Hope you are all doing well, and this gives you something to read. I expect we're all reading more and doing more of whatever hobbies we have. In my case it's knitting and watching TV.

Chapter 90.

With Curt gone, Anita and Les could listen to Steve's interrogation without interruption, but he didn't say any more.

Les turned to her. "You driving back to Shelby?"

Anita shook her head. "Actually, I'd like ask permission to take another crack at Steve."

Les pursed his lips while he likely considered her request. "Okay, on one condition. That I be sitting next to you while you question him."

"Deal." She made for the door of the observation room. "But first I need food. Do they still have that vile chili in the cafeteria here?"

He laughed. "Still do."

She smiled. "I've been hankering for a bowl for weeks."

They took the elevator to the eighth floor cafeteria. It was lunchtime for many employees and seats were hard to find, so they eventually took their trays to the rooftop, where additional tables were available. Anita shivered a little. "Hope this chili warms me up."

Les had a burger and fries. "I still don't know what the deal is between you and Curt."

Anita took a forkful and put it in her mouth, closing her eyes the better to savor the spiciness. When she swallowed she was ready. "We worked together several times, and at least twice, he didn't have my back. In fact, he worked against me with his own agenda. We'd agree to meet somewhere and he'd be off doing his own thing. I just don't trust him."

"That's understandable. But in this case, he seems to be innocent of any wrongdoing."

She scowled. "We'll see." She'd finished the chili and noticed Les had finished his lunch too. "Shall we?" She stood and bussed her tray.

Les was right behind her and followed her out to the elevator to return to the interrogation room.

"Think they took him back to his cell?" she wondered aloud.

Les shook his head. "Not unless I told them too."

Steve sat in the same room. Some kind soul had delivered a burger, and Steve had almost finished it.

Anita sat across from him. "Now that you've had something to eat, perhaps you'll tell us anything you've remembered since your earlier questioning."

Les pointed to the recorder. "Let me turn this back on."


House and Cameron were the only ones in the diner booth. Without the crowd, it was easier to see the small plaque Linda or maybe Chrissy had adhered to the table proclaiming this Doctors Only and below that, House and Cameron's Booth.

House studied Cameron's enigmatic face. "You're not going to tell me."

She shook her head. "Promised Jessica."

"So she's waiting until everyone's here to make her big announcement."

"Their big announcement." Cameron realized she'd already said too much.

He smiled with an evil glint in his eyes. "By that, I expect the test was positive."

"House, let it go. Stop speculating about something you know nothing about."

"There's something wrong with the embryo?"

She buried her face in the menu. No way would she respond to that. She searched for another topic, or at least one not as sensitive. "How can we help the team if they have to move out before the apartment is available for them?"

"No. We are not going to have them come live with us while they wait." His blue eyes turned icy and glared at her.

"It wouldn't be for long, but you're right. We've only recently moved in and already had house guests. Time for it to be just the two of us."

House and Cameron finished their lunches at the same time. As they stood to leave, he asked, "Do you think Jessica will make an announcement tonight?"

"Are you trying to get me to say something about her?" she retorted.

"Will she ask Wilson to make it for her?"

"We're playing that game?" She faced him and crossed her arms. "Answering a question with a question?"

"Hah! Why are you being so obstinate?"

"Why are you being so inquisitive and insensitive?"

"Insensitive? Me?" His innocent face was just short of believable.

"And by the way, don't you have anything else to think about?"

"How could anything be more interesting?"

She dropped her arms, but not willing to give an inch, and asked, "Will you drop this and go back to work?"

He grinned evilly and headed for his car.

She shook her head and walked back to the clinic.


"What did the WBC differential say?" Jacobs asked when she arrived in the conference room with the guys' lunches.

"There's a high level of lymphocytes and a low level of neutrophils," Magnani said.

"So that's causing the swing in the total white blood cell count. Could be a bacterial or viral infection, complicated by an underlying condition."

"Yeah, that's what we thought." Magnani bit, chewed and swallowed his burger. "What did Wilson say?"

She sat at the conference room table opposite the two men. "They may start looking this evening or tomorrow evening, but no way they'll be out of there in two weeks."

Simpson nodded. "That's what we were afraid of. Still, if we tell Mrs. Garcia we'll have another place in a month, maybe she'll let us stay that long."

"How likely is that?" she asked.

"Not very." Magnani's shoulders slumped.


Jessica finally called Wilson at one that afternoon. After Cameron gave her the news, she had to wrap her mind around the fact that she was pregnant, and the baby was having a rough time gaining weight but had a strong heartbeat. What was she going to tell the child's father?

"What did Cameron's tests show?" he said before anything else.

She was only partially prepared for that. "She confirmed the pregnancy."

"But? You don't sound as elated as you did yesterday."

"I'll have to eat even better than before to help the baby gain weight. Cameron says I'm about three months along already. I heard the heartbeat. This is real. It's actually happening." Wonder replaced the trepidation in her voice.

"Oh, Jess, that's wonderful."

"She's too small." There she said it. "I may have to take extra vitamins besides the ones I get from food and the usual ones they prescribe for pregnant women."

"Whatever we have to do, we'll do it."

