"And the Children Will Lead"
Chapter Fourteen – "Traffic Circle"
By: Purpleu
"Let's see now, Executive Department Head, Mother of the Year, lover extraordinaire, gourmet cook and baker…and in a few months, college graduate. Any other titles you'd like to add to your roster, your Majesty?" House pulled up to a stop light and gestured toward Lydia with a flourish. House crinkled up his mouth in order to suppress a smile.
"You forgot all-around incredible person," Lydia said sitting up straight and holding her head high in a regal manner.
"I thought that went without saying," he replied. She started to laugh and clasped her hands to her mouth.
"I can't believe how willing they were to work with me on accommodating my schedule," Lydia said of the New Jersey Medical College. "It makes it so much easier for me that they'll give me credit for doing three hours a week in the clinic and three hours a week with your team in the lab. That means I only need to go to one class for two hours each week. Just by getting in a little earlier and staying a little later, I'll be able to cover the time."
"Don't forget you have to write a report about each test you do and each patient you see. With some of the morons we get wandering in looking for cures for imaginary diseases, they're going to think you're putting them on." House pulled forward near the corner and put on his indicator to make a right.
"No they won't; someone from the hospital has to verify my reports…"
"And I'll tell them you're making it all up and obviously you've never set foot out of your office. We don't get any such crazy and unusual cases in our hospital; all of our cases are dull," he said sarcastically. Lydia crossed her arms in front of her and gave House a look.
"It's a good thing James or Dr. Foreman will be the ones to sign off on my work."
"That's only because you tipped them off that our relationship is of an intimate nature. Even a fish wouldn't get caught if it kept its mouth shut. And I mean that with all the love in the world," House said as he glanced at Lydia.
"Maybe if you had given me a little warning that the hospital was going to pay for me to go back to school, I wouldn't have acted so impulsively and kissed you," Lydia said still a bit embarrassed at her reaction to the news.
"But then it wouldn't have been a surprise," House said innocently. He turned on the left signal so he could enter the driveway of the hospital. "Besides, you're going to have to learn to control those reactions when we start working together for realz."
"I know how to behave in a professional manner," she said undoing her arms from their defensive position and smiling. "I was just floored and thrilled when you said that PPTH would pay for the courses…as long as I passed all of my courses. You timed that perfectly."
"I thought saying that as she was looking over your transcript and resume was a good time," House said as he parked in his spot.
"When did you find out?"
"Wilson texted me yesterday when we were out car shopping. I had asked him if there was any way to have The Great Ivory Tower pick up the fleecing for your sheepskin. He looked into it and said that since you were going to be working with the guys from IT starting next week, they could put you on the payroll starting on Monday, a month before you take up occupancy of your office." House shut off the car and put the keys in his pocket. He turned to see Lydia's mouth hanging open.
"That means I'll have medical coverage for the kids and me starting Monday; Dr. Foreman said it began the day I was hired," she said in amazement. House nodded.
"Your ex starts shirking his responsibility to you and the kids at midnight tomorrow; all you have to do is keep them in a gilded cage until forty-eight hours from then and you'll have no worries." He looked at her and smiled. "Just let a little of your parents come out in you and you'll be fine. Very little." House and Lydia got out of the car; she was laughing over his comment...
"I think it will be the only time I copy their parenting style." Lydia reached in for her laptop and briefcase. "It's supposed to rain this weekend, so I should have no problem keeping things fairly low key. On rainy days they love to watch movies or look at family pictures so they can hear about all the relatives they'll never have the chance to know. They also love to play cards," Lydia said, smiling as she thought about all the good times to come.
"I've played enough games of 'Go Fish' in my life, thanks. Actually I think I played enough of that by the time I was three," House said rolling his eyes as he got his backpack out of the back of the car.
"I thought you would have had enough of it in vitro," teased Lydia.
"Nah," House said as he stepped up on to the curb. "My mother was a rebel in more ways than one." Lydia joined him on the walkway. "Instead of playing bridge or gin rummy like the other proper military wives did, my mommy played poker. And I seemed to have inherited her talent for it, too."
"Good, the kids love poker; only they use snacks instead of chips to bet." House, who had started to walk toward the entrance of the building, stopped dead in his tracks.
"You're putting me on," he said. Lydia shook her head back and forth. "You're busting my chops."
"No, I'm not. Their father started to teach them but he was showing them how to cheat. So I took over. They love Texas Hold'Em and Seven Card Stud. There are a few others that my ex taught them that you may not know, but they can show you how to play." House saw that Lydia had that certain look in her eye that always made him smile. He walked over to her and gave her a kiss.
