I apologize for again taking a long time to update this story. Now that I'm home and NaNo is over, I think I'll be able to get back on schedule.

Thanks in advance for reading and for leaving a comment.

Chapter 136.

The next morning I woke with my arm draped across Jess' curvy body. She was staring at me, her soft lips and dark eyes smiling. "I love to watch you sleep. You look like you don't have a care in the world and your mind is finally at rest."

"How little you know." I tapped her nose with a finger. "Awake or asleep, it's always churning away."

"Oh? And what brilliant ideas has it come up with now?"

"I know how to get to the bottom of what happened to Francesca Molino, and why her husband has been so insistent that the Locarnos had something to do with it."

"Okay. I'm intrigued. Go on."

I shook my head. "Not so fast. I have to do a bit more digging first. But I'll tell you when it's time to enlist your help in my scheme."

"So now you have a scheme."

"At least one." I held a finger to my lips. "Still hush-hush, though."

"Well, I have a scheme of my own." She pulled away from me and out of bed, then headed for the bathroom. "Breakfast. Pancakes and sausage. Lots of coffee. Okay so far?"

"That's a scheme I can get into." I slipped out from under the covers and followed Jess. After we showered together with a bit of extracurricular stroking, we dressed and invaded the kitchen. I took up my position at the table and Jess assumed hers at the stove. Before long there was a stack of pancakes in front of me with thick and juicy sausages on the side. I was almost finished with my food when Jess joined me at the table with her own plate. I stabbed one of her sausages with my fork and shifted it to my plate.

She glared at me.

"What? My last pancake needed another sausage to accompany it."

"Sure it did." She giggled.

"Did you do that on purpose?" I saw her face. Of course she had. I should have known she only ate one of those when she had pancakes.

After breakfast, I drove her to her sister's before heading for the hospital. "It was good to see Nina and Wilson together last night," she said.

She was right. I saw the way he looked at Jess' sister. "I guess there's no way he'll cheat on her."

"Were you really afraid he might?"

"I don't know. The way he and Marisa flirted with each other, it seemed possible."

"Well, I guess you'll still have to work on your plan with Ricky." She leaned over and kissed me good-bye, then got out of the car.

Part of my mind was still focused on my former patient, but thoughts of the Molino's intruded. What kind of connection was my mind making? I'd have to work it out before Marcello and Ricky showed up to work out my scheme. That gave me three hours or so.

I took the elevator up to my floor. As I got off, my boss was getting on.

"There you are."

"Here I am," I agreed with her.

"Is Locarno coming in today?"

"He has an appointment with you at one, so I guess so." I smirked. "I haven't checked with him this morning to see whether he canceled, but he's under orders from his father to be here or be square."

Cuddy narrowed her narrow eyes at me. "I hope you're right about him. We need new blood on the board, but not someone who'll try and rock the boat so much we all fall out."

I had to laugh at her attempt to use a metaphor. "Don't worry. Marcello's not a boat rocker, more of a gentle wave."

She harrumphed, got into the car, and let the doors close between us.

It was good she was still wary about Marcello. That way, when he impressed her with his good looks and refined manners, she'd be smiling for weeks.

I continued on to my office, noting the conference room was empty. If we had a new case, Cuddy would have said something or one of my minions would have called me. I shrugged and entered my office. There was a note on the desk. Wilson had called them in to consult on Marisa's case.

What now? I storm into her room and ask just that. "What now?"

"There's something else wrong. Besides the nodule on her vocal cords." Chase looked up from the vial of blood he was drawing. "She started to respond to the medication we were giving her, and then she relapsed. Heart rate, blood pressure, everything went haywire."

"Could it have been due to the treatment Wilson began?"

He shook his head. "It started before he began anything."

I hoped this didn't throw a monkey wrench into my plans for her, but also that we could find out what was wrong with her. "Well, do everything you can."

"Don't we always?" Taub asked.

I left them to it and returned to my office to wait for the Locarno's arrival. I leaned back in my chair, closed my eyes, and snoozed until the ring of my phone woke me. I grimaced until I looked at the caller ID. It was Marcello.

"Are we still on for today?" The anxiety in his voice came through loud and clear.

