Hello to everyone! I have to apologize because sometimes I forget to explain some medical aspects and one of you made me realize I haven't actually explain what FSH is.

So here I am. Little lesson of endocrinology ;)

FSH (follicle stimulating hormone) is an hormon produced by the pituitary gland. FSH level is normal/low (3-20 mU/ml) during a normal menstrual period (very low after ovulation and during pregnancy) but is high/very high (40-120 mU/ml) when ovaries don't work anymore, like in menopause.

And furthermore... during menopause estrogens level are very low. So here is House's joke about soy and estrogens. Soy contains phito-estrogens so it's often used by menopausal women to reduce menopausal symptoms ;)

Fine! End of the medical lesson! I hope you'll enjoy this chapter! And if you want to leave a review on your way out... well by now you know how much I love them! ;)

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Chapter 36- Virus - Part 3

...

He checked that long list of tests before finding between them also the result of Cuddy's blood sample of a couple of days earlier. He looked at that single value and smiled, closing his eyes for a moment before standing up, exiting the room. He put the patient folder on the desk as he walked out of the clinic followed by Nurse Brenda's exasperated look.

...

That same morning. 7 a.m.

...

Cuddy looked at House as he opened the fridge door and glared at him as he drank straight from the milk carton. She looked at him as he took a long sip and then spit it out in the kitchen sink glaring at her in turn. She rolled her eyes at him and laughed.

"What the hell is it?" He said with a disgusted look, looking at the label on the milk carton still in his hand.

"Soymilk" She said holding back a laugh as she watched Mia, who was drinking her milk in her bottle sitting on her legs, before returning to look at House again.

House shook his head, opening the fridge again and looking for the milk carton, this time checking the label before pouring it on his cereals, then sitting down at the table in front of her, between Rachel and Grace, looking at her with a slightly evil look, smiling and running his tongue on his lips.

"Shut up!" She said, staring at him with an annoyed look that melted into a smile, while she could tell that joke in his eyes.

"I didn't say anything, Cuddy!" He laughed, realizing in turn what joke she was expecting from him "Anyway... how can you drink that stuff?" He added.

Cuddy stared at him and shook her head slightly failing not to smile.

"It's good, Dad!" Rachel said drawing on herself the attention of both of them "No cholesterol and no lactose" she added, while House turned his head and looked at her raising both eyebrows "But it's better with chocolate" she said finishing her cup of chocolate milk and smiling.

House couldn't help but ruffle her hair and smile.

"Yeah!" He laughed looking at her little face, dirty with chocolate, and wiping her with a towel, before looking at Cuddy again.

"You're raising a monster, Cuddy, you know that, don't you?" He told her letting out a laugh and shaking his head slightly.

"Me?" she replied, smiling "She wouldn't know by memory every commercial if you let her watch less TV" she said taking another sip from her cup while he smiled and brought a spoonful of his cereal to his mouth.

House continued to look at her as she finished the liquid into her cup and then stood up, leaving on the table a slice of toast to which she had given barely two bites. She put Mia in her highchair and gave her a kiss on her little nose and one on her lips, before putting her empty cup in the kitchen sink, throwing in the trash the tea bag. She passed near him on her way out and bent over to kiss him on the cheek. He put his arm around her pulling her back closer to him and kissed her lightly on the lips.

"Don't forget our appointment with Molly at 5.30 this afternoon" he said on her mouth, making her smile.

"Me?" she laughed, looking into his eyes.

"At your age it is normal to misfire, Cuddy" he said teasing her but at the same time cupping her butt, squeezing it.

"If I was you I'll be more worried about the atherosclerosis in your arteries, House!" She said, looking at him with a mischievous look.

Holy shit! How could that woman turn him on just with a look! And, what is more, talking about atherosclerosis! House shook his head, unable to avoid laughing.

"Are you interested in a specific artery, Cuddy?" He asked with the same look she had gave him.

"The one with which you're used to think!" She replied looking at him and patting him on the shoulder, before walking out of the kitchen to get dressed.

...

Cuddy looked at the time on her watch before looking at herself in the mirror, rubbing her neck. If she hadn't been too tired even for crying she would have cried. She looked at herself in the mirror and closed her eyes, inhaling deeply. Almost 10 am. She had a Board meeting in five minutes. She moistened her neck and forehead with a wet towel before placing it on the sink and walking out of the bathroom.

Wilson smiled as she sat beside him resting her agenda on the table and browsing the folder that Dr. Wells had put in front of each of them. Graphics. Numbers. Percentages. Wells' voice quickly became a background noise while her mind was focused only on her own breathing.

