Chapter 2

Sunday

House stood standing, leaning against the kitchen counter, nursing a red cup of piping hot coffee that he gently brought to his lips before taking a generous sip. His shoulder had been cleaned and rebandaged upon awakening while the boy in his room slept the morning away. The jet lag would be setting for Ulysses, so House chose not to disturb him for the time being and so he stood in the kitchen reflecting on what he'd done.

'It's not like I could leave him? What was I supposed to say? No. Then he gets shipped off to Cuddy and that loser,' House thought with a grimace, he sniffed on reflex, standing up straighter before taking another sip from his coffee while deep in thought.

If he were going to raise Ulysses, he would need to move out, there was no spare room for him in the apartment and they would need to live elsewhere. Wilson had the good idea of purchasing that loft, but now he was residing in it with his ex-wife Sam, who was a nightmare and didn't like kids. Wilson moving out was not realistic since he'd sold Amber's apartment in the process to another person, House couldn't rent that place and so he'd need to contact a realtor. Not Wilson's, ex-wife Julie. He didn't need anyone knowing about Ulysses just yet, he didn't want to draw attention to himself.

'What do I know about raising a kid?' House thought, setting the coffee cup in the sink, rinsing it out with water before scrubbing it with dish soap. Mindlessly washing the cup, reflecting on his selfish decision to raise Ulysses alone because he didn't want Lucas to take another thing he loved from him. House wouldn't admit he was a sore loser, but he would admit that it hurt him to know that Cuddy was engaged and after speaking with Nolan, he needed to let her go and by raising Ulysses, he might be able to do that.

'I need to buy a book. Parenting books. I know all about the development and science behind the little guy…I just need to understand the emotional…' House thought, setting the red coffee cup on the dish rack, allowing it to air dry for the time being before he reached out for his cane that he set down on the wooden kitchen island and he limped over towards the desk near the end of the living area. He flipped open his laptop, typing against the keys he looked up schools for the deaf and then searched for places within the vicinity to those locations that were for rent. Or for sale, but he had no plans of laying down roots and Wilson would probably tell him what a big step he was making in finally moving out of his apartment.

After the events of the night before, House hadn't reflected too much on them until his eyes flashed across the recommended search images for the schools which pulled up images of children with prosthetics. In his mind, flashed the image of Hanna calling out to him desperately to help her under that pile of rubble and how he amputated her leg. Feeling his pulse quicken, House shook his head to shake the thoughts away before he removed his eyeglasses and massaged his eyes, shutting them tightly.

"Hey." He heard a voice and turned to his side to find Ulysses standing beside him with wild curls strewn about in different directions and rosy cheeks from having had a very good sleep. The boy didn't really make noise or speak, but every now and then House would hear grunts or laughter emanate from him. Never speech.

"Can you talk?" House asked, signing with his hands, turning his body from the desk to face Ulysses who stared at him blearily and he looked like Cuddy when she awoke from a deep sleep or when House disturbed her sleep when he needed a consult.

"Yes, sort of. I don't like to because kids make fun of me." Ulysses signed with a sad sigh, his shoulders slumping at the memory of his last placement home who threatened him to speak or else they'd punch him. Even after giving them what they wanted they laughed at him and from what he could tell based on their lips, they were making fun of him.

"You don't have to, if you don't want to. I can hear you just fine." House emphasized the word 'hear' with quotations and Ulysses smiled at the light hearted joke. House smiled in return.

"Are you hungry?" House asked, signing. Ulysses' eyes lit up and he nodded his head, rubbing his stomach and House rose up from the desk, pushing in the chair as he made his way down the hallway to his bedroom. Ulysses followed closely behind, still dressed in his clothes from the day before and House looked at him squarely, placing a hand on his head to stop him from walking.

"Go and get dressed." House said, signing. Ulysses nodded and turned away, he walked back down the hallway before rummaging in his duffel bag to pull out a pair of jeans and a red shirt.

They commuted to the local diner that House had frequented with Wilson when he was single and free, but now he was taken and chained. Sliding into the booth, Ulysses sat across from him with wild bed hair he pushed from his eyes and looped behind his ears. A waiter stopped by to take their orders and House ordered for the two of them before turning his attention to Ulysses who watched the interaction with curious eyes.

"You got chocolate pancakes?" Ulysses signed.

"Yes, I did because they're delicious." House signed with a playful smile, waggling his eyebrows which earned a childish sound of laughter from Ulysses who flashed his teeth.

