Work Text:
House rolled into Cuddy’s office startling her as the doors banged against the wall, she looked up to see House propelling himself into her office, it was almost impressive the way he could storm into or out of a room in a wheelchair though whoever had to fix the dent in the wall would probably disagree.
‘My patient had a seizure’ He announced as he approached her desk.
‘I’m not sure what you expect me to do about it’ Cuddy replied going back to the report she’d been writing.
‘My patient is circling the drain, we can’t work in the conference room and my office has been re-arranged.’
Cuddy sighed looking up from her laptop, ‘And why is this work being done? Remind me who it’s being done for?’ She asked.
House glared at her, he was silent for a minute and she thought he wasn’t going to reply ‘You have my eternal gratitude for completing your legal obligation to make my workplace accessible’ He snapped. ‘How am I meant to work like this?’ He shouted over the sound of power tools coming from the clinic.
‘I've got a headache from the noise and it's still going to be a few days before it's complete' Cuddy replied 'You're not the only one that has to work around builders or put up with the noise, use another conference room or the doctor's lounge or the morgue I don't care just go back upstairs and do your job.'
House turned his chair around and left the room slamming the doors so hard Cuddy was sure the room shook.
The team had taken over a spare conference room. House was pacing back and forward in front of the whiteboard, Thirteen was napping in the doctor's lounge and Kutner was in the lab as Chase entered the room with two cups of coffee from the cafeteria. They’d been working for hours running tests and the caffeine boost was welcomed. Chase handed House a coffee as his boss slumped into the closest chair and rubbed his leg, House wished he had his lounge chair with its comfortable seat and its footrest, the chairs around the table weren’t designed for people with chronic pain.
‘The patient is stable,’ Chase told him. House nodded taking a sip of coffee it wasn’t as good as the coffee they normally had in the DDX room but it was better than nothing.
‘Pain bad?’ Chase asked seeing House rubbing his leg.
‘It's been a long day' House replied looking at his watch surprised to see that it was nearly 3 am, time tended to lose all meaning during tough cases 'And night' He added.
‘Why don’t you take a break?’ Chase suggested, ‘The patient is stable and I can take over from Kutner and Thirteen can join me in the lab.’
House looked at the whiteboard again, he knew he needed to rest but he was reluctant to sleep in case the patient started crashing.
‘I’ll page you if we need you’ Chase told him, ‘There’s no point pushing until you’re in too much pain to work.’
House dragged his protesting body up from the uncomfortable chair and limped over to his wheelchair, it was still an adjustment to him being more open with the team about his pain and accepting that they cared about him. ‘Fine, I’ll be in Wilson’s office page me if you need me,’ He wheeled towards the door that Chase had left open muttering something that sounded like an ancient curse.
‘Sweet dreams House’ Chase called out from behind him.
House entered Wilson's office and limped over to the small couch stretching his long legs over the arm and pulling his jacket over his body, he placed his pager and cell phone on his wheelchair next to the couch and closed his eyes as fatigue dragged him down into a restless sleep.
Wilson opened the door to his office to the sight of House sprawled awkwardly across the small couch he'd had a text from his partner at around midnight saying the patient was critical and he wouldn't be home. Wilson was never sure what part of the hospital House would be found napping in, House's office and the clinic weren't currently an option but House had a remarkable ability to vanish and had several hiding spots (coma guy's room, the OB-GYN lounge, the morgue) he closed the door and opened the blinds smiling as House grumbled and pulled his jacket over his head.
’Wakey wakey sleeping beauty’ Wilson called as he bent over and kissed House feeling the moment House’s brain came back online and kissed Wilson back, House turned over to check the time and tensed up, he hissed as his remaining thigh muscles tightened up and reached down to rub his leg. Wilson pulled a chair from in front of his desk next to the couch and sat down reaching out to massage his boyfriend's leg and convince the damaged muscles and nerves to cooperate.
After House’s leg had resigned itself to holding House upright Wilson went down to the cafeteria and grabbed them both breakfast while House called Chase for an update on the patient, by the time Wilson returned the workmen were back in Diagnostics putting in a new glass wall between the two rooms.
