The Hunch

Cuddy was heading to her office when she saw an impeccably dressed woman wandering the lobby, looking a bit lost.

"Can I help you?" she said.

"I'm here to see Dr. House," the woman said.

Cuddy smiled.

"Dr. House only takes patients by referral." Then she said, under her breath: "And even then it's a bit of a crapshoot."

"I'm not a patient," the woman said. "I have an appointment."

Cuddy sized her up: She was carrying a briefcase. Her sleek, dark blonde hair was pulled back in a ponytail and she was wearing a beautiful brown herringbone business suit and expensive looking dark brown pumps.

"What's your business with Dr. House?" Cuddy said, skeptically.

"It's a private personnel matter," the woman said. "I'd rather not discuss it."

Cuddy folded her arms.

"You don't get to have private personnel matters with Dr. House. He works for me. This is my hospital."

"Oh," the woman said, not even slightly flustered. "You must be Dr. Cuddy."

Cuddy wasn't quite ready to exchange niceties.

"And you are?" she said.

"Gretchen Butler, director of human resources for the Baer Clinic."

And she held out her hand.

Cuddy shook it reluctantly.

"What kind of business do you have with Dr. House?" she said.

"Well, as a matter of professional courtesy, I suppose I should tell you: We've been in talks with Dr. House about running our new Diagnostic Department. And I'm here today to formalize the offer."

Cuddy's mouth dropped open.

Noticing her shock, Gretchen said, "I take it Dr. House hasn't mentioned this to you?"

"Not a peep."

"For the record, we approached him. He hasn't expressed any dissatisfaction with his job here."

"Well, that's a relief," Cuddy said sarcastically. The nerve of this woman.

Gretchen looked at her watch.

"I'm already running a little late. Can someone point me in Dr. House's direction?"

Cuddy's heart was racing in her chest. She waved down a nurse who worked on House's floor.

"Can you take Mrs. Butler—"

"Ms. Butler," Gretchen corrected, smiling sweetly.

"Can you take Ms. Butler to Dr. House's office?"

"Sure thing Dr. Cuddy," the nurse said.

After they were out of earshot, Cuddy turned to Tammy, the front desk clerk.

"Let me know the minute she leaves the hospital," Cuddy said.

######

Two hours later, Cuddy stormed up to House's office.

He was sitting alone, deep in thought, idly tossing his oversized tennis ball.

She watched him for a second. When he didn't acknowledge her presence, she spoke.

"Exactly when were you planning on telling me that you were being courted by the Baer Clinic?" she demanded.

He looked up, blinked at her.

"I take it you met Gretchen?" he said.

"She was hard to miss," Cuddy said.

"Pretty hot huh?"

Cuddy scowled.

"If you like that sort of thing," she said defensively.

"Hot things?"

She tried to refocus him.

"House. . ."

He rolled his eyes a bit.

"I didn't tell you about the Baer Clinic because I didn't take the offer seriously. To be honest, I never thought it would get this far."

"She flew down from Cleveland to see you. That strikes me as pretty serious."

"Corporate jet," House said. "She flies at the drop of a hat. This was like a trip to the Quik Mart for her."

"She told me that she was planning on making you a formal offer."

"That part was true."

"House! How could you not tell me this? This is a complete betrayal of my trust."

He eyed her.

"Don't get your thong in a twist, Cuddy. It's not like I'm taking the job or anything."

"You're not?"

"What, you think I said yes?"

"House. It's the Baer Clinic. It's the most prestigious hospital in the country."

"I'm familiar with the Baer Clinic, Cuddy."

"And they offered you a department head?"

"More like a Build-Your-Own-Baer-Department thing. I'm told those stores are also popular at the mall."

"With total hiring authority?"

"Hiring authority, overseeing the acquisition of all medical equipment, patient approval. The whole kit and caboodle, as it were."

Cuddy sighed, slumped her shoulders a bit, deflated.

"House, you've got to take the job."

He looked at her.

"You want me to take the job?"

She hesitated. Her heart still hadn't slowed to its normal rate.

"Of course I do. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

"Oh," he said softly. "You sure?"

"Absolutely," she said, trying to sound firm.

"Well, I guess I'll take the job then."
#####

Things moved quickly.

The Baer Clinic had a whole relocation team in place, so they arranged for House to have a fully furnished apartment in Cleveland. The fate of the PPTH diagnostics department was still in a state of flux, but for now it was decided that Foreman would run the department on an interim basis.

And two nights before House was scheduled to leave for Cleveland, they held a small Happy Hour for him at Sullivan's.

It was just the usual suspects—Wilson, Foreman, Chase, Cameron, and Cuddy, plus the few nurses who actually liked House and Marge the lunch lady.

At some point, everybody stood up and made impromptu toasts.

