Marina opened her eyes slowly and carefully. The room was bright, way too bright. She squinted, but realized that her head didn't hurt. She focused her vision and looked around the room.
It had been at least a day, but Marina didn't think it had been longer than that. She still felt sick, but not nearly as much as she had. House must have found out what was wrong with her, just as she knew he would.
Marina felt something soft under her arm. She lifted it up and smiled. House had brought Hippo back to her. She hugged him to her and looked next to her bed. Her dad was there, sleeping, and House was right next to him.
"Dad."
Wilson stirred and opened his eyes. He jumped when he realized that Marina's voice hadn't been a dream.
"Hey." he smiled. "How you feeling?"
"Better." she said.
"It's about time." House had woken up after he'd heard Wilson talking.
Marina smiled. "You still look like crap." she croaked.
House and Wilson both laughed, while House got up to check on her. Her fever was way down, her skin color was starting to return, and her eyes were no longer bloodshot.
"Your headache gone?" House asked.
"Yeah." Marina answered. "What did I have?"
"West Nile virus." Wilson told her.
"You're kidding." Marina said. "How…" Marina put it together almost as fast as House had. "Big Bird." she said sadly.
"Yeah. Sorry, babe." Wilson nodded.
House finished checking Marina. "You're gonna have to stay here for a few days. But you're gonna be fine."
"Thanks, House." she said. "By the way, I heard what you said." Marina sat up in her bed, with Wilson's assistance.
"What are you talking about?" House asked.
"When I was out."
"That's impossible. You were in a coma." House argued.
Marina smiled. "I love you too, House."
Wilson, for once, was the one to break the mood. "What am I, chopped liver?"
Marina laughed. "Love you too, Dad." A thought came to her. "What day is it?"
"Sunday." Wilson answered.
"No, the date."
"The 16th." House said.
Marina smiled. "You still got the package?"
House nodded and pulled a box out from under his seat. "Yep."
Wilson was amazed. "You've been in a coma for two days. How the hell have you two been scheming?"
"Relax." House answered, handing the package to Wilson. "She gave me this weeks ago."
"Happy birthday, dad." Marina said.
Wilson, amazed, opened the gift. Inside was a double paned picture frame, with two photos. The one on the left was of Marina with her parents, taken at the hospital not long before they died. On the other side was a picture House had taken of the two of them, outside the courthouse the day that Marina's adoption had been finalized. Wilson remembered it with a tear in his eye.
Wilson walked out of the courtroom carrying Marina, House and Adele following closely behind him. When they got outside, Wilson put Marina down, adjusting her coat for the weather outside. Adele was smiling, House was being House, and Marina was looking apprehensive.
"You okay, sweetie?" Wilson asked.
"I guess." she answered.
"What's wrong, honey?" Adele asked her.
"What did that all mean in there?" Marina asked, looking from Wilson to Adele to House.
"Well," Adele said, bending down to Marina's eye level, "do you remember me talking to you about going to live with a family permanently?"
"Yeah."
"Well, Dr. Wilson is gonna be that family." Adele explained. "He's gonna take care of you now that your mommy and daddy can't."
Marina still seemed a little apprehensive. She looked up to Wilson.
"No more moving?" She asked the both of them.
Adele's heart broke. That was what Marina had been worried about. In the year since Marina's parents had died, she'd lived in four foster homes, none longer than a couple of months. She had always ended up back at the group home because the family, no matter how well meaning, inevitably ended up being unable or unwilling to take care of a child who had cancer.
Wilson bent down next to Adele, taking Marina's hand.
"No more moving." Wilson assured her. "We're a team now. A family."
"You promise?" Marina asked. "This is forever?"
"Cross my heart." Wilson answered, smiling. He put a hand on his heart and a hand on hers. "Always and forever."
"Dad, you okay?" Marina asked.
Wilson came back to reality. "Yeah. Why?"
"You're crying." Marina answered. "Look on the bottom."
Wilson hadn't seen it at first, but Marina had inscribed on the bottom the words "Always and Forever-Love, Marina". Wilson wiped the tear away from his eye.
"Do you like it?" Marina asked.
"I love it." Wilson answered. "And I love you. Thank you, honey."
House took his opportunity to ruin the family bonding moment. "What am I, chopped liver?"
Marina and Wilson laughed. House got out the scrabble board, Marina's favorite game, and proceeded to, as he would phrase it at the end of the game to Marina, let her beat him at it soundly.