House walked into his house, hanging his cane on the edge of the archway, making his way to the couch to knock out. He slept for several hours before Wilson called from work around five.
"What the hell do you want?"
"Do you love her?"
"This is a very popular question people like to ask me."
"Do you?"
"Yes, parts of her. "
"I'll take that as a yes."
"Couldn't this wait?"
"I had to make sure."
"Why would you need to make sure...What would you need to make sure of..."
Wilson remained silent.
"You know what I'm doing don't you."
"Yeah."
"Was it the way I was acting or did you check my planner--?"
"You left it on your desk."
"What?"
"I took it before anyone could see it. It's in my drawer, locked up."
"Thanks. The last thing I need is for everyone to find out."
"Most importantly her?"
"That too. Wouldn't really matter if she found out. Makes her all the more happier, why would that be bad? It's everyone else...All the questioning..Badgering..I don't need to relive seven months ago."
"It's nice. How much you spent?"
"Couple ten thousands."
"Wh-h-at? Lies."
"Everybody lies."
"So?
"Couple ten thousands."
"Stop!"
"You wanna bet? I'll show it to you tomorrow. I'll bring you to the store."
"Fine."
"So are you going to let me go back to sleep?"
"Give me a minute."
"Or I can just hang up...Now." And he hung up the phone, throwing it on the floor and went back to sleep.
---
House woke up a little less than two hours after Wilson had called. It was seven so he decided to pop in at work. The team had already left, along with Wilson. The place was pretty much deserted by now. So he checked up on Cuddy who was working hard in her office.
"Busy."
"I don't care," he said mockingly. He kicked back on her couch and popped in two vicodin.
"I don't need you stoned in my office."
"I don't need you working in your office."
"I don't need you annoying me in my office."
"What are you doing anyway?"
"Fixing files, signing forms. The whole deal."
He got up from the couch and pulled up a chair close to her.
"Why don't you go home? Go take care of Rachel or something, so we can send the babysitter home."
She was nearly focused on her work, 50% of her focus towards it. The other 50%, towards House.
"She won't mind. She knows how hard you're working. You have to take care of me for god sake."
She gave a quick smirk. House began rubbing her back, almost massaging it. That's what Cuddy thought he was doing, till he undid her bra. She stopped dead in writing the rest of her signature and slowly turned her head to House.
"I don't apologize. I'm supposed to be like that, it's apart of my gender. And it doesn't apologize either."
She put down her pen and glared at him. She shook her head, forcing a smile off her face, while trying to hook it back together. She finally hooked it on and he began to stroke her head. Sliding his hand from the top of her head, down to her neck.
"You love me right?"
"You, are the last person I would expect to be asking me this."
"Is us what you call love?"
" 'Love is a wildly misunderstood, although highly desirable malfunction of the heart, which weakens the brain, causes the eyes to sparkle, cheeks to glow, blood pressure to rise and the lips to pucker.' These are the very symptoms I experience every day, so I think that answers your question."
She looked at him and gave a sincere smile. He brought her head to his chest and kissed the side of her head. Then he threw two more tablets of vicodin into his mouth, crushed them with his teeth and let the fragments make their way down his mouth. He turned off the lamp on her desk, lifted her up, quickly laying her on the couch. He saw her face and then said,
"Vicodin. Two pills. I'm fine."
"No, you're not. Stop doing that." Her voice became stern so he just rolled his eyes. He joined her on the couch, and she shifted and put herself on him, resting her head right on his neck, grasping her hand on his as they moved their hands back and forth. He saw her eyes closed, and he could hear the long breathes she took, meaning, she was about to fall asleep. So he whispered to her,
"We're going home. I'll take my bike tomorrow. Come on."
She was half asleep so he just carried her to the car. It was probably the hardest thing he'd done in his life. For he had to hold her, lock up her office, balance his cane on her as he limped, and attempt to open doors with no hands to spare. When he came into the lobby, he asks the nurse for some assistance. They both walked into the parking lot towards Cuddy's car and the nurse headed for the passenger seat door. She opened it, allowing House to lay Cuddy on the chair. He gently pulled back the lever, and the chair went gliding down. He slammed the door shut, and thanked the nurse, making his way to the drivers seat. After he buckled both their belts, he threw back a vicodin and drove home.