"I'm very sorry to see you go and…can I have your parking space?" Foreman cracked.

House smiled.

"You were, according to my mother at least, an extremely bad influence on me. So cheers to that," Chase said.

House raised his glass.

"I know you hate mushy and sentimental stuff," Cameron started.

"Then go no further. . ." House said.

"Tough shit. Because I love you, House. And you made me a better doctor. And I'm going to miss the hell out you. So there!" And she stuck her tongue out at him.

He laughed.

"Oh God, is it my turn?" Wilson said. "This bum knows I couldn't care less about him."

Everyone laughed.

"And for the record, I already warned the head of oncology at Baer that you steal French fries."

"Crap," House said.

"And since I'm driving your car to Cleveland so you can take your motorcycle and probably helping you move in, this isn't so much goodbye as…you owe me one."

"Thanks pal," House said.

Now everyone turned to Cuddy.

She looked down at the floor for a second, then smiled softly.

"When I first hired House, everyone told me it was the worst decision of my life, an absolute career killer."

She glanced over at House.

"But I had what can best be described as a hunch. And I've been riding out that hunch for 10 years. Not going to lie, at times, it felt like it WAS the worst decision I ever made."

She smiled at him. "But in the end, hiring House was my greatest professional accomplishment . . .I only wish he had come with a User's Manuel."

"You held your own," House mouthed at her, smiling back.

#####

The party was clearing out, people were putting on their coats and heading to the exits.

Wilson slapped House on the back.

"You made it through the whole night without crying," he said. "I'm proud of you."

"Wish I could say the same for you," House said.

Wilson chuckled.

"Lint in my eye," he said.

Then he examined House more closely.

"You sober enough to drive? It seemed like every time I turned around someone was buying you a shot."

"Hollow cane," House said, patting his leg.

"Alright. Shall we?"

House looked around.

"Where's Cuddy?" he said, somewhat agitated. "Did she leave without saying goodbye?"

"Au contraire," Wilson said, gesturing with his chin. "She seems to have started her own private party."

Cuddy was sitting alone at the end of the bar, nursing a martini.

House peered at her.

"I think I'm going to say goodnight," he said. "You go ahead without me."

Wilson nodded, knowingly.

"Be careful," he said. House wasn't completely sure if he was referring to driving home or something to do with Cuddy.

He gave Wilson a tiny salute, limped over to her.

"Can anyone join this pity party?" he said. "Or is this strictly a It's Not Drinking Alone if You're Doing It in Public type deal?"

Cuddy looked up.

"You can drink alone with me anytime," she said, smiling sadly.

House sat next to her, gestured for the bartender to get him a scotch.

"So what's wrong?" he said.

"Really House? You have to ask?"

"What? This is about me leaving? After 20 years, you're suddenly getting sentimental on me?"

"Suddenly? I've been dreading this moment since the day I hired you."

"What happened to 'House, you've got to take this job'? What happened to 'It's a once in a lifetime opportunity, House?' You practically pushed me out the door."

She looked at him.

"It is a once a lifetime opportunity, you idiot. I couldn't stand in the way of this. I wouldn't be able to look myself in the mirror if I did."

"So let me get this straight: You don't want me to go?"

"Of course not. You're not only my best doctor you're my best…friend in the hospital."

"Now you tell me," he said.

"Are you honestly saying that you only took the job because I told you to?"

"That and I thought maybe I could get lucky with Gretchen," he cracked.

"You're an ass," she said.

"I do love a woman in a power suit," he said.

She shook her head.

"Don't pout, Cuddy," he teased. "Nobody fills out a power suit quite like you."

She looked at him, serious again.

"House, why on earth would you think I wanted you to leave the hospital?"

"I figured you were sick of me."

She chuckled. Shook her head ruefully.

"I could never be sick of you."

"You get sick of me all the time," he countered.

"Fair enough," she admitted. "But I always come back for more."

"True," he agreed. Then, his voice suddenly sincere, he said: "Why is that, Cuddy?"

"Why do I get sick of you?"

"Why do you always come back for more?"

"Glutton for punishment I guess," she said.

"I'm serious."

"Now you're serious? After 20 years, you're suddenly getting serious on me?"

"Yeah," he probed. "Why'd you put up with my shit all these years?"

Cuddy looked down at her martini glass, which was empty. She fiddled with her cocktail straw.

"I think you already know the answer to that, House," she said softly.

"I honestly have no clue," he said.

She gave a grim laugh, and bit her lip, then focused on the liquor bottles that lined the bar wall.

"I don't know if this is the alcohol talking or just my knowing that you're leaving for Cleveland in two days and I'll probably never see again but here it goes. . . "

She looked up at him: "I'm a little in love with you House. I've always been a little in love with you. And I'm pretty sure I always will be a little. . ."

