Hey guys, soooo sorry for the lack of update last week. There have been some things come up in RL that have prevented me from finishing my chapter and updating. I still plan on continuing the story and I'm going to try to keep posting on a regular basis but I can't make any promises. RL can be a bitch sometimes and I hope you guys will understand if I miss an update. I'll try to keep posting every week since that seems to be the earliest I can get a chapter completed. But I will definitely post sooner if a miracle happens and I finish a chapter faster than I anticipated. Thanks for your understanding and as always for reading and reviewing.
Chapter 37
4:00 PM – Friday – One Week Later
Cuddy set her suitcase by the front door, ready for it to be taken out to the cab when it arrived. She had a flight to Chicago at 7:15 PM and she needed to be leaving soon for the airport. The cab would arrive at any moment and she felt like she was leaving something behind that she would need. She was also nervous. She had been nervous all week long but now she felt it full force, knowing she would be leaving Bella soon. Cuddy took in a deep breath and turned to make her way back into her bedroom to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything. As she was taking a look around, she heard a car horn outside; the cab was here. Cuddy walked out of her room, almost running into Bella in the hallway as she came out of her room, having heard the horn as well.
"Is it time?" Bella asked sadly.
"Yes, honey, I have to go." She replied, making her way to the door.
Bella followed her, slipping her hand inside of Cuddy's. "House!" Cuddy yelled out for him, having no idea where he was at the moment. "I have to go."
"You think if you said any louder, they could hear you in Chicago, that way they would know to expect you?" He responded sarcastically, as he came up behind her.
Cuddy sighed. "I have to go." She repeated, ignoring his quip.
"Yes I think I heard you the first time just before my eardrum exploded."
She rolled her eyes at him. "Don't be an ass. Could you please take my suitcase outside to the cab?"
House smirked and nodded his head. He opened the door with the suitcase in his left hand and extended the handle so he could roll it down the driveway. Cuddy grabbed her carry-on and her purse and stepped out the door with Bella following her.
"When will you be back?" Bella asked, grabbing onto her hand once more as they walked down the driveway.
"I'll be back on Sunday, ok. I want you to have fun with House while I'm gone and don't let him get into too much trouble." She told Bella, garnering a chuckle from her.
"Don't worry, I'll keep my eye on him." She responded as they reached the curb where the cab was parked on the street and the cabbie was placing her suitcase in the trunk. Cuddy chuckled at Bella and handed the cabbie her carry-on, turning to face Bella once more. She leaned down and placed a kiss on her cheek before giving her a hug.
"I'll miss you." She told Bella softly.
"Me too. But don't worry, I'll be ok." Bella responded, hugging her tightly around her waist.
Cuddy smiled at her reassurance. "I know you will…I'm just going to miss you so much."
Bella nodded in agreement before Cuddy released her and cupped her head in her hands, looking into her beautiful little face and feeling the sting of tears in back of her eyes. "I love you." She whispered.
"I love you too." Bella responded.
Cuddy finally let go of Bella and turned around to face House as he stood quietly watching her say goodbye to Bella. She took a step closer to him and wound her arms around his neck in a hug, feeling his arms come around her waist. "I know you'll take good care of her, House. Thank you for doing this."
"Anything to get out of going to that conference." He replied sarcastically.
Cuddy chuckled, placing a kiss on his cheek. "I'll miss you." She whispered in his ear.
"Cuddy it's just two days, not a year. We'll be fine."
She leaned back, looking into his eyes. "I know that, House, I'm just…."
"Nervous about leaving the kid, I know, Cuddy. She will be fine." He reiterated, leaning in and placing a tender kiss on her lips.
She nodded her head, as her lips separated from his and she removed her arms from his neck, taking a step away from him. She glanced once more toward Bella, who had been sitting on the grass in the yard a few feet away. Cuddy waved at her and opened the cab door, seeing Bella wave back.
"Hey." House called out, walking up to her. She turned around to face him and watched as he leaned in and placed a kiss on her cheek before he whispered in her ear, "I love you." He told her.
Cuddy's face broke out into a brilliant smile as he said the three words he hardly ever said to her. Not that she didn't think he loved her, but because it was hard for him to express himself like that all of the time. The fact that he didn't say them all the time, made it even more special when he did. And she knew he said them now because he knew she was anxious and he wanted to make her feel better. It worked. "I love you too." She whispered in return.
House gave her a small smile and a nod, gesturing for her to get in the cab. After she had gotten in, he closed the door for her and stepped away from the car. As the cab pulled away she turned her head and saw Bella run a little ways down the sidewalk waving her hand. Cuddy smiled, and waved back until they were out of site.
"That's a nice family you got there, ma'am." She heard the cabbie comment.
"Thank you. Yes…they're the best." She answered with a smile, using the description Bella used for her all the time. Cuddy sighed and felt some of her anxiety dissipate, knowing that House would take care of her daughter.
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House and Bella walked through the front door after the cab had pulled away taking Cuddy out of sight down the street. House closed the door behind him and watched as Bella made her way into the living room. He followed her and stood at the entryway, seeing her plop down on the couch with a sigh.
"I miss her already." She told House, sadly.
He smirked at her. "She's been gone for two minutes, kid."