House was getting antsy he hated changes to his work environment and he didn’t like people touching his things or rearranging them, Wilson had helped him box up the trinkets and knick-knacks from his desk and Kutner had brought House his thinking ball but being out of his comfort zone away from his TV and music and Eames chair made it harder for House to think.
House went to check on the patient and summon the team after they’d eaten, Wilson wasn’t looking forward to having consults with patients with all the noise but there wasn’t anything that could be done about it House needed the adaptions (Wilson was proud of him for admitting it and requesting them with Cuddy) but he wasn’t sure if he could stand the noise much longer he’d already swiped House’s headphones so he could block out the drilling while he was doing paperwork.
House rolled into the temporary conference room and over to the whiteboard, his leg hadn’t appreciated a night on Wilson’s couch. House threw a marker to Kutner and moved over to the table in the centre of the room, it wasn’t as large as the DDX room and there wasn’t as much space for House to manoeuvre ‘You’re responsible for an increase in our insurance premiums if you crash so try not to set it on fire’ House told him.
‘The patient hasn’t had any more seizures and the treatment seems to be working but we’re waiting for the lab results to confirm’ Chase told the rest of the team.
House nodded he couldn't help wondering if he’d have gotten it sooner if he hadn’t felt so disjointed from the changes to his environment which was frustratingly overriding the post-diagnosis adrenaline rush (though that could also be the lack of sleep he thought).
After sending Kutner and Thirteen to deliver the diagnosis House went back up to the fourth floor, he was hoping the work would be over soon so he could asses how much had been put out of place, if anything happened to his stereo or chair he’d kill the idiots installing the new doors (and as a doctor, he knew multiple ways to do it and surely Wilson loved him enough to help hide the bodies).
He went past Wilson's office and headed towards his own and saw that the table, chairs and whiteboard had been moved to the wall that connected the conference room to Wilson's office. The glass panels that the doors had been in had been removed from the conference room and his office, House wheeled into his office seeing his desk and other furniture had been moved to the back of the room, it was hard to tell from the way things were arranged but he couldn’t see any obvious damage.
Sandy knocked on the door and waved at Wilson to get his attention ‘Mrs Wyatt will be here soon’ She told him as he removed his headphones, she’d also been using earplugs to block out the drilling next door ‘Any idea when they’ll be done?’ She asked.
Wilson shrugged ‘They’re replacing the glass panels at the front of the conference room and House’s office and the dividing glass wall and changing the doors for electric ones. Cuddy says it’ll be quicker than the clinic renovations.’
Sandy grimaced she’d heard some of the nurses complain about the clinic, knowing that the work had partly been for House’s benefit had made them even more frustrated.
House limped into the clinic and was assaulted by the sound of power tools, he was just turning to leave when a hand caught hold of his left arm ‘You have clinic duty’ Cuddy told him.
House shook her off and regained his balance scowling at her as his leg grumbled about the abrupt movement that had shifted too much weight from his left leg onto his right. ‘I solved my case the patient is cured, I’m a genius you can’t expect me to lower myself to working in the clinic.’
Cuddy rolled her eyes and shoved a file against House’s chest, exam room two.
House sat down on one of the stools and waited for the usual parade of idiots to be sent his way. Three STDs, a cold and a child with Lego up its nose later and House was at his limit for dealing with stupid people, he limped into the clinic reception to return the file for the last patient he’d offended and heard nurse Jeffrey talking to a young intern.
House hadn’t seen Jeffrey since the comments Chase overheard.
‘Are they expanding the clinic?’ The newbie asked.
‘They’re making one of the rooms suitable for wheelchairs’ Jeffrey told them.
House wondered how much time the nurse spent working vs gossiping.
‘That's great' Newbie replied, 'Isn't it?' They asked seeing the nurse's expression that implied it wasn't a good thing.
‘Well yes but the only reason they’re doing it is because one of the doctors uses a wheelchair. Sometimes.’
House growled under his breath at the sometimes, he knew what was being implied there and the suggestion that he was exaggerating his disability still pissed him off. It wasn’t the nurse himself that was the issue but his attitude as if House didn’t spend every moment of his life in pain that at times was debilitating or that he hadn’t had to face losing his mobility twice and still be facing the slow deterioration of his leg.
