Authors Note: So sorry for the delay! I went to my dads last weekend to pick up his car (he's letting me use it so I can start job hunting and like, getting out of the house etc) and I got snowed in partly, and the car needed fixing... so basically I was there a week when I'd only meant to be gone two days. Anyway, I'm back in good old CLE+ and feeling good on multiple fronts :)

Oh yeah, I changed my authors name back to just JBLovesSharks (without the 'still') which is how it was originally when I started posting on this site. I reverted it because I am going to try and keep it up as a sorta brand label for me/my things across multiple sites - so if you use twitter or aim - you can find me at that name! *wink wink nudge nudge* I'm wanting to get more involved in the fandom here, so if anyone wants to chat, please don't hesitate to message me in some form or fashion!

Anyway, on to the next chapter! I will probably another one right away cause I did leave you all hanging for so long.... Oh, and go check out The Chosen Ones - I updated!!! And one last thing - thank you everyone who sent me messages or wished me well in reviews :) Things are looking up :) *group hugs*

Chapter 14

Day 26 (Continued)

"Remy sweety, how are you doing by yourself?" Cuddy finished tying her hair up into a lose ponytail as she entered the playroom. The three had redressed after their escapade; House tending to Allie's emotional needs while she agreed to go check on the younger girl. "Remy?" She felt her heart skip a beat at the sight of the girl sprawled on her back, unmoving. Panicking, she ran over and fell to her knees besides the bloated girl. "What did you do to yourself?" She started to laugh at the sight of her, covered in applesauce and Cheerios.

The girl opened her eyes at her mother's voice, though didn't try to move. She tried to answer Cuddy's question, but all that escaped her lips was a loud burp and an uncomfortable groan. Cuddy immediately knew what was wrong and she shook her head at the girl in sympathy. "Baby... Eating the entire jar? Really?" The girl burped again and raised a shaky arm towards her. "Come here." Cuddy smiled and helped Remy into a sitting position.

"You going to keep it down, or do I need to rush you to the bathroom?" She asked as she now lifted her to her feet. The girl shook her head and wobbled on her unsteady legs. Her stomach wasn't rebelling, it simply hurt. "Come on, I'll get you cleaned up." She lead the girl towards the bathroom anyway and set her down on the edge of the bathtub. She wasn't as familiar with the hall bathroom as she was the master one attached to her bedroom, but she still found what she needed okay.

"You going to let me do this?" She asked the suddenly apprehensive looking girl. In one hand she held a damp wash cloth, in her other a dry one. She couldn't imagine herself appearing threatening, but kept her movements slow and calm anyway. "It's alright Remy, I'm just gonna wipe this mess off." She took a further few steps towards the girl, who didn't shrink back, but still looked at her intently.

Cuddy rubbed the damp cloth over the girls cheek and down her chin, shaking off the mess into the tub as she went. "You really did a number on yourself." She grinned as she started picking cereal out of the girls hair. After a few moments she gave up and bit her lip hesitantly. "You know, this would be a lot easier if you just took a shower, or a bath." The girl kept her eyes on Cuddy as the woman turned on the taps.

"Remy, you can do this on your own, right? Or do you need me to stay?" Cuddy wasn't sure if asking would be insulting to the girl, but if she didn't ask, and the girl had issues, she'd feel equally as bad. Of course when she thought about it, the girl had no problems using the toilet by herself, so why would taking a bath be any different? "Sorry, it was wrong of me to ask that; I'm sure you can handle yourself just fine."

Remy started to panic as Cuddy stood up to leave the room. "Nnn? Ehn?" She whimpered and reached both arms out to her. She knew how to wash herself; but being forced to do so meant she had done something wrong. Cuddy paused and turned around to look back at the young girl. Remy was still holding her arms out, her eyes wide in desperation.

"Oh Remy, I'm sorry." The older woman made her way back to the tub and took the girl into her arms, ignoring the mess now transferring to her own clothing. "Of course I'll stay with you... Here." She let go of the girl and opened up the cabinet under the sink where she had found the wash cloths. When she returned she held up a bottle for the girl to inspect. "You like bubble-baths?"

