She Needs Me

Cuddy had taken Madison to the child psychologist in the hospital. It was hard for her to leave her, but the psychologist thought it was better if they were alone.

Cuddy knew that Madison was at least safe.

Cuddy was sitting in her office about 20 minutes later, working her way through the piles of paperwork that had grown that morning when she was with Madison.

She sighed when the door to her office opened without knocking. She glanced up expecting to find House, but instead she found Madison looking at her.

Madison stood in the doorway with Elizabeth Newman, one of the child psychologists in the hospital.

As Madison looked at her, Cuddy could see the terror in her eyes.

"She won't let me examine her," Elizabeth said to Cuddy. "She has spoken a word to me and she pulls away any time I try to start the physical examination," Elizabeth continued.

"Madison," Cuddy said softly as she stood up and walked over to kneel in front of her. "Elizabeth is here to help you. You need to let her help you," Cuddy explained gently.

Madison shook her head and grabbed Cuddy's hand with a tight grip. Cuddy sighed because she knew she had a mound of paperwork that still had to be done, but Madison looked so scared and Cuddy didn't have the heart to leave her.

"I can take care of the physical exam and bring her to you when I'm finished so you can try to talk to her if that is okay," Cuddy told Elizabeth.

"Is that okay with you Madison?" Cuddy asked her. Madison nodded her head and tightened her grip on Cuddy's hand even more.

"That is fine with me. Have you called child services yet?" Elizabeth asked.

Cuddy looked down at Madison's sad blue eyes and then looked back up at Elizabeth.

Elizabeth sighed because she could read the answer in Cuddy's eyes. "You should call them once we are done with the exams. The more attached to her you get, the harder it's going to be for you Dr. Cuddy," Elizabeth said.

Cuddy nodded slowly. "I'll do it when we are done," she promised as she stood up and led Madison out of her office and towards one of the exam rooms.

Madison followed Cuddy without protest. She also didn't object when Cuddy started the physical exam.

Cuddy took Madison's temperature and blood pressure and checked her heart rate, along with her arm that was is a sling because of the separated shoulder.

Madison winced when Cuddy checked her bruises. The X-rays Cuddy had taken earlier results came back and showed a couple healed rib fractures.

Cuddy knew that Madison had been beaten more than once. She could tell that some of the bruises were old.

Cuddy did get some relief when the standard SAE kit showed no signs of sexual assault.

Madison sat quietly through the entire procedure. When Cuddy was finished, she grabbed onto Cuddy's hand again.

Cuddy smiled reassuringly at Madison as she led her from the exam room.

Cuddy walked towards the elevators to take Madison upstairs and she nearly ran into Cameron who was coming down as she was going up.

"Dr. Cuddy," Cameron said. "I have been looking for you."

Cuddy knew what this was probably about.

"What is it?" Cuddy asked just in case it was something else.

"House," Cameron replied as though it should have been obvious.

This time Cuddy couldn't fight back the sigh.

"Whatever it is, I'll yell at him later," Cuddy told Cameron.

It was only then that Cameron noticed Madison, who was standing behind Cuddy while still managing to keep a tight grip on Cuddy's hand.

"What's your name?" Cameron asked softly as she knelt down to the little girl.

"Her name is Madison," Cuddy replied. "She's a patient and I'm taking her to Dr. Newman."

"I can take her for you," Cameron said. "I am sure you wouldn't mind her off your hands for a little while. I'm sure that you have other things to do, especially since House works at your hospital."

"Well…" Cuddy said as she hesitated for a moment. She glanced down at Madison whose blue eyes were full of fear when they met her blue ones. "Madison this is Dr. Cameron. She won't hurt you. She's going to take you back to Dr. Newman," Cuddy explained.

Madison shook her head no. She tightened her grip on Cuddy's hand until her knuckles were white.

"It's okay Madison," Cameron said assuring her. "I just want to help you. Dr. Cuddy has other patients to help."

Once again Madison shook her head no. Cameron didn't understand why the girl didn't like her, but she did not want to push her since she knew Dr. Newman was a child psychologist at the hospital. "Dr. Cuddy will take you then," she said trying to tell the girl that it will be okay.

Cuddy took Madison upstairs, but when they reached Dr. Newman's office, Madison refused to let go of Cuddy's hand.

