"Mommy's coming!" Lisa Cuddy awoke in a haze. "Mommy's…" The noise, the thud that had awoken her sounded again, but it wasn't coming from the baby monitor at all. She groaned into her pillows, as much as she didn't want to be she was awake now, sort of. The thumping again.

Thump Thump Thump thud thud thud Thump Thump Thump.

She swallowed a scream. Damn him! There was only one person in the universe with this kind of nerve. A person who had disappeared Tuesday and for three days hadn't answered his phone, his pages or his emails. Wilson was convinced he was using again. Wilson usually had more faith in him than she did, but for some reason she held out hope that it wasn't true. Now he shows up at her house at fuck thirty in the morning, he had better be high.

She forced herself out of her warm bed, and shuffled into her fluffy pink robe, it was covered in odd stains from Rachel's first forays into baby food. She in no way wanted to look attractive while murdering House…he might get the wrong idea. On her way down the hall she peaked into the nursery. The soft glow of her nightlight showed Rachel slept peacefully.

Thump Thump Thump thud thud thud Thump…

She rushed to the front door, ripped the chain from its slot and swung the door open violently The cane missed her narrowly. And there he was.

"What is that? Some kind of Cripple Morse code?"

"Oh Cuddy" He tsked, "bedhead, not a good look for you."

No, he didn't. "House!"

"Don't mind if we do." He lurched forward, more awkwardly than normal. "You're such a drag." He whined to the…

"House, what's that?"

"Cuddy, Cuddy, Cuddy…surely you recognize one of your own species? You claim to have gone to medical school and everything." He pivoted and closed the door behind him. Lisa stared at the creature hugging House's good leg.

"That's a child, House?" It wasn't supposed to sound like a question…a statement…maybe an accusation, but not a question.

"Ding, ding, ding…we have a winner Ladies and ladies."

Before she knew it, Cuddy found herself on her knees in front of House, something he'd never let her live down. She put both hands on either side of the enormous helmet and lifted. Dirty blonde curls and blinking blue eyes appeared, wearing a slight frown.

"Hi sweetie…I'm Lisa."

The girl looked up at House. He shrugged. "You said you wanted a Mommy." Her small mouth twisted with something close to annoyance. "Or did you say Monkey…I told you it's hard to hear through the helmets."

"Tell me..." Lisa hissed through clenched teeth, rising to her full height with each word. "You didn't have this baby on your death trap."

"No…the helmet is just a fashion statement. Kids these days." He threw up his arms. The child tugged on his jeans and beckoned him to her level. Rolling his eyes, he awkwardly bent down. She whispered into his ear. He pointed with his cane. "First door to the right…you know which one is right, right?"

She nodded and scooted past Cuddy, heading straight for the bathroom. Cuddy glared at House, poking him sharply in the chest "Don't you move a muscle." And followed the child down the hall. "Let me get the light for you. Do you need any help?"

She cocked her head to the side. "I'm six."

"Oh, of course." Cuddy smiled and shut the door behind her.

Amazingly she found House lounging on the sofa with a pink Hannah Montana backpack dangling from his cane. "Nice robe Cuddles."

She crossed her arms. "You have two minutes to explain yourself."

"I don't need two minutes. Here." He tossed the bag at her and stood up. "I'm tired I'm going home."

"You aren't going anywhere until I find out A. who that child is B. where the hell you've been and C. why I shouldn't have you arrested for endangering a minor."

House scrunched up his face. "Hmmm, she has a name, I'm almost sure about that part."

"Lisa?" Cuddy turned toward the voice coming from the hall.

"All done? Did you wash your hands?"

She shook her head. "Where's the stool?"

"What stool?" Lisa asked, completely baffled.

"The stool, so I can turn on the faucet?"

"Oh…that stool…I'll get the water for you." She ushered her back into the bathroom, leaned over and turned on the water. Instinctively she took the small hands in her own and guided them under the water. Their eyes met in the mirror.

"I thought you had kids."

"Why? Did House?"

She shrugged and pointed to the tub. "There are rubber ducks and baby shampoo."

"I do have a little girl, but she's still a baby, her name is Rachel, she is just starting to walk."

The girl nodded. Lisa studied the small face, it was a little dirty, her eyes a bit red, the mouth opened of its own accord, a yawn escaping. "You should be in bed." After drying her hands, Lisa picked her up and went back to find …her empty living room. She stopped herself from cursing and lifted the backpack off the couch.

The child must have felt the tension, she lifted her head from Lisa's shoulder. "Where's Uncle Gory?"

"Uncle Who?" Lisa smothered a laugh, but when she looked at the girl again she saw that she was on the brink of tears.

"Hey, it's okay. We decided it would be best for you to spend the night with me. He'll be back tomorrow." Lisa lied smoothly. House was a dead man. "Look, I bet this belongs to you."

She sniffled. "He didn't say goodnight."

"I know, he's in trouble for that." She joked. Well…she made an attempt to make it sound like a joke. She shifted the girl to her other hip and carried her to the guest room.


House watched as the lights went out. Cuddy hadn't come running after him. She hadn't even checked to see that he was still in front of the house. He hadn't really expected her to. He probably should have at least told her the kid's name, but she was a smart woman, she'd find out eventually.

He stayed for another 10 minutes before the cold started biting at his leg. The kid was in the best possible hands. He revved the bike and sped off to Wilsons.


P A I G E. Cuddy read the name off the left strap of the backpack. The girl turned expectantly and for the first time in their short acquaintance she smiled. The bag held a couple of changes of clothes and a ratty stuffed animal, that might have been a teddy bear at some point and a well loved copy of Where the Wild Things Are. No pajamas or toothbrush, no other form of identification.

Lisa found the smallest tee shirt she owned and helped Paige put it on. "When did you have dinner?"

"We had Onion rings and milkshakes before we got here. I like onion rings."

"Nothing like a well balanced meal." Lisa pulled the covers back and Paige crawled into the bed. "But at least he didn't starve you."

"Lisa are you mad at Uncle Gory?" Her blue eyes looked so earnest.

Lisa's first instinct was to lie, but she couldn't. "A little bit." Okay, so she lied, but not completely.

"I think Nana might be mad at him too. She'll be real mad when she finds out he didn't stay with me. He promised her…" She whispered.

"Your Nana?"

Tears clouded the beautiful eyes. Paige nodded. "She fell down and she couldn't get up for a long time and she had to go to the hospital and I was scared."

"Shh, don't be scared okay. You are safe and…" Had the woman died? Where were Paige's parents?

"Uncle Gory said she had to go to a rehabil…rehabilation place…but they don't let little girls stay there…"


"House." Lisa seethed into her phone. "You have done some irresponsible bullshit in your time, but this might just take the cake. Get your ass over here first thing or I'll … I'll…Hell, I don't know what I'll do, but trust me! YOU. WON'T. LIKE. IT."