When House and Cuddy got to Cuddy's office Brenda was just about to leave but seeing Cuddy she decided to stay long enough to explain her complaint. They went into Cuddy's office – where Sheridan was camped also, for now. House stayed in the ante-room with Miss Hill and Ms Forbes.
Ms Forbes was covered in ugly red blotches. Apart from looking miserable and quite clearly trying not to scratch the rash, she seemed ok.
"That looks like an allergic reaction," House observed taking her pulse and touching her face to check for fever. "Pulse is normal and you don't seem to be feverish, though we better take your temperature just in case. Any known allergies you have?"
"I'm allergic to chilli and other capsicums, but that's it," Janelle told him.
"I presume you are smart enough to avoid them?" House queried.
"Yes, of course," Janelle huffed.
"So we can assume that you haven't eaten anything that could possibly contain chilli," House nodded. "And that is the only allergy you know you have?"
"Yes, that's the only one," Janelle nodded.
"Ok, so what have you eaten within the last half an hour or so?" House wanted to know.
"A sandwich I made myself at home, some coffee and a piece of chocolate," Janelle shrugged.
"Chocolate?" Miss Hill was suddenly all attention. She immediately went to her desk and checked the drawer. "You ate my chocolate! The chocolate I specifically told you I wasn't going to share and which I locked in my drawer when I went to have my own lunch. You broke into my desk and ate my chocolate!"
"No I didn't," Janelle denied. "I had my own chocolate with me."
"Then why am I missing two pieces?" Anna asked archly. "Do you think I'm stupid as well as fat? Do you think I can't count? Besides, your lips may say no, but the blotches all over you say hell yes!"
"You put chilli in your chocolate?" Janelle was outraged. "Are you trying to poison me?"
"Well had I known that you are a petty thief I would not have brought chocolate to work," Anna sniped. "Now that I do, I'll make sure to keep my treats at home."
"That's it? You're not going to apologise for having caused this?" Janelle yelled. "You make me all blotchy and itchy and you're not even going to apologise?"
"I wasn't the one who shoved that chocolate down your throat," Anna yelled back. "I specifically told you not to take any. So hell no, I'm not apologising. You're the one who should apologise but I guess I can let it pass as you really do look horrid."
"Ladies," House intervened. "All this shouting is not going to make the blotches go away. So may I suggest that Ms Forbes takes this prescription, fills it at the pharmacy and goes home? You ought to be fine by tomorrow."
"Fine," Janelle snapped snatching the paper from House and storming out after gathering her purse and coat. "Don't think this is the end, though, Miss Hill. I'm telling my father how you treated me and we'll see how long you last on your post."
Once they were sure Ms Forbes was out of earshot – and that Sheridan was still busy with Cuddy and Brenda – House turned to Miss Hill: "How did you know about her allergy?"
"Her father came by to see her last week," Anna smiled. "I made a point of telling him how delightful his daughter was and how nice it was to have someone like her in the same office with me. He was happy to take me into the cafeteria for a cup of coffee and some reminiscing. Of course he is under the impression that his daughter has outgrown her childish ways of wanting whatever someone else has."
"Is that why she wants Sheridan? Because someone else has him already?" House wondered.
"As far as I can tell," Anna confirmed. "According to her father, when she was little she didn't want similar toys as others, she wanted the toys that the others had. Once she got them, she didn't much care what happened to them then."
"That sounds like Daddy made sure she got the toys she wanted," House mused. "How did he think she was going to learn to behave if he never did anything that forced her to learn?"
"Beats me," Anna shrugged. "But I think that he is in for a rude awakening. As is Janelle, once Daddy dearest is no longer there to make things right for her."
"Anyway, good work Miss Hill," House congratulated. "Did you get Sheridan too?"
"Not exactly," Anna responded. "I just didn't tell him that the cheaper stuff he wanted to order would not work with our equipments. I didn't see why I should as he didn't ask me in the first place."
"So how long will it take to correct his mistake?" House asked.
