Title: Confessions

Rating: T

Disclaimer: I do not own anything

Minor spoilers in reference to Season 3

Summary: Cuddy is faced with a suspected case of abuse and tries to help the victim. But her willingness to help puts her in a dangerous position and she begins to fear for her life.

!!Huddy!!!

Chapter 2

"There you are!" House called limping into Natalie Fisher's hospital room. "I hear you really did a number on the poor girl."

Cuddy didn't reply and she didn't look up from the file she was reading

"I always knew you had a dark side." He stopped next to the chair she was sitting in "Killer Cuddy." he psoke as he grabbed the file "It's got a nice ring to it."

"Are you done?" Cuddy responded, a hint of irritation in her voice.

"That always sounds bad when a woman says it."

Cuddy sighed "Can I help you with something?"

"She had a seizure." House commented flipping through pages.

"I know." Cuddy replied "I was there."

"So why is she still here?" he asked "Wake her up and ship her out!"

"What do you mean?" Cuddy retorted

"Are you going to try and play savior?" he sighed taking a seat near Cuddy "Because if you are I want a heads up. These things tend to get ugly."

"Why do you have to be like that?"

"Like what?" House closed the file.

"Like that!"

"Like." He paused; "House?"

"Yeah." She sighed keeping her eyes on the sleeping women

"She has no record of Epilepsy." Cuddy began "or any history of seizures. Period;"

"That's not a surprise. I would assume that healed wound in the back her head would be reason enough for her brain to start shooting off at the mouth." He motioned to the women.

"I was…." Cuddy stopped when she noticed Natalie's eyes open.

Natalie sat up and looked around

"What happened?" she managed to squeak out a few words.

Cuddy was next to her in seconds.

"You had a seizure. You're okay now. You're going to be fine. But we should run some tests to eliminate any….."

"What time is it?" Natalie asked

"It's a little after five pm." Cuddy replied. "How are you fee…."

Natalie interrupted her again "I have to go."

Cuddy looked over at House, who had no intentions on helping out.

"Your wrist." Cuddy stopped her "It's a mild sprain. You have to..."

"It will be fine." Natalie pulled her arm away. "Where are my clothes?"

Cuddy pointed to a small basket at the end of the bed.

"You shouldn't leave." Cuddy advised her "You have a concussion."

"I fell off of a chair." Natalie quickly threw out an answer.

"The same chair your loving hubby threw at you?" House jumped in.

Natalie didn't reply

"You're not fooling anyone." House continued "What do you take us for?"

Natalie looked from Cuddy to house.

"Let's level here, women to women to man." He began "You know and I know and Killer." He motioned to Cuddy "Knows, ….."

"House!" Cuddy attempted to stop him from being insensitive

"That your concerned and sensitive husband is really a wife beating maniac." he ignored Cuddy

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Natalie denied his accusation

"It started right after the 'I do's', and then monster emerged."

Natalie shook her head "Stop it!"

"Let me guess. When he's finished beating on you, he tells you he's sorry and you.."

"House!" Cuddy called his name again " Enough!"

"Natalie." Cuddy began "You're body can't take much more of this. If you need help" she looked over at House "We can get you help."

"I..." Natalie began as tears formed in her eyes "I need he..."

"Natalie!"

House, Natalie and Cuddy looked toward the door.

"Baby." Her husband Marcus came rushing in "What is going on here?"

Cuddy turned to the man. "Your wife had a seizure. She needs medical attention."

"A seizure?" he acted confused "Why would she have a seizure, she's not sick."

"You're right, she isn't, but a person can only have their head bounced around so much before the brain bounces back."

"Come on!" he grabbed his wife's clothes "I'm getting you out of here."

Marcus took his wife by the arm and led her from the hospital.

"Mr. Fisher your wife is hurt." Cuddy went after them "You can't just…"

"What did you say to her?!" Marcus turned back to Cuddy

"I.." Cuddy began

"You've got my wife in tears, What kind of doctor are you?" he glared

Cuddy shrugged off his intimidating demeanor "With all due respect sir.."

"Cuddy!" House grabbed her arm. "Stop;"

The two watched for a second time as Natalie Fisher was led out of the hospital.

"Well." House began "He wasn't undressing you that time, I was more like..."

Cuddy pulled from his grip "I know you have a hard time caring about anyone but yourself, but that women clearly needs help."

"Not our help!" House told her "Besides you don't even know if he did anything! You have no proof that she's in trouble, she could be clumsy."

"I just know."

"Well you can't save the world on a whim." House retorted

"She's was going to tell us!" Cuddy reminded him "Right before he stormed in!"

"But she didn't, If she wanted help." he snapped "If she wanted out, she would have stayed, she woudn't have left with him."

"She's afraid of him. She didn't have a choice!"

"Everyone has a choice." he paused " Just like I do, and mine is to let her handle her own problems, because you and I both know I have a great deal of my own. Do you really think squaring off with a man twice the size of you is going to help anyone?"

"So this is about you?" she ignored his last question.

"Isn't is always?" he replied

"I'm going to help her whether you want me to or not. Whether you are going to help or not."

House watched as Cuddy walked toward her office "Why do you care?" he tried to stop her.

"Get out!" she sat down at her desk "If you're just going to be an insensitive jerk, I don't want to hear it!"

"Why do you care? Why her? You see hundreds of women and men and children in a week, hell sometimes half that in a day! There's always some back story, someone is always suffering, Why do you suddenly feel the need to help out beyond your means?"

"So you're saying that even if we know her husband is beating her, we are supposed to act like it's not happening?"

"I tend to keep my nose out of business it doesn't belong in!"

Cuddy snickered "Are you serious? Gregory House? Your life is based on sticking that nose in other people's business."

"He's a cop if you hadn't noticed. What difference would it make?"

"It shouldn't matter who he is!"

"You're right" House agreed "But it does matter! Do I need to remind you of Tritter?"

"No." Cuddy sighed

"What are you going to do? Make an anonymous phone call and then fade into the crowd? That's not helping, that's being a coward and causing trouble!"

"NO, I would.."

House cut her off "You can't can't repeat anything she says anyway. And in case you forgot, you are the Dean of medcine, I would have thought you were familiar with a thing called confidentiality!"

"I am!" she snapped

"Good." House turned to leave the office, confident he had convinced her.

"I need you to call your P.I. for me."

House stopped in mid-stride and turned back to Cuddy.

"I'm sorry, when I said you should leave it alone, it didn't have any hidden meanings, it was me being polite, what I really should have said is you are an idiot doctor who needs to mind her own damn business."

"If you won't call him, I'll just find him on my own."

House nodded "This is insane, you." he pointed his cane at her "Are insane." he turned and limped out of her office.

TBC