Here's the next Chapter, hope you guys enjoy! Thanks for the reviews on the last chapter everyone!
Chapter 36
3:55 PM – Thursday – 4 Days Later
Cuddy and Bella sat in the waiting area of Dr. Sloane's office, waiting for Bella's appointment. Cuddy could tell Bella was nervous; she had been quiet ever since Cuddy had picked her up from school and Bella hadn't released her grip on Cuddy's hand since they had arrived there. Her entire body was tense and she was leaning against Cuddy's shoulder and nearly burying her face into her arm. Cuddy leaned her head down to speak softly into her ear. "Relax, Sweetie, ok? I'm right here with you and I'm not leaving you alone."
"I want to go home." She whispered with apprehension in her voice.
Cuddy tilted Bella's chin up with her finger, looking into her eyes. "Bella, is it Dr. Sloane you're afraid of talking to or just being here at all?" Cuddy asked softly.
"I don't want her to ask me about Mattie."
Cuddy sighed with relief that she wasn't reacting to being here and talking to Dr. Sloane but feeling afraid of what she would need to talk about, which was natural. "She won't ask you about Mattie until you are ready to talk about him, ok? I promise." She told her with reassurance, after having had a conversation with Dr. Sloane about that very topic earlier in the week when she'd called to talk to her about sitting in on Bella's sessions with her. Naturally, Dr. Sloane hadn't loved the idea, but she agreed that Bella would feel more comfortable talking if she had someone she trusted with her.
"She said I had to talk about him." Bella mumbled.
Cuddy sighed sadly. "You trust me, right?"
"Yes." She replied without hesitation.
"Then you know I wouldn't lie to you."
"I know." She whispered, lowering her head and looking down at her hand as it tightly gripped Cuddy's hand.
Cuddy placed a kiss to the crown of her head and brought her arm around Bella's shoulder.
After a couple more minutes of waiting, Dr. Sloane's office door opened and one of her patients walked out, followed by Dr. Sloane. She spoke with her assistant for a moment before heading back into her office. Cuddy looked over at the patient who had just come out of the office. He was a boy about Bella's age and she watched him as he walked over to his Dad, who had been sitting in the waiting area a few chairs down from Cuddy and Bella. Cuddy noticed the boy had been crying and that he looked sad. She averted her eyes quickly, not wanting to get caught staring at them and wanting to give the boy his privacy.
"Dr. Cuddy, Bella." Dr. Sloane's assistant called to them with a smile. "Dr. Sloane is ready to see you." She told them.
Cuddy smiled and nodded, briefly looking down at Bella before moving to stand up, holding on to Bella's hand, and giving it a reassuring squeeze. Bella followed her quietly, walking next to her and keeping her eyes on her feet. Walking inside the office, her assistant quickly left and closed the door behind her. Dr. Sloane stood from behind her desk with a smile and walked over to greet them. "Dr. Cuddy, it's nice to finally meet you." She said, stretching her hand out to shake Cuddy's.
"You too, Dr. Sloane." Cuddy replied, shaking her hand.
"Hello, Bella. It's nice to see you again. I'm so happy you came back, I know we sort of got off on the wrong foot last time, but I think your being here will be beneficial for you in the long run. I hope we can be friends."
Cuddy looked down at Bella, seeing her slowly nod her head.
"Wonderful." Dr. Sloane replied at seeing Bella's response. "Why don't you two have a seat?" She offered politely.
Cuddy and Bella sat down on the couch as Dr. Sloane went over to a small refrigerator she had in the corner of her office. She turned around and addressed Bella.
"Bella, if it's ok with your Mom, would like some juice or a soft drink?"
Bella looked up at Cuddy for permission. Cuddy nodded her head with a wink and a smile. "Your choice." She told her, giving her permission to choose either one. Cuddy normally would have told her she could have the juice, but since it was hard for Bella to be here and she wanted her to feel as comfortable as possible, she let her choose, already knowing what her choice would be.
"Coke, please." Bella replied shyly.
Dr. Sloane nodded and took a small can of Coke out of the fridge and made her way over to Bella with it, handing it to her. Bella released Cuddy's hand and took the Coke, popping the tab open and taking a small sip. "Dr. Cuddy, can I get you one as well, or I have coffee or water if you prefer."
"No, thank you, I'm fine. And please call me Lisa."
