Chapter 7: Coffee, Couples, and Children
August 11th 2011- (6:45 p.m.)
I can't believe it! Dani was in her room writing and I was downstairs practicing the piano. The doorbell rang and mom went to get it she was making dinner. She agreed to go out for coffee with the Sperm Donor.
God I hate him! I wish he would go away forever! I never want to see him again. I'm so mad right now I don't have anything to say. Why! We don't need him in our life. I have to go tell Dani. Nothing more to say. Mom wants to talk to me. She'll tell me why, but right now I'm furious! She better not date him or get together with him at all.
House knocked on the door to The Cameron house, shifting from one foot to the other with help from his cane. He wasn't sure how this was going to play out at all.
Cameron opened the door and raised an eyebrow at House. "Yeah?"
"Aren't you supposed to answer the door politely?"
"Not when it's you."
"Allie-" House paused. He wasn't sure what to say, let alone if he was still allowed to call her 'Allie'.
"Yes?" Cameron watched him, eyes wary.
Wilson had pretty much told her to give House a chance, so that was what she was doing. She wouldn't slam the door in his face immediately.
"I – I-" House rubbed a hand over his face.
"Just spit it out." Cameron offered, eyes softening slightly at his inability to tell her whatever he was trying to.
He only did that when it was important and he cared. He wouldn't be trying to kick her out of Princeton if he was nervous.
"I want to get to know my children. I want to re-get to know you. I-" Wilson's words rang through his head. Start small, coffee Greg. "Would you like to go out for a cup of coffee or something? We could just – talk."
Cameron paused and thought about it before nodding. It wouldn't be bad for Dani and Bella to talk to him. I won't make them, but he is a part of them.
"Tomorrow?" Cameron asked. "If I can get a babysitter that fast-" She paused trying to think of who would baby-sit.
She knew that the girls would protest their age, but she didn't want them home alone in a strange neighborhood. She could probably ask Wilson, Chase, Foreman or Cuddy. One of them had to be free to watch the girls.
"Wilson could do it." House had already asked his friend. That was what he was going to do when Dani had started crying in his office and all he could do was watch.
"Tomorrow it is then. Say 6:30ish?" Cameron smiled slightly, but then sighed when she heard a bang on the piano and a voice yelling for her sister to get down stairs right away, she didn't care what she was doing, it was important. Then there was the sound of feet and murmured angry words that neither could make our. House heard it too and looked at her.
"Is this going to make them-?" He trailed off unsure what he was trying to say.
"Furious?" Cameron shrugged and sighed. "I told them that they never had to talk to you if they didn't want to."
"You wh-" Cameron shot him a look and House immediately shut up.
"Bella will have a problem with it, and Dani will react to her sister reacting, and me reacting to Bella. Nothing that I can't handle and haven't dealt with before."
The guilt set in the moment the words escaped her mouth. She had eight years of raising two girls – his girls – without any help and was acting like it was normal.
"Allie-"
"Don't." She looked at him. "We can talk tomorrow. But right now, I have to finish dinner and talk to Bella before she does something stupid." Cameron smiled at him and with a soft 'see you tomorrow' closed the door.
House walked down to his car whistling softly. Thanking some higher power that his night had ended differently from the last.
"Bella…"
"NO! You agreed!" The girls face was turning red and she was waving her hands. "You said we never had to see him again!"
"Bella!"
"You promised!"
"Isabella Blythe Cameron sit down and shut your mouth right now." Bella sat and Dani stared at her mother in surprise. "You sit down too Dani."
Her daughters watched her. One with a frown, attitude set in her eyes, one with calm blue eyes filled with questions.
"House invited me to have coffee with him tomorrow night. Uncle Jimmy will be watching you two." Bella opened her mouth. "Let me finish, and then you can rant. Let's go in the kitchen, I think the pizza is almost done and we can eat and talk at the same time."
Both girls nodded, and followed their mother into the kitchen.
"I told both of you that you never had to talk to him again if you don't want to. I didn't include myself in that list. There are things that we need to talk about." Cameron sighed. "And no matter how much you deny it, he is your father. You will be civil."
Isabella opened her mouth and then closed it. What her mother said was true. She couldn't really argue with her. Sometimes she wondered if her mom should have been a lawyer instead of a doctor. "I don't like this." She grumbled.
"I know baby. But, I'm the mother and what I say goes." She turned to her other daughter who had watched the exchange silently. "Anything to add?"
"Yes actually." Cameron was slightly surprised, Dani was like her, and usually just went with the flow.
"Well what is it?"
"I'm hungry." Dani smiled and the tension was broken as they all laughed.
"Only you sweetie."
"I know."
"Actually, I am too." Both daughters were now grinning at their mother, faces bright. Cameron pulled the pizza out of the oven and shook her head.
"Go get your drinks, and plates. We'll eat on the island tonight."
"Sweet." The two girls walked away and Cameron smiled, glad that tomorrow she would only have to face House and a little bit of anger from her daughters.
What do you think? I'm halfway done with the next chapter, so that should be up by Monday maybe. I'm at my dad's this weekend, so any plans of typing on Saturday after he picks us up until we get home on Sunday are gone.