You are mine, and I am yours (Gregory House)

Chapter 3

Credit to @grackhousemd ⬆️
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1969
They left Portugal and moved into their new home on a base in Egypt the same day as the moon landing.

The tension between Greg and John only grew. John's punishments became harsher. Blythe had to stand by and watch as John subjected Greg to ice baths for not listening, withholding food for being late to dinner, and more nights sleeping outside for being too inquisitive. She watched as Greg withdrew further and further into himself. He slowly became an automaton whenever John was around.

The only time he seemed happy and relaxed was around Reilly. Blythe quickly learned not to try to stop John. The few times she did, she paid the price. She and her son learned to be very careful around John House. Now he was on another mission.

One afternoon in early August, Greg and Reilly came into the house carrying several books. They put them on the dining room table and began to read. Soon, Greg got up and got them both a notepad and pencils. They began taking notes and talking softly. Meara walked in with a baby balanced on her hip. Kieran and Catriona were born in Portugal. Meara and Gill now had five children all approximately two years apart.

"There ya are," she said when she saw Reilly. She held Catriona out to her oldest. "Take her. I canna take another minute of dealing with you children."

Reilly took Catriona from her mother and held her sister on her lap. Meara went into the living room and sank down in a chair.

"I'm goin' to have another one," she groaned. At the table, Reilly laughed. "A curse on ya!" her mother shouted.

"Why not use birth control?" Greg asked without looking up from the book he read.

"Because it goes against God's will, ya wicked boy," Meara sighed. "And don't go tellin' me again that there isn't a God. I'll scream like a banshee if ya do."

He and Reilly exchanged looks and went back to reading.

"I'm gettin' too old and too tired," Meara told Blythe. "All this moving hither and yon. It's gettin' to be too much."

"You're only twenty-six," Blythe reminded her softly.

"And I'm goin' to be twenty-seven and have six children," she whispered back.

She leaned close to Blythe.
"I never bloody sleep. Between the baby and Gil being gone for months at a time I canna get a decent wink of sleep."

"I'll take the kids for a week if it will help," Blythe told her.

"Oh, say yes, Mom!" Reilly called out.

"Could we all stay here with ya?" Meara asked.

"Of course. We'll sleep in my bed and the kids can sleep in Greg's room." Meara pushed herself up. "At least I know you can't get me pregnant. I'll go round up the rest of those hooligans of mine and we'll stay with you two until you boot us out."

Reilly and Greg looked at each other and smiled. Meara saw them. "You'll be sleepin' on the couch, my saucy lass."

"Aww, Mom," Reilly groaned.

Meara dropped a kiss on her head as she passed. "Poor you,"

Meara and the children spent almost a month with Blythe and Greg. During that time, Greg and Reilly learned all they could about embalming and then spent several days visiting tombs.

They even found a dead rat and embalmed it much to the horror of their mothers. When Gil and John returned, Greg withdrew again and the tension increased. Blythe feared the day it would come to a head.

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Greg and Reilly's teacher, Mrs. Conway, realized both children grew bored quickly in class because the material provided was too easy for them. They never misbehaved in class. Both kept books in their desks which they read while the other children completed the assignments.

So, Mrs. Conway asked Blythe and Meara if they would allow her to tutor them for about an hour each day after school ended. That way she could work with them on subjects that would challenge them. Blythe and Meara agreed.

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1970
One afternoon in May Greg and Reilly walked from the base school toward their houses. Reilly was unusually quiet. Finally, Greg pinched her arm causing her to squeal and punch him in the stomach.

"Ow!" he shouted. "Why'd you have to do that?"

Reilly looked at him and shook her head causing her golden red curls to fly. Dark brows lowered over light blue eyes.

"Cause you pinched me!" She rubbed her arm. "I was thinking not ignoring you, you big meanie."

"You're the meanie." Greg responded.

Reilly stuck her tongue out at him and they continued toward home.

"What are you thinking about?" Greg finally asked.

"Genetics," she replied. "Mrs. Conway said our genes determine our physical attributes. Since Mom and Dad both have red hair, we all have red hair. But only Mom has curls which is why me, Gus, and Cat have curly hair. Dad has brown eyes which are a dominant trait so everyone except me has brown eyes. Mom and Dad have freckles so we all have freckles. They both have really pale skin so we're all pale, too. But you have dimples."

"I'm not related to you, remember?"

Reilly made a face at him. "Mrs. Conway said for a child to have a trait like dimples both parents have to carry the gene. Some people in your mom's family have dimples but no one in Uncle John's family does. At least not in any of the pictures I've seen. So, if he doesn't have that gene...." Her voice trailed off and she looked down at the sidewalk.

Greg stopped and she turned back to look at him. He had what Reilly called his Got it! face.
"He's not my father," he whispered. "If he doesn't have that gene and no one in his family has dimples then he's not my father." He looked at Reilly. A slow smile curved his mouth.

"That is not a good smile, Greg House," Reilly told him.

"I can't wait to tell him."

"NO!" Reilly shouted then looked around. When she saw they were alone, she took a deep breath "No. He'll do something horrible to you. You know how mean and spiteful he can be."

"We're going to learn more and when we do, I'm going to tell that mean old man he isn't my real father."

"But what about Aunt Blythe?" Reilly asked.
Greg shrugged and began walking. Reilly groaned and followed him.

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For the next month, they challenged Mrs. Conway with their questions about genetics. Finally, in June, school ended and so did their tutoring sessions when Mrs. Conway's husband was transferred.

It didn't matter to Greg. He knew enough to be certain John House wasn't his father. John was away during the time Greg was conceived. He snuck into his parent's room and looked it up in John's log book. According to the log book, John was in Okinawa from the end of July until the end of November. Then he got his mother's datebook from 1958 and noticed there were no notations for her monthly cycle starting in September.

No one in John's family had dimples. His mother's eyes were brown and while John had blue eyes most of his family members also had brown eyes. It was enough information for Greg. Even Reilly finally acknowledged that John House couldn't be Greg's biological father.