Chapter 25

Cameron and Tony walked into the Diagnostics conference room to find Foreman and Chase both already there. Chase was pouring coffee into his mug as his attention went immediately to Tony, eyeing him thoroughly before putting the coffee pot down and walking toward the boy with his hand extended.

"Hello. My name is Robert Chase. My friends call me Bob."

Tony looked at him through squinted eyes, then took his hand in a shake that seemed a little too enthusiastic to the boy. He looked at his mom who merely raised a brow before putting her laptop on the table and going for her lab coat.

"Chase, give him a chance to get into the room before you bombard him with your kangaroo charm." Foreman glanced over at the boy and nodded his greeting. "Anyone know where House is?"

"Right here." House entered the room through his office and looked first at Cameron who looked back at him as she put on her coat, then he moved his glance to Foreman. "Why, did you miss me already?"

"We've got a new case. Cuddy brought the files down this morning."

"Who made the coffee?" House asked as he watched Chase take a drink from his mug. "I hope it wasn't him. He can't make a decent pot of coffee to save his life."

"Uh–yeah. He made it." Foreman looked at House oddly before pulling a chair out to sit at the table. "What the hell is this?"

All eyes went to Foreman who reached down onto the chair he was about to sit on and picked up a pink bra that was hanging off its seat. At that moment Chase started choking on his coffee, bringing everyone's attention back to him. House, who was closest to the two other men simply reached out with his cane and whacked it on the middle of Chase's back, right between his shoulder blades. The pop on his back dislodged the item in Chase's throat and with a hawking sound, he spit a button out onto the table.

"What the hell is "that"?!" Chase asked hoarsely.

""That" is a button," House explained as he looked at the decorative silver object spinning on the tabletop, then with a flick of his wrist, reached over with the end of his cane and plucked the bra from Foreman's fingers. "And "that" is a bra."

Cameron's face was flaming as House looked at the bra hanging off the end of his cane, then pulled it off and shoved it into his inside jacket pocket. Tony's eyes were huge as they went from the button to the bra, then back to Cameron, recognition of the items in question clearly written across his face. Chase, who was holding his throat, looked at the bra and then up at Cameron also. And Foreman glanced down on the floor and found the other two buttons that had popped off of Cameron's vest the previous day. Everyone looked at House, expectantly.

"What?" He asked sarcastically. "No one ever see a bra and buttons before? I'll admit, seeing the wombat try to swallow one was a bit entertaining, though. Foreman, are you going to share that file? Or keep it to yourself all day?"

He moved over to where Foreman handed him the file and started reading through it. Tony, though, was still staring at his mother, the question of why his mom came home so late, with her bra hanging off a chair in the conference room and the buttons to her vest scattered around, was the foremost thing on his mind.

"Allison?" He asked.

Cameron looked over at him, but before she had a chance to answer, House spoke up again.

"You, rug-rat, can go to my office and play. I don't need you distracting Cameron right now. We have work to do." He looked up from his file at the boy. "Just don't touch any of my toys. Play with your own."

Wilson got his first message that Cuddy wanted him in her office "immediately" at about ten-thirty in the morning and he managed to avoid her until well after noon. He knew what she wanted to see him about. Tales of his DNA testing had managed to find its way to the boss. He was desperately hoping that his test results would be returned before he had to face her, but it wasn't to be.

"Yes? Come in." Wilson answered the knock and upon seeing Cuddy open his door he cringed. "Oh, its you."

"Yes. It's me." She came in and stood in front of his desk with a folder in her hand as she tapped her foot on the floor. "Have you "not" been getting your messages today, Dr. Wilson?"

"No–yes, I mean–what was the question?"

"I asked you to come to my office this morning! Where have you been?" She demanded.

"I take it you've heard something about DNA testing that I've had submitted." Wilson leaned back in his chair and watched her.

"I think it's quite unlikely that we have patients by the name of Bobby Darin, Sandra Dee and their child Moondoggie."

"Not very imaginative, huh?" Wilson smiled at her.

"Tell me something, could it be that you are the paternal donor in this trio of patients? Are you in trouble?"

"Good Lord, no. It isn't me."

"Then who is it and how do you expect us to cover the cost of this test, considering that your "patients" do not have any insurance listed?"

"I'll cover all costs, I promise. Just be patient."

"I want answers now, Wilson. And if I cannot have my answers now, I'll see to it that those results are destroyed–and I'll cover the cost without you ever knowing "your" answers."

Wilson leaned forward in his chair and looked up at her. "If–I–show you something. You've got to promise me not to do "anything" until we get the results."

Cuddy studied him closely, she had known James a long time, and this wasn't like him. Usually this was House's type of trick, not Wilson's. If he is doing something not quite by the book, there must be a good reason. She put her file on his desk and nodded her head. She wanted to see what was behind this caper.

Wilson got up from his desk and motioned for her to follow him. When he got to his door, he only opened it a few inches, just enough to see that there was no one in the hall. Once he saw it was clear, they moved closer to the Diagnostics Department. Wilson moved to the door of House's office.

"Look in there," Wilson advised Cuddy.

They both looked inside the dimly lit room at the person leaning back in the chair, his feet on the desk with ear buds hooking him into his iPod as he vigorously worked through the stages on his PSP.

"Yeah? So? There's nothing new about him hiding out in his office while he has his staff investigating his case."

"Um–look closer."

Cuddy did as suggested, moving closer to the glass door and getting a better look at Tony.

"Oh my God!"