The Deeper Meaning (Part 1)
Part 1
As soon as I had heard the news from Wilson, who had heard it from Nurse Reiner, who in turned had gained the information straight from Cuddy’s secretary my interest was peaked.
“So, I hear your parents are coming into town,” I announce as I barge into Cuddy’s office. As usual she’s with someone, most likely a potential donor for the hospital, and as usual I don’t give a crap.
“Dr. House,” Cuddy says through gritted teeth and a death glare. “I’m in a meeting right now.”
“Oh, sorry.” I say with no sincerity nor remorse as I ease further into the room. “So mom and pop Cuddy are flying in for the weekend and you’re ditching them to attend some boring oncology lecture in Atlanta. Hmmm.”
“Yes imagine me, a ‘doctor’ wanting to attend a lecture about medicine.” She answers sarcastically as I had expected her to.
“Right, a lecture you just signed up for yesterday, ‘after’ you got the call from the parents. Hmmm.”
“House!” She speaks authoritatively, her annoyance with me growing by the second. “It’s none of your business, don’t you have… I don’t know some doctoring to do? Go do it.” I take in her demeanor, the redness just on her neck and ears, the way her blue eyes turn electric green, all good indicators that I’ve just pissed her off. So with part of my mission accomplished I smile at her and then turn and leave, already formulating plans for part two of the mission; ‘attend dinner with the Cuddys’.
~~~~
“We have a new case,” Cameron begins her critique as I sit with my legs prompted up on the table, tossing my ball in the air, waiting. “A 54 year old man, he came in last night with shortness of breath, dry coughing and wheezing.” Cameron continues and she finally gains my full attention and I stare up at her, waiting for the real reason she’s brought an obvious asthma patient to me. However, Foreman isn’t as patient as I am.
“Sounds like he’s got asthma.” Foreman says with a sigh, seems my little duckies are getting bored. Granted we haven’t had a good case in over a week, but you’d think they could find ways to entertain themselves, pranking the nurses, having wheelchairs races with the people in the cancer ward, harassing Wilson. And as if on cue, Wilson walks in.
“You paged me?” Wilson says as he stood in the doorway.
“Yeah I need a consult.” I say and both Foreman and Chase stare at me baffled.
“For an asthma patient?” Chase asked. “We could do a chest CT just to make sure but I’m with Foreman on this one. The guy’s got asthma.” It really is a consensus, except the smug look on Cameron’s face suggests otherwise.
“The ER thought so too so they ordered the CT it came back negative. Also the guy came in with his two sons and next-door neighbor all suffering from the exact same thing. All symptoms manifesting themselves in stages of the past fours years.” Cameron’s finishes, folding her arms across. Usually her smugness is very cute, but when she’s smug and wrong, well that’s just ugly.
“Why am I here again.” Wilson cuts in, regaining my full attention.
“I told you, for a consult. You know Cuddy’s parents are coming in this weekend?”
“Uh, yes I believe I was the one who told you.” Wilson says but I can tell by the way he enters the room he’s intrigued, knowing I’ve formulated a plan of sabotage. “House what have you done, or plan on doing. You know she is your boss and could actually fire you.” And he says this with about as much sincerity as Cuddy does when she’s threatening to do just that.
“Why are we discussing Cuddy’s parents, we have a case.” Cameron interrupts her irritation showing.
“We’re sticking our noses in someone else’ business, I thought you of all people would appreciate that.” I say causing Cameron to turn beet red and the others in the room threw out chuckles. “Oh sorry, I forgot it only interests you if it’s my business.” I finish with a broad smile and Cameron darkens another shade of red.
“So were not taking the case?” She asked tapping her feet as if readying to throw a tantrum.
“No, go do a history and ask each of them if they were involved in the World Trade Center attack in 2001, were they rescuers or doing the clean up afterwards. When they tell you yes, do an end-expiratory high-resolution CT. Its air trapping, which doesn’t show up on a regular CT scan. Then treat it with inhaled steroids and bronchodilators.”
