With his tracks practically leaving steam, House winded his way through the lobby with his sight only focusing on the elevator ahead. 

"House!" Cuddy shouted from behind, "I need you in the ER." 

"Needs to wait." House groaned, keeping rhythm to his quick strides. 

"That's the thing about the ER, it's urgent." Cuddy replied, annoyed. 

"Find somebody else." House demanded as he entered the elevator. 

Cuddy held the door open and jumped in with House, 

"I wish I could, but my options are limited right now." Cuddy snapped back.

House was silent the rest of the ride up to the second floor, and Cuddy followed him as he approached his office: 

"House! I'm not messing around, I need you downstairs now!" 

"Yeah? I'm not either! Find. Somebody. Else!" House yelled back, smacking his cane against the door to slam it shut. 

Cuddy felt the whole office shake, and her hair fly back with the speed of rapid-mile winds. She saw how shaken-up he was; she saw it in the way he was walking, and the heaviness of his tone. Something was wrong. 

"House," she whispered, "what's going on?" 

He tinkered through the books on his many shelves, and rubbed his temples with his thumb and index finger–clearly frustrated. He turned his body to face Cuddy who stood at a distance with concern written on her from head to toe. 

House slid his hands over his face in an attempt to gather himself, his insides feeling entirely combustable.

"Madelyn. She's pregnant." He sighed heavily, leaning himself against his bookshelf as if he were losing his balance. 

"I know." Cuddy confessed, holding still. "Only because she was panicking, though. She was desperate to tell someone." 

House shook his head still in disbelief and enraged at what he believed to be betrayal. 

Cuddy took a small step closer to House and said, "She loves you. Don't forget that." 

"What?" House barked. He was taken aback. 

"I'm sure her decision to wait and tell you was out of love." 

House chuckled not because it was funny, but an utterly ridiculous comment, 

"No, Cuddy. She didn't tell me. I found out on my own, and tried to drive it out of her. I gave her all possible chances to be upfront about it, but I'm only patient for so long." 

Cuddy sighed, "I'm sorry. But I'll say it again, Madelyn loves you and-"

"And what!?" House raised his voice, cutting Cuddy off, "I don't care if every bit of her was repulsed by me and hated my guts. She had no right keeping this a secret." 

"That may be so, but you know now. That has to count for something?" 

"She wants to terminate." House's voice cracked. 

Cuddy's eye shifted empathetically as she detected the pain in his voice,

"I'm sorry."

"That's all?"

Cuddy now stood right before House, ready to give it to him straight: 

"I know you're hurting, I know you're angry. You have every right to be, but if that's what she wants to do, it's up to her."

"Don't give me that bullshit, Cuddy. You damn well how sick it would've been had she gotten an abortion and told me only after the fact. Or at all for that matter." 

"Yes, it would be sick, but it's her body."

"And it's my kid" 

"No," Cuddy corrected, "Not just yours!" 

House stepped down, knowing she'd won her argument.

"Maybe it's good," Cuddy broke the silence, "Maybe becoming a father will change your perspective. Help you heal."

"I don't want to be a father..." House mumbled. 

Cuddy looked at him with confusion, "Then why do you care what she does with the baby?" 

"I didn't say that I cared or didn't care about the baby, rather the little fish-like parasite. I care that she respects me enough to at least want me to be part of the decision. She can do whatever she wants with it, but I can't just ignore that she couldn't even show some regard for my thoughts." 

"You need to talk with her and find out more. You're making assumptions when you don't even have answers. Find out why she truly wanted to keep it under wraps, and then feel free to make all the judgments you please. Maybe she'll keep it, who knows? Just talk to her first." 

Once again, House knew Cuddy had a point, 

"I don't want to be a father, I'm not ready yet." House grouched.

"And you think she is ? She's almost two decades younger than you!" Cuddy never had a problem calling House out when he was getting in his own way. But now, he was being obtuse. "Do you really not want to be a father? Or is that you don't think you're ready? You need to be there for her, you owe her at least that."

"Like she owed me the truth? I owe her nothing." 

"I understand that you feel betrayed, but you need to stop feeling sorry for yourself and step up. If not for her, then for that baby." 

"It's not a baby." House stated, his voice firm but monotoned. His ears perked up, however, to Cuddy's noticeably supportive tone. "Why do you care?"

Cuddy sat down in House's desk chair, rolled around for a minute as she thought on how to respond: 

"Because sometimes I wish I had someone else there with me during the first few years of Rachel's life. Someone permanent, a father for her." Cuddy, who was known for her sternness and balls of steel, began to cry. "You may not care about this baby now, but you'll care one day. Don't make yourself regret any more than you already do, House."

Before she left his office to find someone else to handle the ER, she told him, 

"I loved you once, and I still love you," Cuddy sniffled a bit, "I can't imagine the day I won't. But, Madelyn loves you too and I know you love her back. Don't take that for granted. So... take control of the situation before it takes control of you guys." 

Cuddy pecked House's cheek, and left him to sort through his thoughts–for however long it'd take. 

Let me know your thoughts! Next part coming in the next 24 hours hopefully!