"Cameron, go after him," House instructed accepting an instant cooling pack from Soo and placing on his jaw. "Go after Wilson, check his hand – yet again – and make sure he doesn't try to contact Andie's mother over this."

"Why would I do that?" Cameron asked. "It's not my place to clean up your messes."

"But you care," House simpered. "Besides, you can say whatever you want about me, just see to his hand and make sure he stays away from Pam."

"And who are you to decide who he talks to?" Cameron was belligerent.

"Nobody, but I have spoken with her after the ... night," House agreed to explain. "As far as she is concerned the matter is over and closed. Besides, if you were in her place would you want to talk about it? With anyone?"

"Fine," After a small hesitation Cameron flounced out of the room towards Wilson's office.

"I have to go check some test results," Foreman decided turning to go.

"Yeah, me too," Chase agreed and followed Foreman with equal speed.

"The courage of my ducklings is truly astounding," House sneered pouring himself some coffee. "Except this, the littlest of them all." He added looking at Soo. He took a sip from his drink and then went on. "As a rule, it is advisable to stay away from all patients, no matter whose they are."

"I will keep that in mind, sir," Soo stated.

"If that is your advice," Stacy inserted. "Why didn't you follow it yourself?"

"Come on, you know me," House shrugged. "I always give advice that I don't follow myself."

Stacy gave a deep sigh; there was no talking to the man. She turned to Soo. "I heard about your father. Ahm.. I'm sorry about having been a bit abrupt with you yesterday. I ... I'm glad he is ok."

"Thank you," Soo accepted. "We don't know yet for sure if he has come through this completely well, but so far so good. And I may have been a little tactless, too, yesterday. It's just that the subject is still fresh to me. It really was not my place to criticise your decision. Though the cases are similar the situations are different."

"Ok, now that we have all this sugary sweetness and light out of the way and you two are each other's new bestest buddies," House snarked, "do you think we could change the subject? Like to was there anything else you needed from me, Stacy?"

"No, there wasn't," Stacy said. "I was just killing time while I waited for Mrs. Simon to come back from her scans and whatever the tests were she was having."

"How is her case going?" House asked. "The legal one, I mean. The medical one I know about."

"It's going ok," Stacy nodded. "This is only the beginning, of course, but I have been in touch with her father's lawyers, the will checked out as having been completely in her favour excluding any rights her husband might have in her inheritance. Her father had also made sure she had a prenup stating pretty much the same thing. She will be ok, and he will be toast. And I'm sure you are happy to hear that she has a medical insurance all her own so you can take care of her in the style her father intended."

"That is definitely good news," House agreed.

"Anyway, I better go and work my magic," Stacy got ready to leave. "I know it isn't as dramatic as some of the magic you perform, but I think it is still pretty impressive."

"It certainly always impressed me when I was allowed to observe," House acknowledged as Stacy left the room.

"So how is the article going?" House then turned to Soo.

"Eric and Allison are kind enough to say that I'm doing well," Soo bit her lip in indecision. She wasn't sure if House wanted her to tout her own horn or be modest.

"Well, if they are letting you call them by their first names, then it must be going just swimmingly," House parodied. "Modesty doesn't get you anywhere in any profession. Mind you, neither does unfounded pride either. Learn to know yourself, to assess your own accomplishments and once you know you are good, let others know it too."

"I don't know enough yet, to know if I'm doing well," Soo admitted.

"Then learn!" House ordered. "By the way, I had a word with Dr. Cuddy, and she agrees that this article can take care of your ethics course, since you have missed these last lectures and was not present when Dr. Sleazy gave the subjects for the final essays. You won't need to go and see him in his office over it."

"Doctor?..." Soo was not sure she had heard correctly.

"Dr. Clease has oozed his way through these corridors for too long for anyone to be unaware of his nickname," House observed. "Also it is fairly difficult not to see that all female students – as well as nurses, doctors and anyone in skirts working in this hospital – makes sure they never get within arm's reach of him."

"Oh," Soo didn't quite know what to say. "I see. Well, thank you for helping me with the essay."

"Don't mention it," House said with exaggerated politeness. "Now get out of here. Foreman probably went to see your father, go after him."

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

Later that afternoon House was standing outside when he heard someone enter his office. He went back inside and found his mother waiting for him.

"Mother," House greeted her. "Alone again?"

"No, I'm not," Blythe told him. "Your Father is in the cafeteria holding a table for us."

"Us?" House repeated with some dread.

"Yes, us," Blythe confirmed. "You cannot avoid him forever, so just come with me now and get it over with. I will try and take care of the conversation. All you need to do is try and look like you didn't wish you were a hundred miles away."

"That may take all my acting skills," House observed.

"Please, Greg?" Blythe asked.

"Anything for you Mother," House capitulated. "I will even try and come up with something resembling an apology for the last time we met."

"Thank you," Blythe said. "And if you cannot say it, I will understand."

"You know me too well, Mother," House had to laugh.

"I've known you all your life," Blythe pointed out. "It would be little difficult not to know you."

"Dad seems to have succeeded quite well," House reminded her, though this time without any acrimony.

