Nosy Neighbours

I have lived across the street from Dr. Lisa Cuddy for years. I remember the day she moved in, the day I first brought cookies round to her house to say welcome to the neighbourhood, the days after that when we gossiped and laugh together, the time her job took over her life, how we still remained good friends but saw each other slightly less because of her job and I also remember the man.

The first time the man came was a little while after Lisa's handyman, Alfredo, fell off her roof. He arrived with two other men, a black on and on with blond hair. The man was middle-aged and had a cane. He turned to the two men and took out some sort of credit card said some thing which caused the blond-haired man to look at his watch, then he picked up one of Lisa's flowerpots (the one where she insisted on keeping a spare key even though I had a space, she had a spare, there were several dotted around her house and there was already another key hidden in a hidden bucked a few feet away) and he slotted the key into the door. I became very suspicious when, through Lisa's kitchen window, I could see them searching the house. I wondered what they were doing and had a very strong urge to go over there and stop them but some instinct stopped me and I decided just to tell Lisa later, this guy obviously knew her of else he wouldn't of known about the key though I had never seen him here before in my entire life.

When Lisa got home that night I hurriedly put on my coat and ran over to meet her. She slammed her car door and seemed rather upset and slightly grumpy. I knocked on the door and she gave me a hug and a friendly greeting and let me in, she looked terrible but I didn't say anything. We walked into her kitchen and she turned her back towards me.

"Tea?" she asked.

"Please," I replied. I took a deep breath and then said in one huge breath, "three men came to your house today, one had a cane and he let himself in here, I suppose they sort of broke in."

"I know," she told me and I grunted confused. "They work with me," she added in explanation.

"Why did they break into your house if they work with you?" I asked her curiously. Lisa turned around, handed me my tea and I finally looked at her properly. Her face was sunken and her eyes were red and blotchy. Suddenly, she burst into tears; I immediately put my cup of tea down on the table and grabbed her into my arms.

"Oh, Lisa, what's wrong" I implored with her clinging to me tears streaming down her face.

"I've killed him," she sobbed shocking me something told me not to say anything yet. "I've killed Alfredo. Or at least I've almost killed him! It's my fault he's ill, he's dying and we have no idea what's wrong with him and we can't stop him decomposing as well." I collapsed into a chair and let her fall onto me.

"Oh Lisa," I gushed hugging her reassuringly. "It's not your fault, you can't blame yourself."

Once I had left after consoling Lisa and sending her to bed I realised I hadn't learnt anything about this man other than the fact that he worked with Lisa.

I have slight insomnia. When I can't sleep I sit in my comfy armchair by the window and observe the street hoping that the chair will send me to sleep, it almost always works. At night things look completely different, I love to see what happens during the night. It was during one of these nights that I next saw the man with the cane only his cane had gone. He arrived running and soaking wet, I wondered what had happened to his cane and why he could suddenly use his leg again, as if he'd come straight from a fully clothed swim but I assumed he was just sweaty after his night-time run.

What the hell is he doing bothering Lisa at this ungodly hour? I pondered, she's asleep. He headed round the side of her house to a window which I knew was the window to Lisa's bedroom. I let it go, it had been almost a year since I'd last seen him and it was probably some medical emergency, but they normally just phoned when it was one of those.

The next time I saw him I was sitting in my garden, Lisa had a date home and he had his cane again which he used to knock on her door. I observed from across the street as she yanked the door open in a frustrated manner. She was definitely irritated from being interrupted from her date, they spoke for a little, she flirted slightly, and then she managed to get rid of him. As he limped away I ran over to him.

"Who are you?" I yelled to his retreating form curiosity getting the better of me, they always said it killed the cat; I am just too curious and nosy for my own. He stopped walking and turned around.

"What?" he grunted in surprise, "Who the hell are you?"

"Lisa's friend and neighbour," I told him curtly. "Who are you?"

"Dr. House," he replied, "Cuddy's colleague.

"Well, I finally know your name," I said, "Why do you bother Lisa so much, you cause most of her stress and you cause her to cry and you come round here at absurd hours just to annoy her," immediately I realised I'd told him too much, given him too much information, too much power.

"Firstly," he began, "last time I checked most of is not all. Secondly, I think you've got the wrong end of the stick, there are medical reasons for all my visits and I unfortunately have to get her permission for everything I want to do on a patient," he said exaggerating the point slightly, "and finally, I better tell Cuddy she's got a nosy neighbour who's spying on her." I looked back to Lisa's door in time to see her date leave slightly disgruntled.

"Look, you've sabotaged her date now," I pointed a finger at him accusingly and he smiled slightly, "unless…" I said noticing his expression. "Dr. House," I said amazedly, "you have a thing for Lisa, you like her and you meant to sabotage her date, or at least spy on her." He looked at me amused.

"That's ridiculous," he said and he turned and stalked away (well as well as you can stalk with a limp and a cane). I smiled smugly, I'd let something slip to him about Lisa but gotten a valuable piece of information in return.

The next time he came to her house he stayed for a minute or two and then left. As he was going I stared after his retreating back, he turned and gave me a look that plainly said 'I don't like her,' but I just smiled and went inside.

Now here I am, three years later helping Lisa move Dr. House's things into her house.

He insisted that he didn't have a thing for Lisa but I knew he did and I knew that one day he'd do the right thing and they would be alright and I knew that that time had come.

Fin.