Trust//House M.D. Fanfiction

Six: New Regrets

It had been a week since Hannah read the cards for Wilson, and oddly enough, he was back again for another reading. She wasn't used to him coming so frequently, but she supposed that was just because of the distance that used to be between them; seeing each other every month was the least suspicious they could have been.

Hannah stepped trough the door of her house and shut it behind her using her foot, as her arms were preoccupied with holding bags. She set the bags down on the breakfast bar and shrugged her purse off her shoulder, tossing it onto the couch with ease. Hannah followed after it and grabbed the remote, turning on the television before sitting down. Not five minutes later, the home phone rang on the table next to her.

"Hello?" she spoke as she held the phone to her ear. She hadn't bothered to check the caller ID, but the chances of her recognizing anyone's number was slim.

"Hey, Hannah," came Wilson's immediate response. "Got some time for a reading? It's my lunch break right now, so I've got a bit before I need to get back to work."

She smiled a little as she responded. "Sure thing! Are you coming over here or do you want me to go to the hospital?"

"Don't worry, I'll come to you. I'll see you in a few minutes?"

"Yeah," she responded, about to hang up, when she remembered; "don't forget your wallet!" Wilson chuckled a bit, and Hannah heard the slam of the car door before he hung up. Sighing, she stood up and headed back to her bags; time to put the groceries away. After spending an entire week in the hospital, Hannah needed to restock.

"Carrots and cucumber in the fridge... granola and oatmeal in the pantry..." she murmured to herself, putting each away as she listed off the foods. Just as she was about to pour herself some Jack Daniel's for her trouble, she heard the sound of a car pulling into her driveway. Wilson had arrived.

She waited for the doorbell to ring before picking up her half-full glass of whiskey and opening the door. "Welcome back," she smiled, taking a sip of her beverage. "Shall we get straight to business?"

The thing was, Hannah wanted to get the reading over with as son as possible. Not just for James' sake - he did need to get back to the hospital - but for her own, as well. She didn't like how she felt when he looked at her. She didn't want to remember what had happened between them before they'd broken it off. She didn't want to think that something would happen between them again, because she was barely over him and he had a wife. Hannah didn't want to be the cause of another divorce.

"Hannah?" Wilson asked with a concerned tone in his voice, gripping her shoulders. He hadn't changed one bit.

"I'm fine, James, don't worry, I was just thinking. Please, come in." That was a lie: she wasn't fine at all. Why had she agreed to do this? All her worries that were bottled up deep in her mind managed to break through the glass. After all the progress she'd made, after all the times she'd told herself she was over Wilson, after she'd moved out of that house with all of those memories, she couldn't escape. They followed her everywhere, and after all that time, Wilson could still break down the walls Hannah had put up inside her head, making her feel things she'd never wanted to feel again.

Hannah led Wilson absentmindedly up the stairs, careful not to get too lost in her thoughts and trip, and by the time they'd sat down on the twin couches across from each other, she'd finally regained her composure. She picked up her cards and handed them to Wilson. "What do I need to know in order to save my current patient?" Hannah smiled weakly as he finished shuffling and handed her the cards. Of course he'd ask something like that; his heart was so big he could sympathize with a serial killer.

She flipped the cards one by one, then set the deck aside before reading. The Hermit, High Priestess, and Strength lay o the hardwood table.

"Don't worry, you will make the right decision." Wilson breathed a sigh of relief. "And Strength, I suppose, reflects the Andie. She's been through a lot, hasn't she?" Wilson nodded.

"She's only nine years old. She's been through too much for someone her age, if you ask me." Hannah smiled sympathetically, wishing there was a better way to cheer him up.

"Well, maybe if you told me what the problem is, I could help?" At her offer, Wilson inhaled sharply, and she grew a bit uncomfortable. "It's alright if you don't want to, I understan-"

"It's alright, I'll tell you." Hannah relaxed and leaned back against the sofa, listening to Wilson's explanation. "House wants to... kill her. Temporarily, of course. He wants to do an autopsy in order to find a blood clot in her brain." Hannah nodded, vaguely understanding what he was talking about. With both her knowledge from her single year in med school and what Wilson had told her about his job, she knew enough.

Hannah thought for a moment, then after reassessing the cards again, she came to the same conclusion as before. "Like I said, James, in the end, you'll make the right decision."

---

The next evening, Hannah had just gotten settled on the couch with a warm mug of chamomile tea when the doorbell rang. She looked at the clock - it was nine thirty. Who would come by at this time? Her hours were printed on the brand new sign she'd gotten not five hours before; ten in the morning until seven at night. Sighing in annoyance, Hannah got up and opened the door, setting her mug down next to the home phone before she did so.

Almost as soon as she had opened the door, a pair of strong arms were wrapped around her body. She could tell by the scent that it was Wilson, and, though she was reluctant, Hannah hugged back. He stepped back, realizing that she was probably confused and uncomfortable. "The autopsy was a success. Andie's got at least another year.

A wide smile broke out on Hannah's face and she pulled Wilson back in for another hug. "That's great!" she exclaimed before letting go. Just then, thunder pounded and rain started beating down. "Hurry, hurry! Get in before you catch a cold or something!" They both laughed as she ushered him inside out of the sudden rain.

"You're too great, you know that?" Wilson commented as he took off his coat and hung it on the rack next to the door. Hannah could only shake her head.

"James, you were the one who made the decision that saved her life. I merely gave you some advice that for all you know, could have given you a feeling of fake confidence which could have led to her demise just as easily." Wilson frowned at her words.

"Why can't you just admit that you have a gift, Hannah?"

"I don't know, why can't you admit that I could be wrong sometimes? Heck, I don't even really believe these cards half the time. They just work well enough for me that I know I can help people with them, and yeah, sometimes they're good for a second opinion."

"So you're admitting that you're scamming people?" Wilson asked, raising an eyebrow at me. I rethink my words as I flop back down onto the couch and take a thoughtful sip of tea before responding.

"No, I'm admitting that while I don't fully believe the cards have any magic powers or whatever, they can pose as a significant truth for some people. I know I have a gift, James, but I don't want it to rule my life." That knocked some sense into him, and he frowned as he sat down next to her. He opened his mouth to speak, 'trying to cheer me up,' Hannah thought. She couldn't have been more wrong.

"Hannah, not two weeks ago - and I remember exactly - you said 'whatever was there is gone now'. But did you really mean it? I know that if I had said it, I wouldn't have been even the slightest bit sincere." Hannah couldn't believe it. After all this time, and all that pain of drifting apart, he still felt... something? It was insane. He was insane. Heck, she was insane, because no matter how much she wanted it to be true that she didn't feel anything anymore, she knew she couldn't lie to herself. She knew she felt the same way as he did. She'd always known.

Before she could say anything, Wilson cradled her cheek with his hand and brought her lips forward to touch his. Those two years came flooding back to her, and Hannah's thoughts discouraging her feelings were getting muddled with lust. It had been so long since they'd last kissed, but it felt like the first time. Against her mind's wishes, Hannah kissed back.

Almost two hours later, as she lay under her covers in Wilson's arms, finally down from her high, a wave of regret hit her like a wrecking ball. What had she done?