Unexpected Comfort - (35 Parts)

[ID2006]

I love this. I also really liked this section - that as soon as Wilson's up to it he's caring for/ noticing House.

[aggedy_ann]

I love this. I also really liked this section - that as soon as Wilson's up to it he's caring for/ noticing House.

Unfortunately, Wilson didn't feel better for long, Poor guy.

Part 9:

House noticed the next morning when he got up to leave that Wilson was out cold on the couch. Sighing as he realized that yesterday had simply been a reprieve for Wilson, he slipped out of the apartment as silently as possible, not wanting to wake him. He walked as quickly as possible to his car, pulling his jacket tighter around him as it seemed colder than the day before. But then, that Was March for you. Arriving at the hospital and his office, he scrawled himself a note reminding him to pick up some more cold medicine and groceries on his way home. Cameron had plans to go out of town for a long weekend, so she and Chase had switched the covering of Wilson’s clinic hours. After his team meeting, the two of them headed down the hall to the Clinic. He made it through his clinic hours despite the fact that he was tired and felt like he was in a daze. Taking care of Wilson (and Wilson’s moods) must be harder than he remembered. Either that or it was getting harder the older he became. Fortunately, Cameron was too excited about her trip home to notice that he was quieter than usual.

He was thrilled when clinic duty was finally over since it seemed twice as long as usual. Waving goodbye to Cameron, he headed for his car. After restocking on cold supplies for Wilson and some more food, he drove back to the apartment. Quietly, he put the groceries away before heading to the living room to wake his sleeping roommate. “Wilson…Wilson, wake up.” He shook the younger man until Wilson made an incoherent grumble.

“What?” Wilson whined.

“Have you been awake at all today?” House asked, noticing that the table looked pretty much the same as when he had left that morning.

“Do.” Wilson sniffled, reaching for the tissues. “Dot really.” He paused to blow his nose. “I woke up to use the bathroom but went straight back here.”

“Did you take any cold medicine?” Wilson shook his head. “Your antibiotic?” House’s response to Wilson shaking his head was a long, aggravated sigh. “You know you won’t get better if you don’t take the medication. You Did go to medical school right? Or did you just skip the day where they explained medication?”

“I forgot.” Wilson sniffled, reaching for more tissues. “Hihhchishhh, ihhhchihhh…chihhshhhuuhh, huhhhruhhhshh. Now I remember why I stayed asleep.” He mumbled thickly.

“Bless. I thought you felt better yesterday.” House flipped on the light.

Wilson winced as the pain in his head pounded at the sudden influx of light and inwardly sighed as he felt the itch in his nose intensify to almost unbearable proportions. “hhihhchhxtt, hihhhnighhxxt…Ihhktchh, ihhhkshhh…ihhhkushhh, uhhhshuhshhh…uhhhruhshhh, huhhh-ruhhhshooo.”

“Sorry. Should have warned you I was going to do that.”

“Would have been nice.” Wilson griped after blowing his nose. “I could have at least been prepared. And I thought I did too.”

“Although if you had remembered to take your pills this morning, you wouldn’t be this bad now. Come on.” He started towards the kitchen, pausing when he noticed that Wilson wasn’t behind him. “Meds are in the kitchen.” He watched as Wilson slowly pulled himself up from the couch. “Grab the thermometer.”

Wilson picked up the thermometer and stuck it in his mouth as he followed House into the kitchen.

Sagging down into a chair, he waited for it to beep. “101°”

House frowned. “Hopefully, that’s just because you didn’t take the cold medicine and the antibiotics.” Setting a glass of water on the table, he pushed the pills towards Wilson, watching as he took them. “Lunch. And not in the mood to fight. You eat or I call Cuddy and have her make you eat.”

Groaning, Wilson put his head on the table. “Whatever you want is fine. I really don’t care right now.”

“Great.” House pulled the leftover pizza out of the fridge. “Hot or cold?” He asked, grabbing a slice for himself.

“It’s fine this way.” Wilson picked up a piece of pizza and slowly ate it, sipping at his water. “Can I go back to sleep now?”

House nodded. “Take the bed. I want to watch TV on the couch.”

Wilson nodded, rubbing his nose with the back of his hand, looking incredibly childlike for a moment. Standing up, he headed to the living room to grab his pillows and blanket again. House followed him into the bedroom with his backpack.

“Need to look you over again so I can report to Cuddy.” House cleared his throat while Wilson set up the bed and sat down.

“Where do you want to start?”

“Tell me how you feel first.” House said, sitting next to him.

Rolling his eyes, he responded. “I’m tired, head hurts, ears hurt; I’m coughing, I’m sneezing, and I am seriously beginning to wonder how my head can hold this much snot.”

House nodded, pressing the stethoscope to his chest. “Might want to use your inhalator.”

“It’s in the living room.”

“You can get it when we’re done.” He said, peering into Wilson’s ears. “Left one is still bright red. You should have taken the antibiotics this morning.”

“I forgot.” Wilson went and got his inhalator, sitting back on the bed to use it. “You mind leaving me alone so I can rest.”

“It’s my room.”

“You said you wanted to watch TV on the couch. That’s why I’m in here.”

“Fine.” House grabbed his pillow and limped into the living room.

[Guest LiveAndLearn]

I LOVE this story! I have read it over and over and PLEASE write more. I love House and this captures the characters flawlessly.

[tma]

Awww!! And I'm actually feeling sorry for House too, which happens rarely. I mean- it does happen, but... I can't figure out how to say it.

“I forgot.” Wilson sniffled, reaching for more tissues. “Hihhchishhh, ihhhchihhh…chihhshhhuuhh, huhhhruhhhshh. Now I remember why I stayed asleep.” He mumbled thickly

. I just wanted to cuddle him- Awww!! Poor sickly, sleepy, tossled haired Wilson.

You are FAR too great at this... whatever it was that got you into House... I am thankful for it.

[aggedy_ann]

And now, the return of Emo!Wilson with some consequences:

House flopped on the couch and flipped through the channels with the remote. Settling on the Soap Network, he relaxed there, intending to peruse the latest issue of JAMA. Realizing that his head was aching, he sighed as he realized that meant he would have to leave the couch in search of some ibuprofen.

Slowly making his way to the bathroom, he pulled the bottle out of the medicine cabinet and swallowed 2 tablets. Going back to the couch, he once again prepared to read. Darn Cameron…why did she have to be so talkative this morning? All it had done was give him a headache. Realizing that he wasn’t going to be able to focus until the headache was gone, he focused back on the television until he managed to drift off to sleep.

About an hour or so later, the jangling of the phone jolted him awake. “House.”

“You were supposed to call me an hour ago.” It was Cuddy. An angry Cuddy.

“I forgot. And fell asleep.”

“How is he?”

“He slept all morning. Didn’t take any cold medicine, didn’t take his antibiotic, fever spiked to 101°, ear is still pretty inflamed, other than that, he’s still coughing a bit, and sneezing and blowing his nose like all the time.”

“He seemed better yesterday when I talked to him.”

“False reprieve. Happens with him every so often right in the middle of the illness. Then the next day, it wallops him all over again. He ate some leftover pizza and is sleeping now.”

“Alright. Do you think he’ll be able to come back on Monday? Finnegan has the week booked off so we’re short an oncologist then.”

“If he rests this weekend, yeah, he should be able to. He won’t be in the best form, but he’ll be able to handle his paperwork. He can always wear a mask for patients.”

“Good. I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

“Even though he’s worse?”

