How long had it been?

How long had it been?

That was the question that House asked himself over and over again as he watched over his sleeping children.

How long had it been since he received the call telling him that Katie was in foster care?

"Two and a half weeks." He answered his own question aloud, surprised at how raspy his voice sounded.

"You look like crap," a voice said, making House jump a little.

House turned around, surprised to see Wilson standing there with a white piece of paper in his hands.

"I thought you went home," House said with a yawn.

"I started to, but then I remembered something I had to do."

"And what was that?" House asked with just a touch of curiosity.

"I just wanted to test Katie and Jeffery, to see what their cancer was doing," Wilson explained.

"And just, exactly, is it doing?"

"Nothing," Wilson replied simply.

"Nothing?" House inquired.

"I can't explain it!" Wilson exclaimed, shoving the white piece of paper in House's face. "When I tested both of them, I found healthy cells in their blood."

"Are you serious?"

"Completely. Here, see for yourself."

House took the paper from Wilson, studying it with a furrowed brow. After several moments, House looked up at Wilson again.

"They're in remission," House whispered.

"Yes," Wilson replied with a smile. "For the moment they are, but they both have a high chance of a relapse. Neither of them have a blast right now, but that could change."

"Yeah... yeah... I know. Could I take them home by the end of the week?"

"Definitely. And speaking of home, when was the last time you were there? You look like you haven't slept in a week and you smell like--"

"Well, it's not like personal hygiene has been a priority! So much has happened. I just... I just... I'm sorry. I'm just so tired."

"Go home. Go to sleep. Foreman, Cameron and Chase are here. We'll take turns watching over the twins. I promise, we won't let them out of our site. You don't have a case, and I don't think Cuddy would mind too much if you took the rest of the day off."

House looked from Wilson, then to Katie to in the room to his right, and then to Jeffery in the room to his left. They were safe. He was tired.

"Please," House whispered. "Keep them safe."

"I promise," Wilson replied with compassion, placing a friendly and comforting hand on his friend's shoulder.

"You know, I know we're having a moment here and all. But, you know?" House glanced to the hand on his shoulder, then back to Wilson.

"Oh, excuse me," Wilson muttered as he cleared his throat.

Then, House couldn't take it. He burst out laughing as a hearty chuckle escaped Wilson's mouth.

"Good to have you back, House. See you in a few."

With a smile still on his lips, House made his way toward the elevators. He stepped in, and pressed the 'lobby' button. But before the doors could close all the way, no one other than Cuddy herself stepped into the elevator. House groaned. Cuddy wrinkled her nose at the doctor's obvious dishevelment.

"House--" Cuddy began, but House cut her off.

"It's a long story," he replied.

"Well, I've got time.

"--And then he was kidnapped, but he was returned safe and sound," House finished an hour later in the hospital cafeteria, telling Cuddy the epic tale of the last two and a half weeks.

"Wow," Cuddy replied, her empty coffee cup clenched in her hands. "How are you? I mean..." She trailed off, not really knowing what to say. "How are Jeffery and Katie?"

"Never better, actually. Their cancers are in remission. It's fantastic!"

"That's really good!" Cuddy agreed. "When do they get to leave the hospital?"

"I'll be taking them home by the end of the week," House said, feeling somewhat proud.

"They'll be coming home with you?" Cuddy asked.

"Yeah, they will. Don't you think I'll make a good father?" All of a sudden, House was very defensive.

"No, no, no," Cuddy said hastily. "I wasn't saying that at all. I was just wondering where you were planning on putting them."

"Putting them?"

"Like, where are they going to sleep? They both can't sleep on the couch. Your apartment isn't near big enough for three people"

Where Jeffery and Katie were going to sleep hadn't occurred to House. He hadn't even thought about the future past the next few days. As he started to ponder what he would do about the housing situation, a whole host of questions started to pop up. Where would they go to school? What kind of food would they eat? What would they do for the rest of the summer? Did they need a babysitter? And what about new clothes? What clothes did teenagers wear these days, anyway?

House's head swam as all the questions floated through it.

"House?" Cuddy asked with concern. "Are you all right?"

"Fine," House replied with conviction. "Just tired. Be back later."

House stood up and was well on his way out the door before Cuddy could even get another word in.

Once back at the apartment, House didn't sleep like he originally planned. He showered, put on a clean set of pajamas, got into bed... and didn't sleep. He was tired enough, he knew that for sure. But all of his problems floated through his mind. After lying fruitlessly in bed for half an hour, he got up, went to his computer, and started a google search on the closest high school. It was high school Jeffery and Katie were in, right?

Oh well. He would search that fact later. The more immediate problem was housing. He did another google search on houses for sale in the area. After searching for twenty minutes, none of his problems were solved. He didn't know what to do.

He needed help.

But where was he going to get the help? Who was going to help him?

More questions. More problems.

All of a sudden, House felt really tired. He abandoned his computer, seeking his bed. He climbed into it, asleep in moments. His problems would have to wait for later...

I'm really sorry I haven't updated in a very long while. So much has happened these past few months--including a few deaths, a recent move, and many other things that I just can't describe at the moment. As I wrote this chapter, I just wasn't feeling it. Because of that, I might redo this chapter. Please tell me if you guys felt it or not.

Thank you for reading, and I really do hope you've enjoyed it.