Hold On

Chapter 3 February 14. The day had come a lot faster than she had expected. Work had kept her pretty busy, which was probably for the better. That way she didn't have time to get herself all nervous over the fact that she was going to a formal banquet with Dr. House. It wasn't that she regretted asking him. She was just a little leery over what he would do. He was never one to hold his tongue, and his goal in life has always been to embarrass her. However, if he embarrassed her, he would also be embarrassing himself, so he might hold back for just this one night.

She left work a little early so she had enough time to get ready. She went home, showered, and did her hair and makeup. Just as she was going to put on the dress she bought, a long black dress that hugged her shape in all the right places with spaghetti straps, the butterflies started to rise in her stomach. What if he makes a fool of me? What if he makes a fool of himself, in turn making a fool of me? What if his acceptance is some sick joke and when I get to his place he isn't there? All these thoughts were racing through her head as she finished putting on her dress and the rest of her attire for the evening- black open toed shoes to show off her recent pedicure, a solitaire diamond necklace, and small diamond earrings. When she thought she looked presentable enough, she put on her coat, grabbed her keys, took a deep breath, and headed out the door.

It only took her about 20 minutes to get to his apartment building. Upon pulling up in front of his building, she did one last check of her makeup and hair in the rear view mirror, and then got out of the car. The ride in the elevator up to his floor was tortuous. She didn't know she could be that nervous. Calm down, Lisa. Everything is going to go ok, and it'll be over with before you know it. She got off the elevator, approached his door, and knocked.

After 5 minutes there was still no answer. Her heart was racing, out of anxiety and fury. How could he do this to me? Just as she turned to walk away, the door opened. She turned around and there he was in a black tux, just like she asked.

"Sorry, it took me awhile to get to the door, Dr. Cuddy. I was finishing something up," he said with a smirk on his face.

"Uh huh," she said, as she reapproached the door, knowing full well that he was just toying with her. She stood at the door while he went to get his coat and that's when she noticed it. She knew she should have expected something like this. Even though he wore the tux, he was bound to pull something. Along with his tux, he was wearing his ever present tennis shoes. He turned around right as she noticed them.

"Well, I wanted to be comfortable," he said almost innocently with that smirk on his face again.

"Yes, well let's get going so we're not late, shall we?" she said, walking toward the elevator.

They both rode down and got into her car in silence. The ride there was mostly in silence also. What have I gotten myself into? They arrived at the Marriott shortly after. She pulled up out front, and they got out so she could give her keys to the valet. Upon entering the hotel they were both amazed at the number of people there. It was a much larger turnout than they had expected.

They went to the bar to get a drink, a glass of red wine for her and a glass of scotch for him, then went to find their table. He sat at the table while she went to schmooze with some people that she knew.

He sat there and watched her. She looked beautiful, he thought to himself, though he'd never tell her that. They didn't have a relationship like that. She kept talking to some people, every once in a while throwing her head back to let out a laugh. She looked like she was saying her goodbyes to the people she was talking to, so he quickly started rolling his glass between his hands so she didn't know he had been staring at her.

A few minutes had passed and she hadn't made her way back to the table yet. He looked back up, and she was standing there, a few feet from the table, staring at something with a look on her face he couldn't even describe. He tried to find with his own eyes what it was she saw but was unable to do so. She saw that he saw her and came over to the table.

"Is something wrong, Dr. Cuddy?" he asked, his interest now peaked at the chance of being able to solve a puzzle at this bland banquet.

"No, it's, it's nothing. I just saw someone……oh, never mind. Just forget it."

But he wasn't going to forget it. Something was obviously bothering her, and he wanted to know what it was. He had finished his drink, as did she, so he got up to go and get them another one. On his way back from the bar he saw a tall, good looking man and a gorgeous woman at their table talking to Dr. Cuddy. He approached, wondering what was going on, especially since she didn't look all too happy to be seeing them.

"Here's your wine, Dr. Cuddy," he said glancing at the two visitors at their table.

"Oh, thank you, Dr. House. Dr. House, this is Dr. Mark Smith and his wife Nicole."

"Nice to meet you both," he said as he shook their hands.

Soon after, Dr. Smith and his wife excused themselves. He could see Dr. Cuddy breathe a sigh of relief as he took his seat next to her.

"What was that all about?" he asked.

" Mark and I were engaged. And I caught him on the night of our wedding with Nicole." Her voice broke with the last statement, and she practically ran from the table, leaving him sitting there wondering what to do next.