In the Hues of a Life (7/10)
In the Hues of a Life
By Jules
(7/10)
M
Synopsis: Cuddy’s side of House’s recovery and hallucinations.
A/N: So after researching how complicated and freakin’ difficult it is to go about getting your medical license revoked and reinstated and all the board rules, etc., I decided to go for dramatic verses textbook. (Plus, it wouldn’t fit into a short story.) That said, I can’t wait to see how the show does it. Enjoy and thanks for reading!
* * *
Chapter 7
* * *
6:40 A.M. Their kisses dissolved, but they didn’t disconnect. She didn’t move, didn’t speak. Her heart was suddenly racing, and it felt like she was seeing the end. House held her a little firmer, as to ward off the reality of the outside world.
It worked for a moment.
She looked at him, the night between them, and touched the side of his neck. “I have to get dressed.”
He kissed her again. “Take that with you.”
The feeling lingered.
* * * *
8:02 A.M. When she walked into the hospital, several eyes shot in her direction only to quickly turn away. No doubt they had all seen the news, blasting the hospital and exposing House’s whereabouts the past three months. The lies had all been told in an effort to protect him, but as a result, she had only left herself vulnerable.
As she approached the board room, she heard the trickling of Elliot Minors’ filibuster tirade, already well underway.
“I think our course of action is clear. It’s a matter of trust. Cuddy kept House’s condition a secret from the entire hospital board. He should be let go immediately, and as for that woman-.”
“For God’s sake, Elliot.” Drew Billingsly rolled his eyes. “The meeting hasn’t even convened. We’ll at least wait for her to get here before we start firing anyone.”
Minors tightened his lips. “I don’t see why we need to wait. The dean certainly didn’t find it necessary for our approval to re-hire a mentally unstable drug addict.”
“I don’t think you want to play that card, Elliot.” Cuddy strode into the room, her head held high. Twenty-four eyes followed her to her seat.
Minors scoffed at her dignified appearance. “I see you finally decided to grace us with your illustrious presence. All I have to do is state simple facts to have the two of you removed from this establishment.”
Cuddy met every eye in the room, finally landing on Minors. She nodded succinctly. “Fine. Let’s deal with facts. How long have you known that Dr. House abused medically prescribed Vicodin for his leg?”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Cuddy,” Minors spat. “Everyone kn-”
“Exactly. Everyone. We are all responsible for what happened three months ago. As the board of this hospital, it is our job to make known a problem if so suspected. Unfortunately, I was over 7 years too late. I believed too much in his genius, believed that it was stronger than his addiction. It wasn’t. I forgot that he was human. He had been asking for help-seeking alternate treatments-methodone, therapy, physical therapy. Nothing worked, but he tried. I could have let him go years ago. I didn’t. You could have forced me to even before then, but you didn’t. We fought for him. Because no matter what he does or says, he is a good man and does great things. We need him here. When he lost a member of his team without a tangible reason, he lost control, focus. He couldn’t control the habit-the genius couldn’t explain the senseless act. He began hallucinating Amber Volakis. He hallucinated an entire night…”
“He blamed everything but the Vicodin,” Wilson cut her off. Their eyes met, suddenly in this together.
“You knew about this, Dr. Wilson?” Billingsly raised his eyebrows.
“I drove him to get help.”
Cuddy gathered herself and refocused. “Due to the personal nature of House’s last hallucinations, Wilson and I decided it would be best to keep his condition private.”
Billingsly frowned, clearly saddened and unhappy. He took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. “You’re right. Something like this can’t be blamed on one person. I appreciate your honesty, Dr. Cuddy. Unfortunately, it can’t erase what happened to the intern or how the media have handled it and exposed the hospital, you, and Dr. House. The residue remains.”
“The State Medical Licensing Board will have to hear about this,” Minors puffed up.
Cuddy glared at him. She had always tolerated Minors, but now, she was as close to hate as she had ever been. “I followed proper procedure with suspending and reinstating House’s license.”