"If you ever wonder what made me fall in love in with you, just remember this conversation," he said shaking his head as he walked toward the building. Lydia was trying not to laugh as she came along side of him, but her mood quickly changed as she remembered something from the meeting yesterday.
"Greg," she said taking hold of him and stopping House from going inside the hospital. "There was a topic that came up at the board meeting and I should have made mention of it yesterday…but we were having such a nice day and I didn't want to ruin it." House looked at her quizzically. "The board has decided to ask Arlene Cuddy to tender Dr. Cuddy's resignation as Dean of Medicine. James was going to tell you, but he seemed upset by the news, so I said I would do it." House looked at the ground and let out a long sigh.
"It figures the wimp couldn't handle telling me himself. Sometimes I think he had more lust for her than I did." He picked his head up and met Lydia's eyes. "It's about time they took the blinders off and dealt with the reality of the situation; Cuddy's permanently rabbit food and they should accept it and move on," he said quickly. Lydia watched as he turned his head and stared at the doors to the building.
"Are you finished talking to yourself?" she asked gently. House closed his eyes and let his shoulders drop.
"Maybe this is just an effort to be the nice person you keep telling me I really am…" House looked at Lydia. "Whatever my relationship with her was, real or imagined or wished for…good, bad or indifferent…I knew her for the better part of twenty-five years. That's got to count for something."
"Of course it counts; it matters very much. But as you said, it's time to accept things and move on. I'm sure you would love to have one last chance to bust her chops," Lydia said as she placed her hand on House's arm.
"Yeah and to hear her try and best me and fail miserably," he said as he started to walk toward the sliding doors. Lydia approached the reception desk to sign them in.
"Good morning, Ms. Strohman," the receptionist said. "How are you today?"
"I'm good, Jillian; how are you" Lydia asked as she took her visitor's badge.
"I'm fine, thank you. My sister got engaged yesterday."
"Congratulations. When is the big day?"
"Next June."
"Keep me up to date on all the plans. Enjoy your day."
"Thanks," Jillian said as House and Lydia went to the elevators. She noticed him shaking his head.
"Problem?"
"No, you just continue to amaze me at how easily you can have a conversation with someone you hardly know. You are your father's daughter, which is another reason why you'll make a great Dean of Medicine. You'd be the perfect blend of a person who can balance worrying about the money, the medicine and the publicity needed to make this place a first class hospital again." Lydia rolled her eyes as House hit the call button.
"Would you please let me actually get this job first?" she asked. "I still have to convince the state board that this is all a good idea. Stop pushing me up the corporate ladder before I get my foot on the bottom rung."
"You'll charm and dazzle them just like you did the others yesterday. It'll take Cuddy's lawyer a few months to negotiate a settlement with the hospital since she was on the job when she was injured even though she wasn't actually here. Then Wilson will back down from the position and Foreman will go after it. Except by this point, you will have saved the establishment from financial ruin and have finished your degree and thereby become the obvious choice for Dean of Medicine." He graced Lydia with a smile and gestured for her to enter the newly arrived elevator car.
"You certainly do have it all figured out," she said as she stepped in.
"Yep; everything will be back to normal," House said. Lydia looked puzzled.
"How so?" She pushed the button for the fourth floor.
"I'll be able to spend my days lusting after the Dean of Medicine."
"Hmmm…and I won't even have to get jealous about it." The two exchanged looks and started to chuckle as the doors closed.
Making their way down the hallway to the conference room, House and Lydia became aware of the sound of a number of voices; they also became aware of classical music playing which both immediately recognized as Beethoven. They slowed their pace and crept up slowly until they had a view of the room. Taub and Foreman were sitting at the table with coffee mugs in front of them; Chase, Thirteen and Slick were also holding mugs and munching on pastries of some sort. Wilson was walking around while chatting on his cell phone. The source of the music was a laptop on the table that House recognized as Thirteen's. House looked at Lydia with a grim expression on his face; Lydia looked both stunned and amused.
"You asked me why I don't make more use of my days off? This is why. The inmates start running the asylum." They continued to the door and stepped inside. Wilson spotted them first and quickly ended his call. As House's eyes swept around the room, the others became silent. House saw that there was someone standing in the far corner that he didn't know. Although he was intently wondering who the guy was, House was more interested in why his conference room looked like a G rated version of "Jersey Shore." He decided to focus his gaze on the one most likely to break: Taub.
"There's a really good explanation for all of this," Taub began. "He brought these in," he said pointing at Slick and then the pastries.
