Fic : An Opening Door 21/?
Title: An Opening Door 21/?
Words: Approx 2800
Rating : PG-13
Characters : House & Wilson, Cuddy
Contains : Slavery concepts
Warnings : : Choose Not to Warn
Summary : Slave AU. Wilson encounters a disabled cleaning slave at PPTH called Greg and becomes intrigued with him. An unlikely friendship forms between the two as Wilson tries to secure a better life for Greg.
Link to story on AO3 .
Previous Chapter
Greg woke up early after a restless few hours of sleep. When he'd talked to him last night Wilson had promised to come up and get him today and take him home. He'd also offered to ring Doctor Nolan and tell him, but Greg had said he would do it himself. He needed to start taking back control of his own life. As much as he could anyway because he could never forget that he was still a slave. He touched the collar around his neck, feeling the control box that hadn't been used to punish him for months. Apart from a few remarks from hostile staff members and a couple of the patients he hadn't been treated as a slave here. He'd made a connection to Annie, and to Jeff. Like living with Wilson it had been a glimpse of what used to be normal.
The thought of Jeff had him getting up restlessly. He slipped on a pair of sweats and a t-shirt and grabbed his cane. It was early, but he wanted to stretch his legs.
He found himself making his way to Jeff's room, which was just a few doors down from his. At the door he stopped. A cleaner was inside scrubbing the hard floor clean of Jeff's blood. The bed had been stripped and Jeff's personal belongings were gone.
"Greg, you shouldn't be here," the nurse on duty had spotted him. She was one of the friendlier nurses - the one that had first allowed him to play the piano. "Come on, back to bed." She put a gentle hand on his arm. The cleaner had stopped work and was looking at them. Not a slave, Greg noted, but an older lady, her eyes tired.
"Please, may I help?" He asked the cleaner. She looked at him, noting the collar, and shrugged.
"Not up to me. The nurse said you should go back to bed."
Greg looked at the nurse. "I don't want to back to sleep. Please, let me do this."
The nurse threw up her hands. "Well, it's no skin off my nose if you want to do some cleaning. Just keep it quiet please; the other patients are still sleeping."
"Thank you." Greg knelt down, and took the scrubbing brush off the cleaner. He began to work away at the stain. The simple manual labour, something he was so used to, soothed him. Work like this was all he had known only a few months ago. His leg complained of course, but he was used to that as well, and the pain was almost comforting in its familiarity.
By the time the rest of the ward was stirring Jeff's room was clean and unmarked. No trace remained of what had happened there the night before.
"I thought you said he would be safe here!" Wilson said, pacing the room while Nolan watched him with that insufferably calm expression of his.
"He was, and he is. The procedure to remove his memory block, and the follow-up treatment we did was highly successful. Greg can now access those memories that were blocked. I had two sessions with him, and he attended a Group Therapy session and was socialising well with the other patients. I believe that it would benefit him to stay here at least another week for some more sessions but he is here voluntarily and it would be harmful to try and keep him against his will."
"One of these people he was 'socialising' with tried to commit suicide! Don't you have checks against things like that?"
"We do, but it is impossible to completely prevent such instances. The patient involved survived and he'll receive further treatment. Greg, and many of the other patients, witnessed the aftermath and we have had a group session to talk about it. Greg was shaken up but the fact that he was able to request something for himself - for you to come and get him - is actually a hopeful sign in his recovery."
Wilson thought that was probably right. The Greg he had first met wouldn't have been able to articulate something like that, and keep insisting on it despite Nolan trying to persuade him otherwise.
"Greg has given me permission to talk about his case with you, in private. I did want to warn you to be on the look out for signs of trauma. Difficulty sleeping, any evidence that he is experiencing flashbacks or is being triggered by anything in his day to day life. Don't underestimate what the effect of retrieving his memories will be. Greg is trying to reconcile his old image of himself with the person he is now. That is going to be a difficult process for him. Some of his old memories are traumatic by their nature, without even touching the experiences he has had as a slave."
"Has he talked much about his past?" Wilson couldn't deny that he was curious about Greg's past life. He knew a little, and the little he did know was full of traumatic events. What Cuddy had told him about Greg's life in college was also intriguing.
"We talked a little but there hasn't been time to fully explore the issues. If he is willing I'd like him to continue therapy on an out-patient basis."
"At your New York office?"
Nolan nodded. "Yes, and possibly some group therapy exercises at a later stage."