A half-and-a-hour meeting and she had perhaps heard a quarter of it. Wilson looked at her and moved closer to her ear whispering an "Are you okay?" to which she replied with a nod. An unconvincing nod.

And he was sure of that when she left the meeting just a second after everyone stood up, exiting the room quickly. Wilson freed himself in turn from Dr. Olsen, advancing an emergency in his department to justify himself.

He walked into her office without knocking. Cuddy sat on the bathroom floor. Her head against the wall and her eyes closed.

"I'm fine, James" she said, opening her eyes and meeting his worried look.

He watched as she stood up, closing her eyes for a moment, and then approached the sink, putting some fresh water on her face and then rubbing the towel on her face and neck.

"I'm fine" she said again meeting his eyes.

"You definitely aren't fine, Cuddy" he replied "You're pale" he added, looking at her "You should go home. Take a few days off if you need"

Cuddy shook her head, letting out an almost imperceptible bitter laugh.

"A few days..." she whispered as she passed near him "... or months ..." she added so imperceptibly that Wilson could barely hear her.

"What?" He asked having failed to hear her words.

Cuddy smiled slightly and sat down on the couch, leaning her back against the backrest and closing her eyes for a moment.

"Nothing" she replied, shaking her head slightly and staring at him "It's nothing" she repeated "It's... it's not the first time I feel like this..."

Wilson nodded.

"You should stay away from Mia" he said looking into her eyes "An infection isn't good for her not even a month after her discharge"

"I know..." she said looking down at her own hands "... but... it's not contagious..."

"How do you know it?" Wilson instinctively asked with a bit of doubt in his voice.

"Because this virus is... not a virus" She replied still looking at him.

She saw the realization in his eyes.

"Oh my God! Are you... are you pregnant?" He replied, practically yelling that words.

"Shit, James!" She exclaimed, standing up and looking for a moment at the door before returning to stare at him "May you not shout it out to all the hospital, please?!" She said putting a hand on her forehead and walking to her desk, facing away from him, before turning again toward him, leaning with her the butt against the edge of the desk before looking at him.

Wilson looked at her as if a million questions spun in his head and none of them could find the way toward his lips. She expected that reaction. He didn't know what to say. He didn't know if he have to be happy for them or not. A few months earlier he would have just said 'mazel tov' without thinking twice. But now? Few situations left him speechless. Yet now he was speechless. He would have liked to tell her that there was nothing to worry about... that everything would be fine... But...no, saying nothing would probably be better ... But keeping his mouth shut wasn't one of his qualities.

"Are... are you sure?" He asked, calling immediately himself an idiot as soon as that question came out of his mouth.

Cuddy didn't answer, but the exasperated look that she gave him was definitely a sufficient answer.

"Does House know?" He asked, failing again to keep his mouth shut.

He watched her as she bit her lip and shook her head slightly.

"Not yet" she answered, looking up at him "He knows about my delay... but I had a pregnancy test a week ago and it was negative... I thought of being premenopausal"

She hesitated a moment as if she was trying to process her own words..

"If you thought of being premenopausal why did you take another test?" he asked failing to follow her thought.

"I can't explain it..." she replied, shaking her head "In the past couple of days I didn't feel well... but ... it's not just sickness ... I don't know... I feel strange... " she said, looking down and then again up at him " ... I ran a test here in my office... a few hours ago... and... "

Wilson watched as she bit her lip and sighed, fighting back tears and swallowing.

"And it was positive" he said finishing the sentence for her.

"Twice" she added, looking up at him and wiping with her hand a tear before it rolled down her cheek.

Wilson continued to look at her without saying nothing before the phone on her desk rang distracting both of them from that conversation. Cuddy hesitated before taking the receiver and looked at Wilson.

"Please... don't tell anything to Greg" she said picking up the receiver and looking at Wilson who just nodded and smiled a embarrassed smile before walking out of her office.

...

House watched as she looked up from her computer as soon as he walked in her office, and glanced at her desk.

"Your lunch?" He asked, pointing with his cane to the half package of crackers on her desk.

"No" she said with the hint of a smile, but not adding more to that answer as he took a sip from the can in his hand, then stretching his arm toward her to offer her some of his Ginger Ale.

"Do you want some?" He asked as she switched her computer off and stood up settling the documents on her desk.

"No, thanks" She replied shaking her head slightly and taking her leather bag while House finished the can in a long sip then throwing it in the trash.

The house was really more than they expected. Built recently. The owners had lived there just a couple of years before moving to Europe for business two months ago. A couple of architects with two children. A nice neighborhood. Just a couple of minutes farer from the hospital than their actual house. And a big garden.

