Title: Past Recovery
Category: House, M.D.
Pairings: Eventual House/Cuddy, Wilson/OFC, past Wilson/Amber, past OFC/OMC, hints of House/Wilson
Genre: Angst, Humor, Romance
Rating: M
Full Summary: Life goes on day after day at Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital. Patients come and go, students become doctors, diseases are diagnosed, treated, and cured. But, every once in a while, life throws a curve-ball. Every once in a while, something happens to bring truth to everyone involved. Every once in a while, the hospital must face the fact that some things are past recovery...
Authors Notes: Welcome to our wonderful fic! We hope you enjoy it!
Past Recovery
It was the beginning of a typical work day at Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital. The bitter cold of January was visible on and through every window that faced outside. Thankfully, it hadn't snowed too much that week, so there was only the layer of frost covering the hospital grounds. Because of the chill, however, not many of the doctors employed there lingered too long outside to appreciate the wintry beauty. One doctor in particular avoided it.
The chill air always made the pain in his leg worse. House's brow furrowed as he sat in the conference room attached to his office, idly rubbing his damaged leg with one hand, while he occupied the other with his cane. His cane. The instrument which assisted him in his life's endeavors. He contemplated it, momentarily. How could a piece of wood evoke such powerful feelings and imagery, and yet be so simple in design?
A cane.
It's for old people, lamed people. A symbol of infirmity. A visible handicap that allowed people to assume certain things. Some things House didn't mind, some he did. It gained him certain liberties, a sort of notoriety. On the other hand, he needed it because he was crippled. He didn't like having to depend on something that he could lose so easily.
House's lips twisted in a wry smirk, self deprecating. Then there was Lisa Cuddy. He was emotionally crippled in respect to his feelings. He denied that he had them, or at least didn't indulge in any positive emotions like love. It was all just chemical reactions. He didn't have a visible crutch that revealed to all of his feelings toward his boss. No emotional cane he depended on could give the game away.
His unspoken feelings for his boss aside, there was that failed adoption. Well, second failed adoption. It had to be a sign, if he believed in signs and portents of otherworldly origins, which he didn't. Cuddy just wasn't meant to be a mother. He sighed, gustily. He needed an edge, some way to control the situation. Some way to shake up the game, shuffle the deck, 'cause things were getting boring.
House saw Wilson walk past, but paid the oncologist little mind. House had been feeling a little off lately, and it wasn't just because of the pain in his leg that was getting worse by inches every day. It was complicated. Maybe even Stacy level of complicated. House mused on this point, then shook his head, smirking wryly. Nah.
Meanwhile, an interview was finishing up in Cuddy's office. The head of the Cardiology department had recently passed, and there had been an immediate interest in filling the spot. Cuddy had looked over dozens upon dozens of applications before finding one that seemed promising. So, she'd made the call and scheduled the interview. Now, as she stood and shook the hand of the new Cardiology head, Lisa Cuddy was glad she made the call.
"Welcome to Princeton-Plainsboro, Doctor Fraser," she said professionally, making the official staff greeting. "Your office is on the fourth floor. I'll have someone stop by later today to have your name embossed on the door."
"Thank you Doctor Cuddy." Doctor Fraser smiled, shaking the older woman's hand. "I just want to say how much this means to me getting this position, at such a prestigious institution no less." She added. It was true, she was glad to get away from her previous hospital, away from her mother's shadow.
"I have a feeling you'll do wonderfully here," Cuddy started to say, but her pager chose that moment to go off, the distinctive trill slightly muffled in the pocket of the lab coat. Sighing, she pulled out the device and looked at it. "We'll have to talk again some other time. I hate to rush out and leave you to figure it out on your own, but I'm needed for a consult," she finished, honestly disheartened by the fact that she would not be able to fill in the details of the case file that had been left in the clinic for the next Cardiology head.
"There's a case file for your first patient in the clinic. Tell Carla you're the new head of Cardiology." Giving an apologetic smile to her newest employee, Cuddy walked around her desk and left her office, glancing at her watch. She hoped this wouldn't take long. She had last weeks clinic hours to total.
"I hope so." Dr. Fraser replied, and heard the familiar sound of a pager going off. "I look forward to talking to you again." She called out watching the older doctor leave the office. "Alright Angel, let's get moving." She mumbled to herself, exiting the office after Cuddy. Fourth floor, that's where she was headed. Pressing the elevator button, she waited patiently for the elevator to arrive. This was a whole new ball game, and Angel was glad to finally be out of the bullpen.