Fic: Sitting Duck
Title: Sitting Duck
Author: Fayding_fast
Disclaimer: Don't own 'em
Pairing: House and Wilson, strong friendship
Ficverse: This is a sequel to nightdog_barks captivating Ugly Duckling fic which, in itself, was a sequel to Duck Duck Goose. You might want to read both of these stories first, not only for this fic to make sense, but because both stories are excellent.
Timeline: Set shortly after "Ugly Duckling"
Warning: A major character has suffered an appalling injury.
Spoilers: None
Con-crit? Yes, please.
Rating: PG-13
Author's note: Many thanks to nightdog_barks for graciously allowing me to post this story.
When Jimmy goes to bed at night-sleep time, sometimes, he dreams about monsters. Oh, he knows they don't look like monsters. Their bodies aren't covered with lumps or bumps or green like grass yucky slime. The little girl in Rob-ert Chase's story wouldn't go up to one and say, My what big teeth you have, if she'd skippity skipped through a wood and found one sitting in her grandma's bed. They look like him or his House - like men but Jimmy knows they are monsters all the same. He's had these dreams a lot, especially just after the Dark Time. The monsters hide in closets or under bushes or behind trees. They jump down from walls and out of the tele-vision, and Jimmy can tell they're looking for him with their funny starey eyes, and he tries to run from them but he can't. He can't even walk or crawl away from them and the monsters want to hurt him real BAD and are all carrying tubes of light.
He has one of those nasty, nasty dreams that night and his soft cry wakes him up. His t-shirt feels cold and wet and his hands are shaking. Too frightened to try to go back to sleep again, he stares at a ceiling he can't see in a room that the night has made a little spooky. A little scary. And very, very dark.
A room like that makes it hard for him to forget his bad dream but Jimmy tries. It's either that or scream for House. He'd really like House to hold him but House would come rushing in, yelling, What's wrong? What's wrong? and then, when Jimmy tells him, House would sigh and say, Suck it up, Wilson. It was only a dream, and House would go back to bed after whacking him (gently, always so gently) with his cane.
So, Jimmy tries to be brave and thinks, instead, about happier things. He wonders what House will cook him for breakfast when he gets up - maybe, he'll get sausges or, even better - eggs, and he thinks about what he would like to do when House leaves him to go to work in The Hospital. He hopes with all his heart that House will let him play with his favorite toy - that after they've eaten maybe sausges and maybe eggs and House has washed all the dishes and pans and dried them up, that House will help him to set it all up.
All night long he keeps hoping that and then it's morning.
But House wakes up late, and he wakes up grumpy. When Jimmy asks him if he can play with his train set, House snaps at him. "Can't you see I'm busy, Wilson?" he asks, putting oblong pieces of bread under the grill. "I'm trying to get ready for work."
Jimmy's not upset and he keeps his mouth shut. He can tell when House is mad at him and when he's mad at something else. There had been a time when he couldn't. When Jimmy's mem-ries had all ex-ploded inside his head like bursting bubbles but Jimmy's been making lots of new mem-ries since then. He's been learning plenty. He's been learning (slowly) how to please House. When it's okay to push him. He's been learning how to get his own way.
Lifting his drink, Jimmy puts his bendy straw into his mouth and sips his juice while House moans about his cold coffee and then about having to go to work in The Clinic. He listens, silently, while House bangs cupboard doors and slams down plates and stamps around their kitchen, his cane going thump, thumpity thump on the floor.
Finally, House throws a couple of bits of toast on Jimmy's plate and puts it in front of him. The toast smells smoky, like a dragon's breath and doesn't look nice; it's all curly at the edges. When Jimmy picks it up in his fingers, those edges break off with a loud snap. "Thank you, House," he says softly.
House looks at him and goes still. Goes very quiet.
Tilting his head to the side, Jimmy gazes back and gives House his sweetest - his most loving smile.
House stares at him for a long, long time. Then he sighs and raises both hands into the air.
Calmly drinking the rest of his orange juice, Jimmy watches as House walks off to fetch his train set.
As Jimmy had known, all along, he would.
*
It doesn't take long to set it up, and when House has finished, he steps back to look at it, grinning. "You've got yourself one helluva cool place here, Wilson," he says.
Jimmy looks down at the cows happily playing leap frog and the toy men all lying down hugging each other and nods solemnly. He looks back up at House. "Helluva cool place," he agrees.
For some strange reason that Jimmy doesn't understand, for a moment, House looks sad. Then he straightens up, towering over Jimmy and waggles his eyebrows at him making him laugh. "Want some cereal?" he asks.
*
Shortly after break-fast, Rob-ert Chase arrives to keep an eye on him so that House can leave. "See you later, champ," House promises him before he goes. "Try and behave yourself, huh?"