"I'm not sure how long it will take him to sort things out, but as he didn't tell me he was doing the ordering I made the normal order according to Dr Cuddy's instructions and that shipment should arrive some time tomorrow," Anna told him smugly.
"So does this mean I don't get any fun at all once Cuddy leaves?" House pouted.
"Not at all," Anna consoled him. "I just took advantage of an opportunity. Getting rid of Sheridan takes more manipulation than I can do, but I will certainly help any way I can. Basically Sheridan is all yours, though. After all, I wouldn't have been involved in the egging incident at all had you not needed an alibi and had we been able to open a window that didn't mean you had to lean on your bad leg to reach the ideal throwing position. I was happy to help there, but I'm also quite happy to have you deal with Sheridan."
"Thank you," House accepted. "I'm happy to know that I still have my uses."
"You do," Anna confirmed. "Though Ms Forbes is mine. Apart from the fact that you need to take care of Dr Cuddy as well as deal with Sheridan, I'm not letting anyone else have the pleasure of annihilating that supercilious tart."
"That sounded personal!" House observed.
"It is now," Anna stated.
"So, do you really like chilli chocolate?" House wanted to know.
"Yes, I do," Anna said. "Chilli goes well with dark chocolate. The Mayans used to combine those two all the time."
"Really?" House commented. "That being the case it seems silly that someone who is allergic to chilli wouldn't make sure there is not chilli in the chocolate before she eats it."
"I personally always ask," Anna agreed with House.
"I must say," House confided. "You did beautifully. My hat is off to you."
"Thank you," Anna accepted. "I do try."
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That evening House was in the living room with Aiko. Aiko was sitting on the floor with her toys, but she wasn't playing. She was attentively listening to her Daddy who was trying out his guitar for the first time within her hearing. As Cuddy was upstairs resting and Blythe and Kasumii were in the kitchen doing whatever it is women do there – you will learn in time, Aiko, I'm sure – House didn't feel he needed to consider any other audience but Aiko, so he picked a simple enough tune that he played slowly to his baby girl. He didn't sing, since the words were way too sappy, but Aiko seemed to like the tune. He didn't know that the sounds carried to the kitchen and Blythe was almost teary-eyed as she sang silently to herself:
For once in my life / I have someone who needs me / Someone I've needed so long / For once unafraid / I can go where life leads me / And somehow I know I'll be strong / For once I can touch / What my heart used to dream of / Long before I knew / Someone warm like you / Could make my dream come true / For once in my life / I won't let sorrow hurt me / Not like it's hurt me before / For once I've got someone / I know won't desert me / I'm not alone anymore / For once I can say / This is mine, you can't take it / As long as I've got love / I know I can make it / For once in my life / I've got someone who needs me.
She waited till House had changed into a children's song before she joined him in the living room and she didn't tell him that she had heard the previous song, too.
"Aiko seems to enjoy music," Blythe observed.
"I keep telling everyone she is one smart kid," House said without interrupting his playing.
"That she is," Blythe agreed. "I'm so glad she came into our lives."
"So what do you expect will happen with your marriage?" House asked changing the tune to some ballad that Blythe didn't recognise.
"I don't know," Blythe sighed. "I'm not even sure what I want to happen. I was brought up to believe that marriage is forever. Unless you had a very good reason to end it. Well, I had a good reason, but I found out about it some forty years too late. Until I learned about it I was under the impression that John was a good husband. I knew he wasn't an ideal father for you, you were too different, but I didn't know how bad it really was. When I did learn about it, I still couldn't completely separate the husband I knew from the husband I truly had so to me it was pretty much self-evident that we needed to save our marriage – if he was willing to make the necessary changes."
"Was? Past tense?" House queried.
"Yes. Past tense," Blythe confirmed. "Now I'm not so sure. For the first time in my life I have been happy. Just happy, you know. Not happy, but. Or happy, if. Just happy. I have had happy moments before, like when you were born and many others, but happy has not been a constant state. Sure, I'm not saying that I couldn't be happier or that there aren't a few things I wouldn't change if I could, but for the first time I'm living for myself. For the first time I don't need to adjust my life to accommodate someone else. Quite the contrary, in fact. If I need something, you are making the necessary adjustments. You are happy to have my help with Aiko and everything, but if I need to go somewhere or just want to sleep in, you don't need reasons or explanations or anything. You just accept my decision and if Aiko needs a minder or something you do it yourself or get someone else to do it."
