Bestest Buddy 22: Halfway There (end)
House let himself in through the side door quietly, hoping that Wilson and David would be so involved with TV or some other activity that they wouldn't notice how late he was. No such luck. Wilson was right there, in the kitchen, packing lunches for the next day. House didn't see David, but usually, while lunches were being packed, House was reading to his son, and tucking him in for the night. It was even later than he'd realized.
“Hey babe.” Wilson walked over to give his partner a little peck on the lips. “Did you get a new patient just before quitting time?” He put the lunches into the fridge. “Have you eaten?”
House put away his leather jacket and headed into the great room, and sat down. “I ...just hung around the hospital for a while. Got something from the cafeteria.”
Wilson joined him on the sofa. “You 'hung out' - at work? No way. What have you been up to, House?”
“I...visited Sam.”
“Sammy? For three hours?” Wilson asked incredulously. “What on earth did you talk about for all that time?”
House frowned because he couldn't come up with anything quickly enough. Lying to Wilson was getting to be nearly as hard as lying to his mother! What was surprising to House was that he hadn't bothered to cook up a reasonable cover story before now. Of course he didn't spend three hours with his son's ten-year-old best friend. And no, they wouldn't have had much to talk about after about three minutes. Sam had been too sick withdrawing from the caffeine and going through all Forman's neurological tests for his migraines to just play. House had stopped by with a comic book from the gift shop to make his lame cover story true, then he headed off for other business.
“You know...if I had been this late, you'd be looking for lipstick on my collar.” Wilson joked.
House decided to feign indignation. He removed his outer oxford shirt and handed it to Wilson. “Here...you can even give it the sniff test. Enjoy the B.O.” He rose and limped off towards their bedroom to shower and change into sleep pants and a t-shirt. When he later returned, intending to go over to David's room to give his son a final tuck-in, Wilson was eying him with that myopic squint of his. “Ok, spill,” he said to his partner. “Where were you all this time?”
Shrugging, House sat down and just fudged with “Here and there... just riding around...uh...thinking.” He crossed his legs at the knee and wrapped an arm around Wilson's shoulders. “Got a kiss for me?” he asked to distract the other man.
“No - I'd rather know what's up,” Wilson persisted. “Come on, where'd you go? What's the big mystery?”
House leaned close and kissed Wilson's cheek, anyway. “Bought you a present, okay?”
“For THREE hours? Better be a mighty good present.” Wilson held out his hand. “Okay, hand it over. Let's have a look at it.”
House rolled his eyes. “It's not HERE, geez, Jimmy. Didn't you mother ever teach you that patience is a virtue?”
“You've got a lot of nerve lecturing ANYONE about patience OR virtues.”
House leaned forward and took the remote from the coffee table. “What's on the tube?”
“Oh, please - like that's supposed to distract me?”
House sighed then. “Jimmy - just wait, okay? You don't want to ruin the surprise.”
Finally Wilson relented with a sigh. He leaned back into the sofa's overstuffed cushions. “Okay, fine. But don't think I'll forget all about it.”
Actually, Wilson did forget. Anyway, he knew that whatever House had been doing all that time, he certainly hadn't been cheating. House would never stray. Even though he'd helped her cheat on Mark, he'd always been faithful when he was with Stacy. Oh, he'd looked, just as any red-blooded male (or female) would. But House, closet romantic that he was, was strictly a one-partner-at-a-time kind of guy.
_______________
About eight days later, after Sammy had come back from the hospital, his correct treatment underway, the boys had a do-over of the failed sleepover, this time, at Sam's.
David had never slept away from them, so Wilson spent a lot of time preparing for the event. He talked to his son about what would happen, what would be expected of him, and what to do in case he felt uncomfortable. Two days in advance, they started setting aside everything they thought David would need to take with him on top of his desk.
“Jesus, Wilson,” House commented. “It's an OVERNIGHT. The kid just needs a toothbrush, a change of clothes and pajamas. Quit making such a production of it.”
“Preparation...” Wilson started in.
“...is just going to encourage him to freak. Your 'preparation' is just going to put the suggestion in his mind that freaking out is an option. Seriously, Jimmy - tone it DOWN.”
Wilson did “tone it down” with David, at least as far as House knew. But he continued his effort to smooth the way for their son. He didn't think it would be fair to unleash a potential meltdown on Liz and Tom without at least a bit of explanation in advance. So, when the boys were to be picked up at school on Friday afternoon; when Liz was supposed to take them both home for the overnight, Wilson showed up at school, and suggested they get together for a coffee beforehand.
