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Bell walked up to Conrad, who was in the residents’ lounge, sitting for basically the first time that day. Randolph looked strangely determined. “Hawkins, I'm going to greet and relay the information to Jenkins's parents.”
Conrad furrowed his brows. “I was going to do that, update them. I thought that was what you wanted…?” He trailed off, the sentence vaguely reading like a question.
“The plan has changed,” Bell said simply and walked off.
Hawkins shrugged off the interaction as Randolph being weird, as he was wont to do. Besides, he was glad that HODAD wouldn't be working on Bradley, especially on, from what Conrad understood, a very complex surgery. That did mean that it was probably Nolan in there working on Bradley, but he preferred that to Bell. Plus, Nolan was a trauma surgeon, so he was better equipped for that. Bradley had a metal shard through his chest, which was going to be very difficult to fix. He was glad that the new prospective heart surgeon, Austin, had privileges at the hospital for that reason.
Bradley was a favorite among patients and nurses, and other doctors liked him as well (although they sometimes found him a little annoying), so it was devastating to everyone when he'd been injured. Bell had been tasked to call the parents, and he'd assigned Conrad to speak with them, but that wasn't going to be happening, apparently.
Conrad realized that he should probably update the patient's medical proxy on his condition. They'd called Bradley's parents, as they were emergency contacts as well, but Irving had been named as the most important one, and he was also the only one in the state. Conrad stood up from the chair he'd just been starting to relax for a moment in, stretching his back and hoping his knee wouldn't give him too much trouble.
He found Irving at the ER check in counter, back at work already. Hundley was next to him, talking to him in a serious manner. Conrad walked up to the counter, watching for a moment before interjecting. He saw that, while Irving was trying to pretend that he was okay to continue working, his hands were shaking as he tried to file some paperwork from earlier in the day. Hundley was trying to convince him to take a break, that he'd be able to work better if he did, but he was refusing.
“Feldman.” Conrad gestured with his head toward a more quiet hallway, waiting until they were inside to continue speaking. “Bell isn't in the surgery.” He wanted to get the information across as quickly as possible since he knew how stressed Irving must be. He didn't say what surgery, they both knew. “They'll probably get Nolan instead.”
Irving sighed in relief, a noticeable drop in tension in his shoulders, although he still seemed very anxious. “I hate not being able to do anything,” he said, stifling a sob halfway through the sentence and not meeting his eyes.
“Letting the others work on him without getting in the way is something,” Conrad said, squeezing his shoulder.
Feldman looked up over Hawkins's shoulder to where the entrance to the hospital was just barely visible from where they were standing. “Oh, what the fuck.”
Conrad glanced behind him, confused as to why Irving would react this way to a patient or parent entering, and then he saw him.
Gregory House.
He was entering the building as if he wasn't an internationally famous doctor, one of the only ones whose diagnostic skills Conrad conceded might be better than his own. He lived on the west coast, and on top of that, he didn't seem injured or ill. What could he want with this place? Chastain was barely ranked in Georgia, let alone known around the country. He and the others were hoping that the Lane Hunter story wouldn't make them infamous.
Regardless, House and his husband, a doctor from the same hospital, didn't have any reason to be here. Conrad couldn't think of any, at least. He and Irving started toward the counter, as it was Irving's job to greet people, but they were intercepted by Bell, who got to them first and reached out to shake House's hand as he presumably introduced himself.
Conrad and Irving exchanged a confused look before they both realized at the same time. Hawkins scrambled to pull up Bradley's file and look for the names in the emergency contact list. His eyes widened as he looked at the names of Jenkins's parents.
“Oh, my God,” Irving said from over his shoulder. Sure enough, his parents were listed as Gregory House and James Wilson.
“Now we know why Bell wanted to be the one to talk to the parents, I guess,” said Conrad, sitting back in the computer chair and steepling his fingers together. “Fucker wanted to meet Dr House.”
“How didn't we know this?” Irving groaned.
“I guess he didn't want us to,” Conrad sighed. He couldn't imagine a reason not to want people to know your father is a famous doctor, but then again, he didn't have all that much room to talk on the topic of rich important dads.
“There's probably a reason for it,” Irving said. He seemed determined to ensure that Bradley wasn't trapped with his dads and that they left as soon as possible. He knew Jenkins's needs more than anyone else did.
Bell had apparently finished discussing everything he could share about Bradley's condition, because he was walking away. Irving narrowed his eyes and moved around the counter. Hawkins stood and followed him to the waiting area, telling himself it was to stop any violence should it begin but knowing that if there was any assault and/or battery, he would be helping Irving to commit it.
Feldman had gotten a head start and didn't have chronic pain, so he got to whete the parents were sitting first. “Irving Feldman,” he said to them in less of an introductory voice than it was a threatening one. “Bradley's partner.”
House nodded once, scrutinizing Irving. Wilson looked like a kid in a second grade classroom who needed to use the restroom but was afraid to raise his hand. It was becoming clear that this would be a long conversation, so Conrad pulled up two chairs so he and Irving could sit as well.
Irving turned to look at James Wilson, who began speaking once acknowledged. “We came as soon as we heard about the accident.” He looked over at House, who was staring straight ahead, and patted his shoulder. “Randolph said that it might have been a suicide attempt?”
