A/N: Thanks for the comments guys, keep'em coming. The more I get the faster I'll post more.
The girls had wandered the hospital and lost track of time playing a video game they found hooked up in one of the rooms in pediatrics. After that, they went outside to the courtyard. It had been close to an hour and a half since they had left the office. They were on their way back to Cuddy's office when they saw her come around the corner with fire in her eyes. She was no more than 5 feet away from them.
"Oh crap," Madison said as they both turned to try and run.
"Not so fast," she said grabbing their shirts to keep them from walking away.
"Why are you in the hallway?" she asked, trying not to loose it on them in front of everyone walking through the hospital.
"Because you brought us here," Hayden stated, sarcastically. "You know, this morning when you came to work."
"Hayden," she glared at her, and continued trying to remain calm, "don't start with me. Not now, I am not in the mood."
She stood there for a moment, looking back and forth between them trying to let some of her anger pass and trying to figure out what would be the consequences for disobeying her.
"In my office now," she said stepping aside to let them pass. She glared at both of them as they walked pass her, and then she followed.
As they got closer to the clinic, she saw House walking off of the elevators. She knew he was about to go home, because she had been not so kindly informed that he had cured his patient, and the trouble he had caused in doing so. She thought twice about reprimanding him about it at that moment, having the girls there and all, but it wouldn't make any sense to her to talk to him tomorrow about something he did today.
"I need to see you in my office, "she said glaring up at him as she walked by.
He looked at the girls walking in front of her and decided he didn't want to handle being in the same room with them again.
"Okay," he offered when she was a few steps pass him, "I'll come in first thing in the mor-…"
"Now," she commanded, holding the clinic doors open as the two girls entered.
He hesitated before starting to walk towards her. After they had entered her office, she followed behind him with war raging in her mind. Before she could start however, the phone rang. The girls had now sat on the sofa in the office, both a little mad and nervous about the scolding and added punishment they were about to receive.
"Princeton-Plainsboro Hospital, this is Dr. Lisa Cuddy speaking how may I help you," she said in the nicest voice rolling her eyes at all three of them. She continued on with the conversation as House tried to get more comfortable with being in the room with all three of them again. He heard a loud sigh and then he heard his oldest daughter's voice.
"So, what are you in for?" He looked down to the couch and they were both looking up at him. He decided it would be best to answer them instead of ignoring them. After all, he didn't want them to think that he hated them, because that was as far from the truth as you could possibly get and beyond.
"I'm not sure," he said studying their faces trying to take in what facial features they had kept since last time he saw them and which had changed. "I've narrowed it down to five possible things, but judging from her demeanor," he said looking at Cuddy and squinting his eyes a little, "I'm going to say the thing that causes the biggest law suite."
He looked back down at the girls to see smiles that read of amusement on their faces. This made him comfortable enough to continue the conversation.
"What about you two?" he asked.
"You know, the usual." Hayden began. "Living life, having fun. The things she doesn't allow us to do."
"Really?" he replied sounding a little surprised. "I thought I was the only one she did that to."
The girls smiled again, happy that someone was on their side.
"Cool, jacket," Madison managed to get out before they heard the phone slam down on the hook drawing all of their attention back to her.
"I take it, the call didn't go too well," House said sounding sarcastically serious.
"Shut up House," she quickly snapped at him before deciding to deal with the girls first. She knew he was uncomfortable and decided to keep him there a little longer before letting him out of the awkward situation.
"Why did you leave this office, when I specifically told you not to?" She asked the girls, still trying to keep calm as she walked around the desk. They both just sat there avoiding eye contact with her.
"Hayden and Madison, I am talking to you two?"
"Oh, I thought you were talking to him," Madison said earning a convicting stare from her mother.
