The Knife and the Cane

Chapter 29- Ironically Alive Pt. 3

"I'm sorry." Wilson said from the other side of Nora's bed. "I shouldn't have hit you."

"Yeah, me too. We're okay, right?"

"As soon as she wakes up, yes, we're okay."

"I'm sorry, Wilson. I'm so, so sorry." House said, looking up at the ceiling.

"You already apologized to me, it's fine. I'm not even hurt that bad."

"No, I'm sorry for what happened with Nora." It was only when he said her name did Wilson realize that he was crying. Tears were already far down his face and his bloodshot eyes were filled with nothing but sorrow. "I didn't mean for any of this to happen."

"I know."

"She told me she quit. I didn't know that she was still hurting herself or I would have put an end to it and forced her to stop."

"I didn't know she was doing it in the first place."

"I'm done." House cried. "I quit. I'm not letting this happen again." He grabbed the bottle of Vicodin in his pocket and threw it across the room into the trash can with surprising accuracy.
Wilson and House had almost fallen asleep in the uncomfortable plastic chairs by Nora's bed when they heard a small voice.

"Greg?"

Wilson jolted up and met House's awake eyes. "You heard it too?" He asked. House nodded. Nora still looked asleep, but her eyelashes fluttered open, her gray eyes meeting Houes's blue ones.

"Greg?" She asked again, weakly.

"Hey, Nora." He sniffed, trying not to lose his composure as he grabbed Nora's hand. Wilson grabbed the other, and she turned her head.

"James?"

"Hey, dork." Wilson replied quietly.

"You scared us, baby." House said, returning her attention to him as he ran his fingers through her hair.

"Just for the record," She rasped. "I will never take Vicodin again. I don't know how you do it, it tastes like ass."

House laughed and cried at the same time. Wilson paged the team and they swarmed in, all telling Nora how scared they were. House smiled to himself. He may not like his team somedays, but he loves them every day.

"I'm sorry I scared everyone." Nora said, tears welling up in her eyes. "It's just too much. I don't know how to do all of this."

"Let's start by cutting your hours in other areas so you're just with Diagnostics." Foreman suggested.

"We'll check in with each other at meal times when we all go get lunch together." Chase continued, smiling goofily. "That way we can make sure everyone is doing well."

"And no more scary parent trips for you, missy." Thirteen decided.

"And no clinic hours for at least a month." Taub finished.

"Gee, if only there was some way to take other people's hours." Wilson joked. Everyone laughed, happy to be together.

Nora turned her head again and looked directly at House, only at him.

"If you apologize again I'm gonna have to kiss you until you stop." He murmured, getting close to her.

"I won't. I promise."

"I will stop, Nora. It's gonna be tough, but I'm going to do it."

"House...without your Vicodin..."

"I'm still me. I'll be in a little pain, but it's nothing two ibuprofen and a kiss couldn't fix. It's worth it to keep you around."

"I love you, Gregory House."

"And I love you, Nora Graves."

House leaned a little further in and kissed her softly, barely restraining himself.

"If everyone else weren't in here, I'd make sure you were in this bed with me." Nora whispered into his ear.

"As soon as they leave, I will."

"Good. It's been a while since I cuddled with my boyfriend."

"Yeah, it has." House sighed and looked out the window. The stars, so light and clear, shined brighter tonight. He'd never noticed the stars this way before, how they seemed to move on endlessly through the sky. How each one was reflected in the eyes of the woman he loved when she gazed at them, too. Her gray eyes the color of her last name, twinkling with an odd stillness and a welcome sense of peace.