Conrad cringed inside as he heard Bell's first name leave Wilson's lips. Of course Bell had told them to call him by his first name, why would Conrad think otherwise? Hawkins opened his mouth to reply, but Feldman glared at him, probably guessing that he was going to share his theory. Conrad quickly closed his mouth again, rerouting in his head before saying, “In the preliminary evidence, that's the best explanation. There's no way to know for sure unless he tells us his intentions with it.”
House flexed his jaw. “I told you we should have kept him with us in Jersey,” he told his husband.
Wilson sighed. “We wanted Bradley to have his own experiences, not having to live up to anything, so that's why he picked a different last name as a doctor and why he left the state.” He said the last part pointedly toward House.
Gregory House shook his head and turned to the younger pair of doctors. “He's always been one of those kids who has to work twice as hard at everything. I wanted to keep him close to us in case he needed help.”
It was clear this was a point of tension in their relationship, and their son's apparent suicide attempt was not helping.
Wilson covered his eyes with his hands. “Maybe we should tell him we're proud of him more often.”
Mina stepped stiffly into the room. “Feldman.” She gestured with her head toward the room they were putting Bradley in. He must be out of surgery.
Irving got up, and Conrad did too, following them. He had a hunch for what was wrong with Jenkins, and he wanted to look at his EKG before making any real guesses. Hawkins put out a hand to gesture to House and Wilson to stay put.
A few hours later, Bradley was coming out of the anesthesia. Irving was sitting in a chair at his bedside, holding his hand, and House and Wilson were at the foot of the bed, looking awkward. Conrad supposed that they weren't used to being on the patient or family side of things and they weren't quite sure how to act. Hawkins was in the room to monitor Bradley's vitals as well as ensuring no fights broke out amongst his loved ones.
Bradley slowly opened his eyes, first seeing Irving and smiling just a little before moistening his lips and softly asking, “What happened?”
Feldman squeezed his hand, tears of relief in his eyes. “You fell from the balcony, through the glass roof of the conference table.” He dried his eyes before adding, “You scared the shit out of me,” in a more jokey, Irving-like manner. Conrad was glad to see he was returning to how he normally was.
Bradley's eyes widened as he heard about the accident, as if this were the first time he'd even considered the idea of that happening. That right there was part of why Conrad didn't believe it was a suicide attempt. Bradley had worked too hard to get where he was. He'd also found an issue with Bradley's heart that made him react badly to caffeine, like making his heart stop, and with the amount of energy drinks Jenkins had had that day, it was no wonder he'd fallen.
Bradley looked over at the foot of the hospital bed and saw House and Wilson. He covered his face with the hand that wasn't hooked up to any IV or monitor. “You didn't need to come. I'm fine, and I'm sure you both have a lot of work to do.”
James Wilson, who had already been looking worried, somehow looked more concerned. He sat on the edge of the bed near Bradley's legs, putting his hand on his son's knee. “Nothing is more important to us than your well-being, Bradley,” he said softly. House nodded, although to Conrad it seemed like he was working on cases in his head.
Bradley put his hand back down from his face, taking Irving's hand again. He looked like he wanted to say something snarky to his parents, but instead he started crying.
Hawkins avoided looking at Bradley as if this were indecent, but he really just didn't want Bradley to be more embarrassed than he was already bound to be.
Irving squeezed his boyfriend's hand, looking worried. House and Wilson exchanged a concerned glance as well.
“I'm sorry,” Bradley finally said, wiping his eyes, the words directed toward his parents. “I didn't mean for any of this to happen. I just wanted to be a person you'd be proud of, and I pushed myself too hard.”
Irving kissed Bradley’s hand but said nothing, watching how the parents reacted.
Conrad stepped out into the hall for a moment, unable to be in the room during such an emotionally charged moment between family members. He fought the urge to bite his fingernails.
When he reentered the room, Wilson said, “Thank you so much for taking care of our son.” He patted Bradley's knee. Bradley looked happier or at least calmer than when Conrad had left the room, and Irving looked less murderous.
James Wilson stared daggers at House, seemingly using his eyes to elbow him in the ribs.
“Yes, thank you,” House said through gritted teeth. He stood at the head of the bed on the other side from where Irving was, and he was clearly still worried about his son, even if his face didn't show it.
The parents eventually went back to the waiting room, where Randolph Bell was probably waiting to spring a surprise job interview or impress them somehow. Once they were gone, Irving said softly, “Bradley, did you… was this on purpose?”
He shook his head. “I've thought about it before.” His voice was shaky. “But I always decide against it.”
Irving smiled a little and kissed his forehead. “Good to hear.”
Hawkins came and stood by the bed in the spot where House had been, not as his doctor now but as a friend. “I didn't know your dad was Gregory House.”
“Believe me, it's not all as glamorous as it seems,” Bradley said. “I practically raised myself with the amount of time my parents were working.”
Conrad nodded. That was what he had gathered from the short exchange he'd had with Bradley's parents.
“They do care about me, though,” Bradley said. “My dad is going to help me find a career to work using my schooling that is less stressful. I discovered I'm not cut out to be a doctor.” He chuckled awkwardly.
Conrad patted him on the shoulder. “That's good,” he said, smiling. “I hope Bell doesn't try too hard to get them to like him,” he added as he looked out the window and saw Randolph talking animatedly to the other two older doctors, who didn't look particularly interested in the conversation.
Bradley laughed, squeezing Irving's hand. “They'll put him in his place if he needs it, don't worry.” He said this as if he had experience with it, which he probably did.
Feldman held Bradley's hand tighter, determined to never let go of it again. He rested his head on Jenkins's shoulder, closing his eyes.