“Wait, isn’t that the treatment for asthma,” Foreman asks and Cameron simply stands looking like a fish out of water, and I mock and mimic her expression, knowing it would piss her off enough to have her stomp from the room in 5…4…3…2, wow that’s a record. I wait until Foreman and Chase follow her out before I continue with Wilson.
“So do you want to come to dinner with me and the Cuddy’s?” I ask Wilson.
“What? Cuddy asked you to dinner with her parents, and I thought she was attending that lecture in Atlanta.”
“She ‘was’.”
“Ok, so you called and cancelled for her, without her permission, but how in the hell did you get an invite to dinner?”
“I made the reservations. Called the Cuddy’s up and told them that Lisa got out of the lecture and she would be dining with them Saturday night at Le Chez. So do you want to go so I can call and add you onto the party list?”
“Oh no, sorry not this time. I won’t run interference for you; you deserve the full wrath of Cuddy on this one. She’s gonna kill you when she finds out.” Wilson states and I smile and wiggle my brows.
“Well I think we’re about to find out.” I say as I look over Wilson’s shoulder to the door where Cuddy crashes in.
“House, you son of a bitch!”
“I think that’s my cue to leave,” Wilson says and turns to exit only to have Cuddy cut him off.
“Oh don’t think I don’t know that you were the one to tell House my parents were coming into town. So stay, it’ll save you some time later when you seek out House for details.” Cuddy nearly growls out which is something new, and just when I thought I had invoked all of the ‘mad Cuddy’ sexiness. “Isn’t it enough that you make my professional life hell, so what now you’re bored with that and you’re moving onto my personal life too?”
“No, I’ve pretty much always delved into both areas, it’s just that your personal life is always so boring, there’s not much material to work with.” I counter, and wait for the slight pout of her lips and flare of her nose, ahhh there it is.
“I cannot believe you not only cancelled my lecture date, but you book me with dinner with my parents.”
“You can’t…are you new?” Wilson states and Cuddy shoots him a stern look, and look at that lip.
“You have to call them and cancel, tell them…I don’t care what you tell them just cancel the dinner date.”
“What’s that advise you gave me when my parents came in to visit and I asked you to help me get out of it, “Act like an adult and called them and cancel yourself.” I mimic in a girlie voice.
“I did that you idiot! You undid it.”
“Oh,” Really she had a point, no point in arguing it. “What’s the big deal it’s just your parents?” I ask and Cuddy places one hand on her hip and the other pinches the bridge of her nose. She’s calming herself at least she’s trying very hard to, which means I’ve scared her more than pissed her off.
“House just called them and cancel.”
“Nope, you wanna cancel you call and do it, but you won’t because you’ve already done that and then you rescheduled…”
“You rescheduled.” She throws in.
“Yeah, but if you cancel again well Mommy and Daddy will think their little girl doesn’t love them anymore.” I finish with my puppy face and gain an eye roll from both Wilson and Cuddy.
“Fine, I’ll just call them and make up some other excuse.” Cuddy says.
“No need to call, you can do it in person.” Cuddy’s brow bunches at my words and then her gaze follows to the direction I nod my head to. Her eyes then bugle nearly out of her head as she stares at the two people about to enter my office.
“Lisa,” The older woman who was probably in her mid sixty, though her striking features and taunt hot body would suggest she was Cuddy’s sister not her mother.
“Mom, hi.” Lisa greets and her voice and movements displayed genuine happiness at seeing her parents, ‘…and the Oscar for best actress goes to…’ Cuddy envelops her mother in a tight embrace and speaks to her father over her mother’s shoulder. “Hi daddy.”
“Lisa,” He replies as he eyes both Wilson and myself. “We thought you had other plans this weekend.”