Dr. Sloane nodded, making her way over to her chair. She sat down and grabbed the small digital recorder that was lying on the table, pressing the record button. "Alright, let's get started. As you can see, these sessions are recorded but I am the only one who will ever hear them. Bella, I want to assure you that you are in control of what is discussed in here. I want to apologize for what happened the last time, I realize that I pushed you too hard and it won't happen again, ok?"
Bella nodded. "Ok." She responded quietly.
"Great. Now, I've allowed your Mom to sit in on your sessions, however I would like to mention that I consider this temporary. I understand that you're nervous because of what happened the last time, but I think that once you've had a chance to talk a little bit and get comfortable here, it would be more helpful to you if you were in here alone. Does that sound fair?" She asked softly.
Bella looked up at Cuddy with a worried expression before turning back to Dr. Sloane and shrugging her shoulders.
"I promise, we'll take it slow." Dr. Sloane assured her.
Bella nodded.
Dr. Sloane nodded as well, seeing that they had an understanding. "So, I understand there have been a lot of changes since the last time I saw you. Do you want to tell me about them?"
Bella sat quietly for a moment before glancing up at Cuddy and shifting her eyes back to Dr. Sloane. "Lisa is my Mom now." She told her in a small voice.
Dr. Sloane smiled at her, nodding. "That's wonderful. How are things going?" She asked.
"Good." Bella replied, not expounding on her answer.
"What's good about it?" She inquired, tilting her head to the side as she waited for Bella to answer.
Bella shrugged. "Everything."
Cuddy sat there silently, watching as Dr. Sloane tried to get Bella to talk and seeing that Bella wasn't making it easy on her. She knew Bella was still very nervous, recognizing it in her voice and posture. Cuddy gently laid her hand on Bella's back, hoping it offered her some sense of comfort and strength.
"Ok, what's your favorite part of having Lisa as your Mom?" Dr. Sloane asked.
Bella was silent, seemingly thinking about her answer. "Uhm…she helps me."
"How does she help you?"
"She helps me to feel happy."
"So she's a good Mom to you?"
Bella allowed a smile to form on her face, glancing up at Cuddy and nodding before looking back at Dr. Sloane. "She's the best." Bella replied.
Cuddy suddenly felt the sting of tears in the back of her eyes at Bella's reply, a smile coming to her face.
Dr. Sloane smiled at Bella, nodding her head. "That's wonderful, Bella." She replied. "What else has happened since we last spoke?"
Bella took a small sip of her Coke. Cuddy noticed Bella beginning to relax a bit.
"Uhm, I go to school now." Bella told her.
"How is school going?"
"Good."
"Have you made any friends?"
"Yes."
"That makes things easier, doesn't it?"
Bella nodded.
"Do you want to talk about your friends?"
Bella shrugged. "I guess." She replied indifferently.
Dr. Sloane smiled at her. "Ok. Tell me about how you met your friends."
"At the playground and now I'm in Simon's class at school, but Maya is in a different class."
"So you met them before you started school?"
Bella nodded.
"Tell me about Simon. Is he a good friend?"
Bella nodded once more. "Yes. He stuck up for me when I was pushed at recess when we was playing soccer."
Dr. Sloane frowned. "Why were you pushed?"
She shrugged. "I don't know, cuz I had the ball and soccer is a rough game." She explained.
"So you didn't get angry when you were pushed down?"
Bella shook her head. "Not really, but Simon seen Samuel push me and he didn't like it, I guess."
"It sounds like Simon was looking out for you, and I think you're right, he is a good friend."
Bella nodded in agreement.
"What about Maya, is she a good friend as well?"
"Yes. Her and Ellie stayed with me when I was hurt and couldn't play no more."
"Ellie is another friend?"
"Yeah, she's in Maya's class and we play together on the playground."
"Well, it's great that you have so many friends that look out for you." Dr. Sloane commented. "How is your school work going?"
Bella shrugged. "Ok, I guess. I don't like math, but Lisa helps me and she's real good at it." She replied, glancing up at Cuddy for a moment before turning her attention back to Dr. Sloane.
Cuddy grinned and rubbed Bella's back in appreciation of her compliment.
"That's great. So what's your favorite subject?"
"Art." She replied without hesitation, causing Cuddy and Dr. Sloane to chuckle at her immediate response.
"That's right, I remember you're quite the artist. Do you still draw in your sketchbook?"
Bella nodded.
"Can I ask what you're working on?"
"I ain't working on my Mom's face no more, is that what you were wondering?" Bella asked.
Dr. Sloane smiled at her, giving her a short nod. "It is." She confirmed. "May I ask why?"
