Wilson's Life, Chapter 6

[damigella]

Title: Wilson's Life
Spoilers: Season 7 Ep 18: AU after that.
Summary: Wilson thinks his problems are over when they're just beginning. A sequel to House's Liver. Since I'm a teacher at heart, in each chapter someone will learn something. Not necessarily the truth, or the whole truth. Seven Chapters.
Rating: M for suicidal ideas, adult themes and language, possible slash.
Word Count: ~11000 total.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the House, MD characters, which is good since I tend to kill them.
Acknowledgements: I used hwshipper 's timeline. Any merit must be shared with my patient, wonderful beta reader, George Stark II.

Chapter 6

The disciplinary committee learns something about House and Wilson.


The day of the process came. Of course the official name wasn't process; it was disciplinary hearing. But House knew that Wilson would be accused, found guilty, and very likely condemned to choose between a life without practicing medicine or exile.

Rationally, House knew that none of this was his responsibility. Wilson had arranged the detox and had lied for him of his own initiative. But deep down, guilt was nagging him. A guilt fueled by the knowledge that none of this would have happened if he had been acting rationally, no matter how many good reasons he had found for throwing rationality out of the window. He wished he had died waiting for transplant. He wished he hadn't gone to visit Wilson with his blood test result. He wished he had missed the swimming pool. More than anything, he wished he had been willing to control his Vicodin and alcohol consumption.

*****

Miranda discreetly held Wilson's hand. She usually didn't touch her clients, but she really felt sorry for him. He had called her early in the morning and thanked her for her help, saying that he may very well be too upset to do it afterward. This was also unusual, and not because she hadn't defended obviously guilty people before.

The review of the evidence had been a series of terrible blows; it was indeed impossible to deny that Wilson had purposefully fed the transplant committee a well-planned lie. Then it was her turn. She had called Cuddy first, who had spoken in favor of Wilson's integrity, but had ultimately had to admit he had fooled her when she should have known better. She had called House's patients to witness how important his contribution had been. She had contacted the guy who had gotten Wilson's liver, but he answered that they were no longer in touch and that he was too busy to even tape a short declaration.

Now she was down to her last witness before Wilson: the transplant beneficiary, Dr. Gregory House. She was surprised and pleased: the dark suit and ironed blue dress shirt looked elegant with his shaved face, and he was wearing a silk tie as well. He asked to be able to talk sitting instead of standing, and an usher brought a chair.

She would be the only one questioning him, since the other side had declined to hear him. Her first step was to prove that the relapse had been short and caused by severe external circumstances.

"Dr. House, how long has your Vicodin relapse been?"

"I took my first Vicodin on the day my then girlfriend, Dr. Lisa Cuddy, was mistakenly diagnosed with terminal cancer.
I started using regularly again after she found out about the first pill and decided that our relationship had to end. I took the last Vicodin before being admitted to Eden Clinic. That would make it six weeks of relapse."

"How long had you been opiate-free before?"

"Eighteen months."

"How long had you been in a relationship with Dr. Cuddy?"

"We had been together for almost a year. I hoped we would be together all our lives. I used to spend the night at her place and babysit her daughter."

"Are you currently using opiates?"

"Yes. They are part of the pain management protocol by Dr. Li Yongbin. I use them only for breakthrough pain. He thinks I cannot have a reasonable life quality without occasional opiate use. However, I am no longer taking Vicodin because of its acetaminophen component."

She knew that Dr. Li's full report, including a damning criticism of House's previous opiate-free regime, had been filed with the committee, so she didn't need to push the matter, although she would go back to it in her final speech.

"When did you realize that your liver was failing?"

"I had blood tests performed on Sunday, April 17th, under a false name."

Now came the tricky part. She tightened her hold on her client's hand.

"What did you do then?"

"I went to visit Dr. James Wilson, and I asked him to save my life."

"What is your relationship with Dr. Wilson?"

"We have been friends since 1990, and colleagues at PPTH since 1997. He is my personal physician and my medical proxy. He has also been in love with me for many years; the time he spent with me was the main cause of his last divorce."

The whole room seemed filled by a swarm of bees, so loud was the buzzing of the people present. She noticed with satisfaction a lot of whispering in the committee. She quickly looked at her client: he was paler than before and looked completely stunned, his eyes fixed on the back of Dr. House's head.

"Were you in a relationship together during this time?"

"No. I never showed any interest, and he pursued relationships with other people. He dated a doctor at PPTH for awhile, then one of his ex-wives, but they broke up last November."

"Did you offer him to be in a relationship if he saved your life?"

"Yes, I did."

Again she paused to let the noise calm down. This was going well.

"How does this fit with you being married, actually newly married?"

"My wife couldn't save my life. Wilson could, and did. My wife understood and accepted; she'd rather be without me because I was with someone else than because I was dead."

