CHAPTER THREE

The weekend was peaceful, reflective, somewhat relaxing for most of the Doctors, but not for House. As usual. On that Sunday night he was thinking of Stacy leaving, of Cameron's miscarriage, of Wilson's health, Wilson's son. But most of all, himself. As usual.

'Cameron has been on my back for months to get me. Now that I've kissed her, she doesn't...Steve...you hungry, buddy? Here ya go. But Cuddy, wow. She blew my socks off, literally.' He laughed evily.

"What do you think I should do, Stevie? Cuddy or Cameron? Hmm, they both start with 'C', but Cameron ends in an 'n', which comes before 'y'. BUT Cuddy has two 'd's in her name (double d's are better). On the other hand, Cameron's name has three syllable while..." The phone rang.

"Hello? 'n' or 'y'? He said into the mouthpiece.

"Excuse me?" Came the female voice.

"Just pick one, for Pete's sake!"

"Why?"

"okay, 'y' it is! What do you want?"

"Can I come over? She asked.

"Uh, well, actually no. I've got a headache."

"House, this is serious. Please?" She begged.

"Fine, but I'm going to bed at 11 after the movie "Flight of the Phoenix." I heard the British guy is really good!" She hung up the phone.

Chase had spent the weekend with Cameron, and he was glad he did. She was a wreck. She had trouble staying asleep, and when she did, she tossed and turned. But Chase laid right next to her. Watching her. He'd only fallen asleep a few times himself. But there was no way he was going to leave her alone. Not after losing the baby. She even talked about it in her sleep.

'Please let me hold my baby before...Oh, she's sooo tiny...absolut...angelic. Emma...Emma!' Cameron woke up crying with that dream.

'But Emma? She'd named the baby? Wait, she was talking about holding her before...' Chase thought to himself. He would ask her about it when she was feeling better.

Cuddy had trouble going to sleep, too. She tried to read a book but ended up reading the same line over and over. And it still didn't make sense. She thought of her and House in her bed. She reached out her arm and spread her hand over where he laid when they were done. She smiled. She couldn't deny she enjoyed being with him. But it was all so complicated. The time they were together they were both so young.

'And House is worse than a kid!' She thought to herself.

Foreman had a great weekend, though. After Thursday night's late shift, and working Friday afternoon, he had two days off. He was laying in bed with Michelle at his side. It had been a long time since he had feelings for anyone. And she was perfect. Well, more perfect than any girl he'd ever dated before.

Wilson, on the other hand, wished he'd died in the accident. He didn't want to tell Julie about Sarah, or Charlie, but Sarah was in the room this morning when Julie came in unexpectantly.

"Hi. I'm James' wife, Julie. And you are?" She said snottily.

"Sarah." She said as she put out her hand. Julie didn't put her hand out.

"May I speak with my husband alone, please?" Julie said.

Sarah looked at Wilson and he nodded his head. She left the room, but stood outside the glass window watching them. They said a few heated words before she stormed out. Julie did notice Sarah standing at the window and she gave Sarah a dirty look. Sarah knew what that meant. She walked back into Wilson's room.

"James, what happened?"

"I told her I want a divorce. This has been a long time coming, and I'm glad that it's you that kicked me in the butt to do it." He said, with a tear in his eye. Sarah wiped his tear away and she grabbed for her hand.

"I love you, Sarah." He whispered, totally exhausted.

"James, I love you too. Now get some sleep, baby. I've got to get back to my room. I'm starting to hurt." She said, as she bent over and kissed his lips.

Stacy had a miserable weekend. Mark was in a grumpy mood, and usually he had a sense of humor. She didn't know if it was because of House, or him.

'Maybe House was right. Maybe she is going to let me go.' Mark thought to himself, as he watched Stacy hang up the phone as she walked into the living room.

"Who was that, honey?"

"No one. I've got to run to get some a birthday card for a nurse at the hospital. Do you want anything while I'm out?" She asked as she grabbed for her keys and purse.