Bella hung her head and shrugged her shoulders. "Because I ain't." She mumbled.
"It's ok if you don't want to talk about it." Dr. Sloane assured her.
Bella raised her head and looking at Dr. Sloane once more. She shrugged before continuing. "I don't remember what she looked like no more. You told me I'd remember someday but I don't." She replied sadly.
"I still believe that…it will just take some time, but it will come back to you."
"I doubt it." Bella responded with defeat in her voice, setting her can of Coke down on the table beside her and scooting back on the sofa, leaning into Cuddy.
Cuddy placed her arm around Bella and hugged her tightly.
"That's a lovely necklace." Dr. Sloane commented, changing the subject. "Where did you get it?"
Bella placed her hand protectively over the locket that she had been wearing every day since she found it in her mother's jewelry box. Bella hesitated in answering her question as she looked up at Cuddy briefly before she lowered her gaze to her lap. "I found it." She told her softly.
"Where?" Dr. Sloane asked with equal gentleness in her voice, recognizing that the necklace was significant to Bella.
"Greg brought me my stuff from my old life…it was my Mom's necklace."
"I see…who's Greg?" She asked softly.
Bella looked up at Cuddy for permission to answer. She nodded and placed a kiss to the crown of her head. Bella shifted her eyes back to Dr. Sloane. "Greg is Lisa's…." She hesitated finishing her sentence, no doubt afraid of whether she should say who he was to Cuddy.
"Boyfriend." Cuddy finished for her.
"Alright…may I ask why the hesitation?" Dr. Sloane asked them.
"Because he's an employee of mine, Dr. Sloane, and I prefer to keep our relationship private for the time being. Bella knows this and she was just looking out for Greg and I."
"I see. Bella, I want you to know that anything discussed in here, goes no further than this room, ok? I'm obligated to keep everything we talk about between us, unless…something you tell me is meant to harm yourself or someone else."
Bella nodded in understanding. "Ok."
"So…Greg brought you your mother's belongings. He sounds like a nice man."
Cuddy and Bella both looked at each other with a smile. Bella chuckled and glanced back at Dr. Sloane. "Greg is nice, but he likes to pretend to everybody that he ain't."
"Oh really? Why is that?"
Bella shrugged. "I don't know, he said his Dad was a mean bastard, maybe that's why?"
"I see." Dr. Sloane replied, a small smile on her face at Bella's use of a swear word in front of Cuddy. Cuddy grinned as well, letting that one slide, due to the circumstances. "He's never mean to you, is he?" She then asked.
Cuddy frowned at her question, knowing that House would never harm Bella, but understanding why she would ask.
Bella straightened her back and leaned forward slightly, gaping at Dr. Sloane for asking her that question. "No way!" She told her with an offensive tone to her voice. Cuddy bit back her smile, proud of Bella for 'standing up' for House. "He loves me." Bella told her with certainty, leaning back once more and relaxing her posture.
Dr. Sloane nodded with a smile. "Good." She responded before shifting her position in her chair, crossing her right leg over her left at the knee. "I want to ask you about something you said a moment ago. You told me that Greg brought you your stuff from your 'old life'…is that how you see your past?" She asked softly.
Cuddy glanced down at Bella, wondering how or if she would respond to that. Bella sat quietly for a moment and Cuddy thought she was going to ignore the question.
"I guess." She responded finally.
"Why?"
"Because." Bella answered with a shrug. "I ain't who I used to be."
Dr. Sloane tilted her head questioningly. "Why would you say that?"
Bella took in a deep breath and laid her hand on Cuddy's thigh, running her finger over the fabric of her skirt. "I was different with my old family than with my new family."
"How so?"
Bella shrugged and continued running her finger over Cuddy's skirt. "I just am." She mumbled.
"You had a happy life before your parents died and now that's different?"
Bella glanced up at Dr. Sloane and shook her head. "No. I was happy with Mom and Dad and Mattie, and now I'm happy with Lisa and Greg…but I'm sad too. I wasn't sad then."
"You've been through a lot…it's natural to carry the loss and experiences you've had with you for the rest of your life, but you can't let them overwhelm you; you can't let them run your life." Dr. Sloane told her gently. "We learn from our experiences and I think the fact that you have survived what you have, says that you will get through the things that have hurt you so terribly in your life." She added. "Don't you think so?"
Bella shrugged.
"Are you still having nightmares, Bella?"