Jimmy pulls a face because he always behaves himself. House knows that.
Now, not only is Rob-ert Chase in his home but Fore-man is too. They're both standing by the door to the kitchen talking, and Fore-man is watching Jimmy the way House does sometimes. As if there are secrets buried inside Jimmy's body like pirates' treasure, and House would like to be the first to find them. Jimmy thinks House will. Jimmy believes House can see right through his skin. He doesn't mind when House looks at him that way; he's used to it, but when Fore-man does it, it's different. He's sure that Fore-man doesn't like him. And poor Jimmy hasn't done anything.
"Doesn't it affect you? To keep coming round here and seeing him like this?" Fore-man asks Rob-ert Chase. "If he wasn't your friend, he was a colleague."
"Of course it affects me. I'd be inhuman if it didn't. Is this really the best time to discuss this?" Rob-ert Chase winks at Jimmy and then smiles at him.
Jimmy checks that his train is still working okay and then smiles back at him.
"Oh, relax. He's not listening to us, and even if he was, he wouldn't understand us." Fore-man also smiles at Jimmy but Jimmy thinks a smile on that face doesn't look right. It looks kind of frightening. After a moment, the scary smile disappears and Fore-man's eyes get smaller and his eyebrows squish together. "I don't get it. What's House gaining from this? The man doesn't have a selfless bone in his body."
"Wilson's his best friend. His only friend. In his own unique way, House loves him. What did you expect House to do, turn his back on him?"
"House? Yeah. That's exactly what I thought would happen."
Jimmy swallows. He knows they're talking about him, and he knows they're arguing. He hates it when people argue. That frightens him as well. Well, maybe not so much when House argues with someone because then it's all over quick-as-a-flash. When you're a living genius, you always get the last word, House had told him.
Jimmy listens to this latest argument with only half an ear because his train is coming up to the field where all of his toy cows are playing, and he's starting to feel very anxious. Jimmy watches the train intently. The last time he'd had his train set out, the train had come off the rails and crashed into the toy cows, and they'd fallen everywhere.
"They're dead," Jimmy had moaned, sobbing. "They're dead."
House had picked a cow up, pulled Jimmy's hands away from his face and held the cow right in front of his eyes. "See any red blood?" he'd asked.
Jimmy had examined the cow carefully through his tears. "No, but..."
"No buts, Wilson." House had banged the cow's head hard against the table. "Toys aren't like you and me," he'd said. "They can't be hurt. See? They're super tough. Particularly black and white cows like this one. Black and white, like piano keys."
Today, his train is being good. It hasn't come off its tracks, and it hasn't crashed into the funny pond that's isn't wet or knocked over any cows or houses. Jimmy loves his toy train. Rob-ert Chase had bought it for him.
The argument is still continuing, and the odd word washes over him.
"You've got to... the man... credit - House... wonderful. ... been... eye ope... You... Wilson would have done... has if House... walked out on...?"
"House expects too... He's hoping that... will... full recov... not gonna... House... face the facts." Fore-man points at Jimmy. "He was shot in the head and... admission GCS... four. You saw... scans. His initial... dire. Wilson will never..."
Jimmy feels lonely and sad. He really wishes House was at home with him. He misses him, even though House hasn't been gone all that long. Not really. He loves House even more than his toy train. Jimmy loves a whole list of things.
"... independent. He'll... be able to walk or drive or hell... bathe... He'll never... able... love to... beautiful woman. Wilson's life is effec... Bottom line - it would.. kinder if... had killed him."
Jimmy loves bright cartoons and drinking straw-bry shakes though House doesn't let him have a shake every day because that would be asking for TROUBLE and would make him pukey sick. And he loves doing jig-saws and making cars out of lego. House is also helping him to build a hell-copter out of lego but they haven't had a chance to finish it yet.
"... callous, and anyway, I... you're wrong. Wilson survived. He... happy; that's all that matters." Rob-ert Chase turns his body so Jimmy can't see his face. "And will... keep... down?"
He loves playing catch the ball with Thirteen and being tucked into bed as-snug-as-a-bug-in-a-rug, and he likes the new book House had given him about the hu-man body. House had told Jimmy that he knew he couldn't read it yet, but he would learn to one day. Give it time, Wilson, House had said and told him that until then, he could look at the pictures.
Also, when it gets dark well before night-sleep time and the sky is filled with twinkle twinkle little stars, Jimmy loves looking for the Man-in-the-Moon. He hasn't found him yet, but Six had promised him that he was there. Six had said he was sure of it, so Jimmy keeps right on looking.
"... already made tremendous progress..." Rob-ert Chase continues, and he says it in a whisper, but there's nothing wrong with Jimmy's ears, and if he wanted to, he could hear him just fine.
