Happy New Year to All!
The time in the story, though, is still before Christmas.
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House was in his office when his mother came to see him.
"You're done with the therapist?" House asked.
"For today, yes," Blythe said kissing her son on the cheek.
"What did you do with Dad?" was the next question her son had.
"I asked him to wait for me in the cafeteria. I didn't think it would be a good idea to bring you two together quite yet," Blythe told him.
"I didn't behave very well this morning," House tried to show he was sorry but he didn't quite know how to apologize as he had meant what he said.
"Nor did your father," Blythe said gently. "He means well, you know that. He really tries to help."
"I know," House said. "That probably makes it worse. He just doesn't understand, never has. But I ought to be used to it by now. I'm sorry, Mom, I didn't want to distress you."
"I know," Blythe said stroking his hair. "You were in pain, in more ways than one I suspect."
"I'm ok, most of the time, really," House told her. "It's just sometimes that I ... It's just sometimes."
"I heard a rumour when I was coming out of the therapist," Blythe changed the subject and took a seat opposite her son. "Something about you and Soo Park?"
"That one!" House sighed with exasperation. "I saw her out walking this morning and gave her a lift to the hospital. With Wilson telling everyone that I had company last night and everyone seeing me bring Soo to the front door the rumours are running ripe. Fortunately Soo can prove where she was so she is in no trouble – except from the rumour mill, but that cannot be helped."
"I think there were some rumours going around about you two even before this morning," Blythe told him. "It seems that people find it hard to believe you would have taken her father as a patient just because she asked you to."
"His case is interesting," House shrugged, not wanting to go into details of why it was interesting. "And Soo was persistent. She actually threatened to beat me with my stick if I didn't listen to her." He smiled.
"Gutsy of her, especially given your position in the hospital and your reputation," Blythe approved. "Is that why you are taking an interest in her as well?"
"Partly," House admitted. "I gave one lecture on diagnostics when Dr. Riley was ill with self-induced lead poisoning, the idiot! Soo was there. She showed some intelligence and I just wanted to see how she would cope in real situations. Also I did want to torment her a little as payback for snatching my cane. I was going to send her back to her fellow students after the first day, but she showed promise. I think she will end up being a very good doctor."
House didn't want to tell his mother that the thing that had stayed in his mind about Soo was her opinion that Cuddy and Stacy had not had the right to put him through the surgery against his wishes. That was a little too emotional a reason for him to admit to out loud. Besides, it was just the reason why he had remembered her, not why he had decided to mentor her for these few days.
"So you decided to help her on her way of becoming one?" Blythe inquired.
"Yes, a little," House said. "This will last only as long as her Father is my patient, but since she would be around for that anyway, and one more little duckling following me around for a few days doesn't make much of a difference one way or the other, she might as well get the full experience."
"You find her entertaining, don't you?" Blythe smiled.
"Fine, I admit it. She tries to behave respectfully and properly but every now and then her tongue runs away with her and it's quite funny to see her be upset by her own words," House laughed a little. "I even expect to get quite a lot of entertainment out of the rumours making their rounds now, though introducing her to the full effect of the gossip mongering of hospitals was not in the original study plan."
"You will be careful though," Blythe was a little worried. "Gossip can hurt."
"I know," House frowned a little. "I'm not going to feed the mill; I'm taking my fun out of Wilson and Cuddy. I don't think the gossip about Soo and me will make the rounds for very long as there is bound to happen something more interesting soon in a hospital this big."
"Let us hope so!" Blythe smiled, but then she got more serious: "But tell me, if the truth about last night gets out, how much trouble are you in?"
"Cuddy will chew my... head off, Wilson will sulk for a week or so," House shrugged. "That's pretty much it. It's not like she is my patient or even a relative of one. Wilson was the doctor. Even when he asked me for a consultation he was still the doctor, and the consultation was over a year ago. But I would rather not see the truth get out, at least not as long as she is still around."
"You don't expect her to stay around then?" Blythe asked.
"No," House said. "Given the circumstances I don't."
"I see," Blythe sighed. "Are you ok? After this morning and everything?"
"I'm fine, Mother," House told her. "Really. It was a little rough, but Cuddy gave me some stronger medication to tide me over for the moment. I'll be back to normal soon."
"If you are sure?"
"Yes, Mother, I am," House reassured her. "You don't need to worry."
"I know I don't need to," Blythe said though they both knew she would anyway. "I better go and collect your Dad from the cafeteria. I'll call you later."
"Thank you Mom," House said. "And I better go and make sure Mr. Park is ready for his surgery."
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On her way to the cafeteria Blythe met Cuddy who too was on her way there.
"Blythe, hi," Cuddy greeted her. "How was your meeting with the therapist?"
"Hello, Lisa," Blythe responded. "It went well. But how are you? You looked a little upset this morning."
"I'm fine," Cuddy dismissed. "It was a bit startling to hear him but I'm ok. I mean, what do I have to complain about!"
"My son would come to mind," Blythe suggested gently.
"I knew what I was getting into with him when I hired him," Cuddy insisted.
"Knowing my son, I seriously doubt that," Blythe said. "This morning... You do know that he didn't mean for you to hear it, don't you Lisa?"
"Yes, I do know," Cuddy acknowledged. "But it still doesn't change the facts, does it?"
"No, but I doubt any one of us knows all the facts and even one missing can change the picture quite a lot," Blythe pointed out. "You really shouldn't blame yourself for what happened. You did your best."
