Only the Beginning |House|

[Dr. Lisa Cuddy]

It was there. She didn't know what had possessed her to put it there. But it was there. Sitting on top of a case file. Anyone who knew her well enough would be appalled if they were to walk in now and see it. Except for three other people, but they would probably be shocked as well.

Cuddy had snuck the double chocolate chip muffin out of the cafeteria with her breakfast and hid it away in her desk drawer. The one she always kept locked. And it was now twelve thirty. The muffin was her substitute for lunch. The shades in her room were closed, as if to indicate that she was in a meeting. But really, she just didn't want anyone to know she was breaking her sugar ban.

Even knowing the chocolate muffin wasn't the best thing she could be eating right now, she wasn't about to miss lunch. Tearing a chunk off the top, she raised it to her lips. And there was the unmistakable sound of someone checking to make sure the door was unlocked.

Which unfortunately led to the door opening. And as she gazed at the figure in her doorway, she knew from the look she was being given that she was going to catch hell. For what, she didn't know.

"I'm on my lunch break," she said in an attempt to explain the chocolaty treat currently occupying her desk. In case eating it was the nature of her offense. Which she somehow doubted.

[Dr. Gregory House]

House made a face, but stepped inside and shut the door, glaring at Nurse Brenda across the hall in the clinic as he did so. Brenda didn't even bat an eyelash. Locking the door, he hobbled to her desk and made himself at home in the chair facing the desk. "Then that works out then," House replied, "you can eat and make those moans of pleasure while I talk. Breaking your sugar ban? That's pretty gutsy of you." He smirked, leaning back in his chair before deciding that his rant was better served standing up, maybe pacing.

"Then again, you've been pretty gutsy lately," House muttered, leaning on his cane to make the turn and pace the short steps the length of her desk, before making the turn again to pace back across. "I thought we agreed that you were going to find someone to whom you could delegate your workload while you're pregnant and maybe even after you deliver the kid. Silly me, to find that a few weeks later, you're still coming in early, still working late, still working too much.

"This. This chocolate muffin is a cry for help." House dramatically pointed at the chocolate confection, then paused momentarily as he, with dawning horror, thought of something else. Pregnancy cravings. Oh. Dear. Fluffy. Lord. He shook his head, bound and determined not to be derailed, even by a thought so dreadfully horrifying. "You're started to become overwhelmed, and stressed which is not good for the baby, but above all else, it's not good for the mother."

House paused, thinking over his rant. He didn't want to be done, but he thought he had covered all the salient points. What else? What else? Oh, the ultimatum. "In short," House said grandly, "if there is not a pencil pusher working diligently to ease your workload by the end of the day, I'm going to do something drastic."

[Dr. Lisa Cuddy]

Sighing as the lock clicked, she popped the chunk of muffin into her mouth and started chewing. She raised an eyebrow as he started speaking, but didn't say anything. She finished chewing and swallowed the chocolate-flavored piece of bread-product. Cuddy tried to glare at House as she tore off another piece.

"House..." she started, but he kept going. Of course, glaring didn't exactly work on him anymore, so she did the only other thing she could. Cuddy leaned back in her chair, munching on her muffin as he paced. How was she supposed to properly explain herself if he didn't let her get a word in edgewise? She listened to him rant, waiting for him to stop. She sat straight up and stared hard at him as he issued his ultimatum.

"First off," she started, but then drew a blank. She had been sitting here through his speech, waiting for a chance to explain herself. But now, she couldn't think of anything. She had to at least try to defend herself, though. She started over, never taking her eyes off his.

"First off, I need the muffin. Okay?" Realizing her tone sounded like she was nearing one of her insane-moments, she took a deep breath to calm herself down before continuing. "Secondly, I have been trying to find someone. But I can't look at an application without thinking about how you scared off my last secretary. I don't even know how you did it. I don't want to know. I think he just got tired of putting up with you barging in here; I don't want the same thing to happen to someone you're forcing me to hire." And it was only now that Cuddy realized just how odd it was that her employee was forcing her to hire someone. Shaking her head, she decided she could think on it later.

"And I am not crying out for help. I'm not overwhelmed. Stress is part of my job as an administrator. Our baby is fine, and so am I. And I will prove it to you when I go to my six-week appointment in a few days." Cuddy sighed, knowing she was ranting right back at House, but he'd surely expected it, having not given her any chance to say anything while he'd been...lecturing her.

