A/N: Hey Everybody! Yes this is a new chapter, I know it's very hard to believe. I have one more essay to write and then I should have to more time to write more chapters.

Anyway as always thank you for reading, the lovely reviews and the alerts. I'm just so happy you guys still like this!

"Listen about yesterday, or this morning, I understand why you didn't call me. You were busy with your work and probably a little worried about Jack." She took a step closer and placed her hand on his chest right above his heart. "But what I don't get is why you had to lie about it?"

House backed up until he hit the locked door behind him. Damn, he couldn't run away from her. And a big part of him didn't want to run away, he actually wanted to reach out and tell her why he didn't want to leave Jack alone. Instead he was doing what he always did, it was like a reflex. Even though Nolan had tried to show him how to break this bad habit, it is a very hard instinct to get rid of.

Cuddy was well aware of this instinct and followed him so she ended up right in front of him again waiting for him to answer.

He kept his eyes on his shoes, not looking at her is the next best thing to running away. He had to give her credit though she was very patient with him and waited until he was ready.

House took a deep breath "I'm sorry," he mumbled and she could barely hear him, because his eyes stayed on the floor. "I didn't want Jack to be alone."

"I understand."

"He trusts me or at least he's star-. What do you mean you understand?" Finally he looked up and there it was. The face he had dreaded to see. He knew why she understood and why he had stayed at Jack's side all through the night and why this case was so hard in him. He knew she had figured it out, but he wasn't ready to tell her yet what had really happen between him and his father. House hadn't even told Nolan the exact details.

"You said when we were at the conference that you were gonna focus on the good things instead of the bad. I knew what you meant."

She turned away from him and looked around the room he had locked them into, she ended up sitting on the table that was pushed against the wall.

House meanwhile had to take another deep breath. She knew. And there was nothing he could do about it, even denying it would help him right now. So he did the only thing he was capable of right now.

He limped over to her and at the same time he kept his eyes on his shoes, he knew what he was gonna see in her eyes right now. Guilt. Guilt over not figuring it out sooner and help him, but the truth was this was something she couldn't really help him with and they both knew.

He had made it over to her and stepped into the space between her legs, luckily she was wearing pants today instead of her usual skirt.

And she reached out to him immediately, her hands stroked his chest for a minute before ending up around his neck and pulling him closer.

"I just don't want him to grow-up like I did." He mumbled into her neck. "Moving from house to house, or in his case from family to family, from one bully to the next one. No kid should be treated like he was; I'll make sure of it." That last part he said very quietly like she wasn't supposed to hear it.

All Cuddy did was just to pull him even closer, she knew he didn't want her to say anything. So she just did the only thing she could do right now and that was to wrap her arms around him.

They stood, or in Cuddy's case sat like that for long time, wrapped in each other's arms. Or at least that's what it felt like to them. It may have been only a couple of minutes.

House stepped back and took a seat next to her on the table. He sighed in relief when his legs didn't touch the ground anymore. First then did she notice how much pain he was in. His last PT swim-session had been two days ago and he had probably slept in the chair next to Jack's bed. On top of that was the emotional toll Jack's case had been taking on him. His pain must be worse than it had been in a long time.

"You should get some rest, you look like something the cat dragged in." She said and gently placed her on his back, she felt him relax instantly.

"I'm not tired I slept in the chair." This was followed by a yawn.

"Oh yeah? So why did you just yawn?"

"Reflex"

"I didn't yawn." She said with a laugh. "Just go home and rest for a couple of hours."

"I can't"

"Okay." She understood he didn't want to leave Jack. "Then use one of the bunk-beds in the surgeon's lounge." She suggested. "And I will keep an eye Jack."

"How are you gonna do that? You have clinic duty." How did he know that she wondered? He had probably hacked into her schedule. Again.

"You're forgetting you are talking to the boss, I'm sure they can find someone to cover for me."

"Skipping clinic duty, are you sure Dr. Cuddy?" He said as if he was outraged by what she had just said.

"I blame you for bringing out the slacker in me."

He gave her one last kiss and hobbled over the door and unlocked it. Before he opened it he said "If he's still awake, he really likes the Harry Potter books. He hangs on every sentence you read to him." And with that he was gone leaving the door open. She could see him limp away very slowly, his pain must be unbearable right now.

She really wished she could help him. It hadn't happen often that a patient would crack through the Great Wall of China he kept around his heart, but Jack was one of them.

Hang on a minute maybe she could help him, but for that to work she needed to make a phone-call.

First though she had an 8-year-old to entertain.