As Blythe and House returned to Andy's living room, Colleen started putting lunch on the dining room table. There were two homemade salads - a carrot and raisin salad and a potato salad - along with roast beef, ham and rolls. House was dreading the questions he expected from Andy and Colleen about how he was feeling, but remarkably, they simply took their seats at the table and waited for Blythe and House to join them, acting as if what they'd just witnessed was the most ordinary thing in the world. His mom must've said something to them, he figured, letting them know how much he hated talking about his pain after an episode like the one he'd just had. Instead, they immediately brought up other unrelated subjects as everyone dug into the food, which helped take his mind off the remaining discomfort. He was grateful to all of them for the way they were reacting, but especially grateful to his mother for whatever she'd said to them. The food was again delicious, and Blythe asked Colleen for her salad recipes, which was the ultimate compliment.

House's leg remained somewhat balky all afternoon, though it was manageable. At one point he did silently accept the heating pad that Blythe found and brought to him, stretching out on the couch for a while with a pillow under his knee and letting the heat soak into his thigh, which helped. At Andy's request, Blythe had brought an entire photo album chronicling Greg's childhood, and she sat with the two of them and went through it while House rested, regaling them with stories of his youthful escapades, which sometimes made him cringe with embarrassment. Every once in a while he'd ask to see a certain photo she was discussing, and then chimed in with his own memories. When they were nearing the end of the album, Colleen remarked that there hadn't seemed to be a lot of photos of John, and Blythe tensed up, glancing at House and then at Andy.

"Well, he was away a lot, on various deployments, and when he was home he wasn't that big on picture-taking. I have other albums that have more photos of him, though," she said.

"How old were you when he was in Vietnam, Greg?" Andy asked.

"He did two tours. I think the first started in '64 – is that right, Mom?"

Blythe nodded.

"So I was four or five then. The second tour began in '67, when I was eight."

"That must've been hard," Colleen said, "to have him be away so much."

"Mom and I always managed fine on our own," House replied curtly, not wanting to get into details. The fact that his happiest childhood memories were nearly all from the times when John was absent from their home wasn't something he could reveal without having them follow up with more questions.

In the late afternoon, Blythe and Colleen went for a walk, so Colleen could show her the neighborhood and they could have some private time to get to know each other. That left House and Andy alone together in the house, and they decided to play a game of chess, since they'd enjoyed that on the last visit in Providence.

They played in silence for a while, and then Andy said, "Your mother's a wonderful woman, Greg."

"You don't have to tell me that, but I'm glad you think so."

"She seems to really understand you, and even though she says you haven't spent much time together in the last few years, the two of you seem to be quite close."

"Well, yes, we are - especially lately, I'd say. For a long time there was a wall between us, even though we loved each other, because neither of us had the guts to face the giant elephant in the room."

"You mean, the fact that John wasn't your biological father."

"Yeah."

"You know, the first time she phoned me, she said that she might never have told you if you hadn't raised the issue with her."

"I can believe that. She's always hated confrontation, and her role in our family was always as the mediator, the conciliator."

"You sound as though there was a lot of confrontation, and a lot that needed mediating."

Dangerous waters, House immediately thought. Was there a way out of this conversation, a way to defuse this time bomb?

"Not that much," he said. "You know, just the usual arguments people have."

Andy looked up from the board and directly at House, waiting for him to raise his eyes to meet Andy's stare. "Greg, look at me."

House looked at Andy, and immediately saw something new in Andy's eyes - wisdom, a simple understanding, and compassion. He looked away quickly, instinctively knowing what Andy's next question would be.

Instead of letting him ask it, House got right to the point. "Did my mom tell you something last night?"

"Not directly. She didn't volunteer anything, that is. But we spent all afternoon and evening together, talking about our whole lives, and I specifically asked her at one point why you and John didn't get along."

"What did she say?"

"She tried to deflect at first, and just repeated what she's told me before - that you didn't have much in common with each other. But I could tell she was upset. I knew that wasn't the whole story, and she finally admitted that he believed in military discipline, and sometimes used it when she wasn't around. She didn't go into details, but I was a Marine, and I know what military discipline can involve. In my opinion, it's not something that should be any part of child-rearing."

"I don't know what to say."

"But you can't deny it, can you?"

"No."

"Then that's all I need to know. I'm sorry, Greg."

