"To Have and Have Not"
Chapter Nine – "Time to Have a Talk"
By: purpleu
(Author's note: I apologize for the long delay between chapters. As I may have said in the past, I have so many medical issues myself, that I could really use House. The most recent problems include having a badly diseased gall bladder removed, being diagnosed with stage 3 kidney failure, and chronic severe anemia. Added to my type 1 diabetes, heart disease, and Rheumatoid Arthritis, my poor doctors often scratch their heads trying to figure out how to treat me. The worst part is the severe fatigue which often robs me of the desire or ability to concentrate on my writing. I'm hoping I've entered a phase where that won't be an issue anymore.
So, here's a brief recap of what has happened in the story so far… thought it might be needed since it's been so long.
After Thomas has spent a few days in the hospital after being given the wrong medication by his doctor, he, House, Lydia, the kids, Wilson and Annie are on their way out to dinner to celebrate the news that Lydia is pregnant. Sadly, Lydia is hit by a car that runs a red light when she pushes House and the children out of the path of the oncoming car. House and kids are unhurt, but Lydia has a broken pelvis, a head wound and is in danger of losing the baby. After operating and stabling her, Lydia is placed in a medical coma. House and the kids stay with her, while their friends gather in the family lounge next to her room in ICU. House comes into to talk to them, and reveals that he believes that while Lydia will be OK, he doesn't think the baby will make it.
Here … finally… is chapter 9 which begins the morning after the accident. I hope you enjoy!)
"Here you go, Dr. House… a good cup of coffee from the nurses' secret pantry," said Julie, the nurse who was taking care of Lydia this morning. "No cafeteria sludge for you."
"I'm desperate enough, I'd even take that right now," House replied. "But thanks for sharing your stash."
"No problem." Julie looked over at Ben and Elise who were just beginning to stir. "I don't think breakfast trays were ordered for them, or for you; let me see what I can find here on the floor. If we have to go through dietary, we'll wait forever."
"Just some cereal and juice would be fine. There are some Munchkins left from the visitors who were keeping watch over the flock last night. That'll be enough until their aunt picks them up. And I'll find something after they're off and going."
"OK, let me see what I can do." Julie left and House inhaled the scent of the coffee he held in his hands; it was definitely not from the cafeteria. Keeping an eye on the children as he took a few sips, he also reached into the box of donuts holes and popped one in his mouth. A few of them would hold him until Annie relieved him of the kids. He enjoyed their taste as he leaned his head back against the chair and closed his eyes.
"Hey, are you stealing our Munchkins?" Elise asked, rubbing her eyes as she sat up. "You said we were going to eat them for breakfast." Ben sat up just in time to see House pop another treat into his mouth.
"No, what I said was you could have some with your breakfast. If I let you eat only doughnuts, your mother would punish me." The kids gave him a look. "I'd explain that statement further, but I have enough people questioning my moral judgment."
"We wouldn't tell," Ben said putting down the footrest on the chair and standing up. House could see he was in pain as moved.
"Nice try, Doogie. The nurse is rounding up some juice and cereal for you two. That plus a few of these should keep you from keeling over until your next scheduled feeding. Of course, I wouldn't be surprised if your aunt cooks for you two."
"I betcha it'll be chocolate chip pancakes," Elise said. "Hers taste just like Mom's."
"Duh! They use the same recipe," House noted. Looking to his left, he saw that Ben was approaching the bed tray table that the box of doughnut holes were resting on. House quickly reached out and snatched the box away.
"None of these until you eat some healthy food; it's the only way I'll keep a clear conscience," he said, clutching the box to his chest. "Not that I have a clue what that feels like."
"Dad, Mom lets us have them all the time, and you know it. Besides, I was just coming over to say good morning." Being called Dad by Ben startled House more than just a little. Although he had told the kids it was OK to call him that, they each had used it only once or twice in the ensuing days; House had to admit, it had an interesting ring to it.
"Morning. How are you feeling?" House asked, still clutching the Munchkins.
"With my hands," was the boy's glib reply. Elise began to giggle at her brother's comment.
"Now neither one of you are getting even one of these," House said sounding annoyed. He turned to Ben. "Go on, beat it."
"I have to pee," the boy said, and headed to the bathroom door.
"Nope… down the hall and to your left," House said. Ben was puzzled.
"But Elise used this bathroom when we got up in the middle of the night," he said.
"Right, it's the girls' bathroom; boys go down the hall." The child gave him a disbelieving look.
"No they don't," he responded.
"Fine, don't believe me; but if you open the door and check, there's no urinal in there." Ben quickly opened the door and saw that House was right. The boy shook his head.
"I don't care; I gotta go," he said disappearing into the bathroom and closing the door. House was about to call another comment into him, when he saw Elise stand up, wince in pain, and fall back into the Geri-chair.
"Curly Top overboard," he called out as he put the box of treats down, forced himself up, and made his way over to her, clanging the walker loudly all the way.
"My ankle and leg hurt… a lot." She wasn't bawling, but she did have a tear or two trickle down her cheeks.
"I'm going to help you sit all the way back in the chair so I can get a better look at it." House hooked his hands under her arms, and lifted her into the chair. He reached for the lever to put her feet up, then gently removed the hospital's slipper sock that covered her foot. Ben had come out of the bathroom, and stood by protectively, watching House's actions. Elise whimpered as House probed her foot and ankle; both were swollen and developing a nasty bruise.
"What part of your leg hurts?" House asked.
"Here, on the outside," the little girl said pointing to the side of her calf. "And it stops hurting here." She indicated about half way up the lower part of her leg.