She shrugged. "I know, but I still miss her."
"She'll be back before you know it." House told her reassuringly. "Now…follow me."
"Where are we going?" She asked with a slight frown in her brow.
"Kitchen."
"Why?"
"Dinner."
"Oh." She replied, standing up as House turned around and made his way into the kitchen. Bella followed him, taking his hand in hers as she looked up at him. "What are we having?"
"How does a picnic in the park sound, kiddo?"
She gasped and started jumping up and down in excitement. "Really?" She screeched.
House smirked at her and nodded his head. "Sure, kid."
"Yay! Can we have peanut butter and jelly sandwiches?"
"Yep."
Bella's excitement made him smirk and shake his head, as she let go of his hand and went about gathering everything for the sandwiches. They packed a small cooler with drinks, chips and cookies and began making their way to the park down the road. They took their time, as House carried the cooler in his hand and held his cane in his other. Bella skipped ahead of him a little ways but stopped when she got too far away, waiting for him to catch up. House cursed his leg at times like this, wishing he didn't have this damn handicap. His leg wasn't bothering him right now, but it would be soon. He always tried not to show Bella how much his leg hurt sometimes, not wanting her to feel sorry for him or feel like she needed to treat him differently because of it. He never took his pills in front of her and he wasn't even sure she knew he took any at all, thankfully.
They arrived at the park a few minutes later and found an empty picnic table. House set the cooler down and Bella helped him pull out the food, setting everything out on the table. Once they were settled, they ate and Bella told him what she had done at school that day. She told him about a girl in her class who had made a solar oven out of aluminum foil and a pizza box for science class and how they had baked chocolate chip cookies in the sun. House arched his eyebrows in surprise that it had worked, wondering how long it had taken.
"I think about 3 hours." Bella told him with a giggle. "But it was totally worth it because they was really good." She added happily.
House nodded in response. They finished eating and Bella ran off to play on the playground. House took his iPod out of his pocket and listened to music as Bella played with her friends. He kept a close eye on her, making sure that she didn't fall and break any bones. Cuddy would kick his ass and never trust him again if that happened. As he watched Bella he thought about the research he had done this week regarding Mattie. He had found a few websites dedicated to finding lost and missing children as well as some dedicated to finding John Doe's. He had had no luck finding him and it was getting frustrating. He hadn't heard anything from Officer Cohen and it made him wonder if the guy was actually doing anything to find Mattie at all.
Bella had still been having nightmares almost every night. Some hadn't been that bad but others, Cuddy had said were as terrifying to Bella as ever. She would wake up screaming, causing both House and Cuddy to startle awake and Cuddy would run into Bella's room. On those nights Cuddy would stay with her as she fell asleep again. On other nights, Bella would just come into their room and crawl in bed next to them and fall asleep. House didn't mind her doing this but he was concerned about how this was affecting her mentally. She never talked about her nightmares and he could tell it was taking a toll on her physically as well. She was more tired and run down than a kid her age should be and it was starting to worry him. She seemed ok on the outside most days, but on others she had trouble remembering things and she didn't eat as much as she should. Her immune system was taking a beating and it concerned him because she could become susceptible to illnesses. House sighed. If this wasn't addressed soon, it was only going to get worse. Her therapy sessions helped, but he didn't think they were helping fast enough. She needed to talk about Mattie. House had no doubt that that was what was causing her distress and if she didn't bring him up soon…House would.
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3 Hours Later
Bella had just gotten out of the bathtub and gotten dressed in her pajamas. She had had fun at the park today, especially since she got to play for longer than she ever had before. Greg had let her stay until it was almost dark before they left. She missed Lisa but she was able to distract herself at the park from thinking about her being gone and that had helped; but now she missed her again. Bella walked into Lisa's bedroom. The lights were off and it was empty. Bella sighed, wanting Lisa to come back home. She turned around and made her way into the living room where she knew Greg was as she heard the television.
As she walked in she saw him lying on the couch, rubbing his bad leg and she noticed that he stopped when he saw her come in. She frowned slightly but didn't comment as she sat down on the coffee table in front of him, blocking his view of the television. "Can we spend the night at your house?" She asked him.
Greg furrowed his brow. "Hey, you mind?" He asked, gesturing for her to move over so he could see the TV. "And why would you want to spend the night at my place?"
Bella shrugged as she scooted over a bit so he could see once more. "I miss Lisa and maybe if I'm someplace else I won't miss her as bad."
He shifted his eyes to look at her. "It doesn't work that way, kid, you're still going to miss her no matter where you are."
"Please?" She begged. "I promise I won't touch nothin'."
Greg chuckled. "That's not the problem. I don't care if you touch my stuff."
"Then why not?"
"Well for one thing, I brought my bike and I'm not about to take you back to my place on it. I'm pretty sure if your Mom found out I'd done that, she'd kick my ass out of here and never let me back in."
Bella rolled her eyes. "No she wouldn't." Bella responded, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "Are you afraid of Lisa or somethin'?"
Greg laughed at her and rolled his eyes. "While she can screech like a hyena and make a grown man piss his pants with that death glare of hers…no, I am not afraid of Lisa Cuddy."
Bella giggled at him and sat up, clasping her hands in front of her and pouting her bottom lip. "Pleeeeaase? We could take Lisa's car, it's still here." Bella begged once more.
