Occam's Razor - House M.D.

Part 10- Golden Ticket Opportunity

The next morning, Madelyn made her way into the hospital once again feeling a bit disoriented by the size of the place. She found the nearest elevator, got off at the fourth floor, made a few turns and her eyes finally detected House's office. 

After last night spent with Wilson, Madelyn was confident that she had at least one friend here at her new job, and she was eager to find out more about her coworkers. She walked briskly towards the huge dome of an office, and gently swung the doors open. Chase and Foreman waved to her, and Thirteen looked to Madelyn with a smile, and patted the empty seat beside her, which Madelyn gladly sat in. 

"Where's House?" Madelyn asked looking in the corners of the room for her boss, all of his little toys occupying the spaces. The rest of them laughed a little, 

"Somewhere I'm sure. It's not unusual for him to be absent from the morning meetings." Foreman answered with his usual friendly tone. She nodded, and took some books out from her bag.

 When she looked back up at the other doctors surrounding her, she noticed another man whom she didn't recognize. He was of smaller stature, balding, and had a sort of blank expression on his face. 

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't introduce myself. My name is-"

"Dr. Madelyn Gilmore." The man replied extending his hand to her. She shook it with an awkward smile. "House filled me in. I'm Dr. Chris Taub."

"He's also part of the diagnostics team, but he's been exploring other departments..." Thirteen added with raised eyebrows and pursed lips. 

"You make it sound like I'm bailing on you guys." Taub replied. Thirteen gave him a confused expression. 

"Aren't you... just a little?" Chase said monotonically. Taub rolled his eyes. Madelyn smiled. 

"C'mon, it's not personal. Besides, you know we'd all do the same if we were you." Foreman assured him. 

Thirteen and Chase looked at each other with smirks. Taub ignored them, in a friendly enough banter kind of way. 

"Well, it's really nice to meet you, and I hope the exploring is going well." Madelyn also assured Taub who seemed pleased to hear some support. He thanked her, and before another word could be said, the doors burst open and Cuddy walked in. 

"Good morning," she announced sounding slightly underwhelmed, "where's House?". Everyone shrugged their shoulders, wondering the same thing. It was clear to Madelyn that Cuddy was a powerful presence; she was charming, incredibly intelligent, and beautiful. 

"I see..." Cuddy sighed, but without a tone of surprise. 

She held a clipboard in her hand, and she brushed past the work table where the team sat, and wrote the date January 14 on the whiteboard, her silver jewelry jingling. Cuddy was almost smiling which seemed unusual for her since she was always too bogged down by work, but everyone couldn't help but notice how happy she looked. 

"January 14?" Taub repeated, confused. Chase scratched at his neck, and Madelyn looked at Foreman who also looked confused. 

"Did we miss something?" Thirteen asked. Cuddy shook her head, 

"Nope!" Cuddy smiled, "I wanted to come by and let you all know that I've gotten word from a few doctors in our neighboring hospitals; apparently the Northeastern Medicine Association is hosting their annual conference in Newark, so nearby Princeton-Plainsboro. We've been invited to not only present our hospital's research and achievements, but to represent medical research of New Jersey altogether!" 

Cuddy had a genuine smile, her teeth shining, and her green eyes sparkling with excitement. Madelyn looked around at her coworkers who all looked shocked.

"Seriously?" Thirteen replied, her eyes wide. Chase thew his arms back, and rested his head against them; he actually had a look of happiness on his face, too. 

"Absolutely" Cuddy assured, clasping her hands together with satisfaction. Nobody could believe it. 

"Oh my god, that's amazing!" Chase exclaimed with a smile. Foreman seemed to agree. 

"Damn, House is gonna wish he was here to hear this." Taub commented with a smirk.

"Don't worry about him. He'll be in attendance, and accompanying you all, but you guys are the real stars. Your generation of medical professionals are the true guests of honor." Cuddy explained. 

She sat down at the head of the table where House normally sat, 

"You will be there as a team, but there is another element to consider..." she continued. 

"Which is?" Foreman asked with his pen ready to take notes. Cuddy cleared her throat a little, 

"One of you will be selected to present separate research on a medical topic of your choice... under the supervision of House." Everyone was silent. A snicker escaped Foreman's mouth. 

"Supervision, sure, according to the guidelines, but is he actually going to be an aid to our work?" Thirteen questioned. She never had an issue speaking up. Cuddy squinted her eyes a bit, taking a bit of time to reflect on the best possible way to answer. 

"He'll need to approve the topic, but yes, his supervision will serve as a ticket to winning the opportunity to study a medical speciality of your choice with a group of award-winning professionals."

"I can't believe it..." Foreman stated, completely stunned and almost speechless. Out of all of House's team members, Foreman was undeniably the most studious; this was right up his alley. Cuddy was visibly pleased by all the excitement. She crossed her legs, her black heels tapping the legs of the table, when she noticed Madelyn's silence. 

"Dr. Gilmore, how does all this sound? It's only your second day, I know." Madelyn's ears perked up at the mention of her name, she had been lost in her thoughts. Her bright eyes faced Cuddy, 

"It sounds incredible. I've loved my experience with research so far, and you're all so intelligent, I can't imagine just choosing one of you!" Madelyn replied, still a little nervous in front of her new coworkers. Cuddy beamed and said, 

"You're right on. And who knows–– maybe it'll be you!"