Chapter 3

Thirteen was more than a little nervous the next evening as she waited for Chase to come over. She knew he would most likely be late because of work so she planned to wait until he called before ordering the food. She fed Chloe and gave her a bath before settling down with her in front of the television. She was somewhat surprised; however, when Chase knocked on her door promptly at 6 p.m.

"Hi," she greeted him with a nervous smile.

"Hi," Chase replied. "Can I come in?"

"Sure. Yeah." Thirteen stepped back and allowed him to step into the apartment. "Well this is it. And this is Chloe…Chloe Elyse."

The baby was sitting in a swing near the couch, one hand in her mouth. Chloe Elyse had bright blue eyes and a tuft of blonde hair near the front of her head. Chase squatted down to get a closer look at her. "She's beautiful," he said. "Looks a lot like you."

Thirteen smiled. "Thank you. She's the best parts of me…the best parts of him."

"Him?"

"Yes. We weren't dating…weren't even really interested in dating. It just kind of happened one night…and well, here we are."

"Are you ever going to tell him?"

"Eventually I'll have to," she said with a sigh.

"You don't have to do anything you don't want to…" He reminded her. "Didn't you tell me that once?"

"While you were having your threesomes and wondering about how to get over Cameron, I believe." Thirteen laughed. "But it doesn't really apply in this case. I can't exactly keep a human being secret. And I can't let her grow up thinking she doesn't have a biological line…she's just not going to have a familial one. Well, most likely, anyway."

"You could be surprised."

"Doubtful."

"Who wouldn't want to at least get to know his own kid?" Chase wondered out loud. His eyebrows furrowed and Thirteen knew he was nearly at the answer. She knew that he was going to work out who she had slept with…who she had conceived a child with and who she had kept that child from. "Wait…you didn't…"

"Didn't what?" She wanted to play it cool, or as close to cool as was possible, for as long as she could. "I don't know what I'm supposed to have done."

"The only person that you could think wouldn't want a relationship with a child…his child-the only person that you could possibly be so ashamed of getting pregnant by that you would have to leave New Jersey is…House." Chase's eyes were as wide as they could possibly go. He had one hand on Chloe's swing, still in the squatting position looking up at Thirteen and she couldn't find the will to deny the truth any longer.

"It was stupid…he was drunk, I was drunk. He doesn't even remember we slept together."

"Holy Crap! You actually had sex with our boss…"

"When you say it like that it seems impossible."

"It basically is impossible," Chase told her. "I can't imagine…"

"You want to try and imagine sex with House?" she cut him off.

"That's not what I meant."

"Look, the bigger issue here is the fact that I'm going to have to work with him. He's got a daughter and he doesn't even know it."

Chase sighed. "You are in so much shit."

"Yeah, well…nothing I won't try once," she said flippantly.

Chase rolled his eyes. "Don't say that. You're not some slut. It's just…one hell of a predicament." He turned his gaze back upon the baby who was staring intently at him. "Can I hold her?"

Thirteen cleared her throat. "Sure. I'll just call for the food. Is Italian ok?"

"Yeah. Sounds good."

As Thirteen put in a call for food, she went over all the scenarios in her head she had been planning to let slip the darkest secret she had ever held inside. Letting Chase work it out as he looked at the evidence of that secret was not even on the list. She sighed again, unsure of what to do now that the fact that she had given birth to House's baby was out in the open.

"I hate to ask, but has she been tested?"

"What, you don't believe that I had sex with House? Think I'm trying to manipulate him somehow by claiming I have a child that isn't actually biologically his?"

"No. I mean…has she been tested for Huntington's?" He looked guilty, though she had no idea why he would possibly be guilty of anything that had to do with her child or her situation. Perhaps he was just guilty for reminding her of her impending death, she reasoned.

"Yes. She's negative."

"That's probably the best thing House has ever done."

"What? It's not totally his doing, you know."

"I know it's not like he meant to keep your baby from…I mean…never mind."

"It's fine," Thirteen assured him. "You don't have to be sensitive about talking about it. I had to come to terms with my condition. I'm just glad that Chloe doesn't have to worry about it for herself."

"Ditto." There was a long pause. "I guess I should tell you before you go into work Monday: there's something you need to know about House."

"What's that?"

"Well, he's dating Cuddy."

"What?" Thirteen was more than a little surprised. "As in a serious relationship?"

"Yes. It's been going on for as long as you've been gone…I don't know how it started, but they seem pretty serious."

"Well that's a great piece of gossip, and thanks for sharing, but why did you tell me?"

"I just thought you should know." Chase looked somewhat guilty again.

"You thought I might want to try a relationship with him now that we have a kid together?" She smiled. The thought that Chase seemed to want to protect her struck her as a bit odd. "Thanks, but no thanks. He isn't going to change who he is because of Chloe. I'll be lucky if he even wants to meet her."

"You might be surprised."

"Well aside from the fact that he'll need empirical evidence of her paternity."

"He seems to be getting along pretty well with Rachel."

That statement stopped Thirteen in her tracks. She had resigned herself to the fact that House was going to be a non-fatherly ass, but this information about Cuddy's adoptive daughter was unbelievable. For a moment her hopes soared that Chloe might actually have a father in her life, but then she was reminded who her father was. She rubbed the bridge of her nose. "He's not going to want to spend time with her…do the things that a father should do. He's probably only doing those things with Rachel because he wants to get into Cuddy's pants." Though she thoroughly believed that statement, she was jealous. She wanted her daughter to have what Rachel Cuddy was apparently getting out of House. She wanted Chloe to have a daddy.

"I don't think so…" Chase started, but seeing that Thirteen was upset, he stopped himself. "What's wrong."

She felt completely stupid and it was more vulnerability than she preferred to disclose, but she admitted her feelings of jealousy to Chase. "I don't know why I'm telling you all this," she admitted.

"You need a friend. Especially an ally who's going to help you out with House," he replied with a shrug. "And wanting something like that is normal."

"But it's stupid. And since when did you become such a good guy."

"I've always been a good guy…most of the time I had to look after myself though…"

"So why aren't you looking after yourself now?"

"People change."

"You believe that?" she asked. "You work for the most cynical bastard on the planet and he hasn't stamped that belief out?"

"People only change when it's their own choice," Chase reasoned. "Even House would agree with that."

"I guess he would. I just don't know how I'm going to face him now. It was hard enough knowing I'm hiding his baby. Now to think that he could be adopting another little girl when he has a daughter…it's just too much."

"Who are you and what have you done with Dr. Remy Hadley?" Chase asked. "Seriously, I've never known someone so headstrong. You'll make it. And if House doesn't want to make time for Chloe once he finds out…well that's his business. You'll be fine and so will she."

"You don't know that."

"I do know it. I may be a pretty boy, but I also know how to read people. That's something I did learn from House. And you are a survivor."

The food came and Thirteen felt embarrassed that she had disclosed so much of herself to Chase. They had been friends…better than anyone else on the team, anyway, but she wasn't usually interested in sharing her fears and problems with people. They always seemed to disappoint her. Even Foreman who had risked his career for her once had disappointed her in the end and he had been the one to whom she had given the most of herself.

As she lay in bed that night, Thirteen thought about how she was going to handle her life. She had thought she was ready, but in light of the newfound knowledge of House, Cuddy and Rachel becoming a unit, she wasn't sure.