Chapter 28: Consequences (part 1)
Andy and Gabrielle sat on the couch together. Rachel was in her play pen while the twins were in their little swings.
After the encounter last night, things were a bit awkward between the two. There was a hesitence before doing or ssaying anything. They each knew how the other felt, and didn't want to say or do the wrong thing. It was a fragile situation.
"You think you'll be free tonight? It is New Year's Eve you know, and I though that maybe we could go out to dinner or something," Andy trailed off. He saw the sympathy in Gabrielle's eyes, only meaning that she was about to apologize and say she couldn't.
"Andy," she sighed. "Missy left you. After a long relationship, she left you. You and I used to have something and now you're trying to use it to fill the void that Missy left. I think both of us would regret it if we started something. Besides, I'm only sixteen, I couldn't possibly step up and take Missy's place," Gabrielle explained.
Andy sat back and shook his head. "Why do you think that just because I asked you to dinner that I was going to want to date you?" he questioned.
"I'm not stupid. I know you. We would get there and start talking and laughing and then one of two things would happen. You would either suggest that we get back together, or you would go back to your room feeling like crap because you wanted to ask and knew that I would turn you down," she answered.
Silence fell between the two. Gabrielle could see that she had hurt him.
"Look, I know what you want," she said, gaining his interest. "You want what we had. What we were. You want me to call you dickless wonder while you call me a bitch and to greet each other with the finger and know that the entire time that we don't mean it, that it's really just our morbid way of teasing each other. You want to be able to just exist in the same room and completely enjoy it for no reason other than the fact that we're both together," Gabrielle stated. She took a moment and examined how he was taking all of this before going on. "I just don't think we can do that anymore. Too many things have changed between us. Hell, I've changed. I still have it in me to act that way, and I still do, it's just, I can't do that while knowing that in the back of your mind you want me."
"How about a party together? Not just us alone, but with other people. And that way I can actually hang out with you, which is why I came all this way anyways," Andy suggested.
"All right," Gabrielle said in defeat. "I'll take you to a party tonight," she answered with a smile.
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House sat and waited with Cuddy in the room while she awaited her results. They were both silent. She sat there on the table blankly staring down towards the ground as he studied a couple of the charts up on the wall.
"What do you think?" Cuddy asked as she raised her head.
"I think the illustrator here needs a pair of glasses," he responded, examining a chart on the female anatomy. "He must've been a virgin if you ask me," he said and then turned to face her.
Cuddy rolled her eyes. "I meant, what if I am pregnant? Then what?" she questioned.
House saw the worry in her eyes. "If you are, then you are," he stated. "Knowing you, you'll eventually grow attached to it and be happy about the whole situation."
Cuddy sat there and wondered if he was really this dense about the whole thing. "I'm not asking about myself Greg. I know how I feel about it, I'm wondering about you. I want to know if you could handle it," she argued.
"Lisa, I'm not the one who has to go through everything," he explained. "As long as it's your baby though, I want it."
Cuddy smiled. That was something that she needed to hear. It was similar to the answer that she had getten when she had asked him whether or not he had wanted a boy or girl the first time that she pregnant. It was something about his straight forwardness with it. You knew that he meant what he said. He didn't cover anything up or go around it with sugary bull shit. He just plain out siad what he wanted to say.
To her, that meant more than some long cheesy love poem or letter.
"What do you think the answer is? Positive or negative?" House asked.
Cuddy shrugged. "I took a test this morning that came out positive," she answered. "But I don't know how reliable it really is," she said.
"And I assume Gabi knows," he mumbled as he reached for his phone.
"Yeah," Cuddy replied.
House took his phone and texted Gabrielle. "See, I think it was a false positive on the test. Something tells me that you would have noticed sooner if you were. It wouldn't have taken an argument for you to realize that you were showing some of the symptoms," he stated.
He sent the message, telling Gabrielle that he bet ten bucks that Cuddy isn't pregnant. It wasn't exactly the right thing to do, but it made things a bit more fun. Besides, he knew that Gabrielle wouldn't tell her.
Cuddy heard her phone go off in her purse and she got it.
"Who is it?" House asked, although he had a good idea of who it was.
"Gabi, she wants to know whether or not I got the results back," Cuddy answered as she replied to the text, telling her no.
House kept his phone in his hand and turned it on silent. As soon as he got a message from Gabrielle telling him that she accepted, he put it back into his pocket.
Cuddy noticed what he was doing, and figured that it wasn't a coincidence that Gabrielle had asked her right after he was playing with his phone. It didn't matter though. There was too much on her mind right now for her to care.
"So, you really think its negative?" she asked.
"Yep," House answered.
Cuddy shrugged and looked as if she were considering the possibility.
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Andy stood in the living room with Jessica and Rachel as Gabrielle fed Elisabeth in the kitchen. "Gabi!" Andy nervously called out. "I think this one needs to be changed."
"Well then change her!" Gabrielle remarked.
"I'll trade you!" Andy offered.
Gabrielle stood there and sighed. "Or you could grow a pair and go ahead and do it yourself!" Gabrielle insisted.
"Please!" Andy begged.
Gabrielle looked down and smiled at Elisabeth. "Let's hope you're on my side," she whispered and then headed out to the living room.
"Fine Andy. Just a note though, when burping her afterwards, kinda bounce her a bit, helps the air bubbles. And make sure that while she's eating she gets plenty of apple juice. The last time she didn't get enough, she started having a hard time swallowing," Gabrielle explained.
