"Ghosts of the Past"
Chapter Eight – "Something Wicked"
By: purpleu
House rolled onto his right side, and reached into his nightstand drawer. He brought out a mini-Maglite flashlight, picked up the covers, and disappeared underneath them. He began to rapidly shine the light back and forth.
"Greg, what are you doing?" Lydia asked as he continued to move the light.
"Checking out the scenery," he said poking his head out.
"Like you didn't do that quite thoroughly earlier," she said shaking her head and laughing. Lydia leaned over, and gave House a kiss. "You really surprised me; I was very sure your leg was far too sore to engage in any physical activity." House sat up to stretch out his leg; Lydia moved over next to him, and rested her head on his shoulder.
"It was," he said reaching down to rub it. "But then you gave me the needed inspiration."
"You're the one who opened up my robe and started playing."
"And you're complaining?"
"Never," Lydia said snuggling in against her boyfriend. House kissed the top of her head. "So if it wasn't my hot body, what was this 'inspiration' that I provided?" House reached for his glass and took a sip of wine.
"The look on your face when I said I was tired of being miserable. That I was actually listening to Wilson's advice; I was going to stop letting the past ruin my present and future." He took another drink of wine and returned the glass to his nightstand. "I don't go out of my way to make too many people happy; I've always struggled just to deal with my own darkened existence to care about anyone else's. I didn't think it'd be worth the bother, that there would be nothing to gain from the effort. Once again, you've changed me, even if only a little bit." House looked away and closed his eyes. "I care about you… about us; I care about Wilson and Annie and the bambino-to-be. And even though I can't say it to them yet… I do care about the munchkins." Lydia smiled and kissed House.
"I know you do; and they know it, too. Elise asked me how many days she has to wait before she can call you 'that name?'" House rolled his eyes. "And Ben told me he feels like he has a real father for the first time. You're a wonderful influence on them, Greg. I know you never imagined yourself in this role, but you're doing a fantastic job with things. You've made my children very happy; and that makes me love you more than you could ever imagine."
"Score one for the rug rats," House said leaning his head backward. Lydia studied him for a minute; she wanted to talk to him about something, but she was sure it was going to change the positive mood he was in. Well, no pain no gain as they say, she thought to herself.
"Greg, when you made that list of people before… the ones you cared about… there was a name you didn't mention." House winced and turned toward his girlfriend.
"I assume you're referring to Papa Smurf," he noted, using one of his nicknames for Reverend Bell. Lydia moved back a little so she could see House's face.
"Hon, you know who Thomas is, what his relationship to you is. If you doubt it in any way, although I don't see any reason to, then do the DNA test. Because it's killing him… "
"I don't need the damn DNA test; I know Bell is my father, biological and otherwise." Lydia looked wide-eyed in disbelief.
"If you know he's your father, then why don't you acknowledge that to him? Greg, he loves you so much and it breaks his heart that he couldn't have been there for you when you were growing up."
"Is that what he said when you two were having your chat in the kitchen last night?" House asked. "You were talking for quite a while."
"He didn't understand your opposition to helping Cuddy or what part she played in your life," Lydia explained. "For that matter, he didn't even know who Stacy was."
"I never made it a habit of sharing the details of my social life. I did tell my mother I was seeing someone, but I never told her the extent of the relationship I had with Stacy, and I asked her not to tell anyone else. Obviously, she kept her promise." House grabbed his glass again and finished it in one gulp even though it was practically half-full.
"I know you need time to build up relationships, to trust people… but I just see the way you two keep looking at each other, and I want to push you two into each other's arms for a hug!" House shook his head. "Greg, you should have seen how he was watching you when you were in Cuddy's room today; how you were handling things, the judgment calls you made, the knowledge you have. He was so proud of you. I wish you would just give him a chance; you have good memories of him."
"The problem is the good memories hurt as much as the bad ones," House noted. He picked up the wine bottle. "Want to split what's left?" Lydia nodded and handed her glass to him.
"Why do the good memories hurt, Hon?" Lydia asked gently, putting her free hand on his shoulder. "I'm not sure I understand." House took a deep breath, and returned both the empty bottle and his glass to his night stand.
"I was about seven years old. Flyboy had been sent away on a short term assignment as he so often was before we started making our way around the world. Anytime he went away, Jack and Millie would manage to sneak Bell over to our house, or we'd go to theirs and he'd be waiting. This one time, he was able to stay for about five days, and it poured rain almost the whole time he was there. So we stayed inside; he taught me to play chess, he showed me how to do card tricks, we read together… just spent time talking. Then one afternoon into the evening it cleared up and he pulled out a package; it was a telescope and a book about astronomy. Looking back at it now, the book was meant for someone older, but he knew I could handle it even at that age. The one thing the telescope didn't have was a tripod. So Bell gave my mother a list of materials to get at the local hardware store… and he showed me how to make the tripod. He taught me how the tools were meant to be used, didn't yell if I made a mistake… " House closed his eyes and bent his head down. "Bell told me to keep the telescope and stand under my bed, to 'keep it safe;' he meant keep it from the bastard. Soon, the five days were over, and he had to go. It was nighttime, probably the safest time to covertly travel from our house. Bell came into my bedroom, said goodbye, told me to take care of myself… the usual stuff. I don't know what got to me, but I heard my mom and Bell talking in the kitchen, and I ran out of my bedroom, grabbed him around the legs and begged him not to go. I told him he was my father, not John House, and that I wanted to be his son. Bell got down on his knees, looked me in the eyes and said… 'I love you, Greg.'" House turned to Lydia; she saw tears trickling down his cheeks, and she moved closer to hold him. "No one, other than my mother, ever said that to me. Not my grandparents, no one. He and my mother got me to calm down and back in bed. Of course, I almost got the three of us killed a few weeks later." Lydia took some tissues out of the box and handed them to House.
