Alright, here we go. Back to Princeton where we now get to see what happened to Cuddy and Wilson.
** Thank you for the awesome reviews, #Huddies. And to sharebear1984 whom I can't reply via PM since she didn't log-in, THANK YOU AND I DID MAKE YOU CRY? I HOPE, THAT'S A GOOD THING, THEN.
Also, to my fellow Filipino #Huddy friend, Horen_Downey, I hope I can give our country enough justice when I will introduce more of our culture here.
DISCLAIMER: Definitely, still not mine but of David Shore and Company.
CHAPTER 4 – Now What?
Cuddy felt like someone very familiar was calling her name and telling her to wake up from the peaceful slumber that she was in. Try as she might, she can't for the life of her recognized the owner of that voice. Her heart must have known the voice because she felt that it was beating faster now more than usual reminding her what her mind can't recognized that exact moment.
Someone with the gentlest voice she had ever heard was calling her name and softly whispering words she also can't properly decipher yet. She just knew that the voice was very indignant to making her wake up so she can finally see what was in front of her. And so, with much effort on her part since she felt like she was really exhausted, she reluctantly opened her two grey eyes.
She had to momentarily close them again when she was nearly blinded by the bright light that came to her vision as soon as she opened them. Once again, after a second or two, she tried to slowly open her eyes. And she could swear that what she saw was one of the most beautiful things she had seen in her entire life.
Standing proudly in front of her was a waterfall that is about 25 feet high surrounded with all varieties of flowers and nature in all its serene glory. She can hear some birds chirping happy tunes and butterflies and dragonflies of all sorts of colors and sizes flying just about everywhere.
Suddenly, she heard the all too familiar voice again but this time it was accompanied with a playful laughter of kids. She turned to her right and saw House smiling at her while on both sides of him holding Rachel and a small boy whom she didn't recognize but instantly saw the resemblance with House's boyish looks. It was a bit unnerving to see House that happy and content because she never saw him that way before. His eyes were sparkling with joy and she can't help it but to join their contagious happiness, too. She felt herself smiling back at them.
Almost instantly, she felt herself being lifted up as if she was flying and when she looked down, her feet were indeed not touching the ground. She saw that she was nearing them and she tried to reach out her left hand to them.
As soon as her hand was almost near them, she saw House let go of the small boy's hand on his right side to try to reach out for her hand, too. Panic started to settle down on her when she saw that the 3 people who were just smiling at her a few minutes ago started to vanish slowly. She called out and screamed, "NO" when they totally disappeared from her sight before she can actually grab a hold of them.
She felt herself being lifted higher now and then, someone holding her back down. She tried to resist the force that was holding her down and called for House's name for the last time.
"HOUSE!" Cuddy suddenly finally finds herself looking up at Wilson's worried expression and taking a moment to take in her surroundings, she finds out that she was in a hospital bed in one of their private rooms reserved for their most important benefactors. She tried to regulate her breathing as she continuously heard Wilson murmuring soothing words to her while gently rubbing her arm, obviously to make her relax.
And then, she focused her eyes on Wilson and asked him, "What happened?"
Wilson let a sigh of relief go before answering her. "You passed out at House's apartment last night due to exhaustion. I had to bring you in to the hospital after I saw how pale you were."
Cuddy interrupted him right away. "You don't have to do that, Wilson. I can just go home and rest."
But Wilson also insisted his reasonings. "Right. As if you can rest with all the mess at your house. You do know…" He was about to remind her about the mess House did to her house when he saw her broken look. "I'm sorry, Cuddy. I didn't it mean that way."
"I know, Wilson. Can I just go home now? I want to see Rachel." Cuddy answered in a low voice looking down at her lap.
"Well, you have to stay one more night here since the results of your tests aren't back yet."
Cuddy immediately looked back at him and started to protest. "What? What tests results are we still waiting now?"
"You know, the standard tests we do when one is admitted. The usual blood work panel…" He was about to continue when they saw Thirteen through the glass doors holding a piece of paper coming to them.
