Chapter 37
During a commercial break of WWE Friday Night Smackdown, Issy asked: "You know, Christmas is in less than three weeks. What do you usually do for the holiday?"
House snorted: "Eat Chinese food with my good Jewish friend Wilson. Hit a movie. Get drunk. The usual."
"OK. Let me rephrase the question. What should your girlfriend be doing for the holiday? Shall we put up a tree? Do you want me to make a big Christmas dinner?"
House leaned his head back against the couch and chuckled. "A tree. Crap, I haven't had a tree since Stacy left. She used to decorate, hang stockings and all that pagan crap. And then she had to go to church on Christmas Eve and it was always a fight because she wanted me to go and I wouldn't."
He stared intently at Issy: "Do you go to church on Christmas?"
Issy shook her head: "Hell no. I'm a total Pagan. A jolly fat man that flies around the world in a sleigh drawn by eight flying reindeer and hands out free gifts is more believable to me than the whole birth in the manger thing."
House breathed a sigh of relief. "OK. Good. We agree on that point. What do you usually do on Christmas?"
Issy shrugged: "Nothing much. Thanksgiving and Christmas were the only days that the clubs were closed. I was basically happy to just have the day off. What I did for the last couple of years is go to the Trenton soup kitchen and help serve dinner."
House asked incredulously: "You'd spend your day off feeding a bunch of homeless people?"
She answered in a defensive tone: "Yes. They're people too and they should have a holiday meal."
He gave her a brisk nod: "You're right."
He was silent for a few minutes and Issy could practically see the wheels turning in his head. Finally he spoke: "Yeah, we did Thanksgiving; we should do Christmas. Wilson would expect that. In fact, I'm surprised that he hasn't already asked me what I'm getting you for a present. The man is slipping. I guess we should get a tree, huh?"
The little kid inside of her leapt for joy at the thought of a real live Christmas tree, but grown-up Issy merely shrugged and said: "If you want. Since you used to have one with Stacy, Wilson would probably expect you to have one with me, right?"
"Good point. We'll get a tree and some decorations. Can you handle that? I'm really not much into the whole fa-la-la-la-la thing. I'll give you some money and you can get the stuff. Get some."
He paused and Issy waited him out.
Finally he said: "Get the little white twinkly lights for the tree. The all white kind, not the multi-colored ones. The all white is nicer."
Issy grabbed a piece of paper and a pen. She jotted down his request and then asked: "Anything else?"
"A live tree, not a fake one. And do not get an angel or a star for the top of the tree. Find some other kind of decoration. I can deal with Santa but not with all the religious crapola. Stockings on the mantel would be OK. And when you get the tree, get a live wreath for the door too. Hey, can you make a ham for Christmas dinner?"
For a guy who just stated that he wasn't into the whole Christmas scene, he sure had a lot of requests. Issy smiled inwardly and said: "Of course, I can make a ham. Are we inviting Wilson over for Christmas dinner? I mean, he's Jewish, does he eat ham?"
House smirked: "The man has eaten pork fried rice with me every Christmas for the last seven years. He'll eat ham. He ain't a kosher Jew, just a cultural one. What about you, babe?"
Issy was surprised by the sudden change in topic: "What about me, what?"
"What do you like for Christmas? Is there anything special that you want?"
She shook her head. "Whatever you want is fine with me. I haven't really done Christmas a whole lot lately."
He gently touched her face: "What about before? You know, way before. Like when that picture was taken."
Issy suddenly felt like crying. Why had he brought that up? "I was four when that picture was taken. I don't really remember a whole lot."
"Did he give you the dog that Christmas?"
She ducked her head, not wanting to meet his intense gaze. "No, he gave me the dog on my fourth birthday."
House realized that he was touching a sore nerve. He wrapped his arms around her and rested his cheek on the top of her head. "What do you remember about Christmas with your Dad?"
Issy pressed her cheek against his chest; his heartbeat was a comforting sound. "He used to put candy in my stocking. Candy canes and Hershey Kisses. Red and green lollipops. One year, he gave me a little record player and some records. I think I was five."
She started to giggle: "One year, someone gave him this really hideous tie. It was so ugly and I mean, Daddy worked in a factory. He never wore ties, so it was a really stupid present. We used it on the snowman instead of a scarf. We always made a snowman on Christmas Day."
Her voice trailed off and she found herself missing her Daddy more than she had in a long time. Damn holiday season. Why wasn't it January yet?
House squeezed her tighter: "I guess in Ohio you are pretty much guaranteed snow on Christmas, huh?"
She nodded, but didn't say any more.