"What happened? Did someone see Thomas and say something to John?" she asked.
"No, I said something to John. A couple of weeks later after Bell left, Flyboy was screaming at me for something as usual, and he backhanded me across the face. I looked at him and said to him what I said to Bell; that he wasn't my father, Bell was."
"Oh my God… I… I can only imagine his reaction," Lydia said now also filling with tears at the image from the distant past of a young House confronting the bully that was his "father."
"The next thing I knew, I was flying through the air," House said, staring at the end of the bed. "My room was set up much the way Ben's is with the bed in the corner. The bastard picked me up and threw me against the wall, and I landed on the bed. My mom had always told me to 'play dead' when he did things like that so he would think he knocked me out. This time, he slammed the door to my room and locked me in. Then that son-of a bitch went after my mother… and I just lay there listening to it. He kept screaming that at least he knew who got her knocked up and who he had to kill. She kept saying that I was only a kid, and didn't know any better, and that Jack and Millie had mentioned Bell's name in front of me, that's all. It still didn't stop him from laying into my mother, until finally, he threw her down the basement stairs and locked her down there. She kept begging him not to hurt me, and to please let her out, but he wouldn't answer." House looked up at the ceiling. "After a while, he left. I heard the car start and the garage door close. I wanted to get to my mother because I could hear her crying through the floorboards. I remembered that there was a window in the living room left open, so I climbed out of my window, and crawled back into house through the living room. When I opened the basement door and told my mother he was gone, she told me to call Millie and Jack, and tell them to come over. While I was waiting for them, I took the first aid kit and tried to take care of her." House smiled a little. "She gave me a hug and told me I was going to be a doctor someday." Lydia reached over, stroked the back of House's neck, and pulled him toward her so she could hug him. They stayed that way for several minutes, the two of them trying to control their tears; House had much better luck with the effort.
"Did Thomas ever find out what happened?" Lydia asked. House sat back a little and nodded.
"Every time it happened, he would find out; probably through Jack and Millie. Each time he would beg Mom to leave, to let him take the two of us away from what was going on; every time she would refuse, saying he didn't understand." Lydia saw her boyfriend clench and unclench his fists. "To this day I don't understand," he said his voice rising in volume. "Why didn't she give Bell the chance? He wanted to be my dad! He is my dad!" House took several deep breaths to calm down before he spoke again. "Yet knowing what I do, that John threatened our lives practically up to his dying day… I can't blame her." Lydia took House's hand and squeezed it gently; he turned and looked at her.
"I wish I could give you someone to blame, someone to be mad at other than your grandfathers who set the wheels for all of this in motion. It would have been wonderful if the three of you had the chance to be a family. I think… you all would have been very happy. But, Greg, please don't push Thomas away from you because of past memories; take the chance to make new ones." House made a scoffing sound.
"The guy's next birthday cake is going to be declared a fire hazard from the number of candles on it," he said shaking his head. "How much time do we really have?"
"You have to make the effort to make the most of the time you have," Lydia pointed out.
"Why? Just to lose him at the point I finally begin to enjoy his company?" House retorted. "I'm afraid to take the chance of caring. I've taken that far enough as it is." Now it was Lydia's turn to take a deep breath.
"Don't you think it would be worth it to try some more? If James had been killed by that mugger, or the cancer hadn't been found early enough… wouldn't the time you had with him have been worth the chance you took at having his friendship? What if something happened to me? Would you look back and regret falling in love with me?"
"Of course not," House snapped. He turned and looked at her. "Now you're not playing fair," he said in a more gentle tone. House reached over and pulled Lydia close to him. He began to run his fingertips down her neck and onto her shoulders; she gave a little shudder after a few seconds.
"You're giving me the chills; I need the blanket even without you doing that," she said squirming slightly. House smiled.
"Can't help it; I like doing that to you. Because you have once again amazed me," he said. "You know I'm not a fan of long, sincere discussions; I avoid them like the plague. Except with you. Even if I hate the subject matter, even if I think I've made up my mind… you give me something new to consider."
"It's easy," Lydia said moving back in closer to House. "I just switch places with you." House looked confused.
"Want to run that past me one more time? Because I think I have grape fuzz on my brain cells at the moment." Lydia laughed as House held the empty wine bottle up to the light.
"You're usually very logical, very straight forward in your assessment of things; you leave the emotional side of you buried underneath. So since I tend to be emotional, I put that aside and look at things logically; and the more I do that, the more I understand your perspective. And the more you see that I understand your side, the more you're willing to let emotions out." House blinked his eyes as he looked at Lydia blankly for a moment.