Liz followed Wilson and the boys in her Jeep. Rockwell playground was right next door to the Starbucks. When Sammy pretended to swoon over the smell of the coffee wafting out the door of the coffee shop, Wilson made them all wait outside, and brought his and Liz's drinks to the playground.
“What about us?” Sammy mock-whined.
“Sorry, nothing,” Wilson teased. Then he handed the kids a small package of sugar cookies to share.
The park was smallish, containing only some swings, a jungle lookout, and two see-saws. While the boys munched their snack and explored the lookout, Wilson and Liz sat on a picnic table bench and leaned their backs uncomfortably against the edge of the table.
“I'm glad the kids worked out their little tiff,” Liz murmured. “Sammy's behavior has always gotten in the way when it comes to relationships with other kids.”
Wilson nodded. “That can be a problem with the hyper kids. Luckily, he's on the right path, though. I wouldn't be surprised if all that goes away now..”
Liz nodded. “I can't thank you and House enough for helping him, James. It's been so hard to watch him getting into his little scrapes and pissing off the other kids. He's lost at least one friend every school year.”
They sat in silence and watched while Sammy, then David slid down the lookout's pole and ran to the see-saws. Sammy stood on on end of the huge lever, encouraging his friend verbally, while David eyed the other end uncertainly.
Rolling her eyes, Liz stood and shouted. “Sammy, don't even THINK about it!” Her offspring hopped off the teeter-totter as if his feet were on fire.
Looking very relieved, David pulled the opposite seat down and straddled it, while waiting for Sam to sit down.
“I guess some things never change... Honestly! Sometimes I think I was impregnated by aliens!” Liz said to Wilson as she sat back down.
Wilson was laughing heartily over the aborted catapulting. “Oh man, you really do have your work cut out for you.” His hands were warm, so he set down his drink, and took off his gloves.
Sighing dejectedly, Liz clasped her hands on her lap.
Still chuckling, Wilson interjected, “He reminds me of someone, actually.”
Liz looked at Wilson and raised her eyebrows. “Calvin and Hobbs?” She joked.
Wilson grinned again. “Actually, he's kinda like House - Greg, my partner. I'm sure if he were tested, they'd find something weird, like adult ADD. He can be pretty impulsive.”
“I canNOT believe it,” she told him flatly. “He's GOT to be able to concentrate deeply to do the job he has.”
Shaking his head, Wilson said, “I really don't know, since he's never been diagnosed - that I know of. But people with ADHD can be extremely focused in certain situations. You think Sam was a handful when he was on the coffee? You should spend a little time with House - especially when he's on a case. Not only does he become completely absorbed in his work; he's also the type to push every possible boundary to the max.”
Liz chuckled, then fiddled with her key ring. “Well, I'm really grateful that the boys are friends, though. I think David is a good influence on Sammy.”
“They're opposites,” Wilson mused. “I think Sam's helping David come out of his shell a little.”
“David does seem kind of subdued.” Liz looked into Wilson's dark eyes. “Is he always so shy?”
Wilson thought it would be best to offer a non-committal response.“He takes a long time to warm up to people.”
“He seems sort of … fearful sometimes, actually,” Liz commented. “Like he's afraid he's going to do or say the wrong thing, and maybe he thinks he's going to get slammed for it.”
Wilson nodded. “He's been through a lot. Before he came to us, he had some bad experiences,” he told her.
Liz nodded. “Losing your parents is pretty traumatic.”
Wilson sipped his caramel macchiato for a moment while he thought about how to proceed.
She pressed a little, wanting to satisfy her curiosity. “...and the way he attacked Sam that day. He was reacting to something other than just getting lost. --and why on earth didn't he try to ask for help?” Seeing that Wilson was looking a little uncomfortable, she attempted to lessen the intensity of her incredulous tone. “I mean... well - most kids are conditioned by the time they are five or six to find a policeman, or someone in a uniform when they get lost.”
Wilson thought that this was an excellent segue into what he really wanted to share with Liz.
He paused again before he responded. How much should he reveal about David's past if the goal was to normalize the boy's life? He wasn't sure that it would be wise for Sammy to know too much - unless David himself wanted to share. But he thought it might be a good idea for David's best friend's mother to understand him more, especially if the kids were going to be together for sleepovers or day trips from time to time. If David had another meltdown, it would be good for Liz to know where the boy was coming from.
