A/N:

I know it's been forever since I've updated, but here you go.
I'll try to update sooner.
Reviews make me update sooner :)

Chapter 10: Worries

House limped down the hallway to the bathroom. He turned on the water before taking off his jeans and boxers. He adjusted the water before stepping in under the spray. Meanwhile downstairs Cuddy was coloring with Rachael.

"Momma, did bring the animal book?" Rachael asked her mother with a quizzical look on her face.

"I don't know baby, let me go look in your bag. I'll be right back." Cuddy made her way upstairs in search of the animal coloring book that Rachael was so fond of. House was in the middle of shampooing his hair when he heard someone enter the bathroom. He rinsed his hair and stuck his head out of the side of the curtain to see Arlene with her head hung over the toilet. Arlene continued to empty whatever was left in her stomach, into the toilet as House remained in the shower. House heard the toilet flush, realizing that she must be done, when all of a sudden the curtain was ripped down. Arlene grasped it, trying to catch herself as she fell to the floor; hitting her head off the side of tub on the way down. House turned the shower off and grabbed the nearest towel before yelling for Cuddy.

"Cuddy!" House's voice bellowed as he yelled out of the bathroom.

Cuddy wasn't too far away, she was down the hall in her room looking for the coloring book. She heard House yell and dropped the coloring book on her way as she ran to the bathroom.

"Oh my god! What happened?" Cuddy asked as she bent down to a towel clad House.

"She was tossing her cookies and the next thing I knew, the shower curtain was being ripped down." House said, as he continued to check Arlene.

Cuddy felt for a pulse as House checked out the gash on her forehead. "Her pulse is thready."

"We need to get to the hospital."

"Go see if the plows have cleared the roads yet." House said to Cuddy as he put his hand over top of hers.

She was freaking out and he needed her to calm down.

"Ok, I'll be right back." Cuddy said before jumping up and running downstairs. Once downstairs, Cuddy looked out the front door to check the roads. Sure enough, the plow had come through a little while ago and cleared most of the roads.

"What are you doing?" Julia asked Cuddy as she stepped behind her.

"Checking to see if the roads are clear," Cuddy said as she stepped back inside.

"Oh my god I need you to watch Rachael."

"I have to get back upstairs, we have to…"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Slow down."

"What's going on with you?" Julia asked as she put her hands on Cuddy's shoulders.

"Mom, she hit her head on the side of the bathtub."

"We need to get her to the hospital."

"Oh my god." Julia gasped.

"I'll go call an ambulance."

"There's no time, we need to go now." Cuddy said as she started to climb the steps.

Cuddy got back upstairs to find House in a pair of jeans and an old worn Rolling Stones tee standing in the hallway.

"How are we, what are we…" House silenced her by pulling her to him.

"Cuddy you need to calm down." House said as he rubbed her back.

"The ambulance should be here soon."

"What?" Cuddy pulled back and looked at him in confusion.

"I called the ambulance when you went downstairs."

"She's going to be ok, she's awake, we just need to get her to the hospital." House said as he looked down at her.

About twenty minutes later, House parked Cuddy's car in the parking lot of the hospital. Cuddy had ridden along in the ambulance with her mother. House got out of the car and walked into the ER. House found Cuddy standing at the first set of doors that led to the inner ER.

"They just took her back." Cuddy said as she stood with her arms crossed in front of her.

"Let's go," House said as he placed her hand on her lower back. They walked through the doors that led to the ER and up to the desk.

"Where is Arlene Cuddy?" Cuddy asked one of the nurses at the desk. House had taken things into his own hands and began to wonder around the ER, in search of Arlene.

"Cuddy," House yelled. Causing Cuddy to turn her head in his direction. House walked away from the nurse's station and over to Cuddy.

"They took her down to run a CT, and they still have tests to run, but we'll know what they know as soon as they know. I'll make sure of it."

"I'm going to go get some coffee from the cafeteria, do you want to come with me?" House asked Cuddy.

"No, I'm going to wait here until she gets back.

