House Fan Fiction ❯ A Christmas Story ❯ Scarf ( Chapter 19 )

Scarf

 

House walked out towards the lake through the snow and ice. Class had been canceled because of the blizzard that had passed through about an hour ago. Everything was covered in snow and ice making it a winter wonderland. The only color out here was him, the cars that stuck out of the snow, and the girl skating around on the frozen lake. Katie had taken this opportunity to skate before the three hour car ride home for Christmas. It was two days before Christmas Eve.

 

He stopped at the edge of the lake and watched Katie jump, make figure eights, and zoomed by House like a bullet. Each time she passed him she smiled at him and waved over at him. He waved back watching her. Her jeans were tighter than normal and she was wearing a heavier jacket today. Maybe she was finally gaining that freshman fifteen? Only a few years late.

 

Katie stopped in front of him, smiling. “You found me! Was is hard?”

 

House smirked. “Of course not. You're the only person stupid enough to come out here after a blizzard.”

 

Katie shrugged grabbing his loose scarf. “But at least it was after the blizzard. And you're the idiot. Not bringing any skates to a lake.” She twilled the scarf around her fingers.

 

He rolled his eyes. “I don't skate, remember?”

 

“You've gotten a lot better after you hit that tree.” She giggled as House frowned. “So when do you want to leave to go to my parents?”

 

House flipped her hair back away from her face. “How about…….never. I'm pretty sure my grandma would welcome with a lot better food.”

 

Katie and House laughed. Her mother was a terrible cook and the entire family knew about it. Last Christmas her father ordered Chinese food before the family came and they ate that. The wind blew again and Katie flipped back her hair behind her ear. She was wearing the now fixed silver ring with small, unbroken diamonds.

 

“You're going to have to hide that,” said House grabbing her hand as she jumped out of her skates and into the snow boots.

 

She picked up the skates. “And wear the plastic one?”

 

They started to walk back to the school. “I'm going to break that one if you wear it again.”

 

“I liked it. It was cute and cheap!” Katie giggled hugging House's arm.

 

“So are we taking your hunk of Jeep or my bike?” he asked.

 

Katie rolled her eyes. “Yes, riding your motorcycle right after a blizzard is safe. Cool and sexy, but not safe.”

 

“Hey House!”

 

House jumped awake and gazed around before setting his eyes on Cameron. He was sitting in his chair and must've fallen asleep.

 

“Sorry. It's just that it's almost six and Chase told me to get you after two hours.”

 

House rubbed his face. “How's Katie doing?” he muttered searching for his Vicodin.

 

Cameron went over to his desk, grabbed the bottle and handed it to House. He took it and popped one into his mouth. “Lilly's fine. She's still wearing your jacket.” She paused. “I sent your parents a card wishing them a Merry Christmas. I traced your name onto the card, so they shouldn't know.”

 

He nodded and saw that Cameron was holding drawing paper. “What's that?” He nodded towards her hand.

 

Cameron looked down at it. “She drew it while I stayed with her. Apparently she's been drawing Foreman and Chase.” She held it out to him.

 

Cameron had been sitting in a chair reading a magazine. She looked beautiful sitting there in that white room. She was smiling as she looked at the drawer.

 

“Nice.”

 

“So what now?” asked Cameron. “The others are gone-”

 

“Now you get to go home,” said House and stood up. “Go on.”

 

Cameron held her ground. “What are you going to do? Stay here the whole night?”

 

“Nope. I'm going to stay here part of the night then leave.” He leaned over grabbing Katie's diary, stood up and limped towards the door. “See you on Thursday.”

 

“House.” He stopped and looked back at Cameron. “Merry Christmas.”

 

“You too,” he muttered and left the office. He glanced back seeing Cameron nod to herself and walk to get her things.

 

House went down to Lilly's room hoping that she hadn't walk passed the nurses again. He stopped at her door seeing Wilson sitting in a chair facing Lilly as she quickly drew. They were talking and laughing. Lilly glanced up to see House and smiled at him. She waved. She was still wearing his jacket. Wilson glanced over waving, too.

 

House frowned and opened the door. “Don't you have dying people or an ex-wife to comfort today?” He limped in and sat down on a stool.

