Chapter 26

House leaned against the wall, waiting for Allison to finish speaking with the boy. It seemed like an hour later when she strolled out of the room, jumping and dropping her clipboard when she caught House out of the corner of her eye. Her hand flew to her chest, clipboard rattling as it hit the floor. "House! You scared me!"

"Come on." He scooped up the clipboard and handed it back to her, grasping her by the elbow and leading her down the hall into his office, closing the door and blinds.

She stopped and stared at him, hands on her hips. "House, what is this about? You can't just drag me off somewhere -"

He handed her the newspaper that Chase had left behind. "Here. Read."

She slowly sank down onto the couch. "Oh my God. They charged him." The newspaper began to shake in her hand and he sat down next to her and took it from her, setting it on the table. "I'm not sure if this means it's over or if it's all just started."

"From the end of the article, if he pleads out, then it's over. If he says he's not guilty, then it's just started." House figured she could do without any candy-coating. "Do you still have the phone number of the District Attorney who was in the line-up room?"

She nodded. "It's in my wallet. Olivia something-or-other."

"Maybe if you call her, she can tell you more about what's going on."

Allison nodded. "That's a good idea."

House shrugged. "You'd have remembered eventually. You okay?"

She nodded. "I'm glad he's not out there anymore. Maybe I can stop jumping at shadows."

"You talking with your shrink about that?"

Allison nodded. "Probably post-traumatic stress disorder. We talked about anti-depressants and anxiety meds, but I don't think I'm there yet." She paused, her hand brushing against her waist. "Besides, medication probably wouldn't be good for the baby."

House thought for a minute. "Maybe Trazodone? Or Clonidine. Both would reduce anxiety and nightmares, and Clonidine is class B, so it's relatively safe in pregnancy."

Allison nodded. "I'll talk it over with Dr. Westein if I feel I need it." House gave her a stern look, and she held up her hand and added "I promise."

He took a breath and reminded himself that he was not Allison's doctor, and that Allison was a competent doctor herself. Of course she was, or he wouldn't have hired her. Thinking back to Dr. Westein's pamphlets, he realized that as much as he wanted to help, anything he said about it would come off as controlling and make Allison unhappy. Allison had enough to be unhappy about without him adding to it. Realizing she was expecting a response, he muttered "As long as you're taking care of yourself."

She gave him a half-smile. "I am. And I have everyone here looking out for me."

He patted her shoulder and left the office. Allison would come out when she felt ready. Spotting Foreman, he snapped "So any clue as to what's wrong with my patient?"

Foreman nodded "Cysticercosis."

House raised an eyebrow, "Tapeworm? Didn't we already do this?"

Foreman shrugged. "Different area of the brain, different symptoms. The kid works with pigs. 4H Club or something or other. Probably cleaned up after them and didn't wash his hands. Worm egg gets in the mouth, travels through the intestines and migrates into the bloodstream and to the brain."

House shrugged. "Schedule him for surgery to remove it, then."

They left early that day, with nothing more they could do for the patient other than make him comfortable until the morning's surgery.

Settling into the car, they both jumped when her phone rang. "Cameron." She answered. "Yes?" a long pause. "Okay, thank you for letting me know, Ms. Roberts...sorry, Olivia. Bye." She returned to staring out the window.

House waited for her to tell him who was on the phone. He waited some more. Finally, curiosity getting the better of him, he asked "Who was that?"

"Olivia Roberts. The district attorney prosecuting him. She apologized that the papers got the story first, and told me that if he doesn't plead guilty that she'll need my testimony."

"You don't have to do that." He reminded her, knowing the attorney would probably be pressuring her to testify.

"I know. I want to. I want to make sure he can't do this to anyone else. Ever." He blinked in surprise at the venom in her voice.

"They have lots of evidence." He reminded her.

Allison glanced down at her abdomen. "So do I."

I just wanted to thank everyone so much for their reviews and support. It means so much to me. Again, special thanks to Tala Danaro and everyone else who has reviewed. Your words mean so much to me as a writer, and I really appreciate all your encouragement, constructive criticism, and the time it takes to write them. If you are enjoying the story, please consider taking a moment to tell me what it is that you like best and what I can improve on. That's how we grow as writers, and I always want to learn to be a better writer! Thank you again for the reviews! Every one is read, appreciated, and saved. -KM-