"She's, something alright. She was the woman of my life."
"Was?"
"Evidently, now I have three."

Cuddy turned her head. He grabbed her hand as they pulled out of the parking lot, making their way back home.

:::

Later that night: 1:00 a.m.

House and Cuddy were laying together on the couch, watching another one of House's soaps. He was sitting with his legs spread out across the couch, as Cuddy lied across his chest, with her legs with his, and her head beneath his chin. Both were in their sweats, resting. Both were barely awake.

"Wait so. Diana, slept with Landon. Who is engaged to his best Những người bạn sister Heidi, who is actually having an affair with Jeff?" She asked him sleepily.
"Yeah. And Diana, gets knocked up with Landon's baby. His best friend Marcus was supposed to be the best man to his and Heidi's wedding, but the wedding gets canceled when Heidi confesses her affair with Jeff, and admits she's pregnant with his baby. But she doesn't find out about Landon's affair with Diana who is actually best Những người bạn with Heidi, until the season finale."
"I don't get how bạn can watch this stuff. Let alone keep up with it."
"Are bạn kidding? I tình yêu this stuff."
"Mm."

Her eyes were slowly closing. Then she brought her hand to cover her mouth, for she began to cough. After several coughs, she rose from him and got off the đi văng and started for the bathroom.

"You okay?"
"Yeah, yeah I think I'm just getting a bad cold."

She walked into the bathroom and flipped on the switch. As she covered her mouth, she held on to her stomach as the coughs intensified. She hovered over the sink and began to cough down the drain. She felt the need to spit, and she did, and what appeared, scared her, terribly. Droplets of blood stained her white sink. After another few coughs, she had settled down. She kept a tight grip on the sides of the sink as she continued spitting out the blood.

"Shit. Shit."

Before she walked back out, she washed her mouth, clearing it of all blood residue. She wiped her mouth with the towel, before shutting off the light and walking back into the living room.

"What was that about?"
"Like I said, I'm just getting a bad cold."
"You take medicine?"
"It'll go away."

She lied back down with him on the đi văng and fell asleep fairly fast. Around two, he turned off the tv and slipped slowly off the đi văng to let her lay down properly. As he did, he managed to catch droplets of blood residue on her tank top. He became very suspicious, but left that for a better time. So he grabbed the fleece throw blanket, hanging over the armrest and covered her from head to toe. After, he limped in the phòng bếp, nhà bếp for a glass of gin. He leaned against the counter in the dark, as the moon took its place in the sky. It watched over him, and lighted the darkness. After his third glass, he made his way back into the living room and sat on the floor. He rested his leg down on the carpet and kept his head angled against the cushions of the couch. His head was so close to hers, he heard her muffled breathing.

:::

Morning: 8:30 a.m.

A cry sounded from the nursery. It was loud, but brief. House, who had fallen completely on the floor as he slept, had carefully risen his torso off the floor and sat upright. He shut his eyes tight, and rubbed his head and face. He had a migraine. Then again, a một giây cry sounded from the nursery. Before she could again, he had gotten up to calm the child. He limped into the nursery and picked her up from her cũi, giường cũi and hushed her. She smiled at him, and began to grab at his face. As he pulled away in a slight annoyance, she started laughing. Her laugh echoed throughout the nursery and came bouncing back to House's ears. It was a sweet sound. A very sweet sound. He shut his eyes for a moment, but then opened them right back up again and he peeked outside the room to see if Cuddy had woken up. Then he stared back at the child.

"Shush. You'll wake mommy."

Not knowing what to do with her, now that she was clearly awake, he carefully walked out into the living room. He crept bởi Cuddy and then made his way to the front door. He unlocked it, and opened it gently, and sat down on the steps of her porch outside. He left it cracked open, to be sure he wouldn't lock himself out. As he sat down on the cold concrete, he stretched out his leg, and kept his other on the step, sitting the child on his lap as they watched the sunrise.

"You're strange, kid. But, for mommy's sake, I'm going to try and bond with bạn more. The only times I've spent with bạn is, putting bạn asleep and, well bạn throwing up on me."

She looked up at him. All she did was bat her eyes and pulled at his face.

"I uh. I'm not that good at this. As bạn can see. bạn kind of remind me of my cousin. She's older now, but when we were kids, I used to take care of her. I was nine at the time and she was only one. She was like my little sister. That was years cách đây though. I haven't really taken care of a baby like this since."

