Morning has broken
"I think I really like Park," Nyx told House as they lay on the grass near the river in Death's garden. "She is an interesting combination of innocence and street-smarts, timidity and spunk. It will be interesting to see which way she will go under your tutelage."
"I could crush her, you know," House suggested.
"If that was what you really believed you would have crushed her already and not helped her with her hearing," Nyx dismissed the suggestion.
"I only changed my mind about getting her fired after Wilson bet me that she would get fired," House pointed out. "I like Wilson's money more than anyone else's."
"Well, one could make a case that you knew she would ask Wilson for advice and – James being James – he would get involved and offer a counter-bet," Nyx mused. "So by acting like you wanted her fired you could both manipulate the board into not firing her and hide your true intentions – that were to make sure she would not get fired."
"That is convoluted," House stated.
"And therefore exactly what you would do," Nyx insisted. "Though I do rather think you had decided to help her even before the bets; they just gave you a chance to keep your rep."
"My reputation, Jago, my reputation!" House sighed. "It is important, you know. Otherwise people will walk all over you."
"Like your orthopaedic neighbour?" Nyx asked.
"Just like him," House agreed. "Now he knows that I will get what I want one way or the other. He won't be bothering me again."
"Even though your money will buy him new and improved equipments?" Nyx wanted to know.
"It's the principle," House smiled. "He had to leave the premises empty handed. It doesn't matter that all his stuff will be replaced – and with new and improved stuff – what matters is that he had to walk away from the stuff he had. And at my say so."
"And to add insult to the injury you made sure that everyone knew that you didn't even want his stuff by having it all smashed to pieces," Nyx concluded. "Ouch!"
"Exactly," House sighed with deep satisfaction. "And it all had the added bonus of letting Adams get rid of her anger and frustration which will, in turn, make her more focused and better suited for me."
"So you're keeping both your 'girls' though you're getting 'The House Boys' back?" Nyx queried.
"If I can have them all, why shouldn't I?" House replied. "Chase and Taub have worked for me too long; I need someone fresh to challenge them. Force them to up their game. I think they will keep each other on their toes and that will work well for me."
"That is a possibility," Nyx accepted. They stared at the night sky in silence for a moment. The Nyx spoke again: "Do you think new people and new location will work for your patient, too?"
"Does it matter?" House asked.
"You did rather lean on him to sign," Nyx reminded him.
"I wasn't affecting anything but the timing of the press release," House pointed out. "Nobody learns mandarin if they're not serious about moving. And nobody, no matter how serious they are learns it in four months. He made a sound, well-thought out business decision and once he shook on the deal he wasn't going to back out of it no matter how possible it might have been legally. He has honour and a good eye for the profit."
"You think he lied to his daughter when he said it was about family," Nyx demanded.
"Oh no, it was about family alright," House said. "The daughter just had a different idea about family. "
"Meaning?" Nyx raised an eyebrow at House.
"She sees family as the immediate family, basically her and her father," House pondered. "She probably includes the workers as well into her idea of family, but when she talks about family she definitely means the living."
"And he doesn't?" Nyx queried.
"No," House stated. "For him the 'family' in the family business is all the generations that have been before him, and his obligation to them. He is not stupid, he knew all the flack he would get after his decision. But he also knew that the move would happen sooner or later: he could either do it himself and keep the company in the family, or he could wimp out, give control to someone else and watch that someone else move his company at a later date."
"What makes you so sure the company would move – sooner or later?" Nyx asked.
"His kind of businesses are in trouble all over the country and there are no signs suggesting that things will change any time soon," House replied. "There is only so much cost cutting he can do here. Also the biggest future market is in Asia. It makes sense to move to China if you want to be sure your company has a future. He did his homework and made his decision based on what is best for his company."
"But what if his daughter doesn't want the business now?" Nyx wondered. "Won't it move out of the family then? If she sells her share once she is in charge?"
"Yes," House nodded. "But that won't be on his watch."
"And that will be enough for him?" Nyx didn't sound convinced.
"Yes," House sounded like he had only just come to that conclusion. "He was raised to the family obligation; the business was his first duty and his final obligation. He was given really no choice about it. A bit like being a king, you know. From the day you're born you're raised to serve your people, to carry the crown and make sure you pass it intact to the next generation. He had no choice about that. He did, however, have a choice about raising his own child and he chose not to bring her into the family obligation. He did right by her."
"But she left him," Nyx observed. "His decision to honour the previous generations – if that is what he did – cost him his daughter. You're not trying to tell me that he chose to raise her in a way that – almost inevitably – would bring them to this - or at least had a good chance that this is what would happen."
"It was a risk he had to take to give her freedom," House asserted. "She has a good sense of duty, honour and integrity. Also patriotism. But she is not bound by the dictates of previous generations. He gave her freedom and he knew what that meant. He was willing to be the fall guy there, too. He did what was best for his company and he did what was best for his daughter. He chose to be the one who would suffer for it. And he waited until his wife was dead so she wouldn't need to suffer."
"A bit like you, isn't that?" Nyx wondered.
"Me?" House was perplexed. "How do you connect any of that with me?"
"Your father tried to raise you to follow his footsteps – the family tradition – of joining the military," Nyx explained. "Right? You chose to rebel and become something else. Now you are 'raising' your 'kids' to make their own choices. You did it with Masters and now with Park. With the hearing now over she can choose to go back to neurology or ask Foreman to assign her to some other department."
"Yes, she has those options now," House agreed. "Though I seriously doubt she will go back to neurology. Who would want to face that lecherous drunk if there was a choice. Especially as he is a hack who can teach nobody anything useful."
"I thought he claimed it was just a congratulatory slap gone wrong," Nyx deadpanned.
"Yeah," House scorned. "He had to stoop pretty low to reach Park's behind. No way was he aiming for just her back."
"I have to say that I agree," Nyx admitted. "But can you be sure she comes back to you?"
"Not really," House admitted. "She has more options now. If she thinks my actions were personal…"
"They were," Nyx reminded him. "Though not in the way she might think."
"Whatever," House dismissed the interruption. "If she thinks I really wanted her out or my team then she will ask Foreman to assign her somewhere else. If she thinks that it was just the bet and that I have what she wants to learn, then she will come back – and no hard feelings."
"What do you think she will do?" Nyx asked.
"Oh, she'll come back," House stated without a doubt. "Had she been tempted to do something else – even for a moment – then she would have not reacted to winning the bet the way she did. I don't think it even occurred to her that she could leave. Were I an ethical person I would point her options out for her, but as things are… I'll take her."