New Fic: Blythe's Story, Chapter Thirteen

[namaste]

Title: Blythe’s Story, Chapter Thirteen
Author: Namaste
Summary: "Vietnam. It was the word everyone on the base seemed to refer to in code.
"He's been deployed," wives would say when someone asked about their husbands.
"He's in country."
"There."
Now John would be there too."
PG, 960 words.
Author’s Note: 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



It finally happened on a Tuesday.

John was sitting on the front porch when she came back from the store, and watched her walk up the steps with a bag in her arms as he if was trying to memorize her.

He took the bag from her, opened the door and carried it through to the kitchen.

He turned to her and she saw it again, that gaze that seemed hungry to examine every inch of her: the checked pattern of her blouse, the color of her lipstick, the way her hair had come loose and hung loosely against her neck.

Blythe knew without asking what had happened, but prayed she was wrong. "When?" she finally asked.

"Friday," John said. "I ship out Friday."

"So soon?"

"Things are getting hot there. They need me."

Blythe was sure he'd volunteered to go early. She'd seen the look in his eyes during the news each night, the tightness in his jaw with every film clip of injured soldiers.

Vietnam. It was the word everyone on the base seemed to refer to in code.

"He's been deployed," wives would say when someone asked about their husbands.

"He's in country."

"There."

Now John would be there too.

Blythe found herself staring just as intently at John as he'd been looking at her. There were the first flecks of gray in his hair now, and lines drawn deeply across his forehead and between his eyes as if pulled into a permanent scowl. He held himself stiffly, as if he could hide his own emotions, but she could see cracks in his mask – something deep in his eyes that betrayed him.

She felt a tightness in her chest and turned away before she started thinking too much, start worrying too much. She didn't want him to see her cry.

Blythe focused on the bag on the counter; taking out canned tomatoes and putting them on the shelves, putting the flour and sugar in the pantry and the milk in the refrigerator. She hoped John didn't see her hands tremble.

"How long will you be there?" she asked.

"A year." John leaned against the counter. "I think you and Greg should go home and stay with your folks while I'm there."

Blythe stopped, the refrigerator still open, her hand on the door. Home. It sounded good. Greg liked her Dad. He could learn so much from him, and Dad had the patience to teach him that John didn't. Mom would spoil him, and Greg would finally know what it meant to belong somewhere.

But that's what Jenny had said too, what she had talked about in her letters, and now Jenny was gone. The summer had passed and she'd never left California. Phil said something once about needing to find an attorney. Blythe didn't have to ask why.

Home was tempting, but Blythe had given in to temptation once before. She wasn't sure if she could trust herself again.

She closed the refrigerator. "I don't know if that's a good idea," she said. "Greg's already started school, and I'd hate to pull him out."

"He's changed schools before."

"Yes, but he doesn't have to this time."

John crossed his arms over his chest, cocked his head slightly. "Aren't you the one who always says that Greg needs a place to call home?"

"There's no reason why this can't be home."

Blythe didn't think Greg would ever consider this base – or any base – as anything like a real home, but there was no reason why he couldn't be happy here. Maybe staying in one place a little longer actually could make him happy.

John shook his head. "I don't know," he said, but then smiled. "At least Phil would be here if you needed him. He could keep an eyes on things for you."

Blythe turned away, took the empty bag from the counter, and folded it carefully. She didn't want to think about the last time Phil had kept an eye on things, but couldn't stop herself. Maybe things could be be different, though. She knew who Phil was now, and at least this time, she wouldn't be lonely. She'd have Greg. And he'd have her.

She turned back toward John, put a hand on his arm. "We don't have to decide this right now, do we? We've got a few days, and I don't want to waste them arguing."

They told Greg that night. John drove them into town for pizza and bowling, and sat across from Greg and Blythe in the chairs next to the alleys.

"You'll have to be the man of the house," John told him.

Greg didn't cry, didn't say anything. Blythe had worried he might laugh or even cheer when he heard the news, but he didn't. Instead, he looked from her to John and back again as they explained how long John would be gone, and that he and Blythe would be staying on the base.

"For now," John added. "Your mother and I are still talking about that."

"Your Dad's going to be all right," Blythe said.

"Of course I will." John winked at him and put his hand on Greg's knee. "So you better behave so I don't have to come home and give you a spanking."

Blythe took one of Greg's hands between her own. "Is there anything you want to say to your Dad?" she asked him, still not seeing either fear or relief on his face. "Is there anything you want to ask him?"

Greg looked into her eyes, and she had the sense again that he saw the world differently than she did, that he understood it in ways that she didn't. He shook his head. "Can we bowl now?"

Chapter Fourteen

Comments

[angelfirenze.livejournal.com]

Yep, loved that last line. *laughs out loud* *laughs some more* Which is so damned sad, I can't even describe it. It's hard to feel very sympathetic for either John or Blythe, though, the way they've acted. Maybe it's still because I know how all this will turn out.