Jimmy watches as his train goes past the saloon where House had told him two nut-or-ee-us out-laws were probably drinking: Kid Curry and Han-ball Heyes. Jimmy had been worried that if dino-saurs were in his saloon like the ones that had terrified him in Jrasic Park and given him more nasty dreams, then they might break everything, but House had said that Kid and Han-ball weren't dino-saurs, they were pretty good bad men just trying to make a dis-onest living. "You see two cowboys walk out of that saloon carrying sticks of dynmite," House had warned him, "keep them well away from your train."
The train passes safely by the saloon without incident, and Jimmy breathes a sigh of relief. He nods, pleased. "Pro-gress," he chants to himself. "Pro... pro... gress."
Fore-man sounds angry when he speaks, and Jimmy flinches. "I'm not denying that... realist. That bullet... extensive brain damage. It's a miracle he's still... and for what? ... comatose... four weeks. Now, all he... to look forward.... after month of intensive speech... Physiotherapy. Occupational... Poor bastard." Fore-man sighs heavily and Jimmy looks up at him, curious. Like Rob-ert Chase, Fore-man is facing away from him, and Jimmy really has to concentrate hard to hear him. "We all go in to work to try to make a difference - to help people - but if some nutter crawls out of the woodwork with a gun and you're in the wrong place at the wrong time... bam!" He slaps his hands together hard, making Jimmy jump. "You end up like Wilson. Reduced to little more than a..."
Jimmy places both hands over his ears, but he's too late. He had still heard Fore-man. Every damning word. Jimmy wails and presses tighter and tighter until his ears feel warm and start to hurt. He cries out again.
"Doctor Wilson," Rob-ert Chase says, sounding frightened. He runs towards him.
Fore-man stares at him and opens his mouth as if he's about to say something else, but then he turns and walks out, slamming the door behind him.
Fore-man's words still ringing in his ears, Jimmy turns back to look at his beloved train and watches as it emerges from a dark tunnel. He's shaking. Rob-ert Chase's hand squeezes his shoulder.
"Tunnel. Bang," Jimmy says and jerks in his chair. "Whoo-oo-whoo. Ch ch. Whoo-oo-whoo."
*
"So, what did you do today?" House asks him when they're eating dinner. "You watch T.V.? Chase tell you any stories?"
"Yes," Jimmy says and he tries very hard to remember the stories so that he can share them with House, but he's had a bad day. Rob-ert Chase had been really nice to him after Fore-man had left, but Jimmy had spent most of the day crying. Finally, Rob-ert Chase had picked up the phone and called House.
House had arrived back home a little while later. He'd taken one look at Jimmy's face and had taken Rob-ert Chase into the bedroom for a quiet little talk. Only it hadn't been a little talk, it had been a big argument and Jimmy had started crying all over again. After the argument had finished, Rob-ert Chase had come over to him, given him a quick hug and then said goodbye to him.
House had sat next to Jimmy, put the backs of his fingers against Jimmy's forehead and then wrapped his fingers around Jimmy's wrist. Then he'd started asking him lots of questions. Did Jimmy's head hurt? Did they need to go to The Hospital? Did he feel pukey-sick? Was he feeling dizzy? Jimmy had said uh uh to everything and then House had made him stick his tongue out. House had looked into Jimmy's mouth and listened to his chest and after that, he'd pulled the sun down from the sky and had shone it right into Jimmy's eyes making them water.
"Chase asked me to come home early," House had said, and his voice was a lot deeper which it always was when House was worried about him. "Chase told me zip but I know something's happened."
Now they're both eating, or, at least, House is. Jimmy can't seem to get the food onto his spoon. Rob-ert Chase had told Jimmy a few stories, but he forgets everything that Rob-ert Chase had said to him that day. He forgets how the stories had started. What they'd been about. How they'd ended.
He even forgets how to use his fork and spoon.
The tears start to fall again even though Jimmy doesn't want to cry any more. His eyes are tired and sore, and he knows that House doesn't like it.
"Tell me what's wrong," House says, laying his fork down on his plate. "What's upset you?"
Jimmy looks up into House's eyes which aren't black and white like piano keys or green like grass. They're the same color as a fluffy cloud sky but the name of that color escapes him.
House looks so worried that Jimmy can't help it. He really starts sobbing. He'd missed House so much. All day long. House touches Jimmy's shoulder. "This isn't like you. Talk to me. What's wrong?" he says again.
"Night-sleep time," he whispers.
House sighs and looks over at the clock. "It's too early. Nurse won't be here for another two hours."
"Jimmy's tired," he murmurs.
House is quiet for a while and then sighs again. "Hoist it is, then," he says.