"I don't want him coming here again." Wilson hadn't liked the idea of Greg staying in a psychiatric hospital in the first place; this 'incident' with the attempted suicide of a patient - who apparently had befriended him - confirmed his fears. Greg had had enough trauma in his life, he didn't need any more.
"The group therapy would also be in New York." Nolan tapped a pen on his desk and eyed Wilson. "However, that does bring us to the reason I asked to see you without Greg being here. Please sit down, Doctor Wilson."
Wilson sat in the chair in front of the desk and immediately felt uncomfortable. He'd been to a few sessions with a therapist after his third divorce but had never persisted because of just this feeling. He didn't like the idea of someone trying to dissect him mentally.
"I must admit when I first met you I was sceptical of your motives," Nolan continued. "The concept of a 'benevolent slave owner' is inherently contradictory. And yet, Greg considers you a friend - which is a remarkable thing for a slave to believe of his owner. You have also paid a considerable sum of money for Greg's treatment here, and will pay more if he agrees to out-patient therapy. So, I wonder, what is your motivation? Why are you doing all this for Greg, a slave you hadn't even met before a few months ago?"
This was why he didn't like psychiatrists.
"He had a fall at the hospital. I felt bad for him. I decided to buy him and try to help him. There's nothing else I can tell you," Wilson said in a 'reciting from rote' tone. Why did people think he had some sort of dark ulterior motive? Was trying to help a slave that unusual?
Doctor Nolan eyed him. "Hmm, I think that just tells me that you're not sure of your reasons yourself. It could be something you'd like to explore further. Greg might become more difficult to handle now that he has his memories back - and you may have to decide whether he is just your roommate, or your slave."
"He is my slave in name only. I don't treat him that way. I will never treat him that way."
"And yet you assert your preferences over his life. You said "I don't want him coming here again", but if he truly isn't your slave that is not your choice to make - it’s Greg's."
"I didn't say I wouldn't let him, just that I didn't want him to do it." Wilson felt a little defensive. Yes, sometimes he made decisions for Greg - but he practically had to in the early days, and now he felt almost protective of him. He really didn't want Greg coming here again - the whole place made him uneasy - but if Greg wanted to Wilson would let him. Just as he'd let him come here in the first place.
Nolan nodded. "I know, it's a difficult line. It's just one you should be aware of, because it may end up tripping you up. You need to be clear - both with him and yourself - just how you see him functioning in your life, and how he should see you functioning in his." He looked at his watch. "I'll call him in and we can go through the paperwork and discuss setting up therapy appointments for him."
He went to the door and poked his head out. Greg must have been in the waiting area because he came straight in. Wilson was glad to see him. He'd missed Greg's quiet presence for the last week. The apartment had seemed empty and lifeless without him.
He stood up and nodded warmly in greeting. Greg smiled slightly in return.
"Doctor Wilson, thank you for coming."
"Any time, Greg. How are you doing?"
Greg glanced at Nolan and then back at Wilson. "I am well. The memory block has been removed."
"Please sit down, Greg. We have some things to go through before you leave." Nolan waved his arm towards a comfortable chair in front of his desk. Wilson took a seat as well.
"I can still leave?" Greg asked, looking anxious. "I know it wasn't what I agreed to."
Nolan put out his hands reassuringly. "No, Greg. It's fine. Like I said to Doctor Wilson I would like you to stay, but I understand that what happened to Jeff was upsetting. You came here voluntarily; you can leave whenever you want. I would like you to consider having some private sessions with me after you leave here - like the ones we've been having. I think it would help you adjust to the memories. But that also is entirely up to you."
Greg seemed uncomfortable, shifting on his chair and glancing at Wilson. Wilson smiled encouragingly. "If you want to it's no problem."
Greg still seemed unsure. "Would I have to come back here?"
"No, to my office in New York. You don't have to decide now. Why don't you think it over and give my office a ring during the week? I think once a week to start with if you want to."
Greg nodded, still looking anxious, and they finished up the rest of the paperwork. By the time they were done Wilson was as ready to leave as Greg. Nolan opened a desk drawer and took out the remote to Greg's collar.
"You'll need this back," he said with distaste and handed it to Greg. Greg seemed startled and quickly passed it to Wilson like it was a hot potato. Wilson slipped it out of sight, after making sure it was still set to a 'no shock' level.
