A consultation

Jim and me spent an awfully nice evening yesterday and after Aberlour # 6 we started to talk about 'the good old times'.
I then remembered a phone call I received in January 1997.

I was just about to leave my flat (at Baltimore) and buy a fridge pack of Guinnes at the mall when my phone rang.
"House?!", I barked and was annoyed 'cause I really, really wanted that fridge pack. NOW!
"Wilson here", I heard on the other side and wondered why my cheeks suddenly felt so flushed.
"Wilson...", I answered and pretended to think about that.
"You...you...you do remember me?", James stammered into the handset.
I grinned and answered "Not the boring gynecologist from Boston?"
"Okay, okay. I see you do remember me!", he replied and I heard him laugh.
With a snicker I asked him what I could do for him.
"You could do me a favor, House...You could come to Plainsboro and help me with a case I have here."
"You'll pay the ticket, I suppose?"
"I do. And the hotel room. Well...PPTH will pay for it."
"Is there a Four Seasons at Plainsboro?"
"Hm...not Four Seasons...but another place with delicious food and good drinks. Wilson's Place nearby the hospital."
I held my breath for a few seconds and stared out of the window.
"Wilson's Place, hm?"
"Just..in case you.."
"Okay!", I answered before he could say anything else.

So I put the thought of buying that fridge pack aside and started to pack my bag.
I arrived at 9 am and James picked me up at the airport. It was so good to see him again it really surprised me.
We talked on the phone every once in a while and had met two times so far (not counting the congress).
We immediately started mocking each other and the drive to the hospital was rather pleasant. And I was almost sure he gave me one of those I-am-sooo-happy-to-see-you-again-looks.

When we arrived I stuffed my bag somewhere in his office and he showed me around Princeton/Plainsboro Teaching Hospital. It was quite impressive and somewhere deep down inside of me I felt the wish to work there. The conditions were excellent and everything was state of the art.
The case James had was challenging and I have to admit I had a really good time solving it with him and his colleagues. Their dean, Dr. Cuddy, was rather impressed and we talked for a while about John Hopkins and our studies.
Oh, it was flattering to be called a 'legend' by her.

"You like the PPTH, right?", James asked when we left his office and were heading for the parking lot.
I smirked at him and gave him a side glance. "What if I said yes?"
James shrugged. "Maybe Dr. Cuddy entertains the idea of offering someone a job here..."
I sat down in the passenger seat as he opened the door. "Does she..."
He nodded and started the engine. "She does. And it sounds like a fairly good job. They aim at a Department of Diagnostic Medicine."
I tried to conceal how very, very good that sounded and just uttered something like "Mhm."

James was so thankful I was able to help him he invited me for dinner - so I found myself wearing a suit (and sneakers) in an excellent seafood restaurant drinking fabulous wine and enjoying the conversation with James.
I was dissecting my swordfish and looked up at him.
"You know, Wilson, I'd offer my help any time if I am rewarded this way", I grinned.
"Hm...maybe not always..."
"Aw!"
"But how does 24-years-old Single Malt sound?"
"Heavenly!"

The evening at the restaurant passed ever so pleasant and I was grinning my ass off when Jim parked his car in front of his flat.
I fluttered my eyelashes and turned to him. "Thanks a lot for the wonderful evening, Dr. Wilson!"
He looked at me with a flirty smile. "My pleasure, Dr. House!"
He stepped out of the car,opened the door for me and walked me to the door.
I opened the door with his key and pretended to hesitate.
"What about my goodbye-kiss?"
Jim raised an eyebrow. "You kiss on the first date?"
I put my index finger on my nosetip and pretended to think. "Actually it's our third date. And if you know you'll see someone again after the third date, you are supposed to kiss then."
With a broad grin Jim approached me and suddenly I felt his lips on mine.
He kissed me! HE KISSED ME!!!
(No tongue involved though but he made me melt through the wall...)
"Okay, Greg...it's a joke!", I told myself. "You began that crap and he plays along..."
I think I heard myself utter a silent moan, but I am not sure. If so, he surely thought it was part of mocking him. (Maybe he'll tell you about that evening, too. Who knows?)

When we parted I forced a grin on my face although my heart was racing and I was surely flushed. "Fancy a coffee?"
James suppressed a giggle and looked at me in surprise. "Oh...you mean...I should come in?"
I nodded.
He rubbed his neck. "Mhm...yes...that would be nice."
I beamed at him and asked him to follow me.

That night we had several beers, Single Malts and other stuff and I remember waking up in his bed with a terrible hangover and black and blue marks.
Maybe we watched wrestling and tried it, too.

Well, two months later I moved to Plainsboro and started to work at PPTH.