Honestly, I have to wonder do they ask one another if they're doing well by Greg or if they're both just assuming such. I would have thought it was obvious at this point, but it appears I'm wrong. *scowls*

[namasteyoga.livejournal.com]

Thanks. Of course, no one has 20/20 future vision. All you can ever do is hope that you're doing your best.

[blackmare-9.livejournal.com]

It's so hard to see them as a more or less normal family, knowing how wrong it's all going to go.

I keep looking for the foundational cracks between Greg and his father, and yet for now there are only the barest hints of that, and I am wondering (since this is in Blythe's POV) how much Blythe might not be seeing.

[namasteyoga.livejournal.com]

I see the cracks as there, but they'll widen (I buy into the theories that 1) House is an unreliable narrator, whose dystopian outlook affects the way he sees the world in that he remembers everything that's bad, whereas Blythe tends to see what's right, and 2) that the worst happened when Blythe wasn't there -- recall that he told the patient his "grandmother" did the ice baths and such when his "parents" were gone, and he never said anything because he didn't think anyone would believe him). This being Blythe's POV, she'll never really know everything that went on solely between Greg and John.

[hibernia1.livejournal.com]

Great new chapter, as always - I love the way Blythe has the feeling Greg sees/understands more than she does (or at least in a different way). Thanks for sharing!

[namasteyoga.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I definitely think House has a different worldview, even at this age.

[chippers87.livejournal.com]

How fascinating that Greg talks so little, or at least, we're not as privy to his talking as his parents are. I will be interested to see how he and his relationship with his mother develop during this year's deployment.

I love, despite what we've heard from House's POV, how almost normal the relationship between House and his father is at this point. While I'm sure we'll see some disturbing things in chapters to come, it's nice to be reminded that John wasn't a monster -- he was doing what he thought right by his son.

Awesome work, as usual.

[namasteyoga.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I'm continually torn between wanting to explore more at certain stages of young House's life, and wanting to move toward the pivotal summer he turned 12.

[3kelvin.livejournal.com]

That last line is both funny and sad. So House to not want to show any reaction and change the topic.

I wish Blythe would just take Greg to her home, even if it meant changing school again. It would be a good change.

You've made me care about not only Blythe but John as well.

[namasteyoga.livejournal.com]

Thank you. I kind of liked the idea of House and bowling even at this age, and using it as a distraction.

[3kelvin.livejournal.com]

It's funny. All those bowling references throughout the years and I always took them as a joke... until House went bowling with Chase. That threw me. I guess it shouldn't have. After all, even the poker night reference turned out to be right later on. I wonder if there's a secret book club meeting as well. ;-)
I just love that with House one never knows what's going to happen next, no matter how well one thinks one knows him.

[pwcorgigirl.livejournal.com]

One of the things I love about this story is how it moves at the speed of life, with Blythe's intense focus on her worries and the current events of the day. You have such a strong sense of the time period evoked very naturally in all the stories, but especially so in this one.

The ending, with the request to go bowl, made me smile. That's very House, even at that age.

[namasteyoga.livejournal.com]

Thanks. As I mentioned above, I'm struggling with how quickly to move the story forward. I don't want it to become mired down, but there's also a lot to explore in each installment.

[poeia.livejournal.com]

John's comment about coming back to give House a spanking is very telling about their relationship. House, of course, would always focus on the punishments yet John can't see that House wouldn't consider it a joke. And Blythe keeps hoping that if she wishes very, very hard, the two of them will start to get along.

This is still great.

[namasteyoga.livejournal.com]

Thank you. I liked the "spanking" line just because it seemed like one of those points of division between the two of them, but which Blythe wouldn't wholly see as a big "thing."

[krystle-ab.livejournal.com]

great update

[namasteyoga.livejournal.com]

Thanks for stopping by.

[romeo46.livejournal.com]

We use downrange today when someone is deployed. It was nice to see that little bit of language to talk about what everyone was thunking and worried about but no one wanted to say.

Seeing the stuff between Greg and John was great. Greg is never going to show hoe he feels but he will take everything from his dad as the literal truth, if he is bad his dad probably would come back and spank him. Can't wait to see more.

[namasteyoga.livejournal.com]

Downrange. Thanks. My oldest sister's husband was Air Force during Vietnam (their son was born while he was over there), so I try to crib as much as I can from her experiences.

[romeo46.livejournal.com]

I don't know about Vietnam but that it is interesting to see that even now there is always a code for where people are. Downrange is just the new War on Terror term for over there.

[daisylily.livejournal.com]

I like how you can see the antagonism building between Greg and John. (And having read the other comments, I like the speed this is going and don't mind how long it takes to get to Greg being twelve - it's all fascinating reading.)

*mems*

[namasteyoga.livejournal.com]

Thanks for giving me the excuse to take my time. Heck, I've still got Egypt between now that the summer Greg turns 12.