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Five to Nine covers a day in the life of Health Administrator Lisa Cuddy. Cuddy faces multiple obstacles and problems throughout her day, some may say even more than a typical day. Cuddy gets called a bitch many times in the episode, some jokingly by Lucas but others by staff and patients angry with her. Its not an easy day for Cuddy.

Cuddy wakes at 5:00 a.m. to find her daughter is ill with a temperature. Marina, the nanny, arrives to take care of baby Rachel. Lucas arrives home from a stakeout of a client having asked House to stakeout with him for advice on the case. Cuddy has an important meeting today with the board and with the hospital’s insurance carrier, and needs to work on her proposal before the meetings begin. Lucas gets amorous with Cuddy, her blackberry rings with an emergency call from House and she ignores it. After a disappointing quickie session which doesn’t go well, Lucas apologizes and Cuddy heads to the hospital, late for work.

Cuddy arrives at the hospital only to be bombarded with requests from employees, no doubt a typical senario for her work day. House walks with Cuddy, telling her about his stakeout with Lucas. Cuddy discovers Lucas told House they have sex every morning. House bet Lucas that a phone call that morning from House would stop their quickie. House tells Cuddy about needing the O.R. for his patient soon. Cuddy brushes House off.

Cuddy’s 8:30 meeting with the insurance provider is delayed when she must deal with Dr. Hourani at the O.R., who complains to Cuddy that House turned up the air conditioning in the operating room to hurry his surgery up so House’s patient can go to surgery sooner. Cuddy tella Dr. Hourani she twill deal with House. Cuddy arrives late for her meeting with insurance executive Eli Morgan. The contract has been in negotiations for eight months and Cuddy has had it. Morgan offers 4% coverage while Cuddy insists on 12% coverage. Cuddy threatens Morgan with a press conference at 3:00 p.m. and a termination their contract with his company if they do not meet the hospital’s demands. Morgan rejects Cuddy’s proposal and walks out.

Cuddy faces the board who tell Cuddy the decision is hers but also her responsibility if the contract is not renewed. Cuddy takes a deep breath and continues with her day. Taub and Thirteen tell House their patient’s heart rate is decreasing. Cuddy is one step ahead of House and tells him not to infect his patient with malaria for a cure.

Dr. Thomas confronts Cuddy, telling her he is upset listening to Dr. Hourani’s complaints. Thomas blames Cuddy for coddling House, who lured Chase away from the doctor’s surgery team. Thomas calls her a bitch under his breath. When a doctor does not show up for clinic work, Cuddy covers. A patient with cancer asks Cuddy for a prescription for breast milk because he’s read it has cancer-fighting qualities. When Cuddy turns him down he calls her a bitch. A lawyer is waiting in Cuddy’s office to confront her about his client. The patient’s thumb was cut off at his construction job and he chose not to have it re-attached because his insurance would not cover the cost. Chase re-attached it against the man’s wishes. Now both the client and the insurance company do not want to pay the cost for the operation. Cuddy feels for the patient going bankrupt but tells the lawyer the hospital will fight their lawsuit.

Cuddy discovers a discrepancy with pharmacy ephedrine and calls in Gail, the pharmacy technician. Gail cries telling Cuddy she was trying to lose weight for her husband. Cuddy tells Gail she will not notify the DEA but must fire Gail for forging the pharmacy order. At lunch Wilson suggests to Cuddy she discuss the insurance problems with House, a master manipulator who always has the right answers to problems. House is sitting in Cuddy’s chair when she arrives at her office. House wants to give his patient malaria because it is the cheapest way to deliver hyperthermia. Cuddy wonders if this method is yet another House bet. House suggests the real bet is Cuddy rejecting the insurance company’s offer.

Cuddy is having problems reaching her nanny to see how her sick baby is doing. Cuddy finds out Lucas has turned off the phone ringer at home and taken the nanny’s cell phone instead of his by accident. Cuddy confronts the CEO of the insurance company during his expensive lunch. She asks him to reconsider the hospital’s proposal. The CEO won’t give an inch. Back at the hospital the hospital pharmacist tells Cuddy Gail has stolen ten cases of ephedrine. Cuddy realizes Gail has been selling the meds to meth dealers and asks him to call Gail back to the hospital.

Insurance executive Eli Morgan shows up in Cuddy’s office and offers her 8% instead of the original 4% on the contract. Cuddy has to make up her mind by 3:00 p.m. She sits in the stairwell trying to decide what to do next. House meets Cuddy as she leaves the stairwell. Cuddy asks for House’s advice on the insurance percentage. House wonders why she would put her job on the line for this and Cuddy remarks he would do the same thing.

Foreman tells the team they have a liver transplant for their patient. House does not want to use Dr. Hourani for the surgery, instead he wants to use Chase to prove a point to Dr. Hourani that Chase is the department’s best surgeon. Cuddy throws up her hands. Cuddy is paged to the pre-op area where the rest of the team is trying to stop a fistfight between Chase and Dr. Thomas. Cuddy calls them both to her office, but must first confront Gail. Cuddy finds out Gail is no longer crying instead threatening to bring down Cuddy, revealing House’s purchase of drugs from the pharmacy and the past relationship between House and Cuddy.

Cuddy has reached her limit and sits in her car in the hospital garage. House knocks his cane on her passenger door. Cuddy thought the insurance company was bluffing. House listens, then tells her he knows she won’t quit because the hospital means so much to her. House tells Cuddy Gail is a sociopath, giving Cuddy an idea. Cuddy talks to Gail, telling her she knows deep down she is a good person and did not mean to steal. Gail rails against Cuddy, admitting to stealing medicine since she was hired and threatening to bring her down with her if Cuddy reports her to the DEA. Cuddy takes a silk flower Lucas gave her from her desk, having recorded everything Gail just said, and tells nurse Regina to pass it on to the DEA.

As it hits 3:00 p.m., Cuddy prepares to go to the board and submit her resignation. Eli Morgan comes into her office, calling her “you bitch” in an admiring tone, then hands Cuddy a contract for 12% insurance coverage. Cuddy is elated and informs the staff and board. Cuddy sees the first installment of a check for the thumb replacement patient and rips up the check.

That night Cuddy snuggles in bed with her daughter Rachel as she sleeps, with Lucas lying beside her, feeling like the world is a little better now. The phone rings and Lucas asks Cuddy if she is going to answer it.