Minors leaned forward. “I was referring to yours.”
“Elliot, none of her actions have affected her ability to practice medicine. Contain yourself!” Billingsly lost his cool, nearly shouting. He sighed and looked at Cuddy again. They had always had a strong relationship, but he couldn’t hide his disappointment from her. “However, Dr. Cuddy, I’m afraid I do question your ability to continue acting as the dean of medicine when you have clearly lost professional focus on the situation.”
“What now?” Minors salivated.
Billingsly put his glasses back on. “This is not a decision we should make lightly or quickly.”
Cuddy put a soft hand on his arm. “Drew, if you’re going to fire me, go ahead and do it. My….with House, how I deal with him isn’t going to change. We’ve come too far for that.”
Billingsly shook his head, blatantly ignoring her. “No. I will not.”
Minors stood up. “What are you doing, Drew? I’m not going to let you skate over this-”
“I call to motion that Dr. Cuddy be suspended from her position as dean of medicine effective immediately. During this time, the board will examine its own actions, Cuddy’s behavior, actions, and suitability to continue as the dean of medicine, and what is best for the hospital. The board will meet with the ethics committee and state medical licensing board concerning Dr. House and Dr. Cuddy’s employment and suitability to continuing practicing. Dr. Cuddy will be allowed to practice medicine at Princeton Plainsboro, but all administrative duties shall be sequestered and released to an interim dean until further notice.” 8:15 A.M.
* * *
10:35 A.M. Cuddy stood in front of her desk. She couldn’t believe that everything she had gathered over the past decade actually fit into two giant boxes.
Her door opened, but he didn’t say anything. She knew he was watching her, analyzing her temperament. She was afraid to look at him. If she didn’t see what she wanted, she knew she’d be crushed.
His shadow loomed over her. “Hey.”
“Hi,” she whispered.
“I saw Wilson.”
Cuddy looked up at him and smiled false light. “He tell you the good news?”
“Cuddy…” House moved towards her, but she quickly moved in the other direction, grabbing the last medical journals from her bookshelf and throwing them into her box.
She looked around the office, trying to find something to pack, to keep her busy, to stop this conversation from happening. Everything was already gone; she was forced to look at him. “Do you remember the first time we studied together?”
A faint smile stretched across House’s face. “Yeah. You got mad at me and stormed out of the library.”
Cuddy nodded, remembering. “You told me that I didn’t know how to read between the lines.”
“You don’t.”
Cuddy stepped closer to him, resting her hands on his chest. “I was so mad at you. I wanted to prove you wrong for the longest time.”
“That why you came back the next day?”
“Yep. I wanted you to see that I was just as smart as you, that I would be a great doctor too. Until I realized that you were right.” She tightened her hands on his collar, suddenly overwhelmed and unable to control the tears. “I don’t want to give this up.”
“Then don’t. Play their game. Let them see what this hospital’s like without you in charge,” he said in his usual gruff manner, ironically comforting now. “I came clean with the team.”
Immediately, her face turned from despair to concern. “How’d it go?”
“As expected. Except Foreman.” House dropped his head. “He said he could trust me now.”
Cuddy leaned against her empty desk. “Wow. I thought he would’ve gone the other way. He didn’t handle your return well at all.”
House nodded. “Truth, woman, is a powerful thing.”
She nudged his shoulder. “You still want to do this…even if I’m only a doctor?”
House shrugged noncommittally. “There’s always room for a sexy endocrinologist on my team.”
Cuddy laughed out loud, wiping her wet cheeks. “I refuse to be one of your ducklings.”
House turned and corned her against the desk. “Oh, now you’re too good to work for me. I see.”
Her eyes twinkled, filling the empty room with new light. “I like to be on top.”
House pressed his hands on either side of her, his eyes roaming like a predator. “As I recall, you’re very adjustable.”