Thirteen was wearing a very serious expression on her usually blank face as she approached the Dean and the Oncologist. That alone made Wilson worried about Cuddy all the way more. The two of them were anxiously waiting for Thirteen to say something but it seems like she has no plans to open her mouth first.
"Oh, for Pete's sake, just tell us already. What was the result of Cuddy's blood test?" Wilson rumbled after Thirteen just kept staring back at them for a minute.
"Ahmm, it seems like Cuddy is pregnant… Actually, she…" Thirteen began to say but Wilson snatched the paper from her hands and read the test results himself.
Then, he looked directly at Cuddy's surprised face and confirmed what Thirteen said. "Cuddy, you're 3 months pregnant."
Cuddy, just stared back at him, as if she didn't hear what Wilson just said. Her mind was going over the dream she had right before she woke up on this hospital bed. She was replaying every single detail of that dream on her mind right now and she couldn't help it but tears started to fall freely from her eyes. She knew that the dream was telling her something and knowing that she might never see House again, the father of her unborn child just made it all the way more painful to bear.
She knew that she ought to be very happy since all this has been her ultimate dream all along, to be able to become pregnant and be a mother. She knew deep inside her that she was indeed celebrating this unexpected miracle and that she ought to embrace this with all her heart. A tiny part of her was doing that but another part of her was already mourning the loss of this unborn child of not having to grow up with his father around.
She didn't know that she was being unresponsive and staring blankly at her surroundings for five minutes until she felt Wilson's hand on her hands that were interlaced on her lap and then, his ever worried voice rang through her ears.
"Cuddy, are you okay?"
Still in dazed, it took a few seconds for Cuddy to finally find her voice back. She took her hands from that of Wilson to wipe her tears and then answered him in a small voice, "Yes, I am. Now, can I go home?"
Wilson stood up and firmly told her, "Alright but try to rest first. Julia called saying that Rachel will be staying with her for the night. I will prepare the necessary papers for your discharge but I suggest giving you at least 2 hours more to rest…" He saw Cuddy was about to object again and so, he continued, "I will sign your discharged papers in 2 hours, Cuddy. Please, you know you have to rest." Wilson looked directly at her eyes so she'll understand his side.
"Okay, but afterwards, I want to be left alone. I don't want you to worry more about me, Wilson. I can go home by myself." Cuddy said while also looking directly at her friend, determined to make him understand of her need to be left alone.
"But…" The Oncologist started to protest again but was cut off by Cuddy since she knew what he was about to say.
"I will not go back to my house, Wilson. I'll check in to the nearest hotel here from the hospital. Please, I just need to be alone for now." Cuddy said while at the back of her mind, she was already contemplating whether it was a good idea to be left alone with all these confusing thoughts coming to her.
Wilson reluctantly agreed. "Okay, I'll come back in 2 hours. Now, try to have some sleep first."
Cuddy just nodded at him and lied down again giving them her back. Wilson motioned for Thirteen to follow him to the door. With one last glance at the Dean, both doctors left her room.
After 2 hours, Cuddy was finally discharged and Wilson was with her on her way to her car.
"Are you sure you don't want me to go with you?" Wilson tried to appeal to her again.
Cuddy tried to give him a reassuring smile and said, "Yes, James. Don't worry. I'm going to be fine." She moved towards her friend and gave him a quick hug. "Thank you." And then, without looking back, she got inside her car and drove, to where, that she doesn't know yet.
She has no idea where she wants to go but just felt the need to be left alone and as far away as possible from Wilson. She does appreciate his help but it's too much for her to take now. Every time she looks at his eyes, she was reminded of the horrible incident 24 hours ago at her house. She wanted to just forget about it for now because thinking about it only makes her heart aches for the one man that can really affect her in every single way.