"Damn, you're good," he said shaking his head.
"Yes, I am. And in fact, I already know that you're going to make an effort to get closer to Thomas… eventually."
"What makes you think that?" House asked with a frown. Lydia took a drink of the last of her wine.
"Because you're building a house that has a master bedroom suite with a bathroom, and an elevator for him," said Lydia with a smile.
"I'm having Scotty add on the extra bedroom because I don't like an uneven number of things," House offered. "And the elevator is for me and my leg. Although I'll probably have to tell Bell not to go joyriding in it at three a.m."
"With his son right next to him pushing the buttons." House put his head down and chuckled. Boy, did Lydia have that right. He picked his head back up and looked at her; she never looked more beautiful than she did after they had an evening like this; not just that they physically made love, but mentally, too. She let him be free with feelings too long hidden, stories he needed to get out. Lydia absolutely accepted him for who he was; and the more he realized that was true, the more he was sure that was the best way to have someone love you. "Hon, I think we should get some sleep; we have another early morning tomorrow."
"Yeah, too much more of getting up before it's light out, and I'm going to begin to feel normal," House replied.
"You? Normal? Never," his girlfriend said.
"Hey," House said as he tilted Lydia's face toward his. "Ich liebe dich, Fraulein."
"Ich liebe dich, auch," she replied. He leaned over and gave her a kiss; he only meant for it to last a few seconds, but somehow it lingered. "Mmm… you'd better stop that or we'll never get sleep." House watched as Lydia started to adjust her pillows.
"Feel like spooning?" he asked.
"I'll never say no to some more body to body contact," she said turning onto her left side. House moved his pillows and assumed the same position his girlfriend did. He draped his arm over her torso as she snuggled back against him. "Good night, Hon.
"Night, Fraulein." House lay there quietly watching and listening for Lydia's breathing to change indicating she had fallen asleep. He carefully removed his arm from around her, and placed it on his right leg. He began a slow, deep massaging motion to relieve some of the severe pain he had been feeling all night. There was nothing, no amount of pain, that was going to stop him from being with Lydia tonight, and for the briefest time he did put it out of his mind. He looked down at Lydia's sleeping form; she had the right idea. Some sleep is what they both needed…..
"Is everything OK?" Lydia had parked the van at the soccer field. She, Elise and Reverend Bell climbed out of the car, but House and Ben remained inside.
"Everything's fine," House replied as he fiddled with Ben's feet. "But the kid's going to need new cleats and shin guards for the spring season. He can get by with these for now, but… "
"If I do the indoor winter soccer league, I'll just need the shin guards because they don't allow cleats on the gym floor," Ben pointed out.
"Indoor winter soccer league? You're going to continue to torture me by making me get up this early all through the cold and dark winter?" House asked as he reached for his coffee. "Thanks. I thought you liked me."
"I do. I just want to keep my skills up so I can be as good a player as you were." The boy's words stopped House where he stood. He gripped his cane a little tighter and turned to the child.
"You're good already, kid. Don't worry about trying to be like anyone else," he replied. House turned away and started toward the playing field.
"Can I go over to the field with Ben?" Elise asked as she held her ball under her arm.
"Yeah, we both need to warm up," her brother said bouncing his ball back and forth on his knees.
"Yes, just be careful," Lydia called out as they ran away. She looked to her right, and saw Reverend Bell standing there, smiling.
"I thought you could use some help taking the chairs over to the sidelines," he said taking two out of Lydia's hands. "Come on, I have another hand; give me the other two."
"Don't be silly, Thomas, I can carry some, too." Bell reached over and took the other chairs from Lydia.
"Strong Scottish stock… don't ever doubt it," he said with a laugh. Lydia reached into the van a pulled out a few blankets and a cooler. There was a nip in the air this morning, and she didn't want anyone to feel cold. The cooler held water and a few other drinks; everyone had their warm beverage, tea or coffee, in their hands.
"So, Greg has said that if you-know-who had really been his father, that he would probably be Dutch, maybe a little German in heritage; plus English from Blythe's side. What's the truth? Are you pure Scottish? Or is there another nationality mixed in?"
"Blythe and I both have a mixture, but it's all fairly close in proximity," Bell said. "Blythe was English mainly with a touch of Scottish and Irish in there. My background is mainly Scottish with a bit of English. The Crown is well represented," he noted. "What about you, dear?"
"I'm a mutt. Mostly German, some Swiss, some Austrian and remote part of me is English." Lydia looked up at Bell; he obviously was trying to hold back a smile.
"I've been wanting to tell you and Greg both something for a while now, but I was sure you'd think I was making it up."
"Did she make you carry those all by yourself?" House asked as Bell set down the chairs in his left hand.
"Well, there was no one else helping her," Bell said with a light accusing tone.
"It's alright; he can handle it… strong Scottish stock," Lydia said with a smile.
"I think that's apparent to anyone who's heard him speak," House replied.
"I was just telling your girlfriend that there is something I wanted to relate to the two of you… about your background, but I was afraid of being called a liar. Your maternal great-grandmother's name was Lydia." Lydia's mouth fell open in surprise, and even House looked taken aback.