“Liz, I'd like to tell you a little more about David,” he began. “It'd be good to have you understand him a little better - in case something like the subway incident happens when he's with you. But I need you to keep this to yourself.”
“Of course,” Liz replied. “I'd never dream of sharing David's personal story with anyone.”
Wilson inclined his head towards Liz Chu and looked into her eyes meaningfully. “Liz, I mean that you really can't share this with anyone.” He slashed his hand from side to side through the air between them as he spoke, as if he were erasing the people that she wasn't supposed to tell.
'That's where David gets that weird little gesture from,' Liz thought to herself. She said, “Who'd I tell, anyway? I'm the only stay-at-home mom on my block. I mostly talk to Sammy and his dad all week.” She paused for a moment. “And my sister, but she lives in Montana.”
Wilson rested his right elbow on the table behind them and turned a little more towards Liz. “You can't share this with Sammy. Or any of the other parents at school. I don't want David's past to trickle down to the other kids.” He set down his now empty cup and loosely laced the fingers of his left and right hands together.
Liz thought for a moment. “I'll have to be honest with you, James, I'll probably mention it to my husband - but he never talks. He barely talks to me - at least not about anything that really matters.” For the first time, Liz Chu got one of Wilson's puppy-dog-eyed sympathetic looks. 'Adorable,' she thought to herself. Then as soon as the expression appeared, it was gone.
Wilson glanced over to check on the boys, who were now stalking around the playground with pretend equipment of some kind in their hands. Every few steps, David would whip out his harmonica and play a few random notes. Wilson noted idly that this was only the second time ever that he was seeing David actually engaged in imaginative play. He was a little sorry that he couldn't just stop talking and watch his boy, but this was an important conversation, so he turned his focus back to Liz.
“Well, you know that we just adopted him last spring, right?'
Liz nodded. She found that she had to force herself to focus on Wilson's words now, rather than his handsome face.
“He lived with his mother up until then. Until she just left him in House's apartment building. By the time Greg found him, he'd been living in the hallway for days.”
Her mouth dropped open. “Oh my god!”
Wilson nodded. “He's got loads of abandonment and neglect issues to work out. So you see why his being lost was such a catastrophic event for him.”
“But why didn't he look for a police officer-”
Wilson touched her arm unconsciously to stop her train of thought. “He's learned to be afraid of authority figures, like police officers and social workers. He and his mother were on the lam from both for years - from the time he was two until he was almost eight.”
“Good lord...” Liz shook her head. “Was she a criminal or something?”
Wilson decided not to go so far as to tell her about the prostitution and the drugs. At least not until there was a good reason to. “She was just a really lousy mother - abusive and neglectful - so she was frequently in trouble with Child Protective Services. We've discovered records for David and his mother in at least nine different social services agencies across the country. They always ended with someone reporting her for how she was treating David - a teacher, or a neighbor - and then the two of them disappearing.” he told Sammy's mom.
Liz shook her head again. “That's horrible. That poor little boy.” Now Liz had puppy-dog eyes of her own, as she looked sadly at David, who was on the swings now.
“You...you can't...pity him. Please, don't let him know what you know - unless you can't avoid it,” Wilson intoned firmly. “I'm telling you this because I want you to understand your son's best friend, not so you'll feel sorry for him, or try to make it up to him or whatever you're thinking about. He needs normal, corrective experiences with people. And love, not pity.”
“Okay,” she half-whispered. “I just can't stand the idea of David suffering like that. It really breaks my heart.”
“Mine too...” Wilson sighed, then came totally clean to Liz. “I'm a little nervous about this sleepover because he could freak out on you a little, if he gets scared, or if he's inadvertently reminded of his past at the wrong time.”
“Maybe you could tell me what kinds of things might upset him, and I can steer clear...”
Wilson shook his head. “That's just the thing - we keep discovering new things all the time. Probably it's best to just not worry about it unless something happens. You'll end up walking on eggshells if you try to anticipate every situation that might set him off. If he gets upset, just call me, no matter what time it is, and I can come and get him.”
“Okay,” Liz said uncertainly.
Then Wilson thought of one sure thing that would help. "Liz - there's one thing with David that you probably should know.”
“What's that, James?”
“Just be aware...uh...” Wilson started to feel really awkward now. He gave her his shy, apologetic smile.
'God, he's beautiful,' Liz thought. 'Such a shame he's gay...another one bites the dust.'
“Strong perfumes really upset him.” Wilson told her. “Especially Chanel No. 5.”
