CHAPTER TWENTY - ONE

"Good morning, Debra," Cuddy said as she came into her office, dropped off manila folders and three tapes on Debra's desk and started to walk to her office. "I need those transcipts by tomorrow morning and can you get me the Laurie patient file and…oh, wait, what am I forgetting…"

"Dr. Scranton is coming in at 9:30 for your appointment, here are those two files you asked for yesterday and…here's your coffee," Debra said as she handed Cuddy a cup.

"Debra, you are fantastic. Are you sure you don't want to move here to Jersey and work full time for me?" she asked as she took the folders and cup from Debra with a smile.

"Oh, I'd love to, but, you know, working in the same building with your famous diagnostician is dragging me down," Debra answered jokingly.

"Oh, tell me about it." Cuddy took a deep breath then leaned against the wall. "Debra, you've been a big help to me and I'm sure you're ready to go home."

"Actually, Dr. Cuddy, I really don't want to. I have issues," she said trying to be funny but Cuddy picked up on it.

"You still haven't talked to your parents about why they never came down to see you?"

"No, and I'm not sure I want to talk to them." Debra hesitated a moment before she said, "You know, I think I'm going to think real hard about your offer."

"Good," Cuddy said as she turned to walk out.

"Dr. Cuddy, I'm going to the bathroom. I'll be back in five," she said as she grabbed her purse, a small paper bag and walked toward the door.

"Fine, but I've told you more than once to call me Lisa," she hollered out from behind her desk.

"Yep, and I've told you more than twice that during office hours you are Dr. Cuddy," she said with a smile on her face as she walked out.

Debra's heart was pounding as she walked to the ladies bathroom.

Please be negative…please be negative.

HOUSE MD HOUSE MD HOUSE MD

Three months had passed since Jerry had been to Jersey and wrecked havoc on the PPTH team. Debra and Wilson settled into their apartment and had become very close, so close that they were now sharing the same bed. Debra had been going back and forth about whether she wanted to stay in Jersey or go back home and she was incredibly torn.

House and Cameron had carried on their relationship as best as they could. It's not that they weren't getting along, nor was it that Cameron was pressuring him for more.

At the beginning of their relationship she'd stay at his apartment about twice a week, but that dwindled down to nothing the past three weeks. House wanted her there, but he had just gotten so comfortable with her that it scared him, though he couldn't put his finger on why. House crawled back into his shell further, and further from her.

Cameron knew House well enough that she shouldn't push him, and she never did. They worked together very well, but with an occasional moment of awkwardness between them in the office.

Ever since the night he lost it over his grandmother he kept hearing Debra telling him to talk to his father, but it wasn't House that should start it; as far as he was concerned his father should talk, apologize and 'tell him he was right,' and that her death wasn't his fault.

But Cameron, bless her heart, never brought up the subject, and neither had Debra. But then again, he hadn't seen Debra outside of the hospital. Even the lunches with her and Wilson started to slip and had become non-existent.

But it never bothered Debra because she had Wilson and Cameron to tell her what House was up to. She even stopped visiting House in his office and he only dropped by to yell at Cuddy, or have Cuddy yell at him. She couldn't have been happier, though.

HOUSE MD HOUSE MD HOUSE MD

An hour later, Dr. Scranton left Cuddy's office and Debra waved him goodbye. She watched him walk out the door and saw House walk toward Cuddy's office but looked down at her paperwork. That had been the norm lately; he never came by to see her. When she heard the door open she didn't even look up. She wasn't angry, just a little hurt, but overall felt fine with it. She wanted to be a part of House's life, but Wilson warned her not to push him; that he'd come to her when he was ready.

"Lunch," he said as he snuck his head in the door, looking at the teddy bear on her desk she'd given him then he'd given to her.

Debra looked up and said, "It's only 10:30."

"I'm hungry."

"I'm not and I've got work to do. You know how strict Dr. Cuddy can be."

"Yeah, I know," he said. "Lunch."

"Greg! I…"

Suddenly Cuddy's voice echoed through the room, "Take him to lunch. He's getting on my nerves."

"Thanks, boss," House hollered out to her. "Come on."

Debra sighed and grabbed her purse. "Okay, but I'm not buying." She squeezed by him and they walked down the hall to the elevator.

"Yes, you are."

"I am what?" she asked.

"You're buying lunch."

"Fine, cheap skate!"

"I'm not cheap, I'm just short changed," House said as they got on and the doors closed behind them.

"Nope, cheap."

The two were quiet from the time they got off the elevator to the time they sat down in the cafeteria. House dove into his egg, bacon and cheese burrito while Debra just pushed food around on her plate; House didn't miss that, either.

"So, when's the big day?" House asked.

She looked up at him confused. "Greg, Jim hasn't asked me to mar…"

"I know, I know. When are you due?"

She looked at him dumfounded. How in the hell did he know?

"I'm not pregnant," she said, unconvincingly.

"Oh, come on, Deb! Hello! I'm a doctor! I know when a woman is pregnant."

"How?"

House leaned back in his chair and scrutinized his cousin. "Let's see…there's the spew, aka morning sickness right before work. There's the pregnant glow said with his face contorting to make fun of that fact that is so bright Cuddy doesn't need a light in her office. And there's…"

"Alright, alright. I took an EPT test an hour ago…wait. You saw me go in and checked the trash, didn't you?"

"No! Of course."

"Liar."

"Yeah, I lied. What are you going to do?"

"Greg, how do I know?! I just found out an hour ago. Geez! You barely talk to me anymore and then you badger me about…"

House leaned in over the table a bit and said genuinely, "Debra, I know how you're doing. If I pestered you about how you were when I already knew how you were then I'd be pestering you…wait, that didn't make sense, did it?"

"I'll…have to talk to Jim. Greg, please don't tell him until I can, ok?"

House nodded his head; too bad he'd already told Wilson his suspicions. Wilson told him he couldn't father a child. House scoffed at him. Wilson insisted after three marriages he'd at least have had one kid. House scoffed again.

"So, do you want to be called Father or Daddy?"