Ficlet : False Hope

[menolly_au]

Title: False Hope
Characters: House & Wilson
Rating: PG
Spoilers: For the Tritter arc
Words Aprox 400
Summary: Set during the Tritter arc in the third season, Wilson is surprised to see House in his office.


Written for the Turn Back the Hands of Time Challenge (season 3/4 Wilson)



Wilson was working away quietly at his desk, doing paperwork because he couldn't see patients, when there was a soft knock on his office door. He called out 'come in' while grabbing another report off the stack on his desk.

House entered quietly, and closed the door behind him. He sat down opposite Wilson without saying anything.

Wilson sighed, he'd been arguing with House ever since he'd bailed him out of jail. Things had finally come to a head when Tritter had all of Wilson's bank accounts frozen, his car impounded and his prescription privileges suspended. Wilson was living on peanut butter sandwiches, taking the bus to and from work and had transferred all his patients to other doctors, while House ignored the whole problem, presumably hoping that if he stuck his head in the sand long enough Tritter would go away.

"House, if you're here to yell at me, or tell me I'm wrong, then leave. It's been a long day." Wilson rubbed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, he could feel a headache coming on.

"I came to apologize," House said quietly.

Wilson stared at him, lost for words. House never apologized, for anything. House rarely admitted to having been at fault for anything either.

"I shouldn't have forged your signature on my prescriptions, or asked you to lie about it. I should have gone to Tritter when he went after you and apologized and tried to work something out. I haven't taken into consideration anything you've been going through, or how hard this has been on you. I'm very sorry, Wilson."

Wilson blinked a couple of times in surprise and then smiled, a wave of happiness going through him, finally he was getting through to House. They were going to work this mess out.

House put out his hand to shake and in a daze Wilson took it.

"You're a good friend, Wilson, and I'm very grateful for everything you've ever done for me. I need to stop taking you for granted." House said in that same quiet tone.

Wilson blinked and then jerked in surprise. He was alone, his office was empty, the chair opposite his desk unoccupied, the door was shut. Between one breath and the next House had disappeared.

He was hallucinating.

Comments

[jahmat.livejournal.com]

Ouch! That one hurt! I knew from the title that whatever happened wouldn't end well for somebody, but I fell for apologetic!house anyway. I was so hopeful. *silly me*

Great, angsty fic!

By the way, thank you for friending me. : ) I said it at your LJ but you can never thank your friends enough - Are you listening, House? ; )

[menolly-au.livejournal.com]

Yeah - the title sort of gives it away, I should come up with something else but I find titles sooooo hard :) Normally I go for something prosaic like - 'Hallucination' but that would *really* give it away :)

You're welcome :)

[yarroway.livejournal.com]

Just heart-wrenching.

Any chance you'll expand this at some point?

[menolly-au.livejournal.com]

Any chance you'll expand this at some point?

Funny you should say that because I had a bit more but ending it after that bit felt even more unfinished than ending it after this bit. But anyway, if you're interested this is what I had.

--------------------------------------------------------------

He felt his heart rate quicken and the headache that had been lurking all day came down with a vengeance. He rubbed at his eyes, still no-one there.

Moving purely on instinct he got up and left the office, heading towards the conference room. As he approached he could see House in his office, feet up on the desk, lollipop in his mouth, reading some trashy magazine. House looked up, a frown on his face as Wilson entered his office.

"Well? Come to yell at me some more?" He asked impatiently. "I don't want to hear it."

Wilson tried to say something but nothing came out.

"You just come to stand in the doorway and stare at me? You look like you've seen a ghost. Did one of your baldies scare you?"

"House... I need you. I'm..."

House got up and came towards him until he was standing right in front of him.

"Wilson?"

"I'm hallucinating, House." Wilson said. "I need your help."

House's eyes widened as he looked at him and then he nodded and then he waved to the Eames chair in the corner of the office. "Sit down, I'll call the troops."

Wilson sat down shakily, closing his eyes as he listened to House on the phone, calling his fellows back to the office. He felt a light touch on his shirt and opened his eyes, looking up to see House looking down at him.

"I'm getting you in for some scans. We'll work out what this is, Wilson."

"Thanks," Wilson said. House nodded firmly.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[yarroway.livejournal.com]

I wonder what would have happened with the whole Tritter thing if Wilson were hallucinating.

[menolly-au.livejournal.com]

Well, in my head House realises that Wilson is so stressed out he's hallucinating and he faces up to the charges against him, makes some sort of deal with Tritter and sorts things out with Wilson :)

[barefootpuddles.livejournal.com]

Ohhhh, poor Wilson. But that is exactly what too much paperwork gets you! ;P

[menolly-au.livejournal.com]

All that writing, writing, writing that Wilson does - poor guy needs to get out more :)

Thanks for reading :)

[jezziejay.livejournal.com]

This is my favourite season of House, and I love being brought back to it. And I also love fics with a little spooky element to them - so this was win/win for me!

[menolly-au.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I think the third was my favourite too (although it's a close call between that and 1 & 2, I've seen all those episodes heaps of times, the other seasons not so much)

Glad you enjoyed it, thanks for reading :)

[sassyjumper.livejournal.com]

Well, between the title and House being "quiet" the whole time, I was pretty sure it wasn't really happening! But the ending still had a bite. So...good job!

[menolly-au.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I really should have come up with a better title for this but I just went blank :) Glad the ending still worked for you, thanks for reading :)

[srsly-yes.livejournal.com]

Loved part 1 and you made my evening with part 2. As angry as they were with each other in the Tritter arc, Wilson could come to House for a medical emergency, and House would drop anything to help Wilson.

[menolly-au.livejournal.com]

Thanks, glad you liked it :) I can't see House ignoring Wilson for a serious problem like this.

[damigella-314.livejournal.com]

The fic is beautiful as is, but the addendum drives me crazy. what's going on? What is Wilson's problem? Will House ever find out what Wilson was hallucinating about, and if so, with what effect?
Or was Wilson really hallucinating? I think I want House to acknowledge the truth as much as Wlson does.
Great job anyway.

[menolly-au.livejournal.com]

That's why i didn't include the extra part - because it would really launch it into a whole story and I didn't have time for that. Maybe I might get back to it but I'd have to figure out why he was hallucinating :)