"Of course. My boss is looking forward to meeting you at one. You're bringing your nephew, right?"

"Yeah, yeah. Although I'm not sure why."

I wasn't about to share my plan, any of my plans with him.

It had been a week or more since Giancarlo's attempted attack on Ricky. Why hadn't we heard from him since? One of my schemes depended on finding out. My phone was still in my hand. I studied it a moment, thinking of possibilities, then called young Julio.

"Dr. House? How are you? And the lovely Jess?"

"We're both fine. How about you? Have you been able to stall your cousin? You're obviously still in New Jersey."

"Yeah, well, my mom came for a visit and I've been showing her the sights, so Carlo hasn't insisted that I come back to Sicily. Mama's hinted that I go back with her, but she isn't adamant about it. I've tried to convince her I'm happier here." He paused. "I introduced her to Tina and she was thrilled that I found a nice Italian girl."

"Even though she's a Locarno?"

"I guess no one told her to be wary of them."

Interesting. "What about Giancarlo?"

"What about him?" Julio sounded puzzled.

"Has he tried to contact you?"

"No. I'm not sure he's still here."

"Well, he didn't accomplish what he was sent here to do. He hasn't even come near the Locarnos since the first time he came after Ricky."

"Yeah, that's what Tina said."

"What else did she say?"

"That she was glad they've been safe, but her brother and her uncle weren't letting up their guard."

"I don't doubt it." I wondered if they were bringing their bodyguards to the hospital today. That hadn't entered into my plans, but I could work around it.

"So, what did you want?"

"You already answered all the questions I had." If I could think of more, I would have asked them.

"You wanted to know about Giancarlo? Or Tina?"

"You were the one who brought up your girlfriend."

He chuckled. "If I hear anything about Carlo's thug I'll let you know. Meanwhile, Ciao."

"Ciao to you too." I stared at the phone as I ended the call, wondering why Giancarlo was laying low. It didn't make sense for him to take a stab at Ricky and then give up. Molino had been determined enough to go after the family that he'd sent first Julio and then the more violent man. I didn't think his aim was only to frighten the Locarnos. Of course, it's possible Giancarlo had taken another crack at it and been thwarted by Marcello and Ricky's guards. I'd have to ask them.

Meanwhile, I had an appointment with a burger and fries and the largest soft drink they served in the cafeteria, so I went in search of Wilson. Maybe he'd explain to me why he missed the fact that Marisa had more wrong with her than nodules on her vocal cords.

He was alone in his office, dictating notes to his computer. Since they installed the voice-input system, he couldn't use it enough.

"Give it a rest and come buy me lunch."

Wilson looked up but ignored me. It seemed it was more important to spout off some more medical jargon that the system wouldn't recognize so he'd have to go back and correct it anyway later on.

"Okay, fine. I'll eat alone. But don't think I'll forget this quick." I started to walk away, giving him time to think he was getting away with it. Then I turned back. "Of course, since you didn't cure my patient, or even correctly or completely diagnose her, you owe me." Nothing Wilson hated more than to be wrong about a patient. Well, maybe there were a few things, but that was a biggie in his book.

"House. Wait. Give me one more minute." He scanned notes in front of him, looked at his screen, then turned the computer off in disgust. "I thought these things were supposed to learn from the corrections you made." He followed me out the door and down the hall to the elevator.

"About Marisa..." I prompted.

"She does have a nodule but it seems that wasn't all. When you turned her over to me, you thought the problem was with her voice, so that's what I focused on. I should have known..."

"Yeah, well, my team's on it now. We'll continue your treatment and at the same time find out what else is wrong with her." The elevator doors opened and we got on.

Wilson checked his watch. "When is Locarno arriving? Isn't his appointment with Cuddy this afternoon?"

"Marcello and Ricky will be here at one."

"What were you saying last night about introducing Ricky to our patient?"

"I still plan to, although her medical problems might complicate things." I studied his thoughtful face. "What? You don't think I should introduce them?"

He shook his head. "Didn't say that. We really don't know anything about her except her medical problems."

"So you're worried about Ricky? You don't even know him that well."

"House, you aren't the matchmaker type. What are you up to? Or should I ask, why is this so important to you?"