Here's a nice long one! I'm afraid I'm a bit into the depressing stuff now, but I'll try to throw some humour in there.
Thanks for the reviews!!! They mean a lot:o) Steph
PS-I should stress that the Nitro Glycerin is for her heart, NOT the anxiety.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
"Ewwww…oh my gaw…no way! That's humanly impossible!"
"House, shut UP!"
Cameron elbowed House in his stomach as they sat, with the expectant father in shock, watching a video on natural childbirth. They and three other couples were sitting on the floor on mats, the soon-to-be mothers with their legs bent out in a triangle, leaning back against their birthing coaches.
In the video, the baby's head was just beginning to crown and Cameron had to force herself to watch. She wasn't disgusted by it; she was scared as hell but not disgusted. And she knew House was just hiding his own discomfort, not the actual event that would present itself in seven weeks' time. Or, at least that's what she hoped.
Just as the baby's head popped out through the vaginal canal House screamed out, "IT'S ALIVE! IT'S AL…Ow!" Cameron shoved her elbow into stomach again. "If you don't stop hit…"
"Dr. House, I must ask you to take this class seriously…"
"Yeah, yeah. Go on," House answered, rudely interrupting her. "I hope that baby of yours kicks you just as hard as you hit me," he whispered in Cameron's ear.
"Oh, please. You're a doctor! You were there for Gregory's birth."
"Yeah, but that wasn't my baby coming out of my baby!"
"Dr. House!"
"What? Fine! Please continue!" he huffed.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"Debra, I'm telling you! He is scared shytless!" Cameron told her as they broke into a fit of giggles. They were both sitting in Debra and Wilson's living room and she'd just relayed the story of their first class of LaMaze the week before. The two women were waiting for House and Wilson to go to dinner.
"Well, can't say as I blame him. But Jim wasn't nervous at all; he was actually more excited about it than I was," Debra told her as she reached out in front of her to the playpen Gregory was in and handed him the stuffed animal he'd thrown out of reach.
Cameron frowned when she heard Debra say she wasn't as excited as Wilson was about the birth; Debra seemed to pick up on it right away.
"Oh, it's just I had a lot to worry about…with my heart and all."
"That's right. I seem to keep forgetting." Cameron hesitated a moment, going back and forth whether she wanted to ask Debra what she was curious about. She felt she was close enough to Debra to broach the subject. "Debra, how is counseling going?"
"Oh, thank GOD!" Again, Cameron frowned, not understanding her reaction. Debra laughed then said, "Everyone has been carefully treading around me, wanting to know how I was but afraid to ask. Greg hasn't even been asking me, and we both know how nosy he is."
The two women laughed when Debra's cell phone rang. She picked it up, looked at the number then closed the lid. They kept talking about expectations of having the baby when the land line phone rang. Debra didn't reach for it; it was as if she already knew who it was.
"Debra, I can go to the bathroom if you need privacy for…"
"No, no. Don't worry about it. It's nobody important."
A few seconds passed when the answering machine picked up and Debra's mother's voice was heard saying, "Debra Lynn, it's Mom. Pick up!" She hesitated a moment. "Look, I've got some bad news, honey. You need to call me. It's about Dad…he's…he's dead. Please, call as soon as you get this." The machine beeped and the message was over.
Just then the door creaked open and House bounded into the room, with Wilson following behind him.
"Hey, girls!" House said melodramatically.
Cameron glared at Wilson then threw her eyes to Debra as if he'd know what that meant; he didn't. House didn't even look at Debra but walked to Cameron and sat down. Wilson stopped right at the couch when he saw the expression on his wife's face. Debra had gone pale; paler than he had ever seen her, actually. Her eyes were glazed over and she seemed to be zoned out; her breathing was shallow, seemingly having difficulty taking a breath; her shoulders were slumped down beside her.
"Okay, little buddy – you know the drill!" House said as he leaned into Gregory's playpen and picked up a toy, with protests from the baby. "If you want the toy, you have to say, 'Uncle Greg!' Come on! You can say it. UNK-L GREHGG…"
"House…stop," Cameron told him urgently. When he looked at Cameron he knew something was wrong. He looked over at Debra and saw Wilson kneeling in front of her, smacking her face with no response.
"Debra, talk to me," Wilson pleaded as he tried to get her to focus on him. He felt her pulse through the vein on her wrist and was startled at the rapid throbbing. "Cameron, can you get her Nitro? It's in the medicine cabinet in the bathroom." Wilson grabbed Debra by her shoulder and gently pushed her back against the sofa; her body put up no resistance.
