Bubbles- Yay. I love all of these reviews. Fantastic. I'm glad you like it.
Sans Amoure AKA S.A- I'm definitely glad you liked it. And here is chapter two.
Momsboys- here it is. Enjoy.
Scheggia- Glad you liked it.
Carla Fox- I'm glad you liked it and I did try my best to get House as in character as I could.
Grey's-Harry-fan- I actually did get this from Big Daddy. I'm trying my best to change it up but I loved the concept. It won't be exactly (obviously) like the movie but it will be similar. And it definitely won't end like Big Daddy did.
Critical Blues- Thank you for your review on this story and Green-eyed Monster. I'm glad you like it and I should be getting some Huddyness in there soon.
HotlipsPierce- I'm glad you enjoy it and this chapter should answer the question.
Metaphoric.Love- I am very glad that you liked it. Keep in mind I only wrote it in a couple of minutes but I assure you the next chapter will be at least a smidgen better.
Tina- Wow. Thank you so much for that constructive review. The whole story fell on that one word that was mentioned twice and could have been easily looked over. But, don't worry, I changed it just for you.
A/N: thank you for all of the great reviews. I really appreciate it. (I think I've said that enough...:) )
Disclaimer: I don't own House or the concept of Big Daddy. Just my own little twist. Enjoy.
(Warning: Constructive reviews only if you're going to flame And at least put something encouraging…if you don't like the story don't read it. It's honestly not that hard. Just stop looking.)
---
"Funny?" House asked loudly through the window with a grunt. He pulled himself up laboriously.
The kid nodded vigorously.
"Well thank you. I suppose if something is funny you should laugh." He muttered and rolled his eyes and re-opened the door to the car. "Alright come on." The kid carefully got out of the car and shut the door in an adorable way. Both of his hands were on the side and he seemed to brace himself as he shut it with all of his might. Even House had to smirk at that.
Ronald walked slowly beside him and House had to walk even slower than before to keep up with him now. He was nervous but he would never tell a stranger that. He wouldn't tell the man he had only spoken a sentence to that he was nervous.
The walk took longer than House had experienced and by the time they got to the sliding doors he had had at least five people give him odd glances. They walked through the lobby and more looks were thrown their way causing Ronald to walk more slowly than ever before. House turned and realized the problem. He didn't want to be nice to the kid…he didn't even know him. But the slow walking was doing him damage to his leg. He stopped abruptly and turned to the kid.
Ronald backed up a step, startled at the sudden movement. House took of his jacket and scarf and hat and gave it to the kid. He looked confused.
"Put it on." House stated with a monotone.
He did. The hat went over his eyes and the jacket went past his feet. The scarf had to be wrapped around twice, which covered his throat, mouth, and nose. His face couldn't be seen and he probably could barely breathe. House grabbed the arm of the coat and dragged the small blond boy down the hall to Cuddy's office. Once at the door House pulled up the hat and looked into the kids' bright blue eyes.
"She's nice." He stated simply and opened the door. Cuddy was at her desk when he walked in.
"House." She turned away from her computer screen and took off her glasses.
Ronald walked into the room timidly behind House. Cuddy smiled at the kid smothered in House's clothes.
"Did he dress himself?" She asked laughing slightly as she walked toward the two of them. Ronald backed up slightly.
He had met too many new people today. "Hey, I'm not going to hurt you." Cuddy said gently as she put a hand on his shoulder. He smiled under the scarf and pulled the hat off his head. House helped him pull off the jacket and scarf.
"Ronald, Lisa, Lisa, Ronald." He introduced the two of them. House noted Cuddy's odd look when he mentioned the kids' name was Ronald and almost laughed.
"Well it's very nice to meet you Ronald."
"McDonald? You still have to pee?" House asked with a grimace. Cuddy gave House a glare when the nickname came out of his mouth.
He nodded. "Great. Follow me." He turned and Cuddy gasped. "What?" House asked with an irate tone.
"Your back." She tried to hide her smile.
"Is wet. I know. I fell."
"On his butt." The kid giggled.
"Oh haha. It's hilarious that a cripple slipped on some ice." House said with no smile on his face.
Cuddy laughed quietly and winked at Ronald.
"He was funny. He fell on the door and on the ground."
House just glared at the blond child and Cuddy stifled her giggles.
"Whatever." House said dramatically and grabbed the kids' shoulder. "We'll be back."
They walked down the hall. Ronald was timid again and House was standing a little closer than before, albeit trying to comfort the child. He slowed his strides down again and let the kid do the leading. Once they got to the men's room House stood at the sinks and waited for Ronald to go.
