Hello everyone, I hope you are all doing well!
I'd like to thank you all for the support and for staying with me utill the end! And thank you all for taking the time to review and tell me what you think about this story. They really have helped me improve a lot. I know the last few chapters have been a little soft but that's because I hadn't really planned on taking the story so far at the beggining. I couldn't think of a plot I liked in order to continue this story with it. The idea about Alex getting sick was good but I would need at least five chapters to develop it as I would have liked that's why I didn't proceed with it ;)
I tried something in this chapter, it's not like the previous ones and it is a little angsty. Not something overdramatic but I hope you will like it.
Sooo, the last chapter of this story is finally here... But it's not completely over yet. I will start writing the epilogue tomorrow and it will probably be posted the next week. I don't think that I'm going to write a sequel to this. I haven't thought of a good plot so it's better to leave it here than write something that I don't like.
Again, big thanks to everyone who has been reading this story! :D Stay tuned for the epilogue ;)
I hope you will enjoy this chapter...
Chapter 36: Together...
.
He opened the door to his office and entered, slamming the glass door behind him and making his team members glance towards his direction.
He scoffed upon seeing them and he immediately drew the blinds shut and went to sit behind his desk. He hooked his cane at the edge of his desk and took his oversized tennis ball in his hands.
He was angry… really angry… and he wanted everyone to know. Especially his dear wife…
They rarely fought with Cameron but when they did everyone stepped away and didn't interfere at all.
This was one of those rare times. Cuddy had asked them to work on a patient together, a very dear friend of hers. They had agreed of course, first of all because they both wanted to help and secondly because House thought that the case was one of the most interesting ones he had ever seen.
Things were going smoothly at the beginning and they were working really well together as always but then the patient slipped into a coma. And that's when they started disagreeing about the course they should take.
They had both agreed that they needed more tests in order to make sure what was wrong but when those tests had come back inconclusive he started suggesting drastic measures. This time though she hadn't agreed with him.
After a long time of arguing and disagreeing they had ended up in Cuddy's office where he had suggested brain surgery to see what was really going on. He had become so obsessed with solving the case that he didn't hear anyone so Cuddy had decided to follow Cameron's idea and she pulled him off the case.
That's when he snapped and said that if he couldn't solve the case how did she expect one of his students to solve it. After that he just stormed out of the office and went straight to his.
That's where he was now. He threw his oversized tennis ball against the wall forcefully and cursed loudly. He really shouldn't have said that. If he was thinking at that moment he wouldn't have said that but unfortunately his mind was only on the case and nowhere else.
And, of course, at times like these he was too stubborn to apologize.
The door of his office flew open revealing a furious Cameron who walked straight in front of his desk, her eyes locking with his.
"You think that I'm incapable of solving this case?" she demanded to know.
He didn't talk. He just refused to answer that question. He knew that a simple 'no' would calm the situation enough so that they could talk but he refused to give in. When his stubbornness took over a simple thing like that seemed like the most complicated thing of the world.
"Don't you have a patient to save?" he asked, his gaze holding hers, not backing down.
"Just answer the damn question Greg!" she yelled, never dropping his gaze.
This time though he did look away making her sigh in frustration.
"That's your answer? Very mature Greg, I think our five year old is more mature than you are right now!" she stated, resting her hands on her hips and waiting for him to say something.
"What do you expect me to say Allison? Cuddy pulled me off the case because she probably thinks that you are going to do this better than me!" he shouted, locking eyes with her.
"No Greg, she pulled you off the case because you want to open his head and take a look at his brain!" she tried to explain but she couldn't lower her tone.
"I wanted to do a procedure that you had agreed doing in the past!"
"Yes, in the past! Because then it was our only chance but now we still have time to figure out what is wrong without killing the patient!" she contradicted.
"He is as good as dead anyway!" he shouted making her throw her hands in the air in frustration.
"No he is not and you know that! You are just trying to back up your crazy idea!" she replied heatedly.
"So now it's a crazy idea, right?" he demanded, standing up and pressing his palms on his desk.
"Yes, at this point it is." She said steadily, trying to control her voice and not yell again.
He laughed ironically, not being able to control it. He really should start thinking again…
"You'd better go save your patient, because Cuddy pulled me off the case." He said, stressing out the word your and locking eyes with her.
"And you blame me for that…" she guessed but he didn't reply making her believe that the answer to her question was yes.
