Sessions II: Nine Months

Chapter 25: Flutters and Tears

House had returned home from the Wilsons' much later than he wanted. The semi-flushmount boob light was a bitch and a half to get up flush to the ceiling. Flush mount his ass. How was it that the Ancient Egyptians could build colossal pyramids out of five ton rock so precise that a playing card couldn't be slipped in between them but a stupid light fixture made in China couldn't sit flat against the ceiling? It took an hour and a half to get it right when it should have only taken twenty minutes. Now if the fixture were made in Japan, maybe then it would have been right.

Another two hours later, the three dimmer switches were in as well, though he figured that probably would have gone much easier without the three beers they drank. One beer for each switch ratio was not the wisest when working with electricity. Nevertheless, they had managed to survive and lights could now be dimmed.

Tired and hungry, he entered the apartment to the incredible smell of Cate's beef stew. That was one of his favorites. His stomach growled on cue and he once again thanked the Powers That Be that sent her to him. She was absolute heaven on earth.

He limped heavily over to the sofa and slumped down into his empty spot. "Where's my mother?"

Cate came out of the kitchen carrying a bowl with a spoon and a beer. "I drove her home around 5:00."

He accepted the beer and took a long pull from it before placing it on the side table in exchange for the bowl of stew. "She's feeling better?"

"Yes. Her dizziness is pretty much gone and she wanted to shower and change her clothes," Cate explained sitting down next to him. "She wanted to be home. And I figured you needed her there."

He nodded and took a bite of the delicious tender beef. "Did you eat?"

"I ate some before," she said settling in with her blanket. "How's the light?"

"It's a light," he said.

Cate shrugged sensing that he didn't really feel like talking. Lying back on the sofa, she flipped through the channels with the remote searching for something that sparked her interest. She settled on Dirty Jobs. He inwardly groaned because he knew she really only liked the show because she thought Mike Rowe was 'cute'. The mere knowledge of that kind of ruined it for him because he liked it for the really gross poo and slime related stuff.

He finished eating his dinner and then took his bowl to the kitchen. He went to change into his pajamas and returned to join her on the sofa. Sitting down he took her foot and placed it in his lap tucking the blanket around her toes. He looked at the TV screen and cast his eyes at her. "What is this?"

"A movie," she replied benignly pushing the remote up and under the throw pillow under her head.

"That's Barbara Streisand," he stated.

"Uh huh," she murmured intentionally not looking at him.

"You've got to be kidding me," he complained. "I am not watching The Way We Were."

"Shut up, it's one of my favorite movies," she pouted.

"I love you but I don't love you that much."

"Yes, you do."

"No. I don't."

He leaned over and stretched his arm searching for the remote hidden under her pillow. She giggled, grabbing it and tried to raise it higher so it was out of reach. He stretched further, leaning on her but she dodged him.

Suddenly she gasped. He pulled back immediately, his hands now on her protectively, afraid that he had hurt her or the baby.

"Oh my god!"

"What's wrong?"

Swallowing, she brought her hand to her mouth and tears welled in her eyes.

"Cate! What is wrong?"

"Shh." She lay very still and placed her hand over her belly. She closed her eyes and a sweet smile stole over her lips. Opening her eyes to him, she let out a laugh of relief. "It's moving!"

House blinked a few times and immediately sat up when the reality of what she had just said hit him like a ton of bricks. His baby was moving. "Are you sure?"

"I think so," she whispered. "It feels like a flutter."

House nodded unable to really speak. He surprised himself by becoming a little choked up.

Gently, she took his hand and placed it on her belly. "It's right here."

He sighed and let her rest his hand on her stomach. It was sweet that she wanted him to feel it too, but he knew there was no way he'd be able to detect any of the movements right now. The baby was still too small. He wouldn't be able to feel anything for another four weeks or so. "What's it feel like?"

"It's kind of weird," she laughed self-consciously. She grew quiet again trying to discern what it was doing inside. Smiling she let out a little chuckle. "You know when you have a lot of gas and you can feel it moving around in your intestines?"

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Every day of my life."

"Ha, that goes without saying." She rolled her eyes at him and then laughed, keeping his hand pressed to her abdomen. "It sort of feels like that."

"Tiny baby movements feel like rolling gas, interesting," he considered this for a moment. It must be a really strange feeling to know that someone else was moving around inside of you. He supposed that was why women did the incubating and not men; bizarre little things like that didn't actually occur to them.

He rested his head against her belly and closed his eyes imagining what the baby looked like as it moved around inside. He remembered from his textbooks and videos that babies this far along in term were still somewhat transparent and had spindly little legs and arms covered in visible veins. Not the stuff that adorable memories were made of but still pretty cool in his book, especially because it was his little mutant babe swimming around in there. He kissed the side of her stomach and she brought her hand to the back of his head. He lay there contently for a while. Before he knew it he was sucked in as he watched Barbara Streisand yammer away at Robert Redford on the flat screen across the room. God, he was such a sucker. The things he would do for her.

Two hours passed in the blink of an eye. The movie ended and he quickly got up from the couch and hobbled into the kitchen. He blinked his eyes and sniffed as he searched the fridge for something to snack on.

"Are you crying?" she called to him in disbelief.

"No," he snorted indignantly. Fuck. He couldn't believe he let her watch that whole movie. And he wasn't crying. His eyes were just tired.

"You are!" she announced in amazement. He heard her get off the sofa and follow him into the kitchen. Fuck. He hoped she wasn't going to turn the light on. Finding a chocolate pudding cup, he pulled that out only to turn around to find her smack dab in front of him. He backed up against the refrigerator door. She stepped close to him and wound her arms around his neck looking up slyly into his face. She ran her hand over his bangs the way Katie did to Hubble, neatening his unruly hair. Rolling his eyes he looked at the ceiling shaking his head. She was teasing him, the smartass. "You know, it's sexy when men can get in touch with their emotional side."