"I like sprinkles." Ulysses signed and House rolled his eyes with a sad smile, he turned to look out the window.

'This kid is exactly like Cuddy. The same bright disposition, the same tastes, at least he hasn't started crying yet. She gives off the vibe of having been a cry baby as a child,' House thought resting his chin on the palm of his hand while Ulysses slurped his orange juice the waiter had brought out for him. Ulysses hair was similar to Cuddy's but looser in texture, not as curly, but was the same color of black. His smile was the same as hers, but no one would notice it unless they knew her as well as House knew her which means Wilson might catch on. Not right away, but eventually.

"My friend likes sprinkles too." House signed, turning from the window to look at Ulysses who'd been coloring in a child's paper menu with the provided crayon.

"They do?" Ulysses inquired.

"She does. In her yogurt and god knows what else. She has a sweet tooth." House signed, reflecting on all the times he found Cuddy guiltily indulging in sweets and how he'd found packs of dark chocolate bars in her desk or chocolate muffins paired with a coffee in the mornings. Most of those times were during her period.

"You both like chocolate." Ulysses signed.

"So much so we made a baby." House signed and Ulysses chuckled, their food had been brought out and they dug into their mutual breakfast without another spoken word. House's phone began to ring, he dug into his coat pocket to pull it out and flipped it open before pressing it to his ear.

"Yeah?" House questioned, setting his fork and knife down while Ulysses continued to fight with his stack of pancakes.

"House…" It was Wilson.

"Wilson." House greeted.

"How are you doing?" Wilson sounded empathetic and House sighed not wanting to really discuss with Wilson his current emotions.

"My patient died last night, no matter what I did, I couldn't save her, but other than that I'm doing alright." House answered smartly and Wilson clicked his tongue in annoyance at his friend's lack of maturity.

"House…you saw yourself in her." Wilson said, hesitating with the last words and House shifted in his seat, trying not to hurt his injured shoulder in the process and he watched Ulysses struggle with the pancakes, suddenly realizing he'd ordered adult sizes from when he'd come with Wilson. House couldn't help himself from snickering when Ulysses picked up a piece of the pancake and took a frustrated bite out of it after struggling to cut it into pieces like House which earned quite the scolding from Wilson on the other end of the line.

"Are you laughing? Have you absolutely lost it? That patient trusted you, she placed her complete trust in you and yet…you lost. She died."

"What do you want me to say? That I'm sad she died? Everybody dies, get over it." House replied into the phone sternly, happy that Ulysses couldn't hear the anger rising in his voice, the last thing he wanted was for the boy to be afraid of him.

"I want to know why you are so light hearted about this all of the sudden. Foreman said you were not yourself when you left that night. What changed?" Wilson asked, fearing that House may have gone back on drugs after not coming back to the loft that night.

"If you're wondering if I'm on drugs because I'm in a jovial mood then you would be sorely mistaken. I went home last night and…called my mom." House wasn't exactly lying, but knowing Wilson he would completely buy it and from the sound of his breathing, bingo.

"House, I'm sorry…I didn't mean to accuse you of anything, but it was a hard night for all of us. But you've been a bit withdrawn recently before all this. I'm just worried about you." Wilson apologized, House squared his jaw before nodding.

"Yeah, I know. I haven't been feeling well. Emotionally. Physically." House thought about Cuddy.

"Sexually." Wilson snickered and House smiled, finally convincing his friend that he was indeed fine and not on a spiral of descent.

"I'm sorry about Cuddy. I know, she meant a lot to you." Wilson said, House clenched his jaw and turned his head from where he'd been looking out the window to the small boy with wild curls from bedhead sitting in front of him eating with his hands, sticky with syrup.

"I didn't mean what I said when if you don't have a chance with her, you might not have a chance with anyone." Wilson apologized and suddenly House felt spoiled by the groveling Wilson was doing to ensure his emotional stability.

"She's getting married to a loser. I like to believe I'm the winner in this situation." House replied smugly and Wilson chuckled at the narcissistic remark, shaking his head on the other end of the phone.

"If that helps you get through it, then so be it. If I'm being honest, she could do a lot better, but don't tell her I said that."

"Oh, I love bad Wilson. Let's gossip some more." House replied cheerily.

"I don't know there's something about him I just don't like and I'm not saying that because I think you two should be together. The man is a weasel." Wilson confessed.