She turned to leave but when she reached the door and her hand reached for the door knob she turned to look at him again.
"Thanks for trusting me by the way…" she said and he didn't miss the tone of sarcasm in her voice.
The moment the door closed behind her he took his cane and threw it at the wall, effectively snapping it into two pieces.
"Damn it…" he muttered under his breath and he sat back down to his chair burying his face in his hands.
Meanwhile, she was heading to the lab. She really shouldn't have said the last part. She regretted saying that last sentence the moment it left her lips.
She knew he trusted her, she knew he trusted her with his life and she also knew that what she had said was low but he had managed to take her close to her breaking point and she couldn't help it at that moment.
She really hated it when they fought, she hated it… Although they rarely fought when they did it was pretty ugly.
This time they had both overreacted, they had both crossed some lines and although they knew it they were both so stubborn that they wouldn't admit it until they really had to do it.
She knew that it was childish but she couldn't just forgive him like that. She needed to see that he had understood that what he had said had hurt her. She was sure that what she had said had hurt me the same, or even more, but she just refused to go and find him first.
So she continued walking towards the lab, trying not to think about it and hoping that they would get through this fast because she didn't know how long she could take it.
xOxOx
"Are you an idiot?" exclaimed Wilson, storming into his best friend's office.
"Can you clarify?" House asked, quirking an eyebrow in question.
"Michael is sick, Lisa is a mess because of that and instead of helping you are fighting with Allison!" Wilson said in frustration.
"Oh, that… boy do the nurses talk in this hospital." He said, looking away from his friend.
"The nurses didn't have to talk! I had the door to my office closed and I could still hear you two yelling, probably the whole floor could!" Wilson explained, locking his eyes on his friend's face.
"So, are you here to lecture me? This isn't my entire fault you know, it takes two to tango." House said, his voice rising once again that day.
"You could have backed down and things wouldn't have come this far!" Wilson yelled making House snap.
"She didn't back down, why should I?" he demanded to know.
"God, you are the two most stubborn people on earth!" Wilson said in irritation, running his fingers through his hair.
"Thanks for the compliment." House said sarcastically before standing up from his chair and limping towards the TV in order to switch it on.
"Wait, where is your cane?" Wilson observed making House roll his eyes.
"Aren't you the observant one? I broke it, happy?" he asked and without waiting for an answer he switched the TV on and he limped to his lounge chair.
"Short this out…" Wilson said pointing his finger to him.
"And then help her solve the case." He stated making House scoff.
"Your girlfriend believes that she can solve it alone." He said with a shrug, his eyes glued on the TV screen.
"No, she can't… and neither can you. The only way to solve this is by working together." Wilson replied and House didn't miss the double meaning of his sentence.
He didn't say anything though. He just changed the channel and his eyes remained glued to the screen.
"Sometimes I think that Alex is more mature than you are…" Wilson said, shaking his head.
"Hey, at least Allison thinks that I'm still more mature than Alex." He said, shrugging.
Wilson sighed in defeat and headed to the door.
"Talk to her Greg!" he shouted before exiting the office, leaving him alone.
xOxOx
A soft knock on the door of her office made Cameron look up from the patient's symptoms and look at the door only to find Foreman there, looking at her with a sympathetic smile.
"I guess the whole hospital has heard by now." She guessed and he gave her a small nod.
She let out a sigh and he took one of the chairs that were in front of her desk and he placed it next to her. He sat down, crossed his arms in front of his chest and waited.
"You know everything, what do you want me to say?" she asked in frustration making him smile.
"I know you for so many years and I still haven't figured out who is more stubborn." He sated making a small smile appear on her lips.
"I don't think we will ever find the answer to that one." She replied making him smile as well.
"How is Michael?" he asked, looking at the symptoms in front of her.
"Not good… and he is deteriorating as time passes by." She said sadly.
She leaned forward and buried her face in her hands.
"I think he was right… I can't do this…" she said, her voice almost muffled because of her position.
"I know." He said making her pull back and look at him questioningly.
"Lisa gave the case to both of you. And she didn't do it just because Michael is her friend and she wants the best doctors on his case. She did it because she knew that the only way you two could solve this case is by working together." He clarified.
She let out a sigh and she leaned to him, resting her head against his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and he dropped a kiss on the top of her head.
"Frustrating huh?" he asked with a sympathetic smile.
