As soon as she had cleaned up and pulled herself together, Cuddy went straight to the lab. She had saved one of the napkins with Megan’s blood on it in a baggie. She gave it to the night lab tech and told him to make sure and rush the results. She was almost one hundred percent sure that Megan was truly her and House's daughter, but it wouldn't hurt to have confirmation and proof.

When she was done there, she headed up to House’s floor to see how things were going.

As she got close to his office she could see him sitting on the edge of his desk. He was looking at films on the lighted board, with his cane propped behind his head and his arms resting on it. When she opened the door he turned his head and took the cane down. When he saw it was her, he lifted his cane and pounded the end on the films.

“Polyps.” he said.

“So she was right.” đã đưa ý kiến Cuddy.

“Yeah.” đã đưa ý kiến House.

“How is she?” asked Cuddy.

House just shrugged and said, “Got the lackeys on it.”

The door opened and Taulb and Kutner came in.

“Ears burning?” asked House.

“What?” asked Kutner.

“Nothing, where’s Thirteen?” asked House.

“She’s stitching up Megan’s hand.” đã đưa ý kiến Kutner.

“How is she?” asked Cuddy.

“The bleeding has slowed and we packed her nose. Foreman is scheduling her for surgery in the morning.” đã đưa ý kiến Taulb.

“Right, go on, get back to your boogie nights.” đã đưa ý kiến House. (Little chapter 3 reference there!)

“Really?” asked Taulb.

"What?" asked Kutner, again.

“Just, go, get out of here.” đã đưa ý kiến House.

After they left, House got off his bàn and sat down in his chair.

“Are bạn going to go see her?” asked Cuddy.

“Why?” asked House.

“Well, she’s your friend for one.” đã đưa ý kiến Cuddy.

“She’s not a friend, she’s just a girl I sometimes spend time with, at a club I hapen to frequently go to.” đã đưa ý kiến House.

“Oh, well in that case.” đã đưa ý kiến Cuddy sarcastically.

“If you’re so worried about her, why don’t bạn go and see her?” asked House.

“Fine, I will.” đã đưa ý kiến Cuddy.

She turned to leave and walked a few steps before stopping at the door.

“Room 313.” đã đưa ý kiến House, knowing what she was going to ask.

Cuddy left his office huffily, wondering how he could change his demeanor so quickly, and walked down the hall to room 313. She stood outside the door for a moment, taking a deep breath before going in. She opened the door and found Thirteen sitting on a ghế đẩu, phân tiếp theo to the bed, stitching up Megan’s hand.

“How’s it going?” asked Cuddy.

“Good, I’m just finishing up.” đã đưa ý kiến Thirteen.

“I know, it’s so sad.” đã đưa ý kiến Megan.

“I’ll finish up, bạn go back to the party.” đã đưa ý kiến Cuddy, coming over.

“Are bạn sure, House isn’t going to make us look up every possible diagnosis?” asked Thirteen.

“No, Taulb and Kutner are already downstairs.” đã đưa ý kiến Cuddy.

“Wow, ok, thanks.” đã đưa ý kiến Thirteen.

She stood up and took off her áo choàng and gloves, throwing them in the waste.

As she was leaving Megan said, “Don’t be a stranger.”

Thirteen stopped and turned around as she held the door open.

“I’ll be back tomorrow.” she said, smiling a bit.

“Good, remind me to give bạn my number, since I already know yours.” đã đưa ý kiến Megan, smiling at her.

Thirteen just smiled and left as Cuddy sat down on the ghế đẩu, phân and began to bandage Megan’s hand. That’s when she noticed Megan’s wrist and the tattoo there. It wasn’t just a tattoo, it was a cover, hiding a long vertical scar there.

“Sorry about your dress. I’m guessing it has lovely patterns of blood to accompany the black lace.” đã đưa ý kiến Megan.

“It’s fine, don’t worry about it.” đã đưa ý kiến Cuddy.

“I’m just glad it didn’t happen while I playing the piano. Think of the mess someone would have to clean up. All that blood in the keys.” đã đưa ý kiến Megan.

“Right, of course that would have been much worse than if bạn were alone and had bled out.” đã đưa ý kiến Cuddy.

“Well yeah, if I had bled all over a đàn piano and was alone, who would be there to clean it up?” asked Megan.

Cuddy couldn’t help but smile at how that was so much like something House would say.

“Is there anyone I can for you?” asked Cuddy.

“No, just me.” đã đưa ý kiến Megan.

As Cuddy finished putting the bandage on, she ran her finger over the scar on Megan’s wrist.

“Seven years.” đã đưa ý kiến Megan, looking at her. Cuddy looked up and met Megan’s icy blue eyes.