"A ligament or tendon?" Ben ventured. House smiled; he enjoyed it when Ben took a shot at a diagnosis.
"How would you confirm your guess?" The boy thought for a moment.
"An MRI," he said. Seeing House was looking for more of an answer, he continued. "Because it can see bones and soft tissue. And with a CAT scan, you have to worry about radiation."
"Do me a favor," House said. "Call me when you do it so I can watch the metal screws pop and fly all over the place." Ben looked puzzled.
"Elise doesn't have any screws in her body… or any kind of metal," he protested.
"And the only reason you know that is because…." The boy grimaced.
"I'm her brother… if she was a patient, I should ask her about metal in her body. And if she has any, then we'd have to do the CAT scan." House smiled at the boy's answer.
"And in this case, we have to do neither at the moment… it doesn't look that bad, despite Curly Top's protests."
"My goodness… it would seem being around Dr. House has really rubbed off on you!" Julie said as she approached the group with the children's breakfast.
"He knew plenty before I became his Obi-Wan," House noted. "He's got a collection of medical books a few doctors I know should read."
"Wow… I guess I know what you want to be when you grow up," laughed Julie.
"A librarian?" ventured House..
"Yeah, I want to be a doctor… and my dad really has taught me a lot."
"I'll bet he has," the nurse said, looking back and forth between House and the boy with great curiosity. She said nothing, but instead announced what was for breakfast. "I found two containers of apple juice and two servings of Cheerios. I hope that's OK."
"That sounds great," Ben said eagerly. He sat down in his chair and took the juice and cereal from the nurse. Julie swung the tray that was attached to the chair in front of him.
"Leave the girl's on his table," House said. "And get me an ice pack for her ankle."
"Here, take my pillow so you can elevate her leg," Ben said handing his pillow over.
"He's good," Julie said to House, sounding impressed.
"My brother loves me. Even if he is a poopy-head sometimes," Elise said giggling. Despite knowing she shouldn't, Julie couldn't help but laugh at the girl's comment.
"Let me go get that cold pack," she said, and left the room.
"Can I have my breakfast… please?" asked Elise. "I'm really hungry," she said, watching her brother dive into his food. House was always amazed at how both kids ate their cereal with no milk on it. They'd polish off a glass of milk, and go back for seconds; but don't douse the crunchy flakes. To each their own, he thought. House reached over, brought Elise's tray up, and then moved her food over.
"Go to it, kid." He moved away from the chairs and glanced up at Lydia's monitors. The numbers were still improving… now if that was true for all concerned...
"I see… I'm not the only one awake," Annie said with a yawn as she entered the room. "Good morning, everyone; how are you guys doing today?" She paused to give House a kiss on the cheek, then moved over to her niece and nephew. Giving each of them a kiss and hug, Annie settled down on a chair that House brought over for her.
"Want me to see if they have the pregnant woman's version of coffee?" House asked. "And by that I mean decaffeinated." Annie shook her head.
"I knew what you meant. But, no thank you; I already have the pregnant man's version." Annie held up a bottle of water, and opened it to take a drink.
"Here you go, Dr. House," Julie said as she handed over the ice pack. "Good morning; you've been here all night haven't you?" she asked Annie.
"Do I look that bad?" Annie laughed.
"Not at all. It's just when I came in this morning, I saw several people sleeping in the lounge. I thought you were one of them," the nurse said with concern. "Can I get you anything?"
"Thank you, but I'm fine for now," said Annie.
"OK… let me know if you change your mind. I'll be back in a bit," Julie replied as she left the room.
"Has Wilson been wussing out and having more than the usual sympathy pains for you?" asked House, leaning against the wall to give his leg a break.
"No, although he is having food cravings right along with me. The other night around nine o'clock, I just had to have scallion pancakes. Luckily, the Chinese restaurant was still open, and James went out to get them. When he comes back, he has three orders of them! I asked him who he thought was going to eat all of them and he said, 'We are.' He was right," said Annie with a laugh. House smiled as he took a sip of his coffee. "You look like you're actually enjoying that. It couldn't have come from the cafeteria."
"Nope. I haven't left this room except for when I was kidnapped last night. The nurse handling Fraulein this morning was willing to share some from their treasure trove of goodies." Annie looked over at Lydia.
"How is she this morning?" she asked nervously.
"Her numbers are improving even faster than I hoped, so we may be able to push up the schedule as far as waking her up," House said. Seeing Annie's surprised look as she glanced at the children, he continued. "The rug rats know what's going on. They woke up at five am and thought they heard their mother talking. It seemed to be the right time to let the cat out of the bag."
"Yeah, we know about Mom being in the medical coma, and Dad told us that no one knows yet how the baby's doing… at least not for sure," Ben said. Annie nodded, giving House a strange look as he walked over to the bed. House had managed to convince Maternity to leave one of the hand-held Doppler transducers so he could listen to the baby's heartbeat. While he did it once earlier in the evening, he had been too fearful for what he might not hear to do it any other time. Despite his better judgment, he now picked the device up. Folding the sheet down with his back to the children, he moved Lydia's hospital gown up just enough to access her stomach. Annie came over and stood next to House, alternating between watching his hand move the instrument, and watching his face. She became more and more concerned as the seconds passed, and no sound was to be heard.
"Greg… " she began to say quietly, when suddenly, she heard it; the thumping of the baby's heart. "Oh, my God… I got so scared."
"No reason not to be," House said gravely. "The pulse is weaker than in the ER."
"Is that the baby?" House's concentration was so focused on Lydia that he forgot the kids were in earshot. It was Elise who asked the question.
"Yeah, that's the creature's heart you hear," House said dully.