"I wasn't crying," he persisted. "I'm just in here to get a snack."

She bit her lip saucily and reached her thumb up to delicately wipe at the corner of his eye. "Okay. If you say so." He flicked his head away from her touch and stepped out of her embrace. She was blowing this whole thing way out of proportion.

Pulling a spoon out of the drawer, he leaned against the edge of the counter and opened the foil on the cup. Taking a full bite, in the dark, he watched her smile at him in the moonlight. "Don't you ever tell Wilson I watched that movie with you."

She let out a laugh. "Uh oh, do I have blackmail material?"

"It'd be unwise to use it against me. You're not prepared to go head to head with me," he cautioned pointing his spoon at her.

She made a dismissive face. "You don't have anything on me."

"Oh there's plenty," he goaded with a snort causing her to narrow her eyebrows in concern.

She crossed her arms over her chest. "Like what?"

"You fart like a truck driver in your sleep."

Her mouth dropped open and she inhaled a sharp wheezing gasp of outrage. "I do not!"

"Uh, yeah, you do."

He finished his cup of pudding in another bite and placed it on the counter.

"You wouldn't…" She stared at him.

"Try me…"

She went to stalk out of the kitchen in perturbed annoyance but he grabbed her arm and pulled her back to him. She slammed gently against his chest and he trapped her there in the circle of his arms. "Are you done teasing me?"

She snaked her arms up in between them and touched her hand to his lips with a pout. "I promise to never tell Wilson you squirted tears at the end of The Way We Were."

He ground his teeth together in supreme frustration. "For the last time, I wasn't crying…"

Raking her hand against the short hair at the back of his head, she pulled him down to her mouth. The sweetness of her lips coaxed him into submission as she kissed him thoroughly, slowly running her tongue along the length of his mingling with the sweet taste of chocolate. Pulling her tighter against the length of him, she moaned back in her throat as he deepened the kiss. She was like butter melting at his searing touch. He ran his hand down her back and brought his lips to her throat to kiss her pulse hammering in her neck. She purred, her fingers running over his head pulling at his hair. He loved how she would come apart at the seams when he touched her like that.

Guiding her back, he gently urged her out of the kitchen and down the hall to their bedroom. He stripped her of her clothes as she helped him out if his all the while never breaking contact with their lips. Their hands roamed and caressed; each taking their time to delight in the sensation of their hands on the others skin. Pressing her back against the cool sheets, he trailed his fingers over all of her sensitive spots that he had lovingly memorized so thoroughly. With every stroke, she responded to him like a melody played out on ivory. He made love to her slowly savoring every second as he looked down into her eyes. He knew this would be one of the last times they would be able to join like this for a while as their baby began to take up the space between them.

Riding out the pulse of their release, he laid his head against her forehead and kissed her sweetly. As their breathing came back to normal, he rolled them over to pull her against his chest tugging the blanket on top of them so she wouldn't be cold. He lay their listening to their breath in the dim light of the room. It was so nice to just be. No expectations. No talking. No professions of undying love. They had already done that. It was just him and her in their quiet acceptance of one another. Just being.

He knew this time, right here, right now, was not long for the haul. In a little while, there would be a baby that demanded their attentions and moments like these would be few and far between. The quiet serenity of their lives would be replaced with crying and feedings and changing of diapers. Oddly, he didn't mind that his life would be over as he knew it. His life had changed so much over the past six months that he barely recognized it anymore. This just seemed like a natural progression. He didn't long for those days. In fact, he was glad they were gone. It seemed like a lifetime ago that he was a lonely angry misanthrope with no hope or plans for the future. He never wanted to be that guy again. He never wanted to go back. He supposed that was the point of the end of the movie. There was no going back. Things changed. And he was okay with that.

House stroked his fingers down her bare shoulder tickling the smoothness of her skin. "I want to buy a house."

She lifted her head up from his chest. "Are you sure?"

"Yes."

She pushed herself up to lean on her elbow so she could see his face more clearly. "Why?"

"Because it's time," he stated. She looked at him with her velvet eyes and he melted. Running his hand over her hair and pushing it back over her shoulder, he said, "I want to decorate a nursery for the baby like Wilson and Cuddy are."

She smiled at him lovingly. "We can do that here if you want. We have the spare room."

He shook his head. "No. New place, new house, new everything. I want a fresh start." He breathed in a sigh. "This place holds a lot of bad memories."

She touched her hand to his brow like she had in the kitchen only this time she wasn't mocking him. "Okay. We can do that."

He pulled back further into the pillow and looked into her eyes speculatively "You mean it? Are you sure you aren't just saying that and then going to change your mind a week later?"

She fixed him with a pointed stare. "I mean it. I don't care where we live as long as I'm with you."

He ran his knuckles softly against her jaw. "I got you something today."

She quirked a smile at him. "At Home Depot?"

Nodding, he nudged her off of him so he could get out of bed. Pulling on his pajama bottoms, he limped out into the living room to retrieve the plastic bag from the pocket of his jacket. He came back and sat on the edge of the bed letting his leg dangle off the side to stretch. He handed her the crumpled parcel and waited for her to open it.

She looked at him oddly before untwisting the bag and pulling out the faceplate. Running her finger over the Phillies logo, her face broke into a smile and she bit the edge of her lip with her teeth. "You brought something for the baby."

He scratched at the back of his head awkwardly. "I figured we could put it in the baby's room." He pointed at it and then dropped his hand. "Even if it's a girl."

Cate smiled brightly at him and leaned over taking his face in her hands. "It's perfect." Bringing her lips to his, she kissed him. "We'll find a perfect house to go around it."