Hear No Evil Chapter 16, a house, m.d. fanfic

The adventures pick up as something HORRIBLE happens to little Charnie!

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Two weeks later on a Friday night, life for the doctors at PPTH had finally quieted down and gotten back to normal by the end of January. House, Foreman and Chase had the past almost two weeks off to fully recuperate. The other doctors not badly affected with the virus returned to their perspective posts and all was peaceful.

---House had been home the whole time but hadn't picked up his little girl, C.T., yet. He would be picking her up from Sarah and Wilson's on Sunday. He wanted to make sure he was feeling 100 better to avoid getting her sick and to be able to begin his new life with his daughter.

What made matters worse was he had to make arrangements for Melissa's funeral, which he couldn't bring himself to be there when she was buried. He felt like such a coward for not going, but with Cuddy's help, he'd managed. He hoped he'd never have to go through that again.

---Foreman had worked the past few days to catch up on patients that had been neglected. He was able to do that because Cuddy gave him a clean bill of health because he hadn't been exposed fully to the virus. Nancy was very much relieved to see him back home. He still had to take three medications and she was happy to play nurse for him.

"Hey, this gives me an idea." Foreman teased as she rubbed his shoulders.

"What? Play nursemaid? I don't think nurses actually do that for patients." Nancy said teasingly.

"Oh, come on, where's your sense of adventure?"…………

The time apart between Foreman and Nancy had proven to them both of how much they really cared about each other.

---Chase and Cameron had also grown closer during Chase's illness. He had faired much worse than the other patients who were afflicted with the virus. The use of the defribulator when his heart stopped had caused second degree burns on his chest, which were finally beginning to heal.

They were lying on the couch in the living room while Chase held by Cameron watching a movie.

"Robert, you think you could ask for leave so we can get away from this place for awhile?" Cameron asked hopefully.

"I really don't think that's possible, Allison. Not with the both of us gone and especially not after the crisis."

"Well, I just thought maybe we both needed to get away."

"We will, baby, we will. Why don't you check out some places to go and we'll go over them, how's that?" Chase said as he hugged her wamly.

---Cuddy sat at her dining room table going over pieces of mail that had been neglected the past few weeks while she drank a glass of wine. That had become a ritual for her lately, drinking wine before she went to bed. The Art of Noise was playing softly in the background when the sound of the front doorbell startled her and she jumped a little bit. She wasn't expecting anyone, especially not at 9:30 at night.

She glanced out the front living room window and noticed Rog's car parked in the driveway. Her heart skipped a beat as she walked faster to answer the door. She took a deep breath before she turned the knob and swung the door open.

"Hi, Rog." Cuddy squeaked and was embarassed at herself but tried to hide it. "Want to come in?"

"No, I can' stay...m headin' bog hume tomorrow." He slurred.

Cuddy could tell right away he'd been drinking and she knew he didn't drink all that much, or that often. She grew concerned and reached out for him to pull him inside from the stinging cold but he immediately pulled away from her, like her hand were actually a lightning rod.

"Can't you just come in for some coffee?" She pleaded.

"I jus' cam by to than' you for ruinin' my life." He said then hiccupped and swayed a little.

"Rog, That's not fair. I told you what happened to me...look, please just come in. I don't want us to leave things the way they are."

"You know, 'm not ups' you thew me away. 'M upset you didnn tell me who you really were. I fell like a complet' fool."

"I'm really worried about you..." She started to say.

"We'r you worrie' about me for some 25-plus years? Ewe wanna just come bag in..."

"I will not let you leave here until I know you are sober enough to drive." She interrupted.

"Dr. Cuddy, you are NOT my moth'r. Oh, wait, yeah, you are." He said sarcastically.

Rog turned around to leave but lost his balance and missed the first step on the landing and went down on his face. Cuddy rushed to her son and tried to help him up.

"Don' touch me!" He screamed as he swatted her hands away.

But Cuddy was one step ahead of Rog. When he fell down the stairs the car keys fell out of his hand and lay on a small hill of snow. She quickly grabbed it, stood up and put her hands on her hips.

"Now, Dr. Nelson, I've got your keys," She said as Rog looked up at her with an evil expression. "And you are not going anywhere. I'll leave the front door unlocked if you decide it's too cold out here in the snow." She turned around and headed back into her house, closing the door behind her.

As the door snapped shut, Cuddy leaned against it and closed her eyes. She hoped it would ease the pain she was feeling but until the tension between her and Rog were resolved she would still feel it; the ache, the pain, the tears.

She walked over to the high-back chair by the window and watched him as he struggled to stand up then stumble across the lawn. She could hear his voice but couldn't tell what he was saying. His last step sent him stumbling in the snow but didn't get up. He sat up and buried his face in his hands and started to rock back and forth.

Her heart broke at that moment and she knew she couldn't leave her son out there in the snow. She calmly walked to the door as she threw on her coat and walked to the bottom step of the stairs and sat down. She watched him for a few minutes until his sobs died down then he wiped his eyes and looked up at his mom.

The look on his face was the same as a little boy's who'd just been scolded after doing something his mother repeatedly told him not to do. He wiped the tears from his face then stood up, staring back at Cuddy. She could see the confusion and pain and plea in his eyes and waved for him to come to her. He stood there a few moments longer and slowly, cautiously, approached her as she stood up to greet him.

"…nee' to use th' bath'oom. Call'm cab." He muttered as he walked past her and into the house.

She followed him and closed the door behind her, took off her coat and stood in the doorway between the foyer and the living room. She heard him vomit in the toilet and knew it was the best thing for him; at least it would get some of the alcohol out of his system.

She looked over at the fireplace, saw that the embers were only smoldering and went to get the fire going strong again. When he still hadn't returned she went into the kitchen to make a fresh pot of coffee for the both of them. Just as she'd finished placing the pot on the burner and hit 'brew' she heard his voice behind her. She turned to see him standing at the doorway but he was still not steady on his feet.

"Ewe cawl the cab yet?" He said coldly.

"Yes, they said about 30 minutes." She lied. "Do you want coffee?"

He shook his head and headed down the hall.

"Where are you going?"

He didn't answer but just as he reached the doorknob something caught his eye in the living room and looked at the roaring fire. He thought for only a brief moment whether he should head on back outside or sit where it was warm. He was cold, his clothes were wet from the snow and he was scared. Ever since he was a little boy he loved to sit by a fire and watch the red, blue and gold colors flicker up into 'no man's land'.

Cuddy saw him look eagerly at the fire and told Rog it was fine if he stayed inside. He turned around and went into the living room without look at her, sitting on the throw rug over the hardwood floor in front of the hearth. She went back into the kitchen, poured two cups of coffee and went back to the living room and stood beside him offering the cup. After a second he looked up at her, with a look of total defeat and took the cup. She smiled down at him and turned to sit in the closest chair to the fire.

"Th'nks" He said. She simply nodded her head.

Mother and son sat in silence for almost 15 minutes; Rog kept staring at the fire and Cuddy kept staring at Rog. She noticed his eyes were getting heavy and he was having trouble keeping his head up then jerk his head back up. He scooted over to lean his back against the recliner, drew his knees up to his chest and continued the ritual of the 'semi-awake head bobber dance.'

That continued for another few minutes when, finally, Rog's head went forward, with his chin to his chest, and he didn't move again. She stood up quietly, grabbed a blanket and placed it over him.

She went to the front door, locked it, shut the outside light off and headed back to the couch. She pulled another blanket over her and was just about to lie down when the phone rang. Luckily the phone was right by the armrest and she picked it up in one ring, whispered "what?" then looked to see if it had woken up Rog – it hadn't.

She quietly stood up and walked into the dining room. "I'm whispering so I don't wake him up!" She said softly.

"Oh, you playing the 'horizontal hokie pokie'?" House asked with a snicker.

"Shut UP! It's Rog. He's passed out in the living room. What do you want? It's almost 10:30!"

"I need a favor." He said.

"No, I told you! Just because you were ill and you haven't worked for two weeks doesn't mean I'm taking any hours off your clinic duty!" She said gruffly.

"What are you doing tom…Wayni! DMN IT! Stop chewing on my cane!" He hollered, which was followed with a little canine yelp.

"HOUSE! Tell me you didn't just hit that puppy with your cane!"

"No, no, I didn…geez, woman! Do you really think I wo…"

"What is your favor, Greg?"

House sighed heavily and just came out with it.

Dr. Cuddy hung up the phone and walked back into the living room. Rog was still asleep but he'd fallen on his side with the blanket still over him. She sat on the couch and stared at him until she'd fallen asleep herself…

Back at House's apartment, after the conversation with Cuddy, he'd taken Wayni out for a walk. Well, he just escorted her because she was still taking the leash in her mouth and walking herself. He hadn't realized how much he'd missed her until she did things that made him laugh or yell at her. But mostly she made him laugh, unlike Steve McQueen.

'That stupid rodent' had been up to no good lately. He figured that kid doped him up or something because he was not the same rat he knew before the crisis at the hospital began. There were trails of 'pellets' leading from a corner of the room to the leg of the end table his cage was kept on. But in House's life at the moment, there were other pressing issues to attend to.

He finished the last of his Scotch and headed off to bed, making a mental list of everything he had to do the next day.

The next morning, Cuddy woke up to a quiet house, lying on her couch, alone. She quickly sat up and hollered, "Rog!"

"In here." He answered back.

She walked into the kitchen and saw him heating up a pan for the bacon and eggs that sat on the counter.

"What are you doing?" She asked as she walked to the coffee pot and poured a cup. He didn't answer until a few strips of bacon were frying in the pan.

"Doing a triple bypass." He said laughing a little but didn't look at her. She didn't know what to say, especially after what happened the night before. She pulled out a chair and sat down at the eat-in kitchen table.

"Don't worry. I won't burn your house down." He said as he reached for the scrambled eggs and placed them in the pan.

She suddenly realized there were no settings at the table so she got two plates and silverware and placed them on the table.

"You want butter on your bread after it's toasted, right?" He asked as he turned around and looked at her for the first time that morning.

She was a little surprised he'd remembered that little detail from a year earlier when they were at her cabin and nodded her head. She walked to the radio and turned it on low then sat down.

He brought her plate of bacon, eggs and toast and set it down in front of her. She thanked him and watched him do the same for himself. They sat and ate in silence.

The song that cut through the tension in the room was The Bee Gees' 'Words'. Cuddy pretended she wasn't listening but noticed Rog got tense all of a sudden.

MUSIC

'Smile an ever-lasting smile; a smile can bring you near to me.

Don't ever let me find you gone 'cuz that would bring a tear to me.

This world has lost its glory. Let's start a brand new story now, my son .

Right now they'll be no other time I can show you how, my son .

Talk an ever-lasting word and dedicate them all to me.

And I will give you all my life. I'm here if you should call to me.

You think that I don't even mean a single word I say…' END MUSIC

After they finished eating Cuddy thanked Rog then stood up with her empty plate and reached for his.

"Dr. Cuddy, I'm sorry for last night. And thank you." He said solemnly, with a little embarrassment.

She put the plates back on the table and sat back down. She didn't say a word; she wanted to wait for him to get everything he had to say out of his system.

"I want to leave, but I don't want to leave." He said quietly. "I've been offered a position at Fairfax INOVA Hospital but something doesn't feel right." He hesitated to try to read some kind of reaction from her. There was nothing.

"You know, I was pretty angry at you when I went home to bury m…and my uncle picked up on it. He helped me a lot, not just with their deaths but the mess 'up here.' He said I should stay here and I heard him, but I couldn't forgive you."

Cuddy nodded her head in understanding. She let him continue.

"What I want to know is what would your expectations be of me if I were to stay permanently? I mean at work, being that I'm your son and you'll be my boss."

"Rog, exactly as it was before. Nothing more."

"Do you really think that'll happen?" He asked.

"We're both adults here, right? I don't see why not."

