I've been wanting to write this story for a while and I finally got down to it… so I hope you guys enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it!

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1 – House's niece

It was a wonderful, sunny day of April when I received a weird phone call. Weird for two reasons: one, he never called me, I was always the one who did, and two, he made a long speech which left me as clueless to what he was talking about as if he had left no message at all.

But he did say "Come to my office" and I did, with the feeling that the wonderful sunny day would soon turn into a cloudy, stormy one.

Of course, when I entered uncle Greg's office in Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital, he wasn't there. The office was empty… I had arrived there one hour and a half after his phone call and if he had called it had to be something important, he only phoned once in a blue moon… so he was probably busy with some patient at the moment. I'd just have to wait.

Guessing something like this was bound to happen, I had brought with me a book I needed to read for college. I looked outside the office: no one was around. I sat on uncle Greg's comfortable chair (I had done it before, he had always told me I was welcome in his office as long as I didn't touch anything) and started reading.

I was halfway through the novel when someone entered the office. I didn't notice it until the person cleared his throat: "Excuse me… are you House's niece?"

I looked up. The guy standing in front of the desk had to be in his mid-twenties, he had blond hair and greenish-blue eyes, and he looked very young to be a doctor. He was rather good-looking. "Yes, I am…" I stared at him for a moment, before getting to my feet and introducing myself: "I'm Liv, nice to meet you…"

"I'm Robert Chase." He replied, shaking my hand. "I've actually been sent to tell you… House will be here soon, he's dealing with clinic duty right now."

Robert had to be British or something… his accent sounded foreign to me. "Clinic duty? I thought he never did that."

"Yeah, well, Dr. Cuddy told him she'd inform every pharmacy in Princeton that they weren't allowed to sell anymore Vicodin to him, unless he went straight to the clinic. He's been there for almost two hours, he should be here soon."

"I see…" I hadn't been to my uncle's office for months and last time I'd been there, I hadn't seen this guy. "So you're… working with my uncle?"

"Yes, I've been working here for a couple of months." He said. I really liked his eyes. He made me feel really self-conscious…

"How do you like it here?" I asked. I didn't like the silence. "I know my uncle can be… hum… difficult, sometimes…"

He smiled. "That's an euphemism."

"Yeah, I guess you're right…" I agreed.

"I like it here, it's very different from where I live… where I lived." He obviously didn't want to go into details, because he changed topic: "Would you like some coffee?"

"Yes, please. I'm addicted to coffee." I smiled and looked at him, as he made some coffee for us both and handed me a cup. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." I immediately started drinking, I needed some caffeine more than ever, but he just stood there, looking at me.

I was going to ask him if something was wrong, when I heard my uncle's sarcastic comment: "You're both pretty but that's not a reason to silently marvel at one another's beauty."

"Uncle Greg!" I placed my cup on his desk and went to hug him. Tight, because I knew he only accepted it from me. "You look good, how do you feel?"

"I've been better. How long have you been here?" he asked me as he sat down.

"A while…"

He glared at Dr. Chase. "What are you doing here? Go away, Englishman. And don't hit on the nurses."

He left at once, after saying goodbye to me. Uncle Greg told me to sit. "So, what's going on?" I asked cautiously. I was feeling nervous and I started playing with my long blond hair.

"Stop doing that, you'll lose hair more rapidly if you don't quit the habit." He said, then he paused and looked at me gravely: "I won't lie to you. It wouldn't make any sense, you're 21, you're mature, you're studying in one of the best colleges that there are out there, Princeton…I think you'll understand why I want to be honest. Altering the truth only makes it harder in the end." He paused once again. "I saw your mother and I told her I'd talk with you… she came for a check up and she's got a benign tumor."

"What…but if it's benign… it's fine, right? I mean, she can be cured without any kind of problem, can't she?"

"Yes she can, but the thing is, the exams showed the adenoma was found just in time. Another month or so, and it would have grown too much… we've been lucky. I told your mother I'd speak to you first so that I could answer whatever you want to know about it… I'm just that great." He said.

"It's not funny." I whispered. "I want to see James."

I had known James Wilson since I was a little girl, because he and uncle Greg were good friends… come to think of it, he was probably uncle Greg's only friend… and I'd always had a crush on him. He was the most charming man I knew. "Liv, your mother-"

"I'm going to see James." I interrupted him. I got up and quickly left the room. My uncle didn't try to stop me.

I often got lost when I came to the hospital, but of all places I never forgot where James's office was. I quickly got there and knocked on the door.

"Liv!" James didn't look all that surprised to see me. I guess uncle Greg told him about his sister, my mother. "How are you? I'm sorry, that's such a stupid question…" he said, before gently hugging me. I held him tight as long as I could without seeming inappropriate, taking in his scent, and when I let go, I was feeling on the verge of tears. But I wouldn't cry. "James… I want you to tell me the truth about my mom. You visited her, or at least checked her exams, didn't you?"

"I did…" he nodded. "What did Greg tell you?" he placed a hand on my shoulder and guided me toward one of the seats in front of his desk. I reluctantly sat down. "Well, he didn't have the chance to say much because I left his office as soon as he'd informed me that mom's got a tumor." I felt my cheeks redden. "I left saying I'd come talk to you."

James smiled sympathetically at me. "Your mother's condition is not serious. True, she needs to be operated and to come to check ups regularly after that, but she's in good hands in this hospital."

"But… is there any chance that things might be more serious than you think and she could grow worse or maybe just… is there any chance that she might…" I couldn't say the word. But he understood what I meant: "She's not going to die. She's just going to face a rough few months. She needs to be operated because with time this kind of adenomas, which are growths of glandular origin, can transform to malignancy… but this is not the case. We've already scheduled the intervention, it's for next week."

I was looking down. I didn't dare look up and I didn't even know why. "You're not lying to me, are you? I'm grown up, I don't need protection. Not anymore." I searched for his hand and he gently squeezed it: "I'm not lying, nor is your uncle."

"Thank you, James…" I wanted to tell him I was happy he was there, holding my hand, ready to help me and my mom. But I just couldn't utter the words.

Suddenly the wonderful sunny day of April looked like a thunderstorm to me.