"It's not very loud," Ben said sounding concerned. House pursed his lips; right now he wished Ben was one of those kids who always had their head stuck in a video game, and not the Boy Genius he sometimes was.
"The volume on these things never is very loud," he replied. "It's during a sonogram that you can hear it with gusto." House quickly returned Lydia's gown down to its proper position, and pulled the bed covers up. He put the transducer back on the nightstand, and turned to walk away. He didn't want to encourage any more conversation by remaining at Lydia's bedside. "They're going to get dressed as soon as they finish eating," House said, making his way back to his chair. "And then they're all yours until the hand-off to Scotty and Teardrop."
"Misty!" the children exclaimed at the same time. Annie laughed.
"That's fine. I'm going to go back to your place first, let them shower and get clean clothes on; I'll grab some clothes for you, too. Then I'm taking them to our apartment so I can get cleaned up and make them some breakfast; I was thinking chocolate chip pancakes," she said smiling at her niece and nephew.
"I knew it!" Elise exclaimed.
"Wasn't exactly hard to figure out; you had already decided that was what she was going to make," House noted.
"Yeah, but I was still right," the little girl said.
"She's got you there," Annie said, turning to face House so her back was to the children. She motioned with her fingers to catch his attention, and mouthed the word "Dad" with a questioning look.
"I told them that if the new rug rat was going to call me that, which at the time seemed unavoidable, it wouldn't be fair if they kept calling me 'House' or 'Hey You.' Gave them the OK as long as they didn't abuse the privilege," House said quietly. Annie nodded.
"While that only makes sense to do that, I still think you're a doll to let them feel a part of the changing dynamic in the household. A fellow teacher of mine is always complaining that her husband doesn't include her kids from her first marriage in anything. They are still 'her kids' to him; it causes a lot of problems." House glanced over at Ben and Elise, then looked down at his coffee.
"As someone once said to me, you don't need your DNA inside a kid for them to be your own. I figured with the new one coming along, it might be a good time to test that theory out."
"I've got news for you," Annie said with a smile. "That theory is already well into being practiced. It's very evident how you and the children feel about each other."
"Yeah, we play off of each other pretty well," House replied quietly. Annie rested her hand on his shoulder, and spoke to the kids.
"I'm just going to see if Uncle James and Thomas need anything before we go. As soon as you finish eating, clean up, and get your clothes on so we can head home and do what we have to there."
"I'm finished," said Ben. I'll get dressed now." The boy threw away his empty food containers, took his clothes from the bag in the closet, and headed to the bathroom to get dressed.
"He's going to have to take that bandage off before he showers," House noted. "I'll have the nurse bring in some supplies so you can change the dressing." Annie looked a bit concerned.
"Um… can Doogie play doctor and do it by himself? I don't know that I'd be very good at that; I'm not my husband you know." House frowned at her as he sat down.
I'd trust Doogie before I'd trust your spouse." He looked Annie up and down. "You do realize, Songbird, that in a few months, you're going to be changing the vilest, smelliest, most disgusting looking piles of diapers you've ever seen. How are you going to handle nuclear Velcro poop if you can't handle a scrape on a forehead?" Appearing flustered, it took Annie a minute to answer.
"I… I can deal with the scrape… if I have to. The diapers, I'm going to have lots of help with from little one's Aunt Lydia and Uncle Greg," she pointed out. House shook his head.
"I didn't volunteer to do that; I got drafted," he complained. "And it's Uncle House."
"Well, you can take it up with your girlfriend when you wake her up." House took a sip of coffee.
"Yeah… that and the fact that she steals the covers." Annie gave House's shoulder a squeeze.
"I'm going to see if James and Thomas are awake… be right back." House said nothing as Annie left the room, thinking instead about how far he really wanted to push things. He turned to his left as Ben exited the bathroom.
"How'd you like to do your first bandaging job?" he asked the boy.
"Wh… What?" the startled child replied. House reached over to the controls by Lydia's bed and pushed the call button for the nurse.
"I can wrap Curly Top's ankle here, but it's going to have to come off for her to take a shower or a bubble bath or however she's going to get squeaky clean. And you have to do the same with your bandage," House said. Julie appeared in the doorway.
"Yes, Dr. House? What do you need?" she asked.
"I need a few gauze pads, some paper tape, sterile saline, and a pediatric ACE bandage to accompany the youngsters home," he requested.
"Sure. Do you want to see if I can dig up some Neomycin to send home, too?"
"If you have some, great. If not, don't worry about it; I can write a script for it. These two are going to be heading out shortly," House said.
"OK, let me see what I can get for you," Julie said, hurrying away. House turned his attention back to Ben. The boy was taking away the empty juice and cereal containers from his sister's tray, and tossing them into the garbage. He lowered her table, and swung her feet back to an elevated position.
"Wrong," House said from across the room. "You can't be sure her pants will fit over the bandage. She has to get dressed first."
"But, my ankle hurts," Elise said. "How will I walk?" The same way I do, House thought to himself; with pain and difficulty.
"Big brother can give you a hand," he said instead. He instructed Ben on how to hold his arm so Elise could grab on to it, and get to the bathroom. As the two made their way across the room, House noted she was doing better than she was in the middle of the night. House stood, went to the closet, got out the bag with her clothes, and handed it to her as she passed by. Julie came back with the supplies House had asked for including the Neomycin, all packed into a patient's belongings bag. While they were waiting for Elise, House took a look at Ben's wound; the scrape appeared nasty, but it wasn't deep. Annie came back into the room while the bandage was still moved to the side; she winced upon seeing the scrape.
"Is it that bad?" Ben asked, seeing his aunt's face.
