Fic : Thirty Days of Solitary 5/30
Jul. 1st, 2012 10:02 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
menolly_auTitle: Thirty Days of Solitary 5/30
Characters: House with small bits of Wilson, Foreman, Adams, Chase, Cuddy, Park and Taub
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: For everything up to and including Twenty Vicodins
Words:
Summary: House was sentenced to thirty days of solitary confinement for his actions in Twenty Vicodins. This is the story of his time in solitary, and what was happening back at PPTH while he was there. Story will mainly focus on House, but there are segments featuring the rest of the cast. Starts just before the end of Twenty Vicodins.
A/N : Many, many thanks to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
damigella_314. Without her constant help and encouragement this story would be called 'Five Days of Solitary'.
Click for previous part
Day 5 Tuesday 11th October 2011
When they come for him he thinks it must be for a shower, or exercise, although it's not time for either of those. He's learnt that in prison there is routine, but the routine is often disrupted when staffing schedules or other concerns interrupt. If there will be insufficient officers to take him for a shower tomorrow he will go today, at their convenience. If they don't have time to take him for exercise then they won't. The 'rights' of a prisoner are very tenuous indeed.
He only suspects that this is for a different reason when they enter an elevator. The guards tell him to face the wall and he does so, they leave their hands on his cuffed arms the whole time. As the elevator descends his heart rate quickens, he's helpless; they could do anything they want with him. There's silence in the elevator and he knows their entire focus is on him. He's relieved when the elevator stops and he's led along another blank, white walled corridor.
He is taken to a small room, and then cuffed to a chair in the empty room, the leg shackles are left on. A plastic barrier separates one half of the table from the other. The guards check his bonds and then retreat, ignoring his question as to why he is here. He relaxes slightly once the guards leave. Obviously he is here for a visit of some sort. He dares to hope, just for one moment, that it might be Wilson. Even a finger waggling lecture from Wilson would be welcome now.
When the door opens and a stranger enters he sighs silently, this guy is a lawyer; he might as well have it stamped on his forehead for how obvious it is. The guy is young, and a little nervous, his eyes flick to the cuffs on House's wrist.
Once reassured that House can't so much as scratch his nose if he wants to, let along jump over the table and assault him the lawyer sits down and launches straight into business.
There's a litany of charges they want to press against him, not limited to possession of drugs (with intent to distribute given the quantity he had), assault, unlawful detention of prison staff and incitement to riot.
The lawyer tells him he can go to court and fight the charges, possibly ending up with another three years jail time, if not more, or plead out and get eight months. He's here to get his 'clients' consent to the plea. He presents it as if it's an easy decision, what's another eight months in prison after all?
House sits across from him, slumped in his chair, wearing his bright orange jumpsuit, designed to mark him out as one of the 'worst of the worst', deserving of being locked away from most forms of human contact for some unspecified period of time. For a moment he stares at the lawyer, after five days in almost total isolation this sudden burst of activity and conversation is almost surreal.
"I saved that guy's life. It was a perfectly valid medical procedure; I would have done the same thing in my hospital."
"Look, Greg... "
"Call me House."
The lawyer sighs and glances at his watch but complies. "Look, House, this isn't your hospital. You're an inmate here, not a doctor. These people don't care that you saved his life, all they care about is that you disrupted the prison - they're pinning the riot on you as well - and defied direct orders, corrupted one of their doctors, causing her to be fired, and embarrassed both the medical staff and the guards. Sure, you could go to court and fight the charges, point out to a jury that you saved a life. Except the jury doesn't care about you, you're in prison already, you must be scum. Do you have any idea how jury trials work in the case of someone charged with additional crimes while in prison? The acquittal rate is extremely low."
"But not zero."
"No, it's not zero, but it’s damn close to it. Do you want to take the chance of serving another three years or more when you could get by with eight months?" The lawyer shuffles some papers," there's also one other thing you should know, they have a case against Doctor Adams. They strongly implied that if you take the deal they won't proceed any further with it. From what I've seen she could be charged with aiding a prisoner in unlawful actions, and if they can prove she supplied the Vicodin you threw around she could lose her license, or even go to jail herself. "
"She didn't supply it," House says firmly. Everybody lies after all.
