REWRITES AND EDITS
I am putting Parts Five through Eight up together on this site only as then you will be able to really see Taru's fine work on this piece.
A couple of people elsewhere post-emptively attacked me for not having my story betaed despite the fact they were clearly marked as FIRST DRAFT. I hope they will be content when I have posted the corrected chapters of LEGACIES AND LOLLIPOPS.
I thank Taruia for so kindly offering to edit my work. You will see how much a good editor gives to a writer's work without imposing their own words or attitudes on the text. Taruia is a fine editor and she is also the person who provides us with those invaluable transcripts of HOUSE MD at
http://malaquent.tripod.com/house/index.html . I also thank MacNMolly for her invaluable information on microdiscectomy spine surgery.
This story is a mild AU. It is a continuation of my previous fic "Breakfast with an Orang Utan" therefore the characters behave in character to their shared experiences in that fiction as well as their shared experiences at PPTH. If this is not your preferred form of fan fiction I suggest you read other stories on this site.
LEGACIES AND LOLLIPOPS - Part Five
Written by Magdala
Editor/beta: Taruia
PART FIVE
I was sitting in the waiting room outside operating theatre, thinking of them cutting into Greg. Frightened for him, but knowing it was his choice this time. If he thought it was right, it would be right. I pulled the envelope with the photographs out of my purse and started to look through them.
“I was told it’s double milk and now you take sugar,” said Cameron. She startled me I hadn’t noticed her come in she apologized for surprising me as she handed me the coffee.
“Last time I sat here it was with Greg while they did the exploratory operation on Mark,” I said.
Cameron nodded, sitting down with her coffee.
“I thought you’d be in there,” I said. Since I had worked at the hospital I had noticed that while everyone thought of Greg as a solitary man, he was often surrounded by his team. He could be cruel and mean but they respected him and Cameron, well she loved him.
“Chase is assisting and Foreman is in the Gallery. You know what’s happening?”
“Steigler ran thought it,” I really didn’t want the details of the operation I just wanted it over. But I did to talk about Greg I had opened up to Wilson and now I wanted other people to know about my time with Greg. I handed some of the photographs to Cameron. I knew she wanted to see them. It occurred to me that if I denied her she might ask Greg about them and I didn’t want that so sharing them telling her of our experiences in Singapore seemed the better idea.
“I’ve never seen him smile like that,” she said. She was looking at the one of the shots of Greg with the baby Orang Utan.
“That was at Singapore Zoo. No one ever gets to hold the baby, but Greg talked to the keeper and asked if they spoke to Ah Meng, she’s the big Orang, in Malay. They told him some of the things they said to her and ... well you know what he is like with languages. When he sat down he looked at Ah Meng and told her she was a beautiful lady in Malay. She handed him the baby just like that. It was incredible, a real privilege,” looking at the tiny Orang Utan me smile spontaneously and I noticed it had the same affect on Cameron.
Cameron looked as each shot carefully. “Dr. House looks so happy.”
“He was then. We both were.”
She turned to the next shot. It was a full length one of us dancing together on the verandah of our suite at Raffles. The young doctor’s jaw dropped open as she looked at Greg in his white tuxedo, and me in that wonderful black full-length evening dress. The dress was swirled out as Greg dipped me back over his arm. “He was the most wonderful dancer.”
“Was it like your husband said? Did you leave him because of the limp?” She was almost accusing me.
“Of course I didn’t. You must know him well enough to work out what happened,” I said. Cameron thought about it and nodding seemed to understand.
“He pushed you away didn’t he? And you still love him and he still loves you,” Cameron was certain she had it all worked out.
“Who knows how he will feel when this terrible pain has gone and he just has his usual pain,” I concentrated on drinking my coffee blinking to keep tears at bay.
Then Allison Cameron told me about how he had seen me lie beside my husband on the hospital bed after Greg had cured his paralysis. She told me he looked devastated and she told me how she had thought he was too screwed up to love anyone, but she realized the reason he could not love her was because he loved me so much.
I just let her talk it out. She told me about going to see the Monster Trucks. She told me how Vogler had tried to destroy him, and how she had resigned, and her condition for returning. She also told me what he had said about her attraction to him; how he thought it was because he was damaged. She realized I had told him to ease up on her and thanked me. And I thanked her for leading the meeting and caring so much.