Liz had to think. What perfume? Then she remembered. “Oh, I'm wearing a scented lotion - is it that strong?”
Shaking his head, Wilson replied, “No - it's fine. I don't notice it. I just wanted to ask you in advance - not to wear any when he's visiting.”
“That's not too much to ask, James.” Liz smiled brightly. Then she looked seriously into those chocolate brown eyes again, forcing herself to focus on David, and not his 'other' dad. “Why does perfume upset him?”
Wilson wasn't about to give details. Instead, he leaned back against the table and merely said, “It reminds him of her - his mother. It's...very disturbing to him. Really freaks him out.”
------------
'Now comes the fun part,' Wilson thought to himself as he let himself into the side door of their little bungalow. “Hey babe!” he called out, as he slipped off his coat, gloves, and shoes.
House was stretched out on the sofa in the great room in his bathrobe - and nothing else. “Did you ditch the kid?” he called back.
“Greg!” Wilson knew he was kidding, though, and chuckled under his breath.
“Get over here,” House held out his arms.
Wilson grinned lasciviously and started taking off his clothes on the way to the sofa.
Late, or rather, very early - around 2 AM, Wilson woke from his sex-coma. Greg wasn't beside him. He frowned. Where the hell?? Maybe he might want round two - no - round three, and where was his lover? “Greg?”
Then he heard the piano from their music room. That was what woke him. Greg was playing, something beautiful... a song Wilson knew... 'Maybe I'm amazed....something something...' Wilson loved that song, but he didn't know all the words. He vowed now to learn the lyrics as soon as he had a chance to go online to look them up. He got up, put on his robe, and went to join House.
Wilson could tell by the way he allowed his body to sway, and how he closed his eyes and smiled whenever he played a particularly sweet-sounding part that Greg was totally engrossed in the music. A pillar candle sat atop the instrument, the only light in the room.
Wilson stood behind House and slid his arms around the man's shoulders. “Hey, babe...”
House only responded by pausing to kiss Wilson's cotton-covered bicep.
Wilson straddled the end of the piano bench and put his arms around his partner's waist. He rested his forehead on House's shoulder and listened. “I love that song, honey,” he whispered after the last chord.
House turned and smiled. Then he took a deep breath, as if to steel himself for something.
House lifted his crappy leg with his arms and positioned it so that he was straddling the other end of the bench. He reached out as if to shake Wilson's left hand, the way they greeted one another in public.
Right away, Wilson knew what was up. His moratorium was over. He felt the ring on House's finger, and gasped. He looked up into Greg's eyes. Caught. What in the hell was he going to say now?
“I love you,” Greg whispered. “I love you, Wilson. I...never imagined...that I could feel this way...about anyone.” A tear spilled down his cheek. Embarrassed, he wiped it away quickly. “...sorry.”
Wilson shook his head, but couldn't speak.
“I want you.” House said simply. “I want you forever, Wilson.”
“Greg-”
“-shh!” House interrupted. “I don't want you to feel forced, or obligated to reciprocate, the way you've felt with other people in the past. This is ME, Wilson. I want you to come to me freely...when you're ready.” He squeezed Wilson's left hand a little. “But I need you to know where I stand.” He held up his hand, with the heavy new gold ring. “I'm already yours... James. I'm already your husband. I've already given myself to you forever.” He took Wilson's hand again, and kissed it. “When you're ready to be all mine, I'm right here.” He reached into the pocket of his robe and took out a matching ring. “Whenever you feel ready...” He reached forward and pulled Wilson to him by the back of his neck for a deep, long kiss. He rested his forehead against his lover's. “I had them inset three onyx diamond-shapes,” he said, holding the ring closer. “One for each of us...” He kissed Wilson again. “Because David is part of this, Jimmy. I need you to understand that - David and I are a package deal. If it hadn't been for him, we wouldn't be.”
“I know that, honey...” Wilson murmured.
“I know you're scared about things not working out between us.” House cleared his throat. “I can't predict the future, but I do need you to promise me that you'll always be David's dad with me. Understand?”
Wilson nodded. “I understand...”
“Okay.” House handed over the ring. “You keep it,” he told Wilson. He kissed him again. “When you're ready to wear it, I'll be right here. I'm not going anywhere. And...if you can't...I'm still yours.” He stood, extricated himself from the bench, and held out his left hand. “Wanna have sex again? 'Cause I could seriously have another go.”
Wilson's laughter belied the tears that spilled down his face. He took the hand, with it's heavy new gold ring, and held it to his chest. “Greg...”
