House Nanofic: Patient X
Feb. 25th, 2012 05:52 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
nightdog_barksWritten as a comment-fic for the ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
house_wilson topic, 'Come up with your worst endings for House.' House, Blythe, OCs. Un-betaed, 383 words. No spoilers, no warnings. PG-13.
Patient X
He swims to the light, to consciousness, forces his eyes to open, unwilling as they are. What the hell had he had to drink last night? Too much of whatever it was, obviously. Probably something Wilson wanted him to try -- something artisanal, again. Arsenic, more like it.
"Wilzhnn," he mumbles. Bright eyes look back at him, but it's not Wilson -- these eyes are brown, but they're lighter in color, almost amber. And the voice ...
"Oh, honey, you're awake! You're really awake this time!"
He squints. The face comes into focus.
"Mom?" House says.
His mother beams at him. There are other people in the room, fussing people, nurses and techs and doctors he doesn't recognize crowding around his bed.
"You're at Fairhaven, sweetheart? Do you remember Fairhaven? Do you remember coming here? Oh, it's been so long!"
"He's not going to remember anything for a while, Mrs. House," one of the nurses says.
House looks around. Fairhaven? It's not Princeton-Plainsboro, that's for sure -- no glass doors, an easy chair in the corner, a couple of crappy Rockwell reproductions hanging on the wall.
"Mom," House says again. "What ... "
"You were in an accident, sir," another nurse says. "You sustained some serious injuries."
"Where's Wilson?" House says. He's trying to sit up, but it's hard and his arms don't want to support him. "Wilson -- "
"Sir, calm down. You rest just a minute and Dr. Peters will be here to talk to you." The nurse turns to Blythe, takes her elbow. "Maybe you should wait outside, Mrs. House."
"No," House says. "I want to see Wilson. Doctor Wilson!"
"Sir," the nurse says, "please calm down."
"Wilson," House says. "Where's Wilson?" He's aware his voice is rising but he doesn't care.
"Who's Wilson?" Blythe asks. House stares at her.
"I don't know, ma'am," the harried nurse replies. "If you could just wait outside -- "
"All right," Blythe says. "All right. Could I just leave this here so I don't forget later?" She pulls something from her purse, something round and clear, set in a blue plastic base. "It goes with his other one."
None of this is right. This isn't PPTH. This isn't even a hospital. Slowly, reluctantly, House turns his head. There it is, on his nightstand.
A snowglobe.
~ fin
ETA that a continuation of this story byblackmare is in the first comment, here. :-D
house_wilson topic, 'Come up with your worst endings for House.' House, Blythe, OCs. Un-betaed, 383 words. No spoilers, no warnings. PG-13.Patient X
He swims to the light, to consciousness, forces his eyes to open, unwilling as they are. What the hell had he had to drink last night? Too much of whatever it was, obviously. Probably something Wilson wanted him to try -- something artisanal, again. Arsenic, more like it.
"Wilzhnn," he mumbles. Bright eyes look back at him, but it's not Wilson -- these eyes are brown, but they're lighter in color, almost amber. And the voice ...
"Oh, honey, you're awake! You're really awake this time!"
He squints. The face comes into focus.
"Mom?" House says.
His mother beams at him. There are other people in the room, fussing people, nurses and techs and doctors he doesn't recognize crowding around his bed.
"You're at Fairhaven, sweetheart? Do you remember Fairhaven? Do you remember coming here? Oh, it's been so long!"
"He's not going to remember anything for a while, Mrs. House," one of the nurses says.
House looks around. Fairhaven? It's not Princeton-Plainsboro, that's for sure -- no glass doors, an easy chair in the corner, a couple of crappy Rockwell reproductions hanging on the wall.
"Mom," House says again. "What ... "
"You were in an accident, sir," another nurse says. "You sustained some serious injuries."
"Where's Wilson?" House says. He's trying to sit up, but it's hard and his arms don't want to support him. "Wilson -- "
"Sir, calm down. You rest just a minute and Dr. Peters will be here to talk to you." The nurse turns to Blythe, takes her elbow. "Maybe you should wait outside, Mrs. House."
