Chapter Sixteen
Turning Around
Thanks to CalleighWolfe (TalkCSI), HouseAddiction, gabiroba, mj0621, PaulaAbdulChica2007, HouseholicMD, Boys Don't Cry, KarGra, RHSecretLove, EOshipperSVU-MSR-HUDDY, HOUSEM.D.FanForever, DrusillaBraun, Bambi McBimbo, and Huddytheultimate for their reviews.
Disclaimer: I don't own House. I just like toying with the show's characters' lives. David Shore and the show's producers, they rock!
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"You're not okay." Stacy said softly when Cuddy opened the door to her hotel room.
"I'm fine." She threw back, wiping away furious tears, voice only trembling slightly.
"You know how he is. He's always been like this." Stacy comforted as Cuddy moved aside to let her in.
"And I can't take it anymore." Cuddy sat down on the bed and looked at the floor, forlorn expression on her face. "How'd you find me?"
"Figured you'd want some place far far from House but still close to the area you're most familiar with. This place is the only hotel that had any vacancy and no need for a reservation within ten miles of PPTH." Stacy shrugged.
She snorted in spite of herself. Stacy was her best friend for a reason. They knew each other inside and out and times like these Cuddy was glad for that connection. Stacy knew exactly how she was feeling and she didn't try to make her explain herself or convince her into any course of action.
"My life is falling apart." Cuddy said, her voice distant, as if she were miles away instead of sitting on a too stiffly made bed in a lonely hotel room talking to the only person who could listen and understand.
"We'll put it back together." Stacy promised.
"I don't think I can take it if I lose my daughter." the mother cried.
Stacy placed both her hands on Cuddy's shoulders and shook her gently. "Lisa, you've been through hell without batting an eyelash. You took down Vogler, saved House from Tritter once already, testified on the stand knowing what it would cost. You had to leave the position you worked your entire life for and take a job that was beneath what you were used to. You're a single mother and still run a successful department in a hospital that is greatly respected in New York. Most people who would have fallen apart in your position. But you didn't just survive. You thrived."
Stacy wiped a tear from her friend's face. "If anyone can walk into that courtroom and command attention, respect, and show Tritter for the bastard he is. It's going to be you."
A small smile tugged at the corner of Cuddy's lips. "Thank you."
Stacy stood up and slung her purse over one shoulder with a half grin. "I'm gonna go and get our case ready. Madeline's got it covered but it wouldn't hurt to have two heads instead of one."
Cuddy nodded. "Keep me updated."
"Yep." Stacy called back as she let herself out.
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Wilson was asleep on House's couch when Stacy stormed back into the apartment. Already it was a mess. At least more of a mess than when Cuddy left it.
House was slumped up on the couch as well. For a moment Stacy thought he was asleep. Then realized when she faced him that his eyes were staring off into space. She ignored him and went to Wilson.
"James" she murmured, giving his shoulder a gentle shake. "Go home and rest. I'll stay with him for a little while."
Wilson stirred and rubbed his tired eyes. He would have argued but there was a catch in Stacy's voice that told him that she wanted some alone time with the diagnostician. Wilson wondered why for a moment, feeling a pang of hurt. He had loved Cuddy and when she had fallen for House, Wilson backed off and let her be. He was starting to fall for Stacy and if she turned out to fall in love with Greg House's sarcastic charms then Wilson may just saw through his cane a second time.
He didn't argue. Just grabbed his coat, sneaking a concerned glance at Stacy who flashed him a warm smile. He couldn't help but return it.
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"Greg, stop moping right this second." Stacy ordered. For a moment, she reminded herself of Cuddy when House did something crazy, genius and stupid.
He didn't answer.
On a desperate whim, Stacy rapped the side of his head with her palm. He winced and turned to fix a penetrating glare at her.
"I'm giving you two choices." She continued. "Either stay in your state of self pity and lose Lisa without a fight or fight to win her back and undo the mistakes you've made."
"How?" he asked, his tone desperate, lost, almost childlike.
