Notes:

I have House call Allison Dr. Cameron on purpose here… I figure she would keep the name professionally at least as long as they were in the same department to avoid confusion.

Also, to the reader that wants normal name for the baby…. What no 'Byrd' or 'Summer'? Come on with a last name like House the possibilities are endless!

Seriously, the name was picked by the end of chapter one (Although I momentarily considered using the reviewer's name until I realized it was 'Anonymous') Hope you all agree it fits a child destined to grow up to be smart AND good looking. (Andsorry, you don't find out what it is until the next chapter!)

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The day started out much the same as the past two. Allison and Greg arrived at the hospital before the other two team members and started the coffee and gathered the mail. The only difference was that there was a message from Cuddy reminding House to report ASAP to the clinic so she could leave for her budget meetings. House wanted to grumble but he looked over at his wife who was looking more and more uncomfortable with each passing day and decided he had nothing to complain about.

Still he couldn't help but beg as she sorted the mail and he prepared to head downstairs. "Please find us a patient in there."

But there was no distraction waiting in that day's mail, and so the morning progressed slowly and painfully. After House had been down in the clinic for several hours he stopped to get fresh coffee and noticed what appeared to be a mother and daughter waiting in the chairs.

"Have they been here all morning?" he questioned absently with a frown.

"Yes, Doctor. I was hoping to talk to you about them," one of the nurses who actually wasn't frightened of House responded. "Mrs. Holden brought in her daughter with a possible yeast or bladder infection, but her daughter, Meghan, refuses to see you or any of the male doctors. She wants a woman. Meghan is slightly retarded and very shy. Seems her normal doctor is female, but is on vacation and Mrs. Holden was hoping to get lucky and find someone here to examine her. But Dr. Cuddy is in meetings and I'm having a hard time getting anyone else."

"Let's get a urine sample and hopefully by the time the labs come back I can get someone down here to exam her," House suggested.

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Meanwhile, upstairs Allison was feeling decidedly fidgety. She'd been through the mail, and made headway in the never-ending charting, but was finding it hard to sit still. The baby (and therefore Allison) seemed to be having trouble finding a comfortable position. As a result she was on her feet every five minutes walking around to try to take the pressure off her hips and back. Finally as lunchtime approached she decided to go see how the rest of her team was doing, and if they were ready to take a break.

On her feet and moving she instantly felt better and headed off to the elevator with as much of a spring in her step as an eight-and-a-half month pregnant woman could get.

She smiled when the elevator reached its destination and the doors opened to reveal her husband standing at the nurses' station with his back to her. He was concentrating on the forms in his hands so she quietly moved up behind him only to have him turn at the last second.

"You really didn't think you could be stealthy at this point, did you?" he smirked.

"No," Allison sighed. "It's like an elephant trying to tip-toe."

"So what brings you down here? You should be sitting with your feet up," he scolded.

"I can't sit. At all, feet up or down. Your offspring has a fit every time I try," she complained.

"Well as long as you are here, do you think you could do a quick pelvic exam? Then we can go to lunch," House asked.

"Sure," Allison said with a confused frown. "But why do you need me?"

House gave her a quick run down, including the labs, which definitely showed bacteria in the urine. "I just want to rule out any other type of infection before I start her on antibiotics for a bladder infection," he told her.

"No problem. As long as I don't have to sit," she acknowledged. Then she went out to call her patient in.

She was instantly taken by Meghan Holden. With her dark hair in pigtails and a dusting of freckles across the bridge of her nose she reminded Allison of herself at age fourteen. She quickly introduced herself and then left Meghan and her mother to get her changed into a gown. When she returned, the two were talking quietly.

"I was explaining to Meghan that you have a baby in your stomach," Mrs. Holden stated quietly, blushing slightly.

"Yes, I do. A baby that is not very comfortable today, so I'm going to ask you to help me out, ok Meghan?" Allison asked. "Normally I would sit at the foot of the bed and examine you, but the baby refuses to let me sit this morning. So I'm going to have you lay on an extra cushion so that you are up higher and I can stand, alright?"

Meghan nodded, uncertainly.

"You'll be just like the Princess and the Pea," Allison assured her. "Have you ever heard that story?"

When Meghan shook her head no, Allison proceeded to tell her a shortened version of the fairy tale as she got the cushion and settled her patient on top of it. By the time the story was complete the exam was too.

