Chapter Eight

The Lives They Have Now

Thanks to house's phoenix, LadyEmerald, RHSecretLove, mj0621, DrusillaBraun, DemonDaughter, addicted2coffee, BlkDiamond, HouseAddiction, and Flying Minion of Doom for their reviews! Thanks so much!

Yes, Sergeant, it's what House does.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything in House, I just like to mess with their lives.

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Mercy Hospital

Manhattan, New York

The pain was more excruciating than anything she had every experienced. Lisa Cuddy squeezed her eyes shut as she struggled to keep herself under control. Her knuckles were white as she clasped at the nurse's hand. She cried out as another wave of pain wash over her senses, pushing out every other emotion and claiming her full attention.

"Hang in there, Cuddy." A nurse soothed gently.

Cuddy worked with her, but at the moment, she was in too much pain. She couldn't even tell which nurse it was. She closed her eyes as she realized in how dangerous of a position she was in. She was having a child; a baby, her first, probably her only may not survive.

She knew the risks after her miscarriage. She had a higher chance of having another one, which she did, and her children would probably be premature. Her medical senses had screamed at her that having a child was not a good idea, but her maternal instincts and every emotion had pulled her in a different direction. Now she was facing the consequences, consequences she had prayed again and again that she would never have to face. Her child was coming, and there was nothing she could do to stop it. Her baby was coming…a month too early.

"She won't survive." Cuddy wept, fear lined in every crevice of her voice.

"Shhh, just push," The doctor said. "Come on Cuddy. You can do this."

She choked up. She had no choice but to give birth even though she knew the chances of her baby's survival were slim. Cuddy pushed like she was told to. She had to do this.

She knew there was something missing from the picture. The baby's father should have been standing there beside her, but she didn't even know who it was. She prided herself in her independence and her fearlessness at facing obstacles in her life, but this time, she did not know if she could do it alone. She had no choice.

She lost a lot in her life. Fate had been anything but kind to her. She had loved and lost and had jaded beyond anyone's knowledge. Fate took away her job and the man in her life that she had wanted in a way that her mind had never been able to wrap around.

However tonight, fate was looking down upon her. Perhaps, fate felt that it was time for it to make it up to her. That karma should circle around and aid her in the way she had always aided everyone else. It was finally time for Lisa Cuddy to have something to herself. Someone up there was watching over her and smiling down at her as she brought Jessica Alexis Cuddy into the world.

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Princeton Plainsboro Teaching Hospital

New Jersey

"I think it's an infection." Chase said pointedly. "I'm pretty sure it is. I mean it fits."

House feigned a thoughtful expression. "Yes, Chase, we are all challenged and refreshed by your unique point of view." He replied sarcastically.

"Run the tests." He told Foreman. "My dear new boss needs me."

He abruptly left as he made his way to the familiar office that he wished so much still held a familiar face. He limped through the clinic lobby to the Dean of Medicine's office.

A patient approached him.

"Are you a doctor?" she asked, quietly, shyly.

He didn't even look at her, but kept limping. "Who me? No I just wander from room to room." He replied and then pushed open the door to the office.

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"Just the person I want to see." Dr. Yvonne Fisher, Dean of Medicine of PPTH, said with a falsely pleasant tone.

"I think that's a one way street." House replied.

She didn't acknowledge that comment. "I am here to talk to you about your recent treatments. I gave no permission for you to perform them. They were dangerous, unethical, and completely lacking in evidence. I need to take disciplinary action."

He rolled his eyes. "But they worked. They saved lives. You can't punish me for that."

"That doesn't matter. You cannot undermine my authority. You live in your own little world, Dr. House. Welcome to reality." She said, clearly stating that the conversation was over.

He saw red. "Any relationship between your reality and mine is purely coincidental. You can't just punish me for saving lives."

She glared at him and met his eyes. "You are under suspension for at least a month. No arguments."

He opened his mouth, but she was already heading out of the door. She stopped to turn back to look at him. "Dr. House, in time you will begin to learn that I am not Dr. Cuddy. I will not allow you to push me into corners or be so easily convinced by your remarks. I am not as weak as she was, Dr. House. You will learn that bending my authority like you did with her, will do you no good."

He watched her go with his hands clenched tightly around his cane. This woman infuriated him. She was always putting down the former Dean of Medicine. It annoyed and angered House to no end. He found himself defending Cuddy over and over again and wondering why he did it. He still loved her, never stopped, yet he didn't want to admit it, not to Cuddy, not to Wilson, and definitely not to himself. He didn't even know where she was anymore or how she was doing. He suspected Wilson knew, but he never asked. He was the weak one, he was too frightened to know, afraid to know if she hated him or ceased to even remotely care for him.

He watched Fisher's retreating back and said softly.

"She's more of a woman I have ever met, a better Dean than the hospital will ever have in you."

He paused before adding.

"And stronger than you'll ever be."

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Author's Note:

Okay that was a short chapter and I'm sorry, but it leads into the next story, the sequel, where they meet up again. I'm thinking along the lines of drug overdose for House and Wilson takes it a bit further and takes him maybe on a road trip, maybe to Manhattan. Does anyone else see where this is going? Lol. Well that was just a glimpse into life with Huddy after Cuddy leaves PPTH.

I know some people are probably very confused by Cuddy's sudden pregnancy and the baby that pops out. If you read in Blue Eyed Angel, there is a part where Cuddy hands Wilson a file and talk about finishing something. That something was the fertilization test. The folder was the last donor that House cleared. Does anyone want to take a guess at who it was? Wilson did the operation, but House doesn't know. OHHH DRAMA! This story is complete. The next story will be up soon. Thanks so much for reading!