Chapter 2

House was rather rudely awakened the following morning when he felt the mattress jerk as Cameron made a dash for the bathroom once again. He slowly placed his feet on the carpeted floor, reaching for the orange bottle that sat on the bedside table. He popped the lid and shook two Vicodin into his palm, then moved to the bathroom for a cup of water, glancing down at Cameron as she retched into the toilet.

"You think you're going to be alright?" House asked with a still groggy voice.

His answer was a moan as she leaned her head onto her arms. "I feel horrible. But maybe it will pass." She looked up at him through those remarkable green eyes of hers, this time the strain of her regurgitation had them slightly glazed. "Can you please check on Tony? He probably needs your attention right now more than I do."

House watched as she gulped deeply, then gagged with another dry heave into the toilet's basin. He wasn't quite sure which of them needed his assistance more at that moment, but sensing she would rather be alone at this point, he swallowed his pills and made his way back out to the living room.

Tony had obviously been awake for some time now as he sat in his hospital bed with a PlayStation paddle in his hands, his gaze turning to his father as he approached.

"Looks like you had a good night's sleep." Tony smiled at him.

House glanced up to see the grin the boy was wearing. "You're joking, right?"

"You have a little accident on your motorcycle?"

"In case you've forgotten, I don't own a motorcycle anymore. Some juvenile delinquent stole it and decided to run it into solid concrete." He looked more closely at the boy, seeing the smile that hadn't dimmed. "Why?"

"Looks like a little road rash there. On your neck."

"Yeah, right." House smirked at him, remembering a few weeks prior, the last time Tony had teased him about an invisible rash. This time, he didn't believe the kid until the boy pointed to a mirror hanging on an adjacent wall. The large maroon blotch flashed like a beacon upon sight of it, and his hand absently moved to touch it. "Okay, so I blush easily."

"Funny place to blush–especially since your face and the rest of your neck is fine." The boy shifted on his bed. "So what's wrong with Mom? What'd you do? Knock her up again?"

"You've got some mouth on you, kid."

"Yeah, I wonder where I got that from." He went back to playing the PlayStation again for a moment. "So, is she pregnant?"

"Why would you ask me such a question? Isn't that something you should be asking your mother?"

"I didn't figure it mattered. I mean, you're my father–and if she's pregnant, you're "its" father. So, it's half your responsibility. You can answer."

"Ah, but that's something you need to understand about women. That would be something they like to report themselves. So, wait a few minutes and you can ask her yourself."

House moved closer to the boy's bed, then proceeded to check his condition and tend to his needs. Once confirming that all was well, he went back to the bathroom to find it empty. A quick glance in the other direction showed him that Cameron was pulling on a pair of sweat pants and a t-shirt, then pulled her hair back and with a large clip and secured it on the back of her head.

"Your son wants to know if I knocked you up." House emphasized the end of his comment.

"He didn't say that." Cameron's shock quickly dissolved though as she walked toward House. "I take that back. He's acting more and more like you everyday. So, what did you tell him?"

"He's not a baby–I didn't feel there was any need to hide it."

"No, he's not a baby–but he is still a young boy. What exactly did you say to him?" She asked with concern as she started back toward the hallway that lead to the livingroom.

"I told him to ask his mother," House said simply.

"Why do I get the feeling that "I told him to ask his mother" is going to be a phrase I will hear quite often over the next few years?"

As they entered the livingroom, Cameron moved to the side of Tony's bed and sat on its edge, watching as he went about playing his game. Finally, he looked up as she heard various noises coming from the game, indicating that he had failed to reach the next level. He smiled as he looked at her then readily accepted her kiss to his cheek.

"Are you hungry?" Cameron asked him.

"Mmm-hmm. Are you?"

"Since when are you concerned whether or not I'm hungry?" She asked as she moved to her feet, about to go to the kitchen and prepare his breakfast, but stopped and glanced back at him.

"Since I heard you losing your dinner last night and then again this morning. Something you wanna tell me, Mom?" And with that he began to chuckle and looked over at his father. "Ya know, Mom, I think its about time you look into getting something bigger than a one-bedroom apartment. With the baby coming, we'll never have enough room to squeeze everyone in here."

"And just who says there's a baby coming? I could just have the flu, you know."

"Mom, these walls are thinner than you think. I heard you discussing it last night–among other things. That was when I turned up the volume to the TV. I'm really hoping we get a new place to live soon. I don't want to be sentenced to a life on some psychiatrist's couch because I had listen to my parents making out every night."

"I'll begin house-hunting immediately." She mumbled as she went to the kitchen.