"No, thanks. Stacy?"

"Yeah, baby?"

"I love you." Mark said.

"I'll be back soon." She replied, rather coldly.

House sat on his couch while he waited for Cuddy. And thinking of the last time they were together. Last year.

HOUSE'S MEMORY:

..."Greg, I'mmm sorry to bother yo...om innn?" She looks past House to avoid eye contact. House steps aside and Cuddy walks in...music in the background: Love the One You're With.

"There's a girl right next to you.
And she's just waiting for something to do..."

House tenses up hoping Cuddy hasn't heard the line of the song. He leans against the wall because he doesn't have his cane, looking at her. Waiting for her to say something. Her arms are crossed over her chest, holding herself and she shivers violently. House feels sympathy for her, after all she's been through. After what that SOB Thomas did to her.

"Cuddy...Lisa. Let me have your raincoat. You'll catch you're death of cold. Well, at least I'll know how to diagnose you." Lisa looks up at him and he notices for the first time the four red and welting up finger imprints in her right cheek.

"What the hell did that bastard do to you this time?"

House takes a steps forward, but Lisa takes a step back. House wants to reach out and hold her, make her stop shaking. She slides down the wall until she's completely sitting on the floor. House kneels down, slowly, onto his left leg.

"Lisa! What is he going to do to you next time? KILL you? Is that what it'll take for him to stop hitting you?" Lisa sniffs, wipes her nose on the sleeve of her coat and looks up at him.

"Greg, I didn't mean to...it was all over the floor and I was cleannnn-ing it up but..." She bursts into tears again.

House stretches his arms out to her, and this time she collapses into his arms. He could feel every muscle in her body clinch up, as he has no other choice. He plops onto the floor, and for several minutes holds her until her sobs become quieter and she stops shaking. He was at a complete loss for words. He wasn't good at this
sort of thing. But he told her it would happen.

"Lisa, shhhh. Come on. You need to get out of these wet clothes. I think you'd still look pretty good in my..." House stops talking because he knew this wasn't the time for this. It never happens with him that often, but he does know when to shut up. He stands up, slowly, bends down for her arms.

"I...I...can't stay. I've got to get ba..."

"You are not going anywhere! I'm not going to read in the paper tomorrow that your boyfriend killed you as soon as you walk back in that door. You are staying here...tonight. We'll deal with the rest tomorrow."

"No, no. You don't understan...he's got a gun." House freezes for a second, but pulls as best as he can at her arms to stand her up. He puts his right arm around her shoulders, more as a crutch than helping her walk, and he heads toward the bedroom. He grabs a thick towel on the way to the bed, throws it down and sets her down.

"You stay here. I'll be right back, okay, Lisa?" House glares at her, challenging her to defy him. She nods her head.

House walks back in a few minutes later with a glass of brandy. He hands it to Lisa as he sits on the bed next to her. He doesn't speak. She sips the brandy slowly and waits for it to warm her up. When he finishes the last swallow, he stands up and heads to the bureau, opens a drawer, pulls out a white, cotton button down
shirt and pair of jeans. He turns around and sets them on the bed.

"Holler for me when you are changed. I'll throw the clothes in the dryer." He walks out and closes the door behind him. Ten minutes go by, and when Lisa doesn't holler for him he goes to knock on the door.

"Yeah, I'm done." House opens the door and sees Lisa sitting on the foot of the bed. 'Damn, she looks sexy in that...' He thought to himself. He walks toward the bed and sits down on her right.

"Feeling better?"

"Uh huh. Greg, I'm so sorry to bother you but I didn't know where else to go."

"You've always known you can come to me if you need to. But you've never needed to. I'm glad you did though. It's good to know you still know you CAN come to me when you need someone."

"House! I didn't come here to have sex with you. I was just torn..."

"Lisa, that's not what I was talking about, either!" House looks at her and sees the exhaustion in her face.

