Cuddy and Cameron had found Andie and her mother quite receptive to the idea of a party. That meant that now they had to close the deal on the location. Cameron backed out of the meeting with House and Cuddy went to see him alone. His office blinds were drawn but Cuddy still walked in without knocking – and got something of an eyeful.

House had decided that after his outburst with Cameron, he had to accept that he was not handling the return of his pain well at all. So he had called Ingrid. As Cuddy walked into his office, House was having a full-body massage. Cuddy thanked her lucky stars that he was laying face down on the massage table and that Ingrid was currently working on his shoulders, so the bath sheet was covering him from waist down.

"Go away, Wilson!" House growled without opening his eyes or looking up.

"Not Wilson, I'm afraid," Cuddy said in a small voice trying to decide where to look – the floor looked mighty tempting right then. If only it would open up and swallow her. Oh, shoot! It was just House and she was a doctor. Get a grip, girl!

"Cuddy?" House questioned. He still didn't lift his head or even open his eyes – probably because Ingrid had just started on his neck muscles. "What are you doing here? I've done my clinic hours for the day already."

"I'm not here to talk about your work," Cuddy said. "It's about Andie."

"Wilson's her doctor, not me," House pointed out. "And he is already pissed at me for having slipped that Mickey to Andie's mother, so I don't think we should have any conversation about them without him present as well. He might refuse to refill my prescription. Besides, I'm busy, as you can see."

"You slipped a Mickey to Andie's mother!" Cuddy was appalled.

"Oops! So you hadn't heard of it yet," House grimaced. "My mistake, but don't worry, Wilson already had it out with me."

"Don't worry? You just slipped a Mickey to the mother of a patient, and I'm not supposed to worry!" Cuddy was astonished. "Why did you do it? What if she sues?"

"She won't sue!" House started.

"You always say that, but still 40 per cent of the lawsuits we get are because of you!" Cuddy stated.

"Tense," Ingrid was working on House's shoulders and complained about the effect the conversation was having on him.

"See, you are interfering with her work, Cuddy," House said. "Go away."

"Fine, we can have this conversation some other time," Cuddy agreed. "But I need your ok for something first."

"What?" House turned his head enough to be able to see Cuddy.

"We want to give Andie a Christmas party and we want your office, the conference room and the balcony for it," Cuddy explained. "Tomorrow. The party will start around one o'clock."

"We? Is that a royal we, Your Majesty, or are there some mere mortals involved as well?" House asked.

"Yes, there are more people involved," Cuddy said, and then she threw in her sweetener. "If you agree to this, I will give you another injection."

"One party, one injection?" House checked.

"Yes." Cuddy confirmed.

"Ok. You can have your location. I'll make myself scarce tomorrow, then," House agreed.

"You need to put in an appearance at least," Cuddy reminded him.

"Yeah, yeah. I will. Just don't expect me to stay," House said.

"Ok, when you are done here, you can come into my office," Cuddy said turning to go.

"No," House said, making Cuddy turn back to stare at him. "I don't want the injection now. You will owe it to me. When I want it, I will come to you and you will give it, no questions asked. Agreed?"

"You don't want it now?" Cuddy asked.

"I don't need it now," House answered. "When I need it, I'll come get it."

"Fine, if that is what you want. We can do it that way as well," Cuddy agreed a little puzzled, but since there was no figuring out what was on House's mind she left House to his massage and went next door to tell Cameron that the party was on.

---------------

Late that night House was prowling the corridors. He still didn't have a case, but Wilson had wanted to consult with him over one of his patients, who had developed some unusual symptoms. They had been able to trace them to an infection he had got during his Mexican holiday. They did the tests and got him on the right antibiotics. He was going to be fine, it didn't even interfere with his cancer treatments and he had a good chance of beating his illness – both of them. Wilson had gone home happy, but House had stayed in his office a little longer checking up some new research that he had come across during the search for the right infection. His leg though didn't let him sit for long so he decided to go for a walk before heading home.

House walked to his mother's room and stood there for a moment looking at her sleeping form. John was in his own room, so House had his mother all to himself. He could have woken her up, she wouldn't have minded, but he had no intentions of doing that. He just wanted to check in on her and see for himself that she really was ok still. He almost felt like a parent, which was rather stupid, considering. But he did remember how Blythe had done the same for him. Sure he had been asleep always when her mother checked in on him, but he did retain a strange childhood memory of having sensed her presence even in his sleep. It had always chased away all bad dreams. He rather hoped his visits could do the same for his mother now that she was the one in need of care.

Having left his mother to sleep peacefully, House went on with his round. He stopped by Andie's room next. He opened the door very carefully as he didn't want to wake Andie's mother if she was sleeping. Andie herself would naturally be fast asleep with the help of sedatives and it was unlikely that a mere opening of a door would wake her. He looked in and saw that Andie's mother was out for the count. He stepped quietly inside and turned to look at Andie – and was surprised to find her wide awake.

"Hey, what are you doing awake?" House asked. "Didn't they give you your meds?"

"They did," Andie said. "But I think they don't work so well anymore."

"Are you in pain?" House was concerned.

"A little, more in discomfort actually than what I would call pain," Andie revealed.

"And knowing something of pain myself, I interpret that as pain that would make those who are unaccustomed to it scream for painkillers?" House made his statement a question for forms sake only.

"I don't know about that, but I have had worse," Andie shrugged.

"I will increase your dosage," House limped to her bed. "You need sleep otherwise you will deteriorate faster."

"Please don't," Andie asked.

"Why?" House questioned her stopping in his actions.

"I don't think my not sleeping will change anything one way or the other. Not anymore." Andie sighed.

"That is possible," House agreed. "But that is still no reason for you to lie here awake in the middle of the night. Mind tends to do all sorts of tricks to you at night, and not all of them are pleasant."

