Chapter 5
Wednesday
It turned out that Emma Stewert had Meniere's Disease which was being shadowed by the fact she had pneumonia which had begun from the flu which she thought was the persistent cold she'd been inflicted with for the past year and the swimmer's ear she accounted for with the dizziness and vertigo. They hadn't needed to call House much after that when he concluded from his couch that it was Meniere's Disease after looking at the patient's brain MRI and Foreman had denied it at first until they tested her ears.
Now, House stood in pajamas with Ulysses on the couch eating cereal while watching the morning cartoons play across on the television screen. Ulysses had taken a huge liking to the yellow sponge in the children's show Spongebob Squarepants which House had to admit was hilarious at times, fueled by Ulysses childish giggles that usually infected him with his own.
"It's funny how they randomly blow up." House signed with his hands, Ulysses nodded with a giggle before drinking the rest of the milk from his bowl. They watched the blue octopus bounce off the sandy hills, one by one, his underwater bicycle bouncing up in the air with every contact, and once he landed on the bottom floor, he blew up into a mushroom cloud.
"It's funnier when he gets stung by the King Jelly." Ulysses signed with his hands, setting down his plastic bowl on the coffee table, turning to House with a milk mustache and House slurped down his milk from his bowl before turning to smile playfully at Ulysses who giggled childishly. House smiled widely revealing his front row teeth, faking confusion he pointed at his face, signing what was wrong and Ulysses pointed to his lips.
"You have a milk mustache." Ulysses signed with his hands, his laughter dying now and only a toothy smile remaining when House pointed at his lips.
"So do you." House replied, Ulysses rose up and went to the mirror in the hallway, he turned to House from the mirror with a look of shock, his mouth opened before turning upward. He licked the top of his lip, struggling to wipe it off before wiping it off with the back of his hand. House grabbed their empty bowls, taking them to the kitchen where Ulysses joined him in striped pajama bottoms and a red shirt. There was a small child stepping stool on the second half side of the farmer's sink, Ulysses perched himself against the counter while House handed him a sponge and they washed in comfortable silence with only the sounds from the TV playing in the distance. House had been teaching Ulysses skills, such as tying his shoes, separating and throwing out the garbage, washing his hands properly, brushing and flossing properly, washing dishes, and most recently how to speak with people.
'He spent most of his life around other deaf children or people who could communicate with him through ASL. The last year he was with people who could not and did not make an effort. I don't want him to be taken advantage of by those who can hear and know that he will trust them implicitly.' House thought, drying his hands on a kitchen rag before handing it to Ulysses, who dried his small hands in the rag and set it down on top of the sink to dry.
They made there way to the couch where House seated Ulysses on the couch before taking his seat opposite him on the lounge chair. Ulysses turned his attention from the TV to House who was signing to him and moving his lips from where he lounged, extending his right leg carefully before leaning back comfortably.
"Ulysses, there are people who can hear who will take advantage of the fact that you can't, you understand?" House began.
"They will?" Ulysses questioned innocently, his expression perplexed.
"Yes, they will. They even do it to each other. I need you to understand this, you cannot trust anyone, but me or your teachers. Not strangers. Stranger danger." House emphasized the 'stranger' portion of his lecture, he didn't really know how to lecture a child who was deaf, it seemed a lot harder than one who could hear because Ulysses could listen and do what House tells him, but it's not like he could hear a stranger abducting him or running towards him.
"No strangers." Ulysses ducked his head, moving his small fingers.
"Unless, I introduce you to the stranger. If I've never introduced them to you, then they aren't friends of mine. Strangers." House explained.
"Now, let's go over how to talk with people who can hear." House continued, Ulysses scooched up to the end of his seat, intent on learning how to do this skill when he didn't have the ability to speak.
"You don't. You simply express that you are deaf." House answered, motioning with his hands, pointing to his ears and making an X symbol across his chest with his arms for Ulysses to mimic.
"What can I do? I would like to talk with them. Maybe they can sign?" Ulysses questioned, with a furrowed brow and a small frown.
"I know you want to talk with them. People are interesting creatures with so much information etched in lies, but not everyone can do ASL." House explained with an upturn of his lips and a raise of his brows, unsure of how to console Ulysses who seemed devastated by the answer before his eyes lit up.
"Some can. You're a doctor, doctor's know ASL?" Ulysses explained with hope in his piercing blue eyes much brighter than House's dull ones, but identical in the same. House sighed with a thin smile, cocking his head to the side.
"They should, but it will be interesting to see who does when you come to work with me." House replied before the home phone began to ring, he turned to look at the sound and Ulysses followed his gaze to the home phone which was lit up, flashing a callers number which signaled to him the phone was ringing. House arose, careful with swinging his right leg over before standing, he walked over to the phone and picked it up.