“This is crazy,” she whispered, letting him touch her, letting herself be vulnerable and enjoy it. “I am my job. I’m not this….”
“Probably not,” House said knowingly as he continued to caress her.
She met his eyes and leaned in secretly, searching for another mind-bending kiss. “But I might like it.”
An urgent knock rapped at her door. Cuddy looked past House, seeing Brenda standing anxiously in the doorway, clutching a piece of paper. Brenda eyed the two of them, clearly aware that she had walked in on something intimate.
“Hi, Brenda,” Cuddy said easily, trying to relieve the nurse’s anxiety. “Come in.”
“Dr. Cuddy….” She took two steps in and stopped, completely at a loss. “I just got the memo. Is it true? Is Minors replacing you?”
Cuddy took the crumpled paper from Brenda and read it quickly. “Sent by Billingsly. I guess so.”
She looked to House. He narrowed his eyes. She could smell his suspicion. “Seems like an odd choice. Minors and Billingsly hate each other.”
Brenda held her chin up. “I won’t accept it, Dr. Cuddy. Neither will the rest of my staff.”
Cuddy stepped closer to the head nurse, her fierce loyalty overwhelming her. “No, Brenda. Whether or not I’m the dean, the rest of the hospital needs to continue to function. I won’t have people’s lives put into jeopardy just because my job is at stake.”
Brenda nodded once. She would do it whatever Cuddy asked. “Yes m’am.”
Before she left, Brenda gave House a warning glare, making him take a step away from Cuddy.
House turned and looked at her still form. “That was hot. Martyrdom suites you.”
“Shut up.” Cuddy rolled her eyes. “I need to think. Minors just doesn’t want me gone; he’s out to get you too.” Cuddy began to pace.
“Double, double, toil and trouble. Cuddy spins her magic bubbles.”
She stopped and looked at him. “I think you were right in the first place.”
“I know,” House said arrogantly. “About what?”
Cuddy stepped closer to him and took a deep breath. “Dr. House, you have yourself a new fellow.” 10:58 A.M.
By Jules
(7/10)
M
Synopsis: Cuddy’s side of House’s recovery and hallucinations.
A/N: So after researching how complicated and freakin’ difficult it is to go about getting your medical license revoked and reinstated and all the board rules, etc., I decided to go for dramatic verses textbook. (Plus, it wouldn’t fit into a short story.) That said, I can’t wait to see how the show does it. Enjoy and thanks for reading!
* * *
Chapter 7
* * *
6:40 A.M. Their kisses dissolved, but they didn’t disconnect. She didn’t move, didn’t speak. Her heart was suddenly racing, and it felt like she was seeing the end. House held her a little firmer, as to ward off the reality of the outside world.
It worked for a moment.
She looked at him, the night between them, and touched the side of his neck. “I have to get dressed.”
He kissed her again. “Take that with you.”
The feeling lingered.
* * * *
8:02 A.M. When she walked into the hospital, several eyes shot in her direction only to quickly turn away. No doubt they had all seen the news, blasting the hospital and exposing House’s whereabouts the past three months. The lies had all been told in an effort to protect him, but as a result, she had only left herself vulnerable.
As she approached the board room, she heard the trickling of Elliot Minors’ filibuster tirade, already well underway.
“I think our course of action is clear. It’s a matter of trust. Cuddy kept House’s condition a secret from the entire hospital board. He should be let go immediately, and as for that woman-.”
“For God’s sake, Elliot.” Drew Billingsly rolled his eyes. “The meeting hasn’t even convened. We’ll at least wait for her to get here before we start firing anyone.”
Minors tightened his lips. “I don’t see why we need to wait. The dean certainly didn’t find it necessary for our approval to re-hire a mentally unstable drug addict.”
“I don’t think you want to play that card, Elliot.” Cuddy strode into the room, her head held high. Twenty-four eyes followed her to her seat.
Minors scoffed at her dignified appearance. “I see you finally decided to grace us with your illustrious presence. All I have to do is state simple facts to have the two of you removed from this establishment.”