"Thank you," Andy said and then went into the kitchen.
Gabrielle shook her head in disbelief and then took Jessica up stairs to change her. After she was done, she only made it halfway down the stairs before she heard Andy again.
"Gabrielle!" he called out. "The kid threw up on me!" he complained.
"That a girl," Gabrielle smirked as she set Jessica back down in the swing.
"You know," Gabrielle started as she entered the kitchen. "If you would've stuck with Jessica, you wouldn't have puke on you right now," she commented.
"Stop being a bitch and help me clean up," Andy demanded.
Gabrielle laughed. "Hand me your shirt, I'll go rinse it off and throw it in the washer," she offered.
"Thank you!" he exclaimed as he removed his shirt.
Gabrielle took it and quickly rinsed it out in the sink before taking it to the washer. "Next time, I would bring another shirt with you," Gabrielle instructed as she left the room.
Andy took a rag and cleaned off Elisabeth's face before taking her out into the living room. Gabrielle was on her way to joining him, when the door opened and House and Cuddy walked.
"Where the hell is your shirt?" House demanded as soon as he saw Andy.
"Daddy, calm down. It's in the washer," Gabrielle responded as she made ehr way to the stair case and leaned against the outside of the railing.
"And why is it there?" he asked.
"Well, sir, Elisabeth threw up on it," Andy sheepishly answered.
Cuddy suddenly grew worried. "Is she okay? She's not sick is she?" she anxiously questioned.
Gabrielle shook her head. "Don't worry," she reassured. "Why don't you just ask the dunce over here what he did right before she puked," she suggested as she motioned towards Andy.
Perplexed, he quickly looked to her. "All I did was what you told me to do!" he defended himself.
"Yeah you idiot. That was also right after you were whining about having to change a diaper. I didn't think you would actually listen to me when I told you that you should give the kid a bottle of apple juice and then bounce her around," Gabrielle stated.
Both House and Cuddy shot a questionable look over to Andy. "Haven't you ever gotten sick on a ride or trampoline after eating?" House asked.
"Yeah," Andy said and then glared over to Gabrielle.
"Hey, you listened to me," Gabrielle remarked.
"What ever," Cuddy sighed. "Thanks you two for watching them," she plainly said before going up the stairs.
Gabrielle's expression softened as she looked to House. Without any words, he quickly glance up the stairs to make sure that Cuddy couldn't see them and then handed Gabrielle ten dollars.
Gabrielle studied the money for a second before nodding. "I see," she sighed.
She shoved the money into her pocket. "How is she?" she questioned.
House sighed. "She doesn't know how to handle it yet," he answered. "But I'm taking her out to dinner at eight. You'd better keep your evening free," he said before making his way to the kitchen.
Gabrielle nodded and then looked back to Andy and quietly apologized. "Maybe after they get back," she suggested.
"Maybe," he said.
Gabrielle pushed herself off of the railing. "Excuse me, I'm going to go make sure that she's all right," Gabrielle said and then headed up the stairs.
Andy stood there and awkwardly glanced over the room. "Yep," he said realizing that he was alone with all three babies.
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Gabrielle got up stairs and stood out side the slightly cracked door. "Mom?" she called.
There was no answer. Instead of turning and leaving though, she gently pushed open the door and stood there a moment.
Before her sat Cuddy, on the edge of the bed. Emotionlessly staring down towards the ground. Her mind was obviously in another place. "Hey," Cuddy wearily greeted without looking up.
"I just wanted to know if you were okay," Gabrielle explained.
"I'm fine," Cuddy lifelessly answered.
"I see that," Gabrielle responded as she folded her arms.
Cuddy looked up to her. "Greg said that as long as it's mine, he wants it," Cuddy stated.
Gabrielle scrunched her brow in confusion. "I actually think that's a sweet thing for him to have said," she replied as she went and sat down next to Cuddy.
Cuddy sighed as she looked back to the ground. " You can think positively about this, Greg can think positively about this," she explained. She turned her head slightly to look to Gabrielle. "I can't," she said near tears.
Gabrielle looked to her with pity. There was nothing she could say that. Nothing she could do.
Cuddy shook her head in defeat. "I feel like the worst person right now," she stated.
"You're not though," Gabrielle argued. "I mean, I ought to know. I've been with some pretty bad caretakers out there," she explained.
Cuddy was about to say something, but she thought back to Eloise and just decided to agree with her. "Yeah, well, I never wanted to know what it felt like to be one of them," she said.
"You're just scared," Gabrielle insisted.
"And how long can I use that excuse?" Cuddy questioned.
Gabrielle rolled her eyes. "I don't think you'll have to use it long," she answered.
"Right," Cuddy stated.
Gabrielle turned and hugged her. "If it means anything to you, you're the best mommy that I've ever had. I don't mean to disrespect my mom, but you've done a lot more for me than she ever would have," Gabrielle admitted.
"Thanks," Cuddy said, slightly smiling.
Gabrielle pulled back. "Now, if you don't mind, I have to get back down stairs before my dimwit of a friend breaks one of your kids," she said.
"All right," Cuddy responded.
"Oh yeah," Gabrielle stated as she stood up. "Dad's going to suprise you by taking you out to dinner tonight, so if I were you, I would get ready around six thirty," she advised.
"Thanks for the head sup," Cuddy replied.
"Yep," Gabrielle said and then left the room.
Cuddy just sat there and sighed. "I hope this does work out," she whispered to herself.
