House/Wilson, Prompt 002. Middles, Prompt 003. Ends, Prompt 037. Sound, PG
Three more for my claim.
Title: Habit
Characters/Pairing: House/Wilson
Prompt: 002. Middles
Word Count: 237
Rating: PG
Spoilers: None
Author's Notes:
Habit
Title: Sudden Stop
Characters/Pairing: House/Wilson
Prompt: 003. Ends
Word Count: 392
Rating: PG
Spoilers: None
Author's Notes: Warning: Death Fic
Sudden Stop
Title: Staying
Characters/Pairing: House/Wilson
Prompt: 037. Sound
Word Count: 1304
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: None
Author's Notes:
Wilson sat beside the bed where House lay and buried his face in his hands. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d slept but he wanted to be here for House, be here when he woke. He drew in a deep breath then let it out slowly as he scrubbed his face, feeling the rasp of stubble under his hands. He looked over at the unconscious man in the bed and swallowed hard. It seemed hard to believe that his entire world had been turned upside down in just a day and there was no way of knowing which direction it would be facing tomorrow.
When he’d wandered into Diagnostic Medicine yesterday morning, House had seemed alright. He was complaining about having a headache and feeling a bit run down but neither Wilson nor House’s team had paid much attention. They all knew how much House liked to gripe when he was sick. House usually did a fairly good imitation of a four year old when sick and the best way to deal with it was to ignore the whining and actually pay attention to what he looked like.
But just after midday Cameron had come to see him with the full backing of both Chase and Foreman. She had told him that House seemed to be getting worse but none of them could talk him into either actually taking something for it or going home and could he try? Wilson had rolled his eyes and wandered next door. When he’d gotten to the Diagnostic Medicine conference room where House was holding court, he’d been quite startled.
House really looked sick though, being his usual stubborn self, he was denying all knowledge of his own symptoms. But they were plain to see. His face was flushed, he looked slightly nauseous and he was squinting at the light. Wilson had taken one look at House and all but dragged him into his office. He’d completely ignored House’s whining and dragged the actual set of symptoms out of him. When he heard that House had a terrible headache along with a stiff neck and a fever and that he’d been vomiting, he’d had a nasty suspicion he knew what was wrong. However before he could say anything, House had passed out and started seizing.
The next hour had passed in a flurry with House being admitted with what Wilson suspected was bacterial meningitis. A lumbar puncture was done to test for this along with a CT scan of the head and a chest X-ray. House was started on antibiotics immediately in case it was meningitis, hooked up to a heart monitor, given oxygen and IV fluids and they all came to a sudden abrupt halt as they waited for confirmation or otherwise.
When the test results had confirmed Wilson’s diagnosis, he felt his heart sink. Bacterial meningitis was serious, even life threatening, but treatable. Unfortunately there was the distinct risk of long-term disabilities, even with proper treatment. Deafness, seizures, paralysis, blindness, loss of limbs; these were all possible outcomes. And they wouldn’t know which, if any, had occurred until House regained consciousness.
Movement outside the room caught Wilson’s attention and he looked over to see Cuddy standing outside. Cuddy gestured to him and Wilson nodded. He pushed himself to his feet and quietly left the room.
“How is he?” Cuddy asked once he’d closed the door behind him.
Wilson shrugged helplessly. “The inflammation seems to be confined to the subarachnoid space which is a good sign. We’re attacking it aggressively so hopefully it won’t spread any further. He’s still unconscious which...isn’t good but he’s been moving a bit in the last hour or two so I think he may come round soon.”
Cuddy hesitated for a moment. “What about the long term effects?”
“I don’t know,” Wilson replied grimly. “That’s not a question that can be answered right now.”
Cuddy grimaced and nodded. “You and House’s people are taking preventative antibiotics?” she asked.
Wilson nodded. “It’s probably not necessary.”
“I’m aware of that,” Cuddy replied. “But frankly I’d rather be safe than sorry.”
“True,” Wilson conceded. “Look...I’d better go back in. He could be a bit confused when he wakes and I don’t want him getting upset.”
Cuddy nodded and Wilson returned to his vigil. Only time would tell the course of the illness. Only time would tell what the long term results would be.
The next several days were filled with dealing with a sick, feverish and confused House. And to make matters worse, it appeared that much of the confusion was related to House having difficulty hearing and his subsequent reaction to that particular problem. When House had finally beaten off the worst of the meningitis, Wilson threatened a painful death to anyone who came near the room and prepared to deal with this.
He sat down next to the bed where House was lying, looking irritable and tense. “House...Greg? How well can you hear me?”