"Drastic? Like what? Kill a patient because I'm too stubborn to give up my duties and responsibilities to this hospital?" Sighing again, she knew she was being unfair, and she knew it was because her hormones were out of whack. "Sorry," she apologized, turning her eyes away briefly. "I know you wouldn't do something like that." Leaning back in her chair, she looked back at House.

Honestly, though, how was she supposed to find a secretary before the end of the day? Through the corner of her eye, she glanced at the short stack of application folders. It wouldn't kill her to make a few phone calls, would it?

[Dr. Gregory House]

House had noted during his rant that she had obediently eaten some of her chocolate muffin. It wasn't particularly nourishing, but it would give her body some nutrients with which to store and use. He was glad she was eating the muffin. More power to her needing it or whatever she was spouting. He watched as she took a breath to calm down. The coping skills by which the rest of the human race used to minimize their vitriol against those to whom they spoke and/or loved never ceased to amuse him. Conflict resolution, indeed.

He paused thinking back. Ah, yes, fun times. He shook his head, "how about I promise not to set your secretary's garbage can on fire, or put ex-lax in her soda, or booby trap her desk, or..." House paused, sensing he may only be digging himself a hole from whence he may never get out. Then again, Cuddy was pregnant with his child, so he was already deep in there. "Or bother her at all. As long as it's a her." He simply couldn't resist. "Honestly, a man secretary? Can we say underachiever?"

House shook his head, mock sadly. Poor confused Cuddy. "You were already beginning to be over loaded with work before you were pregnant. It's all down hill from here." He loved that she was ranting back at him, since it only proved his point. She had to be feeling more stressed than usual and she hadn't had that spa trip at all. The planned weekend with Angel had been pushed back after Angel's accident, then Cuddy had realized that she was pregnant. As to the rest of Cuddy's outrageous rant regarding his own rant, House didn't even bother with a rebuttal of his own. He took her apology as his due, and finally sat down in the chair again, watching Cuddy have a little internal debate with herself with a little smirk on his face.

[Dr. Lisa Cuddy]

Cuddy blinked. Was he...No. She wasn't having any of that. Not if she could help it, at any rate. Honestly! There was no way she would hire a female secretary, unless she had no choice. She knew what would happen. Or she thought she did. House, being House, would flirt shamelessly with her. And Cuddy would not stand for that.

"You and I both know what would happen if I hired a female secretary." Cuddy sighed as she leaned forward on her desk. She sighed heavily. "Just because a man is an administrative assistant does not mean he is an underachiever. You're just being sexist." She tore another chunk of her muffin and started eating it.

"What makes you think I'm overloaded? I somehow manage to get all my reports filed, all my performance reviews completed on time, and I manage to spend some time in the clinic," she stated, giving him a look that said 'Unlike someone else I could mention'. After a long moment, she reached over to the small stack of folders, drawing the pile towards her. She wouldn't make any calls until after House had left, but pulling the applicant folders closer showed that she was serious. She would do it. She was going to hire someone. There was no way around it.

[Dr. Gregory House]

"Well, yeah," House retorted. Of course he was being sexist, but he was also realistic. That wasn't even the real issue. He just liked screwing with Lisa, but lately he was finding that there were better ways to which he could achieve his ends with her. Though what his true ends were, not even House could clearly elaborate, 'cause he wasn't all that sure himself.

He liked being artful that way.

"Please," House snorted, "you only managed all that because you ate lunch at your desk. Also, by working more than eight hours a day. I'm not asking you to shirk work, though I would be happy if you did. I'm just asking you to delegate. There's more to life than work." Their coming child for one. Twenty years ago, House would not have wanted kids. Hell, two years ago, he would not have wanted kids. Of late, however, he was more amenable to the idea of creating progeny and watching them grow into their own person. Of course, given that he would have a hand in the rearing of the kid, he would not raise an idiot.

He watched her pull the applicant folders to herself and nodded his short tight nod. "My work here is done," he intoned in an otherworldly tone of voice. He supposed he could leave her to it.

[Dr. Lisa Cuddy]

She knew he was right. Knew he was only doing what he thought was best. For all of them. Him, her, their child. She didn't want to argue with him. Agreeing with him was the safest route. She thought so, anyway.

"I understand that you're worried about me. In fact, I'm touched. Really. But, I am an administrator. My work day isn't always eight hours. I'm lucky if I'm out of here by five. Actually, I'm lucky if I'm out of here by seven! I know I shouldn't be here as late as I am, but sometimes, I need to be. It's just..." She stopped, unsure how to proceed. They'd already covered this..she knew she shouldn't go there. But something in the back of her mind made her say it.

