Chapter 3 – Let's go home
When House arrived home he was truly worried about what Cuddy told him on the phone "I need you" and the tearful voice made him leave the hospital immediately, the house was silent, it was three in the afternoon which mean that was Rachel's nap time and Hope was a silent child, too much in his own opinion, so that explain why the silence. The living-room was empty as well as the kitchen, so he went into Rachel's room and realized that the girl still slept peacefully in her crib, he approached and pulled the blanket to cover her, she stirred and murmured "Daddy" he smiled and pushed away the hair on her face. "Shiu, Rachel, I'm here." The girl smiled, squeezed her pink bunny against her and fell asleep again. It was only when she walked into Hope's room that she saw Cuddy, his daughter was sleeping quietly in her bed, but Cuddy looked worried, looking at her daughter, the silent tears streaming down her face.
"Hey," he announced his presence so that he did not wake Hope. He saw the tears in her eyes and hugged her. Cuddy did not say a word, instead just buried her head in the curve of his neck and cried. It was a few minutes later, he just held her, not understanding what was happening.
"We need to take Hope to the hospital," she said softly. "Gram, he beat her, and she has a cigarette burn on her back that it's infected, she needs antibiotics and something for the pain, I gave her an anti-inflammatory but won't help her for long "
House felt a rage consuming him quickly, how that idiot had had the nerve to hit a little girl, Hope was the kind of child any father would like to have, she quiet, understanding and calm, could spend whole days that the girl did not gave a sign of her presence, she would spend her days reading books, or playing the piano, Hope could spend hours in her small world without disturbing anyone.
"House" Cuddy said "He did horrible things, she couldn't eat, and he beat her with a belt, just for fun! I want to kill him! How could he beat a little girl? And no, fortunately he didn't sexually abuse her, but she is freaking out that we will send her there again, that it was almost impossible to convince her to fall asleep… She must some terrible pain "Cuddy cried again" I need you to look at the wounds on the back, one is clearly infected but there are some more that I liked you to see, she needs to go to the hospital, she may have broken bones and god knows what else ... "
"Calm down," he said, trying to her to take a deep breath. "Hope needs you Cuddy. We have to be here for her, she need to know that she isn't alone anymore and she can trust us, and let her know that nothing bad happens to her again, OK?"
"Okay," she said "I love you"
"I love you too"
A few hours later, Hope left the pediatrician's office with some medicines and an lotion for the burners on her back. The pediatrician had told Cuddy that the marks on her body would pass quickly and without any kind of sequelae but that her daughter, because of her traumatic experience could nightmares, aggressive behavior, or antisocial behavior. However, he advised a psychological follow-up for better results.
"Are we going home?" Hope asked "I'm sleepy"
"I know dear, it's past your bedtime, we'll just find your father and we'll go home to the four of us." House had stayed with Rachel in her office while Cuddy had gone to the appointment with their daughter, it was in this moments that she realized how the two of them, even though they were completely alone in raising their daughters, were able to do everything.
House was lying in her office chair with Rachel, who at that moment was wide awake listening intently to her father reading the Harry Potter book.
"And now daddy, what's going to happen?"
"Tomorrow, Rachel, look at the mana and the mother are ready, let's go home, okay?"
"Hey" She said "Mommy"
She kissed the top of her younger daughter's head "Let's go home"