"You have no idea…" she mumbled.
They stayed like that for some minutes but her beeping pager made her pull back and look at it.
"Damn it, he went into cardiac arrest." She said and immediately stood up.
She gave Foreman a hug and he wrapped his arms tightly around her body.
"Thanks Eric but I have to go…" she mumbled.
She felt him nod and she pulled back and left her office, heading straight to Michael's room.
xOxOx
It was an hour later that he was stabilized but still in a coma. Cameron had returned to her office and then she made her way to the day care to feed Alex. But when she reached the day care she found Alex nowhere to be found.
One of the employees told her that Dr. House had passed earlier and took him to Diagnostics with him.
She nodded her thanks to the young woman and went straight to House's office. She opened the door with a lot less force this time but her anger hadn't dissipated yet.
He was sitting in his big lounge chair with a sleeping Alex in his arms. The moment he heard the door opening he turned to see who it was.
She looked at him without saying anything and he sighed.
"I fed him, ok? And don't start yelling again, he just fell asleep." He said in a low tone not wanting to wake up their sleeping son.
She still didn't say anything. She just walked towards him and took a sit on the footstool that was close to the chair he was sitting in. Her knees grazed his as she sat down, looking at Alex who was sleeping peacefully in his arms but none of them said anything.
"Can I hold him?" she asked after a few silent minutes.
Suddenly she felt that everything was drowning her and she wanted to hold onto something. She didn't want to seek out for his help yet so their son was the closest thing to comfort she could get at that moment.
He immediately sensed that something except their fight was haunting her and he guessed correctly that things with Michael weren't good.
Seeing her like this broke him down. At that moment she seemed helpless and he wasn't used to seeing her this way.
He reached out and took her hand in his, drawing her to him. He made her sit down on his good leg and she handed Alex to her so that he could hug her. His arms wrapped around her body holding her tightly against him. She buried her head in the crook of his neck and she couldn't stop the tears from falling.
"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…" she mumbled against his skin.
"It's ok angel, I'm sorry too…" he said, caressing her back in a soothing manner.
"I shouldn't have said that to you, I know it was unfair to you…" she said truthfully, her green-blue eyes connecting with his blue ones.
He reached out and brushed the tears away with his thumb.
"I shouldn't have said what I said either… I know that you have worked really hard to get where you are and I also know that you are a hundred percent capable of dealing with a case like this one…" he said in a whisper, his eyes never leaving hers.
"Really?" she asked, needing his confirmation more than anyone else's.
"I wouldn't have married you if you weren't." he said with that little smirk of his making her laugh and smack his arm playfully.
"I love you Greg…" she said in a soft tone.
He gave her one of his smiles, the one that still made her heart skip a beat every time he used it and he dropped a kiss on her lips. He rested his forehead against hers and he closed his eyes, thankful that they managed to solve this.
"How is Michael?" he asked after some silent moments and she exhaled heavily.
"Things are not good…" she replied, without moving from her position.
"Come on, let's take him back to the day care and go solve this case together." He said and she opened her eyes at once in order to look at him.
He gave her one of his half smiles and she nodded, smiling as well.
"We have to convince Cuddy first." She said, standing up and cradling the still sleeping baby in her embrace.
"Piece of cake, I'll just tell her that I don't want to pick her friend's brain apart." He replied with a smirk making her roll her eyes.
"I don't think it's going to help." She said seriously.
He looked mischievously at her and she quirked an eyebrow in question.
"You have something in mind, right?" she asked and he winked at her.
He picked his broken cane from the ground and after taking his lab coat from one of the cupboards in his office he headed out of the office, motioning for her to follow him.
"When did you break that?" she asked following him.
"I think it was after you left and before Wilson came for a lecture." He clarified making her shake her head.
"Take Alex back to the day care and I'll go to Cuddy." He said and she nodded.
He reached her office a while later and after hanging his lab coat on the cane he poked it inside her office and waved it like a flag.
"I come in peace!" he exclaimed.
"If this is a joke House I swear I'll fire your sorry ass!" Cuddy said in frustration.
He entered the office and looked at her incredulously.
"No you won't!" he said, like it was the most natural thing in the word.
Cuddy ignored the comment and sat behind her desk.
"What are you doing here? I thought I pulled you off the case when you thought it would be wise to cut Michael's head open…" she stated matter-of-factly.
