Chapter 28

In the cozy examination room, Cuddy sat on the examination table, her protruding belly evident beneath her loose-fitting blouse. House sat nearby, a mixture of excitement and nervousness evident in his expression.

Dr. Evory, the obstetrician, smiled warmly as she reviewed the latest ultrasound images. "Everything looks perfect, Lisa," she said, her tone reassuring. "Your baby girl is growing beautifully, and there are no signs of any complications."

Cuddy couldn't help but smile at the sight of her baby on the monitor. "That's wonderful to hear," she replied, her voice filled with relief.

Dr. Evory nodded, her expression turning slightly more serious. "I do have one recommendation, though," she said gently. "Given that you're now thirty-two weeks along, it might be a good idea to start thinking about going on maternity leave soon."

Cuddy's smile faltered slightly at the suggestion. "Oh, I don't think that'll be necessary so soon," she replied quickly, dismissing the idea. "I feel fine, really. And there's still so much to do at work."

House remained silent, observing the exchange between Cuddy and the doctor with a thoughtful expression.

Dr. Evory nodded, understanding. "I understand that you're busy, Lisa, but it's important to prioritize your health and the health of your baby," she said gently. "Pregnancy can be unpredictable, and it's best to be prepared."

Cuddy nodded, her expression conflicted. "I'll definitely keep that in mind," she replied, her tone indicating that she wasn't entirely convinced.

Dr. Evory smiled sympathetically and turned to House. "And how are you feeling about everything, Dr. House?" she asked, addressing him directly for the first time.

House shrugged nonchalantly. "I'm just along for the ride," he replied with a small smirk, his eyes flickering briefly to Cuddy.

Dr. Evory chuckled at his response. "Well, it's good to have supportive partners," she said warmly.

As they wrapped up the appointment, Cuddy couldn't shake the feeling of uncertainty that lingered in the back of her mind. Maternity leave was the last thing on her agenda, but perhaps Dr. Evory had a point. She glanced at House, silently grateful for his presence and support, knowing that whatever decision she made, they would face it together.

"We need to think about your maternity leave" House told her matter of fact

As they walked side by side toward the exit, House broached the topic that had been weighing on his mind. "Cuddy," he began, his tone serious, "Evory's right. You need to start thinking about your maternity leave."

Cuddy nodded thoughtfully, knowing that House's concern was genuine. "I've already started planning. I'll take my leave at 36 weeks," she replied, trying to reassure him.

"36 weeks is full term," House pointed out, his worry evident in his voice.

"And today, I'm on the night shift," Cuddy added casually, but House stopped in his tracks, his eyes fixed on her with a mixture of disbelief and concern. "Over my dead body," he declared firmly. "You're the dean of this makeshift hospital. You're 32 weeks pregnant. You're not doing the night shift."

"House," Cuddy began, smiling at his stubbornness, "I'll be fine. You go home, take care of the girls, and by the time you wake up, I'll already be home."

"No! No way in hell!" House retorted. "I'll do your shift."

"House…" Cuddy started, but he cut her off.

"No, Cuddy," he said firmly, his tone leaving no room for argument. "I'll do your night shift."

"House, there's really no need," Cuddy insisted, but she could see that he was resolute.

"Cuddy," he said as they stepped into the elevator, his tone serious, "either I do this shift and any others you're scheduled for, or there won't be any emergencies attended to. You know I'm capable of it."

Cuddy sighed, knowing she wouldn't win this argument. "Fine," she relented, resigning herself to his determination. "You'll do the night shift."

As the elevator doors closed behind them, Cuddy couldn't help but feel grateful for House's unwavering support, even if it meant relinquishing control. She knew he would do whatever it took to ensure her well-being and the safety of their growing family.

-/-

"Mommy!" Rachel ran into her mother's arms as soon as she saw her enter.

"Hey, baby," Cuddy greeted, wrapping her arms around her daughter as she hugged her legs. "Where's daddy?"

"Daddy's still working, Rachel," her mother explained. "It's just you, me, and Hope today."