"For what? It's not your fault."

"I'm just sorry, for you, that he ever mistreated you. And that Blythe was kept in the dark and was powerless to stop it."

"You don't blame her, do you? Because you shouldn't."

"No. I can see that she loves you, and there's no way you would've grown up to be the impressive man you are if she hadn't been a very good mother."

"You think I'm impressive? That's not the word I'd use to describe myself."

"What word would you use?"

"Oh, let's see. Screwed-up. That's the first thing that immediately comes to mind. And, on days like today, I'd add pathetic, and frustrated."

"You know what I see when I look at you?"

House shook his head.

"I see a brilliant guy, someone who could've done pretty much anything he chose to do. The fact that you chose to become a doctor, in a specialty where life and death decisions are routinely required – well, that tells me all I need to know. I know you've said you just like to solve intricate puzzles, but I don't buy it. You save people that would die otherwise, and no one can convince me that doesn't matter to you."

"But I've also hurt people - people who deserved better from me - my mom, Stacy, Lisa, my friend Wilson, even my dad."

"Why would John have deserved better from you, and how did you hurt him?"

"Well, it wasn't always bad between us. I mean, there were times when I looked up to him and we did sometimes enjoy doing things together. Looking back on it now, I'm starting to actually have some sympathy for him. I mean, for all I know, he may have doubted from the very start that I was really his son, and if so, that put him in an awful position. Sometimes he tried to get closer to me, to share sports or hobbies, and my typical reaction was to scoff at him and imply that I was too smart to be interested in what he liked. And then, when I was twelve, I told him directly that I didn't think he was my father. That was a cruel thing to do, and I think it devastated him."

"What was his reaction?"

"He stopped talking to me, for months, and I could see the hurt in his face every time I looked at him. At the time I was glad to see him suffer, but looking back on it, I do regret saying that to him."

"That doesn't excuse the way he treated you."

"I know. But I'm not as angry at him now as I used to be."

"Why do you think that is?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe meeting you has something to do with it, and finally being honest with my mom."

Andy nodded. "I can see that. You held in huge secrets and a lot of anger for a very long time. It's not surprising that you feel better now that you've shared some of it. It's like unburdening yourself."

"I think you're probably right about that."

"You may still consider yourself screwed-up, Greg, but, as I see it, everything you've done lately has been a step in the right direction. I'm glad to know you, and proud that you're my son."

House, unused to hearing things like this, and feeling awkward about what to say next, turned his attention back to the chess board. He moved a knight and then looked back up at Andy.

"Checkmate," he said.

Andy studied the board for several moments, and then ceremoniously knocked over his king, saying, "Foiled again."

"Sorry," House said.

"Don't ever apologize for your brain, Greg."

"It's gotten me in trouble sometimes."

"Maybe. But watching your mind work is almost like – I don't know, like seeing an amazing sunset, the waves in the ocean, or the Grand Canyon. It's a wondrous thing, like a marvel of nature."

House laughed. "Oh, Andy – forgive me. I appreciate the thought, but I've never been compared to the Grand Canyon before."

"I'm serious. I have no idea how my genes combined with Blythe's produced the genius that you are, but – there it is, there's no denying it."

"You're no slouch in the brains department yourself, and neither is my mom. If you want to try a game that she's likely to win, we can play some Scrabble later. She's a master at it."

"Colleen would like that. It's one of her favorite games."

At the mention of Colleen, House's face went dark for a moment.

"What's wrong?" Andy asked.

"Are you planning on telling her about, you know, what we just talked about?"

"It's up to you. I won't mention it if you don't want me to."

"I'd prefer that you didn't, but I suppose she'll figure it out eventually, so, do whatever you think is best."

Andy nodded, and stood up from the table. "Let's walk a little, Greg – I mean, if you're feeling up to it. I need to stretch my legs."

"Sure. So do I." He grabbed his cane and pushed up on the table with his other hand, rising slowly but steadily. Then he looked at Andy and said, "We're a fine pair, aren't we? I'd say we've got one good pair of legs between the two of us, but that's not really true anymore. You'll be walking well without any help very soon, I think."

"Thanks to you."

For a change, instead of downplaying his role in Andy's decision to have surgery, or denigrating himself in any way, House simply said, "You're welcome." Then he and Andy went outside to walk together.