House flinched at the question and Wilson relaxed a fraction. It wasn’t totally bad news.
House breathed hard for a few minutes. “It sounds like you’re talking from the next room,” he admitted reluctantly, not looking at Wilson.
Wilson gave a small sigh of relief. “Well, that’s...not as bad as it could have been.”
House gave him a sudden angry glare, something that was not enhanced by his drawn, tired face. “Really?” he said with heavy sarcasm.
“You could be completely deaf,” Wilson said bluntly and with just a hint of anger. “You could be blind. You could be having seizures. Yes, Greg, it could be worse. Your hearing’s been impaired but you can still hear. We can work around this.”
House’s hands clenched into fists and his lips thinned. He seemed to be struggling with something that finally broke free.
“So I can be even more of a cripple?” he yelled. Much to Wilson’s surprise House seemed to be struggling to keep back tears. He seemed to fight with himself for moment then he said in a voie so low Wilson almost missed it, “Why me?”
Wilson had to swallow the lump that had suddenly appeared in his throat and he reached and took one of House’s hands, pulling it out of the fist it was in and holding it.
“I don’t know,” he said simply. “And I wish I could take it away. We’ll get through this, Greg. It’s not the end of the world. You can still work. It’s not like you listen to patients anyway.”
House closed his eyes and gave a tiny huff of a laugh.
“You know Cuddy will do whatever she can to help,” Wilson continued. “So will your team. So will I.”
House gave a small nod though a frown still lingered on his face.
“Besides,” Wilson continued, a sly smile growing. “Think of all the fun you can have if you learn to read lips.”
House gave him a startled, slightly opaque look then the thought seemed to take root in his mind and he slowly grinned rather wickedly. Wilson chuckled, sure he would probably regret making that suggestion at some point but deciding that the smile on House’s face was well worth any coming trouble.
He let go of House’s hand and gave it a pat. “I’ll go and make arrangements for you to see an audiologist,” he said as he stood. “We can find out how bad the hearing loss is then move on from there.”
House grimaced and nodded, clearly not happy about the idea. “You’re staying?” he asked, his voice just slightly hesitant.
Wilson looked confused; he’d been speaking at a level that would make it easy for House to hear him. Then he saw the slightly fearful look in House’s eyes and realised what was truly meant by the question.
“I’m not going anywhere.”
Title: Habit
Characters/Pairing: House/Wilson
Prompt: 002. Middles
Word Count: 237
Rating: PG
Spoilers: None
Author's Notes:
Habit
Title: Sudden Stop
Characters/Pairing: House/Wilson
Prompt: 003. Ends
Word Count: 392
Rating: PG
Spoilers: None
Author's Notes: Warning: Death Fic
Sudden Stop
Title: Staying
Characters/Pairing: House/Wilson
Prompt: 037. Sound
Word Count: 1304
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: None
Author's Notes:
Wilson sat beside the bed where House lay and buried his face in his hands. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d slept but he wanted to be here for House, be here when he woke. He drew in a deep breath then let it out slowly as he scrubbed his face, feeling the rasp of stubble under his hands. He looked over at the unconscious man in the bed and swallowed hard. It seemed hard to believe that his entire world had been turned upside down in just a day and there was no way of knowing which direction it would be facing tomorrow.
When he’d wandered into Diagnostic Medicine yesterday morning, House had seemed alright. He was complaining about having a headache and feeling a bit run down but neither Wilson nor House’s team had paid much attention. They all knew how much House liked to gripe when he was sick. House usually did a fairly good imitation of a four year old when sick and the best way to deal with it was to ignore the whining and actually pay attention to what he looked like.
But just after midday Cameron had come to see him with the full backing of both Chase and Foreman. She had told him that House seemed to be getting worse but none of them could talk him into either actually taking something for it or going home and could he try? Wilson had rolled his eyes and wandered next door. When he’d gotten to the Diagnostic Medicine conference room where House was holding court, he’d been quite startled.
House really looked sick though, being his usual stubborn self, he was denying all knowledge of his own symptoms. But they were plain to see. His face was flushed, he looked slightly nauseous and he was squinting at the light. Wilson had taken one look at House and all but dragged him into his office. He’d completely ignored House’s whining and dragged the actual set of symptoms out of him. When he heard that House had a terrible headache along with a stiff neck and a fever and that he’d been vomiting, he’d had a nasty suspicion he knew what was wrong. However before he could say anything, House had passed out and started seizing.