"You need to work on your begging routine, kid, cuz that's just pathetic. Does this work on Cuddy?" Greg asked her suspiciously.
Bella straightened up and dropped her act. "No…but it works on James, he's easy." Bella replied with a smirk.
Greg laughed at her and nodded his head. "Fine, we can go to my place, but only because you have mad manipulation skills with Jimmy, but you need to seriously improve your skills with me."
Bella smiled from ear to ear and jumped up from the coffee table with excitement. "No I don't, I got you to give in, didn't I?" She replied, running out of the room to go pack her stuff, not waiting around for Greg to change his mind after what she'd just done to him.
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30 Minutes Later
House's cell phone rang just as he and Bella stepped into his apartment. "Hey, it's about time you got there." He greeted, knowing it was Cuddy on the other end. House set down Bella's overnight bag on the floor next to the door and watched her turn around as he answered the phone.
"Yeah my flight was delayed a bit. How's everything going?" She asked with a slightly nervous tone in her voice.
"Fine, your kid is still breathing and no bones are broken. I'm fine too, by the way, if you even care."
"Of course I care. Can I talk to Bella?"
House rolled his eyes. "Oh sure, I totally feel the love, Cuddy." He snarked before handing the phone to Bella.
She happily took it and excitedly greeted Cuddy. "Hi, Lisa! I miss you."
House couldn't hear Cuddy's response but he noticed Bella's smile grow as she listened. "Yes, Greg is taking good care of me. Guess what?"
House smirked as he sat down on the couch listening to Bella's side of the conversation and watched as she came over to sit down next to him. "We're spending the night at Greg's house, like a sleepover." She told Cuddy happily.
Bella shrugged. "Because I wanted to and he said we could. Isn't that ok?" She asked with a little worry just before she sighed with relief at Cuddy's answer. "We will. Greg said we could watch a movie and order pizza." She told Cuddy with excitement.
House got up from the couch and made his way into the spare bedroom where he had moved Mattie's boxes a few days ago as they had been taking up space in his living room. He carefully moved them into the closet and got a sheet out, draping it over them, afraid that if Bella saw them she'd freak out. He wondered if she'd forgotten they were here; probably not, how could she forget about that? House hoped she wouldn't snoop around and find them in there. He knew she was already having a hard time with Cuddy being gone and he didn't want to add to that. He wanted her to have a good time this weekend. When he finished with that he set about placing linens on the small futon he had in that room, deciding she could stay in here instead of sleeping on the couch. It wasn't the most comfortable thing in the world but he thought Bella would enjoy it nonetheless. This bedroom was never used and House figured that maybe he could let her have it if she wanted it. He was surprised at that thought, rolling his eyes as he finished up his task. Why the hell did he keep thinking about this shit? It's not like her spending the night at his place is going to become a habit. 'She's not his kid, damn it!' He thought. 'She's Cuddy's kid.' He reminded himself. He needed to stop thinking that way; he was not father material and any thought otherwise made him a fool. Cuddy and Bella both had too much faith in him regarding that matter, but he knew himself better than that. When Cuddy had asked him to keep Bella he hadn't hesitated, but only because he really didn't want to go that conference and keeping the kid would be a piece of cake. A fleeting thought had entered his mind later that day that maybe Cuddy had wanted him to keep her for the weekend so that he could have some sort of 'daddy epiphany' and all of a sudden want to be Bella's father, but he knew her better than that. She wouldn't try to trap him into anything. Cuddy was manipulative, but not when it came to stuff like this.
House sighed and sat down on the futon, took his pill bottle out of his pocket and popped a couple of Vicodin in his mouth and rubbed his leg. He stood up after a moment and made his way to the bedroom door, determined to stop thinking of himself as the kid's Dad…it was a stupid idea and would never happen. He wouldn't let it.
As he was walking out of the bedroom he heard Bella call out to him. "Greg, Lisa wants to talk to you!"
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15 Minutes Ago
Cuddy sat on the edge of her bed with her cell phone up to her ear and a smile on her face as she heard Bella's sweet voice greeting her over the phone. "Hi Lisa! I miss you."
"I miss you too, baby. Is House behaving himself?"
"Yes, Greg is taking good care of me. Guess what?"
"What, Sweetie?" She asked softly, happy that Bella seemed to be doing all right.
"We're spending the night at Greg's house, like a sleepover."
Cuddy furrowed her brow, wondering why they had gone back to House's apartment, knowing that Mattie's boxes were there and hoping that House had made sure that they were out of sight, not wanting Bella to get upset because of them; especially since Cuddy wasn't there to help her if she did get upset. "You are? How come?" She asked tentatively.
"Because I wanted to and he said we could. Isn't that ok?"
Cuddy sighed, a small smile appearing on her face. "Of course it's ok, Sweetheart. You two have fun, ok?"
"We will. Greg said we could watch a movie and order pizza." Cuddy's smile grew at the excitement in Bella's voice.
"That's wonderful, Sweetie, I'm glad you're having fun." She replied.
"Yeah, but I still miss you and wish you was here." Bella told her sweetly.
"Me too, but I'll be home soon, ok?"
