Cuddy had just sat down after a busy morning when she heard the door bell ring. She looked at the clock to see that it was 9 am and then went to answer the door. When she opened it there stood Wilson with a goofy smile plastered on his face. "He told you? Of course he told you, I don't know why I wasn't expecting you." Cuddy said as she opened the door wider for Wilson.
Wilson smiled as he came in and hung up his coat. "So I hear you have a hot date tonight."
Cuddy let out a sigh, "What did he do call you the minute I left?"
"I don't know if it was the minute you left, but yeah around it." Wilson said. "He actually scared me half to death." Cuddy gave him a curious look. "House called and since I was asleep he left a message, which by the way he never does, saying, and I quote, 'Wilson it's an emergency get here as fast as you can.'"
"So he figured since you didn't answer he had the right to mess with you?" Cuddy said slightly irritated at House.
Wilson looked at her more seriously, "That's what I thought. But he was pretty freaked out about the whole date thing, more so than usual. I think in his mind it was an emergency."
Cuddy bit her lip as she thought about it. "It's just a date Wilson. I don't see why he'd be freaking out about it."
Wilson tried to explain, "To people like me and you, it'd be just a date, but we're comfortable socially and … well... House isn't. It's been over four years since his last date, which he had to be blackmailed into." Wilson paused as he thought about it. "The last time he went on a real date was with Stacy, and that was... like 15 years ago, because she moved in after their third date."
Cuddy walked into the living room and sat down on the couch thinking about what Wilson had said.
Wilson lifted an eyebrow at her, "To be honest, I think he's afraid of messing up, getting hurt, hurting someone or being rejected because of his leg, afraid of all of it."
Cuddy was starting to get nervous so she switched topics slightly, "I've always heard rumors, that Stacy wasn't faithful, but I recently heard that she was violent to him, but she never seemed that way." Cuddy said knowing that if anyone would know it would be Wilson.
Wilson swallowed and looked down. "Well looks can be deceiving."
Cuddy frowned, "I don't understand why House would put up with that, I mean it's not like him to let someone push him around."
Wilson shook his head, "House isn't the same person when he's dating someone, as he is at work. With medicine he's confident, with people he isn't. Actually that's why Stacy left, she called me the morning after she left and told me that earlier that week she and House had and argument and that she hit him hard, left bruises. She said..." Wilson sighed, "She said that she hit him on his leg, and that she realized that she didn't really love him if she could do that to him." Wilson gave a bitter laugh, "I told her to stay the hell away from him." Wilson looked at Cuddy with sad eyes, "When I went over... never mind you don't want to know."
Cuddy looked at him with a shocked expression, "I'm guessing he didn't take the news well."
Wilson shook his head, "When I told him that she called me to tell him it was over, he... House cried. I mean he was crying so hard he was shaking. He kept saying he pushed away the only woman who could love him." Wilson swallowed, "I didn't have the heart to tell him that she never did. And I wasn't ready for those bruises as frustrating as House can be, he didn't deserve that. Promise me you'll never do that to him."
"Of course not," Cuddy felt her anger rise, "She better hope she never sees..." Suddenly something popped into her head, "Why the hell did he even try to get with her when she came back?"
Wilson shrugged, "He loved her. House has a hard time letting people in, and once he has, he has an even harder time letting them go." He gave her the most serious look she had ever seen, "Be careful with him Cuddy, I'm not sure he's completely recovered from Stacy."
It was eleven in the morning when Cuddy once again found herself standing outside House's apartment. She wasn't sure why she was there, part of her wanted to reassure him about the date, the other part of her wanted to tell him the date was off. She had brought his shirt with her as an excuse. Cuddy knocked on the door and waited for House to answer. She could hear talking and movement inside and within a couple of minutes the door opened revealing House in a pair of boxer briefs and a tee shirt.
"Cuddy? What are you doing here?" House said he leaned against the door frame pulling the door as to only allow her to see him as his right hand covered the scar on his thigh.
