Chapter 6: Plans

Cuddy was finally able to bring Rachel home. She was still fussy, but she was home, and she was going to be okay. That was all that mattered.

This was the first real scare that she had had with Rachel. The first time that she had truly been worried about her little girl.

Cuddy walked out of the nursery and into the living room. She had finally gotten her to sleep. Plopping down on the couch, she grabbed the remote and started searching through the channels. Really, she should have been trying to get caught up on any paper work or whatever that she had missed out on while sitting with Rachel, but she was too tired.

Blankly staring forward, she started dozing off. Even though she had slept in the hospital, it wasn't that great of sleep and she desperately needed a decide night. She wanted to wait up though, to make sure that Todd got back okay, and that she didn't lock him out.

Since when did she start worrying about him like that? She wasn't his mother, or his wife. He was completely capable of getting back to her house and opening the door with the spare key that she had given him. There was no reason to sit up worrying. The last time that she worried about someone getting back home, was a few weeks back when House was taken to the mental hospital.

That struck a nerve within her. Now, there were a few mixed signals. Yes, she knew that she had cared about House, always had and probably always will. There was no denying that. Then there was Todd, who was good friends with her. Was that how she thought about both of them though?

House, it was hard to think of him as a friend. He was certainly more than a mere acquaintance. She trusted him. She believed in him enough to give him a job when no one else was willing. There was definitely the fact that he was truly a good doctor. But did she really know that when she hired him? How well did she actually know him and his abilities? That decision may have been based on some personal feelings that she had. Okay, so she really liked him, and there was evidence to back it up. Great.

Now, Todd. Friend and former boyfriend. They did date, but it was a long time ago when they were both still just kids. It wasn't that she automatically discarded any sort of relationship that she had while she was younger, it was just that they had both changed. He hadn't changed all that much, but she was pretty sure that she had. And he was there with her during a time that she did need someone.

She stopped. She needed him. Whenever she needed House, he was gone, but the minute that she needed Todd, he was there.

"Rachel okay?" Todd asked, standing in the entrance to the living room.

Cuddy jumped and looked over to him. "Hey," she greeted, catching her breath. "Yeah, she's doing a lot better. There's still a slight fever, but that's it."

Todd smiled. "Good," he responded and then grabbed a bag off the table. "I got the tyke a get well present on the way home," he informed her as he took the bag over and handed it to her.

Cuddy slightly laughed. "You didn't have to do that," she replied. She accepted the bag and pulled out a small stuffed bunny with a pink bow on it's neck. "That's cute," she stated and then smiled up to him. "Thank you," she said.

He went out and got her daughter a gift. That was a sign of him liking her. Right? Or that could be just him feeling bad that a baby had to be in the hospital. She finally just decided that she was too tired to be going over every detail like she was currently doing.

"Sure," he responded and then sat down next to her. "Oh, and I have something else to tell you. I got the job," he announced.

"Congratulations," Cuddy said as she leaned over and briefly hugged him.

"Thanks," he responded after she pulled back.

They both sat back for a moment. Cuddy was starting to wonder if the hug had been more awkward than she had thought it was and decided to move the conversation along. "So when do you start?" she questioned.

"Two weeks. So between now and then, I have to go out and find a place and then have my furniture shipped from my old apartment to the new one. It shouldn't take too long, but I'm not looking forward to that part," he explained.

"I can understand that," Cuddy responded. She had always hated moving.

"Really? You would think that someone as organized as you would find moving easy. You don't have to sort through anything before you pack. I have to go and make sure that I have the clean stuff separate from the dirty before I even begin," he stated.

"That doesn't surprise me," Cuddy said and then began to laugh. "If I recall right, the first time that you took me to your room, we had to search for your bed and make sure that there were no living creatures within the piles of junk," she explained.

Todd laughed. "Hey, I was too busy being a good student to worry about my cleaning habits," he responded. "What's more important, my future or walking through my living area?"

Cuddy laughed and held her hands up in defeat. "Fine, you win," she announced and then stood up. "Either way though, I have to go to bed."

"Good night," Todd said.

"Good night," she responded. She started towards the doorway, but then stopped. "Hey," she started and then slowly wheeled around to face him. "You want to go out to dinner tomorrow night? As a small celebration on your new job?" she offered. It was a risky move, but she had to take it.

"Sure," Todd accepted.

"All right, I'll take care of it tomorrow then," she explained and then left the room.