"You have proof of this?" House asked skeptically. "Because I could see this as a move to get on my good side."
"What good side?" Wilson asked as he and Anne joined the three.
"Greg's great-grandmother's name was Lydia! It's not exactly a common name like Anna or James or Greg so it's not exactly a mere coincidence," Lydia said with delight. "I'm sort of tickled by the news."
"Her full name was Lydia Clegg and she was from Aberdeen, Scotland," Bell explained. "And as far as the proof you asked about, Greg… your mother and I sat down right after we got married and made up a family tree. She did a beautiful job on the computer, leaving room for notes about professions and personalities. Blythe thought that one day you might have questions about your… " Bell hesitated. "Real family. I was sorting out my personal papers the other day, because there are some things I would like to show you and make you aware of. In with those papers was the family tree; I've since made a copy, but it was your mother's and my intention for you to have the original." House wasn't sure how to respond. One part of him was pleased to have an idea of his true background and heritage. The other part of him was pissed that his mother wasn't going to be there to answer any questions he had; only Bell was. Taking a quick glance over Bell's shoulder and seeing the expression on Lydia's face, House had a feeling this was one of those times not to push the old man away. He was offering to House a gift that many people wish they had.
"Sure, sounds interesting." House took a deep breath and said the words before he could even think about what he was saying. "Maybe we can sit down over some Macellan's and you can color in the details." House may have wanted to kick himself for what he said, but not for long. The expression on Bell's face made him feel like he was doing something good; he made the guy happy. And oddly enough, House found it made him feel just a little bit happy, too.
"That… would be wonderful! I'd enjoy that very much," Thomas said surprised by House's offer to spend time together. "We'll figure out a time that's good for you." Lydia swore she heard Bell's voice crack as he spoke his last sentence. "Lydia, dear… may I have the car keys? I left my cap in there." Sure enough, when Thomas looked at Lydia as he took the keys, there were tears in his eyes; but there was also great joy. As soon as Thomas was out of earshot, Wilson turned to House.
"Well, that was very nice," he said. "And totally unlike you." House scowled at his friend.
"I'm capable of being nice to people. I'm just very selective about whom I lay the privilege on," he replied. "Besides, I thought I'd give him a cheap thrill; it's probably been a while since he's had one."
"I don't know, House; from things the good Reverend has said, I think he and Blythe were a couple of sexy senior citizens," Wilson said with a laugh.
"Hey, that's my mother you're talking about," House said glaring at Wilson.
"It certainly isn't mine," his friend replied. Lydia laughed at the conversation, then looked off to her left. At the end of the sidelines area was a large folding table set up with what looked like bagels covered in plastic wrap.
"Who brought breakfast?" she asked as she began to walk over to the food. House, Wilson and Annie followed her.
"We did," Wilson answered, indicating himself and Annie. "You deserve a break from always playing hostess. Annie placed the order yesterday afternoon. Had a bunch made up with butter, a bunch with cream cheese, and some are plain."
"I thought that if everything was pre-cut and the spreads put on them, things would be neater and it would attract fewer bugs," Annie explained.
"Isn't this nice?" Marianne asked. "We don't often get to dine al fresco at the soccer games."
"Bagels, great!" Chase said as he approached the table. Thirteen, Cameron and Foreman were already there making their selections.
"Midas has fingered Wilson, so he's feeling flush," House noted. Seeing the puzzled looks, Wilson explained how his exes were all getting re-married, and his alimony payments would be over the day before the wedding.
"That's great," Thirteen said. "You couldn't hope for better timing."
"Yeah, just time to get rid of the bad part of the past, and look forward to a happy future," Wilson said putting his arm around Annie. "No more having that burden hanging over me."
"It's about time you adapted that attitude; I've been telling you that for years," House said picking out a bagel for himself. "How's Cuddy?" he asked looking at Chase.
"Doing well," Chase replied. "Without the Coreg, her BP's been staying up at an acceptable level. I even turned off the recorder just to see how she would react; there was no drop in the numbers. I decided it was worth the chance to try some Lasix, so I gave her forty milligrams." Chase opened up his bagel and took a bite.
"And?" House asked, slightly annoyed that he had to wait for an answer.
"She's started to pee like crazy. Her catheter bag had to be emptied once while I was there, and I don't think it will be too long before Taub has to deal with it. I gave her the Lasix around four a.m. and told Taub that my intention was to give it every eight hours, if her vitals stay in an acceptable range. She's lost almost two pounds overnight, but she's tolerating the re-introduction of the nourishment through the feeding tube. So with any kind of luck… "
"We might be able to spare her the dialysis," House said finishing Chase's thought. "Put less strain on an already abused body. Any Dr. Kevorkian sightings?"
"Taub told me that the guy's car was gone when he got there a little while ago," said Chase. "Who knows when he picked it up?" Thomas had come over to join the group.
"Are the girls getting ready to start?" he asked noting several little girls running around on the field.
"Not for a while," House answered. "First you have to get their minds off of capturing butterflies and braiding each other's hair." House's words weren't too far from the truth; two girls were sitting cross-legged by a set of goal posts, trying to do something to their hair styles. Another two were actually running around chasing butterflies. However, Elise and Shelly and two additional girls were running up and down the field, dribbling and passing the ball.