Cuddy was surprised to see him in his boxers, and then got suspicious. "Who were you talking to?" She asked trying to look in.
"Greg, I'm going to grab a water, okay?" A woman said from inside the apartment.
Cuddy gave House a look of disbelief and push the door more open only to see the same woman she had caught with House the night she went to thank him for the desk.
House let out a frustrated sigh. "She's my.." He didn't get to finish the sentence as Cuddy pushed his shirt into his stomach and cut him off.
"I know what she is!" Cuddy hissed. She had really thought that this might work, but now she was happy it was over before it began. "You couldn't go one day without calling a hooker? You are such a bastard!"
House's jaws clenched, "Yeah that's right, she's my hooker and if you don't mind I'd like to get my money's worth!"
"What the hell Greg? You better tell her the truth." The women said as she joined them at the door.
"Tell me the truth about what?" Cuddy said as she glared at House.
House was so mad every muscle in his body tense, "You can't tell someone who already knows EVERYTHING, anything." He said staring at Cuddy.
"I'm his masseuse," The woman said as she held out a hand to Cuddy, in which Cuddy just stared at it. "Greg, I've got another appointment at one so we really need to get started."
"Oh, I bet you do." Cuddy said sarcastically.
The masseuse lunged at Cuddy and House put out his arm and pulled her back into the apartment. She looked at House in a fury, "Tell me that this isn't your date!"
"Not anymore." House said looking irritated and slightly hurt.
Cuddy gave a bitter smile, "I'm glad we're finally in agreement on something!"
"Listen here bitch, the only reason he called me was so I could massage his leg so it wouldn't hurt so bad on his damn date with you!" The woman said in a raised voice.
House cringed, he hated it when people talked about his pain.
"Really, is that what you were doing in his office a month ago?" Cuddy said snidely.
"No, he paid me to pretend I was a patient to play a joke on some of the doctor he works with." The masseuse said.
Cuddy thought about it for a minute, what the masseuse said sounded so much like House that she knew it had to be true. "But then why did you try to hide her?" Cuddy said now feeling somewhat foolish.
House looked at Cuddy, "I didn't want you to know I got massages. It sounds so... Wilson." House said looking back down. The masseuse walked back into the living room to give them so privacy
Cuddy could tell he was somewhat embarrassed. "I think it's great. It's a lot better way to deal with the pain than... well some of your other methods. I'll just leave and I'll see you again at seven." Cuddy said as she started to leave.
"No, we shouldn't do this." House said watching Cuddy as she turned back to him.
"House this was just a misunderstanding." Cuddy said softly.
House rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. "Cuddy this is crazy, this will never work and in the end I'm afraid it's going to make things worse. We should just stop this now before things start getting any weirder than they already are." House said looking her straight in the eyes.
"House..." Cuddy said softly as she put her hand on his chest, but was cut off before she could finish.
House could tell she was about to try and talk him back into the date, "I'm the same man I was a week ago Cuddy. I know you think I'm someone else now because of the last couple of days, but I'm not. I'm still a ass who will hurt you. Dammit Cuddy, I don't want you to hate me before this is over."
"House, it's just a date, everything will be fine." Cuddy said with a smile rubbing his chest slightly.
House gave her a worried look, "Give me one reason why we should do this."
Cuddy thought about it for a moment, and then smiled she wrapped her arm around his neck and pulled him down to a short soft kiss.
House looked at her startled, "This..."
Cuddy got him to shut up by kissing him again this time longer and more intense, in seconds House was kissing her back with passion and she pulled away from him with an evil smile. "So how's that for a reason?"
House licked his lips tasting her on him. He gave a chuckle, "You are evil... and... I'll see you at seven."
Cuddy smiled, "Good," she said and walked away swinging her hips more than usual.
House watched her and rubbed his lips then smiled and went back into his apartment.
Wilson knocked on House's door a hour later.
"It's unlocked, just come in Wilson." House said from inside the apartment.
