Gathered in Wilson's office this morning, were Wilson himself, House, and House's mother, Blythe. With his office not being particularly spacious, it sort of felt crammed inside, but it was the least of their concerns right now. 

Wilson and Blythe sat opposite each other at the desk, while House sat on the couch with his legs sprawled out. He laid there reading yet another gossip tabloid in the form of a magazine. On the surface, it could have easily appeared insensitive given the meeting topic, however, House was trying to distract himself just in case this meeting were to turn... sensitive. 

With a rather rough and strict upbringing, House never had close relationships with either of his parents, but it was well-known to anyone that knew him that he favored his mother and on a good day, adored her. 

"Anytime now!" House commented, as impatient as ever. 

"Gregory..." his mother sighed, looking apologetically at Wilson who knew better than to take it personally. 

"We can start, when you are ready" Wilson assured her; he could always be depended on to be polite. 

Blythe smirked to herself then back at her son mockingly, "Goody..." she remarked. 

Wilson flipped through some files he had neatly stacked on his desk,

"Well, good news first... it's not cancer." Wilson informed her, "What you have is an acoustic Schwannoma which is a tumor, but is presenting benign at the moment." 

"Benign." Blythe repeated affirming herself, "That's great." 

"Yes, it's certainly better than the alternative, but given its placement, it's likely that it'll prove difficult to manage with time, regardless of it being cancerous or not. More specifically, we're dealing with a Vestibular Schwannoma tumor so it's located along the nerves that connect your brain to your inner ear. From your symptoms, it all checks out. How long have you been experiencing the hearing issues?" 

Blythe drummed her fingers on the wood of Wilson's desk next to her water bottle, "Maybe about a year now, but they've only become seriously disruptive in the last seven or eight months."

"Most of the time with VS tumors, symptoms aren't even detectable until months and months and even several years of development. It's completely normal." Wilson assured Blythe. 

"What the hell?" House interjected, "Why would you call me and tell me you have cancer, after almost a year of deliberating it and not even knowing for sure?" 

"Oh please, Greg. You're so busy here, besides I thought it was just my wearing hearing aids." 

House scoffed, becoming more interested in the conversation, 

"Willy, are you hearing this?" House denounced.

"I'm assuming no pun intended. Your mother's tumor is benign as far as medical testing goes." Wilson told House who was visibly distressed. "Blythe, I'm going to request that you make a monthly appointment with me for the foreseeable future, just to have the opportunity to run some routine scans of the tumor and account for the possibility of SEGA growth."

"SEGA is another one of our rad acronyms for big scary brain tumors. Benign of course." House added obnoxiously. 

Wilson rolled his eyes and dismissed the ridiculous comment, "Is there anything else I can do for you?" he asked Blythe. 

"No, thank you. I appreciate you taking the time to meet with me." Blythe expressed happily and giving Wilson a firm handshake.

"Off to find an open bar so soon?" House asked his mother, who loved a good time at happy hour especially if it was even earlier in the day. 

She snickered at her son, "No way, my darling. I'd like to hang around for a while longer. I wanna see that impressive office of yours." 

"As you wish, mother." House huffed, escorting her out of Wilson's office and down the hallway. "Smell ya later." House said to Wilson who saluted back. 

Back at House's office, the team was at work reviewing a procedure for the pulmonology department. 

"They completely botched the PFTs!" Thirteen concluded from the files. 

"Certainly looks that way." Chase sighed

"Who wants to report back to Cuddy?" Taub asked 

"Take one for the team?" Foreman asked Madelyn, "You get along with her the best." 

"Sure, I don't mind." Madelyn answered. They all stood up from the work table, ready to face the day ahead, until their boss returned. 

"Eh-eh-eh" House wagged his finger, stopping them in their tracks, "Where are you all headed off to?" 

"Pulmonology. Cuddy needs us to-" 

House put a finger to Foreman's lips, "Not. Another. Word." he whispered acting as if he were trying to seduce Foreman, earning a grossed-out look from Madelyn. "Elves, meet my mother. Mother meet the elves." 