“Uhm…well I did but I was able to get out of it.” Cuddy answers and I do believe this is the first time I’ve ever seen Dr. Lisa Cuddy nervous, is that fear I smell. Mind you Mr. Cuddy is a very large man standing at 6’6” and weighing about 300lbs, with probably 75 % of that being all muscle.
“Hmmph, and you had your male secretary call us to set a dinner date, you couldn’t do it yourself?” Mr. Cuddy asks and I swear Cuddy morphs into a five year old right before my eyes.
“I’m sorry daddy I was in a meeting, and I…”
“Who’s this House fellow anyway?” Mr. Cuddy asks disregarding Cuddy’s obvious excuse.
“That would be me,” I say already standing. “Dr. Gregory House.” I greet with a warm smile mainly directed at Mrs. Cuddy since Mr. Cuddy was giving me the hard, cold stare down.
“Hello Dr. House,” Mrs. Cuddy says as she moves and grasps my hand. “I’m Elise Cuddy and then is my husband Robert. It’s so nice to finally meet you and I must say you don’t look like the devil.” Nice even Wilson is impressed with Momma Cuddy.
“Mom,” Cuddy whispers out.
“Well he doesn’t sweetie. The way you make him sound I was expecting to see some horns, a pitchfork at least.” Oh I definitely like Elise, I now know where Cuddy gets her great looks, killer body, and her wit. “But I’m sure Dr. House is on his best behavior to impress us, I’d say enjoy it. We’re only here for two days, after which I’m sure his reign of terror will resume.”
“Naw, my reign will continue but now Cuddy will be so busy she won’t notice for a couple of days.” I state with my most charming smile, which Elise matches. “And please call me Greg.” Cuddy could only shake her head and roll her eyes in annoyance.
“What brings you guys here?” Cuddy addresses her mother but it’s her father who answers.
“Dr. House invited us to lunch, so lets go. You know I can’t stand hospitals.”
“Sure thing, let me just grab my coat.” I say as I move to the coat rack.
“You’re going?” Cuddy asks, nearly choking over the words.
“Sure, my treat.” This surprises both Cuddy and Wilson. “You care to join us Wilson?” All eyes fell to Wilson.
“Oh, mom, dad this is Dr. James Wilson he’s the head of our oncology department.”
“It’s very nice to meet you, and unfortunately I’ll have to take a rain check on lunch I have a meeting with a patient in about 15 minutes, so I should head to my office.” Wilson says making for the door, but throws me an amused look before leaving.
“So, where you guys wanna go, Mickey D’s or Wendy’s?”
~~~~
The entire lunch she had been passive; her head bowed not really joining in much on the conversation, which had intensely been about me. Me thinks the Cuddy’s see me a future son-in-law, Elise seemed overjoyed by that prospect whereas Robert, continually sized me up. Lunch had pretty much ended 20 minutes ago, when the Cuddy’s said their good-byes and ‘see you at dinner’, and then left. So here Cuddy and I sat in the playground area of Mickey D’s, slowly munching on the remainder of our fries.
“Your mom is hot.” I finally throw out knowing what Cuddy’s reaction would be.
“What? Eww,” She replies frowning at me and then returning her gaze back to her fries.
“Hey you should be thankful, you definitely got your looks from mom.”
“Yeah mom’s ok,” Cuddy says and I frown at her now, since this is not the reaction I neither expected nor was poking around for.
“And daddy?” that got a reaction, though not the one I had expected either. Cuddy shivered. “I mean is he always so pleasant?”
“No, he was pleasant just for you.” She smirks.
“So why did you lie about him?” I ask as I pop another fry into my mouth.
“I never lied about him.”
“Sure you did, you told me once that your dad was the reason you went to med school, the reason you’re such a hard worker.”
“All true.”
“Then why did he say he hates hospitals?” I probe more instantly noticing how uncomfortable Cuddy was becoming.
