Disclaimer - I own nothing. Don't sue.
Summary - this is a series if one shots within one story involving different character getting trapped in lifts together. If you're looking for crazy plot twist and turns, this probably isn't for you. I'm focusing more on character and relationships. Oh, and I know the concept is a tired cliche, but sometimes cliches are really good for exploring more complex emotion and all that jazz. Please take the extra thirty seconds to review, I can't stress that enough. :)
Cuddy tapped her foot impatiently as she waited for the elevator. She worked in a job where a wasted second could mean the difference between life and death for a patient. This not only meant that she was always on edge, but that she got through shoes quicker than most schoolboys.
Cameron ran the last few feet to reach Cuddy before the elevator did. It was going to be close. Too close, in fact.
"Dr. Cuddy. Wait!"
Cuddy's head span round with a "swish" of liquorice coloured curls.
"Can I help you, Dr. Cameron?"
She walked into the elevator and smiled politely as Cameron raced after her. She was surprised to see the younger doctor pause and draw a sharp breath before stepping through the doors.
"Claustrophobia?" asked Cuddy.
"A little," replied Cameron. "It's nothing severe, I'm just not too fond of small spaces."
The elevator doors slid shut, and the corridor disappeared from view.
They were silent for a few seconds before Cuddy spoke.
"So, you had something to talk to me about?"
Whatever Cameron was about to say, the words were stolen away from her by a series of strange sounds coming from the outside of the elevator. It took them a while to realise that they had stopped. Cuddy sighed and walked over to the intercom.
"Hello? This is Dr. Cuddy. The elevator's stopped."
There was no reply.
"Hello? This is Dr. Cuddy. The elevator seems to have broken down."
The silence spoke for itself. Cuddy rolled her eyes. The wasted seconds were going to pile up very rapidly. She could feel it in her bones.
Cameron slid down the wall of the elevator, feeling her chest tighten another notch. After a few moments of silent experimentation she noticed that if she focused very hard on something small, the walls crushed inwards far less rapidly. She soon found herself staring at Cuddy's bouncing heel as though her life depended on it. It took only thirty seconds or so of this before she felt herself relax, and with her eyes followed the vibrations past Cuddy's ankle and up her calf. The Dean of Medicine had her hip leaning slightly on the wall of the elevator, her arms folded, and her jaw clenched tightly.
"You never relax, do you?" The words were out before Cameron could stop them.
Cuddy looked surprised for a moment, before smiling wryly.
"Well, you know better than any how stressful it is to be working under House. Imagine what it's like to be his boss. Anything he does, I'm automatically responsible for. Any stunt he pulls, I get blamed for. Would you be relaxed?"
Cameron smirked. She admired Cuddy for simply getting out of bed in the morning.
"Though," continued Cuddy conversationally, "You seem to be coping okay. In fact, you seem to be almost relishing your job lately."
Cameron considered the remark before replying slowly.
"You learn to hide weakness. You learn that there's no point in getting emotionally attached, because he'll never thank you for it. I guess you just learn not to get too sucked into his weird world."
Cuddy nodded.
"In short, you have learnt what I accepted years ago. House is always gonna screw you over. You've just got to make sure you don't invite it."
They lapsed into silence. Cuddy decided it was time to re-try the intercom.
"Hello? I don't suppose you can hear me? It's Dr. Cuddy. Dr. Cameron and I are stuck in the elevator."
There was still no reply. Cuddy sighed deeply and tucked her legs under her to sit next to Cameron.
"We seem to be stuck," smiled Cameron.
Cuddy turned to face her.
"You only said that to annoy me, didn't you?"
Cameron's smile grew cheekier.
"A little."
HMD HMD HMD
After ten minutes, a horrible realisation descended on Cuddy. She had to pee. She looked over at Cameron who was tossing a pen up and down repeatedly. Cuddy squirmed uncomfortably, and crossed her legs tightly.
