Chapter 14: House's Team

Earlier that evening, House's fellows were gathered in the conference room, waiting for the results of their latest round of tests on their patient, as well as word of how their boss was doing in surgery.

Cameron was the first one to break the silence. "I can't believe that House and Wilson are a couple."

Foreman could only look at her in shock. "You just found out that your boss, your male boss, is pregnant, and the most surprising thing is that House and Wilson are dating?"

Cameron blushed and looked over at her colleagues. "That's not it, I mean," she took a deep breath. "I just can't believe we never saw it."

Chase snorted. "Same reason why we never had any idea he was pregnant. House only lets us see only what we wants us to see."

"There's no way he's pregnant." This was from Foreman.

"You saw the same ultrasound I did," shot back Chase. "It sure looked like a baby to me. Fetal heart monitor showed a heartbeat."

"It has to be some huge joke he's cooked up. There's no way it's real," Foreman exclaimed.

"Sure looked real enough, and the internal bleeding was genuine. You can't fake that," Chase answered.

"He certainly looked like he could be carrying a baby," Cameron chimed in for the first time.

"It's gotta be a tumor! That would explain why he started bleeding when he fell!" Foreman snapped back.

"But that doesn't explain the ultrasound or the fetal heart monitor," Chase replied. "Besides, if it was a tumor, why would Wilson have Cuddy page Janet Larsen, an OB/GYN? And Barry, the doctor that was on his way in, was probably Barry Coleman, another obstetrician who specializes in high risk pregnancies."

"So how do you think it happened?" Cameron asked.

"Maybe it was aliens," suggested Chase. At Foreman's derisive snort, he defended his statement. "Come on, it's not any more absurd than the fact that he's pregnant!"

"Maybe someone cursed him." This was from Foreman.

"Regardless of how he got pregnant, the important question is why is he still pregnant? Why didn't he terminate the pregnancy?" asked Chase.

"Maybe that's part of the curse. Maybe he can't end it."

The two men were convulsing with laughter when Cameron interrupted. "I think he wants the baby."

The other two occupants in the room looked at her in shock before bursting into laughter again.

When he finally recovered, Foreman exclaimed, "are you kidding? This is House we're talking about. No way!"

"No, I'm serious," she said defensively. "I think he really wants this." She thought back to the earlier events of the day. "When he fell, he kept repeating, 'please don't let her die'. I had no idea what he was talking about. And when he was talking to Dr. Larsen, he was terrified that they'd have to take the baby at only 21 weeks."

"Yeah, I guess," replied Chase, "but still, House with a kid? Can you imagine?"

Allison had to admit that she couldn't. Their conversation was interrupted when the door to the conference room opened and Lisa Cuddy entered. Cameron was the first to ask, "how is he?"

"He's doing fine. The surgery went well, and they were able to stop the bleeding and salvage the pregnancy. The baby appears to be doing fine." She slumped down into one of the vacant chairs. "It seems so weird to say that."

"It really is a baby, then?" Foreman asked.

"Well, two obstetricians, my head of oncology and one of the best diagnosticians in the country think so. Who am I to disagree?"

Foreman nodded. "What happens next?"

"Barry wants to keep him here for observation for the next 24-36 hours. He wants House to be here if he starts bleeding again or the baby goes into distress. After that, he'll be discharged and will be at home on bedrest for the rest of the pregnancy. Hopefully he can make it to thirty-four weeks."

Foreman did a quick mental calculation. "Thirteen weeks in bed. He'll go nuts by the end of the first week."

Cuddy nodded and then explained her plan for keeping House occupied. By the end, they were all smiling and agreeing with her plan.

She became serious once again. "I want to make sure that you all realize how serious his condition really is. Essentially it's an abdominal ectopic pregnancy, and we all know the prognosis for that is pretty grim. I don't want any of you to make a fuss about the pregnancy, because chances are that it will end badly. No presents, no baby shower. I wouldn't even talk about the baby unless he brings it up himself." She was looking at all three of them, but they all knew her words were really intended for Cameron, the emotional one of the group. When they all agreed, she looked at her watch and sighed, "I have to get to a meeting."

When she was almost to the door, she turned around. "Oh, I almost forgot. If anyone asks what happened to Dr. House today, you can tell them that the surgeons found a large tumor in his abdomen, and preliminary tests show that it is malignant. For the next few months, Dr. House will be working from home while recovering from surgery and receiving treatment." At their surprised looks she explained, "I'm sure people are already speculating. I know how the rumor mill works in a closed environment. I'd rather put out something plausible rather than have people go searching and stumble on the real reason."

She walked out of the conference room and took the elevator up to the sixth floor. As soon as she walked into the room, she could see that House was awake and was looking troubled. She straightened her shoulders; this would have to be handled carefully.

She marched briskly into the room. "Well, you've really done it this time, haven't you?" She was pleased to see the spark of life enter his eyes. "There's no way I'm going to have an entire department sitting around on its ass for the next few months, just because you went and got knocked up! So here's what's going to happen. On Monday, the phone company will be at your apartment, where they will install a DSL line and a second phone line. Meanwhile, the diagnostics conference room will be equipped for video conferencing. You need to have someone get your laptop to IT so that they can install a webcam and whatever software will be necessary. On Tuesday, IT will be out at your place making sure that everything is working properly. They will also set up a fax machine. Technically, Foreman will be in charge of your department while you are gone, but I will make it clear that you are running the cases, and they are to consult you, same as if you were still in the building. It's not as if you really see your patients anyway."

"So, do you want me to phone in my clinic hours as well?"

"No, for some reason, people actually come to the clinic to see a doctor. However, I'll make you a deal. Your department averages less than one patient a week. Starting a week from today, if the average doubles during the time you're working from home, I won't add the clinic hours you'll miss onto the end of the hours you still owe me. So, do we have a deal?"

"Do I have a choice?" he snarled.

"Not really. Oh, and by the way, the cost for all of the equipment is coming out of your department's budget. You'll have to cut back on the department's Christmas party or something."

He couldn't maintain the façade any more, and his lips quirked into a smile. "I'm sure Cameron will be crushed."

She smiled back. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine." The smile dimmed slightly. "Barry upped the meds, so I'm not feeling much of anything."

She nodded, understanding. She checked the monitors one last time. "Now get some sleep. Your patient is stable and your fellows are under orders not to discuss him with you until tomorrow morning."

He nodded, and she watched as his eyelids slid shut, and he finally relaxed into sleep.

TBC