07. procrastination
Midnight Revelations (Stargazing)
"What's up?" House limped into Cuddy's office and took a seat on one of her couches.
"Don't you have anything to do other than bug me?" Cuddy said without looking up, smiling in spite of herself.
House pointed his cane at her desk. "What's with all the boxes?"
Cuddy raised an eyebrow. "You mean you don't already know?"
"My sleuthing skills took a holiday and forgot to inform me."
Cuddy allowed herself a small laugh. "I'm leaving for a couple of weeks, thought I'd clean up a bit."
"Conference?"
"No. I just need a break, that's all."
"Oh." House replied dully.
"You remember to be a good boy and behave while I'm gone." Cuddy added sarcastically, hoping for the spitfire response she knew to expect.
"I'll do my best." House promised evenly. Without giving her so much as a glance, he left her office.
Cuddy settled onto her couch and sighed. She had two weeks free to herself, so why did she feel so empty? How was she supposed to spend two whole weeks without the duties and responsibilities she was so used to?
Her thoughts were cut short as she heard a motorcycle rev loudly in her driveway. She knew without a shadow of a doubt who it was.
Cuddy opened her door and stepped out. "House, what are you doing here?"
"Making sure you didn't skip town the second no one was looking. We all know your secret dream is to run off to Vegas and become a showgirl."
Cuddy crossed her arms over her chest. She wasn't going to play these pointless games. "Why are you really here, House? You can't just show up at my door without an explanation."
House walked towards her unwaveringly, his eyes steadfastly holding an uncertain emotion. She felt her breath hitch as he brushed past her and took a seat on her front steps.
He patted the space next to him. "C'mon, there's room for two."
She reluctantly took the seat next to him.
"What's this 'break' all about, Cuddy?" He asked quietly.
She should have known that he would see through her, that there was more to it than she was letting on. Nothing ever got past the inimitable Gregory House.
"I…want to have a child."
"That's old news already."
"I need some more time to figure things out, to make sure I'm getting the best treatments possible, all of that." She explained.
"And?" House studied her intently. He could tell there was more to it than that.
"And…well, if I'm going to have a child, I have to seriously start thinking about cutting back on work."
"What exactly does that mean?"
"I might not stay at Princeton Plainsboro if I do successfully become pregnant." Cuddy felt a weight lift from her shoulders as she finally explained herself to someone. To him.
"You won't?" House gave her a sceptical look.
"Raising a child is an enormously demanding task. I can't do both and I want to be the best parent I can possibly be."
"So this is some sort of trial run? You want to see if you can handle two weeks without work?"
"Yeah, something like that." She murmured.
He realized that she was serious. She was actually considering leaving? After all of these years and all of the hard work, she wanted to leave it all behind?
Somehow he had always imagined she would be there, in that very same office toiling away late into the night like she always had.
House tried his hardest to push the feelings of jealousy away. Cuddy was willing to risk so much of her life for this child, this child that was still only a dream.
"But the hospital is your thing. It's what you live for."
"Not anymore."
He turned away from her stubbornly. He looked up at the sky – anywhere but at her – and watched the stars dance and shine.
Cuddy followed House's line of sight. "I can't handle everything on my own." She admitted, speaking to the clouds.
She had to be sensible. She had already achieved amazing things in her life, but now it was time for her to be just a little bit selfish. It was time for her to wake up and understand her reality. If she wanted to be given everything, she had to give everything up.
Including…
They paused in that one moment; they were aligning just like the stars in the sky.
"You don't need to do this alone, Cuddy."
She looked at him warily but her suspicions melted as soon as she saw his sincere expression. He wasn't there to hurt her.
"If you ever need any help, I'll be there."
She knew the words should have shocked her, but nothing had felt real lately. The soft glances, the harsh words, the never-ending competition, it all seemed so unreal. Were they still playing at this after so many years? Cuddy wasn't sure she still wanted to.
He had been there for her once before and even then she hadn't known quite how to thank him. But she knew she could trust him.
"But you shouldn't leave. You can't. Not until…"
He shook his head and quickly got back on his motorcycle, leaving her to question that which was left unspoken.
This is my second last chapter. I can't believe I'm almost done the challenge. It was so much fun, that's for sure. And your reviews have really made me feel proud of my work. House and Cuddy are wonderful characters to play around with.
Now, I do realize that most of my stories are very...subtle. In the sense that House and Cuddy aren't overtly romantic with one another. I feel that is very much in-character for them, but for my last story I think I will make the relationship aspect a bit more serious and concrete. I wanted to wait until the last prompt to do that, so the characters' mutual growth towards that point is clear.
Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter, and I'll update for one last time very soon!
