a/n: I know, I know, I fell behind in updates again. This time I have a great reason! While on vacation, I wrote a lot. I have the next three chapters written. It just took me a while to piece this together in a logical order. I hope to update twice a week for the next few weeks. We are getting closer to the birth! This is a nice transition chapter that starts building up to the big moment.

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Chase hobbled down the stairs after waking up alone in their new bedroom. It was worth it to him to risk aggravation of his injury last night so he could finally sleep in his own bed. He didn't care if they still couldn't find the sheets. He had stayed in bed for a little while, negotiating in his mind the long haul down the stairs, but knew Cameron was probably frantic by now. He took each stair one by one slowly, thus avoiding jarring pain.

As expected, he heard familiar crying. After all they'd been through the last few days, he should hear crying. He put his arms around his hysterical wife, who was sitting at the bottom on the stairs, and rubbed her back offering a comforting 'there-there'. Given the state of the two rooms they saw on each side of them, with half unpacked boxes and their belongings scattered everywhere like a tornado just blew through, he should be crying too. "I see Pamela got started with the unpacking."

"Got started? Getting started would imply that she actually accomplished something. All she's done is create a huge mess." Cameron was not feeling gracious right now.

"She meant well. You do remember how she bailed us out, don't you? I'll be at home for the next four weeks. I'll be able to chip away at this slowly. My back is already better today."

"What about down there?"

"Swollen like a balloon and hurts like hell. I took more drugs before coming down here."

"Great, another day of ignorant bliss for you. Too bad I can't take those in my condition." Cameron could have continued with harder weeping, but realized it would only be an admission that the hormones were winning. She calmed herself by letting out a deep sigh and looked at the mass piles surrounding her. "How are you going to have time to unpack? You and Foreman are supposed to work on getting the practice started."

"I can unpack in between all that. If I let that be my entire day, I'll be insane before the office opens."

"Is the office going to be ready in four weeks?"

"We hope so. The network contract starts in four weeks, so we have little choice."

"I'm still suspicious how your hernia puts you out the same amount of time as to the start of the contract. No one cried foul over at Princeton General?"

"Oh, you mean my dastardly plan of trying to pick up a box and cause massive double injury to myself at exactly the right moment? Yeah, they saw through my evil disguise and called me out on it. They thought the surgery and orders from House were a nice touch."

Cameron wasn't buying his sardonic speech. "It is a strange coincidence."

"For your information, House wanted me out for six weeks. I had to talk him down to four with limited duty after that."

"You see?? It wasn't a coincidence. You've been caught." She smiled with satisfaction.

"I give up. I can never win, can I?" Chase got up gingerly and stared at the wreckage surrounding him. "How did we get into this mess?"

Cameron grabbed her right rib, feeling the blunt strike from inside of what was likely a tiny foot. "Easy. This is all your fault."

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Wilson put the finishing touches on the salmon just before serving it to his date. Forget date, she was now a constant companion. He stopped short of saying the word 'girlfriend'. After all, this wasn't high school.

Fresh orange peel. He searched through the refrigerator crisper for the garnish that would perfect his creation. He learned long ago maintaining his cooking skill was the best way to please a woman.

"Wow, you did all this in just twenty minutes?" Cuddy asked when the plate was put in front of her. Her salmon sat on top of a bed of steamed asparagus, glazed with a citrus sauce and served with a side of seasoned cous cous.

"It's a very easy dish to make. It has all the vital nutrients needed by a mother to be."

"This looks wonderful. Thanks for agreeing to come to my home and cook for me."

"Thanks for letting me. I needed the distraction." Wilson replied as he took his place at the table. He even thought to serve them both two tall glasses of fresh cold milk.

Cuddy made a few different joyous moans as she took a bite of her dinner. Why didn't she hire him as a personal chef?

Wilson smiled, pleased to see how happy he was making her as he pushed a fork into his meal.

Cuddy took a little more time in silence to enjoy her dinner, but decided she had to bring this up sometime. "What did he say to you?"

"Nothing, he isn't speaking to me."

Cuddy sighed, guessing as much. "You know he's just waiting for the right opportunity to get back at you, or me, or both of us."

"I can handle anything he dishes out at me. I'm concerned about you and the baby."

"I know how to deal with House."

"This is a whole new ballgame. This isn't trying to force him to do clinic duty against his will. He'll surprise you with his spite. He'll surprise me too, but it won't be the first time."

"Then what do we do?"

Wilson let out a deep breath, not sure if he was up for this. "I'm afraid Lisa, we are going to have to let him in."

"Let him in?"

"Let him play whatever role he wants to play. Whenever he falls short, I'll cover the rest."

Cuddy smiled. "You are talking about with the baby?"

Wilson chuckled, realizing what she was implying. "Yes, the baby. I think you and I both will easily draw lines elsewhere."

"I don't know. He will use his standing as the father to get back at us for our relationship. He will do everything he can to break us apart and makes us suffer."

"Then this will be a good test for us. If we can deal with him, we can deal with anything." He glanced up at Cuddy, realizing she wasn't feeling as assured. She had a good reason to feel that way.