“House! You Are Not Getting Out of Clinic Hours!” Cuddy told him, hanging up the phone before listening to his response.

Grumbling, House reclined back against the pillows. He was just about to nod off when the phone rang again. “House.”

“It’s Foreman. We need you to come back in. We’ve hit a stumbling block on the DDR.”

“Can’t we do this over the phone?”

“Patient is refusing any and all treatment until we can give her a more concrete theory as to what’s wrong. That’s why we need you. Scare her or something. Whatever it is you do.”

House sighed. “Fine. Let me leave a note for Wilson, and I’ll be in.” Dragging his body off the couch, he headed to the kitchen. Grabbing a bottle of water and the notepad off the kitchen table he scrawled a note for Wilson.

Wilson-

Had to go back in to work for a bit. I’ll be back as soon as I can. Call or page me if you need anything. If I can’t answer, call Cuddy!

House

Grabbing his jacket, he headed out the door to his bike, hoping he wouldn’t be gone long and that Wilson would be ok while he was out.

It was after 6 when he finally made it back to the apartment. In hopes that Wilson was still asleep, he opened the door as quietly as possible. The living room was the way he had left it. Slipping down the hall to the bedroom, he peeked in. Wilson was still lying in the bed asleep, red-faced and pink-nosed, his brown hair messy and hanging in his face. Not wanting to wake him until he had to, he turned and headed to the kitchen to make some dinner.

Half an hour later, there was soup simmering on the stove and tea out of the microwave. Setting dishes on the table, he prepared himself for waking Wilson.

Hobbling to the bedroom, he sat on the bed next to Wilson and shook the younger man’s arm again. “Wilson.” Wilson opened his eyes and looked at him. “Time for dinner.”

“Nope.” Wilson closed his eyes again and rolled away from House.

“Yes.” House pulled Wilson back to face him and pulled him into a sitting position. “It’s all ready, and you can have more cold medicine too.”

Glaring at House, he slowly dragged himself out of bed and padded to the kitchen, grabbing a throw off the couch and wrapping it around his shoulders. Slumping in a kitchen chair, he stared at the bowl in front of him.

“Let me check your temp again first.” House ordered, picking the thermometer off the table. Wilson turned his body away from House. “Wilson…” House was getting frustrated.

Wilson held up his hand, indicating to House to wait. Pressing a crumpled tissue to his nose, he froze, and then, “Hihrihhshhh, rihhhshahhh…ahhhrishhhuhh, ihhhishooo.” Swabing at his nose with the tissue, he threw it in the trash and turned back from House, taking the thermometer. “100.8°.” He reported dutifully when it beeped.

“It’s gone down now that we’ve gotten medication into you.” House frowned. “Still isn’t low enough though. Now eat.”

Wilson ignored him and kept wiping at his nose with the tissue.

Sighing, House passed the box of cold medicine and antibiotic over to him, watching as he took the pills with a sip of tea. “Wilson, I’m not having this argument with you again. Eat.”

Pouting, Wilson picked up his spoon and began to slowly eat his soup. “I just want to sleep.” He whined.

“I know. I know. And I want you better so you quit being so annoying.” House snapped, forgetting how sensitive Wilson could be when he was sick.

Wilson slammed down his spoon and shoved the bowl away from him; fortunately House managed to stop it before it hit the floor. He watched as Wilson stormed away from the table, knowing that he couldn’t move fast enough to stop him. He heard a door slam in the background and sighed. At least that gave him a guess as to where Wilson was. Considering the man was in sweats and a worn t-shirt and hadn’t shaved in 3 days, it was safe to assume his vanity hadn’t let him leave the apartment. This narrowed it down to two places: House’s bedroom or the bathroom. Unless, of course, Wilson had for some reason decided to seek refuge in the cluttered hall closet.

Grabbing his cane, he began his trek down the hallway. Bathroom door was still open, so sighing yet again he proceeded on to the bedroom. “Wilson!” He yelled, knocking on the door. He heard a muffled pair of sneezes from behind the door and pushed it open.

Wilson sat on the bed, head bent into a handful of tissues. “Hihhishhh, ihhhshihhh…uhhhreshhhuhh, ruhhshuhhh…uhhhshushhh, ruhhhshhushhh…huuhhshhihhhh, ihhhshehshhoo.” Carefully blowing his nose, he turned to glare at House. “Can’t you just leave me alone?” He asked, trying to hide the crack in his voice and the tears that threatened his eyes.

House groaned, inwardly. Emo Wilson was back. He watched as Wilson lay down on the bed and turned facing away from him. “Wilson…I didn’t mean to snap at you.” He paused as he noticed Wilson’s body shaking. “Wilson, come on…please don’t start crying again. Wilson, talk to me.”

Wilson’s only response was to give him the finger and mutter, “go to hell” in a tear-choked voice.

“Wilson, I know you feel awful, but that’s no reason to be upset. I didn’t mean to lose my composure. I just want you to get better.” He awkwardly patted Wilson’s back. “James, I honestly don’t know what to do here. This is really your territory, not mine.”

Wilson didn’t respond. House could only feel the bed shake with Wilson’s sobs and coughs. “Wilson, you need to calm down. You’re already sick; you don’t need to push this into an asthma attack.”

His heart froze as he said that and heard Wilson’s coughing increase. Grabbing Wilson’s inhalator and the stethoscope he had left on the nightstand, he inserted the ear pieces in his ears and pressed the diaphragm to Wilson’s chest. Hearing the wheezing in his friend’s chest, he tensed. “Wilson, You Need to Sit Up.” He gently worked at pulling Wilson to a sitting position using one hand to shake the Albuterol and press the inhalator into Wilson’s hand.

His eyes locked with Wilson’s as the younger man brought the inhalator to his lips, breathing in and pressing down on the canister. House slowly began counting the seconds until Wilson exhaled. A brief spasm of coughing shook Wilson and a tense moment passed before Wilson brought the inhalator back to his mouth to take another hit. After Wilson exhaled the second time, House placed the stethoscope back over his chest and listened. Relieved that the wheezing had started to subside, he relaxed.

“S-sorry.” Wilson stuttered.

“It’s okay, Wilson. I didn’t mean to yell at you. It’s just…I was with Cameron all morning and she wouldn’t shut up, and I’ve had a killer headache ever since. And I just want you to get better. Okay, just relax and try to sleep.”

Wilson nodded, reaching past House for the tissues. “Hihhhshishhh, rihhshooo…harshhuhh, uhhshuhhhshhh. I’ll go move my stuff back to the couch.” His nose wrinkled again and he pressed the tissues back in place. “Huhhrshhahh, uhhhshehhh…hihhhsheshhh, huhhshuhhh.”

“Bless. Is it going to bother you if I watch TV?”

“It might keep me awake, but you could always give me more benadryl.”

“Not directly after an asthma attack. That stuff knocks you out pretty good, and I want you to be able to wake up easily if you have any problems. And you can’t have Nyquil for at least another 4 hours.” Wilson nodded, preparing to stand up. “I won’t make you eat anymore tonight, but can I get you to at least finish your tea?”

Wilson nodded, feeling his hands shake as a side effect of the medication. The tea would at least help him feel more relaxed. Grabbing his things with House at his side, he made his way back to the couch. Stretching out on the couch, he pulled the blanket over him while House made trips back and forth to the kitchen to ensure that Wilson had everything he needed.

Wilson sat up to drink the tea while House searched the TV listings for a movie that they both could agree on. Finding “The Omen” just beginning, House tuned into that, reminding Wilson that if he fell asleep, he would make sure he woke up in time to take the Nyquil.

