"James, what the heck are you and House doing here?!" Wilson heard a familiar voice call out as he stepped out of the O.R. Recovery Room where Woody was unconscious, but stable. "James?"
Frowning and not caring that he was still wearing the scrubs he had worn to observe the surgery, Wilson turned away from the window and was surprised to see Cuddy standing several feet away with a laptop bag in one hand, a suitcase in the other, and a mystified expression on her face, "Lisa, what are you doing here?" Wilson asked in a surprised voice. "You're not here to drag House and I back, are you?"
"James, are you wearing surgical scrubs?" Cuddy asked in a shocked voice. "Where is House at?"
Wilson sighed and gestured to the window, "I was observing the surgery of House's son, Woody," he explained in a tired voice as he walked over to the window. "Woody's got a cancerous meningioma."
Cuddy's eyes widened and she walked over to the window; her expression softened as she looked through the window and saw Woody laying on a gurney unconscious with a blanket over his legs, IV's in his arms, a clip on his hand, and electrodes on his exposed chest and forehead that were sending information to a machine that was next to the monitor. A nurse was lingering near the gurney.
"Does House know about the cancer?" Cuddy asked in a worried voice. "Where is House, anyway?"
Wilson rubbed his eyes tiredly, "House is visiting his daughter and I don't know where they are exactly," he replied in a tired voice. "I kicked House out so he wouldn't be wandering around here aimlessly."
"I want to talk to him," Cuddy replied in a concerned voice. "I want to know why he hid this."
Wilson shrugged, "You can phone him if you want, but I really need a shower, food, and maybe a little bit of sleep if I can find a hotel close to here," he replied tiredly. "I should phone House to come back here so that Woody won't be alone whenever he decides to wake up. House was so gentle with him."
"Go and take care of yourself and I'll stay here until House comes back," Cuddy replied, appalled at how tired Wilson had let himself become because he was trying to help House. "I saw a hotel about a block away from the hospital that has a restaurant in it. It should have a room that you can relax in."
Wilson nodded and sighed as he looked at the clock and saw that it was nearly four o clock in the afternoon, "Oh, wow," he said in a tired voice. "I feel kind of guilty about leaving Woody here…"
The elevator doors suddenly opened and Annie came off the elevator with a small bag in one hand and a paper card in the other. She silently passed by Cuddy and Wilson and lingered in front of the window.
"Excuse me, can I help you?" Wilson asked, wary of the woman who was standing at the window.
Annie sighed, but didn't turn around, "I'm Doctor Annie Hoyt, Woody's sister," she replied in a cautious voice as she watched Woody sleep. "My father told me that Woody had surgery and that the meningioma was cancerous. He also offered to babysit my son while I came and sat with Woody."
"House has a grandson?" Cuddy asked in a shocked voice as she looked at Wilson. "How old?"
It was then that Annie turned to Cuddy and Wilson, causing both of them to look shocked at the fading bruises on her face, "Daniel is going to be eight pretty soon," she replied in a toneless voice as she crossed her arms across her chest, revealing bruises on her wrists. "Who are you people?"
"Doctor Lisa Cuddy," Cuddy replied in a gentle voice, unnerved how alike Annie was to House.
Annie nodded and looked warily at Wilson, "Doctor James Wilson," Wilson replied, concerned by the amount of fear he could see in Annie's eyes as she looked at him. "I'm your father's best friend and I'm also an oncologist, so I'll be helping Woody with his treatments whenever he's alert enough to start."
"For now, though, Wilson's going to go to a hotel and get some rest," Cuddy spoke up in a firm, but gentle voice as she gave Wilson a look. "I'm going to stay until House can come back and you're welcome to join me in waiting if you want some company while you wait for Woody to wake up."
Annie shrugged, "I have to check something downstairs first, but then sure," she replied in a nervous voice as she moved past Wilson and Cuddy. "If Woody wakes, have me paged in the ER, all right?"
As Annie hurried off to the elevator, Cuddy gave Wilson a mystified look, but didn't say anything.
"Look, Doctor Townsend, I don't think Doctor Hoyt's background is any of your business," Nigel heard the crisp voice of Dr. Switzer say in his ear as he held the phone to his ear. "Have a good day."
