His Last Chance - part 1/3
Title: His Last Chance - Part 1/3
Status: short story (~ 2,300 / 8,400 words)
Rated: K (PG-14 in Part 3)
Characters: Gregory House & Lisa Cuddy
Summary: After 6.10 Wilson - House claims he's fine with Cuddy dating Lucas. But Wilson dares him to be honest and go see her to tell her how he really feels. If he goes, there'll be no turning back, because it'll be his last chance and House is well aware of it...
Disclaimer: Ok. Fine. It’s not (all) mine!! It belongs to David Shore, the lucky b... *sigh*
** HIS LAST CHANCE **
"I heard Cuddy's boy toy will be busy out tonight, which means no private investigations at home… which means, no drum stick to play with… and that's a shame, don't you think? I mean, I feel sorry for her…"
"House ENOUGH!" Wilson cut his friend off with utter exasperation and looked at him with a tired look.
"What do you mean enough?" House replied ingenuously, licking the tip of his fingers and leaning forward over the kitchen counter "Aren't you happy we're here together, enjoying my incredibly delightful Chicken Tandoori and having a nice adult chat about our lovely boss' relationship?"
"This? It's everything except a nice adult chat whatsoever and you know it. And your Tandoori was good, but it's not the best you've done. There's too much curry in it… and you know that just as well."
House stuck his fingers out of his mouth and smirked, visibly annoyed by Wilson's underlying statement.
"Wow! It's amazing how you seem to know the things I know much better than I do… Suddenly, it feels like all my knowledge has moved from my brain into yours. But please go on, wise man, I'm sure you'll have something entertaining to say, while trying to enlighten me on the subject."
Wilson didn't pay attention to the sarcasm and carried on, twisting the knife even deeper, since he perfectly knew he had hit a sensitive spot.
"You're not comfortable with Cuddy's relationship with Lucas. You just pretend you are but you know it's a lie. You keep talking and talking about it, hoping it would exorcise the pain, when it's obvious that it's not."
"Ok. So I get it: you don't want me to talk about it. Fine! You should've just said it…"
Wilson shook his head, appalled and sighed heavily.
"When was the last time you and she spoke to each other?"
"Uhm… You know that moment after I've devotedly cured my patient and she usually has to come see me to give me another case? Well that was then… two or three days ago, I guess."
"And what did you say?"
"Me? Nothing! She handed me the file and I took it, that's all."
"Ok. And what did she say?"
"She said: 29 year-old male, with abdominal pain and dehydration…"
Wilson glared at him and House stopped; then he furrowed his brows and faked to give it a deep thought.
"Let me think," He said, rubbing his chin pensively, "oh yes, I know! I think, after she handed me the file and I took it, she said something like: "Good luck"… or maybe it was "Don't screw it up"… cuz I didn't get the chance to hear it properly… Since she was already half-way out before the end of her sentence…"
Wilson sighed again and stared at his friend with sorry eyes.
"You see? That's my point…You two are not at ease with each other!"
House let out an ironic laughter.
"Are you taking some psychological evening courses? Is that why you come home so late?"
Wilson ignored the comment and paused to study House's face.
"Why?" He asked.
"Ha! And here I thought you were already trying to rub your annoying explanation in my face!"
"She's with Lucas now and you've accepted it… or at least, you claim you have… So I'm asking you again: why? Why are you uncomfortable around each other? You should have moved on by now. You should both be able to act normal again. But you're not. So that means there's obviously more to it."
"Oh sorry, I was wrong, cuz now is when you rub it in my face…"
"House, you two need to talk."
"No, we don't. We already tried that. We danced and we talked… and she ran away."
House set his lips and briefly looked away. Then he took a sharp breath and peered at his friend with a challenging gaze.
"That was not a talk!" Wilson countered "That barely could qualify as an attempt…"
"There's no point anyway. You said it: she chose Lucas. It's over."
