Chapter: 5. From The Top
"If this is your idea of a party, I can tell you right now you're going to be very boring parents." Angela said sadly, cutting the brownie squares into smaller bite sized pieces.
"Hey now, you can't judge my party until everyone gets here and it really starts." Cameron answered in defense.
"Yeah, who are we waiting for now? Grandma, Grandpa, Bob and Jim? This Place will really get swinging when they arrive." Angie couldn't help but laugh at this. The only ones here so far, were Foreman and a few of Allison's other friends. Foreman was sitting uncomfortably in the middle of House's couch. House, Cameron and Angela were standing talking in the kitchen. "You might want to try entertaining the guests that are here, poor little Eric Forman looks like a fish out of water."
"I still think we should wait until everyone gets here before we do anything." Cameron replied.
"Oh hey the grandparents are here, now it's a party!" Angie poked her head out of the kitchen entrance to yell, "Hi Grandma! Grandpa!"
"Hello Angela." Her grandmother called sweetly from the front door way. Just after they walked in, Wilson came up behind them.
"Greg?" Mr. House said, his wife and him not able to see where their son was.
"In the kitchen dad."
"Ok, so everyone but Chase is here, should we tell everyone?"
"Hey guys, you might as well, now's as good a time as any! You can just break the news to Bob when he does get here. One must pay for being fashionably late." Angie said making her way into the living room with everyone else, sandwiching herself between Foreman and Wilson on the couch.
"Greg, what's going on here? What aren't you telling us?" Mrs. House questioned as if her son's news was potentially something she should worry about.
"I think I'll let the pretty lady tell everyone instead." House said nervously looking over to his fiancée for a little help. Cameron had no chance to start because the door swung open before she could open her mouth.
Chase looked a little embarrassed with everyone staring at him, but Angie was never too shy to speak up. "Somebody's tardy! It's quarter after three, just sit down!" Chase walked over and sat on a small chair next to the couch and muttered a little apology for his being late.
"Ok, now that everyone is here…well, we're getting married…and, I'm pregnant." Cameron told the crowd; everyone made their way over to congratulate the couple. They were all so excited and made such a fuss over the engagement announcement that not many had heard about Cameron's pregnancy, until one of Cameron's friend blurted out, "You're what?"
"Pregnant." Allison said with no difficulty at all, she had grown used to the idea, not fully prepared yet, but content.
Diane, a good friend Allison had met in college and still kept in contact with, squealed softly and grabbed her friend in a huge hug, Cameron just laughed and hugged her back. Wilson and the other ducklings made their way over to House, Chase looking slightly confused.
" Well I'm very happy for the both of you." Mrs. House said placing a hand on her son's shoulder, she leaned in a little closer to him, "She's a lovely girl Greg." She seemed sincere, but her tone seemed to say 'don't you mess this up'.
Wilson standing by his friend's side said, with a stupid grin on his face, "You knocked her up?"
"Oh shut up, James." House said annoyed, saying Wilson's name as is it was an insult.
Cameron laughed and stepped closer to House's side; everyone, but Angela was fawning over the newly engaged couple laughing and talking. Angie had already heard everything there was to know about the situation. She just slouched into the couch, coughed and rolled her eyes.
"This party in unbelievable!" Angie sighed
Fifteen minutes later everything had settled down and Angela finally found something to entertain herself. On the couch sat Foreman and Mr. House, on the small chair next to the couch was Wilson, sitting cross-legged on the floor with his back facing the couch was Chase and across from him also sitting cross-legged was Angie. She leaned forward on her elbows, staring him down.
"Do you have any sevens?" Angie narrowed her eyes and sized up the competition.
"Nope, no sevens, go fish." Chase answered with a smug grin, taking another bite of his brownie. Angie rolled her eyes and fished through the pile of cards on the coffee table between them.
"Oooh a seven! Ha! In your face Bob!" Angela smiled triumphantly.
"Alright, do you have an ace?"
"No, go fish." Angie said, dancing her last card around on the table in front of her.