House tugged at Wilson's hand until the other man stood and let himself be led back to their bed, clutching his own ring tightly in his fist.
________________
End.
“Hey babe.” Wilson walked over to give his partner a little peck on the lips. “Did you get a new patient just before quitting time?” He put the lunches into the fridge. “Have you eaten?”
House put away his leather jacket and headed into the great room, and sat down. “I ...just hung around the hospital for a while. Got something from the cafeteria.”
Wilson joined him on the sofa. “You 'hung out' - at work? No way. What have you been up to, House?”
“I...visited Sam.”
“Sammy? For three hours?” Wilson asked incredulously. “What on earth did you talk about for all that time?”
House frowned because he couldn't come up with anything quickly enough. Lying to Wilson was getting to be nearly as hard as lying to his mother! What was surprising to House was that he hadn't bothered to cook up a reasonable cover story before now. Of course he didn't spend three hours with his son's ten-year-old best friend. And no, they wouldn't have had much to talk about after about three minutes. Sam had been too sick withdrawing from the caffeine and going through all Forman's neurological tests for his migraines to just play. House had stopped by with a comic book from the gift shop to make his lame cover story true, then he headed off for other business.
“You know...if I had been this late, you'd be looking for lipstick on my collar.” Wilson joked.
House decided to feign indignation. He removed his outer oxford shirt and handed it to Wilson. “Here...you can even give it the sniff test. Enjoy the B.O.” He rose and limped off towards their bedroom to shower and change into sleep pants and a t-shirt. When he later returned, intending to go over to David's room to give his son a final tuck-in, Wilson was eying him with that myopic squint of his. “Ok, spill,” he said to his partner. “Where were you all this time?”
Shrugging, House sat down and just fudged with “Here and there... just riding around...uh...thinking.” He crossed his legs at the knee and wrapped an arm around Wilson's shoulders. “Got a kiss for me?” he asked to distract the other man.
“No - I'd rather know what's up,” Wilson persisted. “Come on, where'd you go? What's the big mystery?”
House leaned close and kissed Wilson's cheek, anyway. “Bought you a present, okay?”
“For THREE hours? Better be a mighty good present.” Wilson held out his hand. “Okay, hand it over. Let's have a look at it.”
House rolled his eyes. “It's not HERE, geez, Jimmy. Didn't you mother ever teach you that patience is a virtue?”
“You've got a lot of nerve lecturing ANYONE about patience OR virtues.”
House leaned forward and took the remote from the coffee table. “What's on the tube?”
“Oh, please - like that's supposed to distract me?”
House sighed then. “Jimmy - just wait, okay? You don't want to ruin the surprise.”
Finally Wilson relented with a sigh. He leaned back into the sofa's overstuffed cushions. “Okay, fine. But don't think I'll forget all about it.”
Actually, Wilson did forget. Anyway, he knew that whatever House had been doing all that time, he certainly hadn't been cheating. House would never stray. Even though he'd helped her cheat on Mark, he'd always been faithful when he was with Stacy. Oh, he'd looked, just as any red-blooded male (or female) would. But House, closet romantic that he was, was strictly a one-partner-at-a-time kind of guy.
_______________
About eight days later, after Sammy had come back from the hospital, his correct treatment underway, the boys had a do-over of the failed sleepover, this time, at Sam's.
David had never slept away from them, so Wilson spent a lot of time preparing for the event. He talked to his son about what would happen, what would be expected of him, and what to do in case he felt uncomfortable. Two days in advance, they started setting aside everything they thought David would need to take with him on top of his desk.
“Jesus, Wilson,” House commented. “It's an OVERNIGHT. The kid just needs a toothbrush, a change of clothes and pajamas. Quit making such a production of it.”
“Preparation...” Wilson started in.
“...is just going to encourage him to freak. Your 'preparation' is just going to put the suggestion in his mind that freaking out is an option. Seriously, Jimmy - tone it DOWN.”
Wilson did “tone it down” with David, at least as far as House knew. But he continued his effort to smooth the way for their son. He didn't think it would be fair to unleash a potential meltdown on Liz and Tom without at least a bit of explanation in advance. So, when the boys were to be picked up at school on Friday afternoon; when Liz was supposed to take them both home for the overnight, Wilson showed up at school, and suggested they get together for a coffee beforehand.
