After his upsetting conversation with Thirteen, House was tempted to hit a bar on the way back to work and get wasted himself. Why did this matter so much to him, he wondered. She wasn't really a friend. But he'd given her the job, over lots of other worthy candidates, even after the debacle of Stark's death (he always seemed to remember the names of patients he'd lost, and rarely those of ones he'd saved). He'd been her mentor and teacher, and she returned even after Foreman had fired her, so it was clear to him that she truly loved this job and that it meant something to her. He knew from personal experience that work could help when someone was consumed by their own physical problems. Work could be a distraction and a reason to get up in the morning, could take you out of yourself by focusing on something else. If she tried to continue with it, work could help her cope, even if she couldn't do all the things she used to do or had to reduce her hours. Getting her to see that wouldn't be easy, though, he knew. She was facing something much worse than anything he had ever faced.

He got in his car and sat there for several minutes, wondering what to do next. He had to give her some space, some time to adjust to her new reality and digest what he'd said. He drove back to the hospital and went straight to Cuddy's office. He walked in and sat across from her desk, without saying a word, and she immediately knew something was wrong. His expression looked totally different from that of the funny, sexy guy she'd woken up with that morning. In fact, it eerily reminded her of the way he'd looked after Kutner died, and she shuddered at the thought.

"I stopped by your office earlier," she said. "Taub said you went to see Thirteen. From your expression I assume you found her."

"Yeah. She's started having Huntington's symptoms, and says she's taking a leave of absence, but I doubt she intends to come back at all."

"Are the symptoms severe?"

"Not yet. But she's giving up. She's depressed."

"Who wouldn't be? Did you try to talk her into returning?"

"She wasn't listening."

"Or maybe she just wasn't ready to hear. Does she have any family or other support system around her?"

"She has a father, but she mentioned to Wilson a while back that she's never told him about her positive test for the disease. He took care of her mother for years while she was dying of it and she doesn't want him to go through that again."

"Well, he'll find out sooner or later. If she has a decent relationship with him, he has a right to know."

House shrugged and looked down at the floor.

"This is hard for you, isn't it?" she asked. "You've worked closely with her for several years now."

"Knowing intellectually that this would happen someday isn't the same as watching it start to happen. She's so young."

"I know, but you've done all you can for now." Cuddy glanced at her watch. "I have a meeting in five. Can we meet for lunch later?"

"You mean here, in the cafeteria? Won't tongues be wagging if we suddenly have lunch together?"

"Well, we could go out, but my schedule's pretty busy today." She smiled at him and laughed softly. "And I'm not gonna jump you at lunch, House. Anyone watching will only see two doctors having a workday lunch."

"Where's the fun in that?" he asked, trying to get back into his playful banter with her, even though his heart wasn't really in it.

"I'll meet you in the caf at one o'clock," she said.

He got up and walked out, going back to his office. It was empty again, and he sat at his desk and debated what to say to Foreman, Chase and Taub. They'd want to know, of course, and any or all of them could be helpful in letting her know that she wasn't alone. All three of them finally showed up around noon, after working most of the morning in the clinic.

"Did you find her?" Taub asked.

"Yes. Don't expect her back any time soon."

"How was she?" Foreman asked, looking worried.

"Not good. It's mostly limited to her hands for now, but that's enough to be devastating to her."

"She was already showing the first signs of problems with them back when she was in the trial, but it wasn't enough to affect her function," Foreman said.

"Well, now it is," House replied matter-of-factly.

"I've gotta see her," Foreman said, standing up and starting to walk out.

"Give her some time," House said. "I don't think she'd be open to anyone else going over there today."

"What did you say to her, House? Did you upset her?" Foreman asked with an accusing tone.

"She was already upset. Nothing I said made a difference."

Chase approached Foreman and put a hand on his arm. "House is right. Let her process this a little before you barge over there."

Foreman shrugged off Chase's hand and said, "I'd be crazy to take relationship advice from any of you guys. I'll be the one to decide when to see her and what to say."

Foreman walked out, and the other three watched him go and then sat at the conference room table.

"He can really be a stubborn hothead sometimes," Chase said.

House nodded, but then said, "Maybe that's what she needs now."