A/N: Fair warning: this is a long chapter and a lot goes on. :)

Chapter 83:

As she stepped out of the courtroom with John Greene, Cuddy turned to her left and saw Wilson, Stacy, Cameron and Foreman standing there waiting for them.

Suddenly, Cuddy stopped. "Wait," she said abruptly, grabbing Johns arm. "Where's Greg?"

She turned around but John stopped her.

"If he's talking to Chase, you do not want to go in there, especially if they are the only two in the room. Just from a legal standpoint and for your own sanity, it's not good."

Cuddy bit her lip.

"It'll be fine, Lisa. Don't worry."

Still unconvinced, Cuddy opened her mouth to speak, but her words of insecurity were cast aside when she heard a woman call her name.

"Lisa!"

Stacy Warner was walking towards her, a smile on her face. Cuddy walked to meet the woman. Like two long lost friends, they embraced one another.

"You were fantastic," Stacy whispered in her friend's ear. "I'm so proud of you."

When she pulled back, Stacy grinned as her eyes darted towards Cuddy's pregnant belly. "And congratulations, by the way."

Cuddy smiled warmly. "Thank you." She felt a hand on her back and turned to see House next to her.

"What did you say to him?" she demanded.

House shrugged. "Nothing."

Cuddy snorted. "Yeah, okay..."

House turned to Stacy, amused. "Why does she always think that I'm lying?"

As Stacy opened her mouth to speak, House interrupted her. 'Wait, no, don't answer that."

John appeared next to him, clapping a hand on the doctor's shoulder, his voice low. "Greg, what exactly did you say to Chase while Steve was talking to the judge?"

Throwing his hand in the air in frustration, House exclaimed, "What does it matter? I just told him to get a haircut."

"It matters because Steve could slap us with another lawsuit for god knows what."

House rolled his eyes and turned to Stacy. "Now that I'm done getting the lecture..."

Stacy caught Cuddy's eye, her mouth turning upwards into a grin. "He hasn't changed much," she muttered, although loud enough for House to hear.

House scowled. John and Cuddy chuckled as Wilson smirked.

John glanced down at his watch. "I really don't want to be blocking corridors. Lunch?"

"Yes, please," Cuddy replied. "Let me just go find Kate..."

They had decided to go back to Princeton for a late lunch rather than stay in Trenton. John had called ahead and made a reservation at the North End Bistro, an American eatery in Princeton.

After confirming that they would meet John, Wilson, Stacy and Cameron at the restaurant, House and Cuddy broke apart from the group and walked to the car. Before House climbed into the driver's side after throwing his cane across the backseat, he paused and glanced at Cuddy from across the roof of the dark blue Sebring.

"Are you sure you're okay with what I did?" he asked quietly, his eyes pleading with her to tell him the truth.

She swallowed and looked back at him. "Yes," she told him quietly before ducking her head to get in the passenger side.

House drove down the road in silence. Every so often, he would glance at Cuddy, who was staring out of the passenger window as they drove along the highway. Her right hand was caressing her growing belly absentmindedly, as she wasn't thinking of anything in particular.

"If I'm not okay with Chase being back in the hospital, then I'll do what the judge told me I can do: I'll send him back," Cuddy finally spoke, as though the twenty minutes of silence didn't just happen.

She tore her gaze away from the window and leaned back against the headrest, closing her eyes.

House opened his mouth to respond, but then closed it a second later when he couldn't think of anything to say.

"You'll clear it with me first?" he finally asked.

Opening her eyes, Cuddy turned her head to look at him. "Well, yeah, obviously."

Just then, Cuddy's phone rang. With a groan, she reached down to retrieve her phone from her purse and checked the caller ID before answering.

"Hi Kate. What's up?"

She listened to her sister on the other end of the phone, and then said, "Yeah, I don't think that should be a problem. I will let John know to change the reservation to seven. Is Matt coming?"

