The Pursuit Begins (When This Portrayal of Life Ends)
Thirteen raised her hand and rapped gently on the door to Cuddy's office.
"It's open!" she heard the Dean of Medicine call from inside. She sounded distracted, probably busy with late-night paperwork.
Thirteen opened the door and stepped inside the warm office. Cuddy raised her head and smiled softly at the young doctor.
"Doctor Hadley, what can I do for you?" Cuddy asked.
"Well, um... I just came to give this to you," Thirteen replied. She walked over to the desk and set the large white envelope she'd been holding on the desk in front of Cuddy.
"What's this?" Cuddy asked.
Thirteen took a deep breath and said, "My letter of resignation."
Cuddy arched an eyebrow in surprise. "Resignation? You've barely just started. House can't be that bad already."
"I have Huntington's," Thirteen blurted.
Cuddy's face softened upon hearing that. "The test was positive?" she asked, and Thirteen simply nodded. "And you think you should quit because of that?"
"This disease will slowly kill me. I'll lose control of everything. My mind, my body. What good am I to you?"
Cuddy smiled softly. "You're much prettier to look at than Kutner and Taub," she said, only half-joking.
Thirteen couldn't help the laughter that escaped her lips.
"Look, Remy," Cuddy said. She removed her glasses and leaned back a little in her chair, then continued. "You can't quit simply because you're afraid of what this illness will do in the future. As far as I can tell, you haven't started exhibiting any symptoms yet, and until you do, you are still a very valuable part of this hospital. You are a part of House's team. I expect you to give him hell for as long as humanly possible."
Remy smiled at that. Slowly, Cuddy got up from her chair and crossed the room to stand in front of the younger woman. She placed her hands on Remy's shoulders, felt them slump slightly, then she leaned forward and pulled the doctor into a tight embrace. Remy stiffened instantly, unsure of what to make of Cuddy's actions, but when she felt the tears begin to sting her eyes, she wrapped her arms around the older woman and let the tears flow freely while she sobbed into Cuddy's shoulder.
"Remy," Cuddy whispered when the younger doctor's sobs had subsided. The tone of her voice was much more intimate than before as she pulled back slightly to look into blood-shot crystal blue orbs. She tucked a stray strand of dark hair behind Remy's ear and wiped a tear away with the pad of her thumb. "You can do this. I know you can. You don't need to be afraid. And if you ever need someone, I want you to know that I'm here for you. No matter what. I mean that," she reassured.
Remy wiped the remaining tears from her eyes and managed to smile, one of those rare but ridiculously beautiful smiles that made Lisa Cuddy's heart flutter with emotion. "Thank you, Lisa," she said.
"It's not a problem," Lisa assured. "You should go home, try to get some sleep. It's getting late."
"What about--"
"Don't worry. I'll put it through the shredder."
"Thanks."
"Go. Get out of here."
"Okay. Good night, Dr. Cuddy," Remy said, as she turned to head for the door.
"Good night, Dr. Hadley."