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For months, Wilson had begged his lover to consider adoption. He knew that House wasn’t particularly interested in being a parent, but he had to try just the same. Wilson had always wanted to be a parent– he expected to, inevitably, have to give up on that dream if he hoped to remain with Greg, but he wasn’t going to move on without at least trying.
The first time he brought it up, House responded by mocking him. The second time, he was blown off and the subject quickly changed. The third– and final– time, he managed to get a real response from his lover in the form of multiple reasons why they shouldn’t have any children. After that argument, Wilson accepted that he wasn’t going to be a father and didn’t bring it up again.
House was working on a difficult case, leaving Wilson home alone on what should have been their shared day off. He offered to help on the case– even if he had alternative motives for volunteering– but House turned the offer down.
That left Wilson, already dressed for an evening around the house, waiting for Greg to get home so that they could spend the night together. Dressed in baggy pajama bottoms and his worn McGill sweatshirt, he alternated between keeping the food warm and watching some movie he found on TV. When he heard the apartment door open, he called from the kitchen, “How’s the case going?”
House didn’t immediately respond. Wilson listened to the soft thumping of the cane as House limped over to the couch, dishing out two plates as he waited for his love’s answer. It wasn’t like Greg to be uninterested in sharing the details of a case, especially if he had recently solved it or learned new information, and his silence concerned Wilson. He passed a plate to House before taking a seat next to him on the couch. He was about to ask again when House said something that shocked Wilson into utter silence.
“I think I want a baby.”
It was a statement that Wilson had to pause and process. There hadn’t been any malice or sarcasm in his voice. He seemed sincere enough to believe. House didn’t seem to be lying, and yet Wilson still didn’t fully trust the sentence.
“You said, quite clearly, that you had no interest in parenthood,” Wilson pointed out. “What changed?”
“I thought it might be fun,” he responded flippantly.
Wilson frowned– he knew how to read House, and there was something wrong. “How come you didn’t want my help with this case? You haven’t wanted to talk about it. You’re keeping me away from this case for a reason.”
“It wasn’t cancer,” House defended, “so a consult wasn’t necessary.”
“That’s never stopped you from dragging me into one of your cases before,” said Wilson.
House knew that Wilson had a valid point; but, to admit this to James would not only require him to admit defeat, but to also open up about his motives.
There was a reason why House hadn’t wanted his husband anywhere near his case– it involved an infant. After all of the talk about adoption and parenthood, he just wanted to avoid any further unnecessary discussion about it. Babies were gross, and they would grow into tiny, obnoxious people that would eventually become annoying adult people. Besides, what he and Wilson currently had worked– they were happy together, without any other humans. A child would upset their ongoing routine and impact their lifestyle. A child meant change, and House wasn’t very good at change.
He couldn’t shake the want, though. He was trying to finish the case as quickly and as efficiently as possible before James discovered what he was working on, and that meant being present during the treatment of the baby. He was actively involved in patient care, and in doing so had inadvertently given Wilson another chance at having a child. As soon as that tiny baby reacted to House’s touch by reaching up and wrapping those little fingers around his grown hand– well, House was sold.
“Seriously Greg, what changed?” Wilson pushed.
“Does it matter?” he asked in response. “Shouldn’t you just be grateful that I agree with you?”
While Wilson wanted to know the answer, he was also cautious about trying to push House into revealing anything. Maybe House would share what made him want a child eventually, but then again he may keep that a secret forever. Either way, they were still going to start a family together. Whether he decided to talk about the cause of his decision or not, they would still be fathers.
House was right– regardless of whether or not Wilson knew the answer, he would still be happy with the outcome.
* * * * *
Adoption ended up being more difficult than either one of them anticipated. The process, they knew, would be long and tedious. They hadn’t expected having to jump through so many extra hoops on the basis of prejudice, however.
What began as a desire to raise a child led to meeting after meeting, visiting one failed agency after another. They moved from their small apartment into a larger one that was better suited for raising a family unit despite the waning hope that they would actually get to be parents.
It wasn’t until Wilson was dangerously close to his breaking point that House began to try and find some solution. If they weren’t making any progress with more traditional adoption agencies, then that only left less traditional options. Less traditional options also meant gossip, and it didn’t take very long for word to spread that Dr. Gregory House was interested in adoption.
The phone call came in at a little after midnight on February twelfth, shortly after both men had gone to bed. When Wilson answered, an unfamiliar voice with a hybrid accent greeted him. “Dr. House?”
Rubbing the sleep from his eyes and suppressing an exhausted yawn, Wilson responded, “This is his husband. Can I help you?”
“Is he available, by chance?” asked the man on the phone.
Wilson glanced over to House, who was staring curiously up at him with those gorgeous, blue eyes. When he motioned for the phone, Wilson responded sleepily, “Uh, yeah. Here, one second.”
House took the phone and sat up, prepared for some doctor in need of an emergency consult. “House speaking,” he said, his tone sharp and in work-mode.
“Greg,” the man greeted. “I don’t know if you remember me, it’s Dr. Chase. We met at a conference in New York City.”
House smiled slightly as he listened to the accent that had intrigued him during a medical conference several years earlier. “Dr. Rowan Chase, rheumatology correct? What can I help you with, a consult?”
“I have a solution to your problem,” Dr. Chase began, “that will also solve a problem of mine.”
“Are you being intentionally vague?”
“How serious are you about wanting a child?”
House sat up immediately. His eyes met James’s, and he held the younger man’s gaze as he spoke into the phone, “Serious enough to be on a flight to Australia by sunrise.”
“Why are we going to Australia?” whispered Wilson.
House waved him off quickly, scrambling out of the bed and limping out of the room. Wilson followed him quickly, stopping in the entryway into the kitchen. House was still on the phone as he hovered above a notepad on the counter, scribbling furiously with a pen as he listened to the caller. Wilson waited patiently for his lover to get off the phone before asking again, “Why are we going to Australia?”
“Go pack,” House demanded. “I’ll tell you on the way.”
* * * * *
The infant squirmed in Wilson’s arms while gurgling happily. He could only stare down at the baby– their baby – with a swell of love and pride bubbling in his chest. Little Robbie Chase, the unwanted son of a well-established doctor trying to avoid a mistake, was everything that Wilson ever wanted and more. He was their tiny miracle wrapped in a fuzzy baby blanket. Robbie was a happy and healthy bundle of joy already brimming with love.
The baby took his bottle eagerly, and Wilson smiled down at him while he sucked the formula from it. They had had an interesting first few days as new parents– from rushing to catch a flight to a different country to having to go on an unplanned shopping spree for baby care items, it had been a very stressful introduction into parenthood. It had been worth it though. The few days of stress and uncertainty had paved the way to the evening they were enjoying now, with House sitting in a chair trying to put together a newly-bought crib while Wilson fed their new son.
If he was given the chance to do it all over again, Wilson wouldn’t have changed a thing.