A few seconds later, after she disconnected the call and then dialed John's number to let him know that her sister was going to join them for lunch, Cuddy threw her phone back into the purse at the bottom of her feet.

"I don't even want to know how many emails I have," she groaned, settling back against the seat again. "So you ended up getting a case."

"Yeah, Foreman went to deal with it. A six year old with GI problems. Got admitted about twenty minutes ago."

"You sure you don't have to go in and help?"

"He can handle it."

"So you never talked to Foreman this morning," Cuddy deduced.

House smirked. "Nope. I didn't. It was all Stacy."

"Well I certainly fell for that. I forgot John knew her."

Surprised, House glanced at her. "Wait, you knew they knew each other?"

Cuddy shrugged. "It came up in John's interview in passing."

"And you didn't think to mention this to me?" House asked, slightly annoyed.

"I forgot," Cuddy replied, truthfully as she glanced at him.

"Oh come on Greg, it's not like you talk to her!" she added, as she saw the look of frustration on his face.

"I still would have liked to know if my girlfriend's lawyer was talking to my ex," House shot at her, through gritted teeth as he looked behind him to see if he was clear to switch lanes.

"Greg, what is your problem with this?" Cuddy exclaimed, staring at him. "You know she was feeding him information that he used -"

"She also talked to Wilson a few weeks back at that party he and John both went to," House interrupted, harshly, "where Wilson spilled the beans on us."

Cuddy chuckled, shaking her head in amusement. "So this is what you are concerned with: that Stacy knew that you and I were together without your knowledge?!"

House didn't say anything.

"There are much more important things to be concerned about than this. Seriously, if this is your top concern, then I recommend you should really adjust your priorities" she added, amused.

"...She and I were actually supposed to have lunch last year around May, but we both got so busy that we decided to wait -"

"Yeah, you got 'busy' doing me, if I can recall correctly," House interrupted, smirking."Although I can't speak for her..."

Cuddy slapped him on the arm. "Oh stop!"

"You know it's true," he defended.

"You're an ass." Leaning back against the seat, Cuddy closed her eyes as she rubbed her temples with her fingers as she felt a stress headache beginning.

"Headache?"

She nodded. House reached over and opened the glove compartment. "There should be some Acetaminophen in there."

Rummaging around, Cuddy finally found the white bottle and washed two pills down with a swig of water.

"You look exhausted," House told her, throwing a sideways glance in at her.

Stifling a yawn with the back of her left hand, Cuddy replaced the water bottle in the cup holder, and leaned back again, caressing her stomach as she felt her son stir. "I am. Didn't sleep well last night."

"You could have woken me."

Cuddy shrugged.

"Lisa, I could have been there for you," he continued, looking at her.

Cuddy swallowed and turned her head, locking eyes with him. "Greg, you have been there for me, okay? And that's all I could have asked for. You have been supportive in ways I never even thought were possible from you... We've leaned on each other for this support, and you know what? It's working, Greg. It is." She took his hand in her own and placed it on top of her belly. "And it will continue to work, okay? Now, focus on the road."

Half an hour later after House had parked the car, he and Cuddy walked toward the restaurant from the parking lot.

"How's your leg?" Cuddy asked, knowing that sitting for as long as he did could not have helped with the pain that was already there. And she noticed him limping slower than usual.

"It's fine. Just a little stiff," House said, gruffly. "This PT thing is rough some weeks." He hated when people asked about his leg, even though he knew she was doing it out of concern and not pity.

"You have PT tomorrow, right?"

He nodded. "Laura has been helping a lot."

Cuddy smiled and grabbed his hand, knowing that his admission was hard for him to voice aloud. "I'm glad."

Immediately, House stopped walking, causing Cuddy to look at him with immediate concern.

"What's wrong?"

House said nothing. Hooking his cane on his arm, he turned to face her, working his hands inside her jacket and placing them low on either side of her hips.

Quite taken aback by the behavior he was displaying in public, Cuddy was quiet as she looked into his face, wondering.

Gripping her hips, House pulled her as close as he possibly could, her pregnant belly nestled against him.