She cooed, almost as if replying to him. The sun was fairly high, and shining bright. It's streaks of light spread out through the house, and managed to reach Cuddy. As it touched her face, she made a few twitches here and there, before finally waking up. She sat curiously upright on the đi văng and looked around: nursery door open, no House in sight, and front door open. She took a hair tie from her bàn and put her hair up, as she began to walk towards the door. As she got closer, she recognized the voice. She began to walk slower.

"..and with everything I've been through, our lives don't even compare. But they are kind of similar. We both have a mom we care about, we really didn't have a father growing up...For you, that still remains to be seen."

Cuddy stood in the crack of the door as she listened in on their 'conversation.'

"You may not have a dad yet, and I honestly don't know if bạn ever will. But, bạn have a mommy. bạn have one heck of a mommy. And she loves you, thêm than bạn will, hoặc thêm than bạn could ever know."

She listened intently as he continued giving her baby daughter this lecture.

"So, when you're older, I don't wanna hear about bạn smoking hoặc getting pregnant hoặc even doing drugs. Don't end up like me. Don't take that route. Maybe, if bạn had a dad, I would encourage it thêm but. Your mom's alone. If bạn ever did any of that to her, not only would it hurt her, but the load bears on her a lot. If bạn had a dad, bạn could give him the tim, trái tim attack."

Cuddy gave a smirk.

"Even though bạn may not have a dad, bạn do have a crazy aunt, named Aunt Heather, and bạn have a strange Uncle, named Uncle Gary, and bạn have a bitchin' Grandma, named well Grandma, to bạn at least. Knowing her, she might even want bạn to call her Aunt Nora."

Cuddy couldn't help but laugh. She shook her head and just smiled.

"We should have these talks thêm often."

Rachel just cooed and pulled at his face again. Cuddy broke a laugh. House turned around and saw her standing in the arch of the door. She folded her arms and finally spoke.

"You're not influencing my daughter to be rebellious and a juvenile delinquent are you?"
"Yes. I am. I have to pass the legend on don't I? Now like I said, weed at thirteen, vicodin at fifteen, triplets at eighteen, and mommy should be dead in no time."

Cuddy rolled her eyes as he got up off the steps, and began to walk back into the house, with Rachel in his arm.

"I'm calling in sick."
"No you're not," Cuddy retorted as she walked into the kitchen.

"Let me rephrase that, I am feeling extremely ill this promising morning, therefore I will call in to my work and inform them of my ill being."
"You are not sick."
"My head is killing me though. Along with my leg."
"You're leg's hurting?"
"Here we go."


They were all in the phòng bếp, nhà bếp now. House had put Rachel in her high chair and he had sat down on one of the chairs. Cuddy was preparing some coffee and a bottle for Rachel.


"How bad?"
"It's just hurting. It's well enough for me to walk short distances, but it hurts enough for me to collapse while attending to a patient in the clinic, and back to my office."
"Did bạn take your vicodin?"
"Oh God woman. I say leg pain bạn think, oh my god he's dying."
"Well excuse me for being concerned."

She sat down tiếp theo to him after giving Rachel her bottle. She propped her head on her hand with her elbow on the table, and she closed her eyes.

"Tired much?"
"Physically. I slept too well last night to be sleepy."
"Your đi văng is actually comfortable. Even your floor, exceptionally comfortable."
"You should've slept with me on the couch."
"You'd be even thêm tired if i hadn't got off. Proper sleep equals good sleep."
"And does that only apply to everyone else but you?"
"I did have proper sleep."
"Yeah, right."

She opened back her eyes and just laid her head flat on the table. He ran his hand over her hair and then held her hand.

"I actually think I'm gonna stay trang chủ too. My chest is killing me."
"Could be from the quick takeout we got before coming trang chủ last night."
"I barely ate any."
"Well, get a check when we get back tomorrow."

His voice sounded very concerned. Just the tone itself was worrying.

"I'm going back to bed, I feel way too tired."
"I'll tham gia bạn in a few minutes. Let me just call your babysitter to come pick the little one up."
"Okay."

She lifted herself lazily off the phòng bếp, nhà bếp chair and began to make her way into the bedroom. House then went and turned off the coffee maker. After doing so, he went to go pick up the smiling Rachel from her highchair.

"I'll see bạn later kiddo," he kissed her on the forehead and grabbed the phone with his opened hand and dialed for the babysitter, as Cuddy attempting to put herself at ease.