Title: How can this be happening?
Summary: What if James was trying to raise three children on his own after losing the mother of his children?
Author: Mikesh
Disclaimer: Don't own House.
Part: 10
AN: Thanks to my Beta reader!!
AN2: Friday November 12th, 2011
AN3: Bold, italic means time change
James's family had come up yesterday for Thanksgiving. They'd had a lovely time or as lovely as can be since none of them knew if this would be James's last. They were just trying to make the best of it but it was hard for Sandy. She knew that she couldn't lose another child. She prayed every night that nothing happened to her baby. She wasn't ready to bury another child.
Lisa had brought her boyfriend David. He knew all about the twins and this baby. Somehow it'd gotten around town. Most of them just brushed it off because they'd been told that he'd done it to help women. All of the people in town respected James and his family. Most still found it a little weird but that was hotshot doctors for you. Doing stuff that didn't always make sense. David was a little weirded out at first but he'd had almost two years to adjust so he was fine with it now. He'd been told not to say anything to the twins and he hadn't. They loved seeing him and Lisa. They always wanted them to play with them. David loved the twins. They reminded him of his sisters and brothers back home. He had been welcomed into the family right away with opened arms.
Friday
After James put the twins to sleep that night he went to bed himself. He thought maybe tonight he wouldn't be pledged with nightmares, but that wasn't to be.
James was playing with his three children in the park. Currently Johnny and Anna were on the swing and Abby was playing in the sand behind him. Greg was also there with his two sons but for some reason Allison wasn't with them.
James was trying to keep an eye on the twins and his two year old daughter. James looked back to say something to his daughter when he noticed that she had gotten up and was starting to walk away from the sand box.
"Abby stay here," James said.
"Abby!" James exclaimed when she started walking off.
He left the twins and Greg to go get his daughter before she got off and got hurt. The reason she didn't listen as well as the twins had at two was because she has DS. (Down syndrome)
"Abby!" James yelled panicking now.
He thought that maybe she was just playing around like she liked to. But it didn't help calm James's nerves any.
James was starting to get scared now because it'd been five minutes and he had yet to see any sign of her. That's when he heard a gun shot so as fast as he could he ran in that direction.
A few minutes before then
Abby walked by an alley and there was the man that had killed her mommy standing over a dead body. But she didn't now this was the guy because not only didn't she really understand that kind of stuff but also they never found the real killer.
"Hey kid come here I have candy," the man said holding out his hand.
Abby didn't understand that you never talked to strangers. She walked right up to the man because she thought that's that what he really had in his hands.
"You're such a stupid kid," the man said with an evil smile on his face.
No sooner had the words left his mouth he shot her point blank in the head. Her little body fell to the ground. Her eyes were staring up at the man as he fled. Blood was running into her golden brown locks. He didn't even realize that Abby couldn't identify him but he wasn't going to take any chances.
When James got to his daughter he wasn't prepared for what he saw. His daughter was slumped over a dead corpse. James knew she was gone and fell to his knees and proceeded to get sick. He couldn't understand how someone could be so heartless and kill a little girl who had DS.
A few minutes later James sat up gasping for breath.
After catching his breath, James knew that there was no way he'd be able to fall back to sleep. So he got up out of bed and threw on his shoes but nothing else because he was wearing a t-shirt and pajama pants. He then went down to the basement where he knew that the scotch he'd gotten would be. After not finding it there he went to the kitchen where it was on the kitchen counter. Along with the scotch there was a pack of cigs. They were a stress reliever for Greg that he used. James grabbed those and headed out the front door. He headed for the park that wasn't more then three blocks away.
Once James got there he found a table and laid on it. He then took out the smokes and scotch that he'd thrown into a bag. He lit up and took a swig. He needed to clear his mind of that horrible dream.
Back at the house
Ever since the death of Lisa it wasn't uncommon for one of the twins to wake up having nightmares about the man coming after them.
Anna had just woken up after having a bad dream about the guy who killed her mommy coming after her. She got out of bed and ran to her daddy's room but he wasn't there. So then she then went to Greg and Allison's room.
"Uncle Greg!" Anna said shaking him awake.
"Go," Greg said roughly.
"Greg its Anna," Allison mumbled before rolling back over.
"What's wrong?" Greg asked sitting straight up.
"Daddy's not in his room and I had a bad dream," Anna said.
Greg took her back to her room and got her calmed down and back to sleep. He then wrote a note to Allison saying to stay put and to keep the kids in the house. In the note he told her that if he wasn't back by 8 then to call him.
He knew it wasn't like James to just leave the twins and not say a word or leave a letter. That's when he noticed the alcohol and cigs were missing.
After Greg grabbed his cell phone and a coat he then headed to the park. He decided to walk because he knew James would hear a car otherwise.
When he got to the park he saw James over on the table smoking and drinking. So as quietly as he could, he limped over and grabbed the scotch.
James grabbed for the scotch when he noticed that it was gone.
"What do you want?" James asked looking over at him.
"Well I came to drag your ass back to the house. Your daughter woke up scared to death," Greg said taking a seat after James sat up.
"Is she ok?" James asked worried after taking a drag off the cig.
"Yeah but she wanted her daddy," Greg said taking the cigs from James.
He took one out and lit up and then made sure the rest were out of James's reach.
