A/N-Thanks to all who have read and particularly to all who have reviewed since the last chapter: lenasti16, Suzieqlondon, TheHouseWitch, housebound, Asia, JLCH, dmarchl, Josam, IHeartHouseCuddy, Abby, HuddyGirl, Alex, Bakerstreet Blues, KiwiClare and Mon Fogel.
Disclaimer-I don't own the characters of House, MD.
House was less than thrilled about going to the baby shower. He knew no one would expect him to play ridiculous games or fawn over miniature-sized versions of adult clothes, but the situation still wasn't very comfortable for him. He was never sure what to say to Cuddy about Wilson and Ann's accidental pregnancy, when such attempts at parenthood had been so painfully difficult and unsuccessful for her. She insisted, stoically, each time, that she was fine and he knew she had no interest in behaving that selfishly, nor did she begrudge Wilson a measure of happiness.
He was mostly going so Cuddy wouldn't be alone before and after the party. He was present, but disinterested, while she bought an overpriced item from a registry at a baby boutique, uncertain why anyone had to buy the clearly well off pair anything. "It isn't like this is for a struggling single mother or a couple trying to get by working backbreaking mining jobs," he sneered while she paid.
"Do you think people like that would expect gifts like these?" she asked him.
"What do you mean?"
"People that actually need the stuff, have much more realistic expectations. I've been to a lot of these over the years…"
"Want me to hang out with you and the gals, help you with your party games and scavenger hunts? With our combined wits and competitive natures, we'll swoop up all of the prizes and leave with a perfect winning record. Wilson will survive without me."
She laughed with amusement, "I think this group is a bit uptight for you…we'll work them up to it. I can fend for myself while you have some Wilson time."
"I missed ladies' night with Wilson. You guys will be playing beer bong and shooting pool and Wilson and I will be crocheting booties and watching chick flicks," he said.
After they paid, she leaned against the counter at the far end, removed the card from the bag, and signed, in flowing feminine script, "Love and Best Wishes, Lisa and Greg."
He felt momentarily stunned at her automatic inclusion of his name with hers on the card. It looked odd but felt surprisingly good and he liked that she did it without making any sort of issue out of it. It just seemed…normal. In the past something as stupid and insignificant as that would have likely led to an uncomfortable conversation where both of them tried to avoid implying too much about their feelings, or too little, and half of the time would have led to an argument anyway.
When they arrived, the living room was decorated in all of the traditional ways, with pink, pale blue and yellow balloons and baby-related signs and adornments. People were fawning over the expectant mother in a way that made House sick. Packages, large, small and well-decorated, filled a table placed in the room for that purpose. Wilson appeared to have been waiting for House, quickly sweeping him away from the crowd. "Are there guys in there?" House asked, with horror, pointing toward the gathering, which included several men scattered among the women.
"Yes House, it's the twenty-first century, men do these sorts of things now. We're a new breed of men who are active, hands-on fathers who don't feel compelled to fall into those sorts of antiquated roles," Wilson said.
"New breed?"
"Yea, I don't have to subscribe to ridiculous male stereotypes to be a man."
"So why are you out here with me?" House said, as he scavenged over the food table in the dining room, filling a plate before the two of them continued on to the game room at the back of the house.
"Because you came to rescue me from the insanity. I may be part of a new breed but I'd still rather play Foosball."
House chuckled at Wilson's honesty as they settled in the game room. "I knew they didn't completely destroy you."
House marveled at the number of 'toys' Wilson had at this place too: Foosball, pool, pinball, gaming systems. As he looked around he said, "People said I was the immature one. Look at all of this crap. This room alone is every fraternity's dream house."
"It is. "
"This poker table…isn't nearly as sturdy as the one at the beach," House said, with a tone of disappointment, while he placed a hand on the table and shook it.
"Wh…what? Why would you say that?"
House just grinned smugly at Wilson and waited.
"You had sex on my poker table didn't you?" Wilson said, deflated and mildly disgusted.
"It wouldn't be like me to provide a lady with the ultimate in lovin' and tell…" House said, smugger still. "But…I feel I need these small revenges…it's the little things…to get back at you for all of the times you've run to Cuddy behind my back…or run behind Cuddy's back to me. If I want to be a good boyfriend I have to look out for her now too," he said with some levity.
