Standing at the window in Jen's room, I stare out into the central courtyard. I'm waiting for her to wake up so I can find out how she's feeling. The air still has a bite; I can feel the chill through the glass. Spring has not yet sprung in the Northeast. Five floors below, I can see the empty limbs of the maple trees sprawling over the top of lawn and concrete alike. Late morning sun dapples the ground. Behind me, I hear a gentle stirring, the rasp of sheet on sheet and I turn.
Jen is slowly waking up, and I step back from the window.
"Hi there," I say. She squints up at me, and I cross to the side of the bed away from the window.
"Doctor Montgomery," she says, recognizing me.
"I'm sure Doctor Berger talked to you last night, but I wanted to go over any questions you might have."
"I don't have any medical questions, but there are some things I'd like to know."
"Such as?" I ask. Jen stares at the blankets for a moment before she asks.
"What are Weiss and Savvy like? I mean, really? I've known them for just a few weeks, and you've known them for years."
"Well… you know the big stuff, like what they do for a living and where they came from. Obviously you think they'll make good parents, otherwise you wouldn't be considering them as parents for your child. This is a huge decision for you, and you aren't taking it lightly. You know from these last few weeks that they're good people."
"I know that they're good people. They seem so perfect; I'd just like to know that they're human." I chuckle at this.
"Trust me; they are just as human as you are."
"What have they ever done that's less than perfect?" Jen asks with a snort.
"Well, should I start with Weiss' run in with the irate building superintendant? Or, maybe I should tell you about Savvy's run in with the NYPD." Her eyes grow to the size of saucers, "Guess I'll start with Savvy." I sigh and sit on the edge of Jen's bed.
"OK… once upon a time, there was a young woman by the name of Addison Montgomery. She went to a very expensive, very stuffy, private academy. And one day she met a spitfire little blonde girl by the name of Savvy Marshall. Now, Savvy wasn't your average prep school student… after three weeks, Addison realized that a friendship with this girl might be the death of her." I see Jen settle back into the pillows.
"One nice, sunny afternoon in late spring, Savvy convinced Addison to ditch school. As they were roaming around town, celebrating their escape, they were busted by an officer of the law. Addison knew they were toast, but Savvy simply winked and said to run when she gave the word. The officer approached them; Savvy smiled a huge, and dangerous, smile and turned to the cop. When she turned around, not only was she flashing the poor cop a smile, she was showing off the twins." I pantomime holding the front of my shirt up around my chin, "As soon as his eyes dropped to her chest, she screamed, 'Run, Addie!' dropped her shirt and took off. For a second, Addison just stared at the cop. When he turned to look at her, Addison took off running in the opposite direction. They both escaped and lived to tell the story." I finish.
Jen sits in silence for a moment before she bursts into laughter.
"What's so funny?" Savvy asks, pulling the door partially closed behind her. Jen's laughter becomes nearly uncontrollable. I look at Savvy, I'm sure guilt is written all over my face. Her expression goes from questioning to pissed off.
"Goddammit, Addison Forbes Montgomery! I can't believe you told her that story!" I can't help but laugh my ass off at the look on her face. With Jen and I both in stitches, she can't stay mad for long.
"Every time she tells that story, she forgets to show you the face the cop made," Savvy's jaw drops and her eyes go wide, and it looks almost exactly like the expression Officer Friendly was wearing when he was suddenly face to face with Savvy's already nearly C cups. I listen to the two of them talk for a while before excusing myself.
Getting on the elevator, I make a split second decision and hop off the elevator on the second floor. I walk down the hall, passing the empty diagnostic medicine office, and turn the corner. Unable to help myself, I sigh in disappointment when I find Wilson's office door closed. Digging through my purse, I find a scrap of paper and a pen that barely functions. On the page I scrawl my name and the name of a restaurant down the street. As an afterthought I add, '1:30, if you aren't busy.'
I stick it in the door and step back to make sure he'll be able to see it. Satisfied, I turn to leave and nearly run over House.
"Hi," I say, surprised.
"What are you doing?" he asks.
"Nothing. I'm… um, I'm heading out, actually." I reply. He stares at me for a long second, his eyes tracing the contours of my face and hair.
"Right," he pauses, "Well…" he trails off, sliding around me and limping off down the hall. 'He's an odd, odd man,' I think watching him retreat, 'but there is something about him…' He pauses halfway down the hall and turns as if he can feel my eyes on him. Quickly, I pretend to be occupied reading plaques on the wall. I read four before I look up and find House watching me. When our eyes meet, his lips quirk up in a small smile, and I look away quickly. I turn around and hurry down the stairs, suddenly famished.
And not necessarily for the Panini's