"I love you so much," he whispered.

Cuddy's breath hitched in her throat and her heart started to hammer fast, the way it always did during an intimate moment when they were close to one another.

"You were amazing in that courtroom," he continued, softly, as their foreheads connected. "I just want you to know that."

Cuddy gave him a shy smile as she gripped his biceps. "Thank you," she replied quietly. Although unexpected by his actions, she felt her heart swell with affection for the man standing in front of her. The man who thought he was never capable of love until she showed him differently.

"We've come a long way," she whispered, squeezing his biceps as she gripped his arms.

"We have," he agreed. Before pulling apart, he leaned forward and whispered something in her ear. Six little words that he was admitting more to himself than to her.

"And I have never been happier."

John clinked his water glass with his spoon.

"I'd like to make a toast," he began, looking around the table at the six people flanking him along the two sides. "First, to Lisa for her extraordinary work with me in this case. Lisa, you were exceptional. Thank you for being one of the best clients I have ever had."

Sitting beside House, Cuddy blushed but appreciated John's kind words. "Oh now you're just being modest."

"I am not," John told her truthfully. "And second," he continued, "to my amazing partner. James, thank you for supporting me through all of this. Even though I could not tell you what was going on from the start. And thank you for not being angry when I had to un-expectantly go back into work at seven p.m."

Wilson grinned. "So you're saying next time, I should be angry?" he joked.

John chuckled. "Let's not go that far."

A waiter came over to take their lunch orders. After she had asked for the North End omelet with a side of grilled asparagus, Cuddy turned to her left and waited for Stacy to finish ordering.

"How's Mark?" she asked, as she took a sip of water

"He's good. Surprised that I came to see you and Greg, of course...well okay, maybe just Greg...but no, he's good. Moved to part-time at the high school. He's really enjoying not working as much. You know in his condition, he gets tired."

"And I heard that you work at John's firm - well, old firm - part-time."

"Yes. I worked for him and Nick a long time ago, and then I left. Got married, took some time off...and now I'm back," Stacy replied, careful of how she worded everything after noticing that Cameron and Cuddy's sister were both listening in.

Cuddy seemed to sense the other woman's hesitation. "So, you went back there after you left PPTH?"

Stacy nodded. "I did. I wanted to still work, so when Mark and I moved back to Short Hills, I worked from home a few days a week for John and Nick's firm - Have you met Nick?"

"I haven't, no."

" Well, Nick is a great guy. Smart like John over there. The perfect two people to start their own firm out of law school. I knew Nick when we did an internship together, and he had approached me while they were getting their firm off the ground. I said I'd help."

"So you met John through Nick?" Cuddy asked.

"Yeah..."

Cuddy grinned. "Well, it certainly is a small world."

"Indeed." Stacy glanced in House's direction, but he was engrossed in a conversation with Wilson and John at the other end of the table.

"Lisa," she began in a quiet voice, "I just want to say how happy I am for you and Greg."

"Thank you, Stacy. That means a lot."

"I know it couldn't have been easy..."

Cuddy smiled shyly and caressed the underside of her belly with her hand.

"You've come a long way," Stacy whispered, as she grabbed the other woman's hand.

Cuddy smiled through her tears, wiping her eyes as her emotions threatened to intervene as her mind drifted to the conversation she and House had outside in the parking lot.

"Oh Lisa, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to -"

"No, it's okay." Cuddy chuckled softly as she wiped her eyes with her napkin. "Sorry. Hormones."

Looking over from his conversation with John and Wilson, House rolled his eyes. "Again?! Geez, woman, keep it up with the amount of crying you do, and there won't be any tears left for our son."

Cuddy slapped him on the arm. "Oh shut up," she reprimanded him through her tears, but she was grinning.

"House!" Cameron scolded him.

"What, it's true," House defended.

"God help me, why do I put up with him?" Cuddy joked with Stacy, as she finished wiping her eyes.

