Hello people!
I hope you are all doing well :) New chapter ready for all of you to read! Sooo, there is probably going to be one more chapter and an epilogue. The epilogue is probably going to be a two parter as I have it in my mind or one veeery long chapter :p We'll see about that, I'm still thinking about it ;)
Thank you all for sticking with me and for reading this story! And, of course, big thanks to everyone who takes the time to drop a comment :)
I hope you will enjoy this chapter as well.
On with the story then...
Disclaimer: I don't own House MD...
Chapter 35: Back to the hospital
.
The ER was a chaos when House entered. Doctors were running around, a little boy was screaming for his mother and Cuddy was near the nurse's station.
"Damn…" he whispered to himself and tried to find a place to hide quickly but he didn't have much time.
"House, get here right now!" Cuddy yelled making him stop dead in his trucks.
He turned around and let out a sigh when he saw her approaching him.
"Where do you think you are going?" she asked, crossing her arms in front of her chest.
"They told me they had a good case for me… but I don't think it's a good time to bother them, I mean, the people are working!" he exclaimed, not convincing Cuddy at all.
"Well, guess what? You are staying here. There was a pile up and they are bringing everyone here so we need all the help we can get." She said seriously making him scoff.
"But I have to go feed Alex!" he protested.
"No you don't, Allison left five minutes ago to do that. But she was here before, helping!" she said, looking straight in his eyes.
"You do realize that no matter how much you yell and protest I'm not going to stay here." He stated, leaning heavier on his cane and looking down at her.
She let out a frustrated sigh and turned to leave.
"Just take the case and leave them alone!" she yelled without turning to look at him.
House smirked and walked to the nurse's station.
"Dr. House, I need the file they promised me." He said to the nurse which he hadn't seen before.
"You'll have to wait Dr. House…" said the nurse, not looking at him.
He frowned and studied her for a while.
When she didn't turn to look at him he slammed his hand on the counter catching immediately her attention.
She looked at him wearily and she took a step back upon seeing him glaring at her.
"Dr. House, please stop harassing the new personnel." Brenda said, appearing behind the new nurse.
She handed him the file and he smirked.
"Why, thank you. It's always nice doing business with you." He said with a nod and then turned to look at the young woman that was still looking at him cautiously.
"See? That's all I wanted." He said and without another word he headed towards the elevators.
He reached the fourth floor and then walked straight to the conference room where his team was waiting.
"New case?" Thirteen asked hopefully.
House nodded and tossed the files on the table.
"Thirty year old male, complaining about… many things that I'm going to write on the whiteboard." He said and after hooking his cane at the top of the whiteboard he took his marker and started writing.
Thirty minutes later and after he had sent his team to run tests he decided that it was a good time to visit the hospital's day care. He just hoped that he wouldn't bump into Cuddy on the way there.
Thankfully for him he managed to reach the day care unnoticed. The employee there didn't dare to say anything to him as he moved to were Alex was in a playpen.
Upon seeing his father he waved his hands in the air happily expecting him to pick him up. House, of course, didn't object and he took his five month old son in his arms giving him a kiss on the forehead.
"Hey little man, did you miss me?" he asked the baby who gurgled happily at him.
"Come on, let's go hide from Aunt Lisa!" he announced excitedly, smiling at Alex.
On the way back to his office though he changed his mind and he went to Cameron's office instead. He entered but found her office empty so he went and sat down behind her desk, placing Alex on his good leg.
"So, now we are going to stay here, watch TV and wait for your mommy!" he said to Alex who was busy trying to put his fist in his mouth.
House saw his attempts and shook his head in amusement.
"I don't think that it's going to fit in there…" he said pulling his little hand away from his mouth.
"Now, where does your mother keep your… Aha!" he exclaimed as he found Alex's pacifiers. He took one and put it in Alex's mouth and he happily accepted it.
"Daddy has his own." He said with a smirk and took a lollypop out of his jacket pocket.
He settled at a channel with cartoons and leaned back into his chair, with Alex in his arms.
The door to the office opened a few minutes later revealing Cameron with a chart in her hands. She walked towards them without looking up from the chart in her eyes and House studied her with amusement.
"Interesting case?" he asked making her jump.
"Greg, are you trying to give me a heart attack?" she asked, her hand coming to rest over her racing heart.
"What are you two doing here?" she asked, noticing that he wasn't alone in her office.
"Hiding." He replied, twirling the lollypop into his mouth.
She quirked her eyebrow questioningly but she didn't have the time to say anything since Alex was waving his hands in the air, wanting her to pick him up.