"I know." She replied. "Are you going to bring me a surprise like you said?" Bella asked excitedly.
Cuddy laughed and nodded her head. "Yes, I'm bringing you a surprise. I knew that was the only reason you wanted me to come back soon." She teased her.
Bella giggled. "Nuh uh." She responded.
Cuddy laughed once more. "So what did you do today?"
"Greg took me to the park and we had a picnic and I played on the playground with Simon and Maya and we stayed until the sun went down." She told Cuddy with excitement.
"You did? I bet it was a beautiful sunset."
"Yep."
"Good." She replied with a smile. "I love you, Sweetie, and I can't wait to see you."
"Me too. Have fun at your conference."
"I will. Let me talk to House, ok?"
"Ok."
She heard Bella call out for House and heard him take the phone a moment later. "Hey, hot Momma, what's up?"
Cuddy rolled her eyes. "House, please tell me Mattie's stuff isn't sitting out in your living room."
"It's taken care of, Cuddy, don't worry you're sweet ass over it." He snarked.
She sighed into the phone, knowing he was trying not to let Bella know what they were talking about. "Thank you." She replied softly. Silence hung between them for a moment. "How's your leg?" She asked him with concern. "Bella said that you took her to the park for a picnic."
"It's fine."
"House, I know it's not fine, tell me the truth." Cuddy answered softly, knowing he was in more pain than usual because of the walk they had taken to and from the park that evening.
"It's fine, Cuddy, don't worry about it."
She sighed, standing up from the bed she'd been sitting on and making her way to the window, looking out at the Chicago skyline. "Did you take your pills?"
"You know I did." He replied smartly.
"House, what's your problem, I'm just concerned for you. You don't have to act like an ass."
"I always act like an ass, Cuddy, why does that surprise you?"
Cuddy frowned and closed her eyes, shaking her head at his stubbornness. "Fine." She responded curtly and turned around to pace her hotel room. "I hope you can get some sleep. I have an early session in the morning so I won't call, but if you need me, I'll have my cell with me."
She heard him sigh, but he didn't respond right away. Cuddy thought she heard a door close in the background but she wasn't sure.
"Look, I'm sorry, Cuddy. I just don't want the kid to know how much my leg hurts all the time. I don't want her to feel bad that I took her to the park and it hurt the hell out my damn leg to walk that far, ok?" He told her with irritation in his tone. "She doesn't need the guilt and I don't need the pity."
"She won't pity you, House. No one who knows what happened to you, pities you. She doesn't see you the way you think she does. She doesn't see a man with a limp; she sees a friend and a father figure whom she idolizes, House. Bella probably doesn't even think about it. She loves you for who you are…just like I do." She told him softly but firmly, wanting him to understand the truth in her words. "I know your legs hurts, and I'm so sorry because it's partly my fault and you've lived with a limp because of it, and you can't do some of the things that you wish you could do. You think you have these limitations, but I don't see limitations when I look at you. I see a man whom I love with all of my heart who can do anything. I see my closest and oldest friend in the world who has been through so much, and manages to frustrate the hell out of me one second and make me laugh in the next, and I still love him." She continued softly. "So stop thinking that everyone pities you when they don't." She finished, hearing silence on the other end.
"Did you just call me old?" House replied and she could hear the smirk in his tone even though she couldn't see it on his face but knowing it was there.
She smiled and went over to the bed and laid her head down on the pillow, feeling more relaxed at hearing him joke. "I called us both old." She chuckled.
"Speak for yourself, old lady."
She arched her eyebrows and smiled. "I may be an old lady, but at least I have a better ass than you do, old man."
"Well, I won't argue with that." He replied.
She chuckled and softly sighed into the phone.
"Are you picturing me naked right now?" House asked.
Cuddy rolled her eyes. "No." She told him.
"But you are now that I mentioned it." He stated.
"No, I'm not."
"Liar. What are you wearing?" He asked.
"The same clothes you saw me in earlier today." She responded.
"Cuddy, you're horrible at this phone sex thing. The proper response was 'nothing.' He told her and she could practically hear his eye roll.
"I'm not having phone sex with you…especially when my daughter is close by to hear everything you say and do."
"I'm in my bedroom…the kid is occupying herself elsewhere."
"I'm still not having phone sex with you."
"Your nickname is no longer 'Partypants' got it? Now it's, 'PartyPOOPER." He told her. "You crapped all over the party, Cuddy."
"Don't worry, I'll get my nickname back when I get home." She replied saucily into the phone.
"I'll be the judge of that."
"Goodnight, House." She answered around a chuckle.
"Goodnight, Love muffin."
Cuddy smiled and hung up the phone. She tiredly closed her eyes for a moment before getting up and readying herself for bed. It was still somewhat early, but she'd had a long day and all she wanted right now was a shower and sleep because she knew that tomorrow was going to be an even longer day.
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10:58 PM
"Raise." House said, placing a poker chip in the center of the table along with the rest of the chips that lay there.