 

“Maybe,” muttered Wilson. “Besides I can't move. I'm getting my picture done.”

 

Lilly smiled and began to draw once again. “Don't worry Dr. Wilson you'll be able to move in no time. I'm almost done.”

 

“That was fast,” said Wilson, amazed.

 

She nodded. “Well you have to be fast in this business. If not someone else will take your spot.”

 

“Hm. Sounds like the medicine business,” said Wilson.

 

House rolled his eyes. “Why are you still here anyway?”

 

“Getting my picture-”

 

“Finished!” said Lilly, proudly. She showed it to Wilson who's face dropped. She then showed it to House. It was like someone had taken a black and white picture of Wilson and pasted it onto the paper. “Well how to do you like it?”

 

“I love it,” said Wilson. He stood up and looked at it again. “This is unbelievable. You have an amazing gift.”

 

“Thank you.” She carefully tore it out of the notepad and handed it to Wilson. “Merry Christmas Dr. Wilson. When I become famous I'll redraw you for free.”

 

Wilson took it. “Thanks. Maybe I'll sell it for thousands.”

 

“Hopefully millions,” joked Lilly.

 

A nurse then stopped at the door. “Dr. Wilson one of your patients is here.”

 

Wilson raised an eyebrow and glanced over at House then back at the nurse. “Thanks. I'll be right there. Where is the patient?”

 

“In your office.” The nurse left.

 

“Merry Christmas Lilly.” He looked up at House. “See you tomorrow?”

 

“Yeah. Bye.”

 

Wilson then left the room. House watched him leave and was glad that the fake page worked. He was even happier that the nurse actually did that too.

 

“I'm still alive,” she said happily. “Do you want your jacket back? Everyone keeps giving me these weird looks.”

 

“You can keep it,” he muttered. “How are you feeling? Any pains of any kinds?”

 

Lilly clenched and unclenched her hand. “Nope. My hand just hurts from drawing everyone. I think my best work was on Dr. Cameron. I wish I could've copied that.”

 

House shrugged. “Just draw her again on Thursday….if you live,” he added with a smirk.

 

Lilly shrugged. “I don't think anything bad will happen. I'm perfectly fine.”

 

House stood up and limped over to the chair where Wilson and his team had been sitting. He sat down and popped in a Vicodin. Lilly reached over to grab her other notepad, flipped it open, and began to draw again.

 

“Drawling me again?” he questioned.

 

She glanced up at him with her dark eyes. “Maybe. So I take it you're going to babysit me for the next two hours then switch with someone else?”

 

“No, I'll probably be here for the rest of the night. How long was Wilson in here?”

 

Lilly shrugged. “Maybe twenty minutes. He switched with Dr. Cameron.”

 

House simply nodded and flipped open Katie's diary to where he had been reading. He didn't feel comfortable reading her diary in front of Lilly. Maybe it was nothing? Maybe it was something? He flipped to near the end where he saw Katie's two rings taped to the page. She had always shoved her rings into her diary whenever they went to meet family or friends. The first taped ring was the plastic one he had paid maybe a quarter for it. She liked it better than the silver one almost. It was a fake, gold ring with a fake small diamond at the top. She wore it for over four months before the fixed ring came back. Below the plastic ring was the real ring. Silver with small diamonds. Still perfect and luckily she wasn't wearing it when the wreck happened.

 

“Why do you also look so sad?” asked Lilly. She had stopped drawling as she stared at him.

 

“I'm not,” he muttered.

 

“Yes you are,” she retorted.

 

He rolled his eyes. “Either go back drawing or I'll have a nurse sedate you.”

 

Lilly frowned. “Why are you reading a girl's diary? Daughter's?”

 

“Not married.”

 

“Doesn't mean you can't have kids.”

 

House closed the book. “Man you're annoying and no I don't have any kids.”

 

“You sure?”

 

“Positive.” He propped his feet up onto the footstool in the room. “If you go into any kind of arrest a nurse will save you. If you run away I'm not going to find you again so make sure you leave a map or something.”

 

Lilly smiled. “Okay.” She leaned back against the pillow and started another new picture.