Blue, Jimmy thinks suddenly. The sky was blue. Relieved that he's remembered something, he slips his hand into House's and is surprised when House lets him.
It's been such a terrible, bad, bad day.
With a lot of effort, Jimmy manages to stop crying. He decides that he's not really hungry and that he's going to leave the rest of his dinner. House gently squeezes his fingers. House's hand is so warm compared to his. Holding House's hand makes him feel better. Safe. Comforted.
Jimmy forgets how to let go.
*
It takes a long time for House to get him into bed and after he's done it, House is breathing heavily. He lays down next to Jimmy and puts his arm over his eyes. "Remind me not to do that too often, Wilson," he says.
Duvet pulled up to his chin, Jimmy blinks at House sleepily.
House suddenly sits up as if he's just thought of something, and then he leaves the room. When he comes back in, he's carrying a long box. He sits down on the bed beside Jimmy again. "You know, Wilson, it's a shame you're so tired," House says.
Jimmy wants to know what's inside the box. He sits up a little bit.
House opens the box up. "I was hoping that we could both play this," he says, "but if you'd rather go to sleep..." He pulls the contents of the box out, and Jimmy is in awe.
"A touch-it-and-you're-dead piano," he gasps.
"Keyboard," House corrects him. "Better than a piano." House gets to his feet and plugs the keyboard in.
"Can Jimmy play it?" he asks hopefully.
House nods and settles back down on the bed. He pulls the keyboard until it's resting on both of their laps.. "I'll point to the keys and you press them down, okay?"
"'kay."
House smiles at him. "Let's party. C."
Jimmy presses the correct key. "C is for Cat," he announces. "Cats drink milk and like birds."
"Yep." House says. "That's right."
Jimmy looks at him, wide-eyed. "Jimmy likes birds, too," he tells him. "'spesh-ly ducks." He looks back down at the keyboard.
"We'll go visit the lake soon," House says. "Promise. Now E." He points at another key and Jimmy dutifully presses it.
"E is for eggs. Sunny side up," Jimmy says.
"Just the way we like 'em. F sharp."
Jimmy snatches his hand back from the keyboard and hides it under the cover.
"What are you...? Oh." House laughs. "It won't hurt you; it's just the name of the key. Here, you wuss, I'll do it."
Jimmy watches him carefully, and when House doesn't appear to suffer any ill effects, he bravely presses the black key himself. "F is for I don't know," he admits, shrugging.
"Fun," House answers helpfully. Then, more quietly, "Friends and forever. Now this A."
They play a succession of notes and when they've finished, House looks at him expectantly. "That's it. You know that tune?"
Jimmy stares at him blankly. "No," he murmurs. He hadn't even realized that they'd been playing a tune; he'd just thought that they'd been messing around. A sense of failure washes over him. "Sleep now," he says.
"Let's just play it one more time, okay? After that, I'll pack it all away. Give me your hand."
With House's help, he plays the tune again and this time, with the notes being played at more or less the correct speed, Jimmy half recognizes it. "Da da da. Da-da da da," he sings. He looks at House impatiently. "Again," he says.
They play it again while House keeps sneaking glances at him, and by the time they've finished, Jimmy has a huge smile on his face. "The Simp-sons," he sings. He laughs in delight. "Da da da. Da-da da da. Da da-da-da-da. Again," he implores.
House grins.
Jimmy plays the tune again. And again until House finally tells him it's time to switch the keyboard off.
"One more go. Please, House, please," Jimmy says and leans against House's shoulder a little. So, House lets him play The Simpsons a few more times.
As Jimmy had known he would.
But House eventually stands his ground and unplugs the keyboard. "You have an early start tomorrow, Wilson," he says, putting the keyboard back in the box.
Nestling back under the warm covers, Jimmy nods and House looks at him, surprised.
"You know where we're going?"
"To see the fizzy-oh-man," Jimmy answers, yawning.
"Yeah." House stares at him, then puts the box down on the floor. "That why you've been so upset today? You don't wanna go?"
"Uh uh." Jimmy shakes his head. "But the fizzy-oh-man wants Jimmy to do hard things. Things Jimmy can't do."
House nods. "I know. But if you keep trying, if you learn to weight bear, you'll save yourself a lot of problems. It's for your own good."
"'kay, House," Jimmy murmurs.
House pats his shoulder and turns out the light.
"I love you, House," Jimmy says and hears House start to move away. Lying there once more in the dark, he suddenly remembers his dreams and the monsters that can't hurt him. It's words, spoken when the sun is shining, that can and do. "And you love veg-tables," he murmurs sadly, already half asleep.
The thump, thump, thump of the cane stops. Then Jimmy hears it again, getting louder.
House returns to the side of his bed.
