Author's Note: This is a really short chapter, but it is one of my favorite so far. Hope you enjoy it (and aren't too upset by it's length.) The next chapter is longer. I promise.
Chapter 7: A Short Detour
As House retraced his route back to the freeway, he tried to recapture the certainty that he had felt two days ago. Somehow the decision didn't seen so clear anymore. He found himself pulling into the parking lot of Barnes and Noble. He wandered through the store until he reached his intended destination. He looked at the huge selection of books. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all.
"Can I help you find something?" He looked at the young woman who was standing next to him. She pulled one volume off of the shelf. "This is one of our best sellers because it is really comprehensive." She handed him another book. "This one is my favorite because it breaks it down week by week. Is your wife pregnant?"
How could he get rid of this nosy woman? He found himself answering, "actually, I'm the one that's pregnant." His voice was dripping with sarcasm, but the fact that he had just spoken the truth suddenly made it seem so much more real.
She laughed at what she thought was a joke. "How far along is the baby?"
He was still reeling from his admission, and he automatically answered, "eleven weeks."
She smiled and grabbed one of the books out of his hands and began leafing through it. "How cool! That's when it really starts to look like a baby."
He found himself looking down at a picture of a fetus. Oh God, he couldn't continue to stand here. Suddenly, his hands were shaking, and his throat burned from unshed tears. "Gotta go." He grabbed the books from her and headed to the register as fast as he could walk. He threw cash at the smirking teenager behind the counter, and picked up his purchases.
He barely made it inside the car before the tears came. He tried to stifle the sobs that seemed to come from deep inside his chest, but there was no way to stop them. He wrapped his arms around his body and curled into himself, as much as was possible in the confinement of the driver's seat. When the tears dried up, he was exhausted. He rested his head on the steering wheel until he was fully in control again.
It was time to go home to face Wilson.