Chapter 14.
On Monday morning, Dee arrived at the hospital much earlier than usual. She knew House never arrived before ten, and usually much later, but she wanted to be sure he wasn't in his office when she left him his GameBoy.
Sure enough, the office was empty. The outer door was locked, but she was able to enter through his conference room.
The office held his scent. Every item in it reminded her of him. She fought to ignore it all as she left the electronic game on his desk, smiling ruefully at the note the kids had insisted on writing, then left quickly for the safety of her own office.
She tried to focus on her work and her upcoming appointment with the divorce lawyer. But, somehow, her heart wasn't on the donor files. She just wanted the divorce to be over without the shouting and arguing she feared.
She was a little concerned about the visitation terms. Jack might want to see the children a lot or not much at all, although she was sure he didn't want custody of the kids. She might be petty thinking so, but it was likely he felt they'd interfere with the life he wanted for himself. Though that was OK with her, she was sure the kids would feel even more hurt than they already did, smarting from his acts of rejection.
She forced herself to analyze the data she'd gathered about donor purchases of benefit tickets, and their actual attendance at the events. It all seemed so trivial. Once she finished this task, she'd be able to put a report together for Cuddy. The hospital administrator wanted it before the next fundraiser. It was a lot of work, but maybe it was good after all that she had this to do to distract her.
House didn't arrive until eleven that morning. He'd been drinking all day on Sunday, and his head was pounding. He wondered if he looked as bad as he felt. His anger with Dee was unabated, and that didn't help.
How could she be so selfish? It was all about what she wanted! It hadn't been easy for him the past few weeks, having her so close. She was cordial, but she'd kept herself at arm's length. Saturday night he'd thought he'd finally come to the end of his long wait. He'd been so...not 'happy', he was never 'happy', but relaxed. She was finally giving him what he wanted. He'd even thought she'd enjoyed it too.
So what was that sh!t she pulled Sunday morning? Well, he'd told her!
He sat down heavily in his desk chair, then noticed the GameBoy. What was that doing here? He must have spent hours looking for it on Sunday, and it was here all the time.
The piece of paper beside it looked unfamiliar. Printed neatly on the light green sheet were just a few words.
We knew you'd be looking for this
Your friends
Colin and Addison Anne
His eyes stung unexpectedly. God, hangovers were the pits!
The lawyer's name was Chris Lomax. He'd handled various legal and financial documents for Dee's family for years, including her parents' wills. But Dee was the first member of the family to file for divorce. Not that Chris had never handled divorce cases before. They were actually a big part of his practice.
"Delia, nice to see you again," Chris said. He was an older man of medium height. He'd lost most of his hair years before, but still retained a fringe of white around his otherwise bald head. Clean-shaven, he wore rimless glasses and had developed an avuncular manner, soothing and supportive. That kept his clients coming back even when he didn't get the results they wanted, whatever their legal needs.
"Hi, Chris. I'm sorry I had to reschedule but my mother-in-law became ill and had to be hospitalized for a few days. I couldn't make it until she was well and home" Delia apologized.
"That's quite all right. So, how can I help you? Did you really say something about a divorce?"
"Jack and I agreed to separate a few weeks ago. I guess I need to file for divorce and work out custody," she began. "I'm not sure what he wants, but it seems pretty clear that he doesn't want full custody of the children. And then there's the house and support. I don't really know what the legal ramifications of all of this will be."
"I'm sorry to hear that the marriage is ending, but let's not get too far ahead of ourselves here. Isn't there any hope for a reconciliation?"
"No," she stated firmly. "We don't love each other any longer, if we ever really did. It seems that Jack has already moved on."
Chris' eyebrows went up, but only slightly. "Well, first of all we need to establish the grounds for the divorce."
"I suppose you could say mutual agreement, or irreconcilable differences, or whatever the usual grounds are," she suggested.
"The simplest is 'extreme cruelty', which doesn't really mean actual cruelty, just that you no longer get along." Chris had thought about everything Delia had told him. "Did Jack have an affair?" he asked.
"Yes," she replied. "But then I..." she sighed. She supposed she should tell him everything. "When I learned about it, I decided to take a trip, visit my sister, and take some time to think. But before I even left Jersey, I was mugged, and my car was stolen. I had amnesia for a while. During that time, I..." She still had trouble admitting it. "I fell in love with a man who was helping me. We...slept together." There, she'd said it.
"I guess you shouldn't use 'adultery' as cause, because he'd file a counterclaim. That gets messy. Still you didn't remember at the time that you were married and had two children, right?"
"No, I didn't remember. But that doesn't excuse it, does it? And even if it did, I...I still love the man I met. And we spent last Saturday night together." She practically choked over her feelings of guilt.
Chris rushed to reassure her. "Dee, you say that Jack has already moved on, didn't you?"
She nodded.
"Is it with the same woman? The one he had the affair with?" Chris prodded.
"No. Someone even younger and more attractive, what little I've seen of her."
"So why do you feel guilty?"
"In essence that's what Greg said." She grimaced ruefully. "Because two wrongs don't make a right. Because I was brought up to think that adultery was wrong."
"Greg is the man you love?"
"Yes. But we argued, and I'm not sure what it'll take to get him back again now," she cried.
"Do you want to?"
She nodded, lips pressed together. "I can't help how I feel."
"OK. I'll draw up a separation agreement for you. Let's take this one step at a time. Does Jack have a lawyer?"
"I don't know. But I'm sure he'll find one that will do whatever they have to in order to prevent me from getting anything from him."
