New Fic: Blythe's Story, Chapter Five
Nov. 21st, 2008 01:43 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
namasteTitle: Blythe's Story, Chapter Five
Author: Namaste
Summary: "She wanted more. Another child. One for John, even if he never knew the truth about Greg. A brother or sister for Greg, so he'd have someone else important in his life, no matter how often they moved. A baby for her, who'd enter the world without being tied to her sin and guilt through no fault of his -- or her -- own."
PG, 1,000 words.
Author's Note: Part Five of a look at House's early life, based on the new background we received in the fifth season episode "Birthmarks," using chapters of about 1,000 words. To start at the beginning: Chapter One, Chapter Two, Chapter Three, Chapter Four
She wasn't jealous.
She wasn't.
Blythe wondered if she could make that statement come true if she repeated it a dozen more times -- two dozen.
She wasn't jealous.
Blythe sighed.
She was. She wanted to draw Greg close to her, have him sit in her lap, and have her arms around him as if he was some sort of talisman as Jenny sat on the couch, nursing her baby.
Blythe remembered the feeling of Greg at her breast, of his soft skin against her own, of the way he needed her for everything. Now he ran down the hall looking for some toy or the other, and slipped away from her grip.
She didn't regret the idea he was getting older, she didn't really want to hold onto his babyhood. She loved seeing him grow, seeing him take on the world. She even enjoyed watching his stubborn nature develop from the infant who would scream out his demands to be held to the boy who'd defy his father and go hungry, rather than eat his spinach.
But she wanted more. Another child. One for John, even if he never knew the truth about Greg. A brother or sister for Greg, so he'd have someone else important in his life, no matter how often they moved. A baby for her, who'd enter the world without being tied to her sin and guilt through no fault of his -- or her -- own.
They'd tried. Even before they left Hawaii, when Greg was still learning to walk, Blythe had started planning for it, keeping track in her head of the best days each month to start this new life.
Before Greg had turned three, John had turned to her in bed one night.
"Greg's getting so big," he'd said. "It'd be nice to have another baby around here."
She'd nodded, and later started marking those dates that she'd been tracking in her head on a small calendar tucked into John's night stand.
Anytime she was late, she'd find herself imagining some new future, that small life starting to grow inside her. She could almost sense it there, taking shape, becoming real. It never was.
Once, after two weeks had gone by, she whispered something to John that she may have a surprise for him, but warned him that it was early yet. He'd kissed her, told her that he was certain she was right, and that he hoped they'd have a girl this time.
By the next morning, the dream had ended. She'd walked with Greg to the park, and cried as he climbed up the slide alone, slid down alone, and climbed up alone again.
When Jenny told her that she was pregnant, Blythe had hugged her, and told her she was happy for her. She was. But at the same time, she felt a deep emptiness and ache in her womb even as Jenny's belly grew. She helped talk Jenny through all the aches and pains, all the swelling, and how she'd feel the baby's kicks grew stronger with each passing month.
Blythe knew she wasn't the only one who was hurt. John's lovemaking had grown almost desperate in the months while Phil and Jenny waited for their child, as if he could create another baby for them by sheer force of will.
And he grew short tempered with Greg, correcting him over every mistake, yelling at him for every slammed door or broken glass. Blythe always assured Greg that Daddy wasn't mad at him. She wiped Greg's tears, and told John that he needed to calm down, that he was scaring Greg. John always apologized to her -- and to Greg. He'd sit quietly afterwards and tell her that he was just under some extra stress. He always said it wouldn't happen again.
Another baby, she thought, would take the pressure off of Greg to be the perfect child that John imagined he could be, and give John another reason to be happy, another reason to remember how much he loved being a father.
But she was beginning to fear that maybe, that other baby would never come.
Now, she watched Jenny as she fed her new daughter, then gently patted her back until she burped.
Blythe had been glad to see that the baby girl they'd named Susan had resembled her mother, with dark hair, rather than the blond hair Greg had been born with, and that had darkened to a medium brown. There was no birthmark that Blythe had been able to see, and only the faintest resemblance to Greg in the shape of Susie's eyes.
But it still hurt to see her there in Jenny's arms. To feel her skin, to hear her cries. Blythe tried to remind herself that there was still plenty of time. She and John were both young. There'd be another baby. There had to be.
Blythe reached over as Greg rushed past her, wrapped him tightly into her arms and kissed his forehead. When she let him go, Greg stood there a little longer, staring at the little girl. He took a step closer to the couch.
"Do you want to hold her?" Jenny asked him, and Greg shrank back, shook his head.
Jenny smiled. "It's all right. You won't hurt her."
Greg looked up at Blythe, and Blythe nodded, lifted him up onto the couch next to her, and spread his arms apart. "You have to support her neck," she told him.
Jenny scooted forward, then placed the baby on Greg's lap, keeping her hand firmly under Susie's head until she was sure she was settled.
"There you go," she said. Jenny looked up at Blythe. "This will be good practice for when you have another one."
Blythe blinked hard, fought back the tears as she looked down at Greg, at the way he grinned when the baby gripped his finger in her hand.
"You're going to be a good big brother, aren't you?" Jenny asked Greg.
"Yes," Blythe said. "He will be."
Chapter Six
Author: Namaste
Summary: "She wanted more. Another child. One for John, even if he never knew the truth about Greg. A brother or sister for Greg, so he'd have someone else important in his life, no matter how often they moved. A baby for her, who'd enter the world without being tied to her sin and guilt through no fault of his -- or her -- own."