He just stood there.
"What's up kid?"
"I'm scared."
"You're seven."
"I'm five."
"Same thing. All right. You just whip it out and do your business."
"Will you do it with me?"
House's eyebrows shot up almost to his hairline. "Well, it's sort of a private thing. I'm not sure about the rules but…I don't believe I'm supposed to be…doing that."
"I just don't want to do it alone." He said looking up into House's eyes.
Something about the big blue orbs made House almost…weak. He gave in.
"Fine but… don't get used to it. You have to learn to use it on your own. I'm not going to be peeing next to you until you're twenty-five."
"Okay." He said eagerly. And practically ran to the urinal.
"Weird." House muttered and followed.
--
House opened the door to Cuddy's office and let Ronald go in first. He walked shyly to the couch and propped himself up beside the arm. House closed the door and stood close to it.
"So, Ronald, how are you?"
"I don't know." He smiled.
Cuddy laughed. House had to admit. She was okay with kids. and the kid, though it killed him to admit even to himself, was alright.
"Well what do you know?"
"I know how to blow a bubble gum bubble."
"A bubble gum bubble?! Well that's great cuz it just so happens, I have some gum right here in my drawer."
"I love bubble gum!" Ronald shouted happily.
"I do too." Cuddy said grabbing the pack she kept ready at her desk. She gave him a piece and took a piece of her own. Her hand held out the package toward House but he shook his head.
House watched as Cuddy and Ronald blew bubbles for a moment before deciding to head over to Wilson's office.
"Um, McDonald you stay here with Lisa and I'll be back later."
"You're leaving?" He asked quite pitifully.
"Yeah, but only for a minute."
Ronald looked up at him with his big, blue, weakening eyes and House bit back a sigh. "You can come with me. If you want, I mean." He said passively.
"Yes please." He nodded. "Thank you for gum Lisa."
"Amazing." House said shaking his head.
"What?" Cuddy asked with a laugh.
"He's with me for an hour and he doesn't make a peep. He's with you five minutes and he's reciting the Gettysburg Address."
"Jealous?"
"Pfft. No. Just curious." House scowled as he grabbed the kids' shoulder again.
Cuddy listened as they shut the door to what Ronald had to say, "What's the Gettysburger Address?" She laughed and went back to her business.
--
"Yes, Mrs. Anderson of course we will definitely do our best."
"But it is cancer?"
"Of the breast. There are ways to get past this. We can get you into chemotherapy. We will do our best to help you through this."
"Thank you Dr. Wilson. I really appreciate this."
"It's really no problem. Your next appointment is to be scheduled with Ms. Billings outside."
"Thank you again." She smiled and opened the door to a blond kid. "Oh, hi there son."
He just stared.
She smiled uncomfortably back at Wilson and stepped past Ronald. As she walked down the hall the kid stepped into Wilson's office and closed the door.
"Can I help you?" Wilson asked in his best fatherly tone.
He stared.
"Or not. That's fine too. Have a seat if you want." Wilson said shifting in his seat. What was it about this kid that made everyone uncomfortable?
Ronald did. He pulled himself, for the fourth time that day, into a sitting position and stared at the brown-eyed doctor.
"Um…Do you…want something?" Wilson asked with a slight cough.
The little boy didn't move a muscle.
"You have to go potty?" Wilson asked in a terrible baby voice.
Ronald raised his eyebrows and Wilson sat back in his seat, embarrassed.
"Well, Do you want me to call for your mommy?" He asked again in a baby voice.
The kid stared.
"I don't know what I'm supposed to do here. What's your name?"
Nothing.
"How old are you?"
Silence.
"Do you have a mom?"
The awkward tension was getting thicker and thicker. Wilson didn't know what to do.
"I told you to wait. You weren't supposed to go in yet." House said shutting the door quickly and sitting down beside Ronald on the couch. He whispered something in his ear and Ronald got up and went out on the balcony. "I've got a proposition Jimmy."
"Who is that?" Wilson asked alarmed.
House snapped his fingers, "Hey! Proposition."
"What is it?"
"You take the kid and I won't hound you about why you spent the night with me last night."
"I'm not taking the kid. I don't even know him."
"Like I know him. He just showed up on my doorstep an hour after you left."
"Well, take him to an adoption agency. You can't just give away a kid or keep him for that matter."
House rubbed a hand over his face, "I don't want to take him to an adoption agency for someone to just…take him."
"You care…about a kid you met an hour ago?"
