As much as House loved to procrastinate he figured he might as well get Wilson's second task done as soon as possible. For whatever reason Wilson wanted House to reconnect with Cuddy. House had already determined this wouldn't go well, but he literally had nothing left to do. He was never going to be worth Cuddy, and Cuddy was never going to forgive him for his fit of rage. Wilson had called many times while they were together on their road trip. Cuddy was agreeable and happy sounding until House's name came up. When it did she promptly changed the subject. Wilson let House listen in the background, and just her voice was enough to send him into binge drinking. However, he did not let himself until after the call. Every time after Wilson talked to Cuddy, Cuddy took the phone to her daughter. Wilson talked to Rachel first, and then House got his turn. Rachel and him had an agreement not to tell her mommy, no matter what. He had grown fond of Rachel, much fonder than he ever thought was possible. She was smart and wise far beyond her years. They only talked for a minute, but that minute every so often was enough to help House keep his Vicodin abstinence.
Currently, House was sitting in the airport waiting for his flight. Wilson had given him Cuddy's city and state and the rest was up to House. According to Wilson Cuddy had moved to get far away from her past. House thought a visit from him was just going to bring all of that up once more. But as Wilson reminded him over and over, this was his dying wish. When his plane was finally called, he felt more excitement than he was anticipating though. The walk down the hallway to the aircraft almost felt like a weight lifting from his shoulders. Luckily there was nobody obnoxious sitting next to him, and he predicted the flight would be a restful one. Although idle time hadn't treated him well lately. He hadn't drunk since his binge in the hotel, and he hadn't used drugs in a very long time. He was clean, but he was not sure things would remain that way once he saw her. He thought about her and Wilson constantly. It wasn't like at the hospital where he constantly had something to distract him. All he had was travel, and his mind wandered far too much during the boring travel processes. He missed medicine, but he wasn't sure he could ever practice again. The drug temptations would be far too much.
Cuddy was appreciating a rare Saturday away from the hospital. She had several tough cases the week before, one resulting in a pediatric death. The little girl was around Rachel's age and the case took its toll. Now all Cuddy wanted was to spend time with her daughter and forget about work for a little while. She decided that they should go to one of her favorite places. They desperately needed some real bonding time. Cuddy woke Rachel up excitedly with pancakes and bacon. Apart from Rachel reminding Cuddy that House loved bacon, the morning went off well. Both mother and daughter put on their swimsuits, cover ups, and packed bags for the beach.
When the pair arrived on Folly Beach, the sun shone down majestically from the sky. There were many people outside enjoying the beautiful September weather, but Cuddy quickly found a spot to lay their towels down and set up all of their stuff. Rachel loved the waves, and Cuddy had to watch her closely every time she ran toward the water. The rule was that Rachel could not go above her knees in the foamy water unless Cuddy was by her side. Cuddy decided to relax for a minute before joining Rachel. She watched Rachel sit in the shallow water, digging her hands into the sand. Her daughter came quickly back to their towels though, begging for her mother's attention. Soon they were both deep in the waves, Cuddy holding her daughter close even though she was wearing floatys on her upper arms. Rachel practiced holding her breath in the salty water, and Cuddy smiled watching her daughter learn the limits of her body. After some wave body surfing, the two returned to the sand for their picnic lunch of sandwiches, oranges, and string cheese.
After lunch, Rachel was instantly energized once more. Cuddy was more tempted to take an early afternoon nap, but Rachel never stopped. Cuddy convinced her daughter to build a sand castle while she rested for a while. Rachel talked as she constructed, after firmly correcting her mom. "Only babies build sand castles, I am building a sand hospital," she declared emphatically. As she built and talked, cuddy got more and more drowsy from the sun beating overhead. She was at the beach with her daughter and felt happy for the first time in a while.
