I'm off to another convention, this time a pop culture one in Amarillo. We have a booth in the vendors area. So I probably won't have another chapter for two weeks.

Chapter 25.

For once in the morning, House was up early, eager to get going.

"Coming with me for breakfast before you go to the hospital?" Cameron asked.

"I suppose. You haven't heard anything about Jacob, have you?"

She checked her smart phone for messages she might have missed while she was sleeping. "No, nothing."

"I wonder in this case if that's good news."

"Naomi would have called or sent me a text if she had anything to report." She went into the bathroom.

He closed the sofa bed and sat down to wait his turn.

She didn't take long. She came out wearing just a towel. House smiled before entering and closing the door.

She dressed for the day, wondering whether or not to call Naomi but deciding against it.

"Got plans for the weekend?" Simpson asked.

His sister smiled. "We'll spend a little time at the Hanbury St. house. We want to do a few things ourselves rather than let Will do it all."

"I'll probably help Anita and Remy," Jacobs said.

"Since when are you on a first name basis with our boss?" Simpson laughed.

"She insisted. I felt funny, but it's what she wants, at least when we're not at the hospital."

"Maybe we should help too. Then we can all call her Remy." Magnani laughed.

"In all the time she lived here, that's what we called her," Jessica reminded them.

Jacobs nodded. "But that was before she became our boss."

"Of course, today, at the hospital, we'll call her Dr. Hadley."

"Of course."

"Breakfast first?" asked Wilson.

"Sure. Have to restore our energy," said Magnani. "And Bart has to be ready to hit on the pediatrics nurse."

Jacobs raised her eyebrows. "What's that all about?"

"Well, you saw him last night when you came home. Down in the dumps. Feeling sorry for himself because we each have someone, but he doesn't."

"Magnani, you didn't have to bring that up." Simpson hung his head.

"We agreed the cure was to have him get friendly with a nurse in Pediatrics. Date her or someone else he meets at the hospital. He spends far too much time with all of us."

"Bart, how do you feel about that?" asked Jessica.

Simpson shrugged. "Guess it's worth a try. But I need a reason to be in pediatrics. Our current patient is thirty-eight."

"Go visit Jacob," Jessica suggested.

"Oh. Yes, I can do that. Great idea." Simpson grinned.

"But we still need breakfast first." Wilson stood and found his car keys.

Hadley and Anita came through the door at the diner, talking about what still had to be finished on their apartment.

"Did you get a lot done last night?" Cameron asked.

"More than I thought," Anita replied.

"Heather helped. She was pretty handy with a screwdriver." Hadley took a seat.

"We hope to get much more done this weekend," Anita added.

Linda stopped by to pour them both coffee. "The usual?"

They nodded, but then Anita said, "I think we're in a rut, though. One egg, a slice of wheat toast and coffee every morning."

"Try something else for a change." House half-smiled.

"We could have rye toast, or maybe French toast, combine the egg and the bread," Hadley said.

Cameron smiled. "Mo makes a mean French toast using whole grain bread and a touch of cinnamon."

"Sounds good."

"Make that two."

"Enough about food and renovations. Did you catch the vandals yet?" House asked.

"No. They seem to have vanished since we ID'd them." Anita frowned. "There's a stake-out on the dock and surveillance of the area where they struck before and where each of them live. That's all we can do for now."

"Did you ever ID the third person?"

"Unfortunately, no. The other two could be staying with him, but we don't have any description and no one has given us any information of known associates of the two we do know."

"You're talking about the vandals who attacked me and House's building?" Jessica had just arrived with Wilson when Anita finished.

"Yes. No one's seen them since we ID'd them but we're watching for them."

"Where are the trio of mischief?" House asked.

Jessica chuckled. "They're on their way."

Sure enough the three young doctors walked through the door. As always when everyone was there they had to bring over a few chairs. Meanwhile, Linda brought Anita and Hadley's French toast.

"That looks good," Jacobs said, and her two mates agreed.

"I'll have an order of them also." House had already polished off a plate of scrambled eggs and breakfast ham but that didn't stop him.

Soon everyone was too busy with what they were eating to talk much. When House finished, he asked Anita and Wilson, who sat between him and the aisle, to let him out. He waved a couple of fingers and left the diner.

"Where's he going?"

"He said he was going to the hospital to see Jacob Briggs." Cameron had finished her breakfast but remained, taking a last few minutes before she had to open the clinic.

House drove to the hospital and parked in the physicians' garage, even though he no longer worked there. He took the elevator to the fourth floor, the home of pediatrics. He asked the nurse behind the desk for Jacob's room then found it easily.

Naomi was there. "I thought I'd pop in for a visit before I go to the clinic. I texted Dr. Cameron that I'd be late."

"She probably doesn't expect you to come in at least until after you get your son's diagnosis."

"Dr. House, can you make sure he's well taken care of?" Her anxiety was noticeable

"I'm sure he will be."

"Do you know Dr. Chatterji?" Naomi asked.

"No, but I've had few reasons to deal with the doctors up here. I don't know many of them." Doctors had stopped long ago leaving a patients file in the room, but he could tell from the monitors that Jacob was stable. Not well, but stable, he wasn't getting worse, which spoke against meningitis. House smiled. "Guess we'll meet her now."

An Indian woman of medium height with light brown skin and dark hair and eyes entered the room. Her manner said 'doctor' and it was reinforced by the white coat she wore and the stethoscope around her neck. She held a file, likely Jacob's.

"Mrs. Briggs, is this a relative?"

