(Untitled)

[misanthrope_md]

House could have had Jack go by the clinic for him, but to be honest, as shitty as he felt he was still starting to feel very closed in by the same four walls, and besides, he wanted to give Jack a bit of a break. Every attempt to get Jack to just leave for a while had been met with resistance. So he made up something about an upswing and feeling

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[real_buzzkill]

Wilson had come in to review charts because he had nothing else to do. As soon as he saw House, he realized what was going on. God, House must have been tossing down Vicodin like there was no tomorrow. Unfortunately, tomorrow always came.

"It's happening, isn't it?" Wilson asked without a trace of I told you so. "You look like shit."

[misanthrope_md]

"Merry Christmas to you too," House muttered. "Not like it's nothing you've seen before. I found out that that little bet a couple of years ago was your idea and not Cuddy's, you know."

[real_buzzkill]

Wilson simply shrugged. "Shouldn't that be water under some bridge by now? It's not like I stopped writing for you." And House got what he wanted out of that deal, anyway.

"When did you run out?" He was trying to figure out how much worse things would get before they got better.

[misanthrope_md]

"Oh, this would be Day Three," House said. "It was a Christmas miracle."

[toshiko_san]

Tosh walked in just as he was standing, carefully holding a pot of tea. "Greg. I haven't seen you or Jack for a while. Hiding out on a private holiday celebration?" Her mouth twitched slightly as she spoke, not ev en really wanting to think about it, but knowing Jack.

[misanthrope_md]

House thought for a brief second that maybe he didn't look as bad as he'd thought... but then again, maybe to someone that pregnant, everyone else was a supermodel.

He pulled himself shakily to his feet, note grasped in one hand. "Yeah, remind me to write about this in an essay entitled How I Spent My Winter Vacation."

[toshiko_san]

She was putting down the tea when she noticed how shaky he was. It didn't take long to notice other things. "You look horrendous."

Worry had taken over, the tea forgotten. "You're ill. You should sit. Doctors truly are the worst patients."

[misanthrope_md]

"I'm not ill," said House irritably. "Don't you have an M.D.? Surely you know withdrawal when you see it."

[captainjack]

It wasn't long, but he'd tried to give House just enough time. He'd gotten new clothes for them both, took a shower and shaved and cleaned up before he came back to the clinic.

"You look like you're ready to go," he said softly.

[misanthrope_md]

"Come to escort me back?" House said bitterly when he saw Jack.

[captainjack]

"Yeah," he said calmly. "Whenever you're ready." He was tired and the tone was wearing on him, but he'd said he'd stick it out, and he was.

[misanthrope_md]

"Jack, you were supposed to be taking a fucking break," House sighed.

[purplensparkly]

"Hello, Dr. House," Trance said. She'd been in the rec room, but she'd heard the familiar step-step-click of Dr. House's walk with the cane. She gave him her normal bright smile, but her words weren't as friendly. "I hope you realize that when you feel better, you're going to be on the wrong side of my temper."

[misanthrope_md]

"Well don't hold back. I could use a good yelling match to keep my mind off of the pain."

[purplensparkly]

"Which is exactly the point," Trance said, crossing her arms across her chest. "You of all people should have known what would have happened eventually." She bit her lip softly. "It might even be too late for us to wean you off of them slowly. Maybe we could switch drugs and wean you off of that." The last was said softly to herself, musing over the possibilities.

[misanthrope_md]

"You're right, I knew exactly what was going to happen eventually. And I'm pretty sure it was worth it. And the last thing I need is to get another drug involved. Give me a week and a half and I'll be back to my cranky, pained self."

[thedoctordances]

Beverly had seen the clinic, briefly, while on her tour with Jack, but it had taken her a while to get used to things, and she wasn't really sure if she wanted to see, really. Rustic was the best term, if one was being polite.

By the time the groaning man got into the room, she had already taken stock of what was there, and was scanning the cabinet with her tricorder, analyzing the drugs, one by one. Fortunately, none of them were going to go bad anytime soon. It only took one look to tell he was used to the injury for one, and belonged there for two, so she only lifted a brow and went back to her scan.

[misanthrope_md]

When House finished scrawling his note, he stuck it up on the wall above the desk and then turned to look at the woman he'd spotted in the clinic again. Great, he was probably hallucinating now as well.

[thedoctordances]

It was an established phenomenon that humans could often feel when other people were looking at them. Someone had proven it via quantum theory at some point back in the 22nd century, but Beverly hadn't ever really thought about it much.

Except in practice

She turned, pressing the screen of her tricorder. "Can I help you?"

[misanthrope_md]

"You're new," said House flatly.