"No," House says. "I want to see Wilson. Doctor Wilson!"
"Sir," the nurse says, "please calm down."
"Wilson," House says. "Where's Wilson?" He's aware his voice is rising but he doesn't care.
"Who's Wilson?" Blythe asks. House stares at her.
"I don't know, ma'am," the harried nurse replies. "If you could just wait outside -- "
"All right," Blythe says. "All right. Could I just leave this here so I don't forget later?" She pulls something from her purse, something round and clear, set in a blue plastic base. "It goes with his other one."
None of this is right. This isn't PPTH. This isn't even a hospital. Slowly, reluctantly, House turns his head. There it is, on his nightstand.
A snowglobe.
~ fin
ETA that a continuation of this story by
blackmare is in the first comment, here. :-D
no subject
Date: 2012-02-26 12:16 am (UTC)__________
"I'm sorry, who is this again?" He wanted to ask how the guy got this number -- his cell -- but there were too many ways that could have happened.
"Name's House. Apparently we haven't met."
"Ohhhhkaaaay. What can I do for you, ah ... House?"
"Need a consult. Possible brain tumors."
"Who's the patient?"
"Me."
"Ah. I, uh ... could fit you in on --"
"You don't get it. I'm already in the hospital; just not your hospital. Not exactly mobile, unless you get me transferred."
"I'm not your doctor; I'm not sure I can."
"You can. You can talk anyone into anything."
"You ... don't know that."
"I've heard things. You want to know what I've heard, get me transferred."
"This is bizarre. I don't even know who you are. Can you give me any good reason to just do this?"
"Because you're good at what you do, and I need you." There was a moment's silence at the other end of the line. "And because you like me."
"Have the staff there send me your file," he said, instead of hanging up the way he should have. This guy sounded crazy. "I'll take a look. I can't promise you anything."
"See? You like me."
"I think you're insane," Wilson said, and wondered at himself because he never talked this way to patients. He never talked this way to anyone.
"Same thing," said House. "See you soon."
He hung up without saying goodbye, and Wilson would later realize it didn't even seem odd.
no subject
Date: 2012-02-26 12:26 am (UTC):-D
:-D
:-D
no subject
Date: 2012-02-26 12:33 am (UTC)The idea that the end is really the beginning is very happy-making. :)
no subject
Date: 2012-02-26 12:41 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-02-26 02:17 am (UTC)Looking at that link you posted to best and worst TV series endings made me remember the ending of Dallas. An angel shows JR Ewing what would have happened to his loved ones if he hadn't been born, an It's a Wonderful Life reboot, except at the end the angel is revealed to really be the devil. It urges JR to shoot himself, there's a shot, JR's brother Bobby runs into the room and says "oh, God", and that's it - the viewe didn't know if JR had shot himself or not. (There was a TV movie years later that answered the question: no, he didn't.) Anyway, the interesting part is that in DallasJR was the villian and his brother Bobby was The Good Guy. The devil showed JR that if he'd never been born, Bobby would have been a wastrel. An irresponsible gambling addict unable to support his family. It was opposing JR that turned Bobby the white knight.
I bring this up because years ago I remember Hugh Laurie talking about how he'd like to end the series with House having to reckon with the things he's done, determine if on balance he's been a force for good. In a Dallas ending, what would Wilson be like if he'd never met House? What would Cuddy be like? I don't think the latter would have been different, but Wilson I don't know. He's so screwed up he may have self-destructed without House watching his back all those years. I like the idea that being Wilson's friend is on the Good side of House's scales, a positive contribution to the universe.
no subject
Date: 2012-02-26 05:06 pm (UTC)I would love this ending. It would validate Wilson's line from "Merry Little Christmas": Wilson: He saves lives, people that no one else can save and no matter how much of an ass he is, statistically House is a positive force in the universe. Pills let him do that. I'd love to see some sort of hallucinated trial, perhaps.
Also, thirding Taiga's echo. Nightdog, you and Mare are awesome!
no subject
Date: 2012-02-27 07:08 pm (UTC)And a hallucinated trial would totally work. It has precedent, too, in both movies and TV!