Sorry this is very late. I've been busy as hell, that and it was like pulling teeth getting this chapter back from Johnathan.
Chapter 4
Cuddy enjoyed the warm body close to her as she slept. What she didn't notice was the body shaking slightly. His breaths came in short rough gasps as House's brain relived the accident.
The light turned green, and he was quick off the line. He was in the middle of the intersection shifting when out of the corner of his eye he noticed a white flash. There was no pain, just pressure on his left side as he and his bike were sent flying. His right arm went out instinctively to break his fall. Then his head slammed against the concrete, and it went black.
When the shaking became worse, Cuddy woke up. "House?" Sleep still evident in her voice.
She turned over and looked at him. He was still asleep and deep in his subconscious. Cuddy climbed out of the bed and quickly moved around to assess his readouts. His heart monitors began to ring with alerts as his beats per minutes increased.
"Greg!" She shook him awake.
House's eyes shot open as the sudden onslaught of pain hit him. His teeth clenched as the sensation climbed up his broken leg and damaged thigh. "Ahhhh!"
"Hang on." She turned and punched the morphine pump, but instead of getting the beep indicating the medication was being administered, it beeped with a malfunction. "Dammit." Nurses entered the room upon the monitor's alerts. "The morphine pump isn't working. Get me ten milligrams stat!"
"It hurts!" House screamed as sweat began to pour from his face.
Cuddy grabbed a cold towel from the nurse and began to apply it to his head. The monitors continued to alert as his heart sped up. "Greg, hang on, just try and calm down."
"I'm in pain! How the fuck am I supposed to calm down!" His teeth clenched down as his left hand gripped the edge of the bed turning the knuckles while. Her hand covered his in a show of support.
"Doctor Cuddy!" A nurse entered and handed her a syringe.
She quickly picked up his IV line and administered the pain relieving agent. It took under thirty seconds for the drugs to take effect.
His loud groans of despair quickly started to subside. Cuddy continued to towel the perspiration from his brow. "Shhhh, it's okay, just relax, shhhh." she cooed to him until his breathing and heart rate were under control, and nearly normal. "His morphine pump isn't working, find another one." she ordered.
While the nurses left to collect another morphine pump, Cuddy stayed next to his side. She wiped the sweat off his face, neck, and chest.
"Thank you." He breathed out as he finally started to relax.
While they were enjoying a quiet moment, a babbling sound caught their attention. Cuddy placed the cool towel on his forehead and left his side to focus on her daughter. She lifted the infant and began talking to her. House could barely make out what she was saying as she lifted the baby to her bosom.
House watched intently as Cuddy skillfully changed Rachel's diaper and cradled her within her warm embrace. She glanced over at House as he eyed her interaction. He patted the side of the bed encouraging her to rejoin him.
Cuddy bounced her daughter several times before lowering her towards the couch.
"She can come." Shocked, Cuddy froze for a moment before bringing her daughter back to her chest.
"Are you…"
He nodded and she carefully climbed into his bed, making sure she didn't bump his thigh or upset Rachel. House wrapped his arm around Cuddy as she situated her daughter so she would be more comfortable.
"Is there some ulterior motive to this?"
House looked over at the woman and baby next to him. "I assume you're a package deal, might as well get used to it."
She was flabbergasted. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?"
He sighed. "Well I sure as hell am not proposing to you, but I thought we could try."
"Are you saying you want to be my boyfriend?" She decided to play his little game and make him say it.
"Actually I just thought we could be fuck buddies, but in order to make it happen, I've got to remember the spawn."
Cuddy scoffed. "If you don't stop calling her that, you'll never see me without clothes on again."
"Well technically I haven't seen you without your clothes off, just your shirt." He fired back. "Unless you are threatening withholding time with the fun bags…"
She smiled. "And I won't stop there."
"Ah…" House pondered for a moment. "Well I just figured that we should get a little closer since I'm assuming when I get the hell out of here, I'm not going to be able to live alone. And Wilson just isn't' as fun."
"You couldn't get any closer than we were last night."
"On the contrary, I can get a lot closer. But in my current situation, you're going to have to wait until one of my legs start working again." His eyes lit up as she smiled. "I have a feeling it's going to have to be my left, since my right leg is beyond fixing."
After a moment she turned her head to face him. "On one condition." His eyes narrowed fearing what she would say. "You lay off the Vicoden." House opened his mouth to speak but she beat him to it. "I'm not saying you have to stop taking it, but take it in moderation. No more than 40 milligrams a day."
House narrowed his eyes. "Are you asking me out?"
Now the tables have turned and it was Cuddy who became speechless. She paused for a moment before leaning in closer to him. "I've dreamed, fantasized about lying in your bed, beneath you as you thrusted into me…"
He moaned at the vision. "Mmmm, careful woman."
"I've wanted you for a long time. I even considered asking you to be a sperm donor."
"But you knew I would want to do the insemination myself."
"Yes, but it just wouldn't be sex with me. It never could." She looked him directly into his crystal blue eyes. "I want you Greg, bum leg, Vicoden, childish, immature, bad attitude, and all."