Wilson came in to find that the apartment was clean. He looked around amazed and then smiled, "You like her."
"Shut up." House said as he finished dusting the piano.
Wilson tried to get the smile off his face. "Fine, so what do you plan on wearing."
House looked around nervously, "I thought I'd go and get a couple of new clothes." He tried to sound casual.
Wilson looked at him blankly and blinked.
"What? You've been trying to get me to go and get new clothes for the last ten years." House said annoyed.
"Exactly, ten years I've been trying, but Cuddy asks you on a date and suddenly..." Wilson was cut off by House.
"Stop it, stop smiling." House said as he grabbed his cane and walked over to an end table and picked up his keys and wallet. "New clothes are good, right?" House asked unsure.
Wilson kept the smile off his face. "Yeah House, new clothes are good."
On the way to the store House gave Wilson a brief overview of what had happened in the last couple of days between him and Cuddy. When they pulled up to the store House read the name, Just Tall, and started to get out of the car. "So you think I'll like this place?"
Wilson just shrugged and kept walking into the store, and House followed. The store was broken up into several sections, there was Laid Back, Workin It, Suit Up , Kickin It, and Polish. House couldn't help but notice that he his closet mainly looked like the Laid Back section. House stopped at the Kickin It section.
"Hey, I thought you were here for clothes not sneakers." Wilson said as he watched House looking through the shoes.
"What's the old saying 'Shoes make the man?'" House said with a smile as he started looking at the dress shoes. "Wow, these things look uncomfortable." His smile faded as he picked up a shoe and looked at it.
"They are, but these are some of the most comfortable shoes you'll ever wear." Said an associate with a name tag that read Bart said. He was holding up a white leather slip-on style shoe to House.
House looked at the shoe in the mans hand, "What colors do you have them in?"
"In stock, only the white. We have some black and brown ones coming in next Thursday. Would you like to try them on?" Bart asked.
House thought about it for a second, "Do you have them in a 13 ½?"
Bart pulled out a pair of the shoes in Houses size with in a couple of seconds. "Here you go sir."
House sat down in one of the chairs and put on the shoes. They fit perfectly, not too tight and good arch support. House looked up at Bart with a smirk, "You mind if I take them for a spin?"
Bart smiled, "Not at all."
House stood up using his cane and was even more impressed, the soles were flexing with his feet. He took a few more steps and he couldn't help but smile. "Only in white."
"House, you aren't really considering getting those." Wilson said looking at the white shoes.
House took another couple of steps, "Why not, they're comfortable?"
Wilson was surprised House was even considering the shoes, "House, they're white."
"So are you, and I'm still friends with you." House mocked then looked back at Bart, "I'll take them."
"Great, you want me to take them to the front while you look around some more?" Bart asked trying to be helpful.
House thought about it, "Actually, I think I'll just keep them on." He said with a smile.
"Great," Bart said and then he brought him a white leather belt. "You might want to consider this to go along with the shoes."
"Looks good," House said after trying on the belt. "Now I just need a suit."
It took four hours before House and Wilson were at the apartment again. House opened the door and fell onto the couch. A minute later Wilson walked through the left open door holding a mountain of clothing bags that he took into House's room and laid on the bed then returned to the living room and flopped down on the couch next to House. They both sat there for a few minutes looking exhausted.
"How can shopping be so exhausting?" House mumbled as he cracked his neck.
Wilson gave House an annoyed look. "Well I don't know why you're tired, I know I am because I just had to carry in fifty pounds of clothes."
"Well how the hell was I suppose to carry them?" House asked angry. "If you haven't forgotten I'm a fucking cripple."
"Well someone is just a ray of sunshine today." Wilson said dripping with sarcasm. House had he head leaned back against the couch with his eyes closed. He kept swallowing and was rubbing his thigh. Now that Wilson was looking harder he could see the slight sweat that covered House's forehead. "Hey, House you okay?" Wilson asked with concern.
"I'm fine." House said with his eyes still closed.