"Still having wet dreams about Julia Child? Or have you moved up to Emeril? Seriously, what is it with you and running out to cater events around here? You have a secret obsession from the looks of things," House said looking at Slick.
"If only you knew," Slick answered. House shook his head and sat down at the head of the table.
"I can clear this up with one word," Wilson said. "Annie."
"What about Annie?" Lydia asked as she moved forward toward the table. She had remained quietly in the background, letting House deal with his team.
"It seems the college's radio station wanted to interview Annie to promote the concert tonight," began Wilson. "The college has a link with Princeton's public radio station which broadcasts on National Public Radio. The arts director heard how this was a comeback performance and she's going to play with the Philadelphia Philharmonic in two months…that they contacted the people at the national broadcast center and the interview with a live performance is going to be broadcast nationally," Wilson said excitedly.
"That's wonderful!" Lydia said with a huge smile coming over her face. "I didn't think she'd be ready to go back to doing interviews again this soon. Before the attack, she was the one to do all the media and presswork for the orchestras that she played with, even the Philadelphia Philharmonic."
"Impressive," Foreman said nodding.
"Well she was the one who was the most outgoing and the most knowledgeable about the music being performed. The background of the composer had a lot to do with how and what they wrote and she educated herself. It makes her a great subject for an interview," she explained. Lydia clasped her hands together in delight. "This…this is the Annie I know and love." House tried to maintain an annoyed attitude toward his team, but he knew how much the whole situation pleased Lydia; that plus the tears in her eyes did a lot to soften him. "Don't you mean the Annie we know and love?" The voice came from the person in the corner; House had a hunch he knew who the guy was.
"Tom!" Lydia exclaimed as she moved toward him. House's hunch was right, it was Lydia and Annie's good friend Tom; patron saint of the lame and gimpy. He watched the way Tom walked as he met Lydia in the middle of the room. It was an amazingly smooth gait. So far, so good.
"What are you doing here? Did Annie tell you where I'd be? Or are you here seeing a patient?" Lydia asked in rapid fire fashion. Tom laughed at her obvious excitement.
"None of the above. I got an e-mail telling me that some hot new executive will be presenting her secret formula for saving the hospital…and well, I just had to check her out." House liked Tom more and more with each passing minute; he may have been flirting with her a bit, but he was doing a good job of busting her chops. And they had been friends for many years.
"You received an e-mail?" Lydia asked as she eyed him suspiciously.
"Um… we forgot to tell you yesterday that the communications department sends out notification to all departments and their staff, along with all doctors who have privileges at the hospital, any time the state board comes in," Foreman explained. "Then depending how many responses they get, they then can figure out where to hold the meeting."
"And where is the meeting being held?" she asked nervously.
"The lecture hall on the third floor," Wilson answered. "It holds two hundred people and they're expecting standing room only."
"Why so many people?" Lydia asked as she sat in a chair near House. It was then that she noticed that Tom and House kept exchanging looks as well as looking at her.
"Oh I didn't even introduce you two…or Tom to the rest of you. Tom, this is my boyfriend…"
"Dr. Gregory House," Tom said, finishing Lydia's introduction. "I figured it out as soon as he limped into the room. I like your cane." House was still using the piano cane the team had gifted him with.
"Yeah, this thing and my graceful canter are usually dead giveaways," House said holding the cane aloft.
"Actually, I've known who you were for a while; we've just never had the chance to cross paths in our work," Tom said. "Tom Richards; my wife Marianne and I have been friends with Lydia and Annie for about sixteen, seventeen years now."
"What instrument did you say she plays?" Taub asked.
"Violin," Tom answered. "Like Annie, she has played since she was a kid."
"My wife plays pretty well. She's been mentioning wanting to go back to playing in an orchestra again. Maybe she can talk to Annie or your wife about reentering the performance world," Taub said looking back and forth between Tom and Lydia. Tom nodded as Lydia glanced at Wilson.
"I take it you handled introducing everyone before I got here."
"Yeah, while he was busy creating mayhem and anarchy in my department," House said as he made his way over to the coffee machine. "Want a cup?" he said to Lydia.
"Yes, please," she replied. "Do you want some?" she asked Tom.
"I've got, thanks," he said as he sat in the chair to Lydia's right.
"By the way, why is it my fault that your department is taking a little break?" Wilson asked.
"Because it's your girlfriend they are all waiting around to hear proclaim the good news," House said as he poured Lydia's coffee. "If it wasn't for her, they'd be answering my mail and slumming in the clinic and the E.R. for our next case."