The babysitter was trying to calm down Rachel when House had walked in. She was crying, but more quietly this time, signifying that she was tired.
"I'll be back." And with a tone of reassurance in his voice, she gave a look of relief and walked back into the nursery.
In Cuddy's bedroom, he was undressing her and attempting to put on any pj's lying around. After he had put on her pants, he tucked her underneath the comforter, slowly resting her head down. He stroked her head and grabbed his beloved cane, which carried the weight, and giving a sense of satisfaction to even out the pain in his leg. When he saw the sitter packed up, he swiftly took out his wallet pulling out twenty bucks, handing it to the overly tired teen.
"Thank you."
"Go home."
After she closed the door, he looked down on the wooded floors. He studied the patterns they carried before looking up. He looked towards the nursery, staring at the crib, watching a small and gentle hand wave back and forth, striving for attention. And so, he took all the strength left embedded in his muscles and bones and made his way into Rachel's room. He rested his cane on the wall as he always did, and limped over to the crib. He lifted her up from the crib, and stared at her as her eyes adapted to his, she began to realize the same penetrating stare that she had met before. She gave a smile at him and he went to the stereo, putting on music to soothe the child. He swayed with her back and forth, humming along with the music. As she began to fall asleep several minutes after, he gave a quick kiss on her head and laid her underneath her blankets. But as soon as he had taken a few steps toward the door, grabbing his cane, she began cooing, which turned into upset moans, which quickly turned into screams. So he came back over to the crib to calm her down and she reached out for his finger. They screams slowly diminished and then finally disappeared. So, unable to do anything more, he took his cane and grabbed the stool nearby. So he sat while she held his finger, and they both eventually fell asleep.
A good couple hours later, he felt a hand grazing up and down his back. So he opened his eyes and turned his head to look behind him.
"Come to bed."
It was Cuddy, wearing the same pj's House had put on her hours earlier.
"Wow, no yelling? That's a first." They both spoke in gentle whispers, their voices, gently caressing the air in the room.
"She's asleep. I'm doing that tomorrow. Or if I can get you to bed."
"Then I'd rather stay here."
"Come, now. You're going to strain your back that way."
"Let me be woman. This one is reluctant to let go. If I make her let go she begins to cut my ear drum out."
"She'll be fine. It's because she was awake. She's sleeping now."
House rolled his eyes and slowly removed his finger from Rachel's grasp and put back the stool. He left his cane hanging on the side of the crib and followed Cuddy.
They walked into the bedroom and got in bed, wrapping themselves in the sheets.
"Why the hell didn't you wake me up?" Her voice had raised greatly from the tone that she had in the nursery.
"Knew I should've stayed with Rachel."
"This is the third time you've done something stupid like this."
"Yeah I know, so this makes me thrice as stupid. I can do the math."
"This is the last time I'm warning you."
"Or what? I know the stakes here. I'm not taking them impulsively."
"Why? Why do you do stupid things like this? So many unnecessary things you do, so many reckless and irrational actions you take, and for what? To impress me? I'm more worried than impressed."
"It's in my character. My personality. I act, irrationally, impulsively, recklessly, because I know what I'm doing. I know what I have. I know what you're worth. And I'm not taking you for granted. I'm not putting a price on us."
The dedication, the drive he had, was far greater than she imagined he could.
He moved in toward her and gave a lingering kiss..Her expression was filled with guilt. Her eyes were shut tight, keeping it all in, including the tears that were beginning to flood. So she shut her eyes, hiding all truths, as the foreplay emerged and as it all advanced on..
House had fallen asleep several minutes after, but Cuddy laid awake in bed. She couldn't sleep, so, feeling guilt-ridden, she got out of bed, put on a bathrobe and stepped out of the room. She went out on the porch and sat down on one of the chairs. She let the tears flood down her rosy cheeks, caused by the chill of the morning as the sun emerged from behind the trees. She closed her eyes shut, allowing no more tears to fall as the sun continued to rise, bringing the innocent light of morning.