Author's Note: This chapter isn't real long, but there's only so much you can say about waiting for a baby to be born. There's a lot happening in the next chapters, so please keep reading. I only have a few reviewers and I thank you very much for being there. Even if you're the only ones reading this, I'm continuing, because I like the story and I have more to say. If anyone else is out there, please let me know!

Chapter 17

Kate had expected the amniocentesis to be a bit painful. It had been more than a bit. It helped that House stayed with her the entire time, explaining to her what was happening, but also watching that Dr. Akiro did everything correctly.

What was more painful was waiting for the results. House tried to use his clout to rush them, but there was only so much he could do. Kate's nightmares had lessened in the months she lived with House, only occurring now and then when she'd had a particularly stressful or violent day at work. But now they returned with a vengeance. House woke her up when she started yelling and crying and held her until she fell back to sleep.

Although she knew it was stupid, in the back of her mind, she blamed herself for any problem the baby might have. A million reasons ran through her head. She drank wine before she knew she was pregnant, she was too strenuous in her job, the whole not eating/dehydration thing, etc.

House tried to reassure her, but he had his own fears. Even though Downs Syndrome wasn't always life-threatening, there were health concerns that could arise from it, not to mention the social stigma on the child. He wondered if his Vicodin addiction had anything to do with it. He began to research the possibilities.

Finally, he came home one day and Kate ran into his arms.

"It's okay!" she said, "The baby is okay. Dr. Akiro just called me and everything is normal. No Downs Syndrome!"

House held her to him, relieved that Kate would have relief from her anxieties.

Kate continued. "She asked if we wanted to know the baby's sex."

"You told her yes, right?"

"I told her no."

"Why would you do that?"

"I want to be surprised."

"Well, I can't wait. I want to know now. Call her back and get her to tell me."

"No, you might slip and tell me and I want to be surprised."

They glowered at each other for a few seconds, then both started laughing.

"If you really, really need to know…" Kate began.

"No," he said, "I guess I can wait."

From then on, the baby became real to them in a way it hadn't before. Perhaps thinking that there were problems to deal with made them realize that they really were going to be parents. They began to make plans.

There was a good day care center at the hospital and although there was usually a waiting list to get in, House was sure he could convince (bully) Cuddy into helping them get a spot. They decided to also employ a nanny to transition the baby from day care to home, since both of them sometimes needed to work late unexpectedly. House knew that students from the university often worked as nannies after their classes were done for the day and he thought this would be a good choice for them. Someone at work could probably help him with finding a nanny.

Kate told her lieutenant about the baby, and as she had predicted, he put her on desk duty. Although she found it deadly boring, she knew it was probably for the best. She planned on going back to work after the baby, but decided to take some extra time. The Family Leave Act allowed her to take an extra month or two and thanks to House's doctor's salary, they could afford to do this.

Physically, she was okay, although the morning (all day!) sickness didn't really go away. It wasn't as bad as in the beginning and she was able to keep food down without use of the medication. Emotionally, except for still being nervous about being a mother, she felt pretty good. Her sex drive had increased as sometimes does with pregnant women. Since her normal sex drive was pretty good, this increase was amazing. House was not complaining, although he often appeared at work extra tired.

Kate enrolled them in childbirth classes at the hospital. House grumbled that he shouldn't have to attend, after all, he was a doctor. He knew what to expect. He had been present at many births. He found a million reasons not to go, but finally, the fact that Kate was nervous and needed him was the reason why he went.

Of course, he didn't go easily. Since the classes were held at the hospital, Kate met him there. He was always late getting to the class and when Kate chided him on it, he either claimed he had a patient or he blamed his leg.

It wasn't much better when he was there. He commented on everything the nurse running the class said, usually contradicting her. Finally, she'd had enough.

"Dr. House," she said. "Since you obviously know much more than I do, I'll let you come up here and run the class." With that, she walked out of the room.

Kate just rolled her eyes. Everyone else in the class looked at House. They had all paid for this class and they expected to get the knowledge they needed for the birth of their babies. House tried to call the nurse back, but she was gone. He looked at Kate. She just shook her head.

"Don't look at me. You brought this on with your big mouth. Now tell these people what they need to know."