"Oh…your turn." Chase replied, very disappointed at the card he had fished out.
There was only one card left in the pile, Angie held one card and Chase had two.
"Ok…do you have a queen?"
"Uhh…yes." Chase reluctantly handed over the card, the card Angie needed to win 'go fish'.
"It's really too bad your parents couldn't make it here. Are you going to call them?" Mrs. House sat in the kitchen with her son, Cameron and Diane. Cameron's other friends left a few minutes ago.
"Yes, I think I'll try again later. My parents are visiting my sister in New York, and the line has been busy for the past few hours." Cameron answered, taking another sip from her coffee mug.
"I personally think they should just take their time, it's not everyday you get to visit your children out of state, but hey, you'll be pregnant for a few more months. They can take their sweet time in New York."
"Afraid to meet the in-laws Greg?" Cameron questioned with a smile, hands on her hips.
"He violated a what?" Grandpa House asked Foreman regarding what he had just told him about Dr. House.
"He violated a DNR: Do Not Resuscitate." Foreman explained.
"Oh I know what a DNR is, you just need to quit mumbling, I may be old but I'm not ignorant." Mr. House said; Angela smiled as Foreman began to look uncomfortable.
"Oh no, I didn't mean to offend you, I just…"
"That's alright…uhh…"
"His name's Eric Foreman, Grandpa." Offered Angie opening the box to the next game she and Chase would play.
" 'Hungry Hungry Hippos'? House has 'Hungry Hungry Hippos'?" Chase asked totally surprised.
"I think I brought it here one day and just forgot to bring it home." Angie said setting up the game, making sure all the little white pellet things were in the middle.
"Ok get your hippo ready…1…2…3!" Angie and Chase began smacking their hippos to get them to eat the little white balls. Angela used her other hand to push down lightly on the edge of the plastic game board, all the uneaten pellets rolled towards her hippo's mouth. In the end Angie won because her hippo had consumed the most balls.
"Hey! That's not fair you've cheated!" Chase snapped upset over his loss.
"I didn't cheat, I was being strategic." Angie corrected him with a smug grin.
"You tipped the game over!"
"Exactly, that was my strategy." She said widening her grin.
Angie began coughing hard, her head hurt and she began to feel a bit tired. The three doctors and the concerned Grandparent sitting by her began to stare.
"Angie, you ok?" Wilson asked somewhat leaning forward, to face her.
"I'm alright its just a little cough, I'll take some cough medicine when I get home."
"Make sure you do, if your grandmother hears that little cough she'll bring you home with us to take care of you!" Her Grandpa had a slight warning in his tone and had his eyebrows raised. Angie laughed out loud, her Grandma was the sweetest woman, but if she felt it was necessary she tended to baby the people she loved.
"Is it a boy or a girl?" Diane asked, she seemed as excited as House's mom.
"I don't know yet, I just found out yesterday that I was pregnant." Cameron smiled and kind of shook her head at her friend's excitement.
"Well… what do you want it to be?" Diane piped up again.
"I think I'd want a girl. Hey, what about you? What do you want, boy or girl?" Cameron turned to House eager to hear what he'd prefer.
"I don't care as long as it's healthy and not dumb."
"Oh come on! That's a total cop out! You have to have given this some thought, boy or girl?" Cameron pleaded.
"I honestly haven't thought about it that much, I'm not sure, but I guess I'd like a boy." He admitted with a shrug, receiving a smile from Allison.
After the party had died down, she had walked home with a feeling in the pit of her stomach like she was forgetting something important. She was standing, leaning against the edge of the kitchen table finally remembering about her meds. She kicked over a step stool from the corner, placing it below the kitchen cupboard. She felt very dizzy and silently cursed whoever put the medicine and pills on the very top shelf of the kitchen cupboard. She climbed the few steps of the stool and opened the cupboard doors. She felt lightheaded and tired, her vision began to blur slightly, she tried to reach for the cupboard doors for support, but couldn't. She fainted; she fell back, knocking her head on the table before falling to the hardwood floor.