Vogler was all pomp and hot air. He made his threats, and talked about all the good his money was going to do for the hospital. Dr Cuddy was trying hard to hold her tongue. She had to time this just right. The rest of the board was ready and willing to take the money. They didn't have the same sense of duty to House that she had.
Cuddy finally saw her chance. This was it. One chance to make her case. She talked to them about what would have the most impact on them. Not about how valuable House was to the hospital. They weren't going to think he was worth $100,000,000. She was having a hard enough time convincing herself of that. Instead she told them of a future where Vogler was in total control of the hospital. Where any one of them could be his next victim. This seemed to be working. She took a quick look around the room and saw that they were listening, considering her point.
When she finished, she got up and left. She didn't think she could sit there while these people decided her fate. She wouldn't allow herself to feel she had completely turned them around. She knew she was asking a lot of them. She also didn't want to see Vogler's face if he won. She didn't think she could bear that.
She made it to her office without running into anyone. That was good. She was in no mood to talk about it. She would bury herself in her work and try to forget what was going on only a few feet away from her.
After staring at the same piece of paper for about 5 minutes, she realized she wasn't going to get anything done here. She packed up and headed out the door. She ran into Dr. Finkel in the hallway. She had been Cuddy's biggest challenge. Dr. Finkel always followed the money, and Cuddy knew that she would be the hardest one to win over.
Dr. Finkel had a scowl on her face as she headed toward Cuddy. "I hope you're happy," she boomed. She was a large woman with a large voice to match. "You just cost the hospital $100,000,000. Personally I think they should take it out of your salary for the next 1000 years." She huffed off. The floor shook slightly with each pounding foot.
Dr. Cuddy let out a great sigh of relief. The fight wasn't completely over. Now she would have to prove to the board, and the whole hospital, that they were better off without the money. This was going to require all the PR skills she had honed in her years as hospital administrator. At least she could go home tonight knowing she had a job to go to in the morning.
On her way out of the building, Cuddy walked past House's office. She wasn't looking forward to seeing him just now, but she kept going. Before the door came into view, she could hear sounds of laughter and merriment coming from his office. News travels fast, she thought. She even heard the sounds of Dr. Wilson's voice. He must have come to wait out the verdict with his best friend, she thought. She was happy to have him back in the hospital. She would officially offer him his job back as soon as possible.
"Dr. Cuddy," House called out to her as she stood in the doorway. "The man of the hour." He held up his glass in a toast. Someone handed her a glass of champagne, she didn't know who it was. She emptied the glass in one gulp. It felt good, sliding down her throat, sending a warm wave through her body.
House was still talking, making some comment about her bringing Vogler down. She wasn't really listening. She was watching him carefully, as though she'd never seen him before.
He looked so confident. He wasn't relieved. He was never worried about it. He knew Dr. Cuddy would take care of everything, the way she always did. She felt resentment creeping into her mind. Wilson had been fired because of him. She had nearly lost her job for him, and there he sat, looking so pleased with himself.
She felt an overwhelming urge to hit him, hard. In that moment she hated him more than she'd ever hated anyone. She knew the feeling would pass. She'd never been able to stay mad at Gregory House for too long. He had a hold on her, and he knew it. Damn him, she thought, and with one last, bitter comment, she turned and left.
She was halfway down the hall before she heard the clicking of his cane. "Wait," he called. She kept going. He was the last person she wanted to talk to right now.