House had decided to host an impromptu poker game. He had called Wilson over, and halfway through the movie that he'd promised Bella they'd watch together, he talked Wilson into playing. Bella had wanted to play as well and after much begging and pleading, he'd given in, telling her that if Cuddy ever found out, she was on her own. They needed another player and Bella had suggested they call Chase. House decided it would be ok to take Chase's money and told Wilson to call him up to get his Aussie ass over here to play, and to bring some food and beer…and juice for the kid as well. That was an hour ago. Now, they were sitting around the card table that House had set up in the living room. Bella had a nice little stack of chips in her corner after House had spotted her some cash to get started. He was still impressed with her ability to play poker. She had a few tells but the kid had an amazing poker face. House smirked every time she stared blankly at Chase, knowing that he had become sort of freaked out by it.
Bella made her bet after House had and stared over at Wilson and Chase, waiting for them to do the same or fold. She took a potato chip from the bowl beside her and stuffed in her mouth. Chase looked over at her and shivered slightly at her penetrating stare. "You're freaking me out, kid."
Bella didn't respond, but continued staring, the corner of her lip curving up at Chase's response.
"Just hurry the hell up, Kangaroo Jack, the kid has to go to bed soon." House replied.
"Fine, raise you 50." He said, placing his bet on the table.
"Oooo, that must mean you have a good hand." House replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm as Chase rolled his eyes at him.
It was Wilson's turn and he looked around the table. "Call."
"Big surprise, James." House commented. "Like we didn't know that was coming."
"Shut up, House." Wilson told him and grabbed the deck of cards. "How many?"
House smirked and held up one finger. Wilson dealt him one card and glanced at Bella.
"Two." She replied, handing Wilson her cards and receiving two in return.
It was Chase's turn as he asked for one card as well. Wilson took three cards for himself, "Dealer takes 3." He stated.
They resumed the game with House raising the bet once more. They played until Wilson had folded, leaving Bella, House and Chase in the game. After another round of betting, they revealed their cards with Bella having won the game. She smiled from ear to ear and got up onto her knees in her chair to reach for the chips in the center of the table.
"I can't believe she won." Chase whined. "I had a full house!" He exclaimed.
Bella grinned at him and shrugged her shoulders. "I bluffed you. It was fair."
Wilson laughed, glancing over at House, who was glaring at Bella. "You cheated." He accused her.
Bella looked over at him as she stacked her chips. "I did not!" She exclaimed. "You're just pissed because I beat you…again."
Chase and Wilson looked at one another with surprise and chuckled. "Again?" Chase asked, wanting an explanation.
Bella looked over at him, nodding her head. "Yep, I beat him and now he's just being a big baby about it."
Chase laughed and looked over at House as he continued to glare at Bella. "I want a re-match." He stated.
"Ok." She replied challengingly. "But I didn't cheat…I'm just that good." She told him smugly.
Wilson and Chase both arched their eyebrows at her. "She's been hanging around House for too long." Chase commented to Wilson. He nodded in agreement.
"Yep, like father, like daughter." He mumbled, causing Chase to look at House in surprise.
House turned his head toward Wilson, his glare deepening. "You better shut the hell up, Wilson, unless you want my cane shoved up your ass." He told him in a dangerous tone.
Wilson held his hands up in apology and glanced at Bella. House turned his head to look at her, wanting to see her reaction. Her expression was unreadable; she stared at them with her arms crossed in front of her.
"So are we playing of what?" She shrugged her shoulders in question.
House couldn't tell if she felt hurt by what he'd said or not, but he nodded and handed her the cards to deal. About an hour later, House had managed to win some of his money back and Wilson and Chase were left with almost nothing after Bella had practically cleaned them out. Ultimately though, House had won the game. As they sat around the table talking, Bella stacked her chips as House grabbed the box with the all the cash.
"Where did you learn to play poker like that?" Chase asked Bella.
She glanced up at him and shrugged her shoulders. "New York City." She mumbled.
"Really?" He asked suspiciously.
Bella shifted her eyes to House before lowering them to the chips on the table. "I used to live there."
"Ah…well, I know one thing for sure." He stated. "You are the best bluffer I have ever seen." He finished with a head nod.
Bella looked up at him with a smile. "Thanks, Mattie taught me." She replied, her words spilling out of her mouth without any thought that Chase had no idea who Mattie was. House looked over at her in surprise that she'd mentioned him, and took a quick glance at Wilson before shifting his eyes back to Bella.
"Who's Mattie?" Chase asked with confusion and interest.
Silence filled the room as Bella lowered her gaze back down to the chips in front of her. She shook her head. "Nobody." She answered.
House handed her the cash she'd won. "Here, kid, go put this in your room and don't lose it." He told her softly.
Bella took the money and nodded her head, making her way out of the room.
"And for the love of God, do not tell Cuddy why you have $350 in your possession." He hollered after her as she left the room.
Silence filled the room for a moment as House handed out the winnings.
"Who's Mattie?" Chase asked softly, no doubt picking up on the awkwardness in the room.
"Her dead brother." House answered, looking at him pointedly. "Don't mention it again." He told Chase.
Chase nodded his understanding. "Is she ok?" He asked quietly.
House shook his head. "No."
