1Over the Moon

It was a small, dull cramp that awoke me from my sleep. I rubbed my eyes hoping I had dreamed the entire ugly argument with Greg, but when I looked at the food art still stuck to the wall and the broken plate on the floor, I knew it had been all too real.

"Please, not again," I prayed, as I placed my hand on my lower abdomen, trying to protect the little bud within. I walked over to the dining table and drank the lukewarm glass of water that remained untouched from our disastrous dinner. After about 5 minutes, my nerves had calmed and I felt a little better. I walked around the apartment blowing out the few remaining lit candles as I headed to the bathroom to wash my face and change out of my jeans and sweater.

The clock on the night stand read:1:11 in big, glowing red numbers. Where could he be? I thought to myself. I knew our argument had been pretty awful and he would need time–lots of time–to wrap his head around all that had happened. Afterall, he was now faced with deciding whether he was willing to be a part of this child's life or not. Regardless, I thought he would have been home by now and even though I was still pissed, I was starting to worry about the big jerk.

I dialed his cell to ask him to come home, so we could try to work through this like the two adults we supposedly were. The call went immediately to voice mail, so I just hung up without leaving a message. This was too important for voice mail.

I stared into the mirror and didn't recognize the woman looking back at me. What have I done? I asked the puffy-faced woman in the mirror. I may have Greg's child, but I don't know if I have Greg. Tears began to well in my eyes again. I swiped at them angrily with the back of my hand and went into the dining area to begin cleaning up. I could certainly use the distraction.

I cleared the table, then got a small dishpan with warm soapy water to clean up the splattered mess on the floor. As I bent over to pick up the broken plate, the next cramp hit me hard enough to elicit a loud gasp from my now trembling lips.

OK, don't panic. I tried talking myself from the edge of hysteria. I grabbed the cordless phone off the coffee table and dialed Greg's cell phone again. It went to voice mail. I tried again. Again, it went to voice mail.

I tried to steady my voice as I left him a message, so as not to panic him. "Greg, it's Jillian please come home right now. It's urgent!" I then pressed Star 2 and the phone speed dialed James.

"James," I panted, "It's Jilllian. Is Greg with you?"

Across town a sleepy James Wilson was suddenly sitting straight up in bed, scrubbing his hand over his face and running it through his mop of brown hair.

"No, he's not here. Jillian...what's wrong? You sound strange. Are you OK?"

"Oh, James...we had an awful fight and he left several hours ago and he won't answer my calls and I really need him right now. I'm cramping and I-I think I might be losing our b-baby," I choked out the last word.

"Baby?!" James shouted as he jumped out of bed. I heard the click as he put me on speaker phone. I could hear him running around the apartment as he got dressed, no doubt in record time.

"Jillian, just try to stay calm. Are you bleeding or just cramping?

"I don't feel any wetness and I-I'm too afraid to check! Please hurry, James. I don't think I can go through this again! I just can't," I began to cry in earnest.

"I'll find him Jill," Wilson said soothingly. "Just hang on. Everything's going to be fine! I'll be there in just a few minutes, okay?"

"Thanks, James!" With that, I hung up the phone and waited to be rescued by James Wilson, everyone's favorite knight errant. Sadly, I wondered where Greg was. Like a petulant child, I wanted my knight in shining armor to come to my rescue.

***************

House looked at his cell phone and saw his home number pop up. He knew it was Jillian calling, but he just couldn't bring himself to talk to her right now. He was still too damn angry with her for messing up their lives to "make nice." Let her sweat a while longer, he thought to himself.

"Hey, Fred, let me have another," House snapped his fingers at the older man behind the bar. Fred had become very familiar over the years with the obnoxious, demanding doctor from PPTH.

"I don't think so, doc. It's getting late. Why don't you let me call you a cab?"

"Why would I let you call me a cab? I'm not a cab." House slurred slightly, laughing at his own lame joke.

"I don't know what the problem is, doc, but sitting here soaking it in Bourbon is not the answer."

"But it's a good start," House said, raising his last drink in a mock salute to the bartender, before taking a long pull.

House put the drink back down on the bar, sloshing the small amount of amber liquid that now remained in the bottom of the thick-bottomed hi ball glass. He had been in the bar for hours and had had plenty of time to replay the evening's disastrous events over and over in his head. He wasn't proud of his behavior, but he wasn't crazy about Jillian's either.

What the hell am I going to do with a baby at my age? I'm going to look like the kid's grandfather for chrissakes! What if Jilly leaves me because I'm a shitty excuse for a dad? How could this have happened?! Why did I tell her I didn't want a baby with her? I know what she's been through in the past! How could I be so stupid? House thought to himself as he stared into his Bourbon hoping the answers would somehow appear among the slowly melting ice cubes.

The sound of his vibrating cell phone laying on top of the bar, brought him back to reality. The combination of alcohol and his conflicting thoughts were beginning to do a number on his head.

Squinting a little to see the readout, he saw that it was Wilson calling. Ah, calling in the big guns he thought to himself. Oh well, hopefully, she's come to her senses. Four hours of suffering should be enough for her, and I can use Dial-a-Wilson to save me some cab fare.

"House?" Wilson asked cautiously. Even through the alcohol haze, Wilson's calm but strangely urgent tone immediately put House on alert, sending the hairs on the back of his neck to standing at full attention.

"What do you want, Wilson? Did Jillian call you to come fetch me? Well, you can just tell her that I'll come home when I'm damn..."

"House," Wilson interrupted. "I need you to meet me at the L & D entrance at work. I'm taking Jillian in to be checked out. She thinks she might be having a miscarriage."

He could hear the unanswered question in Wilson's voice, but knew he would have to deal with Wilson's hurt feelings at a later time.

House sobered up faster than he ever had in his life; the alcohol in his system suddenly feeling like ice water in his veins. The first three Bourbons on the rocks had been knocked back by a man on a mission to get drunk, but fast. The last two he had simply nursed as he tried to cope with the fallout from what had happened more than four hours earlier, the time before his world got turned upside down by Jillian's news.

*************

As we sped through the streets of Princeton, I watched Wilson trying to keep his voice calm, so as not to upset me, as he delivered the details of my symptoms, where to meet us and our ETA. A small whimper escaped my lips at that moment as another cramp hit me. I bravely rode out the pain as I watched Wilson nod occasionally as he continued to listen to whatever Greg was telling him on the other end of the line.

Wilson then handed me the phone. "He wants to talk to you."

After listening to what Greg had to say, I just lost it. My tears began to fall even faster and Wilson reached across and squeezed my hand in an attempt to comfort me as he held the steering wheel in a death grip.

I was embarrassed that Wilson had to see me blubbering like some wimpy little teenage girl. He had only been privy to the strong, take-no-shit-from-House version of me, but at the moment I was left completely defenseless by Greg's words.

As the sight of PPTH loomed before me, I squared my shoulders and dried my tears. In spite of the cramping I was still experiencing, I was suddenly feeling strong again and prepared to face the fight of my life.

tbc