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Wilson walked through the cafeteria one Wednesday morning, trying to find a table to sit at with his cup of coffee and bacon sandwich. He was so distracted searching for somewhere to sit that he didn’t see a man standing in front of him until he walked straight into his back, almost dropping his cup of coffee.
”I am so sorry,” he immediately apologised to the man who turned to face him, “I wasn’t looking where I was going and I-“
”James?” The man questioned when he spotted him, Wilson looked at the guy’s face, he recognised him but couldn’t quite place where, “James Wilson is that really you?” Suddenly it clicked in his mind.
”Henry?” He queried, “Henry Gibson? I haven’t seen you since-“
”Since we were lab partners in freshman year,” Henry chuckled, “you haven’t changed a bit.”
”You have,” Wilson commented, “last I remember you were stick thin, had glasses and you were shorter than me and now-“ he looked up at the other man who stood about three of four inches above him, he had dark brown hair, kind eyes, a gorgeous smile and a lean build.
”Yeah I may have grown a little since then,” he joked.
”What happened with you? You were at school one day then the next you wasn’t,” Wilson questioned.
”My dad was killed in action in Iraq, my mom was devastated and we ended up moving in with my grandmother in New York,” Henry explained.
”I’m sorry to hear that,” Wilson replied, “I guess I can excuse you for not handing in your part of our project then,” Henry chuckled at this.
”I see you’ve got yourself some breakfast, mind if I join you?”
”Of course,” Wilson said, a table nearby had cleared so they quickly sat down before anyone else could, “so what are you doing here?”
“My nephew’s here, he was diagnosed with leukaemia about a month ago, I’d heard the oncology department here was good so I thought I’d come check it out,” Henry told him.
”Well I should hope the oncology department is good, I run it,” Wilson replied.
”Really?” Henry asked, “I have no doubt that it’s brilliant now then, you were the smartest kid in our grade,” Wilson blushed slightly at this.
”I wouldn’t say I was the smartest,” he said.
”No you were, it’s one of the reasons that I was glad we were lab partners,” Henry told him.
”One of the reasons?” Wilson questioned.
”Well, there was also the fact that you were the type of guy who made girls swoon and make guys envious, just being lab partners with you gave me street cred,” Henry joked.
”That’s not true.”
”It was,” he insisted, “there was a reason you were nick named ‘pretty boy’”
“No one ever called me that,” Wilson replied.
”Never to your face,” Henry chuckled and Wilson blushed again.
”So what’s your nephew’s name? I might know who his doctor is,” Wilson changed the subject, not wanting to keep talking about himself.
”Joseph,” Henry said, Wilson pulled his phone out, looking over his department’s schedules.
”He’s my first patient,” Wilson told him, “where is he now?” He asked.
”We got here really early so a nurse said he could play video games in the paediatric department, I just stepped out for a coffee,” Henry explained.
”Is his mom not with him?” Wilson had finished his breakfast at this point and was working on his coffee.
”No, her work wouldn’t give her enough time off so I said I’d bring him here.”
“That’s nice of you,” Wilson commented.
”It’s the least I could do, he’s a good kid,” Henry said. Wilson finished his coffee before looking down at his watch.
“Well I better head off, I need to go see a colleague before your nephew’s appointment,” he told him, “but I’ll see you soon.”
”Okay,” Henry smiled at him, “see you soon.”
————
“Cuddy wanted me to give you this,” Wilson said as he entered House’s office, he chucked some files down on the desk and went to leave.
”Really? No comments about the fact that I filled out all my paperwork with ‘I did medical stuff?’” House asked and Wilson turned to face him.
”Really House,” he said, “why would you do that?”
”To annoy Cuddy, but that’s not the point, you didn’t look in the files and you’re in a rush to leave,” House looked at him skeptically, “something’s on your mind and you don’t want to tell me about it.”
”Nothing’s on my mind House, I didn’t look in the files because they’re not mine and I’m in a rush because I have a patient to go see,” Wilson said.
”Who is she?” House asked.
”Who is who?” Wilson asked.
”Whoever you ran into this morning that you now can’t stop thinking about,” House deduced.
”I ran into an old school friend and I’m thinking of him because his nephew is my next patient,” Wilson retorted, he held strong against House’s scrutinising gaze and House suddenly looked away from him at something on his desk.
”Okay,” House said.
”Okay?” Wilson questioned.
”Okay,” House repeated.
”Okay,” Wilson said, in a way that showed he was suspicious of House, he opened the door, knowing this wasn’t the end of the conversation, and left.
————
“I’m going to be honest with you,” Wilson told Henry, as they watched a five year old Joseph playing with some toys in the corner of Wilson’s office, “his cancer is advanced but the chances of him surviving are fairly good, he can start chemo in a few days, then have some radiation treatments, if all goes well he could be cancer free before long.”
”That’s great!” Henry exclaimed, “you hear that Joey? This doctor is going to make you all better,” he picked up the young boy who just smiled at Wilson, “That’s his way of thanking you, he’s non-verbal, but that doesn’t stop him, he’s going to take over the world one day.”