House glared at her. "Big help you are." Then he looked at the people surrounding him. Most were very young and looked nervous. Some were older, but they still looked nervous. Since this was a class for first time parents, these people needed to know what to expect. He wished he could tell them exactly what to expect, but unfortunately, he knew that things didn't always go exactly as expected.

"Okay, people," he began. "All of you are going to have babies. You want to know what's going to happen, what you should do. What's going to happen is a baby is going to come out of the women and the men are going to have to stand there and watch. She's going to scream and be in pain and he's going to feel bad for her while he's secretly thinking, 'thank God, I'm not a woman.' As to what you should do, just do whatever your doctor tells you and you'll be fine."

He looked like he wanted to sit down, but Kate glared at him. "Alright, alright, you want to know more. The odds are that there will be no complications at the birth. Medical science has gotten pretty good at this in the last century or so."

He scanned the room for a moment. "Even though you're probably worried about the birth itself, don't be. It's after that you should be worried about. How are you going to take care of a kid? How will you know what to do, what to say? You won't. You're going to make mistakes, probably lots of them." He saw the faces looked scared, so he continued quickly. "But you're also probably going to do a lot of things right. Your kid will get sick, sometimes mildly, sometimes seriously and there's no way to predict it. You'll do what your pediatrician tells you to do and if he's half decent that will probably be enough. If not, you'll come and see me whether I like it or not."

The fear hadn't left them yet, so he kept talking. "I've seen all kinds of parents. Good ones, bad ones, and everything in-between. There's no way to know which of you will be good or bad. All you can do is try. Love that kid. But be realistic about him too. Don't knowingly put him in danger. But if you do, get the help you need right away. That should be enough."

He started to return to his seat, then turned back and added, "One more thing – NEVER LIE TO YOUR DOCTOR!"

Kate smiled at him. They went home that night and as they held each other in bed, began to really look forward to the arrival of their child.

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The baby was due at the end of September. In July, Joanne threw a baby shower for Baby House. Since Kate wasn't a woman with a lot of girlfriends (she actually had one – Joanne), she decided to make it a co-ed event and invited House's and Kate's work colleagues. Cuddy offered her house and invited the expectant couple for dinner which turned out to be the surprise shower.

Wilson gave them a beautiful wooden crib, Cuddy bought a matching high chair. Chase and Foreman chipped in on a deluxe stroller. The guys that worked with Kate presented them with a playpen, baby swing and car seat. Cameron filled an enormous basket with needed items: onesies, sleepers and disposable diapers in a variety of sizes to take the baby through the first year. Joanne, ever the teacher, gave them a selection of developmental toys, as well as bottles, feeding dishes and utensils, and other trinkets.

House and Kate were appreciative, but bewildered. They hadn't realized how much they needed for the baby. When they hauled everything home, it made their apartment look like the stockroom at Babies 'R' Us. That's when they came to a new realization: "We need a bigger place!"

House was the one who suggested they buy a house. Kate was hesitant, wondering if he really wanted to make that much of a commitment.

He poked her pregnant stomach and said, "I think I'm pretty committed already."

They began to spend weekends at open houses. Kate was adamant that it be a ranch style so that House wouldn't have to deal with stairs. That severely limited their choices. There was one, but at first they rejected it, because it was too big and it needed a lot of work. However, as they couldn't find anything else they liked, this house seemed more and more attractive. For one thing, it wasn't far from the hospital and since the baby was going to be in day care there, that was an important aspect. That also made it close to the university which would be helpful for Julie, the student they had interviewed for the nanny position.

The house was a ranch style, all one floor, but it was in an L shape. The front was the small part of the L and contained the kitchen, dining room and living room. There was a small family room off the kitchen. The long part of the L was four bedrooms and two bathrooms. The backyard was surrounded by the L, and the master bedroom had glass doors leading to the yard.

It was charming, but the fixtures in the kitchen and both bathrooms were old and worn out. The carpet throughout the house was not only old, but in atrocious colors that weren't even stylish in the 1970's when it had been installed. All the walls had wallpaper that was peeling and yellowed. The yard was overgrown as well.

They finally decided to buy it, but to do what they could to update it before moving in. So with that decided, House and Kate settled down to wait for the birth of their child.

Note: Baby House will arrive in the next chapter!