"Wilson always gives me ugly ties for Christmas. Like I wear them? You'd think he'd know by now."
Issy touched his chest. "You're not a tie guy. Vintage tee shirts would be a better choice for you."
He teased: "Is that what you're going to get me?"
She gave him a surprised look.
"Well, if we're doing Christmas, we'll have to give each other presents. Any thoughts on that?"
Her eyes widened at the thought. Presents? She had no idea what to get him, and what on earth would he get her? Her mind reeled. She shook her head: "Not at the moment."
"I guess we can just surprise each other. When are you going to get the tree and stuff?"
"This weekend, I guess. Why?"
"I just wanted to be sure Wilson was here to help you bring the tree in. He'll be here on Sunday to watch football. You should definitely bring the tree home then."
"Sunday, it is then."
+++ HOUSE MD +++ HOUSE MD +++
After making breakfast on Sunday, House gave Issy some cash and she headed out to Target. The vast selection of Christmas-related items stunned her; there was so much to choose from. She started with the basics. First she found a tree stand and a green tree skirt decorated with snowmen to cover the base of the tree. White twinkly lights were next and she tossed four boxes into the cart. The silver garland looked nice so four boxes of that went into the cart also.
Suddenly she had an idea. The tree would have a winter wonderland theme. All of the decorations would be white or silver in color. She found some silver bells and snowflake decorations. Perfect. A box of icicles would complete the look that she wanted.
Now, she needed a tree topper that wasn't religious. There wasn't that big of a selection and most of them were stars or angels. Finally she found a snowman topper that would fit in with her theme. He went into the cart. In the next bin were some sprigs of mistletoe. It was kinda corny, but it seemed like something that a couple in love would hang up. Wilson would get a chuckle out of it. She tossed two sprigs into the cart.
What else did she need? Oh, yeah, stockings for the mantel. She pushed the cart into the next aisle and found a package of stocking holders that she thought were adorable. There were four holders: a snowman, a tree, a snowflake and Santa. She hoped that Greg wouldn't think they were too cutesy because she really wanted them. Suddenly, she was starting to get excited about decorating. She tried to picture the mantel in her mind. It seemed like it would be a bit bare with just two stockings hanging there. An idea occurred to her and she hurried back to the other aisle. A length of fir garland and a snowy white mantel cloth were just the ticket. If Greg thought the holders were too cutesy, she could disguise them with the other items.
She headed back to the other aisle for the stockings. She started to pick up the traditional red ones when another display caught her eye. Her mouth fell open as she picked up a particular stocking. It was a Monster Jam 'Maximum Destruction' monster truck stocking. She had to get that; Greg would love it.
Now, what to get for herself? She looked up and down the aisle, finally deciding on a musical Snoopy stocking. It played that joyous Peanuts theme from 'A Charlie Brown Christmas', the one that always made her feel like dancing. Greg might not like it, but she could play it when he wasn't around. The stocking depicted Snoopy laying down on his doghouse, which had been decorated with Christmas lights. A stocking with a dog on it seemed perfect for her.
Issy looked over the contents in her basket; it seemed like she had everything that she needed from Target. As she started towards the checkout, she passed the end cap that held Hanukkah decorations. She paused for a minute to look at them. She didn't really know much about the holiday, except that they lit one candle for each night of the holiday and used a special eight-branched candleholder. What were they called? Oh, yeah, menorahs. As she examined the items on the end cap, she noticed some stockings. There was a blue one with little menorahs all over it. Issy grinned; she'd get that for Wilson. Then they would have three stockings on the mantel. She'd find a little present to stuff in there for him to open. If he was having Christmas dinner with them, he may as well have a present to open too. She tossed the Hanukkah stocking into her cart and headed to the registers.
+++ HOUSE MD +++ HOUSE MD +++
There was a Christmas tree lot about five blocks from their apartment. Issy headed there right after she packed the trunk with her Target purchases. She scrutinized the trees carefully, finally deciding on a six foot Fraser fir. While the guys tied it to the top of her car, she picked out a wreath and paid for her purchases. As she climbed back into her car, she checked her watch. It was just after 1:00 and Wilson should be there by now. Her timing was spot on.
She parked the car and then grabbed the wreath and a couple of the Target bags and headed inside. She burst into the apartment and announced cheerily: "Guess what? I got a tree."
The guys spun their heads around. House looked at her incredulously: "A tree? You got a Christmas tree? For us?"
Greg was playing the part of the reluctant boyfriend in this Christmas 'play' and Issy's role was the enthusiastic girlfriend that was full of Christmas cheer. Wilson was their audience of one.
