Thank you again for your kind words! And please, ask if something I wrote left you wondering, if possible I will fit an explanation into the story - unless I meant to leave you wondering :).
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Monday afternoon Cuddy came to see House. She found him on the floor of his office listening to music while Aiko contentedly crawled all over him pretending to be a mountain climber or something. House occasionally pulled her back towards him when she was heading too far away from him and his reach, but other than that she was free to do as she chose – even when it meant poking her Daddy's nose and pulling his hair (though there he did protest telling her that he didn't have any to spare). Cuddy watched them for a moment imagining three more little people into the picture; she was beginning to believe that they really could make it without screwing up the kids too bad. However, that could wait; she had come here for a reason.
"House," Cuddy called for his attention. He opened his eyes and looked at her questioningly – he knew he had done his clinic duty for the day! Cuddy smiled. "I got a call, the paperwork went through. Dr Higa is now attached to PPTH as a quest lecturer and a consultant in the international programme that is being set up for our students."
"Great!" House got up into a sitting position carefully taking Aiko with him. "Did you hear that Little Love? Your grandpa is coming over to see you soon. How soon, Cuddy?"
"Well all the papers are in order, so anytime he can get ready," Cuddy shrugged. "I thought you could call him and find out."
"And it's ok with you that he lives in the house?" House checked again.
"It's your house," Cuddy reminded him. "You can invite in anyone you want."
"You cannot take that attitude Cuddy," House shook his head at her. "Just because I bought the house with the money I got in compensation from Landis does not mean it isn't as much your house now that you live in it."
"You mean that I have to take my position as the mistress of the house seriously?" Cuddy smiled.
"As long as you don't write that house with a capital letter!" House reminded her. "You order me about quite enough at work; don't get any ideas of being able to do it at home, too."
"I'm not that successful at it even at work," Cuddy grumbled.
"You have been lately," House pointed out distracting Aiko from poking his eyes by making a fish-face.
"Yes, I have," Cuddy agreed. "That does worry me a little. What are you up to?"
"Nothing," House replied innocently – managing to distract Cuddy, too, a little, with his play with Aiko. "I just want you to have a chance to get everything in order before your maternity leave. You don't need any distractions from me right now. You know I can behave when I want to."
"I know you can," Cuddy replied. "You just usually don't want to, so this is making me a little suspicious. You are planning something! You are not going to egg Sheridan's car again, are you?"
"I didn't do it the first time," House reminded her. "And if he stays out of your parking space his car will be safe."
"Ok, then," Cuddy nodded, though she didn't really believe him. He was up to something, but obviously she had to wait and see what it was. Before Cuddy had time to try another tack to get the answers she still wanted Blythe came into House's office, too.
"I got a call from John," Blythe said as soon as she arrived. She knew that the blunt approach was usually the best with her son.
"What did he want?" House asked. "Or was it about those therapy sessions he didn't want?"
"In a way," Blythe nodded. "I told you before that he wants to come over and talk with me. Well, he is coming over tomorrow. He'll stay around for about a week and we try to get some talking done. Both just between ourselves and with my therapist."
"And where is he staying?" House queried cautiously.
"In a hotel I imagine," Blythe said.
"Are you sure that works? Or is that what you want?" House wanted more information. "I'm not suggesting that having him in your flat would be a good idea, but if you think it would help things to have him stay in the house, I'm ok with it. If it's ok with Lisa, of course."
Cuddy was a little startled to have House call her by her first name, but responded nevertheless: "I'm ok with it, if you are and if Blythe thinks it would help. Only, what about Dr Higa?"
"If Dad stays in the ground floor guest room Dr Higa can stay in my flat until Dad leaves," House shrugged. "That way he would be closer to Aiko, too."
"So Aiko is not going to be sleeping in her own room any time soon?" Blythe nearly smirked. She, too, had placed a bet on House keeping Aiko with him even after their move to the house.
"She's too small yet," House mumbled. "I'll move her in there gradually. Besides, she did sleep in it the night I had to stay in hospital with a patient."
"Once," Cuddy pointed out. "That is not really introducing her to it gradually. She spent couple of nights in my house, too, and I'm sure she didn't think even for a moment that she would be staying."
"Aiko is still a baby," House reminded her. "At just shy of seven months she isn't thinking anything is going to be permanent – or not permanent. Her cognitive processes are not very complicated as yet."
"True," Cuddy agreed. "Only, I have to admit, that with Aiko I have started to doubt the theories somewhat. She just seems to know more than she is supposed to."
"That's because she is a very smart little girl," House concluded proudly. "But that is beside the point now; we were supposed to talk about Dad's visit."
"Not much to talk about yet," Blythe told Cuddy and House. "I'm glad you are willing to put him up if I want it, I'll think about it and let you know before we leave for home today."
