Occam's Razor - House M.D.

Part 27- S&M

"Can I do something for you?" Madelyn questioned sincerely, standing at Cuddy's desk.

Cuddy had taken it upon herself to page Madelyn, so she'd meet her at her office; there was something they needed to discuss.

"Yes, actually," Cuddy answered, "now I know it's the middle of the week, and House's team is busy. However, I thought you might find this worth your time". Cuddy turned her monitor screen to face Madelyn. 

With careful eyes that scanned the words, Madelyn gasped:

"I won the research abroad scholarship?"

"They want you, Dr. Gilmore." Cuddy beamed. 

She seemed satisfied with Madelyn's achievements thus far, if not genuinely proud. 

Madelyn shook her head, her lips quivering with shock, "I have you to thank."

"Actually, you have yourself  to thank. And House, of course." Cuddy enthused, clasping her hands together upon her desk. 

Madelyn nodded thinking on Cuddy's words; while she believed she had worked hard for the win, she couldn't have done it alone. 

"I appreciate you telling me." 

Cuddy looked at her and smiled, "I appreciate your work ethic." Madelyn released a deep breath of relief and sat, astonished. "The conference is at the end of next week. At this point, you only have to worry about bringing a revised version of your proposal, and the rest will settle itself out when you meet with the people in charge of the scholarship, sound good?" 

Madelyn cleared her throat, "Sounds wonderful. Thank you so much for your supervision, and I'll be sure to thank Dr. House as well." 

Cuddy withheld her dazzling smile, "I think he'd really like that." 

Watching Madelyn leave her office, Cuddy felt a warm sensation in her upper body. While she had wished things with herself and House worked out, she was glad he was exploring new options. Cuddy saw a lot of herself in Madelyn, and felt House might actually benefit from a fresh, youthful perspective. It was Cuddy's personal belief that whatever connection there was between House and Madelyn was worth pursuing even if she thought it was likely to fizzle out. 

After exiting Cuddy's office, Madelyn continued trying to orient herself around the jaw-dropping news. She just couldn't find the words to properly express how arresting the feeling felt. Taking the stairwell to return to the second floor, she reached the top near Wilson's office instead of by House's where it usually led. 

Knowing she soon had to get back to House's office for a team meeting anyways, Madelyn decided to confide in Wilson first. 

Before she had the chance to knock, Wilson had opened the door.

"Oh sorry, are you busy right now ?" Madelyn asked.

Wilson looked down at his watch and decided, "I have some time before I have to meet with a patient."

He held the door open for her as he walked back towards his desk. Wilson didn't have the slightest idea why Madelyn was back in his office where things only seemed to turn awkward. The other night was one thing, however, the kiss with House the other day was quite another. 

"What's going on?" Wilson asked, genuinely interested. 

As he finished his words, Wilson noticed Madelyn's eyes glimmer, not from sunlight reflections, but from tears.

"Are you okay?" He asked, frantically reaching for some tissues. As he handed them to Madelyn, a small chuckle escaped her lips, and it made Wilson nervous.