The young lawyer shrugs, glancing at his watch again, House figures he has somewhere else to go, too bad, House doesn't.
"So I take this deal, they lay off Adams and I get another eight months in Chez New Jersey State Prison. Great.” He thinks it over and shrugs. “Okay, I'll sell my soul – why not." He came back to the US fully prepared to serve whatever jail time they decided he should have, no reason to let go of that agenda now. He might not feel guilty of these additional charges but nothing can change what he did to Cuddy. Nothing. Eight more months will mean nothing in the long run.
The lawyer smiles, relieved that his client isn't proving difficult and he can get on with his life. "Okay, you'll go before a judge, probably in a couple of weeks, make your plea and that's that."
It isn't until his lawyer is pushing away from the table that House remembers the really important issue.
"When do I get out of solitary?" he asks. "Not that I'm not enjoying getting away from psychotic roommates and Nazi gangs wanting to kill me," he says, trying not to sound pathetically desperate. Five days, that's all he's done and he's begging to be sent back to gen pop, as if it were some sort of nirvana.
The lawyer shrugs, he doesn't even pause in the act of gathering all his important papers together. "That's an administrative matter, not a legal one. Solely up to the warden. You get out when they say you get out. A month at least usually."
He buzzes to be let out and he's gone, another case neatly disposed of, another eight months of House's life wiped away.
House is taken back to his cell and when the door slams shut and the cuffs are removed he slumps down on the floor, back against the door, staring at walls he's already memorised
Lisa Cuddy puts Rachel to bed, running a hand over her sleeping daughter's hair, Rachel smiles in her sleep at the touch. Cuddy quietly, very quietly, backs out of the room and closes the door. She breathes a sigh as she looked around the apartment, there is evidence of Rachel's busy day everywhere, toys on the floor, books piled on the coffee table, and her drawings pinned up on the cork board. Deciding to take some time for herself before tackling the debris she pours herself a glass of wine and sits down on the couch, opening her laptop to check her email.
There is an email from Wilson and she reads it quickly. She is glad that Wilson is still keeping in touch. She knows he felt abandoned by her moving so quickly, leaving him alone to deal with the 'House incident' fall out. He had thought she was making an impulsive decision that she would regret, but she'd been considering offers from other hospitals ever since her breakup with House. She'd known that it would be difficult to keep working with him, both for him and for her. It wasn't that she had wanted to move, it was just a better option than staying. When he'd crashed his car into her house she'd wanted nothing more than to make a clean break from the whole situation. She doesn't regret moving at all, and her new hospital is a challenge for her. She is bringing it out of its former state of chaos. It isn't a well know hospital yet, but it will be, she is going to see to that.
Wilson writes that he is doing well, the hospital is doing well, and how are Rachel and Cuddy? Just normal, safe stuff. He never mentions House and she doesn't know if he is in contact with him or not, whether he's visited him in prison. She doesn't want to know. That is for Wilson to decide for himself, whether he wants to still be friends with House. She knows the role she now represents in Wilson's life – she is another Stacy. If he keeps up a friendship with House he'll keep House and her in different boxes in his life, Wilson is good at doing that. He's had plenty of practice.
Click for next part
Characters: House with small bits of Wilson, Foreman, Adams, Chase, Cuddy, Park and Taub
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: For everything up to and including Twenty Vicodins
Words:
Summary: House was sentenced to thirty days of solitary confinement for his actions in Twenty Vicodins. This is the story of his time in solitary, and what was happening back at PPTH while he was there. Story will mainly focus on House, but there are segments featuring the rest of the cast. Starts just before the end of Twenty Vicodins.
A/N : Many, many thanks to
damigella_314. Without her constant help and encouragement this story would be called 'Five Days of Solitary'. Click for previous part
Day 5 Tuesday 11th October 2011
When they come for him he thinks it must be for a shower, or exercise, although it's not time for either of those. He's learnt that in prison there is routine, but the routine is often disrupted when staffing schedules or other concerns interrupt. If there will be insufficient officers to take him for a shower tomorrow he will go today, at their convenience. If they don't have time to take him for exercise then they won't. The 'rights' of a prisoner are very tenuous indeed.
