Oh my god, you all must hate me for not updating in so long. I feel horrible. I had the worst writer's block for this fic and I finally think it's gone, but I will NEVER go this long without updating again. EVER. And it's short :c but it's a chapter!

It was almost five am when House heard Cuddy stir.

"Hey.. You did great.." He said as he moved closer to the bed.

"How is she?" She asked as House reached over and ran a hand through he hair.

"She's as good as she could be. She's five pounds. Her lungs aren't fully developed. She's in an incubator.. But she'll be out of it within a month or two.. She's fine..."

He watched her process what he had said before the tears started to leak out of the corner of her eyes.

"Hey.. Hey.. She's fine. Stop crying.." He sighed, rubbing his face before placing a hand on hers. He caressed her cheek with his thumb. She was reacting exactly as he'd expected her to.

"This is all my fault... I wasn't careful enough... I shouldn't have even gone through with it.. I knew the risks. I should have terminated. This is all my fault. She's in an incubator because I was selfish. I wanted a baby so badly and I didn't even think about what could happen."

"Shut up. This isn't your fault. You had no idea this was going to happen. You were healthy before your pregnancy and you were completely healthy during it. You took vitamins every day. This isn't your fault. She's going to be fine Cuddy. Relax. Your BP is rising."

He ran a hand through her hair, trying to calm her as she started shaking, over come with sobs. House sighed before climbing up onto the bed, this time taking her in his arms as she cried into him. He held her tightly against him, rubbing her back soothingly, hoping that this was just post partum horomones. He held her for several minutes before she fell asleep in his arms, one hand still clutching his shirt. He couldn't help but feeling guilty. He should have never have entered this relationship. It had only made her life a living hell and it was his fault. Cuddy was the only thing that mattered to him in his life. She was the reason he was still alive, and he had let her down, countless times. He shook his negative thoughts, knowing that when she awoke later on that she would need him to be able to comfort her not only as her husband, but also as a friend.

When Cuddy awoke again several hours later, she was still exhausted. She didn't care though. The only thing on her mind was seeing her daughter. She looked up at House, whose arms she was still wrapped in and gently kissed him on the cheek. Words would never be enough to describe how much she loved him, how grateful she was to have him as not only her husband but as her friend as well. The love and support he'd given her these past few months were not something she would ever forget. She pressed the nurse's button and waited a few minutes before Montgomery herself entered the room.

"How are you feeling Lisa?" She asked before taking Cuddy's chart and examining it.

"Exhausted."

"That's only natural. Your labor did last over twelve hours."

"How is she?"

"Oh, she's fine. Her lungs are under developed, but she'll be good in no time. If you'd like.. Well no, of course you'd like, uhm anyway, I can have you wheeled down to the NICU so that you could meet her."

"I would love that. But would it be okay if we waited a little while? I wouldn't feel right meeting her alone." Cuddy replied motioning to the still asleep at her side House.

"Sounds a plan!" Montgomery laughed, running a hand through her dark red hair. "When he wakes up, just press the nurse's button again. I've left instructions that if you call for them to immediately page me so I can assist you."

"You really don't have to do that..." Cuddy replied softly, touched by her attending's dedication.

"It's no problem Lisa. I'm glad to do it."

"Thank you." She said as Montgomery nodded her acknowledgment before exiting the room.

It took a few hours for House to wake up, and while she waited she'd managed to turn the television. When he did awake, she pressed the nurse's button excitedly, not wanting to put off meeting her daughter for another minute. Montgomery entered the room with a wheel chair, and House helped her into it. She winced, still in pain, but not letting it be known. Nothing would get in her way.

Montgomery lead the way to the NICU as a nurse wheeled her down the hallway and House limped along beside her. Cuddy's eyes lit up as they entered the NICU. Montgomery directed them towards Kate's incubator, and as Cuddy was wheeled in front of her daughter, she gasped.

She was small, but she was bigger than Cuddy had been expecting. She was about eighteen inches long, but she looke so fragile behind opaque walls of the incubator.

"Is she breathing on her own?" Cuddy asked noting the lack of a ventilator.

"She is." said Montgomery softly. "We're giving her growth steroids to help speed up the growth of her lungs. She's eating easily. The only issue is that she needs the help of the incubator to regulate her body temp.."

Cuddy nodded lightly before bringing a shaky hand up to the glass of the incubator.

"Do you want to hold her?"

"Yes."

Cuddy watched as Montgomery carefully freed Kate from the incubator before placing her into her arms. Feeling how small Kate was, her first instinct was to bring her closer to her, especially after feeling how cold she was.

"Hi Katy.. Hi baby.. I'm your mommy.." She whispered, feeling an on coming rush of emotion as she felt hot tears leak out of the corner of her eyes. She felt House's hand on her back, soothing her as she quickly wiped away at the stray tears. She looked back down at Kate, who had surprised her by opening her eyes. She had the most shocking eyes Cuddy had ever seen. They were more shocking in color than House's. Kate's eyes were a mix of Cuddy's cool grey eyes and House's stunning blue ones, settling on a sparkling aqua.

"Do you wanna meet your daddy?" She said kissing the top of her daughter's head.

Hesitantly, House took Kate from Cuddy, carefully placing his arms in the right places as he held his daughter for the first time. He looked down at her and was hit with a sudden urge to cry. His throat constricted, and he swallowed the lump. She may have been tiny, but she was perfect to him. She had his nose, and Cuddy's mouth, and her eyes were a combination of them both. He smiled down at her.

"Katherine Elizabeth Cuddy – House, I promise to love you and be the father I never had to both you and your sister."