“Did it ever occur to you that maybe he got sick and had to be in one, and that maybe it was such a horrible experience for me that I vowed that I would be a doctor, so some other little girl wouldn’t have to see her daddy so sick?” She was a damn convincing lair when she wanted to be.
“Its plausible, except your dad’s only been in the hospital twice in his life; the day he was born and when he was 16 and he broke his collarbone, both of which happened before you were even thought of.” I say quite pride of myself, that is until I see Cuddy’s blue eyes flash a seething hatred. That’s new, I’ve seen annoyance, irritation, disappointment, anger, and sometime I’d swear there was some lust in there to. But never ever have I seen hatred towards me.
“You read my father’s medical files?” She asked and having seen the hate I’m actually ashamed of the act, and almost remorseful. “Of course you did, you’re House. You live to irritate me to cause me misery. Fine I give up, what do you want to know? Really ask me anything my life is now an open book to you. What do you want me to say? That when I was 12 my daddy raped me, and he hurt me to badly that I thought I was going to die, but I didn’t. And I figured that if I became a doctor the next time he hurt me I’d be able to fix myself, that I could somehow make it not hurt so much. Is that what you want to hear House?” I watch her, hearing the words pour from her, empty words. Words, that had I not been looking right into her eyes as she said them, I wouldn’t have taken seriously. I must have been stunned for a moment because as I blinked back to reality I can see Cuddy already getting into the cab she had flagged down. I Gregory House am a bastard.
~~~~
“So how was lunch?” Wilson asks as he enters my office, where I’ve been locked up in since coming back from lunch three hours ago. “Did you learn any Cuddy secrets?” He asks as he stands before my desk.
“Nope.” I reply as I continue twirling my cane.
“Ok your mouth says no but you faces says, ‘oh yeah’.” I look up at him now and something in my face must have given something away. “What happened?”
“I think I may have pushed Cuddy too far this time.”
“What you just now think this, you didn’t think this oh say a year and half ago when she lost 100 million over you, or a few months ago when she perjured herself for you? But you think tricking her into seeing her parents, the people who raised her has now pushed her over the edge? Fascinating.” Wilson shakes his head and then turns and leaves. I don’t call out for him to stop because I knew that if I did I would tell him what Cuddy had told me, and I knew that that would be the straw that broke the camels back in regards to my already strained relationship with Cuddy. It really would be unforgivable, since its well known that Wilson has a big mouth, and in an hours time the entire hospital would know. No I’d have to solve this ‘mess’ I’ve created on my own, and I’d have to work fast.
~~~~
I see her through glass doors of her office, I see she’s trying to look busy but finding it hard to concentrate. Her red puffy eyes and redden nose tell me that she has been crying, but I cautiously enter her office anyway.
“Please…please just go away.” She speaks in a near whisper her voice tired and defeated.
“Cuddy,” I call to her as I approach her desk but she won’t look at me. “Lisa,” I coax some more and this time she does look up at me and I can see the tears starting to form again. “I’m sorry.”
“You should be, you created the entire situation.” She throws a glare at me and then looks back down at the work she wasn’t really doing.
“I’m not talking about lunch or dinner. I think you need sometime maybe talk to someone…”
“No!” She cuts me off and silences me with a more vicious glare. “There’s nothing to talk about because nothing happened. Nothing Happened.” I nod and bow my head a bit knowing it was futile to argue. “But I think I will take the rest of the day off and go home, take a nice long hot bath and go to bed.”
“Ok, I’ll drive you.”
“No thanks, you’ve done quite enough for me today.”
“I know and I’m sorry about that, so let me make it up to you by making sure you get home safely. I’ll even get you dinner and run the hot bath for you.” She arches her brow to this but says nothing. “Come on I’ll even let you take pictures, this is great blackmail material.” I say with a slight smile and she smiles back and then with a heavy sigh, she pushes her chair back from her desk and stands.
“I want video not just pictures.” She says as she walks past me towards the door, and I simply chuckle and agree.