The light goes back on.
The end.
Author: Fayding_fast
Disclaimer: Don't own 'em
Pairing: House and Wilson, strong friendship
Ficverse: This is a sequel to nightdog_barks captivating Ugly Duckling fic which, in itself, was a sequel to Duck Duck Goose. You might want to read both of these stories first, not only for this fic to make sense, but because both stories are excellent.
Timeline: Set shortly after "Ugly Duckling"
Warning: A major character has suffered an appalling injury.
Spoilers: None
Con-crit? Yes, please.
Rating: PG-13
Author's note: Many thanks to nightdog_barks for graciously allowing me to post this story.
When Jimmy goes to bed at night-sleep time, sometimes, he dreams about monsters. Oh, he knows they don't look like monsters. Their bodies aren't covered with lumps or bumps or green like grass yucky slime. The little girl in Rob-ert Chase's story wouldn't go up to one and say, My what big teeth you have, if she'd skippity skipped through a wood and found one sitting in her grandma's bed. They look like him or his House - like men but Jimmy knows they are monsters all the same. He's had these dreams a lot, especially just after the Dark Time. The monsters hide in closets or under bushes or behind trees. They jump down from walls and out of the tele-vision, and Jimmy can tell they're looking for him with their funny starey eyes, and he tries to run from them but he can't. He can't even walk or crawl away from them and the monsters want to hurt him real BAD and are all carrying tubes of light.
He has one of those nasty, nasty dreams that night and his soft cry wakes him up. His t-shirt feels cold and wet and his hands are shaking. Too frightened to try to go back to sleep again, he stares at a ceiling he can't see in a room that the night has made a little spooky. A little scary. And very, very dark.
A room like that makes it hard for him to forget his bad dream but Jimmy tries. It's either that or scream for House. He'd really like House to hold him but House would come rushing in, yelling, What's wrong? What's wrong? and then, when Jimmy tells him, House would sigh and say, Suck it up, Wilson. It was only a dream, and House would go back to bed after whacking him (gently, always so gently) with his cane.
So, Jimmy tries to be brave and thinks, instead, about happier things. He wonders what House will cook him for breakfast when he gets up - maybe, he'll get sausges or, even better - eggs, and he thinks about what he would like to do when House leaves him to go to work in The Hospital. He hopes with all his heart that House will let him play with his favorite toy - that after they've eaten maybe sausges and maybe eggs and House has washed all the dishes and pans and dried them up, that House will help him to set it all up.
All night long he keeps hoping that and then it's morning.
But House wakes up late, and he wakes up grumpy. When Jimmy asks him if he can play with his train set, House snaps at him. "Can't you see I'm busy, Wilson?" he asks, putting oblong pieces of bread under the grill. "I'm trying to get ready for work."
Jimmy's not upset and he keeps his mouth shut. He can tell when House is mad at him and when he's mad at something else. There had been a time when he couldn't. When Jimmy's mem-ries had all ex-ploded inside his head like bursting bubbles but Jimmy's been making lots of new mem-ries since then. He's been learning plenty. He's been learning (slowly) how to please House. When it's okay to push him. He's been learning how to get his own way.
Lifting his drink, Jimmy puts his bendy straw into his mouth and sips his juice while House moans about his cold coffee and then about having to go to work in The Clinic. He listens, silently, while House bangs cupboard doors and slams down plates and stamps around their kitchen, his cane going thump, thumpity thump on the floor.
Finally, House throws a couple of bits of toast on Jimmy's plate and puts it in front of him. The toast smells smoky, like a dragon's breath and doesn't look nice; it's all curly at the edges. When Jimmy picks it up in his fingers, those edges break off with a loud snap. "Thank you, House," he says softly.
House looks at him and goes still. Goes very quiet.
Tilting his head to the side, Jimmy gazes back and gives House his sweetest - his most loving smile.
House stares at him for a long, long time. Then he sighs and raises both hands into the air.
Calmly drinking the rest of his orange juice, Jimmy watches as House walks off to fetch his train set.
As Jimmy had known, all along, he would.
*
It doesn't take long to set it up, and when House has finished, he steps back to look at it, grinning. "You've got yourself one helluva cool place here, Wilson," he says.
Jimmy looks down at the cows happily playing leap frog and the toy men all lying down hugging each other and nods solemnly. He looks back up at House. "Helluva cool place," he agrees.
For some strange reason that Jimmy doesn't understand, for a moment, House looks sad. Then he straightens up, towering over Jimmy and waggles his eyebrows at him making him laugh. "Want some cereal?" he asks.
*
Shortly after break-fast, Rob-ert Chase arrives to keep an eye on him so that House can leave. "See you later, champ," House promises him before he goes. "Try and behave yourself, huh?"