A long silence settled between them, during which they sustained each other's gaze, stubbornly waiting for the other one to concede first.
"God! I can't believe I'm going to say this but… why don't you do something? Why don't you seize your chance with her?" Wilson finally said, rolling his eyes.
"Excuse me? Did you just say what I heard you just said? You're the one advising me to break up their happy couple now? That's not what you told me at Thanksgiving…"
"I told you I disagreed with the method… I never said I didn't support the goal…"
"Unbelievable! You never fail to amaze me, you know! One day it's "no House, she doesn't want you. Forget her." And the next one, it's "Go grab her!"
"I didn't say 'go grab her!'"
"Then what did you say?"
"I… I can't…
"What? You can't what?" House's voice rose up a notch in annoyance.
"I can't pretend I'm fine with this situation when I'm not. And you can't pretend you're fine with it either. I'm your friend. You live here and that's ok, but you know this is only a temporary life arrangement. You need to…
"Are you throwing me out?... Again?"
"No, you idiot! I'm saying I don't like to see you unhappy. Maybe… maybe there's still something you can do to change that."
"I can go back to my apartment if you want."
"No, you can't. I said to Nolan I'd take care of you until you're fine and you're not fine now. You're far from it."
"Thank you, Wilson! Your optimistic support is really what kept me going all this time, you know! I'll make sure to mention your name in the acknowledgements if I ever write my memoirs someday…"
"Yes, play the sarcasm card! Because that's what's gonna help you feel better!" Wilson interrupted him with anger in his tone. "You made progresses House. Huge ones. But that still isn't enough. You have to admit that what you need to be happy is nowhere near where you stand right now. And for that, you still need to take care of things! You need to decide what you're gonna do with your life…"
"I'm not gonna do anything with my life! My life is just fine now as it is…"
"Yeah sure! And that's why your leg is hurting more and more by the day, and also why you've been unable to sleep decently lately…"
House glowered at him, feeling caught. Yes, Wilson was right: he had indeed experienced some troubles sleeping in the past weeks, for inexplicable reasons. He went to bed, usually fell asleep quite easily, but he invariably awakened around four in the early morning and, from then on, was absolutely incapable of going back to his slumber. He had tried to read, he had tried herbal tea, relaxation… God, he had even tried to play music! Not very long though since it was hard to play silently and therefore not wake Wilson up, who at five a.m. was still sleeping like a baby.
"House! I am concerned about you… Remember where it led you the last time you started to have insomnia?"
"That was different. I was taking Vicodin then but now I'm not anymore. You're over-dramatizing like you always do. It's just the bed! The mattress is too hard for my leg… it tenses up my thigh muscle when I lie down and then it hurts, so I wake up. I should just buy a new one and everything will be ok…"
"Of course! Go buy a new bed! And then what? What is next? You'll buy a new pillow, because the one you have will be too soft for your head? And then a new quilt, because the one you have won't be warm enough and then…
"A new friend? Because the one I have is too annoying?..."
Wilson puffed and smiled bitterly.
"The problem is not your bed, or your leg, or your sleep… You're miserable because of her, that's your problem! You think about her all the time! And that's the only reason why you can't sleep! That's why your leg hurts!"
"I thought she was essentially known for being a pain in the ass…" House said with a mischievous grin.
"You're frustrated because you never really got your chance with her. But you still can do something about that…"
"What for? Why do I need to do anything? I tried to but it didn't work."
"Of course it didn't!" Wilson exclaimed, becoming slightly annoyed. "But please don't tell me you're surprised! How could you expect things to come out any different? You acted like a jerk with her! You wanted to set a war. You haven't shown one ounce of sincerity towards her, except for two minutes during a dance in the middle of a crowded costumed party. Talk about intimacy! All you did was pushing her further away."
"Oh great! So you're saying this is my fault?"
