Hello readers!! Sorry for my delay in updating... I'm a music teacher, and it's progress report week. Oy. I will be very busy with concerts 'n such in the next couple of weeks, but I should be updating at least once a week anyway I would think. Here's a longer chapter to make up for the dry spell. Please keep reviewing, it makes my day :-)
Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital managed to resume its usual rhythm within a few weeks of Kutner's death. By the end of April, the rumor mill was back to its usual tempo, clandestinely chattering juicy bits of melodious gossip between the floors and among the staff. House and Cuddy hadn't spoken since their tense meeting in his office weeks before, and this fact had not gone unnoticed by their colleagues.
If Cuddy had a case for the diagnostics team, she paged Foreman or convinced Cameron to walk the file upstairs; anything to get her out of making a personal appearance. House, in turn, sent Foreman, Thirteen, or Taub to do his bidding in obtaining permission for risky or unusual procedures. In reality, both of them would have been better off to just bite the bullet and face each other. Their unusual behavior only increased the volume of the staff's unique rendition of "Pick-a-Little, Talk-a-Little" to figuratively ear-splitting levels.
Whether it was happiness with her pregnancy or feeling relieved from the burden of keeping it a secret, Cuddy had remained surprisingly oblivious to the large amount of current gossip that centered specifically around her. She had expected that there would be talk once her secret was out in the open and just decided not to pay particularly close attention to what was said. What good would it do, she reasoned? If only she had listened.
It was a Thursday, and Cuddy was just coming from her latest checkup with Dr. Myron in OBGYN. While Cuddy had initially been a little embarrassed about having her own staff handle her pregnancy, Myron had done everything she could to make it easy on her. She always scheduled Cuddy's appointments on the days when mostly seasoned nurses were working. While they showed no less penchant for gossiping about the boss lady than their younger counterparts, the nurses that had been at Princeton-Plainsboro for a long time at least respected Cuddy enough to keep their tones less malicious.
Cuddy was indeed in a happy mood as began to walk back to her office. Myron had done an ultrasound, and while Cuddy was hoping for the baby to be turned at favorable angle to identify the sex, baby Cuddy was stubbornly not in a cooperative mood that morning. How like its father, she had thought to herself. On the bright side, though, the baby was developing normally for 21 weeks, and Myron had been happy with the progression of Cuddy's weight gain.
Feeling hungry as she walked, Cuddy decided to make a detour to the cafeteria. Walking in and grabbing a tray, she started through the line and weighed all of her different options. While the fries and chocolate cake were crying out to her even in the late hours of the morning, Cuddy grudgingly passed them and opted for an egg-white omelet, a whole-wheat bagel with cream cheese and a large parfait of mixed fruit.
As she paid for her food and got a to-go container to take it all back to her office, her chosen blissful ignorance to hospital gossip caused Cuddy to completely overlook a large round table of House's fellows, both past and present, hard at work making lists and passing around money. If Cuddy had only opened her ears just a little as she walked past them, she would have known that the subject of the clandestine chatter and money passing was entirely to do with the paternity of Baby Cuddy.
As Cuddy was exiting the cafeteria, she found herself literally running right into Wilson.
"Whoa, sorry Lisa!" Wilson said as he helped her catch her tray before it hit the ground.
"Don't worry about it, I've been such a klutz lately," she said good naturedly as she retained her balance. "Side-effect of pregnancy, so I'm told. How have you been? I feel like I haven't seen you all week."
"I'm fine…and you look like you're feeling great!" Wilson replied cordially.
"I am," Cuddy smiled. "I just came from Myron's office. I'm 21 weeks, the baby's healthy, I'm healthy… what more could I ask for?" she said rhetorically.
"I'm happy for you," Wilson smiled back, feeling somewhat ill at east. He couldn't help but feel like they had recently been reduced to two acquaintances exchanging pleasantries rather than friends who had known each other for years. And all because both her and his best friend were behaving like adolescents. "Well, I really do have to get in there and eat, my next appointment's in less than an hour," he said quickly as he began walking into the cafeteria, but Cuddy stopped him.
"James, wait a minute," she said hesitantly as she placed a hand on his arm. "Maybe I'm just being paranoid, but have you been avoiding me?" Wilson avoided her gaze momentarily, but he just couldn't bring himself to lie to her when she asked him so directly.
