Chapter 5 West Princeton—Cuddy's House

Meantime, Cuddy took a mid-afternoon jog around her neighborhood. She had to admit that it felt strange not to be at work at that hour. Still, better to be exercising than sitting around and brooding all day. She made two laps of the cul-de-sac and returned to her house. "Whew."

She stopped in the kitchen and opened one of the bottles of water in the fridge. As she drank it, she felt herself relax and return to reality. "I still can't believe this." All of her life she had worked in one thing or another, driving herself toward that ultimate goal of being an administrator. "It's really over. Who's going to hire me after that circus yesterday?" She shook her head, knowing full well that if it happened all over again, she would do exactly what she had the day before.

Then she almost heard a familiar snide voice. Hurts, doesn't it? Well, that's tough! Get over it! Life's a bitch, Cuddy!

She rolled her eyes at hearing House's voice in her head. Now I'm really screwed. I can't get his voice out of my head. She jumped in the shower, letting the heated water and steam clear her head and wash the sweat away. Relax, Lisa, you don't have to deal with him anymore!

In spite of herself, she felt a wave of disappointment.

Stop it! He's a pain in the ass! He got you fired!

Then the phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Can I speak to Lisa Cuddy please? This is Dr. Michael Fishburne, Dean of Medicine at the University Medical Center in Tucson, Arizona," Fishburne requested.

"This is she. Is this in relation to Angela Dubois' presentation? She did a wonderful job, Michael," she reported.

"That's very kind of you. Angela is a one of a kind person. In fact, I spoke to her and Lex Luthor about yesterday's events. Terrible business all around. I wanted to know how you were holding up and to offer our support," he reported.

She managed to remain composed at hearing the kind words. "Thank you. I have to admit that it's strange not being at my desk right now. I don't normally advocate raising a stir like that but Edward Vogler left me little choice on ethical grounds."

"I know the whole story. Thank you for supporting Angela and her husband during their visit. In fact, that brings me to the next reason for calling. I have an opening in Radiology. That is your specialty, isn't it?" he continued.

"It is. Michael, I've been administrating though for the past ten years though."

"You're a competent doctor, Lisa. I know that from your research and writing. Besides, you'd be leading a team here. Look, it's a step down but don't think of it as a demotion. I want someone of your caliber here. Would you be willing to come out here for a meeting on Friday? We'd reimburse you of course," he offered.

She hesitated for a minute before agreeing. "Of course. I'll probably fly down there on Thursday. I really appreciate this, Michael."

"Certainly. If you don't mind, there was one more thing," he indicated.

"What's that?"

"I'm considering making an offer to one of your staff as well, Dr. Gregory House. You're his former boss. Is that all right with you?"

She grimaced, considering if she wanted to work with the diagnostician again. After that whole thing with Vogler, you can't sandbag him. "It's fine. Dr. House is the most innovative doctor I know," she answered honestly.

"I've been reviewing his cases. I've also seen his track record. If I hire him, will he be a problem?" he wondered.

"He marches to his own drummer, Michael. I won't deny that but when the chips are down, I wouldn't want anyone else trying to crack a tough case," she assessed. "The attitude comes from what happened with his leg. His infarction crippled him and his fiancée left him about that time as well. I'm not justifying it, mind you. I'm giving you insight into it."

"I appreciate the frankness, Lisa. All right, you've convinced me. Do you know where I can reach him? His team wouldn't give me his home number," he noted.

"Sure." She took out her address book and read off his number. "Maybe we can all meet on Thursday night for dinner and talk?"

"That's a splendid idea. I'll call Dr. House now. Let Lori know the arrangements and I'll see you both at the airport. Talk to you soon," he agreed before hanging up.

"That was quick," she told herself, looking out the window. "Guess I know where I'm going. This is going to be one interesting dinner on Thursday." With that, she went to the computer and began checking fares for that trip. Better make it for two just in case. Figures. Even now, I'm still taking care of him. Taking out her credit card, she went back to scanning the screen.