"No, it's not," House said. "Your aunt's just a wimp." He looked over at Annie. "Take out your phone… record for posterity what I'm doing and saying." Annie reached in her pocket, withdrew the phone, and started the record function as House pointed to Ben's head, giving instructions on how to clean and redress the wound after the boy had taken a shower. "OK… switch off," he directed Annie. House replaced the bandage and re-taped it down. The bathroom door opened and Elise came hobbling out. "We'll do the same thing for her so Doogie can play doctor back at the ranch." Ben once again helped Elise; she seemed more steady and trusting on the walk back to the chair. House had Ben stand next to him, telling the boy to watch carefully as he pointed out how he was wrapping her ankle for maximum support. House then unwrapped what he did, and had Ben do it by himself; Annie kept filming the action, making sure the view was clear. It took two tries, but on the second one, it was done correctly; Ben had a broad grin on his face.
"How does it feel?" he asked his sister.
"It feels weird," Elise said making a face.
"Stand up," House said. Ben helped his sister put the foot rest down, and stood nearby in case she needed a hand; she didn't.
"That feels really good!" the girl said, the surprise evident in her voice. "I mean… it still hurts but… " Elise turned to Ben. "You did a great job." She hugged him tightly.
"Your first satisfied customer," House said with a slight smile. He turned to Annie. "Don't erase that even after he takes care of things later… I want to show his handiwork to Fraulein."
"You read my mind," Annie said as she panned around to House and the kids before ending the filming. "Let's hope now her boots fit over that." Elise sat down, putting her right boot on first; that was the easy part. Now for the left one. She winced a bit as she set her foot into the boot, but once in, it zipped up with no problem.
"Hey, look who's on her feet!" Wilson and Thomas stood in the doorway, both looking as if they could use a bit more sleep.
"Dad showed Ben how to bandage it, and he did it right on the second try," Elise said. "I'm really proud of him." Both men standing in the entrance to the room seemed surprised at the girl's choice of a name for House, but neither said a word.
"How are you this morning, youngster?" Thomas asked Ben.
"OK… just kinda sore. Aunt Annie's going to take us home to have showers and pancakes."
"That would make me feel better instantly," Thomas said with a smile.
"You still have the keys to the van?" House asked his father.
"Yes… right here," Rev. Bell replied taking them out of his pants pocket.
"Give them to Songbird. You might as well use the van to take the munchkins around. No point in jockeying around the car seats," noted House. "I'll probably have Scotty take it when it's their turn with Frick and Frack; those seats are a pain in the tukus to get set in right."
"Car seat," corrected Ben. "I don't even need a booster seat anymore."
"OK, Big Stuff," Annie said, laughing. "You and your sister get your coats on so we can get this show on the road." The children quickly donned their coats, then approached House as he stood by their mother's bedside.
"Bye… we'll see you later," Ben said, holding up his fist. As House returned the boy's gesture, he noticed the boy looked teary-eyed.
"What's the matter? Afraid I'm going to whisper sweet nothings in your mother's ear and convince her to stop making cookies and start serving broccoli at every meal?" Ben shook his head; he smirked as he looked up at House.
"You love Mom's cookies too much to say that… and you hate broccoli," the child noted. "I don't know what's the matter," the child said honestly. "I… " The next thing House knew the boy had thrown his arms around him in a hug; Elise did the same as both sniffled. Hesitating at first, House finally brought his hands down and stroked the back of the kids' heads, attempting to control his own feelings as he did. It had been a hellacious time that they all had just been through, and the person who was best at providing comfort was lying asleep in the nearby bed.
"Hey… these pants have been through enough in the past twenty-four hours, and they're not wash and wear," House said pointing out the stains and pulls from falling to the ground. "Give the waterworks a rest… your mom's going to be OK. Gotta talk to the rest of my team, but we might even wake her up Sunday rather than Monday."
"Yay! That'd be great!" Elise exclaimed as House sat back down in his chair. The children had released their grip on him, and moved closer to Lydia. Elise reached out for her mother's hand, resting above the covers. "Bye, Mom... Aunt Annie's going to make us chocolate chip pancakes."
"She can't hear you, dopey," Ben said to his sister. "Not while she's in the medical coma." Wilson looked confused at Ben's words.
"They know; had a reality check at five am," House explained. Wilson nodded.
"It's OK to talk to her; you never know what a person hears or doesn't hear," Wilson said to the children. "I swore I heard your aunt, your mom, House and bunch of other people talking to me. I don't remember what was said, but I swore I heard their voices." With that, Elise tuned back to her mother and kissed Lydia's hand.
"I love you, Mom," she said. Ben gently nudged her out of the way so he could get closer.
"I love you, too, Mom," he said as he leaned over and kissed Lydia on the cheek; being taller than his sister, he reached easily.
"Do that again… talk to her," House commanded. Ben repeated the gesture and his words. Wilson, Annie and Thomas were wide-eyed as they saw Lydia's numbers temporarily rise.
"That's not supposed to happen… " Thomas said in shock.
"We don't know nearly as much as we assume we do about the inner workings of the mind," House pointed out. "And I certainly wouldn't attribute it to a miracle," he said glancing over his shoulder, and shooting Rev. Bell a look. "But it's still way cool." House turned his attention back to the children. "Don't keep your aunt waiting… get out of here; and take these with you." House grabbed a few of the Munchkins that were left, closed up the box and handed it to Ben. "I'm going to make your uncle play 'go-fetch-it' and bring me some breakfast." The children gave House another hug and headed out if their mother's room.
"I'll see you later," Annie said giving House a quick kiss on the cheek. He nodded in response, a slight smile on his face as he never took his eyes off Lydia.