"Get up." House says. She looks up at him like she's going to kick him in the balls. She slowly stands up. He walks around her, as close to her as he can without touching her and pulls the bedsheet down. Lisa takes a few steps back.

"You are SUCH an ashole! I said I will not..." She watches him walk away from the bed to the bureau, opens another drawer and pulls out a bed sheet and grabs a pillow.

"I will be in the living room if you need anything. I promise I won't break the door down to atta..." House gets a loathing, disgusted expression on his face about what he just said. "I'm sorry."

Lisa looks at him in astonishment as she watches him walk out the door and closes it behind him. He sits on the couch and runs his hand through his hair, sighing deeply.

SCENE FADES... SCENE BRIGHTENS...

House is asleep on the couch when a sudden noise wakes him up.

"Wha...what is it?"

"Me, Greg. I can't sleep. I"ve just been tossing and turning. Can I sit out here with you?" House sits up and looks at her.

"No. Let's go to bed. You'll sleep better...if I'm with you." She looks up at House and he can read that all the fight is gone in her.

"Lisa, trust me, please. I'm not an ass all the time." She stands up and the walk into the bedroom. Lisa lies under the covers, while Greg lies on top. He hears her say 'thank you.' He turns to look at her...

FLASHFORWARD TO PRESENT

House walked to the door as the doorbell just quit chiming. He sighed, reached for the knob, and opened the door. He smiled as he saw Cuddy standing there in jeans and shirt. A tight shirt. He stepped aside to let her pass.

"You want a drink?" House asked as Cuddy took off her coat and laid it on the armrest of the couch.

She nodded her head, but she didn't look directly at him. House walked to the mini bar, refilled his glass of Scotch and made her Gin and soda. He remembered what that drink did to her. He did his best to hide a smile as he turned around to give her the drink. As he sat on the couch she pulled her back back away from her face. That's when he noticed she had a cut on the left side of her mouth.

"Lisa, let me see that." House said. But he'd seen enough to know what happened.

"It's fine, real..." House stood up and went to the bathroom for a washcloth, iodine and Neosporine, getting some ice on the way back to Cuddy. He knelt on the carpet in front of her and tenderly placed the washcloth with ice on her lip. She moaned a little as the pressure hurt just a bit. He gently took it away and looked at it.

"Well, doesn't look like it needs stitches. I thought you said you kicked him out." Cuddy nodded her head.

"I did. But he came by this morning and we got into a big fight. He wanted to get back together bu...OW!"

"Sorry, sorry. But I need to clean it. You know I don't have a bedside manner. Have you gone to the police?"

"No, of course not. But I think he got the hint when I kicked him where it hurts." Cuddy said, laughing, then stopped when the cut in her lip stretched. When he was done, he put the stuff on the coffee table and sat down beside her.

"Lisa, you have to do something about him. Wait, I thought you were going to Dallas? I totally forgot about that."

"Oh, I cancelled after what happend to Wilson. I wanted to be here." She said as she sipped her drink.

"Greg?"

"Yes, Lisa?"

"What happened with us Thursday uh, that shouldn't have happened."

"What do you mean? It was great." House said.

"Yeah, it was." Lisa said with half a grin. "But I mean, you and Stacy aren't getting along. It's jeopardizing your relationship and I don't..."

"I know, I know. But Stacy is leaving in two weeks. I cared about her, but I also care about you in a different way. A nicer way." He hesitated. "And it seems Cameron has had enough of me already. She and Chase seem to be good together and I'm happy for them. After I kissed her sh..."

"You did WHAT?" Cuddy exclaimed.

"Oh, yeah. Our first kiss. But bad timing." He said with a chuckle. "Lisa, do you want to stay here tonight? My bed is awfully cold."

"Wow, you're smooth! Telling a woman you kissed another woman then inviting them to bed! I am really turned on." She teased.

"Well, what can I say?" He said as he brushed his shoulder against hers. She leaned her body into his.

