Chapter 13:

Chapter 13: Dad? Greg? House?

August 23 2011 (1:30 p.m.)

Dani's going home today thank God. The hospital is okay for mom to work at, but it reminds me of when she was sick when we visit people here. Grandma was in the hospital too, before she died.

Greg isn't that bad. Dani likes him a lot (well duh, look what she asked him today). Anyway, Foreman and Chase are okay too. This week will be interesting. Dani's just glad to get out of here. Got to go help Greg with some stuff he just took me out to get some real food. See ya later.

August 21st 2011

The first thing that Dani felt when she woke up was shooting pain. The first thing that she saw was her mom, sister, and father sleeping in her room.

"Mama?" her voice came out raspy and Allison was awake instantly.

"Baby?"

"What happened?"

"You had an emergency appendectomy."

"Oh. That's why my stomach hurt."

Allison got her daughter a glass of water, and moved to sit at the edge of her bed. House was awake now, but Bella was still sleeping.

"Hey Dani."

"Hi Dad" Dani wasn't sure why her dad was here. He looked startled for a second, but then smiled and reached out to grasp her hand.

"How are you feeling? You gave us a bit of a scare."

"Mmm-hhhmmm. When is Bella going to wake up?"

"I hear you" the eleven year old mumbled sleepily. "You don't have to shout."

"I'm not."

"Greg, why don't we go get Hamilton?" House got the hint and followed her out of the room to give the sisters a minute.

"You have to promise to never get sick like that again." House heard Bella. He was standing in the hallway, and Allison had gone to get Hamilton paged. Bella had climbed onto her sisters bed wary of the IV.

"I can't promise that Izza, and you know it."

"Then say when you start to hurt Ella."

"You don't."

"So? I'm me, and you're you."

"That's a bad answer. What happened anyway?"

"What do you remember?"

"My stomach hurt and House took us to the hospital. And then we went in a room and he used an ultrasound on my stomach, but I don't know if that's true."

"It is. You came in and told us that your stomach hurt and House went over and picked you up, and then we went to the hospital. The nurse was on the phone and he got angry and made her hang up. He kept telling me that everything would be okay, and he was right. It was scary though. Like when Mama was in surgery."

"I like him. I heard you guys yelling when we were at the house."

"Yeah. It was kinda cool. I told him I hated him and that he didn't know anything about me, but then he told me all these things he remembered about me from when I was a baby. Then I told him that I didn't need a dad and he said that he could just be a good male roll model-"

"Good?" Dani asked innocently.

"That's what I said. Then we shook on it and you came in."

"Bella?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think that I could call him dad?"

"Ask him. The worst he can do is say no." Allison appeared at that moment, doctor in tow and that was the end of your conversation.

"House?" Cameron had been forced by himself and Wilson to go get something to eat and shower. House was next when she came back.

"Yeah Dani?" Bella was sitting next to him writing in her journal. A bag of pretzels was in her lap. He knew what she was going to ask, and mentally prepared himself to answer.

Dani looked away, obviously nervous.

"Can I – is it okay if I- I want to. Can I call you dad?" She finally spit out. Immediately she looked down as if she had said something bad.

House stood up and shuffled over to the side of her bed. He sat next to her and put his hand under her chin so she was forced to look him in the eyes.

"I'd be honored if you wanted to call me dad Dani." She grinned and giggled slightly, her tiny arms reaching up and pulling him into a hug.

He half turned and saw Bella standing behind him.

"Could I call you Greg?" her voice was less hesitant then Dani's, but there was still a shyness in it.

"Of course you can." Cameron walked in and found both of her daughters in their father's arms. She had to pause for a moment and wiped tears out of her eyes. She had never thought that she would see the day that her daughters met their father and loved him.

Two Days Later August 23

Cameron tucked her daughters into their beds and sighed tiredly.

"Night Dani, I love you."

"Love you too Mama." Her daughter had bounced back like it was nothing; the only hint that she had had surgery was the stitches covering her stomach and the fact that she moved slower then usual.

Cameron knew that she wouldn't be able to sleep that night; her concern for her daughter would keep her up. Instead, she walked down to the kitchen and made herself a cup of hot chocolate.

Once that was done, she moved to the den. The bottom floor layout of their house was simple. The back was the library and a screened in porch with a bathroom next to the library. Following that was the dining room and the living room. A swinging door led to the kitchen and the stairs. Closest to the front door and the foyer was the den, which was where Allison went.

Pulling out a blank photo album and a stack of pictures, she began. Sebastian had come to see her when she was in the hospital, and had brought some old photos from their years in Africa that she didn't have. She was very behind in the photo upkeep up their lives, and was starting when Dani was five and Bella eight. They had been in Greece at the time, and had shortly moved on to France for a few months, only to go back to Africa.

Allison was on her second set of pictures when she heard a hesitant knock on her door. She got up to open it a saw a disheveled and uncomfortable looking House.

He had stayed at the hospital with them crashing in Dani's room until it was time to leave. When Dani had called him dad for the first time Allison had almost burst into tears. She had had never thought that she would see the day.

Cameron opened the door wider, allowing him to step in.

"Couldn't sleep?"

"Yeah." She nodded and walked back to the couch.

Greg tapped his cane uncomfortably. "What are you doing?"

"Putting some old pictures away." He sat down next to her and picked up and old album she had pulled out. The first picture was taken in San Diego when they went to visit her brother.

It showed Cameron sitting on a swing next to Alex with Bella in her lap and Dani in his. All four had been smiling at the camera. Dani looked about three, Bella about six.

"I have ones that date back to when Bella was born if you want to see them." Allison offered quietly as she added a date and a caption to another picture.

"That would be nice." Allison walked over to a cabinet below the T.V. and opened it. There had to about thirty photo albums in there.

"Take enough pictures?" He cracked.

"We traveled a lot. Some of the places we went were beautiful. I have videos too." Greg nodded and the two sat together in a comfortable silence lost in their thoughts of each other and the two little girls sleeping upstairs.

Next chapter will be the morning... and then maybe some visitors. What do you think? Review!