"Be right back, House; we're just going to walk Annie and the kids to the elevator," Wilson said. "Why don't you write down what you want us to get you to eat?" House stayed silent as Wilson and Bell left.
"He seemed a little more upbeat for just a minute there," Thomas said in a low voice. "Think that was an act for the kids?"
"I… I don't know what to think about his mind-set at the moment," Wilson said grimly.
"He used the machine that listens for the baby's heartbeat… he told me it was weaker than it was in the ER," said Annie.
"I'm not surprised," Wilson replied, watching the kids argue over who was going to push the call button for the elevator.
"Children!" Bell called out. "Do it together." He turned to Wilson. "Do you think Greg's right? That the baby isn't going to make it? Or is he just being his usual self?" Wilson let out a sigh.
"When it comes to medicine, I… I have learned to question very little of what House says, no matter how odd or crazy it is," he began. "I'm afraid in this case it's neither of those things; he's most likely right." Wilson stopped walking and put his hand on Thomas's shoulder. "I'm so sorry, Thomas." Bell placed his hand on top of Wilson's and gave him a smile.
"Thank you for your concern, but I'll be fine." He glanced back toward Lydia's hospital room. "He's the one I'm worried about. Underneath that hard exterior is a good soul that's been kicked a few too many times… hence the protective cynicism and bravado. But this… " Thomas shook his head. "It's never easy to handle no matter what you tell the world." Wilson eyed Bell carefully.
"You sound like your speaking from experience, Thomas," he said. Before Rev. Bell could reply, the elevator arrived, and the men moved forward to say goodbye to Annie and the kids.
"I'll call you when we're on the way back," Annie said as she kissed her husband. "Keep me up-to-date on things here."
"Will do," replied Wilson as Annie and the kids entered the elevator. He gave a wave as the doors closed, then turned to see that Bell had already started back to Lydia's room. He caught up to him just as Thomas was rounding the corner by the nurses' station; the two men stopped as they saw Dr. Collins standing in the hallway, talking to House.
"Who's that?" asked Thomas.
"Lydia's obstetrician. She's got some equipment and a resident with her, so I would say she's here to do the internal sonogram." They drew nearer to the scene.
"It's completely your call, Dr. House," Collins was saying. "As I explained in the ER, at ten weeks it's nearly impossible to get a clear view of the placenta and see its status… whether it's attached to the uterine wall. There's no sign that there's been any separation… "
"No separation yet," House said emphasizing the last word. "Instead we get to wait around for ten additional weeks only to possibly find out that the thing hasn't been getting proper nutrients or oxygen, and is going to more closely resemble a Cabbage Patch doll than either its mother or father." Collins looked at him sympathetically.
"Other than trying to do an internal sonogram, there's not much else we can do but wait," she said. House dropped his head down; he glanced to the side and saw Wilson and Bell standing there. He let out a sigh.
"Might as well do it since you've dragged the equipment here and added to his sleep deprivation," House said, indicating the resident, Dr. Shaw. Dr. Collins and House stepped aside to allow the resident to wheel the machine into Lydia's room. "You two can go wait in the lounge if you want," House said to Wilson and Thomas.
"I… I think we'll stay here… if that's all right," Thomas said. "So we can be close at hand." Dr. Collins looked at the older gentleman.
"I remember seeing you in the ER, but I'm afraid, I don't know who you are," she said.
"I'm Rev. Thomas Bell," he said extending his hand. "I'm Dr. House's father." The unmistakable pride was evident in his voice. Collins smiled and returned Thomas's gesture.
"Nice to meet you… "
"Dr. Collins!" The urgency in the voice of the resident ripped away the friendly atmosphere that had been present. Both House and Collins turned quickly and approached the bed; House pushed aside the curtains that had been drawn… and felt his heart drop at the sight that met his eyes. The sheets were bloodied, not just a little, but quite a lot. Even Wilson and Bell, who still were standing in the doorway, were able to see what had happened. House took his eyes away from Lydia, and looked instead at her vitals monitor; everything seemed to be stable. He released his hands from the walker, pushing it angrily aside. House gripped the bed rail with one hand, and with the other stroked Lydia's cheek.
"Dr. House… I'm so… " Dr. Collins began to say.
"Probably be best if you get her into the OR right away… clear things out in there," House said, cutting Collins off. His voice was tense, but devoid of any outward emotion. "I'll be in the lounge… bring in whatever forms I need to sign." The resident seemed unsure of what to do, and looked at Collins for a clue. House's matter of fact attitude threw off the inexperienced doctor.
"Of course. I'll have someone from my department bring you the papers. We'll take care of things here… why don't you go sit down?" she suggested, glancing at Wilson and Bell. The two men were stunned by what they had just witnessed, but their concern for House overrode any of their own feelings. House didn't respond to Collins; instead he stood staring down at the bed. "Dr. House, she's going to be OK, I promise." She reached out and put her hand on his shoulder. "I saw Lydia through her pregnancies with Ben and Elise, and of course she was thrilled to have them… but somehow this one was different for her. And I can only think of one reason why." House turned to Collins. "She's going to need your support… you're going to need hers…" House didn't want to hear any more. He gave what could be interpreted as a nod, grabbed the walker, and got out of the room as quickly as he could. He basically pushed Wilson and Bell out of the way so he could leave and head to the lounge.
"Dr. Collins… is there anything we can do?" Wilson asked weakly, still stunned by what he had just witnessed.
"Just keep an eye on Dr. House," Collins replied. Wilson turned and took a few steps toward the lounge; he then realized Bell was slow to move away from the doorway.