"You are my mother," House frowned. "Of course I accept your decisions. And Aiko is not your responsibility. I appreciate your help, but you have your own life, too. I wouldn't dream of depending on you to the extent that it would curtail your freedom."
"I know," Blythe caressed his cheek. "That is why helping you feels like a privilege, not a duty or a burden. I'm free and independent, for the first time in my life. Or so I feel, though in truth I do depend on you to support me. I don't make quite enough money from my work to be truly independent."
"You work for your room and board and whatever money I give you," House shrugged. "You are acting basically as our housekeeper and we need you. But even housekeepers have days off, so of course you can go out and do things you want."
"Yeah," Blythe smiled. "I know that is what you think. But you don't know how new that approach is to me. I like my life as it is, and I'm not sure I want anything to change."
"Dad might not be too happy with this new you," House observed.
"No, I don't think he will be," Blythe admitted. "Any more than he will like it that he is staying in the guest room while you share your flat with Dr Higa."
"He doesn't like me sharing my flat with Aiko, so he can just lump Dr Higa together with her and keep his opinion to himself," House didn't feel sorry for his father.
"I will convey that message to him," Blythe promised.
"I can do it myself," House stated. "I imagine you two have enough things to talk about without my kids and Dr Higa."
"Yes we do, but you do understand that there is no way your children won't be part of the things we need to talk about," Blythe reminded him. "If John wishes to be a grandfather – no matter what happens to our marriage – he needs to drastically change his attitude towards Aiko. And probably towards Dr Higa, too."
"Well, you just take one issue at a time and we'll go from there," House told her. "If Dad cannot change his attitude towards Aiko but you still want him in your life in some capacity, we'll make it work. He doesn't need to be a grandfather to the kids to be around. Really, Mom, don't worry. We will work things out somehow. Take all the time you need."
"Thank you," Blythe smiled. "Was there anything you needed before you took Aiko to bed?"
"No, I'm fine, thanks," House nodded.
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Later that night House was in his room reading medical journals while Aiko slumbered peacefully in her crib. He had a walkie-talkie on the coffee table and suddenly Cuddy's voice came through it: "House?"
"Yeah, I'm awake," House responded. "So you found the package."
"Yes I did," Cuddy said. "Only I was under the impression that you weren't supposed to come into my room."
"I didn't," House confirmed. "Mom carried it there for me. I thought you might like a chance to talk to someone if you cannot sleep."
"I do," Cuddy had actually burst into tears (damn those hormones!) when she found the gift and opened it to read the card inside which said: I'm a night-owl anyway, so feel free to call. No talking dirty, though, the kids are listening!
"So what's keeping you up tonight?" House queried. "Morose thoughts, worry, guilt, all of the above or something else entirely."
"The trips are training for Olympics," Cuddy informed him dryly.
"Ah, that would do it," House agreed. "You need to be stern with them. Tell them to settle down and get some sleep."
"I've tried that, but they take after their father and ignore me entirely," Cuddy said.
"Oh dear, and they are only tadpoles! You need to work on your authority," House advised.
"I know, or else they will walk all over me, just like their father always tries," Cuddy noted.
"Tries! Note that, I rarely succeed," House pointed out.
"You succeed far too often," Cuddy insisted. "Just because you have decided to behave for the last couple of weeks does not mean that I have forgotten all that has gone on before."
"I know," House acknowledged. "But surely you don't want to talk about work, do you?"
"No, but I'm not sure what else we can talk about," Cuddy mused.
"Anything, music, movies, what is the weirdest craving you've had during this pregnancy," House suggested, settling down to talk for as long as Cuddy – Lisa – needed.
They talked for nearly an hour about anything and nothing much. Finally when the trips settled down enough to let Cuddy sleep they said goodnight.