"Thank you. I'm glad Cuddy hasn't brainwashed you completely with her bullshit." House replied.

"Now, House, you aren't any better. I'm surprised she hasn't had a restraining order put against you with the amount of times you've invaded her privacy and or sexually harassed her. The woman must thrive on conflict if she still tries to interact with you." Wilson mused, he'd admitted he thrived on conflict himself which is why he continued being friends with House after all this time.

"What can I say? I'm irresistible." House replied coolly.

"Also, I've known her since puberty. She can't let me go just like she can't let her mommy go."

" What are you her daddy? That's creepy. Shut up." Wilson replied.

"Actually can you do me a favor? Me and Cuddy got into a bit of an argument in Trenton, it's gonna be awkward for a while so can you tell her I'm going to take a week off?" House asked Wilson.

"I don't even want to know what you could have possibly been arguing about at the crash site, but sure. I'll let her know." Wilson agreed, knowing House would need time to absorb the recent news regarding Cuddy's engagement.

"Are you going back to the loft?" Wilson asked.

"No, I'm going to stay at my apartment from now on. You know, give you and Sam some space to fuck like rabbits." House quipped.

"Are you sure that's wise, I don't mind you staying at the loft." Wilson inquired, concerned for House to be living on his own so soon, but it had been nearly a year since he'd been released from Mayfield.

"Yeah, I'm sure. I'm still seeing Nolan on Friday's so, I'm not going to be jumping off the edge anytime soon." House explained.

"Alright, well take care of yourself. Let me know if you need anything." Wilson said before hanging up and House put his phone back in his pocket, reaching out to take a sip of his water. Ulysses had managed to finish his pancakes, he signed triumphantly that he'd finished with his cheeks full of the last bit of pancakes and House snickered.

"Good job!" House signed.

—-

At the Target Superstore stood House and Ulysses staring at the red shopping cart, looping his cane over the handle, he turned to look down at Ulysses who was now staring at the other shoppers. In his line of sight, everything was colorful, but the sounds were completely silent before he felt a pat on his shoulder and turned to see the tall man who was his father. With piercing blue eyes, he always wore a playful expression and was relaxed in his movements.

"Here, I'm going to put you in the cart. There's a lot of people here and they may not see you." House explained and signed, earning a few stares from other shoppers before their attention turned to Ulysses who signed in return with a pout.

"I'm too big. I won't fit." Ulysses signed, pointing to the cart and then bending down to his feet, touching them before throwing his hands up in the air to emphasize his small stature. It looked cute, that House had to bite back a smile.

"You will. You're small." House replied, motioning his hands and Ulysses sighed, heaving his chest upward and downward before holding his hands up for House to pick him up. House hooked his hands under the boy's armpits, raising him up in the air, and set him down in the front of the cart.

"See, I told you, you would fit." House remarked, signing with his hands and Ulysses pouted once more which reminded him of Cuddy.

He pushed the cart throughout the store, since he was leaning on the cart it released the tension in his leg and allowed him to move freely where he purchased miscellaneous items he figured Ulysses would need. He was headed towards the children's clothing area, he stopped in front of packed socks and underwear.

"You want the plain white one or the spiderman one?" House signed, holding up the two packs of underwear and Ulysses cocked his head in thought. His eyebrows drawing together and his lips pursing forward while his eyes scanned the items.

"Plain?" Ulysses signed.

"Of course, you would pick plain." House signed, thinking Cuddy would do the same as a child, but now as an adult…her underwear were something he left to his imagination.

"Let's get both for the hell of it." House signed, handing both packages to Ulysses who took them into his small hands and placed them in the back of the cart to join the other items.

Continuing forward, House tossed in packs of socks for Ulysses before grabbing scarves, gloves, beanies, and ear muffs. He was perusing several shirts trying to find the proper size for Ulysses who was smaller than others his age and House attributed it to delayed development probably due to missing meals from his last placement.

"Let's try these on." House signed, handing Ulysses several shirts to try on and Ulysses undressed in the clothing room while House seated himself on the red chair inside. Ulysses was fitted in several pairs of shirts, long-sleeves, jackets, coats, jeans, shorts, and sneakers all colorful pertaining to House's taste with logos of bands or skaters.

"Here put this on, it makes you look cool." House signed, putting a ballcap on top of Ulysses's head, crushing his curls into his face before snapping the hat back and Ulysses held up two fingers in a peace sign common in California.