She hung her head and nodded. Cuddy placed her left hand over Bella's hand on her thigh, gently caressing her thumb over wrist, hoping to comfort her. Bella turned her hand over in Cuddy's and grasped it tightly, obviously needing what Cuddy was offering.
"Do you want to talk about them?"
Bella shook her head.
"Ok." She told Bella softly. Dr. Sloane glanced at the clock before turning her attention back to Bella. "Well, our time is up but I'd like you to do something for me Bella. I'd like you to think about the things that used to make you happy and the things that make you happy now. You can write them down if you wish, but you don't have to. We can talk about them next time, ok?"
Bella nodded and looked up at Dr. Sloane. She moved to stand up, no doubt eager to get out of there. Cuddy was proud of how well Bella did today and she was optimistic about her future sessions, knowing that they would do her good. They walked to the door hand in hand as Cuddy turned around to shake Dr. Sloane's hand.
"Thank you, we'll see you next week, Dr. Sloane. Again, I appreciate you letting me sit in with her."
"You're welcome, Lisa, she did very well today. Goodbye, Bella, I'll see you next week."
Bella nodded. "Bye." She replied, slightly pulling Cuddy toward the door.
As they made their way down to the car, Cuddy squeezed Bella's hand. "Are you ok, Bella?"
Bella nodded her head but didn't respond to her question. Cuddy sighed, wondering what was bothering her. A few minutes later, they were in the car and ready to head home, but before Cuddy started the car, she turned to Bella. "I'm proud of you…you did really well in there." Cuddy reassured her.
"Thanks." Bella replied.
Cuddy frowned at her. "What's wrong, Sweetie?"
"Nothing, I just want to go home."
Cuddy nodded, not wanting to push her to talk anymore today. "Ok." She answered, starting the car and pulling out of the garage. As they drove toward home, Cuddy felt Bella's gaze on her. She turned her head and smiled at her. "What is it?" She asked softly.
"I am happy with you, you know?"
Cuddy furrowed her brow slightly; somewhat surprised that Bella would think Cuddy didn't know that already. "I know, honey, you never gave me any reason to think otherwise." She assured her. "I'm happy with you too."
Bella smiled and nodded in understanding.
Cuddy reached over and gave Bella's hand a reassuring squeeze, keeping her eyes on the road as she drove them home.
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5:45 PM
House stood in the kitchen of Cuddy's home preparing dinner for the evening. He had never cooked for anyone like this before and House knew that today was Bella's shrink appointment and he wanted to do something for her in case it went bad and she had a rough time there. And if everything had gone fine then they would have dinner as usual.
He was putting the final touches on the salad, when he heard the front door open.
"We're home." Cuddy called out.
He heard Bella's footsteps as she ran to her bedroom, and House frowned, wondering if that was good sign or a bad sign. Next, he heard Cuddy's heels clicking on the hardwood floor as she made her way into the kitchen. He looked up when she appeared at the doorway with a furrow in her brow just before a smile came over her face.
"You're cooking? I didn't know you could cook." She said with surprise in her voice as she made her way over to him and cupped his jaw in her hand, leaning up to place a kiss on his lips. He looked down at her with a smirk on his face.
"I'm just full of surprises. Don't tell Wilson I can cook though, he'll murder me and leave you without your stud muffin."
Cuddy chuckled. "My lips are sealed…God knows I need my stud muffin." She replied, and placed another kiss on his lips. "What'd you make?"
Lasagna…how's the kid?" He asked, swiftly changing the subject and wondering if he should prepare himself for anything.
Cuddy smiled. "She did incredibly well, House. I'm so proud of her. She was nervous and scared, but once Dr. Sloane got her to talk a little bit, she loosened up. I think she's ok, she just needs a little time to herself." She told him, sliding her hand down to his chest and dropping it at her side.
House nodded with relief that she hadn't come home crying or pissed off. "Good." He replied. "What about you?" He asked nodding his head at her.
Cuddy nodded. "I'm ok." She replied softly.
House gave her a small smile. "Dinner should be ready in a few minutes." He told her.
"Ok. I'm going to go change." She told him, giving his hand a departing squeeze before she turned and left the kitchen.
House put the finishing touches on dinner and set the table. This felt really strange to him. He hadn't set a table since he was kid and living in his mother's house. He felt oddly domestic right now. As he was making his way back into the kitchen, he caught a glimpse of Bella standing in the doorway of the dining room, staring at him. He gave her a small smile.
"Hey, kiddo."
She smiled in return. "Hi. You cooked dinner?"