Just then the doorbell rang. "Shoot, that's House. He said he'd be here at 11:00." She said as she stood up to answer the door.

"It's 11:20, Dr. Cuddy." Rog answered as he cleared the table.

She caught the 'Cuddy' part; she wasn't expecting a 'mom' but maybe a 'Lisa'? She opened the door and House came into the foyer.

"Hey, sorry. I didn't know how late it was. I just need a few minutes to shower. Rog is in the kitchen." She said as she bounded up the stairs.

House stood in the foyer for a second very uncomfortable because he didn't know the current situation between the two. He decided he needed some coffee before they went shopping for some clothes and necessities for C.T.'s coming home the following morning and walked to the kitchen.

A little more than an hour later, doctors House and Cuddy headed to the mall for some shopping. He tried to get her to tell him what went on between she and Rog because, well, just because he was nosey. She was very tight lipped and didn't tell him anything. He didn't press the issue because he didn't want to make her mad and demand they go back before they were able to buy anything.

The first baby store they went to House looked at a dark blue and light pink shirt/pant set and nearly had a heart attack.

"$78? Does it come with a diamond tiara because it sure as hell better. And this says '12-15 months.' What the hell does that mean? All babies are NOT created equal." He said as he looked at the price tag.

She couldn't help but laugh. She knew shopping with him was going to be fun but she hadn't expected the fun to begin at the first outfit he looked at.

"Yeah, it's crazy, isn't it? $78 for something that's only going to last no more than six months? And I think I can figure out what size to get her, don't worry. Let's check out Penney's." She suggested as they walked out.

"Shoot, I vote for the Salvation Army!" He scoffed as they headed down the center of the mall.

"We are NOT going to get your dau…" She started to say but House interrupted her.

"Come on, I was joking! The Red Cross would be just as good." He said with a teasing smile. She responded by solidly punching him in the left arm.

"OW! That's my baby holding arm! You're just gonna half-ta carry her around from now on."

"Greg, you need to shut up when you talk to me." She joked.

A few hours later and after three trips to load the car up with bags and boxes of clothes and toys for C.T., they were on their last leg of shopping when they passed a jewelry store.

"Come on." He said as he tugged at her blouse sleeve.

"What? I think she's a little young for anything in this store." She protested but didn't stop him but escorting her into the store.

She looked at the jewelry lit up in the cases just to humor him while he watched for any sparkle in Cuddy's eyes over a particular piece. She came across a pair of 'twisty' gold earrings with a diamond dangling at the bottom and seemed to stare at them a little longer than she had any other piece.

"You like those?" He asked after, of course, he checked out the price and '10 Discount' sign and found it was within his budget (more like within his 'how much money can I borrow from Wilson to pay off my credit card?' budget).

"Yeah, but Christmas killed me and I have no idea if I owe tax…" She started to say.

"Don't worry. It's my treat." He said, thinking she wouldn't refuse, but he should have known better.

"I absolutely will NOT let you buy these for me!"

"Lisa, relax, will ya? It's a thank you for coming with me today. Or, if you want, we can go to Victoria's Secret and you can pick out…"

"Fine, fine." She said with a laugh. "That's generous and thoughtful and kind an…"

"Stop! You gonna make me hurl!" They both laughed.

After Cuddy and House got back to his place, it took them several trips to bring all the bags into his apartment. Of course, he tried to play 'cripple' so she'd have to bring mostly everything in, but she knew him well enough to kick him in his butt when appropriate. It was just past 6 o'clock Saturday night and as soon as Cuddy put down the last bag she collapsed on the sofa.

House fussed at Wayni quite a few times because she kept sticking her nose in the bags and pulling out the new clothes. He finally put her in his bedroom and closed the door. Then it was his turn to collapse on the couch next to Cuddy.

"Hey, Greg?" She asked as he simply moaned back. "We're getting too old for this."

"Who you tellin'? Uggh, I'm gonna have to re-mortgage my apartment to pay for all her clothes!"

"Ask Wilson for a loan. Seriously, this is only the beginning! You might need to get a part-time job…wait, I forgot who I was talking to." She said and they laughed.

"You want to get a pizza?" He asked, not so much to eat but hoping she would volunteer to put clothes away in C.T.'s closet and dresser drawer.

"No, I've got to head on back." She answered as she stood up. "Rog and I made headway, but we still have a lot to talk about and straighten out. He's still at the house, sleeping off his drinking binge." House's eyebrows went up in curiosity then nodded his head to acknowledge her as he, too, stood up and walked her to the door.

"Lisa, thanks." He said genuinely.

Cuddy was taken aback at his sincerity and smiled. "You may drive me crazy, Dr. House, but know I still care about you." She said as she lightly kissed him on his cheek. He looked down at the floor and his throat and chest turned beat red.

"Let me know if you need anything, okay?" He simply nodded his head and closed the door behind her. He turned around and looked in his living room and sighed at the bags and boxes littering his 'was once a bachelor pad.'

A thought crossed his mind for a back-up 'clothes putter-upper…'

Just then the phone rang. He limped to the phone, picked it up but never did say hello. "You're back already?" said the voice on the other end.

"Yeah, just got home. Hey, what are you all doing? Thought I'd get a couple of pizzas and you guys bring C.T. over and we'll have dinner and then…"

Wilson interrupted him. "Well, that's why I'm callin'. Sarah wants to know if you need any help with un-packing?"

House shook his head in disbelief. "Ah, I forgot she has a third eyeball on her forehead that 'sees all.' Yay, come on over, if it's not a problem." He said, rather unconvincingly.

"Nah, we're bored stiff. And Charlie has been asking to see you all day. He keeps telling C.T. she's coming home. I'll call when we are about to leave." Then Wilson hung up.

House smiled as he placed the phone back in the cradle. He was nervous, but excited and happy at the same time. He told himself he would be a good father when she told him she was pregnant, and now it was his time to prove it.

To prove it to himself, his friends, his parents…HIS PARENTS? He hadn't realized he hadn't called them since he'd been home. He still had no idea if they knew how sick he was or about the epidemic in the area.

'Ah, it's been two weeks…they can wait another two weeks.' He thought to himself as he rested a bit before the Wilson's came over with his little girl.

Over at Cameron's, she and Chase had fallen asleep on the couch even before the movie ended. What woke Chase up was the static at the very end of the VCR tape. He gently squeezed Cameron around her waist to wake her up so they could go to bed. He had been staying at her place the past two weeks because she didn't want to leave him alone, not with the burns on his chest that needed to be cleaned and dressed three times a day and to make sure he took his meds. He was comfortable enough being in her apartment; it was definitely nicer than his own. But they hadn't discussed moving in together, to share expenses and to save a little money to go on trips they'd been talking about.

But so much had been going on in their lives neither one knew exactly what they wanted. Well, they knew they wanted each other, but neither exactly where their relationship was going and they weren't quite ready to move in together.

"Babe, come on. Let's go to bed." He whispered in her ear then kissed it softly until she moaned and turned her head to look at him.

"Huh...oh, ok." She grunted as she sat up and rubbed her eyes. She looked lovingly at Chase. "How's your chest feeling? We need to dress it befo..."

"Allison, would you stop. I'm fine, really." He said reassuringly. "I just want your bed right now and to lie next to you."

She smiled at him and leaned in to kiss his warm, soft lips. He returned her kiss and after a moment stood up, reached down his hands for hers and pulled her up toward him. He turned the VCR and t.v. off, wrapped his arm around her, bent down to turn off the light without letting her go, pushed her in front of him, wrapped both his arms around her waist and walked her to the bedroom.

When they reached the end of the bed he playfully pushed her down 'til she sat, walked to the bathroom, got a damp washcloth, the antibiotic ointment and bandages and tape and walked back to her. He handed her the supplies and stepped back, slowly and as sexily as he could he removed his t-shirt so she could dress his burn wounds.

She looked up at him sheepishly, grabbed the washcloth and gently pressed it against his red, blistered, irritated chest until it was clean. She then pressed some ointment on her fingertips and rubbed it seductively into his chest, like it was a flavored gel she'd be licking off him in a second. She then got the bandage, two strips of tape and lovingly covered the worst areas that were burned.

She stood up so their chests were inches from one another and he eagerly removed her top, running his hands over her chest and... they made love

A little bit later, Chase and Cameron were lying in each other's arms in bed, in the dark, listening to each other's breathe. It was the first time they'd made love in weeks, and they both badly needed each other. The last thought on Chase's mind as he drifted of to sleep: 'she did say she'd marry me...maybe I will talk to her tomorrow about moving in together. It couldn't hurt. All she could say was, 'no,' right?'

Gregory House is 17, his sister, Elizabeth, is 11. It's early spring, and warm enough to have the window open in his bedroom to let in some fresh air. The nasty cigars his dad smokes infiltrates his room through the vents, and the smell always gets him a little sick to his stomach. He hates the smell, worse than he hates the smell of, oh, cabbage being cooked on the stove.

Greg is in his room going over his algebra homework while LizBeth is in her room, blasting her David Cassidy "I Think I Love You!" song over and over again and singing along with it. It was cutting into his patience, but for his little sister, he always has patience for.

His homework was another story. 'Why in the heck do I have to do this crap? I certainly won't be an Algebra Manager or Algebra Chemist. This sucks.' He thought to himself. Graduation was coming up in two months and life at home has been unbearable. Well, more unbearable as usual, it seems. LizBeth had officially 'become a woman' and her emotions have been kicking up terribly the past few weeks.

And to top that off, he had finally told his parents he wanted to get into medicine. There was a kid at school who, among the few boys in his graduating class he had been close to, had died a year earlier of 'an unknown cause.' The kid was cool; Greg really liked him. They shared a liking for Sherlock Holmes, after, of course, graduating from 'The Hardy Boys' among other 'unusual' hobbies.

But going to the kid's funeral was tough for him; it was the first he had ever gone to and it was hard. Standing by the kid's coffin, he swore to himself right there and then he wouldn't let another 'good person' go without knowing exactly why.

After his thoughts drift back to his homework, he hears his father's steps stomping up and he knew exactly where he was going:

to LizBeth's room. Their father hates everything that doesn't come out of the 40's and 50's, and if it wasn't, it was 'trash'.

He bangs on the door loudly and hollers for her to turn the radio down. Greg gets up and carefully opens his bedroom door just wide enough to see her bedroom door across the hall. His father opens the door and continues to yell at the top of his voice as Greg cringes.

The volume goes off on the radio and hears LizBeth say meekly, "I'm sorry, Dad."

"I DON'T want to have to tell you again to keep it at a reasonable volume!" He yells as he walks out the door without closing it.

Greg closes the door just in time as his dad walks to the top of the stairs and Greg jumps when he hears her bedroom door slam closed. He closes his eyes and braces himself because he knows what's coming next; it had happened to him a few years ago.

His dad rushes back to her door, pushes it open hard and screams, "DON'T YOU DARE SLAM THE DOOR BEHIND ME AGAIN!"

Greg immediately opens the door a bit more widely as he sees his dad disappear into her room.

"Dad, my window's open...didn't slam the door...I just clos..."

SMACK/groan

He hears her yelp a little and then the sound of books and glass break, then louder cries as his dad storms out of her room and gives his son a death glare as he storms downstairs. He hears his father scream at his mom about, 'her not behaving' and 'her not listening to me' and 'most irresponsible...'

Greg blocks out his father's rant and heads to her bedroom. He doesn't bother to knock but opens the door...and gasps at his sister sitting on the floor holding her left cheek with tears falling down her eyes in sheets with books and broken ceramics spewn on the floor around her from the shelves and desk.

She is so embarrassed and ashamed she doesn't look at her brother but just sits on the floor crying. His heart breaks and he instantly burns with hatred for his dad for hitting her. That was one of the no-no's his mother had told him when she gave him his 'grown up talk' when he was 12 about sex.