"Didn't save his leg, though," Cuddy said. "And now he is showing me how it could have been done."
"How can he be showing you that?" Blythe asked curiously.
"He has a patient who has exactly the same thing as he had, including the initial misdiagnosis," Cuddy revealed. "And his patient, too, absolutely refused amputation as an option, so Greg is trying out the treatment I interrupted."
"I see," Blythe sighed. "That explains a few things about his behaviour that has puzzled me a little."
"You are not alone in your puzzlement," Cuddy told her. "I don't know how much of the rumours doing the rounds here you hear ..."
"Are you talking about the ridiculous story about Greg and Soo?" Blythe smiled. "Never believed it for a moment."
"Oh, well that's good," Cuddy nearly stammered. "Because there is not truth in it – apart from the fact that he did bring her to work this morning."
"And I presume the reason you know it isn't true is because you already confronted him with it?" Blythe mildly teased Cuddy.
"Well yes. And ended up looking like a fool," Cuddy admitted. "Sometimes it is a little difficult to know when he is serious and when not and he ... He can really say things that ... He can be a real ass! And sometimes he just provokes me into acting before I think."
"You really need to stop worrying about it, Lisa," Blythe told her. "Greg is not likely to embroiler you into that kind of scandal. Some other kind, possibly, but not that. And there's John waiting for me, do you want to join us or..?"
"Thanks but I'll just grab a sandwich and eat in my office," Cuddy said. They said their goodbyes and went their separate ways.
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Mr. Park's surgery went as planned. With Soo standing in the room and with all the possible wavers signed the surgeon was happy to remove only the prescribed amount of dead muscle from Mr. Park's thigh. Afterwards House had left Soo in her father's room with Foreman on watch for the next couple of hours after which Cameron was to take over as Foreman had his clinic hours. House had told him to let Soo tag along for those, too.
House was sitting in his office playing his game boy when Andie's mother knocked on the door. She was still wearing the same clothes as that morning, indicating that she had been in the hospital all this time, probably taking care of formalities – and possibly saying goodbye to Andie.
"Hi," she said a little timidly. "I was wondering if I could take one last look at Andie's balcony?"
"Sure," House invited her in. "We are probably dismantling it later today, but you are welcome to stay on it as long as you need."
"Thank you," she said and walked out. House didn't follow her until some fifteen minutes later.
House walked onto the balcony with two mugs and a thermos full of hot chocolate. He found Andie's mother sitting on the recliner hugging the pink blanket. Looking over the divider towards Wilson's office House saw Wilson at his desk working desultorily and occasionally looking at her with a worried look on his face.
"Hot chocolate?" House offered setting the mugs and the thermos on the little table.
"Thank you," she said. "I think I'd like some." She poured the drinks and gave his to House who was leaning against the divider with his back to Wilson. House nodded his thanks.
"She was very happy with her balcony," she said.
"I know," House commented. He could have said more about wishing Andie had had more time to spend there or hoping there would have been more he could have done, but it would have been pointless so he remained silent.
"I have a cousin in Spokane," she went on. "Washington State you know. She says I ought to go and stay with her for a while."
"Might be a good idea," House agreed. "It would give you some distance from the cancer."
"When I talked about it on the phone with her she said it would give some distance to my memories," she took a sip from her drink. "You say cancer like it is somehow a separate issue from ... I don't know, everything?"
"It is," House stated. "You will never get any distance from your memories of Andie since those you will always carry with you. She is part of you. But she is your daughter, and that is how you will remember her. This hospital, we, all of us in here, we are associated with her cancer. And that is what you do need to leave behind. You don't need reminders of that. At least not until you are ready to deal with them. And that may take quite a while."
"You were expecting this," she realized. "You knew even before ... everything, that I would not stay."
"I thought it was likely," House confessed. "I have seen parents react to the loss of a child before."
She nodded her head silently and sat there drinking her chocolate till the mug was empty. "I think that is why I came to you," she mused quietly. "You don't expect anything from me. Had I gone to Dr. Wilson, he would have wanted to give some meaning to what happened."
"It wasn't meaningless," House pointed out.
"No, it wasn't," she smiled a little. "But he would have wanted to give it some conventional, acceptable meaning, something a little more lasting. You don't. You know that I'm empty, that I have nothing to give right now and that's ok with you."
"I don't have that much to give myself, even if my reasons are different – and possibly less acceptable," House said.
"Dr. Wilson is a compassionate, caring doctor. When he is with you and his patients you can see it and feel it and it is real. But I think it is not very lasting. He invites trust, but I'm not completely sure that he is worthy of that trust every time," she tried to analyze her impressions. "You on the other hand, you don't invite trust. In fact I think you try to discourage it whenever you can. But when you do allow somebody to trust you, you won't disappoint. If humanly possible, of course."
"You may be right about Wilson," House agreed. "But I think you are a little too optimistic in your assessment of me."
"My opinion, I'm entitled to it," she smiled. "Thank you for the chocolate, and the balcony ... and everything." She stood up and turned to go inside. House followed her.
"I will send these back to you later," she said indicating her borrowed clothes.
"No need," House said. "I better not wear it anyway, just in case. Keep it or throw it away."
"Thank you," she said turning to face him and giving him her hand. "Goodbye."
He took the hand and nodded. "Goodbye."
Once Andie's mother was gone House turned around and saw Chase in the conference room staring at him with a puzzled frown on his face.