The air was expelled from his lungs as her words hit him hard. "I'm beyond fixing, and even more broken now."
"Greg, stop making excuses for what my heart wants. You are fixable now. I don't want to change you unless you want to change." Cuddy moved the now sleeping Rachel so she was between them. "If you really want me, then you need to realize that there's a commitment involved."
"I can be committed. As long as you understand that you're committing to your hospital's biggest jerk." He relished in her warm smile. "So who's asking who out here, 'cause I'm confused?"
Cuddy moved her head so her face was closer to his and he was quick to move in and kiss her. When they parted Cuddy sighed. "Let's just take this relationship in stride." House raised an eyebrow at her deduction. "There are going to be ups and downs, especially while you're recovering, but even when you're screaming at everyone around you, I'll be right there to help you through it."
House let his brain process what she had and instead of speaking sealed the deal with a kiss.
Eventually the pair fell asleep with Rachel in between them. A nurse entered with another morphine pump and carefully and quietly switched them out while the couple slept.
As he had every morning, Wilson checked in on House before he went to his office. He was frustrated that he was visiting family yesterday and missed Cuddy's call that House had finally woken up.
Slowly he opened the door and paused at the sight before him. House was sleeping peacefully with Cuddy in his arms. The only space between them was filled by Rachel.
Wilson entered and being a doctor checked over houses chart at the end of his bed. He noticed the fiasco charted that occurred earlier that morning involving the morphine machine malfunction. After assuring that everything was okay, he decided to let them sleep in peace.
After Cuddy woke up she showered and dressed leaving Rachel on the bed with House. When she stepped out of the small bathroom she noticed that he was awake.
"Hey, I'm going to go down to my office for a while. I'm sure I've got a stack of paperwork on my desk." She pulled her jacket on and buttoned a single button. "Chase is supposed to be up later this morning to check your leg."
"And you're telling me this now because…"
"Because before he comes up here, he's supposed to call me. So, if I'm not up here when he gets here…"
"I am a grown up Mommy, I'm not afraid of the big bad Doctor Chase." he pouted.
Cuddy moved over and swatted at his shoulder. "I'll send up someone to take Rachel." He leaned over and kissed him. House tried to deepen the kiss as his tongue pushed between her lips but she pulled back. "Down boy; we'll play later." She left House in peace and her daughter sleeping beside him.
House clicked the television on and glanced down at the sleeping baby beside him. "So what are you in the mood to watch?" His thumb continued to push the button as Rachel slept. House finally settled on one of the movie channels. While it wasn't anything he particularly liked, it was better than the alternative.
An hour had passed and still no one had come for Rachel, and the baby was awake and beginning to get fussy. He ignored it for a few minutes before realizing he was going to have to do something. Glancing around the room his eyes found the pink bag on the couch.
House pushed the button to summon a nurse, and one entered in less than a minute. "Yes, Doctor House."
"Wow, that was fast! What do you guys do, sit around and wait for a patient to page, and then you race down the hall to see who can be that fastest?" Her eyes narrowed at his sarcasm. "I need that diaper bag over there. The wife forgot I'm a paraplegic and can't walk."
She grabbed the small bag and handed it to him. "You're an ass."
"So I've been told." He opened the bag. "Dammit. Did Cuddy leave any bottles in the fridge?"
The nurse shook her head. "No."
His sighed. "Shit. She's hungry; do you know how to mix this?" He held up the small can of powdered formula.
"Yeah, I'll be right back." She took a bottle and the formula from him and left.
Rachel continued to fuss. "Come on, I know you're hungry." He put his right hand over her torso and gently rocked her back and forth until the nurse returned with a warm bottle.
"She can't be lying down when she eats."
"I'm not a complete moron." He attempted to reposition Rachel with minimal success.
"Here." She moved around the bed and picked up the girl. With a moment of hesitation she handed the baby to House.
House adjusted Rachel in the crook of his right arm ignoring its protests of pain. With the other hand he brought the bottle up to the lips of the little girl and she was quick to latch on. "Whoa, easy there."
Rachel nursed heavily on the bottle as the nurse watched over him. "You look human."
House turned to her. "I may be an ass, but I'm not a monster."
"Could've fooled me?" the nurse said as she turned leaving in a rush.
He gazed into her innocent eyes as she drank from the bottle, and she looked right back at him. House had never been in this situation before, and frankly it was scaring him.
When she finished, he was able to situate her to rest on his chest. She burped several times. "Damn, you're worse than your mother."
House felt the all too familiar feeling creep up from his legs. Glancing at the morphine pump, he had nearly thirty minutes before it was scheduled to administer his next dose. Not wanting the pain to overtake him, House pushed the button that gave him the drug early in the event of pain.
With morphine coursing through his veins, House leaned back with Rachel resting across his chest. He took several deep breathes as the pain resided. Closing his eyes he let the feeling overwhelm him and fell into a peaceful sleep.
Thanks for reading there's a lot more to come.
TDCSI
