A/N: Hi, readers. Short Wednesday update. Thanks everybody for reading and reviewing. A couple of notes. First of all, nice pickup, clp66. We have a big Blythe plot that's coming up in the story after the next one, and it will deal extensively with what she did and didn't do during Greg's childhood. Second, a few have mentioned wishing things could speed up with Thornton. I actually do myself, too. :) But we have to take it as the muse gives. However, what we are going to be doing is jumping time. Each of the next three stories, which is as far out as the series is blocked at this point, picks up with a gap since the previous story. So things won't go as slowly with us as they do with poor Thomas.
Glad folks are still enjoying this series. I'll keep on as long as the muse wishes to, and she shows no signs of getting tired of it.
(H/C)
House was five minutes early for lunch, although Cuddy also had cleared everything else off early and was just standing up to go look for him when he entered. He came straight to her across the office, and for once she didn't protest the physical demonstration at work. "Still want Chinese?" she asked once they finally parted.
"Yeah. Just got a craving for it today. Maybe I'm pregnant after all." The joke fell flat, reminding her of the other morning after one of the chocolate cake dreams and adding that concern into the mix as well. She already was watching him closely, and he turned away with annoyed abruptness. "Let's go. Wouldn't want to push your precious schedule too far."
"I've got time, Greg," she said firmly, catching up. "Moved the head of peds, and if I'm late to the conference that's now first this afternoon, they can just wait for me."
He relaxed a little at that, and they headed off for the restaurant. She knew better than to ask any loaded questions over the meal, and their conversation was mostly on the girls, finally winding up on Wilson.
"We're going out tonight," he told her with his mouth full. "I'll be home through getting the girls asleep first, though. Bumped into him on the way down to you, and he wants to meet later himself so he can see Daniel and eat with Sandra."
"Are they doing okay?" she asked. She still didn't know what that had been about last night.
"I think they're doing better. He apparently had a good session yesterday."
New insight on Sandra as well as Thornton? She was impressed once again at Jensen. "I'm glad for him. For all of them. What are you doing tonight?"
"Not sure. Can't go to a bar." He looked out the restaurant window. "Maybe bowling." The rain had stopped, and the clouds were starting to clear. His leg would hopefully be a little less annoyed by then. "Then tomorrow, I'm leaving a little early, about noon." His eyes lit up. "Got an errand to do before heading off to Jensen. So if you can't find me, it's because I'm not there." Ever since her meltdown, he was careful to let her know roughly where he would be if there was any change from routine, and she was grateful for how he always slipped it in without making a point of the reason.
"What kind of errand?"
"A surprise one." He grinned at her and shoved down his last bite.
"For me? The girls? What kind of surprise?"
"A surprise surprise. But I swear, I'm not going out cheating on the cat."
"You'd better not be. She has claws, you know, and she's not afraid to use them."
He stood up. A little of the core of tension in him had relaxed, but he still seemed off to her, and she still had no idea what this lunch had actually been about. "Well, back to the daily grind." Once they had gotten into the car, he added, "By the way, I'm also meeting the actual Bucks Sr. this afternoon. He still qualifies for the title. He comes with his own bucks. The family reunion after all these years is set up for 4:00."
Cuddy sighed and looked over at him. "You invited yourself to him meeting his father for the first time?"
"Hey, he invited me, too. He wants me to explain the medical stuff, along with my attached credentials to impress the high-society jerk so he'll listen to me."
"Please don't phrase it that way to either one of them, Greg. I'm still hoping for some donation at the end of this."
He shrugged. "Well, we've actually doubled the fortunes involved from our starting point, so I've helped you out on donation potential. Forest is loaded, too. Maybe he'll be so grateful to the hospital for diagnosing his son and reuniting them that that checkbook will just fly out of his pocket."
She rolled her eyes. He was still trying a little too hard at this conversation, though. Instead of turning into PPTH, she drove to the park next door and pulled into a slot away from the rest of the traffic, not that the place was crowded at the moment. This morning's weather had kept people away. She switched off the car.
"Lisa, in case you haven't noticed, we work over there."
"I've noticed. It's stopped raining, though, and we've got a while longer before I have to be back." She reached over to pick up his left hand, tracing his fingers, fitting hers into them. The silence extended for a few minutes, House waiting even though he didn't pull his hand away. Finally, he spoke.
