Later that день 3:45



Cuddy walked out of her bathroom dressed in the normal clothes she'd wear to work. She was walking all over her house, apparently getting ready to leave. In the living room, she began to write a note on a scrap piece of paper she found, and continued scribbling down. After doing so, she folded it in half and put on the front, "House". She picked it up, and walked into her bedroom where he was still fast asleep. She rested it on her pillow, in perfect sight of House. Then she walked out, put on her shoes and left, without hesitation.

:::

Minutes later 4:00

"You've been what?"

Cuddy had entered Wilson's office who was concentrated on his work, but now had all attention towards Cuddy as she began to call off all her symptoms.

"I coughed up blood early this morning. And lately, I've been extremely tired, physically. And now, chest pain."
"You--you know the diagnosis for that."
"I know."
"You want me to do a scan?"
"Please."
"Okay, I have time right now but we won't--"
"Just don't tell House."
"Cuddy, if this is--he needs to know. Out of all people, he, needs to know."
"Just, not now."

Wilson got up from his desk, walked over and pulled Cuddy into an embrace. He put his arm over her as they walked out of his office, fairly quickly, so that no one would see.

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House,
out for lunch with Wilson and then my clinic checkup. Didn't want to wake you. Pick up Rachel for me, I might be back a little late.
-Cuddy

House closed up the note and held it tightly in his hand. He got out of постель, кровати and checked his watch.

"4:30."
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"Why didn't Ты approach me about this earlier?"

Cuddy and Wilson had returned to his office. They were both sitting on the couch, waiting for the results of her biopsy and the MRI scan.

"I--wasn't sure then. I am now."
"Then why are we doing this?"
"I don't want to misdiagnose myself."
"How could you, the facts are clear."
"I need to know if we can fix this."
"Chances are we can. Some treatment and Ты should be fine."

She sighed.

"You do know, the hardest thing you'll have to do is tell House right?"
"If it's not terminal, we don't have to tell him anything."
"And if it is terminal? Not that it is, или that it would be but. Seriously."
"I just. I'd ease him in."

Suddenly a nurse had come in with a few papers and an MRI.

"Dr. Wilson?"

He looked at Cuddy, and then stood up to grab the results. He first examined the papers and then the actual MRI.
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"Hi, can I help you?"
"I'm here to pick up Rachel, for Dr. Lisa Cuddy."

House was waiting at the door for the babysitter to get Rachel. Soon enough, she came along back with her asleep in her car seat.

"She fell asleep about an час ago."
"Here," he dug into his pocket, and grabbed any money he could get. He managed to pull out a twenty and a five.
"Thanks."
"Any time."

She closed the door and they walked off to the car. He locked her сиденье, место, сиденья to the chair in the back and buckled her сиденье, место, сиденья ремень, пояс, пояса before limping back to the front to drive them back. Within минуты they were home. He carefully took her out of the car, making sure she was still asleep as they walked into the house. When they got in, he walked straight for the nursery and set her down in the crib. He tucked her in and closed the door slightly, leaving a crack in the door. He walked out towards the kitchen, preparing himself maybe a glass of джин или some scotch, but right before he could, Rachel began to cry from inside the nursery. He dropped his head and turned to go attend to the crying child.

"Hey, hey, hey, what's the fuss about kid? What's, what's going on here?"

He went closer to the crib. As soon as his face appeared before the child, she broke a smile.

"Am I some kind of, entertainment for you?"

She outstretched her arms and waved them around, almost asking him to pick her up.

"Ah. How bout if I just, pull up a chair and sit close?"

She dropped her arms and smiled, like she understood. He pulled up a стул astray in the corner of the room and sat close. He folded his arms and rested his chin on his forearm as he stared down at the child.
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"I'm sorry."

Her head was bowed. She kept her hands over her face, preventing her tears to fall.

"It's metastasized almost over both your lungs and now its going towards all your other organs."
"I know. I saw."
"We could've stopped it. But."
"I know."

Her voice was muffled beneath her hands. So she finally released and raised her head. Puffy red eyes and a wet face.

"You will not tell him."
"You're not going to tell him?"
"Not yet, at least."
"Cuddy, Ты only have a few months. Ты can't keep him obscured from this."
"I've finally weaned him off the vicodin. If I tell him now, all that will go down the drain. This is another excuse for him to get addicted again."
"You don't know that."
"Yes I do. Don't be naive Wilson."
"There are plenty of other things he could turn to, with the exception of vicodin. He clearly wanted to detox off it, why would he allow himself back?"
"Because he's House, and because he has no self control, but he does have me. But what happens when I'm gone? Then what?"

He silenced himself for a moment. She sat back on the диван, мягкий уголок and rested her elbow on the armrest and let the rest of her forearm hang.

"Do Ты really want to leave without him saying goodbye? Do Ты want him to just wake up one день and find out you're dead, and Ты didn't tell him anything? Do Ты really want die without letting him know Ты Любовь him?"

She inhaled a deep breath. And looked at him, sincerely and right in his eyes.

"No. But I don't want him waking up every day, blaming himself that he didn't see this coming. Blaming himself, for not seeing the signs. When I'm gone, I don't want to see him suffer, because I was one of the very few lives, he was unable to save."