"I changed my mind." He said nonchalantly.
"You are kidding right?" she asked, studying him with a raised eyebrow.
At that moment Cameron entered the office and stood right next to him.
"He is not kidding… we are going to do this together." She said surely.
The look in her eyes made a huge burden lift from Cuddy's shoulder. She could tell that they had resolved everything and that they were ready to get to work together.
"Just…"
"Don't pick his brain apart?" Cameron asked and Cuddy nodded.
"Not unless it is absolutely necessary." House stated and without another word he limped out of Cuddy's office.
"Where is your cane?" she shouted as the couple walked away.
"It had an unpleasant experience with the wall." He yelled, not turning to look back and he walked with Cameron to the elevators and back to his office where his and Cameron's teams were waiting for them.
xOxOx
It was in the wee hours of the morning that they finally figured out what was wrong with their patient. House and Cameron were in the conference room talking and trying to find out what was wrong before their time run out when she noticed one of the test results that they thought had nothing to do with the symptoms.
And then everything fell into place in their minds. They ordered the test to confirm their suspicion and thankfully it returned back positive. They had started treatment immediately and they were waiting for him to wake up.
Cameron's parents had passed by the hospital to pick up Alex and then they took both Beth and Alex to their place for the night since both House and Cameron wouldn't return home until much later.
So, now that everything was settled they were lying on the couch in House's office, waiting for the treatment to start working. They were both really exhausted but content that they had managed to figure out what was wrong with the patient.
The exhaustion was too great though and they finally fell asleep in each other's embrace before anyone could tell them that Michael had come out of the coma.
She woke up around eleven the next morning. All the blinds were closed… her back was resting against his chest and his arms were protectively wrapped around her body. She turned in his embrace so that she was facing him and she placed a small kiss on his lips.
He opened his eyes gingerly, testing the lighting of the room before fully opening them. His eyes connected with hers and he gave her a small smile.
"Hey…" he mumbled groggily, closing his eyes again.
"Good morning…" she replied.
"What time is it?" he asked, stifling a yawn.
She glanced at the clock on the wall and then did a double take.
"The clock says eleven." She said.
He eyes snapped open and he looked at the clock and then back at her.
"And Cuddy hasn't barged in here yet? Impressive…" he said with a smirk.
"She probably hasn't left Michael's room. A room which, by the way, we have to visit soon." She said, dropping a soft kiss on his lips.
She made a move to stand up but his arms wrapped around her body tightly.
"I'm not going anywhere." She reassured, caressing his cheek softly.
He gave her a small nod and he let her stand up. She opened the blinds and saw that no one was in the conference room.
"Where is your team?" she asked curiously.
He sat properly on the couch and he rubbed his hand over his face.
"Cuddy probably gave them the day off." He said with a shrug.
"I'm going to make some coffee, are you coming?" she asked, motioning for him to follow her.
He stood up and looked around the office, looking for his cane but then he remembered what had happened to it so he walked behind her without it and sat on the first chair he found.
She went straight to the coffee machine and she prepared a generous amount of the hot liquid. House leaned to the table and pillowed his head on his forearm. She sat down on a chair next to his a few minutes later and she placed his red mug on the table.
He gratefully took the mug into his hand and took a sip of the hot liquid.
A knock on the door caught their attention and when they looked at that direction they saw Wilson standing by the door.
"Everything ok?" he asked and took a sit opposite them.
"Yeah, everything is good." Cameron replied with a smile.
"That's for you." He said, handing a new cane to House.
"Cool, it's like the one with the flames I had! Beth is going to like this." He said, nodding appreciatively at his friend.
"How is Michael?" Cameron asked with concern.
"No one came to tell you? I sent Kutner here some hours ago. And then Cuddy told your teams to go home for the day…" Wilson explained.
"I think he ran off when he saw us sleeping on the couch." House said with a smirk.
"I wonder why…" Wilson said, smirking as well.
"I'm sorry to interrupt but how is Michael?" Cameron asked, looking intently at them.
"Oh, sorry… He is out of the coma, treatment seems to work. Lisa stayed by his side all night to monitor him. I visited him this morning and he looks a lot better." Wilson replied with a smile.
"Excellent! Now we can go home!" House exclaimed making Wilson shake his head.
"And here I thought that you cared enough to stay here." He said wistfully.