”Well hopefully we’ll get him feeling better soon so he can get back to that,” Wilson smiled, holding his hand up for a high five from the boy.
”You’re good with kids, do you have any of your own?” Henry asked.
”No,” Wilson replied, “I haven’t found the right person to settle down with yet.”
”Yeah me neither,” Henry said, “so you not seeing anyone then?”
”Not at the moment, I have been married three times but now I’m starting to wonder if I’m just not meant to ever be with a woman,” Wilson joked.
”Yeah, I don’t have much luck with women either,” Henry chuckled, “anyway I should probably get this little guy home, he has some homework to get done but I promised him that we’d make some brownies for his mom first.”
”Well, that sounds like you’ve got a busy day ahead of you,” Wilson said and stood up, he held the door open for the taller man who thanked him as he left. Wilson was about to close the door when Henry turned around and spoke to him.
”How would you like to get dinner with me sometime?” He asked, taking Wilson aback, “you know, we could catch up properly.”
”Yeah,” Wilson agreed, “yeah, that sounds good.”
”Great,” Henry smiled at him, “how about Friday?”
“Sounds good to me,” Wilson replied, the taller man gave him another smile before heading to the elevator. Wilson watched him go then jumped when he heard a voice behind him.
”So what are you going to wear for your date?” House asked.
”Stop sneaking into my office from the balcony,” Wilson grumbled, walking over to his desk and sitting down.
”You’d have seen me coming if I’d come from the hallway,” House commented, “then I wouldn’t have been able to overhear your conversation,” he hobbled over to the desk and sat down across from his friend.
”What do you want House?” He asked.
”Nothing really, just wanted to check out this guy you seem to be falling for,” House replied.
”I’m not falling for him,” Wilson stated, “we’re just having a catch up since we haven’t seen each other since school.”
”Good,” House said, “because something seems off about him.”
”You say that about everyone I date,” Wilson replied then shut his eyes when he realised what he’d said.
”So you admit that you do want to date him?” House asked.
”I don’t know,” Wilson admitted, “maybe,” he ran a hand down his face, “I knew I liked guys as long as I could remember but I don’t really have much experience with them, I dabbled a bit in college but, I don’t know, he seems nice, he’s handsome, he looks out for his family, why not date him?”
”Well for a start something seems off about him,” House said.
”What seems off about him House? Because from what I’ve seen he seems like the perfect guy,” Wilson argued.
”Almost too perfect,” House replied.
”Are you sure it isn’t just that you’re jealous because I might have a date on Friday and you’re in a relationship with your sock,” Wilson retorted.
”Ouch,” House said, “no need to get so defensive Wilson.”
”Look, I may have a shot at something good here House, don’t start messing around with it,” Wilson pleaded.
”Fine I won’t,” House replied.
”Promise?” Wilson asked.
”C’mon Wilson, we’re not children,” Wilson gave him a look and he sighed, “I promise.”
”Thank you.”
————
Friday
Wilson closed the file on his desk and headed out of his office, turning the lights off and locking the door, as he turned around he found himself face to face with House.
“Can I help you?” He asked as he stepped round the man and walked towards the elevator.
”You have your date tonight,” House stated.
”I do,” Wilson agreed, pushing the button on the wall.
“You nervous?” House asked, stepping into the metal box when the doors opened.
”I’m fine,” Wilson replied, following him in.
”Where you going?”
“I’m not going to tell you that, you’ll show up there,” Wilson told him.
”Fine,” House said, “are you meeting him there or is he picking you up?”
“He’s picking me up,” Wilson answered, stepping off the elevator when the doors opened on the ground floor, “now is twenty questions going to continue or can I go home now?”
”No more questions,” House stated, “I was just going to say to message when you get home, I would rather not have to stay up all night worrying that you were lying in a grave in the middle of a forest somewhere,” Wilson rolled his eyes at him before walking out the front entrance of the hospital and heading to his car.
————
“I’ve had a good time tonight,” Henry said as he and Wilson got to the front door of Wilson’s apartment.
”Me too,” Wilson smiled, “you didn’t have to walk me to my door though.”
”There’s no other way to end a date,” Henry smiled.
”So this was a date then?” Wilson questioned, looking up at the taller man.
”I hope so,” Henry replied, “otherwise it would be strange for me to do this,” Henry placed a hand on Wilson’s cheek and brought his head down to plant a soft kiss on Wilson’s lips. The other man brought his hands up to rest on Henry’s chest as the kiss deepened.
“Did you want to come in for a drink or something?” Wilson asked when they separated.
”I’ve actually got to get back,” Henry told him, “I have to be up early tomorrow, but we should go out again soon.”
”Definitely,” Wilson replied, “hopefully I’ll see you at the hospital on Monday, Joseph starts his chemo then right?”
”Yeah,” Henry said, “maybe I could stop by your office afterwards and bring you a coffee.”
”Sounds like a plan,” Wilson smiled, he pulled out his keys and unlocked the door, “See you on Monday.”