"You know," she started, "I dread to think what the consequences would be if we were a pair of patients. In fact, that would never happen. They would have had us out by now. It's just because we're doctors that they think they can just leave us to rot."
Cameron caught the pen for a final time, and then slipped it back into her pocket.
"You need to visit the bathroom, don't you?"
"You guessed?"
"Your legs are crossed, you're irritable and you keep squirming. Two and two make four."
"I knew House was a bad influence on you guys. I can't do anything around you without being psychoanalysed within an inch of my life."
They lapsed again into a silence that was broken only by the occasional quiet moan and twisting of the hips by Cuddy. Eventually, she could bare it no longer.
"Take my mind of it," she pleaded with Cameron
"Uh…what shall I talk about?"
"Anything that doesn't involve moisture," groaned Cuddy. "Or the amount of havoc House can have caused in the fifteen minutes I've been in here," she added quietly.
Cameron racked her brains.
"Got it. A game that will not only take your mind off your bladder, but also starts up enough heated debate to make the time fly by."
"What is it?"
"Favourites. Like…favourite movie?"
"Uh…" Cuddy thought carefully, "Probably Bridges of Madison County. You?"
"That's easy. Sleepless in Seattle."
Cuddy nodded, smiling.
"Oh, that's very you. My turn. Favourite pizza topping?"
"Spicy chicken. You?"
"Spinach and ricotta."
"Ooh, I'm hungry now. Okay, favourite TV show?"
Here, a slight blush crept over Cuddy's face.
"What?" asked Cameron.
Cuddy's voice was quiet when she answered.
"I like to shout at ER when they get it wrong."
Cameron laughed amicably.
"Oh, I do the same thing. It's great for relieving PMS. Especially if you pretend they're all House. It's pathetic, but sometimes it's nice to just pretend he's not always right."
Cuddy suddenly remembered something.
"Wasn't that what you wanted to talk to me about in the first place? House?"
"Oh yeah," replied Cameron, "I'm a bit worried about him."
"Doesn't he always worry you?"
Cameron smiled again. "Well, lately he's worrying me more than usual. I've noticed that his leg's acting up again. Nothing too serious," she added hastily when she saw the look on Cuddy's face, "But whenever I try to talk to him about it, he's gets all…House-like, and clams up."
Cuddy sank a little lower down the wall.
"I keep warning him that the effects of the ketamine could wear off, but he won't listen. He thinks he's indestructible."
"You know, I think he's fully aware of his mortality. Over aware, even, and that's why he's being so careful not to say anything about it. He doesn't ever talk about his leg, except to tell us what he can do that he couldn't before. He never says anything about pain. Even though it's probably just because of the miles of running he's been doing lately or something."
"How do you know it's been hurting?" asked Cuddy.
"He put his skateboard away again, and is hand keeps straying to his thigh when he thinks I'm not looking."
"Ah, finally the day comes when House's teachings backfire on him. So what do you want me to do? If I approach him about it I'll get the same reaction you do."
"Just, keep an eye out. He can't hate you for helping him if he doesn't know you're doing it."
Cuddy nodded. Cameron didn't realise it, but she had her own reasons for wanting to help House. The guilt at keeping from him the joy he had brought to a family who had got their father back was gnawing away at her.
All of a sudden, the elevator began to make noises again. Both Cameron and Cuddy stood up as it jerked back into life. An apologetic voice came over the intercom.
"I'm very sorry about that ladies, we had some technical difficulties."
It took all the patience drummed into her from years of dealing with House for Cuddy not to punch the intercom. After another couple of seconds the elevator doors slid open to reveal the very same annoying diagnostician.
"I have tests I need to run."
It took Cuddy less than a second to adjust to normality. She turned to Cameron.
"Dr. Cameron, we should do that more often."
"I would be glad to, Dr. Cuddy."
And with that, Cameron walked away in the opposite direction from her boss, and his boss, pausing only briefly to look back and admire the tower of strength and composure that was Dr. Lisa Cuddy.
And so ends chapter one. Pleeeeease review me. x