New Fic: What You Need: The Ninth One

[namaste]

Title: What You Need: The Ninth 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 nine of thirteen.



The ninth one has got to be steadier than the creaky remains of the one that's now under his hand, threatening to break again with every step. He's splinted the two halves using supplies from the clinic, and encased it in enough plaster pilfered from orthopedics to support a walking cast. But as he takes the two steps down from his apartment to the street, House can feel a faint wobble as if it's about to give way.

"For God's sake, just use one of your old ones," Wilson says as he walks past him. "You've got at least a half-dozen already."

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" House asks. "How many more have you filed through?"

"I didn't touch them." Wilson holds up two fingers. "Scout's honor."

House is pretty sure they're safe, but he hasn't had time to check them over yet. "Like I'm going to trust you now."

Wilson drops his head slightly, stands next to the Volvo. "Sure you don't want a ride?"

House shakes his head, but Wilson pauses before he gets into his car. House thinks he's about to offer to pay for the new cane, but after a few seconds he turns the ignition and pulls away from the curb.

At the store, House finally settles on a plain brown one with a curved handle. It isn't much to look at, but he takes it out and feels the wood under his hand. It hits different pressure points in his palm than the old cane. It feels all right for now, here in the first moments with it, but that'll change. By the end of the day, the wood will begin to chafe at some spot that hadn't been touched by the old cane, that hadn't built up a layer of thick skin to protect it.

Tomorrow morning, his shoulder will ache from even the slightest difference in the canes' height and weight.

It doesn't matter how similar two canes may seem. There's always something new, something that's changed, and it'll take at least a week until his body adjusts, until the new cane begins to feel like it's a part of him, until he gets used to it.

And once you get used to something ...

House stares at the bandaged remnants of his old cane and has a sudden picture of it as some mirror image of himself, the plaster forming a reverse impression of the gouge taken out of his thigh.

He pushes the thought out of his head, puts the brown cane on the floor and takes his first steps with it, waiting to see how long it'll take before the first aches and pains of something new begin to set in.

The tenth one is broken down ...

Comments

[pwcorgigirl.livejournal.com]

I do love the little reminders of how much (and in this case, why) House hates change. The image of the plaster as the reverse impression of the gouge in his thigh is brilliant, and oh, how that hurts to think of.

[namasteyoga.livejournal.com]

Thanks. Change isn't easy, is it?

[angelcat2865.livejournal.com]

Great update. It has always bothered me that of all the pranks Wilson could have pulled on House for revenge he chose one that could physically hurt him. I wonder what that really says about Wilson.

[namasteyoga.livejournal.com]

I do think that Wilson has a mean streak buried deep down, but it takes a long time to dig at it. At the same time, I think Wilson knows exactly how hard he can push, more than anyone else could. The fact that House smiled and respected Wilson's prank showed that he knew exactly where that line was.

[hibernia1.livejournal.com]

I've always hated that action by Wilson. He could've done a thousand other things, this was low and cheap. *calming breaths* But apart from that, I love this chapter. The way House suddenly sees the broken cane as the mirror image of himself is such a powerful (and sad) image, and the way you describe the way new canes always hurt your hands (among other things) in new ways is very accurate. Thanks for sharing!

[namasteyoga.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I figured canes would be as hard to adjust to as anything new, and change wouldn't be as painless as some people might expect -- whether that's literal change or psychological.

[daisylily.livejournal.com]

Ooh, I like this one a lot. If I were House I'd want to buy ten of a cane I liked - but OTOH you're then admitting that you're going to carry on needing it.

[namasteyoga.livejournal.com]

Thank you. For as much as House dislikes change, I think he also hates the idea of the damage as truly "permanent" even more.

[makeitstopjamie.livejournal.com]

Great addition! And I agree with House change can be painful.

[namasteyoga.livejournal.com]

That's right! Don't believe those self-help gurus talking about positive change. Change isn't easy. (If it were, everyone would be changing.)

[joe-pike-junior.livejournal.com]

House stares at the bandaged remnants of his old cane and has a sudden picture of it as some mirror image of himself, the plaster forming a reverse impression of the gouge taken out of his thigh.
That's a great image. Change hurts.

[californiaquail.livejournal.com]

For some reason, this makes me think of my mother-in-law. She buys her sunglasses by the dozen at the swapmeet.