[tma]

I'm starting to see where this is going and it is funny- that despite me not being that into SickHouse- you are making the prospect rather fun. I'm actually feeling sorry for him. Which that in itself is shocking. lol!

Oh- btw- Wilson with asthma attack was very cute.

[aggedy_ann]

I'm starting to see where this is going and it is funny- that despite me not being that into SickHouse- you are making the prospect rather fun. I'm actually feeling sorry for him. Which that in itself is shocking. lol!

Oh- btw- Wilson with asthma attack was very cute.

Thanks...I just can't torture that poor man enough Oh well, he's relieved that I get to back off of him a little for the rest of this.

Also, I edited/rewrote part of the last section, so if the first part of this looks familar, that's why. There should be one more part of this story after this one

Almost the end:

It was after 6 when he finally made it back to the apartment. In hopes that Wilson was still asleep, he opened the door as quietly as possible. The living room was the way he had left it. Slipping down the hall to the bedroom, he peeked in. Wilson was still lying in the bed asleep, red-faced and pink-nosed, his brown hair messy and hanging in his face. Not wanting to wake him until he had to, he turned and headed to the kitchen to make some dinner.

Half an hour later, there was soup simmering on the stove and tea out of the microwave. Setting dishes on the table, he prepared himself for waking Wilson.

Hobbling to the bedroom, he sat on the bed next to Wilson and shook the younger man’s arm again. “Wilson.” Wilson opened his eyes and looked at him. “Time for dinner.”

“Nope.” Wilson closed his eyes again and rolled away from House.

“Yes.” House pulled Wilson back to face him and pulled him into a sitting position. “It’s all ready, and it’s time to take meds again too, since obviously you can’t be trusted to remember them on your own.”

Glaring at House, he slowly dragged himself out of bed and padded to the kitchen, grabbing a throw off the couch and wrapping it around his shoulders. Slumping in a kitchen chair, he stared at the bowl in front of him.

“Let me check your temp again first.” House ordered, picking the thermometer off the table. Wilson turned his body away from House. “Wilson, would you cooperate for once today.” House was clearly getting frustrated.

Wilson held up his hand, indicating to House to wait. Pressing a crumpled tissue to his nose, he froze, and then, “Hihrihhshhh, rihhhshahhh…ahhhrishhhuhh, ihhhishooo.” Swabing at his nose with the tissue, he threw it in the trash and turned back from House, taking the thermometer. “100.8°.” He snapped back when it beeped.

“It’s gone down now that we’ve gotten medication into you.” House frowned. “Still isn’t low enough. Of course, if you’d remembered the medication, it would be. Now Eat.”

Wilson ignored him and kept wiping at his nose with the tissue.

Glowering, House passed the box of cold medicine and antibiotic over to him, watching as he took the pills with a sip of tea. “Wilson, I’m not having this argument with you again. I didn’t work at making you dinner for you to stare at it.”

“You opened a can of soup and heated it up. It’s not like it was a major effort.”

“Just eat!”

Pouting, Wilson picked up his spoon and began to slowly eat his soup. “I just want to sleep.” He whined.

“I know. I know. And I want you better so you quit being so annoying. And so you quit whining and acting like a spoiled child.” House yelled, forgetting how sensitive Wilson could be when he was sick.

Wilson slammed down his spoon and shoved the bowl away from him, enjoying the crash as it hit the floor. House watched as Wilson stormed away from the table, knowing that he couldn’t move fast enough to stop him. He saw Wilson grabbing his cell phone and a change of clothes from the living room followed by a door slamming in the background and sighed. At least that gave him a guess as to where Wilson was. Considering the man was in sweats and a worn t-shirt and hadn’t shaved in 3 days, it was safe to assume his vanity hadn’t let him leave the apartment. This narrowed it down to two places: House’s bedroom or the bathroom. Unless, of course, Wilson had for some reason decided to seek refuge in the cluttered hall closet.

Grabbing his cane, he began his trek down the hallway. Bathroom door was still open, so sighing yet again he proceeded on to the bedroom. “Wilson!” He yelled, knocking on the door. He heard a muffled pair of sneezes from behind the door and pushed it open.

Wilson sat on the bed, head bent into a handful of tissues. “Hihhishhh, ihhhshihhh…uhhhreshhhuhh, ruhhshuhhh…uhhhshushhh, ruhhhshhushhh…huuhhshhihhhh, ihhhshehshhoo.” Carefully blowing his nose, he turned to glare at House.

“How did you get in here? I locked the door.”

“Lock’s been broken for the last 12 years. I had a fight with Stacy and she broke it. What the hell is going on with you? You could at least be appreciative of me taking care of you!”

“So sorry that I’m not in the mood to bow down to the sainted Gregory House. Just let me get dressed, and I won’t be your problem anymore.”

“Where are you going? You don’t have a girlfriend right now. And Cameron’s out of town. Too bad as you’re just the pathetic sort of thing she likes. Gonna go back to your cheating wife? She threw you out, remember. Or are you going to stay one of the exes You cheated on?” The look on Wilson’s face showed that he had crossed the line.

“Can’t you just leave me alone?” He yelled, trying to hide the crack in his voice and the tears that threatened his eyes.

House groaned, inwardly. Emo Wilson was back. He watched as Wilson turned away from him. “Wilson…I didn’t mean to snap at you.” He paused as he noticed Wilson’s body shaking. “Wilson, come on…please don’t start crying again. Wilson, talk to me.”

Wilson’s only response was to give him the finger and snap, “go to hell” in a tear-choked voice.

“Wilson, I know you feel awful, but that’s no reason to be upset. I didn’t mean to lose my composure. I just want you to get better.” He awkwardly patted Wilson’s back. “James, I honestly don’t know what to do here. This is really your territory, not mine.”

Wilson didn’t respond. House could only feel the bed shake with Wilson’s sobs and increasing coughs. “Wilson, you need to calm down. You’re already sick; you don’t need to push this into an asthma attack.”

His heart froze as he said that and heard Wilson’s coughs and sobs turned into desperate gasps for air. Grabbing Wilson’s inhalator and the stethoscope he had left on the nightstand, he inserted the ear pieces in his ears and pressed the diaphragm to Wilson’s chest. Hearing the wheezing in his friend’s chest, he tensed. “Wilson, turn and face me.” Shaking the Albuterol with his free hand, he watched as Wilson turned around to him. His heart jumped in his chest as he saw his best friend’s tear-stained eyes were gripped in panic. He uncapped the inhalator and pressed it into Wilson’s hand.

His eyes locked with Wilson’s as the younger man brought the inhalator to his lips, breathing in and pressing down on the canister. House slowly began counting the seconds until Wilson exhaled. A violent spasm of coughing shook Wilson and a tense moment passed before Wilson brought the inhalator back to his mouth to take another hit. After Wilson exhaled the second time, House placed the stethoscope back over his chest and listened. Relieved that the wheezing had started to subside, he relaxed.

“S-sorry.” Wilson stuttered.

“It’s okay, Wilson. I didn’t mean to yell at you. It’s just…I was with Cameron all morning and she wouldn’t shut up, and I’ve had a killer headache ever since. My patience is a little short right now. And I just want you to get better. Okay, just relax and try to sleep.”

Wilson nodded, reaching past House for the tissues. “Hihhhshishhh, rihhshooo…harshhuhh, uhhshuhhhshhh. I’ll go move my stuff back to the couch.” His nose wrinkled again and he pressed the tissues back in place. “Huhhrshhahh, uhhhshehhh…hihhhsheshhh, huhhshuhhh.”