"Right… Michael and eye never saw eye to eye, you remember that. Plus, I helped save his life what else do you want from me?" he asked incredulously, looking at his friend in bewilderment.
"You are right, what was I thinking?" Wilson said, crossing his arms in front of his chest and smiling in amusement.
"Anyway, I'm off. I have to convince Lisa to go home and rest." He announced and stood up.
"Wait, I'm coming with you." Cameron said following him.
"I thought we were going home!" House yelled as they walked out of the office.
"In a while!" she replied, still walking with Wilson.
House let out a sigh and he watched them as they walked away. Then he grabbed his red mug and went to his office to wait for her.
xOxOx
"Daddy, can we go to the park tomorrow?" Beth asked looking at her father expectantly.
They were sitting on the couch in the living room watching the new movie that Beth had bought with her grandparents that day. She was tucked in his left side and they were both covered with a blanket, an empty pop-corn bowl on the coffee table.
He quirked an eyebrow and he studied his daughter's face.
"Please!" she dragged out making him smile.
"If your mother agrees we can go." He replied making a grin appear on her face.
"Ok! I'll tell her when she comes!" she announced and then turned her attention back to the TV screen.
He shook his head in amusement and he waited for Cameron to return from the nursery where she had gone to put Alex to bed.
She came back a few minutes later and she found them still on the couch watching the movie.
She walked towards them and sat down next to Beth who immediately turned to look at her when she sat down.
"Mommy, can we go to the park tomorrow since you don't work and I don't have school?" she asked with her best puppy-dog eyes.
Cameron smiled and caressed her daughter's hair tenderly.
"Sure angel, we can." She replied.
Beth grinned widely and continued watching the movie. By the time the film ended she was fast asleep between them.
Cameron nudged House softly and he smiled upon seeing their daughter sleeping.
"I'll take her to her room…" she said, picking Beth in her embrace and standing up.
"I'll go check on Alex and then I'll head to bed." He said and after grabbing his cane he followed her down the hall.
Cameron went to Beth's room and tucked her in her bed. She pulled the blanket over her body and after dropping a kiss on her forehead she went to the nursery.
House was still in there, next to their son's crib. His hand was resting over the baby's small chest feeling it rising and falling with each breath he took.
She went behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist. He leaned into her touch and he closed his eyes making her smile at his actions. She dropped a kiss between his shoulder blades and stood next to him.
"Come on, let's go to bed…" she whispered and caressed Alex's soft hair before catching his hand in hers.
"I thought you'd never say that!" he said and willingly followed her to their bedroom where they changed and settled into bed.
She immediately found her way into his embrace and he held her tightly into his arms.
"I hate it when we fight…" she admitted and she felt him nod.
"I know angel…" he whispered "But, hey, you are married to me, you expected that we would never fight?" he asked with one of his smirks.
She slapped his arm playfully and she turned to look at him.
"When we first started dating you thought that we would fight all the time, remember?" she asked.
"Ah, yes… When we first started dating every week that passed I wondered why you were still with me." He confessed in a whisper.
"The great Gregory House had doubts?" she teased and he groaned.
"Why do I open my mouth?" he asked in bewilderment, trying to suppress the smile that threatened to find his its way to his lips.
"So I can do this…" she whispered before claiming his lips with hers in a slow and sensual kiss.
He willingly responded to her kisses and caresses and soon they forgot what they were talking about and lost themselves in each other.
Afterwards and she he was holding her in his arms and he watched her sleeping peacefully he couldn't help but think how lucky he was.
He never thought that his life would be like this someday. Not even before the infarction. But now he couldn't even think of living without everything he had now.
She had given him everything he thought he didn't want and now he needed them in order to breath.
She had given him her love and their two children. These three people were all his life and he wouldn't change it for anything in the world.
She sighed in her sleep interrupting his thoughts and his eyes locked on her sleeping form. Yeap, he wouldn't change it for the whole wide world.
He knew that things weren't always going to be easy but if he had her he was sure that they were going to get through everything that came their way.
The future didn't scare him and he longed to see what it had in store for them and for their children. And of course he was going to be there for them, they both would…
He closed his eyes and he let her even breathing lull him to sleep as well. And before he fell asleep he thanked whatever higher power was up there for sending that wonderful woman his way and for making his life worthwhile.
Now he just hoped that his future would be as good as the past years with her. And he was almost sure that it would be just fine…