"For the most part, the youngest players, be it boys or girls are still getting used to not only how the game is played, but of team work, and listening to coaches, and such," Lydia explained. "Some games turn out to be quite funny."
"Yeah, I come here to get my jollies for the week," House said adjusting his newsboy cap down lower over his eyes as he sat down in a chair. "And a snooze." He glanced to his right and did a double take; Bell was wearing the exact same cap as him. House quickly took stock of the group, and saw that he wasn't the only one who realized the coincidence. Any comment he had considered making, he decided to keep to himself.
"Here we go," Lydia announced. The little girls began running around the field, and the scene was as cute and as funny as Lydia had described; the other team's goalie was sitting down on the grass, watching one ball after another go past her. Two of the girls on Tom's team were more concerned with playing cheerleaders than soccer. But Elise and Shelley, and the two girls they were warming up with earlier from the other team, at least seemed serious about things, while still having fun. Even House, who for all his talk about taking a nap, was shouting out directions to the girls.
"Talk to each other!" he yelled. "Number 21 is open… pass it!"
"Wow, he really gets into it," Cameron noted.
"Wait until Ben's team gets out there. He can deal with the little ones not being as enthusiastic about the game," Lydia said. "But when you get boys eight, nine years old who are really into it… well, you'll see." Soon enough the girls' game was over. There was no winner since officially scores were not kept, but clearly Elise and her team did great. Now it was Ben's turn; scores would be kept, a trophy awarded and the selections for the travel team made. House put his coffee cup down, stood up, and moved over near Tom.
"How are you going to play it?" he asked.
"Ben and Tommy as forwards in the first half, then Tommy will move to striker and Ben to goalie," Tom replied. "This should be a good, hard-played game." All went well in the first half; Ben's team scored six points, two of them by Tommy and four of them by Ben. The other team scored only twice. Now it was Ben's turn in as goalie; he had been scored on only twice all year. He was doing a great job with encouragement being yelled from everyone on the sidelines, loudest of all, from House. Despite his leg, he moved back and forth, watching every move out on the field. The game was almost over… when it happened; a hard collision between Ben and a player from the other team. A sickening metal clunk could be heard on both sides of the field. Neither Ben nor the other player were moving as Tom and the other coach ran out to them followed closely by House. Ben was now sitting up; the other player still down, his cleats stuck in the webbing of the net.
"Are you guys OK?" Tom asked.
"I twisted my ankle; I can't move it," the other boy said.
"Get his shoe off before his foot starts to swell. Have him elevate it and get ice on it," House directed the other coach. He looked at Ben. "Did you hit your head?"
"No," Ben said. "My left shoulder hurts, though… I can't really move it." House looked at the boy. He could see he wasn't lying about the shoulder, but House questioned whether Ben was telling the truth about hitting his head. The boy had never not completed a game all season; he was going to argue at being removed.
"How many fingers am I holding up?" Ben gave House a look.
"You're holding up five; they're just all in a fist." House was pleased; he had never pulled that trick on Ben before, so at least he knew the boy was thinking straight. The other player's foot had been untangled from the net and he was being carried to the sideline.
"Ben, I'm going to pull you," Tom said. "I want you to take it easy… "
"No! Please! I've always finished a game! Please, Uncle Tom!" House looked at the ref.
"How much longer in the game?"
"Thirty-eight seconds," the ref called out.
"Leave him in the game," House said. "I'll take responsibility for him." Both Tom and Ben looked at House in shock.
"House, I appreciate what you're trying to do; but the fact is, you can't take responsibility for him. You're not his father, you're not even his step-father."
"He is too my dad… well, just like one," Ben protested. It was then that the three realized Lydia had come onto the field to see what was going on. She heard the conversation, and looked concerned. Tom put his head down.
"I'm sorry, House; I didn't want to say that… but the league has rules."
"I said I'll take responsibility for him," House repeated slowly and tersely.
"I didn't hit my head, I swear," Ben said. "It was the other kid's cleats hitting the goalposts. Please let me stay in." Tom let out a sigh.
"OK, Ben's staying in," he said turning to Lydia. The two men stood up, and walked toward the sideline with Lydia. Tom nodded to the ref, who waited until they were off the field, and blew the whistle.
"I should have said I want Ben pulled," Lydia said. "He hit his head. He shouldn't be in there."
"He hurt his shoulder, not his head," House said. "The sound you heard was the other kid's cleats against the goalpost." Action on the field hadn't resumed as the other coach was subbing players.
"Greg, he just wants to finish the game; he's probably lying about not hitting his head," Lydia said getting agitated. "Tom, you've got to pull him."
"House checked him out and said Ben's OK. There's only thirty-eight seconds left." Tom said with a shrug. Lydia was still upset; a boy on the varsity football team in their district had died earlier in the year from an undetected head injury after a practice session. She couldn't shake the image of the grieving parents from her head.
"Greg… " Lydia started to speak.