Jimmy pulls a face because he always behaves himself. House knows that.
Now, not only is Rob-ert Chase in his home but Fore-man is too. They're both standing by the door to the kitchen talking, and Fore-man is watching Jimmy the way House does sometimes. As if there are secrets buried inside Jimmy's body like pirates' treasure, and House would like to be the first to find them. Jimmy thinks House will. Jimmy believes House can see right through his skin. He doesn't mind when House looks at him that way; he's used to it, but when Fore-man does it, it's different. He's sure that Fore-man doesn't like him. And poor Jimmy hasn't done anything.
"Doesn't it affect you? To keep coming round here and seeing him like this?" Fore-man asks Rob-ert Chase. "If he wasn't your friend, he was a colleague."
"Of course it affects me. I'd be inhuman if it didn't. Is this really the best time to discuss this?" Rob-ert Chase winks at Jimmy and then smiles at him.
Jimmy checks that his train is still working okay and then smiles back at him.
"Oh, relax. He's not listening to us, and even if he was, he wouldn't understand us." Fore-man also smiles at Jimmy but Jimmy thinks a smile on that face doesn't look right. It looks kind of frightening. After a moment, the scary smile disappears and Fore-man's eyes get smaller and his eyebrows squish together. "I don't get it. What's House gaining from this? The man doesn't have a selfless bone in his body."
"Wilson's his best friend. His only friend. In his own unique way, House loves him. What did you expect House to do, turn his back on him?"
"House? Yeah. That's exactly what I thought would happen."
Jimmy swallows. He knows they're talking about him, and he knows they're arguing. He hates it when people argue. That frightens him as well. Well, maybe not so much when House argues with someone because then it's all over quick-as-a-flash. When you're a living genius, you always get the last word, House had told him.
Jimmy listens to this latest argument with only half an ear because his train is coming up to the field where all of his toy cows are playing, and he's starting to feel very anxious. Jimmy watches the train intently. The last time he'd had his train set out, the train had come off the rails and crashed into the toy cows, and they'd fallen everywhere.
"They're dead," Jimmy had moaned, sobbing. "They're dead."
House had picked a cow up, pulled Jimmy's hands away from his face and held the cow right in front of his eyes. "See any red blood?" he'd asked.
Jimmy had examined the cow carefully through his tears. "No, but..."
"No buts, Wilson." House had banged the cow's head hard against the table. "Toys aren't like you and me," he'd said. "They can't be hurt. See? They're super tough. Particularly black and white cows like this one. Black and white, like piano keys."
Today, his train is being good. It hasn't come off its tracks, and it hasn't crashed into the funny pond that's isn't wet or knocked over any cows or houses. Jimmy loves his toy train. Rob-ert Chase had bought it for him.
The argument is still continuing, and the odd word washes over him.
"You've got to... the man... credit - House... wonderful. ... been... eye ope... You... Wilson would have done... has if House... walked out on...?"
"House expects too... He's hoping that... will... full recov... not gonna... House... face the facts." Fore-man points at Jimmy. "He was shot in the head and... admission GCS... four. You saw... scans. His initial... dire. Wilson will never..."
Jimmy feels lonely and sad. He really wishes House was at home with him. He misses him, even though House hasn't been gone all that long. Not really. He loves House even more than his toy train. Jimmy loves a whole list of things.
"... independent. He'll... be able to walk or drive or hell... bathe... He'll never... able... love to... beautiful woman. Wilson's life is effec... Bottom line - it would.. kinder if... had killed him."
Jimmy loves bright cartoons and drinking straw-bry shakes though House doesn't let him have a shake every day because that would be asking for TROUBLE and would make him pukey sick. And he loves doing jig-saws and making cars out of lego. House is also helping him to build a hell-copter out of lego but they haven't had a chance to finish it yet.
"... callous, and anyway, I... you're wrong. Wilson survived. He... happy; that's all that matters." Rob-ert Chase turns his body so Jimmy can't see his face. "And will... keep... down?"
He loves playing catch the ball with Thirteen and being tucked into bed as-snug-as-a-bug-in-a-rug, and he likes the new book House had given him about the hu-man body. House had told Jimmy that he knew he couldn't read it yet, but he would learn to one day. Give it time, Wilson, House had said and told him that until then, he could look at the pictures.
Also, when it gets dark well before night-sleep time and the sky is filled with twinkle twinkle little stars, Jimmy loves looking for the Man-in-the-Moon. He hasn't found him yet, but Six had promised him that he was there. Six had said he was sure of it, so Jimmy keeps right on looking.
"... already made tremendous progress..." Rob-ert Chase continues, and he says it in a whisper, but there's nothing wrong with Jimmy's ears, and if he wanted to, he could hear him just fine.
