Maggie turned her bright eyes toward her father. "Where did Mommy go?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe I'd better go and see."

"She had her mad face on, Daddy."

"I saw that. Can you sit here for a minute while I run and check on Mommy?"

She nodded. "Can I sit in your chair with a pillow and a blanket?"

"Sure. I'll be right back."

He stood up, holding her in his arms, and grabbed a pillow off the bed. Setting it on the chair, he set her down on it, setting a second pillow behind her and covering her with a blanket.

She snuggled into the pillows and watched him leave the room. She frowned. She never liked it when her father was nervous. That wasn't a good thing. She looked around the room and saw his jacket hanging on another chair. Sliding from the chair, she went over and stuffed her hand into his pocket. She pulled out his phone and went back to her chair. Once she was settled back in the chair, she opened the phone and pushed a button. A list of names came on the screen. She couldn't read a lot of words yet, but she did recognize some names that Daddy taught her. A-l-e-x was Mommy. J-o-h-n was Grandpa. Here was the name she was looking for. M-i-k-e was Uncle Mike. She moved the dark bar to his name and pushed the green button.

Hey, what's up? came Logan's voice over the phone.

"Hi, Uncle Mike."

There was a moment of stunned silence. Maggie? Where's Daddy, honey?

"Mommy looks mad and Daddy went to see who she's mad at."

He was confused. Who's there with you?

"Nobody right now. I want to see my baby. Is he with you?"

Uh, yeah...yeah, Tommy's right here eating breakfast. We'll bring him up in a little while. He's in the middle of a donut right now. Are you okay, baby?

"I still feel yucky."

How is Daddy?

"Comfor'bler than-a bed. I don' feel so yucky when he holds me."

He understood that. That's not quite what I meant. Is he okay?

"Yes, but he was worried about Mommy."

Because Mommy was mad?

"An' she lef' when Dr. House did."

Uh-oh. He knew she was angry at House, and he wondered if Goren knew, too. Well, by now he did, he was certain. Okay, Maggie, honey. We're going to be up there to see you in a few minutes. Close the phone, baby.

"Okay, Uncle Mike."

She closed the phone and snuggled back into the pillows. She was tired and she closed her eyes for a few minutes...


Goren saw his wife standing near the nurses' station, staring off after the retreating doctor. "Alex?"

She turned to look at him. "What are you doing out here?"

"That's what I was wondering. What's wrong?"

"It's nothing. I just needed to give him a piece of my mind."

She wouldn't look at him, so he leaned over to catch her eyes. She hated when he did that when she was trying to avoid him. Leaning in close like he did always compelled her to look at him, and once she met those dark eyes, there was no escaping them. She sighed. "He's an arrogant bastard and he's taking the credit for another doctor's work."

"They're a team, Alex. Just like you and me. Does it matter who did the work? Deakins gets the credit for our success. Why does it matter? Maggie's going to be all right. Isn't that what counts?"

"He couldn't be bothered to show up when she was so sick, but now that she's getting better, here he is."

"He did show up. I punched him, remember?"

"You should have hit him harder."

He laughed. "Make up your mind." He touched her chin, gently stroking her cheek with his thumb. "It's enough that she's going to be okay, Alex. I don't give a damn how she got there, and neither should you. In a few days we should be able to take her home, and that's what matters. Everything else is incidental. I am very grateful to Dr. Cameron; she did everything right. And Dr. House did his part, too. It doesn't matter that he wasn't the one listening to her with a stethoscope every few hours. He pushed to get the lab results in time to save her. That's what counts."

"You're too damn sympathetic."

"Maggie is going to be okay. That's the bottom line."

She sighed. He was right. "I'm still mad at him."

"Whatever makes you feel better." He leaned closer and she turned her face toward his, accepting his kiss and letting him linger as long as he wanted. It was good to have him back.

"Hey, hey, hey—get a room, guys."

Goren turned to look at Logan. "I thought you were getting breakfast."

"We were until I got a call telling me that Mommy was mad and Daddy was worried. What the hell was I supposed to think?"

"A call...what?"

"Apparently, Miss Maggie found your phone and she's smart enough to figure out how to call me, which is great. But if she calls me at three in the morning because she's bored, I swear I'm gonna pound you."

Goren still looked confused. "She called you?"

Logan tossed his phone at his friend. "See for yourself."

Goren flipped the phone open and studied the recent calls list. He laughed. "That little bugger."

He handed the phone to Eames and headed toward Maggie's room. Eames shook her head. "Where's the baby?"

"Carolyn is cleaning him up. I wanted to make sure everything is okay up here."

"Yeah, fine."

"Who pissed you off?"

"The doctor."

"Did he do something wrong?"

"Nothing to hurt Maggie, no. I just didn't appreciate his attitude."

"Hmph. Go figure."

Goren was standing above Maggie when they came into the room. His hands were on his hips and he was shaking his head. Leaning down, he slipped his phone from her hand and held it up. "Sorry, Mike. She got it out of my jacket pocket."

"She's a smart one."

Eames laughed. "We always knew that. She's her father's daughter."

Logan leaned against the bed. "I know that spells trouble for the rest of us, but I wouldn't have her any other way. I'm really gonna be in trouble if my kid has his mother's smarts. My ego isn't gonna fare well at all when two of 'em can outsmart me...three if Tom's half as smart as his sister."

"Ya know, Mike..."

"Shut up, Bobby."

Maggie stirred and opened her eyes. She coughed a couple of times and made a face. "Yuck..." she commented. "Daddy?"

"Right here, baby."

She held out her arms and he picked her up. "Is Mommy better?"

He nodded his head toward the end of the bed. "She's right there."

Maggie studied her and nodded. "You made Mommy feel better." Then she noticed Logan. "Uncle Mike! You comed right away!"