"Thomas… are you OK?"
"Yes," Bell answered glancing over his shoulder at the room. "I… I guess I'm in a bit of shock. I know Greg said he thought this was going to occur, but it seemed to all happened so quickly." Wilson was about to speak, when there came a loud crash from the lounge. The two men got the door just in time to see House pick up one of the folding chairs and toss it across the room; two other chairs and his walker was already thrown askew.
"House! Stop!" Wilson yelled out as his friend slammed his fist into the wall. Wilson rushed over, and pulled House away before he could take a second swing.
"Get off of me!" House yelled.
"No… not until you calm down!"
"I'm fine… just letting off some steam!" House broke free and stumbled toward a nearby table; the effort to pick it up and try to throw it knocked him down to the ground.
"You're fine? Really?" Wilson asked as he knelt down and held up House's hand; the knuckles were bloodied. House took his hand back and sat motionless on the floor.
"Leave me alone… get the hell out of here," House said firmly, but more quietly than before. "Go take care of your knocked-up wife." He turned his head away from his friend, cradling his injured hand in his lap. Wilson began to shake his head; he was about to continue arguing with House, when he noticed Thomas in the doorway motioning for him to come over. Reluctantly Wilson stood, and joined Bell out in the hallway.
"No offense, James, but I think you may be the wrong person to deal with him right now," Thomas said quietly placing his hand on Wilson's shoulder. "Why don't you make some phone calls to break the news to our circle of friends? I suppose you'll want to wait to tell Annie in person, but… " Wilson closed his eyes and dropped his head down at the mention of his wife.
"Yeah, I'm not telling her in a phone call. Then again, I don't want anyone calling her and spilling the beans. I… I think I'll wait to tell her until she comes back here in a little while. After she knows, I can call other people." He let out a sigh. "Although I sort of have to tell the team now." Thomas took his hand off Wilson's shoulder.
"Do that, but tell them not to talk to anyone else yet," Bell suggested. He wanted to keep Wilson occupied so he could talk to House alone. "I'm going to see how he's doing; maybe I can find the right approach to handling him right now." Wilson laughed.
"You know what he's like in a good mood… but when he's like this? Fighting to keep his guard up and dying on the inside at the same time? That's… a beast of an entirely different nature." Thomas looked into the room; House was still on the floor, his head bent down.
"It doesn't matter what kind of beast I'm dealing with… he's still my son and I have to try," Bell replied somberly. "Besides… I have a secret weapon I can use." Wilson gave the older gentleman a skeptical look.
"OK… but if he gets really obnoxious, get out of there. You're still recovering from your own medical trauma," he noted. Thomas nodded, and watched as Wilson headed toward Lydia's room with his phone in his hand. Bell turned his attention back to his son; he wasn't sure how House was going to react to what he had to say, but Bell knew it should have been said a long time ago. He entered the room unnoticed by House; Thomas went over to the corner where House had thrown his walker, and retrieved the mobility aid. He moved to his right until he was standing in front of his son.
"It can't be very comfortable down there; why don't you come up and have a seat?" Thomas suggested. House smirked as he glanced at the walker, but made no eye contact with his father.
"I'm hunky-dory right where I am. The only thing I need right now is for well-meaning do-gooders to leave me alone," replied House.
"I see… well I need a seat. Haven't had my morning cup of coffee yet… your mother always said I was useless without it." Thomas plopped down on the couch, the walker and House to his left. He could tell his presence was greatly annoying his son, but the moment wasn't quite right for him to reveal the secret weapon he spoke of to Wilson. House shot a look at Bell, and rolled his eyes; perhaps annoyed was too mild of a word.
"So let me guess… in which of life's capacities are you here to royally piss me off? Don't worry, Daddy's here to kiss and make it all better? Or are you donning the robes of your holy misbegotten profession and are going to tell me that this is all part of the Mighty Cloud Sitter's plan for me?" Thomas didn't respond… he deliberately let a prolonged amount of time pass, which prompted House to finally look up at him.
"I could answer as the latter; I have counseled and held the hands of many a couple who sadly had a pregnancy suddenly terminate. I can easily offer you sympathy; but I would do far more good if I gave you empathy." Narrowing his eyes, House gave Thomas his full attention.
"What the hell are you talking about? What do you know about what just happened?" Taking a deep breath, Bell reached down and put his hand on House's arm.
"I know more than you think. When you were four years old, your mother became pregnant, but lost the baby when she was three months along." House's mouth fell open as he sat stunned by his father's words; his usual defense mechanism quickly kicked back in.
"Lost it? Are you sure you didn't just misplace it? My mother was notorious for letting things fall behind the couch." House looked up; the somber expression on Bell's face told him that he was serious. "Mom never told me anything about another pregnancy," he said defensively.
"I'm sure she didn't," Bell said. "If she never told either of us that I was your father, what makes you think she would have told you about this?" He let House remain on the floor, giving him a moment to absorb the information. "Now, if you want to hear the whole story, you're going to have to get up off the floor, sit down here on the couch, and let me do something for your hand." Bell stood and placed his hand on the crossbar of the walker to steady it; House reluctantly reached up and pulled himself into a standing position using the device. His face was inches away from Thomas's as they looked into each other's eyes; if there was one thing House learned about his father, he never lied about anything, certainly not about Blythe or anything to do with their family history. The heavy feeling in House's chest began to ache all the more at the prospect of hearing what Thomas had to say. "There are a few water bottles left from last night and some napkins that were missed when we cleaned up in here. I'm going to go get them." House settled in on the couch as Bell went about retrieving the items he had mentioned. Bringing them over to his son, Thomas cracked open one of the bottles and handed it over. The water was no longer cold, but it was still soothing to House; although if truth be told he'd much rather have some Macallan's at the moment.