"An hour and a half ago and no I don't care. I'm just…He laughed."
"What?" Wilson asked genuinely confused.
"I fell outside on the ice and he laughed."
"So you want to get rid of him because he made fun of you."
"No, He laughed! Don't you get it? He doesn't care that I have a limp, that I'm a horrible person, that I have a sharp tongue. He laughed. It's great." House stated with a ghost of a smile on his face.
"So you want to keep him."
"What the hell am I going to do with a kid?"
"So you want to get rid of him?"
"He laughed!"
"Make up your mind House. You either want the kid or want to get rid of him. There's no grey area here."
"What if I gave him to Cuddy? She likes kids."
"You just don't listen do you?"
"I'm going to go talk to her."
"Yes, and I'm going to sit here and be invisible." Wilson muttered.
"McDonald! Lets go."
The kid looked back through the glass door and came into the office smiling with his hands cupped.
"What is that?" House asked bending down slightly.
"Spider."
He opened his hands and a fingernail-sized spider was walking along the palm of his hand.
"I want to name him Sammy."
"Weird." House muttered again. As they left Wilson behind to stare in awe at the child.
--
"You want me to...keep this kid?" She whispered utterly shocked.
House looked back at the child resting on the couch with his spider in hand.
"Yes."
"You want me to keep a kid I met fifteen minutes ago."
"For one thing...will people stop giving me times? It's damn confusing. and another thing: yes. I would like you to keep the kid.
"That's completely ridiculous. I cannot keep a kid I just met. That's a huge step."
"No one wants him."
"And that's why you want him."
"I don't want him. I want you to take him."
"Because you trust me."
"Because you want a kid."
"You just don't want to give him up because you like him."
"He laughed at me."
"And you like that. You like the fact that he has the guts to laugh at his superior."
"He's not a doctor."
"You have a team."
"He's not a...whore."
"Which I hope is a good thing."
"He's not my mother."
"Which is obvious. House I can't just take in a kid."
"Come on. I never ask for anything."
"Oh please!"
"Okay. But...Look at him." House said in the best 'isn't that just adorable' voice.
The kid was sitting with spider in hand watching as the black bug crawled around his fingers. He giggled and looked up at the two that were staring at him.
"House."
"Alright. Think about it. and I'll go to my office and not bug you. I won't bug you at all. Not today. Oh, no." He gave his best farewell bow and grabbed the kids' shoulder again.
--
"You like music?"
Ronald nodded.
House sat in his office chair with the blinds closed and the kid sitting on his yellow recliner.
"What kind."
"Barney."
House cringed. "Barney? Really?"
"YES!" the kid said defensively.
"Okay, okay. Sorry. Didn't mean to offend your purple highness."
"I love you. You love me. We're a happ-"
"Stop right there McDonald. We will not be singing baby songs in my office. It's too cool in here to be beltin' out dinosaur tunes."
"I love Barney. He's big and happy and dances."
"He's gay."
"Gay?"
"Barney is gay. Purple dinosaur? dancing around with DD?"
"Barney is gay." Ronald repeated. And smiled. "I don't like Barney anyway."
"Damn straight."
"Damn straight!"
House smirked.
"How about food? What kind of food do you like?"
"Butter!"
"Butter? just butter."
"Yes."
"That's gross."
"Its good."
"Gross."
"Good."
"Just because you say it's good doesnt change the fact that I think its gross."
"You're a doody head."
"Wow. That was just mean." House frowned and threw his lacrosse ball at the child who caught it with his chest.
"Ow!" He yelled. and threw it back. It fell short coming in contact with the corner of House's desk and shooting off only to bounce of the wall and to the ground.
"Go get it." House said as the phone rang.
Ronald jumped up from the chair and picked up the ball. He threw it up in the air and caught it slapping both hands together.
"New Jersey Morgue you kill 'em we chill 'em...
no mom this is not really the New Jersey morgue...
I know it was rude...
sorry, next time I'll check the caller ID...
No I don't...
No I don't...
No I don't...
.okay...
If you want but I wont be here...
anywhere...
fine...
fine...
fine...
I said fine...
okay...
yeah...
yeah...
alright I love you too...
Yes i do.
otherwise I wouldn't have said it...
Alright bye."
As soon as he hung up the phone he felt his ball bounce of his head and onto his pen holder sending pens and pencils flying everywhere. Ronald was rolling on the floor laughing.
"Where in the world did you learn to throw things at people?" House stated sarcastically.
"Damn straight!"
"Great."
This should be fun.
--