"Thank you, gentlemen. Greg, if you need anything anytime, you have my email, and my phone number." Nolan said, holding out his hand.
After a moment's hesitation Greg took it, shaking it firmly. "Thank you, Doctor Nolan."
In the car on the way home Wilson probed, trying to find out what the Mayfield experience had been like. Greg was quiet; watching the traffic as always, but hesitantly began to open up - talking about what the procedure to restore his memories had been like, and the daily routine of Mayfield.
"I played the piano," he said finally. "They had an old one."
"You can play the piano?" Wilson didn't know whether he was more surprised that Greg could play the piano, or that he found one to play in Mayfield.
Greg nodded. "Yes, my Mom got me lessons when I was a kid." He stopped, seeming surprised at the easy knowledge. "Wherever Dad was stationed she always made sure I had a piano somewhere I could play."
"Stationed?"
"Dad was in the marines. We moved around a lot when I was a kid. Japan, Egypt, lots of different places."
"You remember all that now?"
Greg nodded, his gaze far away.
"That's great! You can track them down now, find out where they are. Call them. Maybe we can go visit them ----"
"No." Greg said flatly.
"Not straight away, but when you've had a chance to settle back in." Greg had been apart from his family for twenty years, surely he would want to at least find out how they were?
"No, I don't want to see them."
Wilson couldn't remember when Greg had ever said a flat 'no' to any of his suggested activities before. He backed off. Not all childhood memories were happy after all. Or maybe Greg just didn't want his parents to see him as a slave. He might change his mind at some stage.
There was an uncomfortable silence for the next couple of miles and then Greg said quietly. "I was teaching Jeff to play the piano."
Jeff was the name of the patient who had tried to commit suicide, Wilson remembered.
"Doctor Nolan said he's going to be okay," he ventured.
Greg didn't say anything, instead staring out of the passenger window of the car. Wilson sighed and fished around for a change of subject.
"If you decide to go to Nolan for therapy we'll have to make the appointments Friday afternoon - I'll take off work early. You've got physical therapy on Saturdays so you can't do it then."
"You shouldn't have to leave work early for me."
Wilson shrugged. "I don't mind, it's not like I don't work enough hours anyway. Only if you want to go. Do you think it would be helpful?" Wilson hoped he would, he didn't have the skills or experience himself to help Greg adjust to his memories returning. It would do Greg good to be able to talk to someone other than him as well. Greg's world was still very small, even if he had more freedom than he had when he was at Rent-A-Slave. At least when he was there he had the other slaves to talk to if he wanted.
"I would like to go and see Doctor Nolan if I can." Greg hesitated and then continued. "Wilson, I don't want to do physical therapy anymore."
"What?" Wilson was startled; Greg hadn't said anything about it before. "I thought it was helping your leg."
"It makes it hurt a lot worse and there isn't any real improvement. At first there was a little but I think it's plateaued. The cane and the medication help a lot more."
"I really think you should..." Wilson trailed off. This was what Nolan had been talking about. Just as it was up to Greg to decide if he wanted to continue to work with Nolan, it was also up to him to decide if he wanted to do physical therapy. Wilson shouldn't be deciding for him.
"Look, it's up to you, Greg. If you don't want to go, then don't. I thought the therapy was helping though, you never said it wasn't." Wilson couldn't help a little hurt creeping into his voice. He'd been trying to do the right thing for Greg after all.
"You wanted me to do it," Greg said simply. "And of all the things that an owner has wanted me to do over the years, going to physical therapy was one of the easiest."
He was changing, Wilson realised, growing in confidence. Like Nolan had said it was a good sign that he was willing to ask for things for himself, and make his own decisions about his life. Wilson couldn't stand in his way. Maybe Greg was making a mistake by quitting therapy, but it was his mistake to make. Wilson didn't want him going just because 'his owner' thought he should.
He supposed it would save him some money anyway, as the sessions with Nolan wouldn't be cheap.
"Okay, Greg. I'll let them know you won't be coming on Saturdays anymore. Contact Nolan's office when we get home and make an appointment, either for Friday afternoon or Saturday."
"Thank you, Wilson." Greg said, resuming his study of the passing scenery.
"I got a new game while you were gone," Wilson said, hoping to lighten the conversation a little. "I've been practising so I can beat your ass when we play."
Greg smiled a little. "We'll see about that."
Wilson laughed and for the rest of the trip they talked about nothing more important than video games.