House left his plate of food on a high table and walked over to the Foosball table. Grabbing the ball from the return, he held it up as an invitation and waited while Wilson took his place on the other side. "Play to eleven?" House asked. Once Wilson was in place, nodding in agreement, House served the ball to begin the game.
"I…have always looked out for you. Sometimes friendship involves doing things the friend might not want you to do," Wilson said in his defense.
"And sometimes it just means the friend is a horrible gossip who can't keep his nose out of your business. I think you think you mean well…sometimes…that stuff caused more trouble than it was worth."
Wilson scored. "House, I really…"
"All of this amazing stuff will be back here gathering dust soon enough," House interrupted, feeling that he had said all he wanted to for the moment.
"Yes, because I will be the proud and attentive father of an adorable baby boy."
"Adorable? You're already questioning his paternity?"
"Nice…" Wilson answered as House scored.
"Don't blame me, she was already knocked up when I met her."
"What are you going to do if Cuddy wants kids?"
"I don't know. I don't think she does. We've discussed it a bit, she's certainly not eager to. I think…she'll tell me if she changes her mind."
"What if she said she did…would you be willing?"
House scored again and grinned victoriously.
"I don't know. When I saw how much pain she was in with Rachel…I would have agreed to father a child on the spot. No questions asked."
"Right…" Wilson said with disbelief.
"In all of the years I have known her, after everything I've seen…she was never as devastated as she was then. I would have done almost anything to stop the pain she was being swallowed by."
Wilson's mouth gaped, stunned by House's admission. "Really?"
House scored again while Wilson waited, stunned.
"Yea. You think I like seeing her hurt?" House asked.
"You used to do it often enough."
"I didn't usually do stuff with the intention of hurting her. You should know that."
"An unfortunate side effect of your normal behavior?"
House forced a smile, unwilling to follow the line of discussion any further. "Cuddy and I will continue to do what we've been doing…decently well, I might add, and we'll figure those sorts of things out when they become relevant. In a few weeks I'll be busy having sex with Cuddy, sleeping in on the weekends and we'll be doing pretty much whatever we feel like doing. You will be experiencing the joys of constantly interrupted sleep, dirty diapers, and six weeks without sex…"
Wilson finally scored again.
Cuddy picked at food and played games with the rest of the participants at the party. She was able to catch up with a few people from PPTH who were in attendance and mingled easily with the other gatherers. Several people at the party asked about her new boyfriend and nearly all who had met her before commented on how happy she seemed. She couldn't believe how much better she really was.
It felt like she was actually, not only progressing beyond her pain, but truly enjoying life again. Over the last several months, something like this would have been crushingly painful. It wasn't clear to her just how often she had to don a mask, just to look like she was surviving, until she no longer needed the mask at all. One of the best parts about this event was that, although several people asked how she was doing, not a single one said it with that voice that was filled concern, and laced with pity. Regardless of the purity of their intentions, those questions always felt patronizing, doing little more than reminding her that she was supposed to be sad.
Ann opened the card and gift, and when she came over to offer her thanks, she seemed legitimately happy for her friend. Cuddy wondered how House and Wilson were doing, and wished in a way that she was off playing poker and drinking, or doing whatever the old friends had decided to do with their time, instead of being involved in the almost ritualized gift bestowing ceremony she was attending.
"You had a visitor at the hospital last week…Lydia was looking for you," Wilson said.
The two of them settled down at the poker table after House had won two games of Foosball and properly mocked Wilson for losing, since he had the table available to practice on nearly every day of his life.
"Oh?"
"She was…exactly what you described…" Wilson said.
"What did she say?"
"That you were a brilliant doctor. That her sister-in-law, Annie, I believe, was doing very well. She wanted to thank you for that. And for some reason felt it was important to let you know that things with her husband were good. I don't know if she wanted to make sure you didn't get the wrong impression or if she just wanted you to know that things were better in her marriage. They were actually back here to visit family…she wanted to say thanks and make sure you were OK. Actually…she asked if you were happy…she seemed…to legitimately hope you were…"
"I believe that. What did you tell her?"
"I told her you were clean and healthy…and seeing someone that was really good for you…and she was happy. She said you were a good man…that you deserved happiness…I told her she must have the wrong doctor," Wilson added, teasing.
