Like Father, Like Son
Chapter 13
Greg entered House's apartment bearing the meatball sub and Coke that he had picked up at Subway on his way home from the hospital. He felt really good and was glad that he had spent an informative and productive morning at the hospital. Wilson was going to be good to work for. He wasn't sure how he felt about Wilson's treatment of his dad, (Cuddy's either, for that matter), but he had seen first hand the trouble that House could stir up. He was glad that he wasn't a fool because House didn't suffer fools. On the other hand, House had shown Wilson a kindness in his own backhanded way. As long as House had been present, things felt off balance; like at any minute the place could blow apart. House didn't give off vibes like that at home, thank goodness. It was exhausting! As Greg had been thinking his thoughts, he had toed off his shoes and changed his clothes. He hung them carefully in the back of House's closet, out of the way. He made the mistake of stretching out on the bed to contemplate the rest of his day and dozed, leaving the sandwich and coke untouched.
He awoke to the sound of keys in the door and the tones of a happy House whistling as he entered his home.
"What ho, young House?"
Greg mumbled out an indiscernible reply.
"Sleeping at 4:00? I cut out on work early to spend quality time with my son and I find him asleep! You are definitely my son!"
"Haven't you heard that proverb 'A loud and cheerful greeting early in the morning will be taken as a curse.'?"
"Yes, but I thought it only applied to me, and its late afternoon."
"You would."
House grinned. "You're cranky!" He went to Greg's electric guitar, turned up the volume and played the lick that had lured him, like the Siren's song, away from the hospital.
It was the first time Greg had felt House's chaotic energy at home and he wondered if his dad had already figured out what he was up to. He didn't need to wonder for long though because House was ready to talk.
"I, Greg House, performed a good deed today! I found a clinic patient that had "Wilson" written all over her and I delivered her to him. He may have had to deal with an intern, but that patient more that made up for the inconvenience of the intern. She was…..she was a "damsel in distress" and although she didn't need what I had to offer, she needed a better than the average doc, so I sent her to Wilson."
"So you think she has cancer?" (Was he supposed to know Wilson is an oncologist?)
"No, I'm pretty sure she doesn't, but she needs someone who cares and Wilson is all over that. I also gave a kid a sandwich. Strange, too, she was waiting for someone and I don't know if they ever showed up. I didn't see the kid's teeth, but she couldn't have been very old. Are you even curious about what made the whole thing strange? I'll tell you anyway." House carried on. "I cared. Twice today I cared. I think you're making me soft. I open my heart to a kid and suddenly I care about other people. Wilson might think this is a good thing, if I could tell him about it, but this is bad. It will mess with my diagnoses. This is bad."
House noticed the untouched food on the coffee table. "What's up with the food? Are you feeling okay?"
"I'm fine. I picked it up while I was out today and made the mistake of stretching out before I sat down to eat."
"Been there, done that. I'll warm it up for you and then you can share it with me." offered House.
"How generous of you," Greg responded. He levered himself from the bed and wandered over to the piano, his nimble fingers joining in with House's guitar. He wondered if the walls were thick enough to buffer the noise that they were making, and then decided that he didn't care. He modulated up a step to annoy his dad, and House put down the guitar and headed to the kitchen to warm Greg's food.
"Mission accomplished," thought the boy as House looked at his son knowingly and said "Mission accomplished."
One thing House appreciated about Greg was that he didn't seem to be affected by his bum leg. Greg didn't cater to him and let him tend to things without worrying about whether or not House was in pain. Some might think it inconsiderate, but House found it refreshing. The microwave dinged and true to his word House took half of the sandwich for himself.
"Thief!" Greg grinned at his dad as he said it.
As they ate Greg's sandwich, House realized that they hadn't discussed his son's day. He wasn't really interested but he supposed that it was the "dad" thing to do.
"How was your day, was it overly boring?" House asked.
Greg was relieved that his dad hadn't asked about what he did today. This question was easier to answer honestly. "Oh, I read, played guitar, went for a bike ride, talked to some guys about some stuff (that would be Cuddy and Wilson), and then napped. I should probably get a haircut. If I'm teaching guitar and piano, I should probably look more professional."
"Since when do people expect guitar players to look professional?" inquired House.
"Moms of budding piano players do, especially when the teacher isn't much older than the student."
"I get that, but don't feel like you have to be status quo in order to do your thing. Be yourself and the respect will follow when they hear your crazy awesome skills."
"They have to be willing to listen first," responded Greg.
"It's their loss if they don't."
"I'll keep that in mind. My plan is to build a clientele and a reputation and then I'll worry about the length of my hair. Grandma always made me keep it trimmed and I'm hearing her voice telling me that I need a haircut. Do you wanna fix something else to eat? That meatball sub wasn't as filling as I expected."
House smirked as he pulled other leftovers out of the fridge and proceeded to warm them up as he spoke. "I'm home early this evening because I have an appointment in the morning with my shrink. I'm going to tell him about you… if that's alright with you."
"Sure. Just tell him the good stuff though. You know… how I got my mom's looks…and talent…and brains. You can leave out the part where I got my laziness and caustic sense of humor from you."
Greg had sounded so serious that House had to look him in the eye to be sure that he was teasing. House smiled when he saw the gleam in Greg's bright blue eyes. "My boy!" Just then, House recalled that he had already told Nolan about Greg. "I just remembered that I told Nolan about you at my last session. I tried the same thing on him that I tried on Wilson, but he saw right through it. He's not going to be happy that nothing has changed. I still live with 10Wilson and you still live here."
"Do you think Nolan would like to meet me? Maybe if he gets to know me he'll understand that this arrangement really does work for us."
"I hadn't considered that. Let me think it over and I'll tell you what I decided before I leave for work in the morning."
As the evening progressed the men jammed on their guitars and the piano. Their friendly one-upmanship encouraged them both to play better and so what may have looked to the common man like so much time wasted, there was actually a whole lot going on between the men. The relationship was growing, they were learning how to work together, and finally, their musical skills were being stretched and developed.
House saw Greg fight back a yawn and realized that it was time to leave. He hung his guitar on the wall and turned to leave.
"Greg, I think I'll go solo with Nolan tomorrow. My last session was all about you and I need to talk through some things with him that we were working on before that. My parents, especially my dad, were no saints and I would like to avoid some of their mistakes, if possible."
Greg smiled, relieved about his dad's decision. "That's fine. I can stay busy. Are you going back to the hospital after your session?"
"No, I don't, usually. Well, I come here to process the session without Wilson's help. I think I will go back to Wilson's tomorrow night, though. He's on call and he usually just stays at the hospital so he's close to the action, so I'll be safe. Can you survive a night without your old man?"
"I survived fourteen years without him. What's one more?"
House looked hard at Greg trying to see if there was any guilt being sent with that statement, but there didn't seem to be any at all, just a large dose of mischief! Apparently, if there was any guilty conscience in the room, it was House's. If only he knew about the secret life Greg was going to be living right under his father's nose!