I hope this chapter clears up a lot of confusion for the last chapter, a few people though they'd misread something in the last chapters but that is untrue, you know everything you're supposed to because I'm filling in the blanks now, I hope you enjoy :) I am also sorry for not updating yesterday xD
And on with the story...
FLASHBACK- 15 years ago
Blinding pain seared across Cuddy's inflated stomach as another contraction ripped through her system. It wasn't just her stomach that hurt when they happened, all of her muscles felt the need to contract in sympathy, meaning even after the painful muscle cramps had subsided she still ached all over until the next wave of pain rippled through her. All the pain was giving her a headache which was making her irritable and her mother wasn't appreciating the unnecessary snipes. Cuddy's higher reasoning was telling her to stop being so sarcastic and nasty to her mother who had been so supportive through all of this even though she didn't want Cuddy to leave work for any amount of time so early on in her career. She was only 25, very young in doctor years, and she conceded to keeping her mouth shut for the rest of this painful encounter. But as another contraction made her momentarily stop breathing in sheer agony her higher reasoning was told to shut the hell up by her primitive brain and she was back to screaming expletives at anyone who entered the room.
"I need you to push with the next contraction dear" The midwife cooed from between Cuddy's legs.
Push?! Cuddy thought incredulously how can I push when I barely have enough energy to breathe? But as the next wave of pain travelled through her Cuddy told her body to stops its whining and get on with I; the pain becoming overwhelming as she contracted her muscles further, pushing her tiny baby out of her. And when the contraction subsided she slumped back in her bed, defeated.
"One more sweetie, you're nearly there now" The midwife said again, but her tone was determined and encouraging, most mothers normally expressed their unwillingness to push again, but Cuddy was strong willed and made of sterner stuff and even though the second push was harder than the first she managed and it was all worth it when they lifted up the baby to show her. To most people it would have seemed the ugliest thing in the world but to Cuddy, her little girl was perfect. Her skin was bright pink and covered in blood and white gunk, her eyes were clamped firmly shut and her mouth was flung wide open, wailing in pain and shock as oxygen entered her little body for the first time. She had a tiny crop of black hair, matted from all the liquid but Cuddy still held her close for those first few minutes of skin to skin contact.
"Martha..." she whispered in awe "Or Elizabeth? What do you think?" she asked, turning her exhausted head to face her mother who merely shrugged, staring at her granddaughter adoringly.
The midwife bundled her unnamed child away and Cuddy's mother stroked her sweat matted hair, the simple comforting action of affection was all the encouragement Cuddy needed to fall into an exhausted slumber after the most difficult 12 hours of her life. When she awoke many hours later the first thing she asked for was her baby, but her mother's face turned unexplainably sombre and she enveloped Cuddy's small hand within her own.
"I'm so sorry Lisa. Your baby died a few hours ago, you were asleep for a long time" Cuddy was faintly aware of her mother carrying on with her bereavement speech but she wasn't listening, her mind had barely processed the idea of having another life completely dependent on her and now she was being told that she would never see this child grow, become her own person and have her own children. An overwhelming sadness ballooned inside her and she managed to choke out a single request, interrupting her mother for about the billionth time that night.
"Can I see her?"
"I already went... she had a virus, she doesn't look like the child you held in your arms" she admitted, holding her hand again.
"Oh god... lets just go. I want to go home" she insisted and got up out of bed. Her body felt like she'd just been for a 10k run without warming up but nothing felt particularly wrong so she packed her things, leaving behind the cute pink baby grow she had picked out to take her home in, the car seat, the nappies, the toys. Everything was left in a neat pile on the freshly made bed with a note that held only two words 'I'm sorry'. When she got home it only took the rest of the day to eradicate all reminders that she had ever been pregnant. The nursery was dismantled, the walls painted over, the crib and all other furniture was taken apart and placed in the boot of her mother's car where she would drive it to the nearest tip to dump. All the jars of formulae and the baby bottles got thrown in the bin along with the sterilizer. In only a few hours her house looked as if she'd never been pregnant at all and it wouldn't take her body long to recover. Now with all the people and reminders gone she curled up in her bed and worked on healing her mind as well as her house and body.
Present day.
Cuddy was pulled out of her memory by the beeping of her phone that showed she had a text from Cameron Movie's done, going for dinner, probably got another two hours to do what you need to Cuddy read the text, pleased she had more time than she thought but didn't text her back. She stepped out of car and was momentarily disorientated to find herself outside of House's apartment block instead of her own home. In her spaced out, comfort seeking state she must have driven herself to a place or person that made her feel safe and cared for. She also needed to do something that involved driving for an extended period of time and she was to wired and freaked out to do it herself. So she took the stairs two at a time to his apartment and knocked on the door twice before standing in silence. He didn't answer. She knocked again, more forcefully this time and still no one opened the door so she called his name through the wood. Her voice sounded desperate and scared even to her own ears. That time, the door swung open almost instantly. She had intended on telling him to drive her to the hospital that lay nearly two hours away immediately, but his face made her feel overwhelmingly secure and she just fell into his arms, resting her head against his chest. He leant his head down and kissed her hair, sensing something had happened to make her feel vulnerable and also knowing her well enough not to probe. She would tell him when she was ready. She shifted her head around and pressed her lips to his in confirmation that whatever this was it was still happening, when he kissed her back she took it as a yes and told him of her need for a ride.