"You haven't even finished with Scotty yet!" Wilson protested.
"You never know when that once in a lifetime opportunity comes along to work on a case with a yet undiscovered disease and become world famous."
"You already are world famous," Wilson pointed out wryly. "Besides, Annie is her best friend," he said indicating Lydia. "Why can't this be her fault?" House let out an audible sigh as he put Lydia's mug down in front of her.
"One, she wasn't even here when the banquet started and two, I get certain privileges from her that I neither get nor would I want from you." Wilson was about to open his mouth to say something, but then closed it as he realized House was right.
"Before I forget," Lydia said changing the subject. "Tomorrow night I'd like to have you all over to celebrate my getting full custody of my kids. I never thought I'd get them permanently away from my ex and certainly never this soon. I know this is short notice, but…"
"I don't have any plans that I can't rearrange," Chase said.
"Neither do I," Thirteen said.
"What time did you want everyone over?" Foreman asked. "I'm dropping off my car for some scheduled maintenance and I'm not sure what time I'll be getting it back."
"Around eight o'clock," Lydia replied.
"That should work out fine," he said.
"I'll be there a little closer to eight-thirty with my wife Rachel," Taub said.
"As opposed to his wife Gertrude," House said as he emerged from his office after grabbing his red mug. Lydia and Taub both shot him a look.
"Any time after eight is fine," Lydia assured him. There was a knock at the conference room door and two young women in white lab coats entered.
"We gave at the office," House said. "Oh wait, this is the office. Damn, one of the few places where that line doesn't work."
"Dr. House?" asked one of the two women. "I'm Mary Smith and…"
"She's got to be Jane Doe. It would just be perfect if she was," House said as he sat down. "It doesn't matter; I'm not available anyway. My time for fulfilling father figure fantasies is over. I've been permanently retired."
"No, we're here about your patient, Scott Andrews," the woman said trying not to get flustered.
"He's not available either. He and his foggy girlfriend are attached to each other at the hip."
"Misty!" almost everyone in the room corrected him.
"Whatever," House said.
"We were just wondering why there was no notation of a stroke on his chart," said "Jane Doe." House shot a quick glance at his team.
"That's because he didn't have a stroke," he said. "Somehow around here they frown upon it if you write things on the chart that didn't actually happen. Don't know why; it's worked for me many times in the past."
"Why would you think that he's had a stroke?" inquired Taub.
"When we were doing his PT and OT evaluations, he had noticeable weakness and limited range of motion on his left side," Mary said.
"Has speech therapy been in yet to do their evaluation?" House asked. Mary looked through the papers on her clipboard.
"No, they're scheduled to come in this afternoon. He seemed to be answering questions and following commands appropriately, but his speech was clearly labored." House tapped on the table several times.
"Did you happen to notice in his chart the list of medications that the patient is on?" The young women nodded. "So you saw that less than thirty-six hours after having his head and chest split open, he's receiving Dilaudid among other medications? That powerful little sucker would knock anyone for a loop. I think it would be a safe bet to chalk it up to that."
"Our concern is that functioning on his right side appears to be normal. The patient reports that he's had many falls in the past from prior seizures," "Jane Doe," whose real name was Kathy, said. "If his injuries were caused by prior seizures, we can only refer him to an outside therapist. Our departments can only provide treatment if his problems are the result of what brought him into the hospital."
"Well, then that works out just fine," Lydia said as she stood up. "I'm Lydia Strohman; I'm the director of the Insurance Billing department. I'm also, along with Dr. House and Dr. Wilson, an eyewitness to the seizure that brought Mr. Andrews in here." House sat back, amazed at how swiftly and deftly Lydia took hold of the situation. "We were enjoying the evening at the establishment where Mr. Andrews works as a busboy and I observed him carrying a bin full of dishes with no difficulties, until he had the seizure, of course. Then the bin crashed to the floor when he fell against me, which is how I got this," she said, showing them the bandage on her leg. "He bounced off of me, then fell against the pool table with his left shoulder. He then twisted around several times and wound up slamming into the floor on his left side. I think that it's pretty safe to say that the seizure that brought him in here caused his current disability." Lydia folded her arms across her chest and waited to hear the women's response.
"That clarifies when he sustained the injuries, but there is another issue," Mary said. "He was admitted to the hospital as being 'uninsured.' If that's the case, he's not eligible to receive any extra services, other than ones that would stabilize his medical condition." Lydia looked down at the floor with an amused smile.