PG, 1,000 words.
Author's Note: Part Five of a look at House's early life, based on the new background we received in the fifth season episode "Birthmarks," using chapters of about 1,000 words. To start at the beginning: Chapter One, Chapter Two, Chapter Three, Chapter Four
She wasn't jealous.
She wasn't.
Blythe wondered if she could make that statement come true if she repeated it a dozen more times -- two dozen.
She wasn't jealous.
Blythe sighed.
She was. She wanted to draw Greg close to her, have him sit in her lap, and have her arms around him as if he was some sort of talisman as Jenny sat on the couch, nursing her baby.
Blythe remembered the feeling of Greg at her breast, of his soft skin against her own, of the way he needed her for everything. Now he ran down the hall looking for some toy or the other, and slipped away from her grip.
She didn't regret the idea he was getting older, she didn't really want to hold onto his babyhood. She loved seeing him grow, seeing him take on the world. She even enjoyed watching his stubborn nature develop from the infant who would scream out his demands to be held to the boy who'd defy his father and go hungry, rather than eat his spinach.
But she wanted more. Another child. One for John, even if he never knew the truth about Greg. A brother or sister for Greg, so he'd have someone else important in his life, no matter how often they moved. A baby for her, who'd enter the world without being tied to her sin and guilt through no fault of his -- or her -- own.
They'd tried. Even before they left Hawaii, when Greg was still learning to walk, Blythe had started planning for it, keeping track in her head of the best days each month to start this new life.
Before Greg had turned three, John had turned to her in bed one night.
"Greg's getting so big," he'd said. "It'd be nice to have another baby around here."
She'd nodded, and later started marking those dates that she'd been tracking in her head on a small calendar tucked into John's night stand.
Anytime she was late, she'd find herself imagining some new future, that small life starting to grow inside her. She could almost sense it there, taking shape, becoming real. It never was.
Once, after two weeks had gone by, she whispered something to John that she may have a surprise for him, but warned him that it was early yet. He'd kissed her, told her that he was certain she was right, and that he hoped they'd have a girl this time.
By the next morning, the dream had ended. She'd walked with Greg to the park, and cried as he climbed up the slide alone, slid down alone, and climbed up alone again.
When Jenny told her that she was pregnant, Blythe had hugged her, and told her she was happy for her. She was. But at the same time, she felt a deep emptiness and ache in her womb even as Jenny's belly grew. She helped talk Jenny through all the aches and pains, all the swelling, and how she'd feel the baby's kicks grew stronger with each passing month.
Blythe knew she wasn't the only one who was hurt. John's lovemaking had grown almost desperate in the months while Phil and Jenny waited for their child, as if he could create another baby for them by sheer force of will.
And he grew short tempered with Greg, correcting him over every mistake, yelling at him for every slammed door or broken glass. Blythe always assured Greg that Daddy wasn't mad at him. She wiped Greg's tears, and told John that he needed to calm down, that he was scaring Greg. John always apologized to her -- and to Greg. He'd sit quietly afterwards and tell her that he was just under some extra stress. He always said it wouldn't happen again.
Another baby, she thought, would take the pressure off of Greg to be the perfect child that John imagined he could be, and give John another reason to be happy, another reason to remember how much he loved being a father.
But she was beginning to fear that maybe, that other baby would never come.
Now, she watched Jenny as she fed her new daughter, then gently patted her back until she burped.
Blythe had been glad to see that the baby girl they'd named Susan had resembled her mother, with dark hair, rather than the blond hair Greg had been born with, and that had darkened to a medium brown. There was no birthmark that Blythe had been able to see, and only the faintest resemblance to Greg in the shape of Susie's eyes.
But it still hurt to see her there in Jenny's arms. To feel her skin, to hear her cries. Blythe tried to remind herself that there was still plenty of time. She and John were both young. There'd be another baby. There had to be.
Blythe reached over as Greg rushed past her, wrapped him tightly into her arms and kissed his forehead. When she let him go, Greg stood there a little longer, staring at the little girl. He took a step closer to the couch.
"Do you want to hold her?" Jenny asked him, and Greg shrank back, shook his head.
Jenny smiled. "It's all right. You won't hurt her."
Greg looked up at Blythe, and Blythe nodded, lifted him up onto the couch next to her, and spread his arms apart. "You have to support her neck," she told him.
Jenny scooted forward, then placed the baby on Greg's lap, keeping her hand firmly under Susie's head until she was sure she was settled.
"There you go," she said. Jenny looked up at Blythe. "This will be good practice for when you have another one."
Blythe blinked hard, fought back the tears as she looked down at Greg, at the way he grinned when the baby gripped his finger in her hand.
"You're going to be a good big brother, aren't you?" Jenny asked Greg.
"Yes," Blythe said. "He will be."
Chapter Six
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2008-11-21 07:41 pm (UTC)Leave it to you to write a callback to that one really lovely moment in Fetal Position.
This whole thing is wonderful -- they all are -- but what an interesting take on the beginnings of the souring of House's relationship with his dad. I always did think it had to have started when House was really young, about this age; some of the very immature emotional reactions House has point to such a thing, and you worked it beautifully here. The notion of it not even being a clash of temperaments so much as a man who couldn't stop himself taking out his frustrations and insecurities on his child.
I feel bad for all three of them.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-11-22 12:19 am (UTC)