11.
Except for a few sniffs and one or two soft coughs, a profound silence reigned over the occupants of the room. Cuddy, at a loss for words, felt more wrung out and emotionally naked than she could ever remember, save for that ill-fated night she went to House's apartment and tore his heart asunder.
But her thoughts and the stillness of the bedroom were suddenly broken by raised voices in the hall outside. When Cuddy heard Lucas' desperate plea, "Let me see her!" she moved with a quick step toward the door, the rabbi and her mother following in her wake.
Cuddy had only just gripped the door's handle when Julie's voice, nearly unrecognizable in pitch and volume stopped her.
"You stay away from my sister! Don't you ever come near her again!"
Cuddy's jaw felt like it had crashed to the floor. Too shocked to react further, she could only look to her mother whose face reflected a similar level of surprise at her sister's declaration.
Other voices joined in as the sounds and words tangled together in confusion.
And then Wilson, ordinarily calm, soothing Wilson, could be heard yelling just as loudly as Julie, "Stay away from Cuddy and her daughter you son of a bitch!"
"I have EVERY right to see my wife, my bride!"
Julie's voice raised once more above the general noise level. "You gave up any rights you ever had when you attacked a cripple from behind you sick sadist!"
Arlene and Rabbi Beinstein barely moved out of the way in time as Cuddy suddenly flung wide the door.
"What? What happened?" she fairly screamed.
"Lisa, I . . ." Lucas began, but Julie over-road him.
"Lisa, I had to tell you before . . . I saw what happened. House was in the front yard. He was walking away, he was leaving without any trouble and Lucas knocked him down and beat him up. . . really badly. Then he kicked House while he was lying on the ground. It happened so fast . . ."
Julie reached out for her sister's hand. Paralyzed with revulsion and shock herself, Cuddy numbly extended her fingers toward her younger sister.
"I just stood there and let it happen," Julie said, her voice shaking with emotion. "I should have done something. I'm so sorry."
Still clasping Cuddy's hand, she turned to face Lucas. "I didn't do anything then, but I'm doing the right thing now. No way am I going to let you marry or get anywhere near my sister and her daughter ever again. Anyone cowardly enough to beat up a cripple and kick him while he's still down is cowardly enough to hurt a woman or a child. And I'm not giving you that chance."
Wilson stepped closer to Julie, taking his place to protectively stand in front of Cuddy too. "None of us are," he said.
A panicked expression gripped Lucas' doughy features. He looked at Cuddy who was reluctant to return his gaze.
"Lisa, don't you understand? He was never going to leave you, leave us alone. He's done nothing but hurt you. That's all he'll ever do because that's all he'll ever know. He spreads misery wherever he goes because he is miserable and will always be miserable. He came here to ruin our wedding, your special day. I couldn't let him get away with that."
No one spoke. No one breathed. Finally, Cuddy's voice rang out, sounding foreign and hollow to even her own ears as she spoke into the now eerily quiet hallway.
"But he was already leaving. He didn't try and stop me. He said he only wanted me to be happy. He didn't make a scene. He didn't hurt me." She paused and then said more quietly, "House never hurt me. It was I . . . I hurt him."
She paused a second time, as if catching her breath and gathering her strength. The spell of silence continued to hold sway over everyone standing within range of the sound of her voice.
When Cuddy spoke again, her voice had grown husky with emotion.
"House didn't ruin anything. You did."
"I didn't . . .!" Lucas protested. And then his eyes turned dark, nearly black with his rage and jealousy.
"I get it! I understand!" he screamed, spit flying from his mouth in his impotent wrath. "This was always about House! You're still in love with him! Don't deny it! You still love him, don't you? Don't you?" His last words came out in a strangled shriek.
Cuddy stared at her fiancé as if he were a stranger. How could she ever have dreamed of loving him as much as House? Her thoughts and feelings of this day and for the many weeks she'd separated herself from House seemed hazy. All of her actions involving the man standing in front of her were as a mystery to her now.
All emotion seemed gone from her body. Only the smallest of candles was still lit in the deepest recesses of her heart. Though only a candle, it illuminated and clarified her true feelings. She knew then that the flame within her would only ever burn for another.