Jimmy watches as his train goes past the saloon where House had told him two nut-or-ee-us out-laws were probably drinking: Kid Curry and Han-ball Heyes. Jimmy had been worried that if dino-saurs were in his saloon like the ones that had terrified him in Jrasic Park and given him more nasty dreams, then they might break everything, but House had said that Kid and Han-ball weren't dino-saurs, they were pretty good bad men just trying to make a dis-onest living. "You see two cowboys walk out of that saloon carrying sticks of dynmite," House had warned him, "keep them well away from your train."
The train passes safely by the saloon without incident, and Jimmy breathes a sigh of relief. He nods, pleased. "Pro-gress," he chants to himself. "Pro... pro... gress."
Fore-man sounds angry when he speaks, and Jimmy flinches. "I'm not denying that... realist. That bullet... extensive brain damage. It's a miracle he's still... and for what? ... comatose... four weeks. Now, all he... to look forward.... after month of intensive speech... Physiotherapy. Occupational... Poor bastard." Fore-man sighs heavily and Jimmy looks up at him, curious. Like Rob-ert Chase, Fore-man is facing away from him, and Jimmy really has to concentrate hard to hear him. "We all go in to work to try to make a difference - to help people - but if some nutter crawls out of the woodwork with a gun and you're in the wrong place at the wrong time... bam!" He slaps his hands together hard, making Jimmy jump. "You end up like Wilson. Reduced to little more than a..."
Jimmy places both hands over his ears, but he's too late. He had still heard Fore-man. Every damning word. Jimmy wails and presses tighter and tighter until his ears feel warm and start to hurt. He cries out again.
"Doctor Wilson," Rob-ert Chase says, sounding frightened. He runs towards him.
Fore-man stares at him and opens his mouth as if he's about to say something else, but then he turns and walks out, slamming the door behind him.
Fore-man's words still ringing in his ears, Jimmy turns back to look at his beloved train and watches as it emerges from a dark tunnel. He's shaking. Rob-ert Chase's hand squeezes his shoulder.
"Tunnel. Bang," Jimmy says and jerks in his chair. "Whoo-oo-whoo. Ch ch. Whoo-oo-whoo."
*
"So, what did you do today?" House asks him when they're eating dinner. "You watch T.V.? Chase tell you any stories?"
"Yes," Jimmy says and he tries very hard to remember the stories so that he can share them with House, but he's had a bad day. Rob-ert Chase had been really nice to him after Fore-man had left, but Jimmy had spent most of the day crying. Finally, Rob-ert Chase had picked up the phone and called House.
House had arrived back home a little while later. He'd taken one look at Jimmy's face and had taken Rob-ert Chase into the bedroom for a quiet little talk. Only it hadn't been a little talk, it had been a big argument and Jimmy had started crying all over again. After the argument had finished, Rob-ert Chase had come over to him, given him a quick hug and then said goodbye to him.
House had sat next to Jimmy, put the backs of his fingers against Jimmy's forehead and then wrapped his fingers around Jimmy's wrist. Then he'd started asking him lots of questions. Did Jimmy's head hurt? Did they need to go to The Hospital? Did he feel pukey-sick? Was he feeling dizzy? Jimmy had said uh uh to everything and then House had made him stick his tongue out. House had looked into Jimmy's mouth and listened to his chest and after that, he'd pulled the sun down from the sky and had shone it right into Jimmy's eyes making them water.
"Chase asked me to come home early," House had said, and his voice was a lot deeper which it always was when House was worried about him. "Chase told me zip but I know something's happened."
Now they're both eating, or, at least, House is. Jimmy can't seem to get the food onto his spoon. Rob-ert Chase had told Jimmy a few stories, but he forgets everything that Rob-ert Chase had said to him that day. He forgets how the stories had started. What they'd been about. How they'd ended.
He even forgets how to use his fork and spoon.
The tears start to fall again even though Jimmy doesn't want to cry any more. His eyes are tired and sore, and he knows that House doesn't like it.
"Tell me what's wrong," House says, laying his fork down on his plate. "What's upset you?"
Jimmy looks up into House's eyes which aren't black and white like piano keys or green like grass. They're the same color as a fluffy cloud sky but the name of that color escapes him.
House looks so worried that Jimmy can't help it. He really starts sobbing. He'd missed House so much. All day long. House touches Jimmy's shoulder. "This isn't like you. Talk to me. What's wrong?" he says again.
"Night-sleep time," he whispers.
House sighs and looks over at the clock. "It's too early. Nurse won't be here for another two hours."
"Jimmy's tired," he murmurs.
House is quiet for a while and then sighs again. "Hoist it is, then," he says.