"So we are all done. You can get down now your highness," Allison told her with a smile then she turned to Mrs. Holden. "I didn't find any evidence of discharge so it looks like we are just dealing with a common bladder infection. Here is a prescription, and make sure she drinks plenty of fluids. And if you notice any other symptoms bring her back in here, or to her regular doctor," Allison instructed.

"Thank you doctor," Mrs. Holden said taking the script. As they made their way out the door she turned back. "Is this your first child?"

"Yes, it is," Allison replied.

"You are going to make a wonderful mother," the woman told her, and then she left.

House, who had been hovering out side waiting for her overheard the comment and couldn't help but smile. "See, I told you. No higher power in their right mind would give me a child without providing a perfect parent to balance the scales," he assured her.

Allison had frozen where she stood after the compliment and now she looked at House with wide eyes. "I sure hope you are right, because I don't have any more time to prepare."

"No you are pretty much out of time," he agreed. "So should we get some lunch?"

"No, Greg I am totally out of time," she told him. "My water just broke."

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Lisa Cuddy was just starting to watch the clock hoping to call for a break soon, when her pager went off. With a sigh she looked at the message thinking at least they had made it almost four hours before bothering her. Her eyes widened at the words on the screen. "Baby House On Its Way'

"Gentleman, I need to take care of this. Let's break for lunch," she said already on her feet and heading towards the door. She came to her senses long enough to turn back and signal James Wilson. "You are definitely going to be needed," she announced.

Even as he followed her out of the room his own pager started blaring,

They headed straight for the maternity ward, and arrived to find a crowd. Dr. Foreman was the one to fill them in. "Allison's doctor just arrived. We are waiting for an update," he explained.

"Alright people. Once we have news I want everyone back to work except for Dr. Wilson. He'll stay here and give us updates," she ordered sternly.

Five minutes later Susan Lunardi came out and smiled at the worried group of doctors waiting for her. "It's going to be a while folks. Allison's water broke, so I'm keeping her here, but her contractions have just barely started. No sense in hanging around," she assured them.

Lisa Cuddy nodded. "Ok, everyone back to work. Susan, I'm leaving James Wilson here to hopefully keep House out of trouble. Let him know if I'm needed for anything. "

Susan smiled gratefully. She had no doubts that she would have her hands full keeping Greg House from hounding the nurses. James Wilson would be a welcome help over what was sure to be a long labor at the pace it had progressed so far.

Little did she know just how much impatience baby House had inherited from its father.

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Four hours later House ducked his head out of the room and spotted James talking to one of the nurses.

"Jimmy! Make yourself useful! We need Lunardi, now!" he ordered, then returned to his wife's side.

Allison grabbed his hand like it was a lifeline and moaned. "Too fast. This is going too fast," she wailed.

"Breath, Allie, don't push until the doctor can check you," he warned.

"You're a damn doctor, check me! I need to push! NOW!" she screamed.

He was already attired in scrubs, so House quickly found the box of latex gloves and snapped a pair on and moved to the foot of the bed. He was shocked to find the baby's head crowning. Allison was right. She'd gone from five centimeters dilated to crowning in less than forty-five minutes. No wonder she'd been having trouble breathing through the contractions. They must have been doozies.

"Ok, as usual Dr. Cameron your diagnosis is dead on. Next contraction push," he told her.

House barely heard Dr. Lunardi enter the room, but he felt her move behind him. However at that point he was little busy guiding the head of his child gently out as Allison gave a mighty push. When he heard her take a deep breath in the baby was out up to its shoulders.

"One more and you'll officially be a Mom," he assured her. "You want to take over Doc?"

"Seems you are doing just fine," Susan acknowledged. "I'll just assist."

Barely a minute later, the baby was out and Susan was gathering it into a soft white towel. She handed House a scalpel to cut the cord and once the baby was free she gently tickled the toes to get a response. The baby took in a quick breath and let out a soft cry on the exhale, pinking up nicely in the process.

"So much nicer that getting a spanking," Susan commented with a smile as she handed the baby to the nurse to get the initial readings and took over at the foot of the bed to deliver the afterbirth while House moved up to kiss his exhausted wife.

"It's a girl," he told her.

"Can I see her? Is she healthy?" Allison asked, reliving for a moment her previous delivery and the way they had whisked Jacob away before she could hold him.

Even as she asked the nurse brought over the small bundle and placed it on Allison chest gently. "She's perfect," she assured her.

And as Allison folded back the blanket so she could count fingers and toes House got his first really good look at his daughter and thought 'perfect' was an understatement.

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TBC