There was a click and Nigel hung up the phone, appalled at Dr. Switzer's rudeness for only a second before he turned his attention to the computer. A picture of a younger Annie Hoyt before she was a doctor was on the screen next to a CV that showed a clear six month gap between her internship and residency, one that was listed as 'time off'. Nigel didn't believe that little addendum for a minute.
The phone rang, but Nigel paid no attention to it as he continued to skim Annie's CV for any discrepancies that would make his case to Dr. Macy against hiring Annie one worth considering.
"Nigel, didn't you hear the phone?" Jordan asked crossly as she came into the room and picked the ringing phone up before Nigel had a chance to reply. "Hello, this is Jordan Cavanaugh speaking."
Jordan was silent for several minutes, "Does he want anyone to come visit him?" she asked, quickly gaining Nigel's concerned look. "No? All right, all right; just tell him to come back when he's ready."
There was more talking and then a click, "Garrett found Bug," was all Jordan said before she noticed what Nigel was looking at on the computer. "Nigel, why are you looking at Doctor Hoyt's resume?"
"There's an unexplained six month gap on her CV between her internship and residency, but both of them took place at Princeton-Plainesboro Teaching Hospital according to this," Nigel said as he pointed at the screen. "Why do you think there's a gap on her CV and nobody's brought it to light?"
Jordan sighed, "Nigel, seriously, stop," she replied in an anxious voice. "I'm sure Garrett's seen her resume already and has an explanation about the gap from Doctor Hoyt. It's not our business."
"Do you think she was sick or her kid was sick?" Nigel continued curiously. "Maybe her father…"
Jordan rolled her eyes and began to leave the room, "Wait," Nigel spoke. "Garrett found Bug?"
"Yes, but Bug doesn't want to talk about it or want anyone to see him until he comes back into work," Jordan replied softly, repeating exactly what Garrett had told her. "Lily went home about an hour ago because she wanted to take it easy and I'm thinking of going home too. Do you want to lock up?"
Nigel shrugged and scowled as Jordan shut the computer off, "Go home and forget about trying to dig into Doctor Hoyt's past," she said in a gentle, but commanding voice. "Have a good night off, Nigel."
Fighting back a yawn, Wilson entered the small restaurant that was attached to the hotel he had just checked into for the next week and was shocked to see the only waitress on duty standing at a booth where House and a little boy were sitting, "…What does a crayon taste like, Grandpa House?" the little boy asked in a quiet voice, pointedly ignoring the waitress that was standing there. "Is it good?"
"Your mother will beat me to death with my cane if she hears you ate crayons for dinner instead of something nutritious, Daniel," House replied as he looked at Daniel over his menu. "Pick something."
Daniel shrugged, looked at the menu for a minute, and then looked at House, "If I have a vegetable or salad, can I get a burger too?" he asked in a hopeful voice. "Mommy always makes me eat veggies."
"You can get a small burger if you have a vegetable or salad," House replied as he looked up at the waitress. "One big burger with everything on it, a side salad, and apple juice and a kiddie burger with a side salad. I'd also like a bowl of chicken soup to go, please. My son's in the hospital and needs it."
The waitress nodded as she jotted down the order and moved off towards the kitchen, "You can't take chicken soup to the hospital, it's against the rules," Wilson commented as he walked over to the table and ignored the shocked look House was giving him and the curious look Daniel was giving him.
"I take it you found a hotel?" House asked dryly as he watched Daniel take some crayons out of the Styrofoam cup and color the paper that the waitress had provided. "Is this Doctor Hoyt's son?"
House nodded and his eyes narrowed slightly, "I ran into Doctor Hoyt at the hospital after Cuddy found me hanging out outside of Recovery," Wilson explained, flinching at House's wide-eyed look. "I guess she was curious about you having kids and she decided to come to Boston and see what was up."
"I'm just having dinner with my grandson," House replied casually. "Do you want to join us?"
Wilson stood there for a moment and then nodded, "Daniel, can my friend James sit on your side of the table, please?" House asked in a gentle voice as he gripped his cane. "Grandpa's leg is a little sore."