Blue, Jimmy thinks suddenly. The sky was blue. Relieved that he's remembered something, he slips his hand into House's and is surprised when House lets him.
It's been such a terrible, bad, bad day.
With a lot of effort, Jimmy manages to stop crying. He decides that he's not really hungry and that he's going to leave the rest of his dinner. House gently squeezes his fingers. House's hand is so warm compared to his. Holding House's hand makes him feel better. Safe. Comforted.
Jimmy forgets how to let go.
*
It takes a long time for House to get him into bed and after he's done it, House is breathing heavily. He lays down next to Jimmy and puts his arm over his eyes. "Remind me not to do that too often, Wilson," he says.
Duvet pulled up to his chin, Jimmy blinks at House sleepily.
House suddenly sits up as if he's just thought of something, and then he leaves the room. When he comes back in, he's carrying a long box. He sits down on the bed beside Jimmy again. "You know, Wilson, it's a shame you're so tired," House says.
Jimmy wants to know what's inside the box. He sits up a little bit.
House opens the box up. "I was hoping that we could both play this," he says, "but if you'd rather go to sleep..." He pulls the contents of the box out, and Jimmy is in awe.
"A touch-it-and-you're-dead piano," he gasps.
"Keyboard," House corrects him. "Better than a piano." House gets to his feet and plugs the keyboard in.
"Can Jimmy play it?" he asks hopefully.
House nods and settles back down on the bed. He pulls the keyboard until it's resting on both of their laps.. "I'll point to the keys and you press them down, okay?"
"'kay."
House smiles at him. "Let's party. C."
Jimmy presses the correct key. "C is for Cat," he announces. "Cats drink milk and like birds."
"Yep." House says. "That's right."
Jimmy looks at him, wide-eyed. "Jimmy likes birds, too," he tells him. "'spesh-ly ducks." He looks back down at the keyboard.
"We'll go visit the lake soon," House says. "Promise. Now E." He points at another key and Jimmy dutifully presses it.
"E is for eggs. Sunny side up," Jimmy says.
"Just the way we like 'em. F sharp."
Jimmy snatches his hand back from the keyboard and hides it under the cover.
"What are you...? Oh." House laughs. "It won't hurt you; it's just the name of the key. Here, you wuss, I'll do it."
Jimmy watches him carefully, and when House doesn't appear to suffer any ill effects, he bravely presses the black key himself. "F is for I don't know," he admits, shrugging.
"Fun," House answers helpfully. Then, more quietly, "Friends and forever. Now this A."
They play a succession of notes and when they've finished, House looks at him expectantly. "That's it. You know that tune?"
Jimmy stares at him blankly. "No," he murmurs. He hadn't even realized that they'd been playing a tune; he'd just thought that they'd been messing around. A sense of failure washes over him. "Sleep now," he says.
"Let's just play it one more time, okay? After that, I'll pack it all away. Give me your hand."
With House's help, he plays the tune again and this time, with the notes being played at more or less the correct speed, Jimmy half recognizes it. "Da da da. Da-da da da," he sings. He looks at House impatiently. "Again," he says.
They play it again while House keeps sneaking glances at him, and by the time they've finished, Jimmy has a huge smile on his face. "The Simp-sons," he sings. He laughs in delight. "Da da da. Da-da da da. Da da-da-da-da. Again," he implores.
House grins.
Jimmy plays the tune again. And again until House finally tells him it's time to switch the keyboard off.
"One more go. Please, House, please," Jimmy says and leans against House's shoulder a little. So, House lets him play The Simpsons a few more times.
As Jimmy had known he would.
But House eventually stands his ground and unplugs the keyboard. "You have an early start tomorrow, Wilson," he says, putting the keyboard back in the box.
Nestling back under the warm covers, Jimmy nods and House looks at him, surprised.
"You know where we're going?"
"To see the fizzy-oh-man," Jimmy answers, yawning.
"Yeah." House stares at him, then puts the box down on the floor. "That why you've been so upset today? You don't wanna go?"
"Uh uh." Jimmy shakes his head. "But the fizzy-oh-man wants Jimmy to do hard things. Things Jimmy can't do."
House nods. "I know. But if you keep trying, if you learn to weight bear, you'll save yourself a lot of problems. It's for your own good."
"'kay, House," Jimmy murmurs.
House pats his shoulder and turns out the light.
"I love you, House," Jimmy says and hears House start to move away. Lying there once more in the dark, he suddenly remembers his dreams and the monsters that can't hurt him. It's words, spoken when the sun is shining, that can and do. "And you love veg-tables," he murmurs sadly, already half asleep.
The thump, thump, thump of the cane stops. Then Jimmy hears it again, getting louder.
House returns to the side of his bed.
The light goes back on.
The end.