“Bless. Is it going to bother you if I watch TV? If it is, you can sleep in here.”

“Some TV might be good. It might keep me awake. It doesn’t matter though. You could always give me more Benadryl.

“Not directly after an asthma attack. That stuff knocks you out cold, and I want you to be able to wake up easily if you have any problems. And you can’t have Nyquil for at least another 4 hours.” Wilson nodded, preparing to stand up. “I won’t make you eat anymore tonight, but can I get you to at least finish your tea?”

Wilson nodded, feeling his hands shake as a side effect of the medication. Hopefully, the tea would at least help him feel more relaxed. Grabbing his things with House at his side, he made his way back to the couch. The two of them headed for the kitchen, Wilson knowing that with his leg, it was going to be hard for House to clean up Wilson’s shattered bowl and spilled soup. After the mess was cleaned, they gathered up the things Wilson might need, his tea, water, etc. and headed back into the living room.

Wilson sat up to drink the tea while House searched the TV listings for a movie that they both could agree on. Finding “The Omen” just beginning, House tuned into that, reminding Wilson that if he fell asleep, he would make sure he woke up in time to take the Nyquil.

House overslept the next morning forcing him to rush out the door. He noticed that Wilson was still asleep on the couch as well as noticing that his nose was a bit stuffed up. Rationalizing it as a dust allergy and a need to clean, he brushed it off and continued on his way to work.

He walked into the office and headed straight for the coffee. Filling a cup, he sat down at the table and looked expectantly at Chase and Foreman. “Well?”

“Patient is improving since last night.” Foreman stated, looking at him curiously. “Are you alright?”

“Just fine.” He paused as the slight tingling he had felt in his nose increased into an unbearable itch. “Huhshahh, ihhhtchhahh.” He shook his head to clear it and accepted the tissue box that Chase tossed his way. “Is there anything else? Or can I take Wombat here to the clinic?” He paused to cough into his fist and take a sip of coffee.

“Just a few things.” Foreman started, ignoring House’s eye-roll. “Discharge. I think that if the patient continues to improve, she could be discharged later today or tomorrow.”

“Fine.” House answered distractedly, rubbing at his nose.

“Should I see Cuddy for files on a new patient?”

“Sure. Find something interesting. Chase?” Grabbing a handful of tissues from the box, he stuck them in his pockets, beckoning for Chase to follow him on the way to clinic duty.

He walked to Cuddy at the main desk. “Drs. House and Chase reporting for clinic duty. Hihhchehh.” He pulled at tissue out of his pocket in time to catch the sneeze and the three that followed. “Ahhchahhh, hehhchuhhh, hatchehh.”

“Nice try, House, but pretending you’ve caught Wilson’s cold isn’t going to get you out of clinic duty. Exam 1, Exam 2.” She thrust files at House and Chase and walked off.

House blew his nose, and Chase noticed that House seemed to be getting more congested. Knowing that he would be denied an answer, he headed in to the exam room to see his first patient as House headed into exam 1.

Chase worked at focusing on his patients, which grew increasingly harder as he heard his boss’s sneezing and coughing increase from the next room. Finally, after finishing with his patient and seeing House outside the exam room getting some water, he made his decision and went to Cuddy.

Bringing her back into the clinic, he explained the situation. “Just look at him.” He requested, seeing her skepticism.

“Fine.” She consented, seeing him in the hallway. “House, exam 2.”

“Wobat need both of us for a secod opiniond?” He asked, blowing his nose again and heading into the room. “Where’s the patient?”

“Sit.” She gestured to the exam table. “You’ve managed to convince Chase you’ve caught Wilson’s cold, so I told him I’d prove him wrong.”

Coughing, House sat on the exam table and let Cuddy jam a thermometer in his mouth. Predictably, his nose started itching a few seconds after it was in. Pressing his wrist against his nose, he managed to hold off sneezing until the thermometer beeped. As Cuddy pulled it out, he ducked his head down. “Huhhrishhahh, uhhshehhshh.”

“Bless.” Cuddy murmured absently as she looked at the thermometer. “100.3°” She wrote that on the notepad she had brought with her as she tried to figure out how House had managed to fake a temperature.

Stepping in front of him, she took a good, long look at him. His eyes were dull, and his nose slightly red. Pressing her hands against his glands, noticing a slight swelling. “Alright, House, symptoms list.”

“Headache, sore throat, coughing, sneezing, fatigue. It’s a cold. Now can I finish my clinic hours so I can go home and rest?”

“Not yet.” She listened to his breathing, remarking that his lungs were still clear. Taking the otoscope, she noted fluid in his ears indicating congestion and an irritated throat proving he’d been coughing. Before she could look up his nose, he turned away from her.

“Ihhtschhahh.”

“Bless. Congratulations, you’ve managed to legitimately get out of clinic duty. I’ll have Chase drive you home.”

“I can’t go home. You said I still have to do my clinic hours, remember.”

Cuddy stared at him in disbelief. “You want to stay and do your clinic hours? I should check your temp again. You’re not seeing things that aren’t there, are you? Chase will take you home.”

“But-“

“You don’t want Wilson to know you’re sick.”

“It’s just a cold, Cuddy. I can work.”

“Nope. I want healthy doctors, not doctors infecting patients. Liability.” She paged Chase into the exam room.

It only to Chase a second to enter the exam room since he had been hovering around the door, waiting for Cuddy. “Chase. You’re taking him home. You can fill Wilson in on this for me. Although you may want to leave out the fact that he wanted to stay for his clinic hours; Wilson is pretty sick, and that might be too much for him to handle.”

Chase ignored House’s glare. “Sure. No problem. Do you want me to let Foreman know that House is out?”

“I’ll fill him in. I want to talk to you outside for a minute.” She led Chase out of the exam room and they stood a few feet away from the entrance, close enough to stop House if he tried to sneak out and far enough away so that he couldn’t hear their conversation.

“I want you to check on Wilson and let him know that House is sick. Check Wilson over as well, see how he’s doing since he’s developed an ear infection. I’m giving you a couple hours to spend over there. Make sure House goes to bed, or at least spends time on the couch or the chair. I want you to make sure that everything is situated for them so that House has no excuses for not resting.”

“I don’t understand why he wanted to hide that he was sick. Normally, he’s the biggest whiner on the planet.”

“My guess is he doesn’t want Wilson to find out he caught this. Tell Wilson he can call me here or at home if they need anything. Do Not tell House that.”

Chase nodded. “I’ll bring my car up for him.” Cuddy nodded. “Thanks.”

“Not a problem.” He headed towards the entrance, stopping after a few steps and turning back to face Cuddy. “He really wanted to stay for his clinic duty?” At her nod, he smiled. “I’ll be back in a couple minutes.”

5 minutes later, Chase had his car out front and Cuddy was walking House to it. Opening the passenger side door for him, she ordered House to get in. House obliged, but not before shooting a death glare at Chase. Cuddy closed the door, and Chase prepared to drive to House’s apartment.

“You had to tell her.”

“If it helps, she didn’t believe me.” They approached a grocery store, and Chase glanced at his irritable passenger. “Do you need anything from the store?”

“Probably.” House paused to cough roughly into his fist. “Might as well stop.”

Chase pulled into the shopping center and parked as close as they could. Chase followed the older man into the store and selected a cart. The two of them walked through the aisles, House tossing stuff he felt he might need in the cart. Half an hour later, they were at the checkout. Chase watched as the cashier rang up the tissues, daytime cold medicine, nighttime cold medicine, cough drops, bottled water, orange juice, tea, cans of a half dozen varieties of soup, yogurt and applesauce. He waited as House ran his credit card through before carrying the bags to the car.