"That works," House accepted. He was still sitting on the floor making occasional fish-faces to Aiko to keep her entertained during the adult conversation.
Cuddy looked at him speculatively. He couldn't move because he was holding Aiko and his cane was leaning against the desk. He was pretty much captive audience right then and Cuddy decided to take advantage of the fact: "One more thing, House, before we leave you alone."
"What?" House asked unaware of any danger.
"We want to know what made Miss Tanaka douse you with that tea?" Cuddy didn't really ask, she was demanding an answer. House looked up seeing two expectant faces look down on him. He assessed his chances of escape and saw there were none.
"I just ... arh ... I just told her that she looks pretty in pink," House coughed a little embarrassed.
"She wasn't wearing anything pink," Blythe mused, but then she suddenly had a mental picture of House lying on the grass and Kasumii standing close by. She gave House a glare: "Or was she?"
"Apparently she was," House mumbled.
"Apparently? You are not sure?" Cuddy wondered.
"I didn't actually peek," House confessed. "But pink is her favourite colour and it's rare to see her without something pink on her, even if it's only a hairclip. I didn't see any so I just took a wild guess."
"You are talking about looking up her skirt!" Cuddy yelled outraged.
"I told you – and incidentally I have told her, too, last night, that I didn't look," House defended himself. "I was just jerking her chain. It was a wild guess!"
"Which hit the jackpot apparently," Blythe concluded dryly.
"Yep," House nodded shamefacedly – after all his mother was there.
"You really are a pig," Cuddy stated.
"Uhhmmm ... I'd say more a piglet only, as I really, really, really didn't look!" House sort of agreed.
"You did apologize?" Blythe asked pointedly.
"Apparently," House parroted again. "At least she forgave me."
"You really do need to start mending your ways," Blythe sighed. "And don't say apparently again!"
"No, I won't say that," House smiled ruefully. "You can just assume it."
"I have to say, you deserved that tea," Cuddy stated. "In fact, you were lucky that Aiko took exception to that action or you might have ended up even worse off. Had Grey heard you, you might have needed the services of a doctor."
"Well I had a yard full of them, so it wasn't that much of a risk," House pointed out.
"Only there is a distinct chance that none of them would have helped you," Blythe suspected.
"Oh, it's more than a chance," Cuddy confirmed. "Of course you did have a miniature bodyguard so I suppose we will never know for sure what would have happened."
"Yeah, my girl," House gave Aiko a kiss. "She will always have my back!"
"You need her to cover your front and sides, too, if you mean to go on as you have," Cuddy prompted.
Before House could start properly defending himself – if that was what he was going to do – his phone rang. Cuddy checked that caller ID and as it was Miss Hill (or actually the ID read dragon calling, Cuddy mused that she didn't really want to know what House had coded for her number!) Cuddy took it.
"Good, you were the one I was trying to reach," Anna said immediately as she heard Cuddy's voice. "There is a bit of a commotion going on down here, so you are needed."
"What has happened?" Cuddy put the call on the speaker.
"Well, first of all it appears that Rawls has ordered some supplies that don't do what they are supposed to do – at least they have made Brenda come here to yell at him and, well," Anna paused for a second and House got a distinct sense that she did it to stifle a laugh. "If House is listening he better get his butt down here, too. Ms Forbes has broken out in hives without any apparent reason. And considering who her father is..."
"We better get our best doctor on her case," Cuddy concluded. "Fine, we're coming."
"Goodness," House simpered as he got up and gave Aiko to Blythe. "It seems that dear Sheridan is in trouble again. And what could possibly have happened to Ms Forbes?"
"If you had anything to do with this," Cuddy turned to stare at House. "So help me, I will make you sorry!"
"You have to prove that I had something to do with it, first," House reminded her. "Besides, once again, I'm completely innocent. It's quite possible that Sheridan has just made an honest – ok, it's still Sheridan so it may be a dishonest, but you get my point – mistake. As for Ms Forbes, she could just be sick. You know, it happens. Being a doctor you ought to know that."
"But you have been planning something ever since they got here," Cuddy insisted. "And I'm not talking about the plan we have for protecting my job. I'm talking about you wrecking havoc in my hospital!"
"Relax Cuddy," House tried to reassure her. "I'm not planning anything too bad. And whatever Miss Hill's call was about, it wasn't me. Things do happen around here even if I don't plan them. I'm not god, you know."
"Ok, I suppose," Cuddy relented. "But I will get to the bottom of it. Whatever it is. Come on, we better get going before Ms Forbes gets worse."
"Coming," House gestured her to lead the way. "Mom, Kasumii should be back from her lunch in ten minutes or so, can you stay with Aiko?"
"Of course," Blythe smiled. "Besides, your team is just next door so if I need help, I'll call them."
"Thanks Mom," House responded as he limped after Cuddy who was already at the lifts.