"Sure," Daniel replied as he scooted closer to the wall so that Wilson could sit next to him.
As Wilson sat, he looked at House, "Leg pain?" he asked in a worried voice. "Do you want…?"
"No," House replied in a quiet, but firm voice. "I've just been on it too long today."
Wilson nodded, "Are you staying at Woody's place, then?" he asked, gazing at House.
"Annie told me I could have the spare room, but I'm still deciding," House replied in an unusually calm voice. "Cuddy actually came here to Boston to spy on me, huh? Where is she right now?"
Wilson sighed, "She's at the hospital with Doctor Hoyt," he replied in a tired, exasperated voice.
"How long has it been since you slept?" House asked commandingly. "Since before we came?"
Wilson shrugged, "Go up to your room and get some sleep," House barked. "I'll bring you food."
For a moment, Wilson was quiet and then he stood up, "Thanks," he replied in a tired voice.
As Wilson left, House sighed and turned his attention to watching Daniel color the pages.
"The vial was contaminated," Annie heard a voice say as she opened her eyes and saw a lab tech standing beside the exam bed where she had elected to rest while her blood was tested. "I need more."
Annie sighed and nodded, relieved that she had chosen to discard the undershirt and was just wearing the scrubs, "Can you do it now, please?" she asked in a quiet voice. "I just want to get this over with."
"Of course, Doctor Hoyt," the lab technician replied, gesturing to the cart and tray that was already set up next to the exam bed. "If you could just hold out your arm and relax, I'll do it really quickly."
Annie swallowed hard as she held her arm out and felt the tie being wrapped around it, "Just a deep relaxing breath," she heard the tech say as a needle was inserted into her arm and quickly removed.
"I need to be tested for every STD that's been invented, pregnancy, and anything else that seems relevant," Annie commented as she watched the tech put a taped cotton ball over the area.
The tech nodded as she capped, labeled, and put the vial in a holder with several other vials, "How long will it take to get results?" Annie asked as she sat up and got off the bed. "I'm a little anxious…"
"Results should be ready by tomorrow," the tech replied cheerfully right before she left the room.
Scoffing, Annie got off the bed and left the exam room, aggravated that she would have to go yet another night with intense worry in her mind, "…I don't know why you brought me to the ER when I said that I just wanted to go home, lock all my doors and windows, and go to bed," an accented voice suddenly filled Annie's ear as she passed by an exam room. "I just want to forget all this crap happened."
Annie paused and walked back to the doorway, shocked to see Dr. Macy standing beside a gurney were a dark-skinned man with dark hair dressed in loafers, dress pants, and a dress shirt sat with his arms around his chest and an uneasy expression on his face, "Doctor Macy?" she asked cautiously.
"Doctor Hoyt," Garrett replied in a gruff voice. "This is Doctor Vijay and he also works at the Medical Examiner's office; we call him Bug. Bug, this is Doctor Hoyt; I just hired her to work at the office…"
Bug frowned, "Are you related to Woody?" he asked in a toneless voice. "You look like him."
"Woody's my big brother," Annie replied cautiously, frowning at Bug's pain-filled face. "You okay?"
Bug went very quiet and slowly shook his head, "How's Woody?" he asked in a toneless voice.
"Woody's in Recovery," Annie replied calmly, wondering if she should mention the cancer.
Bug nodded, "I-I should go visit him when he's in a proper room," he said in a quiet voice as he looked at the floor while continuing to hug himself. "Will you tell him I said that I hope he recovers fast?"
"I will," Annie replied gently, seeing that her simple kindness meant so much to Dr. Vijay.
Garrett cleared his throat and Annie quietly left the room, realizing that Bug needed some space; she kept walking until she reached the elevator. It was time to go back up and see Dr. Cuddy and Woody.
The electronic clock switched to 1800 as Annie entered the hospital room where Woody had been moved and saw that Woody was awake, but not talking. The bathroom door was closed and Annie heard water running, so she assumed Cuddy was in there; she smiled as she approached Woody's bed.
"Hey, big brother, how are you feeling?" Annie asked in a gentle voice as she patted his arm.