Dr. Newman ended up letting Cuddy sit through the psychologist's seemingly endless exam.

Madison didn't answer any of them and she didn't let go of Cuddy's hand the whole time.

Two hours later, Wilson walked into Cuddy's office to ask her about a patient of his. He found Cuddy going through papers with Madison asleep in her lap, with her head lying on Cuddy's shoulder.

Wilson smiled at the sweet scene. Cuddy glanced up at Wilson who was staring at her.

"Do you need something Wilson?" She asked softly, trying hard not to wake Madison. "She wouldn't let go of my hand and I couldn't leave her, and I had paperwork to do. She was tired…" Cuddy trailed off trying to explain herself to Wilson.

"She's a cutie," he whispered softly. "Is she a patient?"

"Yes," Cuddy said. "She came into the clinic by herself with a separated shoulder. I finished her physical a couple of hours ago and she also met with a child psychologist. She had bruises everywhere and the X-rays showed a couple of healed rib fractures.

Wilson's eyes filled with sorrow. "Someone's been hurting her. Did she tell you who?"

"She hasn't told me anything," Cuddy said sadly. "I think she is too afraid to talk."

Wilson nodded slowly. "Is she staying at the hospital overnight?"

"She has to. She had nowhere else to go," Cuddy replied.

Wilson nodded again. "Would you like me to take her so that you can work?" He asked.

Cuddy shook her head. "No. I'm fine," she insisted, as she shifted Madison slightly. "What did you need?" Cuddy asked.

"It can wait until later," Wilson said. He smiled at Cuddy and then turned and left the office.

An hour later, House stormed into Cuddy's office without knocking.

"You didn't approve the surgery that will save my patient's life?" He shouted.

Cuddy glared at him and moved her eyes to the corner where Madison sat, silently coloring on a blank piece of copy paper.

"No, I didn't. Keep your voice down," Cuddy replied. "You are not doing an exploratory surgery on a patient with a bleeding problem."

"We can't fix the bleed unless we know where it's coming from. The only way to find out where it is coming from is through surgery," House explained angrily.

"He'll bleed to death House. Find another way to find the bleed," Cuddy told him firmly.

House narrowed his blue eyes at her and then looked over at Madison in the corner.

"What is she doing here?" He asked Cuddy.

Cuddy simply looked at him.

"You haven't called child services yet," House said. "You're going to have to eventually Cuddy. She can't live in the hospital.

Cuddy looked down at her desk and when she looked back up at House her blue eyes were glistening with tears.

"I did her physical exam earlier," she told him in barely more than a whisper. "She had some healed and healing rib fractures and bruises everywhere."

House just looked at Cuddy. He didn't do well with tears, especially with Cuddy, who was usually so controlled.

House wasn't the only one who had noticed Cuddy's sudden tears. Madison stood up from her spot in the corner and walked over to Cuddy. She started climbing up onto Cuddy's lap and Cuddy picked her up automatically so that she wouldn't hurt her arm more.

Madison looked into Cuddy's shimmering blue eyes and hugged her tightly. Cuddy gave her a watery smile as a single tear ran down her cheek.

Madison didn't like to see the woman who had been so nice to her cry. Cuddy smiled at Madison to try to tell her it was okay.

Madison slid off of Cuddy's lap and walked over to House who had been inching closer and closer to the door to try and leave the uncomfortable situation. She grabbed his hand before he had time to pull away.

Madison looked at him with pleading blues eyes that told him to apologize and House allowed her to tug him over towards Cuddy.

After Madison had managed to drag House to Cuddy's desk, she looked back up at him. House kept looking at her.

Cuddy watched what was going on in front of her. Cuddy looked up at House when he looked at her.

"I am sorry if I made you cry," House said sounding like a child that was forced to apologize for something. Madison hugged House's leg.

She then smiled at him.

Madison then crawled back on Cuddy's lap. Cuddy gave House huge smirk.

Madison stuck out her hand for the lollipop in House's hand.

House handed it to her. Madison was not only stealing Cuddy's time away from him, she was also stealing his lollipops.

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Thanks for the reviews. Please keep them coming. I need you guys to stroke my ego. I guess I am a lot like House.