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2:48 AM
Bella awoke with a sharp pain in her stomach. She sat up and placed her hand on her belly and squeezed her eyes closed. She moaned at the horrible sensation and she lay back down, curling herself into a ball with her arms around her middle breathing deeply, trying to make the pain go away. She suddenly felt like she was going to throw up, the pain was so bad. She sat up quickly and grabbed the waist basket beside the nightstand, spilling the contents of her stomach into it. She threw up until it seemed everything that had been in her stomach was now out of it. Bella had eaten a lot of junk food earlier when they were playing poker and her belly had hurt a little but she didn't feel like she had to throw up. With her head over the trashcan, she threw up once more and out of the corner of her eye she saw Greg appear and kneel down next to her.
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2 Minutes Ago
House was in a light sleep on his bed when he suddenly heard vomiting sounds coming from the bedroom across the hall. He furrowed his brow and sat up, lifting the covers off of his body and getting out of bed. He grabbed his cane and slowly made his way into the spare bedroom. When he opened the door he saw Bella hunched over the trashcan vomiting. He took the remaining steps inside the room to her side and carefully knelt down beside her. "Hey." He whispered with concern in his voice. He rubbed her back as she threw up what was left inside her stomach. She glanced up at him when she was finished and started crying.
"I'm sorry." She cried softly.
"Don't worry about it, kid, that's what happens when you eat too much junk."
"My tummy hurts." She told him around a sob as she sat up and looked at him, her big brown eyes watery with tears and the saddest look on her face.
He frowned upon seeing her and reached for the lamp on the nightstand and flipped it on. Her face was flushed and he knew she had a fever. This wasn't because of the junk food she'd been eating earlier. "Shit." He mumbled.
"What?" She asked with panic in her voice.
"You have a fever." He told her. "How long has your tummy been hurting?"
She sniffled and wiped her eyes. "It was hurting earlier but I thought it was cuz I was full." She answered pathetically.
He nodded. "How bad does it hurt right now?"
"Not as bad as before I threw up but it's starting to hurt like that again." She said with a sob as she placed her arms around her middle.
"It hurts like you're going to throw up again?"
Bella nodded.
House helped her up. "Come on, let's get you into the bathroom."
He led her into the bathroom and pointed his finger down at the toilet, indicating he wanted her to sit down, knowing she was about to throw up again. House grabbed a thermometer out of the cabinet, and cleaned it with an alcohol swab. "Does anything else hurt?" He asked, hoping that all she had was a simple stomach virus and not anything more serious.
"My head." She mumbled, sitting up just before she threw up again in the toilet.
House made his way to her and gently held her hair back for her as his other hand stroked her back comfortingly. When she finished, she let out a small sob. "I don't want to throw up no more."
"I know, kid." He responded softly, flushing the toilet. "C'mere." He told her, leading her to the edge of the bathtub and sitting her down. He grabbed the thermometer and handed it to her, watching her place it in her mouth. A few seconds later it beeped and he took it from her, looking at the digital reader. 100.2.
"It's not too bad, but if you feel any worse you need to tell me immediately, got it?"
Bella nodded, wiping her tears from her eyes.
"How's your tummy?" He asked, replacing the thermometer back in the cabinet after cleaning it.
"A little better."
"You feel like you could go back to bed or do you need to stay in here?"
Bella shrugged. "I better stay in here." She told him sadly.
He nodded. "I'll be right back."
House went into the spare bedroom and grabbed her blanket before making his way into his bedroom and grabbing his cell phone and a pillow. He then went into the kitchen and filled a glass with water. When he came back into the bathroom he set the pillow down on the floor so that he could put his leg on top of it. He handed Bella the glass of water before he sat down, motioning for Bella to sit on his lap, facing the toilet. She took a sip of the water and set it down on the floor before she curled up on his lap, laying her head down on his shoulder as he covered her up with the blanket. He set his cell phone down on the tile floor next to him so he could answer it if it rang. He wrapped her up in his arms and gently brushed her hair away from her face.
"Comfy?" He asked softly.
Bella nodded, sighing into his neck and grabbing a fistful of his t-shirt.
"Let me know if you're going to throw up again."
Bella nodded once more. After several minutes of silence, he thought maybe she'd fallen asleep, so he was surprised when he heard her voice. "You're a good daddy, Greg." She mumbled.
House frowned at her statement. He hadn't done anything any other doctor wouldn't have done. He sighed softly and leaned his head against the tile wall. "Thanks, kid." He whispered to her.
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12:00 PM – The Next Day
House stood at the kitchen sink washing out the trashcan that Bella had thrown up in last night. They had sat in the bathroom all night and she had awakened almost every hour to throw up, complaining from the pain in her throat afterward. She was miserable and he had given her something to calm her stomach, which had helped for a little while but she had just vomited it back up later. Bella had barely gotten any sleep and House hadn't slept at all. She was currently asleep in his bed with a bowl beside her in case she had to throw up again. He was getting ready to call Wilson to bring over some Pedialyte or Gatorade for the kid so she wouldn't get dehydrated, but his cell phone rang, not giving him the chance. He dried his hands off on the dishtowel and looked at the caller ID, already having suspected who the caller was before he looked at it.
"Hey." He answered tiredly.
"Hey. You sound awful, what's wrong?" Cuddy asked.
"I'm fine, just didn't get much sleep last night." He told her.
"Your leg still bothering you?" She asked with concern.
"No, my leg's fine."
"I'm having an overwhelming sense of déjà vu, House. Isn't this the same conversation we had last night?"
