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Chapter Fifteen: The Secret Is Out
Kara sat in the conference room with House, tapping her pencil's eraser against her nose. She glanced over at House who was sitting across from her, his feet propped up on the table and his concentration zoomed in on his video game. Kara took her watchful gaze off of House and to outside of the conference room. "Homework first." House suddenly said, still playing on his game. Kara looked up at him wondering how he could have known that she was not doing her homework. She looked back at her work and groaned inwardly.
"I can't." Kara finally said, letting her face rest on the table.
House sighed and turned off his game, getting up just as the door opened to Cameron, Chase, and Foreman. "It's not an infection, House. It has to be something else other than an infection. Maybe it's drugs." Foreman said as he entered the room last.
"It could be an STD." Cameron offered.
House looked up at them. "Child." House stated glancing carefully at Kara. Kara was now looking up at the three intruders and listening to them attentively. House wasn't sure how far her sexual education expanded but if it was short House was going to keep it that way as long as he could. "Go ask your mother for help and don't tell her you're done with your homework." House said, shooing Kara off.
Kara moaned despondently and scooped up her things. "I'm thirteen! I'm not a child." She mentioned.
"I'm the adult which makes you still child. Now, go." House told her, opening the conference room's door and pushing Kara out.
Kara sighed dolefully and headed off to her mother's office. She entered the office and looked around seeing that her mother wasn't in there. She sat in the seat and placed her work on the desk. She sighed and glanced at her evil homework. The door opened and Wilson walked in. "Hello, Kara. I guess you have no clue where your mother is either?" He asked after taking a quick glance around the office.
"Nope." She sighed, putting her face in her right hand.
Wilson nodded and pushed the door open but stopped seeing the look on Kara's face. "Having trouble with your homework?" He asked, smiling nervously as he walked towards the desk.
"Uh huh. I got to write a rough draft by Wednesday about how we appreciate family." Kara said, looking up at him.
"Oh, well that shouldn't be too hard." He offered her encouragingly.
"It is! Family means people are married and they care for their child together. I can't appreciate family if I don't have one." Kara told him seriously, looking up at Wilson with questioning eyes. Wilson, for a moment, was speechless because Kara actually believed what she said. He knew she was an orphan and probably didn't understand much about family, but he would have never thought that she would say something like that.
"Kara, that's not what family is." He said dismayed. She looked up at him confused. "Family is the people who love you. They don't have to be married to still be required as family. Your mother and your father love you very much. That's all that counts in a family." He explained.
"Oh! That makes a whole lot of sense now." Kara said surprised. "Thanks, Wilson!"
Wilson smiled. "Your welcome, Kara." The door opened to Cuddy. "Cuddy, I need to ask you something." He began, his eyes looking over at Kara as she began to write on her lined paper. "Privately."
Cuddy nodded and stepped out of the office hastily as Wilson followed. Kara looked up at the door just for a moment before turning back to her paper.
&
Cuddy's door opened and House waltzed inside the best he could. Kara was done with her homework and was now sitting on the couch looking quite bored. "Yes, House?" She asked him despairingly, setting down her pen carefully.
"I need to speak with you." He said vaguely, narrowing his eyes at her as if to send a mental message of how urgent it was.
Cuddy sighed and stood up. "I'll be right back." She told Kara before following House out of the office. Kara frowned before jumping up and heading towards the door. Her parents were next to the door. "Alright, what's the emergency?" She asked. Kara covered her mouth to make sure they didn't hear her breathing.
"It's Kara." House whispered hoarsely.
Cuddy frowned worriedly. "What about her?"
Kara could hear House whispering something to Cuddy. She pressed her ear against the door desperately. They were making this eavesdropping thing harder than it should have been. She heard her mother gasp. "He didn't want to tell you." Kara frowned tentatively. What were they talking about?
"Oh my god, House! What are we...?" Cuddy asked frenetically.
"Calm down." He quickly interrupted, unsure what Cuddy was able to do if she had a meltdown.
"Calm down? Calm Down? How can I calm down, House? Our..." Cuddy began irritably, her cerulean eyes dark with her anger.
"Shh! Try not to tell the people in Asia about our problems as well." He hissed, his brows furrowing at her. Maybe Wilson was right. Cuddy really didn't need to know that Kara didn't think of them as a family.
Cuddy opened her mouth to say something but she stopped herself. Sighing frustratingly, she rubbed her temples. "What are we going to do?" She asked, looking up at him tearfully.
"I...don't know." House said sadly, looking up at the ceiling hopelessly. He never realized that this parenting thing was going to be harder than it looked. When it was other people's children, it didn't matter. He didn't care what he said or made them believe. But now it was his child and that brought a whole lot of weight on his shoulders. "We better talk about this later." He decided, grabbing the doorknob and twisting it. Kara didn't even have time to move as House open the door without a thought. The door smacked Kara in the face hard, causing her to fall over on the floor. Because the door hit her nose, tears instantly formed and she touched her face painfully.