He only suspects that this is for a different reason when they enter an elevator. The guards tell him to face the wall and he does so, they leave their hands on his cuffed arms the whole time. As the elevator descends his heart rate quickens, he's helpless; they could do anything they want with him. There's silence in the elevator and he knows their entire focus is on him. He's relieved when the elevator stops and he's led along another blank, white walled corridor.
He is taken to a small room, and then cuffed to a chair in the empty room, the leg shackles are left on. A plastic barrier separates one half of the table from the other. The guards check his bonds and then retreat, ignoring his question as to why he is here. He relaxes slightly once the guards leave. Obviously he is here for a visit of some sort. He dares to hope, just for one moment, that it might be Wilson. Even a finger waggling lecture from Wilson would be welcome now.
When the door opens and a stranger enters he sighs silently, this guy is a lawyer; he might as well have it stamped on his forehead for how obvious it is. The guy is young, and a little nervous, his eyes flick to the cuffs on House's wrist.
Once reassured that House can't so much as scratch his nose if he wants to, let along jump over the table and assault him the lawyer sits down and launches straight into business.
There's a litany of charges they want to press against him, not limited to possession of drugs (with intent to distribute given the quantity he had), assault, unlawful detention of prison staff and incitement to riot.
The lawyer tells him he can go to court and fight the charges, possibly ending up with another three years jail time, if not more, or plead out and get eight months. He's here to get his 'clients' consent to the plea. He presents it as if it's an easy decision, what's another eight months in prison after all?
House sits across from him, slumped in his chair, wearing his bright orange jumpsuit, designed to mark him out as one of the 'worst of the worst', deserving of being locked away from most forms of human contact for some unspecified period of time. For a moment he stares at the lawyer, after five days in almost total isolation this sudden burst of activity and conversation is almost surreal.
"I saved that guy's life. It was a perfectly valid medical procedure; I would have done the same thing in my hospital."
"Look, Greg... "
"Call me House."
The lawyer sighs and glances at his watch but complies. "Look, House, this isn't your hospital. You're an inmate here, not a doctor. These people don't care that you saved his life, all they care about is that you disrupted the prison - they're pinning the riot on you as well - and defied direct orders, corrupted one of their doctors, causing her to be fired, and embarrassed both the medical staff and the guards. Sure, you could go to court and fight the charges, point out to a jury that you saved a life. Except the jury doesn't care about you, you're in prison already, you must be scum. Do you have any idea how jury trials work in the case of someone charged with additional crimes while in prison? The acquittal rate is extremely low."
"But not zero."
"No, it's not zero, but it’s damn close to it. Do you want to take the chance of serving another three years or more when you could get by with eight months?" The lawyer shuffles some papers," there's also one other thing you should know, they have a case against Doctor Adams. They strongly implied that if you take the deal they won't proceed any further with it. From what I've seen she could be charged with aiding a prisoner in unlawful actions, and if they can prove she supplied the Vicodin you threw around she could lose her license, or even go to jail herself. "
"She didn't supply it," House says firmly. Everybody lies after all.
The young lawyer shrugs, glancing at his watch again, House figures he has somewhere else to go, too bad, House doesn't.
"So I take this deal, they lay off Adams and I get another eight months in Chez New Jersey State Prison. Great.” He thinks it over and shrugs. “Okay, I'll sell my soul – why not." He came back to the US fully prepared to serve whatever jail time they decided he should have, no reason to let go of that agenda now. He might not feel guilty of these additional charges but nothing can change what he did to Cuddy. Nothing. Eight more months will mean nothing in the long run.
The lawyer smiles, relieved that his client isn't proving difficult and he can get on with his life. "Okay, you'll go before a judge, probably in a couple of weeks, make your plea and that's that."
It isn't until his lawyer is pushing away from the table that House remembers the really important issue.