It was good to have him back.
Words: Approx 2800
Rating : PG-13
Characters : House & Wilson, Cuddy
Contains : Slavery concepts
Warnings : : Choose Not to Warn
Summary : Slave AU. Wilson encounters a disabled cleaning slave at PPTH called Greg and becomes intrigued with him. An unlikely friendship forms between the two as Wilson tries to secure a better life for Greg.
Link to story on AO3 .
Previous Chapter
Greg woke up early after a restless few hours of sleep. When he'd talked to him last night Wilson had promised to come up and get him today and take him home. He'd also offered to ring Doctor Nolan and tell him, but Greg had said he would do it himself. He needed to start taking back control of his own life. As much as he could anyway because he could never forget that he was still a slave. He touched the collar around his neck, feeling the control box that hadn't been used to punish him for months. Apart from a few remarks from hostile staff members and a couple of the patients he hadn't been treated as a slave here. He'd made a connection to Annie, and to Jeff. Like living with Wilson it had been a glimpse of what used to be normal.
The thought of Jeff had him getting up restlessly. He slipped on a pair of sweats and a t-shirt and grabbed his cane. It was early, but he wanted to stretch his legs.
He found himself making his way to Jeff's room, which was just a few doors down from his. At the door he stopped. A cleaner was inside scrubbing the hard floor clean of Jeff's blood. The bed had been stripped and Jeff's personal belongings were gone.
"Greg, you shouldn't be here," the nurse on duty had spotted him. She was one of the friendlier nurses - the one that had first allowed him to play the piano. "Come on, back to bed." She put a gentle hand on his arm. The cleaner had stopped work and was looking at them. Not a slave, Greg noted, but an older lady, her eyes tired.
"Please, may I help?" He asked the cleaner. She looked at him, noting the collar, and shrugged.
"Not up to me. The nurse said you should go back to bed."
Greg looked at the nurse. "I don't want to back to sleep. Please, let me do this."
The nurse threw up her hands. "Well, it's no skin off my nose if you want to do some cleaning. Just keep it quiet please; the other patients are still sleeping."
"Thank you." Greg knelt down, and took the scrubbing brush off the cleaner. He began to work away at the stain. The simple manual labour, something he was so used to, soothed him. Work like this was all he had known only a few months ago. His leg complained of course, but he was used to that as well, and the pain was almost comforting in its familiarity.
By the time the rest of the ward was stirring Jeff's room was clean and unmarked. No trace remained of what had happened there the night before.
"I thought you said he would be safe here!" Wilson said, pacing the room while Nolan watched him with that insufferably calm expression of his.
"He was, and he is. The procedure to remove his memory block, and the follow-up treatment we did was highly successful. Greg can now access those memories that were blocked. I had two sessions with him, and he attended a Group Therapy session and was socialising well with the other patients. I believe that it would benefit him to stay here at least another week for some more sessions but he is here voluntarily and it would be harmful to try and keep him against his will."
"One of these people he was 'socialising' with tried to commit suicide! Don't you have checks against things like that?"
"We do, but it is impossible to completely prevent such instances. The patient involved survived and he'll receive further treatment. Greg, and many of the other patients, witnessed the aftermath and we have had a group session to talk about it. Greg was shaken up but the fact that he was able to request something for himself - for you to come and get him - is actually a hopeful sign in his recovery."
Wilson thought that was probably right. The Greg he had first met wouldn't have been able to articulate something like that, and keep insisting on it despite Nolan trying to persuade him otherwise.
"Greg has given me permission to talk about his case with you, in private. I did want to warn you to be on the look out for signs of trauma. Difficulty sleeping, any evidence that he is experiencing flashbacks or is being triggered by anything in his day to day life. Don't underestimate what the effect of retrieving his memories will be. Greg is trying to reconcile his old image of himself with the person he is now. That is going to be a difficult process for him. Some of his old memories are traumatic by their nature, without even touching the experiences he has had as a slave."
"Has he talked much about his past?" Wilson couldn't deny that he was curious about Greg's past life. He knew a little, and the little he did know was full of traumatic events. What Cuddy had told him about Greg's life in college was also intriguing.
"We talked a little but there hasn't been time to fully explore the issues. If he is willing I'd like him to continue therapy on an out-patient basis."
"At your New York office?"
Nolan nodded. "Yes, and possibly some group therapy exercises at a later stage."
