Ch 23: Repercussions of the Forbidden

Though House wasn't truly an evil person, he couldn't help but get a bit excited when he thought of Thirteen and Wilson breaking the bad news to Foreman. He didn't really have much against Foreman either, save for his annoying quality and his unparalleled ability to ignore House the majority of the time. He wanted to see Foreman rattled, yes, but it was more a general longing for some drama in his life and if he had to live vicariously through the situation that Wilson and Thirteen were embroiled in, House would take what he could get. He spent the majority of Monday morning hopped up on the electricity in the air and the potential for something interesting to happen in his differential room.

A sixteen year old girl was admitted with a spiking fever, and blue excretions, which had whetted House's interests, and he had let Thirteen, Taub and Foreman battle it out about what could be causing the illness. "What do you think?" Taub had demanded of him, red about the ears and neck and glaring daggers at Foreman across the table.

House pondered for a moment. "I think the three of you are doing an excellent job of participating in this differential…carry on." His team sighed collectively and he could tell that they had been hoping he would help them out. When he said nothing further Foreman stood up.

"Well since House doesn't feel like doing his job today, I'll step in," he said annoyed. "Thirteen can check the patient's house for toxins, Taub can do a full workup, and I'll take a patient history."

"Nope," House piped up from his seat, watching his team intently.

"What do you mean, 'nope'?" Foreman asked, narrowing his dark eyes in House's direction.

"I mean 'nope,'" he replied simply. The three doctors stared at him like he had lost his mind. After nearly two very comfortable minutes of their gazes fully upon him, House spoke again. "Thirteen does the history, Foreman the panel and Taub searches the house."

"Are you undermining my authority for the sake of it, or does this actually have a purpose?" Foreman demanded.

"Other than annoying you and undermining your authority…no purpose at all," House replied with a smirk. Taub simply rolled his eyes and Foreman glared at him angrily, but he could tell Thirteen had caught on to his real reasoning. He didn't want anything to happen to his best friend's unborn child while the mother was off looking for possibly harmful exposures to toxins or the equivalent. The team left the differential room a few moments later in various states of mood and House smiled to himself, thinking that Foreman was about to get his due comeuppance.

The head of diagnostics waited until the team had been gone for a few minutes to pay Wilson a visit. "Brilliant morning, no?" House asked, popping his head into the oncologist's office. "Busy?"

Wilson sighed. "Not really. I have some x-rays to examine, but I can't really concentrate. We're going to tell Foreman after lunch," he told House.

"Ah…waiting 'til he's weighted down with food to crush his spirit. Good plan. He won't be as agile with lunch sitting on his stomach."

"Are you going to come in, or did you just want to hear about my nerves, and then back to your office for a four hour stint of porn and online gaming?"

"Well since you asked so nicely," House replied sarcastically. He came into the room and plopped down in his usual chair, propping his feet up on Wilson's desk.

"You're in a good mood," Wilson realized.

"Yep. One of my fellows is about to get a boot in the nuts…why wouldn't I be?"

"You might lose that team member?" Wilson tried.

"Eh…didn't ask for him in the first place."

"Well you'd be down to two and Cuddy wouldn't be pleased by that," Wilson pointed out. "She'd make you hire someone else."

"I've got Cuddy eating out of the palm of my hand now," House told him. "You forget that we're getting married in like…four months."

"Right. Cuddy will never answer to you, no matter how long you're married," Wilson replied.

"You'll see how things play out," House said confidently. Wilson raised his eye brows at this, but didn't see fit to comment. "You doubt?"

"I'll just let it be left to fate…" Wilson said.

Lunch was slow in coming and House was bouncing off the walls by the time he sat down with a slurpee and half of Wilson's sandwich. Wilson wasn't eating much, which suited House fine. He could always eat, even under high pressure. "I'm about to ruin someone's life," Wilson said quietly.

"And quite possibly see the end of yours," House added around a bite of ham and cheese. Wilson looked at him, a bit annoyed that he would say such things, but of course he knew House better than anyone and really hadn't expected anything else from him.

"I don't know if I can do this."

"Sure you can. Either you do it and get it over with, then start planning to keep Thirteen up while she grows your spawn or you steer clear of the heat and let Foreman wonder why he's raising a white kid six months from now." House took a slurp of his drink. "Your choice."

"You're such a ray of sunshine," Wilson said, glaring at his best friend.

"And that's why you love me," House replied, ignoring the obviousness of his friend's sarcasm. Wilson sighed. House was right. He actually did enjoy the 'House' brand of humor. He wasn't however enjoying the idea of facing Foreman.

Lunch ended, however, much to Wilson's displeasure. House followed him up to the diagnostics differential room, enjoying the vaguely sick look on his face. And eager to get the interesting bit of his day started. Cuddy was waiting on them in a chair. House bent to kiss her and Wilson smiled a bit, glad that his friend had finally settled down a bit…at least enough to hold a relationship. He sank into a chair near Cuddy and House snickered.

"Hoping Mommy will protect you?" he asked. Cuddy rolled her eyes and Wilson made a face, but didn't respond otherwise. Thirteen entered the room looking a bit pale.

"You ready?" Wilson asked her, standing and placing a hand on her shoulder. She nodded, though everyone in the room could tell she was nervous. Foreman didn't leave them waiting long, however. He walked in with a bizarre look upon his face.

"What's going on in here?" he asked. "Tea party?"

"You might want to sit down," Cuddy suggested. Thirteen and Wilson had broken apart at his appearance and were edging closer to Cuddy's chair. Foreman looked at them all strangely, but took a seat.

Wilson cleared his throat. "Before we get started," he began, "I want to apologize for going behind your back." Foreman narrowed his eyes and looked at Thirteen.

"I can't see you anymore," she told him shakily. "I'm with Wilson now."

"What?" Shock was plastered all over Foreman's face, much to House's delight. "With him?"

"Yes. We've been seeing each other for about five months now," Wilson added. "And again, I apologize, but what's done is done."

"I'm pregnant," Thirteen blurted out. There was an uncomfortable silence as Foreman processed this information. He looked from Wilson to his former girlfriend in a state of confusion.

"Is it…mine?" he asked finally.

"No. It's Wilson's," she told him, looking anywhere but his face.

"I can't believe you'd do this to me!" he said, standing. It seemed that the anger had finally broken through. "You're just like the rest of the female population; Cold and cruel and full of shit!"

He moved forward and Wilson stepped in front of Thirteen. Foreman looked disgusted but walked past him and out of the door. After a moment House stood. "That went well." The three remaining parties in the room looked at him incredulously. He smirked and walked into his inner office, pleased that Foreman had stormed off, though he had lost ten bucks to Chase on a bet that Foreman would hit Wilson. His differential room cleared and he turned the television on to catch the end of his soap opera.

The next morning there was a letter of resignation on his desk.