Chapter 36

Cameron was pushing the stroller from the pediatrician's office in the direction of the Diagnostics Department. She and Tony had taken the baby for her four-month vaccinations and were about to cross the lobby of the clinic when they literally ran into Chase as he was coming out of an examining room.

"Oh, excuse me," Chase said as he turned to look at the stroller he had bumped into, then moved his eyes up to the person pushing it. "Cameron! I mean–Allison."

"Chase," Cameron said uncomfortably. "How are you?"

When Chase turned to look at them, Cameron's eyes widened at the disfigurement of his nose, while Tony snorted his amusement.

"Nice nose there, Doc," Tony smiled at him. "What happened? You walk into something?"

"Yes, I walked into a door," Chase said snidely as he looked at the boy with disdain.

"More like my dad's fist," Tony mumbled under his breath.

"Tony, that's enough," Cameron admonished. "I'm sorry, Robert. Tony shouldn't speak to you that way."

"Allison," he started then glanced back at Tony. "Can we talk privately?"

Cameron sighed deeply as she looked at her son then back to Chase. "Robert, I understand you want to tell me things that would be uncomfortable in front of Tony, but I have to be honest with you. I really don't want to and shouldn't hear them. I'm sorry you got hurt in all of this. I'm sorry you had to resort to what you did. But I'm not sorry for loving House. I'm not sorry for ending my involvement with you."

Chase looked in the stroller at the little girl who was playing with a set of plastic keys, quite content as she listened to the voices above her.

"I thought she could have been ours, Allison," he whispered then looked up at her with his heart in his eyes.

"No, Chase. She couldn't."

"I thought when you found the emails and saw them together, you would come running back to me. I never expected you to run all the way to your parents' house."

"Chase." She put her hand on his arm in sympathy. "You weren't what I needed. I needed family and security–not someone on the rebound."

"I know that now. I'm sorry, Allison, I really am. Can you forgive me?"

"Yes. I can forgive you."

"Ah, Mom!" Tony blurted.

"Tony, please." She looked back at Chase. "But I cannot say that we'll ever be friends again. What you did to us, disrupted our lives. And not just mine and House's, but Tony's, my parents' and even to a certain extent, Sandra's. Trust comes with friendship–and I'm saying that the trust isn't there."

Chase simply looked at her and nodded his head, then looked away. He nodded again, then left her there as he went back to the nurse's station for the next patient.

"I don't get it, Mom. Why did you give that guy another chance? You know if Dad finds out he's going to be pissed," Tony said as the elevator lifted them to the floor above them.

"I didn't give him another chance, Tony. I simply forgave him. There is a difference. I won't be involved in his life at all. And he won't be involved in mine. I have a feeling that your father already convinced him of that."

"I hope so. The guy's such a bloody twit to begin with," Tony told her as they started walking down the hall. When his mother stopped abruptly in front of him, he turned his gaze to the couple in his father's office. "Ooo-kay."

"That–on the other hand–I cannot forgive," Cameron ground out between her teeth and began hastily turning the stroller around, but Tony grabbed her arm as he kept his eyes on the two people who appeared to be kissing.

"Now wait a minute." He turned her back to look at them. "Give him a minute. Don't go running back to Gram yet!"

Cameron reluctantly turned back and watched her husband and his ex-girlfriend.

House put his hands on Stacey's forearms and pushed her from him. He studied her eyes closely, looking for something to explain all of this, afraid to find what he suspected.

"Stacey, I can tell you that right from the very beginning of my relationship with Allison, you rarely entered my mind–and when you did–it was because "someone else" mentioned you."

"Don't be ridiculous, Greg. You were shattered when I left, and she stood in the background, just waiting for the opportunity to pick up the pieces. She was pathetic the way she would follow you around like a little puppy dog. Her and those damn green eyes of hers that were always searching you out–always looking at you as if you were a God!" She tried to move back to him again, but he maintained his pressure on her arms as he held her at a distance.

"But, Stacey. . .if you saw all of that–why couldn't you see that I was looking at her the same way?"

"No–you weren't. You looked at me like that. You can't deny it."

"No. I can't deny it. And when I think of the pain I put Allison through, I'm ashamed that I fell into your trap."

"I don't want to talk about this." She paused as she tried to think of a new angle. "Greg. You know we belong together. Otherwise, you wouldn't have practically stalked me when Mark was in the hospital. Otherwise, you wouldn't have come and met me at your apartment last winter. I could see it in your eyes, Greg. You wanted me. You would have taken me right there if your little chippie hadn't shown up."

"But you planned it that way. You had the timing down to almost the exact second. You wanted her to find us together. Tell me something, Stacey. If you really believed I still wanted to be with you–why did you set Cameron up? Why not just meet me and go on from there?"

"Because I know you, Greg. I know you feel responsible for that boy. You just needed a little coaxing."

"Stacey, you've got to leave." He stood erect but she loosened her arms and moved them around his neck.

"Stop it, Greg! I'm getting tired of this game you're playing. Now that you don't have to worry about Cameron and her son anymore, we can get back to what's important to us."

