Disclaimed.
I'm sure I'm getting information wrong in this story, but it fits so nyeh. Enjoy! Review! Repeat!
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A worn out Dr. Gregory House slowly limped his way into his office. It was the Friday before Easter, Good Friday, and there on his desk was an eruption of pastels. A volcano of goodies. A chocolate bunny surrounded by sugar coated yellow chick Peeps and malted milk speckled eggs. Shining green Easter grass was overflowing from the blue basket. House held in a gag and caught the basket under the handle with the end of his cane. Hobbling into the conference room, he held the sugar filled parcel at arm's length as if it would explode and turn his skin technicolor. There on the glass table where his ducklings sat, were two similar cavity inducing gifts in front of Chase and Foreman.
"You!" Roughly, he tossed his basket on the table in front of his female employee, then pointed at her with his long cane. "What is the meaning of this?" Coolly, she responded, "Evidently, the Easter Bunny is unaware of all your pranks and less than pristine behavior." He continued to glare at her. Throwing up her hands in surrender she spoke. "Hey, don't look at me this time. I learned my lesson with Christmas. Besides, I got a basket too." Reaching to the ground beside her, she pulled up a fourth basket. "And if I HAD gotten you all Easter baskets, I would have made sure yours was all pink." Before House could make a snarky comment, the door opened and in strode a cheerful Wilson.
"Good morning everyone!" Giving them all a smile he stood with his hands on his hips like he had a reason to be there.
"You! You got these baskets, didn't you?" Glancing at the apparently unwelcome and unwanted gifts, Wilson's chipper expression turned to one of confusion.
"House...I'm Jewish. I don't celebrate Easter."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Your people rue the day...really, it would be a perfect cover up for you in this situation."
"Of course that makes since. Because naturally, I would need a cover up to give you and your 'ducklings' a gift for a holiday that I don't take a part in. Makes sense really. What other reason could there be?"
"Gifts. There's four of them." House sneered and looking accusingly at his friend.
"Five actually. I got one too." Everyone's eyebrows crept up their foreheads at that. Wilson cocked one corner of his mouth.
"Yes, even the Jew got a basket." Just then, a determined Cuddy walked in carrying yet another basket.
"Do any of you know who bought these? This was on my desk when I got in to work this morning, and I don't know who I need to thank for it. All the patients, the nurses, the doctors...even the custodians got a basket. Some had eggs in their lockers even. Someone had to have a lot of money and help to buy these and get them in here. Every single person in the hospital has something and no one knows who from. Glancing about the room she saw five baskets for five people. "Guess you don't know either...If you find out tell me please." Turning to leave, House spoke up.
"Why Lisa Cuddy! You don't believe in the Easter Bunny?" House questioned, feigning shock. Cuddy just rolled her eyes and walked out to continue her search for the Bearer of Baskets. Squinting his eyes at her retreating back, House turned sharply. Grabbing a tissue, House used it as a hot pad of sorts between his hand and the handle on his basket, as though the color alone would burn his skin. Going to his office, he shut the door and turned on some Metallica to counteract the cheerfulness. Picking up a plastic egg from the basket, he opened it only to spill a handful of jelly beans into his lap. Scooping them into his large hands, he popped one in his mouth and sucked the sweet morsel and leaned back in his chair. As his play list faded from Metallica to Miles Davis, so did his mind fade from present to Easters long pasts and nearly forgotten.
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It was sometime in the sixties...Easter Sunday. The House family was stationed in Japan, but Blythe insisted on having Easter just the same. Greg and his friend, Kai, were in the gardens behind Greg's home. They were counting up Easter eggs his mother had hidden for them to find. Kai was eating some candy and looking thoughtfully at his pile of eggs that had had to be mailed from America to the House's.
"What is Easter?" Kai suddenly asked his friend. Greg looked up in surprise.
"You don't know?" Kai shook his head no. "Easter is the day Jesus rose from the dead."
"So why eggs and rabbits? What has that to do with Jesus?" It was Greg's turn to stare thoughtfully at his bounty.
"Well. The eggs are...rebirth? And the Easter Bunny...well what animal births more babies than a rabbit?" Kai nodded and chewed on the ear of his chocolate bunny.
"Do you believe in the Easter Bunny?"
"Mhmm. And you should too. Then next year, he can come and bring you candy and an Easter basket too."
"Can I come over again and we can have another egg hunt?" This simple question made Greg's face grow long. The shadow of a boy wore the same expression he would often wear as a grown man. Hint of a frown looking down at the ground, anywhere but at the speaker.
"Maybe...if I'm still here next year."
