Chapter 2 [Two Days Later—about 4:50 PM
[A/N: Okay, here comes that House/Cuddy scene
House limped out of the elevator, determining to get to the bottom of the recently released clinic schedule. I really wanted Wilson to be around that weekend. What the Hell is Cuddy doing? He barged through the first line of defense, easily dismissing the Wannabe of the Week sitting in the assistant's chair.
Seeing him there (and not wanting to pay for another ex-assistant's counseling), she waved him in. "I see you're in a mood today, House. What's with you?"
"I noticed the schedule," he retorted, slapping it down on her desk.
She looked down at it and then pointedly up at him. "I can see that. Since when would you be interested in a clinic duty schedule? Could it be you would want to—oh, let's say—volunteer for an extra shift? You know how I'd feel about that."
He stared at her incredulously; the 'Oh really?' expression clearly written on his face. "Cuddy, you're such a kidder! Seriously, I was hoping that Wilson would be open that weekend. Big monster trucks rally in Trenton," he pointed out, ignoring the obvious hint while trying to get to the high ground in their latest verbal sparring contest.
She shook her head. "Sorry, House. He needed to make up some clinic hours for me."
"There's always Cameron and Chase…." he started to suggest.
Again the head shake. "They have vacation days to burn before next week. I told them to take the days." She saw two yellow forms peeking out from under the schedule. "You signed off on them?"
"No. I want them in the clinic. No monster trucks for Wilson. No weekend for them," he admonished, digging his heels in.
She felt her blood pressure starting to rise but maintained a cool exterior. "Really, House? That is such a shame." She gazed out the window. "And here I was planning a fishing trip for us."
"Fishing?" He grimaced. Since their Michigan days, neither of them had been able to resist pulling out the rod, reel and tackle box when the occasion arose.
"Fishing." She smirked. "Just you and me…on Lake Champlain. Five days to ourselves." She let the image hang in the air for a second. "No hospital, no patients, no clinic duty for a week."
Now I know what a fish feels like. He frowned, knowing she had just trumped him. "And to get this, I have to do what?"
"Sign off on the forms, House. Let Foreman and Wilson deal with things maybe? That is…if you aren't afraid of me catching more than you do?" she stipulated, adding the barb at the end to hook him.
"Yeah right. Remember who has the derby trophy, Cuddy."
"After pushing me in and taking the tiebreaking catch, House." She handed him a pen. "Sign off for another rematch."
"Fine," he conceded, snatching the pen from her and scribbling his signature across the forms.
"And the initial in the upper left hand corner," she pointed out.
"You're just Old Eagle Eyes today, aren't you?" he muttered while doing so.
"Loopholes and all of that stuff." She inspected the two leave forms. "Thank you." She showed him another one. "And this one's for you. Sign by the X."
"This is so rigged," he complained. "Bet you feel all powerful now, don't you?"
She sighed, counting to ten and knowing that he was going to stew over this for the next three days unless she did something. "Fine." She checked her appointment book and saw that she was clear. The paperwork can wait for once. A glance into her reception area told her the assistant had left for the day. She drew the blinds over the windows and the door.
"What about dinner?" he whined playfully.
She shrugged while unbuttoning her blouse. "Dinner can wait…." With that, she dimmed the lights and let him lower her to the couch.