"Take it down the field!" House yelled out. "Give your goalie a break!" He took several quick steps down toward the other goal. "Talk to each other!" For the remaining few seconds of the game, Ben's team managed to keep the ball at the other end of the field; the Braves won the game and the league championship, six to two. Lydia was still anxious, wanting to check her son out for herself, but she didn't want to embarrass him in front of his teammates.
"How are you feeling?" she asked when Ben came to the sideline.
"I'm fine," the boy said dismissively. He turned to House and Tom. "Thanks for letting me stay in the game."
"You're smart enough to know the dangers of a head injury and stupid enough to decide to keep going despite any hurt you felt," House replied. "I trusted you not to lie to me about your noggin."
"What happened to everybody lies?" Wilson asked looking at his future nephew with concern.
"The kid lies," House acknowledged. "He just knows I can figure him out too quickly to get away with it with me. There is a price to be paid, however, for staying in the game."
"Wh… what?" Ben asked nervously.
"Your mom and I are going to take you over to the hospital; I want an x-ray of that shoulder. I don't think it's dislocated; at worst, it's a bone or muscle bruise." Ben looked upset.
"You do think I'm lying to you. You're going to take an x-ray of my skull when you get me over there."
"House may not be planning an x-ray of your head, but I'm going to request one if you argue with him," Lydia said. "Come on, Ben; change out of your cleats, and gather up your things," his mother said with obvious annoyance in her voice.
"I'm sorry I got hurt, Mom," the child said, picking up on her unhappiness.
"It's not your fault, sweetie. I just would have liked to have seen better judgment shown by the adults around here; and that includes me, too." Lydia stayed near her son as he got his things together. Tom had been talking to the rest of the team who were now coming over to Ben to offer congratulations; Tom came over to House, who was standing with the others who had come to watch the game.
"I thought I had seen Lydia angry when she dealt with the idiot from dialysis yesterday, but that is nothing compared to how… mad she is now," Wilson said.
"You'll learn, James; when it comes to your child, nothing riles you up more than the thought of them getting hurt," Thomas said. "It's even worse when you're not allowed to show how concerned you are."
"I'm just really surprised at how into the kids' game you were getting," Cameron said to House.
"Why wouldn't he?" Bell asked as Lydia and Ben came over to them. "He was an All-American."
"Something was mentioned about this a while ago, but I wasn't sure if House was just pulling our collective legs or not," Foreman said.
"He was not!" Bell said a bit indignantly. "Greg was an All-American in both soccer and lacrosse in high school and in college. In fact, in college, he was the first player named All-American in both an offensive and defensive position in thirty years!"
"Whoa… you told me you were good at soccer and lacrosse, but you never told me that," Ben said admiringly. "What two positions?" House looked at the boy.
"Forward and goalie," he quietly replied.
"That's what Ben plays!" Elise announced to everyone. "Did I play good today, House?"
"The fact that you didn't catch any butterflies is a good indicator of how well you played," House answered. "You were trying to use the side of your foot like I showed you; that was good. You girls have to learn to talk to each other out there; it's the only way to know where the other open players are sometimes."
"Gotcha!" Elise said.
"Marianne, can you handle Elise for me while I'm over at the hospital?" Lydia asked. "I don't know how long I'll be… "
"Don't think twice about it," Marianne said. "You know she's fine with us."
"Annie and I are going to head over to Good Olde Times, too," Wilson said. "We'll keep an eye on her, too." Lydia nodded.
"Thank you," she responded.
"Are you going to need any help over at the hospital?" Thomas asked.
"No," House said quickly.
"Come on; let's get going," Lydia said to her boyfriend. "Thanks for coming down to cheer them on, everyone." She went to put her arm around Ben, but he pushed her away.
"Don't, Mom; that hurts!" The walk to the car was quiet and tense. Neither Lydia nor House were very happy with what happened, but each for a different reason.
"Do you need a hand getting in?" House asked when they arrived at the car. Ben nodded; House lifted him in, and Ben climbed into his car seat.
"Mom, when can I stop riding in this thing?"
"Please, Ben! One thing at a time!" Lydia snapped. House took the car keys from her and clicked the door closed.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
"To reiterate what I said last night, I'm not a fan of discussions, but I think we better get this one over with now before the kid picks up on it. I know from personal experience it's not a good feeling to hear the adults in your life fighting," House noted.
"I don't want to fight with you, Greg. I… just wish you had made a better decision on Ben's behalf out there."
"I made the right decision; I trusted him that he was telling me the truth. I also gave him the chance to get what he wanted; a complete game. If I thought he was seriously hurt, I would have told Tom to pull him." Lydia bit her lip, trying to calm down. "And it didn't thrill me being told right in front of the kid that my opinion didn't matter since I wasn't his father or even his step-father."
"And whose fault is that?" Lydia snipped. House gave her a hard look.
"Mine, I would say." Lydia shook her head and started nervously shifting her weight from one leg to another.
"Greg, no. There's no fault here with anyone, and I'm sorry I said that. I'm just upset right now, both at what happened to Ben and what Tom had to say to you. He had no choice; it's a league rule. I was there, I should have stepped forward and voiced my opinion, my wishes. But if I wasn't there, you are the emergency contact person for both kids… with everything. I trust your judgment with them… I trust your feelings for them." House leaned back against the van; he heard music coming from inside, so Ben was not aware of the nature of their conversation.
