Chapter 10.

By the time Dee arrived to check on Regina, both of the men were gone. Jack had to go back to his office for a short time, but promised to return. And House had gone off for lunch with Wilson.

When Regina told Dee that they'd been there at the same time, she asked, "Were they both still standing when they left?"

"I made sure they played nicely together," the older woman said with a laugh in her voice.

Dee just smiled. "How are you feeling?"

"There's still some pain, in fact more now that the anesthetic is worn off, but it's bearable," Regina told her.

"Are the doctors still planning on releasing you tomorrow morning?"

"Yes, that's what they said."

"That's good. I'll be going home at my usual time, but then I'll bring the children back with me later to see you," Dee said.

"Oh, would you? That would be wonderful! But I think that I'd like to sleep a little now."

"Sure. I just wanted to stop and see you before I go for some lunch." Dee left Regina's room. She had something else she wanted to do, and it didn't involve food. She headed to her car. What better time to get her things from House's apartment than when he was at the hospital?

She arrived at the building, and let herself in the outer door. She was just inserting her key in the apartment door when it opened. "House!"

"You seem surprised to see me here. In my own apartment," he said with a smirk.

"I...I thought you were at the hospital." She smirked back and said, "I swear I wasn't going to steal all your valuables!"

"I'm not so sure about that," he said, but what he didn't say was 'you already stole my heart'. It would never do to say that.

"You can stay and watch if you're that untrusting," she said.

He stood to the side and she walked in. It was the first time she'd been back since she went home. She took a minute to look around. Nothing had really changed, had it? It felt so strange to be back here. Finally she walked to the small chest. She remembered the day she and Allison brought it into the apartment to hold her new wardrobe.

He watched her face as she looked around. Somewhere in the back of his mind he hoped that she wouldn't take the chest, just some of the clothes inside it. If it was still there, then there was more of a possibility that she would be again, too. Someday.

She walked to it, opened a drawer, and pulled out a pair of jeans and a couple of shirts. She remembered wearing them. And she remembered House taking them off of her as they made love. She could feel his eyes on her now just as his hands had been then. She wanted desperately to turn to him and put her arms around him, lose herself in his embrace. She knew she shouldn't, but she also knew she owed him at least some gesture to show how she felt.

He remembered her wearing the yellow top in her hands, and taking it off her along with the jeans. He longed to make love to her again. How long did he have to reign in his desires? His self-control was giving way. And suddenly she was in his arms, her lips hungrily pressed against his. And just as suddenly she pulled away.

"I have to go," she said. "But I want you to know that I love you. Please help me get through this."

"What do you want me to do?" he asked, thoroughly confused by her behavior and words.

"Just be you," she said with a smile. "Don't let me get so caught up in finding out who I am that I lose sight of the best things in my life, my children and you." She took a few more things from the drawer and left.

He stared after her, wondering how he was going to do what she wanted. House thought about what Dee had said all the way back to the hospital. His brain and his heart were at war. If he was smart, he'd forget all about her, go back to his life before he even met her. But the past couple of weeks had shown him that he couldn't do that.

So how was he supposed to help her, and still let her 'find herself'? How long would it take until she was ready for them to be together again?

He needed a consult, and fast. Before he returned to his office, he barged into Wilson's. "What does it mean when a woman asks you to help her and yet to be yourself? To let her figure out who she is but not let her forget her priorities?" he asked without preamble. Luckily Wilson was alone.

"You're talking about Dee," Wilson guessed. "It means that she likes you the way you are, but maybe that she'll need you to give her a reality check every once in a while. Respect her wishes, House. Give her some space but don't distance yourself," the oncologist counseled with lots of hand gestures. "And, for heaven's sake, do not push her away!"

"I'm not sure I can do that," House admitted.

"Because you never have? She's decided to grow up. Maybe it's time you did too."

House walked away, more unsure that he could help Dee than ever. He didn't even notice Chase, waiting for him in his office when he entered and sat at his desk.