Liz followed Wilson and the boys in her Jeep. Rockwell playground was right next door to the Starbucks. When Sammy pretended to swoon over the smell of the coffee wafting out the door of the coffee shop, Wilson made them all wait outside, and brought his and Liz's drinks to the playground.
“What about us?” Sammy mock-whined.
“Sorry, nothing,” Wilson teased. Then he handed the kids a small package of sugar cookies to share.
The park was smallish, containing only some swings, a jungle lookout, and two see-saws. While the boys munched their snack and explored the lookout, Wilson and Liz sat on a picnic table bench and leaned their backs uncomfortably against the edge of the table.
“I'm glad the kids worked out their little tiff,” Liz murmured. “Sammy's behavior has always gotten in the way when it comes to relationships with other kids.”
Wilson nodded. “That can be a problem with the hyper kids. Luckily, he's on the right path, though. I wouldn't be surprised if all that goes away now..”
Liz nodded. “I can't thank you and House enough for helping him, James. It's been so hard to watch him getting into his little scrapes and pissing off the other kids. He's lost at least one friend every school year.”
They sat in silence and watched while Sammy, then David slid down the lookout's pole and ran to the see-saws. Sammy stood on on end of the huge lever, encouraging his friend verbally, while David eyed the other end uncertainly.
Rolling her eyes, Liz stood and shouted. “Sammy, don't even THINK about it!” Her offspring hopped off the teeter-totter as if his feet were on fire.
Looking very relieved, David pulled the opposite seat down and straddled it, while waiting for Sam to sit down.
“I guess some things never change... Honestly! Sometimes I think I was impregnated by aliens!” Liz said to Wilson as she sat back down.
Wilson was laughing heartily over the aborted catapulting. “Oh man, you really do have your work cut out for you.” His hands were warm, so he set down his drink, and took off his gloves.
Sighing dejectedly, Liz clasped her hands on her lap.
Still chuckling, Wilson interjected, “He reminds me of someone, actually.”
Liz looked at Wilson and raised her eyebrows. “Calvin and Hobbs?” She joked.
Wilson grinned again. “Actually, he's kinda like House - Greg, my partner. I'm sure if he were tested, they'd find something weird, like adult ADD. He can be pretty impulsive.”
“I canNOT believe it,” she told him flatly. “He's GOT to be able to concentrate deeply to do the job he has.”
Shaking his head, Wilson said, “I really don't know, since he's never been diagnosed - that I know of. But people with ADHD can be extremely focused in certain situations. You think Sam was a handful when he was on the coffee? You should spend a little time with House - especially when he's on a case. Not only does he become completely absorbed in his work; he's also the type to push every possible boundary to the max.”
Liz chuckled, then fiddled with her key ring. “Well, I'm really grateful that the boys are friends, though. I think David is a good influence on Sammy.”
“They're opposites,” Wilson mused. “I think Sam's helping David come out of his shell a little.”
“David does seem kind of subdued.” Liz looked into Wilson's dark eyes. “Is he always so shy?”
Wilson thought it would be best to offer a non-committal response.“He takes a long time to warm up to people.”
“He seems sort of … fearful sometimes, actually,” Liz commented. “Like he's afraid he's going to do or say the wrong thing, and maybe he thinks he's going to get slammed for it.”
Wilson nodded. “He's been through a lot. Before he came to us, he had some bad experiences,” he told her.
Liz nodded. “Losing your parents is pretty traumatic.”
Wilson sipped his caramel macchiato for a moment while he thought about how to proceed.
She pressed a little, wanting to satisfy her curiosity. “...and the way he attacked Sam that day. He was reacting to something other than just getting lost. --and why on earth didn't he try to ask for help?” Seeing that Wilson was looking a little uncomfortable, she attempted to lessen the intensity of her incredulous tone. “I mean... well - most kids are conditioned by the time they are five or six to find a policeman, or someone in a uniform when they get lost.”
Wilson thought that this was an excellent segue into what he really wanted to share with Liz.
He paused again before he responded. How much should he reveal about David's past if the goal was to normalize the boy's life? He wasn't sure that it would be wise for Sammy to know too much - unless David himself wanted to share. But he thought it might be a good idea for David's best friend's mother to understand him more, especially if the kids were going to be together for sleepovers or day trips from time to time. If David had another meltdown, it would be good for Liz to know where the boy was coming from.
“Liz, I'd like to tell you a little more about David,” he began. “It'd be good to have you understand him a little better - in case something like the subway incident happens when he's with you. But I need you to keep this to yourself.”