"Daddy's saving lives," Rachel nodded in understanding.

"Exactly, Rach. Daddy's at the hospital because there are sick people who need his help," Cuddy affirmed.

"But I wanted him to come home!" Rachel's disappointment was evident as she started to get upset.

The bond between Rachel and House was undeniable. She was always by his side when he came home, calling out for him and clinging to him every chance she got. That five-year-old girl adored her father more than anything in the world, her eyes lighting up whenever she saw him. And House's eyes sparkled with equal affection whenever he looked at her. Their love for each other seemed to transcend mere words—it was almost a soul-saving kind of love.

"Mommy," Rachel called out again, interrupting Cuddy's thoughts. "I'm hungry."

"Of course you are," Cuddy chuckled. "Let's just say goodbye to Marina, and then I'll start dinner, okay? And where's Hope?"

Rachel shrugged, and the two of them went to bid farewell to their babysitter, Marina.

"Did everything go well, Marina?" Cuddy asked the nanny.

"Yes, the girls had their snacks, did their homework, and played," she explained with a smile. "But Hope seemed a bit off today; she's in her room reading, but she looks worried."

"I'll go talk to her," Cuddy said.

"I also prepared your dinner," Marina said, smiling, and Cuddy thanked her. "See you tomorrow, Dr. Cuddy."

"Goodnight, Marina."

Once the nanny left the house, Cuddy turned to Rachel. "Rach, Mommy's going to check on Hope, okay? You stay here in the living room and watch cartoons, alright?"

"Okay, Mommy."

Cuddy smiled and made her way to her eldest daughter's room. Normally, Hope would always greet her at the door, so it was unusual for her to seclude herself.

"Can I come in, Hope?" she asked, opening the door slightly. Hope was sitting by the window, with something in her hands, wearing a worried expression. "Hi, mommy."

"What's wrong, Hope? Marina said you seemed sad," she sat beside her daughter and noticed the Bible in her hands.

"I…" she tried to explain but ended up opening the Bible and reciting a passage. "'For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.'"

Hope took a deep breath and tried to continue. "I know you're sad, Mommy, because of…" Hope tried to find the right word. "because of Grandma Arlene, and I've been thinking about death. Back in the convent, sister Margaret always said we should forgive so that our forgiveness can be granted, love to be loved, but I can't forgive," she finally said. "And I really want to, Mom, for you, to forgive Grandma, but I can't."

"Hope, look at me," Cuddy said, touching her daughter's hands. "Forgiving isn't the same as forgetting, and you shouldn't forgive for my sake, but for yours."

"But Mommy, how will you still love me if I can't forgive Grandma?"

"Hope," Cuddy said, "my love for you has never been and never will be in question; it's not conditional on actions or events. I've loved you from the moment I knew you existed until now. Your heart should forgive if you find forgiveness, not for my sake."

Cuddy hugged her daughter. "I know life hasn't been easy for you, I know it's difficult, and your feelings are very big and not always easy to understand, but that's why you're growing up, and we're here, okay?"

"Yes, Mommy, I love you."

"Love you too," she kissed the top of her daughter's head. "Let's go have dinner; Rachel's waiting for us."

As they got up, Cuddy saw Hope neatly placing the Bible on one of the lower shelves in her room.

"I'm hungry too."

-/-

As lights dimmed in the living room, Hope and Rachel snuggled up on the couch with their favorite blankets, ready to embark on a magical journey under the sea with "The Little Mermaid." The room was filled with the soft glow of the TV screen, casting flickering shadows across their faces.

Hope's eyes sparkled with excitement as Ariel's adventures unfolded on the screen. "I love this movie," she whispered to Rachel, who nodded in agreement, her gaze fixed on the colorful animation.

As the movie progressed, Cuddy couldn't help but notice Hope's pensive expression. "Is everything okay, sweetheart?" she asked softly, leaning closer to her daughter.

Hope sighed softly before turning to her mother. "Mom, I just want to say that I'm really happy with you and Dad. I hope things stay like this forever," she admitted, her voice tinged with emotion.

