When Eames came striding into the intensive care unit, Cameron was waiting for her at the nurses' station. "What's wrong?" she said without preamble. She had not liked the tone of the doctor's voice when she'd called and asked her to come right over. She liked it even less when Cameron tried to reassure her by saying it wasn't about Maggie.

"My boss, I'm afraid."

"Bobby didn't hit him again, did he?"

"No, but I wish he would have. House gave him the naked truth, and I don't think he was ready for it...not the way it was presented to him."

"What did he tell him?"

Unlike her boss, Cameron chose her words carefully. "We're down to the wire, Mrs. Goren. We found out what's causing Maggie's fever and her pneumonia. She'll respond to the treatment for that. What has her at risk is the man'o'war toxin. She's very sensitive to it, and it could still kill her. We can't do anything more for her. Now it's up to her."

"Let me guess...that's not how House put it."

"How'd you know?"

Eames sighed. "Exactly how did he put it?"

"He told your husband that in 24 hours Maggie will either be improving or she'll be dead."

Eames closed her eyes, torn between her desire to go to her husband and her desire to give House a fistful of what-for. Her concern for Bobby won out over her anger. "Thank you, Dr. Cameron."

"I was concerned. He just...shut down."

Eames nodded. "That's what he does when he doesn't know what else to do, when pain gets the better of him."

"Let me know if I can help."

She nodded and headed for Maggie's room. Standing in the doorway, she watched him. "Bobby?"

He didn't react. That was a bad sign. Crossing to him, she stopped and sifted her fingers through his hair. "Hey, Goren, talk to me."

Slowly, he turned his eyes toward her. "And what do I say?"

"There's a right way and a wrong way to do things. House chose the wrong way."

He shrugged. "I'd rather he not sugar-coat things."

"I don't think he's capable of sugaring anything more than his coffee."

No smile. He just turned his eyes back to the still child in the bed. He sighed, a soft, uneven sound. "What am I..."

He stopped, and she saw a tear trail its way down his cheek. She gently slid a hand along the back of his head and he let her pull him close, burying his face in her chest and, finally, wrapping his arms around her. His arms tightened, holding her like a vice. She stroked his hair and kissed his head. There was nothing else she could do for him.

Logan was sitting on the bed, playing a game of toss the baby, and Barek was watching with apprehension. "If you ever play this game with our kid, I'll kill you."

"What? I've been playing it with Maggie since she was about a year old. I haven't dropped a kid yet."

"And what would happen if you did?"

"My life wouldn't be worth the chemicals it's made of."

"Exactly."

"Chill out, sweetheart. Listen to him giggle."

"Mike, he giggles if you walk across the room."

Logan laughed. "Yeah, he does, doesn't he?"

Across the room, Deakins and John were playing cards. "You'd better not drop him, Logan. I'll let John borrow my gun," the captain said with a smile.

With a sigh, Logan pulled the baby to his chest and kissed him. "Looks like we'll just have to play that game when we're alone, buddy."

Tommy reached out and patted his face. "Hungy, Unna My."

He looked at the time. "Well, look at that, it is breakfast time. I..."

The phone on the table beside him rang, cutting off his sentence. He lifted it from its receiver. "Logan."

You can just say hello, Mike. I think I can figure out it's you.

"Oh, yeah. Habit. What's going on?"

I'm going to go and give House a piece of my mind.

"Give him a big piece. You can spare it. What'd he do?"

He's just an insensitive ass.

"We knew that, Alex. Exactly what did he do this time?"

He told Bobby point blank that if Maggie isn't better in 24 hours, she'll be dead.

Logan was quiet for a minute. "Please, please, let me hit him. I want a turn."

Maybe next time. It's my turn. Look, will you bring Tommy up after breakfast?

"Yeah, sure. How is Bobby?"

Don't ask. Just bring the baby up. I'll see you in a little while.

"Right. Just remember...like it or not, that ass is Maggie's doctor."

I won't hurt him...bad. Bye, Mike.

"Bye." He set the phone in its cradle. "Well, let's go feed this little monkey. Daddy needs some Tommy time."

"What happened?" John asked.

"I'll tell you on the way down to the diner."

The door to the office swung open and Eames stormed in. Foreman and Chase looked at each other, each bearing an expression of apprehension, wondering just what House had done now. Cameron did not look surprised to see Maggie's mother, and neither did House. "Detective, what a pleasure."

"Do not patronize me," she growled.

House glanced over at his nervous colleagues. "Little person, big bang. Watch."

Eames leaned on the desk and very slowly said, "How dare you."

"Let's be more specific, shall we? I dare to do a lot of things."

