Author's Note: A very big thank you again to my beta i luv ewansmile. You're the best!

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"You're part of the sweet deal."
"How? Are they planning to continue paying my salary while I lay in a coma?"
House's sarcastic remark is greeted with silence.
"Seriously?"
"Technically no. But they're willing to revive your department and letting you flexiplace."
"What do you mean?"
"You're still the department head but your deputy will handle the day-to-day operations. They're letting you run your diagnostic differential from home."
"Sweet. No clinic duties?"
"That was never in your original contract. Your wife added that section."
"Oh… Well, as appealing as that deal is, you know it will not be up to me right?"
"I know. I just thought I'd give you a heads up since you're technically my brother-in-law now."
"And you are now technically my ex-BFF."
Wilson rolls his eyes and bid his friend goodbye "nice talking to you House."
"Goodbye Wilson."

11:30AM
Cuddy arrives to see her husband lying in bed reading some cheesy tabloid. Upon spotting her, House throws the tabloid towards the sofa and gingerly shifts his weight so he can swing his leg to the floor. A simple movement that used to take him a few seconds is now taking him a few minutes. Even though the pain on his leg is gone, his body is not reacting as quickly as his brain. Cuddy can see House's irritation as he purse his lips and furrows his brows in frustration. She quickly drops her bag and walks towards the bed. She prevents him from standing up by positioning herself between his legs and gently tracing her fingers on his face. She gives him a kiss on the forehead and asks "what's the hurry? Do you have places you'd rather be?"
House looks up and shakes his head. "I just wanted to walk over and greet you. As you can see…my legs are a little bit rusty."
"Greg, you just woke up from a 15-month coma yesterday. Give your body a little time to adjust."
"I know. I've just missed you so much" as he puts his arm around Cuddy's waist.

Cuddy leans down to give him a kiss, however their lip lock quickly turns into passionate tonsil hockey. When House slips his hands under Cuddy's shirt, she half-heartedly reminds him "Greg, we're in the hospital."
"Uh-huh. I just wanna say hi to the girls. Did they miss me as much as I missed them?"
Cuddy replies "yes" weakly as she feels her whole body reacting to the warmth of his touch.
He tenderly caresses her breast as he continues kissing her. He stops as he notices the tears falling down her cheeks.
"Lise, what's wrong?"
"I'm just a little overwhelmed. I still can't believe that you're here with me again."
House stands up, wipes away her tears and says "I'm here and I'm not going anywhere."
"Do you know how many times I've longed for a chance to have you touch and kiss me again?"
House shakes his head and continues gazing into her eyes.
Cuddy answers her own question "too many times. If not for our children, I don't think I'd have the strength to wake up every morning. Their optimism is the one strand of hope that kept me from falling apart. "
"I'm sorry you had to go through this alone. I love you so much Lise"
"I love you too Greg. If the pain ever comes back, promise me that you'll consider everything else before Ketamine."
"Huh?
"I'm warning you right now that I will never consent to putting you in a chemically induced coma ever again."
Cuddy's statement quickly gets an "okay" from House.
"And, Greg?"
"Yes, mistress?"
"Is that Mr. Happy poking me?"
House takes a deep breath and announces "glad you noticed that he's ready for action. Wanna take Mr. Happy for a spin?"
Cuddy rolls her eyes and answers "as much as my equipment is long overdue for maintenance service, I will not settle for less than a fine dining experience."
"You mean I gotta wine and dine you before I can ride you again?"
As if on cue, Jake walks into the room pushing a food service cart.
"Did someone order some cold spring crab cake sandwiches from Miss Shirley's?"
Miss Shirley's is one Cuddy's favorite restaurant in Baltimore.
Cuddy quickly wipes away her tears and gives House (and Jake) her signature lopsided smile.

***

Shortly after Cuddy left for her office, Jake pops back to his father's room.
"So, did you score some brownie points with Mom?"
"I think so. Thanks for picking up the food for us."
"Not a problem. Wanna go for a walk?"
"Nope. I wanna watch my soaps."
"Come on Dad, Passion Prescription will not be on for another hour."
House looks at his son and asks "so, you're the one who has been religiously turning my soaps on?"
"You know about that? Were you aware of what's going on around you all this time?"
"I think so. I remember bits and pieces of things—your grandmother reading the obituaries, your Mom fussing about my hair, my soap being on, and other tidbits that your Mom would tell me about the kiddies."
"That's so cool Dad!"
"What I find strange is I don't remember anything when I was in Princeton. My memories are mostly those of the past six months."
"Well, Oma and I couldn't visit you as often as we wanted to then. But after the move, we could drop by anytime and help Mom with the kids too."