Cuddy felt a warmth spread through her heart at Hope's words. "Oh, sweetheart, me too," she said, wrapping an arm around Hope's shoulders. "We'll always be here for you, no matter what."

Rachel, who had been engrossed in the movie, yawned sleepily and snuggled closer to Hope. "I'm sleepy," she mumbled, her eyelids drooping.

Cuddy smiled affectionately at her daughters, feeling a wave of love and gratitude wash over her. As the movie continued playing, Hope and Rachel gradually drifted off to sleep, their soft breaths mingling with the gentle soundtrack of the film.

With a contented sigh, Cuddy decided not to disturb them and settled back on the couch, pulling her daughters close as she, too, succumbed to the peaceful embrace of sleep. The soft glow of the TV illuminated their serene faces, creating a scene of perfect tranquility and familial love.

-/-

"Hey," House greeted her as he arrived home, just after six in the morning. Night shifts were always exhausting, but this one had been particularly tough. Yet, when he opened the door and saw his two daughters with his wife, asleep on na inflatable mattress on the floor of the living room, with a bucket of popcorn beside them, all his exhaustion melted away into a huge smile.

"You fell asleep here?" House remarked as Cuddy opened her eyes.

"Good morning," she said. "Did the night go well?"

"Same old, same old," he added. "It felt like the emergency nights in Ann Arbor," he recounted, and she immediately knew it had been rough. "Rain at night is a sign of a terrible emergency," he joked.

"They fell asleep watching a movie, and I was so tired that I let them sleep here too," she explained.

-/-

"Dr. Lisa Cuddy." Cuddy looked towards her office door, where a young woman dressed as a nun stood. "I apologize for interrupting, but I was wondering if I could speak with you."

"Please come in," Cuddy said, rising from her chair and extending her hand to the nun, who smiled and shook hands. "I don't know if you remember me, my name is Catherine."

"Yes, you were one of Dr. House's patients months ago, and one of the nuns who took care of my daughter," she recalled, and Sister Catherine smiled. "How can I help you, Sister?"

"I've come once again to thank you for all the help you've given us and to deliver this," she smiled and placed na old cardboard box on Cuddy's desk. "We've kept some things from our children, from when they were babies until the time they leave us. Most parents never come to pick them up, or the children themselves do when they're adults. But we thought Hope deserved to receive her box before she became an adult, and that you deserved to have a little more of Hope's childhood with you."

The nun stood up. "Hope is a very special girl, and she deserves a family that loves her. I'm glad she has found her family again."

"Thank you," Cuddy said as the nun left. It was perhaps the most strange and unsettling encounter she had ever had. In front of her was a box containing some memories of Hope.

Her hands touched the box and opened it slightly. Her heart squeezed when she saw a white baby blanket on top. Her hands touched the fabric that once wrapped and cradled her baby daughter, a daughter who was taken from her. Beneath the blanket were a few items: some photographs of Hope as a baby and as young child, a vaccination record, and a necklace. Cuddy could swear she recognized that necklace; she had one just like it. It had two medals, one with the image of Saint Vincent de Paul and another with the initial C. Her hands trembled. She recognized that medal; she had one just like it, and so did her sister. The C was for Cuddy…

She placed everything back in the box. She could talk to House about it tonight, but for now, all she wanted was to hug Hope, and that's exactly what she was going to do. Grabbing her coat, keys, and purse, she left the office. The reports could wait.

-/-

"Mommy," Hope said as she entered the car after the school bell rang. Cuddy could sense a lot of things, but she simply hugged her daughter tighter than she should have. "Is everything okay, mommy?" Hope asked, but Cuddy smiled and said, "Yes, sweetie, mommy missed you during the day."

"I missed you too," Hope said happily and buckled her seatbelt. "Can I sit in the front seat, please?"

"Yes, you can," she said, smiling. "The ride is short. Rachel went with daddy to try out lacrosse practice. Do you want to go have a snack with me and then go to the bookstore?"