Cuddy met every eye in the room, finally landing on Minors. She nodded succinctly. “Fine. Let’s deal with facts. How long have you known that Dr. House abused medically prescribed Vicodin for his leg?”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Cuddy,” Minors spat. “Everyone kn-”
“Exactly. Everyone. We are all responsible for what happened three months ago. As the board of this hospital, it is our job to make known a problem if so suspected. Unfortunately, I was over 7 years too late. I believed too much in his genius, believed that it was stronger than his addiction. It wasn’t. I forgot that he was human. He had been asking for help-seeking alternate treatments-methodone, therapy, physical therapy. Nothing worked, but he tried. I could have let him go years ago. I didn’t. You could have forced me to even before then, but you didn’t. We fought for him. Because no matter what he does or says, he is a good man and does great things. We need him here. When he lost a member of his team without a tangible reason, he lost control, focus. He couldn’t control the habit-the genius couldn’t explain the senseless act. He began hallucinating Amber Volakis. He hallucinated an entire night…”
“He blamed everything but the Vicodin,” Wilson cut her off. Their eyes met, suddenly in this together.
“You knew about this, Dr. Wilson?” Billingsly raised his eyebrows.
“I drove him to get help.”
Cuddy gathered herself and refocused. “Due to the personal nature of House’s last hallucinations, Wilson and I decided it would be best to keep his condition private.”
Billingsly frowned, clearly saddened and unhappy. He took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. “You’re right. Something like this can’t be blamed on one person. I appreciate your honesty, Dr. Cuddy. Unfortunately, it can’t erase what happened to the intern or how the media have handled it and exposed the hospital, you, and Dr. House. The residue remains.”
“The State Medical Licensing Board will have to hear about this,” Minors puffed up.
Cuddy glared at him. She had always tolerated Minors, but now, she was as close to hate as she had ever been. “I followed proper procedure with suspending and reinstating House’s license.”
Minors leaned forward. “I was referring to yours.”
“Elliot, none of her actions have affected her ability to practice medicine. Contain yourself!” Billingsly lost his cool, nearly shouting. He sighed and looked at Cuddy again. They had always had a strong relationship, but he couldn’t hide his disappointment from her. “However, Dr. Cuddy, I’m afraid I do question your ability to continue acting as the dean of medicine when you have clearly lost professional focus on the situation.”
“What now?” Minors salivated.
Billingsly put his glasses back on. “This is not a decision we should make lightly or quickly.”
Cuddy put a soft hand on his arm. “Drew, if you’re going to fire me, go ahead and do it. My….with House, how I deal with him isn’t going to change. We’ve come too far for that.”
Billingsly shook his head, blatantly ignoring her. “No. I will not.”
Minors stood up. “What are you doing, Drew? I’m not going to let you skate over this-”
“I call to motion that Dr. Cuddy be suspended from her position as dean of medicine effective immediately. During this time, the board will examine its own actions, Cuddy’s behavior, actions, and suitability to continue as the dean of medicine, and what is best for the hospital. The board will meet with the ethics committee and state medical licensing board concerning Dr. House and Dr. Cuddy’s employment and suitability to continuing practicing. Dr. Cuddy will be allowed to practice medicine at Princeton Plainsboro, but all administrative duties shall be sequestered and released to an interim dean until further notice.” 8:15 A.M.
* * *
10:35 A.M. Cuddy stood in front of her desk. She couldn’t believe that everything she had gathered over the past decade actually fit into two giant boxes.
Her door opened, but he didn’t say anything. She knew he was watching her, analyzing her temperament. She was afraid to look at him. If she didn’t see what she wanted, she knew she’d be crushed.
His shadow loomed over her. “Hey.”
“Hi,” she whispered.
“I saw Wilson.”
Cuddy looked up at him and smiled false light. “He tell you the good news?”
