New Fic: Blythe's Story, Chapter Fourteen
Dec. 14th, 2008 06:02 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
namasteTitle: Blythe’s Story, Chapter Fourteen
Author: Namaste
Summary: "Phil could get answers from him that Greg wouldn't give Blythe. They were answers a father could get from his son, but Blythe tried not to think about that. She told herself that Phil was the best person to call only because Greg would listen to him, not for anything as simple as biology."
PG, about 1,000 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
Phil shouldn't be here. It should be John sitting with Greg, getting the full story behind the bruised cheek he'd come home with after school. It had been John who'd taken Greg aside after the first fight, and the second. It had been John who'd signed Greg up for a boxing class.
"Boys fight," he'd said, and assured Blythe that she shouldn't worry, and that he had things under control.
But John was in Vietnam, and Greg was in his room with an ice pack for the bruise. He'd gone silent when Blythe asked what happened. He'd insisted that the other boy started it, but refused to meet her eyes when he said it.
"How am I supposed to help you if you won't tell me the truth?" she'd asked, and he'd stared at her, somehow surprised that she'd seen past his lie.
She'd sent him to his room, uncertain what to do next. Maybe John had been right and the fight was just part of growing up, but she couldn't stop the voice in her head that something else was happening – something she needed to stop.
Calling Phil had felt like giving up, but there was no one else Greg might open up to. Her father was too far away, and so was John's. The coaches and teachers didn't seem to understand him. But Greg liked Phil. Phil taught him card tricks and magic tricks. Phil bought him ice cream.
Phil could get answers from him that Greg wouldn't give her.
They were answers a father could get from his son, but Blythe tried not to think about that. She told herself that Phil was the best person to call only because Greg would listen to him, not for anything as simple as biology.
"Boys fight," Phil said when he walked in the door.
"That's not going to help me," Blythe told him. She'd been making pies for the past hour in a weak attempt to distract herself.
"I'm not making any promises," he said, and headed to Greg's room.
Blythe heard the door close as she rolled out pie dough. She listened for their voices as she peeled apples, cut them into thin slices and dropped them into the pan. She checked the time as she added sugar and cinnamon and butter, thinking they should be done by now.
She heard the door open just after she slid the pie into the oven, and looked up to see Phil and Greg standing at the doorway.
Phil nudged Greg and Greg looked up at her. "Sorry," he said. "It won't happen again."
"I can't believe you if I don't know why you got in a fight this time," she said.
"Go on," Phil said.
Greg didn't look Blythe in the eye now, instead looking someplace beyond her to some point on the wall. "Pete said he'd beat me up if I didn't do his math homework." His words tumbled out all at once.
Blythe felt her shoulders drop as she traded one worry for another, picturing the boy down the street – a year older and three inches taller than Greg. "And you didn't." She put a hand on Greg's arm, about to pull him close for a hug.
"Well..." Greg said. He still wouldn't meet her gaze. Instead he looked back at Phil.
Phil nodded at him, but Greg remained silent.
"He said he'd do it for fifty cents," Phil finally said for him.
"What?" Blythe held Greg at arm's length. "Why would you do that?"
Greg shrugged. "Because he only gets fifty cents for allowance," he said.
Blythe turned him to look at her, but Greg focused on something outside the window over her left shoulder.
"So, then he beat you up," she said.
Greg looked back at Phil again. Phil sighed. "No. Greg's been doing Pete's homework for the past two weeks, but Pete refused to pay after class today."
"So --" Blythe remembered the comic books that Greg came home with on Saturday, the ones he said he'd borrowed from a friend, and she suddenly pictured a different scene than she'd ever imagined. This was something she'd never expected. "You started the fight?"
Greg finally looked her in the eye. "He wouldn't pay. I didn't do it for free."
Blythe covered her eyes with hands. "Go to your room," she said. She pulled one of the kitchen chairs out and sank down onto it. She heard Greg's bedroom door close. She wondered what John would have done, then decided she didn't want to know. Pete's father was a major. John was a captain, and John believed in rank.
