Cuddy woke up, and rushed to the bathroom. It was the second time she had thrown up in the space of days, she knew there could only be one reason.

As she made her way to get dress for work, she looked at her calendar; it had been a month since House had checked into the rehab facility. Both Wilson and Cuddy had made a pact not to have any contact with House while he was inside, no matter how much they wanted to. They knew it was best.

On her way to the hospital, she picked up a pregnancy test, although she hoped it was just something she ate. The thought of becoming pregnant with House’s child was far beyond what she wanted. Although she was lucky that House was out of the way, since he would know right off the bat if she was pregnant.

“Cancel my morning appointments.” Cuddy told her assistant when she made it in at eight o’clock. Locking her door and closing the blinds, she used the bathroom in her office. The wait was painful, if she wasn’t pregnant then it would be like a double-edged sword; she would lose out on a chance to have a baby, but it would be House’s baby. If she did find out she was pregnant she would have to decide whether or not to tell House, or keep it a secret.

After waiting patiently for eight minutes, she looked at the test.

“Positive.” She said it in an un-enthusiastically. She looked up at the mirror, and threw the test in the bin.

There was a knock on her office door. She quickly closed the bathroom door behind her as she walked towards the door to unlock it.

“Wilson. What do you want?”

“I need to talk to you…I wasn’t interrupting anything was I?” Wilson entered, as Cuddy seemed to look flustered. She sat down on the sofa, with Wilson sitting on the chair opposite.

“No, is it something important? What you wanted to talk to me about.”

“It’s been a month.”

“He’s got one more month left, what we’re doing is the right thing.”

Wilson noticed Cuddy seemed a bit flushed. “Are you sure there’s nothing going on?”

“Nothing.”

Wilson took into consideration what Cuddy said, and left defeated. When Wilson thought he had problems, Cuddy had to run a hospital whilst going back and forth about what to do with a problem she acquired all on her own.


*


House was into his last week in rehab. He had successfully been weaned down to a lower dosage, and had not lost any of the acerbic wit. The group therapy sessions had proven less successful. Though it wasn’t the reason he was there in the first place.

Wilson had made the trip on his afternoon off to bring House home, after his stint in rehab. Feeling a sense of uncertainty, he hadn’t seen House for over two months and was worried that he had blamed him and changed, maybe not needing him anymore.

“Hi. Are you visiting?” The nurse that welcomed Wilson was sweet and innocent. “He must be dying to leave this place.”

The nurse showed Wilson to House’s room, walking down a long and grey corridor. A chill went down his spine, thinking about his brother whom he had left to live in one of these places years ago.

“This is Dr.House’s room, he’s just in the middle of a group therapy session. He should be finished in about ten minutes.” The nurse smiled and left, Wilson stood in the middle of the room, with whitewashed walls and a grey carpet floor. Wilson opened the single drawer in the bedside table and found it was empty. There was nothing in the room that signalled a human had lived here for two months. It was no surprise to Wilson, since it was House, but he was still concerned by it.

The door opened, and House, dressed in a grey hoodie and black sweat pants with his usual sneakers, entered. His beard had grown thicker and his face was grey. The pain of detox obviously etched onto his face for everyone to see.

“Hey. How was group therapy?” Wilson sounded enthusiastic, though weary at the same time.

“Stop with the sickening niceness. I’ve had enough of it from the nurse’s.” House closed the door behind him before picking up his suitcase.

“Did you pack for me?” Wilson held his hands up, as if to say it wasn’t him.

“I think they did that for you.” Wilson took the suitcase from House’s hand, and smiled weakly at him.

“Are you okay?” Wilson’s voice tinged with concern, cut through House like nails on a chalkboard.

“I’m fine. I just need to get back home, you know they don’t have cable here?”

Wilson nodded, as he was brought back into the world of House. They left the entrance of the rehab facility, and House immediately took in a deep breath. “I never thought I’d miss the smell of broken car exhausts.” Wilson chuckled under his breath as they walked down the steps, and towards the car.

“Nice to have you back House.” Wilson smiled as they pulled out of the driveway and back onto the road towards his home.

*


Cuddy was waiting in her office, she was expecting a call from Wilson, it was late afternoon and she was tapping her fingers on the dark mahogany desk. Her thoughts focused on House, even when she was trying to focus on her work.

The phone went off, Cuddy waited a few moments before picking up the phone.

“Hello?”

“I’ve just brought him back, he’s unpacking.”

“Thank you. Good night.”

“’Night.”

Wilson closed his phone, and walked into House’s bedroom. House was standing there, not knowing what to do.

“Are you okay by yourself tonight?”

“Maybe if you could send a hooker, that’d be great.” Wilson smiled before turning and leaving.

“’Night House.” House stood in his room, as he heard the front door close. He made his way to the kitchen, and found nothing there. The only thing he could find was half a bottle of bourbon in one of the cupboards.

He smiled as he poured himself a large glass, nursing it as he made his way to the piano, and sitting it on top whilst he sat down on the seat. Almost like a ritual, House carefully lifted the lid on the piano, and felt every key softly was his nimble fingers. He closed his eyes and began to play a jaunty blues tune, letting the feeling run away through his whole body exiting at his fingers as the moved swiftly across the keys.

Meanwhile, Cuddy was sat at home; looking at herself in the mirror as she noticed her stomach was getting slightly bigger. She frowned as she tried her best to conceal it, but then, for just a second, she smiled as she looked at it and rubbed her stomach gently.

House carried on playing his blues melody, until he finished it softly and made his way to his bedroom…