"How could you tell him that?"

"He wants the truth, doesn't he?"

She took a deep breath and prayed for patience. "Yes, but there are better ways to put it out there, doctor."

"Didn't Cameron fix it?"

Eames didn't understand the seemingly honest perplexity on House's face. She took another deep breath. "You don't know my husband."

"Keep breathing like that and you'll hyperventilate."

"If I don't breathe like this," she said tightly. "I'll rip your head off."

"Oh. Then feel free to breathe however you need to. Look, things are they way they are. Your husband seems to understand that. I didn't tell him anything that wasn't true. What's crueler: telling him what's going on and pulling no punches, or giving him false hope? He doesn't seem the 'false hope' kinda guy to me. So I opted for the brutal truth."

"Next time, let one of them tell him."

House studied her. "Did he send you to yell at me?"

"Of course not. He doesn't think you did anything wrong."

"Then why do you?"

"Because you did. You went about it wrong, and now he's withdrawn so far I'm having a hard time reaching him. Do it again, Dr. House, and I just may shoot you."

"That also would not be the first time."

"Why does that not surprise me?"

She turned and left the office. House looked over at the three young doctors when he heard a stifled laugh. Chase said, "I like those parents."

"She's spunky," House admitted. But that was as close as he would come to agreeing with Chase. Truth be told, he liked them, too. They were a nice contrast, and it was refreshing to deal with people who were not idiots. "Back to the books, kiddies. If there is anything we can do to help that little girl, I want to find it. Remember, Portuguese has two 'u's."

Eames sat on the foot of the bed, leafing through the storybook Bobby had been reading to Maggie. He sat quietly in the chair, watching Maggie and making Eames nervous. She would rather he be agitated and pacing. She couldn't take this quiet; she was worried.

She looked up at a noise in the hallway and saw Logan set Tommy down on the floor. Tommy came into the room and looked from his mother to his father. He smiled at her, but his eyes returned to his father. He toddled across the room and reached up to touch Bobby's arm. "Dada?"

Goren seemed to come out of a trance, turning his eyes to his little son, surprised to see him. "Hey, tiger."

The little boy's face lit up into a happy smile. "Uppy, pees."

A smile touched his mouth as he lifted the baby into his lap. Tom lay on his chest, wrapping his arms around his neck. "Yubu, Dada."

Goren sighed softly. "I love you, too, Tommy."

Tom stayed there for several long moments, an eternity to a toddler. Then he sat back and looked at his sister. "Maga?"

Stirring from the chair, Goren stood and set Tommy on the bed. "Watch the tubes, buddy," he said.

Tom carefully navigated the tubes and wires until he was in range of his sister's head. Then he touched her cheek. "Maga! Guppy!" He looked at his father, puzzled. "Maga no gup, Dada."

"No, she can't get up, Tom."

"Wanna pay."

"I know you do."

Tommy couldn't understand why Maggie wouldn't wake up. She always woke up for him, just like Daddy did. Carefully, he pulled himself up on the siderail and jumped at Goren, who easily caught him. "Dada, pay ball?"

"Not in here. Uncle Mike or Grandpa will have to play ball with you."

He thought about it, and reluctantly muttered, "'Kay, Dada."

Logan leaned toward Eames. "I've never seen that kid so serious."

She nodded. "He knows something isn't right and he doesn't like it."

"Join the club, slugger," he said to the baby. Shifting his gaze between Eames and Goren, he said, "He wanted to bring Maggie a donut. Made Carolyn cry. I can't wait until this baby's born. I can't take all the uncertainty. Last week, I fixed her dinner and you'd have thought I crossed the English Channel in my boxers for her. I just...I want her back. This is a very 'iffy' game and I don't like it."

"Another reason this baby will be an only child, huh, Mike?" Eames asked.

"Think about how she's feeling," Goren muttered absently as he watched Tommy play with the buttons on his shirt.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm trying. But it's hard to be sympathetic when you're in a headlock for leaving the seat up."

"Then don't leave the seat up," Eames said reasonably.

Goren shrugged. "It's that easy."

"Yeah, easy to say." He huffed. "I gotta go practice spending quality time with the baby. At least now that she's showing I don't feel so weird talking to her stomach. See you guys later. Take care of Daddy, Tom."

Tommy smiled at him, then hugged his father. Logan laughed quietly. "Good boy."

Eames watched Goren with the little boy, grateful once more for Tommy's happy innocence, for the smiles he could coax out of his father when he least wanted to smile, for being able to reach him so easily when he was trying to retreat from a pain he couldn't bear. Most of all, she was grateful to her little son for helping his father set aside that pain, at least for a little while.