He just sat back and watched the three of them. It was kind of funny to see Cuddy in this state when the person on the receiving end of her wrath wasn't him. At one point, one of the girls had tried to explain why they had left, but she cut them off and continued to half yell half talk to them about how mad she was and about the punishment they were going to receive. He looked over at the girls, who just sat there taking it all in and letting it bounce off of them at the same time. They looked down at the carpet beside her feet the whole time, avoiding eye contact with her.
He looked at them reacting to their mother's actions more than her words. They were so beautiful. Hayden was now fifteen and looked the same as the last time he saw her, with her facial features being just a little more defined than her sisters. He could tell by their short conversation and her reaction to Cuddy's rant that she was very outspoken and gave her mother the most trouble out of the two of them. This didn't surprise him though. She was always the most demanding and outspoken of the two girls. Then he looked at his youngest daughter who was now twelve, making thirteen in a few weeks. He surveyed her over sized cheeks and her heart shaped face. He could tell she could also dish out her own share of trouble.
He wanted to know more about them, about what was going on in their lives, if they still had the same likes and dislikes, and if not which had changed, and everything else he could possibly know about his two little girls that weren't so little anymore. For a minute he wanted them back in his life, he wanted to be the father he once was to them, but he knew he couldn't allow that. So, he did what he does best and stepped away from the edge that could possibly lead into an abyss of happiness, out of fear it would only lead to heartache and destruction for them and him also. He snapped out of it when he realized Cuddy was finishing up one argument and ready to start the next with him.
"When are you going to give our guitars back?" Madison asked showing her biggest concern out of everything her mother had just said.
"Really Madison?" Cuddy said exasperated, making the girl shrug her shoulders and hold out her hands as if asking 'What?'.
"Out of everything I just said, that was all you got out of it?"
The girl sat back further into the sofa folding her arms and shaking her head as she looked out of the window at the sky that was once bright turning a pale yellow and orange color. Cuddy shook her head and turned around to face House.
"I guess I'm next in line for a smack down," he said stretching his eyes.
"Why did you grab your patient's girlfriend's breast!" She said ignoring him.
The two girls let out a slight chuckle, but she quickly silenced them with a mean stare. She then turned back to House.
"I didn't grab her breast," he replied in his defense. "She was smuggling him something that was making him sick. I had to find out where she was hiding it. "
"Okay, so why did you grab her breast?" Cuddy asked again still not hearing an answer she deemed acceptable to the question she had asked.
"Well did you see the size of those things?" House asked. "I figured if she could hide it anywhere…"
"Enough," Cuddy snapped silencing him and the soft giggles that she heard coming from behind her.
"Couldn't you have just asked her?" She asked him. By now she could see Madison's hand being slowly raised from her peripheral. "What?" she snapped at her.
"Nothing," the girl quickly replied, putting her hand in her lap and looking towards the ground. She turned her attention back to House.
"Hmm, ask her. That brilliant idea never seemed to cross my mind," he said sarcastically. "Because people usually readily give up information on things they are smuggling."
She folded her arms in resignation. "Go and apologize House," she said with a pleading look in her eyes.
"Apologize for what?" he asked seemingly surprised. "I was the one that helped to save his life, she was the one killing him."
"This hospital cannot afford another law suite due to your antics," she told him.
"Uh, people usually come to this hospital because of my antics," he said matter-of-factly.
"Just go and apologize," she said turning around trying to end the conversation.
"What's in it for me?" he asked.
"I'll give you two weeks of clinic instead of four," she said leaning on her desk and folding her arms.
"How about you take two weeks off of what I already have," he suggested.
"Or how about I give you the whole four and add six more to that," she retorted leaning her head to the side a little, daring him.
He looked her up and down deciding if he should try to continue the conversation. He looked at the girls on the sofa, who were now preoccupied with their own thoughts, and thought about the argument she had just had with them. He looked back at her, and decided he wasn't going to win this battle, not with her this angry. He adjusted his backpack on his shoulder and turned around to go apologize to the patient and his girlfriend. She sighed, happy he had not given his usual exhausting argument. She walked around her desk ready to finish up her last business of the day at the hospital.
