AN: It was asked in a review who "all the people" were: In short, they were the friends from Blythe House, who had been at the funeral earlier.
Where I am from it is tradition that the guests gather after the funeral, either in a restaurant or directly in the deceased's house, and a meal, usually cake or sandwiches and coffee is offered. People talk about their remembrance of events with the person who passed away, and it is a time for all to slowly let go of the grief of the graveyard and start to smile about good and funny memories. While I am well aware that it is not the end of the mourning process, I always found it impressive, how the mood can slowly change from very subdued at the beginning of these gatherings to "normal" after one or two hours.
So, back to the story...
Well aware that neither of his passengers was good at tolerating long car trips and since he was quite hungry, Chase asked after only half an hour on the Interstate whether anybody else needed something to eat. They did not pack a lot of food, but Chase always kept some crackers and bananas in the car on known trips with House, since they often did not go exactly as planned.
All were quite surprised by Cathy's definite yes until they realized she had neither eaten nor drunk anything while they had been present. Shocked that they had neglected to notice that earlier and astonished that the little girl had not complained before, Chase chose the next resting area and let Foreman know where they could be found. Foreman had promised to get some more food for them as well before picking up Cameron so they would be able to eat something decent and without the stress of critical watchers as soon as he arrived.
They stopped in the handicapped parking stop right next to a picnic table and Chase put the bananas and the crackers on the table. Looking through the bags, that Foreman had put in his car earlier with the comment that it was stuff Cathy might need on the trip, he was confused to find several baby bottles and some formula. Carefully they asked Cathy what she usually ate and were all quite astonished when she pointed to the bottles and reported that usually she got three of them during a day.
House quickly thought back over the medical reports he had studied over and over again and could not find any reason for that strange treatment other than that her fine coordination was not the best and she might have a hard time learning how to use cutlery. He had never seen her eat anything on his visits, he realized, usually his mother had told him, that she had just eaten something. But there were no allergies noted and either way it was simply not healthy for any child of seven years to live only from baby formula. So House offered: "Would you prefer to try banana and some crackers instead?" Curiously she nodded.
While he mashed the banana and mixed some of the crackers with a bit of water to get a fine pulp – chewing was something she could learn on another day – he wondered how they should be giving that to her. Cathy was not supposed to sit upright too much to relieve the pressure on her spine and it cost her too much energy anyway. Especially sitting on a picnic bench without a backrest through the whole meal would be no fun for her at all. If she still got the bottle, she was probably used to eating in a half-reclined or lying position. She would definitely not know how to handle any cutlery, so they would need to find a position that allowed feeding her as well. In the end they decided to hold her exactly like they would a small child, that was still getting the bottle: She sat sideways between House's legs, leaning against his left arm, with her legs bent above his right leg without touching it. This left his right arm free to feed her both things alternately.
Chase helped a bit by holding onto the bowl and the plate and cleaning Cathy's face from time to time, but mainly he was grateful to be able to eat his own banana and some crackers. Realizing that Cathy had never drunk from a sippy cup, nevertheless a real cup or a water bottle, they filled some water in one of her baby bottles for now. Obviously the new food surpassed her expectations, she was delighted!
Afterwards Chase wanted to clean his fingers and assuming he would not be the only one needing to do that he offered: "I am going to the restroom, anybody else needs a bathroom as well?"
House wanted to go for sure, but first he watched very closely whether Cathy would answer. He knew that she still wore diapers and was not really sure why, medically he had never found a reason, but his mother had not been willing to discuss that topic at all. While his parents had reluctantly agreed, that he could get copies of her medical files, and sometimes recommend a specialist or treatment option, they had otherwise clearly discouraged his input or help. Not wanting to make the life for the little girl more stressful than it already was, he had mostly respected their wishes.
They had reluctantly accepted the presents he had given her every now and then, but had it made very clear that he had no rights regarding Cathy. They had even insisted from the beginning that she had to call him uncle, arguing that he was too old to be seen as her brother, and it would not be appropriate for her to call him by his first name only. Somehow he had ended up being Uncle House instead of Uncle Gregory or Uncle Greg as planned by his mother to his great amusement and their annoyance. He had seen her a few times over the years but not nearly often or long enough to notice any reasons for his parents' sometimes strange behavior. In his presence she seemed to be a happy little girl, thankful for any affection he offered and enjoying their time together.
When Cathy shyly affirmed that she wanted to visit the restroom as well, House was glad. At least she showed some initiative, maybe she just needed to learn how to use a toilet? Quickly he told Chase to fetch the diaper bag from the trunk, and even though Chase looked surprised, he acquiesced without further delay. If House had watched Cathy instead, he would surely have wondered about her astonished look on that order, though.
Neither House nor Chase were sure whether Cathy would allow Chase to change her diaper. Both were pretty confident, though, that she would not manage to walk the whole way to the bathroom on her own and House was definitely not able to carry her. As stiff from the care ride and tired out by the day's emotional roller coaster as he was, he would have a hard enough time getting there on his own. So they decided, changing the diaper would be a two-man job today.
Cathy insisted on walking by herself and since she had not strained herself in the last few hours, they gladly allowed her to try. Without hesitation House hold his left hand for her to grab onto and Chase offered his right one. Chase was not really happy since she could easily impede House's balance this way, but it seemed to be a well-practiced action, so he would not say anything for now. And correct, after about half the way, when Cathy got tired, she did not try to go on any longer, but simply let go of House, lifted her arm in Chase's direction and requested once more: "Up!"
Chase kept the diaper bag and Cathy on his left side to be able to lent a quick hand to House whenever necessary, but since he had used the handicapped parking spot they reached the toilet quickly and without any obstacles.
Taking off the old diaper they got their next shock, though: Obviously it had not been changed in quite some time, and without her dress and the diaper it was clearly visible that the kid was underweight. Quickly realizing that the diaper bag was not equipped to handle the amount of dirt and wounds that needed to be dealt with, Chase went back to the car, fetching their medical bag as well as some wash cloth and towels he always kept in their overnight bags that were stashed in the car as usual. It took them quite some time to clean up the girl who was whimpering silently whenever House hit an especially sore spot. Chase was busy running from the changing table over to the sink to clean out the wash cloths over and over again, until finally House declared that he was done.
Asked whether she wanted to try and use the toilet, she agreed willingly to their astonishment. Chase carried her there and helped holding her. Even though it was only a minimal amount, Chase praised her clearly for using the big toilet before he took her back to the changing table to clean her up once more and then they put some cream on the wounds. Deciding it would be best to allow the cream to be absorbed completely first before putting on the new diaper, they decided to let her go bare-bottom beneath her dress at least until they reached the car.
After they had used the facilities as well, Chase offered: "Do you want to try how walking without a diaper feels?" and Cathy readily agreed. Again she managed only part of the way, even though it was not a long distance, but walking with the sore spots on her bottom and between her legs definitely had to hurt - and she had already been walking a good distance today.