"Got a letter this morning."
"From Thornton?" She tightened her fingers on his.
"Sort of. It's actually from my mother over 40 years ago. It was sent to him right after the piano arrived." He stared out the window, not seeing the clearing skies. "Thornton said Tuesday that I didn't have to take his word for it on the music, that he had unquestionable proof and he was sending it to me. This was the proof."
She waited a minute, watching his face, which had its own scattered clouds sweeping across. "You said this morning you realized from last night's dream that they did have secrets. You didn't really need the proof now, did you?"
He shook his head. "No, damn it. He paid for the music; I'll give him that. It did add one detail. The concert tickets also came out of his money, even though that was the piano teacher's idea to get them." He was silent for another few moments. "But reading that . . . she . . ."
Cuddy slid over, pulling him against her. "I understand. Like the therapy notes last year. Reading through it brings everything back, even when you were there, and I'm sure she thought everything was just fine." She was careful to keep her own anger against Blythe under check at the moment.
"Yeah. At least in the notes she knew now. This was . . . she even said at the end that she didn't regret that night, because it was that that completed the family she'd always wanted." Cuddy clenched her teeth, holding back the words. "She also said that I knew how to keep a secret." A tremor swept over him. "Talking about the idea of lessons starting, of course. Not about anything more." Cuddy just held him, waiting, and finally he went on. "I emailed Thornton and asked how many letters there were. He said there were 129."
Cuddy froze, afraid to comment, almost afraid to breathe. No, Greg, she thought fiercely, but saying it might get his stubbornness up if he was still teetering on the edge of that decision.
He felt the thought and looked over at her. "I didn't ask for them." Her clenched muscles relaxed in a flood of relief. "I couldn't take it."
She leaned over and kissed him, holding it until he responded, finally letting go. "I'm proud of you, Greg," she said. She saw the brief bewilderment in his eyes. "I mean it. You have made so much progress. It's not just with this; I'm proud of you every week when you head off to Jensen. But today, that was the right decision."
He relaxed a little, settling against her, their bodies touching for the whole length now in the front seat. "He visited me 10 times when I was a kid," he continued after a moment. "But he got 113 letters - the others are later. She didn't write as often after I left home, but she wrote about every month or two when I was growing up. Totally one-sided; he didn't write back because John read the mail. But he apparently had a constant stream from her. And every one of them was probably this same picture of life, complete with flowers and rainbows. Hell, most of them have to be worse. This one was only about music." He tensed up again suddenly. "But damn it, he had eyes. He still should have seen things while he was visiting. I wonder why I'm even bothering with him sometimes."
She knew, but she also knew better than to say so. Instead, after giving him a minute, she asked tentatively, "May I see the letter?"
"No." She flinched away as if at a slap at the finality of his tone, trying to remind herself it was his decision. "I didn't mean it like that, Lisa."
"It's your choice, Greg. That's okay."
"No, I mean you can't see the letter. It's not possible. I ripped it up into little pieces already this morning." She relaxed a little. "Wasn't thinking of you or Jensen. I just needed . . . it was so full of holes anyway."
"I understand, Greg. Sounds like a great end for it, actually. Maybe someday, gradually, one at a time, you can destroy the others." He smiled, enjoying the idea. "But I'm glad you told Thornton no this morning."
He was suddenly thoughtful. "I didn't tell him no. He didn't offer to send them. Telling me how many there were was only in response to a direct question. I think that must be the first time he's ever given me a brief, simple answer to anything. He usually spins stuff out."
Cuddy felt a wave of gratitude toward Thornton. He knew, at least had realized by now how difficult reading the one would be, even if he had mailed it in the first place. She wanted this, but she also was relieved that Thornton understood the need to be careful. It was a fine tightrope to walk, reopening the past. "Even if you don't have the letter anymore, Greg, tell Jensen about it tomorrow. Okay?"
He nodded, automatically slotting that in line ahead of chocolate cake. Might as well spend the session time on things that really were an issue. "I will. We need to get back to the hospital."
She heard and respected the door closing. "Thanks for talking to me." She gave him a final squeeze, then let go, starting the car. As she pulled out of the parking space, she asked, "About that surprise you're spending time on tomorrow, how long will it stay a surprise?"
He only laughed.