"Jmmmm"
Cameron had a little trouble getting up quickly enough so House went to get it. When he came back and handed the bottle to Wilson she looked even worse. Sweat was pouring down her forehead and her mouth hung open. Wilson poured one tablet into his palm and slid it under Debra's tongue.
"Let that dissolve, baby. Just relax…you'll pull through this."
House looked at Wilson waiting for an explanation. When he didn't get it he finally asked.
"It's an anxiety attack. Cameron, what happened?" She told the two about the call about her father.
"Oh, shyte," Wilson muttered.
Wilson continued to talk softly and lovingly to Debra as the medication started to take effect. She started to move her head a bit more and tried to lift her arms, mumbling the whole time, repeating House's first name over and over.
"Is this the first time she's…" House started to ask.
"No, it's not…Deb…come on, baby. Just follow my voice."
Finally, Debra focused on her husband looking at her frantically, terror in his face and eyes. "Jimmm? Mom…Dad…oh, god…"
"Breathe…take your time."
Debra's head felt like it was a Bobble doll, but the past few minutes seemed to show some kind of improvement from the Nitro-Glycerin. Her ears were ringing loudly, so loudly she could hear not a sound from the room, or House's voice from watching his lips move talking to Gregory; her heart pounded heavily in her chest; as if it were going to explode.
Wilson reached up and cupped his wife's face in his hand. "Okay, how are you doin'? You back with me?"
Debra didn't answer but nodded her head. "Need to go home…Dad…oh…"
"I know, Debra, I know. But not now. You need to lie down."
"No, NO! Mom needs me…"
"Debra, no! Listen to me! You are not in the shape…"
Suddenly, she bolted up from the couch and headed for the door. "You can't keep me…NO! Let GO of me!" she cried out.
Wilson had managed to grab Debra under her shoulders and pulled her from the door. He wrestled her to the floor, which was no easy feat considering her strength and his lack of knowing how strong she really was, and managed to straddle her waist, holding her arms up over her head. She was thrashing back and forth, kicking her feet and legs, making Wilson buck in the air, cursing at him and begging for him to get off of her. House calmly limped over to the pair, knelt on his knee, pulled a syringe out of his pocket and removed the cap.
"What the hell is that? You're not giving her morphine!" Wilson said, still doing his best to keep her still.
"Oh, relax. It's a sedative," he said as he pushed the syringe into her arm, ignoring the angry yet confused look on Wilson's face.
By the time Wilson got Debra up and put her into the spare bed, he was completely exhausted. When he walked into the living room where Cameron and House were waiting for him, House held out a small glass of Whiskey and he eagerly downed it in one swallow then threw himself on the couch.
"She wants to talk to you before she goes out, House," Wilson said softly, so much so they barely heard him.
House stood and slowly went into the bedroom, where he found her staring up at the ceiling; the expression on her face blank. He quietly walked to the bed and sat down beside her.
"Hey," he said softly. "You scared the crap out of us."
She slowly turned her head to look at him. Her eyes were definitely glazed over, slowly closing then flying open as she fought the effects of the sedative. Her breathing was normal and she was finally very calm.
"Greg, I can'…I can't go…home…"
House was speechless; he didn't know what to tell her. He knew she should go, but then again, if it were his father, would he? He sure couldn't blame her.
"Deb, would you go if I went with you?"
She looked at him seriously and yawned, forcing herself to keep her eyes open, which were half shut now. "No, you shouldn't leave Allison."
"She'll be fine…"
"No, no." A sigh escaped her and she exhaled deeply, finally closed her eyes and kept them closed. "This isn't your problem," she said, her voice slurred.
No, it's not my problem, but you can't do this alone. I know I sure as hell couldn't House thought to himself.
"Debra, we'll talk about it tomorrow, okay?"
"Wha' abow' Momm?"
"I'll call her, okay? Just sleep."
She tossed her head as if that would keep her awake, but the drug kicked in the last few seconds and she finally drifted off to sleep.
Suddenly his hand hurt and he didn't know why. He looked down to see her hand clasping at his and holding it tight; so tightly that her knuckles had turned white. He watched her sleep for a few minutes before he stood and left her sleeping, returning to the living room.
"Why didn't you tell me?!" Wilson said; his voice angry. "And why the hell did you have a sedative…"
"Mom called me before we left about Uncle George. I told her I'd tell Debra; over the phone sure wasn't the way to go. I guess Aunt Sharon got to her first."
Wilson threw his head back against the couch again, his eyes closed, his anger raging.
"And I knew she'd need something – well, I didn't. I was hoping I wouldn't have to use the sedative."
Wilson didn't open his eyes but nodded, as if he didn't care.
But he did care.
