The Knife and the Cane

Chapter 31-Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder.

When the day was done, everyone could tell by the way a sense of finality washed over the Princeton-Plainsboro teaching hospital. The halls became darker and emptier as the sun set through the windows, casting longer shadows and welcoming exhaustion. Nora Graves, after a long lecture from Cuddy about making sure that she reaches out the next time she feels the urge to do something, made her way up to the Diagnostics workroom to say goodbye to her colleagues for the day. When they all invited her to go out for drinks, she declined, using the excuse that the naloxone could still be in her system and it could be dangerous. They all agreed and left. When she turned, she could see all of the blinds drawn in House's office, creating a barrier in between the two of them. She summoned all of the courage she needed before opening the door and pushing back the blinds.

"This had better be important." A reply came. House was seated in his chair behind his desk, slouched with his head back. His legs had fallen open and his cane was nowhere to be found.

"It's me." Nora said softly, moving closer. His eyes were shut, lines of fatigue drawing grooves under his eyes.

"You're important."

"What's wrong?"

"Leg."

"Does it hurt?"

"Yes." There was no sarcasm in his voice, nothing but pure exhaustion.

"Have you taken anything?"

"Just over-the-counter Ibuprofen. It barely takes the edge off."

"I'm sorry."

"You sound like you're going to cry." House said, his head tilting up and his gaze meeting Nora's.

"I might." She replied softly.

"Come here."

He stood up and moved over to the armchair next to the bookshelves, plopping into it with a sigh. He reached up and gently pulled Nora onto his lap, allowing her to practically bury her head into his chest. House cradled her in his arms like she was a small child in need of comfort and they both knew they needed it.

"Are you okay?" He asked softly, kissing her forehead.

"I don't know." Nora whispered, mustering up as much volume as she could.

"I need a little more than that, I can't fix 'I don't know.'"

"I don't fully understand what happened to me. It's like it hasn't registered in my brain."

"Do you want me to give you the step-by-step?"

"Keep it simple."

"When you collapsed, I was only a few minutes out. I got there, got you dressed, and called the team. They met me here and sent you into O.R. Cuddy didn't let me go in, so I don't know what happened until you got settled. Wilson and I got into a fight of sorts, made up, then you woke up."

"Chase asked me about my wrists and I had to break the truth to him." Her voice wavered as if she was going to cry.

"Nora, you should have told me."

"It's not that easy. I can't just text you and say, 'hey, I'm thinking about hurting myself and I really don't want to.'"

"Yes, you can. I'll come over or talk to you or whatever you need me to do. Whatever will help you stop."

"Promise me something."

"Anything."

"We quit together."

"Deal."

"Let's go home."

Nora climbed off of House and stood up, reaching her hand down to him. They packed quickly and left, Cuddy waving on the way out.

"Nora, where do you want to go?" House asked, stopping next to the bike.

"Can we go to your house?" She replied, swinging on the back. "I'm not sure I'm ready to go home yet."

"That's fine, we'll go to my place." He leaned forward and kissed her gently. "Are you hungry?"

"Not really. I'm mostly just tired."

"Have you eaten since this morning?"

"Yes. Remy and I had something around four."

"Good."

House swung on and Nora curled her arms around his abdomen, the warmth spreading up his back causing him to smile. For a random Wednesday night, he was feeling incredibly lucky. He drove home far slower than he ever would, making sure that Nora felt absolutely safe.

"You'd better go shower." House said, closing the front door behind them. Nora was already throwing her shoes off, her hoodie going next.

"I'm not sure...I don't know if I can." Nora replied, her heart rate spiking again.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know if I can since the...accident."

"Do you want me to come with you?"

"Please?"

"I will. Let me go grab some clothes."

When he found Nora in the bathroom sitting on the floor by the tub, House knew he had to be gentle with what he said.

"Let's start slow." He said gently, putting his hand on her shoulder. Her eyes met his and a wave of gratitude washed over her, thankful that this hard-ass had a soft spot for her. "Can you stand up for me?"

She did as he asked, standing up shakily. His next question was for her to take off her clothes, something he did at the same time. House reached down and turned on the faucet, adjusting it so it was the temperature she liked. Nora stepped in, the familiar feeling breaking the shield of confidence she'd built up.

"Greg..."

"You're okay. I'm right here." He replied, standing between her and the faucet so she wasn't directly in the line of fire. "Just breathe."

Nora followed his instruction and wrapped her arms around him, filling her lungs with a steadying breath. Then out. Then in. Then out. House gently walked back so bit by bit, she was in the stream. Her breathing became shaky and House could feel the vibration of her heart beating faster.

"See, you've got this."

He leaned back a bit to see her eyes clamped shut, her face buried into his chest. She held him tightly, almost painfully, as if he was her lifeline. In Nora's mind, the only thing that mattered was destroying the horrid thoughts because he was here with her. When he was around, nothing could hurt her, even the bad thoughts. As she banished the final idea from her consciousness, Nora prepared to speak, loosening her grip and tilting her head up to meet his gaze.

"I think...I think I'm okay."

we're back 😁