Thinking about how lost he looked before giving her that kiss on her forehead and remembering those foreign whispered words to her ears, made her loss even more painful. She knows that she ought to feel mad or even full rage over what House could have possibly done to her and to the other 3 people that was with her that time. But as always, she had long been accepted this bitter reality that no matter what the man will do, no matter how hurtful and horrible he can be towards her, there will always be that simple or little thing that House will do or even unconsciously do that will instantly make her forget and erased those negative things.
If she was to be honest about herself, when she heard the crash sound at her dining room, the first emotion she felt was shock, followed by fear, fear that someone might be hurt and then, when she recognized the car and the person behind the wheel was the one man that she couldn't keep off her mind, she felt more mad towards herself more than towards the man that was responsible for the destruction of her dining room. She couldn't fathom exactly why she was cursing more herself for this turn of events than House.
Maybe, because she can understand this broken man coming towards her more than she can understand herself. She knew that this was House at his lowest calling for her attention to rescue him from himself and the downward spiral destruction he's capable of doing towards himself and the people around him. That is why when she saw him looking directly at her after going out from the car, her heart couldn't find it in her to hate this man.
Somehow, her heart seems to have a mind of its own by instantly recognizing that this was a call for help from this broken man coming towards her. And when he didn't say anything but just handed her hairbrush and turned around, her heart right there and then, forgot that what he did this time was beyond limits.
Once again, she felt it within herself that she was ready to forgive this man whose back she can now see was admitting defeat towards himself and maybe, even cursing himself more for the stupid thing he just did. And so, she did what she did yesterday. She went after him and tried to make him to talk. Gone was the anger that she knows she is supposed to feel towards this man. Instead, all she can feel was genuine concern and the need to stop House from doing something more reckless than this.
But, as always the man was too proud to admit that he needs someone by his side. He did what he always did, ran away. He runs away from the people that mattered to him the most because of his reverse logic that he's better off by himself, being alone and miserable.
Tears were now freely streaming down Cuddy's cheeks and when she looked up, her heart brought her to the one place that her mind wouldn't want her to recognize. Her heart knows where it truly belongs, to the sanctuary of the father of her unborn child. She saw that she was right in front of House's apartment building. Surely, her heart was not wandering at all. It brought her to the single place that started this all. She was now back where she started this all, 18 months ago.
Cuddy parked her car and then, slowly went out and approached House's apartment building. She might be walking in a dazed-like motion because she didn't notice it until she was standing right in front of the door of Apt. 2B. Knowing that it was locked, she went to grab her cellphone from her purse.
Instead, she was surprised to see the heirloom necklace that House left for her and besides it was a key whom she instantly knows was the key to House's apartment. There was also a post-it note attached to it. She lifted it out to read and the note was from Wilson saying:
I knew you will need this.
Cuddy smiled after reading it. Once again, she was very grateful over Wilson's constant need to take care of things. She took the key out and inserted it on its lock. The door creaked and produced a little noise. She slowly went inside checking in every single detail and if she was really being honest with herself, she was expecting to see the face of the father of her unborn child ready to reprimand her for violating the privacy of his home.
Her eyes scanned the wide space around her looking for a single clue that House might have come back. Everything was at it is by the last time she was here and that was just yesterday.
But, as she was getting nearer into the living room, she noticed that there were some papers lying on top of House's piano. Her heart started to beat faster with the knowledge that House might have really come back.
Shaking a bit, she went to approach the piano and was about to lift up one of the papers that were lying there when she heard a noise coming from behind her. It's as if she was suddenly rooted to her spot. She doesn't have the energy to turn around and check as to where exactly the noise came from. She felt her heart beating faster and louder now. This can't really be happening for real. House had come back. She needs to know that for sure.
It took Cuddy a minute or so, before she felt that her voice was cooperating with her again. She was about to call out House's name when suddenly the person who made the noise behind her speak, "What are you doing here?"
Oh, no. Who could it be? Well, surely, it can't be House, right? Since, he's somewhere across the Pacific Ocean. LOL, tell me your crazy ideas as to whom can it be. We'll find out soon on the next chapter by tomorrow (my time).
Thank you for reading,
Helen