Hello people!
I hope you are all fine :) I think I'm close to finding out how I want to finish this. I have something in my mind but I'm not so sure yet... I'll get there though, don't worry ;)
Thank you all for reading this story and for the support! And thanks to everyone who takes the time to drop me a comment :)
Hope you will enjoy this chapter as well!
On with the story then...
Chapter 34: Differential at home
.
"Where are you going?" House asked, looking away from the TV screen.
He was sitting on the couch with Beth and Alex in his arms watching a movie that Beth had picked out.
"Cuddy called me…" she mumbled glancing at him momentarily and then busying herself with her shoes.
"That woman has yet to understand that you are on maternity leave!" he exclaimed, his eyes following her as she walked around, gathering her things.
"Greg I have to go, otherwise Cuddy will probably find the guy dead in the morning." She explained, trying to make him see reason.
"No, you don't have to go! Cuddy has to do something with her doctors though because this is getting ridiculous!" he said in frustration and stood up with Alex cradled securely in the crook of his arm.
"What do you suggest? That I stay here and let the patient die?" she asked heatedly, her eyes connecting with his.
"I never said to let him die!" he defended himself.
"Then what do you suggest?"
"Do something about your employees Allison! You could trust your old team but the ones you have now are incompetent, can't you see?" he asked, his gaze never wavering.
"Plus, you are supposed to be on maternity leave and you are constantly on the phone with the morons that want to call themselves doctors!" he continued.
She let out a sigh and averted her gaze. She turned around without saying anything else and she headed to their bedroom.
House groaned in frustration and looked at Alex who had his blue eyes glued on his face.
"Yeah, I know… It's not your mommy's fault." He said to the small baby.
He turned to Beth who had her gaze locked on the TV but he knew better.
"Beth…" he said and she turned her attention to him.
She sighed when she saw his look and she stood up.
"I'll go feed Ricky." She stated and headed to her bedroom to play with her rabbit.
"And we are going to see mommy." He said to Alex and walked down the hall and to their bedroom.
She was lying on her side at his side of the bed when he entered.
He walked closer to her and sat down next to her. He placed Alex on the bed and she propped herself on her elbow, her attention solely to Alex.
"I know it's not your fault… but it's been two months since you gave birth and Cuddy has yet to understand that you are not working at the time." He explained, studying her face, waiting for her to do something.
She looked at him, understanding full well what he meant. She gave him a soft smile and she caressed his stubbled cheek.
"It's just… I can't say no when the patient is this critical." She said in a whisper.
Of course he understood what she said. He knew her; he knew that she did everything she could to help.
"I've got to find a new team…" she announced with a sigh making him smirk.
"It's about time." He said, the smirk never leaving his lips.
"And you can't torture them when they will be waiting for their interviews." She warned with a smile, knowing full well what he had in mind.
"Kill joy…" he muttered and leaned to her in order to place a kiss on her lips.
"And now you are going to call Cuddy and tell her that you are staying home. We are going to diagnose the guy from here." He stated, grabbing the cordless phone that was resting on the nightstand.
"We?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at him.
"Of course! Your husband is the best diagnostician in the country! A very bored diagnostician might I add… the movie that Beth picked was hideous!" he exclaimed making her laugh.
"Ok, I'll tell her to fax us the patient's history and symptoms." She said and took the phone he handed her.
She went to the living room in order to make the phone call leaving him alone with Alex.
"It's going to be so funny messing with your mommy's new employees." He said to the baby, smirking.
Alex looked intently into his eyes.
"Don't tell me you believed that I wasn't going to interfere. Your mom didn't…" he said and took him in his arms again.
"Come on, let's go to the living room. It's differential diagnosis's time!" he stated and he headed with the baby back to the living room.
xOxOx
It was almost four hours later and many tests ran by House's team that they finally figured out what was wrong with her patient.
Beth had enjoyed it immensely since they had borrowed a mini-whiteboard that she kept in her room and she watched them all the time as they tried to figure out what was wrong.
At some point House had given her the marker and he told her what to erase from the board. She had taken her job very seriously and was listening closely to everything they said. The word sarcoidosis had become her favorite from the ones written on the whiteboard and House couldn't help but wonder how it would be like if one day he got to do this with Beth for real.
Cameron saw that little smile of his when he was thinking about it and questioned him of course but he didn't say what he was thinking.
Alex had fallen asleep minutes after they started and woke up the moment they called Cuddy to tell her what was wrong.
"I guess he found it boring…" House said with a smirk as Cameron took their two month old in her embrace.
"He is a baby daddy!" Beth pointed out.
He smiled and pulled her into his arms, making her sit on is good leg.
"Can we see that movie now?" she asked hopefully, looking at him with her best puppy-dog eyes.
House groaned and looked at her with a frown.
"We both know that this movie shucks, why see it?" he asked in bewilderment.
"But I like it daddy!" Beth protested, crossing her arms in front of her chest.
"But there are other movies, more interesting!" he exclaimed, mimicking her stance.
Beth seemed to think about it for a moment and raised her eyebrows, studying him.