"I don't want him coming here again." Wilson hadn't liked the idea of Greg staying in a psychiatric hospital in the first place; this 'incident' with the attempted suicide of a patient - who apparently had befriended him - confirmed his fears. Greg had had enough trauma in his life, he didn't need any more.
"The group therapy would also be in New York." Nolan tapped a pen on his desk and eyed Wilson. "However, that does bring us to the reason I asked to see you without Greg being here. Please sit down, Doctor Wilson."
Wilson sat in the chair in front of the desk and immediately felt uncomfortable. He'd been to a few sessions with a therapist after his third divorce but had never persisted because of just this feeling. He didn't like the idea of someone trying to dissect him mentally.
"I must admit when I first met you I was sceptical of your motives," Nolan continued. "The concept of a 'benevolent slave owner' is inherently contradictory. And yet, Greg considers you a friend - which is a remarkable thing for a slave to believe of his owner. You have also paid a considerable sum of money for Greg's treatment here, and will pay more if he agrees to out-patient therapy. So, I wonder, what is your motivation? Why are you doing all this for Greg, a slave you hadn't even met before a few months ago?"
This was why he didn't like psychiatrists.
"He had a fall at the hospital. I felt bad for him. I decided to buy him and try to help him. There's nothing else I can tell you," Wilson said in a 'reciting from rote' tone. Why did people think he had some sort of dark ulterior motive? Was trying to help a slave that unusual?
Doctor Nolan eyed him. "Hmm, I think that just tells me that you're not sure of your reasons yourself. It could be something you'd like to explore further. Greg might become more difficult to handle now that he has his memories back - and you may have to decide whether he is just your roommate, or your slave."
"He is my slave in name only. I don't treat him that way. I will never treat him that way."
"And yet you assert your preferences over his life. You said "I don't want him coming here again", but if he truly isn't your slave that is not your choice to make - it’s Greg's."
"I didn't say I wouldn't let him, just that I didn't want him to do it." Wilson felt a little defensive. Yes, sometimes he made decisions for Greg - but he practically had to in the early days, and now he felt almost protective of him. He really didn't want Greg coming here again - the whole place made him uneasy - but if Greg wanted to Wilson would let him. Just as he'd let him come here in the first place.
Nolan nodded. "I know, it's a difficult line. It's just one you should be aware of, because it may end up tripping you up. You need to be clear - both with him and yourself - just how you see him functioning in your life, and how he should see you functioning in his." He looked at his watch. "I'll call him in and we can go through the paperwork and discuss setting up therapy appointments for him."
He went to the door and poked his head out. Greg must have been in the waiting area because he came straight in. Wilson was glad to see him. He'd missed Greg's quiet presence for the last week. The apartment had seemed empty and lifeless without him.
He stood up and nodded warmly in greeting. Greg smiled slightly in return.
"Doctor Wilson, thank you for coming."
"Any time, Greg. How are you doing?"
Greg glanced at Nolan and then back at Wilson. "I am well. The memory block has been removed."
"Please sit down, Greg. We have some things to go through before you leave." Nolan waved his arm towards a comfortable chair in front of his desk. Wilson took a seat as well.
"I can still leave?" Greg asked, looking anxious. "I know it wasn't what I agreed to."
Nolan put out his hands reassuringly. "No, Greg. It's fine. Like I said to Doctor Wilson I would like you to stay, but I understand that what happened to Jeff was upsetting. You came here voluntarily; you can leave whenever you want. I would like you to consider having some private sessions with me after you leave here - like the ones we've been having. I think it would help you adjust to the memories. But that also is entirely up to you."
Greg seemed uncomfortable, shifting on his chair and glancing at Wilson. Wilson smiled encouragingly. "If you want to it's no problem."
Greg still seemed unsure. "Would I have to come back here?"
"No, to my office in New York. You don't have to decide now. Why don't you think it over and give my office a ring during the week? I think once a week to start with if you want to."
Greg nodded, still looking anxious, and they finished up the rest of the paperwork. By the time they were done Wilson was as ready to leave as Greg. Nolan opened a desk drawer and took out the remote to Greg's collar.
"You'll need this back," he said with distaste and handed it to Greg. Greg seemed startled and quickly passed it to Wilson like it was a hot potato. Wilson slipped it out of sight, after making sure it was still set to a 'no shock' level.
