Thanks for joining in. Yes, the story was complicated so far; I had to re-read parts of my own fics to make sure I don't mess up the back story :)
I don't think Cuddy would ever accept a proposal from Wilson. Even for Joel. No, marrying Wilson in order to solve his childcare problems doesn't sound like something that would appeal to her.
I'm at a bit of a loss as to Pete's motives. It's complicated and can't be reduced to a single factor. I doubt Pete thought about the long-term consequences when he got Amy pregnant. She wanted to get pregnant, and as far as Pete could make out, it didn't really matter to her who the father was. It seemed likely that the pregnancy would save Wilson's life, that Amy would be happy to have the child, and that Wilson and Amy would get married. Regardless of whether the marriage lasted, the child would have a doting mother and a caring 'father'. Pete would always know what was going on via Wilson, so indirectly, he'd retain 'control' over the child he fathered. In addition he was probably convinced that if Cuddy and Wilson found out about what he did, they'd agree that the end justified the means.
But things don't turn out that way. Amy isn't interested in being a doting mother. If Wilson were to die now, she might well release Joel for adoption, barring Pete from all access to the child. Cuddy wasn't amused at all by what Pete had done, and Wilson, when Pete met him in Paris, made it clear what he thought about fathers who didn't bother about their children. If those two get together and Wilson's adoption plans work out, then there's a possibility that instead of being 'grateful' to Pete for fathering Joel, they'll shut him out altogether. Pete stands to lose all three of them, not just Joel.
The whole matter has strong legal connotations: as long as Joel hasn't formally been adopted by anyone (which was the case as long as both Amy and Wilson pretended that Wilson was the father), Pete has a good chance of getting legal custody or at least visitation rights if he proves that he's the bio dad. Once the parental rights of the birth parents have been terminated and Joel has been adopted by Cuddy and Wilson, there's nothing Pete can do anymore. And that's precisely what Wilson is planning. That takes Joel out of Pete's 'control' completely, and while he may have little interest in parental duties, he hates losing control over anyone to whom he is connected in any way.
A further aspect is that Pete has now actually met Joel. You probably remember the scene in 'Fetal Position' where the unborn child grabs House's finger, and from then on House refers to him as 'the baby', whereas until then he'd only called him 'fetus'. I know quite a few fathers who had a distanced attitude towards their unborn children, only to turn into fluffy piles of mush when their children were born. Pete is never going to go all gooey over a kid, but seeing the child in person makes it more difficult to ignore his rights and treat him like a pawn in a larger game.
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Date: 2015-09-06 08:34 pm (UTC)I don't think Cuddy would ever accept a proposal from Wilson. Even for Joel.
No, marrying Wilson in order to solve his childcare problems doesn't sound like something that would appeal to her.
I'm at a bit of a loss as to Pete's motives.
It's complicated and can't be reduced to a single factor. I doubt Pete thought about the long-term consequences when he got Amy pregnant. She wanted to get pregnant, and as far as Pete could make out, it didn't really matter to her who the father was. It seemed likely that the pregnancy would save Wilson's life, that Amy would be happy to have the child, and that Wilson and Amy would get married. Regardless of whether the marriage lasted, the child would have a doting mother and a caring 'father'. Pete would always know what was going on via Wilson, so indirectly, he'd retain 'control' over the child he fathered. In addition he was probably convinced that if Cuddy and Wilson found out about what he did, they'd agree that the end justified the means.
But things don't turn out that way. Amy isn't interested in being a doting mother. If Wilson were to die now, she might well release Joel for adoption, barring Pete from all access to the child. Cuddy wasn't amused at all by what Pete had done, and Wilson, when Pete met him in Paris, made it clear what he thought about fathers who didn't bother about their children. If those two get together and Wilson's adoption plans work out, then there's a possibility that instead of being 'grateful' to Pete for fathering Joel, they'll shut him out altogether. Pete stands to lose all three of them, not just Joel.
The whole matter has strong legal connotations: as long as Joel hasn't formally been adopted by anyone (which was the case as long as both Amy and Wilson pretended that Wilson was the father), Pete has a good chance of getting legal custody or at least visitation rights if he proves that he's the bio dad. Once the parental rights of the birth parents have been terminated and Joel has been adopted by Cuddy and Wilson, there's nothing Pete can do anymore. And that's precisely what Wilson is planning. That takes Joel out of Pete's 'control' completely, and while he may have little interest in parental duties, he hates losing control over anyone to whom he is connected in any way.
A further aspect is that Pete has now actually met Joel. You probably remember the scene in 'Fetal Position' where the unborn child grabs House's finger, and from then on House refers to him as 'the baby', whereas until then he'd only called him 'fetus'. I know quite a few fathers who had a distanced attitude towards their unborn children, only to turn into fluffy piles of mush when their children were born. Pete is never going to go all gooey over a kid, but seeing the child in person makes it more difficult to ignore his rights and treat him like a pawn in a larger game.
I hope that answers your question to some extent.