She chuckled. "Mostly I'll do it, but I'm glad for your support."

"Did you think I'd be upset you'll have to work extra hard so the baby is healthy? Oh, Jess, you don't know how happy I am right now."

She pursed her lips. "We won't have much time to find another place to live."

"Speaking of which, the team doesn't think they can convince their landlady to let them stay more than two weeks."

She frowned. "What will they do?"

"They also don't want to move twice," he said. "I guess they're out as tenants to replace us."

"That's House's problem, not ours."

"I know, but it would have been a good solution. I'm just thinking about how grouchy he'll be that he has to find someone else to take our place. Did you tell the gang at lunch?"

"No. I won't tell anyone until you're there too. I made a point not to have lunch with House, Cameron and Anita."

But Wilson knew his friends. "Cameron might talk, especially to House."

"She promised not to. Tonight at dinner we'll tell everyone and then it'll be over."

"I'm afraid it'll just be beginning."

"True. Added to it, we have the court date tomorrow morning about Bruno," she reminded him.

"I've already notified my patients I won't be in until after lunchtime."


Steve looked like he would fall off the chair at any moment. He rubbed his face and frowned. "Can't we have a break? You're relatively fresh, but I've been at this since dawn. If you want me to try to remember something, I need to rest."

He looked so vulnerable Anita had to ask, "Do you know who killed Harve?"

Steve closed his eyes, and she thought he might fall asleep where he sat, but he opened them again. "My best guess is Frank Channing."

The name brought a faint memory to Anita's mind. A case in Kentucky. A cell of Russian spies headed by a tall, dark and handsome guy called Frank Channing. "What does he have to do with this? Isn't he incarcerated?"

Les shook his head. "He was released four months ago."

"Why didn't you mention him before?" she asked Steve.

One of Steve's shoulders went up. "It just came to me."

Anita rolled her eyes. "Yeah. Out of the blue."

He stared at her as if to say, prove it didn't.

Les frowned. "Okay, so you think Channing had something to do with Harve's death.

"Not something, he killed him. I saw him that day at the diner, then leave and head to Harve's room." Steve slumped in his chair.

"And didn't mention it until now."

He took a deep breath and let it out but didn't say anything else.

"What else just came to you?" Anita demanded.

He shook his head. "That's it."

"Oh, c'mon. You want us to stop this interrogation, then tell us what else you know, because we can go on for a long time."

Steve didn't seem intimidated by her threat. "That's it, I said, and I meant it."

"Not good enough. How do you know Channing?"

"I don't. Just recognized him."

Anita leaned across the table. "Who attacked you at Lorelei's?"

Steve shook his head.


Between patients that afternoon, House made little bets with himself. Would Jessica or Wilson tell everyone the news? Would either of them? Was it a girl or a boy? Of course, it was too early to tell. Was there a problem or not? Would Wilson and Jess move out or not? Would the team take the apartment or not. The odds on all of those varied in his mind.

He soothed himself with the thought that all, or almost all would be revealed that evening. But maybe it wouldn't.

"Naomi, do we have any scheduled patients for later?" he asked at two.

""Fraid not. But we had a steady stream today. Can't complain."

Later, "Naomi, what time do you have? My watch says three but that can't be."

"Three it is." She smiled at him.

He turned back to his office and groaned.

And then, "I'll see the patients in the waiting room, but tell the rest who show up to go to the clinic."

"All right, Doctor."


On the other hand, Cameron lost herself in her afternoon patients. She knew the answer to House's questions and didn't have to dwell on them. Her stream of cases was constant too, and ranged from kids and their parents there for exams for school sports teams, to a man who burned himself trying recipes in his new Instant Pot, to a twenty-something who'd broken a toe falling over, not off, her bike.

During a break in the flow when she stood in the waiting room, Carol asked her, "Is Jessica really pregnant?" Based on the bright smile on Carol's face, she thought it was good if she was.

"You're so good at not reading patients' files. If you had read hers, you would know the answer to that question." Cameron smiled and sat on the edge of Carol's desk. "Her test was positive."

"Wonderful. When's she due?"

"Looks like May. Early days yet, but we heard the heartbeat."

"Is their apartment big enough?" Carol asked, probably thinking about how much more room she and Seth needed after their son was born.

Cameron shook her head. "They're looking for a house, both for more room and a backyard for the dog."

Before she said more, another patient walked in and she led him into the exam room.


At five precisely, House headed for the diner, not wanting to miss anything. No one was there. He sat nursing a Coke for a full fifteen minutes before Cameron arrived. She smiled and slid in opposite him.

"Cheer up. Everyone else will be here soon," she said.

Sure enough, Anita arrived, followed closely by Jessica.

"How'd it go in D.C. today?" Jess asked.

"Steve is taking his sweet time revealing what he knows. Brought up a name I hadn't considered, mainly because I thought the guy was in jail." She glanced to the door. "I'll tell you more when the others arrive."

Cameron and Jess nodded, and House glared.

The team arrived, followed closely by Wilson and then Hadley. Jess and Wilson exchanged wide grins, but Cameron neatly delayed their reveal by asked Anita to go on. She told them about Steve's interrogation and the man he named. "But he says the person who clobbered him was a stranger."