House was amused by Chase's desperate measures, but he almost burst out laughing at the bewildered look on Foreman's face.
"The kick off went beautifully. Chase made a perfect catch, but for fear of being tackled he passed the ball to Foreman, who was stuck with it for the rest of the day." Said House as he stood up and approached Foreman.
"Huh?" Foreman was still stumped. He always was.
"How would you like to meet my mother, Eric?" Once again the sarcastic tone was used on the first name. This seemed to confuse Foreman further, and as he was clearly not thinking straight he said the first thing that came to mind, which also happened to be the most inane.
"You have a mother?"
"You'll love her." Said House as he put his arm around Foreman and lead him out of the lounge to meet Sylvia. It wasn't until Foreman was within sight of Sylvia that he regained his sense. It all came to him in a rush as he frantically searched his surroundings for an exit. Any hope for escape disappeared when they reached the smiling old woman. She didn't seem threatening, but Chase's drastic reaction and the fact that House was behind it gave him definite pause. Sometimes he hated being the new guy.
"Mom, Chase is a little busy just now."
"I know, he stopped to say goodbye before he ran down the hall." House smiled, both at Chase's regard for Sylvia's feelings, even in panic, and at his mothers amused tone. Sylvia knew more than she gave away, and like House, she tended to ignore or be amused by people's avoidance of her. She well understood that avoidance. A mother's interference within a circle of friends was never welcome. House gave her a subtle apologetic smile and Sylvia patted his arm warmly. Foreman blinked in surprise at the wordless exchange. House's eyes held admiration and affection for his mother, and subtle as the communication between them had been, it was clear that they held a deep understanding of each other. House turned to Foreman to introduce Sylvia, so he shook himself from his thoughts, smiled warmly and offered his hand.
"Eric Foreman, this is my mother, Sylvia House." Said House politely. That threw Foreman off for a minute. House, polite? Weird. "Eric is new here, he's a neurologist. You also haven't met Dr. Cameron yet. She's an immunologist. I'll introduce you two later.
"Pleased to meet you, Eric." Greeted Sylvia.
"You too, Mrs. House." Answered Foreman. He'd decided that it wasn't going to be too bad, that it was a blessing in disguise. Spending time with Sylvia House might shed some easy light on her son, and Foreman was looking forward to that.
"Eric," Only slightly less sarcasm that usual was tacked onto the first name. "I'd like you to take my mother around the hospital and show her some of the new additions." House then turned to his mother, put his arm around her and kissed her lightly on the top of the head. It was as much for his mother as it was to throw off Foreman. "See you later." He smiled, then turned to Foreman with a teasing grin. "Bring her back to me when you're done." Foreman, despite his obvious surprise at House's display of affection, was not so thrown off as to neglect his usual quizzically irritated look at House. Then they were alone, watching House move purposefully down the hall. Foreman then turned to smile at Sylvia and motioned for her to follow him as he started down the hall in the opposite direction. She nodded and obliged.
"So, what brings you here, Mrs. House," Asked Foreman innocently. "I mean, besides the obvious."
"I assume by obvious that excludes planes, trains and automobiles. I didn't come by air balloon, at any rate. As for why I'm here, I came to see my son." She joked lightly, and she was so polite in the execution of it that Foreman wasn't sure whether he imagined the slight hint of mockery he thought it held. Time to try a different approach.
"I have to say, Mrs. House, that you're much different than I expected, given your sons, uh, unique personality."
"Well, he is his own man, isn't he?" Foreman arched an eyebrow slightly. It was true that House was his own man, but that didn't tell him anything he didn't already know. Was she messing with his head? Surely not a sweet old lady like Sylvia House.
"If you don't mind me asking, what was he like as a kid?" That was the ticket, play on a mother's fond memories.
"He was shorter." Great, another piece of stunning information. Foreman sighed in exasperation and chuckled lightly. Sylvia was genuinely amused, but maintained an air of innocence. Foreman decided to try the direct approach.
"I don't imagine that you haven't noticed his bitterness and sarcasm. He's miserable, you know. And he alienates people. I'd just like to know why." They both stopped in the hallway and Sylvia gave Foreman a long penetrating stare so reminiscent of House. She finally gave a small smiled and although she didn't move a muscle, the shrug could be seen in her eyes.
"Another's happiness is in the eye of the beholder and is difficult to judge rightly. However, it is easier than judging our own happiness." She raised her eyebrows slightly as Foreman stared at her in thought. Finally his face twisted into an expression of frustration and confusing.
"That doesn't mean anything!" He cried. Sylvia smiled and patted his shoulder.
"No, it doesn't. But it sure is fun to say." Foreman opened his mouth to say something when Sylvia's attention was taken by a vending machine. She left Foreman's side without a word and started shoving coins into the machine.
"Mrs. House, I just want a little help with dealing with him. He mocks me and won't take my ideas seriously. I just want to know what to do and why he's like this." Entreated Foreman as Sylvia punched buttons on the machine. "I like to think that I'm good at understanding people, but he's a mystery to me." Sylvia bent over to retrieve her treasures, then stood up to face Foreman. There was a long silence where they just looked at each other. Sylvia finally smiled, approached Foreman and placed a candy bar in his hand. He looked from Sylvia to the candy bar and back again.
"You're too thin." Sylvia smiled. Foreman just stared.
