Disclaimer: All rights belong to Fox and David Shore.
Author's Note: Again, a big thanks to my beta Ceciilee who simply rocks!
***
Friday
Emma, Lisa and Lizzy check-in at the Four Seasons hotel at around 5PM. As Cuddy feeds Lizzy, Emma calls Rachel to inform her that they've arrived and they should be at her place in an hour.
Few minutes after, Cuddy gets a phone call from House.
"Hey"
"Hi Greg."
"How was the drive?"
"Good. Lizzy slept through the entire trip."
"Good!"
"How are the boys?"
"Hmmm…here talk to thing one. Maybe, you can get him to stop crying."
Ethan sobbingly asks "Mommy, when are you coming home?"
"Hon, Mommy just left this afternoon. What's wrong?"
"I miss you Mommy. Can you come home now?"
"Mommy misses you too. I need you to stop crying, okay?"
"I can't. I just want you home Mommy. Daddy is mad at me."
"Daddy is not mad at you. He's probably not happy that you're crying."
"Daddy called me a baby. I'm a big boy, Mommy."
"I know you are honey. You need to stop crying so Daddy won't call you a baby, okay?"
"Kay. Mommy, Charlie wants to speak to you."
"Hi Charlie."
"Hi Mommy. Guess what we had for dinner?"
"Hmmm…mac and cheese?"
"Nope. I had some crunchy (eggrolls) and noodles."
"So, Daddy ordered Chinese food huh?"
"Yeah and Ethan got timed-out because he didn't eat his dinner."
"Is that why he's crying?"
"Yup! "
"Okay. Honey, can you give the phone to Daddy?"
"Kay."
"Hey."
"Greg, what happened to Ethan?"
"He didn't touch his dinner so I gave him a time-out."
"Greg, Ethan doesn't eat Chinese food. "
"He needs to start trying different food."
"He's been trying different food. He has come a long way since a few months ago."
"Lise, I'm not babying him."
"Greg, he doesn't like being called a baby."
"Then he should stop acting like one."
"Fine. Let me talk to Jake."
"He's not home. He went out with his friends."
"Then, let me talk to Wilson."
"Hey Wilson."
"Hey Cuddy."
"How are things?"
"Good. How was the drive up to New York."
"It wasn't bad. Wilson?"
"Yeah Cuddy?"
"I was wondering if you can do me a favor?"
"Sure."
"Can you keep an eye on Ethan? He's a little bit picky when it comes to food and Greg sometimes just doesn't have patience for him. You know Greg, he'll eat anything and everything but Ethan is not like that."
"Sure. I guess, you heard what happened tonight?"
"Yes. There's leftover spaghetti in the fridge, he'll eat that. And if Greg decides to order Thai, Indian or any other exotic food, just make him some mac and cheese, please."
"Consider it done."
"Thanks Wilson."
"Not a problem Cuddy. Do you want to speak to House again?
"No, I have to get ready for dinner. I'll call him when we get back."
***
Midnight
The twins are already asleep in bed, while House and Wilson are in the family room watching women's beach volleyball on TV.
Wilson notices the number of times House has checked his watch. He also observes that House has his pager, cell phone, and house phone all line-up on the side table next to the sofa.
Wilson asks "is it passed Jake's curfew?"
House looks at his best friend incredulously and asks "have you met my son? Does he look like he needs a curfew?"
"That's true. So, you're just waiting for Cuddy's call?"
"Yeah, I'm curious how the Cuddy reunion go."
Wilson nods and asks "I didn't even know Cuddy had a sister. Does she look like Cuddy?"
"No, you idiot. I already told you that Rachel was adopted."
"Oh yeah you did, my brain is too fried to think. I'm going to bed."
House nods and after a few minutes, turns off the TV. He walks over to the nursery to checkup on the twins.
After tossing and turning for about half-hour in bed, House decides to head out to the living room and play his piano.
House's piano playing is first interrupted by Jake coming home at around one o'clock in the morning.
"Hey Dad."
"Hey, how was your night on the town?"
"It was fine. And you?"
"Having problem sleeping so, I thought I would tickle the ivory a bit."
Jake nods his head and says "well, I'm beat so I'm hitting the sack. Good night Dad!"