"You mean 'extra services' like those would properly heal him so he can go out and become gainfully employed and therefore be fully insured on his next hospital visit?" she asked. The two young women looked at each other not sure what to say. "Don't worry," Lydia reassured them. "Social services submitted his paperwork yesterday afternoon with a priority request. I looked over the packet myself and I see no reason why he would be refused. There will be preliminary confirmation in place by tomorrow afternoon."
"That's great," Kathy said glancing at Mary. "That should cover everything. When do you anticipate discharge, Dr. House? We can set up a treatment plan if you can give us a date."
"It would probably be a good idea to make sure the super glue is holding on his incisions, I'd say no sooner than mid-week," House said eyeing up the therapists. "But you can check with the gang of four at noon Monday."
"We'll do that. Thank you so much for your help and insight," Mary said, addressing Lydia in particular. "Welcome to Princeton-Plainsboro. Good luck with your presentation."
"Thank you; enjoy the rest of your day," Lydia replied. The two women nodded and hurried out of the room and down the hall as Lydia slowly sat down. As soon as the women were out of sight, the comments started flowing.
"That was fantastic," Chase said.
"Have you been taking lessons from him?" Taub asked, indicating House.
"Extra services like those that would allow him to become gainfully employed and have insurance for his next hospital visit? That's something I would expect to come out of the mouth of Gregory House, not the kind and lovely Lydia Strohman," Wilson said with a smile. Lydia was clearly flabbergasted and turned to House looking for help. She got none.
"You lying little minx," he said with a deadpan expression on his face. Lydia's mouth fell open. "He fell in to ze table mit his left shoulder twisted und fell onto ze floor," House said, imitating her accent.
"Excuse you!" Lydia said indignantly shooting House a look. "I saw Scotty carrying the bin of dishes with no problem at all, felt him fall against me and drop the dishes and then watched as he hit the pool table and the floor." House continued to stare at her in silence. Lydia looked away from him and everyone else in the room. "As far as whether he hit on his left or his right side…I had a fifty-fifty shot at being right. If I said the right side, those two scared little rabbits would have hopped away looking for a place to hide. By saying it was the left side he injured, which appears to be the case, he gets treatment for his problem and leaves here healthier than when he came into the hospital; I thought that was the point of proper medical care." She finally looked back at House, who still sat silently. Suddenly, the sound of a person clapping could be heard in the room. Lydia looked over in the direction the sound came from and saw Slick slowly and deliberately clapping his hands.
"Bravo." Slick said with a smile. "I wish more people in the medical profession could remember that when they deal with their patients. I think that the cost of medical treatment would actually go down if lawyers didn't have to get involved to sue insurance companies on behalf of patients to get them the help they need."
"It would also help if they didn't force therapies and medicines on them that are useless. But their little guidebooks say this is the way things should be done, so damn the torpedoes and full speed ahead," groused Tom. Lydia was taken aback at the ferocity with which Slick and Tom supported her opinion; the rest in the room were amused by Lydia's shocked look.
"If this is going to be the response to her presentation later on, you'd better alert security now so they'll be prepared to handle the raucous crowd," House said looking back and forth between Foreman and Wilson.
"It's a good thing I have riot gear stored in my office," Wilson quipped. "I always kept it handy in case he ever did something really over the top," he said indicating House, "and I suffered guilt by association." House gave him a dirty look while Lydia put her head in her hands. Raising it up to look to the end of the table, she saw that Foreman was shaking his head with his mouth hanging open.
"What?" Lydia asked wondering what comment would come next.
"If I ever question whether you two are well suited for each other, I hereby give permission for someone to smack me in the head. You're like two peas in a pod."
"Black-eyed with hominy and grits," said House locking eyes with Foreman, who gave no response.
"You know what was the most annoying thing about those two?" asked Tom, referring to the two therapists. "They know me. They did their residency with me. And yet they walk in here without acknowledging me; not even a nod of the head."
"I think they were nervous about approaching us about Scotty," Chase offered. "They weren't sure what to report based on their observations, but they knew they had to come to us and report something. Plus, dealing with him can be intimidating enough for anyone," he said pointing to House.
"You would defend them," commented Thirteen. "Which one, the blonde or brunette?" Chase thought for a moment.
"The blonde. She seemed slightly more intelligent."
"And definitely more stacked," House added in. Feeling Lydia's eyes burning into him, he quickly finished the thought with, "But not anywhere as good as you, dear." House sat in uncomfortable silence as the rest of the room did their best not to burst out laughing. "Has fire and brimstone stopped shooting out of her eyes yet?" he asked Tom.