"Now, Greg," Blythe warned him. "Don't start that just before you have to meet him. You just work yourself into a bad frame of mind."

"True. Now, tell me, how are you? Any news?" House asked.

"We only saw yesterday, and I'm sure Foreman gives you daily reports anyway, so no, no news."

"Except that Foreman cannot tell me what your mental state is, nor did you sleep well last night, or didn't feel like eating this morning, you know, things like that," House pointed out.

"Greg, I am not a child. You do not need to watch my every step," Blythe admonished. "Your Father is already doing that and I don't need any more watchdogs."

"Ok, fine. I will curb my worry," House relented. "So, any plans for Christmas that I need to know about?"

"Christmas dinner," Blythe told him. "We have ordered it to be delivered to our flat and you will attend. I have already asked Lisa to come and I will invite your ducklings to it as well, though I will make clear that it is not a command performance so if they have different plans, that's ok. And I will invite Wilson too, of course."

"Ahh, about Wilson," House grimaced. "There might be a problem there."

"How? Have you two fought or something?" Blythe wondered. "Come to think of it, is that a bruise on your jaw again?"

"Yes. Wilson and I had a bit of a difference of opinion, again," House confessed.

"What about? He hasn't found out about...?" Blythe worried.

"Yes, he found out about that," House said. "He stopped by my flat today to pick up some DVDs and he found a button. Unfortunately he has a bit of an eye for details like that and so he recognised it. He stormed into the diagnostics, floored me and there was really nothing I could do but own up. He was not a happy camper."

"Oh, dear," Blythe sighed. "But I cannot not invite him just because he thinks you have behaved badly. Oh, well, I'll just invite him and it's up to him to come or not."

"Even if you can persuade him to attend, it can get a bit strained," House remarked.

"True, but since it is going to be a bit strained anyway because of you and your Father, I don't think it will make much of a difference," Blythe smiled at her son.

"There is that," House nodded as they arrived at the cafeteria and made their way to the table where John House was waiting for them with sandwiches and coffee.

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

The meeting with his parents had gone surprisingly well. House had managed to mutter a few words that could be interpreted as an apology to his father, who in turn had decided to interpret the words as one and had accepted it. After that they both mostly followed Blythe's lead and the meal had gone pretty much the same way most of the meals had gone at home, when Greg was still a boy. They had finalised the plans for Christmas dinner and House had faithfully promised to be there – barring dying patients, of course. It hadn't been too bad – but it did remind House why he had chosen to move out of home as soon as he had been able to.

House was back on his balcony – carefully avoiding looking towards Wilson's office on the other side of the dividing wall – when again he heard someone enter his office. He went inside to find Cameron there, this time.

"Burr," He said. "Perhaps I should go back to my balcony, the temperature inside seems a lot colder than out there."

"You will be happy to know that Wilson's hand is fine," Cameron said in clipped voice. "No permanent damage."

"Excellent," House accepted the news with nonchalance. "Did you tell him that as a doctor he ought to be more careful of his hands?"

"Yes," Cameron dropped the word like a stone. "I also managed to convince him that contacting Andie's mother over what had happened was not a good idea."

"Thank you," House said with sincerity.

"What were you thinking of!" Cameron exploded. "A patient!"

"Not mine," House answered with some warning in his voice.

"Maybe not, but the whole situation! Exploiting her vulnerability like that? How could you," Cameron looked at him like her whole world had collapsed.

"Cameron. You can judge me any which way you want, but do not, I repeat, do not expect me to explain myself to you. Especially not about my private life." House stated firmly.

"But this is not just your private life," Cameron insisted. "What you did overlaps with your work."

"Take it to Cuddy, then," House advised.

"I don't want to get you into trouble," Cameron denied. "I just cannot understand why you would do something so wrong."

"What is it that bothers you so much," House went on attack. "Is it the fact that I was with a woman – other than a prostitute? Or other than you? Does it bother you that this might actually prove that I'm not alone because I'm a miserable cripple in need of the right woman, but that I actually choose to be alone? Or do you find it offensive that I might be capable of giving comfort? That I just choose not to give it to you? Are you really angry at me because you truly believe I've done something wrong, or are you just plain jealous as all Hell? Only you cannot show that because it would be so petty to resent a woman who has just lost her only child, and that kind of negativity does not fit the image you have of yourself."

"How dare you," Cameron spluttered.

"Why shouldn't I dare?" House questioned. "You dare question my motives and deeds. What is good for the Gander is surely good for the Goose, too."

"I'm just concerned for the ethics of the situation, that is all," Cameron tried to defend herself.

"Sure you are," House sneered. "Ethics is always a big concern with you, except when it comes to co-workers having sex with each other."

"That was uncalled for!" Cameron gasped.

"No it wasn't, this however is uncalled for," House's hand snaked out grabbed the back of Cameron's neck, pulling her close enough for House to kiss her. It was short, and forceful but not savage nor hurting as such. When it was over House let go of her and closed his eyes. "When are you going to stop hurting yourself against me," he asked quietly. Cameron ran.