House was sitting at his desk when Cuddy knocked on his door once then opened it around 1:00. "You still want that sandwich?"
He got up, grabbed his cane and walked toward the door. "Shouldn't you tell your team first?"
House turned and looked into the adjoining room and saw his team sitting at the table looking at him confused, who were waiting for him to come back into the room which he excused himself out of a few minutes before to get the file to the patient they were talking about diagnosing. "Nah, they're fine."
They went into the elevator together and rode down in silence. When they reached the lobby to cut across to the cafeteria they were getting looked at by all the members of the staff. All knowing what House did and why Cuddy left, they were confused to see them together and weren't hiding it. She was trying to dodge the looks while House was walking with his head held high. "Look at all the attention you get when you walk around with me," he paused. "I bet they are all wondering what's going to happen. Like Ross and Rachel; will they, won't they get back together?" He looked at her and gave a nervous look which she rolled her eyes at.
"They are not looking at us that way, and this is just lunch. A BUSINESS lunch," she corrected, looking at him sternly.
"Psh, yeah! Try telling them that," he motioned to the nurses they passed who were looking at them.
She ignored her surroundings and they walked the rest of the way to the cafeteria in silence. After they both got their food, with Cuddy paying, as agreed, they took a table furthest away from everyone else.
"Okay, House, so who's the guy?"
He gave a look of surprise while chewing on his sandwich. "That's rather sexist of you. Why do you assume it's a guy? Although, I see your point."
"That's not what I meant."
Something seemed different about her, he couldn't figure out what, but he started to study her closely. "So you want the guys name then?"
"That's why I'm here," she grabbed her coffee and took a sip, waiting.
"His name is-" he scrunched up his face in thought, "Gerg Esuoh."
"That's your name backwards," she said stone faced, not amused at all.
"Oh, that's right, I thought it sounded familiar. I'm sorry. Asil Ydduc?"
"Nope. Try again."
He paused, taking a second to think. " Thirty-one. Actually, that's a name I gave him, because I just can't remember his real name-" he looked up in thought.
She sighed and held her forehead with her left hand that was resting on the table a second ago. "My sister was right."
He gave her a confused look, "right about what?"
"There is no guy is there? You're just stringing me along, like it's a game. I don't know why she saw it and I didn't," she was shifting in her seat about to get up.
"Yeah, because your sister knows me SO well," he scoffed.
She grabbed her coffee and her sandwich after putting her purse strap that was sitting next to her on her right shoulder, still getting ready to leave, when he stopped her. "No, wait," he reached out and touched her right arm that was on the table, helping her shift out of the booth. "There is a guy. Really."
"Then what's his name." She asked, losing her patients.
"I...don't want to give you his name."
She sighed loudly, "why not?"
He lowered his head, but his eyes were still on her. "Because if I give you the name, it'll be like you are replacing me."
"For my hospital, yes."
"Why do you need a Diagnostics Department, anyway?" he asked, trying to steer the conversation away.
She just stared at him blankly. "Unbelievable. Goodbye, House. I have to get back to work," she slid out of the booth, threw away her lunch, and walked away.
"But I do really know a guy!" he shouted out after her but she kept walking. He watched her leave the cafeteria and turned his head and saw that everyone near him was looking at him. "What? Don't you have something better to do? Go save lives!" He looked down at his barely touched sandwich, grabbed it, stood up and walked passed the garbage and dumped it in there just like Cuddy, and started to make his way back to his office to be with his team. He needed a distraction...