"Hello?" House answered.
"Hi, Dr. House, this is Deborah Hall from Dana Conway's School for the Deaf." It was Deborah and House's expression lit up, he turned to Ulysses with a face full of mirth.
"Hi, Deborah. How are you?" House greeted casually, resting a hand on his hip while Ulysses watched his lips move, processing the words in his mind.
"I'm fine. I'm just calling to inform you that Ulysses has been accepted to our school and he can start Monday morning." Deborah informed him happily while House gasped with excitement and Ulysses lit up at the news a second after with a silent squeal.
"Ah, you know what he has a doctor's appointment that day, can he come in on Tuesday?" House suddenly remembered and Deborah agreed that it was not a problem before informing him that she would be sending him an email with all the information regarding the school, pick-up times, after school activities, and would be mailing the information as well to his new address which House had supplied her.
"You and Ulysses seem to be busy, well I look forward to having a smart boy like Ulysses at our school, Dr. House." Deborah complimented formally and House thanked her before hanging up the phone. He turned to Ulysses, throwing a fist in the air followed by another which was a mistake when he felt a cramp in his leg and he reached down to massage it quickly while Ulysses fisted the air happily.
"You're good at lip reading, kid." House signed from his hunched position and Ulysses signed to him he watched a lot of TV which was helping him along with the subtitles that followed the voices.
"Technology." House signed with a huff while Ulysses danced in place, his dark wavy locks bouncing widely with every jump he made.
—-
Cuddy was seated at her desk filing out some forms, she was stressing about what to do with her daughter for the night since Lucas had suggested they go out for date night, but her babysitter had called in sick and had no one to watch her. Lucas hadn't exactly moved in since getting engaged, he'd suggested since he worked such odd hours it was a good thing to keep his apartment when he wouldn't be able to make it home or was working on a long project. Of course, he spent most of the time at her house, had some of his belongings there like clothes or his toiletry bag in her bathroom and would spend nights there when he could.
"What am I gonna do?" She exhaled, her fingers resting against her forehead as she hunched over her work, taking from her inbox yet another form that needed to be reviewed before she signed when a knock broke her from her thoughts and she looked up to see who it was.
"Come in." She called out, it was Wilson.
"Here is the patient's file from Foreman's last case, Emma Stewert is being discharged and moved to an outpatient center where she'll be fitted with hearing aids." Wilson informed Cuddy, handing her the patient file from yesterday who House had diagnosed from his kitchen.
"So, House was right?" Cuddy questioned slightly irked by the fact.
"Yes, he was. You almost just want him to not be right with what an ass he can be, you know." Wilson mused, Cuddy smiled at the response.
"Oh incredibly so. Even with a date, he still can't get away from puzzles. I called him the other day, apologizing for what I said to him the night Hanna died, but…he moves on fast." Cuddy shook her head remembering his unwillingness to accept her apology or the change that was going to be taking place in the next year or so.
"Well, good for him. He needs to learn the word no." Wilson expressed, Cuddy smiled sadly before nodding her head recalling his hollow expression out there on the rubble and she still had his cane from that night in her car. She had fought with herself if she should take it to him or not, but after speaking with him over the phone she decided it wasn't the right time. He was angry with her.
"Listen, Wilson, I need a favor." Cuddy began, Wilson shifted in his step before pulling out a chair by her desk and taking a seat.
"What can I do for you?" He asked.
"It's date night tonight for me and Lucas, but my babysitter is sick and I was wondering if I can leave Rachel with you and Sam for the night?" Cuddy asked, Wilson leaned back in his chair with a look of uncertainty and a nervous smile with his lips parted.
"I…I don't know if that's a good idea. Sam doesn't really like…"
"It's just for a few hours and I'll pick her up before midnight." Cuddy explained, desperate to find someone she trusts to watch Rachel for the night and she'd be dead before trusting House with Rachel, the man was unhinged.
"I don't know. I mean." Wilson trailed off, he was a bit uncomfortable about Cuddy and Lucas's relationship and if House found out he'd assisted in their coupling he'd get upset with him.
"Please, Wilson. I need this." Cuddy expressed with desperation and Wilson sighed letting his friendly admiration get the best of him, he nodded his head and Cuddy smiled widely revealing her white teeth.
"It's been that long, huh?" Wilson asked with a boyish smile.
"For both of us." Cuddy expressed and Wilson shook his head, uncomfortable with the information pertaining to her relationship with Lucas and their lack of intimacy. Perhaps it was a good thing House hadn't been here, he'd definitely feed on that bit of information.
"Can you not tell House about this? I don't need him to start his over-analyzing again about my relationship." Cuddy expressed as Wilson stood up preparing to leave her office when he smoothed his tie out.
