Chapter 4

DINNER GUEST

The following week Kenna seemed to be much better and was eager to earn her keep so House gave her $50 for the week's groceries. She walked to the Kroger Store and carried the four bags of groceries home, balancing them back and forth and sitting them down on occasion when they became too heavy. She wasn't sure what he would like so she started with something that most people enjoyed, Chicken and Dumplings with green beans. When House arrived home around 6:00 p.m., he saw that she was both excited and worried that he wouldn't like her cooking.

Her voice was slightly elevated and nervous, "When would you like to eat?"

He was tired and her perkiness was difficult to tolerate but he looked at the clock, "Give me an hour to get cleaned up, ok?"

She nodded and smiled before rushing back into the kitchen to grab the table cloth she found on sale at the grocery store. Adding candles on the table, Kenna set a place for House so that he would have a nice view of the candles. An hour later, House came down and laughed when he saw the table setting, but quickly stopped when Kenna came out of the kitchen with a couple of pots. Taking a seat, he watched as began to ladle out the creamy chicken and dumplings, the aromatic smell filling his nostrils. She was all smiles as she carefully placed the green beans next to the dumplings. She disappeared into the kitchen and came out with a beer, pouring it into a glass and then sitting the rest of the bottle down next to the glass. She turned to go, but he grabbed her hand.

"Whoa, wait up, where's your plate?"

"My plate?"

"The deal was that you cook dinner and you'd eat with me." He knew that eating with him hadn't really been part of the deal, but he wanted her to eat and keep up her strength, she was too thin.

She looked confused. "You want me to eat with you?"

Not really, I just want you to eat. If you want to do it in the kitchen, your room, outside, that would be preferable, but I want you to eat.But he held back and simply nodded, yes. "Go get a plate and bring it out here."

Kenna hadn't planned on eating with him and now she was nervous. What was she going to talk to him about? What do men like to chat about? Her brother and father always talked about the cows and the farm while her mother and her mostly kept quiet. She fixed a small plate of food, grabbed a glass of water and took it out to the table.

They ate in silence, which was fine with House. He didn't want to talk about the weather or news events, so he said nothing. The food was good and filling. House had only eaten chicken and dumplings once before and loved it. Even though he didn't tell her that he liked the meal, he ate it so quickly she could tell.

"Would you like some more?" she asked.

He was rubbing his tongue on the inside of his teeth to dislodge a piece of chicken and so when she asked he just handed her his plate. She came back with another full plate.

"Dr. House, is there anything you don't like to eat?"

"Butter beans, wax beans, liver...those are the main ones."

"Then you should be easy to cook for. Tomorrow night is beef bourguignon over noodles. Does that sound good?"

He didn't bother looking up at her. "Sounds fine."

Over the next few months, she cooked and cleaned for House, preparing mostly hearty main dishes accompanied with a vegetable and occasionally a starch if it wasn't already in the main dish. They both gained weight. House broke the ice one night and asked her about the kind of music she liked. Afterwards, they started having conversations about safe things like travel, dairy farming and school. He learned that she did like music; she just didn't own a stereo. Her travel experience consisted of going away to college and then joining an academic quiz panel that traveled all over the United States. Usually they holed up in their hotel rooms practicing, but occasionally the local sponsors would organize a tour for the students and she would get to see things like the St. Louis Arch or the Statue of Liberty. He told her about his life and travels as a military brat. They both had something in common, their parents were very strict and their expectations were high. Both had difficulty meeting their parents' goals for them.

Although Kenna didn't cook on Fridays or Sundays because House had overnight rotations those days, she made enough for House to take leftovers to work for lunch. Doug had started coming down from surgery just to get a taste of the food each day.

"Man the girl can cook. Invite me over, House. I want a meal, not just these dribbles you've been letting me sample."

House went home and casually mentioned to Kenna that Doug was coming over for dinner on Saturday. At first Kenna panicked. Cooking for Dr. House was easy, he didn't really expect much in the way of food or companionship, but Doug was different.

Doug was coming over more often and sometimes he would corner her in the kitchen or in the living room and try to start a conversation. The easy way he laughed and the kind things he said to her made her nervous because she liked it. Kenna avoided going downstairs when he was around because he made her feel strange all over. When he left she had to read a book to keep herself from exploring with her fingers to find out why she was having these strange physical reactions to just the sound of his voice.

Kenna decided to make her faux beef Wellington. She cheated on the crust by buying ready-made philo dough and using it to make the crust. The dessert was a difficult choice because she knew that House loved chocolate, but Doug wasn't that fond of it. So she chose sherry trifle. While she was busy cooking, Doug appeared in the kitchen to say hello and to get some more beer.

"Wow Kenna, it smells great. Where did you learn to cook?"

"At home. I did most of the cooking while Mom helped Dad milk the cows in the late afternoons. I used to love to experiment with food. Would you like a taste?" She held up a spoonful of the Wellington filling and pursed her lips to blow on it to cool it down.