"He's not going to like having rules dictated to him." Cuddy said.

"We will have to work on him slowly, give him time to see reason."

"Oh yeah, that so worked for us before."

"If he doesn't play nice, it's his loss. He's going to have to decide for himself."

Cuddy wasn't sure. "This baby is due in 21 weeks."

"Then it's time to have a talk."

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Childbirth classes for two doctors is much like college graduates being forced to take a refresher course years later on new math. You have no idea how the rules have changed.

"Welcome, I'm Martha Burnett and I'm the class instructor. Are you the two doctors I was warned about?"

"Yes, how did you guess?" Cameron asked.

"You are the last ones here and everyone already introduced themselves. Please take a seat. We are getting started soon."

They joined everyone in the circle of chairs and sat down next to another couple, a rather young woman and a middle aged man. "You both are doctors?" The young woman asked after overhearing the introduction. "Have you ever delivered a baby before?"

Cameron could tell right away the man didn't marry her for her brains. "I've been present at a few births before, but never have been the doctor in charge of the delivery. My husband has though." Cameron did her best to hold back a snicker, trying to see what sort of questions Chase would get.

"Really? How hard was it on the mother? Was she in pain a really long time?"

"No, but it was her seventh child so it slid through her canal like it was on a water slide."

That comment got the attention of everyone else in the room, including a couple of gasps. "You were her doctor?" Another pregnant woman asked.

"She came into the ER with the baby's head already half out when I was covering a shift. It took all of five minutes. She had her other kids in the mini-van and was filling up her car at the gas station when something went really wrong. She was only a few minutes from the hospital when it happened, otherwise she would have delivered in the car."

That caused a few more squirms from the other pregnant women in the room. "She didn't go into labor?" Another woman asked.

"No, that happens in some cases. You are just minding your own business and then 'bam!' the baby is coming out. It can happen anywhere." Chase of course didn't share that these were rare and isolated cases, but he did enjoy seeing the eyes in the room grow huge in paranoia.

"You have an accent." The man next them said.

"I'm Australian."

The young woman with the man perked up in interest. "You are? Tell me, are babies born different in other countries like Australia?" Chase glanced around the room at all eyes on him. Half were interested in the answer, the other half saw the stupidity of the question.

He decided this would be a good time for some fun. "Yes, as a matter of fact. In Australia, they have a machine that assists in the birth. Every 30 seconds, it goes 'ping!'"

The woman was fascinated. "Australia sounds really different. Aren't babies carried in pouches there?"

The husband rolled his eyes, knowing he didn't marry her for her brains. "You're confused again dear. Only animals like kangaroos put their young in natural pouches. There aren't human pouches for babies." He turned back to Chase. "That machine sounds pretty cool though. Why doesn't this hospital have one of those, what are they called?"

"The machine that goes 'ping!' It's new technology not adopted in this country." Chase sensed the man knew he was lying through his teeth.

The man laughed. "Funny, I remember hearing about one of those machines around 1980. You were probably born with one of them."

Chase responded with his own laughter, realizing the man picked up on his comical reference. "Yes, you're right. I guess that puts us behind."

The man giggled harder, leaving his wife and most of the room very perplexed over what was happening. "I'll explain it later dear."

The instructor broke up the fun signaling that class was to begin. "Try not to pay attention to the two doctors in the room. They are about to learn what they are in for just like the rest of you."

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"What do you two want?" House asked, not at all happy to see his unwelcome visitors.

Cuddy was about to ask for permission in, but Wilson just led them forward into the apartment. House didn't resist, but didn't show any signs of letting up with the evil eye either.

"You two here to announce your engagement?" House said with a frosty voice.

"We are here to give you options. Either you act or you don't. We will accept whatever you choose." Cuddy said, choosing not to make herself very comfortable. She didn't think this would take long.

"I think I'm the one that should be giving you options. Actually I've only got one. Leave!"

Cuddy wasn't about to be intimidated. "The baby is yours. I'll list you on the birth certificate as the dad only if you tell me to."

"That's my option? I get an official title of dad? Does that come with something for my wall? Put Wilson down if all you want is to coronate someone with legal standing."

"If your name goes on the certificate, you get to be a dad whenever you want or whenever you don't want. I personally think you will avoid the kid like the plague, but any requests at access you might make would be taken seriously."

"What about Wilson's access?"

"He's my partner through all this. He's going to classes and appointments with me and will be there at delivery."

"He will until you cut off his nookie."

"Unlike you, James takes a commitment seriously."

"James?" House started laughing. "What, not Jimmy? Where are the cutesy pet names? I like using schnookums myself." He threw a kiss in the air and winked at Wilson, who just ignored him.

Cuddy felt her anger rise, but remained calm. "I knew it would boil down to jokes. I didn't expect an answer right away. You have until the baby is born."

House turned to Wilson, not appreciating his silence. "Come on, where's the big speech about what a disappointment I am?"

"You're not disappointing me. You're meeting expectations." Wilson replied.