“Of course,” Liz replied. “I'd never dream of sharing David's personal story with anyone.”
Wilson inclined his head towards Liz Chu and looked into her eyes meaningfully. “Liz, I mean that you really can't share this with anyone.” He slashed his hand from side to side through the air between them as he spoke, as if he were erasing the people that she wasn't supposed to tell.
'That's where David gets that weird little gesture from,' Liz thought to herself. She said, “Who'd I tell, anyway? I'm the only stay-at-home mom on my block. I mostly talk to Sammy and his dad all week.” She paused for a moment. “And my sister, but she lives in Montana.”
Wilson rested his right elbow on the table behind them and turned a little more towards Liz. “You can't share this with Sammy. Or any of the other parents at school. I don't want David's past to trickle down to the other kids.” He set down his now empty cup and loosely laced the fingers of his left and right hands together.
Liz thought for a moment. “I'll have to be honest with you, James, I'll probably mention it to my husband - but he never talks. He barely talks to me - at least not about anything that really matters.” For the first time, Liz Chu got one of Wilson's puppy-dog-eyed sympathetic looks. 'Adorable,' she thought to herself. Then as soon as the expression appeared, it was gone.
Wilson glanced over to check on the boys, who were now stalking around the playground with pretend equipment of some kind in their hands. Every few steps, David would whip out his harmonica and play a few random notes. Wilson noted idly that this was only the second time ever that he was seeing David actually engaged in imaginative play. He was a little sorry that he couldn't just stop talking and watch his boy, but this was an important conversation, so he turned his focus back to Liz.
“Well, you know that we just adopted him last spring, right?'
Liz nodded. She found that she had to force herself to focus on Wilson's words now, rather than his handsome face.
“He lived with his mother up until then. Until she just left him in House's apartment building. By the time Greg found him, he'd been living in the hallway for days.”
Her mouth dropped open. “Oh my god!”
Wilson nodded. “He's got loads of abandonment and neglect issues to work out. So you see why his being lost was such a catastrophic event for him.”
“But why didn't he look for a police officer-”
Wilson touched her arm unconsciously to stop her train of thought. “He's learned to be afraid of authority figures, like police officers and social workers. He and his mother were on the lam from both for years - from the time he was two until he was almost eight.”
“Good lord...” Liz shook her head. “Was she a criminal or something?”
Wilson decided not to go so far as to tell her about the prostitution and the drugs. At least not until there was a good reason to. “She was just a really lousy mother - abusive and neglectful - so she was frequently in trouble with Child Protective Services. We've discovered records for David and his mother in at least nine different social services agencies across the country. They always ended with someone reporting her for how she was treating David - a teacher, or a neighbor - and then the two of them disappearing.” he told Sammy's mom.
Liz shook her head again. “That's horrible. That poor little boy.” Now Liz had puppy-dog eyes of her own, as she looked sadly at David, who was on the swings now.
“You...you can't...pity him. Please, don't let him know what you know - unless you can't avoid it,” Wilson intoned firmly. “I'm telling you this because I want you to understand your son's best friend, not so you'll feel sorry for him, or try to make it up to him or whatever you're thinking about. He needs normal, corrective experiences with people. And love, not pity.”
“Okay,” she half-whispered. “I just can't stand the idea of David suffering like that. It really breaks my heart.”
“Mine too...” Wilson sighed, then came totally clean to Liz. “I'm a little nervous about this sleepover because he could freak out on you a little, if he gets scared, or if he's inadvertently reminded of his past at the wrong time.”
“Maybe you could tell me what kinds of things might upset him, and I can steer clear...”
Wilson shook his head. “That's just the thing - we keep discovering new things all the time. Probably it's best to just not worry about it unless something happens. You'll end up walking on eggshells if you try to anticipate every situation that might set him off. If he gets upset, just call me, no matter what time it is, and I can come and get him.”
“Okay,” Liz said uncertainly.
Then Wilson thought of one sure thing that would help. "Liz - there's one thing with David that you probably should know.”
“What's that, James?”
“Just be aware...uh...” Wilson started to feel really awkward now. He gave her his shy, apologetic smile.
'God, he's beautiful,' Liz thought. 'Such a shame he's gay...another one bites the dust.'
“Strong perfumes really upset him.” Wilson told her. “Especially Chanel No. 5.”
Liz had to think. What perfume? Then she remembered. “Oh, I'm wearing a scented lotion - is it that strong?”
Shaking his head, Wilson replied, “No - it's fine. I don't notice it. I just wanted to ask you in advance - not to wear any when he's visiting.”