"It's hard to go home when there's nothing waiting for you. You have scotch and television. I...have nothing." And suddenly, she realized why that was. "I've let my career consume my life. I haven't had time for a life." That was probably why House was making her do this, she reflected. So she could have a life. With him? She shook her head at that. It was too soon for that discussion. In fact, Cuddy wasn't sure it would ever be the right time for that discussion. Even though they had been together for a little over a month and a half, she couldn't bring herself to say anything about their future together.

She turned her eyes away again, lost in her thoughts. When he spoke again, she blinked a couple times. She didn't want him to leave. "House...I...I want you to know...you're welcome to come with me to my appointments." She steeled herself, knowing that if he did accompany her, they ran the risk of exposing their relationship. But she wanted so much for him to be there with her, if only so she could feel like they were a family.

[Dr. Gregory House]

House tried to just listen to Cuddy talk, instead of replying impulsively to her horrendously erroneous conception of his point. He felt that she definitely needed to slow down her pace, cut back on her hours. Working for more than ten hours a day was ridiculous. Ludicrous. At the very least she did not have to be working these hours every day. Lisa was at the office at eight every morning, or so his spies informed him, since he rarely came in before nine. He was certain that Lisa would talk herself out, and realize, on her own, his meaning.

He was waiting for Cuddy's moment of epiphany. Her aha moment that outlined her precise predicament and what she must do to repair it. That she needed to cut back on her work so that she could build a life. He wasn't expecting her to compare her perception of his apparently thrilling life of scotch and television to her non-life, but whatever floated her boat.

Bingo. There it was. Slow to come, but since it was finally here, she could take stock of her life. Reassess. Then she had to throw a curve ball at him. He was a little stunned. He knew exactly what she meant by appointments. Knew that it was suddenly becoming more real than he had ever considered. He would never, in a million years, admit that he became a little choked up.

"When's the next appointment?" he asked, ducking his head a little, looking away. He didn't care what anybody thought about his relationship with Cuddy. All he cared about was the woman standing before him, all he cared about was making her happy. Granted, he had to go about it in his antagonizing way, but if achieving happiness wasn't hard earned, it wouldn't be satisfactory.

[Dr. Lisa Cuddy]

"Four days," she answered. "And then there's another one a week later to determine the due date." She noticed he was looking away, and she focused on a spot on her desk. The last thing Cuddy wanted was for House to feel like he was forced to do anything he didn't want to do. "I mean, I'll understand if you can't...if you're busy, or if you just don't want to..." She stopped herself, realizing she was rambling, or well on her way to rambling. Who was she kidding, anyways? He'd asked because he wanted to go. Hadn't he? Did most new dads go to the early appointments with their partners? Or just the later ones?

She didn't know, and she didn't care what other couples did. They weren't other couples. Other couples didn't have hospital guidelines forcing them to keep their relationship secret. If she could change those guidelines, she would, but she knew they were in place for a reason. Employers weren't supposed to be in relationships with an employee because the other employees would accuse the employer of playing favorites. She was already accused of letting House get away with more than anyone else. Those accusations would magnify tenfold if the relationship got out.

She knew House didn't care; she'd known from the start of this new venture. But she did. She knew eventually she'd have to set that aside. She knew eventually everyone would figure it out. But the reputation of the hospital meant too much to her. And that was the problem. She had built her career before her life, and now that she was secure in her job, she had the chance to have a life with the man she loved and their child.

And, by God, she would take that chance.

"Just come when you can," she said after a long moment, looking back up at him.

[Dr. Gregory House]

House was silent. Then he nodded. "Just hire a secretary when you can," he said. He stood, leaning on his cane. He nodded once, again. He turned and began making his way to the door. It was all coming at him so fast. Appointments for baby. He just knew that when he saw the ultrasound, saw the parasite that was the result of the night of passion he had with Cuddy, he would see his baby. His child. His next eighteen years invested in securing the future of their bright eyed child.

He opened the door, a smooth movement of nerves and muscle contracting along the hard support of his bones, coordinated by synapses in his brain to conduct this act. The very same mystery that was growing inside of Cuddy at this very moment, working toward the very same myelinating action that worked in all human bodies, when they worked.

Then there was the fact of life, that their lives were so utterly fragile. His leg case in point. Nerves interrupted burned like they were on fire, telling him there was no muscle there anymore. Limited movement of his leg to execute the act of walking out the office, but walk out he did.

It was all just coming so fast.