"He was supposed to be in the day care." She said to House who shrugged.
"Yeah, and I was supposed to be in the ER but hey, you can't always get what you want." He said with a smirk.
Alex threw his pacifier down and started moving in House's embrace and crying lightly, looking at Cameron.
She smiled at him and picked him up, settling him in her embrace.
"How is my little man?" she asked the baby with a smile.
Alex smiled at her and made soft sounds, happily announcing that now that he was in her embrace he was well.
House looked at her with a raised eyebrow and she shrugged.
"I was the one that freed you from the day care and you want your mom?" he asked incredulously looking at Alex who giggled upon seeing his father's grimace.
"Deal with it." Cameron replied with a smirk and he let out a theatrical sigh.
She walked to him and she sat on his good leg. His arms wrapped around her waist and he gave her a little smile.
"Nice t-shirt by the way." She said with a smirk, noticing his and Alex's matching t-shirts.
She had left earlier from him that morning and so he had dropped Beth to school and he had chosen Alex's outfit for the day.
"Yeah, I know! Beth is wearing the same!" he exclaimed, making her laugh lightly.
"I should have figured it out." She said, caressing his cheek softly.
Alex giggled as a he watched TV, catching their attention and making them smile.
"Hey angel, you like Sponge Bob like daddy?" she asked the baby who turned to look at her immediately.
"Sponge Bob rules!" House exclaimed.
"And daddy is just being immature." Cameron said to Alex.
He observed her with his big blue eyes as she talked and she smiled at him.
"Daddy is not immature, don't believe mommy." He said, making a face to Alex who giggled upon seeing his face.
His pager went off at that moment making him groan.
"My patient went into cardiac arrest, how cool is that?" he asked, faking enthusiasm.
"Can you take him back? I have to go see what those morons found out from the tests." He said looking at her with his best puppy -dog eyes.
"Fine, I'll take him, you can go." She replied, getting up from his leg.
He dropped a kiss on her lips and he caressed Alex's hair before heading out of the office and leaving her alone.
She sat behind her desk with Alex in her arms and she turned to look at him only to find him looking back. He smiled happily when his eyes connected with hers and she kissed his forehead lovingly.
"Just you and me now, huh?" she asked Alex who made various sounds.
"You are going to have to go back to the day care you know." She said, running her fingers through his soft hair.
His eyes were always connected with hers as she talked to him, observing everything. He really enjoyed hearing her voice and every time she talked to him his eyes would always be locked on hers.
At five months he was looking more and more like his father every day. He seemed to have all his features and his stunning blue eyes but his smile was all his mother's.
He was mommy's little boy. Whenever he saw her his eyes lightened up and he wanted to get in her embrace. His eyes followed her all the time…
He also seemed to enjoy playing with his father very much. When House started making faces at him and talking to him he giggled and observed him, his blue eyes always on him. And if anyone dared to take him away from his father when they were playing together he would start whimpering and demanding to go back. Unless, of course, it was Cameron.
He seemed to share a special bond with Beth too. Whenever Alex was fussy Beth took one of her story books and went to him and started reading to him her favorite stories. Alex enjoyed it immensely. He liked it very much when people talked to him and it was no different when his big sister talked to him.
Beth was very protective when it came to her younger brother. She was always careful with him, helping her parents when they asked her to and she had come to love the idea of having Alex around.
Of course she couldn't wait for him to grow older so she could play with him all the games she played with her friends. So for the time being she just enjoyed talking to him and helping her parents.
Alex yawned making her smile as his eyes locked with hers once again.
"I think it's time for you to take a little nap, don't you think?" she asked him softly, caressing his cheek tenderly.
She settled him in the crook of her arm and started singing to him, a song she used to sing to Beth when she was a baby in order to sleep.
He fought to keep his eyes open but a few minutes later he fell asleep in her arms. She placed a kiss on her forehead and stood up, heading for the day care.
She left her sleeping son there and then returned to her office and back to her patients.
xOxOx
"Mommy, daddy fell asleep on the couch... and he promised that we would play the guitar together!" Beth said, crossing her arms in front of her chest and looking at her mother who prepared dinner.
"Are you sure he is asleep?" Cameron asked, studying her daughter.
"He is snoring!" she exclaimed making her mother smile.
"Sweety, your dad doesn't snore." She said making Beth's frown deepen.
"But…" she started but stopped mid sentence.
She smirked, reminding her very much of House at that moment, and headed back to the living room as quietly as she could.
She walked close to the couch where House was lying and she was ready to jump on the couch when he 'woke' up from his pretend sleep and grabbed her into his arms, tickling her sides.