"Greg, I really appreciate you being there for me." She said as she looked into his eyes. He manuevered his body to face hers and pushed her against the back of the couch. With his thumb he gently caressed her cheek and brought his nose to her other cheek.

"Lisa, you should always know I am here for you. But don't tell everyone or they'll bother me all the time!" He teased. "Seriously, I'm glad you came to me." He said as he brushed his lips against hers. They embraced each other warmly. They accepted each other for who they were, not for who they would become.

House led her to the bedroom. The time they shared together seemed to erase all their worries and doubts. About themselves, about others that hurt them. And they made love. More passionate and deep than they'd ever shared in the past. And it felt good. It felt right. Stacy came back from the drug store with a small bag, minus the birthday card. She hadn't gone for the card.

"Hi, honey." Stacy said cheerily as she gave Mark a peck on the cheek.

"What did you bring me?"

"You said you didn't want anything!" She snipped.

"Hey, babe. It's okay. I was jus..." Mark started to say but Stacy turned around and headed for the bathroom.

She ran the hot water and put some bath foam in it. She took the box out of the bag and put it on the counter. She took the termometer shaped tool out and did what she had to do. But, she didn't WANT to do it. She soaked in the tub for almost an hour. She heard Mark wheel down the hall to the bedroom. She got out of the tub, dried off and sat on the toilet seat, looking at the 'thermometer.' She could see there were two blue streaks through both windows.

"Shit." She said out loud.

Foreman walked into the conference that Monday morning with a smile on his face, as did House. But Chase didn't. He was exhausted. Cameron called in sick today, but Rog was filling in for her.

"Okay, kiddies! We're gonna have a fun-filled day!" House said with a bit of sarcasm. He put his coffee mug on the table and sat down, pulling out his GameBoy.

"Excuse me, Sir? What case do we have this morning?" House looked up and rolled his eyes.

"Well, Dr. Cuddy tells me there is a patient with green snot, a headache and an uneven leg. Which do you want, Rog?" Rog sat there and looked at House with a blank expression.

"I thought we had patients to diagnose that no one else could find out what was wrong, Dr. House, Sir." House grinned at the 'sir.'

"Wow, you must have aced your 'Kiss Your Boss' A$$ 101!' I'm impressed."

Rog looked at Foreman, and Foreman just shrugged his shoulders. "You'll get used to him." He told him.

"Chase, how is Cameron?" House asked.

"Fine. She'll be in tomorrow."

"okay, good." Just then, House's pager went off.

"Hey, it's Carmen Electra! It's about time she called me." House said as he happily left the room.

It was Stacy that paged him and he headed for her office. As he approached the door, House could see Stacy sitting at her desk with her forehead in her hand, her elbow on the desk. She looked up as he walked through the door.

"You look like hell, Stace." House said as he sat on the couch.

"Thanks. I didn't get sleep at all last night."

"What's going on?" House asked.

"Greg, I'm not sure how to say this, but I'm pregnant."

House hesitated a moment and tapped the desk with the cane. "Congratulations." He said, very non-sincerely. Stacy looked at him because she knew he didn't understand.

"It's yours, Greg." She finally said.

House looked at her in shock. "Wow, five years? You've been pregnant for five years?" House tried to joke it off.

"You can be su...never mind. I thought it was just stress." Stacy said, as they both recalled the night they 'came to terms' with their feelings.

FLASHBACK FOUR MONTHS AGO

House called Stacy to his apartment because he had a leak in the bathroom sink. He couldn't get all the way in the back to tighten the bolt to fix it. But, he was able to get under there and loosen it enough to make it drip into the cabinet underneath.

"Greg, I still don't understand why you didn't call a plumber." Stacy said as she walked into his apartment. "It's 7:30; some of them do work late."

"Well, I called three places and they couldn't fit me in tonight."

"And you couldn't just put a bucket underneath the sink to catch the dripping water?" She asked.

"Uh, well, I don't have any buckets."

"You're pathetic, you know that?"