*****

House ran a hand through Allie's hair absently as they lay on the bed together. The girl was in the crook of his arm, her head resting comfortably on his shoulder while an arm draped lazily over his chest. Both were dressed enough to be considered decent. They had been silent for the past twenty minutes; the girl content to be near him. House wasn't content; he felt horrible. "Allison?" He broke the silence. The girl shifted slightly against him, indicating she'd heard, but didn't respond. He sighed and closed his eyes. "Do you know who I am?"

Allie arched her neck so she could look up at him curiously. "You're my Daddy." She frowned when he sighed uncomfortably. "Did I do something wrong?" She was starting to get worried, wondering if perhaps he didn't want her as a daughter anymore.

House shook his head quickly and hugged her. "No, you didn't do anything wrong." I did, he thought to himself. "Do you know who Dr. Gregory House is?"

The girl relaxed at his reassurance. "No. Is he a friend of yours?"

He couldn't help but snort at this lightly. "No sweety, that's my name. The woman you think is your mother is Dr. Lisa Cuddy." He could see the confusion in her face and wondered if he should even bother continuing. The possibility of him triggering her memory and snapping her out of her current state was impossible to calculate without knowing exactly what the man had done to her. Despite this, he still felt he needed to try. "And your name isn't Allie; It's Dr. Allison Cameron. You work for me at Princeton Plainsboro Teaching Hospital. We diagnose and treat patients no one else could help."

The girl kept her lips shut, not sure if giggling would upset him. She had no idea what he was talking about. House sighed at her lack of response and rubbed his face with his free hand, trying to clear away the disappointment. It was clear on the surface she couldn't remember her previous life, but perhaps underneath, in her subconscious... "Allison, what's the differential for a sore throat, fever, swollen lymph nodes and white spots on the tonsils?"

"Group A streptococcal bacteria infection; Strep throat. Unless there's a rash and chest pain, because that could be indicative of rheumatic fever." The girl blinked in confusion at the words that had just come out of her mouth. She had no idea what they meant, but she knew it was the correct answer. "What did I just say?"

House suddenly released the girl and pulled himself up into a sitting position against the headboard of the bed. "Allison, you just diagnosed a patient." He gripped the girl by the shoulders and sat her up in front of him so he could look into her face intently. "I know you're still in there, Cameron. You need to fight against this; whatever he did to you."

Allie was growing fearful at the intensity in her fathers voice and gaze. "Daddy, you're scaring me." She could feel the tears pooling in her eyes as his grip on her loosened. House immediately regretted his last statement, knowing that the girl couldn't control what had happened to her. He pulled the girl into his arms and held her as she began to cry.

*****

Cuddy tried to dodge the stream of water being squirted at her, but failed miserably, her shirt now that much wetter. "Remy!" She laughed at the girl as she reached for the plastic shark in her hands. Remy squealed breathily as she kept the toy out of her reach. Squeezing it, she filled it up once more with water and then raised it above the surface, shooting another stream of water at the woman.

This time Cuddy managed to grip the toy, although not before being hit again. She then proceeded to battle the girl over the toy, water slapping up against the bathtub walls and spilling over the edge onto the floor. "We were supposed to be cleaning you up! Not making a bigger mess." She laughed as the girl wrenched the toy back into her own grip and hid it back beneath the soapy water.

Cuddy shook her head and reached for a bottle she'd set on the floor next to her. "Alright you, it's time to do your hair." She squirted the shampoo onto her hand and reached for the girls head. Only Remy wasn't done playing and scooted along the tub, away from her. Cuddy rolled her eyes and laughed at the girls antics. "You're turning into a prune. We need to finish up and dry you off." She tried to reason, but to no avail. Remy simply held the shark up in front of her chest, aiming it directly at Cuddy's face.

