AUTHOR'S NOTES: Wow! Been a long time, huh? I've been away all summer, but now I'm back and have time to finish this story.
THE APPLE AND THE TREE – CHAPTER ?
"Where are you going?" Cuddy demanded. "It's only three-thirty! And don't tell me you're rounding up?"
House straightened. "I'm not," he told the hospital administrator. "I have an…engagement."
"An engagement." Cuddy nodded disbelievingly. "Right. And what exactly might this engagement be?"
"It's a…" House sighed. She'd never believe him. "A gymnastics meet."
Cuddy laughed. "A gymnastics meet? Wow. House, you've used some crazy excuses to escape the clinic, but-"
"It's legit, Cuddy," Wilson vouched, walking past them.
"And why are you going to this gymnastics meet?" Cuddy asked.
"Nicole's in it." House shrugged into his coat.
"So?"
"Thought it would be nice." House picked up his briefcase.
"Since when do you do things because you think it's nice?"
House looked at his watch. "Since about three hours ago, when I bought the tickets." He brushed past his superior. "See you tomorrow."
The look on Cuddy's face was worth all the clinic duty in the world.
House had never voluntarily attended a gymnastics meet…ever. They were long, boring, and he hadn't a clue what was going on. He should, but he didn't.
This meet was The Battle of the Sexes-the Princeton girls' team against the Princeton guys' team. House wondered what the point was. Why have a competition where the outcome was already determined? No judge in his right mind would give this to the guys.
Nicole was lining up to take her turn on the vault. At least House knew what that was. She took her place at the end of a runway like a bull ready to fight. She looked down, shuffled her feet, looked up, shuffled her feet again, and stared at the vaulting table as if to say "I'm not afraid of you." House chuckled. It was kind of amusing.
The judge-at least, that's what House presumed the woman sitting near the table was-raised her arm. Nicole raised both arms over her head and began to run. She's fast, House thought.
Nicole pounced on the board, flipped onto the table, twirled through the air, and landed effortlessly.
Wow! House was impressed despite himself.
Nicole, too, seemed impressed. She bounded back to her squealing teammates, who were shouting, "Ten! Ten! Ten!"
Ten? Ten what? House wondered.
"They can't justify less than a perfect score for that," the lady behind him asserted.
Ten must be a perfect score, House deduced.
"The score for Nicole House, ten point zero zero zero."
The girls mobbed Nicole.
Impressive, House admitted to himself, sitting back in his chair.
"You robbed us."
Nicole glanced up at her friend David Sinclair of the guys' team. "You say that every year."
"It's true every year."
"Don't complain to me." Nicole took her hand grips off and put them in her duffel bag. "Go talk to the judges."
"Whatever you say, Miss Perfect Ten." David nudged her playfully. "Hey, do you know that guy?"
Nicole pulled her warmup jacket out of her duffel bag. "Who?"
"That guy." David pointed to his left.
Nicole followed his point and gasped.
There, standing on the concrete steps, leaning on a cane and calling her name, was her dad.
"Dad?" Nicole whispered, hardly daring to believe it.
It was him.
"Dad!" Nicole ran towards him, pushing gymnasts and spectators aside. "Dad! Dad!" She threw her arms around his neck, delighted when he returned her hug without any hesitation. "What are you doing here?"
"I got lost on my way home," Dad started in typical fashion. "Wandered in here asking for directions and discovered you were competing."
Nicole giggled. "How did you know?"
"I know everything," Dad said.
Nicole pulled away. There was no way he'd done this on his own. "OK. Dr. Wilson?"
"Nope."
"You did not do this out of your own volition." Nicole stated with certainty.
"Yes, I did," Dad insisted.
"Why?" Nicole asked.
Dad looked away for a second. "Because I decided it was finally time I started being a real dad to you," he said.
"Dad, is that Vicodin doing something to your head?" Nicole asked.
"Nicole." Dad put his free hand on her shoulder. "I mean it. Your mom and you are the only two people who've ever meant anything to me. Your mother's gone, and I thought you were too. Now I have you back, and I don't want to lose you again."
"You really mean this?" Nicole asked, still not willing to believe it.
Dad nodded. "Nicole…" He gave a little sigh and looked at the ground, then back up at her. "I love you."
I love you. Her dad hadn't said those words in ages. "Oh, Daddy." Nicole hugged him again. "I love you, too."
"OK, what's it called again?"
Nicole giggled. "Yurchenko."
"Gesundheit," House quipped.
"Yurchenko," Nicole repeated patiently. "That was my vault."
"OK, and the one your boyfriend did-"
"Dad, Dave's not my boyfriend."
"Yeah. And I'm not crippled." House looked at her. "What was it? The Quasimodo quadruple…"
Nicole reached forward from her perch in the armchair and smacked him. "You big jerk! It's a Kasasmatsu full."
"You big jerk!" Darlene had called him that. It had started out as a pejorative term, but had become a playful one as time went on.
"Dad?" Nicole asked. "You all right?"
House shook his head. "You…you reminded me a little of your mom right there."
"Oh," Nicole said quietly. "Do you still miss her?"
House thought about gliding around the question. He hated emoting. But he had to be honest with himself-and Nicole. "Yes."
"Me too," Nicole agreed.
The two were quiet for awhile. Then Nicole broke the silence. "Dad?" She asked. "Will you play for me? Like when I was little?"
House smiled, remembering how Nicole used to crawl into his lap when he was playing. "OK." He spun around on the bench. "What would you like to hear?"
"Oh, anything." Nicole pulled her legs underneath her. "Pick an old favorite."
"OK then." House thought for a second, then decided on "Music of the Night." Not exactly a kid's song, but Nicole had loved it when she was little.
After finishing the piece, House turned around to Nicole. There she was, sound asleep in the chair.
House stared at her, and then stood up to grab the afghan from behind the couch. He draped it over his daughter. "Good night, Nicole." He kissed her forehead. "I love you."
With that, House settled down on the couch to sleep.
Nicole was back in his life.
For the first time in six years, Gregory House felt complete.