"Yeah, I know." House said with a devilish grin. He led her to the bathroom and opened the cabinet door, then sat on the toilet seat. She got down on her knees and looked under it. She sat back up and glared at him.

"You have got to be kidding me! There are four drops of water here!"

"Well, then, good! You caught it just in time." House smirked. "Here's the wrench." He said as he handed it to her, of course watching her as she crawled under the sink after Stacy snatched it out of his hand. As she made the first crank on the bolt, the wrong way, the tubing came apart and dark, filthy water came shooting out at Stacy under the sink. She screamed and jumped back out of the cabinet.

"Oh, man!" She said, as she wiped the water and dirt off her t-shirt and shorts. She looked in the mirror just from her neck up and even her hair was covered in filth. House stared at her with a grin on his face.

"Oh, I'm sooo sorry!" He said, unconvincingly. "I like that look on you. The grunged looked. Very flattering. Brings out the green in your eyes."

She turned and looked at him, then bust out laughing. Then, she quickly went back under the sink and tightened the bolt right that time. She grabbed a towel and wiped up the water on the bottom of the cabinet, and House handed her things to put back in.

"By the way, my eyes aren't green." Stacy corrected House.

"Oh, I've seen them green with jealousy. Now, you can't go home." He said.

"Excuse me? And why not?" She said as she dried the t-shirt and shorts.

"Because, I can see right through that, uh, shirt. Now that's flattering!"

"Shut up, Greg. I'll see you tomorrow." Stacy said as she walked into the living room. She caught a glance of herself in the mirror and realized how dirty she really was.

"Damn, you're right. I can't go out like this. Mark would have a fit." She said as she turned toward House, who was standing at the bathroom door. He had a white button-down shirt and sweatpants in his hands, as well as a wicked grin.

"Told you you couldn't go out like that. Now take off your clothes." House told her.

"I most certain..."

"Stacy," House said shaking his head. "You can change in the bathroom. I'll wash the clothes. We'll have a beer, a few laughs."

Stacy squinted her eyes when he said 'few laughs.' She hesitated before she walked toward him and grabbed the clothes out of his hands. But he didn't move out of her way. They looked deep into each other's eyes before he moved and she walked in, then closed the door behind her. He stood right in the hallway outside the bathroom door waiting for the shower to be turned on. A smile spread across his face because the cat finally caught the mouse. He leaned the cane against the wall, leaned against it to take off his pants, threw them on the floor and removed his shirt. He opened the bathroom door slowly and quietly. He approached the shower curtain at the shower head end and slowly pulled back the curtain.

"Gregory William House! Get OUT of here!" She screamed, trying to cover herself.

"Can't. I'm dirty, too." He said as he reached out, ran his hand over her dirty shoulder and smeared it on his chest. "I need to clean myself up." He said as he lifted his left leg over the tub side, then lifted his right leg slowly over. They stood facing each other, with the hot water streaming down her back. He grabbed the washcloth she was holding and started to clean her up. She closed her eyes as his warm, big, soft hands washed over her body...

FLASHFORWARD TO THE PRESENT

House looked at her. No thoughts came to his mind. "Stacy, I don..." House started to say.

"It's okay, Greg. Look, Mark and I are leaving next weekend, it'll be alright."

"What do you mean it'll be alright? You're carrying my baby and you're still going to leave?"

"Greg, the night we were together, I had sex with Mark that ni..."

"I thought you weren't?" House snapped.

"Not that it's any of your busi..."

"The hell it is! You're having my baby be brought up by a man that isn't his father? What kind of crap is that!" House screamed.

"Wait a minute, Greg! You know it wouldn't work between us. Mark will make a great father."

House stood up and reached for something to throw but couldn't find anything. "Do you have any idea what you are saying?"

"Yes, I do. I don't want my baby to be raised with a self-deprecating, egotist..." Stacy was interrupted.

"Yeah, yeah, never mind that. It's still my baby. You know we talked about having kids one day."

"Yes, Greg, we did. And thank God we didn't." She retorted. "I've made up my mind. No one has to know but you and I."