"It's not my leg, Cuddy." He told her firmly before he sighed, dreading this conversation because he knew how it was going to go. "Bella was up last night throwing up. She has a stomach virus."
There was silence on the other end for a full 30 seconds before she responded. "I'm coming home."
House rolled his eyes, having predicted her response already. "No you're not. She's not throwing up anymore and she's resting. I'm taking care of it. You're needed there, Cuddy, you can't just leave."
"I'm needed at home more, House. I'm coming home." She told him anxiously. "I knew I shouldn't have left. She needs me and I'm 800 miles away. Damn it!"
"Cuddy." He said firmly, trying to stop her ranting.
"I can't believe this. The one time I leave and she gets sick."
"Cuddy!" He repeated more loudly.
"This is unacceptable, I cannot believe this." She continued with her rant.
"Lisa!" House yelled over the phone, knowing that calling her by her first name would get her attention.
"What?" She yelled back.
"Stop it…you are staying where you are." He told her firmly. "I told you that I'm taking care of her. Now, stop packing your suitcase and get your ass back to the conference. I know for a fact you haven't given your presentation yet so you can't leave now. But afterwards if you want to catch an earlier flight, I'll call the airline for you."
House heard her sigh, calming herself down. After a moment of silence between them, she gave in. "Fine." She whispered. "What's her temperature?"
"It's gone down but it hasn't broken." He told her softly, trying to ease her anxiety. "She complained of a headache and a sore throat but I think it's because she was throwing up so much not because of any other symptoms."
"Is she still asleep?"
"I think so. Cuddy, she'll be fine. Kids get sick, it's normal."
"I know that, House, I just wish I was there for her."
"I know." He continued softly. "I'd never let anything bad happen to your kid, Cuddy, I hope you know that."
"I do, House. Thank you for taking care of her."
"You're welcome."
"I love you. I'm leaving tonight after my presentation, will you book me a flight?"
House nodded. "Yeah. I'll email you the itinerary."
"Ok. I'll see you tonight."
"We're still at my place. I'll have her stuff packed if you want to take her back home."
"No…we'll stay with you if that's ok."
"Sure." He answered.
House hung up the phone and dialed the airline, hoping that he could get Cuddy a flight out tonight.
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9:44 PM
Cuddy got out of the cab and made her way to House's door with her luggage. She knocked softly, and not receiving an answer, she decided to use her key. She opened the door and noticed that all the lights except for one lamp in the living room were turned off. Cuddy figured that Bella was asleep and House was watching television in his bedroom. She quietly brought her luggage in and set it by the door, making her way down the hallway to look for House and Bella. She saw a light on in a room across from House's bedroom. She had never noticed that there was a room there before now. Cuddy peeked her head in, seeing that it had been set up for Bella. She smiled, thinking how sweet it was that House had done this for her. Bella wasn't in there so Cuddy pivoted and took a step toward House's bedroom. When she peeked in she witnessed the sweetest thing she'd ever seen before. House was asleep on his back and Bella had her entire body sprawled out on top of him. Her head lay on his shoulder and her arms were loose around his neck as her legs were straddled at his waist. His arms were wrapped protectively around her. It looked as if he had carried her in there and they had both collapsed from exhaustion. Cuddy brought her hand up to her heart at the sight, shaking her head at how beautiful it was. It melted her heart and she felt as if she could stand there and stare at them for hours. Cuddy pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and took a picture; she never wanted to forget this.
Cuddy slipped her shoes off of her feet and quietly made her way over to them. She gently laid her hand on Bella's back, stroking her there before she felt her forehead to see if she still had a fever. She was still warm but she wasn't hot. Cuddy bent down and placed a light kiss onto her forehead. She had missed Bella so much, even though it had only been a day. She turned her head toward House and placed a soft kiss on his forehead as well. His eyes fluttered open and focused on her face as she pulled back.
She smiled at him. "Hi." She whispered to him.
"Hi." He whispered in response.
"How is she?"
He sighed softly, but didn't move, no doubt afraid he'd wake Bella. "She threw up a few times today and she still had a fever when I brought her in here a couple of hours ago. Had Wilson bring over some Pedialyte and she managed to keep it down after a couple of tries, but she hasn't eaten anything today."
Cuddy nodded. "How are you doing?"
"I'm fine."
She smiled at him, knowing she wouldn't get any other answer. "Do you want me to take her to her bed?" She asked softly.
"I can take her." He told her, carefully sitting up with Bella in his arms. House stood up, mindful of the extra weight he was placing on his leg.
Cuddy watched him, ready to help if it was needed. She watched House limp into the spare bedroom and carefully lay Bella down on the futon, covering her up. She was surprised when he placed a kiss on her head and brushed her hair away from her face. House switched the light off and turned around, making his way out of the room. Cuddy stepped back and allowed him to close the door halfway. She gave him a smile and wrapped her arms around his neck in a tight embrace. Cuddy felt his arms come around her waist, pulling her close to him. He buried his head in her neck and placed a feather light kiss there.
They held each other for a couple of minutes in silence.