The remaining drive across town was silent except for a few coughs and harsh sniffles from House. At a red light, Chase reached into the backseat and retrieved a tissue box, handing it to House. House merely nodded as he pulled a few out and blew his nose. Finally, they were in front of the apartment. Chase got out of the car, and stood there, wondering why House wasn’t getting out.

“Hiitchhehh, ihhhchhshehh.” Two rough sneezes explained why House hadn’t moved. Blowing his nose, he stuffed the tissues in his pocket and got out of the car. He headed for the apartment, leaving Chase to follow with the bags.

Chase trailed into the apartment behind House, seeing Wilson sitting on the couch sipping from a glass of water. Wilson looked surprised to see House so soon and even more surprised to see the grocery laden Chase behind him.

[ID2006]

so can't wait for more

[silentdreamer789]

Yay! House caught it!!!!! Looking forward to seeing how Wilson will react....

silentdreamer789

[aggedy_ann]

so can't wait for more

Yay! House caught it!!!!! Looking forward to seeing how Wilson will react....

silentdreamer789

Thanks you guys. There's not much left. I'm procrastinating a bit as I don't want the story to end. Need to keep reminding myself there can always be new stories. Anyway, I should have the rest posted within the next day or two.

[tma]

This is SO stupid (glares at computer) I was talking to computer, not you or the story). I DID post something in response- but evidently the computer ate it. GRRRR.

Let's see.. I know that I quoted this

“Where are you going? You don’t have a girlfriend right now. And Cameron’s out of town. Too bad as you’re just the pathetic sort of thing she likes. Gonna go back to your cheating wife? She threw you out, remember. Or are you going to stay one of the exes You cheated on?” The look on Wilson’s face showed that he had crossed the line.

and said that it was Brilliant! House- esp. when in pain goes for the juggular.

And that Foreman was totally in character and I totally can see where as annoyed and sick as Wilson was feeling pushing over his bowl would def. have felt satisfying.

If I think of what else I wrote- I re-post it. lol! Sorry about that.

[aggedy_ann]

This is SO stupid (glares at computer) I was talking to computer, not you or the story). I DID post something in response- but evidently the computer ate it. GRRRR.

Let's see.. I know that I quoted this

“Where are you going? You don’t have a girlfriend right now. And Cameron’s out of town. Too bad as you’re just the pathetic sort of thing she likes. Gonna go back to your cheating wife? She threw you out, remember. Or are you going to stay one of the exes You cheated on?” The look on Wilson’s face showed that he had crossed the line.

and said that it was Brilliant! House- esp. when in pain goes for the juggular.

And that Foreman was totally in character and I totally can see where as annoyed and sick as Wilson was feeling pushing over his bowl would def. have felt satisfying.

If I think of what else I wrote- I re-post it. lol! Sorry about that.

I'm glad I rewrote that section after we talked....I like it a lot better now. Figured I'd go all out with House. Of course now, after the asthma attack and all, House can't even be mad at him for breaking the bowl. And it felt good to right Wilson shoving dishes off the table lol.

The ending is coming...I've been a bit distracted with figuring out stuff with school and unemployment and the dislocated worker program which has taken top priority right now, but *crosses fingers* that should be getting wrapped up soon. And I am procrastinating a bit as I hate ending stories, especially when they're already this long.

[aggedy_ann]

And now the final part. (And I think the end has been set up for a sequel very nicely, although I start class in a couple weeks so it may take longer for that to get written, but what can I say, it doesn't take much to convince me to write one, lol.)

“Where do you want these?” Chase asked.

“Kitchen.” House grunted.

“Here. I’ll help you.” Wilson stood up and moved to Chase.

“There’s still stuff in the car.”

Wilson nodded, taking the bags from Chase so he could get the water from the car. Moments later, Chase returned with the bottled water and followed Wilson into the kitchen. House had taken up the spot Wilson had vacated on the couch.

Wilson set the grocery bags on the counter and filled the teakettle with water, setting it on the stove. “Do I want to know why House is back so early and you’re here?”

“He’s sick.” Chase admitted. “Cuddy kicked him out of the clinic. I’m here because she told me to take him home and check you over to see how you’re doing. I’m also supposed to take an hour or so to make sure that you two have everything you need and tell you that you can call Cuddy if you need anything.” He shrugged. “You can also call me if you want. But Cuddy told me to pass that message on to you and not House.”

Wilson laughed which quickly turned into a cough. “Cuddy knows I’ll only call if it’s important. House Will call if he needs Anything.” He pulled down three mugs out of the cupboard.

Chase smiled, handing Wilson some of the soup cans. “I can see that. How are you feeling?”

“I’m getting better.” Wilson placed the soup in the cupboard and pulled out the tin of teabags. “What kind would you like?” He asked, pulling out lemon for him and House. Chase finished putting the refrigerated things away and turned back towards Wilson. Selecting an apple-cinnamon tea bag, he asked Wilson where to store the empty grocery bags.

Pressing his wrist to his nose, Wilson pointed towards the closet before doubling over with a harsh sneeze. “Ahhhrushhh, ruhhhshushhh-“

“Bl-“ Chase began.

Wilson held up his free hand to indicate to Chase that more were coming. “Ihhhsuhhh, huhhhshhuhhh…hiehshhuuhh, uhhshushh…uhhrshuuu, uhhhruhhshhhehhh.” Chase watched as Wilson remained still, the expression on his face looking as if there were more sneezes coming. After a few seconds, the look faded off his face and he straightened back up. “Excuse me.” He reached to pull a few tissues from the box on the table.

“Bless you.”

“Thanks.” Wilson threw the tissues in the trash and went to wash his hands.

“Ihhhshahh, hitchhahh, ahhchehh, ehhhchuhh.” Both Chase and Wilson were somewhat surprised to hear sneezing coming from nearby. Last they knew, House had flopped down on the couch. Rubbing his hand across his nose, he sniffed. “Remind me not to steal your sneeze when you’re sick. And what does a sick cripple have to do to get a cup of tea around here? There’s two of you in here; one of you should be working on that.”

Wilson stopped putting soup in the cupboard as the whistle sounded on the teakettle. Pulling it off the stove, he poured water into the three cups. “I was working on it. Have you taken any cold medicine today?”

“No. Did you? And did you remember your antibiotic?”

“I took them about an hour ago.” He handed House the cold medicine. “Go sit back down.” He handed House a bottle of water. “The tea’ll be ready in a few minutes. We’ll finish putting this stuff away and bring it out to you. Do you need anything else?”

“More tissues. You didn’t leave me any.” He shook the empty box at Wilson.

Chase watched as Wilson took a slow deep breath. “I was about to go and grab the box from in here when you came home.” He picked it up off the table. “Do you need it now or shall I bring it with the tea?”

“Bring it.” House turned and stalked back to the couch.

“Why did he have to get this? We haven’t caught anything from each other in years, so why now?” Wilson softly moaned.

Chase awkwardly patted his back. “At least you can come back to work on Monday. Cuddy said she needs you back then.”

“And he should sleep most of today and tomorrow.” Wilson grabbed for the tissues on the table. “Huhhhshchhuhh, uhhhschoo…ruhhhshooo, huhhhrhshhuuu. Pardon.” He sniffled, blowing his nose.

“Bless you.” Chase looked at him suspiciously.

