Chapter Two
The Setback or Picture-Perfect past
I put down the plate of vegetables and saw my uncle wince.
"I hate-"
"You're going to eat them." I sat down and twirled my noodles and started eating.
"But I don't wanna," he whined.
I put some on his plate, and he sighed. "Well, all right."
And he stood up and dumped it in the trash. "No offense, but I really don't like vegetables."
"My food…"
He grabbed some more noodles from the pot. "It's okay."
I sighed and took the vegetables and ate it all.
"Mmm, so what happened in ten years?"
"I grew."
"Ouch." He smiled. "Besides that."
"Had a boyfriend, diseased. Mother miscarried." I sipped my tea. "Boyfriend's dead, mother's dying, I'm here. That's about it. What about you?"
"Oh, got a girlfriend, had an infarction, died, resuscitated, got doped on painkillers, here now with some bratty New York City niece. That's about it."
"So you don't remember anything before 10 years ago?"
"I don't like dwelling in the past."
"Oh."
We then ate in silence, but I thought I got through to him. He seemed like he was opening up.
I pulled out the envelope of pictures. The envelope and the pictures inside were creased a lot, and I took the stack of pictures out and flipped through them. 10 years ago, there was a family reunion, and he came, all happy and smiling. 10 years later, everybody never even thought of him.
"What's that?" He was munching on a sandwich. I looked up.
"Pictures. Or have you forgotten?"
"I'm not that dumb." He snatched (he loves doing that) up the pictures and flipped through them, eating his sandwich. "They're old. Have you considered getting new ones?"
"No. And are you testy because your leg's hurting?"
He looked at me. "It's all about the leg now. Give the cripple some credit, will you?" He put them down and walked to the desk and sat down in the chair. "I examined your mother."
"And?"
"She's pregnant."
I looked at him. "But…that's bad."
"Why?"
"You don't remember? She miscarried, had a hemorrhage. How far is she?"
"Oh, yes," He said quietly. "I remember now. It's in her history, which none of you three", he said to the entering ducklings, "informed me of."
"Ah, sorry, Dr. House, we were busy with her," Foreman said. "Apparently she also has internal bleeding and a ruptured-"
"Internal bleeding from what? Are you saying that she went to the hospital and they never bothered to check that she was bleeding? Idiots!" He stood up and limped out. The three looked at me, and I shrugged.
"He wasn't like this 10 years ago," I said quietly.
"Here."
He handed me something from the machines, and I looked at it warily. "It's safe. Nothing bad."
I took it from him and opened it up and started munching. "How is she?"
"Undergoing surgery for the internal bleeding. I have to talk to you."
"Um, okay."
He sat down next to me and looked down. Then he looked at me and quietly asked, "What happened that sent her to the hospital."
"It's a long story."
"Okay, well, tell me how she got internal bleeding."
"Do you really want to know?"
"If you want to save her life, tell me."
"Dr. House, please report to Dr. Cuddy's office," the speakers blared. He cursed then looked at me.
"Tell me later…no, better yet, come with me."
I followed, and saw through the window of her office…
My dad.
"House, this is Edward Smith."
House shook hands. I sat in the back, watching them.
"Dr. House, this man demands the custody of his wife and his daughter."
"I'm trying to save her life. Or does that not count in your neat equation to fire me?"
"Look, Dr. House," my dad said angrily, "My daughter's one not to be trusted."
"Everybody lies. It's that sometimes people lie a bit more." He stood up. "She has internal bleeding and signs of rough handling by someone." He pointed the cane in his chest. "What I say goes. She's staying here until she gets better."
My dad stood up and punched him in the face. House crumpled to the floor, but laughed.
"I bet your daughter punches harder."
"Well, at least let me take her back."
"You didn't have to punch me to do that. Okay, if you want to, take her back."
My dad smiled. "Okay." He took my arm and dragged me out, muttering, "I'm going to shut that fucking mouth of yours" at me.
I turned around, and I saw House staring at me, but with something in his eyes I couldn't place.