Chapter Seven

~ Rude Awakening ~

Cuddy was comfortable, and she didn't want to give up her grasp on sleep. She had been back to work for a week, and while that usually was a cause for sleepless nights and sudden bouts of insomnia, this week, it was a welcome respite from the cloud of her personal life that hung over her head. The cloud of one man that had suddenly invaded her life with renewed vigor. If he kept it up, one of them would be dead, and the other in jail for murder.

At the moment, it was her that was going to jail.

She had a late night, formatting a proposal for raising money to remodel the cardiology floor, which had suffered some damage the previous spring due to water damage from a minor fire from the floor above it. She wasn't going to get a lot of sleep that night anyway, so when she felt the empty side of her bed sink down, she immediately questioned herself on why she didn't keep a weapon under her mattress.

"Cuddy," he blew lightly on her ear. She was plastered to the mattress on her stomach, her arms folded above her head. When she didn't respond, she felt him scoot closer to her. She tried to keep her breathing slow and regular, but he saw right through that. "I know you're awake." He blew on her ear again, and she had to suppress a shudder. "Fine. Ignore me." He ran a big hand down her back and over her bottom, which was exposed since her nightgown had ridden up to her waist. She had thought the blanket wound have provided cover, so he wouldn't notice that, but he had just pulled the blanket back enough to slip his hand underneath it. "No underwear?" She could hear the smug smirk in the bastard's voice. "You don't wear underwear unless you think you're gonna get some some."

"Go. Away." She groaned into her pillow. "I spent the entire night trying to find ways to pay for cleaning up one of your messes."

"You're not going to get pregnant by not having sex," he addressed her like he was addressing a toddler. "So, wakey wakey."

"You're not waking me up for sex," she still spoke into her pillow, not moving. "You want to drag me to god knows where on a too fucking early run."

"Wanna put twenty on that?" Without opening her eyes, she raised an eyebrow. She heard a rustling of clothes, then she nearly squealed when he pulled the comfort back, exposing her backside to the cool, summer night air. She felt the bed move as he maneuvered himself over her, sliding his big hands inside her thighs, lightly spreading them. She did squeal when she felt him toy with the soft fur between her legs. "It's been a long time since I've rode doggie," he whispered hoarsely. He slid a long finger inside her. "Wet already? Someone was having erotic dreams about me." He leaned over her, planting wet kisses along the nape of her neck.

"Not that I'd admit," she wriggled underneath his touch, feeling that familiar flare of arousal coursing through her body.

"I think you just did," he teased, increasing his pace. While one hand continued to stimulate her, he used the other to encourage her to rise up on her knees and elbows, which she did, finally opening her eyes.

The room was still dark; he hadn't turned on any of the lights, but the curtains were open, allowing the soft glow of the white streetlight to illuminate the room. His lips still caressed her neck, lightly nipping at the soft skin, while his free hand moved up to palm her breast. "Come for me, Cuddy," he whispered, and she responded, riding his hand as she whimpered with the pleasure. She cried out into her pillow, feeling the orgasm rock through her body in hot waves.

She felt herself go limp, stars still dancing behind her eyes. "Oh, no, no, no." He removed his hand from her, and she immediately felt the cold emptiness. He guided her back up to her knees and elbows, his mouth still pressing soft kisses all over her neck and shoulders. She felt the hot prod of his erection into her hip. "We're not done, sweetheart." He positioned himself behind her, working to find the right balance. While the pain was gone, he was still missing a hunk of muscle from his thigh, and balance was still an issue at times. When he found it, he massaged her mound again, making her wet again. "God, I love how wet you get," he breathed.

She took a deep breath, moving against hist palm again. He quickly moved his hand, placing it on the sheet next to hers. With a hoarse grunt, he thrust forward, and her tight little box took him in. Her breath escaped her lungs. He was big, oh so big, and she wasn't used taking him in this position. She could feel every inch and contour of him as her walls shifted to accommodate him further. "Holy hell, Cuddy," he breathed, lightly pressing his forehead to her shoulder. She smiled a little, hearing the praise in his sex-husky voice. She pressed back against him, driving him forward, causing fire to spread to every part of her body from her womb.

He dug his fingers into her hip. "Don't. Do. That."

She smirked a little. "What?" she asked, innocently. "This?" She did it again, and the fire rose again. Sex with House had awoken a dragon that lay dormant in the confines of her womb, and with every touch and thrust, it woke up. The heat caused her skin to glisten with sweat, and little moans escaped her mouth, encouraging him further.

