That last chapter was pretty depressing, so I'm hoping you'll find that this one is a little more light hearted. On a side note: I'm writing some of the final chapters right now and I'm really excited to post them...but we've got a little ways to go before we get to them. But as always, thank you for reading!
Everyone at Princeton-Plainsboro knew, but no one dared to ask Lisa Cuddy anything about House. Two months had passed, yet the hospital was still buzzing with curiosity. All the employees wanted to know what House's future held. Even if they had the courage to ask their Dean, she wouldn't be able to give them an answer. She was just as curious as they were.
Several times, she nearly broke down and went to visit him, but she couldn't. No, seeing her was the last thing he would want, right? She couldn't convince her of that, yet she refused to visit him. She and Wilson both had to let him do this on his own without any interference from them. Cuddy didn't want his past slithering into his time of healing...if healing was actually what he was doing. She hoped that he was making an honest attempt at change and that he was being successful. She allowed that scenario to play out in her mind. In her little world, she saw him attending therapy sessions, pouring out his soul, and taking steps to have a better life. She saw him making bonds with the other prisoners. Little did she know, that was the opposite of what he was doing. Cuddy paused mid-thought; she knew better but wouldn't let herself accept that House was really going through hell. She didn't want him to suffer anymore.
At first, she'd wanted him to suffer the consequences for putting lives in danger, but now...now she just wanted him to come back. Going to work everyday wasn't fun anymore. Everyday, she waited for him to burst through her office doors in a demand for some outrageous procedure on a patient...but he never came. She never knew that life without House would be so dull, so empty, so miserable.
"Wilson," she began one afternoon at lunch.
Wilson swallowed a bite of his salad and looked up at his boss, waiting expectantly for her inevitable tirade.
"Do you ever think about him?"
"Of course I do. He was my best friend."
She bit down on her lower lip absentmindedly, "Well, how do you think he's doing? I mean, do you think he's making any progress?"
Wilson sighed and set his fork down on the table, "Cuddy, this is House we're talking about." He watched her eyes start to water and quickly rephrased his words, "House has a way of surprising people...so maybe he's really changing this time."
He didn't believe what he'd just said, and he failed at convincing Cuddy as well. She shook her head and wiped the corners of her eyes with her napkin. "I know you're just trying to make me feel better, but I don't think either of us can handle false hope."
"Cuddy, you've got to stop dwelling on it. Just don't have any expectations. I don't. Hell, when he came out of Mayfield, I never expected him to be clean for so long, but he was. Maybe a miracle will happen."
Cuddy pursed her lips and nodded, "You're right. I'm sorry, Wilson, I just want the best for him."
"I understand. You care about him."
"Yeah, I do. A lot."
"And I do too," Wilson assured her. "But you've got to let him to do this on his own. He made me promise not to go see him again, and I'm sure he'd want the same for you. Once he's out, who knows what will happen? Just know that it doesn't do you any good stressing over it. You've got a hospital to run...House has a life to fix...you've got better luck attending to your hospital."
Cuddy smiled, "Wilson, I think you missed your calling. Forget oncology, why weren't you ever a therapist?"
Wilson shrugged, "I never realized I was good at it until I met you and House."
"I guess our dysfunctional relationship affected more than just the two of us."
"It absolutely traumatized the poor nurse that saw you two getting it on in your office."
Cuddy's jaw dropped, "Whoa, whoa, whoa. I never had sex with him in my office."
"I never said you were having sex...I said you were getting it on...which could indicate a prelude to sex," Wilson corrected, standing up and throwing his trash in the garbage can. He pointed one finger at her, "When you don't close your blinds all the way, you have no secrets."
After Wilson had left, Cuddy sat, shocked at what she'd just heard. She shook her head once, smiling to herself. Her blue-green eyes looked around, cautiously, curious as to who the unfortunate nurse was. Snickering lightly, Cuddy threw away her trash and sauntered away to her office, pleased by the information Wilson had just given her.