"House!" Cuddy cried, rushing inside and bending down to her daughter. "Oh honey, are you alright?" She asked worriedly, helping Kara sit up as she pried Kara's hands off her face. She inspected Kara's nose and face carefully.
"What were you doing right next to the door?" House asked instead frowning.
Cuddy glared up at him. "I wanted to go to the bathroom." Kara answered quickly, blinking back her unshed tears and getting back up. It was a lousy excuse but it was the first thing that had popped up in her mind. "I...I was about to open the door but..." She trailed off for a more dramatic effect. It seemed to work on her mother.
"Say you're sorry." Cuddy demanded, her caring gaze turning into one of the most evil gaze a woman could ever give a man.
House frowned. "It was an accident. At least she's okay." He said, giving a small smile towards Kara before straightening up. "Time to go home with me, kiddo. Your mother will pick you up later like last time." He added. Kara looked up inquisitively at her father. Why wouldn't he say he was sorry? Would it demote his pride that much? Kara and Cuddy stood up together. Kara nodded and headed to get her backpack off the couch. Cuddy rolled her eyes and headed back to her desk. "Come on, kiddo. We'll stop by the bathroom on our way out." He added.
&
House watched Kara from the kitchen as she flipped through the TV channels aimlessly. He felt guilty for what had happened earlier. First for Kara not thinking they were family and then for hitting her right in the nose. He sighed and limped into the living room, holding out a soda for her. "Thanks." She told him, taking it from him and opening it.
House sighed and sat down beside Kara. "Kara," He began slowly, grabbing the remote from her and turned the volume down. It looked as if she had finally found a decent show to watch. She looked up at him questioningly, holding the can in her hands. "Honey, you know your mother and I love you very much, right?" He felt so awkward asking her these questions. He wasn't the paternal kind but it felt as if he was suppose to do this.
Kara raised an eyebrow uncertainly but answered the way she was expected to answer that question. "Yes." She bite back her other response which was something on the line of 'Of course I know you love me. You sent me to an orphanage. That's really deep love.'
A hesitant smile appeared on House's lips. "Okay, I just wanted you to know that." He said, unsure of what else to say. He put his arms around Kara and hugged her tightly.
"Dad!" Kara warned, trying to pull away quickly but House didn't let her go. Kara felt the can being squished between both of their bodies before the cold liquid spilled out and dripped down their clothing. "Oopsie." Kara muttered as House pulled her way to inspect what had just happened.
House looked at the squished can in Kara's hand before looking at his daughter's face. "It's...okay." He assured her, getting up and taking the can away from her. Kara looked down at her soda stained uniform.
"Dad, what about my uniform? It's all sticky and brown." She asked unhappily.
House looked back and took a deep breath, puckering his cheeks out. "We can wash it." He offered.
"But I have nothing to wear." Kara told him. She didn't want to end up naked in front of her dad, that would be just horribly wrong.
"Take one of my shirts, honey. You can wear them while I wash your uniform." He said disappearing back into the kitchen. Kara shifted uncomfortably before heading to her dad's room in search of a new shirt to wear. Did her dad even know how to wash clothes?
Someone knocked on the door around the same time as last time before the doorknob turned and Cuddy entered the room hesitantly. "House, don't you ever lock your door?" She asked him, closing it behind her. She looked over at Kara. "Kara, why are you wearing on of your father's shirts?" She turned to look at House as if he had something to do with it.
"Dad hugged me and it squished all the soda onto my uniform so he's washing it." Kara answered when her father ignored Cuddy and turned up the volume.
Cuddy turned to look at House uneasily before going over to the television and turning it off manually. "Hey! My house, my TV!" House said angrily, reaching for the remote.
"Did you follow the directions on the uniform?" She asked, standing in the way of the television as it turned on.
"Of course I did. I wash my own clothes. I'm not stupid." He told her quickly. "Now move your rotund ass out of my way." He snapped. He suddenly winced realizing his daughter was in the same room as him, but more importantly that she was right next to him.
Cuddy's eyes widened and looked as if she was going to strangle him. For a moment, everything was deadly quiet and then the dryer beeped loudly. Cuddy finally turned her glare to the dryer and stalked over to it, pulling the dried uniform out and inspecting it. House slumped slightly in his seat, lowering the volume, knowing he was in trouble for cussing in front of his child. He glanced over at Kara. Her eyebrows were raised slightly in some sort of amused humor or shocked.
"It looks the same. Good job." She told him, holding out the uniform for her daughter to change. Kara took it slowly from her mom, standing up and giving two glances to her parents before heading to House's bedroom to change. After closing the door, she pulled the shirt off of her and flattened herself against the door, trying to hear anything. She suddenly heard a yelp from her dad. "What did I say about your language?" Cuddy snapped vituperatively.
"She's not a little girl anymore, Cuddy. You can't baby her for the rest of her life. She's thirteen. She will probably hear worse things at school then what comes out of my mouth." House advised her brusquely.