It tkes all the strength he has not to tear downstairs and hit his own father. 'No, not yet. My time will come when I...'

He sees her crying hysterically but can't find the words to comfort her. He kneels down and starts to pick up her book and bits of broken glass.

"Gre...don...Dad'll be ma...he didn' mean...hit me..." She cries, inhaling deeply between words she tries to get out and starts to hyperventilate. It was the first time she's done that, even after all the times their dad has 'beat' her down and make her who he wants her to be.

Greg freaks out a little, puts the books neatly down and sits next to her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and talks to her, trying to get her to calm down. But it was a good 20 minutes before she catches her breathe...BANGING ON THE FRONT DOOR...

"Greg! Greg! Uncle Gweg!"

House bolted up from the couch at the sudden noise and realized Wilson and Sarah were there with C.T. He heard Wayni bark at the door and she kept running back and forth between him and the front door to let him know someone was there.

"Be right there." He said as he rubbed his eyes, and only then did he realize he'd cried while he dreamed about his sister.

House opened the door and saw Wilson holding C.T., Sarah holding a bag of her clothes and Charlie trying to keep Wayni down from jumping on him, but he was giggling the whole time.

"Hey, House! You look much better." Wilson said as they walked through the door and House closed the door behind them.

"Greg, you really do. Here, I think this is yours." Sarah says as she hands C.T. to her daddy.

He reached out his left arm tentatively at first, but when she reached out her little 9-month old arms out for his, his heart melted. She giggled and when the top of her head reached his stubble, she threw her head back and looked at him really funny. Then she cautiously reached out her little hand and rubbed her fingers against it. House lovingly smiled down at her as they walked into the living room.

"You guys want something to drink?" He asked, not because he was being polite but because his Vicodin was in the kitchen. He'd woken up with a headache. He set C.T. down on a blanket Sarah had just laid out.

"Yes, please. I think I have a lot of work ahead of me." Sarah said then laughed as she looked at the bags on the floor.

"Mommy?" Charlie said as he tugged at her jeans. "Can I play wiff Charnie?"

"Oh, honey, let her be with her daddy, ok?"

Charlie rolled his eyes and gave his mother the look he'd seen on House's many times when someone said something that was completely unfair. House came back from the kitchen with her drink and sat down on the couch.

"Ok, I'm outta here. Give me a few hours and I'll be back." Sarah said then laughed.

The guys laughed, too and they watched her grab a few bags and headed into C.T.'s room. The two kids were oblivious to everything around them because Wayni was trying to get them in trouble, safe trouble.

"You know, you can still bring C.T. over during the week while you're at work. I'm sure we can work out a low compensation for babysitting." Wilson chuckled.

"I still have next week off, 'adjustment period' Cuddy called it. I was like, 'uh-huh.' More like a 'let's see how long you last' period." House said then scolded C.T. "No, no! Don't pull her furr."

She looked up at him startled, her bottom lip started to quiver, her eyes looked like she'd just been poked and she let out the loudest scream from her little vocal cords.

"Oh, girl..." House said as he bent down, picked her up and placed her on his left knee. He really hadn't realized how loudly he'd said it. "You're ok...you're ok." He said. After just a second she'd stopped crying because Wayni was nibbling at the tip of her shoes and she was smiling back. House placed her back down and the three went back to their playing.

"Have you got food and stuff for her? We brought a couple of ja..."

"Don't worry, we got all that today." House told Wilson.

"Ok, and did she write down what and when and how you feed her?" Wilson said seriously then laughed.

"Don't worry, dude. I've got it covered." He said, but not very convincingly.

"Remember Nurse Carmen?" Wilson asked and House shook his head. "She slid a card under my door yesterday morning."

"Oh, you stud!" He joked but Wilson quickly 'shhss'd' him.

"She wants to get back with me. She said after she'd seen me again when she was taking care of you she realized she wanted me back."

"Wilson..do you think that's a goo..."

"Oh, please! Don't even go there. She scares the CRAP outta me!"

A few hours later, close to midnight, House, C.T. and Wayni were all alone on their first night together. Wayni had fallen asleep in her doggie bed in the corner of the room and C.T. had fallen asleep in his arms long before Wilson, Sarah and Charlie (asleep

on his daddy's arm) had left.

Sarah had given House a few pointers in the kitchen with what foods to feed her and House was too tired to argue with her. He just listened out of politeness, but when he was looking at the hot dogs in the fridge and secretly thinking to himself, 'these would be good,' Sarah told him hot dogs are a no-no for a 9-month old.

House scooted off the couch as best he could with his bad leg and C.T. in his left arm as to not wake her and carried her to her bedroom. The pain in his leg was getting a little bad; he always had to take a few at night so he could get a good night's sleep. But he leaned against her crib and laid her on the blanket Melissa had specifically picked out for her.

He stood there looking at his daughter, his mind reeling with what he was now up against. But the past two weeks he'd been mentally preparing for it. He'd planned on calling his parents the following day, even though he dreaded it. He thought C.T. was a beautiful little girl, even if he was the father. 'Thank God you look like your mother.' He thought to himself. She stirred in her sleep and he froze, afraid she'd wake up, but she didn't. He stood there a few more minutes and watched her, then left her room, making sure the nightlight was still on and left the door half-opened.

He walked into the living room and Wayni had gotten up, begging to go outside. He took her outside for a few minutes and when he reached for the doorknob it didn't turn. He'd forgotten to unlock the door behind him. He cursed himself then reached under the mat and pulled out the extra key.

'Man, I'm gonna have to hide a lot of keys out here now!' He thought to himself then laughed.

For the first time in weeks, if not months, Dr. Gregory House got a restful night's sleep. He was happy. Or, happy for House.

The next afternoon, House just put C.T. down for her afternoon nap. He had a good time that morning; he'd taken her and Wayni walking down the street, and found the stroller was a good alternative for the cane. When they got back in, he set her on the throw rug and she'd pulled herself up with the aid of the coffee table; she almost stood on her own. He stood back watching her and encouraging her to 'give it a go.'

He sat down on the couch dreading the inevitable task he had to do next: call his parents. Of course, he'd taken a few sips of Scotch and his Vicodin, and he felt ready. He'd thought about what he was going to say for at least an hour before he called them. His mother picked up and she sounded the same old mom.

"Hi, mom."

"Hey, son! What's wrong? I wasn't expecting to hear from you so soon after Christmas." She said concerned. "I was wondering how you were after Stacy's death."

"Nothing, I'm fine...now."

"What does that mean? Are you ok?"

"Mom, yeah, I'm fine." He said then told her how sick he'd been but that he was better now. She said she was relieved and he took a deep breathe for the next bit of news.

"Mom, the thing is she and I have a baby and..." House hesitated because she had gotten quiet on the other end. He was expecting her to start screaming and yelling.

"...she's here now. Her name is Charnie." He continued. Again he waited for a response from her but it was still quiet.

"Mom?"

A second more of silence, "I'm here. I...I don't know what...to say." She stuttered. "How old is she? Have you got a room for her already? Does she have clothes..."

"Mom, Mom...yes, everything is set up. She's 9 months, almost 10, May 16th." He said then closed his eyes and braced himself for the next barrage of questions from her, but there wasn't any.

"Oh, Greg! That's great! You know I've always wanted to be a grandma! You have to send pictures!" She ranted on and on and it

actually made him smile until he heard, "George! We got a granddaughter!" His head flung to the back of the headrest and was just waiting to hear what his father had to say about that. But, there was nothing.

After several seconds his mother said, "Dad and I can come down in a couple of weeks and..."

"No, uh, I'd love to have you guys here but," He hesitated a moment, wondering what exactly he could say to prevent them from coming. "It's just that we need some time, actually I need some time with her, just us."

There was silence for a moment. "Greg, how long has she been with you?"

House looked at his watch first then said, "A while, but still..."

"Well, I understand. Wow, I can't believe this. You let us know when things settle down, ok?"

"Of course, Mom." He hesitated a moment. "I love you." He still had his eyes closed, but just saying that didn't hurt as bad as he thought it would.

The week went by faster than House had imagined it would have. He'd had Wilson, Sarah and Charlie over for dinner one night, Cameron and Chase came over on the following weekend and she adored C.T., even offered to babysit if he ever wanted to go out. "If you ever go out." Chase threw in sarcastically, which made Cameron hit him on the arm, but laughed afterward.

Cuddy had popped in on her way home from work one day as well. House had been sitting on the floor trying to get C.T. to walk. When Cuddy came in she sat opposite of him and they tried to coax her to walk, which didn't work.

"Well, looks like she's just like her daddy, huh? She'll walk when she's ready." Cuddy said.

House looked at her funny, like he'd just been slapped.

"Oh, Greg, that's not what I meant." And that was enough to make him smile.

While they were playing with her on the floor, she gave him an update of what was going on at the hospital. She said Dr. Firth had put in a letter of commendation to the CDC, and that they might be contacting her for an 'Emergency Situation' document for her to prepare.

A little bit later, Cuddy was saying goodbye as she walked out the door.

House asked, "So, no clinic duty for me, right? You know, fatherhood and all." Then added a flirtatious, 'aren't I cute' grin.

"Uh, no. See you at 9 am...sharp!"

"9:15?"

"9:00!"

"9:30?"

"Let's put it this way, for every minute past 9:00 you're late, you'll have an hour extra clinic duty." She winked then walked away to her car. He smiled and stood in the doorway watching to make sure she got in ok.

That Sunday, the night before he had to go back to work after his too short leave of absence, he had packed a bag with C.T.'s clothes and some food to take to Wilson's. He put some newspapers down in the master bathroom along with Wayni's bed so she wouldn't have any accidents while he was at work. Charlie had begged his 'Uncle Greg' to bring her but Sarah told him it was too much for him.

He was in a good mood that night, and the thought occurred to him that the last Vicodin he'd taken was at noon. His thoughts went to his leg, and although the pain was bad, he tried to force himself not to get up and take a couple. He rolled over and a few minutes later it occurred to him: 'I am just too exhausted to get up!' A few minutes later he was in a blissful sleep.

House pulled in to the parking lot at 8:59 the following morning. He sat in his car a second to mentally prepare himself for the day. The past week with C.T. had been great, and he waited to see if the 'pang' of guilt would strike him at the thought of leaving C.T. with Sarah. Overall, he thought it went very smoothly. When he first got to their house Charlie immediately kept her busy long enough for him to sneak out after he said his goodbyes to her.

He smiled as the picture of his little girl came to him. He wanted to make sure he put her in the dress that Sarah and Wilson bought for her, although it was a dress she'd wear only for a festive occasion, like Easter or a family picture. But what he didn't know was that Sarah had kept a few play outfits 'just in case.'

He walked into the lobby of PPTH and headed for the elevator. He purposefully avoided looking into Cuddy's office as he walked by. He walked to his office and saw Foreman, Chase and Rog sitting at the conference table and Cameron at the desk in the corner going through more letters.

"Good morning, Dr. House!" Cameron said cheerfully as she stood up and went to the coffee machine, poured a cup and handed it to him as he walked in.

"'Mornin'." He muttered. He didn't want them to know he was in a good mood. After all, he did have a reputation to keep up at the hospital. He nodded as he took the cup from Cameron.

"I've got a couple of letters I think you should look at." She said.

"Yeah, she's been putting them in alphabetical order by suspected diagnosis." Chase said then laughed, teasing her.

"Uh, well, they're not anymore. I dropped them last week. Oh, uh, Cameron, sorry but I dropped the papers last week and they're not in order anymore." Rog said seriously, but tried to laugh.

And he did when she laughed and the others joined in, including House, who stopped laughing when there was a tap on the plate glass window. He looked at the gang with his back to it and mouthed, "who is it".

"Angelina! She's in labor! Dial 911!" Foreman said jokingly.

House rolled his eyes and automatically turned around and started to walk to the door. He opened it and said, "Hey, Boss! I got here at 9! I had to get coffee! I need my coffee."

