CHAPTER TWENTY – NINE
Debra slowly came out of the anesthetic from giving birth to her child and tried to call out to Wilson. But she was still extremely weak from the loss of blood and her heart had become severely compromised. It took her three times to say his name before it was anywhere near audible. She moved her left hand and felt a head full of hair and ran her fingers through it, calling his name.
"Deb…Debra, hi baby," he said as he raised his head and held her hand.
"Hey," she whispered. "Howzzz th' bb-ee? Where' baby? Wha' i't?" she asked but had to stop and catch her breath from the strain.
"Gregory James is fine, sweetie. He's beautiful, small, but beautiful. You did a good job." He smiled as best as he could but felt it wasn't good enough to pull it off.
She returned his smile and relaxed a bit, resting her head into the pillow.
"Has Greg seen his Godchild?" she asked, her voice becoming stronger. They hadn't talked about having one for the baby, but he couldn't deny that to her.
"Yes, he was there for the whole delivery."
She closed her eyes and nodded her head, never losing her smile.
"Jim, I love you," she whispered and dozed off.
He stared at her a moment and told her, "I love you, too, Debra Wilson."
HOUSE MD HOUSE MD HOUSE MD
Later that afternoon, Debra was lying in bed and had finally felt the stress on her body the surgery had put on her and she hated to admit it to herself, but she knew she was dying. She had asked Wilson earlier that day but he told her she wasn't. She knew he was lying. She hated to be lied to, but she knew he wasn't doing it to be callous. He was only trying to protect her, like she'd been protected all her life. And she loved him for it.
"Hey, mom! How's it going?!" House shouted as he walked into her room.
"Hi," she said; her voice dry and emotionless.
"Are you feeling okay? You don't have to be hurting, you know," he said as he grabbed a chair and sat next to her.
"I know."
"I saw Gregory just a second ago. I think I saw him pull himself up the bassinette and wave at me," House said with a forced smile.
He was expecting a laugh from her, as she always had at his stupid attempts to make her laugh, but she didn't.
"Greg, how much longer do I have?" she finally asked what was on her mind.
"What do you mean, 'how much longer?'" But he knew she knew. He just didn't have the heart to tell her. "Oh, I'd say another sixty years."
She finally turned and looked at him for the first time since he walked in.
"I want to know how long my heart is going to hold out."
It was inevitable; the one thing he hated about his job, well, not the one thing, but the worst.
"Dr Truong consulted your neurosurgeon and it could be weeks, a month at the most."
She took in a deep breath and closed her eyes. "Does Jim know?"
"Yes."
"Okay, thanks. When can I see…"
"Hey, baby!" Wilson shouted when he walked in the room.
"Hi, snook-ums!" House answered.
Wilson laughed and it brought a smile to Debra's face.
"How are you feeling?" he asked as walked to the other side of the bed and gave her a kiss.
"Okay."
"I've got a present for you," he said just as a nurse came in holding something wrapped in her arms.
"Is tha…Gregory?!" she asked, her eyes flew open and she stretched out her arms for her son.
"Yes," Wilson answered. "Wait a minute," he continued as he pushed the button to raise the head part of the bed. House grabbed an extra pillow and put it under her arm. Wilson finally nodded at the nurse, who approached them and laid Gregory in her arms.
"Oh, my…god. He is beautiful, isn't he?" she gasped, feeling every finger and loosening the cloth to check out his toes.
Wilson leaned in and put his right arm over her head and put his head near her shoulder. "He takes after his mommy."
"Uh, I think I'm going to leave…" House started to say.
"No, stay, Greg. You are just as much a part of this are we are," Debra said, giving her attention back to her son. "And no, daddy, he takes after you," she said.
She looked lovingly at Wilson and gave him a kiss. For the first time, House never looked away, gave a disgusted look or made a nasty comment about them being in love. With his cousin and best friend holding their first child for the both of them, he was happy for them.
Debra whispered something into his ear and he nodded his head. She turned and looked at House. "Greg, Jim and I want you to be Gregory's godfather."
The expression on his face was priceless and he was so gratefully honored. But, of course, House being House, he had to bust their chops.
"Uh, you know I'm not a very religious and I killed Steve and…" he started to say.
"How can you say that? After all that's happened between each of us the past year?!" she shot back, meeting his playful banter.
"But I might raise the antichrist," he said, trying to hold back a smile.
"No, House, you're the antichrist," Wilson joined in.
And the three friends laughed, sadly, for the last time, as a group.
"I would be happy, privileged beyond belief and truly honored to be Gregory's godfather."
Early the next morning, Debra's condition was slowly deteriorating. Both Wilson and House knew she was near death and while Wilson was in with her House brought her crying baby to her, insisting he wouldn't stop until she held him. In reality, when he was in the hall, he woke the sleeping child by pinching his toes until he did start to cry.
She held Gregory in her arms and spoke softly to him, and within minutes he had fallen asleep again.