"Stacy, I can't believe this! No, I won't let this happen."

"There's nothing you can do, Greg. Nothing." She said confidantly.

"Oh, yes there is. This isn't over!" House said and stomped out of the office. Stacy sat behind her desk, and tears started to pour out of her eyes.

House stormed out of his office and headed for the roof. This particular day it was windy and gotten very cold. The clouds billowed above as if it were going to snow. He loved snow. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his bottle, took two pills and swallowed them down. His thoughts were everywhere this morning: on Cameron, Wilson, Stacy, the baby, Cuddy.

'When it rains, it pours.' He thought to himself. 'But, everything happens in threes. Oh, there are five. Oh, well. That's about par for the course. I wonder if that means there's one more bad thing that's going to happen...oh, hell! Mom and Dad are coming in Thursday. Terr-freakin-ific!' House went down to Wilson's room to keep his mind off everything.

"Hey, Wilson! How are those drugs treatin' ya?" House said as he approached his bed. Wilson turned his head to House and noticed his eyes were swollen. "What's wrong?"

"It's Julie. She is livid. She actually said she was going to contest the divorce."

"Oh." Was all House could say.

"I've never really forgotten about Sarah. I love being around her. She makes me feel good about myself. Julie doesn't; she never d..." Wilson grabbed his side because he'd tensed up and his ribs were wrapped up to let them heal properly. But he was well on his way to a full recovery.

"What has Sarah said?"

"She said she'd wait for me. She wants me to meet Charlie, and for Charlie to have his father. She wants us to be a family. And to tell you the truth, so do I."

House wanted to change the subject, but he couldn't think of anything to say. Well, there was his baby with Stacy, but he wasn't yet ready to face that. Sarah walked into the room, slowly, since she'd just had the hysterectomy that Friday before.

"Hi, James. Hi, Dr. House." Sarah said as she went to the bed and kissed Wilson on his cheek. "How are you feeling, baby?"

"Oh, well, my leg hurts and I have a headache and..." House answered, but was interrupted by Sarah.

"I think you know I meant James, Dr. House." She said with a grin. She didn't let House intimidate her. She actually liked him.

"Sarah?" House said.

"Yeah?"

"I think you can call me Greg, now." House said with a grin.

"Oh, okay, Dr. House." She said, smiling back.

"Well, I'll leave you two alone. I have about two patients to see, and I'm off in three hours."

"Bye, House." Wilson and Sarah said at the same time.

House walked to the elevator and went to the lobby. He reluctantly grabbed a folder and went into exam room 2. There was a man in his late 20's sitting on the table wearing a hospital gown that came to just above his knees. House opened the file and read his health complaints.

"I'm Dr. House. I see you have a cyst in your armpit? Lie down, please." Dr. House looked at the cyst, then pressed it as hard as he could.

"Ow! Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to yell." The man said.

"It is infected. This will need to be incised and drained. But here's a prescription for an antibiotic you'll need to take first. Make sure you make an appointment before you leave to have it drained." The patient nodded his head as House headed for the door.

"Oh, and stay away from underwire bras." House advised.

"Excuse me?" The man said.

House turned to look at him. "I noticed the recently shaved armpits, the hairless chest and your perfectly shaved legs. I'd say it was the underwire you wear whenever you 'do what you do.' The underwire is causing the cysts. Do like they did in the 70's; go braless!" He said as he opened the door and walked out.

House looked at his watch and it wasn't even noon yet. It was getting harder for him to find anything to do. Well, he had the GameBoy. And Saturday night he was almost out of the Haunted Vegetable Garden and killed all but one of the Purple Onion Monsters, then the Thousand Island Dressing found him and killed him. He headed for his office.

"Hey, Foreman, Rog. Whatcha guys doin'?" House asked as he passed through the conference to his office, without even waiting for an answer. Foreman and Rog just started at him as he limped by them. He looked at his phone and saw the message light blinking. He hit the 'play message' button.