Rachel was bored of building. She had finished her sand hospital, and even played doctor for a little while inside her structure. She wanted to be just like her mommy and House when she grew up. They were so brave every day. When she saw the blood on her knee after falling at recess last week, she tried to smile like her mommy did. She still ended up crying a little though. But she had lots of time to practice before she could become a real doctor. She really wanted to show her mommy her creation, but she was asleep. She snored so loudly. Rachel tried to tell her that but her mom just laughed and said that she never snored. She walked to pet a couple of different puppies on the beach. A big black one licked her face and got sand all over her. Rachel loved puppies. She kept begging her mom for one, but her mom said they weren't home enough to get one. Rachel missed when her mommy was more happy. Back when she worked with Wilson and House she would have let Rachel have a puppy. Rachel loved her secret conversations with House. She called House dad, but just in her head. One time she accidentally did that out loud and it made her mommy cry. She wished she had a daddy like all of her friends, but at least she had a secret dad. None of them had that. Actually, friends were too generous of a term. Rachel did not get along with the other kids at school. She liked when they practiced writing and reading, but at recess and center time Rachel mostly played by herself. She was used to playing alone, but today she just wished her mommy would wake up and play with her. As she became more and more bored, Rachel crept closer and closer to the ocean. She knew the rule. She knew she could only go to her knees, but she just wanted to go a little deeper. Her mom would never know, and Rachel kept a close eye on her as she got deeper and deeper. Rachel stood on her tiptoes and let the water flow almost to her face. She loved the ocean so much. It was the only good thing about moving here. She liked letting her feet get buried in the sand. She could even float for a second. She practiced putting her face under, and she tried to float longer and longer. She was getting tired of standing on her tiptoes though. Rachel tried to walk back to her mommy on the sand, but she realized she couldn't see her any more. The waves were getting stronger around her, and she became panicked as she tried to keep her footing and find her mom at the same time. Frustrated tears mixed with the salty water as Rachel struggled. The water was so strong… Rachel was so tired…
When House deplaned, he was hit in the face by a gust of humid air. He wasn't sure why anyone would choose to move to the southeast. It was so damn hot. His clothes stuck to his body, and he was instantly about fifty percent more irritable. He figured since it was the weekend he would not get anywhere in the Cuddy hunt until Monday. He was going to search the local hospitals. The Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) looked promising but he couldn't find the staff on the web site. He decided to get a hotel near to the beach and enjoy the one merit of the humidity.
After getting checked into a bland hotel room, he threw his few possessions onto the bed, and drove his rented car to the ocean. Parking was a nightmare, and he felt his frustration mounting even more. This city made him nervous. He was shaky and his leg and head throbbed simultaneously. Even though he knew he wouldn't see Cuddy yet, the encounter filled him with anxious anticipation. He wanted alcohol at the very least, but he knew if he had any shot in the world of talking to Cuddy he needed to be sober. Once he finally parallel parked by someone's gigantic beach house, he walked onto the beach.
He didn't like the sand. It was even harder for him to walk when his legs kept sinking. He liked the beach for the water and waves. He liked how the ocean displayed its power with every ferocious wave. Surprisingly, House was a solid swimmer, and he hobbled as quickly as possible down the sand toward the water. He passed a woman sleeping on the sand, children playing with an extremely sandy black Labrador and lots of sand castles and shells. Even with his irritation of the slow walking process he smiled a little, thinking of Rachel and Cuddy seeing these same waves and sand. He hoped they went to the beach a lot, because Rachel had to see one of the only good things in this humid city.
Finally, he got to the water. He walked in cautiously at first, because it had been years since he was in the ocean. But quickly he began swimming. He liked feeling each wave, and he quickly became infatuated with the ocean. He wasn't thinking about Wilson, drugs, or medicine. Cuddy was not even on his mind for the first time in years. He was just enjoying himself. Until he saw a small figure struggling in the ocean. From a distance, all he could see was that it was a young child that was clearly out too deep. There were no parents in sight. In fact, he was the only one out in the water. He saw the child lose it's footing over and over as the waves pulled it underwater and the current pulled it further and further out. He hesitated only a second before he began swimming toward the figure. Someone needed to help. He really didn't think it should be him, but there was nobody else around and the child was staying under the water for longer and longer periods.
Author's note: Thanks for your reviews. I love hearing from you guys, so keep it up! Feel free to leave suggestions about where the story should go as well.