Of Bus Rides and Best Friends (8/?)
Chapter 7
Chapter 8:
Wilson sat on his bed waiting for Jos to arrive and help him get into the wheelchair that would be his main form of transportation for the next two months or so. He fidgeted restlessly in the bed, his body itching to move on its own.
He still had a month or two until he could start the main portion of his physical therapy but until then he was going to be a big burden on those who’d be around to help, House included.
The swishing of his room door activated admitting a very happy looking House. Wilson furrowed his brows, confusion written on his handsome features. House was almost beaming; House never beamed. What the hell?
“You look,” he paused to try to find the right word but sadly the only word his mind could come up with was, “happy.”
“Are you saying I normally don’t?” House queried curiously as he limped over to his usual chair.
“Yes actually. Normally you look at best melancholy, at worst suicidal.”
“Why Jimmy I’m hurt,” House said putting on his best hurt face, “my best friend’s alive and mostly well after being in a serious vehicle accident and you’re suspicious because I’m happy?”
“Pretty much yeah.” Wilson attempted to fold his arms across his chest but his immobilized shoulder put a kink in that plan. “What did you have a great night with a hooker?”
The doors to his room swished open again bringing a very happy looking Jos.
House focused his attention on the big black man but quickly refocused them on his friend, “I wouldn’t call him a hooker.”
“Wouldn’t call who a hooker?” Jos asked casually as he lifted Wilson off the bed.
“Whoever it was that made House so cheery this morning,” Wilson answered through gritted teeth. Jealousy sparked inside his heart, boiling his blood within seconds. They all knew who House had been with last night and it annoyed him that they weren’t men enough to just come right out and say it; especially House. His favorite thing to be was blunt.
Even beneath the dark chocolate skin, Wilson could tell that Jos was blushing and furiously but the strong man remained silent as usual as he eased Wilson out of the bed and into the wheelchair. “I bet you’re happy to be going home today,” he said by way of changing the subject.
Smooth, Wilson thought. “Yeah I am. Don’t get me wrong, I like the hospital but only when I’m working in it not when I’m staying in it.”
“You should leave notes for Cuddy. Let her know what she needs to improve. My first vote would be the chairs; how are you going to expect a cripple to sit comfortably in these poor excuses for comfort?”
“Yeah, I’ll get right on that,” Wilson responded dryly.
As if he knew the group needed a subject change, Daniel strode through the doors looking like the cat that ate the canary. Jos almost asked his friend why he looked so pleased but he saved his breath already knowing the answer. Today was Daniel’s day to give Doctor Wilson a bath, the last one that was to be given at the hospital actually. He cast curious eyes over to Gregory House and had to swallow the smile that threatened to pop onto his face. The man looked jealous, extremely jealous. Almost like he wanted to cut Daniel’s heart out and feed it to him.
“Good morning Doctor Wilson,” Daniel chirped happily as he approached the injured man.
“Good morning Daniel and how many times have I asked you to just call me James?” Normally he would have suggested that other people call him ‘Wilson’ but he had the impression that House wouldn’t be too particularly pleased with that suggestion. It seemed that the diagnostician viewed that name as a pet name more than something that should be shared.
Daniel gave Doctor House what appeared to be a triumphant look then gave Wilson an almost sultry-looking smile. “Of course, James. I apologize. Let’s get you to your bath shall we? I imagine Doctor House is anxious to get you home.”
“Now that you mention it,” House began. He stopped soon after simply allowing the meaning of his sentence to hang in the air. His blue eyes burned hotly as he stared at Wilson. They had never been together in that sense but both men were aching to be. Before he knew what was happening the stare moved over to Jos, the heat in his eyes never dimming. Oh to have both men in bed with him!
Daniel rolled his eyes and gave the diagnostician a disgusted look, making sure to be behind the wheel chair so that James couldn’t see it first. He wanted to be on good terms with James and showing his obvious disapproval of his boyfriend would definitely be a way to get on his bad side. He wasted no time in pushing James into the bathroom and away from his wanna-be lover. The less those two saw of each other, the better.
~~~~~~~
Jos watched Daniel escort James into the bathroom with the speed of a cheetah and his eyes narrowed at the sight. In his opinion, his friend was getting a little too attached to the oncologist. Daniel wasn’t a bad guy in most respects but Jos knew who he was and what he was like. He tended to get too close to people he didn’t have a right to bond with and James Wilson was one of those people.
“Develop the ability to see through solid walls?” Greg’s voice chided, bringing him out of his thoughts. He turned his attention to the lanky man and couldn’t stop the heat that burned in his eyes and seared down to his groin. Oh how that man likes to toy with me, he mentally groaned.
He debated actually voicing his concerns about Daniel to House but his friendship with the younger man kept him from doing so. It felt like he’d be betraying Daniel if he said anything so he decided to wait and simply watch, making sure he didn’t over step any boundaries.
“Solid walls, no. Clothes,” Jos’s eyes slowly traveled over Greg’s clothed body, “oh yes.”
“Only because you’ve seen it before,” Greg scoffed. Still, he limped over to Jos until their bodies were almost touching. His breath was hot on Jos’ neck as he leaned in and placed a kiss on the skin just above his collar bone. “Would you like to see it again?”
