New Fic: What You Need: The Fourth One

[namaste]

Title: What You Need: The Fourth One
Author: Namaste
Summary: "So where do you buy these things? Do they have cane stores?" -- John Henry Giles, "DNR" Stories of how House came by his canes over the years, told through a series of short fics. PG. This one is about 500 words. Part four of thirteen.



The fourth one is leaning against the filing cabinet while House studies the third cane on top of his desk. In the bright light from the lamp he studies the spot where the rubber tip has worn through, leaving a narrow strip of exposed wood.

The wood had made contact with the tile floor this morning, and the cane had skittered out from beneath his hand, sliding toward the wall as his leg buckled beneath him. He hadn't hit the floor. Wilson had been there, moving faster than House thought he possibly could, caught him beneath his left shoulder, held him tight.

House still hasn't decided if he's grateful that Wilson was there, or pissed off that he was.

Wilson is always there to see him at his worst: when he needs help in the bathroom, when the pain's so bad he can barely get out of bed, when two shots of bourbon lead to two more and he can't stop the bitter truth from spilling out in a dark, miserable and long night.

It was Wilson who first spotted the damaged tip, offered to find him a replacement.

House nodded. "Make sure it's attached to a new cane."

"Why ..."

"You know how it is with these high performance vehicles," House said. "First it's a new set of tires, then the transmission blows and the next thing you know, you've got a cracked cylinder head on your hands. I don't want to wait to see what'll wear out next."

Wilson had shown up at House's office an hour later with a new cane -- a dark brown one this time, with a flat handle that Wilson claimed would be more comfortable for long term use.

House had put it next to his desk, then waited until he was alone to pick up the old cane and examine it under bright lights.

He can see it clearly now. The wear pattern on the tip is heavier on one side, showing how he angles the cane close to his body, how it follows his uneven stride. His fingers run along the edge of the cane, feeling the grooves gouged down into the surface, recording every feeble step he's taken.

Once upon a time, he'd studied the wear patterns on his running shoes, diagnosed the under pronation in his left foot from the worn tread, and adjusted his stride until the pattern in both shoes was even.

Now he sits back, kicks off his shoes and brings them up to the light. He turns them over. The tread on the left is worn down more than the right, while the right is a mirror image to the damaged cane tip, showing how he favors one side, how his body angles itself toward the cane, how it depends on it.

He puts the shoes next to the cane on his desk, leans down, and reads the story of his life as it is now, clearly written in pieces of worn rubber and wood.


The fifth one is dark and slender ...

Comments

[pwcorgigirl.livejournal.com]

House reading the story of his life in his shoes and his cane tip is really rather heart-wrenching. And it would be Wilson who brings him a cane suited for long-term use, because Wilson's practical that way.

Tiny thing: Your cut text line over at housefic has a typo.

[namasteyoga.livejournal.com]

Thanks. On Wilson's thought process in buying a cane, I figured he probably has researched this already, just in case it came up. And thanks for pointing out the typo. It's fixed.

[3kelvin.livejournal.com]

House still hasn't decided if he's grateful that Wilson was there, or pissed off that he was.

I love this line. It fits so well, not just for this moment, but for many situations in their friendship.

And I wish I could adjust my own stride like House did.

Thanks!

[namasteyoga.livejournal.com]

You're welcome. On the stride issue, I know it'd normally be done with shoe selection and orthotics, but I also figured House would be just stubborn enough to deal with it in his own way.

[makeitstopjamie.livejournal.com]

Very nice! I really enjoyed the part where House examines the tread patterns.

[namasteyoga.livejournal.com]

Thanks. In laying out the story I have little nuggets of info for each chapter to hit, and that was the one that spawned this particular fic.

[cindy-lou-who8.livejournal.com]

"He puts the shoes next to the cane on his desk, leans down, and reads the story of his life as it is now, clearly written in pieces of worn rubber and wood."

So poignant and true and heartbreaking all at the same time.

[namasteyoga.livejournal.com]

Thank you. I liked the idea of House pulling a diagnostic on himself in some way.

[bmax67.livejournal.com]

Wow. Too many great lines to mention.
To see his life in pieces of worn rubber and wood was just so heartbreaking. Why do I have such a soft spot for this man?

Love the comparison with a sports car. Reminds me of his flame cane (which I already miss...).

[namasteyoga.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I figured the sports car line was a good Housian way to get Wilson to pay for the cane.

[phinnia.livejournal.com]

See, House, you're supposed to rotate the tip periodically. <3
Love this, so much. Clearly I know too much about canes. <3

[namasteyoga.livejournal.com]

Ah, now you tell him. Hee. But then I figured that House viewed tips the same way he viewed the need (or disinterest in) charging his cell phone battery.

[daisylily.livejournal.com]

Oh wow. There's something very peaceful about this. It's exactly the kind of thing I could see House doing, both with the shoes and the cane.

Are you going to post a list of these when they're done? I'm going to be a-memming, and if there'll be a list I'll just mem that rather than snag them individually.

[namasteyoga.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I've been going back and linking them (the first one now has a link to the second and so on), but I'll probably also put a master list in the last one as well.

[hibernia1.livejournal.com]

Great one, this - it's so sad, really, that House reads the story of his life in pieces of worn rubber and wood, that line really got to me. And yeah, Wilson would but a cane with a sensible handle. Also like Wilson catching House and House not being sure if he's happy. Thanks for sharing!

[namasteyoga.livejournal.com]

You're welcome. I'm glad you're enjoying them.

[angelcat2865.livejournal.com]

Love this. You are really good at catching House in you stories.

[namasteyoga.livejournal.com]

Thanks. House is fun to play with, in his own way.

[joe-pike-junior.livejournal.com]

He puts the shoes next to the cane on his desk, leans down, and reads the story of his life as it is now, clearly written in pieces of worn rubber and wood.
Ah, what an awesome line.

[namasteyoga.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I'd reworked that line a bunch of times and still wasn't sure how well it worked.