"Are you and Dr. Wilson currently in a relationship?"

"Yes. We are currently living as a couple in his flat. My wife has been only a friend to me since the evening I went to ask Wilson for help."

Miranda allowed herself a small smile. Precedent, here I come!

"Is this arrangement permanent?"

"I would say yes, but I had also hoped that my relationship with Dr. Cuddy was permanent. Let's say that it is unless Dr. Wilson chooses to end it." Miranda felt proud of her witness. Of course the whole dialog had been planned among them, but he was really good at this. Just the right pause at the beginning, and the perfect touch of sadness at the end.

And now she went in for the kill. Two more key facts that she hoped would push the committee in the direction she wanted.

"Who had the idea of going through fast detox and then lying to the transplant committee?"

"I did. Dr. Wilson arranged the detox because I was too sick to do it."

"Would you have been able to afford the Eden Clinic treatment if Dr. Wilson hadn't paid for you?"

"No. I lead an expensive lifestyle. Anyway, he didn't ask me to pay."

Nothing like eighty thousand dollars to say "I love you". Miranda happily assured that she had no more questions, and Dr. House left the witness stand and went back to sit near his wife, who smiled at him and passed him a glass of water.

*****
Wilson was shocked. He had barely been able to answer the questions his lawyer had asked him. First, he declared that everything had happened "precisely as Dr. House had said," in the hope that no one would ask him to repeat all the lies he'd just heard. He had found less difficulty than expected declaring openly whom he was in love with, and for how long he had been. He confirmed that they were now living as a couple, and conveniently forgot to mention that the relationship was a sexless one.

With a few clever questions Miranda prodded him to say that it was totally unfair to have Dr. House lose his life for a brief relapse that was only the fault of his heartless ex-girlfriend (luckily said ex, and current boss, had already left to resume her usual duties) and he had even spontaneously cried as he described how he felt when House had told him he was going to die. Miranda looked ready to dance when that happened - luckily the committee couldn't see her face. He had pleaded guilty and asked the president to take into account the extenuating circumstances.

Miranda had delivered a brilliant speech, making the Oregon precedent her focus and insisting that, contrary to what her opponent was saying, this was not simply a case of a doctor saving another doctor but rather of a human being fighting for the life of the person he was in love with. They had been waiting now for more than two hours. Wilson had joined House, Dominika and Miranda for a quick lunch at a nearby diner, but he had been unable to eat.

"Dr. Wilson, will you please come in? The committee has reached a decision."

*****

"… sufficient evidence has been presented to this committee to prove that Dr. James Wilson and Dr. Gregory House currently live in a committed, quasi-marital relationship, and hence some version of the Oregon precedent applies, especially in the assumption that Dr. Wilson's assessment that Dr. House's relapse was the effect of exceptional circumstances is correct. In any case, Dr. James Wilson will no longer be allowed to apply to the transplant committee, nor to have any administrative responsibility. He will pay five hundred thousand dollars of damages over a period of ten years to the family of the late Ms. Geena Rudolph-Jenkins. He will retain his medical license on probation for a period of sixty months, during which Dr. Gregory House will be tested weekly to check that his opiates use is consistent with Dr. Li's protocol and that he is not abusing alcohol. Any failed test will bring Dr. Wilson a warning; two successively failed tests will mean a permanent withdrawal of his license and a federal warning on his name."

*****

As usual at the end of a process, Miranda saw everybody start to move at the same time. Her client, to his credit, stayed where he was and thanked her profusely. She had however noticed that he had glanced a couple of times towards Dr. House, now seated among the public, in silent invitation.

When she finally turned to leave she found that her way was blocked, but she could see that House had managed to reach the corridor and was now determinedly limping in their direction.

House almost fell as a dark haired man pushed past him; he was moving fast and elbowed his way through the crowd until he faced her client. Apparently they knew each other, since Dr. Wilson looked at him and said "What are you doing here?" The other man didn't answer, but pulled out a gun and shot Wilson in the chest, from a distance of no more than three feet, while shouting "Let's see if House can help you out of death as well!"

Taking advantage of the general astonishment, the man started retreating very fast. The hearing didn't take place in a tribunal: no violence was expected, and there were no guards. The crowd opened in front of the armed man like butter in front of a warm knife. The only one who didn't move was House, his eyes fixed on Wilson's body and the growing blood stain on his chest, his mouth open in a silent scream.

The armed man easily shoved House aside, but the latter managed to throw the handle of his cane between his running ankles, making him fall. "Should I kill you, too?" He shouted from the floor. House's cane thwacked hard on the hand which held the gun, and even to Miranda it was clear that the sound she heard were several small bones cracking, The man dropped the gun and let out a long cry of pain.

Behind her, she heard someone finally talking to 911.