Fic : Five Times Wilson is Worried Sick

[menolly_au]

Title: Five Times Wilson Is Worried Sick (and one time he isn't)
Words: 6 drabbles of 100 words each
Rating : PG
Spoilers : Up to 7.23 Moving On
Warnings : Angst all the way through
Summary : Written for camp sick_wilson  Worried Sick Challenge.  Summary pretty much as per title :)


Danny

It's a freezing night but still he wanders the streets. Despite the cold he isn't wearing a coat and before long the icy temperature chills him to the bone. He scours the faces of the homeless people he passes, but they are strangers. As he feels his face become numb and he starts to shiver he thinks of Danny, he will be cold too, cold, hungry and scared, living on the streets. He wants to turn for home, to return to the warmth but instead he presses on into the cold, dark Princeton night, searching for his brother.


Infarction

He's with a patient when it hits him. A teenage girl, with osteosarcoma. They're going to have to amputate her leg to save her life. He's explaining the procedure to the girl and her frightened parents when he starts to tremble, throat closing up and tears welling in his eyes. He rushes out of his office and down a stairwell. As he tries to regain control, he thinks of House, in a room on this floor, undergoing an operation to removed dead muscle from his thigh. House has forbidden amputation, he could die. His friend could die.


Tritter

He lies awake and stares at the hotel room ceiling. He sees the sequence of events over again. Entering the apartment, seeing the body on the floor. Turning House over, the stoned expression, the vomit, the pills. Realising that House had stolen the pills, as desperate as any junkie on the street. Getting up and leaving him there on the floor, leaving him there. He looks at the phone, wants to snatch it up and call House, or go racing back to the apartment to check on him. Instead he stares at the ceiling and waits for dawn to come.


Amber

Amber is lying on a hospital bed, frozen in a state that is closer to death than life. Wilson walks away from her and goes to the nearest men's room. He makes it just in time, kneeling in front of the toilet as his stomach empties itself. He retches until there is nothing left inside of him, and he's a shivering shaking empty wreck on the cold tiles. He stays a moment longer, seeking refuge from the reality outside this door, the choice he has to make. Then he stands, cleans himself up and goes to find House. 


Mayfield


He holds the phone to his chest after he hangs up, telling himself he did the right thing, what he had to do to help House. House needs to be in there, he's off the Vicodin, he's coping with his new meds, he'll be fine. He doesn't need Wilson to rescue him. He closes his eyes as the familiar wave of depression crashes over him, threatening to drag him under. He makes it to his bedroom and climbs into bed fully dressed. He waits for sleep to claim him, to give him respite from his pain.


Afterwards

He's not sure why people are so concerned about him, he's fine. His broken wrist is healing, the cast is coming off soon, it will be nice to be able to use his hand again. His life is going on as normal. Cuddy is leaving the hospital, but that's fine too.  He's seeing patients, he's doing his work, going home, everything is good. They don't need to be worried about him. He doesn't miss House at all, he doesn't even think about him. It's better that way. Everything is fine.
 

Comments

[flywoman.livejournal.com]

Amber

This one is my favorite. Gut-wrenching (no pun intended).

Afterwards

It ain't just a river in Egypt, Wilson.

[menolly-au.livejournal.com]

Amber - it's just the angst that keeps on giving isn't it? I think it would have to be the most significant event in the House universe.

Thanks for reading, and thanks for the heads-up on the posting problem :)

[barefootpuddles.livejournal.com]

Very nice and powerful.

He doesn't miss House at all, he doesn't even think about him.

I love how you have Wilson manipulating even himself.

[menolly-au.livejournal.com]

I think Wilson is a master at lying to himself. Thanks for reading!

[nightdog-barks.livejournal.com]

Very nice, I like all of these. My favorite is Afterwards -- I love it. :-)

[menolly-au.livejournal.com]

Ah, thanks - I had a bit of trouble with Afterwards so I'm glad that it came across okay :)

[yarroway.livejournal.com]

I like the contrast between the first five and the sixth. The lack of worry there is scary in its implications.

[damigella-314.livejournal.com]

What you said. I might find better words when sober. But even in my currently confused state, this is awesome.