"Why is everyone surprised that I can cook?" He asked, making his way into the kitchen to grab the silverware.
Bella giggled and shrugged her shoulders, following him. "Cuz you never cook."
"Details." He replied, handing her the forks and knives. "Here, go set these on the table." He told her, with a wink and nod toward the dining room.
Bella took them and made her way into the dining room. A moment later he heard Cuddy's voice as she spoke with Bella. "Hey, Sweetie." She greeted, placing a kiss on her forehead as Bella set the table.
"Greg cooked." He heard Bella tell Cuddy.
"I know." She responded. "Tell him it's good even if it isn't." Cuddy told her in a tone that he was clearly meant to hear.
"I heard that!" He called out in response. He heard them chuckle at him as he took the lasagnas out of the oven and set them on the island in the middle of the kitchen. Cuddy came in with a teasing smile on her face. She caught site of both lasagnas and arched her eyebrows in surprise.
"You made two? House, we won't eat all of that."
"You should've thought of that before you became a vegetarian." He snarked.
Her jaw dropped in genuine surprise. "You made me a vegetarian lasagna?"
House rolled his eyes. "It was the logical thing to do, don't get all teary eyed."
She smiled at him and shook her head. "You are full of surprises." She told him, walking over to him and placing a kiss on his lips. "Thank you, House."
"Yeah, you're welcome…you owe me big time and I know just how you can repay me." He responded, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.
"How?" He heard Bella ask from behind them.
Cuddy whirled around to face her in surprise at her sudden appearance in the room. "Uh…"
"A massage." House replied quickly with a smirk on his face.
Cuddy turned her head toward him and glared, silently warning him to keep his mouth shut.
"Oh." She said, seemingly satisfied with that answer. "Can I have a massage too?"
House opened his mouth to respond, but Cuddy clamped her hand over his mouth. "Of course I'll give you a massage, Sweetie."
House chuckled, moving her hand away from his mouth. "Just so you know, I'm not interested in the kind of massage you're gonna give her." He told Cuddy, pointing in Bella's direction.
"If you don't shut up, you won't be getting it at all." She replied, looking at him pointedly.
House narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth to retort but Bella beat him to the punch when she calmly asked, "Are you talking about sex?"
House laughed as he watched Cuddy's jaw drop in horror at Bella's question, no doubt afraid of what she'd picked up on just now. Bella frowned, looking slightly confused, as if she didn't know if she had just said a bad word and was about to get in trouble or if she'd said something funny. Cuddy glared at House ready to blame him for Bella's question, but he wasn't about to take blame for that one. He stopped laughing long enough to ask Bella. "Where did you hear about that, kid?"
Bella looked at him and shrugged her shoulders. "Everywhere."
"From me?" House asked.
Bella shook her head. "No, at school and on TV."
Cuddy glanced at Bella and frowned. "Sweetie, what have you been watching?" She asked warily.
"Nothing, I was just flipping channels." She answered.
"Who told you about sex at school?" House asked, taking a step closer to her, suddenly becoming serious at the prospect of her hearing about things she was too young to know about.
"Uhm, this boy at school said his sister got pregnant cuz she had sex."
Cuddy shook her head. "Oh god."
"You stay away from that boy…and his sister." House told her, not wanting her to be influenced by them in any way.
"Why?" She asked with confusion.
"Because I told you to." He responded, grabbing the lasagna and taking it out to the dining table. He turned to head back into the kitchen, seeing that both Cuddy and Bella hadn't moved from where they had been standing.
"Greg?"
"Yeah."
"Is that girl going to have a baby?"
He looked at Cuddy briefly before shifting his eyes back to Bella. "Yeah." He told her, keeping a complicated situation to a one-word answer; not wanting to go into all of the ways that question could be answered.
"Oh."
Cuddy placed her arm around Bella's shoulder. "Come on, let's go wash our hands for dinner." She told Bella, steering her out of the room as she glanced up at House with a small smile, gently squeezing his hand on the way out. He sighed and shook his head, turning to see them walk out of the kitchen. He never imagined he'd have a conversation like that in his life; trying to protect Cuddy's kid from learning about sex at her age. He sounded like her father a moment ago, and Cuddy hadn't stepped in, letting him handle the situation. He wasn't sure how to take that. Should he be pissed that she hadn't handled it herself? Or should he be glad that she had trusted him enough to handle talking to her daughter about that stuff. He didn't actually feel pissed that she'd let him handle it; it actually felt nice to be trusted like that. Cuddy clearly trusted him with her daughter, even enough to teach her about life, knowing how screwed up his was. House allowed a small smile to appear on his face as he grabbed the salad off the counter, making his way into the dining room and setting it on the table. He wasn't trying to act like Bella's father but situations kept arising when he felt like he was acting like one, and even then not doing it intentionally. He couldn't say he hated it though, because he actually didn't mind teaching Bella and being one of the people she ran to for help or advice. The only problem was that he wasn't the best person to be giving anyone advice, much less a kid.