"Hello Dr. Chase, Dr. Foreman." Blythe greeted them with smiles, "and Dr. Hadley and... Dr. Taub correct? 

"Nice to see you again." Thirteen shook her hand, while Taub nodded. Madelyn who wasn't quite in view, ruffled her papers together and headed for the exit with the rest of her team. 

"Be back soon." Thirteen said to House, speaking for her other colleagues as well. House nodded to her, and immediately noticed who was coming into view: 

"Not so fast, Gilmore." House smirked, stopping Madelyn by holding his arm out to block her from moving, his hand brushing up against her stomach. She sort of shivered at the sensation. 

"Is this?" House's mom asked her son, 

"Yep, the 'ol ball and chain!" House responded, cradling Madelyn's waist in his embrace, squeezing her ass flirtatiously. 

"Otherwise known as Madelyn Gilmore," she asserted, extending a hand to Blythe, "it's so nice to meet you, Mrs. House." 

"Charmed!" Blythe said back, returning Madelyn's enthusiasm, "My, you're positively glowing, dear." 

Madelyn blushed at the compliment, both flattered and nervous as she became reminded of her pregnancy. She knew, of course, his mother was only trying to say she was pretty, and didn't mean anything else by it. House's lips were curled up in a sweet, genuine smile as he watched the two women he cared about most interact. 

"I'm sorry to hear about what you're going through, Mrs. House. Greg sort of let me in on your medical state." Madelyn empathized. Blythe's smile didn't break, 

"Of course, I'm glad he did. But turns it, it's not cancer." She remarked, relieved. Madelyn's eyes brightened, happy to hear those words.

"Yet..." House commented. 

"Oh Gregory, we have something to celebrate right now. Save the pessimism for when there's a reason for it." Blythe protested, wanting to savor the good news for as long as she could. "Actually, Madelyn, Dr. Wilson told us it's a uh... a Ventricular Sonoma?" 

House face palmed, and shook his head jokingly at Madelyn who understood what she meant perfectly. 

"Oh, yeah a Vestibular Schwannoma," Madelyn thought out aloud. Blythe looked to her son, impressed. 

"It's a neurologist thing." House told his mother, pride visible in his eyes. Blythe nodded her head as if to signal her approval of Madelyn. 

"If you have any tips for managing it, I would appreciate any information." She insisted. 

"I would be more than happy to, Mrs. House." Madelyn chirped. She already liked her. 

"Please, call me Blythe. You'll be joining us for dinner tonight?" 

"I wouldn't miss it!" 

A moment later, Blythe House left her son's office, leaving House and Madelyn alone. Abruptly, House made his way to his desk chair to sit down. Madelyn noticed how slumped his posture looked, as if a heavy weight was crushing him from the shoulders down. 

"It's good news... right?" Madelyn stammered, a little worried about her boyfriend. 

All House did was lower his head into his arms that rested atop the desk. Madelyn walked over to him, and knelt by his side, 

"Greg? Your mom doesn't have cancer, that's a good thing."

"There's always the possibility of it becoming malignant." 

Madelyn reached for his hand, rubbing it with her thumb, then moving it to her heart. 

"All I feel are those big, juicy twins." He said trying to alleviate his nerves. 

"Yeah, I'll bet." Madelyn chuckled, "Whether she's cancer free, or not, you won't face it alone, okay?" 

House leaned towards her, tilting his neck down as she was still kneeling and kissed her lips softly. 

"Thank you." He said. 

-- 

Later that evening, Madelyn began to feel very nervous suddenly. She was getting ready at her apartment, and decided on high-waisted jeans, a silver shimmery top and a black leather jacket to match House's. 

In the mirror, she attempted to apply some lipgloss to finish the look, but her hands wouldn't stop shaking. She'd been taking care of herself well: taking her fitness seriously, taking prenatal vitamins, and reinventing her sleep schedule, but nothing could take the place of coming clean. Madelyn felt all of her senses changing, as the baby inside of her developed, but what she wanted to feel most of all was to feel in control of her life. 

