Chapter 4 Cuddy's Suite

Wilson sat outside of Cuddy's door, wondering what was going on. After the previous day's meeting, he was supposed to be on vacation for a week while she looked into the situation. Nothing works that fast! He heard the door swing open and saw House limp tersely into the room just ahead of his staff.

"I don't suppose I should ask what's happened now?" the oncologist wondered, forcing himself to sit still.

House's eyes narrowed; a tempest howling behind the icy blue eyes. "Our resident cop. What else?"

"Now what?" Wilson inquired, not believing how far this was going to go.

"Our privileges have been revoked too," Cameron revealed sourly.

"You know Cuddy's working on the situation," Chase assured her.

"With our luck, she'll be next on the sidelines," Foreman indicated while shaking his head.

Hearing that sentiment, House wheeled around and silenced him with probably the most intense glare anyone had ever seen out of him. "Aren't you Miss Susie Sunshine? Can it. NOW!"

At that moment, Cuddy rushed into the area. "Everyone, please. House, can we talk in my office? Everyone else, please wait in the conference room. We'll be there in a couple of minutes." She led the grumbling diagnostician into her sanctum, shut the door and blinds. Then she summoned every bit of diplomacy and firmness she could muster and advised, "House, I know this is difficult but calm down."

"Why? You've let this crap go on way too long!" he snapped. "I didn't ask for it, all right? Nor did they!"

"No, you all didn't." She cleared her throat. "House, I know about the whole episode between you two."

He stared at her sarcastically. "Oh so now you look into it. Tell me; what did you discover, O Wise One?"

She counted to ten before continuing, "The tape showed him knocking your cane out from under you. Look, I know I should have asked you about your side first. It's just…well, you have your way with people. And for the record, when you called me, I was with Chief Wilkins downtown talking about the whole thing. He's seen the tape and knows about Wilson and your staff."

"And he's prepared to cover it up, I'll bet," he presumed snarkily, well knowing how such things usually worked.

"Surprisingly, House, no he's not. I thought you should know that he requested a written statement from each of us concerning Tritter..."

"Great. They'll want someone else snooping up our asses!" he groused petulantly.

"House! Let me finish, all right?" she growled, throwing her hands to the sky. "I just spent the whole goddamn afternoon on this! Just hear me out!"

"Fine," he conceded. Despite his own anger about the situation, he could see her passion at work. He knew she picked her battles carefully—well, too carefully as far as he was concerned—but that this was a campaign she chose to fight. "Enlighten me."

"Thank you," she expressed with a combination of gratefulness and frustration. "I don't approve of everything you do, House. But I won't have you and the rest of my staff being threatened by some vigilante with a self-appointed vengeance trip. I just went to the mat with a donor for you. Wilkins still wants your ass for assault but I think I may have talked him out of it." She sighed. "I know it doesn't seem that way sometimes, House, but I care." She looked into his eyes; blue meeting blue; warm sparkles softening the harsh glare.

House smacked his cane against the side of a bookcase. "Damn it!" He collected himself, glancing at the closed door and realizing they had complete privacy. "Yeah I know. He threatened you, didn't he?"

"It's his way," she revealed.

He fought back the bile rising in his gut so as to keep his true feelings hidden from her. He tried to turn away.

She grabbed his arm and spun him back around. As she did, she noted the protectiveness in his eyes. "It's okay, Greg." She smiled at him.

"Just don't make a big deal of it or use it for extra clinic hours," he grumbled, feeling like his most important secret had been bared for all to see.

She nodded. "I'll do that if you promise me something." She walked slowly across the room. "God forbid that happens again. But if somebody assaults you like that, come to me. We'll work it out."

"Usually you give me the political bs and back the other jerk," he retorted.

"Because you've insulted the other 'jerk' as you put it. I'm talking about somebody striking out at you." She took a deep breath. "Complaints are one thing. Abuse like that is something else entirely. So, you promise?"

He shrugged, feeling cornered by her. In that case, he knew that he couldn't say no to her. "I'll play along like a good boy," he replied albeit with the touch of face saving sarcasm.

"That's all I ask," she assured him before kissing him on the cheek. "Your secret's safe with me, House. Now let's go and get those statements."

With that, he followed her out of the office toward the conference room.