"I told you I would." He smiled. "You look great, baby."

She smiled and looked around. "Where's my baby?"

"Aunt Carolyn is washing the jelly out of his hair. They'll be here in a little while. Hey, that was pretty smart of you, calling me on Daddy's phone."

"Daddy telled me how to find Mommy and Grandpa and you on his phone."

Logan kept the grin on his face. "Gee, Daddy, thanks a lot."

"Any time, Uncle Mike. You're not immune, you know."

Logan snorted. "That's a proven fact."

Goren looked toward the door and smiled. Logan and Eames turned to see Cameron in the doorway. She looked tired, but pleased. "I just wanted to stop by before I went home to say hello. Maggie is going to go up to the pediatric ward this afternoon and if she keeps getting better, she'll be going home in a few days." She smiled at the little girl, who had rested her head against her father's chest and was watching her with tired eyes. "Do you feel any better, Maggie?"

She nodded. "A little bit. When will these bugs be outta my lungs?"

"It's going to take a while, but as long as you take your medicine, they won't cause you any more trouble."

Goren sat down and she snuggled into him, closing her eyes. He looked at Cameron. "When will she be back to normal?"

"Soon. Kids bounce back quickly. They don't know enough to prolong their illnesses. They want to get back to running and playing as soon as they can. I reviewed her last labs, and they look better. The toxin is working its way out of her system." She sighed. "I'm going home for a few hours. If you need anything, call Dr. House's office."

"So he can call you in?" Eames asked.

Cameron smiled. "He won't. I'll be back this evening."

She left the room. Goren shifted Maggie to a more comfortable position. Eames crossed over to his side. "Bobby, why don't you go to the motel and get some good sleep? I'll stay here with Maggie."

"But..."

She lightly ran her fingers across the back of his neck. "No buts. She's going to sleep and you should, too." She slipped the key into his hand. "Go. If she really wants you, I'll call. I think she'll be fine with you leaving for a couple of hours."

He hesitated another moment, until Eames picked Maggie up and repeated, "Go. Please."

He sighed softly. "Just for a little while."

"That's all I'm asking."

"Okay, fine."

He got to his feet and leaned over to kiss Maggie. Then he kissed his wife. Her hand reached up to caress his cheek and he let the kiss linger. She watched him leave the room and smiled at Logan. "I expected more of an argument."

"I think he knew better. And he's beat."

"I know he is."

"Uh, Alex? How intent are you on sitting here for a few hours?"

"What do you mean?"

He stepped to her side and gently caressed Maggie's hair. "I mean, if you want to sit here and hold her, that's great. But I'm willing to do that for you for a little while if you want to...you know, make sure he's all right."

She studied Logan's face. He was sincere. Shifting her gaze to Maggie's face, she was satisfied that her little girl was sleeping peacefully. She knew Maggie wouldn't object to waking to find Logan there. He leaned over and kissed her temple, gently taking Maggie from her. "Go on."

She stood up and kissed him. "I love you, Mike."

"Yeah, I know."

He eased himself into the chair and got Maggie settled in his arms. Then he picked up the newspaper.


Goren met Barek and Tommy in the hall. The baby squealed. "Dada!"

He caught him in mid-charge. "Hey, tiger." He kissed his neck. "How's my boy?"

"Maga?"

"Yes, you can go up to see Maggie." He looked at Barek. "She's sleeping right now."

"Okay. We'll go to the park first. What are you doing here?"

"I was sent to get some sleep."

"Good idea. You look about ready to collapse."

"Where's John?"

"He and Deakins went down the street to the store."

"Do I want to know why?"

"I think they're in search of a get well balloon or something."

"Figures."

"Go and get some sleep, Bobby, before you do collapse. Maggie's doing better?"

He nodded, knowing she knew full well that she was or he wouldn't be there. "Thank you, Carolyn."

She smiled and leaned up to kiss his cheek. "Come on, Tom. Let's go play on the swings for a little while before we go to visit your partner in crime."

Tommy went to her readily. "'Wings, Dada!"

"Have fun, buddy."

He went into the room and took a quick shower. Then he pulled the curtains tight and laid down on the bed near the window, turning onto his side. He relaxed as he caught his wife's familiar scent on her pillow. With his mind focused on her, it wasn't long before he drifted off.


She stopped at the desk and got an extra key. Then she headed to the room. Slipping into the dark room, she closed the door quietly and listened. She could hear him breathing, and she knew he was asleep. She'd have caught him still awake if she hadn't run into Barek and Tommy on their way out of the building. Unable to pass up the chance to play with Tommy for a little while, she'd spent fifteen minutes chasing him up and down the slide before leaving him in Carolyn's care on the swing.

She hesitated for a moment, reluctant to wake him. Finally, she decided she'd simply lay down with him and get some good sleep herself. She crossed the room and silently stripped, pulling on one of his t-shirts. Sliding gently into the bed behind him, she shifted up close to him and slipped her hand into his shirt, lightly caressing his skin. He groaned in his sleep and she pressed her body into his back. She sighed softly and hugged him, continuing to gently rub her fingers along his side. He was used to that and often slept better because of it. She had just started to doze off when he turned over. With another soft groan, he slid his hand into her hair and kissed her. She pressed herself into him and let his tongue search her mouth. Pulling back a little, he whispered, "Who's with Maggie?"

"Mike."

"And the baby's at the playground with Carolyn..."

She nuzzled his neck and lightly nipped at his ear. "Um-hmm."

He needed no further encouragement. Forty-five minutes later, his exhaustion complete, he fell asleep. She watched him sleep in the dim light, caressing his face and his chest with her fingertips before she snuggled deeply into his arms and also slept.