After about half hour later, House is interrupted again. This time it's one of the twins' voices crying out for his Mommy.
House quickly walks over to the nursery, and softly says "hey, don't worry Daddy's here."
It is obvious to House that one of his son is having a nightmare. However, he isn't prepared to see Ethan curled in a ball in the corner of his bed sobbing uncontrollably and pleading "please don't be mad at me. I'll be a big boy Daddy."
House gently shakes his son and reassures him "Ethan, wake up. You're just having a nightmare."
Ethan wakes up with a look of pain and sadness in his eyes. Upon seeing his father, he initially jerks his body in fear and sobs "I want my Mommy."
The fact that he is the reason for his son's nightmare just about breaks House's heart into pieces. Within seconds, House is transported to his youth and the fear he felt when his father would beat him for misbehaving. House sits on the side of the bed and softly tells Ethan, while drawing circles on his back "Daddy loves you very much. Daddy will never hurt you. I love you, son."
***
Saturday Morning
Wilson is all set to go for a quick run when, the phone rings. He answers the phone, chats with Cuddy for a few minutes and walks over to House's room. But after a couple of knocks on the door with no response, Cuddy tells him to check the nursery.
Wilson smiles at the sight of House cramped up next to Ethan in the boy's twin size boat bed.
He quietly shakes him, careful not to wake the boys.
"Hey, your wife is on the phone" Wilson whispers softly.
House nods, takes the phone from Wilson and groggily answers "hey Lise."
"Hey, sorry to wake you up."
"It's okay."
"I hope you didn't stay up waiting for my call last night. We got back a little past midnight; I didn't want to wake you and the boys."
As House gets up from the bed and immediately feels a sharp pain on his leg.
"Shit!"
"Greg, what's wrong?" Cuddy asks worried.
He gingerly walks out of the nursery and replies "just leg cramps."
Wilson waves at House and signals that he's heading out for a run. House nods in acknowledgement.
"Did you sleep in the nursery with boys?"
"Yeah. Ethan had a nightmare last night. I must have fallen asleep while staying up with him."
Cuddy worriedly asks "how bad was it this time?"
"This time? He's had this type of nightmare before?"
"Whenever he's scared, anxious, or upset he ends up having a nightmare."
"He was already unsettled when you left, I think I made it worst by calling him a baby."
"Ethan and Charlie may be twins but they're not alike. While Charlie takes your teasing as a challenge, Ethan takes it as a rejection of him."
House fell silent as he takes note of what his wife has just said.
"Greg?"
"I just can't get over the look of pain in Ethan's eyes last night. Our son was scared of me, Lise."
"It was just a nightmare, Greg. Just reassure Ethan that you love him and he'll be fine. He's not afraid of you, babe, he knows you will never physically hurt him."
"Lise, you know…"
"I know," she interrupts him, "but you're his hero; he needs to know you approve of him—he wants to be like you. So just remind him of how much you love him."
Cuddy knows that her husband's biggest fear is ending up like his own father. So, as soon as her husband starts second guessing his parenting skills, Cuddy immediately reminds him how much their children love and adore him. His wife's reassurance help House set aside his doubts (for the moment anyway).
In an effort to change the topic, House asks "how did the Cuddy womenfolk' reunion go last night?"
"It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Cathartic! Yeah, that's the word that best describes the reunion. "
Cuddy goes on to tell House how the night went. She excitedly describes how the awkwardness lasted about five minutes until it was replaced by crying, hugging and an all around love fest. "There were simply too many emotions locked up for the last twenty years that needed to be expressed. Even Lizzy joined in on the conversation with all her cooing and soft babbling. Greg, have you heard your daughter squeal with glee? I didn't even know she had that high of a pitch."
House laughs and replies "yes I have. She squeals like a girl when Ethan plays peek-a-boo with her."
Cuddy laughs, 'honey, she is a girl."
"No babe, she's my little princess."
House curiously asks "did Rachel know she was adopted?"
"Yes, you were right. She said she initially became suspicious when she went through our old family albums when she was around 15-16 years old. But after I left for college and she was the only one with my parents, she became very conscious about her lack of physical resemblance to them. She mentioned something about looking into the family mirror and not seeing her reflection back."
TBC
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