About twenty minutes later, once they arrived at the restaurant, her nerves seemed to settle for the moment. 

While the dinner started slightly awkward, Madelyn couldn't get over how kind House's mother was. Blythe was supportive of Madelyn dating her son seriously, and showed genuine interest in Madelyn's life, as a person and not just being her son's partner. She wondered how House became the man he is with a mother as warm and inviting as Blythe. 

"His father would've loved you, dear." Blythe assured Madelyn who had no idea House's dad had passed away in the first place. 

"Mom..." House spoke through clenched teeth, urging her to stop. "He didn't care about anyone, but himself. You know that better than anyone." 

Blythe looked down at her half-empty wine glass, and guzzled the rest down trying to ignore her impudent son.

"Well, your father had a lot of pressure in his life. I know it's hard for you sometimes, but try and have some empathy." Blythe snickered at House, who looked back at her with disinterest. 

"Yeah that's why he died. But, who knows? Maybe you'll be joining him soon." House sipped his bourbon, satisfied. 

Before he could swallow it, he felt a sharp pain in his leg, and it wasn't the chronic pain. Instead, it was a sturdy kick to the knee, impressed by Madelyn's stiletto heel. Blythe, however, didn't need defending; she was all too familiar with House's outlandish comments and sense of humor. 

"Maybe," Blythe agreed with her son, "but you better give me some grandkids before I croak."

Without any hesitation, Madelyn gasped which only led her to choke a little on her lemon water. She was flabbergasted. 

"Oh yeah?" House laughed in disbelief, "Don't count on it." 

Underneath the table, House slid his hand on and in between Madelyn's thigh, his fingers in search for her panties. Madelyn's skin immediately became covered in goosebumps, which did not escape House's attention– he noticed every little thing about her. 

"It's not too late for me, you know." Blythe responded breaking off a piece of the table's bread, and nibbling at it. 

After dinner, the three of them retired to House's apartment where they'd remain until morning. 

"I forgot how nice your home is." Blythe commented, looking at the grand piano in the living room and the impressively packed bookshelves. It wasn't often that his mother visited him, and they could probably each count on one hand how many times she'd seen his apartment. 

"Thanks." House replied, hanging his jacket up on the coat rack beside the front door. He did the same for Madelyn. 

"Thank you for paying, darling." Blythe said, stroking her son's face admirably, "you're so generous to me."

House responded by hugging his mom slightly and from the side, trying to make her feel loved without it being awkward and uncomfortable for him–he did truly love her.

"Thanks for visiting... considering the circumstances and all." House said. Blythe winked at him, and took a couple steps towards Madelyn: 

"Madelyn, dear. It was a pleasure to meet you. Thank you for coming out with us." 

"The pleasure's all mine. Thank you for having me." Madelyn expressed to her, "But, you're not staying? I can make you some tea?"

"That's kind of you, but I should probably head home." 

Madelyn looked up at House who was attempting to avoid eye contact with both women. To get his attention, she nudged at his hip. He gave in:

"You're driving back tonight?" House asked his mom who he thought shouldn't be driving this late. 

"I have plans with Thomas tomorrow." She cooed, referring to her boyfriend. 

"Stay the night, mom. You can head back when it's light out in the morning." House encouraged. 

"I don't want to intrude..."

"I have ear plugs to drown out her moans when we'll be having sexy time later." House played. 

"Ummm no, you definitely won't be intruding," Madelyn interrupted to ixnay her embarrassment, "We've been really busy at work this week, we'll be eager to get some sleep." Madelyn assured Blythe as she cuddled up to House, snuggling her face against his cozy sweater.

"Well, I appreciate the hospitality." She told them. "I'm exhausted though, so I'm going to head straight to bed." 

"The guest room is all made up." House said, gesturing his hand towards the room. 