"Thank you, gentlemen. Greg, if you need anything anytime, you have my email, and my phone number." Nolan said, holding out his hand.
After a moment's hesitation Greg took it, shaking it firmly. "Thank you, Doctor Nolan."
In the car on the way home Wilson probed, trying to find out what the Mayfield experience had been like. Greg was quiet; watching the traffic as always, but hesitantly began to open up - talking about what the procedure to restore his memories had been like, and the daily routine of Mayfield.
"I played the piano," he said finally. "They had an old one."
"You can play the piano?" Wilson didn't know whether he was more surprised that Greg could play the piano, or that he found one to play in Mayfield.
Greg nodded. "Yes, my Mom got me lessons when I was a kid." He stopped, seeming surprised at the easy knowledge. "Wherever Dad was stationed she always made sure I had a piano somewhere I could play."
"Stationed?"
"Dad was in the marines. We moved around a lot when I was a kid. Japan, Egypt, lots of different places."
"You remember all that now?"
Greg nodded, his gaze far away.
"That's great! You can track them down now, find out where they are. Call them. Maybe we can go visit them ----"
"No." Greg said flatly.
"Not straight away, but when you've had a chance to settle back in." Greg had been apart from his family for twenty years, surely he would want to at least find out how they were?
"No, I don't want to see them."
Wilson couldn't remember when Greg had ever said a flat 'no' to any of his suggested activities before. He backed off. Not all childhood memories were happy after all. Or maybe Greg just didn't want his parents to see him as a slave. He might change his mind at some stage.
There was an uncomfortable silence for the next couple of miles and then Greg said quietly. "I was teaching Jeff to play the piano."
Jeff was the name of the patient who had tried to commit suicide, Wilson remembered.
"Doctor Nolan said he's going to be okay," he ventured.
Greg didn't say anything, instead staring out of the passenger window of the car. Wilson sighed and fished around for a change of subject.
"If you decide to go to Nolan for therapy we'll have to make the appointments Friday afternoon - I'll take off work early. You've got physical therapy on Saturdays so you can't do it then."
"You shouldn't have to leave work early for me."
Wilson shrugged. "I don't mind, it's not like I don't work enough hours anyway. Only if you want to go. Do you think it would be helpful?" Wilson hoped he would, he didn't have the skills or experience himself to help Greg adjust to his memories returning. It would do Greg good to be able to talk to someone other than him as well. Greg's world was still very small, even if he had more freedom than he had when he was at Rent-A-Slave. At least when he was there he had the other slaves to talk to if he wanted.
"I would like to go and see Doctor Nolan if I can." Greg hesitated and then continued. "Wilson, I don't want to do physical therapy anymore."
"What?" Wilson was startled; Greg hadn't said anything about it before. "I thought it was helping your leg."
"It makes it hurt a lot worse and there isn't any real improvement. At first there was a little but I think it's plateaued. The cane and the medication help a lot more."
"I really think you should..." Wilson trailed off. This was what Nolan had been talking about. Just as it was up to Greg to decide if he wanted to continue to work with Nolan, it was also up to him to decide if he wanted to do physical therapy. Wilson shouldn't be deciding for him.
"Look, it's up to you, Greg. If you don't want to go, then don't. I thought the therapy was helping though, you never said it wasn't." Wilson couldn't help a little hurt creeping into his voice. He'd been trying to do the right thing for Greg after all.
"You wanted me to do it," Greg said simply. "And of all the things that an owner has wanted me to do over the years, going to physical therapy was one of the easiest."
He was changing, Wilson realised, growing in confidence. Like Nolan had said it was a good sign that he was willing to ask for things for himself, and make his own decisions about his life. Wilson couldn't stand in his way. Maybe Greg was making a mistake by quitting therapy, but it was his mistake to make. Wilson didn't want him going just because 'his owner' thought he should.
He supposed it would save him some money anyway, as the sessions with Nolan wouldn't be cheap.
"Okay, Greg. I'll let them know you won't be coming on Saturdays anymore. Contact Nolan's office when we get home and make an appointment, either for Friday afternoon or Saturday."
"Thank you, Wilson." Greg said, resuming his study of the passing scenery.
"I got a new game while you were gone," Wilson said, hoping to lighten the conversation a little. "I've been practising so I can beat your ass when we play."
Greg smiled a little. "We'll see about that."
Wilson laughed and for the rest of the trip they talked about nothing more important than video games.
It was good to have him back.