"Maybe?" he answered in a questioning tone. "Look, I feel like I'm in an awkward position here. He's my best friend, Lisa. You're my friend too, but I guess I'm feeling a little bit torn. You haven't exactly been seeking me out either in the last couple of weeks, but I would have talked to you if you had."
Cuddy knew that he was right . In a way, she realized she had actually been avoiding Wilson, because he in turn was a direct link to House. "I guess you're right," Cuddy said as she smiled a sad smile. "I guess it's one of us just as much as it's all of us."
"Hey now, I most certainly do not deign to put myself in the same dysfunctional category as you two. You're the ones who haven't been able to be in the same room together for days, even for the sake of work, and honestly, I can live with that for now. Because whenever you do end up together, I somehow end up being the referee."
"I'm sorry you feel like you're in the middle," Cuddy said sincerely. "I'm not trying…"
"I know you're not trying to do it," Wilson interrupted. "That's really more House's M.O. than yours. But it doesn't change the fact that it's always where I end up," he finished, feeling increasingly uncomfortable by the second. "Look, I'll be back in my office around 3 if there's anything you do want to talk about. But I really do need to go and eat unless I want to each my lunch for dinner."
"I didn't mean to keep you James… maybe I'll take you up on that offer. See you later," Cuddy said as she watched him walk through the cafeteria doors.
As she finally made her way back to her own office, Cuddy's talk with Wilson really made her think about how badly the situation between her and House had truly deteriorated. She actually missed talking to him, and even missed fighting with him. At least when they were fighting they were talking. Maybe not communicating much, but interacting nonetheless. She hated to admit it, but no matter how happy Rachel or her unborn baby made Cuddy, a piece of her puzzle was decidedly missing without House.
Finally making his way into the Cafeteria and through the line for food, Wilson picked up a burger and fries for himself. He looked over his shoulder as he did this, for House seemed to have radar when it came to Wilson purchasing himself some deliciously greasy fast food. Oddly, for once House was no where to be seen. Wilson shrugged a bit to himself as he paid for his food and looked for a place to sit and read his newspaper in what would be hopefully uninterrupted peace.
As Wilson located an empty table in the corner of the cafeteria, he couldn't help but notice an Algonquin Roundtable-like set-up nearby, around which sat all of House's past and present employees. Their expressions seemed sly as they chatted in an animated, if secretive manner as they passed money and small pieces of paper around the table. To an outside observer, it might look like a poker game that was missing the cards and chips. But Wilson knew better; he knew one of Chase's infamous pools when he saw one. Against his better judgment, Wilson approached the table. Typically, Chase was leading the discussion.
"Ok, so Thirteen, I've got you down for two hundred, Cameron I've got you down for a hundred and fifty. Anyone else betting on House?" Chase asked the table in general as he eagerly took the roll of bills he had just been handed.
"And why exactly are we betting on House?" Wilson interrupted, an eyebrow raised inquisitively.
"Oh, hi Wilson," Cameron smiled almost a little too nicely, throwing a wide-eyed glance at Chase. But Chase was obviously unfazed and undeterred by Wilson's presence.
"We're betting on who the father of Cuddy's baby is," Chase answered, ignoring Cameron. "And one of the choices for the mystery daddy just happens to be House," Chase added casually as he counted the wad of bills in his hands, which brought a none-too-gentle slap on the arm from Cameron.
"What?" Chase said without a trace of defensiveness. "You really think Wilson's going to be the one to run and tattle-tale to Cuddy? You have no desire to be the bearer of that bit of news, do you?" Chase directed at Wilson.
"Not in the least," Wilson answered honestly. "Nor would I want to be the one to tell House."
"Oh, House knows all about it," Thirteen interjected with a crafty little smile . "He put down five hundred bucks himself."
"Really?" Wilson asked, genuinely surprised. "Who did he bet on?"
"No one knows," Taub supplied mysteriously. "Chase won't tell us."
"It was a condition of his bet," Chase stated simply as he added the new figures to the notebook that kept track of everyone's bets. "He was more than a little pissed off when he found out I was doing it, and even more so that he was one of the choices, so I appeased him by giving him a 50% take if he's right, along with confidentiality of his pick."
"Wow," Wilson finally said, clearly a little dumbfounded as he tried to take all the information in. "So, besides House, who are the choices?" he asked as he pulled up a chair for himself and joined the table.
"There are a total of four," Chase answered. "Besides House, there's Mystery Guy, which would entail anyone that isn't the other 3 choices…"
"Then there are those of us who think she may have just gone back to I.V.F. without telling anyone," Taub added.