"Gnarly." Ulysses signed and House huffed with laughter.

"We should get you a skateboard." House said, walking over to the sports section and pulling out a skateboard for Ulysses. A store clerk watched House balance the boy on top of the board, his little feet dangling in the air before they met the wooden surface and he balanced on it while House held his hands out in case he fell.

House was aware skateboarding and surf boarding was a common thing in California, a big culture you could say and he partook in at a time when he could. He picked out a pair of protective gear and fitted Ulysses in a helmet, making sure it was secure on Ulysses small head and wouldn't fall off or be too loose.

'House he's too young to be skateboarding and it's dangerous. He could break something!' He could hear Cuddy in his mind scolding him for such a thing, but watching Ulysses roll around on the board confirmed his suspicions. The boy was a quick study.

They walked out of the Superstore and placed the bags in the trunk before heading back home where House proceeded to install the booster seat in the back seat of the car while Ulysses tested it. House took it a step further and went driving really fast before braking to see if Ulysses would be alright, he turned around and Ulysses was giggling from the adrenaline even though he'd been gripping the armrest of the booster seat when the car accelerated at full speed.

"You have a lot of hair, when was the last time you had a haircut?" House signed, sitting on a chair beside the bathtub where he was lathering his hands in tear-free childrens soap and Ulysses was sitting in a tub full of bubbles.

"Not since Ms. Annie." Ulysses signed, his hair had gone to the ends of his neck when fully wet and flattened, but still began to curl at the ends when drying. House proceeded to wash his hair and Ulysses closed his eyes, not wanting to get soap in them. He waited a few moments, while House roughly washed through his hair and then poured water over his head to rinse the soap from his hair. Blinking, he inhaled air through his mouth from where he'd been holding it and blew out water from his mouth before House dunked a cup full of water over his head once more.

"Do you want a haircut?" House inquired, signing with his hands while Ulysses parted his hair from his eyes and blinked the water from his long curled lashes.

"No, I don't want to be bald like you." Ulysses huffed with a playful smile and House splashed him with a smirk.

"My hair is growing in!" House proclaimed, signing with his hands.

After getting Ulysses dressed in clean clothes, brushing his hair, and monitoring him brushing his teeth, he'd fallen asleep quickly in House's bed while House made his way to the living room and sat on the couch. He had a juice pouch in his right hand and he was slurping it while mindlessly watching TV.

He was reflecting on the week that would be arriving tomorrow and the amount of things that needed to be taken care of. He groaned already feeling exhausted just from going to breakfast and the store with Ulysses who was thankfully very obedient and quiet. The kid didn't exactly have a choice on the quiet part, but he wasn't afraid to express himself like House was at his age.

Getting up he went to the bookcase to pick out a large black photo album before settling down on the couch once more with an exhausted sigh. Flipping it open he found photos of himself as a boy, he had blonde hair as a child before it changed to brown, but Ulysses had been born with black hair from the photos in his case file. They looked exactly alike, in every way other than the hair color and also Ulysses' hair curled at the ends a lot more than his loose curls as a child. Thankfully, House wouldn't have to deal with questions regarding his parentage and given his track record with women, Ulysses could belong to anyone; it didn't matter since he looked exactly like him. The only person who would link a connection with Cuddy was Wilson or her nightmare of a mother who he had the unpleasant chance of meeting in the past and on more than one occasion at the hospital. Which was exactly the reason he didn't go to Rachels purim when Cuddy invited him, he didn't want to deal with that woman. She was a proud old bitch and would be a terrible influence on Ulysses.

'Hopefully, that old bitch never steps near him.' House thought before shutting the photo album when a photo slid out. He picked it up and brought it up to his face, flipping it around and in the photo were him and Cuddy back at Michigan State. They were laughing about something, 20 years younger and very much infatuated with one another. He read the date, it would be a week later that he'd have a one night stand with her before getting kicked out of medical school. He smiled sadly at the photo before setting it back in the album, getting up with a grunt, he placed it back in the bookshelf and lied down on the couch. The TV drumming in the background, he shut his eyes and let sleep welcome him, the numbing drowsiness freeing him from the soreness of his shoulder and leg.

He dreamt of meeting her for the first time in the bookstore, her radiant smile and the sparkle in her eyes whenever she looked at him. Smiling, he walked out of the bookstore and made peace with the memory of his younger self speaking with a younger Cuddy.