"Hey, you're the one who picked him," Stacy replied, grinning.

House scowled. "As much as I'm flattered that my girlfriend and my ex are competing for me -"

Cuddy interrupted him as she pointed at Stacy. "She is over you so there's no competition. So, keep dreaming that women fight over you."

"Ouch, House," Kate, Lisa's sister, chimed in. "My sister nailed you there."

"You don't know about my hookers, then," House commented.

"You had better be lying," Cuddy told him, dangerously.

"Oh relax, preggo," he replied, smirking as he saw Cuddy blush. "You know I don't have any hookers."

Shaking her head with amusement, Cuddy stood, feeling her son press on her almost full bladder. "I'm going to the ladies room. Stacy, care to join me?"

As Stacy stood, House whined, "What, so you two could have a talk about me?"

Cuddy ignored him and started to walk away. Meanwhile, Stacy wiggled her eyebrows at him. "What do you think?" she commented, before smirking and turning to join her friend.

Washing her hands after doing her business, Cuddy wiped them with a paper hand towel and waited for Stacy.

"When are you due again, Lise?"

"Two and a half months, give or take a few weeks."

Stacy appeared from her stall, and walked to the sink.

"But I'll be perfectly happy if it can be right now," Cuddy continued, chuckling.

"Well, you look great," Stacy exclaimed, looking at her friend. "And although I am sure you are tired and stressed, you still look happy." She grabbed a towel from off the counter top and wiped her hands.

"Thanks. I am," Cuddy replied, happily. "We both are."

After throwing her towel away, Stacy grabbed onto her friend's hand warmly. "Greg is lucky to have you."

Cuddy smiled and squeezed Stacy's hand in an appreciation of gratitude. "So how did you find out?"

"John came back to the firm for a party about a month ago, and James was with him."

"So Wilson spilled the beans."

"Naturally. He thought it was appropriate to fill me in on what happened...And Lisa, I wanted to offer my greatest condolences. If you ever need to talk, I'm here..."

"Thanks, Stacy," Cuddy whispered. "Greg has been amazing in his support. I'm quite surprised."

The two women embraced. When they broke apart, Cuddy caressed the side of her belly as she felt her son give a hard kick against her hand.

"Lisa, I've...noticed that Greg's limp has become less pronounced."

Cuddy smiled as she heard Stacy's observation, and she glanced up. "He's been doing physical therapy."

Stacy was shocked. "Really?"

"Yeah, when he had a motorcycle accident earlier this year, he started PT for his shoulder, and then just...decided to start on his leg. I was shocked to see him come forward and ask for help. I mean, I know that it can't cure him, but if some of the pain can be relieved..."

Oh Lisa, that's wonderful."

"Yeah..." Cuddy replied, hesitantly.

Stacy laid a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Look at me," she said softly.

Cuddy did as she was told.

"You and I both have spent all these years feeling guilty. You have to forgive yourself, Lisa."

A single tear trickled down Cuddy's face as vivid memories resurfaced in her mind. "Easier said than done," she whispered.

Squeezing Cuddy's shoulder, Stacy nodded. "I know," she whispered. "I know. But in time, you will. A part of you already has, Lisa, and I think Greg knows that." She grabbed a handful of hand towels and handed them to Cuddy, who dabbed at her eyes and cleaned her face.

"And yes, I know he will never forgive me for the decision I made and I've come to accept that," she continued. "I was saving his life but he didn't see it that way...Lisa, you are a strong woman. The two of you have this - this deep love, this admiration for each other that Greg and I could never have achieved. I've never seen him as happy as he is now. If anything, he understands what you had to do. And if anything, I was glad he was never angry at you."

As she heard the other woman's admission, Cuddy smiled through her tears. "Thank you," was all she could manage.

Stacy responded by squeezing Cuddy's shoulder tightly. "You're welcome, Lisa." She took Cuddy's arm.

"C'mon, they probably think we've fallen in," she joked, as the two women left the restroom.

