House is babysitting Rachel again when the child makes an odd request. Rachel is three years old.
Giggles can be heard from the next room, followed by the sound of tiny feet running down the hall to the kitchen. House is in front of the stove making lunch for Rachel and himself. It's Saturday so no preschool and Marina's daughter is sick, so he's stuck in the house with the three year old and trying to solve a case via cellphone.
"– tests turned out negative. It's not sarcoidosis." Chase's voice sounds from the phone.
"House, where are you? We need you here!" this time it's Foreman.
"House, look! Doggy!" Rachel bursts in the kitchen, holding up a drawing of a brown blob that might resemble a dog.
"Who's that?!" the alarmed voice of Masters comes out of the speaker.
"My pet koala." Says House sarcastically before turning to the child. "Wait a sec, kid. Make a cat with the dog and then show me." Rachel giggles again and with a nod runs back to her room. "Has his fever spiked?"
"Yes, why?"
"Test for infections and search the home. Have to go now."
" Wait! Who was–" and Masters voice is cut when House snaps the phone shut.
"Rachel!" seconds later the child appears with a large grin and House puts her favorite spoon on her hand and his cane on the other while he holds two plates of mac and cheese. She already knows the drill: hold on tight to the things he's given her, sit on the sofa and don't tell mommy they eat watching TV.
They eat in silence, only disturbed by Rachel's giggles. When they finish House takes their dishes while she follows him with his cane. Once in the kitchen she helps him rinse and put in the dishwasher. All done, they share a high five and return to watch TV.
"House play?" Rachel tugs on his shirt and he raises a brow. "Play!" she points at the piano and he smirks.
The kid has taken a liking to the instrument, she seems to enjoy listening to him play. Cuddy told him once that those moments when Rachel is seated listening to him play are the only ones that she stays completely still, except when she's sleeping or eating, of course.
He starts for the piano without a word and Rachel squeals, racing past him and onto the seat, waiting patiently for him to arrive. He slides next to her and rests the cane on the side of the piano before opening the lid that hides the keys. Stretching and making pop his fingers, House gently rests them on the white keys.
"Tell my what's this…" he starts playing and Rachel giggles.
"Disney!"
"Good, and this?" he changes the song and Rachel gasps.
"Lion King!" the child bounces on her seat. This one is new! House changes the song again and Rachel bursts out laughing. "Elsa! Le it go, le it go" she giggles again and claps her hands.
"Good girl! Last one!" he changes again, the rhythm becoming faster and a smile escapes his lips when Rachel squeals.
"Ladybug!" Rachel sings along with the piano, eating half the letters and laughing all along. Once the song is finished she sits back and leans on house, a little content smile playing with her lips. "House, play my song." He freezes and looks at her.
"Your song?"
Her song wasn't really a song, at least, not in the traditional sense of the word. It was just a group of notes thrown hastily together one night that she'd been particularly difficult and both he and Cuddy were ready to tear her throat out to just stop her crying. In the child's defense, she'd been two and had had one of her last colic. And by the volume of her shrieks it had been nasty. After exhausting all their ideas House had sat at the piano and started pressing random notes, hoping that the music would drown the cries of the girl and let him think.
Seconds after he started playing, Rachel calmed down. He'd been so startled by the sudden silence that he'd stopped playing. The two year old had started to whimper and Cuddy had urged him to continue playing. Two minutes later, Rachel was asleep and at the next morning she had demanded to know the name of the song and for House to play it again. It had ended being called Rachel's Song and she would ask for it every time House played the piano.
"My song, House!" he arched a bow. "Please?" he nods with satisfaction and starts playing. It's a soft melody, only composed by five notes, from Do to Sol*.
Rachel sags against him a few seconds later. He's been playing her this son for two years now, and it provokes the same reaction every time. It had become her lullaby, and they had always wondered why it relaxed her so much.
With a tongue-curling yawn, Rachel lays herself across the seat, her head on House's lap and as she drifts of, the song takes a lower tune and a hand settles on her head, lazily stroking her hair.
The first song is the Opening of Disney; the second Circle Of Life from The Lion King; the third Let It Go from Frozen and the fourth the Opening from Miraculous Ladybug.
*- For the people that don't know what I'm talking about: I'm Spanish, so I use the Do scale. Do re mi fa sol la si and repeat. The song I'm talking about exists, but I haven't been able to find it.