"House, pulling into the parking lot does constitute 'arriving' to work. Now get downstairs." She said then smiled. "Welcome back."

House walked down to the nurse's station in the lobby, grabbed a patient file from the nurse and walked to exam room 2.

"Sweating, cramps, weakness, nausea...looks like you're pregnant Ms...Mr. Tyler. Oh, wrong guess."

"Tyler Goodman." The man said, wiping his forehead then holding his stomach. "This hit me all of a sudden...I just got back from...uggh..." He wretched, leaned forward and House barely had enough time to step back before the man threw up on the floor.

House wrinkled his nose, opened the door and screamed, "Clean up, Isle 2!" He stepped back in the room, avoiding the mess on the floor and handed the man a pan, he took it and threw up in it again.

House stood as far away as possible to avoid the mess as a custodian came in a mopped up the floor. When he closed the door behind him, he stood back waiting for Tyler to get control of himself.

When he did, House asked, "Add vomiting...what else?"

He rattled off symptoms as House took his blood pressure. "Ok, stop talking." He said because it couldn't get a proper reading while the man talked. House frowned when he felt his pulse, which was about 115 bpm, his b.p. was 195/110.

"You taking medication for high blood pressure?" House asked. Tyler shook his head.

"And you haven't been out partying last night? Say, with speed?"

"No, no. I was in L.A. last night, flew back this mornin...hey, can I lie down?" Tyler asked but he was already on his way down on the table. He scratched the inside of his right thigh.

"Probably just the flu. Winter will do that, you know. I'm going to get a nurse with Procardia to get your b.p. down...how's the nausea?"

"Still ba...bad...it's my stoma...t's...worst."

"Ok, I'll be back in a few." He said as he turned to walk out.

"Daw...ca...brea..." He started to say but couldn't talk further. House rushed back to him and placed the stethoscope over his heart, then opened the door, called for a nurse to bring the medication. He came back in and in that short time Tyler's breathing had somewhat stabilized.

"Head hur...aspirin?" Tyler asked as sweat continued to condense on his forehead.

"Not until we assess your condition. Headache?"

Tyler stiffly nodded his head. A moment later the nurse walked in with a syringe, handed it to House and walked out. He cleaned the inside of Tyler's arm and gave him the injection.

"This will take a few minutes...the nurse will be right back in."

"O..." Tyler belched and rolled over on his side a bit more, barely making it to the pan before he violently vomited again.

House left as quick as he could as he went to the nurse's station and asked her to get a nurse to attend to Tyler. He grabbed another patient's folder, but just as he approached the waiting patients, the nurse rushed out of Tyler's room and called for House.

"He's gone into cardiac arrest!"

He rushed back into his room and quickly administered CPR while a crash cart was brought in. After several minutes of shocking his heart back to sinus rhythm, his heartbeat became regular again. House stood back and let the attending nurses continue care while he reviewed more closely his initial consult with the nurse.

He told them to admit him, as he was curious why a healthy man of 25 went into cardiac arrest. He walked up to the conference room and walked in as if he had an important FBI document on the location of Osama. He went straight to the white board without saying a word as the four doctors watched him write the following symptoms down: 'general weakness, sweating, vomiting, difficult breathing, cardiac arrest'

The four hadn't paid special concern about the first three symptoms, but leaned forward when they saw 'cardiac arrest.'

"Go." House simply said.

They went over several possibilities but nothing came to any of them. He ordered several blood tests and an EKG.

Just as the four stood up House said, "How many idiot doctors does it take to draw blood and an EKG? Hmmm, let me think..." He looked at each of them individually and counted, "one, two, three, four? That doesn't sound right. Cameron, Rog, you go."

Both Chase and Foreman grunted and sat back down as their two colleagues headed out, while he silently headed to his office, put on his headphones and sat in his chair. He closed his eyes as the comfort of the chair seemed to overcome him and he grinned. 'Like an old glove.' He thought to himself.

The tune that came from his Ipod was 'Never Be the Sun' by Delores Keane, an Irish singer. Melissa had several Celtic CDs that she'd play constantly, and there were some that House really liked. This particular song was one that they both shared a fondness for. It wasn't so much the words, but the softness of the guitar playing and the harmony of the woman's voice.

'You'll never be the sun turning in the sky.
And you won't be the moon above us on a moonlit night.
And you won't be the stars in heaven, although they burn so bright.
But even on the deepest ocean you will be the light.

You may not always shine as you go barefoot over the stone.
You might belong together or you might walk alone.
And you won't find that love comes that easy or that love is always right.
So even when the dark clouds gather, you'll be the light.

And if you lose a part inside when love turns 'round on you.
Leaving the past behind is knowing you'll do like you always do.
Holding you blind, keeping you true.

You'll never be the sun turning in the sky.
And you won't be the moon above us on a moonlit night.
And you won't be the stars in heaven, although they burn so bright.
But even on the deepest ocean, you will be the light.

You will be the light...you will be the light.'

Just as the last strum of the guitar string played he felt eyes blaring into him and he reluctantly opened one eye, hoping it couldn't be seen. He grunted when he saw Cuddy standing at his desk with a scowl on her face.

"One patient? You see one and you think that's it?" She said.

"I'm going over a patient's file."

"I'm not a moron." She said, putting her hands on her hips.

He sat up, took off the headphones and clasped his hands together. "I had a 25 yr old male go into cardiac arrest. Curious, huh?"

She frowned and asked several questions, with House telling her they didn't come up with a solid diagnosis. Cuddy shook her head and walked out.

Down in the lab, Cameron was at the microscope looking for any bacteria in the blood of Tyler, and Rog was looking at a monitor for the blood results for anything out of the ordinary.

"Allison, his red blood cells are almost completely destroyed."

"Hemolytic anemia? That means an outside source must have destroyed them but from what?" She asked perplexed. She hesitated a moment. "Rog, is everything between you and Cuddy okay now?"

He paused before he looked up at her. "They will be, I guess."

Cameron nodded her head, not from being satisfied with the answer but wondered if he was just avoiding the question.

"I think we should go back and check Tyler's b.p., see if any more symptoms have developed." Cameron suggested.

Up in House's office, he was sitting at his desk when Foreman walked in.

"House, I'm just wondering about some..." He started to say.

"Oh, no, Wilson and I are not 'partners,' but he is one sexy beast, don't you think?" House said with a smirk but kept his eyes on the GameBoy he was playing.

Foreman sneered. "What's up with the lack of cases the past few months?"

"Well, first it was Thanksgiving then Christmas then Stacy died then I got a daughter then New Year's came then Melissa died then a plague hit. Is that a good enough excuse for you?" House finally looked up at his 'charge'. "Doesn't Tylenol Goodwrench count as a patient?"

"I really think you need to take a 'How to Remember Names' class 'cuz you lack the expertise to hold the information in your brain." Foreman said very insulting.

"Uh, might I remind you that although you were my 'boss' for less than a month, I am your boss now."

"You can't take a joke?" Foreman asked, challenging House.

"That was a joke? Then I really think you should take a 'How to Make a Joke' class 'cuz you lack the expertise to create one worthy." House shot back. "What's going on with you, Foreman?"

"What do you mean?"

"You're normally belligerent, which I ignore, but why the personal attack?"

Foreman stood there a second trying to think of the real reason he'd felt 'trapped', but decided he wasn't in the mood at the moment to continue what he'd started. He shrugged his shoulders, turned around and walked out without saying a word, almost running into Wilson as he was coming in.

"Hey." Wilson said. "I need your help."

"What, again?"

"I'm not asking for money." Wilson added.

"Good, cuz I don't have any." House said.

"It's Nurse Carmen. She's come into my office three times Friday and twice already this morning, even when I was with patients."

"You're a stud muffin, Wilson! The woman can't keep their hands off you. What's the favor?"

"Tell her I'm gay." He said seriously but tried to keep a straight face.

"Oh, there's already a rumor going around about me and you. Besides, she knows you're not gay...well, right?" He said with a snicker.

"I've practically had to shove her out of my off..."

"Then give her my number if she needs some." House said, then immediately regretted what he'd said. His attention was drawn to the hallway when he saw Cameron and Rog walk into the conference room.

"Saved by the kiddies." House said as he stood up. "But you and I aren't done talking...hunk." Then he walked into the conference room.

"Dr. House, Rog and I think it's a bite of some sort." Cameron said as she walked to the white board and was about to write down what they'd found in the lab.

House's pager went off. He looked down at it and said, "Come on. Ty's just had convulsions."

The three walked into Tyler Goodman's room, with House standing back in the corner, observing.

"This isn't a normal convulsion." Cameron stated as they helped another nurse hold him down while the convulsions subsided.

"Tyler, Tyler, what is it?"

"It won't stop...I can't..." He muttered then scratched the inside of his right thigh.

Cameron frowned and pulled down the sheet that covered him up to his waist, pulling his gown just above mid thigh. House's eyebrows rose and he stepped closer for a better look. There was a 3-inch rash in the shape of a circle; the middle had a 1-inch raised white puss bubble and the edges were beginning to turn a dark grey.

"His b.p. is still high, 190/98, pulse 118. No fever." Nurse Carmen informed them then smiled evilly as she looked out in the hall and saw Wilson walk by. "Oh, I have to see to another patient." She said as she raced out of the room.

"Tyler, have you ever had anxiety attacks before?" House asked.

"No, no." He answered as he tried to scratch his thigh again but Cameron held his hand down.

"Do you remember being bitten by anything?" Cameron asked.

"No. But I started getting nauseous right after I unpacked and it just got worse." Cameron looked at House and his eyes showed that he agreed with her initial diagnosis.

"Where exactly did you stay in California?" House asked, remembering he said he'd just got back from there.

"Mmmmnsfarm..." He slurred, unintelligently.

House nodded his head and walked out. Rog followed him out and Cameron stayed to continue monitoring Tyler. House walked into the conference room and went directly to the white board. He wrote: 'brown recluse sider...wolf spider...black widow'.

"Which is it?" House simply said. Chase, Foreman and Rog looked over the latest notes of his symptoms.

After a moment Chase said, "Wolf spider." House shook his head disappointedly, turned around and crossed off 'wolf spider.'

"Nope. Lymph nodes aren't swollen, that only occurs with wolf spider bites. Any other uneducated guesses?"

Rog offered, "Black widow."

"And why do you say that? Or are you just choosing 'door number 2?'" House asked.

"Simple. He's been to California where they are native, he stayed on a farm and they just love dark corners. He has no fever, if he did, that would mean brown recluse. Plus, when we were just there he's lost his ability to speak."

House smiled at Rog, looked at Chase and said sarcastically, "And the winner goes to...get him on Augstatin, 20 mg stat...good call, Rog."

"Dr. House, it says here the injection site appears to be starting to become neurcrotic." Foreman said.

"Yeah, I saw that too. Let's see what my suggestion of antibiotics does, first, before we amputate his leg." He said tersely.

Later that afternoon, Tyler's condition hadn't changed but House determined the antibiotics may take 24 hours, so he headed out of the clinic to pick up his daughter from Sarah and Wilson's.

He drove the mid-rush hour streets of Plainsboro again in a happy mood. It scared him, a little, being so happy. Or, was it he was just used to being miserable and now that he had a reason to live he wasn't so miserable? There was a sharp pain in his leg that reminded him that, yes, he indeed was somewhat miserable. But he could live with that. As he stopped at a red light he pulled out his bottle of Vicodin and popped two into his mouth, which was only the third time that day he'd had to take it. He'd weaned himself off his normal three, sometimes four pills in one pop for two, and he was proud of himself.

He knocked on their front door and heard little steps run to the door with a little 'thump'. The door slowly opened and Charlie screamed, "OW! I hi' my head!" Then he laughed while rubbing his forehead.

Charlie escorted his Uncle Gweg to the kitchen where Sarah was just finishing feeding C.T. her dinner. When she saw him she beamed a huge smile and kicked her feet in joy.

