New Fic: What You Need: The Eighth One
Jul. 21st, 2008 04:00 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
namasteTitle: What You Need: The Eighth 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 480 words. Part eight of thirteen.
The eighth one is something House actually thinks about. For the first time he drives himself to a medical supply warehouse, rather than just grabbing whatever's available or catches his eye. For the first time, he tries out three or four. He hefts each one to get a sense of its weight, its balance, whether it's something he actually wants to have around.
He paces the edges of the store, still feeling the tension in his shoulders that has been there ever since Vogler showed up, that tightened when Wilson said he was leaving, and that even the champagne, the scotch he downed with Wilson back at his place and Cuddy's brilliant move to turn the board against Vogler have failed to loosen.
House still isn't sure why he woke this morning with the idea of a new cane on his mind. He doesn't like spending money on canes -- especially his own money. He'd rather spend money on music, or books, or booze, or sex. A cane is something he needs, not something he wants.
But here he is. He puts a black one with a rounded handle back in the rack, picks out a brown one next to it. It's just a shade lighter than the last one Wilson bought him, but with a flash of silver near the handle.
Maybe he should think of the new cane as Vogler's parting gift, a way to mark outliving another board dictator, a way to use something he needs to mark getting what he wants for once.
And now he wants more. He wants things back the way they were. He wants things the way he had them arranged before Vogler showed up and started ordering him to make changes. House doesn't do well with orders. He never did.
He knows Cuddy wants him to hire a replacement for Cameron, wants him to try to fix everything that Vogler nearly destroyed. House doesn't want a replacement. He wants things the way they were. He needs them the way they were. All the pieces fit before Vogler showed up, and he needs all of those pieces back in place to make things right again.
He takes a few steps with the new cane, feels the way the handle nestles in his palm, the way it matches the calluses that have built up there, the way it seems to fit there beneath his hand and his arm and his shoulder. He leans on it, lets it take his weight.
House holds the cane in front of him, studies his distorted reflection in the silver band at the top. It's not perfect. In a perfect world, he wouldn't need the cane -- wouldn't need to fix what Vogler broke. But it fits. It feels good. And he thinks that it's about time he got something he wants, and not just something he needs.
The ninth one has got to be steadier ...
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 480 words. Part eight of thirteen.
The eighth one is something House actually thinks about. For the first time he drives himself to a medical supply warehouse, rather than just grabbing whatever's available or catches his eye. For the first time, he tries out three or four. He hefts each one to get a sense of its weight, its balance, whether it's something he actually wants to have around.
He paces the edges of the store, still feeling the tension in his shoulders that has been there ever since Vogler showed up, that tightened when Wilson said he was leaving, and that even the champagne, the scotch he downed with Wilson back at his place and Cuddy's brilliant move to turn the board against Vogler have failed to loosen.
House still isn't sure why he woke this morning with the idea of a new cane on his mind. He doesn't like spending money on canes -- especially his own money. He'd rather spend money on music, or books, or booze, or sex. A cane is something he needs, not something he wants.
But here he is. He puts a black one with a rounded handle back in the rack, picks out a brown one next to it. It's just a shade lighter than the last one Wilson bought him, but with a flash of silver near the handle.
Maybe he should think of the new cane as Vogler's parting gift, a way to mark outliving another board dictator, a way to use something he needs to mark getting what he wants for once.
And now he wants more. He wants things back the way they were. He wants things the way he had them arranged before Vogler showed up and started ordering him to make changes. House doesn't do well with orders. He never did.
He knows Cuddy wants him to hire a replacement for Cameron, wants him to try to fix everything that Vogler nearly destroyed. House doesn't want a replacement. He wants things the way they were. He needs them the way they were. All the pieces fit before Vogler showed up, and he needs all of those pieces back in place to make things right again.
He takes a few steps with the new cane, feels the way the handle nestles in his palm, the way it matches the calluses that have built up there, the way it seems to fit there beneath his hand and his arm and his shoulder. He leans on it, lets it take his weight.
House holds the cane in front of him, studies his distorted reflection in the silver band at the top. It's not perfect. In a perfect world, he wouldn't need the cane -- wouldn't need to fix what Vogler broke. But it fits. It feels good. And he thinks that it's about time he got something he wants, and not just something he needs.
The ninth one has got to be steadier ...
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2008-07-21 08:41 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-07-21 09:27 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-07-21 09:32 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-07-21 09:51 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-07-21 09:36 pm (UTC)Did you sneak a look at my childhood report cards? :) That sounds like almost a direct quote.
Ah, yes the wants vs. needs. He should have stolen Wilson's credit card. :)
Love these! <3
(no subject)
Date: 2008-07-21 09:52 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-07-21 10:27 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-07-21 11:48 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-07-22 05:33 pm (UTC)I love the way you've tied this one to the Vogler arc.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-07-22 08:17 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-07-23 03:31 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-07-24 01:59 am (UTC)I'm liking the collision with canon now, as well.