"STACEY!" He had had enough. He pulled her arms from around him. "You're so goddamn self-centered! You're so blind! THEY are what is important to me. There's nothing there anymore! Couldn't you feel it? The only reason I kissed you last winter was because I had to prove to myself that it was over! I didn't want to hurt Cameron by some day wanting to look up a lost lover. But it was over! There was nothing there! Couldn't you feel it? Nothing!"

"You're insane! You wanted me as much as I wanted you that day. You can't deny it! I know you want me!" She looked at his expression that was bordering on revulsion, then tried another tactic. "At least she's back with her family. They'll take care of her and her son."

It was at that moment that Tony decided to make his entrance, casually walking into the room as his mother entered behind him with the stroller. House turned to face his family, disappointment spreading across his features as he feared they would immediately make the wrong conclusion. But there was no anger on Tony's face as he looked at his father, only amusement. And when he looked at Cameron he saw a gentle understanding that filled him with relief. It was over. He knew he was forgiven for his actions all those weeks before. Sandra, on the other hand, wasn't quite as forgiving as she let out a scream that rang throughout the office.

The sight of such peace covering House's face turned Stacey's attention behind her as she gasped. "What are you doing here? I thought you were in Chicago–or wherever you ran off to."

House moved past Stacey and pulled his baby out of the stroller to soothe her crying, turning the woman's eyes to him in shock. As usually was the case, once in her father's arms and hearing his voice, Sandra settled down and lay her head against his chest as he kissed her hair. She looked at the dark-haired woman with little curiosity, turning her attention to her brother, instead, who was making little waving motions with his fingers.

"Hello, Stacey," Cameron said stiffly as she continued to stand behind the stroller. "I think you must have been misinformed. Tony, Sandra and I stayed with my parents for a few weeks, but Greg brought us back with him."

Stacey looked back at House with anger flaring from her eyes. "You never told me you brought her back to live with you again!"

"Allison and I are married," he told her simply.

"But, I thought we were going to. . ." She made a gesture with her hand.

"Eww! That would be like making out with your mother or grandmother or something." Tony remarked as he wiggled his eyebrows. " That's really disgusting, Dad! Like–eww!"

Stacey moved with a speed that amazed everyone, her hand cracking against Tony's face with a strength that nearly knocked him down. "You watch your mouth, you little bastard! If I wanted to I could make your father get to his knees and beg to be with me!"

Tony's hand went to his cheek as he slowly turned to look at the woman. Anger and hatred finally seeping through his expression as he took a step toward her. "Son-of-a-bitch!"

"Tony! No!" Cameron was standing between them in an instant. "Your father and grandfathers would not approve of you hitting a woman. No man should ever have to resort to that. I–on the other hand, am not a man." She grabbed Stacey's forearm and gripped it tightly, holding it up in front of her. "Do not–ever–strike any of my children! Or I can promise you, you'll regret the day you every laid eyes on Greg's "little chippie!" Do I make myself clear?"

"You think you're so special right now, don't you?" Stacey sneered at her as she yanked her arm away. "He'll dump you! He will leave you! You're such a naive fool!"

"Tony, take your sister," House told his son as he stepped closer to the two women. Tony pulled her from his father's arms and moved back from the group of adults.

"And you are nothing but a dried up old slut who can't take no for an answer," Cameron smiled brightly at the older woman.

This brought another swing, this time hitting Cameron's face--and another swing that caught her again. Before Cameron had time to react, House had Stacey pressed against the glass wall with his forearm across her chest as he grasped onto her, much the way Cameron had been holding her previously. His gaze moved to the man who had moved up to stand behind the window where Stacey was pressed, then back to her.

"You even think of striking my wife again and I'll crush your arm." His tone was threatening enough that she stared at him with a feral glaze to her eyes. "If you ever come near any of my children again you'll be picked up and thrown in jail so fast you won't know what hit ya."

"I'm a lawyer! I'll be out before the ink is dry."

"Yeah. I have no doubt. But you'll be able to kiss your law career goodbye. And what about Mark? Think he'll appreciate his wife stooping so low that she'd be terrorizing children?"

"Mark will do as I tell him! He always has and he always will."

"Allison, open the door," House told his wife.

Cameron moved next to them and pulled the door inward, then nodded for the man standing there to enter. "Come in, Mark."

"You're her husband?" Tony asked quickly. "You better take her outta here and straight to a mental hospital."

"Tony! That's enough," House told his son, then released Stacey. He watched as she almost slid down the wall with complete shock when she realized her husband was there–then straighten and run to his arms.

"Mark! It was horrible! He said if I didn't come here today. . ."

"I heard you, Stacey," Mark interrupted. "I know what you said–I know what he said. It's time we leave these people alone."

"But, Mark. . ."

"I'm sorry, House. I really believed her again." Mark looked back at Stacey and ushered her out of the door. "It's over, Stacey. We're going home."

"I think a call to Lisa is in order," Cameron said as they watched the couple get onto the elevator. "She can begin the proceedings of a restraining order."

House moved to Cameron and touched her face, seeing that there was going to be a bruise there. He hugged her to his chest and kissed the top of her head, then they both moved back to their children. They inspected Tony's face, making sure he was alright.

"Well, now you can tell your friends that you were slapped in the face by a woman. You can make it sound sexy." House chuckled as he looked at the boy.

"Yeah–real sexy! Some old quinquagenarian hag beating me up! That's something I'd like to brag about."