Stacy lay a thick file before him, letting it fall onto the coffee table with a loud statement. "Help us win this case." She said. "Testify. Flick off Tritter once and for all. Get Jesse back, then there might be a chance she'll forgive you."
"Greg! Just show her you care enough to do something about it!" Stacy said, voice rising slightly as if the louder the volume of her voice, the more House would listen and obey.
He looked at her for a moment. His eyes a chaotic mixture of pain, grief, hope, longing. Wanting to take the offer laid on a silver platter before him. Afraid to mess it up. Afraid to refuse.
She pushed it toward him. "Greg, this isn't just about you anymore. It'll never be about you again if you want Jesse or Cuddy in your life. It'll always be about your child. You and Lisa's. That's what she wants to know, what she wants you to prove to her. That you'll throw away your safety net, your pride, your fears for the one thing in her life that is more precious to her than life itself."
He took it from her. Callused hands gently tracing the lines of neatly written black ink notes. A change coming over him as if he were making the decision of a lifetime.
"I'll do it." His voice was slow, but deliberate. He had a gleam in his eye. The one that he got on the homestretch of a case. The one he got when he was positive he was right and nothing anyone else said would or could convince him of anything else.
Stacy smiled, knowing full well that he would stick with this until the end. That she would not be standing beside Cuddy and Madeline wondering if he would let her best friend down once again.
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I don't know what possessed me to do it. I'll admit it. I've always been a little selfish. Maybe extremely selfish. I pushed Lisa away in college because I wanted something exciting to happen. I knew I probably lost her then but I didn't care, until I realized what it was like without her.
I'm obviously also a coward. The shame that comes with making mistakes is something I have come to hate. Yes, I don't feel that way medically because I've come to terms with that and refuse to be riddled with guilt, but experiencing fear when it comes to my personal life is something I feel ashamed about.
It's caused me to lose so much. I pushed my own child away because I was afraid to raise something so innocent, afraid I would ruin it. I should have had the courage to change for her. I feared my pain like a pending murder. I feared it and I let that fear interfere with everything I held dear. I won't do it anymore.
Lisa gave and gave and I made fun of her for it. Criticized her for it when I clearly had no right. I've never known such generosity or selflessness, certainly never acted in such a way. She saved me. Time and time again. I may have ruined the one good thing I've given to her. I won't turn down the chance, even if its just a chance, to save her one time.
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Wilson marched into a smoky bar. He made his way immediately to the bar and sat down, looking for the bartender. A bulky man with a tattoo of a cross on his arm. He looked tough and Wilson gulped slightly. He was determined to get to the bottom of House's confusing night here.
"Hey what do you want?" He asked.
"I need information. I'm James Wilson." Wilson started, offering a hand.
The bartender took it with a grip that Wilson could have sworn made his bones crack. "Tony."
"Nice to meet you." He replied, forcing himself not to wince from the pain in his hand. "Have you seen this man here?" He asked pointing to the middle figure in an old picture.
Tony glanced at the worn picture Wilson held up. "Yeah. He was older though. More scruffy."
Wilson doubled checked that they were talking about the same person. "Did he walk with a limp?"
"Man, anyone who was throwing back shots like he was would walk with a limp."
"Did he have a cane?" Wilson asked, slightly annoyed.
"Yeah." Tony shrugged.
"Was he with anyone the night he came in?" Wilson asked, preparing himself for an answer he did not want to hear and more than ever did not want to share with the brunette that would be heartbroken.
Tony looked thoughtful. "Yeah sorta. There was a blonde hanging all over him. Introduced himself as a doctor. I'm guessing she was one of those woman who wanted a doctor for herself."
"Did they leave together?"
Tony shook his head. "He was beyond drunk and even a sober man wouldn't turn down something like her. Pretty thing she was, but he must've had something better cause he just shrugged her off and told her to get lost. She sorta shrank off and I asked him if he needed me to call a cab. He just cussed at me and walked off. Didn't think much of it. Drunk people usually behave like that. Why? He kill someone?"