"Well, that reassuring even if you look like crap right now." Wilson said flatly. "Do you need me to get you anything?"
"Trash can." House mumbled.
Wilson jumped up and got the trash can quickly. House grabbed the trash can from him practically hugging it as he vomited. Wilson got House a cold wet rag and handed it to him.
House looked at him with irritation. "I didn't ask for that, you don't have to baby me." House said but took the rag anyway and wiped his face with it, then started vomiting again.
Wilson smiled happy that House had taken the rag even if he acted like an ass about it. Half an hour passed of retching, grunting, and the phrase 'Not again' before it seemed to have subsided. "So I guess your nerves are starting to get to you." Wilson said off handed.
House had finally put the trash can down and was leaning back while rubbing his thigh again. "Nerves had nothing to do with it."
"Well it wasn't the hot dogs, I had the same thing as you and I feel fine." Wilson said eying House.
House's breathing was labored, "No, I haven't taken any vicodin today." House said using both hand to try and massage the pain out of his leg.
Wilson eyebrows shot up, "None?"
House shook his head.
Wilson looked at him with confusion, "Why not?"
"I had a massage earlier and my leg felt... well better than usual, so I figured I'd try and see how long I could go with out the vicodin. By the way could you hand me the bottle on the coffee table." House said as he glanced at the bottle.
Wilson handed it to him and with in seconds House was chewing two of the pills. Wilson knew that meant the pain had to at least be a seven. "Why didn't you just take some when it started hurting again." Wilson asked concerned.
"I didn't take them with me." House said as he closed his eyes and kept rubbing.
Wilson looked at him dumbfounded, "But you always take them with you. Hell you keep bottles in all your coat pockets just so you always have them." Wilson waited for House to say something, but he didn't. "House, why didn't you take them with you?"
House licked his lips and swallowed, "I didn't trust myself not to take them just out of habit."
Wilson was blown away by House's honesty, and thought for a minute. "I'm glad you're trying to tone down the amount of vicodin you take, but next time try only bringing two pills or leaving them in the car."
"Could you start the tub, it takes ten minutes to fill and my leg could really use a hot soak?" House asked.
"Well, I could but would I is..." Wilson stopped at the irritated look House was giving him. "Yeah sure." Wilson start the tub and then went back to the living room. "I'm surprised you got as much as you did." Wilson said trying to take Houses mind off the pain.
House smirked, "Yeah, well I don't want to have to do that again for another ten years."
Wilson laughed, "Oh come on, it wasn't that bad... except for the last hour, which I'm guessing is when the pain started to get bad."
House shrugged because he didn't want to admit he actually had fun. "At least I got a bitchin' suit and some comfortable shoes."
Wilson cringed, "I can't believe you bought those shoes, and as for the suit, I wouldn't really know if it's 'bitchin' or not since you wouldn't let me see it."
House smiled, "Haven't you ever seen those make over shows? You aren't suppose to reveal everything until the end."
Wilson rolled his eyes, "Well if this is a make over then you might want to think about shaving."
House ran his hand through his facial hair and frowned at the thought of losing it. "Why?"
"You mean mister obsessive missed something?" Wilson said with a smile. House's brow wrinkled in confusion. "Cuddy only dates clean cut guys."
House frowned, "But I like my scruff."
Wilson shrugged, "Whatever, you can half ass this and see how that works."
House narrowed his eyes on Wilson and stood up slower than usual, because of the pain in his leg. "I'm going to start that soak so I can get ready, just watch some TV and don't make a mess." House said in a fatherly tone.
Wilson chuckled, "Out of the two of us, I'm the clean one."
House limped off without another word into the bathroom.
It was forty five minutes later when House walked back out. "Well, what do you think?"
Wilson smiled big, "Wow... now tell me what you've done with House?" Wilson asked as he stood up and looked him over.
"Seriously, does it look okay?" House asked anxiously.
"I honestly have to say, I don't think I've ever seen you look better House." Wilson said still smiling, "Cuddy isn't going to know what hit her."