“That's not too much to ask, James.” Liz smiled brightly. Then she looked seriously into those chocolate brown eyes again, forcing herself to focus on David, and not his 'other' dad. “Why does perfume upset him?”
Wilson wasn't about to give details. Instead, he leaned back against the table and merely said, “It reminds him of her - his mother. It's...very disturbing to him. Really freaks him out.”
------------
'Now comes the fun part,' Wilson thought to himself as he let himself into the side door of their little bungalow. “Hey babe!” he called out, as he slipped off his coat, gloves, and shoes.
House was stretched out on the sofa in the great room in his bathrobe - and nothing else. “Did you ditch the kid?” he called back.
“Greg!” Wilson knew he was kidding, though, and chuckled under his breath.
“Get over here,” House held out his arms.
Wilson grinned lasciviously and started taking off his clothes on the way to the sofa.
Late, or rather, very early - around 2 AM, Wilson woke from his sex-coma. Greg wasn't beside him. He frowned. Where the hell?? Maybe he might want round two - no - round three, and where was his lover? “Greg?”
Then he heard the piano from their music room. That was what woke him. Greg was playing, something beautiful... a song Wilson knew... 'Maybe I'm amazed....something something...' Wilson loved that song, but he didn't know all the words. He vowed now to learn the lyrics as soon as he had a chance to go online to look them up. He got up, put on his robe, and went to join House.
Wilson could tell by the way he allowed his body to sway, and how he closed his eyes and smiled whenever he played a particularly sweet-sounding part that Greg was totally engrossed in the music. A pillar candle sat atop the instrument, the only light in the room.
Wilson stood behind House and slid his arms around the man's shoulders. “Hey, babe...”
House only responded by pausing to kiss Wilson's cotton-covered bicep.
Wilson straddled the end of the piano bench and put his arms around his partner's waist. He rested his forehead on House's shoulder and listened. “I love that song, honey,” he whispered after the last chord.
House turned and smiled. Then he took a deep breath, as if to steel himself for something.
House lifted his crappy leg with his arms and positioned it so that he was straddling the other end of the bench. He reached out as if to shake Wilson's left hand, the way they greeted one another in public.
Right away, Wilson knew what was up. His moratorium was over. He felt the ring on House's finger, and gasped. He looked up into Greg's eyes. Caught. What in the hell was he going to say now?
“I love you,” Greg whispered. “I love you, Wilson. I...never imagined...that I could feel this way...about anyone.” A tear spilled down his cheek. Embarrassed, he wiped it away quickly. “...sorry.”
Wilson shook his head, but couldn't speak.
“I want you.” House said simply. “I want you forever, Wilson.”
“Greg-”
“-shh!” House interrupted. “I don't want you to feel forced, or obligated to reciprocate, the way you've felt with other people in the past. This is ME, Wilson. I want you to come to me freely...when you're ready.” He squeezed Wilson's left hand a little. “But I need you to know where I stand.” He held up his hand, with the heavy new gold ring. “I'm already yours... James. I'm already your husband. I've already given myself to you forever.” He took Wilson's hand again, and kissed it. “When you're ready to be all mine, I'm right here.” He reached into the pocket of his robe and took out a matching ring. “Whenever you feel ready...” He reached forward and pulled Wilson to him by the back of his neck for a deep, long kiss. He rested his forehead against his lover's. “I had them inset three onyx diamond-shapes,” he said, holding the ring closer. “One for each of us...” He kissed Wilson again. “Because David is part of this, Jimmy. I need you to understand that - David and I are a package deal. If it hadn't been for him, we wouldn't be.”
“I know that, honey...” Wilson murmured.
“I know you're scared about things not working out between us.” House cleared his throat. “I can't predict the future, but I do need you to promise me that you'll always be David's dad with me. Understand?”
Wilson nodded. “I understand...”
“Okay.” House handed over the ring. “You keep it,” he told Wilson. He kissed him again. “When you're ready to wear it, I'll be right here. I'm not going anywhere. And...if you can't...I'm still yours.” He stood, extricated himself from the bench, and held out his left hand. “Wanna have sex again? 'Cause I could seriously have another go.”
Wilson's laughter belied the tears that spilled down his face. He took the hand, with it's heavy new gold ring, and held it to his chest. “Greg...”
House tugged at Wilson's hand until the other man stood and let himself be led back to their bed, clutching his own ring tightly in his fist.
________________
End.