"I better go check up on them," James said stepping out the cig.
"What's going on?" Greg asked grabbing James's arm with the hand that wasn't holding the cig.
He'd noticed lately that James hadn't been the same. Besides the fact that he lost Lisa he'd seemed more withdrawn from the twins.
"Bad dream," James said.
"Want to talk?" Greg asked.
"And when since do you listen to other's feelings?" James asked.
"Since I started a family," Greg said.
"Allison didn't change you that much over the last five years," James said going to take a swig before it was yanked out of his hands.
"Or when my best friend decided to get stupid again and knock himself up," Greg said taking a drink like he didn't hear James then taking a drag off the cig.
"I so hate you right now," James said trying his best glare on Greg.
"Awe I love you too," Greg said sarcastically.
"I'm going now," James said pushing up his glasses on his nose.
"What's wrong?" Greg asked grabbing James's upper arm again.
"Oh I don't know maybe I lost the mother of my children two weeks ago," James said.
"It's not just that. There's something else. Something that tells me it has to do with you know what," Greg said seeing a homeless guy walking around or more like stumbling around.
"No, I don't know where you'd get that from," James said not looking Greg in the eye.
'Ok it is defiantly time to move out. He can read me like an open book,' James thought to himself.
"James I can tell when you're lying and you're lying. So just spill before…" Greg said trailing off when he realized what he was going to say.
"What? Get Lisa on my ass? I've got news for you she's dead," James said letting his voice get slightly higher as he went on.
"I know that! But keeping this shit inside isn't going to help either one of us," Greg said.
"Whatever Greg. Tell Allison that you couldn't find me or whatever. I'll see you at the hospital," James said.
"Oh no you don't! You pushed and pushed for years to get me to open up to you. I did and now it's your turn. Besides Allison is sleeping and I'd like to keep it that way. If I go home and she finds out I let you go she'll be on my ass. And I quite like my ass thank you very much!" Greg said.
It didn't help that he had a 9 month pregnant wife at home. If he came home without James then he might as well not come home at all. She was very protective of her guys and if anyone tried to hurt them or the kids watch out there would be hell to pay.
"Greg just leave me alone," James said.
"Not until you tell me," Greg said.
"Fine you want to know?" James asked.
"YES!" Greg said.
He was getting quite tired of this game and just tired in general seeing as it was going for four and he had to be up by six to help get the kids ready for school.
"I'm afraid. Are you happy?" James asked.
"No but I will be once you tell me the rest," Greg said.
He didn't understand how James couldn't be freezing his ass off. It was only 40 out, if that even.
"I don't think I can do this again," James said not looking over at Greg.
He, of course, was sitting again just like Greg was.
"Do what?" Greg asked totally confused now.
"Have another child," James said.
"And why not?" Greg asked.
"Oh I don't know maybe because I barely did it with two the last time," James said.
"They're fine," Greg said.
"Yeah I know they are. But what about this baby?" James asked putting his hand on his stomach.
"They'll be fine also," Greg said.
"What?" James asked.
"The twins you're carrying," Greg said.
"Don't even joke about that," James said removing his hand by now.
"Well they say the older you are the greater the chance of multiple goes up," Greg said.
"Hell I should just end this now. Get out while the going is still good," James said.
"Why? So you can sign your own death certificate?" Greg asked.
"Greg I'm 43 years old having my second child," James said.
"So? I'm 53 having my second child," Greg said.
"Yeah you're not having it, Allison is," James said.
"True. Ok the sooner you tell me the sooner we can go home," Greg said yawning.
"Fine here it goes. What's the chances of this baby not having a mental problem because of my age factor?" James asked.
"I don't know not that likely since both of you are clean," Greg said.
"Greg I had a dream that she had down syndrome. You think I can live with that knowing that I caused it?" James asked not realizing that he'd put his hand on his stomach.
"There's something else," Greg said.
"Fuck you!" James said getting ready to leave.
"You saw her die didn't you?" Greg asked grabbing James's upper arm again. James was getting quite annoying with his arm getting put into a death grip by Greg.
"You did," Greg said taking the silent treatment as his answer.
"So what?" James asked trying to act like it didn't hurt like hell.
"James the chances of her having it are like slim to none. When you get further along we can check. But I think you're just letting your hormones get the better of you," Greg said.
"Yeah maybe I am," James said.
"Twenty bucks says that it's a boy. And fifty says that it's twins again," Greg said.
"Only you would bet on someone's child," James said chuckling while wiping the tears away.
"So what's it going to be?" Greg asked.
"Fine I'll take the bet," James said.
"Oh and no peaking," Greg said.
"I'll do what I want," James said.
"Poor sport," Greg said.
"My kid," James said.
"No I thought it was mine," Greg said rolling his eyes.
"Let's go," James said rolling his eyes also.
When they got home they both fell asleep for an hour and half before they were back up. They forgot to mention to Ally about the alcohol and smoking. Greg knew she'd rip into James hard if she found out he was drinking. Not only because of being pregnant but also since his liver had to work over time because of the baby. Of course she could tell both had been smoking but she decided to let go this one time. She could tell James had, had a rough night because she'd seen the note and heard the guys come in around 4:45 this morning.
Next chapter: Greg becomes a father for the second time in his life and gets a shock along with it.