Lucas' last question still resounded in the house and echoed within her own mind.
"You still love him, don't you? Don't you?
"I do."
Silently she removed the engagement ring from her hand. As she reached out to hand it to him, Wilson intercepted her, taking the ring from her fingers and handing it to Lucas as if he didn't want Cuddy to even touch the man.
Cuddy felt that she would never forget the shocked expression on Lucas' face, the utter wretchedness with which his shoulders slumped as he took hold of the ring, pocketed it and turned away without another word.
As the front door closed behind him, the room began to spin and Cuddy felt several pairs of hands supporting her now reeling weight. She knew rather than saw Wilson pick her up, carry her back into the bedroom and lay her down on the bed. The stress of her day and the valium she'd taken earlier had finally caught up with her.
Julie brought a damp cloth from the bathroom and lovingly placed it across her sister's forehead. She then went to get ice from either the kitchen or the catering staff.
Arlene sat on the edge of the bed holding her daughter's hand. She had never felt at ease displaying affection toward her eldest. It had always been easier just to push Lisa and wait for her to either move forward or push back.
But pushing her daughter any further right now was simply not an option. Lisa was trembling at the brink and her mother instinctively knew that just the slightest breath might shove her over. Arlene's mind replayed her last conversation with House and the look in his eyes as his heart broke in pieces at her feet.
How two people had made themselves so miserable when the potential for such happiness existed, Arlene simply couldn't comprehend.
After awhile, Cuddy's eyes fluttered open. "Where is everyone? My guests . . . ?"
"Shhhh," Arlene spoke to calm her daughter. "Don't worry. Rabbi Beinstein is ushering everyone home."
"And Rachel? Where's my daughter?"
"Julie took her back to her room," Wilson said. "Everything is being taken care of. You should get some rest. Your respiration and heart rate were a little above normal."
Cuddy frowned at Wilson. "So did you call and tell him how big I screwed up this time? How much of an idiot I was? That I acted like a complete . . ."
Wilson worriedly looked at his watch. "I haven't talked to him since he left here on his motorcycle. He was going to call me when he got in to let me know he got home okay. He should've called by now."
Cuddy's eyebrows raised nearly into her hairline. "He was riding his motorcycle?"
Wilson was saved the bother of answering her question as his cell phone started playing the theme from "Animal House."
"Oh good. This is him now." Wilson placed his phone up to his ear. "House? I'm glad you called, listen I . . . Who? Emergency number?"
Cuddy sat up quickly. Arlene's hand on her shoulder kept her from jumping off the bed entirely.
"What happened? Yes. Yes. I understand. I'll be there in a few minutes." And then Wilson disconnected the call.
"Wilson?" Cuddy's eyes gazed beseechingly at him. For a moment, Wilson thought of walking out without explaining the phone call, of punishing Cuddy for her unfair treatment of his best friend and for breaking the heart House had freely given her.
But her anguished expression immediately changed his mind.
"House has been in an accident. I have to get to the hospital right away."
Cuddy pushed her mother's hand from her shoulder. "I'm going with you," she said determinedly.
One look at her face convinced Wilson that any arguments against that course of action would be futile. Any reasons he could possibly give her for not going to the hospital would fall on deaf ears.
His medical persona took over, anxious to give her the hard, cold facts. However, his motives were hardly pure. Wilson remained more intent upon sharing at least some of the blame he was feeling for letting his best friend attempt to drive home in his weakened state.
"We have to go right now. He's being prepped for emergency surgery. He's bleeding internally."
"Lisa, you're in no condition right now to . . ." Arlene said.
With a look, Cuddy silenced her mother. "I'm going mom. Now get out of my way."
She slid off the bed and took a few tremulous steps before gaining more confidence and becoming steadier in her stride.
"Oh God," Cuddy said. "I can't go dressed like this."
Wilson was already at the door. "I'm going right now. There's no time to lose."
Cuddy looked at her mother and in those silent seconds, volumes were communicated.
"Go," Arlene said. "Julie and I will look after Rachel and I'll bring a change of clothes to you later." She stood up. "Go. He needs you."
Cuddy crossed to her mother, kissed her cheek and then walked through the door that Wilson was holding open for her.