She knew she'd have to handle this, somehow, before Greg started thinking of school just as a place to earn pocket change. Greg was getting too big to spank, and Blythe didn't have the heart for it. She should ground him for a month. Two months. No TV. No music.
She heard the sound of another chair scraping along the floor, and looked up to see Phil sitting across from her. He had a slight smile on his face, like this was just a joke to him.
"If he were my son -- " he started, then stopped.
Blythe closed her eyes and gritted her teeth to hold back the anger that roiled inside her – anger at Greg's stupid games, at John for not being here, at herself for not knowing what to do, at Phil who didn't seem to take anything seriously. She had to stop herself from saying something she'd regret, from shouting out the whole story, from telling Phil to take responsibility for something for once in his life, from forcing him to share the burden she'd been carrying for years.
"If he were my son," he said again, "I'd tell him to get the payment before he did the other kid's homework next time."
Blythe stared at him. Phil wasn't what Greg needed. He wasn't what she needed.
"You're no help at all," Blythe said. And you never have been, she thought.
Chapter Fifteen
Author: Namaste
Summary: "Phil could get answers from him that Greg wouldn't give Blythe. They were answers a father could get from his son, but Blythe tried not to think about that. She told herself that Phil was the best person to call only because Greg would listen to him, not for anything as simple as biology."
PG, about 1,000 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
Phil shouldn't be here. It should be John sitting with Greg, getting the full story behind the bruised cheek he'd come home with after school. It had been John who'd taken Greg aside after the first fight, and the second. It had been John who'd signed Greg up for a boxing class.
"Boys fight," he'd said, and assured Blythe that she shouldn't worry, and that he had things under control.
But John was in Vietnam, and Greg was in his room with an ice pack for the bruise. He'd gone silent when Blythe asked what happened. He'd insisted that the other boy started it, but refused to meet her eyes when he said it.
"How am I supposed to help you if you won't tell me the truth?" she'd asked, and he'd stared at her, somehow surprised that she'd seen past his lie.
She'd sent him to his room, uncertain what to do next. Maybe John had been right and the fight was just part of growing up, but she couldn't stop the voice in her head that something else was happening – something she needed to stop.
Calling Phil had felt like giving up, but there was no one else Greg might open up to. Her father was too far away, and so was John's. The coaches and teachers didn't seem to understand him. But Greg liked Phil. Phil taught him card tricks and magic tricks. Phil bought him ice cream.
Phil could get answers from him that Greg wouldn't give her.
They were answers a father could get from his son, but Blythe tried not to think about that. She told herself that Phil was the best person to call only because Greg would listen to him, not for anything as simple as biology.
"Boys fight," Phil said when he walked in the door.
"That's not going to help me," Blythe told him. She'd been making pies for the past hour in a weak attempt to distract herself.
"I'm not making any promises," he said, and headed to Greg's room.
Blythe heard the door close as she rolled out pie dough. She listened for their voices as she peeled apples, cut them into thin slices and dropped them into the pan. She checked the time as she added sugar and cinnamon and butter, thinking they should be done by now.
She heard the door open just after she slid the pie into the oven, and looked up to see Phil and Greg standing at the doorway.
Phil nudged Greg and Greg looked up at her. "Sorry," he said. "It won't happen again."
"I can't believe you if I don't know why you got in a fight this time," she said.
"Go on," Phil said.
Greg didn't look Blythe in the eye now, instead looking someplace beyond her to some point on the wall. "Pete said he'd beat me up if I didn't do his math homework." His words tumbled out all at once.
Blythe felt her shoulders drop as she traded one worry for another, picturing the boy down the street – a year older and three inches taller than Greg. "And you didn't." She put a hand on Greg's arm, about to pull him close for a hug.
"Well..." Greg said. He still wouldn't meet her gaze. Instead he looked back at Phil.
Phil nodded at him, but Greg remained silent.
"He said he'd do it for fifty cents," Phil finally said for him.
"What?" Blythe held Greg at arm's length. "Why would you do that?"
Greg shrugged. "Because he only gets fifty cents for allowance," he said.
Blythe turned him to look at her, but Greg focused on something outside the window over her left shoulder.
