#2
She stood at the doorway, hand on her hip, head tilted to the side and a frown across her face. "You've got to be kidding me." Cuddy stared at the blood dripping from his shin. "You've been my employee for three whole hours and you need stitches? Honestly, if you wanted to see me, you should have just asked."
House rolled his eyes, "Just fix it so I can get out of here. I'd do it myself but the damn leg gets in the way."
Cuddy shook her head, and gently lifted House's right leg to prop it up on the exam table. He grimaced in pain, the infarction still all too recent a memory.
"And how on earth did you manage this?"
"Clinic patient didn't like the diagnosis I gave his kid. He kicked me."
"He kicked you?"
"Yeah, the jerk kicked a cripple in the shin."
Cuddy sat on a stool and wheeled it over to him. Almost mindlessly, after years of practice, she began to flush the gash, "What was the kid's diagnosis?"
"Syhpillis."
She looked up to meet his eyes, "How old was the kid?"
"Fourteen."
She looked at him disbelievingly, "Fourteen? Do you think he was being sexually abused?"
House shook his head, "Nope, he confessed to doing the nasty with his fourteen year old tramp of a girlfriend."
Cuddy shook her head, "They get younger and younger."
House emitted a fake chuckle, "Girlfriend's pregnant."
"Oh boy," Cuddy said, dismayed.
"So, do you remember how to do this Ms. Administrator? Seems it was a long time ago that I taught you how," he said teasingly, as he watched her begin to stitch the tear.
"You didn't teach me, you just showed me a better technique."
"For which you never said thanks."
Cuddy tied off the sutures, "Well, I've given you everything you asked for. You've got a team, a bigger office than any other department head, and a conference room all to yourself. Isn't that thanks enough?"
House leaned forward and grabbed her wrist before she could pull away, "You and I both know that wasn't to thank me for teaching you how to suture."
Cuddy leaned forward so that he could feel her breath on his ear as she gently placed her hand on his good thigh, petting him in long, teasing strokes. "And if you ever want me to really thank you again," she said in a whispered voice as she traced his ear with her finger, "You're going to have to earn it."
Cuddy pushed away from the table, placed the suturing materials and gloves in a bin and walked out of the office, being sure to sway her hips slightly more than normal.