"You can drive my car, but I'm in no fit state to be behind the wheel and I need to go tonight" She pleaded desperately. He looked at the clock, it was only half past 8 so he agreed and led her in silence to her car.
"Are you ready?" he asked.
"No" she replied. She knew he was asking if she was ready to tell him what was going on but she also wasn't ready to know what she would find out at Mercy Hospital "Not quite yet. Soon" she promised.
HOUSEHOUSEHOUSE
"You don't have to keep an eye on me anymore" Martha assured Cameron, almost certain she had only insisted on dinner to make sure she would eat something before bed.
"I know" she replied "did it occur to you I brought you here because I actually like talking to you..." Cameron asked sarcastically
"Yes. But considering the events of this morning I highly doubt that's the reason... Cameron?..." Martha began to ask, but trailed off
"Yeah..." Cameron prompted her
"It's my mum's funeral next Sunday and I'm going back to England Thursday to tie up all the loose ends and come back Monday. Cuddy said she can't take me because she can't leave work for that long but she said she would give you holiday if I wanted you to come and I do because I don't want to go by myself but I completely understand if you don't want to come as well" Martha finished. Her words had slowly becoming faster and more panicked but Cameron didn't need persuading, she'd wanted to go to England all her life and even if the circumstances weren't ideal and a little sober it was still a trip to England.
"I'd love to, which part are we going to" She asked
"Well we lived in Nottingham but I'm burying mum in London, near where she grew up, so we'll be going there on Saturday night and Sunday" Martha explained, just happy Cameron had agreed to come.
HOUSEHOUSEHOUSE
Cuddy and House had travelled to Mercy hospital in silence, getting there in only an hour and a half thanks to House's lunatic driving and for the first time Cuddy didn't complain about him breaking the law or of their imminent deaths, which worried House even if the whining was annoying. When they exited the car Cuddy finally snapped out of her trance because rain had started coming down in bucket loads; neither had an umbrella and Cuddy felt it was unfair to run off and leave House so they set off across the large expanse of the car park and Cuddy decided to fill House in on the situation when he reached out and grabbed her hand. Even if they both weren't entirely certain what was going on between them, she liked it and it felt permanent so she might as well tell him before he found out himself.
"I had a baby here 15 years ago when I was 25 and I got told she died by my mom, but now I have reason to believe otherwise" she told him simply. It was all summed up so easily with on sentence, it was hard to believe the whole situation was more complicated than a rubix cube that had 40 squares on each side.
"So you're getting her records to make sure that she's actually dead and if not, find out where she is and what happened to her" House said and Cuddy nodded in agreement as they strode towards the brightly lit expanse of the hospital.
"How do you plan on getting them, we don't work here" he pointed out
"'I'm the Dean of Medicine House, it doesn't take much to get what I want from any hospital" she told him and he nodded in respect at this blatant abuse of power as they pushed through the swing doors and House saw Cuddy transform. She was wearing gym clothes but they could have been the same clothes she usually wore for work with the confidence she seemed to exude all of a sudden and she spoke in a low, clear voice that demanded the best without actually asking for it. She was so mesmerising to watch that he didn't hear what was said but in mere seconds they were being sat down at a computer with full access to every file the hospital had.
Name: Martha Elizabeth Cuddy
D.O.B: 20/02/1997
Place of Birth: Mercy Hospital
Current Residence: Unknown
Hospital Number: 37593625
Insurance Number: Unknown
Martha was the subject of a pre arranged, closed adoption to her biological aunt and her husband who reside in England at the request of the mother.
That was all that was on the first page of Martha's file and in that second Cuddy knew the DNA test had been telling the truth and House had figured out it was the same Martha that had been hanging around diagnostics. She knew he had because he was smart but he hadn't said anything, he understood she needed some time to process this information. The next page was the form legalizing the adoption that had been signed by Cuddy. Except she hadn't signed that form and that wasn't her signature, just a mediocre copy by someone who obviously knew her well. She was about to scroll to the next page when her phone rang. It was Cameron
Where the hell are you? It's nearly half past 10
I'll be back by midnight
Midnight?! I can't just leave her on her own; I can't believe I agreed to this, what did you even need to do so bad that she couldn't know about?
I'll tell you both soon, I have to go. Can I speak to her?
Sure... MARTHA! CUDDY WANTS TO TALK TO YOU!
Hey Cuddy
Hey Martha, it's late; I want you to go to bed. Cameron'll stay until I get back but I'll be there when you wake up. Goodnight sweetie
Night
Cuddy Scrolled to the third and final page of the file. A paternity test
"I never even asked for this. It didn't matter, she was mine that's all I cared about." She said, dumbfounded. At first she refused to look at it but House talked some reason into her
"It's there. You mares well know who her dad is"
Paternity of Martha Elizabeth Cuddy
Two possible fathers: David Malone, Gregory House
Paternity:
David Malone: NEGATIVE
Gregory House: POSITIVE
Gregory House and Lisa Cuddy are the proven biological parents of Martha Elizabeth Cuddy
House was so shocked he couldn't speak, Cuddy pleaded with him to say something, anything. She was terrified the fragile beginning of their relationship was irreparably broken and he would leave without a backwards glance. He wasn't angry, he wasn't upset but at the same time he wasn't elated or even surprised. He just had the same three words whizzing around his head
Martha's my daughter, Martha's my daughter, Martha's my daughter
So there we go, thank what you like...
As always, please review