"So, then he beat you up," she said.
Greg looked back at Phil again. Phil sighed. "No. Greg's been doing Pete's homework for the past two weeks, but Pete refused to pay after class today."
"So --" Blythe remembered the comic books that Greg came home with on Saturday, the ones he said he'd borrowed from a friend, and she suddenly pictured a different scene than she'd ever imagined. This was something she'd never expected. "You started the fight?"
Greg finally looked her in the eye. "He wouldn't pay. I didn't do it for free."
Blythe covered her eyes with hands. "Go to your room," she said. She pulled one of the kitchen chairs out and sank down onto it. She heard Greg's bedroom door close. She wondered what John would have done, then decided she didn't want to know. Pete's father was a major. John was a captain, and John believed in rank.
She knew she'd have to handle this, somehow, before Greg started thinking of school just as a place to earn pocket change. Greg was getting too big to spank, and Blythe didn't have the heart for it. She should ground him for a month. Two months. No TV. No music.
She heard the sound of another chair scraping along the floor, and looked up to see Phil sitting across from her. He had a slight smile on his face, like this was just a joke to him.
"If he were my son -- " he started, then stopped.
Blythe closed her eyes and gritted her teeth to hold back the anger that roiled inside her – anger at Greg's stupid games, at John for not being here, at herself for not knowing what to do, at Phil who didn't seem to take anything seriously. She had to stop herself from saying something she'd regret, from shouting out the whole story, from telling Phil to take responsibility for something for once in his life, from forcing him to share the burden she'd been carrying for years.
"If he were my son," he said again, "I'd tell him to get the payment before he did the other kid's homework next time."
Blythe stared at him. Phil wasn't what Greg needed. He wasn't what she needed.
"You're no help at all," Blythe said. And you never have been, she thought.
Chapter Fifteen
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2008-12-14 11:35 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-12-15 12:16 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-12-14 11:54 pm (UTC)You have a missing word -- "the" -- that should be in front of "pan."
(no subject)
Date: 2008-12-15 12:17 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-12-15 12:10 am (UTC)Somehow, you've given me a strong sense there's a lot more going on here than just Greg being a little dishonest. That he's just having a hard time in general, the other kids don't relate to him (thus he's the one who gets pressured to do someone else's homework), and the hurt and anger overflows now and then.
One other missed word, a "to": in a weak attempt distract herself.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-12-15 12:19 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-12-15 12:24 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-12-15 12:27 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-12-15 01:19 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-12-15 01:24 am (UTC)Yes, yes, yes. I've long held the belief that House relates food with comfort or affection, and that's one reason he steals from Wilson all the time.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-12-15 12:34 am (UTC)Et voila! :)
(no subject)
Date: 2008-12-15 01:19 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-12-15 12:45 am (UTC)Nice call back to the card tricks and magic.
I guess a mix between John and Phil would have made a good father.
Would grounding Greg for two months without TV and music have been an appropriate punishment? Not judging, I'm just genuinely curious, because I'm not quite the right age to know from experience.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-12-15 01:21 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-12-15 05:21 am (UTC)Poor Blythe.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-12-15 04:21 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-12-15 05:31 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-12-15 04:22 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-12-15 08:40 am (UTC)Thank you for this series; it's great as always.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-12-15 04:23 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-12-15 08:09 pm (UTC)I find it very interesting that Blythe is discovering what a 'useless' parent Phil is/would be.
*mems*
(no subject)
Date: 2008-12-16 12:56 am (UTC)*grapples* That. Was. Gold.
I can completely see Blythe being blindsided with the idea that more of Phil got into Greg than she'd ever wanted
and, really, it's her own damned fault...HOWEVER, we do know exactly how much of John got into Greg, too. That's been obvious since 'Daddy's Boy'. *cackles*
(no subject)
Date: 2008-12-17 08:10 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-12-18 10:26 am (UTC)Anyway great update and I am totally looking forward to more.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-12-20 12:01 am (UTC)This story is a real heartbreaker -- and I mean that in a good way. You have captured them beautifully. ::hugs::