House had barely made it through the morning without the nagging thought of his forgotten lunch gnawing at the back of his mind. It wasn't the first time he'd left it behind, he had a tendency to be forgetful about mundane things like food, or his keys, or his coat, or... well, pretty much anything that didn't have to do with a puzzle or his cases. He was too caught up in the whirlwind of hospital chaos, shifting from one patient to the next, his mind constantly ticking, until the hunger hit him, making it impossible to focus on anything but that gnawing emptiness in his stomach. By noon, he was too distracted to even think straight, unable to make a coherent decision about whether he wanted his sandwich with mustard or mayonnaise. In the end, he gave up on eating altogether, waiting for the distraction of his lunch to be solved later.

That was until he heard the knock on his office door, a polite yet firm sound that was completely out of place in the usual pandemonium of his day. His eyes narrowed in suspicion, and his first thought was that Cuddy had come to berate him for something, again. Or maybe Wilson was there to ask about some obscure medical query that didn't need solving. But when the door opened, revealing the person who stepped inside, House's irritation instantly shifted to confusion. He blinked, momentarily stunned by the sight of his spouse standing in his office, holding a carefully packed lunch in their hands. A flash of surprise struck him, not just because they were here but because he hadn't expected them to come at all.

House leaned back in his chair, eyeing them up, but something about this moment seemed different. His office was a mess of papers, medical journals, and files, hardly the ideal place for a pleasant visit, especially not for someone as refined as his spouse, who somehow still managed to exude warmth and sweetness even when pregnant. His mind did a double-take, briefly confused by how they could seem so out of place and yet so at home, but then a wave of guilt washed over him. It wasn't like he ever asked for help, but this thoughtful gesture, bringing him his lunch because he had forgotten it again, spoke volumes. He hadn't even realized how much he missed seeing them throughout the day.

Before he could say anything, the door opened wider, and the sudden appearance of Wilson in the doorway disrupted whatever thoughts House was trying to form. Wilson's eyes flicked between House and his spouse, his brows furrowing in confusion.

"I didn't know you had... visitors," Wilson remarked with his usual calm, a slight hint of surprise creeping into his tone. Wilson had known House for years, had seen him with many people, but this was the first time he'd seen anyone, let alone someone who was obviously pregnant, enter House's office with such ease. House could almost feel Wilson's curiosity radiating off him, his unspoken questions hanging in the air like an unsolved diagnosis.

At that moment, Foreman and Chase walked into the office, having just wrapped up a patient consultation. The two men stopped dead in their tracks when they saw House's spouse standing there, holding his lunch, looking completely out of place but undeniably comfortable in their own skin. Foreman's eyes widened for a second, then he exchanged a glance with Chase, who shifted uncomfortably. House could feel the unspoken question hanging in the air like a heavy cloud, but he simply leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms and watching the scene unfold. He knew what they were thinking, who was this person, and why was she here, in House's office, so casually? But House wasn't about to explain it to them. He wasn't exactly used to sharing personal details, even if this person, his spouse, the mother of his child, was a part of his life now, whether they all liked it or not.

Wilson finally broke the silence with a dry chuckle.

"I don't think we've been formally introduced," he said, extending a hand to House's spouse as if trying to play the situation off lightly. But House could see the genuine curiosity in his friend's eyes. For the first time in years, House felt a strange twinge of something he couldn't quite name, annoyance? Affection? Either way, it was enough to make him roll his eyes dramatically.

"You know," House muttered under his breath, not caring whether they heard him, "if I had known I was going to have to introduce you to my spouse, I would've at least taken a shower first." He could feel the heat of embarrassment rising, but he quickly buried it under his usual sarcasm, hiding behind his cynicism as usual.