"That's not the point. So she hears it from other kids. You are her father. She looks up to you to even if you think she doesn't. She even might not admit it because it's not the smartest thing to do but every kid does it to their parents anyway." Cuddy said darkly before tapping her foot impatiently. "Honey, are you changed?"
"Almost." Kara said, backing away from the door and scrambling to get the uniform on. She buttoned up the shirt and threw on her skirt and jacket before walking out of the room. "I'm done." She announced loudly.
"Come on, Kara, let's go home. Have you eaten yet?" Cuddy said, her voice still tense from the conversation with House. Kara shook her head. Cuddy nodded and put her arm around her daughter as they walked out. "Lock your door from now on." She added before closing the door, leaving House to sit in the quiet living room by himself.
&
School went by faster than yesterday and before Kara knew it, she was back in her father's conference room, working on arithmetic. House's cell was lying by her things and no one else was in the room. Her father had to do some urgent 'doctor stuff' and told her that if she needed anything to call Wilson's cell to reach him or bother her mother during her meeting with one of the hospital's money donors. Kara was working diligently which surprised her. This math subject was easier then Kara thought it would be. Suddenly, the cell began to vibrate, moving on the table.
Kara picked up the phone and read the caller ID. The number was an unknown one but Kara, being the curious person she was, answered it anyway. "Hello?" She asked uncertainly, glancing around to see if her dad was just playing a joke on her.
A woman's voice was on the other line. "Who's this and why do you have my son's phone?" The woman demanded with an authoritative voice.
Kara frowned. Son? "I'm Kara. Who's your son?" She asked.
"Gregory House." The woman began quickly.
Kara's eyes widened. If this woman claimed that her father was her son, then that must make her Kara's grandmother! "That's my dad." She pointed out, interrupting the woman. She quieted. "So that must make you my grandmother." She heard something on the other line which sounded like the woman fainted before the line went dead.
The door to the conference room opened and House stepped in, watching Kara curiously as she was frowning at the phone. "I'm right here, Kara. No need to call me now." He told her, holding his hand out to grab the phone away from her.
"I wasn't calling Wilson. Someone called you." She informed him quietly giving him his cell phone.
"Oh? Who was it?" House placed the phone in his pocket and glanced at her homework. She had made progress since he last left her.
"I think it was my grandmother or your mom." She answered smiling up at him. House's face paled slightly as his phone began to vibrate again. He itched to pick up the phone and tell his mother that it was a joke, but he couldn't do that in front of his child. He pressed his hand against the phone quickly in some way hoping that it would muffle the sound coming from it. Kara didn't hear it since she turned back to her homework. "Dad, I need help, how do you start that problem."
House looked at it quickly. "It's forty-eight." He answered quickly. "I'm going to the bathroom real quick." He turned and limped out of the room as fast as he could without causing Kara to think it wasn't a bathroom break.
Kara frowned as her dad disappeared. "I need to know how to get to that answer too." She mumbled unhappily, writing the answer in the blank before going to the next one.
&
House entered Cuddy's office, ignoring the two people seated in front of her desk. "You, me, sex, now." House said brashly, turning around swiftly and exiting the room before the door closed. Through the glass on the door, he could see the horrified expressions of Cuddy and the other two people in the room. She stood up slowly probably apologizing profusely as she made her way to the exit. Cuddy walked over calmly to House watching the door close.
"What the hell are you trying to do? I'm this close to..." She began, looking at House frenziedly.
"Kara answered my phone." House interrupted, holding his phone up at Cuddy. It wasn't vibrating now thankfully but House was sure she was going to try again.
Cuddy looked confused. "Why are you whining to me about it? If you have a problem with her answering your phone, you should be telling her. I would have thought you would try to make her your secretary or something." She told him uncaringly. She turned around and started to walk back to her office but House grabbed her wrist.
"My mother was on the other end. Kara found out it was her grandmother and now my parents know about her." House finished.
Cuddy was quiet. For thirteen years, the secret had been carefully guarded. Even Cuddy's parents didn't know anything about Kara. She knew House's parents as she had met them more than once. "You don't think they'll come and visit, do you?" She asked fearfully.
House gave her a skeptical look. "Of course they will. When you suddenly hear that you're a grandmother, wouldn't you come down to see your grandchild?" House asked her.
Cuddy nodded guiltily. "House, she has a right to know who her grandparents are. Do you think we should inform my parents?" She asked softly.
House shrugged. "Might as well get it over with as soon as possible. They would have found out eventually." He answered with a sigh. "Well, I got to go back to the conference room. Important stuff to do."
Cuddy snorted. "Since when was saving lives something you considered important?" She asked him.
He turned. "I didn't say I was doing a differential. I got to explain how I got the answer of forty-eight to our child." He answered loudly, walking away. Cuddy smiled, watching him walk away. She was glad that he had put something with his child in the important list. She turned back to her office. She would have to get her meeting over with before she called her parents and revealed the dirty little secret that she had been keeping from them for thirteen years.
Bum, bum, BUM! How will their parents fare with this secret? Only time will tell! Please review and I'll update, because I love reviews!