Jake unfolds the walker and moves it closer to his father.
House whined "I already told you, I don't want to walk."
"Come on Dad, I'll show you where they keep the piano."
House smiles at his son because he knows that Jake is dangling a very tempting carrot in front of him. He missed tinkering with his piano, but he's afraid that he'll get too tired mid-way or have to go to the bathroom.
As if reading his father's mind, Jake adds "don't worry Dad, if you get tired we'll grab a wheel chair along the way."
"You're not going to leave me alone until I walk with you, huh?"
"That's the plan."
House grips his hands on the walker's handle and lifts himself gingerly. He moves his right foot and then his left foot. After noticing that his father is doing great, Jake heads towards the door.
He looks back and realizes that his father is heading the opposite direction.
"Dad? We are going this way"
"Hold your horses. I'm taking a pit stop."
"Okay, do you need help?"
House lifts an arm and waves it to his son as if to say "go away."
After peeing, he washes his hands and sees a glimpse of his reflection in the mirror. His eyes are tired; his hairs are thinning and graying; and his body is about twenty pounds lighter than he was a year ago. He takes a deep breath and tells himself "you can do this Greg."

As both father and son are walking in the hallway, Jake asks "what was the coolest thing about being in a coma? I mean when you were aware of what was going on around you."
House smirks and replies "being able to hear people's honest thoughts. I remember one day when my Mom was reading the obituary of someone she knew from college. She said, if she had to do it over again she'd be like her friend and she would pursue her dreams of being a singer. I never knew that my Mom wanted to be singer."
Jake smiles and replies "I think Oma might be living vicariously through little Lizzy cause that girl won't stop singing."
"Yeah, I heard her this morning."
Jakes shakes his head and animatedly describes "Thursday is Lizzy's night at our humble abode and let's just says that our little miss sunshine goes all out with costume changes and all."
House rolls his eyes and asks "seriously?"
"You better believe it! It's actually a family event—Ethan is the musical director, Charlie is the set designer, Oma is in charge of hair & costume, Mom is the one-person cheering squad, and I'm supposed to be Ryan Seacrest. Don't ask me why but your daughter is in love with him so I have to pretend to be him and I have to interview the star after the show."
House laughs at Jake's story.
"I know it's silly but I think it helps Mom and Oma get away from it all for awhile. I could just imagine how tough it must be for both of them. You know to lose their husbands—one to a coma and the other to death."
House nods at his son's remark. It never occurred to him to equate Cuddy's suffering with his Mom's widowhood. Blythe was married to John for more than half their life, while he and Lise have known each other for about the same time.
"It has been a tough year for the entire family. Of course, Mom shouldered the brunt of it alone. I remember Ethan mentioning that he and Charlie would hear Mom cry every night back in Princeton."
"Have you heard her cry?"
"Not alone. She and Oma will often chat out in the balcony. Sometimes they laugh, sometimes they cry, but they have each other so I don't worry about them anymore."
"She seems to like working here."
Jake smiles and replies "I think Mom likes the flexibility this job gives her. She gets to spend more time with her family and get back to being a doctor. However, you can tell that she misses all the action of being in charge."
"You think she'd be interested in going back to Princeton?"
Jake's eyes light up and ask "Seriously?"
House jokingly replies "Wow! Are you that eager to get rid of your family?"
"Of course not! However, I wouldn't mind having a place to myself again."
"So, Mom and the kiddies live with you?"
Jake nods "And Oma stays with us during weekdays."
"Well, let me see what I can do about that."
"Are you thinking about going back to Princeton Dad?"
"I…I think your Mom has rearranged her life to accommodate me and its time that I return the favor."
Jake nods and replies "she never sold our house in Princeton so I wouldn't be surprised if she jumps at the chance of going back."
"And my old apartment?"
"Wilson and Aunt Rachel still live there. Well, until they finish building their dream home."
"You know I kept that apartment for you."
"For me? Why?"
"In case you'd want to work for your Mom."
"Maybe, I can work for you after my residency."
"I think that will be awesome…that is if I'm still working."
"You're not seriously considering retiring already?"
"Nope! But I've been thinking about staying at home with the kids. Maybe, start working on that book that I've been meaning to write."
"Ah, the long awaited sequel to 'Thinking Out of the Box.'"
"Yeah, I'm thinking about calling it 'It's Never Lupus!'"
Both father and son share a hearty laugh.
TBC

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