Blythe kissed her son goodnight and gave Madelyn a hug, then was off to make herself cozy for the night. 

House and Madelyn then made themselves comfortable in his kitchen. She used his coffee machine to make a cappuccino, while House settled on pouring himself a glass of scotch, neat. 

"You want some?" House asked Madelyn who was now sitting on his island countertop. She told him she was fine with her coffee for now. 

Her small stature left her with her legs dangling and swinging off the end of the counter. House noticed this, and immediately poked fun, 

"Sorry, do you need a step stool to get down?" 

"You're very funny." 

"Yeah?" House asked, stepping between her legs. He was still very much taller than her. 

"And handsome." Madelyn added, leaning in to kiss his lips that were so hard to resist. 

Briefly, while they sat in his kitchen, time stood still, that not a single thought that dwelled in the deepest parts of them could thaw. 

Later, however, when they laid side by side in his bed, the thoughts came flooding back. At least this was the case for Madelyn, who had a considerable amount of things to think about. At night, especially, is when her monsters crept out of the closets and made themselves insufferably apparent. 

With sleep in the distance, Madelyn wormed her way out of House's arms and went to the living room. Her head pounding with anxiety, she took her phone out and dialed. 

"Hello?" she spoke softly, not wanting to wake House or his mother. 

The other voice was that of a male and husky as he was probably asleep:

"Madelyn?" The voice asked, "Why the hell are you calling me so late?"

"You said I could...whenever I needed. I need you." She said, grabbing a glass of water from the fridge. 

"Right, I remember." he sighed, tired. Madelyn had called her brother, Trevor Gilmore. 

Trevor was about five years older than Madelyn, and they had formed a close relationship in the last couple years. Both survivors of their mother, they had found a way to bond over it instead of letting it tear them apart. Trevor was also a doctor, and Madelyn had filled him in on her situation. 

"Where are you? Why are you whispering?" Trevor asked his sister. 

"I'm at his place. He's sleeping in the other room." Madelyn responded, "Trevor... I feel like I'm running out of time." 

"Well, of course you're running out of time, Madelyn. You have about a couple days to tell him if you want to ease your anxiety, a couple weeks before you start developing more symptoms, and a few months before you'll be showing the evidence." 

"I know, I know! That's not what I meant. I just mean... I don't even know if I can tell him at this point. I think-I think I need to terminate." 

"You're going to have an abortion and not tell him? I know he's your boss, and he's like way older than you, but he's your boyfriend now. You owe him the knowledge of the baby, at least." 

Standing around the corner, peering into the living room where Madelyn was sitting, was House. He'd heard some moving around and gotten up to check and make sure she was okay. Unaware of his presence, though, Madelyn continued talking to her brother. 

"I told you last night, I can't possibly have this baby. It's one thing to be in a relationship with Greg, but quite another to drop the father bomb on him. He would fucking resent me." 

House felt his stomach churn when he heard those words that seemed to rattle in his ears. He couldn't believe she was pregnant. Without a second thought, he hurried back to his bedroom and attempted to go to sleep. Maybe he was dreaming, or so he wanted to believe. With his senses heightened, he could still hear her talking from the living room:

"I know it's not too late, but I can't do this." 

What was only minutes–but felt like hours-later, Madelyn returned to House's bed, snuggling against him. His back now facing her, Madelyn decided to play big spoon and rubbed his back. Thinking he was asleep, she fished her hand underneath his shirt and gently ran her manicured nails along his back, too. She left sweet little kisses on it and against the nape of his neck.

From the very core of her affection for him, Madelyn whispered, "I love you." 

Almost an hour later, Madelyn had finally fallen back to sleep. House, on the other hand, couldn't seem to fall asleep. Instead, his eyes blankly stared off into the darkness only somewhat highlighted by the moonlight that seeped in through his bedroom window curtains. In the depths of the night, when he was certain he was alone, tears fell onto House's pillow and stung his cheeks.