House chuckled. With his white skin and the Briggs family's black, it was unlikely, but he would never assume anything about families these days. "I'm a doctor from Shelby and Mrs. Briggs' friend. I've also practiced in this hospital up until a week or so ago."

"He's also the partner of the doctor I work for," Naomi added. "The one who first diagnosed Jacob."

Chatterji studied him through slitted eyes. Her lips turned down. "The notorious Dr. House, I presume."

"One and the same." House smiled and tilted his head in a kind of bow.

"I hope you won't interfere in my care of Jacob."

"Moi? Interfere?" House arched an eyebrow.

"Good. You can visit him, during visiting hours," she emphasized the last three words seeing it was four hours until they started.

House saluted. "Yes Ma'am."

"It's 'yes, Doctor Ma'am.'" She smirked at him.

House laughed. "I like her. She'll do just fine for Jacob."

"Thanks, Dr. House." Naomi sat beside Jacob's bed and took out her cell phone. "I'll call Dr. Cameron and let her know."

House left the room but not the hospital. He went to find Hadley.

She's made herself comfortable in his old office. "I know you're not here to take back your chair." Her smirked was even smirkier than Chatterji's.

"Keep an eye on young Jacob. I trust his doctor, but I'd feel happier if someone I know looked in on him now and then."

"Sure. And the team will pitch in too."

Since Jessica was finally cleared to return to work at the veterinary clinic.

"I'm so glad you're back and feeling better," Dr. Carter said. "This place has been busy."

"I'm glad to be back. I saw how many patients are waiting for you. Whatever you want me to do to help." She quickly got back into the routine trading off patients with him.

Late in the morning a familiar one came in. Edna McClelland arrived with Tabby. "I think she's close to being do."

"Let's see." Jess examined her. Tabby was most definitely hours if not minutes away from giving birth. "Why don't you leave her here so we can help her through her labor."

"We still haven't decided about what to do with the kittens." Edna stroked the cat's head.

"I thought you were taking one, and Tabby would return to her former home with all of us who'll be living there starting next week."

"Yes, we did discuss that possibility. But we don't even know how many kittens there'll be."

"True. Let's see what happens. There are plenty of people who'll take her babies, right, Tabby?"

The cat 'meowed' on cue and the two women laughed.

"You'll let me know when the kittens have been born?"

"Of course. Don't worry. Tabby's in good hands." Jess held up her gloved ones. She made the cat as comfortable as possible as Edna left, and Jess went on to the next patient, a shih tzu that had gotten a stone caught in it's paw. Jess extracted the offending pebble all the while watching Tabby.

"I'm going to check on Jacob Briggs in Pediatrics," Hadley told her team just before lunchtime.

After a nudge from Magnani, Simpson stepped forward. "I'll go. You can visit him later."

Hadley wondered about Simpson's motives, but agreed.

Simpson took the elevator up to the fourth floor, planning his approach to Madelaine, the pediatric nurse. "Hi, my name is Bart Simpson." Right there he had a problem. She's probably laugh in his face. "Hi, I'm Dr. Simpson from the diagnostic department." Maybe a little better.

He got off the elevator, still in a quandary. Madelaine and two other nurses stood at the desk, chatting and giggling. Madelaine, a woman of average height, but with lustrous blond hair and robins egg blue eyes, was by far the most beautiful of the three. He stood staring at her.

A woman's voice, deeper than most but with a slight sing-song quality, startled him out of his reverie. "Can I help you? Are you perhaps lost?"

He turned to a short woman with brown skin and nearly black eyes. "Oh, I'm … I'm looking for Jacob Briggs room. I'm Dr. Simpson from the diagnostics department."

"Yes, I know."

"You do?" His voice came out as a squeak.

She pointed to the badge on his white coat.

"Oh, yeah." He relaxed enough to smile. "Um, where can I find his room?"

"That hall, first door on the right." She smiled back. Her own badge identified her as Dr. Chatterji.

Simpson didn't move right away. "I understand you're in charge of his case."

She nodded.

"Can you tell me how he's doing? Do you have a diagnosis?"

Her eyes narrowed. "We can diagnose the patient ourselves. We don't need the diagnostics department to do it for us."

"I'm only asking as a friend of the family. I'm concerned about the boy."

Grudgingly, she answered his question. "It's not meningitis."

Simpson sighed. "Thank God."

"We're still narrowing it down, but he's stable for now and resting comfortably. We've administered a broad spectrum antibiotic."

"Thank you, doctor. Do you think I can see him?"

She seemed to consider his request then called Madelaine over to escort him to the room.

Simpson muttered to himself, "I can go by myself, but this will give me a chance to get to know Madelaine."

"Why do you want to see the patient?" Madelaine asked.

"He's the son of a friend of a friend."

"Right." She rolled her eyes. "Not poaching are you? Because Dr. Chatterji will never give this one up."

"Why not?"

"She's new, trying to prove her chops. Know what I mean?" Madelaine opened the door to Jacob's room. "Knock yourself out." She let him in and walked away, no doubt back to gossip with the other nurses.

Simpson approached the bed. "Hi Jacob."

"Are you my new doctor?" the boy asked.

Simpson wondered why everyone kept asking him that. He was here as a friend, and also because his new boss sent him, but mainly as an excuse to come to Pediatrics.

"No, I'm a friend of Dr. Cameron's and Dr. House's. They're both worried about you."

"I like your hair. It's almost like Bart Simpson's."

He laughed. "And the funny thing is that's my name too."

Jacob's eyes narrowed. "Are you joking?"

"Nope. Scout's honor." He held up three fingers. "I'm Dr. Bartholomew Simpson."

"Wow."

Simpson thought, at least I made one friend today.