"Ok, I'll be back in a little while." House said before walking down the hall.

About 10 minutes after House had left, Arlene was taken to one of the rooms in the ER. Cuddy hurried into the room after her mother and talked to the nurse that was in there with her. The nurse told her that the CT was clean and that there was no damage from the gash on her head. She also informed her that they had given her a sedative to ease the pain. House returned about 15 minutes later with a folder in his hand.

"What's that?" Cuddy asked as he handed her a cup of coffee.

"The results." House simply replied.

"How did you?" Cuddy started to ask but was cut off by House.

"Don't ask questions." House opened the folder and glanced over the paper inside.

She has an infection from the gash on her arm as well as lead poisoning. Just then a man walked into the room. He had wire frame glasses and came up to about House's shoulder.

"Hi I'm doctor Simmons." The man said as he extended his hand out to House. House just looked at him so he turned his attention over to Cuddy.

"You must be Dr. Cuddy," he said with a toothy grin. Cuddy shook his hand before reaching over and grabbing the folder out of House's before he could do anything about it.

"Yes, I'm Dr. Cuddy." Cuddy said to the man in front of her. He continued to stare at her and was snapped out of his daze by House.

"And I'm Dr. House." House said as he glared down at the man staring at Cuddy.

"Is there something you wanted to talk to us about?" Cuddy asked him.

"Oh yes."

"I have the test results for Mrs. Cuddy." The man removed the folder that was tucked from under his arm, and read the results to them.

"We're going to start her on meds and we want to keep her here overnight to keep an eye on the infection." Dr. Simmons said as he grinned at Cuddy.

"If there's anything you need," Simmons said as he placed his hand on Cuddy's shoulder.

"I'll be at the nurse's station for a while." Simmons said.

"Thank you." Cuddy replied.

With that he turned and left the room. After Simmons left the room, Cuddy opened the folder that she had taken from House. Cuddy looked up from the folder to see House standing directly in front of her.

"What?" Cuddy asked.

"What?" House asked back. "

"That man was all gaga eyes for you, and all you can say is what?"

"He was just trying to be nice." Cuddy said.

"Cuddy, he couldn't take his eyes off of you."

"Is someone jealous?" Cuddy asked as she took a step closer to House.

"No." House replied back.

"I think you are." Cuddy teased as she wrapped her arms around House's neck.

"He was kind of creepy though." Cuddy admitted to House as she looked up at him.

"Kind of?" House asked as he moved to put his arms around her.

"Ok, he was creepy." Cuddy conceded. Just then Dr. Simmons walked back into the room catching House and Cuddy with their arms wrapped around each other.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Simmons said awkwardly, as House and Cuddy removed their arms from each other.

"I just wanted to let you know that we will be moving Mrs. Cuddy up to a normal room and out of the ER."

"Thank you Dr. Simmons." Cuddy said, as she stood in front of House who was now smirking.

"No, problem." Simmons said before leaving the room once again. House leaned over and whispered in Cuddy's ear.

"At least he knows your mine now." Cuddy turned around and swatted him on the chest.

"Come on, let's go down to the waiting room so I can call Julia and let her know what's going on."

About twenty minutes later, House and Cuddy were standing in room 329. House watched as Cuddy settled her mother in for night, making sure that everything was taken care of and nothing would go wrong after they had left. Cuddy had called Julia and had informed her what was going on and that their mother had to stay overnight. Julia had offered to come stay with Arlene so that she and House could get some rest, but Cuddy didn't want her to have to bring all of the kids with her. She told her that she and House would be home soon and that they could go back in the morning. House was sitting in one of the visitor's chairs in Arlene's room when Cuddy tapped him on the shoulder.

"You ready to go?" Cuddy asked as she looked down at him.

House stood up and grabbed Cuddy's hand.

"It'll be ok." House reassured her, before walking hand in hand out of the room.

The two walked out of the hospital together, and got into Cuddy's car, and drove back to Arlene's house for the night.

R&R.