Another Incident

"Where in the hell is that blood work I asked for?" House barked at his new immunologist.

"Sorry, Doctor House." he replied quivering under his stare. "The centrifuges were out."

"Oh, well I suppose that's ok then." House said calmly before leaning forward and screamed in the young man's ear, "It's not like the patient only has 24 hours to live. What's an hour to recalibrate the centrifuges? In all the years I've ran this department I've never had such an incompetent..."

Beep! Beep!

His pager insisted, interrupting his rant.

He glared furiously at the scared looking fresh from internship mass that threatened for fall from the tall stool.

Taking the pager from his waistband he read the message. He grunted and thudded his cane against the floor in frustration.

"I want those results from the blood work and the LP and an MRI in the conference room in an hour. And make sure the others are there too." House said walking from the lab, the slightest smirk on his face.

Step-thud. Step-thud. Step-thud.

Until he came upon a familiar face with a familiar look of worry gracing their features.

He wrapped his left arm around her and kissed her forehead, "Don't worry, I'm sure it's not that bad," he murmured against her skin as her arms wrapped around him.

"This is the second time we've been called this month," she said into his chest before lifting her chin, "He's a good kid and he gets great grades..."

"You expected anything less?"

"I don't know what the hell I was thinking having your child." she said with a fond smile.

"He's half yours too, you know," then with a smirk he added, "And you weren't exactly complaining when it came to making him."

"Well..." she said replying with a devilish grin of her own. "Come on." she said taking his hand and pulling him towards the car.

"I am not having sex in a car." he said indignantly.

For this he received a glare only mothers can achieve.

"Oh right I thought you wanted to get started on another." he said chuckling, "But you're right let's go save a school from the spawn of Satan."

"You have an awful high opinion of yourself don't you?"

"And you're just realising this?" he said following her to the car with a huge grin, "I don't know why I married you."

"Jacob Benjamin House!" Allison said striding with purpose down the school hallway toward the Principal's office and the young boy swinging his legs on the chair outside it.

"Mom!" the boy said jumping from his seat, fear in his normally warm and mischievous blue eyes, "I swear I..."

She sighed and drew him into a hug which he eagerly returned.

"What happened?" she asked softly her arms still around him as a hand smoothed his hair.

"I was trying to bring the class hamster home." he said pulling back from the embrace slightly, his mothers hand resting on his shoulder.

Allison rolled her eyes at his words, and smiled softly feeling a familiar warmth at the small of her back.

"Why? You know he'd only end up in a fight with Steve." said Greg, a finger and thumb holding his cane as the others moved over the boy's hair affectionately.

"But Dad!" he said defiantly and continuing with his tale, "I wasn't trying to steal him and I wasn't going to put him in Steve's cage. Honest! He's sick and I thought you could help him."

"Did you tell you teacher that?" asked Allison.

"I didn't get the chance." he said softly glancing down.

"What else happened?" Greg asked; his blue eye's narrowing slightly at the sight of his guilty looking son.

"Um... well..."

"Jake." Allison said a tone of warning in her voice.

"Well, I was at the back of the class during maths trying to put Chester, a lame name I know I wanted to call it Baba O'Riley, into a box when he got away from me and hid under a desk. I tried to move it but it toppled over and all the art stuff went all over the place. Everyone looked round and laughed at me and Mrs Richards asked what I was doing. But before I could say anything Hope started screaming..."

"Isn't that the girl you have a crush on?"

"Dad! Anyway she screamed and her desk tipped until half the class was standing on their chairs screaming "There's a rat on the floor!". I found Chester under Mrs Richards's desk. He was really scared and covered in the dust of the Charcoal we used in art the other day and shaking from all the noise."

Both Allison and Greg looked down at the boy's hands to see they were covered in black soot.

"Mrs Richards saw me put Chester in the box and then in my bag and she knew what had happened, and then she sent me here. I've got my bag with me if..."

"We'll see Chester later right now I just want to make sure you don't get kicked out of school!" Allison said with kindness and a soft smile.

"Yeah, they're going to kick out the smartest kid in the school let alone his class." Greg said a strange mix of sarcasm and pride in his voice.

Allison shook her head slightly at the most important men in her life. "I think you were trying to destroy this school one room at a time. Anyone would think that you don't actually like school."

"No! I like this one!" he replied, "Mrs Richards is pretty cool and she doesn't get anything wrong, at least not that often. And Mr Anderson is..."

"Far too cool to be running a school," said the Principal stepping out into the hall with a smile on his face. "Greg, Allison, Jake; come on in."