[menolly-au.livejournal.com]

I'm suprised you can type at all after all that :) Thanks!

[menolly-au.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that's what I was going for with the last one so I'm glad that came across okay. Thanks for reading!

[brindlewolf.livejournal.com]

These are ALL so wonderful ... but the last one is my favorite too. <3

[menolly-au.livejournal.com]

Thanks! Glad you liked them, I had a bit of trouble with the last one so I'm glad it worked okay for you :)

[writerdot.livejournal.com]

Wow. Yeah, I have to agree and say "Afterwards" is my favorite. Just because it's a little scary. Wilson is so far in denial there, and you've conveyed that in so few words.

Wonderfully done.

[menolly-au.livejournal.com]

Thanks! Yes, Wilson isn't in a good state of mind really (:

[taiga13.livejournal.com]

These are great, especially the last one.

[menolly-au.livejournal.com]

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed them :)

[srsly-yes.livejournal.com]

You imbue Wilson with such natural behavior and reactions to the first five tragedies, it's easy to identify with him. And then the last is uniquely Wilson which is just scary-sad. Wonderful set of drabbles.

[menolly-au.livejournal.com]

Thanks! Glad you thought his reactions were natural :) Thanks for reading!

[lifes-own-light.livejournal.com]

All of the drabbles are superb. You convey so much with so few words. They're all lovely, I can't pick a favorite. One tiny con-crit: In the Tritter drabble you have, "He likes awake and stares at the hotel room ceiling." When I think you meant, "He lies awake..."

[menolly-au.livejournal.com]

Thanks you, glad you enjoyed them. Damn typos, can't believe I missed that, thanks :)

[damigella-314.livejournal.com]

What struck me is how Wilson-y these moments are. In a sense, they're not separate from his life, but the high points of it - a life spent seeing things go totally wrong, and being powerless to change the situation. A medical career where a valuable skill is telling people they'll die.
Wilson can't find his brother, can't make sure House will survive the debridement surgery, can't help him out of Tritter or Vicodin; he can make a desperate last attempt to save Amber, and yet he hates himself for it and knows that it's unlikely to work.

That's what makes the last drabble so desperate: now he can't even imagine the problem, much less solve it. House as gone, without words, to an unnamed destination. And yet he's there, embedded in Wilson's thoughts, his office door still next to his own, the shared balcony mocking at him every day, the take out food tasting like cardboard now that he eats it alone.

[menolly-au.livejournal.com]

That's an interesting point you make about Wilson being powerless, because he often is, he couldn't stop Vogler, or Tritter, as you say he can't find his brother, he can't even keep his wives/girlfriends from leaving, he (mostly) can't make House do what he wants...

[readingrat.livejournal.com]

The structure is really interesting. There is, for one, the contrast that others have mentioned between the first five drabbles and Wilson's denial of his problems in the sixth. For another, there's a slow distancing from the problem from the first drabble to the last. In the first one Wilson doesn't give up despite his pain, by the fifth one (Mayfield) he's telling himself that his withdrawal is all for the best and in the sixth one he doesn't even realize any more that he has withdrawn from House's suffering. It's a fascinating journey along Wilson's progression into indifference and despair.

[menolly-au.livejournal.com]

For another, there's a slow distancing from the problem from the first drabble to the last

Gee, I wish I could say I did that deliberately because I see what you mean...I think even wilson would one day have to amdit defeat and I do wonder if thats where they might take the 8th season, probably not, but it would be interesting...

[jezziejay.livejournal.com]

Lovely, lovely little pieces - 'Mayfield' is my favourite - I could almost feel Wilson's loss. I often wish that canon had shown us more of Wilson at this time!

[menolly-au.livejournal.com]

Thanks, glad you liked it. I wish they'd fit in a visit from Wilson in 'Broken' - as it was it just seemed really harsh that no-one came to see him (:

[rividori.livejournal.com]

These are great and unique in their own way. I like the Tritter one. And Afterwards definitely sets the contrast.

P.S. Hope it's ok - I'm adding you to my flist. :)

[menolly-au.livejournal.com]

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed them :)

P.S. Hope it's ok - I'm adding you to my flist. :)

Yes, of course :)