"What do you mean? Why wouldn't you be here? Where else would you be?" Kai became worried. Where could his best friend possibly be going?
"Germany, Texas, Iraq...who knows? Somewhere though. Always going somewhere." Both boys were quiet when Blythe brought out a tray of candies, cookies, and the pièce de résistance, all different colors of Jello eggs. Setting the tray on the ground between the boys, she patted their heads and walked back inside. Staring at the tray of red, yellow, blue and green eggs, Greg got an impish grin on his young face.
"Kai...do you know what I think of moving?" The still saddened Kai continued to look down sadly. Shaking his head, a whispered no crept from between his thin lips. Greg grabbed a jiggling blue egg and, laughing, smeared it into Kai's jet black hair. Looking incredulously at his friend, Kai reached up and felt his Jello covered head. His gaping mouth turned up into a gaping smile, as he grabbed an egg. Greg grabbed two, then, standing, ran about the yard. Kai chased him, finally catching him and squishing the egg into Greg's boyish curls. Laughing, the pair chased each other around, smearing eggs into faces and heads and playing tag and hide and seek, games Greg had long ago taught Kai. Blythe came outside, laughing, with her video camera and recorded the two boys. They stopped and waved, laughing into the camera, then sped on to continue their play.
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The day was over. House had spent the entire time in his office thinking about that Easter so long ago and avoiding Cuddy, who was still trying to find out who gave everyone baskets. Having eaten the last bit of his candy, he dumped the basket upside down into his trash can. Hearing an odd thump, he took the basket out. There, on top of the dumped out, eco-unfriendly Easter grass, was a new impossible to find Ghost of the Robot cd. One he had been looking for, for well over a week. It had been hidden in the basket under the grass. Taking it, he slipped it into his pocket. Standing, he went to tell his ducklings to go home. There, he saw they were already packing up.
"Hey, House. Did you get anything other than candy in your basket?" Cameron looked at the man, a puzzled expression on her face. Pushing out his bottom lip, as he often did when confused or in thought, he pulled the still shrink wrapped cd out of his pocket. Cameron nodded and pulled out a shining charm bracelet. House looked at Chase who pulled out a new crosswords book, and then at Foreman who had a new pocket research guide to lesser known Neurology facts. Shrugging his shoulders as if he didn't care, House waved them off, and then sped his way home, not even waiting for Wilson.
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Parking his motorcycle, House rushed inside as best he could, eager to pour some scotch for his memories and listen to his new cd. Ripping off the shrink wrap, he opened the case, only to find that somehow, whoever had given him this cd...had written a message for him on the unopened disc.
Greg,
The scotch dulls the good memories with the bad, so doesn't it do more bad than good? Pick up a lemonade and some Jello eggs and enjoy the happy days of your past instead of mourning the sad.
-E.B.
Staring at the note, reading it over and over, House was baffled. How someone had written this in magic marker...and the coincidence of the memory...E.B.? Slowly, he put in the cd, put away the scotch, and poured a glass of lemonade that he didn't remember being in the refrigerator that morning. Settling in on the couch, he let memories of friends, and days at the beach pour over him better than any scotch ever had. He thought back to days in other countries. He thought of all the happy holidays he had enjoyed when his father was away on business, all the new and interesting people he had met. He thought back to great albums and greater concerts. He thought back to girlfriends and all his firsts. First kiss, first time driving, first time having sex, first time getting drunk...lots of firsts to enjoy. And this was another...this was the first time he had looked back on the past with not even the vaguest shade of regret of bitterness. This was pure, unadulterated happiness in his own mind. Something he hadn't done in many years, if ever. Guess there's always a first somewhere if you look hard enough.
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Somewhere in his rememberings, House dozed off. When he woke up, Wilson was home and there on the table was a tray of multicolored Jello eggs.
"Where did those comes from?" Pointing, his disbelief wavered.
"They were leftover from the Easter party. Should have come." Wilson popped one in his mouth, and turned on the television. "Since when do you make lemonade?" House didn't even answer, just looked. So Wilson continued. "Hey, Cameron said you got a cd in your basket. Mine had a copy of Dead Poet's Society, my favorite movie. I lost my copy awhile back. Everyone had something special in their baskets. Weird." House just nodded. Pressing play on the stereo remote, and power on the tv remote, he turned off the tv and filled the room with music. Wilson just looked at him. Shaking his head and sighing, he popped another Jello egg in his mouth. Some things never change...
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How 'bout that? No drama! Pretty nifty hm?
Ps, if you want to know the REAL reason behind eggs and bunnies...http/ go there.
Now...review!!