"Gregory, I'm going to miss you, baby. Mommy…I'll be watching over you. Be good to your daddy…" Her voice started to choke and words were beginning to come hard to her. "And keep your cousin Greg in line," she said with a sniffle.
The heart monitor started to beep irregularly, but House turned to shut it off. He had to fight back tears himself, and Wilson didn't even bother trying. Tears streamed down his cheeks and didn't wipe them clear. Debra turned to look at him when she heard him sniffle. With her left hand she reached up and with the back of her forefinger wiped his cheek.
"Don't, James," she said, which only caused thicker tears to drop because she only called him 'James' once, the day of their wedding. "You'll be a great…" She took in a deep, labored breath. "…daddy."
"God, Debra, I love you so much. I did from the moment I saw you," he said, his voice shaky.
"I didn't fall in love with you until you made love to me," she teased then smiled. "I love you, too, baby."
House felt something wet on his cheek, but he didn't dare wipe it for fear Wilson would see him crying. It never dawned on him that this was a very acceptable and appropriate time to cry.
She turned back to House and said to Gregory, "I will always love…you."
She kissed his cheek and handed the baby to House, barely having the strength to hold him up. He took the infant and took him into the hall, laying him in the waiting basinette. He stood against the wall and held his breath. He couldn't take this. He didn't want to lose her. He had grown to love and respect her, one of few people in his life he ever did. He finally wiped his tears and was about to head down the hall when he heard Wilson calling his name.
He rushed back in thinking she had just died but he relaxed a bit when he saw her still with her eyes open and a smile on her face.
"She wants you here with us," Wilson said, losing his voice completely and broke into tears.
Reluctantly House walked to the bed and held her hand.
"Gre…Greg…be good to Allison, will ya?" she said, squeezed his hand and winked. "Give Gregory a cousin to play with, ok?"
House smiled, leaned in and whispered something in her ear and her face beamed, for the first time since they'd come in.
"Way to go," she said, her voice becoming weaker. "Congrat…"
"Shhh, it's a secret," House whispered then looked at Wilson and shook his head.
She turned and looked at her husband, the one man that she truly fell in love with.
"I'll miss you," she whispered, her eyes becoming cloudy and seemingly difficult for her to focus.
"I'll miss you, too, baby, but…I know you'll always be there with us."
Wilson leaned in and gave Debra a kiss, long, sweet, soft; just the way she liked them. A tear fell onto her cheek from Wilson's eye and when he broke from their kiss he went to wipe it off but she told him not to.
"No, I want that…oh…" she moaned as her chest rose and collapse, becoming erratic.
Wilson held her hand harder with both hands and looked into her face lovingly. House felt so out of place, like he didn't belong there with them. He tried to pull away from her grip but she held onto him tightly.
"Greg, I love you, too. Behave yourself or I'm coming back to haunt you."
Wilson broke into tears again and she opened her eyes, a single tear fell from her eye onto the pillow. She broke her hold of House's hand and slowly set it on Wilson's head.
"I'm ready," she whispered.
He looked at her and frowned then realized what she meant.
"No, no, no, no…" Wilson cried over and over.
"I…love…you…" She turned her head and looked at the ceiling, her face becoming soft and almost angelic.
"No, no…STAY WITH ME!" Wilson cried.
"It…dozn't…hurt…" she muttered.
"Oh, Debra, I love you, too," House said at last, and just in time.
Her face softened even further and her eyes lit up, looking at the ceiling as if there were someone there talking to her. She nodded her head, slowly closed her eyes and took her last breath.
"No…Debra…oh," Wilson wailed.
House's heart broke at that moment. He walked out the room as fast as his legs could carry him and headed for the nearest bathroom. With his cane he pounded each door to each stall, and when he found them empty he returned to the door and locked it.
He walked back to a sink, stepped back a few steps, and threw his cane into the mirror above the sink, cracking two of them. He collapsed on the floor and balled like a baby. He hadn't cried so hard since he was a kid and it was the first time his Dad had gotten really hard on him. His chest grew tight and every muscle in his body tightened, tears just streaming down his face. He cried for a good ten minutes, burying his hands in his face and rocking himself back and forth.
Keys rattled in the door and a woman rushed in, fell to her knees beside House, and held him in her arms. He didn't resist. He knew the scent, the feel of her arms, carrying a strength he never had himself.
"Caa…Cam…she'ssss…gone," he cried.
"I know, I know, baby," she said softly and began to rock him gently……..
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Okay, this story WILL be continued because House still hasn't dealt with his daddy issues. And I think I'll switch up the last one with medical cases and stuff; I already have stuff to use. :o) But I'll make the story short…like 15 chapters, I guess.
I think I'll name the last of the Trilogy "And Another Door Opens", if I can't think of a better name by then, which I hope to God I can! lol
So, check back in a week or two for the continuation.
Thanks for all the reviews and I'm glad everyone liked it…I had a good time writing it, as well. :o)