House liked this guy, and he could tell his son felt the same. He wasn't like the stuffy principals of Jake's last schools nor did he wear jeans and a T-shirt and a bandana and encourage the kids to sit around in a circle and song kum-ba-ya, they visited a 'school' like that once and had the pictures on their cells to prove it. Mr Anderson was in his late thirties, he was medium height (just a little shorter than Greg even when he stooped) and always had a warm smile on his face. He always wore expensive looking suits, crisp shirts and no tie, and carried it well on broad square shoulders.

His office was familiar to all three of the House's; a few trophies and certificates adorned the walls and shelves, a large book case behind his desk was filled with leather bound books, a plush maroon carpet underfoot and large oak and leather furniture filled the large room. The large desk chair groaned under Mr Anderson's weight as he sat.

"Well, Jake. What happened?" he said slightly forlornly.

Jake sat sullenly between his parents in front of the Principals large oak desk and spun his daring tale once again.

Mr Anderson nodded in places, sighed in others and all the while kept his attention fixed on Jake throughout the entire re-telling of the story.

Once Jake was finished, three pairs of blue eyes watched Mr Anderson take out a familiar thick file marked House J.B. They continued to watch as he glanced over the pages before taking a pen a scribbling a few notes in his careful script.

"Ok Jake. You'll be the class hero tomorrow, as you got everyone out of this afternoon's lessons."

Jake grinned. Hopefully this would get the class talking to him after last weeks incident.

"As I understand it, Mrs Richards is setting up a movie in the auditorium." Then closing the folder, he looked sternly and slightly disappointed at Jake. "You do know you could have just asked Mrs Richards or myself if it would be okay take Chester."

Jake nodded mutely looking at his favourite place at the front of Mr Anderson's desk; a scuff from his fathers old cane as Uncle Jimmy's suggested "saw through half his cane prank" caught up with him at the meeting after he accidentally started a food fight in the cafeteria. Instead of getting his usual disappointed looks from his mother and father after "an incident", his father grinned proudly at him and his mother smiled warmly with her arms around dad to hold him up, his father's other hand resting heavily though gently on his head for balance and punishment. It made him feel safe to know no matter what they'd still be proud of him. That's what that mark meant, that's what his mother's hug and his father's fingers through his hair meant.

"Ok." Mr Anderson's voice sounded with a tone of finality in his voice, then muttering to himself, "Chester? Who would call a hamster Chester?"

At this Jake grinned.

"I wanted to call him Baba O'Riley." he said proudly making both his parents smile.

"Now that is a name!" Mr Anderson said with his own smile, "Jake could you wait outside while I talk to your parents?"

Jake looked slightly apprehensive but knowing he'd be told anything important he left without question, intent of checking on the sick hamster in his bag.

"What's wrong?" Allison asked concerned as soon as the door closed.

"Oh, nothing's wrong Mrs House let me assure you." he said with kindness and understanding, "I know that other schools have not been so understanding under similar circumstances but I am quite confident in saying that I believe Jake is happy here and I hope you agree with me."

"Yes, he has been happier during the six months since he started here than at any other school." Allison said, nodding slightly.

"He thinks you're cool." Greg said quietly.

"I like to think that myself." he said, smiling warmly. "He is extremely smart, he picks up everything very fast which tends to lead to him feeling a little left out and bored when it Mrs Richards has to go through the topics again from the rest of the class to catch up, which is where he turns his intelligence to other matters." A knowing smile was shared between the three adults, "Mrs Richards and I have spoken with each other and we'd like to propose a possible solution. With your permission would like to introduce him to some of next years work to see how Jake copes, depending on that and whatever you and he decide there is a distinct possibility he could be moved up a class."

Allison looked shocked. Greg looked smug.

"That sounds great." Greg said for both of them.

"Good." Mr Anderson, "I find it quite hard to believe that his previous schools have not been able to see his obvious potential."

"That's other schools for you." Greg said a bitter tang in his voice.

"Well, I'm glad you approve." Mr Anderson said standing and moving towards the office door. Allison and Greg followed with varying degrees of success hampered by shock and cane.

"Jake and Chester can go with you just now, if you want." Mr Anderson said softly, his hand resting on the door handle.

"Yeah that would be great actually, he seems a bit shaken," Allison said in a concerned motherly tone.

"Right then." Mr Anderson said opening the door. "Jake, we'll see you back here tomorrow."

"I'm not expelled?" Jake said jumping up from his seat.

"No chance." Greg said ruffling the boy's hair, before his hand came to rest on the small of his wife's back, "Now get your bag, we've got a hamster to save."