"I won't but House has…I like to think from our last conversation that he's accepted what is and moved on. As friends of yours, we just want to see you be happy." Wilson expressed.
'Even if we both think you're marrying an idiot,' Wilson thought while he smiled softly at Cuddy.
"Really? That's hard to believe with the way he was talking yesterday." Cuddy expressed with a grumble.
"Oh, I don't think that will be changing anytime soon. He may have accepted your proposal, doesn't mean he'll respect it." Wilson chuckled before leaving Cuddy speechless and carrying on with the rest of his day.
Cuddy sat back in her chair, relieved to know that her problem had been solved and she could enjoy a night out with her fiance. It'd been about a month since they last gone out or been intimate with one another, the last time was when he'd proposed to her and then he'd been given a new project which he was busy gathering intel for while she had been busy with a new wing in the hospital and then the injured from the Trenton Crash. Their sex life had been routine, it was nice to be having sex regularly with the same partner, but she had to admit it was getting a bit boring and they needed some excitement which is where Date Night came into play. Or she thought it was an excuse to get drunk on wine, which buzzed her enough to enjoy the quick sex with Lucas.
Tonight is going to be different, she mentally told herself, rubbing her temples while writing down her signature on a form before putting the pile in her outbox for her assistant to pick up later. She loved Lucas, if she didn't she wouldn't have accepted a ring from him, but something just didn't feel right about it. The two closest people to her, House and Wilson, had known her for years, House longer, but she considered them like brothers…one of them anyway. It didn't seem like either of them were happy for her, not in the man she'd chosen, and she thought it was Wilson being upset that she hadn't chosen House.
'They both don't like Lucas, even Julia doesn't like Lucas,' Cuddy thought about her sister when she'd come to town to spend the weekend with her, to celebrate her engagement and when she'd met Lucas she seemed happy until later when they were alone she asked Cuddy if she was sure about this.
—-
"Alright, go long." House signed, holding a small styrofoam football in his gloved hands, puffing out smoke from his lips from the cold air while dressed in a winter coat and beanie. The tip of his nose was red from the chill and Ulysses stood a short distance from him ready to catch the football, his arms in position at his sides and his hands spread open.
"I'm ready." Ulysses signed with his hands, his knees apart and bent while he leaned forward ready to move. House threw the football, it spiraled in the air as Ulysses went to catch it in the air before falling against the grass with a triumphant smile.
"Atta boy!" House yelled and signed with his hands, there were few people in the park walking their dogs or jogging in the chill fall weather while House was playing football with Ulysses. House couldn't exactly run or leap, but he made up for it with his cane that would catched the football or scoop it up if it fell too far from him and it had been working so far. Ulysses threw the football in a perfect spiral, perfecting it after several throws and House caught it in his hands this time with a satisfied smile. It'd been awhile since he could enjoy a sport without having to think about his leg, how much his leg limited him and how he missed running.
"Let's take a break." House signed and Ulysses nodded, he limped his way over to a park bench where he set down an outing bag filled with water bottles, snacks, and spare clothes in the case Ulysses fell in the pond. They sat down, opening their water bottles and taking a sip at the same time in the same manner before exhaling and looking out at the pond. There was a school of ducks paddling their way on the surface while a few amateur bird watchers were writing down notes or taking photos.
"Are you excited about going to school next week?" He asked Ulysses, who nodded with a bright smile that reached his eyes and reminded him of Cuddy. He smiled softly at the resemblance, while Ulysses signed how excited he was about starting school and how he always wanted to go when the other kids from his first placement would go.
"So you envied them?" House asked.
"It seemed like fun where they were going and they always had something new to talk about." Ulysses explained recalling the older kids who would show him their projects or new books they were assigned to read.
"So you're interested in the learning part?" House asked.
"Yes. I like science and puzzles." Ulysses expressed which made House smile wider, the kid certainly was a combination of him and Cuddy except for the perverse guilt as well as the Jewish influence. He hadn't been exposed to any of that so Ulysses was a clean slate, only interested in the fruit of knowledge without the influences of religion to bar him.
"Good kid. Me too." House agreed, patting his covered head where his wavy locks curled at the bottom against his neck.
"What about my mother?" He questioned suddenly, looking at House curiously while House had been expecting this question he assumed the foster placement had informed him already of the surrogate mother.
"What do you know of her?" House asked before saying anything and Ulysses shrugged his shoulders, furrowing his brow in thought before he moved his hands.
"She gave me up because I was deaf, but I don't know who she was or anything about her." Ulysses replied and House thought for a moment on what to tell Ulysses since the woman was his surrogate mother and not his real mother.
"I don't know. I never met her." House answered honestly, not ready to tell Ulysses the truth about Cuddy and Ulysses nodded at the answer.