After lunch, House had no choice but to go into work to see what was going on with their patient, the six year old boy. He dropped Cuddy off at home, changed into his usual attire of jeans, a t-shirt, a button down shirt and sneakers and then drove to the hospital.

Colin, the six year old boy admitted with gastro-intestinal problems was going downhill rather quickly. House noticed the high blood sugar levels.

"What six year-old has a sudden onset of diabetes? And a healthy six year old, mind you," House said, frustrated, as he limped back and forth in front of the whiteboard.

"His mother said that he developed that at birth," Foreman told him, as he reviewed the file in his hand. "He did just go through two urine bags. But I barely gave him any fluids, half a bag at most. His mom also told me about a lot of constipation issues."

House ran a hand down his face, playing with his scruff. "Excretion of excessive amounts of urine, and added constipation," House murmured, as he ran a hand along his scruff in thought.

"Are you thinking something in the pituitary?"

House nodded. "It's possible," he muttered. "Get a BMP to check his prolactin and get a THS measurement. Do a water deprivation test to confirm the diabetes -"

"Shouldn't we start with the non-invasive tests first? He's six, House."

"Fine. Get an MRI of the pituitary gland. And check out the kids eyes while you're at it. If they show something, then do everything else I requested," House told him before limping into his adjacent office.

Foreman stuck his head in the doorway. "Uh House, I may need Cameron's help."

"Then what do I care? Get her in here."

House remained uninterrupted for the next two and a half hours. Foreman had found a problem with their patient's pituitary gland, and he and Cameron were running tests in the lab.

There was a light knock on his office door. House waved his hand, signaling whoever it was to come in, and he looked up to see John Greene standing there.

"I thought you weren't coming in!" John exclaimed, surprised.

"I wasn't, but my patient got worse," House replied. "I'm leaving soon anyway. Hopefully...what's up?"

"Just got off the phone with the director of the prison. Everything is set for tomorrow morning."

House's face darkened, which did not go unnoticed by John. "What time is he coming?"

"Around nine," the lawyer replied. "He'll get dropped off and then picked up at five -"

"Unless I give permission for him to leave earlier," House interrupted.

"Correct. Unless you give permission to have him leave earlier," John confirmed. "But remember, he will need to wait to be picked up, so unless the time was pre-determined for that day, he may be here until he can be picked up."

"Now," John continued, "Lisa told me you are going to Vegas next week. On Monday, we'll deal with having Chase here while you are gone. I'm assuming your team will have cases, so your best bet is to have him still come in, but we can discuss that on Monday before you leave."

After John left his office, House made a quick call to Stan Gisner, the neurologist who he was presenting the cerebral malaria case with next week in Vegas. After confirming they would meet tomorrow afternoon, House disconnected the call.

It was almost seven in the evening when House finally headed out of the hospital. His team had indeed found that Colin, their patient, had an onset of diabetes. The frequent urination and constipation had definitely pointed towards something involving the pituitary, but what?

Pulling Cuddy's car into the driveway, House noticed the house was already dark except for the front light in the kitchen. Letting himself inside, he shrugged his jacket off and draped it over the counter of the bar in the kitchen. After kicking off his sneakers, he slowly and quietly made his way down the hall to toward the bedroom.

Cuddy was curled up on one side of the bed, sleeping. Limping over to her side, House immediately wrinkled his nose as he saw a bucket on the floor beside the bed, its contents littered with vomit.

Concerned, House felt her forehead with the back of his hand, and frowned. No fever.

After washing the bucket in the bathroom sink, House limped back into the bedroom, stripped down to his boxers and climbed into the bed beside Cuddy.

As he drifted off to sleep, House's mind wandered to the next morning when Chase was to be reinstated under his command. He knew he could deal with his employee (or so he thought), but he worried how Cuddy would really handle Chase being back in the hospital. House knew she was indeed strong enough, but he wondered whether this would push her to the breaking point after all she had gone through already.

Get familiar with creepy Brad Kowalski again because he may come back next chapter.