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15 minutes later
Bella sat across from Greg at the dinner table, eating the lasagna he had made. Greg was a real good cook and he made the best lasagna ever; the cheese was her favorite. She hadn't touched her salad because she was enjoying the lasagna so much. She took a bite, the tomato sauce dripping off of her fork and landing on her chin before falling onto her shirt. She glanced up at Lisa quickly, scrunching her face. Lisa looked at her with amusement on her face. "Woops." Bella said.
"It's ok…here." She said, handing her a napkin as the corner of her mouth curved into a smile.
"How did you miss that big mouth?" Greg asked her with a smirk.
Bella glared at him playfully as she wiped her chin and shirt, causing Greg to chuckle at her. After a moment, she looked up and resumed her meal. She took another bite, this time without incident.
"House, this lasagna is amazing. Why didn't you tell me you could cook like this?" Lisa asked him.
"Because you'd want me to do it all the time, but you can forget it." He told her.
Lisa rolled her eyes and took a bite of the lasagna.
"Who taught you to cook?" Bella asked him.
"No one. I'm just naturally talented in the kitchen…as well as other rooms in the house." He told her, winking at Lisa, who in turn glared at him.
Bella looked at him in confusion and decided not to comment. "Nuh uh…someone had to teach you how to cook. Did your Mom teach you?"
Greg shook his head. "No. I told you, I taught myself."
Bella gave up, not wanting to argue about it and instead changed the subject. "Does your Mom live in this town?" She asked Greg.
"No."
"Where does she live?"
"Far away." He answered.
"Can I meet her?"
"No."
"House." Lisa chided.
Greg glanced at Lisa, furrowing his brow. "What?"
"Wouldn't your Mom want to meet Bella?" She asked curiously.
He frowned and shook his head in confusion. "Why would my Mom want to meet your kid?" He asked. "If anyone's Mom should meet her, it should be yours, Cuddy. Does she even know she has a grandkid?"
Lisa frowned at Greg before glancing at Bella. Bella looked at Lisa curiously.
"N-not yet." She replied. "Everything happened so fast…and there was a lot going on. I'm sorry, Sweetie."
Bella shrugged her shoulders. "That's ok." She said with a smile at Lisa, wanting to reassure her. "I never had a Grandma before." She added, not seeing the big deal since she's never had anyone in her life like that.
Lisa nodded. "Well, maybe it's time you had one. I'll call her tomorrow."
Bella nodded. "Ok." She replied, taking another bite of her lasagna. She guessed it was kind of exciting but she didn't really know how she was supposed to act with a grandma…she didn't even know what grandma's were supposed to do for her. "Will I like having a Grandma?" She asked with a furrow in her brow.
"You'll love it, kid. Grandmas are good because they spoil their grandkids. Trust me, all you have to do is look at them a certain way and you get whatever you want." Greg told her.
"House…don't-."
"What, tell her the truth? Tell me Cuddy, how spoiled were you with your Grandma?"
Lisa glared at him and looked away. "Shut up."
Greg chuckled and nodded. "See?"
"Were you spoiled, Greg?"
"My Oma couldn't say no to these baby blues." He replied smugly.
Lisa chuckled at him, shaking her head.
"What's Oma?" Bella asked with confusion.
"It's Dutch for Grandma." Greg told her.
"Oh." She replied with a smile. "That's cool." She glanced over at Lisa. "Can I call her that?"
Lisa smiled. "I guess so…if it's ok with her."
Bella smiled, becoming more excited about having a grandma now.
They continued eating dinner, talking about random things, from the idiot patients in the clinic that Greg saw today to the movie she wanted to go see at the theater. Afterwards, Bella and Lisa cleaned up the dishes since Greg had cooked. As Lisa handed her the dishes one at a time, Bella placed them in the dishwasher. As she did this, she was thinking about her day today. Bella had had a pretty good day even though she had been extremely scared to go to her therapy session. It actually hadn't been that bad and she thought she'd be ok with going now, especially knowing that she wouldn't have to talk about Mattie if she didn't want to. She didn't mind talking about her parents, but she couldn't handle talking about Mattie to Dr. Sloane.
