Things Cuddy Knows

1. That House has a box of candy he keeps stashed in one of his drawers. He refills it every so often with Jolly Ranchers and Blow Pops, and sometimes he’ll reluctantly hand one over to one of the kids who stops by the clinic. He tries to keep it a secret, but Cuddy gets paid the big bucks to know a lot more than she’s letting on.

2. That the best place to eat lunch in the cafeteria is the table in the back corner, half-hidden by the soda machines, where no one thinks to look.

3. That sometimes, no matter how hard you try, you can hurt someone you care about without meaning to. She still has regrets that weigh her down like stones in her pockets. She wishes she could throw them away or leave them behind, but she carries them with her as reminders of what can happen if you’re not careful.

4. That anti-Semitism still exists.

5. That sexism still exists, too.

6. That waffles taste best on Sunday mornings, especially when the waffles are covered, still steaming, by a mountain of strawberries, chocolate syrup, and whipped cream.

7. That last year, the budget for OB/GYN was cut by a quarter, and she had to go to five separate meetings with three different board members to get that overturned. Dr. Wallace, the head of the department, never found out, and Cuddy intends to keep it that way.

8. That singing in the shower is more fun if you’re tone-deaf, if you can hear the way your voice echos off the walls and laugh at how silly you sound.

9. That pushing back all the time is exhausting. She sometimes wonders if it really is worth it, but the answer is almost always yes, so she keeps going even when she wishes she didn’t have to.

10. That learning to be happy is easier than you might think. The real trick to it is knowing what you want. She’s not entire sure she’s mastered it entirely, but she’s getting there, and maybe that’s enough.

From Veer.