"Hi, honey. It's Mom. We're going to be in town on Wednesday instead of Thursday. Dad has a gathering with some old military buddies Thursday night. I'll call you tomorrow night to let you know when we'll be in. I love you, son." BEEP He sat down and played his game for a while. The Blue Cheese Dressing was hiding in the corner with the Purple Onion Monster when Cuddy burst into his office and it made the little green bean hero run right into the dressing...whaa whaa whaa whaaaaa. 'GAME OVER' flashed on the screen.

"Dag nabbit, woman! I was almost there! Hey, wait, I've never said that...never mind. What do you want?"

"I need you for two hours." She said.

"Oh, fantastic! I've been think..."

"House, in the clinic!" She said, but couldn't resist a smile.

"You want me in the clinic? Wow, kinky! Which room?" He asked as he quickly grabbed his cane and stood up.

"There's a patient I want you to see."

"Oh, really? Is she hot?"

"Actually, yes, she is. She has a fever of 102.9, profuse sweating, sensitivity to light and sore throat." Cuddy answered.

"Wow, sounds like the flu to me."

"No, she has a lesion."

That last symptom is what stopped House in his tracks. "Lead the way, Dr. Cuddy." House said as they walked out of his office. Doctors Cuddy and House walked into the exam room where an 11 year-old girl lay on the exam table. Her mother sat in a chair at the foot of the table.

"Hi, Madison, Mrs. Mitchell. This is Dr. House, the one I told you about." Dr. Cuddy said as Mrs. Mitchell stood up to shake House's hand.

"Madison, how are you feeling?" Dr. House asked.

"I"m cold, and I have a headache." She said weakly.

"How long has she had the fever?" House asked as he felt her glands on her neck.

"Off and on for the past week. But she had the lesion on her thigh about a week and a half."

"I see. Are there any more lesions on her body?"

"No, not that I saw." Her mother answered.

"okay. Is your neck stiff, Madison?" Dr. House asked.

"No, sir." She answered.

"How about nauseau or vomiting?"

"No, neither." Her mom answered.

"okay." Dr. House said as he walked toward the door.

"Dr. House, what are you going to do?" Dr. Cuddy asked him as he walked through the door.

"Admit her." He said. House walked into the conference room, where Foreman, Chase and Rog were sitting at the table.

"okay! We have a winner!" House said as he wrote on the white board: 'MADISON-11 yrs old, 102.9, profuse sweating, photophobia, sore throat, chills, headache'

"What's wrong with her?" House asked. Chase sat up in his chair while Rog and Foreman leaned across the table to look at the board.

"Is she vomiting?" Rog asked.

House rolled his eyes and looked at the board. He pointed the marker to each symptom he wrote, then said, "Nope, not written down."

"Chickenpox? Chase suggested.

"Nope, had them when she was 6...next?"

"Boutonneuse fever?"

"Hmmm, similar symptoms. Possible." House wrote that under 'CAUSE'

"Has she been out of the country?" Rog asked.

"Don't know. Ask the mom. Anything else?" No one answered.

"Okay, let's start with a lumbar puncture and check for meningitis. Foreman, you do that. And take newbie with you. Oh, Chase? Get blood to check the Hemoglobin, hematocrit, and electrolyte levels along with liver function." The three doctors left the room to see the patient. House went to his office and turned on the t.v. to General Hospital. But he wasn't interested in the show. He kept thinking about Stacy, and the baby, and Mark, and his parents' visit, and Cameron, and Cuddy...he reached into his pocket and popped 'one more than normal Vicodin.'

House is sitting in front of the t.v. in a living room of a house he'd never been in before. It was a two story home with completely different furnishings than his apartment. He heard children's screams in the backyard and footsteps coming down the hallway. At first he was afraid they were the Purple Onion Monsters, but was relieved when he heard her voice.

"Hey, honey, are you ready to start the bbq?" She asked.

