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On the morning of Cuddy's 43rd birthday, she walked into her kitchen to find it to be empty. She looked around for her boyfriend Lucas, who was nowhere to be seen. He was a private investigator so sometimes he was there and most times he was not.
Cuddy sighed. I guess my birthday is going in the 'not' category.
She shrugged it off though, because loneliness was something she was used to. Anyways, Cuddy wasn't the type of person to expect things to be given to her for her birthday. She just tried to spend the day being happy. It was a weekday, so she had to get to work soon. She gathered herself and headed off towards her beloved hospital.
Upon arriving she was greeted with a few birthday wishes. They were mostly from the nurses and doctors she was closest to. She would smile broadly and say thank you, though really she wished she could see Lucas.
Walking to go see Dr. Hourani, he was complaining again, she decided to take the stairwell so she could give Lucas a call in private.
The phone rang five times before Lucas picked up.
"Hey, babe." He answered.
"Hi. I was wondering where you wanted to go out for a date tonight." She smiled.
"A date? What's the occasion?"
Her smile faltered. Was he messing around with her? Did he really forget her birthday?
"It's, uhm, my birthday."
"Are you kidding me? I thought that was April."
"No, October." She said with a slight disappointment in her voice.
"I am so sorry, Lisa. I'll make it up to you. I promise."
"It's okay. Dinner tonight-"
Lucas groaned. "I can't tonight, babe, I'm so close on this case. I promise any other night." She felt her spirits drop even further.
"Oh. Well, I guess I'll just tie up loose ends at work and maybe get something at the local bar. Rachel is already spending the night with her favorite play date."
"Okay, I really am sorry."
Cuddy didn't say anything, she just hung up. She'll admit she was a little upset about it. She was looking forward to seeing Lucas, and especially having a nice night out with him. A break from work to just celebrate had been what kept her going all week.
She made her way down to the OR to see what Hourani was fussing about this time.
[H] [H] [H] [H]
Finally after haggling with her neurosurgeon, Cuddy walked back to her office. Hourani was just such a frustrating doctor. He was good at what he did but he assumed he had more power than he did and threatened too much.
There really only was one doctor that could do what they wanted in this hospital.
On top of that, when she was walking through the fourth floor nurse's station she bumped into a young nurse carrying coffee and had it poured down the front of her shirt. It had been scalding hot.
She pushed past the doors of her office and sat on her couch. Cuddy was becoming increasingly exhausted and wanted nothing more than to just stay alone in her office. Her forehead was in her hands.
Some birthday, she thought to herself.
Glancing up, she saw a flower on her desk. A rose, just one rose. At first she assumed it was an apology from Lucas, but he wouldn't have had enough time to have flowers delivered and certainly not just one. She stood up, definitely suspicious now.
Cuddy reached forward and picked it up, and she was in awe at its beauty. She looked at the note tied around its stem.
It doesn't have a single flaw.
X
It wasn't signed. Cuddy knew who it was from though. Who else but House? Untying the note slowly, she ran her fingers along the slender stem. The rose thorns had been removed. She brushed her fingertips across the petals, but so lightly. House was right. It was flawless.
She was confused though. She knew House had wanted to be more than just friends, he had made this perfectly obvious to her, but this gesture seemed almost out of character.
When she saw House, she decided, she would ask him about it.
But all day he was nowhere to be seen. He wasn't in the clinic (that was normal), and he wasn't seen in the lobby at all. While she was in the cafeteria she scanned the room for him, coming up empty handed. Eventually she wandered up to his office and neither he nor his team was there.
By the end of the day she was disappointed she wouldn't get to ask him about it. It was about 7:00pm.
As soon as she began to pack up for a night at home alone though, he came into her office. He made such a silent entrance that Cuddy didn't notice him slowly limping in till she saw movement out of the corner of her eye.
"Hi." He said.
"Hi." Cuddy replied. She searched his face before asking, "Have you been avoiding me today?"
He shrugged. "A little."
"The rose was… beautiful." She said. Cuddy looked into his eyes and they had this indescribable moment, almost a mutual understanding. Cuddy wasn't quite sure what the mutual understanding was, but they both understood. She felt it. It really could not be described.
House cleared his throat. "It's not just any rose. None of the petals have flaws." He looked down at the floor of her office before continuing. "It's perfect. Like you." He tapped his cane on the carpet uncomfortably. House looked back up at her. Cuddy was surprised by this.
The truth hit her like a thunderbolt. Cuddy could clearly see House was in love with her.
They looked at each other for a while, till the eye contact had become almost indecent.
"No one's ever given me something like this before. A gift this pure and wonderful."
"I spent a while looking for the right one." He said.
She stood up and began to walk toward him. She wanted to give him a gesture, something, to show him how much this really meant to her. To show him how much he meant to her.
"House-" Just as she began her sentence, Lucas burst through her door loudly. He carried with him a dozen roses.
He brushed past House and put his arm around Cuddy's waist, kissing her temple. She suddenly felt like Lucas was invading her personal space. House continued to keep his gaze meeting hers, but it had a sad twinge to it now.
"I feel terrible, Lisa. I got out of work tonight. The guy I'm trying to catch cheating on his wife was actually with her tonight. So nothing to investigate this time around."
Cuddy smiled warily. She felt as if Lucas had just ruined such a divine moment, because he did.
He handed her the bouquet, and as she reluctantly took it she drew in a breath of surprise. She pierced her finger on a thorn.
"Ouch, I cut my finger." She muttered.
Setting the large bouquet of flowers on her desk, she brought her finger to her mouth. It was bleeding. She glanced up. House had turned around and leaving her office. The moment had passed.
She was vaguely aware of Lucas apologizing again, but she was too occupied in watching House limp across the lobby.
"Lisa?"
"What?" she snapped out of it and looked at him.
"I asked if you wanted a Band-Aid."
"Oh. No thanks, I'll grab one from the clinic on our way out."
Lucas began to tell her about his day, though Cuddy couldn't say she was really listening. She was looking at the rose on her desk, the lone flawless rose, and she thought about how House had taken the time to seek this specific one out for her. How he had removed the thorns for her, and how she loved it more than any of dozens and dozens of flowers anyone else could have tried to give her.
After all, it's the rare man who understands the value of a single perfect rose.
The first portion took me a long time to get, tell me how you think it turned out.