"You're not going to stop until I'm as wet as you." The older woman laughed as the girl nodded her head unquestioningly. Cuddy moved down the tile floor towards the other end of the tub, the shampoo still in the cup of her hand. "Don't make me come in there missy." She once more tried for the girls head, and as a result was met with another face full of water.

Cuddy spit the water out and wiped at her eyes with her free hand. She thought up another tactic and eyed the girl. "The sooner we finish up here, the sooner we can have lunch. Unless you want to stay in here and miss it." The girl immediately dropped the toy and moved closer, presenting her hair to Cuddy for washing. The woman laughed and rubbed the shampoo into the girls hair. "I didn't think so."

*****

"Robbie?" The boy looked up from his erector set robot as the man entered his bedroom. Noticing that the figure was alone, the boy quickly relaxed and sat up, grinning. "What have you got there?" The man asked, crouching down to inspect the boys creation. Robbie grabbed the robot and handed it over, his eyes searching the other mans face for a reaction. The figure studied the metal frame robot curiously and then sat it back on the floor. "Well done, my boy."

"Thank you sir." The blonde child beamed at the praise. At the other mans instructions, he stood up, stretching his stiff muscles. "Are we going somewhere?" He asked as the man lead him out of the room and down the hall.

The man unlocked the door to his master bedroom and the two entered. "Robbie," He addressed the boy once more as he re-locked the door. "Do you want to meet your new Daddy?" He asked, grinning at the boys wide eyed, ecstatic expression. He had purposefully been withholding any visual information about the boy's new parents; something which had upset him greatly. Robbie knew his sisters had seen photos of their new parents long before they were adopted. Now at hearing that he was going to actually meet his new father, he found himself bouncing on his heels.

"Yes sir!" He quickly replied as he nodded eagerly. The man grinned and pointed a hand at the large flat screen tv that hung on the wall next to them. The boy followed his gesture and looked at the tv curiously. "My Daddy is on TV?"

"Sort of." The man grabbed the remote control off the nightstand, flipping the tv on and setting it on an unusual channel. The screen was bright blue with the words 'web connection inactive' blinking in white letters across the bottom. "Do you know what a video conference is?" The boy quickly shook his head. "You're going to look right at the screen, and your new Daddy is going to appear there. You will be able to talk to him as if he's right here in the room with you. Understand?" Robbie scrunched his nose at the concept but nodded none the less. "Good. Now wait right here and keep your eyes on the screen."

*****

House rubbed his stomach, wishing he hadn't gorged himself on the pasta. He looked over to Remy and grinned as the girl had the same pained expression, her own stomach looking as bloated as his. "I guess you take after me as well." He winked at her and then hoisted himself to his feet. Allie and Cuddy had already cleared the table and were busy cleaning off the plates. So far he'd managed to escape any sort of 'washing' duty, a fact he knew wouldn't last forever. "I'm going to go lie down." He informed the three as he turned towards the door.

As he hobbled down the hallway, he suddenly felt two arms wrap around one of his, a soft body now pressing against his side. He didn't pause his gait but turned his head to find Remy looking at him tentatively. "You need to lie down too?" The girl nodded and clung to his arm even tighter. House grinned and lead the two of them into the bedroom.

Remy let go of her father when they reached the large leather sofa in the corner of the large room. She stood back as House groaned uncomfortably, trying to find a suitable position to rest in. Once he'd settled, Remy immediately leapt into his arms and curled up along him; her head resting on his chest, her legs tangled around his good one. "It's a little early for General Hospital, but I'm sure we can find something to tide us over."

House reached across the small gap, grabbing the remote off the coffee table and switched the television on. "What the?" He frowned when no picture showed up, just a light blue screen. "You guys didn't mess with the wires, did you?" He looked down at the girl lying against him. Remy shook her head and shrugged. "Well this sucks." House tossed the remote back on to the table, not thinking to turn the blue screen off first. Grumbling, he reached out again to re-snatch the remote when the blue screen suddenly disappeared. House felt his heart nearly stop as he recognized the smiling figure on the television. "Chase?!"