Before she finished forming the words, House caught her mouth in a quick kiss.

She looked startled.

"I didn't mean that I. . that we should . . ."

And he kissed her again, even more urgently, cupping her face in his hands.

"What are we doing?" Cuddy said, slightly flustered, after they parted.

"Expressing our feelings for each other," House said.

And they kissed a third time, a longer kiss, a hotter kiss, a kiss that was dangerously close to a point of no return.

Instead, they came to their senses, regrouped.

Cuddy excused herself to go to the bathroom. House tried to think of anything besides the feel of her warm, vodka-tinged tongue on his and her words: I've always been a little in love with you.

When she came back, she complained about some girls who were smoking in the bathroom. He made a joke about the bartender looking like Fozzie Bear. They ordered another round of drinks. They tried to act like nothing had just happened.

"Just out of morbid curiosity," Cuddy finally said, spearing an olive and biting it. "How much are they paying you at Baer?"

"More than you can afford," he said.

"I know. But ballpark…"

"More than your salary," House said.

"Hey! How do you know my salary?"

House shrugged.

She took a sip of her drink.

"Just do me this one favor House. When you get to the Baer Clinic, if you're ever about to do something wildly unethical, first ask yourself: What would Cuddy do?"

"I already do that all the time," House said, honestly.

And they exchanged a look.

For a second, it seemed like they might kiss again. But they didn't.

"We have really lousy timing, don't we?" Cuddy said.

"The worst," he said.

#####

The next day, a Friday, was supposed to be House's last. At about 2 pm, he showed up in Cuddy's office.

It was as if they had both mutually agreed not to mention the fact that Cuddy had declared her undying "little bit of love" for him and that they'd practically mounted each other at Sullivan's.

"Office all packed up?" Cuddy said.

"Unfortunately yes," House said.

"Why unfortunately?"

"Because I need my old job back."

"You what?"

"I spoke to the Baer Clinic. The grant money they were counting on fell through, the Diagnostics Center is being delayed. They said they may not break ground on it until 2013."

"That's 4 years from now."

"Yeah. . . so . . ."

"They un-hired you?"

"Something like that."

Cuddy tried not to break into a huge, relieved grin.

"Anyway, I was wondering if maybe you might have some use for guy like me around here?" he said, smiling.

"Huh," she said musingly. "Might I have any room on my staff for a genius diagnostician?"

"I come highly recommended."

"Sure, if you like that sort of thing…"

And they beamed at each other.

"Welcome back, House. Have you broken the news to Foreman?"

"I would, but he's too busy measuring my windows for new curtains."

######

On Monday, Cuddy got a call from Tammy at the front desk.

"That woman is here again," she said, conspiratorially.

"What woman?"

"That my-shit-don't-stink lady from the Baer Clinic."

Cuddy narrowed her eyes.

"Where is she?"

"She's on her way to House's office. But he's not in yet."

"Thanks Tammy."

Cuddy made her way to House's office. Gretchen was sitting alone in the chair across from his desk, looking at her Blackberry.

"You must really like New Jersey," Cuddy said.

Gretchen looked up.

"Dr. Cuddy," she said. "Nice to see you again."

"What are you doing here Ms. Butler?"

"I'm here to see Dr. House."

"Do you have an appointment?"

"No."

"Well, he's obviously not in yet."

"I'll wait."

"Don't you think you've jerked him around enough?" Cuddy said, a bit angrily.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Offering him a dream job. Revoking said job. What's this? Offering him the job again, just at lower salary and with fewer benefits?"

Gretchen squinted at her.

"We never revoked the job offer," she said. "Dr. House called Friday morning and said he'd had a change of heart."

Cuddy's mouth dropped open.

"He did?"

"Yes. I'm here to try to get him to change his mind. And figure out what kind of hold this bush league hospital has on him.."

"Bush league?"

"Dr. Cuddy, compared to the Baer Clinic, this place is a triage center in a tent."

They glared at each other.

Just then, House came into his office, whistling, his knapsack slung over his shoulder. When he saw the two ladies facing off, he stopped dead in his tracks.

"Gretchen?" he sputtered.

Then he turned quickly to Cuddy, blinked: "I …had no idea she was coming. I didn't invite her. You know I would never lie to you about that again."

"I know you wouldn't House," Cuddy said softly.

Gretchen looked at them. A light bulb seemed to go off.

"I was just telling Dr. Cuddy that I came here on my own volition, to figure out what kind of hold this place has on you…and I think I have my answer."

She stood up, gathered her coat and her briefcase.

Then she gave the tiniest little leer in Cuddy's direction.

"And for the record, Dr. House, can't say I blame you."

And she left.

######