He growled, dragging himself slowly out of her tight squeeze, then he thrust back, hard, causing a little squeal to escape her lips. "You asked for it," he growled, closing his eyes as he drove himself closer to the edge.

The edge that she clung to by her fingernails, but couldn't go over. She was there, pushing back against his every thrust, her tight walls sending sensations of heat to her very fingertips, but she couldn't give into that fire. Tears sprung to her eyes with frustration and lust, and her hands fisted the sheets so tightly her knuckles turned white.

He must have been reading her thoughts. He grabbed the hand that rested near his, and, grunting, he rebalanced himself quickly. Groans were his only words as his guided her hand to where they were joined, and together, they rubbed the sensitive nub.

She tossed her head back and she howled her release to the night, feeling the dragon burst into flames that coursed through her veins. She felt her walls contract hard around him, milking him. He cried his own incoherent shout of triumph, and she felt him pulse thickly inside her. They both crashed down to the mattress, spent. Lost in the gray world of afterglow, she felt him interlace his fingers with hers. She smiled a weary smile, then she succumbed to the drowsiness that had been wanting to over take her.

Right before she felt sleep over take her, she heard his soft voice murmur against her glistening skin. "Thank you."

[H] [H] [H]

"When's House coming back?" Cuddy looked wearily up from her paperwork to see Cameron staring at her from her office door. She wanted to yawn and rub her eyes, but she couldn't do that in front of her employees. Okay, she could only do that in front of House and Wilson, but they had transcended their relationship from mere employees to that of friends. And, in House's case, they had long ago become something...other.

So, she feigned alertness, and she smiled at the young doctor. "Well, according to Personnel, he took the full eight weeks of personal leave that was offered." She quickly calculated the date in her mind. "So, he should be back at mid-September."

Cameron nodded. "Did they ever catch the guy?"

Cuddy shook her head, her smile slipping. "The Princeton-Plainsboro Police Department have the security footage of the guy, but they've never been able to find him." She frowned fully in thought. "They keep telling me that the investigation is open, and that they'd be contacting the hospital as soon as they found anything." She rubbed her forehead. "The Board has had clerks pouring through House's records, trying to see if they can't find the person responsible in there, since he claimed to be a patient." She sighed. "But, since he was a patient before House hired you..." she trailed off, bitterly. Once House got back, they were going to have a long talk about record keeping. Not that he would listen, but it would make her feel better.

Cameron blushed, then nodded. Cuddy looked at her closely. "Is Dr. Walker treating you well in immunology? I thought you all would enjoying a break from House. Foreman's doing well under Dr. Newman in Neurology, and Chase said he's really enjoying working with Carter in the surgical staff." Cuddy may have been referred to as the Dragon Doctor amongst the staff, but she tried really hard to listen to her staff's complaints and comments. She wanted them to be doing well, because if her staff was doing well, the hospital was doing well.

It was good business, all around.

Cameron shrugged. "I guess." She bit her lip. "It's just...not challenging."

Cuddy allowed herself to smirk a little. "Been bitten by the House bug, haven't you?" Cameron nodded, and Cuddy gave her a genuine smile. "Well, if he stays out the full eight weeks, which, let's face it, he'll take full advantage of it, he's still got six more weeks out. She pulled up the personnel openings up on her computer, and she frowned. "If you're not happy in immunology, which it looks like Walker is overstaffed, there's always the E.R." She gave Cameron a grin. "It's not diagnosing rare cases, but it is a challenge, and I'm sure Shirley would love to have an extra pair of hands." Cameron didn't say anything, so Cuddy shrugged. "Most of House's cases come out of the E.R. anyway, so I'm sure you'll be able to get your diagnostic groove on." She brought up a P.D.F. file on the computer, and she hit print. When they came up on her printer, she handed them to Cameron. "Give these to Riley in Personnel. They're transfer requisition forms."

Cameron looked relieved. "Thanks, Dr. Cuddy," she told her, then she left the office.

Cuddy spent the rest of the day putting out minor fires and putting the rest of her proposal together. The hospital had received the highest accreditation that a public hospital could achieve a few weeks before House's shooting. She hoped that that fire had been put out by the numerous Board meetings and security changes. Poor Jenkins, the former head of security had been fired, but the donors needed a scape goat, and despite her best efforts, he had been it. She had been able to finagle a deal that said if he put in his resignation, rather than them out and out firing him, he'd get a small pension out of it. Part of that deal had included a gag clause. It had been the best she could do.

