Rachel let out an enormous sigh of relief. It was finally the weekend. The sunlight tickled her eyelashes, and she glanced through the window. There was a bird perched on her neighbor's wall, standing on the stucco, somehow.

Damn, it's cute. How is it standing? Rachel chuckled for a moment.

Rachel was never one for lingering in bed after waking. It just seemed like a total waste of time. She threw off the covers.

Rachel was in the middle of brushing her teeth when her phone rang. She swiped up with her pinky, which was considerably dry, and turned it on speaker.

"House, can you call me later, please? I'm brushing my teeth," Rachel enunciated as well as she could with a mouthful of foam. "And you should just text. It's easier."

"Come over. I have a surprise for you."

"I have to eat breakfast first. And I hate surprises. Knowledge should be free."

"What are you, a hacker? I think you're reading too much into the hackers' morals."

"Shut up. I did take a coding course after school." Rachel spat into the sink and rinsed out her mouth, and cleaned the toothbrush.

"I don't expect you to remember it, script kiddie."

Oh god, he was using that term. Rachel grunted. "Also, you never told me your address. What is it?"

Rachel stood in front of the wooden periwinkle door and rang the doorbell. It opened immediately and House ushered her in, leaning on his cane and covering Rachel's eyes with his hand, which she tried to swat away.

"So, like, what's the surprise?" Rachel still couldn't pull his hands off him.

"Lessons."

"For what, dammit?"

House finally took his hand off Rachel's face. Rachel's eyebrow lifted.

She was just in a normal apartment or condo. There was a couch in front of the TV, a plain kitchen with ugly tile counters, and a baby grand piano. A guitar leaned against the wall, next to an old amp. A giant bookshelf near the kitchen was packed with medical textbooks and models, along with a couple of books on physics and quantum mechanics. Rachel wasn't really into math, since she could barely stand those long, boring lectures.

"I'm guessing, uh…" Rachel looked around the room once more. "That you're going to teach me to play the piano?"

"Right on, Sherlock," House's mouth curled upwards slightly.

"Why?"

"Just 'cause."

"There's never a 'just 'cause' with you. You always have a reason other than making people happy. But whatever. I do want to learn, especially for free, my broke ass." Rachel peeled off her jacket and tossed it on the couch as House demonstrated the notes, Rachel peering over his shoulder and remembering their placements.

Rachel had taken a mandatory music class in elementary and middle school where she learned the notes, but not much else. The rowdiness of the other students and the teacher trying to control them just sucked the fun out of trying something new, and she spent most of her time in the back of the class either drawing, reading, or taking a doze. Rachel decided to not tell House. It could ruin his actually-sort-of-joyful mood.

House stood up suddenly, and Rachel just looked at him cluelessly.

"I thought you were playing," Rachel was confused.

"Did you not hear me, you idiot? I want you to play Ah vous dirai-je, maman."

"So, like, twinkle twinkle little star?" Rachel laughed.

"Child-targeted industries plagiarized Mozart's work into a degenerate tune."

"It can't be plagiarized if it was never copyrighted. But I do agree, it is a crappy song for kids. Stars aren't little. Kids should be taught that they are flaming balls of gas and photons and explosions and death that can vaporize you in a moment."

"That took a rather dark turn."

"Just let me play."

"Hello, Aspen," Rachel grinned at the girl. "How are you doing?"

"Fine," Aspen said as she adjusted her hat.

"So, things have been handled well, Ms. Smith," Rachel smiled at the mother. "Her chemotherapy can be stopped by next week."

Ms. Smith simply nodded. Rachel would expect more from a mother who would finally get to stop seeing her daughter suffer through the pain. But Aspen, at the age of ten, had already gone through two recurrences of leukemia. Hearing that her daughter was coming off a round of chemo was probably normal for her now. As normal as cancer could be, at least.

Rachel couldn't help but think that Aspen really hit the unlucky jackpot.

"Dr. Cuddy?" Ms. Smith pursed her lips together. "Could I get a copy of Aspen's chart?"

Rachel stopped in her tracks. Who the hell uses paper charts anymore?

Oh well. Patient care comes first, even if it's the patient's proxy. Rachel nodded tersely. "Yeah, I'll get a nurse to get a copy of it."

Before Rachel left, she placed her hand on Aspen's shoulder. "You're almost done, hang in there," Rachel whispered words of encouragement. Aspen smiled back.

Rachel's phone went off as soon as she left Aspen's room. It was from House.

Hi

What? Rachel thought. What is he trying to talk to me about now?

Hi, she responded cluelessly.

Haven't been in a diagnostic meeting in a week.

Oh. So this is what it's about.

I'll try and find a case, but I'm busy.

Everybody lies.

Rachel shut off her phone in exasperation and went to find the nearest nurse, Aspen's medical records in hand. She quickly found Kayla, dressed in pink scrubs. While plenty of doctors loved spitting on nurses, Rachel quickly learned to respect them and give them the occasional box of donuts or coffee. She'd seen too many doctors whose lives were tormented by a gang of wronged nurses.

"Hey, Kayla, can you print out a copy of Aspen Smith's medical records? The mom is kinda… strange."

"Oh, no problem, Rach," Kayla smiled as she took the tablet out of Rachel's hands. But before she left, she leaned over and muttered, "You're right. Her mother is really whack. She just totally gives me a weird vibe."

"I'll keep an eye out and make sure she passes the vibe check," Rachel promised with a smile.

There was a slight yelp coming from the Pediatrics Outpatient hall as Rachel passed by on her way to rounds. She was early, so she could spare a few minutes. She peeped around the corner to find Aspen and her mother, huddled over a table. Ms. Smith was whispering something, but she couldn't tell what. Rachel narrowed her eyes. This seemed rather dodgy, but even so, something compelled her to sneak up on them.

"...please?" She heard Aspen's voice once she was in earshot. Their backs were turned away from her.

"No, you have to take your big colored pills. No matter what the doctors say. It's for your cancer, you know. Why would I hurt you? I'm your mother, so I know what's best for you, not those doctors. I love you. Now, I have to go up to meet some adults. Make sure to stay here."

Aspen seemed satisfied with that answer and downed something with a few gulps of water from a plastic bottle as Ms. Smith stood up and walked away from her.

Rachel held in a scathing remark. She couldn't let them know she was there, and she didn't know why she was meddling. But she did know that she simply needed to find out what they were up to.

"Dr. Chase!" Rachel exclaimed to the blonde doctor, who was typing in his computer. He looked up with an irritated look, as if to say, "What?" with an abrasive tone.

Rachel ignored it, being used to all of House's rude signals, and said breathlessly after running around the hospital, "I have a case for you." Rachel handed him Aspen's chart.

After glancing at it, he retorted, "She's already diagnosed."

"That's the problem," Rachel explained. She was excited to finally please House with this new case.