"When do I get out of solitary?" he asks. "Not that I'm not enjoying getting away from psychotic roommates and Nazi gangs wanting to kill me," he says, trying not to sound pathetically desperate. Five days, that's all he's done and he's begging to be sent back to gen pop, as if it were some sort of nirvana.
The lawyer shrugs, he doesn't even pause in the act of gathering all his important papers together. "That's an administrative matter, not a legal one. Solely up to the warden. You get out when they say you get out. A month at least usually."
He buzzes to be let out and he's gone, another case neatly disposed of, another eight months of House's life wiped away.
House is taken back to his cell and when the door slams shut and the cuffs are removed he slumps down on the floor, back against the door, staring at walls he's already memorised
Lisa Cuddy puts Rachel to bed, running a hand over her sleeping daughter's hair, Rachel smiles in her sleep at the touch. Cuddy quietly, very quietly, backs out of the room and closes the door. She breathes a sigh as she looked around the apartment, there is evidence of Rachel's busy day everywhere, toys on the floor, books piled on the coffee table, and her drawings pinned up on the cork board. Deciding to take some time for herself before tackling the debris she pours herself a glass of wine and sits down on the couch, opening her laptop to check her email.
There is an email from Wilson and she reads it quickly. She is glad that Wilson is still keeping in touch. She knows he felt abandoned by her moving so quickly, leaving him alone to deal with the 'House incident' fall out. He had thought she was making an impulsive decision that she would regret, but she'd been considering offers from other hospitals ever since her breakup with House. She'd known that it would be difficult to keep working with him, both for him and for her. It wasn't that she had wanted to move, it was just a better option than staying. When he'd crashed his car into her house she'd wanted nothing more than to make a clean break from the whole situation. She doesn't regret moving at all, and her new hospital is a challenge for her. She is bringing it out of its former state of chaos. It isn't a well know hospital yet, but it will be, she is going to see to that.
Wilson writes that he is doing well, the hospital is doing well, and how are Rachel and Cuddy? Just normal, safe stuff. He never mentions House and she doesn't know if he is in contact with him or not, whether he's visited him in prison. She doesn't want to know. That is for Wilson to decide for himself, whether he wants to still be friends with House. She knows the role she now represents in Wilson's life – she is another Stacy. If he keeps up a friendship with House he'll keep House and her in different boxes in his life, Wilson is good at doing that. He's had plenty of practice.
Click for next part
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no subject
Date: 2012-07-01 06:19 am (UTC)I also like what is going on with everyone else while House is in prison. Once the show returned House it seemed the show didn't really go into that much. People were just new or shuffled or gone, but no real deep back story to the characters we loved previously (or ridiculous back story only like Taub's).
no subject
Date: 2012-07-02 04:25 am (UTC)Thanks for reading, glad you're enjoying the bits showing what is going on at PPTH - I figured it would at least make a contrast to the depressing events at the prison :)
no subject
Date: 2012-07-01 05:38 pm (UTC)tailkinker, go away and write your own fics. Now. :).
Yet of course this is one of the themes here, that jail means deprivation of all kinds of basic rights (I think it happens in many countries, certainly in mine).
The part which is sadder in this story is that the incentive to plead guilty is apparently a not too rare feature of the US justice, not just in the good way (as in House pleading guilty for sriving into Cuddy's place) but like here, when he's basically blackmailed, with the additional hint that if he doesn't he'll put Adams in peril.
Cuddy enjoying the security she now can give Rachel, thinking back with calm without regretti her choice to leave POTH, and keeping in touch with Wilson is so near reality, and very comforting. It's a shame that LE and tptb had some kind of fallout, because I would have enjoyed little snippets like this (and I'm pretty sure Cuddy would have made much more sense than Cameron in the finale hallucinating sequence).
PS reading this now, with the extra meaning those eight months will have, is extra heartbreaking.
no subject
Date: 2012-07-02 04:27 am (UTC)The eight months didn't seem like that big a deal for House at the time, but as it happens... he did pay a hefty price indeed for his actions in saving Nick's life.
no subject
Date: 2012-07-02 12:35 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-07-02 04:27 am (UTC)