People like nurse Jeffrey would never know how it felt to plan and assess every action from walking to the bathroom to checking which bars were accessible for wheelchair users.
House longed for the days even a few years ago when he could regularly ride his motorcycle and walk at a closer speed to normal, House was so used to Wilson and the people around him subconsciously dropping their pace to match his that he sometimes forgot how slow he could be especially on bad days.
The intern still sounded confused ‘Surely accommodating someone with a disability is good, it’s a legal requirement after all and it’ll help patients.’
House heard Jeffrey sighing, the newbie wasn't getting it 'Yes of course but this guy gets whatever he wants either by intimidating people or blackmailing them, whatever it is he has on Cuddy must be good because she always gives in to him.’
House was getting tired of listening to this and his leg was getting tired informing him that he’d been standing too long. House pushed himself away from the wall he’d been leaning against and limped over to where Jeffrey and the newbie had been talking.
‘I hear the clinic refurbishment is causing some inconvenience’ He addressed Jeffrey ignoring the newbie, ‘While I’m flattered that you have so much to say about me I am spoken for’ House gave Jeffrey a leer, it was a particularly filthy leer and House was proud of it.
House limped forward crossing behind the nurse's desk and standing in front of the nurse holding his cane up 'If you want to get Cuddy on your side I can help, good parking, clinic refurbishment, whatever you want all for the low low price of excruciating, unrelenting pain.'
House was right in Jeffrey’s face now and the nurse was pinned against the desk as House loomed over him.
‘House, you’re insane’
House pressed his cane against Jeffrey’s chest seeing the intern pale out of the corner of his eye.
‘You’re Dr. House?’
House turned his head keeping Jeffrey held in place by his cane, the realisation that the nurse had accused the most feared and respected doctor in the hospital of overplaying his disability hit the intern and they quickly left Jeffrey to fend for himself.
‘So,’ House said still not lessening his grip despite his leg screaming at him as he leaned forward ‘Apparently you didn’t learn from last time not that I expect much from a nurse but as nice as it is to have a fan I don’t think Dr. Wilson will be too happy that you’re fighting for my attention he wasn’t too happy the last time, so you can either report me to HR for exaggerating my leg or you can leave me the hell alone.’
The desk was digging uncomfortably into Jeffrey’s back and he was out of allies and his mission to get rid of House had not only been unsuccessful but got him into trouble.
Jeffrey nodded ‘Fine I’ll stop, I’ll leave you alone.’
House released him watching the nurse stumble as he was no longer pinned to the desk.
‘Great Dr. Wilson will be happy to hear that he doesn’t have any competition.’
House limped towards the elevators desperately hoping that his leg would hold as he took the elevator to the fourth floor glad that the renovations to his office should be completed today. The men's room on his floor had been completed the day before having only needed some minor adaptions.
House barged into Wilson's office and flopped down on the sofa, his leg was relieved to have the pressure removed from it and House rubbed it digging his fingers into the crater in his leg as Wilson pretended to ignore him.
‘They’re almost done next door’ House told his partner once he’d stopped ignoring him.
Wilson looked relieved it was hard to tell people they were dying with the noise coming from the next office.
‘Maybe we could christen it’ House suggested with a raised eyebrow and a smirk.
Wilson rolled his eyes ‘Do you ever think about anything other than sex?’
House pretended to contemplate it ‘Food and you, actually sometimes I think about all three together.’
Wilson groaned ‘It has glass doors’ He pointed out.
‘So’ House waved him off dismissively ‘Even better.’
Wilson ran his hand over his face (though he couldn't deny that he got a thrill from workplace sex).
House stood up and limped over to Wilson and sat on the edge of the desk with his legs on either side of Wilson’s.
‘Of course, my office isn’t the only place they’ve made accessible’ House reminded him. ‘There’s the stall in the men's room, nice and large with grab rails to hold onto, nice and safe.’ He leaned forward and sucked Wilson’s neck ‘No glass doors.’
Wilson swallowed hard and eyed his watch, House grinned knowing he’d got his way.
‘Fine’ Wilson agreed deciding it was late enough, ‘But keep the noise down.’
House grinned as Wilson practically dragged him to the toilets ‘No promises.’