“I really am getting better. Sneezing’s always the last to go.” Grabbing two of the coffee mugs off the counter. “Can you grab the box of tissues? Thanks.” He waited for Chase to take his tea and the tissues and follow him into the living room.

House was sitting on the couch, pouting as he flipped through the television channels. “There’s nothing on.” He whined as Wilson sat next to him and handed him the tea.

Wilson took the remote back and changed the channel. “I was watching that. And you need to rest. Did you take the cold medicine?”

“Yes, mommy.” House snapped, taking a small sip of tea. Wilson caught Chase’s sympathetic glance and smiled.

“I should take a look at you and head back to the hospital.” Chase stood up and made his way over to Wilson, picking up the bag he had brought with him.

“Wanting to flee House and leave me here alone with him?” Wilson was joking, but not really. He caught House’s glare and bit his lip.

“Well, I think that Cuddy really needs me back there, what with Cameron gone and you two out.”

“She said you could have a few hours. Take all the time you need.” House pointed out.

“He’s not you. He does have a sense of responsibility to his job.”

“Hey, I tried to stay at work today. Cuddy made me leave.”

Chase had just taken a sip of his tea when House said that and the expression on Wilson’s face made him choke on the tea for a minute.

“You alright?” Wilson asked.

Chase nodded, clearing his throat and coughing. “Fine. It’s just, the look on your face when he said that…”

“Because either he’s lying or we’ve entered into some truly bizarre parallel universe.”

“Bizarre parallel universe.”

“Cuddy did send him home.” Chase confirmed. “He wanted to finish his clinic hours and was pissed that I went and got Cuddy to look at him.”

Wilson briefly looked as though he was about to start laughing, or twitching; Chase wasn’t entirely sure. “Well, if you want to get back to the hospital, you should probably look me over so you can report to Cuddy. Do you have to look at House?”

“Cuddy already did. Since Wombat here went and told her I was sick.”

Wilson nodded. Sensing Chase’s hesitance, he looked at House. “Why don’t you go change into pajamas since you’re home now.”

“Nahh…I’m good.”

“House, go change.” Wilson ordered, shooting him a Look.

“It’s my apartment. You can’t tell me what to do.”

“I just did. You’ll be more comfortable resting in sweatpants than in jeans. Go Change.”

Pouting, House got up off the couch and miraculously headed for the bedroom, grumbling something about how after all the time he had spent caring for Wilson, Wilson was now going to treat him like a child. Or something. Wilson and Chase couldn’t quite hear him and weren’t sure they wanted to.

Chase took House’s spot on the sofa next to Wilson, pulling out his stethoscope and otoscope. “Thank you. Symptoms.”

“Headache off and on, slight sore throat, mild coughing, temps down to 100.4°, ear still hurts and plenty of sneezing and congestion.”

Chase nodded, slipping on the stethoscope. “Breathe. Chest is clear. Which ear is it?”

“Left. Hold on.” He turned away from Chase, grabbing a tissue from the box on the table. “Hiihhhthschuhh, ihhshchuhh…ihhhshuhshhh, uhhhrhuhhshh.” He blew his nose and turned back to Chase. “Excuse me.”

Chase nodded, peering into first his right ear, then his left.

“How does the ear look? Swelling and redness gone down at all?” Chase jumped slightly at House’s question.

“It’s somewhat red and swollen. I don’t know what it looked like before. It looks like the mid-stage of an acute ear infection.”

“Let me.” House swooped in and took the scope from Chase. “Up.” He ordered gruffly. Sitting next to Wilson, he peered into his left ear. “It’s looking better. Not good, but better.”

“Still hurts like hell.” Wilson pointed out.

Chase got up and walked into the kitchen, digging through the bag of cold supplies House had purchased. He returned a minute later with a small bottle of ear drops.

“Where did you get those?” House demanded.

“You bought them.”

“No, I didn’t.”

“Okay, I threw them in the cart when you weren’t looking and then you paid for them. I was counting on you not feeling well enough to pay attention. They work.” He shrugged.

“You’re sneaky.”

“Comes from working with you.” Chase shot back. “You want to get me some cotton balls, and…” He paused and looked at Wilson. “Can you take aspirin?” Wilson nodded. “Taken any today?” He waited for Wilson’s answer before instructing House to get that as well.

House walked to the bathroom, grumbling again about being ordered around in his own house, but came back with the requested items.

Chase instructed Wilson to tilt his head while he gently put the drops in, leaving the bottle on the table, then carefully pressed some cotton in his ear to hold the drops in until they were absorbed into the ear canal. He handed the older doctor 2 aspirin. “Take these. You can also try putting a warm dishcloth over your ear.” He shrugged again. “The eardrops and aspirin usually work for me.”

“Thanks.” Wilson said softly. As odd as it was to have the younger doctor (and a doctor other than House) tending to him, Chase’s bedside manner was rather comforting, something House’s lacked.

“Well, if you’re done fussing over Wilson, you can go.” House pointed out.

“Of course. Do you need anything before I go?” Chase regretted the words as soon as he heard them come out of his mouth.

“Well…” Catching a glance from Wilson, he paused. “No, not really. Just call when you discharge the patient and get a new one. Hihhthchahh. Better go report to Cuddy that the sickies are both at home and curled up in bed.”

“Alright.” Chase gathered up his things and left the apartment.

House grabbed the remote from Wilson when Chase left and pointed to the chair. “Go sit over there.”

“Why? My bed’s here on the couch.” Wilson protested.

“I want to watch TV. And I’m sicker.” He pulled a tissue out of the box and blew his nose loudly.

“But I want to lay down and go back to sleep.” Wilson protested.

“You want to sleep. Fine. Go sleep in my bed since you contaminated the entire apartment with your cold and infected me. And if you’re sleeping you won’t care about the TV.”

“Obviously you were going to get it; me sleeping in your bed wouldn’t make any difference.” He reached for his pillows.

“You going to bring me mine?”

“No.” Wilson laughed. “You’re not that sick if you were willing to finish out your clinic hours.”

House pulled Wilson’s pillows back. “You gave me your stupid cold; it doesn’t matter at this point if you use your bedding or mine. Hihhshehhh, ihhhshehhh.” Scowling at Wilson, he blew his nose again. “This is what I get for taking care of you.”

“Sorry.” Wilson tried not to laugh again as he watched House pout. “Get some rest.” He pulled the blanket up over House as the older man sprawled out on the couch. “And you did a very good job.” Sighing as he walked towards the bedroom, House heard him softly mumble, “And now it’s my turn to take care of you.”

[Vetinari]

Very cute. I'd quite like Wilson taking care of me too. Lucky House!

Talking of sequels, Chase seems to now have been in close contact with both of them too. So much scope for contagion!

[tma]

Awwww!!!! So cute. And now you have me all EEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!! for sickChase. Without Cameron. He can hang around with House and Wilson more. hehehe....

Wilson grabbed for the tissues on the table. “Huhhhshchhuhh, uhhhschoo…ruhhhshooo, huhhhrhshhuuu. Pardon.” He sniffled, blowing his nose.

“Bless you.” Chase looked at him suspiciously.

“I really am getting better.

That was SOOOO cute. *SQUEEEE!!!* He said "pardon" (giggles like a goofus)- AND I can totally see the look that Chase would give him (and that is cute) AND that is too cute that he said that he really is getting better. hehehe... just TOO cute.

“Where did you get those?” House demanded.

“You bought them.”

“No, I didn’t.”