As soon as I had heard the news from Wilson, who had heard it from Nurse Reiner, who in turned had gained the information straight from Cuddy’s secretary my interest was peaked.
“So, I hear your parents are coming into town,” I announce as I barge into Cuddy’s office. As usual she’s with someone, most likely a potential donor for the hospital, and as usual I don’t give a crap.
“Dr. House,” Cuddy says through gritted teeth and a death glare. “I’m in a meeting right now.”
“Oh, sorry.” I say with no sincerity nor remorse as I ease further into the room. “So mom and pop Cuddy are flying in for the weekend and you’re ditching them to attend some boring oncology lecture in Atlanta. Hmmm.”
“Yes imagine me, a ‘doctor’ wanting to attend a lecture about medicine.” She answers sarcastically as I had expected her to.
“Right, a lecture you just signed up for yesterday, ‘after’ you got the call from the parents. Hmmm.”
“House!” She speaks authoritatively, her annoyance with me growing by the second. “It’s none of your business, don’t you have… I don’t know some doctoring to do? Go do it.” I take in her demeanor, the redness just on her neck and ears, the way her blue eyes turn electric green, all good indicators that I’ve just pissed her off. So with part of my mission accomplished I smile at her and then turn and leave, already formulating plans for part two of the mission; ‘attend dinner with the Cuddys’.
~~~~
“We have a new case,” Cameron begins her critique as I sit with my legs prompted up on the table, tossing my ball in the air, waiting. “A 54 year old man, he came in last night with shortness of breath, dry coughing and wheezing.” Cameron continues and she finally gains my full attention and I stare up at her, waiting for the real reason she’s brought an obvious asthma patient to me. However, Foreman isn’t as patient as I am.
“Sounds like he’s got asthma.” Foreman says with a sigh, seems my little duckies are getting bored. Granted we haven’t had a good case in over a week, but you’d think they could find ways to entertain themselves, pranking the nurses, having wheelchairs races with the people in the cancer ward, harassing Wilson. And as if on cue, Wilson walks in.
“You paged me?” Wilson says as he stood in the doorway.
“Yeah I need a consult.” I say and both Foreman and Chase stare at me baffled.
“For an asthma patient?” Chase asked. “We could do a chest CT just to make sure but I’m with Foreman on this one. The guy’s got asthma.” It really is a consensus, except the smug look on Cameron’s face suggests otherwise.
“The ER thought so too so they ordered the CT it came back negative. Also the guy came in with his two sons and next-door neighbor all suffering from the exact same thing. All symptoms manifesting themselves in stages of the past fours years.” Cameron’s finishes, folding her arms across. Usually her smugness is very cute, but when she’s smug and wrong, well that’s just ugly.
“Why am I here again.” Wilson cuts in, regaining my full attention.
“I told you, for a consult. You know Cuddy’s parents are coming in this weekend?”
“Uh, yes I believe I was the one who told you.” Wilson says but I can tell by the way he enters the room he’s intrigued, knowing I’ve formulated a plan of sabotage. “House what have you done, or plan on doing. You know she is your boss and could actually fire you.” And he says this with about as much sincerity as Cuddy does when she’s threatening to do just that.
“Why are we discussing Cuddy’s parents, we have a case.” Cameron interrupts her irritation showing.
“We’re sticking our noses in someone else’ business, I thought you of all people would appreciate that.” I say causing Cameron to turn beet red and the others in the room threw out chuckles. “Oh sorry, I forgot it only interests you if it’s my business.” I finish with a broad smile and Cameron darkens another shade of red.
“So were not taking the case?” She asked tapping her feet as if readying to throw a tantrum.
“No, go do a history and ask each of them if they were involved in the World Trade Center attack in 2001, were they rescuers or doing the clean up afterwards. When they tell you yes, do an end-expiratory high-resolution CT. Its air trapping, which doesn’t show up on a regular CT scan. Then treat it with inhaled steroids and bronchodilators.”