"If you never met her then how did I come to be?" Ulysses asked quizzically and House huffed with a smile as to what he would say next to cure the kids curiosity knowing Cuddy would be mad at him for telling a child so young about the birds and the bees or well a scientific telling of the birds and the bees, one without sexual intercourse but a lab.
—-
Cuddy had dropped Rachel off with Wilson at 6 o'clock, leaving her personal number as well as Lucas's in the case of an emergency as well as a detailed document of Rachel's medical records and her schedule. Wilson was overwhelmed with how overly cautious Cuddy was with her daughter as he held the diaper bag over his shoulder before being handed Rachel, who rested on his right hip while Cuddy said her goodbyes. Lucas had awkwardly greeted Wilson, looking around the apartment for House before Wilson informed him House had moved out and didn't know about their date, not to worry about him crashing it since he wasn't interested. He shut the door on the two, only doing this for Cuddy before turning to Sam who was not happy about babysitting a one year old.
"I don't know why you agreed." Sam complained, a wine glass in her hand where she sat at the kitchen table nursing it. Wilson was seated in the living area, he'd spread out a blanket, setting down Rachel's toys and was lying down playing with her.
"I didn't want to, but she's my friend. Even if I don't like him." Wilson expressed, holding a teddy bear, tapping it against Rachel's face as she pawed for it with her chubby little hands.
"Who? House?" She asked, furrowing her brow in confusion, reaching out to pour herself a second glass while Rachel giggled.
"No, Lucas. I don't like him. There's just something about him that rubs me the wrong way and I'm not just saying that because Cuddy chose him over House." Wilson expressed, setting down the bear in Rachel's lap to take which she happily did.
"Sounds like it." Sam hiccuped before taking a sip of her second glass.
"No, it's just. When I left, House hired him to track me down and even considered him a friend after the whole thing was over. The little shit knew how House felt about Cuddy, how far back their relationship went and yet he still went after her." Sam was about to speak when Wilson spoke once more, getting up from his lounging position on the floor to a seated one.
"Cuddy isn't innocent either, but when House entered Mayfield I really thought she would wait for him and they'd work it out. I had no idea she was dating anyone during that time, she kept from me. Why do that?" Wilson expressed, while Rachel didn't understand a word he said and Sam made her way over to him, handing him a glass of wine.
"Sounds like she needed company while he was gone. Didn't keep him from screwing that girl in the loony bin." Sam replied and Wilson nodded with a 'that's true' look on his face, he brought the glass to his lips and took a sip.
"Oh, that's bitter." He grimaced.
"I understand that but still…she shouldn't have done that and the fact she kept it from me means she knew that both me and House would disapprove of the relationship." Wilson explained once more, Sam nodding with her eyes closed.
"It's her life. She wants to be with a loser than let her. It's not like she won't get divorced in the near future." Sam huffed with a snort, turning away to sip her wine while Wilson nodded in reply at the statement and took a sip of his own wine when Rachel began to cry. He set his wine down quickly, picking her up to inspect her and she smelled a bit so he prepared her changing quilt on the table while she kicked her feet on the floor.
"Ugh, she's really loud." Sam complained, grimacing at the shrieking from the infant. Wilson picked Rachel up, setting her down on her back which just seemed to make her discomfort worse, her cries becoming silent as she inhaled air before exhaling with a loud shriek.
"Jesus." Sam complained while Wilson tried to soothe Rachel, she was kicking her legs while he tried to get her lower half out of the onesie, managing to undo the soiled diaper before replacing it with a clean one, but she remained in discomfort. He put his hands under her armpits, balancing her head and brought her upward into a seated position. Holding her with one hand, he reached over to the carpet where her teddy bear was laying and brought it out in front of her, but she was still crying.
"I think she's hungry. Here, can you hold her? I'm going to make her a bottle." Wilson replied exasperated, he handed Rachel to Sam as he got up to move over to the kitchen to prepare a warm bottle for Rachel to soothe her.
Rachel quieted down when she was placed in Sam's lap who was still balancing her wine glass in her right hand while she used her left to balance Rachels back. Rachel looked at her through wet lashes before her lower lip began quivering again when she sensed the negative energy emitting from Sam. Sam rolled her eyes, annoyed by the restless infant, she set her wine glass on the coffee table and set Rachel on the blanket with her toys.
"Alright, here I got her mil-." Wilson was about to finish his sentence, walking into the living area with the warm bottle of milk when he spotted Sam smothering Rachel with her hand while the baby continued to flail and her cries muffled. Wilson rushed over, pushing Sam off of her, Rachel took in a big inhale of air when the hand was removed and Sam hit herself onto the bottom of the couch.
"What the hell are you doing?!" Wilson accused, furrowing his eyebrows in anger and disbelief, taking the baby into his arms and rocking her gently.