”See you then,” Henry replied, Wilson gave him a quick kiss on the lips before opening the door. Henry backed away from the door, giving Wilson a little wave as he headed back to his car.
Wilson couldn’t stop grinning when he shut the door, he pulled his phone out of his pocket.
Date went well and I’ve made it home so you can go to bed now mom! He sent to House.
It’s past your curfew young man! You’re grounded! He received back, he chuckled slightly before sticking his phone on charge and heading for bed.
————
Monday
Wilson walked through the entrance to the hospital with a smile on his face. He headed over to the elevator, saying hello to all his work colleagues as he passed, he whistled to himself while the metal box took him to his floor and as he opened the door to his office his smile faded. House was sitting on his couch waiting for him.
”We need to talk,” House said.
”If you’re wanting a divorce can I at least keep the Rolling Stones vinyl records?” He joked.
”This is serious,” House replied, causing Wilson to become concerned, “it’s about Henry.”
“For God’s sake House, you promised you wouldn’t meddle,” Wilson said.
”I had my fingers crossed, but that’s not the point,” House stated, he pulled a piece of paper out of a file he had sat next to him and passed it to Wilson. The oncologist looked it over, a surprised look on his face.
”What? I don’t understand,” he said, the piece of paper was a missing person’s poster, he showed a picture of Joseph except the name said ‘Tyler’
”Henry Gibson is wanted for kidnapping his nephew,” House said. Wilson looked over the piece of paper before screwing it up.
”You’re messing with me,” he replied.
”There’s more,” House told him, “while you were on your date with Henry I broke into his home.”
”Is that why you wanted me to text you when he dropped me off?” Wilson asked “dammit House, why can’t you just let me have some bit of happine-“
”Shut up Wilson,” House cut in, “when I got there I thought I could find something small to mess with him or you, instead I found his 5 year old nephew shut in a room on his own,” Wilson stared into House’s eyes, looking for any sign that he was lying.
“We were out for like three hours, please tell me that kid wasn’t left there on his own that whole time,” he said.
”Relax, I stayed with him, I even got him a snack,” House assured him, “when you texted me I kept checking out the window, when I saw him pull in to the drive I snuck out the back door.”
”So you mean to tell me that he kidnapped his nephew and keeps him locked in his bedroom while he’s out?” Wilson questioned, unable to believe what he was hearing.
”That’s another thing,” House said, pulling another piece of paper out of the file and handing it to Wilson. Wilson looked it over, it was a DNA test.
”He’s his son, not his nephew!” Wilson exclaimed.
”Wrong,” House replied, “he’s his son and his nephew,” Wilson looked over the piece of paper again.
”Oh my God,” Wilson whispered, suddenly feeling sick.
”Yeah,” House said, “your new boyfriend had sex with his sister and created his nephson,” Wilson walked around to the other side of his desk and slowly sank down into his chair, “apparently he found out that the kid was his and not his sister’s boyfriend. He then kidnapped the boy and brought him here, the place he’s living in is under a different name, when I looked the guy who’s house it was had been missing for a week, they found his body this morning but Henry had already cleared out of the house. This guy you knew in school is an incestuous murderer and a kidnapper, I imagine that once he’s finished with his kid’s chemo today you two were going to meet up, then he’d see if you were free tonight for dinner and then that’s when he’d kill you, bury your body in the woods and camp out in your house for a bit.”
“I still think you’re messing with me,” Wilson said, but House could tell he was doubting that.
“Come with me,” House said, standing up and leaving the room, Wilson following behind.
They walked through the hospital and found themselves outside of the oncology department. Wilson could see police officers through the window and as he stepped in he could hear Henry yelling.
“He’s my son! She had no right to hide that from me!” He shouted as the police handcuffed him, he looked up and saw Wilson standing there, “James! James, you’ve got to do something, help me, they’ve made a mistake!” Wilson walked over to him.
”You’re a sick man,” he said, before turning around and walking away. The police dragged him out of the room and Wilson could still hear him yelling down the corridor.
————
House found Wilson that evening standing in the balcony and looking out over the city. He walked over to the edge and looked out too.
”You were right you know,” House told him.
”About what?” Wilson asked, “I thought Henry was a nice guy.”
”You also thought he was a family man, guess that was true,” House commented, causing Wilson to scoff, “but that’s not what I meant,” Wilson turned to look at House when he felt the other man’s eyes on him, “I was jealous,” he admitted, Wilson looked into his eyes at this, House was strangely vulnerable in that moment and Wilson wasn’t used to seeing this side of him.
”You’ll find someone eventually House,” he told him, looking back out at the setting sun “maybe I’ll even find someone too.”
”That’s not what I meant,” House said and Wilson looked over at him again, “I was jealous because he was taking you on a date and I wasn’t,” Wilson was shocked at this revelation, he looked down at his hands, lost in his thoughts and House found himself getting worried that he’d just messed up his friendship.
”Do you want to go get dinner tomorrow?” Wilson asked, facing his friend, a smirk on his face.
”I think I’m free,” House grinned back. The two men smiled at each other again before looking back out at the sunset.