"No and with Herr Fraulein, it's not likely to stop anytime soon," he replied trying not to chuckle. House turned to look at Lydia who was doing her best to seem mad. It was no use; within a few seconds of House giving her his pathetic looking puppy dog eyes, she had dissolved into giggles.
"It's a good thing I know you love me for my brilliant and witty mind," she said.
"That and the fact you've got a great rack," House said. He held up his coffee mug as a reconciling gesture; she raised hers and clinked mugs with him to accept the offer.
"I believe the interview is about to start," Taub said, raising the volume on the computer. Slick came and sat down next to Thirteen as the college station announced its call letters. Lydia, House and Wilson exchanged quick glances as the host of the interview show introduced Annie and started their chat. Throughout the entire program, Annie was informative, engaging and amusing. She explained how the selections for a concert are chosen to create a program that would appeal to both well-seasoned patrons and new comers. Even when the interviewer ventured into the area of this being Annie's return to the stage and what had happened to her, Annie managed to keep it light by commenting on her amazement that American Idol was still on and her admiration of the creativity of Lady Gaga. By far though, the highlight of the show was when Annie began to play. After the first few notes, Lydia recognized the song and tears started to roll down her cheeks. House realized which tune she was playing and reached over to take Lydia's hand. The interview ended with host mentioning the concert tonight and an invitation to join the pop orchestra for all of their future concerts.
"Nice," Tom said with a huge grin.
"Beautiful," noted Taub as he slid the laptop back over to Thirteen. Wilson saw how teary Lydia was but didn't know what prompted the reaction.
"Hey…are you OK?" he asked trying to catch her attention. Lydia nodded as she retrieved a tissue from her purse to wipe her eyes.
"When I stepped off the elevators and Greg took my hand and led me into the dayroom at Mayfield, this was the song that she was playing when I first saw her sitting there…and I knew she had come back to me." The tears began to flow freely as she recalled the happy memory.
"She knew you'd be listening now; she was sending a message to you," Tom said.
"She's ready to get back on that stage," House said as he brushed a tear away from her cheek. Lydia looked at him and smiled.
"And I'm ready to see her there." Lydia noticed the time on her watch. "I'd better get to the room and set up." She pushed back her chair and stood up.
"I'll take you down there and show you how thing are arranged," Foreman said. "If there are any changes you want to make, I can call facilities in to move things around."
"Well, we'll see you down there, front row center," Tom said.
"Oh, please don't," she said as she picked up her bags. "If I see all of you right in the front row, I will lose it. Find some seats way in the back; like in the last row," she said as she started to pass behind House and head for the door.
"Nervous Nelly," House said loud enough for everyone to hear as she reached for the door. She stopped walking and took several steps backwards.
"Ball buster," she said in an equally loud voice. Lydia headed once again for the door which Foreman was now holding open. She glanced over her shoulder at House with a twinkle in her eye. "Ich Liebre dich," she said.
"Ich Liebre dich auch," he replied. House watched as Lydia and Foreman made their way down the hall.
"I guess I ought to get down there, too," Wilson said as he put his suit jacket on.
"Wait for me," House said quietly. "I want to talk to you." Wilson looked surprised, but did as House requested.
"Clean the remnants of the party up," House directed. "Put those two mini Boston Crème donuts on a plate and put them on my desk; do not touch them under penalty of extra clinic hours. Keep some of the better treats for the department and send the rest of them down to the nurses' station down in I.C.U.; I'll be going there later and I'll get a better response from the personnel there if I send these in advance of my arrival." House exited the conference room with Wilson trailing behind him, mouthing the word sorry to those remaining in the room.
"You're in rare form today," Wilson noted. "Any particular reason why?"
"Lydia. Last night was fantastic. The dinner came out great, she surprised me by making her grandmother's cookies; we managed to make 'Young Frankenstein' an interactive movie…but the best part was later that night."
"You can spare me the lurid details," Wilson said holding up his hands. House turned to look at him as he pushed the call button for the elevator.
"There aren't any lurid details; get your mind out of the gutter," he said feigning indignation. "Listen up and you just may learn something." Wilson rolled his eyes as House continued. He told Wilson how he had set up the bedroom with the candles, the champagne, the rose and the necklace.
"The thing that really put things over the top, was the fact that I carried her in my arms from the bedroom door to the bed" The door to the elevator opened and House entered; Wilson just stood there dumbfounded at what House said.
"You …you carried her? How…"
"If you want to find out, you'd better get in here because I'm not holding the door open for you," House said, making no move toward the control panel as the doors began to slowly close. Wilson sprung forward and squeezed between the doors, stumbling into the elevator.