“Wait, isn’t that the treatment for asthma,” Foreman asks and Cameron simply stands looking like a fish out of water, and I mock and mimic her expression, knowing it would piss her off enough to have her stomp from the room in 5…4…3…2, wow that’s a record. I wait until Foreman and Chase follow her out before I continue with Wilson.
“So do you want to come to dinner with me and the Cuddy’s?” I ask Wilson.
“What? Cuddy asked you to dinner with her parents, and I thought she was attending that lecture in Atlanta.”
“She ‘was’.”
“Ok, so you called and cancelled for her, without her permission, but how in the hell did you get an invite to dinner?”
“I made the reservations. Called the Cuddy’s up and told them that Lisa got out of the lecture and she would be dining with them Saturday night at Le Chez. So do you want to go so I can call and add you onto the party list?”
“Oh no, sorry not this time. I won’t run interference for you; you deserve the full wrath of Cuddy on this one. She’s gonna kill you when she finds out.” Wilson states and I smile and wiggle my brows.
“Well I think we’re about to find out.” I say as I look over Wilson’s shoulder to the door where Cuddy crashes in.
“House, you son of a bitch!”
“I think that’s my cue to leave,” Wilson says and turns to exit only to have Cuddy cut him off.
“Oh don’t think I don’t know that you were the one to tell House my parents were coming into town. So stay, it’ll save you some time later when you seek out House for details.” Cuddy nearly growls out which is something new, and just when I thought I had invoked all of the ‘mad Cuddy’ sexiness. “Isn’t it enough that you make my professional life hell, so what now you’re bored with that and you’re moving onto my personal life too?”
“No, I’ve pretty much always delved into both areas, it’s just that your personal life is always so boring, there’s not much material to work with.” I counter, and wait for the slight pout of her lips and flare of her nose, ahhh there it is.
“I cannot believe you not only cancelled my lecture date, but you book me with dinner with my parents.”
“You can’t…are you new?” Wilson states and Cuddy shoots him a stern look, and look at that lip.
“You have to call them and cancel, tell them…I don’t care what you tell them just cancel the dinner date.”
“What’s that advise you gave me when my parents came in to visit and I asked you to help me get out of it, “Act like an adult and called them and cancel yourself.” I mimic in a girlie voice.
“I did that you idiot! You undid it.”
“Oh,” Really she had a point, no point in arguing it. “What’s the big deal it’s just your parents?” I ask and Cuddy places one hand on her hip and the other pinches the bridge of her nose. She’s calming herself at least she’s trying very hard to, which means I’ve scared her more than pissed her off.
“House just called them and cancel.”
“Nope, you wanna cancel you call and do it, but you won’t because you’ve already done that and then you rescheduled…”
“You rescheduled.” She throws in.
“Yeah, but if you cancel again well Mommy and Daddy will think their little girl doesn’t love them anymore.” I finish with my puppy face and gain an eye roll from both Wilson and Cuddy.
“Fine, I’ll just call them and make up some other excuse.” Cuddy says.
“No need to call, you can do it in person.” Cuddy’s brow bunches at my words and then her gaze follows to the direction I nod my head to. Her eyes then bugle nearly out of her head as she stares at the two people about to enter my office.
“Lisa,” The older woman who was probably in her mid sixty, though her striking features and taunt hot body would suggest she was Cuddy’s sister not her mother.
“Mom, hi.” Lisa greets and her voice and movements displayed genuine happiness at seeing her parents, ‘…and the Oscar for best actress goes to…’ Cuddy envelops her mother in a tight embrace and speaks to her father over her mother’s shoulder. “Hi daddy.”
“Lisa,” He replies as he eyes both Wilson and myself. “We thought you had other plans this weekend.”