“Greg needed you so much so much last night when you were all working on the white board. I just wish someone like you, with a brain and a heart like yours, had been around when he had the infarction,” I said. “He might have been diagnosed in time. They might have just been able to restore the circulation. He might have been all right and I might never have had to sign the proxy that allowed them to mutilate his leg. You were at that lecture he gave, weren’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Will you tell me about it? Please. Wherever I go in this hospital I get odd looks from the students and some of the medical staff. I know it is connected to that. Please Allison, tell me what Greg said.”
“I think it came as a shock because he has always been so private. Anyone mentioning his leg or asking how he was only ever did it once, and there he was opening right up. Of course there were no names but everyone there had to know it was him.”
“I saw him for the first time just before he went in to give that lecture. I had just told him I was married and Mark was sick,” I told her and she looked shocked.
“What did House say?” she asked, putting the photographs on the seat beside her.
“He said he wasn’t sure he wanted to treat him because he wasn’t sure he wanted him to live,” I said, registering her concerned expression. “Then he went straight into the lecture. He was terribly hurt, I don’t think it had occurred to him that I might marry.”
“I didn’t get into the lecture hall until they had their first break. I heard a couple of the students talking about it in the ladies room. They were rushing off to bring in the students who normally avoided the lecturer who was sick that day.”
As she told me what had gone on, I realized what a state I must have left him in. Obviously it during that lecture that he decided to treat Mark. I was surprised how detailed her memory was, and worse still how clearly Greg had remembered everything. It was exactly as I remembered it. Every terrifying moment.
Cameron put her arms around me, and I put mine round her acknowledging our mutual understanding and concern for the man we both loved.
I though we were alone in the room. I didn’t notice anyone enter. Then I heard the squeak of the rubber wheels of a chair stopping on the linoleum. It was my husband Mark
“A writ of Habeas Corpus was it? Or have you gone back to your old dancing partner?” The harsh sarcasm surprised Cameron. “Oh don’t stop hugging my wife Dr Cameron I would much rather she was into girls than this.”
Mark had picked up the photograph of Greg dancing with me from the chair beside Cameron. He held it up shaking with fury. Even sitting in a wheelchair he looked dangerous.
“I know House is sick; one of the nurses thought I should be told what was going on.”
Mark turned the photograph around and looked at it with distaste; then he ripped it in half, dropping the half that contained my image in the wonderful black dress. Then slowly and cruelly he ripped the image of Greg into tiny little bits.
For the first time since our marriage, I was frightened of my husband.
LEGACIES AND LOLLIPOPS - Part Six
Written by Magdala
Editor/beta: Taruia
PART SIX
Cameron stood up immediately. Very much the doctor, she sought to immediately establish her authority.
“Mr. Warner. This is not the time or the place.”
“Oh the cute doctor. Another one in love with him.” He put his hand back on the wheel rims, pushing backwards. I just sat staring at him. Cameron moved towards him, but he wasn’t going to let her touch the chair. He moved it forward. Fast. Really fast.
I was almost not quick enough. If I hadn’t lifted my legs up, and swung them over the chair beside me, he would have driven the footrest straight into my leg.
“You’re quick, you bitch. What you afraid of? Having a bum leg like him? That what you’re scared of ... or not being able to walk like me?” There was deadness in his eyes and his voice was cold with fury.
“You are going to be able to walk Mr. Warner.” Cameron had taken charge of the chair and was pushing my husband out of the waiting room.
“House put me in this damned thing!” he yelled, turning his head to look at her. “House and my loving wife there. You’re sick, you’ve got to see him, ‘...he can cure you, my dear’ she said. Yeah and now I’m in this chair.”
“He did cure you,” said Cameron. “You will be out of that chair soon. You would have died if Dr House hadn’t taken your case”
“Oh yeah. Well after I’ve told my story he won’t be messing with anymore patients.” He hadn’t taken in Cameron’s words. His anger was feeding on itself.
I knew I had to stop this right now. I chased after them and told Cameron I would take it from there. As she moved her hands from the chair so I could take it, she said to me under her breath, so I could only hear, “Do you want me to call security?”
“No. His therapist,” I whispered back. I started to push Mark as fast as I could out of the waiting room. I hurried into the corridor and headed for the lift.