"Hmmm, yum! 'Cream of Turkey, Disintegrated Peas and Pureed Pear.' Leave some for me, will ya, little girl?" House said she he patted her on the top of the head.

"Uncle Gweg! We wants to show you sumfin'! She wa..." Sarah interrupted him.

"She wants more dinner." Sarah said, putting her forefinger up to her lips in a 'shhshh' motion.

When C.T. was done eating, Sarah wiped her face and hands, removed the chair tray and handed her to her dad. He threw his arms up in the air with her face right in his as he cooed and smiled.

"Uh, Greg, I wouldn't do th..." Sarah started to say but it was too late. C.T. had spit about 1/2 cup of milk mixed with pea mush and turkey guts on his face and some got into his mouth.

"Uck! Oh my god!" He said as he brought her back down and set her on the floor. Sarah roared with a laugh and Charlie giggled as House walked to the sink and ran water over his face. Charlie ran after C.T. as she started to run down the hall.

"I'm sorry, Greg. I tried to warn you." Sarah said, trying to stifle her laughter.

"Yeah, very funny. That's the first time she's done that. Ok, remind me to mark that on my 'What Not to Do List'." Then the two walked into the living room. House froze in the doorway as he saw C.T. on her feet, taking two little steps toward Charlie before she plopped her butt on the floor then crawled on her hands a feet in a flash. House smiled, which disappeared as soon as it had appeared.

"Don't worry, Greg. We got it videotaped, her first steps." Sarah said, tapping her hand on his shoulder as she walked by him. "Come here and sit down." She said as she told Charlie to sit in one corner of the room, and pointed to where House should sit.

"Ok, ready, Charnie?" Sarah asked as she placed her at Charlie's feet facing House. She immediately started to crawl on her hands and feet toward House and he got a look of disappointment.

"Ok, wait, pick her up on her feet and let her walk to Charlie." Sarah suggested, as she held the camcorder in her hand to record the three.

He did so, and she hesitantly took one step, then another, then another until she met Charlie's outstretched arms and fell into him. Sarah applauded along with House as he said, "Way to go!" House was as proud as any father could be. They let her walk back and forth a few times before the front door opened and Wilson walked in.

"Hey, guys!" He greeted them as he took off his coat and hung it in the closet.

Charlie went running to him and gave him a big hug. "Charlie, wanna come help me with the big people's dinner, now?" Sarah said as she stepped toward Wilson and gave him a kiss before she and Charlie headed to the kitchen.

Wilson walked in the living room and sat on the couch as if the weight of the world was on his shoulders. House sat with C.T. between his legs, with his right leg as straight as he could make it. As she moved around she'd occasionally lean against his leg and he'd wince then gently lift her away from his leg. But within minutes she'd find it again and repeat her 'gonna tortue daddy' game of leaning into his leg.

"So, how is psycho woman?" House asked with a snicker.

"Do you have no couth? And the same. Can't you get Cuddy to fire her or something?" He asked hopefully.

"Oh, please. That woman doesn't listen to me."

"That's because Cuddy's smart. Seriously, I've got to do something about her. She brought me a basket of fruit and cookies this afternoon. I just gave it to a patient that was leaving."

"I'd be careful what you have for dinner, Wilson. There might be rabbit stew in the pot one night." He said then laughed.

"You know, that's funny, but not really." Wilson replied and they both laughed.

House took the cue it was time to leave when Sarah announced dinner was ready. He thanked Sarah, gave Charlie a 'big man's handshake' and started out the door.

"Thanks for the tape, Sarah. That was a good idea."

"Hey, don't thank me. Thank LizBeth." Sarah said with a wink as she closed the door before House could scoff at her again.

House thought he had prepared himself to be able to carry both C.T. and her bag of clothes from 'her babysitter's', but the first day was always the toughest. He'd have to talk to them about keeping just a few things at their place to make it easier for him. Not that he was making excuses to make it easier for him, but with his cane and extra weight from C.T. on his arm it was more difficult to walk.

He unlocked his front door, walked in, set C.T. in the playpen in the living room and went back out to his car, making sure he put a brick in front of the door so it wouldn't close all the way and get himself locked out again. He walked into the kitchen to find something to make himself dinner, even though he wasn't really all that hungry. Then he remembered Wayni was in the bathroom, went to get her and let her do her business outside.

He went back to the refrigerator and looked over its contents. He had some jalepeno peppers and the makings for a mexican dish, so he set about chopping and preparing dinner, all the while keeping his ears open listening to C.T. gurgling and laughing and hearing Wayni's toenails tap on the hardwood floor.

He set his plate on the table, got C.T., set her in her purple highchair and gave her some pudding on a plate, a paper plate. That was lesson #3. She happily stuck her fingers in it, brought it to her nose and smelled it. She started that quirk the week earlier when he had given her a little chunk of jalepeno peppers, and the expression on her face when she put it in her mouth made him laugh for five minutes. Ever since then, she'd started to smell her food before she'd eat it.

After he finished eating, he prepared her 'night bottle' and took her into her bedroom. He changed her into her one piece nightie quickly. Not because he was in a hurry, but it took him just a week to get the one piece outfits on her without breaking her delicate arms and legs. He placed her in the crib, and a second or two later she started to whimper.

"Okay, ok. I'll go get a book. Hold on, princess." He said as he left the room for a moment and returned with three books in his hand.

"We have 'The Workings of the Human Brain'... no, that won't work. How 'bout '23 Perfect Ways to Meet a Woman'...no, not that, either. I'm afraid to read the next one. OH! Great. 'Curious George!'"

He smiled at C.T., which made her smile then she sat down, stuck the bottle in her mouth and looked up at her dad. He lovingly covered her with her blanket and started to read the story. By the time he'd gotten to the third page, her eyes were closed but she was slightly sucking the mouth piece of the bottle.

He stopped reading, leaned against the crib carefully so as not to wake her and stared at her. He'd been doing a lot of that lately. The thoughts that ran through his head were, 'What kind of woman will she be? How smart will she be?' But he'd always laugh when he'd tell himself, 'I'd be happy with anything, as long as she doesn't date a man like me.'

He quietly stepped over to the dresser, turned on the music box that Stacy got her and stood there staring at it. After all he and Stacy had been through, he wanted to make sure C.T. knew all about her mom, regardless of their recent past history. He loved Stacy once, and there was no reason why he couldn't give her daughter good memories of the mother she never knew.

He stepped out of her room and closed the door, leaving it just a little cracked. He walked to the liquor cart, looked at the bottle of Scotch and decided he didn't want any. He surprised himself when he did that for the first time last week. He grabbed his coat, walked to the closet to hang it up and stopped when he saw Melissa's helmet he'd bought for her the previous summer when they went riding on his bike. His heart skipped a beat then he hung the coat up, sighed then closed it. He didn't know why he kept the helmet.

He had nothing else to do. For the first time in a long, long time he actually didn't have a clue what can keep him busy. He

looked toward Steve McQueen who was running in his wheel. He walked to his cage, changed his water, dropped some cheese left over from his dinner and turned around. He was looking dead on at his piano, and it just looked sooo sad to House. He had the 'key cover' on it and it looked so neglected.

He looked at C.T.'s door, figured it would be safe to pound out some keys and walked to it, pulled out the bench, removed the cover and sat down. He ran his fingers seductively over the keys and pressed one at a time, until a tune came to his head and he played 'Danny Boy.' He belted it out now like he had when Melissa was sitting next to him watching him play. She loved watching him play.

As the note slowly faded away, the phone rang. He grunted and walked to the phone, only then realizing he didn't have his cane.

"Hello?" House closed his eyes and cocked his head back toward the ceiling while he felt a knot build in his stomach when he heard the voice on the other end.

Early the next morning, House dropped C.T. off at Wilson and Sarah's. House planned on having a serious one-on-one discussion with Wilson, especially after the call last night, but Wilson left an hour earlier.

House walked into the lobby of PPTH planning on going straight to the conference room to check on the condition of Tyler Goodman, but Nurse Carmen caught him at the elevator.

"Dr.HousehaveyouseenJa…Dr.Wilson?" She said, ending up jumbling all the vowels and syllables together.

House stood and looked at her like she were an alien, wondering why in the hell Wilson recommended her to take care of him when he was sick. He couldn't think of what to say, so he decided to say nothing. Thankfully the doors slid open and he made a quick escape. He went directly to Wilson's office instead of his own. He found Wilson hiding behind a bookshelf and chuckled.

"Aw, Wilson. I think it's cute how she's pining for you." House teased as he sat down.

"Shut up, House. I found another note on my car last night."

"That is so high schoolish. Did you ask her to the prom?"

"Man, at home. She left the note on the windshield at home. She knows where I live." Wilson croaked as he peeked around the corner to see if the hallway was clear. He slowly scooted out and sat behind his desk. "I can't keep doing this."

"You'll just have to let her down gently." House said as he sat down as well. "She called MY house last nigh…"

"YOU GAVE HER MY ADDRESS?" Wilson said aghast.

"No, dimwit, of course not. She wanted to know what she could do to make you change your mind about her."

"What did you tell her?"

"I told her to put a note on your car." He said seriously then bust out laughing.

"Man, this is serious! Hey, Dr. Cuddy." Wilson interrupted himself when she walked in without knocking.

"Dr. Wilson, may I speak with you alone?" She asked as she looked sternly at House to leave.

"Uh, yeah, well, okay. I'll call the custodian to clean up the blood on the walls." House joked as he walked out.

But he went to his office, walked out onto the balcony and peered into Wilson's office to see if he could figure out what was going on, although he knew Wilson would tell him later anyway. Cuddy looked as empathetic as she could, but toward the end of the conversation she seemed very upset.

"…fix it." Was all House could read from her lips before she walked out. He grinned to himself and made a mental note to corner Wilson later.

He strolled back into the conference room and asked the four doctors what was going on. All four of them started to talk at the same time. "Alright, alright. I don't really care. It was a rhetorical question." House told them.

"Tyler Goodman is in surgery. The tissue around the bite totally became neucrotic and it had to be removed." Cameron told him as she handed him a few letters, but he didn't take them so she put them on the table in front of him.

"They removed his leg?" House asked, shocked.

"They removed the dead tissue, Dr. House, not his leg." Foreman emphasized, with them all looking at him like he was oblivious to what was going on.

House nodded his head then raised his eyebrows as he saw Nurse Carmen walk by, heading in the direction of Wilson's office. He smirked and walked back to his office, locked the front door and sat on the chair, pushing it closer against the wall so he could hear better if anything 'juicy' was said.

It was quiet at first, then he heard her voice grow louder but he couldn't make out the words. He felt the wall vibrate as he assumed she had stormed out, but when he opened his eyes he saw Cuddy staring down at him.

"Ever heard of the word 'privacy?'" She asked.

"Yeah. It's what you're invading right now." He said.

"House," She said as she sat in the chair across from him. "Greg, I need to talk to you about starting your counseling sessions again. That still hasn't been resolved."

House looked at her blankly as he saw Nurse Carmen storm down the hall in a huff, glancing at him with a look that could kill.

"Fine." He simply said.

She looked at him in amazement. "Wow, you've become easier to get along with." She said as she stood up.

"I didn't say fine…I said 'fire'."

She shook her head and walked out. He looked at the phone, thinking about calling Dr. Parker then out in the hall hoping Wilson was on his way over but there was no one in the hall. He reluctantly called Dr. Parker's office, set a time for that afternoon and hung up.

"What is that little girl DOING to me?" He asked out loud, throwing his hands up in the air. He put the headphones on, threw a couple of pills down his throat and propped his feet on his desk. He turned on the t.v., put his head back, wondering what he had to do to be back to his 'old self.'