“What?” she asked.

“You want to know what happened and when. It was seven years cách đây today actually.” đã đưa ý kiến Megan.

“Why?” asked Cuddy.

“Because, like I said, my birthdays have a way of going bad. Don’t get me wrong, not every single one, but a lot of them.” đã đưa ý kiến Megan.

“Worse than this?” asked Cuddy, moving the suture tray and ghế đẩu, phân aside and moving around to the chair.

“Yes.” đã đưa ý kiến Megan. “Really? I wouldn’t think that things could get much worse than this on a birthday.” đã đưa ý kiến Cuddy.

“They can, trust me.” đã đưa ý kiến Megan.

“How much worse?” asked Cuddy.

She was hoping that Megan was just being an over dramatic twenty one năm old girl. Hoping she would say something like there had been an earthquake hoặc a bad storm hoặc something.

“People die, and it’s happened thêm than once. The first time I was five, that’s when it all started. My first adoptive parents were taking me to my party at some kids place. A truck driver fell asleep and hit our car, my dad was decapitated and my mother’s femoral artery was severed, she bled out before anyone could get there. I had a mild concussion, and was put into foster care after that."

"The một giây time I was nine, and had been with a nice couple for almost a year. They were planning on adopting me, but the ngày before my birthday the woman found out that she had terminal pancreatic cancer. Exactly one năm and one ngày later she died and the man decided that I was too much of a reminder after a month. He sent me back to foster care where I stayed for another two years."

"I was getting older, so I was lucky when an older couple with older children took me in. Again, after almost a year, they had a birthday party for me. They told me that ngày that they had begun the adoption process, that they wanted me to be part of their family. I was so happy, and told all of my Những người bạn at a sleepover party that one of them was having for me. That night, my new family’s trang chủ got broken into and they were all killed. The only one left alive was their oldest son who was at college."

"After that, people were afraid if I stayed too long something bad would happen to them. Not only that, but on my fourteenth birthday is when I was diagnosed with CVID. No one wanted to take me incase my ‘curse’ was real, I was older, and now I had an expensive medical condition. That’s the night I tried to kill myself, the night I realized that I wasn’t going to get a family. My foster father had gotten drunk and decided to beat up my foster mother. Then he figured that since it was my birthday I deserved a present. He gave me two broken ribs, a dislocated shoulder, and a black eye. Those were the worst ones so far, so this isn’t really that bad. Still, my sixteenth birthday wasn’t that bad, I was able to become emancipated.” đã đưa ý kiến Megan.

Cuddy sat there with tears threatening to fall as she listened to her daughter tell her, matter-of-factly, this horrible story of what her life had been like.

All she could do was say, “I am so sorry.”, and wipe the tears from her eyes.

“You don’t have anything to be sorry for. Nobody has anything to be sorry for, except the guy who murdered the Figs. Shit happens, bạn can’t control it, the only thing bạn can do is di chuyển on. Some days are just going to be bad, so bạn might as well make the best of the ones that aren’t so bad and hope for better ones. That’s what life is bạn know, a mountain bike trail, ups and downs. Sometimes bạn just want to quit, hoặc go back, but bạn can’t do either. No one’s going to pick bạn up and carry bạn either way, so bạn just have to keep going. And hopefully bởi the end bạn feel good about what you’ve accomplished. bạn might be sweaty, dirt covered, and bleeding, but bạn know bạn made it.” đã đưa ý kiến Megan.

It was quiet for a một phút as Cuddy and Megan stared at each other.

“God, I must sound like a total rehab whack job!” Megan said, finally breaking the awkward silence between them.

“Yeah, well…” đã đưa ý kiến Cuddy, stopping when what Megan had just đã đưa ý kiến actually registered.

“Well, I’m glad I’m not the only one who thinks I’m a nut. That would just be crazy, wouldn’t it?” Megan said, dryly.

“No, that’s not what I meant. It’s just…” đã đưa ý kiến Cuddy.

“I know what bạn meant, I’m just trying to have a little fun.” đã đưa ý kiến Megan, laughing a bit.

“Right, of course. Well it’s getting late, and I’m exhausted.” đã đưa ý kiến Cuddy, standing up.

“You know, I’ve been feeling a little drowsy myself. I think it could be those wonderful pills that smokin’ doctor gave me.” đã đưa ý kiến Megan, starting to slur.

“I’m sure, bạn just get some rest.” đã đưa ý kiến Cuddy.

“Yeah, ok, bye, bye.” đã đưa ý kiến Megan, waving a bit and laughing.

Cuddy pulled the covers up a bit on Megan and then left the room, heading for home.