My Alternate Ending to JTTW
He watched her walk into the rundown house from with no regard for her safety. From the moment House had learned that his patient had left her newborn child for dead, he knew how greatly Cuddy would be affected by this. And he knew that she would come to this place as soon as her duties at the hospital would allow.
For House, the problem wasn’t discretely trying to follow her since he knew her final destination. The problem was keeping up with her with his leg. She was a woman with an aching heart who was on a mission. As House limped up the stairs to the rotting front door of the home, he thought that Cuddy at this moment was very much an image of himself when he was determined to solve a case that no one else could.
House paused before he opened the door. He had to prepare himself for the image that was going to be before him in the next moments. He knew that he would soon come face to face with a completely heartbroken Cuddy. She had been through enough hurt these past couple of years - he didn’t want to make the situation worse. And he certainly didn’t want to be the cause of her hurt. He took a deep breath and slowly opened the door.
Though he had tried to imagine the look on Cuddy’s face before he entered the house, nothing prepared him for what he saw. House could actually feel his heart in his chest sink. He wasn’t sure if he had ever felt like this before, if his heart had ever actually broken like this, but the feeling was certainly foreign to him. Cuddy was sitting up against the wall on the bare floor of what used to be the living room holding the lifeless baby to her chest. The pink jacket which was used to cover the baby lay in her lap and her tears flowed unabatedly down her cheeks.
When House composed himself enough to close the door behind him, Cuddy looked up at him. Her eyes met his. Through her piercing stare, House saw everything Cuddy was feeling at the moment. She was tired, sad, empty, battered and beaten, and lonely. Those were feelings that House knew all too well. He could do nothing but stare back at her, hoping to convey the message that he understood - that they were both walking down the same lonely and deserted trail, but at least they were walking together.
House opened his mouth to speak but found that he had no words. He wasn’t even sure if there were words that could make this situation even a little better. Instead, he found himself walking slowly towards her. When he finally made himself before her, he stretched his right leg out and eased himself down to the ground, sitting right beside her. With their shoulders touching, they sat there in silence. House couldn’t look at Cuddy just yet, instead staring into the cold, empty room in front of him, listening to the soft sobs that Cuddy couldn’t hold back. House still didn’t know what to say, he just hoped that his presence was comfort enough.
What seemed like an eternity passed and Cuddy’s tears finally subsided. House finally looked over at Cuddy who was cradling the baby in her arms, tracing the baby’s blue lips gently with her thumb.
“You really want a baby, don’t you?” House said softly, a tone reserved only for those moments when he knew he had to be serious.
Cuddy nodded slowly as she wiped a stray tear running down her cheek.
House was once again silent as he just looked down at how protectively Cuddy was holding the baby.
“Nothing to say to that?” Cuddy asked in a broken voice.
House looked up at her and lifted his eyebrows in a questioning manner not understanding the question.
“I thought my ‘yes’ answer would have elicited some sort of response from you. I know you have something to say,” Cuddy continued.
“Plenty I want to say,” House answered honestly, “but nothing that I can say.”
There had been so many things he had wanted to tell her. Every day he tried to summon up some amount of courage to tell her how he felt about her and every day he had defeated himself.
Cuddy wasn’t exactly sure what House meant by that but she decided to let it slide given the circumstances. “Thank you for staying with me here,” she said as she placed her right arm down on his knee.
House’s eyes darted down to her hand on his knee and then back up to her eyes, much like they always did whenever she initiated contact with him.
"You know when I said that you would make a great mother, I wasn't lying, right?" House asked in a shy tone.
Cuddy was able to let a brief smile appear on her face before it quickly faded, "I know."
“Cuddy,” House found himself saying, “I…I….want to make you happy.”
Cuddy tilted her head to one side and opened her mouth to speak but House interrupted her.
“Please, let me get this out or else I’m never going to. I know you want a baby more than anything. Let me help you.”
Tears welled up in Cuddy’s eyes as she sat with her mouth agape.
House continued, “Don’t answer me now. Think about what you want.” House began to stand up and then he added, “And don’t stay here too long. It’s not good for you.”
House slowly limped to the front door as Cuddy watched him walk away. When he got to the door he turned back to her and said, “Merry Christmas Cuddy” and then he was gone.
When the door closed, Cuddy smiled, “You too House.”
THE END.