"Got you!" he exclaimed, placing her on the couch and continuing tickling her sides.
"Dad, stop!" Beth managed to say through laughter.
"Nope, you wanted to wake me up!" he said, never stopping.
"You weren't asleep." She replied, laughing uncontrollably.
"Not the point!" he stated seriously and stopped momentarily but when she started standing up he started again.
"Help!" she shouted, seeking for her mother's assistance.
Cameron appeared a few moments later and Beth immediately turned to her.
"Mommy, help!" she said before House could stop her.
Cameron smiled in amusement upon seeing them and went behind House, lacing her arms around her neck.
"I got him, I got him!" She said making him turn his attention to her and Beth ran off to her room.
He caught her hand in his and pulled her to him, effectively trapping her between his body and the couch.
"Who's got whom now?" he asked in a whisper, hovering over her, his lips tantalizingly close to hers.
"I don't care…" she said in a low tone before capturing his lips with hers in slow kiss. He gave in to her not caring about their little game anymore and he let his body rest on top of hers.
It was a few minutes later that they had to break apart upon hearing their daughter clearing her throat in order to catch their attention.
They looked innocently at her and she looked back with a frown.
"I thought we were playing." She said, crossing her arms in front of her chest and trying to imitate her mother's glare.
House tried not to laugh. He didn't tell her that this look worked only when her mother used it but he believed that someday his daughter would manage to pull it off.
"We were but now you are going to have to play with daddy because I have to check dinner." She said, getting up from the couch.
She dropped a kiss on her daughter's forehead and headed to the kitchen while House remained on the couch with Beth studying him.
"Play Station?" he asked making Beth grin widely.
"Ok!" she exclaimed, taking a sit next to him and waiting for him to pick a game.
Thank God it was still kind of easy to distract her… he dreaded the time when a video game wouldn't be able to change the subject.
They played together until Cameron asked for House's help and he headed to the kitchen in order to help her out leaving Beth at the living room alone.
She found it boring playing alone so she went to her room to pick up her guitar and then went straight to the nursery to check on her baby brother.
Alex was wide awake when she entered the nursery. He was lying on his stomach in his crib, having just woken up.
"Hey Alex!" Beth greeted when she saw her brother awake and Alex gurgled happily when he saw her.
He lifted his head up and he steadied himself, placing his weight on his arms and trying to stay that way.
"Wanna hear a song? Mommy taught me how to play it! She'll probably teach you too but when you are old enough to hold the guitar." She reasoned and sat on the armchair that was in the room so that she was in his vision and started playing the song.
Alex observed her with his big blue eyes and listened without making a noise, fascinated by the sounds that were coming out of the guitar his sister was playing.
Meanwhile, their parents were in the kitchen listening to everything that was going on in the nursery through the baby monitor.
"She nailed that song!" he said proudly with a grin on his face.
"She's getting pretty good at this." Cameron agreed and placed the salad in the middle of the table.
"Why do we have to eat green stuff?" House asked, pointing at the offending item.
"Because it's good for you." Cameron replied, giving him a peck on the lips.
"Now go bring the kids." She instructed and he gave her a little nod.
"Yes mommy." He said and headed off.
She shook her head in amusement and she continued setting the table.
"Hello my offspring!" House said when he entered the nursery.
Alex smiled and gurgled and Beth grinned at him.
"Mom says it's dinner time." He said to his daughter and then picked Alex up from his crib.
"Can't we eat a little later? I was playing something…" she protested.
"Nope. Dinner now and then we are going to play together." He replied, winking at her.
"Ok daddy! I'm going to wash my hands!" Beth exclaimed before running off to her room to leave her guitar and then to the bathroom to wash her hands.
House returned to the kitchen with Alex in his arms and after handing him to Cameron he followed Beth to the bathroom.
They had a quiet dinner and when they finished they all went back to the living room where House and Beth played the guitar and Cameron just sat with Alex in her arms and watched them play, a soft smile on her lips as she observed them.
Beth's bed time came a lot faster than she would have liked and Alex fell asleep moments after his big sister was tucked to bed. Cameron took him back to the nursery and then she returned to the living room.
She found House lying on the couch and flicking through the TV channels. He scooted when he saw her, letting her lie next to him. She pillowed his bicep and his free arm came to wrap around her waist.
"Long day, huh?" he asked, leaving a trail of soft kisses on her neck.
"Exhausting day…" she mumbled, closing her eyes and enjoying the attention she received.
He smiled against her skin and he kissed the top of her head.
Her fingers intertwined with his and they stayed there, just enjoying their proximity…