She responded with great cheer: "Yes, Greg. It's Christmas. I got us a tree. It's out on my car right now. Come on, help me bring it in."
He scowled: "Yeah, right. Cripple here. You want the tree, you can bring it in."
"I can't get it off the roof by myself. I need another set of hands. Please?"
Wilson stood up. "I'll help you bring it in. We'll leave the Grinch here on the couch and hope that his heart will grow a size or two before Christmas."
"Oh, thanks, Wilson. That's so nice of you."
Wilson held his hand up in a 'stop' gesture. "Wait a minute before we bring it in. Where are you putting it?"
Issy pointed: "Right in front of the window."
"OK. You got the tree stand?"
She dove into one of the Target bags and pulled it out. Under Wilson's direction, she got a towel and placed it under the tree stand so that the legs would not mar the wood floor. Once the stand was set up, they went out to bring the tree in.
House smirked; the plan was working perfectly.
The two of them dragged the tree in and got it set up in the stand. House took a deep inhalation; he loved the smell of pine. Issy had shown good judgment with the tree; it was just the right size for their space.
Issy thanked Wilson for his help, assured him that she could handle the rest and ran back out to the car to bring in the rest of the bags. Wilson smirked at House as he sat back down.
"Seems like your girlfriend is really into Christmas."
House groaned: "Great. Just what I need. Oh, well. I'll probably get some presents out of the deal."
"Hey, it's not a one-way street. You need to get her a gift too."
House whined: "Oh, Dad, do I have too?"
"She's your girlfriend. I think if you don't, she'll be rather disappointed. I wouldn't count on any Christmas sex if she doesn't have a gift to unwrap."
"She can unwrap me anytime, no need to wait until Christmas."
Wilson groaned.
"Yeah, you'll probably right. Don't wanna miss out on the Yuletime sex. Issy really knows how to jingle my bells, if you get my meaning."
"I get it, I get it. You don't have to spell it out. Just go buy here a present. Something nice, not just lingerie for you to take off of her."
"Damn, no lingerie? I saw this hot red teddy in Victoria's Secret too. Issy would look smokin' in that."
Wilson rolled his eyes. "You're hopeless, House."
++++ HOUSE MD +++++ HOUSE MD +++++
Issy insisted that she didn't need any help, but as Wilson explained, it was much easier to hang the lights with one person on each side of the tree. House kept one eye on the football game and the other on the amusing scene across the room. He had to admit that his Jewish friend could efficiently decorate a Christmas tree.
After the lights and garland were up, Issy shooed Wilson away, saying that she could handle the rest herself.
"Go enjoy the game. I'm going to throw some snacks in the oven and then I'll finish the tree."
A certain word caused House's ears to perk up: "What kinda snacks?"
"Mini-pizzas, and pigs-in-a-blanket. They'll be ready in about twenty minutes"
Wilson actually looked disappointed at being banished from the tree.
House rolled his eyes: "You'd rather decorate a Druidic symbol of eternal life than watch the Jets battle the Browns? I'm gonna pull your Man Card."
Wilson mumbled: "Haven't had a Christmas tree since Julie left."
House exclaimed: "And you're Jewish! Why would you even want one?"
Wilson shrugged: "They're nice to look at."
Issy leaned over the back of the couch and addressed Wilson: "Does that mean you'll come to Christmas dinner? I'm baking a ham."
Just as Wilson said: "Yes, I'd love to come," House interjected with: "Christmas dinner? What the hell? We just had Thanksgiving."
Issy singsonged: "It's the most wonderful time of the year."
Then she giggled: "Don't worry. You won't have to do a thing except eat. I'll make it worth your while."
House said in an ominous tone: "You better."
Issy winked at him. "Don't I always?"
She turned and pranced back to the Christmas tree. There was a little extra English in the sway of her hips. She started humming the tune to 'Santa Baby' as she bent over to pull the decorations out of the Target bag. It seemed to take her quite a while to find what she was looking for, and she remained in that bent-over position for several minutes as she searched, enticingly swaying her hips to the song.
The guys watched, slack-jawed.
Finally she found what she was looking for and stood up with a box of ornaments in her hand. Issy gave House a saucy look over her shoulder and commenced decorating the tree.
House let out a deep sigh. "Fuck. Me."
Wilson chuckled: "Somehow I'd be willing to bet that she does that quite well."
A/N: Warning! I'm off on vacation and I won't be able to post while I'm gone. It will be about 10 days before you get the next chapter, so hang it there. I'll be back! Thank you so much for reading.