is. Why did I have a seizure?" House stared at Wilson with his intense, blue eyes.

Wilson looked at the floor, avoiding House's gaze. It was obvious that he had something to hide.

"I have a theory," Wilson whispered.

House, being House, knew several theories why he could have started to seize, but he knew the one Wilson was thinking about. That one made the most sense out of everything.

"Tell me," House whispered back.

Wilson closed his eyes, and took a deep breath, He was mentally preparing himself for the news he was about to tell.

"You have cancer," Wilson began. "And the cancer has spread to your brain."

House nodded. He had expected as much; after all he was diagnostician.

"What now?" House asked, almost unnecessarily.

"Confirm diagnosis. Run more tests… perhaps do the surgery at a later date."

"But isn't it too late to remove the cancer?"

"House, you know… we might have do a biopsy…" Wilson snuck a glance at a friend. He saw that House was looking down at the ground, a single tear sliding down his cheek. "It might not be cancer," Wilson added hastily after seeing what distress his friend was in.

"How long?" House asked, his voice unwavering.

"What?"

"How long do I have left to live?"

"Come on, House… you're not dying." Wilson let out a nervous laugh.

"HOW LONG," House bellowed, again looking at Wilson with his intense, icy eyes.

"I can't say right now…" Wilson said, but then he saw House's eyes and changed his mind. "Maybe a year, I'd say. I still have to run more tests… this might be treatable, maybe even curable."

"Stop lying, Wilson," House snorted. "You know as well as I do that if cancer spreads from your lungs to your brain, then you have it pretty bad."

"Yeah, I know… I just don't want it to be true…" Wilson drifted off, a tear sliding down his cheek. "You're dying, House. And there's nothing I can do about it. No one can do anything about it…"

"Hey, Wilson, don't cry," House said hastily as his own eyes filled with tears. "Come on, it'll be all right."

Wilson couldn't reply; all he could do was cry. House was an ass… that was a fact that everyone could agree on. But Wilson had to admit that House was always there for him, always had a word for him, even if it was sarcastic. He was going to lose his friend, the only one he had…

"You… You know what the good thing about all this is?" Wilson asked through his tears.

"No, what?" Replied House, not really caring what Wilson had to say.

"You'll get the strongest pain meds out there."

"All that I want?"

"Sure… all that you want."

The two doctors shared a brief smile before turning back to their sorrow. House, surprisingly, wasn't as upset as Wilson. Sure, he was a bit disturbed about the dying thing, but he would get to live, virtually, pain free for the rest of his life. He imagined himself half stoned on his couch with a cocktail of painkillers in his hand… Yes, life would be sweet, even if it was going to be cut short.

"How would you like some marijuana, House?" Wilson asked his friend, disturbing House from his thoughts.

"Are you asking me to smoke a joint with you?" House asked, a little sarcastic, but mostly excited.

"No… I was talking about prescribing marijuana in a pill form for pain… sound cool?"

"I'd rather smoke it."

"I'm sure it could be arranged," Wilson said with a wry smile.

Wilson looked at House, seeing his obvious delight in all the pain meds he would be allowed. It almost broke Wilson's heart… a man who was excited about cancer for the pain meds… either he was severely addicted or in a lot of pain. Wilson chose to go with the latter.

"I can I go home now?" House asked.

"Not right now. We'll have to run some tests and monitor you for a while. Then, can go home."

"Look, Wilson, I know that you want to run some tests on me very badly, but I want to go home before the whole hospital hears about… my condition."

"Well, um, about that…"

"You… you told Cuddy, didn't you?" House asked, a ping of annoyance growing in his chest.

"Yes, I didn't think I had any other choice…"

"How about not telling her?"

In the midst of the argument, neither doctor noticed as a younger, female doctor entered the room. Dr. Cameron. She was sent as a spy, to see House, to see if it was really true. From what she saw, it was. House was dying. Cameron had never seen him look so sorry. His face was sunken in with bags under his eyes. He looked tired, incredibly tired. He looked… sick. For the first time, it hit Cameron that House wasn't going to be all right. To her, House always seemed impenetrable, like an Iron Clad War Ship, and it was scary seeing him like this, so…vulnerable. Finally, House spotted her standing quietly in the corner.

"Hello," House greeted, racking his brain for something sarcastic to say. For once in his life, he thought of nothing.

"Hi," Cameron replied, barely above a whisper. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm just fine," Bellowed House. "Besides this cancer thing, I'm fine and dandy."

Cameron winced at the word 'cancer'. She knew what he had, had discussed it with Cuddy, and Chase, and Foreman, but hearing House say made it sound so real. Everyone she knew who had cancer had been a patient, just a person who made it possible for her to have a job. She never thought she would know someone who had cancer, and she didn't think it would be House.

"Are you all right?" Wilson asked Cameron, seeing her stare at a thought only she could see.

"I'm fine," Cameron smiled, and stole out of the room.

The End of the Chapter

I'm sorry that it took so long to get this update up, but I've had some… difficulties. I just got my three-week progress report last week and here are my grades:

Spanish: 91

History: 101

Creative Writing: 99

Band: 96

Science: 95

English: 95

Algebra: 48

Yes, you saw my Algebra grade… a 48… a have to get my grade to at least a 70 before I can write another chapter… hello tutorials and extra credit homework assignments… fun! Anyway, thanks for reading. Reviews are appreciated!

Blame it on the Government