Cuddy pulled back, placing a kiss on his cheek before capturing his lips with hers in a slow and tender kiss. She pulled back and looked into his eyes. "Thank you for taking care of my little girl." She whispered. "You are incredible with her and I just…I have to tell to you what a wonderful father you'd be, House. I'm not asking-…"
"I know, Cuddy. Thank you." He whispered. "But I just can't…"
"I know." She replied with reassurance. "I know, ok? You're not ready, I get it." She acknowledged with a small, sad smile as she caressed his left arm, moving her hand under the sleeve of his t-shirt. Cuddy leaned in for another kiss wanting him to know that she wasn't upset but that she understood.
"I'm sorry, Cuddy, that I can't be what you-"
"No, House. Don't you dare tell me that." She interrupted before he could finish. "You are what I need and whether that means a father for Bella or not it doesn't matter. I want you…just like you are. I wish you would get that through your thick head. I hate repeating myself." She told him with a smirk.
He gave her a small smile and a nod, dipping his head for one more kiss. They separated once more and Cuddy removed her arms from him and took a step back, his hands moving to her waist. "I'm going to take quick shower."
House nodded. "Have you eaten?"
"No."
"Wilson brought some homemade chicken soup earlier…interested?"
She nodded. "Yeah, that sounds good."
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11:04 PM
House and Cuddy lay together in his bed, her back to his chest as he held her tightly, placing light kisses on her shoulder. He heard her sigh contentedly and wrap her arms around his. "I know it was only a day, but I missed you." Cuddy told him softly.
"Me too." He whispered into her ear before he kissed her earlobe and trailed his lips down her neck. She shivered and smiled at the sensation. "You cold?" He asked with a smirk on his lips as he continued kissing her.
She shook her head. "No." She replied, her smile growing.
House moved his hand over her waist and down to her hip. His fingers snuck under the waistband of her pajama pants as he moved his hand over her abdomen. She straightened her legs out, allowing his hand to move further south. Cuddy turned her head and lifted her right arm, placing it softly on the back of his head, and bringing his lips down to hers. His tongue met hers briefly before his snuck past her lips as he deepened their kiss, his hand moving from her abdomen up to her breast. Cuddy's fingernails softly grazed the back of his head as his hand cupped her breast under her tank top, causing a soft moan to escape her throat. He lifted his head, releasing her lips and allowing her to turn her body toward him, lying on her back. House's hand moved to her other breast, his thumb grazing her nipple as he dipped his head once more to claim her lips.
Cuddy moved her left leg over his hip as her arm came around his back under his t-shirt, her palm resting between his shoulder blades. His lips moved down her neck as she kept her eyes closed and turned her head, granting him more access to her neck. House lifted her tank top, exposing her breasts and his head dipped down to take her nipple between his lips. She sighed and hummed softly, biting her bottom lip as he continued to suckle her breast.
After a moment he heard his name on her lips. "House." She said with a bit of alarm in her voice.
"Mmmm." He mumbled as he moved his lips between her breasts and trailed them down toward her navel.
"House, did you hear that?" She asked, pushing on his shoulder to make him stop what he was doing and listen.
He lifted his head and scowled at her. "I heard you moan…that's a good thing, Cuddy."
She rolled her eyes. "Shut up and listen."
House heard the floorboards creak in the hallway. He turned his head toward the sound, unable to see anything through the closed bedroom door. A moment later, they heard a soft tap on the door. "Greg?" They heard Bella's soft voice call from the other side of the door.
Cuddy covered herself up, lowering her tank top over her breasts. She shifted her eyes to House's before lowering her gaze down to his groin. "Think of Wilson in a bikini." She told him with a smirk on her lips.
House scowled in disgust. "Ugh…Cuddy, give me freakin' nightmares would ya?"
She chuckled at him and sat up, leaving the bed to go open the door for Bella. The imagery she had just placed in his head had done the trick and he rolled onto his back in time to see Cuddy open the door. He heard Bella gasp in surprise at seeing Cuddy open the door instead of him. House sat up, seeing the brilliant smile that graced Bella's lips upon seeing Cuddy.
"Lisa!" She exclaimed happily and threw her arms around her waist.
"Hi, Sweetie, how are you feeling?" She asked with concern, her arms going around Bella.
Bella looked up at her. "A little better, I guess. I was thirsty and I couldn't reach the cups." She told Cuddy.
Cuddy nodded and glanced back at House. "I'll be right back."
He nodded and watched as Cuddy led Bella to the kitchen. He allowed a small smile to come to his lips. He was glad that Cuddy was back, but taking care of Bella hadn't been all that bad. He hated that she had gotten sick but he felt a certain sense of pride in how well he'd done. House felt as if he'd accomplished something in taking care of her. He wondered if that was what Cuddy felt everyday as Bella's Mom. Is that why she wanted to become a Mom? He didn't know, but he was starting to think he did. The question of whether he could become Bella's father was starting to eat at him. He resisted it for all he was worth but things kept happening that he couldn't get away from that caused him to act as Bella's father. He had heard from both Bella and Cuddy today that he was a good daddy. Wilson had even mentioned it during the poker game yesterday. It seemed that it was unavoidable. Unless he did something really stupid and pushed the woman he loved far away from him along with her daughter. It seemed that was the only way for him to avoid becoming what he knew he was not meant to be. The question was: is he stupid enough to push away two of the people he loved most in the world?
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