| |
Listen and Learn
by Mer
The day after his divorce was finalized, James Wilson found an oddly wrapped box on his desk. The wrapping job itself was fairly standard, albeit heavy on the tape, but the choice of paper was definitely unusual. He looked closer and realised it was the agenda for the next day's department head meeting. He wondered why it had been printed out, since the most likely gift giver never bothered to attend department head meetings.
"Are you going to open it?" a voice asked from his doorway.
"Don't you ever knock?" he replied, but picked up the present and started picking at the tape.
Greg House didn't bother to respond, just tapped his cane impatiently against the floor.
"This would go a lot faster if you didn't use half a roll of scotch tape," Wilson complained, peeling back a strip.
"You know, I deliberately chose a useless piece of paper so that you could break free of your obsessive carefulness and tear it open."
"Maybe I don't want to tear it," Wilson muttered, freeing one end of the package. He looked up and grinned at House. "Saves me having to print out the agenda myself." He successfully split the seam and pulled the box out. It was an iPod Nano. Or at least the box was. It wasn't sealed, so it could be anything - or at least anything the size of a Nano or smaller. He opened the box. It was a Nano. He looked up at House, confusion and delight at war on his features. "Is this for me?"
House picked up the discarded memo and looked at the recipient line. "Well, it could be for Taylor in Orthopaedics or Peevey in Paediatrics, or one of our other esteemed colleagues, but it was on your desk, so I'm guessing it's for you."
"Why?" Wilson asked. He could count on one hand the number of presents House had given him over the years. Most of them had fallen into the gag gift category. Including the last wedding present.
"Do I have to have a reason?" House replied, a deceptive look of innocence on his face. Wilson knew House had never been innocent.
"Most people do."
"Ah yes, well that would explain the spectacular failure of those foreign chocolates. The why of it must have made her guilty enough to confess all. Or at least want to put you out of your misery."
Wilson stared down at the iPod, unable to meet House's eyes. He swallowed heavily and concentrated on keeping his lips in a tight, even line. He didn't think he was fooling House, but he also didn't think the other man would call him on it. "What did you do?" he said, trying for nonchalance. "Mug one of your clinic patients for this?"
"Nope. Stole it from Chase's locker. He really needs to change his combination."
Wilson chuckled and looked up. "Does that mean it's filled with boy bands and techno crap?"
House shrugged. "See for yourself." He twirled his cane nonchalantly, which meant he was anything but.
The songs were organized into two playlists: Love Sucks and Wilson. The former, he knew, was a CD in House's collection - a compilation of anti-love songs that had taken up almost permanent rotation in the CD player during the time Wilson had slept on House's couch. It was apparently House's idea of commiseration. He opened the second playlist and scrolled through the songs, a surprised smile spreading across his face. It contained all his favourite songs, even the ones House had mocked him mercilessly over. Some of them he had only mentioned once, in drunken conversations, years before. He couldn't believe House had remembered them, much less taken the time to track them all down.
"Jesus, House," he exclaimed. "I don't know what to say. This is..." He shook his head, overwhelmed.
House shrugged, just a glimmer of a pleased smile twitching the corner of his mouth. He tapped his cane on the floor, this time with finality and started for the door. "Well, since you seem incapable of learning from your mistakes, I thought I'd better give you a hand," he said. "The next time one of those nurses makes doe eyes at you, I want you to remember two things. One: Marriage breaks your heart and strips your bank account."
Wilson waited, but that was apparently all House had to say on the subject. "What's the second?"
House paused, his hand already on the doorknob. For a second Wilson thought he'd just leave without replying, but then he turned back and looked at Wilson. "No woman will ever know you as well as I do." He opened the door and left before Wilson could reply.
No reply was necessary, really. Wilson put the earphones in, leaned back in his chair and pressed play.
Please post a comment on this story.
Legal Disclaimer: The authors published here make no claims on the ownership of Dr. Gregory House and the other fictional residents of Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital. Like the television show House (and quite possibly Dr. Wilson's pocket protector), they are the property of NBC/Universal, David Shore and undoubtedly other individuals of whom I am only peripherally aware. The fan fiction authors published here receive no monetary benefit from their work and intend no copyright infringement nor slight to the actual owners. We love the characters and we love the show, otherwise we wouldn't be here.
|
|
|