"He asked you to go on a business trip?"
"It's a conference about a new treatment for liver cancer. Strictly business," I replied, tossing another item into my suitcase.
"Yeah, but why are you going?" Emily asked as if to clarify my earlier statement.
"I have no idea."
I really didn't have any idea why House insisted we go to this conference. When it came to out-of-state conferences that was Cuddy and Wilson's department. Apparently for this conference, however, House had been asked to give a speech; I'm sure he was just dragging us along to make sure we were as miserable as him.
Despite my apprehension about the conference, it would be filled with oncologists from around the country whom I could speak with; this would be a good opportunity to branch out and meet new people. The conference was also being held in Chicago, which would give me an excuse to stop and visit my mom. Unfortunately, House hadn't given us much of a heads up about this conference, especially about the part where our flight left in three hours.
"What do I even bring to a conference?" I groaned, pulling things out of drawers and throwing them onto my bed.
"Just like stuff you wear to work, maybe some dresses? Oh bring something fun incase you guys go out and do something," she said wagging her eyebrow.
"Highly doubt it, but okay," I chuckled.
"When will you be back?" Emily asked.
"So it's Monday today, um, Thursday I think?"
"I'll be so lonely here," she whined.
"I'm sure you'll survive," I laughed.
Emily rolled off my bed and walked to stand in front of me, putting her hands on my shoulders. "Be careful, okay?"
"I'll be fine," I said reassuringly, not completely believing myself.
"Hurry up people. I'm a cripple and I can walk faster than you," House called.
We were currently rushing through the airport to catch our flight… which began boarding fifteen minutes ago. Our flight had been moved to a different gate on the other side of the airport. Unfortunately, House hadn't informed us of our gate change, due to his enjoyment of seeing us all panic.
I weaved through the crowd, my long legs not taking me as far as I hoped with each step. I was losing sight of House, damn me being so short! Suddenly, someone grabbed my arm and pulled me forward.
"Come on, we don't want to miss the flight," Cameron hissed.
I shook her off and walked more quickly until we reached our gate. Cuddy rushed forward and explained to the woman checking tickets what had happened. I could see Cuddy was flustered, but the woman eventually nodded and reopened the gate for us.
"Phew, that was a close one," House said, wiping the nonexistent sweat from his brow. "Try to keep up next time."
I narrowed my eyes at House but said nothing. I readjusted my bag on my shoulder as I handed the woman my ticket, who told me I was sitting in 12F. I silently hoped I packed enough, a gust of freezing New Jersey air rushing through the hallway. My outfit consisted of leggings and another one of my many striped shirts, but in my rush, I forgot to grab a jacket. Fuck.
"Where're you sitting?" Foreman piqued as we walked down the aisle of the plane.
"Twelve-F. You?"
"Twelve-D. I guess we're going to be neighbors," he chuckled.
I hoisted my bag onto my shoulder and scooted into my seat. I opened the shade to the window and looked around outside before shutting it once again. The flight was only an hour and a half, but a little kid was already kicking my seat and several babies were wailing. I sighed and closed my eyes, hoping the next time I woke up, we would be in Chicago.
I opened my eyes slowly, the light from the open window ahead seeping in, making me squint my eyes.
"Well look who's finally awake."
As soon as my eyes readjusted to the light, I looked to my right to see Chase sitting in the middle seat.
"Sorry about that, I didn't sleep very well last night," I smirked, stretching my arms up to the ceiling.
Chase and I shared a look, which Foreman shook his head at. "I don't want to know."
I smiled and grabbed my bag from underneath the seat in front of me. I pulled out my phone to check the time, only to realize there was a time change and my phone was in airplane mode.
"We land in twenty minutes," Chase said as I tucked my bag back in its place.
I nodded and looked out the window, smiling when Chase grabbed my hand and interwove our fingers. He placed a small kiss on my knuckles before resting our hands in his lap.
"Are you excited?" I asked, turning to face him.
"Not particularly. Conferences are boring and the people are bland."
"Hmm, well we'll just have to make it more fun," I teased giving his hand a squeeze.
Chase and I continued to talk as the plane descended and we eventually landed. We departed the plane and were instantly met with a gust of cold Chicago wind. For some odd reason, our gate wasn't working, so we had to walk from the tarmac to the airport. Our plane was set to leave soon for another flight and we were unable to enter the airport due to the storm, so we were stranded in the cold.
I shivered and cursed myself again for not brining a jacket. I could see goose bumps forming on my skin, and my fingers were beginning to tingle. I was rubbing my hands together when a piece of fabric was placed in my hands.
"Put it on," Chase said, gesturing to the sweatshirt he had given me. "No arguing."
I huffed but put the sweatshirt on anyways, instantly savoring the warmth and the smell of Robert. He ushered for me to walk closer to him so he could wrap his arms around me.
"Ar-aren't you c-cold?" I chattered as he rubbed my back with his hands, trying to keep me warm. He was only in a flannel, but he seemed fine.
"I'm fine, now give me your hands."
I placed them in his as he rubbed them together and blew. After he was done with my hands, I tucked them back into my sweatshirt and curled up against his chest, his head resting on mine. I pressed a kiss to his chest as he wrapped his arms around me once again.
Robert didn't show affection very often, so I was perplexed as to why he was being so hands on now. We had gotten several odd looks from Wilson and Cameron, while House just glared, Foreman looked sick, and Cuddy smiled.