“Cuddy…” House moved towards her, but she quickly moved in the other direction, grabbing the last medical journals from her bookshelf and throwing them into her box.
She looked around the office, trying to find something to pack, to keep her busy, to stop this conversation from happening. Everything was already gone; she was forced to look at him. “Do you remember the first time we studied together?”
A faint smile stretched across House’s face. “Yeah. You got mad at me and stormed out of the library.”
Cuddy nodded, remembering. “You told me that I didn’t know how to read between the lines.”
“You don’t.”
Cuddy stepped closer to him, resting her hands on his chest. “I was so mad at you. I wanted to prove you wrong for the longest time.”
“That why you came back the next day?”
“Yep. I wanted you to see that I was just as smart as you, that I would be a great doctor too. Until I realized that you were right.” She tightened her hands on his collar, suddenly overwhelmed and unable to control the tears. “I don’t want to give this up.”
“Then don’t. Play their game. Let them see what this hospital’s like without you in charge,” he said in his usual gruff manner, ironically comforting now. “I came clean with the team.”
Immediately, her face turned from despair to concern. “How’d it go?”
“As expected. Except Foreman.” House dropped his head. “He said he could trust me now.”
Cuddy leaned against her empty desk. “Wow. I thought he would’ve gone the other way. He didn’t handle your return well at all.”
House nodded. “Truth, woman, is a powerful thing.”
She nudged his shoulder. “You still want to do this…even if I’m only a doctor?”
House shrugged noncommittally. “There’s always room for a sexy endocrinologist on my team.”
Cuddy laughed out loud, wiping her wet cheeks. “I refuse to be one of your ducklings.”
House turned and corned her against the desk. “Oh, now you’re too good to work for me. I see.”
Her eyes twinkled, filling the empty room with new light. “I like to be on top.”
House pressed his hands on either side of her, his eyes roaming like a predator. “As I recall, you’re very adjustable.”
“This is crazy,” she whispered, letting him touch her, letting herself be vulnerable and enjoy it. “I am my job. I’m not this….”
“Probably not,” House said knowingly as he continued to caress her.
She met his eyes and leaned in secretly, searching for another mind-bending kiss. “But I might like it.”
An urgent knock rapped at her door. Cuddy looked past House, seeing Brenda standing anxiously in the doorway, clutching a piece of paper. Brenda eyed the two of them, clearly aware that she had walked in on something intimate.
“Hi, Brenda,” Cuddy said easily, trying to relieve the nurse’s anxiety. “Come in.”
“Dr. Cuddy….” She took two steps in and stopped, completely at a loss. “I just got the memo. Is it true? Is Minors replacing you?”
Cuddy took the crumpled paper from Brenda and read it quickly. “Sent by Billingsly. I guess so.”
She looked to House. He narrowed his eyes. She could smell his suspicion. “Seems like an odd choice. Minors and Billingsly hate each other.”
Brenda held her chin up. “I won’t accept it, Dr. Cuddy. Neither will the rest of my staff.”
Cuddy stepped closer to the head nurse, her fierce loyalty overwhelming her. “No, Brenda. Whether or not I’m the dean, the rest of the hospital needs to continue to function. I won’t have people’s lives put into jeopardy just because my job is at stake.”
Brenda nodded once. She would do it whatever Cuddy asked. “Yes m’am.”
Before she left, Brenda gave House a warning glare, making him take a step away from Cuddy.
House turned and looked at her still form. “That was hot. Martyrdom suites you.”
“Shut up.” Cuddy rolled her eyes. “I need to think. Minors just doesn’t want me gone; he’s out to get you too.” Cuddy began to pace.
“Double, double, toil and trouble. Cuddy spins her magic bubbles.”
She stopped and looked at him. “I think you were right in the first place.”
“I know,” House said arrogantly. “About what?”
Cuddy stepped closer to him and took a deep breath. “Dr. House, you have yourself a new fellow.” 10:58 A.M.