"Uh, yeah, I guess so." He said as he stood up. He walked down the hall like it wasn't his house, but he knew it was as soon as a little girl ran from the sliding glass door yelling "daddy! daddy!" at him and ran into his arms. He smiled and picked her up, twirling her.

"How's my little girl?" House said. He almost dropped her when he realized his leg didn't hurt. Well, the Vicodin always took care of that, but this was different. There was no pain. Not even a little tingle of pain. And, most importantly, there was no limp. He walked out into the backyard and saw Wilson with Sarah and the most adorable little blonde boy playing with another boy.

"Honey?" She asked him.

"Yeah?" House answered.

"Did I ever tell you that I LUV my name? Mrs. Dr. Stacy House House HOuse HOUSE!" House jerked awake and almost fell out of his chair. Foreman, Chase and Rog were standing in front of him.

"Were you having a dream about steak, Sir?" Rog asked.

"Uh, no, yeah, oh, never mind. What did you find?" House asked, sitting up and rubbing his eyes.

"okay, all the tests we did were normal, well, the blood work is normal, too, after the second vial." Chase said.

"What do you mean 'second vial?' House asked.

"Sir, I dropped the first vial of blood, and I apologize for that." Rog said.

House looked at him in disbelief. He couldn't even smile at that. 'Moron.' House thought to himself.

"She's never been out of the country, so her mother says." Chase said sarcastically.

"Why did you say it like that?" House asked.

"I think she's hiding something." Chase said.

"Was her mother in the room?" House asked. Foreman nodded his head.

"okay, looks like I'll have to get my boxing gloves on to get the truth out of her." House said as he stood up.

"House, she's just a little girl." Foreman said.

"Oh, do you think 11 year-olds don't lie? Oh, please." House said as he walked out of his office. He approached Madison Mitchell's room and thankfully her mother wasn't in the room. He slid open the door and walked to her bed.

"Hi, Madison. How are you feeling?"

"A little better." She said.

"Good. Glad to hear it. Do you know what I used to do when I was your age?" House asked. Her face lit up.

"Wha?" She asked.

"Well, after school, I'd go down to the creek behind our house and look for frogs and tadpoles. Have you ever done that?"

"No, sir, I haven't, but Ritchie and Kevin have." She smiled.

"Oh, cool! What do you do after school?"

"Nothing." She answered, but House could tell she was lying.

"Nothing? I don't believe that. You have to have fun sometimes!" House said with a smile, trying to egg her on.

"Promise not to tell my mommy?" She asked.

"Yes, and I'll even pinkie swear!" House said as he reached out his hand to hers. She put her hand up, stuck her pinky out and they wrapped their fingers around the other's.

"okay, well, a couple of weeks ago, Ritchie and Kevin said they saw a rat go down a sewer, and dared me to go down and find." She whispered.

"Oh, really? And did you find it?"

"No, but I heard it...it echoed thru the tunnel. Ritchie and Kevin said they didn't think I'd do it, but I did it!" She said proudly.

"You sure did! Well, press the button right here..." House said as he picked up the remote on the bed rail "...if you need anything and your mommy isn't back yet, okay?"

"okay. You won't tell her, right?" She pleaded.

"No, sweetie, we pinkie swore, remember?" House said as he walked out the door. Madison grinned and settled under the covers.

House walked back to his office. The three doctors were still in the conference room looking over the symptoms and talking about what could have caused them. He limped to the board, erased them, under Chase's objections, and wrote: 'Allodermanyssus sanguineus'

"Are you kidding me, House? A mite from a mouse? Rickettsialpox? That's a far stretch, isn't it?" Chase said.

"No, it's not. Not when she just happened to pretend she was a rat and went through a couple of sewer tunnels with her friends." House said smuggly. "Check her blood for that, and when it comes back positive, start her on antibiotics."

'At least it's not life-threatening.' He thought as he sat in his chair and the three left his office. House surprised himself at how easy he found it to talk to Madison. He could do it. He could be a good father. He knew he could.