The Purple Monkey
Author's Note: This is a sort-of companion piece to my "Unfaithful Revisited" story. Well…not so much. It was just sparked by a detail I threw in; House bought Rachel a purple monkey for her Simchat bat. So this story begins there. Where it goes…I guess we'll find out. ;]
***
Cuddy finished picking up the last of the debris from the earlier celebration, tossing the napkins into the trash. Rachel's Simchat bat had been beautiful, and Cuddy had never been so exhausted. Smiling, she settled down onto her overstuffed sofa and looked around. As her eyes scanned her dimly lit living room, she caught a glimpse of a pink gift bag, sitting forgotten on a side table. She stood and picked it up, carrying it back to her sofa. A tiny card attached to one handle read simply "For Kid –H" Cuddy shook her head, smiling. Maybe House did care after all.
Laughing silently to herself, she reached into the bag, finding a handful of white tissue paper. Shoving it aside, her fingers came in contact with the soft fur of something stuffed. She pulled the stuffed something from the bag, coming face to face with a purple monkey, holding a yellow banana in one hand with a crooked grin stitched on its face. Cuddy stroked the fur, tears pooling in the corners of her eyes. This was not something House-like. This was a gesture rarely seen from the great Greg House; a gesture not seen since—the desk. Cuddy wiped away the single tear that managed to escape and stared into the stitched-on eyes of the little monkey. She shook her head and stood, leaving the bag on her coffee table, but carrying the monkey in her arms, like a small child.
She walked toward the nursery, pausing in the doorway. She softly padded toward Rachel's crib, and looked down into the sleeping face of the infant. Smiling, she ran a finger across the baby's cheek, and set the grinning purple monkey in the corner of the crib.
When morning came, Cuddy found Rachel's hand curled tightly around the monkey's skinny arm.
***
"Momma!" Two-year old Rachel toddled down the hallway and flung herself at her mother's legs, sobbing. Her babysitter followed, a bewildered look on her face. Cuddy scooped her daughter into her arms and wiped away her tears.
"What's wrong baby?"
"Momma. Can't fin' B'nana." Banana—the purple monkey, had become a security blanket of sorts for the child.
"Sweetie, I'm sure we'll find him somewhere." Cuddy reassured her daughter. "You had him this morning at breakfast. Don't worry. I'll help you look, okay?"
Rachel nodded vigorously and wiped at her tears. She followed Cuddy as she paid the babysitter, who apologized profusely for the upset, and then proceeded to change into sweats and a t-shirt. Cuddy took the small girl's hand in her own and smiled softly. "Why don't we go look now?" Rachel nodded again, and the two proceeded to search the entire house; no nook or cranny was left untouched.
"Rachel!" After almost 40 minutes of searching every place she could think of, Cuddy finally caught a glimpse of the familiar purple fur peeking out from under a couch cushion. "Look what I found!" She freed the monkey from its makeshift prison, and held him triumphantly in front of the girl. Rachel grabbed him, screaming.
"B'nana!! I missed you!!" She squeezed him so tight, Cuddy feared the poor creature's head would pop right off his shoulders. She combed her fingers through the girl's hair lovingly and smiled.
"Okay baby girl, let's get you ready for bed." Rachel just looked up at her mother and smiled, clinging to the monkey for dear life.
***
A four-year old Rachel had her nose and one hand pressed against the glass of one grouchy diagnostician's office door; the other hand held a slightly worn-looking monkey in its grip.
"Hey Kid!" A voice from behind the girl startled her, forcing her to jump back from the glass. "Keep your paws off the glass; you'll leave fingerprints."
House stepped past Rachel and into his office, neither shooing the girl away nor inviting her inside. Rachel hesitated at the door, watching as House limped to his desk and settled himself into his desk chair. He reclined, resting both legs up on the desk, crossed at the ankles. He glanced over to the door and found Rachel still standing there.
"What are you waiting for? You in or out?" Rachel took that as her invitation and ventured inside, climbing up into his arm chair in the corner.
"Guess what Uncle House?" Rachel said excitedly, settling the monkey in her lap with a smile.
"Don't call me Uncle. And what?" House rolled his eyes, knowing what was coming.
"I start school TOMORROW!" Rachel grinned. This had been a routine for them. Every day for the past two weeks, whenever Rachel would catch sight of House, she would begin the guessing game. Her answer was a countdown to her very first day of school. House would never admit it to anyone, but he secretly enjoyed this little game she had decided to play with him. She didn't ask Wilson or any of the nurses on duty; only him. House smirked at the young girl's excitement.
"I hope you aren't planning on taking that ratty old thing to school with you." He said, gesturing at the monkey sitting quietly on her lap.
"He is NOT a thing; his name is BANANA, and why shouldn't I take him? He's my best friend."
House pondered for a moment; he didn't want to hurt the poor girl. As grumpy as he was, she was only a kid. "Well, don't you think you'll make new friends at school?" He asked.
"Well…I hope so." Rachel said, hesitating.
"Well, you don't want your new friends to be jealous of…Banana, do you?"