“Uhm…well I did but I was able to get out of it.” Cuddy answers and I do believe this is the first time I’ve ever seen Dr. Lisa Cuddy nervous, is that fear I smell. Mind you Mr. Cuddy is a very large man standing at 6’6” and weighing about 300lbs, with probably 75 % of that being all muscle.
“Hmmph, and you had your male secretary call us to set a dinner date, you couldn’t do it yourself?” Mr. Cuddy asks and I swear Cuddy morphs into a five year old right before my eyes.
“I’m sorry daddy I was in a meeting, and I…”
“Who’s this House fellow anyway?” Mr. Cuddy asks disregarding Cuddy’s obvious excuse.
“That would be me,” I say already standing. “Dr. Gregory House.” I greet with a warm smile mainly directed at Mrs. Cuddy since Mr. Cuddy was giving me the hard, cold stare down.
“Hello Dr. House,” Mrs. Cuddy says as she moves and grasps my hand. “I’m Elise Cuddy and then is my husband Robert. It’s so nice to finally meet you and I must say you don’t look like the devil.” Nice even Wilson is impressed with Momma Cuddy.
“Mom,” Cuddy whispers out.
“Well he doesn’t sweetie. The way you make him sound I was expecting to see some horns, a pitchfork at least.” Oh I definitely like Elise, I now know where Cuddy gets her great looks, killer body, and her wit. “But I’m sure Dr. House is on his best behavior to impress us, I’d say enjoy it. We’re only here for two days, after which I’m sure his reign of terror will resume.”
“Naw, my reign will continue but now Cuddy will be so busy she won’t notice for a couple of days.” I state with my most charming smile, which Elise matches. “And please call me Greg.” Cuddy could only shake her head and roll her eyes in annoyance.
“What brings you guys here?” Cuddy addresses her mother but it’s her father who answers.
“Dr. House invited us to lunch, so lets go. You know I can’t stand hospitals.”
“Sure thing, let me just grab my coat.” I say as I move to the coat rack.
“You’re going?” Cuddy asks, nearly choking over the words.
“Sure, my treat.” This surprises both Cuddy and Wilson. “You care to join us Wilson?” All eyes fell to Wilson.
“Oh, mom, dad this is Dr. James Wilson he’s the head of our oncology department.”
“It’s very nice to meet you, and unfortunately I’ll have to take a rain check on lunch I have a meeting with a patient in about 15 minutes, so I should head to my office.” Wilson says making for the door, but throws me an amused look before leaving.
“So, where you guys wanna go, Mickey D’s or Wendy’s?”
~~~~
The entire lunch she had been passive; her head bowed not really joining in much on the conversation, which had intensely been about me. Me thinks the Cuddy’s see me a future son-in-law, Elise seemed overjoyed by that prospect whereas Robert, continually sized me up. Lunch had pretty much ended 20 minutes ago, when the Cuddy’s said their good-byes and ‘see you at dinner’, and then left. So here Cuddy and I sat in the playground area of Mickey D’s, slowly munching on the remainder of our fries.
“Your mom is hot.” I finally throw out knowing what Cuddy’s reaction would be.
“What? Eww,” She replies frowning at me and then returning her gaze back to her fries.
“Hey you should be thankful, you definitely got your looks from mom.”
“Yeah mom’s ok,” Cuddy says and I frown at her now, since this is not the reaction I neither expected nor was poking around for.
“And daddy?” that got a reaction, though not the one I had expected either. Cuddy shivered. “I mean is he always so pleasant?”
“No, he was pleasant just for you.” She smirks.
“So why did you lie about him?” I ask as I pop another fry into my mouth.
“I never lied about him.”
“Sure you did, you told me once that your dad was the reason you went to med school, the reason you’re such a hard worker.”
“All true.”
“Then why did he say he hates hospitals?” I probe more instantly noticing how uncomfortable Cuddy was becoming.