He's a grown man, flying above his old neighborhood, the one he grew up in. He feels light as a feather, and absolutely peaceful, no pain, no worries, carefree. He sees his old classmates playing baseball in the streets; girls are roller skating on the sidewalks; LizBeth is sitting on the front porch with her chin in her hands, watching everyone have a good time. He tries to swoosh down to say hello to her, but instead of swooshing down a current of wind brisks him up and away from the street…..

…He's still his current age, but he's swaying back and forth as a bird over an ocean, with echoes of seagulls gawking in his ears and the sound of the waves slightly cresting calms him even more…

…He's now college age, flying around his campus, very content, although he is slightly worried about LizBeth, who's still living at home. The more he flies above, the more dread he feels, and it builds and builds itself within him…

…He's flying above a cemetery, looking down at trees and benches as he tries to decide which to land on. He flies around for a second longer and comes across a white marble headstone the shape of an angel. He swoops down and lands right in front of it. 'Elizabeth Ann House' it reads. He sees a flash in the corner of his eye and looks up at the horizon, where the flash of whatever it was just diminishes.

He feels a sense of doom; that his life is at an end, but within seconds, not years. He desperately looks at the headstone waiting for the impending wave to overtake him and every muscle in his body becomes jello and he braces himself for the impact and he looks at the headstone saying over and over, 'LizBeth'. His body becomes completely numb and there's not one ounce of pain or worry or hatred or dread registering in his entire body...he spreads his arms out and waits…and waits… and waits….

Suddenly his right leg fell to the floor and woke him up from the dream, or nightmare he'd been having. He shook his head as he sat up rubbing his right leg. He remembered the dream and the feeling of no pain and complete bliss but jumped when the phone rang. He saw 'Dr. Parker' in the window on the phone and picked up it. He apologized, sincerely, told her he'd fallen asleep and said he'd be right in. He stretched, yawned and headed out the door to Dr. Parker's office.

Fifteen minutes into his counseling session, House still had only said a total of three words. Dr. Parker was becoming impatient and upset.

"Dr. House, I can't help you if you don't talk to me. And it looks like I'm going to say this again like I've said it before. If you choose not to, you are welcome to leave." She told him sternly. But this time House didn't move. He didn't know what he wanted to say but he didn't move or smart-talk back to her like he had before.

She started to play 20 Questions again to see if he would open up with her. "I heard about Melissa's death. How are you handling being home with just you and Charnie?" He stared at her a moment when she said, 'just you and Charnie,' like he couldn't do it on his own without someone else there.

"So far good. Actually, better than expected." He answered honestly. She looked him over as if she were waiting for the lie detectors to go off.

"I see here you just started back to work yesterday after a three week absence. How are you feeling physically since you've been sick?"

And in a split second where House allowed the door of trust to open between them, he told her he was still tired but that it wouldn't take long to get used to his new schedule; how he'd made significant adjustments at home for C.T.'s safety; how she makes him laugh and clothes shopping; he's satisfied with Sarah watching her; he's had a few bad days when he thinks of Melissa and Stacy but he does what he can; and laughed when he told her of the dream he'd just had.

"Dr. House, for some reason I believe you. Good. Okay, I remember you mentioned LizBeth and how you didn't want to disappoint her." After a moment of silence from him, she grinned because she knew the openness between them wouldn't last forever.

"Why are you afraid to let her down?" She asked as she leaned forward in her chair as if to reassure him it was okay to say whatever he had to say. "Were you afraid of letting Melissa down because you felt you'd let LizBeth down?"

His eyes flew open and she thought she saw a shimmer of tear, but it was just the reflection of the light next to him. "I never said I let LizBeth down."

"With LizBeth's suicide, did you feel as if you didn't protect her? Save her?" At that question she did see a shimmer of tear build up in his eyes and she knew she'd just hit a gold mine.

"So, Dr. House, you felt protective of Melissa because you couldn't abandon her as you feel you abandoned your sister. And by not being there for her you have kept away every person who can give you genuine love and affection you want…and need."

His eyes began to fill with more tears and they rolled down his cheeks. He had long since stopped looking at her because she had hit a nerve with him and he just couldn't look her in her eyes.

"You sit in the shadows, finding the cause of every ailment brought to you without forming some sort of bond between you and your patients. Dr. House, do you know what becomes of a person who doesn't love, or can't love, or can't feel love?" She hesitated a moment before she continued.

"You."

Dr. Parker waited and watched House as he composed himself after the cry he'd just had. He had walked to the window, just stared out not saying a word.

"Dr. House?" she said but he didn't respond. "I am truly sorry for Stacy's death, but having Charnie in your life now will mean

all the difference in the world to you. Meaning, when you don't want to wake up on a morning your leg hurts particularly badly or want to jump off the highest bridge or smash into a brick wall.

"You have a focus now, don't you see? Everything is no longer about you, or whether it's you that correctly diagnosis a patient or able to go off and leave all of your responsibilities behind. You have your little girl now. And she needs you to protect her, to take care of her, to LOVE her."

House turned around abruptly at her last few words and looked directly at Dr. Parker. "Can I leave now?" He asked as he wiped his cheeks.

"After you answer one thing." She replied. He rolled his eyes, grabbed his cane, walked to the door, reached for the doorknob then turned around and faced her again.

"What?"

"Am I right?"

The silence in the room could have cut through stone and House continued to keep eye contact without blinking. He turned the knob, nodded his head only enough to indicate 'yes' and walked out into the hallway.

Dr. House walked toward his office but decided to head up to the roof, even though he didn't have a jacket. He didn't care. The cold air hitting his face should refresh him a little bit.

As he stepped out onto the roof and the door closed behind him, he stopped and stared at the exact spot he and Stacy were standing when he confronted her. He heard himself say then: 'You can have a relationship with Mark, or you can have one with me. But you can't have us both.' He closed his eyes as he remembered the tear fall down her cheek, but not what she said after that. It was all a blur to him. He just remembered that everything went downhill from there.

He sighed, opened his eyes then sauntered to the edge. He peered down at the courtyard. 'Drat. Only one floor down, damnit. Not much damage there.' He thought to himself. He stood there a moment before he heard a quiet sniffle coming from behind him. At first he thought he was imagining it, that it was Stacy's voice he heard.

But when he turned around, there was a girl of about 16 sitting in the corner, grasping her knees to her chest and silently crying, but heavy tears pours down her cheeks landing on her arms. She was unaware she wasn't alone.

House rolled his eyes, as there was another patient in distress that he didn't want to help. He wanted to sneak by her and go downstairs and pretend he never saw her. But then he heard Dr. Parker's voice questioning him about 'rescuing' everyone but never allowing them to get any closer than at least 20 blocks. He looked up at the sky amazed at himself he was actually going to go talk to her. He reached inside his trousers, pulled out his bottle of Vicodon and popped two in his mouth.

He walked over to her and poked the top of her foot with his cane to get her attention. She didn't respond. He did it again only harder. She started to rock to and fro, the tears falling harder and her cries more pitiful.

He turned to walk away when he heard her say, "Aaaare you a doct…"

He twisted around and said, "It depends. You a patient?"

She peered up at him, saying as she sniffled, "Yeah, kinda." Her gaze went down to his leg but she didn't say anything.

"Then I think you missed your floor." He hesitated a moment. "I'll go get someone." He said before heading back to the door.

"No...pl…staaaa." She pleaded.

He finally turned back around and leaned against the wall. "You know, it's pretty cold out here. What'd ya say we go back inside and we can talk."

"Tiiii-erd of talkin'…hurrrts." She said, starting to cry again.

He had his pager in his trouser pocket. He blindly reached in, dialed Wilson's with a '911roof' and hit send. His expertise with doing that had come in handy on quite a few occasions.

"What hurts?" He asked, not that he cared. He was just killing time until Wilson made it up there.

"Alllll overrr…" She muttered then wiped her nose with the back of her hand. "Whuu happpen' yooore…leg?"

"I was walking my chicken across the street and…"

"Wha'? Whhyy?"

"Duh. To get to the other side. Hey, thought you didn't want to talk." He said.

"Dok Parrrrk…"

'Oh, great. Psycho.' He thought to himself.

"Don' look 't me like tha'. Payyyn manage…sucks." She said, and he thought she tried to stifle a smile.

"She's not bad. You just have to bring her chocolates." He lied, knowing full well he didn't see the doctor for pain management.

"Yo…you know herrr?"

"No, I just like sitting in her comfy chairs watching General Hospital." He answered sarcastically, and that time he thought he did see the beginning of a smile.

"Yooore leg botherrrs you, too?"

"No, I get tons 'a chicks walking with a limp and using the cane. Great ice breaker."

"Yooore funneeee…tol' ya Dr. Parrkerrr suckssss…" Then she grabbed her stomach tight and started to cry and moan.

Wilson still hadn't come up to the roof and he was beginning to get cold to the bone. "Make a deal with you. You come in with me and you can stay in my office until Dr. Parker leaves. Then you can go home." He said, feeling horrible he lied to her.

She looked up at him hopefully at the thought. Just then the door opened and Wilson rushed through. He stopped abruptly when he saw House and the girl sitting on the cold concrete roof.

"House! What's the problem?" Wilson said urgently.

"Nothing. She needs to be escorted to the third floor. Dr. Parker." He said as he tried to sneak off the roof.

"noo…nooo" She mumbled between sobs.

He looked at Wilson. "Fine, fine." He said regrettably. "My office. I'll be in the cafeteria. You own me lunch, bro."

Wilson gave him a dirty look as he turned to look at the girl but she just sat there as House walked through the door.

Almost 15 minutes later, House stood in the cafeteria check-out line, trying to kill time waiting for Wilson to come down to pay for his lunch. When he didn't, he irately paid the cashier and headed up to his office. He figured he could eat in the conference while avoiding the girl.

He walked past his office where he saw Wilson and the girl sitting on the couch. She had completely stopped crying and had relaxed quite a bit. He walked into the conference room pretending not to notice them but a second later Wilson came in to the room.

"House, I think you should see Alyssa." Wilson told him as he tried to grab a French fry.

House smacked his hand. "Who's Alyssa? She's not on my hooker list." He said as he pulled his food away from Wilson.

He tilted his head toward House's office to indicate the girl that was sitting on his couch. "She's been seeing Dr. Parker for two months for chronic severe pain because her doctors can't find what's wrong with her. She's on an anti-depressant."

"Do we have to talk about this now? I'm trying to eat and then General Hospital comes on in 20 minutes." House asked hopefully.

"Give me a French fry and I'll leave, but you have to take the case." Wilson replied.

"Half a fry." He said because he was just semi-interested in the case.

"No. Now it's two fries, and you'll still take the case."

"Since when do you bargain with me, Wilson?"

"Since we've been friends for so long that I've picked up that fantastic character trait of yours." He said defiantly, swiftly grabbing more than two fries, laughed wickedly and walked out.

All House could do was snicker, but inwardly he was impressed with Wilson. 'Well, he did learn from the best.' He thought to himself.

Dr. House stuffed the last bite of his roast beef sandwich (they'd run out of corned beef and he yelled for 5 minutes), put the trash in the bag, rumpled the bag then aimed for the trash can. He put his hands up in victory when he made the clean shot.

"Nice shot." He heard a voice coming from the door to his office. He turned around sheepishly and looked at Alyssa, blushing just a little.

"Dr. Parker gone yet?" She asked him.

"How do I know? Am I our shrink's keeper?" He joked as seriously as he could as he grabbed his bottle of Vicodin he'd set on the table.

"Well, GH is on in a sec. Mind if I watch it before I go back home?" She asked.

House looked at her wondering what a 16 year old was doing watching a soap. 'Aren't you supposed to be in school?' He asked himself but he was wasting time talking with her while his show came on.

"How's the pain?" He asked as he stood up and walked toward her as she backed up.

"Still the same, but at least I'm calm now." She said as she sat back down on the couch.

"Here." He said as he threw her a Vicodin.

"What is it?" She asked as she looked at it funny.