"I think what's getting to me right now, is the way I reacted." He looked at Lydia. "It really pissed me off to be told I couldn't do something to help the kid. It bothered me; it's still bothering me."
"You're trying to deal with your emotions. You've never been in a situation with either of the kids where they could have been hurt and you were told not to help. And I don't think it's because you're a doctor that it's irritating you," Lydia said. "You did say last night how much you cared about them."
"Yeah, I care about them… but I didn't think I was anywhere close to using the 'L' word." Lydia smiled.
"I assume you're talking about the word 'love' and not one of your favorite TV shows." House chuckled.
"We've got to sequester Thing One and Thing Two at someone else's house so we can sit down together and watch that one of these days," he said. "I have the box set."
"I'm sure you do," his girlfriend said rolling her eyes. Lydia was startled when House reached over and took her hand.
"You don't really think I'd let anything happen to the kids; through carelessness or anything else? I know you've seen me do some reckless things in the past; to myself and to others… Freedom Master comes readily to mind. But I know what it would do to you if anything happened to them… " House looked up at the clear blue sky. "And it would kill me, too." House shook his head. "I think it's eating away at me that you doubted I would protect the kid."
"Greg, I never doubted you on that, and I'm sorry if I made you feel that I did. You have a lot of love in you that you're capable of giving; you just have to trust that you're not going to be hurt. And I know you feel comfortable with the children on that level; you just can't verbalize it yet." House slowly nodded, and stood up away from the van.
"I'm going to need some practice with that whole concept; want to help me?" he said holding his hands out to Lydia. She took his hands, and stood up also.
"You asked me in the first few days I moved back here if I would help you with such things; and I told you I would. It's only going to benefit me in the long run." House smiled and pulled Lydia in toward him; he saw the startled look on her face. He never engaged in PDAs with her.
"Don't look so surprised," he said. "If I'm going to convince these yahoos that you want me to take care of the kids, then we better supply them with some proof we're a couple." House leaned in and gave Lydia a gentle kiss.
"To hell with all of them," Lydia said. "We know what we have. Come on, let's get Ben over to the ER."
"After waiting through our talk, it's probably stopped hurting by now," House said as he pushed the clicker and climbed into the car. In a short while, House was pulling in at PPTH's lot. He saw there were spaces available over by the ER entrance, and he parked in one of them.
"Do we really have to do this?" Ben asked as he climbed out of the car. House reached over and lightly squeezed the boys shoulder.
"OW!"
"Does that answer your question?" House asked. The three started to walk into the building. "This won't take long. Besides, I'm a doctor; our kids get x-rays and MRI's for free."
"You don't think he needs an MRI, do you?" asked Lydia in surprise.
"No, I was just throwing it in with the list of freebies," said House as he approached the desk. "Got a kid who needs an x-ray of the left shoulder to rule out a separation or any breaks," he told the clerk.
"Well, uh… you have to go out to the registration area… " the woman began.
"No, I don't. Just type his name into the computer, and then print out the radiology request."
"Has he ever been a patient here before?" questioned the flustered receptionist.
"He was born here; Benjamin Harris," Lydia said. The woman looked up, and then smiled.
"Ms. Strohman! I'm sorry, I didn't know you were with this gentleman."
"This doctor," corrected House.
"Oh, Dr. House; I'm sorry. We had a mad rush in here earlier this morning and things are just starting to calm down now." She looked at Ben. "What happened to you?"
"My shoulder got rammed into the goalpost at my soccer game; but my team won."
"And now we have to find out if it was worth it, I guess," said the receptionist. She saw a PA passing by and called out to him. "Joe!" The PA stopped and came over to the desk.
"What's up? Oh, Dr. House," Joe said extending his hand; House merely nodded. "And Ms. Strohman." He made the same gesture toward Lydia; she took his hand. "What can I do for you?
"The kid got his left shoulder beat up in a soccer game; the opponent was the goalpost," House added. "I want a three way view of the shoulder to rule out breaks and/or separation. And the faster we can get out of here the better; he's got a victory party to go to." Joe smiled.
"No problem. Why don't you have a seat on the bed over in number fifteen and I'll send an orderly from radiology in a few minutes. Oh, Dr. House… there was someone in here before asking for you."
"Did you tell them I moved and left no forwarding address?" House inquired.
"Uh… no. I didn't see what the person looked like, but I understand it was a man."
"He tell you his name? Or at least his secret identity?"
"I think he did give his name." Joe looked around. "The PA the guy spoke to is on meal break, and I don't know where the guy went. When the PA comes back, I'll tell him to talk to you." House didn't acknowledge the PA, but instead turned to join Lydia and Ben in cubicle fifteen.
"Hold your arm straight out in front of you at shoulder level," House directed Ben. The boy tried to comply, but couldn't. "Try shoulder level out to the side." Once again, Ben failed. "Reach behind you as far as can." That task the child was more successful with. "Move your arm in a circle like this," House said demonstrating what he wanted the boy to do. Ben was good on the downward movement, but stopped short of raising the arm above his shoulder to continue the circle.
