Disclaimer: All characters belong to David Shore, et al. No copyright infringement is intended, so please don't sue me. I'm a poor college student who has no money anyway.

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Cuddy lay awake in bed as her thoughts raced.

He has cancer. He has terminal brain cancer. What am I going to do without him? What is the hospital going to do without him?

Her mind had focused on nothing else since she confirmed with Wilson. It frustrated her that she never picked up on his symptoms, blurred vision, headaches, nausea. Not that he'd shown any of the symptoms anyway. She still should've known.

The clinical trial in Boston would place a shunt in his brain to allow the medication to travel directly to his hypothalamus. Hopefully it will have some positive outcomes. That kind of surgery was dangerous, and if he had a negative side effect to the drug, would they be able to remove it in time to keep it from killing him? Hopefully.

Hopefully the good will outweigh the bad. The trial didn't promise remission, but they hoped that they would be adding on years to these patients' lives. Even two more years would be better than one.

How am I going to replace him? He's the best diagnostician in this country.

Cuddy's thoughts were interrupted by the doorbell ringing incessantly. She covered herself with a robe and grudgingly got out of bed to answer the door. There was only one person she knew that would have the audacity to ring her doorbell at two in the morning.

"It's the middle of the night," she muttered, opening the door. "You knew I'd be asleep."

House smirked at her.

"Phone would've woken you up just as much," he pointed out. "I can't see what you're wearing over the phone."

Cuddy sighed and rolled her eyes as she stepped back to allow him to enter her home. He immediately started babbling about his current case; Takayasu syndrome, seizures, and the idea that a hemispherectomy could increase the patient's functioning.

"What does the father want to do?" she asked tiredly. She had stopped being surprised by House's insane ideas a while ago, mostly because his insane ideas usually worked.

"I don't know," he told her.

"So go wake him up," she directed, standing up and ending their conversation.

As she turned off the living room lights, House lingered behind her in the dark. She sighed heavily and turned to face him.

"House, I'm so sorry," she said sincerely.

"Forgot I was dying, huh?" he quipped lightly.

"I'm here," she affirmed. "If you need me."

"I need you," he mocked.

She smiled as he advanced and pulled him into an embrace. She had to stand up on her tip toes in order to hug him properly. She tried hard not to laugh out loud when he placed his hand firmly on her ass.

"One small feel for man, one giant ass for mankind," he proclaimed lowly into her ear.

Cuddy tried to not let her amusement show as she pulled away from him.

"Good luck in Boston," she said before walking back towards her bedroom. "Call the Make-A-Wish Foundation," she snapped without even turning around to see him begin to follow her to the bedroom.

Maybe things won't be so different she thought as she heard the door shut and lock behind him.