"No. I'm saying, you don't win the one you want by playing games…"
House took a sharp breath and bravely stomached the provoking comment. Then he sheepishly smiled and glanced at Wilson with an almost panicked gaze.
"How do you win the one you want then?" He asked, lowering his eyes down, feeling all the uneasiness weigh on him for exposing himself more than he ever had in front of his friend.
Wilson stood up and took their empty plates. He walked towards the sink and put them inside the tray; then he walked back towards House and leaned against the counter.
"Go see her. Tell her how you really feel. Stop hiding behind your stubborn pride. Try. And if she pushes you away, which she undeniably will, then try again. Be honest…
"Is it how you coax women into having sex with you? Because it sounds so laborious!..."
Wilson gave House a 'not going there' look and straightened up, his hands on his hips, staring intensely at his friend, not saying anything, but just waiting for the appropriate reaction he knew he had triggered instead.
"What if she just doesn't want me, for real?" House finally asked, obviously feeling awkward.
"Then you'd know it, once and for all." Wilson paused, and studied House's hurt expression, "But you've spent years chasing that woman and she never gave you a clear definite 'no' answer."
"Don't you think Lucas is a clear definite 'no' answer now?…"
"Lucas is a clown!" Wilson exclaimed, so spontaneously that House couldn't repress a grateful smile.
Wilson saw that smile and he smiled too, briefly. There was not much he could add to let House know what he thought of this whole situation. It was so ridiculous anyway. He knew Cuddy and he knew House. Maybe they were not destined to live the perfect quiet happy life ever after, but they were not completely wrong for each other. Not like everything just seemed to have become lately. He still couldn't understand what Cuddy liked in Lucas. He even had asked her once, a bit provokingly, and despite the fact that she would never admit it or her stubbornness to convince herself that it was the right choice, her lack of committed clear answer had spoken volume about how confused she was then. She could pretend everything she wanted, Wilson knew her well enough to be sure that she was lying to herself. It was nothing other than a giant and sadly ironic mistake. A mistake that needed to be fixed…
"You know I'm right." He finally said, breaking the silence, "You need to do something, because it ain't over 'til it's over."
"Oh God please! Don't tell me you're quoting Lenny Kravitz now?" House exclaimed, exaggeratedly rolling his eyes, "Ok, you got me! Right! I'll talk to her, fine! Are you happy? Can we move on now?"
Without waiting for an answer, he stood up and walked to the refrigerator. He opened it and, with his hand still holding the doorknob, he leaned down and stared inside it for a long moment with an inspired look, absent-mindedly rubbing his leg with his free hand in the meantime. It was more than obvious that he was trying to buy himself some time, but Wilson didn't flinch. He waited, silently and when House finally straightened up with a piece of apple pie on a plate which was there in front of his eyes the whole time, he knew for sure that the thought process had really started.
House walked back towards the counter, carrying the plate in his hand and when he met Wilson's serene gaze on him, he widened his eyes and stared at him quizzically.
"What?" He interrogated, sounding slightly upset.
"Don't you think that the sooner the better?" Wilson told him quietly.
"What is that even supposed to mean?"
"It means that I think you should go see Cuddy now."
House grabbed hold of his spoon and he proceeded to cut a piece of his pie almost surgically, "It can wait." He said, stubbornly ignoring his friend's advice.
"Yes, sure, it can; because there will never be a good moment for that. And that's why now is as perfect as later, just maybe a little more perfect though, since you said Lucas wasn't there tonight…"
House put the spoon down and stared at his plate and at the untouched pie with the look of a lost child. He briefly closed his eyes and then looked up at Wilson.
"Go grab her!" Wilson said with an encouraging smile.
House sustained Wilson's gaze for some endless seconds and then, all of a sudden, he plunged his hand in the glass bowl on the counter and snatched his bunch of keys. He determinedly got off the stool and, passing in front of Wilson, he then headed towards the front door. On his way there, he grabbed his coat and he left the apartment without a word.
Read on --> Part 2