A/N: Hey ya'll, sorry this took so long but it needed some fine tuning as to the final outcome. Big thanks to my new Beta, HouseAddiction!
The room fell silent as Cuddy walked in, her head held high. No one, not even her, said a word as she took her place at the head of the table. Normally she would have had an armload of papers and a few files that covered all of the topics they needed to discuss, but this special meeting had only one purpose. The board of directors at Princeton Plainsborough Teaching Hospital was meeting for the sole purpose of deciding the fate of their Hospital Administrator and Chief of Medicine. They would decide what actions, if any, needed to be taken in response to Cuddy's intimate relationship with one of the doctors on her staff, as well as the impending child that was a result of that relationship.
"Good afternoon," Cuddy greeted them warmly, with no trace in her voice of the nervousness she was feeling. "I don't see the point in sticking to the procedure and properly introducing the motion; you all know why we're here. I'm sure you've all heard enough gossip to be able to figure out exactly what's going on, but in case you haven't, here's the short story. Dr. House and I are in a relationship, and I am expecting his child. If you decide that something needs to be done about it, then I will face whatever consequences that you decide are appropriate. I'm not allowed to be in the room while you discuss and vote on this motion, so Dr. Wilson, I will ask you to page me when you've reached your decision. Until then, I'm needed in the clinic."
With that, and after acknowledging Wilson's brief nod, she turned on her high heels and promptly walked out of the room. A wide grin spread across Wilson's face as he inwardly cheered at the act she'd just put on. You go girl he thought, as he turned back to the members of the board just in time to hear the start of the debates.
Cuddy was pacing. Despite her bold speech in the meeting, her nerves were starting to get the best of her. She's spent 20 minutes in the clinic, but she quickly grew impatient and couldn't stay there. So she'd headed back to her office to try to get a bit of work done before she got the page. But after half an hour of nervously moving papers around her desk, she decided that she would actually die if she didn't find something to do to fill the time. And what the hell was taking them so long anyway? So now she was in House's office, nervously pacing a trail along his carpet as he sat behind his desk absently tossing his ball into the air.
Back in the board meeting, Wilson was still doing his best to gauge what the overall result of the meeting would be. As expected, the moment that the door shut behind Cuddy, Mr. Jamieson took the floor; his size and volume easily allowing him to take the lead in the discussions.
"I expect that this meeting will be very short," he announced. "There aren't very many things that we need to take into consideration here, and the decision is obvious. Regardless of the child, having a romantic relationship with an employee is strictly against the terms of Dr. Cuddy's contract."
Several people in the room nodded strongly in agreement.
"Therefore," Jamieson continued, "I move that this board vote on the immediate dismissal of Dr. Lisa Cuddy as an employee of this hospital."
The doctor seated to Jamieson's left immediately seconded the motion, and Wilson stepped in.
"I will remind you, before we vote," he said, "that to fire Dr. Cuddy requires the vote to be unanimous."
Jamieson looked at him with a blank expression.
"I trust that the members of the board will make the right decision," was his only response.
The vote was quickly shot down, however, when the representative from the nurses voted in favour of keeping Cuddy. Jamieson sat down in a huff.
"Now we need to decide what a suitable punishment would be for Doctor Cuddy under the circumstances," Dr. Andrews said from the other end of the table.
"Firing her was the only suitable punishment," Jamieson said, and Wilson could tell that they weren't going to get anything helpful from him. The debates resumed, and Wilson settled back into his seat, preparing for a long meeting.
"Lisa, for Christ sakes, would you sit down?" House said suddenly, raising his voice. He instantly regretted his tone of voice, but he'd been holding in his frustration at her pacing, and it all came out in that one sentence. She looked at him, pouting, and plopped unceremoniously down on the couch. She glared at him for a moment, then turned her attention to her fingernails; picking at them though they were perfectly manicured. House stood and made his way to her side, sitting on the edge of the seat beside her.
"Look, Lisa, at this point there is nothing you can do. You chose this battle, and unfortunately, all you can do is wait until the decision is reached," he offered. She sighed, and folded her hands neatly in her lap; a conscious effort to keep from fidgeting. He pulled her gently against his chest and held her, burying his slight smile in her hair.
Wilson put on a grim look as he entered House's office. Lisa shot upright as soon as she saw him, and she looked a little like a cornered animal.
"Did the board reach a decision?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. Wilson nodded.
"I'm so sorry, Dr. Cuddy," he responded, feeling almost guilty as he saw her face fall.
"Sorry?" she asked, "They voted to fire me?"
"No," he answered, "I'm just sorry that you have to continue trying to keep tabs on House and keep this place up and running. You're staying."
"Staying?" she breathed, in relief, "But what consequences did they vote for?"
"None at all. Jamieson, of course, proposed your immediate dismissal. There were a few other ideas thrown out as soon as that was shot down, but then Mr. Martin made a stirring speech informing everyone that he thinks you've been doing an incredible job, and as long as you continue to do so, your personal life will be none of our business. His wife added that as the board, our job is simply to oversee the hospital as a whole, and not interfere in the personal lives of its employees. Turns out they met on the job, and were fired for it," he laughed. Cuddy grinned.
"Congratulations Lisa," House offered, genuinely. She turned and threw herself into his arms and hugged him tightly as Wilson slipped out the door, unnoticed.
A/N: Sorry guys, I know this has been a long time coming, and I have no good excuses. Please review!