"Now, how did you manage to carry her with your leg?" House had a serene smile on his face.
"I didn't use my leg; I used my arms." Wilson gave him a dirty look.
"House…"
"I did it with great difficulty; it killed me every step of the way…but the look on her face was worth it," House said quietly, looking down at the floor of the elevator. The doors on the elevator opened as they arrived at the third floor. House exited first with Wilson following him.
"I must admit, that all sounds very nice and very romantic," Wilson said. He stopped walking down the hall to the lecture room where Lydia would be speaking. "So how did you manage to mess it up?" House stopped and turned back to Wilson.
"Why are you assuming something got messed up?"
"Because you wouldn't be telling me all of this unless there was a punch line somewhere," Wilson said not moving an inch toward House.
"I didn't mess anything up," House said. "Boy have you gotten cynical since you started dating Annie. I didn't think she'd have that kind of effect on a guy."
"Don't… just…she's a wonderful woman," Wilson said as he fumbled for words to try and defend Annie. House took several steps in Wilson's direction.
"I told her the necklace was almost a ring." House took great delight in seeing the shocked look on his friend's face. He began to walk away, but Wilson grabbed ahold of his arm and pulled House over to the side of the hallway, where large windows overlooked the hospital grounds.
"House, that wasn't very nice to tease Lydia like that," Wilson said quietly but intently.
"I wasn't teasing her; I have better ways to do that." He looked out the window and took in the scene of people coming and going from the hospital. "This has been on my mind ever since I had that dream I told you about. Part of me really wanted to just plow on in and get things moving with a possible permanent hook-up. Or is she really just hiding her true house frau from hell persona and all of this is just going to end badly no matter what I do? I decided to throw caution to the wind and bring up the subject." House tried to make it sound like he was treating the whole thing lightly but Wilson knew what House's attitude had been on Monday when he had told him about his dream of domestic bliss with Lydia. It obviously meant a lot to House. It also confused the hell out of House. It was probably best that they talked.
"So, how did it go?" House shook his head.
"I have to start giving her more credit than I do," House admitted. "While the women I've always encountered seem to be of the bodice ripping, costume drama sort of vision of romance…Lydia is different." He told all the things Lydia said, including the fact that she didn't need a title of "Mrs." or a ring on her finger to know that she wanted to spend her life with him. "She said she'd be proud to be Mrs. Gregory House," he said with a slight tone of amazement in his voice. He turned away from the window and saw Wilson smiling at him.
"And you knew she wasn't playing some…reverse psychology game. She meant it." House nodded as he let out a sigh. "Let's face it; we are two really lucky guys. Not that I've discussed anything like this with Annie, but if I did, I have a feeling her response would be very similar." Wilson saw the somber look on House's face and decided some good natured ribbing was in order. "So, should I be preparing my speech to give at the toast?"
"Give me a break," House said shooting a look. "I was about to ask you how you would deal with it if I asked Lydia if we could move in together when their lease is up in a year. That's assuming of course, that the munchkins and I can stand each other." He noticed the number of people who were getting off the elevator and glanced at his watch. "Time to get lectured." Wilson looked at his cell phone.
"I'd better get in there; they're probably wondering where I am," he said starting to walk quickly towards the lecture hall.
"So would you be OK with taking up the idea of co-habitation with your girlfriend in the next year? Or will you be already up to your fifth kid so you two retro music fans can start your own Partridge Family singing group?"
"First of all, you are more than rushing things a little. And second…I was going to ask her to move in after the concert tonight, but I realized she'd be concerned about leaving Lydia alone with the house. I'm sure she'd want to be fair and keep paying her half of the rent…"
"When did the guy who was going to take things slow this time dissolve into Speedy Gonzalez who wants to add a toothbrush to his bathroom after only four days?" House asked as he hesitated outside the doors to the lecture room.
"I met her last week Tuesday; that makes it ten days. And that question is coming from the man who asked his last girlfriend to move in with him only five days after they met?" Wilson immediately felt bad that he brought Stacy up, but he hoped by now Lydia had softened the bitter memories that House had held on to.
"I asked Stacy to move in because I was thrilled that I found a woman who was willing to put up with me for more than ninety-six hours. And she was being abandoned by her roommate." House knew Wilson was staring at him; he had never told him the full circumstances of Stacy's moving in. "Her roommate's boyfriend decided to take a job out west and she waited until the last minute to follow him. Stacy had a week to find another place to live; the lease was in the roommate's name. That's why she had next to nothing to move into my place." Wilson couldn't hide his shock and surprise at what House had said.