“Where are we going, wife?” He asked. “All that talk of your lover make you hot?”
“Shut up,” I said. But that was all I dared say I had to try to keep everything even. I knew that showing annoyance would only make his anger increase
“Shut up, eh. You married me for better or for worse. Welcome to the worse.” Mark spat out,
As we arrived at the lift, the door opened to reveal Wilson who was about to get out. I mouthed ‘Don’t move” and he instantly understood, moving back so I could push Mark into the lift and turn the chair around so it faced the door.
“Hi Mark, therapy day? What floor, Stacy?” asked Wilson stepping around the chair to press the lift button.
“Uuhm." I hadn't a clue then I made a quick decision, "We’re going to my office,” I said, and Wilson pressed the button. The doors closed and the lift moved.
“How cozy. Here I am stuck in the lift with both of House’s lovers.”
Wilson laughed at him. “I have a hard enough time with the women in my life without turning to House for love.” he said trying to lighten the mood.
“You think a school counselor isn’t smart enough to know things?” Mark turned his head to me. “Let go of my chair, dammit.”
“So you can take another run at my leg? No way.”
“Think I might break it next time?” Mark challenged.
Wilson clenched his jaw. Then he pressed the red ‘stop’ button, and stood in front of the lift controls looking straight at Mark. He was establishing that he was in charge, and I relaxed a bit, feeling much safer.
“Okay. What’s going on?” Wilson asked looking straight at the furious man in the chair.
“One of the nurses rang him and told him to come in.” I said.
“She thought I should know what was going on.” Mark said as though he was the injured party.
“And what did she tell you was going on?” asked Wilson in a calm professional manner.
“Why should I tell you? You'd already know?”
“What I want to know is why you are here and why you are threatening your wife?”
“Because she is my wife. Mine and nobody else’s.”
“And you cannot talk to her like that. Nor can you threaten her. What century do you think we are living in?” Wilson pressed the restart button, and indicated that I should move away from the wheelchair. He placed his hands where mine had been on the handles.
“Like you’re the expert on marriage. I’ve heard about you.” He seemed to have switched his attack to Wilson.
“As least I have never verbally or physically abused my wives,” Wilson said calmly.
“Maybe your wives have never gone after Greg House” he spat out Greg’s name. “Cuckold. That’s the old English term. You never been cuckolded by your wife and your good friend House.”
“Save that for group therapy, Mark” said Wilson and then turned to me.
“Stacy if you get out on the next floor you can get back to what you were doing. I’ll stay with Mark and make sure he gets to therapy or has a ride home.”
“Thanks, Jim,” I said, but as a stepped forward, Mark grabbed my wrist.
“Ouch” I couldn’t hide the pain in my voice. My wrist, bruised from Greg’s grip, was starting to show color.
“What happened to your wrist?” Mark asked. As he looked at the wrist his anger seemed to dissipate.
“I hurt it.” I said.
“I’m sorry.” Mark looked really concerned. Truly upset for what had just happened.
"I am so sorry," he said.
“I know you’re sorry. I’ll see you later alright?” I said the door opened. A bunch of students were waiting to enter the lift.
“Yes see you later,” Mark said, and he winked at the students. “What, no kiss my love?”
I leant down to kiss him on the cheek, and as I did his hand came up and he hit me hard in the face. The blow was hard enough to throw me against the wall of the lift. I saw the surprise on the students’ faces.
“Call security” Wilson ordered. “Look after Mrs. Warner.”
“Yes Dr. Wilson ... yes sir” the chorus confirmed his orders would be followed to the letter. One of the female students took me to a chair, and one of the males grabbed his pager. Instead of continuing on their journey, Wilson wheeled Mark out of the lift past us all.
“I am taking him to my office,” Wilson said making sure everyone knew where they would be. “Tell security.”
The tallest, strongest looking male student fell in beside Wilson “Want me to come too?”
“Good idea,” Wilson answered.
The student opened the door of Wilson’s office and held it. Mark started to look anxious.
“I don’t want to go in there,” he said.
“Tough,” said Wilson allowing his disgust with Mark’s behavior to show.
Mark started to flail his arms grabbing for the wheels of the chair trying to take control of the situation But the big young student was too quick fo