Chapter 53 : Adapting

Days passed faster than they thought. Spring was already here and they had not found their dream house yet. But to be honest, they preferred to take their time than to rush and be disappointed after all. The more important was that they loved working here. They could spend more time with their patients. And still they didn't come home late. They didn't have found a house yet because they lacked time, it was just because they enjoyed doing nothing when they came home early.

They spent their evenings cooking, video chatting with their friends, making love in the softest way. Or arguing over small things like Claire's over love for perfumed candles or Neil's need to buy so much food, as if the end of the world was planned for tomorrow. Real couple life. Ordinariness. Routine. But their own routine and they liked it. Even if it meant being in a huff with other and sulking a little bit. The reconciliations were even better.

Life at the hospital was full of surprises. New patients arrived each week. On the other side, Neil was still figuring out how Dr. House proceeded. He was a mystery to him. This guy was a genius and he was so irritating. "Like you before I arrived." Claire kept repeating him. But this man was at another level. He didn't manage to get him. It was disturbing.

"You're still thinking about House again."

"How do you know that?"

"You're pouting so your nose is wrinkling. Typical of you where you're overthinking. And it's your turn to play. These cards won't place on the table on their own."

She was so directive, he liked this. He needed to let go of House. He will finally figure him out one day. And for the moment, he was losing at poker and he didn't like this. Claire was still wearing all of her clothes when he was almost naked. He had to shift focus. Night was just starting and he wanted to see his wife's body without all these pieces of fabric…

Morning came too fast to his taste. The alarm clock was already ringing, telling them to get up and prepare for a new day of work. Not that he didn't like his job, but rain was falling hard outside and he had no wish to get out of the blanket. Claire was still sleeping. She didn't hear the alarm clock. He gently shook her. "Time to wake up."

She moaned and put the pillow over her head. "Just five more minutes."

She was not a morning person. Unlike him. Neil got out of bed, went to the kitchen and prepared some coffee. He grabbed his clothes on the coach and went to the bathroom. When he got out all dressed, Claire was drinking her coffee, still wearing his large Stanford tee-shirt she stole from him in the first days they were dating. He would have never thought such a tee-shirt could have been so sexy one day. He came closer and dropped a kiss in her warm neck. She shivered, put her cup on the table and turned to hug him. He loved when she placed her head over his chest.

Almost 7:30AM. They hurried to prepare and took their car. The weather was too awful to go by foot. The leftovers of a tropic storm, Cameron explained to them. It was common in the area. It only lasted some days and then, it was ok. Rain was the only inconvenient.

Claire and Neil went to their offices. A lot of work were waiting for them today. And there was this meeting at 11 AM which made Neil so nervous. "See you later." He smiled at her before running in his office. His mind was already elsewhere. He spent hours to prepare his next surgeries, documenting over some heart pathologies.

He arrived just in time for the meeting. Claire, Cameron and two residents were there. He sat and House arrived just after him.

"Still here, Thin and Gummy?"

"They are with you for the whole week, Greg and you know it. Don't be an idiot. I know you know."

He rolled his eyes before smiling to her discreetly. "And they have names, you know. Toni, Danny, don't let him traumatize you. He needs to be put in his place sometimes."

She grinned at Claire who let out a laugh.

"New girl is a funny one."

"I can but I prefer Claire or Dr. Browne-Melendez. As you wish."

House turned and took the patient's file. "What about her? "

"Fatima Nazir. 36. She came here with violent pains in the chest. I diagnosed a failure of her aortic valve. I changed it two months ago. But she came back three weeks later with terrible headaches."

"And you are?"

"Dr. Melendez. I'm Mrs. Nazir's doctor."

"Melendez? Like the other? So you're related?"

"She's my wife. And it has nothing to do here. She was one of the doctor who took Fatima in charge in the ER when she came back with pains in her back two weeks ago."

"I sent her do an echo and noticed a dark stain on her left kidney. I asked for a biopsy but it was not cancerous. And it's not a kidney failure either. But it hurts as hell and there's nothing we can do."

"Heart attack, kidney stain and headache…" House was already overthinking about the case. A new puzzle to solve. "Thin and Gummy… "

Cameron gave him dark eyes. He sighed. "Well, Toni and Danny, go to the lab and ask for a new blood analysis. And also an urine one. Just in case to see things larger. We need all the possible parameters. And bring me a turkey sandwich… And a Coca." Cameron gave him big eyes again and a small smile. "What? I'm hungry… Do you want one too? Bring one for my wife too!"

She let out a laugh. He was impossible. And that was why she loved him even if sometimes he was hard to live with. "What about a genetic disease that targets only the organs?"

"Not bad... You learn fast."

"And I'm a good doctor. It helps! I have to let you, duty calls. I've a meeting with the hospital board at 1PM. And don't eat my sandwich!"

Cameron vanished in the corridor. Claire and Neil remained alone with House in the office. He was writing frenetically on his board. They were reading again and again the file, searching for the little information they missed the other times. Hours passed. Cameron came back to help them after her meeting. Toni and Danny were running in the whole hospital to run the tests House ordered and brought them the results. As they studied, the case was more and complicated. Fatima won't have any answer tonight as Claire was hoping.