Jos’ breath hitched as it caught in his throat. He was so tempted to say yes and just ravage the man right there but his newly gained friendship with James held him back. They weren’t as close of friends as James and Greg were but Jos liked to believe that they were getting close to that; Lord knows he was willing to be if the oncologist would let him. The idea that he would, could, hurt James that badly was a hard pill to swallow so he stepped back, making sure Greg wasn’t going to fall over as he did.
“What about James?” he asked as he pulled away. The sultry look on House’s face softened considerably at the sound of James’ name into a look of such adoration that Jos knew he’d never see the same look applied to him. He gave the older doctor a satisfactory nod and said, “That’s what I thought.”
He left to grab a bag or twelve to put all of James’ flowers, cards and belongings in. On his way out he heard House call, “So, later then?!” Jos just shook his head, a smile on his face. Oh that man!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Daniel opened the bathroom door in time to hear Doctor House yell, “So, later then?!” and he gave another disgusted eye roll. The man was so shameless; he was obviously hitting on someone else - more than likely Jos - while James was in the next room. Did he think flaunting his attraction to other men in front of James would actually keep him around? Moron! He has absolutely no idea how lucky he is to have James’ loyalty and love. Daniel would give anything to know what that was like.
“You ready?” he asked his patient and crush. He stopped briefly to admire the look of James’ torso and arms before he grabbed the wheelchair that they’d abandoned by the door.
Over the past few times they’ve come in to give him a shower, James has been able to sit on a shower chair rather than remain in the wheelchair. It meant that he had to be moved more than the oncologist obviously liked. However, it also meant that James was slowly gaining more muscle in his upper body as he learned to transport himself from wheelchair to shower chair. Daniel couldn’t deny, the extra muscle definition looked good on the older doctor.
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” James answered sounding tired but resigned.
“When are you going home?” Daniel asked, hoping to distract him from what was to come. He pushed the wheel chair over to the shower chair locked it, patiently waiting for James to lift himself into it.
“As soon as we’re done in here, I think. Otherwise House wouldn’t be here so early.” James grunted as he lifted his dead body weight from one chair to the other then breathed out a sigh of relief once he was settled.
“I bet it’ll be good to be in your own place,” Daniel suggested, half wishing that James would deny it. They both knew he was going to move in with Doctor House but Daniel chose to play dumb for the moment.
“Well I don’t know about my own place,” James argued though not as vehemently as Daniel would have liked, “but it will be nice to get out of the hospital and into a more normal routine.”
“Will you be returning to work soon then?” Daniel thought Doctor Cuddy had given James medical leave but that didn’t mean the dedicated doctor was going to take it.
“Yeah, probably in a month or so. Doctor Cuddy gave me two months off but I don’t think I could sit still that long.” James sighed as he finished talking and they exited the bathroom.
Doctor House was waiting for them, a gleeful look in his eyes. “Is little Jimmy all clean now? Did you make sure you got to all the parts?”
Daniel almost growled at him. He didn’t appreciate what he was insinuating, especially in front of James.
“I think he got me sufficiently clean,” James responded with a geniality he had yet to use on Jos or Daniel himself.
Doctor House’s keen blue eyes flicked over to where Daniel stood behind Wilson’s chair. There was a malicious look in those eyes that almost made Daniel slowly back away from James. However, there were only a few things that Daniel would back down from and a possessive wanna-be-lover wasn’t one of them.
“Oh good,” House commented though the look on his face told Daniel that he thought it was the complete opposite. He turned his attention to James who sat, staring openly at both of them, in the wheel chair. “You ready to go?”
“I just need to gather my things.”
“Already on it,” Jos answered over the swish of the hydraulic doors. He held up a couple plastic PPTH bags in a show of proof as he spoke then he started to put the collection of Get Well Soon cards and gifts inside them. James’ personal affects had been taken already by Greg so he knew there wasn’t much more other than what Greg himself had brought and the things that others have sent.
“In a hurry to get rid of me are you?” James teased making Jos smile though he hid it by bending down to pick up more cards.
“Yeah, well, you know how it is. The people in accounting and admitting are in a hurry to get another person in here.”
“Let me guess, they already have someone lined up?”
Jos chuckled again though the question wasn’t at all funny. He didn’t actually know if admitting had anyone ready and waiting or not but it wouldn’t surprise him if they did. As he put the last remnants of James’ things into a bag he answered, “Don’t they always?”
“True,” James conceded. He brought his hand up to his neck and gave it a good rub, something Jos noticed he usually did when he was uncomfortable or nervous. Jos cocked his head slightly to the side when he noticed a look of longing cross Daniel’s features at the action. The same uncomfortable feeling from before sank into his stomach as he considered his friend’s response but, again, he pushed it aside.
“Well!” House cried, obviously uncomfortable with the silence that had descended upon the group. “Now that everyone’s all done chit-chatting and all packed, it’s time for Wilson and I to go. We have a lot of All My Children’s to catch up on.”
The two hospital aides stepped aside, allowing House free reign to take control of the wheel chair. They smiled when he didn’t do it and Jos quickly stepped up to the plate. He was still incredibly uncomfortable with the idea of how close Daniel was getting to James and wanted to keep him as far away from the oncologist as he could.
With no other choice but to return to his job, Daniel stood outside the hospital room watching Doctors House and Wilson leave with Jos. A snake of jealousy coiled around his stomach as he realized that Jos had deliberately stopped him from seeing James off. No one was going stop him from being around James, no one. Not even a friend.
TBC