Thank you for the reviews. I quite like writing this story and its nice to know others like reading it.
-----------------------------------
Andie was lying in her bed with her mother by her bedside. She was looking out of the window a little sadly. The sun was shining and it looked nice and bright and cheery outside. Inside there was not much cheeriness to go around. Then House walked in. Not exactly a cheery sight, but at least something new. Though maybe not a terribly tactful new – or so Wilson thought as he heard House's first words from the other side of Andie's bed.
"It's a sunny day," House exclaimed. "You should go outside."
"Not much for the long walks in the park," Andie replied with a shrug.
"I know," House agreed. "That is why I brought my lovely assistants with me." He stepped aside to let in Chase and Foreman and the wheelchair they had with them.
"What is going on?" Andie asked.
"Yes, that is a good question," Wilson agreed. "What are you up to now, House?"
"Just doing what you wanted," House replied with an innocent look on his face.
"What I wanted? I'm not sure I should trust that statement when it comes from you," Wilson wondered. "Just tell me what is going on."
"Nope," House said. "It's a surprise. Just follow me, both of you," he instructed both Wilson and Andie's mother, "and you will learn."
Chase and Foreman helped Andie into the chair and House turned to lead the way. Andie's mother and Wilson exchanged a puzzled look but decided to follow the parade. Their route took them by Blythe's room where she, John and Cameron were waiting for them. Blythe, too, was sitting in a wheelchair.
"Oh yes, Andie, these are my parents," House introduced them. "My Dad helped with the surprise so they are coming along for the ride. You ok with that?"
"Sure, though I still don't know what you are talking about," Andie said. "But you are starting to freak me out again, a bit."
"You know he gets that way sometimes," Chase reminded her. "But don't worry, you will like this."
House laughed briefly as he led his procession towards and then inside of his office. Chase pushed Andie's chair to the balcony door and parked it there. The others filed in to the office and House stood next to Andie. He attached a medical bracelet on Andie's writs, to monitor her heartbeat and blood pressure. There was a portable oxygen unit next to the door as well, but Andie didn't need that yet.
"Go on Chase," House said. "Carry her. Just remember that I'm keeping an eye on you, so don't go all Romeo on her, even if you are taking her to a balcony."
Chase sighed, but did as House instructed. He carried Andie outside where a wide recliner, nearly a bed, was waiting for her. There were blankets on the recliner, first one electric blanket on the seat, then normal blanket on top of that, then a normal blanket and a pink electric blanket waiting to cover Andie once she was seated. There was a small heater on the balcony as well, sort of like a small electric fireplace to add warmth to the somewhat weak shine of the winter's sun. There were more blankets piled on another chair, so that Andie's mother could either sit on her own chair, or share her daughter's recliner. There was a small table covered with a cheery cloth, with books, a thermos and an Mp3player waiting on top. There were also small evergreens with Christmas lights and decorations on them on the balcony and Andie looked around her in wonder as Chase set her down on the recliner and covered her with the blankets.
"This is all for me?" Andie breathed.
"Yep," House confirmed. "Just look how the winter of our discontent has turned glorious summer by this son... well, son of House, I suppose. Like it?"
"Really for me?" Andie still had to check. Her mother had also stepped on the balcony and was looking around with tears in her eyes.
"Well, you don't really think I go for pink blankets, do you?" House asked.
"I think this all really is for you," Andie's mother smiled. "Thank you!" She turned to say to House. For a moment it looked like she was going to hug House, but he moved out of the way, back into his office to make room for his parents to check out the layout outside.
"What did he mean with that Romeo thing?" Andie whispered to Chase, as he finished wrapping her up and turning on the blankets.
"Romeo and Juliet is a play of two young lovers and the big scene in it takes place on a balcony," Chase whispered back, smiling ruefully. "Basically what his comment meant was that I hope you liked the kiss you got from me last year, because I'm still paying for it."
"I didn't tell anyone," Andie said.
"I know. Neither did me," Chase explained, still whispering. "But there really is no keeping secrets from Dr. House. He just seems to figure them out, no matter what." Then he spoke aloud: "Do you really like what we did here?"
"I love it," Andie sighed with contentment. "I really, really, love it. Thank you; thank all who had anything to do with this."
"I love it, too," her mother said. "This is really so wonderful of you all! Thank you!"
Wilson stood at the doorway and stared at the miracle that had happened while he had not been looking. House had done all this? And not on Wilson's side of the balcony either, but his own! Wilson turned to look for his friend, expecting to find him standing near, but House had moved to the other room. When Wilson caught up with him he was just pouring himself a cup of coffee.
"House," Wilson didn't know what to say. "Thank you. This..."
"I'd rather you didn't hug me, Jimmy," House said to him. "My father might get some funny ideas from that since the first and last girlfriend he has ever seen me with was Stacy."
