A/N Ok. First of all, please don't kill me. I just got over the worst writers block and I would like to enjoy that for a while, thanks. Secondly, thanks for all of your reviews, you're great and I promise updates will come more often now that I know where to take this story again. Thanks for your patience. Oh and I try to write longer chapters, this one actually is, a bit longer I mean. Now enjoy!
With a dead grip on his cane House tiredly shuffled into his office switching on the light.
Carelessly throwing his bag on a chair he stopped upon the unexpected sight that greeted him.
On the couch in his office, snoring softly, lay none other than his former professor and mentor, Edward Clarke.
His mind tried to wrap around the fact that he was here, in his office, instead of, well elsewhere, but after three hours in a cramped plane, stuck between a crying toddler and a chatty eighty years old lady with pink hair that was a bit too much even for him.
The figure of the older man stirred and Clarke seemed to be waking up. House limped over to his desk and plopped down in his comfortable chair.
He took his time to contemplate the appearance of the sleeping doctor, the crumpled clothes the now white hair and the lines on his face that seemed to have gotten visibly deeper since the last time he'd seen him.
A groan announced Clarke's return to the realms of reality and House grinned at the plops and cracks that sounded when the older man tiredly sat up.
"What a nice surprise professor!" House all but shouted at his former Mentor who screwed his eyes shut at the noise.
"Hell, turn town that voice of yours a few octaves, will ya? What the hell happened that got you in such a chipper mood at this ungodly hour?" Clarke asked tiredly.
As always when confronted with his former professor House found himself in a bit of a dilemma. Edward Clarke was one of the few people House didn't just respect but genuinely liked. He could never quite manage the bite in his smooth and well-delivered sarcastic quips around Clarke. Something always held him back. He'd actually found himself wanting the other man's approval during med school and if he was honest he still did.
Back then Clarke had been the father figure the young and cocky med student had desperately needed without even realising it and that had brought him one of the rare friendships he valued and cherished.
Clarke didn't make any attempt to leave his rather cosy spot on the couch and studied his former protégé instead taking in the rumpled clothes, five o'clock shadow and the huge bags under his eyes. "Tell me, Greg, how did you get into med school again? It seems every time I visit you've turned a bit more towards the antithesis of a doctor." He observed earning him a snort from House who opened the drawer of his desk instead of gracing that with an answer and pulled out a bottle of finest twenty years old single malt, a scotch and threw a questioning look to Clarke. "Fancy a drink?" He asked grinning while retrieving two glasses from his desk as well.
"Sure, why not. It's not like we're in a hospital or something like that. " Clarke quipped sarcastically and watched while House poured a generous amount of amber coloured liquid in the two glasses.
"So Ed" House began handing one glass to the older man, very well knowing that he was one of the few people who could get away with occasionally calling Clarke that, "what exactly brings you to our nice humble hospital?" He awkwardly shuffled back to his chair and plopped down, taking a sip of the dark liquid and savouring the feeling as it burned down his throat.
Clarke observed his behaviour with a chuckle and took a sip himself. "You're right, this is good stuff. As for your question…" He hesitated which roused House's curiosity. Edward Clarke lost for words, wasn't a sight you normally got to see.
"I have a favour to ask." Clarke began, nervous tension in his voice. "I need you to help me find my daughter and pick your jaw from the floor, Greg, that's not a very charming picture you're presenting," He added upon the sight of a dumbfounded looking Greg House. He was pretty sure not many people could get House to shut up and there were probably a lot of people at the hospital who would pay for seeing this.
House collected his thoughts that were currently running, wildly coming up with various ideas and scenarios, he couldn't help it but where the hell or more accurately when the hell had the other man acquired any children?
"Daughter?" He managed to croak out and Clarke nodded. He motioned him to continue not fully trusting his ability to form any coherent sentences just yet.
"I…I was married once, long before I began teaching. Mel was…it just didn't work out. For various reasons. We divorced, obviously. I got two weekends a month with my daughter, two weekends with my baby girl." He rubbed a hand over his face, "It wasn't enough, she always wanted to stay with me. I tried to get full custody but back then that was a lot more difficult for the father." He said taking a shaky breath. "A few month into our marriage they were gone. I came to take Ally for the weekend and they were gone, just like that. The landlord said Melinda didn't leave a new address and I was left wondering what the hell happened to my daughter."
Abruptly Clarke got up and went over to the window and stared into the night. His voice was strained with withheld tears when he began to speak again.
"I hired a private detective. He found them in L.A. and I sent Mel a letter. By the time I got there they were gone again. It went on like that for a while until one day he couldn't find them anymore." He stopped the following silence in the room almost deafening and House could see his shoulders strained with obvious tension. Clarke turned around and stared directly into his eyes, the raw display of pain almost causing House to stop breathing altogether.
"The thing is, about a week ago I got a call from said detective, over twenty years have passed but he still remembered me, can you imagine that? He told me he went through some old files for a case he works on and stumbled over an old process against a woman named Melinda Hannigan. Hannigan was her maiden name and…" he trailed off again and House got the feeling that there was still something left that was even worse but his former mentor didn't quite know how to say it.
"And what?" he inquired in a low voice bringing the other man back to the present.
"As a result of the process she lost custody of her children, seems she later had a son and went to jail."
"For what?" House inquired further.
"Attempted murder and child abuse."
House closed his eyes and let the words wash over him. That explained in fact a lot, he thought. The apprehension, the weariness and the opinion Clarke had displayed on marriages during his years in med school, hell if he was honest the other man had had next to his parents the most influence on his own opinion. The most successful marriages are based on lies, a life rule he had first heard from one Edward Clarke.
"Will you help me?" Clarke's voice pulled him from his reverie and he looked up. How could he possibly refuse after everything the older man had done for him? Besides Gregory House never turned down a puzzle and this one was just too promising to stay out of it.
Next one is already half done, yay. Hope you still enjoy reading this. :-)