"You never told me any of this," he said shaking his head. Looking through the open doors of the lecture hall, House saw Lydia smiling and greeting the various department heads and doctors. He admired her for being able to extend even a small measure of openness to strangers. But, House reminded himself, Wilson wasn't a stranger; he was his best friend and they had shared more than their share of good and bad times. He owed it to Wilson to let him in a bit more. Hell, he owed it to himself.
"There's a lot you don't know," House said bringing his attention back to Wilson. "One night we'll stick the ladies with the kids, grab a pizza and I'll fill in some very big blanks." Wilson knew if anyone else had made the offer to grab some food and chat, it would be no big deal. For House to suggest that they get something to eat and discuss secrets of the past… was an especially significant gesture and Wilson appreciated it tremendously.
"I think that's a great idea," House nodded then pointed indicating the interior of the hall.
"Better get in there and act like you enjoy being a pencil pusher," said House.
"Oh, please," Wilson said rolling his eyes.
"James!" He turned to see Annie rushing toward him and instantly broke into a huge grin. He opened his arms and caught her up in a hug. "I was afraid I wouldn't make it on time." She gave him a kiss and then another and another before she caught herself and remembered where they were.
"People are still trying to find seats. It looks like Tom has saved you two seats in the back row here. I've got to get down there." He gave her a kiss. "You were magnificent, by the way." After another quick kiss, Wilson hurried off down the side isle. Annie turned and smiled at House.
"I like your taste in music," he said as he walked into the hall. "So did Lydia."
"I thought you'd both recognize it. It was always a favorite of mine; from that day when I sat there barefoot and in a hospital gown and played it, it will always have special meaning for me." Annie stood on her tiptoes and gave House a kiss and a hug. "I'm so excited about tonight."
"It's about time you showed up," Tom said. Annie broke away from House and quickly gave Tom a hug and greeted Slick and House's team who had all chosen seats in the last two rows.
"We saved a seat for you, too," Slick said. "We weren't going to, but Tom said Lydia would be pissed if we didn't." House gave them all a look as he sat in the last open seat in their group.
"Yeah, the last thing you want to deal with is a sour Kraut," he quipped, pleased at how much the bad pun annoyed them.
"House, Tom had a good idea in reference to Scotty's situation," Thirteen said trying to quickly change the subject.
"I have to see one of my patients who was admitted and another fellow who is being sent to me when he's discharged tomorrow. After that, I'm free. I'd be glad to stop in and take a look at Scotty. We may be able to avoid any further tests or scans. Depending on what I find, I may be able to send him home with some exercises that I can show Slick and…Misty, is it…can handle."
"And no more tests would mean no more expenses which would thrill Foreman to no end," Chase said. House smirked.
"Don't we all know the Great Bwana all too well?" House said referring to Foreman. "If you don't mind checking in the useless opinions of Ding and Dong, that would be great," he said taking note of some activity at the front of the room.
"Ladies and Gentlemen: we are ready to get started. However, two of our guests from the state medical board are caught up in the traffic that the construction on Route Three is causing," Foreman announced. "They anticipate being here in the next five minutes or so. When they do arrive and are settled in, we will begin." The murmured conversations resumed as did the wait for Lydia's presentation to begin.
"Poor Lydia, she's so nervous," Annie noted.
"She looks fine to me," Taub said.
"Me, too," said Thirteen.
"She's playing with her necklace. Anytime she plays with her necklace, she's nervous," Annie said firmly.
"I wish there was some way to calm her down."
"I'm already on it," House said as he hit 'send' on his cell phone and looked to the front to watch her reaction. In a moment, he saw her take her phone out and read his message:
"Remember, if you can't dazzle them with your brilliance, baffle them with your bull."
Lydia had to bite her bottom lip as she turned to shoot House a look. She quickly typed a response and returned the phone to her pocket. House read the reply on his phone and smiled:
"Moo!"
House settled down into his seat and prepared to be amazed by Lydia.
Author's Note: You may have noticed that in the past few months I have been posting chapters with less regularity that I used to. This is because in September I became blind. I lost my vision in my right eye ten years ago, but now my left eye has been affected. Fortunately, a series of operations will most likely restore my sight. While I am something of a touch typist, there is a lot of editing my husband and children have had to do for me. I hope by the end of the month to have regained my sight and have postings return to their normal frequency. There are two chapters left in "And the Children Will Lead"; I hope you are looking forward to reading them as much as I am to writing them.