"You didn't even work here when that was going on, and I didn't think anyone besides me or House knew about that…" Wilson began.
"How long have you worked here?" Foreman interrupted, breaking his silence for the first time since Wilson sat down. "Since when does anything stay a secret around this place for more than 20 minutes?"
"Touché," Wilson murmured grudgingly. "Ok, so that makes 3... what's the fourth choice?"
"Well…" Cameron started, looking around the table at her comrades for silent confirmation before continuing, "…you, actually." Wilson was mid-sip in drinking his Coke, and he promptly spit it out all over Taub and Foreman.
"Yeah, that was pretty much how everyone at this table reacted to it too, but apparently it's kind of a popular choice with other people in the hospital," Thirteen said laughing as she handed a stack of napkins to her two dripping teammates.
"I mean, we're good friends, but anything else…"
"…would be ridiculous, we know, mate," Chase finished for him. "I mean, it's not all that many people that think it's you, anyway."
"Well, I already overheard that Cameron and Thirteen think it's House, and Taub, you said you think she did I.V.F… Chase, Foreman, who do you guys think it is?"
"Ah, ah, not so fast… I don't think we need to divulge any more information to someone who isn't participating in our little wager… either you're in, or no more information. I mean hey, if you really wanted to put a stop to it you could still go to Cuddy right now and out all of us, but if you're involved, I'll have something to hang over your head, won't I?" Chase challenged.
Wilson thought for a moment. Chase was certainly showing his most devious colors, but Wilson had a feeling that if he didn't bite and learn as much information as he could about this game, it would come back to haunt him later.
"Ok, I'm in… two hundred on Mystery Guy," Wilson said assuredly, keeping his newly developed suspicion a secret, as he quickly located a pen and scribbled Chase a promissory note. "This will have to do for now. Thanks to House's lack of appreciation for the difference between 'borrowing' and 'stealing,' I try to carry as little cash on me as possible," he added as he handed Chase the note. Everyone at the table laughed, knowing exactly what he meant.
"Ok, now that I can blackmail you…" Chase began, "I went with Mystery Guy, too. House has by far been the most popular vote all around, but I honestly can't see Cuddy sleeping with him. He would be so merciless in holding something like that over her head… she's too smart for that."
"Unless…" Wilson started quietly, but quickly thought better of saying his current thoughts out loud. That was exactly what everyone would expect House to do if they had slept together; announce it over the intercom system or hang it on a banner in the lobby.
Unless… it did happen, it didn't work out the way he wanted it to, it meant something to him, and he was really and truly hurt by her, and she by him. If that had been the case, then it was possible that they would both keep it a secret.
"Unless what?" Cameron asked when Wilson didn't continue.
"Oh, nothing. Woah, look at the time… I'm going to be late for my appointment if I don't take the rest of this to go," Wilson quickly recovered as he picked up his hardly eaten burger and fries to take with him.
"Actually, we should probably be getting back upstairs too… did we get the green light from Cuddy for Seth's brain biopsy yet?" Thirteen asked Foreman.
"Yeah, she called me on my cell to give me the ok when I was on my way down here. She told me she booked him into the O.R. at 1:30... by the way, you're doing the procedure, Chase."
"Great… what's the case again?"
"Deaf kid with exploding head syndrome. We know it isn't cancer, but the latest brain scan has House thinking it could still be some kind of a brain tumor," Taub explained.
"Sounds interesting… see you 'round the OR," Chase said as he and Cameron left the cafeteria together.
"So Foreman, you never said who you thought the dad was," Wilson said as the rest of the group walked out together.
"I'm not getting caught up in this stupid bet," Foreman answered loftily, shaking his head. "I'm not going to be the one to rat Chase out to Cuddy, but when someone eventually does, I don't want my name anywhere near this mess."
"So in other words, you think it's House, but you think he'd blow his stack if you of all people were to point the finger at him," Wilson countered knowingly.
"Isn't that basically what you're trying to avoid by betting on Mystery Guy?" Forman asked furtively.
"Maybe," Wilson replied with a smirk as he and Foreman went their separate ways outside of the cafeteria.
Wilson pushed the button and waited for the elevator, trying to refocus his mind so that he would be ready to interact with his patients by the time he got upstairs. As soon as he had as spare minute, though, Wilson had every intention of seeking out Cuddy before she could come to him. Obviously, she had been hiding something of truly mammoth proportions not only from him, but from his brooding best friend as well.