"I know. But sometimes it's very peaceful, too. The night, I mean." Andie mused.

"Some of it, but usually not when you are in pain," House said. "Peace and quiet often increases the pain, because there is nothing else going on."

"Maybe. But I still don't want to sleep yet," Andie pleaded. "Could you stay with me for a while? Then when you go, you could give me the drugs."

"Ok, I could do that, but I don't want to wake your mother," House said.

"It's ok," Andie assured him. "She won't wake up. She agreed to take another Mickey from Dr. Wilson."

"It's only a Mickey if she doesn't know she is taking it," House had to explain. "But I'm glad she agreed to take it. She needs her rest. But if we are not disturbing her, then sure, I can stay." House sat down: "I hear you are going to have a party tomorrow."

"Yes, Dr. Cuddy and Dr. Cameron are arranging it with Mother," Andie agreed.

"Do you want to have it?" House asked sensing some hesitation in Andie.

"I think I do, but somehow it feels weird to have a party just before you die," Andie wondered.

"I don't really see why. There are plenty of people who come here from parties and some of them we cannot save and some of them we can. The only difference with you is that you know this is going to be your last party and that it really is a farewell party and not a Christmas party."

"I suppose," Andie said. "Maybe we shouldn't call it a Christmas party but a Christmas funereal?"

"I would go for that," House agreed. "But I think your mother and the rest of the gang might find it a little depressing. How about Christmas farewell?"

"That I think would work," Andie approved.

"Ok, I'll pass the message on to Cameron," House promised. "Any other concerns?"

"None, I think," Andie tried to assure him, but House wasn't in a buying mood.

"Look Andie, if you agreed to the party because you didn't want to disappoint Cuddy and Cameron, they are big girls, they can live with your refusal. If you agreed to distract your Mother from your death, nothing can do that. If you agreed because you felt obliged to thank people for having been there for you during your illness, you can find some other way of doing it. If this is about giving people a chance to say goodbye or anything other than that you just would like to have one last party, then say so. You have the right to be absolutely selfish and do the things the way you like best. If you want to say goodbye to people but just not with a party, we can arrange it. But tell me, truly: what do you want."

"I want to say goodbye to people and I would like to have one last party, but I'm just not sure what the party will be like." Andie told him.

"It will be whatever you like it to be, just tell your mother what you want and she will see to it," House assured her. "You can have it more as a reception than a party if you feel you are not up to a real party."

"What's a reception?" Andie wanted to know.

"Well it's what the royalty have. You will be sitting in your bed like a princess and the people will come to you with their greetings and you will graciously accept them. Once that is done they will move to another room, whence you can summon them at will. Or we can have a party which is a bit like an Irish wake, where people sing and tell stories and generally try to share all their good memories with each other." House told her.

"That latter sounds rather cool," Andie mused. "But will people want to have fun, with me, that is. As I'm dying soon?"

"If they don't want to have fun, they can stay out of the party," House stated simply. "You are the one that matters here, if you want fun then it's our business to see that you get what you want. Just because this is your last Christmas is no reason not to make merry. There is a song about it, too."

"You mean the Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas?" Andie asked.

"Yep, there are several versions of it around but the one I like best goes," House sung very softly to Andie: "Have yourself a merry little Christmas / It may be your last / Next year we may all be living in the past / Have yourself a merry little Christmas / Make the Yuletide gay. / Next year we may all be many miles away. / No good times like the olden days/ Happy golden days of yore/ Faithful friends who were dear to us / Will be near to us no more. / But at least we all will be together / If the Lord allows. / From now on we'll have to muddle through somehow. / So have yourself a merry little Christmas now."

"So what you are saying is that I should have fun and not mind that everybody knows I'm dieing soon?"

"Yes, that is what I'm saying. Have your party. Have fun. We are all dieing sooner or later, and just because we know that you are going sooner, is no reason for you not to get what you want."

Andie pondered on his words for a moment. "Ok, I want an Irish wake sort of Christmas party."

"Good for you!" House agreed, he didn't feel compelled to point out that in Irish wakes everybody got royally sloshed, because that was one thing that was going to be different in this party. He got up, ready to give Andie her meds and then leave, but she reached for his hand.

"What's it like?"

"What?"

"Death, and what comes after."

House sat down again. "You have been dead before. Do you remember anything from that?"

"No," Andie said. "I remember being put to sleep and then I woke up to my Mother holding my hand."

"Well, you will probably be in chemically induced coma when you die this time, too, so the actual death will probably be similar. Only you won't wake up."

"But what comes then?"

"Haven't you spoken with your mother about that?" House asked.

"Yes, but I would like to know what you think."

"I don't know. I have a few ideas, as I'm sure all people have, but there is no way to know, so I think you should go with what your mother said."

"You really have no idea?" Andie looked disappointed.

"Well, I did get sort of a preview once," House felt compelled to say. "When I was ill with my leg. I flatlined for a minute or so."

"What was is like?"

"Lots of light, no pain," House told her. "Didn't feel like a bad place at all."

"So you don't think there is going to be Hell?"

"No. And even if there is, it will not be your destination. If there is any Hell at all, you have had yours here on Earth already. I am quite sure you have nothing to worry about."

"You are really sure?"

"My word on it, and I don't give that lightly," House assured her.

"Ok, then," Andie seemed reassured and calm now. "You can give me the meds now, then."

"Good," House said and did as asked. "Sleep tight and don't let the bedbugs bite."

"This is a hospital," Andie said yawning. "No bedbugs allowed."

House waited till Andie was asleep and then he limped out of the room. Had he looked at Andie's mother one more time he might have seen that her eyes were closed more tightly than they would have been were she truly asleep and there were tears on her cheeks.