"Open a bottle and moisten one of those napkins," House directed. After Thomas had complied, House took it from his dad and gently wiped his bloodied hand.
"I'm sure that feels better," Thomas said.
"Not really," his son replied. "What would feel better is an explanation of that bombshell you dropped on me before." Bell sat back, took a deep breath, and began his story.
"When you were four, almost five, John was away overseas a lot. It afforded your mother and me the chance to be together for extended periods of time. We still had to be careful about being seen together too much, but I was able to stay at the house nearly all of the time." Bell smiled. "Blythe and I were both very happy… it felt like we were a real family. There were occasions when John would come home for a week or so at a time, and I either stayed with our friends, Jack and Millie, or I went back home."
"How did you manage to explain to your absences to your flock? I'm sure you didn't say, 'Excuse me while I go visit my piece on the side,'" House snarked. Thomas's expression changed to a scowl.
"I may not have been able to take your mother out in public unless we took long road trips to places where no one would know us; the circumstances our families forced on us made that unavoidable. But I never regarded your mother as anything other than my lady and the love of my life. And I won't allow anyone to disparage her in any way," he said with anger in his voice. House brought his free hand up to his forehead.
"I meant no disrespect," he said quietly. "Just having a hard time processing everything I've been hit with in the last ten minutes." Thomas nodded.
"Well, there's one thing your mother always said… despite the way you have of saying things sometimes, she always knew that you loved her very much." House dropped his head down and gave a slight smile. He wished she could be here to provide him with some kind of comfort. They hadn't spoken nearly as much as he wanted to over the years which was his mostly his fault. But if there was one thing he learned from her as she lay dying in the hospital… she did all that she could to protect him over the years, it just was never enough….
"Keep going with the story," House said re-focusing his thoughts.
"You asked how I managed to spend so much time with you and your mother… well, I took a leave of absence from my congregation; told them I had some personal issues to deal with, which was quite true. Then one time when I came to visit, I could tell your mother was in a very odd mood… she seemed very happy and very anxious all at the same time. After we put you to bed for the night, I found out why; she told me she was pregnant. I was overjoyed… and scared at the same time. I imagined what John's reaction would be when he found out… since they had never had relations, he would know the baby wasn't his… for a second time. I was afraid of what he would do to your mother… and to you in his fit of rage over things. We wanted nothing more than to go away together and build a life for ourselves; but we knew he would never agree to a divorce. Blythe had asked him for one before and it made John furious… he wasn't going to allow himself to be embarrassed in that way." Thomas looked away from House, trying not to show his emotions, but it was no use; tears began to fill his eyes. "I went and spoke to the one person whose judgment I completely trusted… my grandfather."
"The guy I'm named after," House said as he took a drink from his water bottle. Thomas smiled.
"That showed that your mother was both brave and crazy; she was determined to have a name from my family in there despite the fact that she would never acknowledge that you were my son… until the end. She took the chance that Flyboy, as you call him, wouldn't know my grandfather's name. Threw John in there as a middle name just to placate him… told him if there were two males in the house with a first name of John that it would confuse her too much, so he agreed to have it be your middle name." Bell shook his head. "He had that little respect for her that he actually thought she was that stupid. What a moron!"
"So what happened with your grandfather?" asked House, anxious to hear the details.
"My grandfather thought the world of your mother; he was very upset when his son insisted on splitting us up. Always said she was the best thing that ever happened to me. He had relatives in Canada; they lived in a very rural area making a living doing both farming and woodworking. He was quite sure that if he contacted them and explained the situation, that they would be willing to take us in and let us establish a new life… new identities." House nodded.
"Going across the border was much easier back then; no passport was needed, no birth certificates… all you had to do was say you were visiting relatives for a day or two and give the border guards the name of some one horse town, and you were in."
"Exactly. So I went back to your mother and told her about everything… explained how the three of us and the baby could have a life together free from fear of that bastard." Thomas dropped his head down. "I even hoped that maybe she would finally tell me you were my biological son. But it didn't matter whether you were or not… I knew in my heart you were mine," Thomas said, smiling at House. "Blythe was both thrilled and a little scared at the prospect of just running away, but we knew it was the only choice we had. With Jack and Millie's help, she began to make plans and pack a very few things that John wouldn't notice if he came back before we could leave. I stayed with my grandfather, making arrangements with the Canadian relatives… but then one night I got a call from Jack. They had to rush your mother to a hospital several towns away where no one would know her; she had begun to have severe abdominal pain. My car was in the repair shop, so my grandfather shoved the keys for his car and a wad of money into my hand for gas and told me to just go; it was the middle of the night and I had a four-hundred and fifty mile ride that I was making by myself in that state of mind. I managed to make it to her in time to be with her when the doctor came in and made it official… she had lost the baby." Thomas shook his head. "All we could do was hold on to each other and cry." House felt awkward at his father's display of emotion, but he also felt a certain uneasiness as he felt his own well up. Crying, the way Thomas was at the moment was not his thing… yet he couldn't deny or help the dampness that was now trickling down his own face.
"So why didn't you two lovebirds head up north and get away from Col. Crazy? It seems like you had things rolling and ready for the Great Escape," noted House.