Rachel was quiet. "Mommy said I shouldn't take Banana either. She said I might lose him or forget him or something. But…what if I don't make any friends." Rachel's brown eyes filled with tears. "I'll be all alone if I go without him. I'm scared. I just don't want to tell Mommy that."
House sighed. "Well then, maybe you should take him. Just for luck. Just don't tell your Mommy." He winked at Rachel, whose face lit up.
She jumped out of the chair and ran across the room, any trace of tears had disappeared. "Thanks Uncle House!" She hugged him quickly before he could get away, and skipped from the room, Banana flying in the breeze behind her.
House called after her. "Don't call me Uncle."
***
"Hey Mom?" Cuddy turned to face her thirteen-year old daughter from her place in front of Rachel's closet. "Where did Banana come from?" Cuddy glanced over to her daughter's pillow, where a dingy purple monkey sat proudly. Rachel had long-since passed the phase of carrying him everywhere she went, but he still remained in the spot beside her head while she slept.
Cuddy smiled and walked over to sit beside Rachel on her bed, where she was painting her toenails purple. The purple that Banana's fur used to be. She picked him up and held him in her hands, softly stroking his fur like she had that first night. "Well, actually—House bought him." She chucked at Rachel's wide-eyed look of surprise. "He left him the night of your Simchat bat, wrapped in white tissue paper in a baby pink bag." Cuddy could still see that bag in her mind. "The tag read 'For Kid –H."
Rachel laughed. "I don't think he's ever called me anything but Kid." She took Banana from her mother's grasp and smiled, squeezing the monkey's stomach with her thumbs. "Who would have thought that the grumpy Dr. House was capable of buying a purple monkey with a banana for a baby; let alone wrapping ANYTHING in a baby pink bag?" The pair laughed, trying to imagine House standing in front of a display of multi-colored stuffed animals. Cuddy wrapped an arm around her daughter's shoulders, hugging her against her chest. She pressed a kiss to Rachel's hair and stood.
"How 'bout some cocoa? It's snowing."
Rachel nodded. "Sounds good to me." She stood, trying not to smear her freshly polished toenails. She set Banana back to his rightful place atop her pillow, and turned, following her mother to the kitchen.
***
Cuddy stood on the sidewalk, arms crossed protectively in front of her stomach. She couldn't believe this day was here. She watched as her daughter loaded the last of her boxes into the backseat of her car. Today, her eighteen-year old Rachel was leaving for college; heading for Julliard's prestigious School of Music; a dual voice and piano major. She couldn't be more proud of her daughter, nor could she be any less heartbroken over her departure. She leaned into the chest of the man beside her, forcing herself to keep the tears at bay.
House wrapped his arms around Cuddy, softly drawing circles across her lower back with his thumb. This seemed to calm her slightly, and she relaxed into his embrace, encircling his waist with her arms. Rachel turned from her car just in time to see her step-father of almost four years press a kiss to the top of her mother's head. A little over four years before, they had finally given in to the 'thing' between them, and owned up to their emotions. A whirlwind romance later, the two were married in a small ceremony in Cuddy's backyard. While neither was even close to perfect, the pair was perfect for each other, so it seemed. Rachel smiled and began to approach them.
Cuddy pulled away from House and took Rachel in her arms. She held her tightly for a long moment before holding her at arms-length. "You sure you have everything?" Rachel nodded for the millionth time and smiled.
"Mom, I'll be fine. I promise. I'll call you if I'm not. I'll call you anyway."
Cuddy blinked back tears and smiled. "I love you Rachel."
"I love you too Mommy."
Rachel turned to House, standing awkwardly with his hands stuffed into the pockets of his jeans. His cane was hooked over one wrist, sticking out at an awkward angle. She looked at him for a moment, shrugging slightly.
"C'mere," House barked gruffly, but quietly. He pulled Rachel into his arms, hugging her to his chest. She wrapped her arms around his waist and squeezed, before pulling away.
She smiled. "Thank you, House." But not just for the hug.
She pressed a kiss to her mother's cheek and headed to her car. She glanced to her passenger seat and smiled before pulling out of the driveway.
His purple fur was worn and matted; he was dingy, despite the multiple times Cuddy had attempted to make him come clean. One eye had lost some stitching, and his faded yellow banana had been reattached several times after some tragic accidents. But Banana had always been there for Rachel, since the day House left him for her eighteen years ago. He was there for the bruised knees and the broken hearts, the bad grades and the times she got in trouble with Mom. And now there he sat, riding shotgun beside her as she headed away from home, just like he always had; just like he always would.
***
Author's Note: Well…that was interesting, huh? As I wrote this, I began thinking about MY childhood best friend. His name is Beanie Bear, and he's a tiny little bear that rattles. I've had him since the day I was born; he came in a bouquet of flowers from my Uncle. He still goes everywhere with me, including both trips I took to Hawaii and back and forth to college. Lol. [i39(dot)tinypic(dot)com(slash)iv8up3(dot)jpg] --that's a picture of my best friend :]
So this had a little bit of everything. A little Huddy, some HousexRachel interaction, some CuddyxRachel mother-daughter stuff; yay for multi-interests! :D
Anyways, feel free to review, or whatever your little heart desires. :]
xoxo
Allyson Rae
"peace, love & music."