"Limited range of motion," Lydia commented trying not to sound nervous. House nodded.
"Help him take his shirt off," House said. Ben slipped his right arm out of his soccer jersey easily; the left proved more difficult. Lydia tried not to react when the shirt came off, but she couldn't suppress a gasp as she looked at the bruise on the front of his arm and shoulder.
"Is it that bad?" Ben asked.
"Nah, your mom's just a wimp," House answered. Ben managed to laugh at the face his mother made toward House. "He hit it right on the socket; you can see the outline of the goalpost." Lydia nodded as House pressed in lightly on the bruised area.
"Ah… ow… OW!" Ben cried out as House pressed a little harder each time.
"I still think it's just a combo of a bone and muscle bruise; nothing broken or dislocated," House noted. "I'll let the radiologist have his fun and read the films, then I'll take a look at them myself."
"Hey, how's the soccer champ doing?" Lydia turned, and was surprised to see Wilson and Annie coming toward her.
"What are you two doing here? Why aren't you at Good Olde Times?" she asked.
"The café had a bit of a problem," Annie said. "A small fire broke out in the kitchen. Everyone got out OK, no one was hurt, but obviously that was the end of the party," Annie said. "So they grabbed the kids, the cake, and the balloons and headed across the street to McDonalds."
"Why did they have balloons?" Ben asked.
"One of the girls on Elise's team had her birthday today, so they combined the two parties into one," Wilson said.
"I never have understood the concept of balloons," House said. "'Happy Birthday! Here's a latex receptacle filled with my breath!'" he said making a face.
"Excuse me?" A young orderly with a wheelchair was standing at the entrance to cubicle fifteen. "I understand that I have a champion soccer player to take to x-ray."
"That's me!" Ben said raising his right hand.
"Cool! Why don't you get your shirt back on; it gets a little cold over in x-ray," the orderly said. Lydia began to give her son a hand; House turned to the orderly.
"Got his orders there?" he asked.
"Yes, sir… here you go." House looked at the small binder they hastily made up for Ben; they had left room for an orthopedic consult in case one was needed.
"Looks good," House said handing the binder back. "Ready?" he asked the boy.
"Ready!" Lydia helped her son down and into the wheelchair.
"Is anyone coming with us, or can you handle this on your own?"
"I'll go with… "
"Mom!" Ben exclaimed. "Don't make a big deal out of it!"
"Yeah, Mom!" House said to her mockingly. Lydia shook her head.
"OK, see you in a little bit." They watched as the orderly wheeled Ben away, engaging the boy in conversation.
"What are you two amused about?" Lydia asked as she saw Annie and Wilson trying not to laugh. "One day, you will be in my shoes; let's see how you handle it."
"Please, James is trying to imagine getting through the first diaper changing," Annie said while giggling.
"You've operated on people, seen pictures of them ravaged by cancer… and you're worried about your kid pooping?" House asked.
"I'm… fine with it; Annie just keeps busting my chops," Wilson said laughing.
"Dr. House!"
"You're popular today," Lydia noted. Joe, the PA came over to the group.
"The PA who spoke the man looking for you just came back from his meal break. He'll be over in a minute to talk to you about him." Joe turned and hurried away; the ER was starting to become busy again.
"As soon as I talk to the PA and Beckham's back from x-ray, I'm going to call Taub and check on Cuddy's condition. We might be able to skip dialysis and I can have Taub stay until Foreman comes in," House said as he looked around.
"Isn't Taub expecting you to relieve him at two-thirty?" Wilson inquired. "He may not be very happy at having to stay the extra time."
"He won't be happy with extra clinic duty hours either if he refuses," noted House.
"Hi… excuse me… Dr. House?" House turned to see a PA named Rich standing in front of him.
"Yeah… I understand someone came through here on a treasure hunt with me as the prize," House said.
"Yeah, this guy came in a while ago asking for you. I said you didn't work in the ER, but he knew you worked here at the hospital. He looked really lousy… said he's been sick for a few days, had a headache, joint and muscle aches from what he was describing, and a loss of appetite."
"That runs the gamut of ailments," House said. "How have you treated him?"
"He won't let us treat him," Rich said. "He insisted on seeing only you. I was thinking about calling security, but the guy really does look sick. Plus, he kept saying he knew you, that he was your roommate in college." Wilson, Lydia and Annie all gave House a quizzical look. "Honestly, Dr. House… no offense… but this guy looks way too young to have been your college roommate." House ignored the comment.
"Describe the guy," he said. Rich shrugged.
"Hispanic, medium height, medium build, black hair, thin black mustache and beard… he kept trying to perform some raps, but he never could finish it off." House turned to Lydia and Annie.
"Alvie!" the three said.
"Where is he?" House asked.
"Room twenty-three. I thought it was best to put him in a room with a door," Rich called out as House walked away with the other three following him. He arrived at room twenty-three and threw open the door. Sitting on the stretcher, was the one and only, Juan Alvarez.
"Hey, House is in the house!" Alvie said in a weak voice. "He's a brick… da-da-da… house… " Alvie's voice trailed off and his head bowed down as one thing quickly became painfully clear.
Juan Alvarez was sick… very sick.