House walked into the kitchen as she fed Doug the spoonful. House was a little miffed that she never offered him a taste when he came into the kitchen.

Doug smiled broadly, "Oh my God, will you marry me?"

Kenna blushed brightly and the two men laughed at her. House handed Doug a beer from the refrigerator. "I think we need some wine tonight." Making a trip into the basement, he returned with a nice 1984 Cabernet Savignon. The tablecloth had been cleaned and pressed, the flatware shined up and candles lit. Doug sat down while House poured the wine and Kenna dished the food out.

After a few bites, Doug looked at Kenna and said with great sincerity, "Kenna, this is really delicious, it's phenomenal. I don't know if you know, but House lets me have a bite of the left-overs and I love them. That's why I begged him to invite me over tonight."

Kenna smiled sweetly, blushing once again and trying to avoid looking at him directly. Doug thought she looked pretty in an awkward, disheveled way. As the meal continued, they started talking about their childhoods. Doug described the mischief he got into when he was a boy scout.

"We were mad because the scoutmasters refused to let us go across the lake to the girl scout camps sp we put itching powder in the head master's sleeping bag. At midnight we heard someone fall over the canteen outside, pots and pans spilling everywhere. The whole camp woke up. We found the Scoutmaster rolling on the ground in his underwear scratching his balls. We got kicked out of the Scouts when they found out it was me."

Kenna started laughing. House, not to be outdone, started regaling them with the trouble he got into with his childhood friends who apparently followed him anywhere. After they were done they turned to Kenna who felt obliged to tell them the funny tales about the farm-how some of the cows refused to come in until after the other cows had been milked and even then they would only enter on certain sides of the milking barn. The one thing Doug and House both noted was that none of Kenna's stories were about having friends.

Half an hour after dinner, Kenna brought out the Sherry Trifle and once again Doug praised it over and over. Kenna looked at House to see if he liked it. He smiled in appreciation and Kenna felt a modicum of elation because he liked it. As he ate the trifle, Doug would occasionally start laughing.

"What the hell are you laughing at?" House bellowed.

Doug refused to say anything. But after taking another bite, he laughed again.

Kenna shook her head. "Oh, you can't keep doing that and not tell us why."

He sighed and nodded. Putting his fork down he swallowed hard and then admitted, "The first time I had Sherry Trifle was the night that I first had sex. I was 17 and there was a British family that had just moved into the neighborhood. My mom made them dinner and they brought dessert, Sherry Trifle. After dinner their 18 year old daughter asked to see my record collection. That wasn't the only thing she wanted to see. God, I fell in love with her right away. We actually dated for a month...a month of sexual bliss I might add...until a 20 year old poet came on the scene. But now I think of Sherry Trifle and sex in the same sentence."

House laughed and then confessed, "My first time was one of those frantic awkward encounters in the back of my parent's station wagon. It didn't last long or I should say- I didn't last long. We were both 16 and I'm just lucky I didn't get her pregnant because her next boyfriend did."

Kenna was looking a little worried as they both turned to look at her. Rather than discuss the fact that there had been no first time, she simply said, "Would anyone like some more?"

Doug patted his stomach and shook his head no, so did House. She cleared the table and started loading the dishwasher when Doug came into the kitchen to help. He grabbed a rag and cleaned down the counters. House sat on the couch drinking the rest of the Cabernet and listening to music. All night long House watched Doug flirt with Kenna, who seemed unwittingly receptive. Doug was a year younger than House and was considered good looking by most of the nurses, even if he was short. When they were done in the kitchen, Kenna and Doug came out and joined House in the living room.

"Let's play cards." Doug suggested to the two of them.

Kenna clapped. "I love to play cards. My family plays a lot of cards during the winter months. "What do you want to play?"

"What do you know?" Doug asked.

"Pinochle, Spades, Hearts, Poker, Rummy..." Kenna said.

House looked at them and suggested Poker. Kenna quickly stated that she had no money to bet. House shrugged and said, "Let's play with chips and whoever wins gets to ask the others to do something for them...like cook a meal, wash their car, wash their clothes..."

Doug and Kenna looked at each other and then nodded yes. The game began at 7:30 p.m. and was to be finished at 9:30 p.m. House was flabbergasted and pissed- Kenna was winning decisively. Doug and House were so far behind that neither of them caught up and at 9:30 p.m. Kenna's stack was easily double what the other two had.

Doug stretched his arms out wide and smiled warmly at Kenna, "Well, Kenna, I am your slave. What do you want from me?"

She thought about it for a minute. "What about a movie of my choice?"

He looked at her for a minute and then nodded. "That's perfect. I shouldn't admit this but I feel like I just won. When would you like to go and to what movie?"

"I don't know, but what about next weekend?" She asked.

"Great. Now what do you want House to do? Cook a meal for you? Take you dancing?"

"I have to think first. I'll let him know later." She said, smiling at House.