"No." Wilson said, sitting back and relaxing. Even in a drunken haze, House had enough sense not to completely destroy the trust Cuddy had in him. A part of him was proud. Another was disappointed. Another was indifferent. He had cheated and he had regretted it. Second chances were nearly impossible to come by. Stacy's face suddenly popped into Wilson's head for a moment.
He shook his head.
"That his girlfriend?" Tony asked, jerking a thumb at the picture, indicating Lisa Cuddy.
"Maybe." Wilson replied vaguely. "Thanks." He said gratefully. "You just cleared up a lot of questions."
"Glad to help." Tony replied wiping a cloth on a glass.
Wilson grinned. "Give me some bourbon." He said with a small smile, knowing that he had taken care of something. Stacy would handle the rest.
Part of him still wanted Lisa Cuddy for himself. But it was a very small part. He wanted her to be happy and he could clearly see who did that for her. He smiled to himself. Life was good.
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Madeline was not surprised when House followed Stacy into her office. She offered him a small professional smile with a firm handshake, beckoning him into a chair beside Stacy and across from her.
They discussed the case, his role, and his testimony. Rehearsed it time and time again and never once did his attention waver. The time for snide remarks and cynical comments was past. They had no time for it. In the attempt to catch the prosecution unprepared, they also had to hasten their own case. Cuddy and House were their star witnesses. The parents. Cuddy's image was tied to House's. House's was tied to Cuddy's much their how both their DNA was intertwined in Jesse.
One was not complete without the other. The single mom who worked more than she should would not win the case. The consistently sued doctor with more mouth than was good for him would not win the case. Two successful doctors with what the jury would see to be professional, caring, and protective would be what would win back Jesse.
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Cuddy awoke before the sun rose. For a moment she lay in the freezing cold, staring at the white ceiling above her, thoughts, pain, and fear churning in her chest. However, the small voice in her mind told her to get up and get ready. She obeyed.
With quick steps she performed her morning routines and then pulled on light pink collared shirt and buttoned it up, purposely leaving the top button unbuttoned. She knew she was going to court and she knew Tritter was looking for every mistake, but she refused to change herself. That would be acknowledging that in some ways he had control over her.
She slipped on black high heels that looked like a bitch to walk in, yet she pulled them off with grace and ease. She sat back on the bed and ran a brush through her thick black mane. Her thoughts traveled to the case. Her daughter. And then for some reason to House. She pushed the last from her mind. She needed to compose herself and remember everything Madeline and Stacy had taught her.
She tossed her hair to create volume and grabbed her purse. She was meeting Stacy and Madeline at the courthouse and she knew she would early. Probably by twenty minutes.
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The courtroom was already assembled by the time Stacy and Madeline finished rebriefing Cuddy. They walked in before her while she composed her grace, her mind, and her nerves.
A smile saved only for the one woman in his life that could change him.
When she strode in, however, no one knew that she had been on the brink of crying only minutes before. No one could tell because she strode in like she owned the place.
Lips pursed. Walk confident. She sneaked a glance at Tritter who looked back at her with a smirk on his face. She returned the look. What shined in her eyes was not an ounce of fear.
What made Tritter start to tremble was the fierce determination and fiery anger in her eyes that pierced through him and had him feeling like the situation was slipping from his fingers.
She took the seat beside Stacy and nodded slightly to her attorneys, letting them know she was okay. She was ready.
What she did not see was a figure limping into the back of the courtroom and taking a seat in the very last row. His eyes watched the woman with dark brown hair and crystal blue eyes sitting in the defendant chair. She looked unafraid.
He knew Lisa Cuddy was no man's plaything, no matter what the situation. Knowing this, watching her, he felt a trace of a smile touch his lips, a smile full of love and pride.
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Author's Note: The next chapter will be the entire trial so it'll be extremely long. This one was leading up to it because it wouldn't make sense for House and Cuddy to fight and then for him to take the stand in the trial. I'm one of those anal people that can't help but feel the need to explain every detail and leave nothing up to assumption. Can't help it. Forgive me guys. Lol. So this is the final chapter leading up to the climax so please have patience. There will also be more House/Jesse interaction. That I promise. Thanks so much for reading guys!