“Did it ever occur to you that maybe he got sick and had to be in one, and that maybe it was such a horrible experience for me that I vowed that I would be a doctor, so some other little girl wouldn’t have to see her daddy so sick?” She was a damn convincing lair when she wanted to be.
“Its plausible, except your dad’s only been in the hospital twice in his life; the day he was born and when he was 16 and he broke his collarbone, both of which happened before you were even thought of.” I say quite pride of myself, that is until I see Cuddy’s blue eyes flash a seething hatred. That’s new, I’ve seen annoyance, irritation, disappointment, anger, and sometime I’d swear there was some lust in there to. But never ever have I seen hatred towards me.
“You read my father’s medical files?” She asked and having seen the hate I’m actually ashamed of the act, and almost remorseful. “Of course you did, you’re House. You live to irritate me to cause me misery. Fine I give up, what do you want to know? Really ask me anything my life is now an open book to you. What do you want me to say? That when I was 12 my daddy raped me, and he hurt me to badly that I thought I was going to die, but I didn’t. And I figured that if I became a doctor the next time he hurt me I’d be able to fix myself, that I could somehow make it not hurt so much. Is that what you want to hear House?” I watch her, hearing the words pour from her, empty words. Words, that had I not been looking right into her eyes as she said them, I wouldn’t have taken seriously. I must have been stunned for a moment because as I blinked back to reality I can see Cuddy already getting into the cab she had flagged down. I Gregory House am a bastard.
~~~~
“So how was lunch?” Wilson asks as he enters my office, where I’ve been locked up in since coming back from lunch three hours ago. “Did you learn any Cuddy secrets?” He asks as he stands before my desk.
“Nope.” I reply as I continue twirling my cane.
“Ok your mouth says no but you faces says, ‘oh yeah’.” I look up at him now and something in my face must have given something away. “What happened?”
“I think I may have pushed Cuddy too far this time.”
“What you just now think this, you didn’t think this oh say a year and half ago when she lost 100 million over you, or a few months ago when she perjured herself for you? But you think tricking her into seeing her parents, the people who raised her has now pushed her over the edge? Fascinating.” Wilson shakes his head and then turns and leaves. I don’t call out for him to stop because I knew that if I did I would tell him what Cuddy had told me, and I knew that that would be the straw that broke the camels back in regards to my already strained relationship with Cuddy. It really would be unforgivable, since its well known that Wilson has a big mouth, and in an hours time the entire hospital would know. No I’d have to solve this ‘mess’ I’ve created on my own, and I’d have to work fast.
~~~~
I see her through glass doors of her office, I see she’s trying to look busy but finding it hard to concentrate. Her red puffy eyes and redden nose tell me that she has been crying, but I cautiously enter her office anyway.
“Please…please just go away.” She speaks in a near whisper her voice tired and defeated.
“Cuddy,” I call to her as I approach her desk but she won’t look at me. “Lisa,” I coax some more and this time she does look up at me and I can see the tears starting to form again. “I’m sorry.”
“You should be, you created the entire situation.” She throws a glare at me and then looks back down at the work she wasn’t really doing.
“I’m not talking about lunch or dinner. I think you need sometime maybe talk to someone…”
“No!” She cuts me off and silences me with a more vicious glare. “There’s nothing to talk about because nothing happened. Nothing Happened.” I nod and bow my head a bit knowing it was futile to argue. “But I think I will take the rest of the day off and go home, take a nice long hot bath and go to bed.”
“Ok, I’ll drive you.”
“No thanks, you’ve done quite enough for me today.”
“I know and I’m sorry about that, so let me make it up to you by making sure you get home safely. I’ll even get you dinner and run the hot bath for you.” She arches her brow to this but says nothing. “Come on I’ll even let you take pictures, this is great blackmail material.” I say with a slight smile and she smiles back and then with a heavy sigh, she pushes her chair back from her desk and stands.
“I want video not just pictures.” She says as she walks past me towards the door, and I simply chuckle and agree.