"Get out!" House shouted at both of them. They both looked at each other wondering if there was anything left to say. There wasn't.

"We are trying to be fair." Cuddy said standing in the doorway.

"Nothing in life is fair." He slammed the door just as Cuddy and Wilson were on the other side.

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Cameron threw her purse down on the kitchen counter, still seething mad from the car ride home. "How dare you even make such a suggestion?"

"The doctor in you isn't thinking logically." Chase argued. "You know pushing will be easier and faster, there is less risk of complications and your recovery will be easier."

"I can't believe you actually want me to consider natural childbirth. That is like training for a marathon for nothing more than pride. The babies are the same in my arm with or without it. Here's a great reason against it, the pain is ten times as worse!!!"

"Which is what the childbirth classes are doing. Teaching you to effectively manage pain during delivery."

"I'm not going through labor without an epidural! Fifty percent of all multiple pregnancies go via c-section anyway, so at least the anesthesia would already be administered."

Chase couldn't believe she would bring up such an idea. "That number is much lower for twins. Is that what you want?"

"No," she muttered. "I don't have to put myself through unnecessary pain though."

"I've seen you wince at all the spinal taps we've had to do. I can't believe you want a drug administered like that. You will lose your mobility, and it will require constant fetal monitoring. You also lose control of your body and it will only relieve pain, not eliminate it."

"I won't have control anyway thanks to the agony these children are going to put me through. You aren't the one that has to push these critters through a small hole. You couldn't handle simultaneous back and groin pain without something powerful, what makes you think I have to?"

"It's not the same thing. My pain lasted for several days. Yours will only be for a few hours. Besides, there is more than your comfort at stake here. If a complication arises like your blood pressure dropping or you not being able to push, forceps will be needed. How is that good for the babies? Granted that is worst case, but this has been anything but a smooth pregnancy."

Cameron frowned, having no good counter-argument against that. "Fine, I'll talk with Dr. Ades and get her professional opinion. I still say those drugs serve their purpose."

Chase ran his fingers over her right hand. "Thank you. I'm not saying go without pain management, narcotics are commonly used, I'm just asking don't do something so extreme."

"We have plenty of time to consider this." She replied, ending the heated discussion.

Cameron walked into the family room, which was perfectly clean and organized. They resolved to have at least one room in the house declared a clutter free zone. The rest could wait. That way, if they got overwhelmed, they had a happy place to retreat to. Their plan wasn't pitch perfect until a few hours ago when they finally found the TV remote.

Both of them gingerly sank onto the couch, adjusting pillows behind their aching backs. Cameron didn't find her position comfortable, so she stretched herself sideways onto his lap and admired the comfortable room surrounding them. A sad smile fell on her face.

"Is something wrong?" Chase asked.

"All this talk about delivery tells me it's finally going to happen sooner than later."

"Isn't that exciting?"

"I'm excited about getting these things out of me. I can't wait for that day. I can't wait to get my body back."

"Then what is it?"

"We are also that much closer to being parents. That still scares the crap out of me."

"I know, me too. We need to handle this just like we did when we first started with House."

Cameron raised her head and turned to look at him, thinking he had lost his mind. "Make it up as we go along??"

"Hey, it's the best I can come up with." Chase shrugged before smiling.

Cameron put her head back down and took another minute for reflection. "You think it's time to get the nursery ready?"

"I think that's a great idea."

"We'll have to pick neutral colors."

Chase didn't like that suggestion. "Green and yellow? No shade in either of those colors sounds appealing. I'd rather just do blue and pink. That way we cover our tracks."

"Blue in a room with two girls?"

"Girls like blue, and it's not two girls."

"How about we buy white furniture and save the wall colors for later."

"It's easier to paint first."

"No one paints when the sex of the baby is unknown, unless you go neutral."

Chase shook his head, realizing they were going in circles. "Fine, we'll wait." After thinking for a few more minutes, he came to a bigger realization. "Wall colors are the least of our worries. We have nothing. No car seats, strollers, clothes, bottles, rattles, cribs, blankets, nothing."

Cameron laughed. "If these kids came tomorrow, we're screwed."

Chase dropped whatever smile was on his face. "No tempting fate. Our luck with mishaps has been less than stellar."

"Oh lighten up. We're fine."

He grabbed her chin and looked at her seriously. "No more medical emergencies, please?"

"I don't know, the odds have been against us lately." Cameron was joking, but the fact that she didn't mention the reason for the visit to her doctor while he was in surgery did cross her mind.

"I'm not sure I can take anymore." Chase pleaded.

"Okay, calm down. I promise to be careful, but I'm not speaking for these kids."

Chase leaned over to Cameron's huge belly. "This is your father. No more surprises, hear me?"

Cameron laughed again. "I never listened to my father. What makes you sure they will listen to you?"

Chase's chin sunk in defeat. "Yeah, I never listened to my dad either. They're going to do what they want. It's in the blood."

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a/n: Since you all have been so wonderful to me, I'll give you a preview for the next chapter in two words. Baby shower.