"If we buy this house you'll have no more excuses to say no to Rachel about the dog" House said, watching Cuddy and laughing.

"Don't make me think about that" she replied looking at him and then at the garden before the former Mrs. Wilson demanded their attention again.

Molly was nice, and the facade of that house was really great, but under the July sun that incessant description of construction details was decidedly out of place. There were at least 104°F . In the shade. House looked at Cuddy as she ran a hand over her forehead and put his hand on her back, caressing her lightly with his thumb.

"Are you ok?" He asked looking at her.

She smile slightly, looking at Molly as she kept to talk practically just to herself a few steps ahead.

"Why are you so nice with me?" She asked looking at him with a questioning look.

"I'm always nice with you, Cuddy!" He answered glancing in turn to Molly, now at several steps ahead, before touching her lips in a little kiss.

"No, you're not" she said, smiling "Did you have lunch with Wilson today?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No, he was with Teddy" He replied "You were having lunch with a less-than-half-your-age-old guy ... and I had to pay for my lunch and eat it alone!" He said, looking at her with a puppy look.

"Oh my poor baby boy!" She replied, taking his face with both hand and kissing him lightly on the lips "However... the guy I was having lunch with was almost twice-my-age old, House" she said looking into his eyes with a questioning look.

House smiled, moving on her butt the hand that was on the small of her back "I just wanted to test you" he said, laughing, looking at her as she rolled her eyes and smiled, taking his hand.

"Come on" she said intertwining her fingers with his "Another five minutes out here and I can't assure you of being able to stand" she added as they followed Molly.

The interior was thankfully much cooler. And even inside the house was up to the expectations of those who saw it from the outside. A large kitchen, a living room and a lounge with a beautiful fireplace, and many more rooms of what they needed.

They stopped at the door of one of the bedrooms that had probably been the children's one.

"They had two sons ..." Molly said looking at them and pointing to the blue walls of the room before being distracted by the ring of her phone.

She excused herself and left them alone for a moment whispering just a "please, give a look around" as she took the call.

House looked at Cuddy as she looked at those blue walls.

"It's not a problem" he said "Wilson can repaint the walls!" He said, approaching her and looking into her eyes.

"Or maybe not..." he added, resting his hand on her hip and drawing her closer to him " Maybe Uncle Wilson will be lucky..." he said looking into her eyes "... and it's a boy..." he said s moving his hand lightly and just touching her belly with his thumb.

Cuddy slightly widened her eyes, looking down at his hand and then up at his eyes again.

"If I don't kill Wilson first!" She said, biting her lip.

"It's not his fault this time!" House replied, shaking his head slightly and looking at her as she looked down.

"Why haven't you told me?" He asked. His tone was gentle, perhaps slightly apprehensive, not mad.

"I did a test this morning ..." she said looking up and stroking his forearm with her thumb as he continued to keep his hand on her belly "... I planned to tell you tonight, at home..." she added "... how did you know?"

House smiled.

"The ginger tea you have been drinking for a couple of days. You drink that when you're sick." He said "... but you wouldn't be close to Mia if you thought it was a virus then ... it couldn't be a virus... and..." he added, taking a couple of folded sheets from his jeans pocket and handing them to her "It's the result of your blood test... your FSH is too low, you definitely couldn't be in menopause... So... I ran another test on your blood sample" he said looking at her as she watched the result on the second sheet.

Beta-hCG.

"I would say that there are no doubts" he said drawing her to him again as he watched her bite her lip.

"How could that have happened?" She whispered avoiding his gaze, realizing the stupidity of that question as soon as she asked it.

"Well... your mother would have to teach you, Cuddy!" He said teasing her "... um... let's see... my sperm in your vagina and..."he smiled seeing her bite her lip "... well, Cuddy, actually all I know is that is because of... sperm in your vagina ... I can't actually be sure at one hundred percent that it was mine... and ... "

"HOUSE!" She exclaimed rolling her eyes at him and putting a hand over his mouth, but failing to suppress a small smile. She knew he was trying to play down and stroked his stubble with both hands, as he touched her lips with his.

"So Cuddy... I was right ... today you were having lunch with a less-than-your-age-old guy" he said, making her smile again and resting his forehead on hers. He could feel her discomfort... and her fear...

He kissed her lips lightly before lightly finding her tongue.

"But if it's a girl, Cuddy, I swear we're going to take a dog ... a male one!" He said, smiling and making her smile while she stroked his stubble "And... we'll definitely have to give that salary increase to Marina!" He added, making her smile again before kissing her tenderly on the lips.