As much as she had liked Jenkins, who had been a kindly older gentleman, she also liked his replacement. Spencer Matthews was a tall, rugged former military man in his early forties, and the Board had been in full support of him taking the job of Head of Security. He was efficient and practical, but he was also...nice. He chatted with the doctors and nurses on his breaks, and he encouraged the other security employees to do the same, saying that if they knew who was supposed to be in the hospital, they would be better able at keeping those who shouldn't be there out.

At the end of the day, she was ready to go home. She stretched a little, working out the kinks in her lower back. It was a warm night, so she folded her jacket over her arm. Grabbing her bag, she walked out of the office, still a little sore from the sex Olympics that she had participated in that morning. Matthews was leaning against the nurses' station, chatting amiably with Nurse Previn's evening replacement. He looked up at her approaching. "Dr. Cuddy," he smiled, small dimples deepening in his rugged face. Dark stubble coated his cheeks and jaw, but his shaven head gleamed underneath the harsh lights of the hospital. He strode over to her, his stride loose, but confident. He held out a large hand, calloused from years of work. "I don't know if we've really had a chance to meet yet?" His bright blue eyes gleamed with genuine niceness mixed with curiosity.

She met his eyes with a wide smile of her own. "Lt. Matthews," she used his military rank. When they checked his background, he had been discharged with full honors. When they had asked him about it during his first meeting with the Board, he had cited a need to settle down in one place and raise a family, rather than skipping from city to city. Scuttlebutt among the nurses had said that the woman he had planned to settle down with had left him high and dry. Cuddy quickly glanced at his left hand, which was ringless. She took his hand, feeling the rough skin under her soft palm. "We met," she told him, "at your interviews."

He shrugged. "Those are job interviews, not actual conversation." He paused, breaking out into an easy grin, "though, you probably found out more about me then most people find out when they first meet." He shrugged. "And I don't know a damn thing about you."

She laughed, a little nervously. "Not that there's much to tell," she adjusted her bag. "I'm here from 7am – 6ish, then, I go home, and I do it all again the next day."

She took a step towards the doors, and he walked with her there. "Shift just ended," he explained. "You mind if I walk you to your car?"

She bit her lip. "I'm parked in the A-lot."

"Damn, I'm parked in the C-lot." He gave her another easy grin. "Good thing tonight's a good night for walking."

She found herself smiling back at him. "It is a good night. I hope the cooler weather holds. I haven't been able to play tennis all week, and I finally have some time this weekend." She looked up at the sky, not that she could see much of it with all the light pollution, and she wrinkled her nose. "I just hope it doesn't rain."

"I hear that. I'm working with Habitat For Humanity on a house on the east side. It'd be nice if we can get the roof on before it rains."

"Are you for real?" Cuddy lifted her eyebrows. It seemed that all her years of associating with House had made her suspicious of anyone that was too nice.

He barked out a deep laugh. "Last I checked." They paused, reaching her car. "I can see that you're a no-nonsense kind of lady, and you don't hold to bullshit, pardon my french, ma'am. So let me be blunt," he paused, letting her respond to her words. When all she did was tilt her head slightly to the side while lifting up a finely arched eyebrow, he continued. "You seemed awful nice during the interviews. I was wondering if I could take you out to lunch sometime, just to get to know you better. You seem...interesting."

If she hadn't kept her jaw clenched tight, it would have dropped. Two months ago, she would have jumped a man like Matthews in a heartbeat, but now... She inwardly sighed; it was complicated.

She took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Matthews. I'm...sort of involved...with someone right now."

His face fell a little. "I understand. I had heard you were single, guess I heard wrong." He gave her a grin. "No sense in wishful thinking, but I'd like to be friends, if that's alright with you?"

She smiled back. "I'll see you around the hospital," she evaded his question. "Thanks for walking me to my car."

"Pleasure was all mine," he drawled. If he had been wearing a hat, she knew he would have tipped it. She gave him a small smile back, then she climbed into her car.

She decided that she had enough complications in her life, and she felt a little sad for it. So she drove home, listening to a mournful singer belt out a song about lost love on the radio, wondering if it was all worth it.