"Happy pill."

She brought the pill up to her mouth but stopped, looking at him for something to wash it down with. He handed her his can of SunKist and a paper cup for her to pour some into. But instead she drank directly from the can, draining it completely in one gulp.

"Uh, aren't you going to ask if I have cooties?" He asked perturbed as he flipped on the t.v. and sat in his chair, propping his feet up on the desk.

"If you had cooties, you wouldn't have offered me the drink, right?"

House gave her a childish, 'I know you are but what am I' look as they both settled in to watch 'their' show.

Halfway through the program, Alyssa started moaning and whining, but blatantly trying to keep as quiet as she could. House finally gave her a dirty look and saw she'd started to cry again.

"Hey, I know it's sad Linda Bindadino died, but she deserved it for sleeping with her best friend's Uncle's cousin's sister." He said but it was clear she was in great pain.

House picked up the phone, dialed for a wheelchair, and set back in his chair to watch the rest of the soap.

"IIIIm tired 'a hurtin'. I should 'a jumped when I had the chance."

At first he ignored what she'd said but when he thought more about it, wasn't that what he was thinking when he first got to the roof? Just then an attendant walked in pushing the wheelchair.

"Chase!" He bellowed and it made Alyssa jump. Chase walked through the door. "Take Clarissa and get a complete blood culture on her. We have to catch up on our soap tomorrow so she's staying here."

Later that afternoon, Cameron was on the phone with Dr. Lindarosa about Tyler Goodman's condition. Just as she hung up Chase walked back in the room from getting Alyssa's blood but wouldn't get the results until the following morning.

She told him, "They removed most of the neucrotic tissue but more than they thought they'd have to. They were just shy of reaching the nerve. He's going to be in the same situation as House."

Chase's head twisted around to face her with a shocked look on his face. "Oh, don't tell me you've now got a crush on Tyler." He said, trying to be as serious as he could because he was just playing with her.

"Don't be a twerp, Chase! I meant about being in pain for possibly the rest of his life. What's with the girl that was in House's office earlier?" She asked.

"Oh, don't tell me you're jealous of her?" Chase shot back, imitating Cameron as best as he could.

"Nah, I am not jealous." Cameron said seriously. "Besides, Tyler doesn't have as cute a tushie as you do." She said as she walked by him and patted him on the 'back side'. He laughed then reached out quickly for her and pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Robert, not in…" She started to say but he cut her off with a kiss, one that was soft and loving.

"Oh my god!" House said as he walked in. "I'm going to die! I've been infected with ChaCamKissItis! Help me! I'm blind!"

The two broke apart and Cameron whispered in his ear, "Save some of that for me later." He blushed as he grinned at her and sat down at the table.

Later that evening, after House picked up C.T. and finished making and eating their dinner, he put the tape of her taking her first steps at Wilson's that Sarah taped and set her on the couch. She scooted over and pressed herself against him, putting her little hand on his thigh and stuck her thumb in her mouth. Wayni was able to jump up on the sofa now, the leather sofa, in which House would always fuss at her. But with her little sad, puppy dog face, House would always allow her to. She jumped up next to C.T., did a few circles to get 'the right spot' and then plopped down, sighing.

On the tape, he watched as Sarah and Charlie sat on the floor calling for C.T. to come to them. She tried several times to stand up then would quickly fall on her butt, and every time she did she'd giggle. Sarah and Charlie would laugh along with her, until the moment she did take her first few steps.

"Look at THAT! You're a big girl now! YAH!" He'd tell C.T., who was fascinated at watching the t.v. "That's Aunt Sarah and Charlie! Do they look familiar?"

C.T. giggled beside him and he continued watching the tape. But there were a few times C.T.'s attention would be drawn to another part of the room, as if there were someone else there that was keeping her attention.

"Mommy! I's Aunt Stacy!" Charlie had hollered, pointing in the same direction that C.T. was looking.

"You know, I'm gonna have to reconsider you staying in that psycho ward." House said as he ran his fingers through her silky, baby-smelling hair. He noticed her neck felt a little 'crusty'.

"Come on, little one, let's get you a bath." He said as he stood up, picked her up and made his way to the bathroom. He set her down on the floor and was kept busy with Wayni as he filled the tub.

They played in the tub, and House couldn't help but recall the time when they and Melissa had taken a bath together. But this was different. It was just him and his daughter, and they had a great time. C.T. was between his legs, and for the first time noticed his right thigh. She looked at it, then look at him, then back down at his thigh. It was like she knew what it was, like she knew the pain he was in.

She put her hand on the scar but didn't seem afraid of it. She rubbed it a little, feeling the texture; she had just become fascinated with her book on feels-with the carpet and feathers and bubbles. She looked up at him, smiled, climbed up on him and kissed him on his chin. She rubbed her lips because it tickled her, and at the moment House knew.

House knew his little girl had won his heart.

The next morning, House entered PPTH in a happy mood and got onto the elevator. He Dr. Parker walk toward him and pressed the 'door close' button but she caught the doors just as they were about to close and she stepped in.

"Sorry. Thought I hit 'door open.'" He lied.

Dr. Parker gave him a 'Yeah, right' expression. "Dr. House, I really think it's time we get your parents here."

"Hey, we're not in your office. We're not supposed to talk outside your office. It's a rule." He said, staring at the door.

"Okay, how about a new class I'm starting, Pain Management, tomorrow night. I think you'll find it useful."

"Getting a hooker is useful. Talking is not." He said as the doors opened and he walked through. For the first time, when he joked about hookers, it didn't feel right. It was like it was the 'old' House. Like he was different somehow. Because of C.T.? He had no clue. All he knew was he was no longer in a happy mood.

He walked through the conference room, set his things on his desk and walked back in.

"House, how's your little girl?" Dr. Cameron asked, trying to get a feel for what kind of mood he was in.

'Great. How's your little boy?" He said sarcastically as he looked at Chase, who just rolled his eyes.

"House, Tyler Goodman is recuperating rather well." Rog told him. House turned around sharply.

"House? No Dr. House? When did I lose the Dr. part?"

"Since I'll be here full time, and I'm now official." Rog told him.

"Officially what? A certified clutz?" House replied.

"House, Alyssa had a rough night. She hardly slept and she has a mild fever." Foreman said, trying to abate the name calling. Her CBC showed Leukocytosis, Serum CK was normal but the MRI showed Hyperintense lesion on T2."

"Trichonosis?" Dr. Chase offered.

"No, there's no rash, no diarrhea. And it's definately not Actinomycosis." Foreman said.

"And she had no injury to any part of her body at some point?" House asked as he wrote the above symptoms on the white board.

"Are you thinking her overall general Myofasical pain is generated from a main area?" Rog asked.

"You're quick, Rog." House said and added 'active trigger point?' on the board.

"What about the tox screen?" Cameron asked.

"Clean." Chase answered.

"Test her for Fibromyalgia." House said just as Wilson stuck his head in the door and said sternly, "My office, now."

In Wilson's office: "Why do I have to come over there?" House whined.

"Because I said so." Wilson said and closed the door, heading to his own office.

House smiled and told the doctors, "He is so demanding. But I like that." He then headed for his own office and sat down behind the desk.

He pulled out his trusty Vicodin and popped a couple as he placed his feet up on his desk. And waited. One minute goes by. Two minutes go by.

Three minutes go by and Wilson opens House's office door. "Uh, I said my office."

"I know. I'm running a test. 'Let's see how long Wilson catches on that I get what I want' game. It's fun."

Wilson sighed and sat down across from House. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a bottle of pills and placed it on the desk.

"Oh, I have my own, thanks." House snickered.

"These aren't for you. They're Alyssa's. I found them in her bag." Wilson told him.

House reached for the bottle. "Steroids? What's she taking them for?"

"I don't know. You're her doctor. Did she say anything to you about them?" Wilson asked.

House shook his head then stood up and walked out, heading to Allysa's room.

House limped into her room and found Alyssa sleeping. He sat down in the chair by the window and started singing 'It's Not Unusual'.

After a few minutes Alyssa said quietly, "My aunt loved Tom Jones. She has a pair of his underwear, even."

House stood up and approached her bed, holding up the bottle of pills. "Mind explaining these to me and why you didn't tell me you were taking them and why are you talking them?"

Alyssa looked at him, surprised he found them.

"They fell out of your bag." House lied. "Start explaining."

She turned her head away from him. "I started taking them a year ago. I wanted to be in top shape for soccer. Then recently I started feeling like crap."

He nodded his head and tried to think of something else to ask her but he was too annoyed at her lying to him, especially after meeting on the roof top the night before. He simply walked out and headed back to the conference room.

"Rog, Chase, I want you two to do some snooping for me." House said as he poured his third cup of coffee for the day.

"Dr. House, I can't do that." Rog told him.

"Oh, Cuddy must have missed that on your job description. You will now." House told him.

"No, sir. I will not." Rog said.

House stared him down, not breaking eye contact for as long as he could, and Rog kept right up with him. The three muskateers sat back and watched; they were highly entertained.

House eventually sighed. "Fine. But you get three of my clinic hours."

"Sir, I told you, I don't do appointments."

"Then why are you here?" House asked him point blank.

"Uh, because Maw...Cuddy said working under you would be an excellent opportunity."

"She lied. Foreman, you have no problem with that, since, you know..." House said as Foreman shook his head. "And Dr. Cameron, why don't you play doctor with Rog and show him the ropes downstairs."

"Because I don't owe you any hours." She simply said.

"You all are getting way too spoiled." House hissed and headed for his office.

An hour later, Chase and Foreman walked up to the house listed on Alyssa's admit papers and not knocked first, just for their normal procedure. They were just about to check the door to see if it was locked when they were startled by it opening; they weren't expecting anyone to answer, especially at 11 am.

"Yes, may I help you?" A woman of about 50 stood at the door when three cats ran out of the house into the yard. From where the two were standing they could see two other cats sitting on the stairs, as if they were greeting the visitors as well.

"I'm Robert and this is Eric. Are you Alyssa's mother?" Chase asked.

She nodded her head then said, "What did that girl do now? And where did she get busted?"

Chase was taken aback by her comments and Foreman said, "No, no, we're doctors. Alyssa is at PPTH..."

"Oh, is that all?" She said flippantly. "What do you want me for, then?"

"Mrs. Adams, we're trying to help your daughter and were hoping we could maybe..." Chase started to say.

She opened the door and told them to come in, check out her bedroom if they wanted to and asked if they wanted anything to drink, which they declined.

As Chase and Foreman were climbing the stairs they heard glass breaking in the living room and Mrs. Adams cursed, fussing at the cats for spilling her whiskey. The two just looked at each other.

A short time later Chase and Foreman walked back into the conference room.

"Well, find anything?" House asked.

"Nothing." Chase said as he sat down. "But her mother is a trip."

"Found nothing in her room at all, just your normal 16 year old girlie stuff." Foreman said.

"I've been thinking." Rog said. "16 year old taking steroids, ok, that would explain some of the depression, but if there were an underlying cause...what other symptoms are there with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome?"

"No, no. The mixture of anti-depressants and the steroid would make her have the weakness." House corrected.

Cameron walked into the room looking disappointed. "Aw, why you wook so saad?" House teased as she sat down.

"Negative on the Fibromyalgia." She said. "But I did just spot a lesion with gadolinium on her back. Combine that with the steroid and hyperintense lesion on T2, and I'd guess an abscess in a muscle somewhere."

House looked up at Cameron like he'd just discovered the cure for the common cold. "That's it. Give her Avelox, 40 mg every three hours and Myaxilin 10 mg and see how she does."

Cameron and Chase stood up to go when House stopped them. "Cameron, take Rog." They turned around and stared at him, not knowing why he'd made that decision.

"Since you two are looking at me like that I'd say you want to know why. Because Rog is bored." He simply said and smiled wickedly.