“Okay, I threw them in the cart when you weren’t looking and then you paid for them. I was counting on you not feeling well enough to pay attention. They work.” He shrugged.

“You’re sneaky.”

“Comes from working with you

TOO funny!!! :lol: Classic House / Chase.

Oh... and this was just SUCH a cute little Wilson and Chase moment that it BEGGED me to SQUEEEE!!!! over it- so now I am. Oh along with the ending House/wilson thing with Wilson keeping House in line. hehehe

Chase instructed Wilson to tilt his head while he gently put the drops in, leaving the bottle on the table, then carefully pressed some cotton in his ear to hold the drops in until they were absorbed into the ear canal. He handed the older doctor 2 aspirin. “Take these. You can also try putting a warm dishcloth over your ear.” He shrugged again. “The eardrops and aspirin usually work for me.”

“Thanks.” Wilson said softly. As odd as it was to have the younger doctor (and a doctor other than House) tending to him, Chase’s bedside manner was rather comforting, something House’s lacked.

“Well, if you’re done fussing over Wilson, you can go.” House pointed out.

“Of course. Do you need anything before I go?” Chase regretted the words as soon as he heard them come out of his mouth.

“Well…” Catching a glance from Wilson, he paused. “No, not really

Thank you SOO much. And I know that *I* would LOVE a sequel. *tries to refrain from chanting*

[Jules]

I'm so glad I finally got to finish reading this! Great job, thank you! Contagion is one of my favorite things in stories, so I'm glad House caught Wilson's cold, and overall this is just incredibly well written!!

[aggedy_ann]

Title: Expecting Comfort

Fandom: House MD

Characters: House, Wilson, Chase, possible cameos by Cuddy, Cameron and Foreman

Disclaimer: I do not own; do not sue.

Summary: Follows Unexpected Comfort; House has caught Wilson’s cold.

House pulled Wilson’s pillows back. “You gave me your stupid cold; it doesn’t matter at this point if you use your bedding or mine. Hihhshehhh, ihhhshehhh.” Scowling at Wilson, he blew his nose again. “This is what I get for taking care of you.”

“Sorry.” Wilson tried not to laugh again as he watched House pout. “Get some rest.” He pulled the blanket up over House as the older man sprawled out on the couch. “And you did a very good job.” Sighing as he walked towards the bedroom, House heard him softly mumble, “And now it’s my turn to take care of you.” (Ending of Unexpected Comfort)

Wilson was sprawled out on House’s bed when he felt someone shaking him. Slowly opening his eyes, he took a minute to assess the situation as this had not been a normal week. Location: House’s bed. What was waking him: House. Time: Afternoon. What was going on: House had been sent home sick having caught the cold Wilson was recovering from and had taken over the couch, which was why he was in House’s bed. Groaning slightly, he rolled over to face him. “What?”

“I want my bed back.”

“So lie down.”

“You’re in my bed.”

“So. There’s room for both of us.” Wilson grabbed a pillow and moved to the side away from where House stood.

“It’s my bed.”

“I’m tired. I’m sick. I’m not getting up. You can’t carry me. So, you can share or go back to the couch.”

House sighed. “If Anyone at the hospital finds out about this…” He left the threat hanging over Wilson’s head.

Wilson stared at House. “Are you serious? Do you think I want anyone knowing about this either? Believe me, I’m not gonna bring it up.” He rolled over to face the wall. “Just get in bed. I left you your side.”

“My side is the middle.” House sniffed, lying down, making sure he was as far away from Wilson as he could get and still be on the bed.

Wilson sighed, pressing his cheek against the pillow. A few minutes later, light snoring indicated that House had fallen asleep. He closed his eyes and waited for sleep to find him again.

The next thing he knew, he was being shaken awake again. “Gwwaayy.” He mumbled, feeling his nose start to itch. Refusing to open his eyes, he rubbed his wrist against it, trying to ignore the figure he knew was standing over him and remained lying on his side.

“Wilson! I’m hungry.” Came the peevish whine.

“So?” Wilson sniffled, not wanting to open his eyes in order to get a tissue. He pressed his hand against his nose, hoping to forestall the oncoming sneezes. He felt something soft brush his hand and opened his eyes to see House pressing a tissue against it. “Thanks.” Seconds later, the sneezes won out. “Hihh-ihhshuhhh, ihhhshuhhhshh…uhhhrshooo, uhhh-huhhshoo.”

House watched as Wilson’s head jerked forward and his shoulders convulsed with each sneeze, then sat there patiently as the younger brunette blew his nose and coughed a few times. A week of being sick had really taken its toll on Wilson as evidenced by the dark circles under his eyes and the flat, floppy hair. House almost felt bad about bothering him…for a second…Almost. “Bless you.” He ignored the protestations of his throat as he spoke. “I’m hungry.”

Wilson blew his nose and slowly sat up. “Wallet’s in the living room.”

House stared at him. “Do you know of any place that delivers chicken soup? Didn’t think so. C’mon. How did you put it the other day…it’s opening a can of soup and heating it up, not like it’s a major effort. Get up.”

“If it’s not a major effort, why can’t you do it?”

“I’m sick.”

“So’m I.”

“Which is why I am. I took care of you, and anyway, you need to eat too.”

Wilson sighed, standing up and walking towards the kitchen. “Go sit on the couch. I’ll bring dinner out in a bit. Tea?”

“Lemon. Add honey this time.” Houses flopped down on the couch, propping his leg on the coffee table and grabbing for the tissue box. “Huhhschahh. Ihhxxtchah.”

“Bless.” Wilson sighed, heading into the kitchen to start dinner. He had a strange feeling that he was in for a Very long weekend.

[evelyn]

Oh! I'm totally loving this! And your style of writing. Sorry that I didn't reply to your previous story. I just had no time because of the stupid exams.

House and Wilson are so much fun and if you add some Chase too...now that would make this into a PERFECT, perfect story!!! (the House-boys being sneezy= ) Keep writing because I can't wait for more!

[Jules]

Love this story just as much as Unexpected Comfort! Thank you so much for the sequel. Can't wait to read more!!

[crazy_cat_girl]

Sick House = YUM!!!

This is great! And so was "Unexpected Comfort"!

[aggedy_ann]

Thanks you guys. This one is going a bit slower than "Unexpected Comfort" but I'm working on it. There's no planned sick!Chase in this story, but since this is the second part of a three-part series, there may be a bit at the end. And the third part is going to be Chase-centric. It just worked that way, I guess. Anyways, Glad you liked this one and the previous one.

[Vetinari]

Very nice! And you're planning so far ahead. Wonderful. I look forward to more.

[aggedy_ann]

And now it's time for part 2 (and why do I have a funny feeling that this is going to be nearly as long as the previous story?)

(A/N: For the record, I do not find Dave the Barbarian lame…okay, maybe it is a little, but, ummm, I like lame. end A/N)

Half an hour later, Wilson returned to the living room carrying a tray with the bowls of soup and mugs of tea as well as a second box of tissues as House wasn’t the best when it came to sharing; apparently, he missed that day in preschool. Setting it on the coffee table, he took the seat next to House and handed him a packet of cold medicine. “Take these.” He ordered, swallowing his own pills.

“Just because you brought me dinner doesn’t mean that I’m any less pissed off at you.” House pointed out.

“And just why are you pissed at me?”

“For giving me this lousy, stinkin’ cold.”

“You have no proof that it was me.” Wilson defended himself.

“Oh, please. You’ve been lying here all week, sneezing and coughing all over the apartment.”

“And there hasn’t been anyone sneezing and coughing in, oh, I don’t know, the clinic, perhaps?”