"The surgery seems to have solved Regina's problems," Chase reported. "The post-op tests confirmed it."

House looked at the blond Aussie and nodded.

Chase let out a rueful laugh. "I should have known by now not to expect any praise from you," he said. "I just hope you don't treat J.D. the way you treat everyone else."

"Her name is Delia," House chose to reply, but Chase's comment gave him more to think about. "So, Regina can be discharged?"

"Stern said that he'd release her tomorrow morning."

"Good."

Chase turned and left, passing Foreman who was on his way in.

"Do we have another patient?" the Neurologist asked.

"Nope."

"Good call on Regina," Foreman admitted. He sometimes had to force himself to do the things that House would never do, like compliment anyone. "She seems like a nice woman."

"Yup," House replied.

Tired of the monosyllabic responses, Foreman was about to go when House stopped him. "Aren't you gonna add your nickels-worth of advice about Dee?"

"Huh?" It was Foreman's turn for terse replies.

"C'mon. I'm sure there's some arrogant comment you can make."

Foreman thought a minute. "As the king said, don't be cruel," he said, and walked out the door.

House wondered what that meant. Both Chase and Foreman had suggested that he not be himself, but Dee had specifically said he should be. He shook his head to clear the contradictory thoughts swirling through it. No wonder he never did relationships.

Dee collected Addie from pre-school and then went home to wait for Colin. While they waited, Addie made sure she had her collages, and Dee packed a few of the pudding pops. When Colin walked through the door, the first thing he asked was, "When can we go to see Grandma?"

"Did you want something to eat or drink?" his mother asked, but he shook his head. "Well, then we can go now."

She made sure they were buckled into their car seats in the SUV, then drove back to the hospital. Along the way she told them that the operation had gone well. "Grandma still has some pain from the surgery and may get sleepy from the medication they gave her," she warned. She didn't want them frightened by what they might see.

She pulled into the hospital garage, then took them up to Regina's room. The older woman's face lit up when she saw the children.

"You two are the best medicine I could have!" she told them. They walked to the bed and hugged her.

"I made you a collage," Addie said proudly, handing the picture to her.

Regina looked at it and made a big show of her appreciation. "It's wonderful, Addie! Thank you so much!"

The girl just beamed.

"So you're gonna be OK?" Colin asked.

"Yes, dear," Regina reassured him. "Dr. House figured out what was wrong and Dr. Chase did a marvelous job on the operation."

"I thought Dr. Stern was your doctor," Colin said, looking confused.

"He is, but he's not a diagnostician or a surgeon. He did say I can go home tomorrow."

"Yeah!" Addie cheered.

Jack caught the tail end of what she said as he entered the room. "They're definitely going to release you tomorrow?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Daddy, I made you a collage too," Addie said.

"That's nice Addie," he said without any enthusiasm, and promptly asked his mother, "Will you need care after you're home?"

"They'll send a nurse daily for a couple of days, but I should be able to manage just fine on my own."

"We can help you, Grandma," Colin told her. His sister nodded her agreement.

"We'll make sure you're settled in and have everything you need," Delia added. She had a feeling her mother-in-law wanted to handle as much as she could of her own care.

"I'll arrange for someone to come in to take care of you," Jack offered.

But Regina shook her head. "There's no need. They said I just have to take it easy for a while. I'm not an invalid."

"We brought you some of the pudding pops," Colin suddenly remembered.

"I don't think I can eat those yet. Why don't you have them," Regina told him.

"Go ahead, kids," Dee agreed.

They'd didn't take much encouragement. "Dad, do you want one?" Colin offered.

"You know I don't eat those kinds of things," Jack said. He walked over to stare out the window. Why wouldn't his mother let him help her? He knew she considered House some kind of hero. Why couldn't he be a hero to her? Abruptly, he turned and said, "I'm going to leave now, but I'll be back in the morning to take you home." He began to walk away.

"You forgot your picture," Addie said.