"What movies?" she asked after a few moments.
"We could see Hercules or Lion King! You like Lion King!" he said.
She thought about it for a while and then gave him a small smile.
"Can we see both?" she asked in a whisper, immediately picking Cameron's interest who was watching them from her position on the couch.
Alex was nursing peacefully in her embrace and she watched the two of them as they tried to decide what to watch.
"What are you two up to again?" she asked, looking at them inquisitively.
"Nothing…" they said in unison, giving her their best innocent stares.
"Why don't I believe you?" she said, raising an eyebrow in question.
They smiled but didn't say anything.
"Just don't make a mess please…" she said.
Beth grinned widely and went to get the movies from her room leaving her parents alone.
He moved closer to her on the couch and went to sit right next to her. His hand found its way to her back and he glided it from the back of her neck to her lower back where he stopped.
She smiled at him and he dropped his head on her shoulder watching Alex as he nursed. He loved doing that, watching her breastfeeding. He used to do that when Beth was a baby but she had only been breastfed for the first month.
He dropped a kiss on her shoulder and it was at that moment that Beth returned holding the movies in one hand and Ricky tucked under her arm, trying not to drop him.
"Help!" she said in a desperate tone catching her parent's attention at once.
The sight made them laugh and House went immediately to help his daughter. He took the rabbit from her hands and she placed the DVDs on the coffee table.
"He was moving all the time and I couldn't hold him properly!" she complained looking at Ricky who was now in her father's arms.
"Well, he is going to sit properly now." He said and after giving the bunny to Beth again he went to put the DVD in the player.
Then he sat back on the couch with Beth snuggled in his right side.
"You have school tomorrow young lady; don't expect to see both movies tonight." Cameron said to her daughter who tried to stifle a yawn at that moment.
"But I'm not sleepy mommy." She protested.
"Come on, let's see this one first and then we'll see." House said with a wink making Beth grin.
Alex had finished eating and was now in Cameron's embrace, looking around him. But when his mother started talking to him his eyes connected with hers and he looked intently at her, like he understood everything she said.
She continued talking to him while House and Beth were watching the movie. He made soft sounds as he heard her voice and he never stopped looking at her.
House looked from TV to his wife and son, finding what they were doing more interesting at the moment.
Beth fell asleep halfway through the first movie and after House took her to bed and put Ricky back to his cage he returned to the living room.
He found Cameron lying on the couch with Alex sprawled on her chest and he went to lie down next to her, his back flat against the back of the couch so that he could look at her.
Alex's face was turned to him as he lay on his mother's chest.
"Hey little man, think I can borrow your mommy tonight?" he asked the baby, caressing his small back soothingly.
Alex stretched his little arms and yawned as his father caressed his back.
He blinked a few times and then his blue eyes connected with his father's once again.
"You want to talk huh? Well, not exactly talk but you can listen. Want me to tell you about the time that your Uncle Eric sent me and your mommy to look at a patient's house?" he asked and Alex looked intently at him.
"Yeah, I know what you think. How come he sent us since I was the boss? That was your Aunt Lisa's fault. Anyway, we went with the bike, which I'll teach you how to drive when you are old enough by the way." He said with a wink.
"Unless your sister has taken it before you have the chance, then we are going to buy a new one." He said seriously making Cameron smile.
"Back to our story now… Your mommy was afraid to get on the bike but when she got her hands on my irresistible body she liked it very, very much. I should have taken advantage that day. You would already be two if I had!" he exclaimed and he heard her laugh.
"You are unbelievable!" she stated caressing his stubbled cheek.
Alex made a sound which House took as a sign to continue.
"See? He likes the story! So, your mother was right that the patient had Munchausen's but I was right too because she didn't have only that." He continued with his story.
"Yes, but mommy was right from the beginning." Cameron said with a smug smile and Alex turned his head to her direction.
"Yes, but daddy saved the day at the end!" he said.
Alex yawned, his eyes starting to close but he fought to keep them open.
"You can go to sleep, we will talk when you wake up…" Cameron said to the baby and placed a small kiss on his forehead.
Alex placed his head back down on her chest, her steady heartbeat lulling him to sleep. House rubbed his back in a soothing manner making him fall asleep even faster.
"Are you sleepy?" she asked him but he just smirked.
"I wouldn't say so…" he replied, claiming her lips with his in a soft and sensual kiss.
"Point taken… I'll take him to the nursery." She said.
He gave her a nod and after switching the TV and DVD player off they headed down the hall.
House went straight to their bedroom and Cameron went to the nursery. She kissed Alex goodnight and placed him in his crib. He stretched out and she covered his body with the blanket.
After that she went to check on Beth who was fast asleep. She kissed her daughter on the forehead and she then went straight to their bedroom.
"Are they asleep?" he asked, catching her hand in his and dragging her to him the moment she lied down next to him.
"Both of them…" she replied with a smile.
"Good…" was the only thing he said and he claimed her lips with his showing her exactly what he had in mind when he kissed her in the living room… And she immediately responded…