Author's note: I apologize in advance, the document manager upload tool is wonky and I had to upload in an alternate file format. During the upload, all punctuation at the end of each paragraph was lost. I believe I corrected everything now. Thanks for reading!


Chapter 11: Girl talk

A week has passed. Kate has settled her business in Seattle. One of her neighbors and close friends has agreed to keep an eye on her house. Kate has put in a request to have her mail forwarded. She has arranged for her regular patients to see other doctors in her absence. She has shipped some clothing and a few personal effects to Cuddy's house. Kate's flight touches down at Newark. She is traveling lightly; she has only her laptop case and a purse. Since she doesn't need to go to baggage claim, she heads straight to the rental car counter. She picks up her rental car and then heads for Princeton. The drive passes quickly for Kate. Since it is late, she heads straight to Cuddy's house. She pulls into the driveway and puts the vehicle in park. She gets out and heads to the front door. She realizes that she doesn't have a key to the house, so she knocks on the front door. After a few moments, Cuddy opens the door.

Cuddy grins. "Have a good flight?"

Kate shrugs her shoulders. "I suppose. The flight from Seattle to here sucks. Did my stuff get here?"

Cuddy ushers Kate into the house and closes the door behind her. "It did. I put it in your room. Have you eaten dinner?"

Kate shakes her head. "No. I figured I would just run out and get something."

Cuddy says "Don't bother. I haven't eaten either. I will just order pizza. Look, you know your way around the house. Your stuff is in the room you always stay in. Get settled in while I order pizza, ok?"

"Sounds like a plan. I am going to go change and wash up some. I feel all icky and stale from being on the plane." Kate goes back to her bedroom. It is her favorite room in Cuddy's house. The bedroom has French doors that open to the lushly landscaped backyard. There is a generous full bathroom attached to the room. Kate has spent many an hour on the comfortable bed. Kate sees the boxes she had shipped sitting on the floor in the corner. She grabs the box labeled "bathroom" and opens it. She removes her toiletries and bathrobe and puts them in the bathroom. She pulls her hair back into a ponytail and then scrubs her face free of all makeup. After she finishes washing up, she kicks off her shoes. She starts emptying the boxes and putting things in the closet and dresser. Cuddy knocks on the door and Kate gestures at her to come in. Cuddy flops on the bed and watches Kate put her things away.

Cuddy says "If you want, we can move the desk from the other bedroom in here so you can have a workspace."

"I'm not too worried about that tonight. I just want to get the majority of my things unpacked. We can move the desk later. So, did anything exciting happen this week?"

Cuddy shakes her head. "No, it was pretty quiet. We moved House out of ICU. We'll probably send him home in a few more days."

"So, did the ketamine work?"

Cuddy frowns. "Somewhat. It didn't work as well as we hoped. He still has some pain, but he claims it isn't as bad as it was."

Kate nods. "Is he in physical therapy?"

"He is, but I doubt he'll stick with it."

Kate laughs. "Why does that not surprise me? How are the gunshot wounds?"

"They are healing nicely. You know, he would be the last to admit it, but the PT is helping him walk better. He isn't leaning as heavily on the cane as he used to. I doubt he will ever be rid of the cane completely, but he may not need it so desperately. Before the shooting, I was worried he was going to need a walker soon. The cane wasn't providing the stability he needed."

"Is he still his usual ray of sunshine?"

Cuddy laughs. "Of course. He has insulted every nurse in ICU and most of the nurses in the general wing. Wilson said he heard a few of the nurses contemplating holding a pillow over his face while he is asleep."

Kate finishes hanging clothes in the closet and snorts. "Some things never change."

Cuddy plainly says "I'll never understand what you saw in him."

Kate shrugs and says "I have a weakness for musicians."

"Oh please. You didn't know he was a musician until a few months into your relationship with him."

"Honestly, it was his eyes that suckered me in. And his butt. Remember how well he filled out a pair of pants when he was playing lacrosse?" Kate's face softens as she remembers House in his younger days. "And I can't lie: I was absolutely fascinated by his standoffishness. It was always a battle with him. He challenged me on every little thing. It was exciting." Kate sits on the bed next to Cuddy. "And when I found out he was a doctor, I was even more attracted to him. He was smart, witty, athletic and musically talented. He spoke foreign languages. If you could get past the sarcasm, he was a dream date. And let's face it, Lisa, I was just as bitterly sarcastic as he was when I met him."

Cuddy denies it. "You were never as bitter as he was."

Kate shakes her head. "I was, but I knew how to hide it and I did hide it. Greg's form of sarcasm is acceptable because he is a man. Women can't get away with being that way. Greg is called a bastard, but a smart one. He gets a sort of respect because of it. I mean, sure, plenty of people hate him, but if I acted like he did, I'd be branded as a vindictive, evil bitch and everyone would hate me more than they hated him. Stupid double standards."

"Do you ever wonder what would have happened if the car accident didn't happen."

Kate's look becomes distant. She stands up and briskly works on putting clothes in the dresser. "No, I don't.
"
Cuddy sits up. "Kate, I'm sorry. I didn't."

Kate interrupts her. "I know. It's ok. And I'm lying. I have thought about it many times. I wonder what our son would have been like. I wonder if we would've had more kids. I wonder if he would've still cheated on me someday. I wonder if I would've found something else to shut him out for. I wonder how I would've handled his infarction. I wonder how our son would've reacted to his father turning into what he is today. But you know, Lisa, I realized a long time ago that everything happens for a reason to get us to where we are today. And I am pretty happy with the person I have become. I am successful and respect in my field and I enjoy my job. Greg asked me here for a reason and I admit I am damn curious about the reason. That is why I am here now."

Cuddy nods. "Just watch out for your state of mind. I told you what he did to Stacy. I don't want to watch him play with your mind."

Kate says "He can try to play with my mind, but he will be up for a fight every inch of the way. I learned how to play mind games from the master: him."