After the dishes were done, Bella had taken her bath and spent some time drawing in her sketchbook, before it was time for bed. Throughout the evening, she had been thinking about what they had been talking about at the dinner table regarding Lisa's Mom. Bella had asked if she could call her Oma, but she felt kind of bad for asking that now that she thought about it, because Bella didn't even call Lisa Mom. It just didn't seem fair to call a woman she'd never met and wouldn't know very well by such a familiar name, when she knew Lisa and couldn't even bring herself to call her Mom, yet, even though she wanted to. Bella sat in bed waiting for Lisa to come tuck her in and when she came in a moment later and sat down on her bed, Bella looked up at her with a frown.
"What's wrong?" Lisa asked her.
"I'm sorry." Bella told her.
Lisa furrowed her brow in confusion. "What for, Sweetie?"
"Because I asked to call my grandma Oma and I don't even know her, but I know you and I can't even call you Mom. I don't want to call her Oma now." She explained to Lisa.
Lisa frowned, a look of understanding on her face. "Bella, honey, that doesn't matter to me. I know who I am to you and I know that you'll get to that point someday when you can call me that. I am in no rush to hear it, ok? I know what you've been through and I know how hard it is for you to deal with everything. It won't hurt me if you feel you want to call her Oma, Sweetie, I promise."
Bella shook her head. "It don't feel right."
"Why not…you were excited about it earlier."
Bella shrugged. "It don't feel right." She repeated, shaking her head.
Lisa nodded. "It's up to you, Sweetie." She told Bella, leaning over and placing a kiss on her forehead. "Get some sleep and if you need me, come and get me, ok?" Bella nodded, knowing she was talking about the nightmares she'd been having all week. For the last few nights, they hadn't been as bad, only waking her with a start instead of her screaming out in fear. She had gone into Lisa's room and cuddled up with her and Greg one night after she'd had one and couldn't go back to sleep. Bella laid her head down on her pillow as Lisa covered her up.
"Good night, Sweetie."
"Night, I love you." Bella replied.
"I love you too."
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10:00 AM – Friday
Cuddy sat behind her desk with a pen in her left hand as she signed the charts that were ever present in her inbox. Regina, the clinic nurse that was pretty much an assistant to her, knocked on her door and peeked her head in.
"Dr. Cuddy, you got a minute?"
She looked up and nodded her head, waving her in. "Sure, come on in."
Regina walked in carrying some yellow envelopes in her hand and stopped in front of Cuddy's desk, handing them to her.
"These came for you today. This year's conference credentials and information packets." She told her.
Cuddy frowned and took them from her. "Oh god, I completely forgot!" She said, opening them and looking inside.
"It's next weekend." Regina reminded her.
Cuddy sighed and nodded her head. "Thank you, Regina."
Regina turned around, leaving her office as Cuddy looked though the paperwork. She would have to figure out what to do with Bella while she was gone the weekend of the conference. As she continued perusing the information, her office door burst open, startling her.
She sighed. "Damn it, House, do you have to do that?" She asked with irritation.
"Of course I do. Do you always have to ask if I have to do it when you already know that I have to do it?"
"Shut up. What do you want?"
"Came to see how much you missed me and offer my services to service you."
Cuddy rolled her eyes. "I don't have time for this today, House."
"If you knew what I've been fantasizing about doing to you, you'd have time, believe me." He told her, leering at her as he walked around the desk and sitting on the corner of it. He looked down at what she held in her hand and shifted his eyes to hers.
"There's no way in hell I'm going to that."
"Yes you are."
"Am not."
"Are too."
"Am not."
"Are too."
"Am not."
"Are too." She retorted before rolling her eyes. "Damn it, now you've got me doing it."
House smirked at her. "Forget it, I haven't been to a conference in years, what makes you think I'd go to one now?"
"Because I'm your boss and I'm telling you that you're going."
"Yeah, because that's worked so well for you." He responded, rolling his eyes. "Not going."
"House, don't make this hard for me, just please for once do what I tell you."
"Uh…I'm pretty sure I did exactly what you told me to do last night as I made you moan into your pillow and I didn't complain once about it. Do the words 'harder, faster' ring any bells?"
Cuddy glared at him and leaned back in her chair defeated; there was no way she'd be able to get him to go, he was too damn stubborn. A sudden thought popped into her head then. "Fine, you don't have to go…but, I need you to keep Bella for me that weekend."