House ignored the jibe and replied, "She's one of the few…honestly nice people…"
"You have regrets with all of that?"
"It worked out for the best, eventually. I really cared about her…my feelings for her were the first real feelings I had after all of those years of drugs. I was truly hurt when things didn't work with Lydia, but…"
"Who's Lydia?" asked a slightly concerned voice from the direction of the door.
House turned to look at Cuddy, puffed his cheeks full of air and blew out slowly. "Woman I met while I was at Mayfield."
His own face, the concern etched on it, demonstrated that his words understated the importance of the relationship. She walked over to him, bent to look at his cards, laid a hand on his shoulder and kissed his cheek with a gentle smile before standing up and walking toward the door.
"OK. I just escaped from the 'fun' for a minute," she smiled. "You guys enjoy your game."
He watched the door behind him close. "At what point did she walk in?"
"Dunno. You never mentioned her to Cuddy?" Wilson asked.
"In what context? When is that something that you bring up with a woman that you want to be not-angry with you?"
"In the context of full disclosure?"
"Did you provide an itemized list of your women to Ann?" House asked with irritation.
"No..." Wilson replied.
"It isn't really relevant to us currently. I knew that relationship was over. It had no impact on Cuddy and I now."
"Probably…but I guess it doesn't matter, she didn't seem upset. She didn't go stomping out of here."
"Oh…she's upset," House sighed.
An hour later, when the noise from the party died down, House and Wilson ventured back into the living room. All of the lights were out except one small lamp at the end of the sofa, and beneath thick blankets they saw Cuddy sleeping comfortably. Wilson had assumed Ann already went to bed, so House walked over to the sofa to get Cuddy up to return home. Except it wasn't Cuddy sleeping on the sofa, it was Ann. "Where'd Cuddy go?" House asked her.
"Lisa…she left a little while ago, I figured you were with her," she said, as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes.
"Did she say anything?"
"Just goodnight…congratulations…normal stuff."
He looked at his phone to find one message waiting, from Cuddy: 'Girls night out. See you in the am. Love you.'
House was worried. He figured Cuddy might be unhappy, depending on what she heard, but he expected that he'd have some time to discuss the situation with her after they left, and was determined to do it, no matter how uncomfortable it made him. In years past, his mind would have been immediately flooded with concern that she was either cheating or leaving him, but they had been through too much to revert to those sorts of thoughts. He knew too much about how she felt and the type of relationship she wanted with him to assume she could so easily toss him aside now. He didn't like the feeling that she was somewhere, feeling feelings that weren't pleasant.
It was reassuring that, although she was hurt, or perhaps angry, she didn't storm off in silence. She left him a message, one that even said she loved him. She was definitely one, in the past, to run off without saying a word, making sure he knew she was mad and expecting him to grovel his way back into her good graces. When she overheard the conversation she still kissed him and she told him she'd be back in the morning in her message so he wouldn't worry.
How could he not worry?
'Girls' night' led him to believe that perhaps Cuddy was with Kate. Kate wasn't able to drive yet and Cuddy left the car and the keys at Wilson's for him, so that option seemed unlikely, but it was a good starting point. He called Kate.
"You talk to Cuddy?" he asked as soon as she picked up.
"I'm fine how are you?" Kate answered, sarcastically.
"Did. You. Talk. To Cuddy?"
"No, why what did she do?"
"Nothing"
"OK. What did you do?"
"Umm…she overheard something. I don't have time to share this moment with you right now. Did you talk to her or not?"
"No"
At that he hung up. He didn't see anyone at the party earlier that he thought she may want to spend additional time with post-party. They were too far from home for her to walk, and public transportation wouldn't easily get her back. He settled down on a chair to think. He certainly wasn't going to go home and wait for her to return in the morning.
He made a list of her possible locations in his head. Was she with Julia, her mother, someone from PPTH, at a bar? He either dismissed each possibility as he thought of it or added it to his mental inventory of options. His face lit up when he realized where she was. He gathered what he needed from Wilson's and headed out.
A/N2-I know, it's cliffyish…I'll update tomorrow, next chapter's almost finished anyway. Thanks "Truth" for the Lydia question/suggestion.