"And the kids? Has Jack been spending any time with them?" Chris asked, beginning to take notes.
"The first couple of Saturdays after we separated he took them out for the afternoon, but the next one he didn't even show, and then this week he arrived with his girlfriend just as I was taking them out for the day with Greg."
"Then when we file for divorce, we'll ask for primary physical custody for you, and joint legal custody with visitation for him, usually one day each week and every other weekend. How does that sound?"
"OK, I guess. I have to tell you, the kids have been very hurt and rejected by his behavior. But what if he wants joint custody or full custody? Or on the other hand, what if he can't be bothered with visitation?"
"We'll just have to see what his counter offer is. I have to warn you that in New Jersey you have to be separated for 18 months with no reasonable expectation for reconciliation before you can begin divorce proceedings."
"Initially he said we could stay in the house, the kids and I. But I'm not sure I can handle the mortgage payments. I'm working part-time, and I have the money my parents left me, but it's probably not enough."
"You can file a complaint for separate maintenance and request child support. Both of your debts and property will be frozen. But meanwhile, usually in New Jersey the wife gets physical custody and lives in the primary residence with the children during the separation, and the husband is ordered to pay child support, sometimes spousal support, as well as the usual household bills including the mortgage payments."
"I guess that's what we'll do then. How long does this initial part take?" Dee asked.
"There's usually a 3-5 week wait until a court date to rule on the maintenance," Chris replied.
She nodded. "Thanks, Chris. I'm sorry to have to do this, but I don't think I have a choice."
"I'll do what I can to get you the best distribution of assets," he said. "Don't worry about the legal end of things. Just take care of those kids, OK?"
"Yes." Dee shook his hand and left, feeling a little relieved even though she was only now realizing what an ordeal she still had ahead of her.
Cuddy strode into House's office with a sense of purpose.
"You here to read me the riot act about your secretary, the tease?" he asked in an accusing tone.
"No, I have another case for you," she replied. "I still pay you to diagnose patients."
"Give it to Larry, Jew and Girly," he dismissed her.
"House, did something happen between you and Delia?"
"Ya know, I always thought couples had make up sex AFTER they argued," he said with an exaggerated look of confusion, but was he answering the question?
"House, what did you do?"
"Ask Ms. Hot and Cold. Because, frankly, I don't know."
The pain in his face that she'd seen after Delia went back to her family had returned. She knew she wouldn't get anywhere with him when he was in this kind of mood. She left him in his misery and took the patient file to the conference room.
"I've got a patient for you," she told the three fellows. "House wants you to get started reviewing the case." She glanced back at House's office, hoping he'd come out of this latest funk quickly.
She walked to the stairs but stopped when she heard Wilson calling her.
"Did House bite your head off like he did mine?" he asked when he'd caught up with her.
She nodded. "Something happened between House and Delia this weekend. He won't say what, of course. Maybe I should try to talk to her."
"Let me try," Wilson offered.
"You?"
"Yeah, why not? I'm a good listener. Women pour their sad tales out to me all the time."
Cuddy smiled at him ruefully. "So I've heard."
His boyish grin back made her feel that maybe, this time, he could help with House rather than make the situation worse.
Wilson walked back to Cuddy's office with her. Dee was at her desk, back from her appointment.
"Dr. Cuddy, I have an initial analysis for you," she told the administrator, handing her a multipage printout.
"Thanks Delia," Cuddy replied, taking the pile of paper and smiling as if Dee had just given her a birthday present. "I'll just go through these." She gave Wilson an encouraging smile and left him alone with Dee.
Suddenly he didn't know how to start. Maybe something completely benign.
"What kind of information are you analyzing for Cuddy? Or is it confidential?"
"It's just data on donors, primarily who bought benefit tickets and who attended. She wants it organized before the fundraiser next month," she told him. She swallowed and looked like she was trying to decide how to ask him something. "Wilson, you've known House a long time."
"What did he do?" Wilson groaned.
"He didn't do anything," she replied, shaking her head and biting her lip. "What do you do when he gets upset because you can't give him something he wants?"
"How do you know that's happened to me?" He chuckled. "OK, don't answer that. You can give it to him as soon as possible, or you can do nothing, hoping he'll eventually get over it, but I'm not sure there won't be permanent damage to your relationship."
"I told him I couldn't...couldn't be with him because I'm not divorced yet," she admitted.
Wilson whistled. "It takes a long time to go from separation to divorce in New Jersey. Believe me, I know."
"Yeah, I just found out that Jack and I have to be separated eighteen months first. What do I do meanwhile?"
"Dee, do you love House?"
"Yes. Yes, I do."
"So what's the problem?"
"Did you ever cheat on any of your wives?"
Wilson hesitated, but he felt he owed her the truth. "Yes, I did. But then my last wife cheated on me."
"That doesn't excuse it," she argued.
"Are you worried about what others will think?" he asked.
His question caught her unawares. Of course that was part of it! Maybe she wasn't ready yet to let go of her need to please others, to be what they expected her to be.
She'd been quiet for so long that Wilson had to ask, "Dee, what is it?"
"I've been determined to become the type of woman who makes decisions and acts without thinking about what any one else wants, but the only one I've disappointed was Greg, and I certainly haven't been thinking about what I want either."
"So what are you going to do now?" he asked.
"Convince Greg that I'm ready to give him what he wants, and what I want, too!"
"It won't be easy," he warned.
"I know, but I have to try."