Later that afternoon Tyler Goodman had been released, but Alyssa had digressed into critical condition. Her mild fever had subsided but she was complaining of a headache, dizziness and nausea, as well as having two seizures; the rash had spread, the numbness and tingling sensations she'd had had also gotten worse.

House sat in his office watching General Hospital, but his mind was on Alyssa until his attention went to a commercial for Purina Kitten Chow. He looked into the conference room and saw Chase and Foreman doing their normal afternoon duties, reading and crosswords. There had to be something abnormal, something in the house, maybe?

He grabbed his cane and limped into the room. "Chase, Foreman, did you notice anything unusual at Alyssa's house?"

"No, we told you." Chase snapped.

"I think you need some more coffee. What about family pets?" House asked.

Chase and Foreman looked at one another then Foreman's face lit up. "Yeah, they must have had five or six cats."

"Were they wearing collars? Flea collars?" House asked.

Foreman said he was pretty sure they did. "Pestiside poisoning?"

Rog threw in, "Are you thinking cyano-pyrethroids toxicity?"

"No, that only affects cats." Chase added.

"Right, but there have been some cases reported where adverse reactions affected humans. Get some more blood and check the triameniames level." House said.

A few weeks later, on his way home in the middle of March he walked up to Wilson and Sarah's house to pick up C.T. He knocked a few times but there was no answer, nor could he hear Charlie's feet scurrying to the door or C.T. making any noise whatsoever. He stood there becoming increasingly put out then tried to open the door but it was locked.

He thought to take a peak in the living room window, and when he stepped between the two shrubs and looked in, his mouth dropped and he immediately felt sick to his stomach. There, in the middle of the living room rug was Sarah, passed out on her stomach with Charlie and C.T. sitting next to her. House banged on the glass and Charlie looked up at him and could tell he'd been crying, while C.T. was rather calm. House pointed to the front door and Charlie went running to unlock it for him.

"Uncle Gweg!" He screamed. "She jus' fell.." Charlie said as House rushed to Sarah's side.

When C.T. saw her dad she smiled and giggled. "Hi, little girl. What do we have here?" He said trying to sound calm so not to upset her. After he knelt down beside Sarah he looked at the side of her face, which was very pale. He checked her eyes, which were dilated and felt her pulse, which was a little too fast. He reached into his pocket to pull out his cell phone, calling 911.

When he hung up he asked Charlie, "Do you know when she fell?"

"Righ' aftah she got C.T. up from nap."

"No, do you know what time it was?" He corrected.

Charlie looked up at him and with is best 'adult' voice said, "Quawta past 3...Daddy tawt me to tell time." He said proudly.

"Ok. Good job, buddy." House told him, and dialed Wilson's number at work.

"Wilson, Sarah's coming in...I've got the..."

"What happened?" Wilson asked, sounding alarmed.

"Don't know yet. Charlie said she passed out at 3:15, it's 4:45 now..."

"No, Uncle Gweg! It was 3:25! I said it was quarter pas' three!" Charlie corrected. House looked at him dumfounded then realized he was associating the quarter past three as 25 cents and couldn't help but smile at Charlie.

"Where's Sarah's mom's number?" House asked.

"You can't watch the kids while they bring..." Wilson started to say.

"Oh for pete's sake, Jim! I'm a doctor, not a babysitter." House said in his best Star Trek Dr. McCoy voice but Wilson didn't laugh.

"Fine, fine, I'll call Laura. You're a big help." Wilson said and slammed down the phone.

He looked at Charlie who looked scared but pretended not to act scared "She'll be fine..." He said to reassure him.

Sarah's eyes fluttered and finally opened. "Don't move, Sarah. Ambulance is on its way." House told her. "The kids are fine."

"Wha..." She groaned, closed her eyes and passed out again.

He thought of Cameron, who might be able to come over and watch Charlie and dialed her cell phone.

"Hey, wanna date?" He asked when she picked up her phone.

"House? I think Chase'll be a little jealous."

"I was joking. But what are you doing tonight?" He asked her.

"But if you were joking what are you asking me out..."

"Cameron, I need someone to watch Charlie."

She answered, "Darnit! I owe Wilson $5." House frowned and asked her why. "Because Wilson said you would call me to babysit and I told him you wouldn't." She said then hung up the phone. He pulled the phone away from his ear and gave it a dirty look, as if it were Cameron standing right in front of him.

"Mommy gonna be okay?" Charlie asked as C.T. started to lightly punch him in the leg to get his attention because she wanted to play. House grabbed C.T. away from him and held her in his lap. He figured he was parked on the floor beside Sarah until the paramedics came.

When they did arrive, House took C.T. and Charlie into the kitchen while the paramedics checked her out. One of them came in and told him they were ready to take her to Princeton General but he told him he wanted her to go to PPTH.

"But that's 30 minutes farther." He objected.

"Is she in cardiac arrest?" House asked snottily.

"No, but..."

"Then take her to PPTH." He said just as his cell phone rang.

"I forgot Laura, Sarah's mom, is out of town for a week. Looks like you're on your own for the night. You owe me one, remember?" Wilson said.

House scrunched his face in protest. "Uh, no, not really. What am I supposed to do?"

"Have Charlie pick out some pj's, make sure he brings his fave pillow and GI Joe and take him to your place."

House inhaled deeply and let out a long, deep sigh. "Fine. But I'm not gonna like it."

"No, maybe not, but you'll have to get used to it." Wilson said curtly. "Thanks." Wilson hung up.

An hour later, House let Charlie and C.T. in the front door of 221B Somerset Street and closed it behind him. He could hear Wayni scratching at the bathroom door, as she always did whenever her 'daddy' came home.

"Can I see Wayni, please?" Charlie asked excitedly as House placed C.T. in her playpen in the living room.

"Sure, hold on. She'll need her walk." House said irritably.

During that the same time, Wilson had been in the emergency room working on Sarah with Dr. Slater, the same doctor that treated him the year before when he got in the car accident. Her stats were stable, but the blood work had come back indicating her cervical cancer had come back.

"Damnit." Wilson cursed, staring down at Sarah, who still hadn't regained consciousness. Shortly thereafter Sarah was admitted into the hospital and in a room. Wilson sat by her bed watching her sleep and called House at his home number, not his cell.

"Hewo, Daddy!" Charlie answered excitedly because House recognized the number as Wilson's and let Charlie answer the phone. Not to be nice, but rather so he could clean up the little present Wayni left in the bathroom.

"Has Uncle Greg been behaving himself?" Wilson asked teasingly because it was the first time House had both Charlie and C.T.

"Yeah! We took Wayni for her walk and just got back. We're gonna have macawoni and these!"

"Good. You like that. Can I talk to How...Uncle Greg?"

"UNCLE GWEG!"

House got the phone from Charlie, who ran to C.T. and said, "When are ya' pick up your kid?"

"I was thinking next week, when Laura gets back." House remained silent. "They're doing a colyposcopy in the morning...oh, her cervical cancer is back. I can run home to shower but then...I really need you to watch him for me tomorrow. Can you do that for me?" Wilson asked hopefully.

"I owe Cuddy six hours of clinic duty tomorrow and..." House started to say.

"Liar. Cuddy said you can take off tomorrow."

As quick as House could think he said, "I'll talk to Cuddy."

"Do that. But I still need you to watch him."

House looked up at the ceiling and said, "Fine. But you owe me big time."

"Oh, I thought our friendship didn't consist of favor returns...hey, I gotta go. Sarah is coming around. Thanks." Wilson said then hung up.

After House hung up with Wilson he looked at C.T. and Charlie, who were sitting on the floor playing with Wayni. For a split second he felt a 'pang' in his stomach, but a good 'pang.' It was as if he was in someone else's life, not his carefree, bachelor's life he'd led the past 25-some years. That was the first time it dawned on him that indeed his life had changed. But he was okay with that.

"Okay, you guys ready for dinner?" House asked after he looked at his clock and was surprised it was almost 7:30. "You three be good and I'll let you know when dinner is ready."

"Okay, Uncle Gweg. Tell me if I can help." Charlie said hopefully.

At first he was hesitant to leave the kids in the living room by themselves but realized as soon as he walked into the kitchen that he did have a clear view of the kids. But, of course, he popped a couple of his Vicodin because with cooking for C.T. he was on his feet more than normal and discovered he needed the 'help.'

After the three had eaten, he cleaned C.T. of the cheese she'd succeeded in splattering all over her face and fingers and elbows and toes. When House set her down Charlie held her up by her arms and walked her into the living room. House couldn't help but smile at the two.

'This isn't as bad as I thought it would be.' He thought to himself. He put in the DVD of El Dorado, which was the latest movie Charlie was addicted to, and turned it on. Charlie jumped up on the couch and after House sat down C.T. crawled up his good leg and sat in his lap.

'Hmm, it's quiet; the kids have eaten and have been really good. I wonder if I can get used to this.' He thought to himself but instantly berated himself because he knew every time he thought that something bad always happened.

'Cuddy will probably give me the hemorrhoid patient and an elderly lady with an STD…oh, wait. Been there, done that, gave them to Cuddy.' House laughed to himself.

Before he knew it the movie was over and Charlie was asleep on the couch, still in his day clothes and C.T. asleep next to House with Wayni curled up at his feet. He took a deep breath, prepared himself for getting up without waking C.T. and slowly stood up. He was proud of himself that he hadn't woken her, even though he almost stumbled when he first took a step.

After he placed C.T. in her crib he walked back into the living room with a blanket to cover Charlie up, which he did. He sat in the recliner next to the sofa, and spent the next hour going over a lot of things in his head. The outcome of the hour's thinking didn't get him anywhere, though.

He'd think of his parents then Sarah then his father then Melissa then counseling with his parents then LizBeth. It was one vicious cycle he had his brain cells busy with stuff he couldn't change which made him feel sorry for himself. That was a skill he had come to cherish: feeling sorry for himself.

'Maybe I will see Dr. Parker, not that I want to. She never lets me get away with anything.' Was the last thought that crossed his mind before he fell into a peaceful sleep.

The next thing House knew was feeling several light tugs on his left leg pant, with each tug came a giggle and a few whispered 'Uncle Gwegs'. He pretended to be asleep just to see how far he could get away with it. After the 13th 'Uncle Gweg', with his eyelids still closed he rolled his eyes just right so he could slowly open them until he saw Charlie's face.

He fought to keep from smiling and said in a voice as gravely as he could, "Who's that knocking on my front door?" There was silence so he opened his other eye slowly.

"Dare's no one at da door. Isss me." Charlie said. House could no longer control his laughter and sat up, rubbed his eyes and looked around the room.

"Where's C.T.?" House asked playfully, knowing full well where she was.

"She nawt in her bed." Charlie answered confused.

House became instantly awake, grabbed his cane and rushed to her room, looking in the crib.

Charlie was right. C.T. was not in her bed where he left her last night. He checked the closet, the hamper, anything small enough a 10 month old could hide in. He ran back into the living room, checked the other bedroom and bathroom. He was in such a desperate panic he even checked the front door, which was still locked.

"Okay, Charlie, this isn't funny. Where is C.T.?" House demanded, scaring Charlie a little and he was afraid to answer. He leaned against the door and banged the back of his head against it, like it would jar the location of C.T.

House calmly walked back into the living room, patting Charlie on the top of his head, telling him they'd find her. He sat down heavily on the couch and reached for the phone, dialing 911.

'Twice in one day. I've called 911 twice in less than 12 hours.' He thought to himself, the nausea he felt when Charlie first told him got worse. He used all his strength not to throw up. He looked at his watch. It read 7:45am. He looked at Charlie, then at C.T.'s bedroom door and felt it come up. He ran to the bathroom and just made the toilet. He heaved a few times, and as he flushed the toilet Charlie handed him a hand towel.

"Thanks, buddy." He said and wiped his mouth.

House put his hand on Charlie's back and led him back to the living room, and the two waited for the cops to come find his daughter.