After about fifteen minutes, we were ushered into the airport and directed to the baggage claim. At this point, we were all cold, annoyed, and tired from our shitty airport experience.
Once we got our luggage, we crammed into cabs and drove to our hotel. As we entered Chicago, I pressed my face up against the glass and admired the city. Couples were walking hand in hand down the street, bundled up for the storm as snow swirled around. The buildings glistened with melted snowflakes; I suddenly felt nostalgic, missing my home more than anything.
By the time we made it to the hotel, it had snowed a significant amount. We had to trudge through the slush, soaking my shoes and leggings in the process, eliciting a groan from me. All I wanted at this point was a hot shower and to sleep for five days.
"Okay, I'm with Wilson, Cuddy is alone for obvious reasons, and the four of you fight to the death for your rooms," House said as he shuffled into the elevator with Cuddy and Wilson, leaving Chase, Foreman, Cameron, and I standing in the lobby.
"Okay, I'll go with Chase, but if you two plan to fuck, let me know so I can leave," Foreman said, brushing past us.
My cheeks flamed as Cameron's mouth dropped open. "What? You two? You can't be serious."
I narrowed my eyes at her. "Just because you and Chase didn't work out doesn't mean that we won't."
With that, I turned on my heel and stepped into a newly arrived elevator, pressing my floor and slamming my finger on the "close door" button. I could see the look of confusion on Chase's face as the door closed.
Of course it was obvious that Chase and Cameron had a fling before we met. He and she walked on eggshells around each other, and by the way she blushed when he put his hand on her waist to get past her, they had also been very physical and she wasn't over it. What surprised me is that both of them actually thought no one knew.
I wasn't upset that they had been together, hell I had been with other people too so it wasn't my place to be a hypocrite. However, the way she reacted to Chase and I just grated on a nerve.
I threw my bag onto my bed and yanked my makeup bag out of my suitcase. Hopefully a scalding shower would help clear my head.
I pulled my clothes off and stepped into the shower, hissing when the hot water hit my freezing fingers. The longer I stood in the shower, the looser my muscles got and my anger began to ebb away. I was pulled from my thoughts by the sound of the bathroom door opening. I instantly covered myself, thankful for the steam that fogged up the glass of the shower. I unwrapped my limbs from around myself when I heard an all too familiar sigh.
"Robert?" I asked tentatively, peeking my head out of the shower door.
I didn't seem him, so I shut the door and hopped back under the water and closed my eyes. I squealed in surprise when a pair of arms wrapped around my waist, and turned to face a now wet Robert.
"Idiot! You scared me," I said, lightly smacking his chest. "What are you doing?"
He didn't respond, but instead nuzzled into my neck and rewrapped his arms around my waist. "What happened downstairs?"
"It was nothing," I murmured, reaching for a bottle of shampoo and squirting some into my hands.
"It wasn't nothing," he replied as I motioned for him to turn around and began to wash his hair. He groaned in pleasure as I massaged his scalp, temporarily distracting him from our conversation.
"I knew that you and Cameron had something before, but now it's done, and it doesn't matter."
"How'd you know?" He asked, clearly surprised that I knew.
"It's not hard to miss," I smirked. "The way Cameron looks at you, it's almost like she's lusting after you, not something unfamiliar, right?"
"What do you mean?"
"You don't notice how other nurses look at you? Come on Robert," I chuckled, blushing slightly at the fact that I had just admitted he was hot.
"They can look all they want, but I only want you."
I bit my lip to stop my grin from splitting my face. I stood on my tiptoes and brushed my nose against his, before pressing my lips to his. "I only want you too."
Even though we had only been intimately involved for a few days, I knew that Robert was one I shouldn't let get away. Apparently we had just agreed that we wanted to be exclusive, so now he was really all mine. I ground my hips against his and heard him stifle a moan.
He turned me around suddenly and grasped my hips, forcing me against the wall. He inserted a finger into me and I gasped in surprise, spreading my legs further apart. Robert pressed kisses to my shoulder blades as he inserted another finger. This is a nice way to celebrate.
Robert pulled his fingers out of me and spun me around, his lips crashing into mine. I wound my fingers in his hair and felt his cock stiffen against my leg. I bit his lip and ground my hips against his again.
"Liza-there's-no-condom," he said in between kisses.
"I'm on birth control," I said against his collarbone.
He didn't protest when I guided him inside of me and heard him moan. He began to thrust, me trying to meet his every move while trying not to tip over at the same time. My orgasm came hot and fast; I swear I saw stars as I bit my lip to keep from calling out.
"Liza, I'm gonna-" Robert groaned.
I kissed his throat as he pulled out of me and came in the shower. I silenced his moans with my lips and giggled when he nipped at my neck.
"That never gets old," he sighed against my neck as I ran my fingers through his hair.
My legs were getting a bit shaky; having sex standing up was a lot more work than I thought. Robert must've noticed because he shut the shower off and scooped me up in his arms bridal style.
"That was great," I mumbled as he set me down on my bed and wrapped me in a towel. "Now I'm dead tired and in dire need of a nap."
"Ha! Glad to know I wore you out," Robert teased as I stuck my tongue out at him.
"Come here you knob," I smiled, crawling into bed.
He contemplated for a moment, before shrugging and climbing in with me," You're going to kill me."
I smiled and turned to my side, enjoying the feeling of Chase's arms around me. This is a great start to the conference.