"Yeeees," Hope's eyes sparkled brightly. "Can I choose a new book?"

Cuddy smiled. "Of course," she said.

Cuddy drove to downtown Princeton, where she could spend an hour with her older daughter. Hope was becoming more and more like her, with the same gaze, the same smile, the same upturned nose, down to the blond hair and even the tiny, almost imperceptible freckles that were identical to those she had during her childhood.

But her brain, her curiosity, her intellect, were all House's. She was a miniature version of her father, from her interest in medicine, physics, and music, to her wit, physical prowess in sports—she was all her father.

In terms of personality, though, she was the best of both worlds, in a nearly perfect way—she was love in its most innocent form.

"Mommy," Hope's voice brought her back. "Are we going?"

Cuddy took her daughter's hand as they crossed the street toward the bookstore. This was the best plan for Hope. She knew House often used to take Hope to the bookstore after school, and as they entered, Hope headed straight for the section on medicine and pharmacology. "Mommy, look at this one."

She picked up one of the books on display. "I really want to read this."

Cuddy took the book and read the title, 'The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy.'

"Hope," she looked at the book again and then saw her daughter's eyes light up in anticipation of reading it. She remembered promising herself that she would always encourage her daughter to be herself and pursue her dreams. "Okay, if that's what you want."

"Thank you, mommy!" Hope said happily as Cuddy handed her the book just in time to hear a familiar voice say, "Lisa?"

A woman around her age was smiling at her. "It's really you!"

"Hello, Adrianne," Cuddy said to her old college roommate. They greeted each other warmly. Adrianne had studied medicine with Cuddy at Michigan, and they hadn't seen each other in over 20 years.

"How's everything?" She asked her old roommate.

"I recently moved here," Adrianne told her. "I've been working in Colorado Springs at a fertility clinic, but I was invited to join the obstetrics team at Princeton General, and you?"

"I'm the Dean of Medicine at Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital," she said, smiling and looking at Hope. "This is my daughter, Hope."

"Hello," Hope politely greeted her mother's friend. "Hi, Hope, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Hope eventually regained her focus on the book, and Adrianne chatted with Cuddy. "Congratulations, too," she said, referring to Cuddy's obvious pregnancy. "Is it almost time?"

"I'm 32 weeks along," she said, smiling. "It's getting close."

"I take my hat off to you—Dean of Medicine and two daughters, not easy to manage."

"Three, actually. I have a 5-year-old daughter, Rachel," she said, recalling her younger daughter. "But House helps me a lot," she commented, smiling.

"House? Gregory House?" She said, and Cuddy nodded, smiling. Adrianne smiled with her. "I never imagined, or rather, I did imagine," she laughed, recalling their college days.

"I'm so happy for you, Lisa," she said, smiling at her friend. "I have a boy, Thomas. He must be around Hope's age."

"We should plan a dinner," Cuddy said, smiling, and Adrianne agreed. They exchanged phone numbers and said goodbye.

"Ready?" Cuddy said to Hope. "Let's pay for your book and then go grab a snack?"

"Yes, mommy," Hope said, smiling.

As they sat in the cozy café, bathed in the warm afternoon sunlight streaming through the windows, Hope animatedly recounted her day to her mother. Her words flowed like a gentle stream, carrying with them the excitement of school play and the next meeting of gymnastics.

Cuddy listened intently, her heart swelling with pride at her daughter's enthusiasm and the way her eyes sparkled with each story shared. The bustling atmosphere of the café seemed to fade into the background as mother and daughter shared this precious moment together.

With a contented smile gracing her lips, Cuddy couldn't help but feel a profound sense of gratitude wash over her. Despite the challenges and uncertainties of life, she was grateful for these simple yet profound moments of connection with her daughter.

As they sipped their drinks and savored the sweet treats on their plates, the bond between mother and daughter only grew stronger. In that moment, surrounded by the comforting buzz of the café and the warmth of her daughter's presence, Cuddy knew that life had indeed been generous to her.