The next hour had passed in a flurry with House being admitted with what Wilson suspected was bacterial meningitis. A lumbar puncture was done to test for this along with a CT scan of the head and a chest X-ray. House was started on antibiotics immediately in case it was meningitis, hooked up to a heart monitor, given oxygen and IV fluids and they all came to a sudden abrupt halt as they waited for confirmation or otherwise.
When the test results had confirmed Wilson’s diagnosis, he felt his heart sink. Bacterial meningitis was serious, even life threatening, but treatable. Unfortunately there was the distinct risk of long-term disabilities, even with proper treatment. Deafness, seizures, paralysis, blindness, loss of limbs; these were all possible outcomes. And they wouldn’t know which, if any, had occurred until House regained consciousness.
Movement outside the room caught Wilson’s attention and he looked over to see Cuddy standing outside. Cuddy gestured to him and Wilson nodded. He pushed himself to his feet and quietly left the room.
“How is he?” Cuddy asked once he’d closed the door behind him.
Wilson shrugged helplessly. “The inflammation seems to be confined to the subarachnoid space which is a good sign. We’re attacking it aggressively so hopefully it won’t spread any further. He’s still unconscious which...isn’t good but he’s been moving a bit in the last hour or two so I think he may come round soon.”
Cuddy hesitated for a moment. “What about the long term effects?”
“I don’t know,” Wilson replied grimly. “That’s not a question that can be answered right now.”
Cuddy grimaced and nodded. “You and House’s people are taking preventative antibiotics?” she asked.
Wilson nodded. “It’s probably not necessary.”
“I’m aware of that,” Cuddy replied. “But frankly I’d rather be safe than sorry.”
“True,” Wilson conceded. “Look...I’d better go back in. He could be a bit confused when he wakes and I don’t want him getting upset.”
Cuddy nodded and Wilson returned to his vigil. Only time would tell the course of the illness. Only time would tell what the long term results would be.
The next several days were filled with dealing with a sick, feverish and confused House. And to make matters worse, it appeared that much of the confusion was related to House having difficulty hearing and his subsequent reaction to that particular problem. When House had finally beaten off the worst of the meningitis, Wilson threatened a painful death to anyone who came near the room and prepared to deal with this.
He sat down next to the bed where House was lying, looking irritable and tense. “House...Greg? How well can you hear me?”
House flinched at the question and Wilson relaxed a fraction. It wasn’t totally bad news.
House breathed hard for a few minutes. “It sounds like you’re talking from the next room,” he admitted reluctantly, not looking at Wilson.
Wilson gave a small sigh of relief. “Well, that’s...not as bad as it could have been.”
House gave him a sudden angry glare, something that was not enhanced by his drawn, tired face. “Really?” he said with heavy sarcasm.
“You could be completely deaf,” Wilson said bluntly and with just a hint of anger. “You could be blind. You could be having seizures. Yes, Greg, it could be worse. Your hearing’s been impaired but you can still hear. We can work around this.”
House’s hands clenched into fists and his lips thinned. He seemed to be struggling with something that finally broke free.
“So I can be even more of a cripple?” he yelled. Much to Wilson’s surprise House seemed to be struggling to keep back tears. He seemed to fight with himself for moment then he said in a voie so low Wilson almost missed it, “Why me?”
Wilson had to swallow the lump that had suddenly appeared in his throat and he reached and took one of House’s hands, pulling it out of the fist it was in and holding it.
“I don’t know,” he said simply. “And I wish I could take it away. We’ll get through this, Greg. It’s not the end of the world. You can still work. It’s not like you listen to patients anyway.”
House closed his eyes and gave a tiny huff of a laugh.
“You know Cuddy will do whatever she can to help,” Wilson continued. “So will your team. So will I.”
House gave a small nod though a frown still lingered on his face.
“Besides,” Wilson continued, a sly smile growing. “Think of all the fun you can have if you learn to read lips.”
House gave him a startled, slightly opaque look then the thought seemed to take root in his mind and he slowly grinned rather wickedly. Wilson chuckled, sure he would probably regret making that suggestion at some point but deciding that the smile on House’s face was well worth any coming trouble.
He let go of House’s hand and gave it a pat. “I’ll go and make arrangements for you to see an audiologist,” he said as he stood. “We can find out how bad the hearing loss is then move on from there.”
House grimaced and nodded, clearly not happy about the idea. “You’re staying?” he asked, his voice just slightly hesitant.
Wilson looked confused; he’d been speaking at a level that would make it easy for House to hear him. Then he saw the slightly fearful look in House’s eyes and realised what was truly meant by the question.
“I’m not going anywhere.”