Woody sighed sleepily, "Very tired," he replied in a faint voice. "I remember Doctor Wilson in the room talking to me and he said that they couldn't get all of it out, but that radiation or chemotherapy could."
"Oh, Woody," Annie replied gently, seeing that Woody was tired but looked scared. "We will get…"
Woody blinked, "We?" he asked in a quiet voice. "You mean I'm not going to be alone in this?"
"Of course you're not going to be!" Annie replied in a shocked voice as the door opened and Cuddy came out of the bathroom. "I'll be there for you, Daniel will be there for you, Dad will be there for you, Doctor Wilson and all of your friends from work will be there for you. The question now is, do you want radiation or chemo?"
Woody shrugged, "So, you're Doctor House's son?" Cuddy asked softly as she approached the bed.
"Who are you?" Woody asked in a tired voice as Cuddy came into view. "How do you know me?"
Cuddy smiled, "I'm Doctor Cuddy," she replied gently. "House talked highly of you and Annie to me."
"Dad's babysitting Daniel right now," Annie explained, seeing confusion in Woody's tired eyes.
Woody nodded and winced, "Try not to move around too much," Cuddy spoke up worriedly.
"Can you call Dad and tell him that I'm awake?" Woody asked in a tired voice. "Tell him thanks for coming."
Annie nodded and gently patted Woody's arm, "I'll call him, but you should really go back to sleep for a while, okay?" she replied in a gentle voice. "Do you want some ice chips before you go back to sleep?"
"No," Woody replied in a tired voice as he allowed his eyes to close. "I just need some sleep."
Annie sighed as Woody gradually relaxed, "I think I'll stay here tonight and give my father a break," she said in a tired voice as she pulled out her crappy cell phone and dialed her father's number. "You've been great keeping me company, Doctor Cuddy, but you can go and get some rest if you want."
Cuddy gave Annie a look of disbelief, "Hi Dad, it's Annie," Annie said in a tired voice as she walked around the small hospital room. "Did you and Daniel go out to dinner somewhere? Good, good."
There was talking and Annie sighed, "I think I'm going to stay with Woody tonight," she said in a tired voice as she stopped near the sink. "Can you make sure you and Daniel both get some rest?"
"You want to speak to Doctor Cuddy?" Annie said in a surprised voice. "Okay, here she is."
Surprised and touched that House wanted to talk to her, Cuddy took the phone from Annie and promptly disappeared into the bathroom so they could speak privately. Annie silently pulled a chair from against the wall to Woody's bedside, sat down, and leaned against the bedrail to watch Woody sleep.
Night had fallen and it was time for sleep, but Wilson found himself unable to sleep and sitting in the lobby with a newspaper until he was tired enough to go back to his room. House had taken Daniel back to Woody's apartment several hours ago, saying that Annie would kill him if Daniel stayed up too late.
Wilson knew better, of course; he knew that House had talked to Cuddy somehow and that Cuddy had ordered him to take care of himself and his grandson. Cuddy's orders didn't apply to him, though.
As Wilson sat there, he noticed a man with shoulder length hair come into the hotel and go up to the front desk with a printout in his hand, "Excuse me, I was wondering if you had a business center I could possibly use for some research?" Nigel asked as he smiled at the night clerk. "It's very important."
Wilson frowned as Nigel leaned forward, "Sir, I'm sorry, but the business center is only available for registered guests to use," the clerk replied nervously. "Besides, it's late and it's closed til morning."
"I have to find out as much as I can about a woman named Annie Hoyt," Nigel protested, not making any effort to leave the desk. "She's a doctor, but she's all beat up and acting really weird. Her resume…"
The clerk quickly went over to the phone, "Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to leave if you are not a registered guest, or I will be forced to phone the police," he said in a firm, but nervous voice.
"My name's Nigel Townsend," Nigel barked in an agitated voice as he left the hotel. "Not sir."
Alarmed at what had just occurred, Wilson pulled out his phone and quickly texted House about Nigel coming in and trying to find information on Annie. He then put his phone away, got up, and went back to his room to watch TV until he fell asleep.
Please read and review so that I feel motivated to continue this story.