Momentarily silenced, House scowled. Darn Wilson and his logical…err…logic. He picked up his mug of tea. “Did you remember the honey this time? I bought some specifically for that reason.”

Wilson rubbed his eyes and then the back of his neck. “Yes.”

“Good. My throat hurts. Headache?”

“Just a little. My ear’s really bothering me. I took some aspirin before dinner. How’s your food?”

“It’s fine.” House mumbled. “Thanks.”

Wilson leaned back against the couch and closed his eyes as House reached into his pocket to pull out his Vicodin. Popping a pill, he leaned back, looking expectantly at Wilson. Wilson felt House’s gaze on him and tried to ignore him, just wanting rest, or at least a chance to center himself.

“Wilson? Are you sleeping?” He heard House ask. “Wilson?”

Realizing that ignoring the man would prove futile, he opened his eyes and turned his head towards House. “What?”

“I don’t feel well.”

Wilson blanched and swallowed hard. As an oncologist, he was used to the yuck that could accompany illness, however, it did not mean he enjoyed it.

House bit back a smile, knowing he had managed to get a bit of a rise out of Wilson. “Don’t worry. Not that sort of sick.”

Wilson nodded. “So you’re just whining then.”

“You could at least be sympathetic. I was all nice and caring when you were sick.”

“As much as you can be.” Wilson muttered under his breath. “I’m sorry. How are you feeling, House?” He lifted his hand and pressed it against House’s forehead.

“Won’t work. You can’t feel my fever if you have one of your own.”

Wilson sighed. “Do you want me to go get the thermometer?”

House shrugged. “I have a fever. At least I did this morning. I doubt it’s gone down, especially as yours didn’t.”

“What was it this morning?”

“Cuddy said it was 100.3°”

“Symptoms?”

“Sore throat, coughing, sneezing, fatigue, congestion, and headache. I have your stupid cold.”

“Again, how do you know it’s my cold?”

“Because all the little cold germs invading my body have little post-it notes on them saying property of James Wilson.”

“I see. Shut up House. I think you need to rest, as you’ve already formed a close bond with your germs.” Wilson leaned against the couch again, sighing and trying to center himself. “Why don’t we just find something to watch on TV?”

House shrugged, ducking his head forward. “Hihhishahh, ihhshhahhh, ihxxchahh.”

“Bless you.” Wilson mumbled, opening his eyes again, feeling a bit more centered. He picked up the remote and began flipping through the channels until House stopped him.

“That looks good.”

“Dave the Barbarian?!?” Wilson often wondered if his roommate’s obsession with lame cartoons was a true obsession or merely part of the obsession of torturing him. Not that he was going to really let on that he secretly enjoyed this particular cartoon. He took a sip of the tea and sighed, wondering if this was any indication of how the weekend was going to go.

“Tired?”

Wilson nodded. The cold and ear infection had really taken it out of him. And he knew that House couldn’t be feeling much better if how he had felt the first couple days was any indication of his roommate’s condition, even if all House would have to deal with was the head cold.

“Want me to leave you alone?”

“Does that actually mean you will?”

House paused as if considering it. “Probably not.”

“Didn’t think so.” He sniffled and coughed lightly into his fist.

“I took care of you, so now it’s your turn to take care of me.”

“Which would be easier if I felt better. I suppose it’s not worth bothering to ask you to Not run me as ragged as you usually do.”

House paused, wrinkling his forehead in thought. “It’s worth asking. Now move to the chair. I want to lie down and sleep again.”

Quietly, Wilson moved to the chair, opting, tonight anyway, to take the path of least resistance. He set his mug on the end table and switched on the lamp, picking up the medical journal that he had given up on a few days earlier.

“Ihhxxchah, hethchah, uhchehh.” Wilson watched as House fumbled for the tissues and loudly blew his nose. He then waited for House to cough as loud as he could before groaning and slumping back down, looking expectantly at Wilson.

Wilson rolled his eyes. “Bless you. You Do know that the loudness of your symptoms does not correlate to how sick you are.”

House blew his nose loudly again. “Don’t care.”

“I know you’re sick, House. You don’t need to make it so obvious.” He paused as House rolled his eyes at him. “Just…just go to sleep.”

Grumbling, House placed his head back on Wilson’s pillow. Minutes later, Wilson smiled as he heard House start snoring again. He picked up the remote and began to flip through the channels in search of some non-tween television programming.

Finding a Friend’s rerun, he put his feet back up on the coffee table and resumed reading. He jumped slightly a bit later when the phone rang suddenly. Grabbing it quickly so it wouldn’t wake the sleeping tyrant…err…House, he answered a bit breathlessly. “Hello?”

“Wilson?”

He cleared his throat. “Yeah. Chase?”

“Yeah. Just calling to see how things are going.”

“Pretty good right now. He’s sleeping. So it’s nice right now. I asked him to take it easy on me since I’m still sick.”

“Not that he will.”

“Probably not. At least I’ve got work to escape to starting Monday, and he should be back at work Tuesday or Wednesday. You know how he is when he’s sick.”

Chase laughed. “Dramatic. But he does tend to recuperate from these sorts of things on a decent schedule.”

“That and he’s got you three to deal with the face-to-face patient component. So he can come back sooner. I unfortunately can’t avoid my patients like he can.”

“Good point. Did you two have dinner?”

“He dragged me out of bed to heat up a can of soup. Just a second.” Chase heard Wilson set the phone down and heard muffled movement. “Huhhruhshh, uhhshuhhh…ihhhshhhushhh, huhh-uhhhruhhshooo.” Wilson softly blew his nose and picked the phone back up.

“Bless you. Didn’t wake him did you?”

“No, thankfully. Waking him when he’s like this is not a good thing.”

“Waking him Period is not a good thing.”

“No, it isn’t. Hold on again.” Wilson fumbled for the tissues, nabbing one just in time. “Hihhihhshchht, ihhhcuhhshh…huhhchuhshuhhh,uhhcheshshuhh…ihhhruhshhh, ruhhshhehhh…ihhhthshchhh, hihhhtchshhhh. Ugh. Excuse me. My nose just decided to go a bit crazy on me all of a sudden.”

“Bless you again. Maybe you’re allergic to House.”

Wilson laughed. “That would take a Lot of explaining. Anyway, my nose has settled down now. Anything I can do for you?”

“Not really. Just calling to see how you were doing. Also, when House wakes up, you might want to tell him that we don’t have a new patient yet; we’re thinking Monday. With the two of you out, Cuddy had both of us in the clinic most of the day.”

“Sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it. I don’t mind it. Don’t think Foreman’s too crazy about it though. Too bad since if House isn’t in Monday, it’s his turn to cover clinic.”

“I doubt I can drag him in on Monday. Probably Tuesday at the earliest, and that’s if Cuddy and I both threaten him.” Wilson paused to yawn.

“Tired?”

“Yeah. And House is somewhat less annoying when we’re both asleep.”

“I’ll let you get some more rest, then. I’ll check back with you to see if you’re up to handling House tomorrow then.”

“Thanks, Chase. I’ll talk to you later.”

“Later.”

Wilson hung up the phone and leaned back in the chair, blowing his nose again. He tilted his head back against the headrest and closed his eyes, and eventually, sleep found him again.

[Jules]

Love, love, love this!! The humor is just great, thank you!

[Vetinari]

“Because all the little cold germs invading my body have little post-it notes on them saying property of James Wilson.”

I love this whole thing but this line is just the best!

Great story, please continue.