"House!" Wilson said with exasperation. "You are not getting away with flip comments. Not this time. What you did for Andie... This whole thing is just amazing!"
"Calm down, Jimmy," House admonished his friend. "It's not such a big deal."
"Not a big deal? You gave up your balcony for her!" Wilson claimed.
"Come on Wilson," House said dismissively. "You are talking about this like I've made a lifelong commitment," he paused and thought for a moment, "no actually this is a lifelong commitment, isn't it? Just not my life."
"Don't even try it," Wilson warned him. "I'm not getting off this subject that easily. You could have set this all up quite as easily on my side of the balcony."
"No I couldn't have," House denied. "There is no way we could have got all these things into the balcony through your cramped office."
"Fine, ok, I give you that," Wilson sighed. "But you didn't have to do any of this at all! There is no getting away from the fact that you gave up your precious balcony for Andie."
"I didn't give it up," House insisted. "She won't be able to sit there for more than a couple of hours a day. And in case you haven't noticed, its winter! Who spends time on a balcony in the middle of the winter?" Then a cunning smile spread over his face. "That is unless one has a really nice chair there and lots and lots of electric blankets to keep one warm."
"No, no, no, no!" Wilson shook his head at House. "You are not going to succeed in turning this into a selfish whim on your part. Don't even try it. You did this for Andie. You did this because the dieing little girl got to you. You like her and you wanted to do something nice for her, and I am not, no matter what you say, I am not going to believe otherwise!"
"Suit yourself," House dismissed the thought. "But I have to get to the clinic now."
"Clinic? You are going to the clinic voluntarily, again?" Wilson started to wonder if his friend was on something stronger than the coffee.
"Yep," House confirmed. "That is the only place where Cuddy won't think to look for me."
"Why would Cuddy come looking for you?" Wilson asked.
"Because I didn't get her approval for any of this," House admitted. "In about ten minutes, I think, she will storm through that door and demand to know why I have raided her hospital, only once she sees Andie, she cannot yell at me. And she will end up crying all over somebody and I'd much rather it was you than me, so I'm hiding in the clinic!"
"What makes you think she will be here in ten minutes? Why not sooner or later?" Wilson asked.
"Because right now I'm ten minutes late from my clinic duty and this is the tipping point for Nurse Brenda. Probably even as we speak, she is already notifying Cuddy of my tardiness. By now Cuddy has already received several reports of things missing and with her suspicious mind she has already come to the conclusion that I have had something to do with it all. In fact, she has probably been waiting for me to show up at the clinic to have it out with me. Only I have not shown up, and with Brenda's complaint she will have the perfect excuse to storm here to look for me and have it out with me. But she cannot do it when she finds Andie on my balcony! It's perfect!" House explained gleefully.
"You are a sad, sad, sad human being, House," Wilson told him. "But I still believe you did all this just for Andie, and nothing you say will change that."
-----------
Cuddy was indeed waiting for House in the clinic, but Nurse Brenda was not complaining about his absence.
"Have you seen House, yet," Cuddy asked Brenda.
"No, he seems to be running late," Brenda said unconcerned.
"You seem to be rather calm about it," Cuddy wondered. "Is the clinic so quiet today then?"
"We are quite as busy as normal," Brenda confirmed. "But I expect he will show up soon."
"Really," Cuddy was not sure what to make of this. "Brenda, are we missing things from the clinic?" She asked next.
"Apart from Dr. House, you mean?" Brenda wanted to clarify.
"Yes. Are we missing something we aren't usually missing is what I mean," Cuddy clarified.
"No, can't say we do. I'm sure I know where everything is right now. Why?" Brenda said.
"I have just received a number of reports of things missing, some of them quite surprising. I was just wondering if the clinic had been hit, too." Cuddy mused.
"I don't think we have," Brenda said.
"If you are sure, then I suppose not," Cuddy had to let go. "I think I'll go and try to find House. He may know something about the mysterious raid that seems to have taken place and he needs to get to work anyway." Cuddy walked briskly to the elevators. As soon as she had stepped in, House appeared from around the corner and sauntered to the clinic.
"Dr. Cuddy is looking for you," Brenda told him as she handed him the first file.
"Well here I am, exactly where I'm supposed to be," House remarked. "It shouldn't take her long to find me."
"She seemed to be somewhat concerned about things that have gone missing last night," Brenda revealed. "It appears that she thinks you might have had something to do with that."
"Who? Me?" House overplayed his innocence. "Surely not!" He turned to go to the exam room the file indicated, but turned back again for a second. "Andie was very happy with her blanket. If you have time to go and see her on your break she would like to thank you herself. She is on my balcony for the next couple of hours." He flashed his blue eyes at Brenda and was gone leaving her breathless just for a second.