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Not All Change Is Good
Jan. 3rd, 2011 11:24 pmThe weather changed from its fall crispness to winter cold with quiet efficiency. Soon, the nights are getting longer, the days shorter, and Thirteen finds herself in a comic book store. She's picking up a comic book for herself, and it's not 'till she's nearly at the checkout, that she picks out a figurine on a whim, deciding to give it to Kutner for Christmas. Once again, she's in line, and she quickly spots the display of colourful, polyhedral dice in the counter. For a moment, she gnaws her lip in thought, before selecting a set that look neat, and not because they remind her of those stupid, striped shirts Kutner is always wearing, thankyouverymuch.
She gives him the present on Christmas, when the two of them are holed up and doing tests together, smiling alongside her friend as his face lights up when he unwraps the figurine, and even letting him hug her in thanks. She may have even hugged him back, before bringing up the subject of maybe joining in one of those games he's always talking about.
He's good for her, she decides one night, as she's seated at Kutner's table a few weeks later, crowded around it with Kutner and his friends as they have their characters explore the lure of the expanse. She feels more relaxed when she's with him, and more in touch with what she enjoyed before she began her self-destruct cycle.
Yes. He's good for her, and maybe, she'll let him just a little closer.
Things change.
Kutner doesn't show up for work, and Taub makes up a transparent excuse for him that no one believes. When noon comes, and Kutner still doesn't arrive, House sends her to go get him.
When she arrives at the door, no amount of knocking or shouting through the door summons her friend. Her phone takes that moment to ring, and she fishes that out, along with her keys.
"Hadley."
"Now is that any way to answer your phone?"
She has to roll her eyes at her boss's antics. "What do you want, House?"
"Just calling to see what our missing duckling's excuse is."
"Well, considering he's not answering his door, I couldn't tell you."
She hears him sigh over the phone.
"I knew you should have taken tall, dark and gangsta with you. He would have broken in by now."
"Or, I could just use my key to his apartment," she quips, rolling her eyes once again.
"Sure, if you wanted to be boring about it."
Thirteen doesn't bother to dignify that with an answer, instead, she shoulders the phone to her ear and unlocks the door, stepping into the familiar sight of Kutner's living room. Absently, she's aware of House's voice in her ear.
"Well, what do you see? Dork boy in his jammies, watching cartoons?"
She's too busy remembering her first time here to respond.
That's when she spots his bedroom door slightly ajar, and something foreboding wells up inside her, and her stomach clenches. Her smile fades completely as she catches sight of familiar, sneakered feet, and her phone tumbles to the ground as she rushes into the room.
"Kutner!"
Reality seems to skew for her, and really, she doesn't remember much about the next while. She remembers calling his name again, and kneeling beside him while doing chest compressions. She remembers begging him to talk, or breathe, or something. She remembers warm blood on her hands and clothes, even though he's not, and she remembers holding his body in her arms and just crying as she realizes her friend is gone.
House must have realized something was up and called the paramedics, because that's how they found her, clutching him, weeping, and reluctant to let him go.
As they load Kutner's body into the ambulance, one of the men tell her they'll give her a ride back to the hospital. It's then she remembers her phone and bag, left in a heap in Kutner's living room, and she excuses herself to go get them quickly.
When she arrives at his door once again, she just stares at the numbers for a long moment, before stepping through...
She gives him the present on Christmas, when the two of them are holed up and doing tests together, smiling alongside her friend as his face lights up when he unwraps the figurine, and even letting him hug her in thanks. She may have even hugged him back, before bringing up the subject of maybe joining in one of those games he's always talking about.
He's good for her, she decides one night, as she's seated at Kutner's table a few weeks later, crowded around it with Kutner and his friends as they have their characters explore the lure of the expanse. She feels more relaxed when she's with him, and more in touch with what she enjoyed before she began her self-destruct cycle.
Yes. He's good for her, and maybe, she'll let him just a little closer.
Things change.
Kutner doesn't show up for work, and Taub makes up a transparent excuse for him that no one believes. When noon comes, and Kutner still doesn't arrive, House sends her to go get him.
When she arrives at the door, no amount of knocking or shouting through the door summons her friend. Her phone takes that moment to ring, and she fishes that out, along with her keys.
"Hadley."
"Now is that any way to answer your phone?"
She has to roll her eyes at her boss's antics. "What do you want, House?"
"Just calling to see what our missing duckling's excuse is."
"Well, considering he's not answering his door, I couldn't tell you."
She hears him sigh over the phone.
"I knew you should have taken tall, dark and gangsta with you. He would have broken in by now."
"Or, I could just use my key to his apartment," she quips, rolling her eyes once again.
"Sure, if you wanted to be boring about it."
Thirteen doesn't bother to dignify that with an answer, instead, she shoulders the phone to her ear and unlocks the door, stepping into the familiar sight of Kutner's living room. Absently, she's aware of House's voice in her ear.
"Well, what do you see? Dork boy in his jammies, watching cartoons?"
She's too busy remembering her first time here to respond.
"It's like man-boy heaven. I like it."
That's when she spots his bedroom door slightly ajar, and something foreboding wells up inside her, and her stomach clenches. Her smile fades completely as she catches sight of familiar, sneakered feet, and her phone tumbles to the ground as she rushes into the room.
"Kutner!"
Reality seems to skew for her, and really, she doesn't remember much about the next while. She remembers calling his name again, and kneeling beside him while doing chest compressions. She remembers begging him to talk, or breathe, or something. She remembers warm blood on her hands and clothes, even though he's not, and she remembers holding his body in her arms and just crying as she realizes her friend is gone.
House must have realized something was up and called the paramedics, because that's how they found her, clutching him, weeping, and reluctant to let him go.
As they load Kutner's body into the ambulance, one of the men tell her they'll give her a ride back to the hospital. It's then she remembers her phone and bag, left in a heap in Kutner's living room, and she excuses herself to go get them quickly.
When she arrives at his door once again, she just stares at the numbers for a long moment, before stepping through...