The days passed and they spent more time together. Claire was trying to get over House's way of talking to patients. But it was eating up from inside. Cameron recognized he was particularly unpleasant because of his leg pain. "But it doesn't excuse everything. And if you need to tell him things, you don't hesitate. I'm sure he likes this anyway… You should have seen how many times we argued over a case when I was just an intern!"

House couldn't stop referring to Fatima as nothing but a person and Claire was boiling inside. Neil tried to calm her down but he knew it was too late. She was gonna get things straight with House. He was more of a philosopher and enjoyed the genius of the man. He was the Hyde of his Jekyll. He will talk to patients while he will search for clues and solutions in his office. And he kind of loved this dynamics. Claire was more natural. And she was about to burst.

"I don't allow you to speak about my patient like this. She's a person, a woman who has a life and a family and you just treat her like an object. Do it when you're alone if you want, but don't do it in front of me. Thank you."

House was surprised by Claire's sudden outburst. "Oh, this tiny person has an answer for everything."

"Greg…" Cameron tried to temper her husband as she had done so many time.

"Being small doesn't involve I'm not smart and I don't have an opinion."

House gave a quick faint smile to Cameron who was watching the scene with great interest. "You remind me of someone I used to argue with years ago."

"I hope she told you that you can be a jackass when you tell things like this."

"Actually… She did a lot. She still does to be exact. And she accepted to marry me…"

Claire gave a puzzled look to Cameron. Neil lowered his head so they couldn't see him laughing.

"Plead guilty. He was an ass when I was his resident and I had told him about it so many times I lost count of it. Still do."

"Good luck with him." She stole the file from House's hands. "Now if you excuse me, it's time to go home for me. Neil, you come?"

"On my way."

He made a face to Cameron and House before leaving the office.

[…]

Neil woke up very early this morning. Even if he didn't work. Even if he could have stayed longer under the blanket, lying next to Claire. He looked at her. She was sleeping so deeply. Her chest lifted up and down at each of her breath. She was so peaceful, so relaxed. He smiled. They did it. Despite all the difficulties, the obstacles and anything or anyone raising against them, they found the way to reach their own happiness.

At this moment, he knew it was the right time to tell her what he was hiding from her for weeks now. Because he was afraid she could be disappointed in case it didn't work. He bent to her and nestled his face in her neck. He said her name softly until she moved and opened one of her eyes.

"Are we late? Thought we didn't work today…"

He looked lost. But he couldn't say the truth right now, not so close to his goal.

"Just follow me."

Claire looked puzzled. Where did Neil want to take her at this hour, especially during their day off. She didn't plan to get up so early this day. But Neil came and woke her up kissing her in the neck and stroking her hair. How could she say no to this man she loved so much? She woke up and got dressed, combed her hair as she could and joined him in the car.

"Where are we going? You seem so mysterious… Hope it doesn't imply other people because I'm frightening as hell to see anyone with my undone hair and this headband!"

He let out of laugh. He wanted to say her she was beautiful whatever she wore, whatever her hair style, whatever she was made up or not. But she will contradict him telling he was just nice to her. So he just smiled at her. And she did the same. Sometimes, words were overrated.

He drove for thirty minutes and stopped the car at the beginning of a large path. "This is where we stop." Neil got off out of the car. Claire unattached her seatbelt and did the same. They were at the top of a hill. She could see the whole city from here. And the sunrise which was so beautiful this morning. She turned to Neil.

"What are we doing here?"

"As I've already said, just follow me." She grabbed his hand and grinned at him. They walked for something like 5 minutes before arriving in a large clearing. And she saw it, right in the middle. The little house in the middle of nowhere. The one she talked about when they were running at night, after work. The one she said she would go if she had only six months to live. He remembered.

"Meet our new house… I put an offer on it a week ago and it was accepted yesterday. I know we told we were going to visit houses together. But I saw pics in the real estate agency while coming back from work and I felt in love with the place. I entered and they offered me to visit. And in less than 30 minutes I was there and in love with the place, with all the stories, the memories we were gonna build in here together… With our kids…"

He looked at her. She was quiet. But he could say, by the sparkles in her eyes, he had been right.

"Neil, this is… I mean… It is…"

She didn't finish her sentence. She was too surprised. Too astonished. He looked at her with his puppy eyes. The ones she couldn't resist. "This …Perfect…"

"Really." She nodded yes with her head, speechless. It was the house she had dreamt since she was a kid, when she dreamt of escaping from her apartment for some moments because her mom was drunk or sometimes worse.

"And the good thing is that you don't have six months to live… You can enjoy this place as long as you like."

He winked at her. He really remembered all she said this day while stretching on a bench. "Thank you for being you."

She came closer and kissed him. She didn't know what to do. She was the luckiest woman in the world. She was in love, she was a doctor and she now had the house of her dream. She put her forehead on his as he bent to kiss her again. She giggled. Neil gave her the keys.

"Ready to open our new house?"

They went to the house, climbed the 4 steps leading to the terrace and opened the door. The space was big. Bigger than any place she ever lived. They explored the house for the next two hours, decided where their bedroom would be, where the bedrooms of their children would set, where they would put their Christmas tree. A whole life to build, a new chapter to write and they couldn't wait to start it.