Chapter Text
Early December.
House limped into his outer-office. He´d just been paged, saved by a case from the never ending clinic-duty. Around the conference-table sat his three new fellows eager to start the differential. He froze for a minute when he noticed the smiling-green Christmas-tree-ornament that had been hung on the door and greeted him.
"Who is the idiot that set up the boring ornament?" He asked annoyed as he entered the room. House hated Christmas and everything that came with it. People lied extra much around Christmas and pretended to care extra much too. He just hated the hypocrisy.
Three heads looked up from blue folders. 13 looked him straight in the eyes. "That would be me. I think it´s nice since it´s December." House stared her down. "Well, then you can remove it on your way out, it´s ugly. What do we have?" He said turning his attention to the case files laid before them.
"25 year old female with fever, cough, repertory distress and joint ache." Kutner said eagerly. House picked up the pen and turned to the white board, hanging his cane on it. He wrote down the symptoms.
"Differential diagnostics, go"
"The fever and the high whites indicate an infection." Taub pointed out.
"Yes, and the other symptoms?" House mocked him.
"Autoimmune." 13, offered.
"Hmm, did I mention THE OTHER SYMPTOMS." House almost yelled. God, this was always the hardest about a new team, getting them trained into the right gear.
"Probable a simple JRA." Kutner said and put his feet up.
"Is there an eco inhere? You can´t seem to here me. I said OTHER SYMPTOMS….." House was cut off.
"You guys seem to need a Housian-dictionary." Was said by a female from the doorway between the offices.
House quickly turned around and looked over the 5´4" woman standing in the doorway. She had jeans and T-shirt on under her lap coat and black sneakers. Her dark hair played with her shoulders. She had soft curves in all the right places. He noticed her blue eyes ran over him as well before returning her gaze back to his eyes.
"What are you doing here? I thought the word 'fired' meant 'you´ll never work for me again'?" House shot at her.
"You haven´t changed a bit." The woman said and raised an eyebrow as she grinned at him. "You are still the same arrogant ass." She walked up to him. She barely reached his shoulders so he had to look down at her when she stopped in front of him, still smiling. "And it does unless dr. Cuddy offers you a job." She reached into her pocked and drew out a memo from Cuddy.
The years had been good to him, he had a bit more gray in his hair and a few extra lines in his face but he had aged well. If it hadn´t been for his cane he would be perfect, although the cane gave him the grace his personality lacked.
House took the memo and read it over. "Team, apperantly Forman needed some personal time. Meet the new Forman. Parker. Parker, meet the new team."
Marion looked over to the conference table and nodded. "Like I said, what House means by other symptoms, you…" She pointed at Taub. "…where right about the infection but what explains the other symptoms, the cough, the distress, the joint ache." She pointed out each symptom on the board.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, You are not supposed to diagnose. Just make sure I don´t kill the patient." House said annoyed and pushed her away with his cane. To the team he said: "Go MRI her lungs and redo the blood work, check for infections.."
Taub rose up and his attention was on Parker. "You´re dr. Marion Parker, the dr. Marion Parker?"
Kutner and 13 looked from Taub over to Marion waiting for confirmation, one that House actually gave with high sarcasm. "Yes, she is and I fired her six years ago, now beet it." House took out his Vicodin and dry swallowed one.
Marion smiled at the team.
"You are considered one of the best diagnostician in the States. After House of course." Taub offered.
"I heard dr. House order some tests." Marion looked at team and waited for their response which were none. "Why are you still here?" She almost yelled. The team ran out of the office, 13 stopping to take down the Christmas-ornament.
House couldn´t help but smile. "I hear you´ve grown a mouth." He said taking a seat at the table.
Marion smiled at him. "No, it was always there, I just learned to use it around idiotic doctors." She moved to get some coffee. She took one sip and then spit it back into the cup. "You actually drink this….thing?" She asked sarcastically and raced an eyebrow toward him.
"No, I get mine at the corner before I get in." House smiled.
Marion shared his smile. "Of course you do. The House I knew could never function unless he got at least one doze of caffeine as soon as he got in." She started to make fresh pot.
"So what have you been up to? It´s been over a year since you stopped taking cases." House asked curiously.
"You mean, stopped picking up your slack." Marion gave out a small laugh. "I´ve been at home, taking care of my baby."
House watched as her face became softer when she talked about her child. "You stopped being a doctor to become a stay-at-home-mom?" He tried to shake of the trace of jealousy that ran through him at the sight of her.
"Well, I kept up with my reading but I stopped taking cases, yes." She gave him a smile.
"And where is the kid now?" He pretended to look around and be annoyed.
"She´s at home with my husband, he´s staying home the next year."
"Yes, I heard you manage to wheel someone in." He watched as her eyes lit up and big smile came on her face as she looked at her wedding-band on her left hand. She looked happy. House didn´t manage to shake of the jealousy-feeling that had already started to form in his stomach.
She didn´t answer until a short while later. "Yes." She said softly. "But you knew that just as well as I know no one has wheeled you in." She handed him his red mug full of newly brewed coffee.
House took a sip. Yeeesss, finally someone who can make coffee. Not as good as Cameron´s but would do. Dang it, there she was again, popping into his mind at most unlikely moments. "Fine, you can stay but only because you make drinkable coffee." House said and stood up and moved toward the door.
"Gee, thanks. I´ll try not to make your life more miserable." He heard her say as he passed through the door and headed for Wilson´s office. He noticed through the glass she picked up the file to study.
House opened the door to Wilson´s office. "Now she´s gone and done it." He said as he sat himself down in Wilson´s couch.
"Who did what?" Wilson asked from his desk. "And isn´t that a pop song you just quoted?"
"Cuddy hired Parker to fill in for Forman." House said annoyed.
"Wait, the Parker? Dr. Marion Parker?" Wilson asked shocked and stood up from behind his desk. "The Parker you slept with and then fired the next day, Parker?"
"Yes, yes, and yes, and you can stop saying her name that often." House was annoyed. He never should have told Wilson what happened with Parker. "I had no choice. She broke the rules."
"Yes, and the fact you slept with her had nothing to do with the firing?" Wilson stated the fact.
House pushed himself to the edge of the couch. "You ever think that maybe she slept with me so I wouldn´t fire her." He pointed out even more annoyed.
"Nohhh, she wouldn´t do that." Wilson teased as he saw how affected his friend was by his former fellow.
"You´re pathetic. " House said and left.