"Done." He replied without hesitation.
Cuddy smiled and gave him a short nod. "Good, now go away, I have work to do."
"Oh come on, let's at least make out for awhile. You know you want to."
Cuddy smiled up at him sweetly. "Leave."
"Meanie." He snarked, before standing up and making his way to her office door.
Her smile grew as he walked out of her office, limping toward the clinic. Bella would be so excited that it was just going to be her and House for an entire weekend. House was doing so well with her and Cuddy was proud of him. She'd never tell him that but she loved seeing them together. Lately he had been stepping a bit further into the father role in Bella's life and Cuddy didn't mind it at all. He was so protective of her, just like fathers are with their daughters; he was amazing. She wondered if he was doing it intentionally, trying in his own way to tell her that he wanted this. She wasn't sure but she wasn't going to say anything to him. Cuddy told him that she would never ask that of him, he would have to be the one to tell her that he wanted in. She couldn't believe how happy she felt in her life these days. She had everything she's always wanted; a career and job that she loved, a child that she loved even more and the love of a man whom she loved with all of her heart in return. Life was perfect right now.
Cuddy sighed, pushing aside her happy thoughts for the moment and resuming her work. She signed a few more charts when she realized that she hadn't called her mother today like she had told Bella she would. She looked at the time and picked up the phone, dialing her mother's number.
"Hello."
"Hi Mom."
"Lisa! How are you, dear?"
"I'm great, Mom. How are you doing?"
"Well, I'm doing alright. The hospital must be keeping you busy, I haven't heard from you in awhile."
"I have been busy but I should've called you because I have some news." Cuddy told her with a smile.
"Oh really? What is it?" She asked, and Cuddy could tell there was excitement in her voice. She knew she was probably thinking Cuddy was going to tell her she was getting married.
"Uhm…a few weeks ago I adopted a little girl, Mom. You're a grandma." She told her Mom with a smile, wondering how she would react.
"Oh Lisa! That's wonderful! How old is she? What's her name?"
Cuddy chuckled at her Mom's excitement. "She's 8-years-old and her name is Bella."
"Oh, she's older than I imagined, I thought you would've adopted a baby. Isn't that what you've always wanted?" She asked with confusion.
"Mom, Bella is perfect. She's so much more than I could've ever imagined in a daughter and I love her so much."
"That's just wonderful, honey, I am so happy for you." Her Mom told her softly. "How are you faring as a mother, is it everything you've imagine it would be?"
Cuddy chuckled. "It's definitely a challenge, but it's worth every minute. Bella has had a rough life the last couple of years and she's suffered emotional trauma, but I can't imagine my life without her, Mom."
"What happened to her?" She asked with concern.
"Her parents died when she was six and…she lost her brother as well about a year later. But she's the strongest and bravest little girl I've ever met and she's made a lot of progress in the time that I've known her. We're working toward healing her emotional scars and she's doing great." Cuddy answered.
"Oh that poor girl, that is just awful, Lisa." She commented sadly. "Well, I'm glad you two found each other and I would love to come and meet my new granddaughter, she sounds like a wonderful little girl."
"She wants to meet you too, Mom." Cuddy replied. "I have a medical conference next weekend but we'd love it if you could come in two weeks and spend that weekend with us if you don't have any other plans."
"I don't but even if I did I'd cancel them, I'm just so happy that you finally have what you've always wanted, Sweetheart, and I can't wait to see you both."
Cuddy smiled, nodding her head. "Great, we can't wait to see you too."
"Goodbye, honey, I love you. And give that granddaughter of mine a hug."
Cuddy chuckled. "I will. I love you too, Mom, see you soon."
Cuddy hung up the phone; happy that she'd called her Mom and that her Mom was happy that Cuddy had adopted Bella. Next week was going to be a busy one for Cuddy as she got everything prepared for the conference and made sure that her hospital would be left in good hands while she was gone. She didn't have a problem leaving the hospital in someone else's hands because she's done that before. What Cuddy wasn't looking forward to was leaving Bella for an entire weekend. Ever since she'd met Bella, she hasn't spent more than a day away from her and she knew that she would miss her terribly. Cuddy wasn't concerned or worried about leaving her with House, she trusted him implicitly with her care, but she would have a hard time concentrating at the conference because she would be wondering how Bella was doing the entire time. Cuddy knew she would be ok; she just couldn't help worrying about her. At least she had a week to prepare herself.
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