"Your mother needed time to recover and by time she was well enough to even discuss the subject again, John had come back from overseas," Bell said with a sigh. "It was then that he told her that they were moving away for six months… and that began the pattern of you and your mother moving around the world with him, stopping back in the states only occasionally. By the time you had settled back in America, and we were able to be together, it was too late to hope for a chance at another child. We just did what we could to be with each other; we never spoke of the subject again until years later." Thomas sat forward on the couch and looked at House. "Greg, I know all too well what you're feeling right now. Here you… you think you have everything figured out about how your life together would be… and then all the plans just fall to pieces. I know how you react to these sort of things; you avoid discussing them, you hide your pain and don't share what you're feeling with anyone. In that way, you're a lot like me… but you can't be this time. The biggest mistake I made was not letting your mother know how much losing the baby broke my heart; she thought I was either mad at her for not taking care of herself, or she thought I didn't care… that my earlier delight was all an act. If we had only sat down and talked, maybe I would have been able to convince her to take you and leave. I put the blame for that on me," Thomas said shaking his head. "And I will regret that for the rest of my life." He reached out and put his hand on his son's shoulder. "I know you're not one for opening up and talking, and if you don't want to talk to me or anyone else about things, that's fine… but don't shut Lydia out. You need to deal with this together and decide how you want to go forward from here with both of you on the same page." House scoffed.
"There's not much to decide; I'm not going to break up with her because her actions saved mine and the kids' lives, but caused her to lose the kid. Knowing her the way I do, I wouldn't have expected anything different." House took a swig of water. "As far as having a long, sincere discussion about things, Fraulein is the master of them. I just haven't figured out yet if I put up with them because of her lilting German accent, her intense green eyes or that bodacious butt of hers… of course the front part of her package holds a great allure, too." Thomas couldn't help but chuckle at House's assessment of the situation.
"Oh, you do remind me of myself… I was just always much quieter with my opinions, especially in front of your mother. She'd always tell me to behave myself," the older gentleman said with a laugh.
"Until no one else was around," noted House wryly. "Fraulein's used to it; for the most part, so are the rest of the posse I seemed to have acquired since hanging around with her."
"They're all good friends to you and Lydia," Thomas said as he removed his hand from House's shoulder and stood up. "I'd take advantage of their friendship and make sure you two have whatever alone time you need." House shot his father a look.
"If you're referring to another shot at a kid, don't bet any money on it. This was a fluke, a freak. My tadpoles can barely do the backstroke and her eggs are starting to lose their FDA approval seal. Just because it happened once… " Thomas cut him off.
"Excuse me, DOCTOR House… but with all of the modern medicine that's available, you're going to try and tell me you couldn't try for another child if you wanted it?"
"There are some things even modern medicine can't do," House said in a flat voice. Bell shook his head.
"I'm going to prove what a great guy I am by never telling anyone you just said that," he replied. "Greg, it's up to you and Lydia how you want to do things… what can be handled by you physically and emotionally. But leave all options open to yourselves so you'll never have anything to regret; I speak from experience in that area, too. And if things don't work out the way you want, you're lucky enough to have two beautiful children together." House grabbed the walker and pulled it in front of him as he shook his head.
"As much as I try to talk a good talk about not needing shared DNA, plain and simple facts are as well as we may get along, they're not mine." House stood and moved to take a step, but Bell stopped him from going anywhere.
"You have no idea what you've done… what you've accomplished. You're right when you say they aren't your biological children… but you've made them your own by treating them the way you wish you had been treated as a child. You give them your respect, and even at that young age, they know what a hard thing that is coming from you. And in your own… unique way… you show them love. Ben and Elise see you give those same things to Lydia and make her very happy; I don't have to tell you how important it is for a child to see their mother happy and loved. Greg, you've got the things you've always wanted in life… now you just have to learn how to enjoy them." House sat back down, taking deep breaths to control his emotions. He knew Thomas was right... he just didn't want to discuss the subject with him anymore. He wanted to talk to Lydia. Since he knew that wasn't going to be possible for a few days, House went about changing the conversation.
"I'll say one thing," he said as he rose to his feet again. "You kept Preacher Man out of the discussion. Good thing you did, or I would have tuned out everything you said." Bell moved out of House's way.
"I never intended on letting our talk turn professional; I always much rather talk to you father to son," Thomas said with a smile. House turned his head away; he was about to respond when voices came from the door.
"My goodness! What happened in here?" A middle aged woman stood in the door way with a younger woman by her side.
"Got some bad news before," House said looking at the thrown chairs, the blood stain on the wall and other evidence of his earlier outburst.
"Oh… I… I'm so sorry," the woman replied. "Is there anything we can do?"
"Yeah… stay out of here. It's more than likely I'm going to be having another fit of rage later on… I reserved this room for the rest of the day," explained House.
"Come on, Mom… let's go," the younger woman said looking at House warily. "The other lounge is closer to Grandma's room." The two women left, both shooting glances over their shoulders at House.
"You never fail to amaze me. That wasn't very nice… those poor women looked like they needed a place to sit down," Bell scolded.
"So do I. And this room was claimed on our behalf last night," House said as he went over to the table, withdrew a pen from his pocket, and picked up a napkin. He quickly drew a Caduceus on the table linen and slapped it down on the table. "Now our flag has been planted… no interlopers shall trespass." He grabbed his walker and made his way to the door with Bell following closely behind, shaking his head as they went. The pair stopped short just as they stepped into the hallway. "Oh, crap!" House said under his breath. Standing just outside Lydia's room was Wilson and his team; overwrought expressions of sympathy from them was the last thing he needed right now.
"James called them because it was inevitable that they would come up here to check on Lydia," Thomas explained. "But he's was telling no one else; he didn't want the children to hear the news from anyone but you." House would have welcomed having anyone else break the news to the kids, but he knew that the right thing to do was to tell them himself.
He had to, he told himself… he was their dad.