-/-

"Are the girls asleep?" Cuddy asked House as he entered the living room, and he nodded in confirmation. "Yes, they fell asleep in no time."

"Come with me to the car," she said, grabbing the house keys and heading to the garage. "Cuddy, why are we here? Is something wrong with the car?"

"No," she said, opening the car door and sitting in the driver's seat. "Get in and sit down."

"The girls are asleep, but we can't leave them alone," he pointed out the obvious. "Sit down, we're not going anywhere."

"But…"

"House, sit down and close the door," she said more authoritatively, and he complied.

"I don't understand any of this," he said, but she handed him the cardboard box that had been given to her earlier that day.

"One of the nuns who took care of Hope at the convent came to see me today at my office," she explained. "And she left me this. It's some things that belonged to Hope."

He touched the box and opened it carefully, seeing the same baby blanket, the same photos, the same necklace. His heart beat faster, feeling everything she had felt hours earlier, the stolen childhood of his daughter. "She looks like you," he pointed to one of the photos where you could see Hope at just over 2 years old, her blonde hair tousled, her sleepy face, wearing na oversized and already worn-out t-shirt. "She could have been with us all along," he said looking at the photo.

"She's an amazing kid," House continued. "And I don't know how she can forgive us for not fighting more, for not doing more," he said matter-of-factly. "That kid is the most generous and incredible person I've ever met."

"We should have done more," she said sadly. "But now we can't do anything more. We can love her, take care of her, and let her be happy."

"Is she happy, though?" House asked uncertainly, more to himself than to Cuddy.

"I think she is," Cuddy said, intertwining her hand with his.

"You should give her the necklace," House said, looking at it. "She told me she lost a necklace she had, I think she was referring to this one."

"That necklace is the reason why I didn't take this box home. See this medal?" She showed him the medal with a C engraved on it. "I have one just like it, the C is for Cuddy, my mother gave her this necklace."

"Are you sure?"

"Not entirely, but it's more than obvious."

"Even so," House said, "give her the necklace and tell her the truth."

Silence reigned between them, they remained like that for some time. Hope's past would always be a painful place they didn't want to revisit, but from now on, the future would be the best they could give, not only to Hope, but also to Rachel and the baby who would join them in a few weeks.

-/-

"Last appointment?" House questioned Cuddy in the morning when he got up. "36 weeks," he reminded her.

She was pregnant, very pregnant indeed. Her belly was already bothering her, and her petite stature didn't help with such a big belly. "I just want her to be born already," Cuddy said.

Cuddy refused to think that their daughter would be named Paige, while for House, that was already their daughter's name. "She needs a name," he insisted.

"Cuddy."

"No! Absolutely not! My daughter will not be named Paige because of some obscure pirate cartoon that I hate."

"Okay, okay," he said in a peace offering. "What name do you like?"

"Emma," Cuddy said, smiling at her belly. "Do you like it?"

He nodded, but she became exasperated. "Don't you like it?"

"It's not that…" he was trying not to irritate her, but it was becoming difficult. "Let's do this: she's born, and then we'll see which name suits her well. That's what we did with Hope."

"Hope was supposed to be Anne," Cuddy reminded him.

"Exactly, but she's clearly a Hope," House observed, smiling.

"House, I can't have this child without her having a defined name, and it won't be Paige."

"As soon as she's born, we'll decide," House tried to reassure her. "Come on, woman, let's not argue about this again," he opened his arms in invitation for her to lie down a bit more. "The bags are packed, the girls will stay with Julia, and your mother will arrive at the hospital when it's time," Cuddy listed all the choices she had made. "Everything is set and ready."

"Relax," House said, smiling. "Everything is organized, just like a good dean of medicine that you are."

She laughed in his embrace. "The baby could be born at any moment, you know?"

"It's still two weeks away, relax."

The truth was, that was indeed the last appointment because on that day, May 2nd, at 11:45 PM, Paige Anne House would enter the world screaming at the top of her lungs and leaving a House and a Cuddy happier and more fulfilled than they could ever imagine.