Thirteen had been sick all week. At first, she thought it was just stress, working too hard, or one of the other usual suspects. However, four days later, she was feeling even worse. There was no way she was going to ask anyone on House's team to write her prescriptions. They were so nosey. House wasn't an option either; he'd just give her hell about it and probably refuse anyways. Wilson would be far too concerned and she really didn't feel like his niceties. Cuddy seemed her best option. The older doctor would write her the scripts with little trouble and keep the details to herself.
Thirteen made her way to Cuddy's office, hoping she hadn't left for the night. The hospital was fairly empty, only the skeleton crew of the evening shift left to echo through the halls. Reaching Cuddy's office, Thirteen tentatively knocked on the door.
Cuddy inwardly groaned, hearing the all too familiar sound. All day people had been after her to fix various problems. All she wanted was to get home and get off her feet. She was tired from not enough sleep and from not enough time spent on herself. Cuddy was in desperate need to not do anything. "Come in," she yelled, with fake enthusiasm.
Cuddy glanced up briefly, as Thirteen made her way towards her desk. It had been a busy week and she hadn't seen the younger doctor much, but she hadn't seemed herself lately. Now seeing her standing before her, Cuddy could easily spot the signs of exhaustion and illness.
"Dr. Cuddy," Thirteen greeted, nervously. She wasn't usually a nervous person, but something about Cuddy always shook her courage. The woman was sexual and powerful, but soft and kind too.
"Dr. Hadley," Cuddy said, trying not to sound as tired as she felt, "What can I do for you?" She looked Thirteen over curiously. She was defiantly sick, Cuddy concluded. The girl was paler than usual, which was hard to believe. She had dark circles under her eyes, and looked thoroughly exhausted. Her nose was running and she had hardly stopped coughing since she had entered the room.
"I know you're getting ready to leave. I'm sorry for keeping you," Thirteen spoke, as Cuddy waved her off. "Would you mind writing me a few prescriptions? I've had this for about a week now and can't seem to shake it."
"Alright," Cuddy said, motioning towards her couch. "Let me take a look at you."
Thirteen inwardly groaned, as Cuddy moved to her lab coat to grab her things. "Is this really necessary?" the younger doctor grumbled.
"I'm not prescribing you medicine without knowing what's wrong with you," Cuddy said, scolding slighting. Giving her a serious look, Cuddy sat down next to the younger doctor.
Thirteen sighed, but let Cuddy check her out. She knew she felt bad, but she had been trying to play it off as less serious than it was.
Cuddy looked at Thirteen a little annoyed. "You do know that you more than likely should be admitted."
Thirteen's eyes widened in shock. "Dr. Cuddy I'm fine."
"Obviously you're not. I wouldn't be suggesting it otherwise." Cuddy sighed, seeing the younger woman getting upset. "You live alone Dr. Hadley. You need someone to keep an eye on you. We both know that influenza can very easily turn into pneumonia or worse."
Thirteen dropped her head in defeat. She really thought she simply had a basic infection. "Dr. Cuddy, I know what you're saying makes sense, but please," she said quietly. She looked up at Cuddy pleading with her, "I spent most of my childhood in hospitals, watching my mother slowly die. I'm okay working here, but I really don't want to be admitted." Seeing Cuddy think it over, she added, "I'll be spending enough time in one eventually."
The guilt of the impending future was more than enough to make Cuddy crack. "Fine, but you're coming home with me then. Those are the only two choices I'm giving you."
Thirteen looked up at her shocked. Firstly, because she didn't think Cuddy would cave, but also because of Cuddy's suggestion. "I really couldn't inconvenience you like that. I'll be okay," she argued.
"Right," Cuddy smiled at her, "Because you've always done such a good job of taking care of yourself." Cuddy couldn't hide the disappointment that was behind her words. "It will be more of an inconvenience if I'm up all night worrying about you. At least this way, we can both get some sleep."
Thirteen dropped her head in shame. She knew the older woman had every reason to be annoyed. Ever since she found out she had Huntington's, she had been acting reckless. She didn't care about herself and didn't expect anyone else to. It was no surprise that Cuddy was treating her like a spoiled child. It was how she had been acting. However, the last thing Thirteen wanted was to give Cuddy any more reason to be annoyed with her. She admired the older doctor and didn't want to be a burden. "Okay," she conceded, quietly.
Cuddy sighed. Thirteen was taking things personally, but she honestly wouldn't be pushing if she didn't care. "Alright, I'm going to go get some medicine for you. Why don't you go get your things?" she said, leaving no room for argument.
Thirteen stayed quiet. She nodded and got up to head towards House's office. It was fairly late, House and most of the team had gone home. Kutner was the only one left and he was probably with their current patient. She grabbed her bag and slowly made her way back to Cuddy's office. She noticed the walking back and forth was tiring her, quicker than usual.
Cuddy had been stopped twice on her way to the pharmacy and once more on the way back. She stopped once more on the way back, to sign off on some papers that one of the overnight nurse's needed right away. Finally heading back to her office, she breathed a sigh of relief. All she had to do was get Thirteen home and in bed, then she could get some much needed sleep.
Thirteen was waiting on Cuddy's couch, when the older woman returned to the office. "Thank you Dr. Cuddy, this really means a lot to me," she said, timidly.
Cuddy simply nodded and collected her own things. "Come on you, let's get out of here," she said, heading back towards the door.