He looked like he didn't know what she was talking about.

"Your collage. You forgot to take it." She watched his face. He seemed to be annoyed. Her lower lip began to quiver. "I made it specially for you, to show you that I love you," she cried. "Guess you really don't love me back."

Jack looked at Delia and his mother, completely at a loss. "I, um, of course I love you," he said. He came back, took the picture without looking at it, and left.

When Jack arrived for his mother the next morning, she was ready to go, but House was in her room and the two of them were laughing about something. Jack slid the door open, his plans to be pleasant and cheerful completely forgotten.

"She's not your patient anymore!" he told House. "What are you doing here?"

"No, she's not my patient. I think she's my friend," House said, surprised himself by the turn of events.

"Of course I am," Regina said, smiling at him. She was going to miss their little chats.

All Jack could say was, "Let's get you home." He practically snarled at House.

"Au revoir, Dr. House," Regina said, settling into the wheelchair one of the nurses had brought her.

"Yeah, see you," House said, watching her go out the door and to the elevators. Just after they got on one of the cars, he saw Dee emerge from the other. "You just missed them."

She flashed him a smile. "Thanks!" she called as she sped down the stairs hoping to catch them in the lobby. They were almost to the doors when she caught up.

"I just wanted to let you know that you can call me if you need anything," she told Regina.

"Oh, I will, dear," her mother-in-law said. Jack helped her out of the chair and she hugged Dee before they went through the doors.

Dee turned just as House arrived. "You get a chance to talk to her before they left?" he asked.

"Yes," she said with a nod. "Thanks again for diagnosing her."

"I think I've been thanked more in the last two days than all of last year," he replied. "I'm more used to the reaction I get from Jerk."

"He's feeling threatened," she said, laughing at the name House picked for him.

"By me? What a concept!"

She realized that he really wasn't aware of the reaction Regina and the children were having to him. "He's worried that his mother and children will come to like you better than him the way I have," she explained.

"I told him his mother would always like him best," he said. "She's his mother and that's what they do."

"Well, he's not seeing it that way these days." She smiled at his bewilderment. "People can like you, you know." She watched him mull that over. "I've got to get to work."

He nodded, still lost in thought, but said, "Have lunch with me today?"

He wasn't begging, but the look in his eyes prompted her to say, "Sure. Cafeteria at noon?"

He nodded, then limped to the elevators, hoping noon would come soon.

Dee entered her office and began to work, but her mind was on House. He was full of contradictions. Arrogant about some things, completely shy about others. Comfortable with his thoughts, his beliefs, or rather his disbeliefs, but perplexed by his feelings. A very complicated man.

She found herself checking the time more and more frequently as the morning passed, anxious for noon to arrive. Finally it did. She put her computer on lockscreen and headed out to the cafeteria, feeling almost like a school girl about to meet her first date.

He was already waiting for her. They got their lunches and found a table against a wall. And suddenly neither of them knew what to say. House finally resorted to being flip. "How's the search for Delia going?"

"Actually, not badly," she replied. "At least I've ruled out some things I'm not."

"Like?"

"Well, I'm not a wimp but I'm also not aggressive."

"If you'd asked I could have told you that," he said.

"The point was to find out for myself. I'm finding out that I really don't like to be dependent on anyone else," she went on.

"But you said you wanted me to help," he said, curious.

"I want you to...I want you to tell me when I've found out enough, to stop searching and just go on,"

she told him.

"And you think I can do that? It sounds like something Wilson would do. How will I know?"

"You'll know," she said with conviction.

It had been a couple of weeks since they'd eaten together, but it felt natural to them both. They fell back into their old rhythm, established before they ever became lovers. Two friends, sharing a meal and a laugh or two. It was over too soon.

"I'm still experimenting with cooking," she said. "Why don't you come to supper on Friday?"

He chuckled. He'd almost forgotten she always called it supper. "I'd like that."

They parted at the door to her office, knowing that it wouldn't be long before they'd see each other again.