Thank you for your opinions, I'm glad you like this story. And I appreciate it that you took the time to tell me.
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Cuddy was feeling a little awkward when she followed House to his bedroom. She hadn't seen his flat since he had moved in and she was curious. But she did not want to appear nosy, so she didn't linger on her way to the bedroom. She got a general impression that Gail had decorated the place a lot like House's old place. The bedroom certainly had the same furniture as before. House had already opened a space for her and patted the mattress invitingly in passing as he made his way to a closet. He returned with two extra pillows and stood expectantly by the bed waiting for Cuddy to lie down.
"Coming?" He asked her with raised eyebrows. Cuddy bit her lip again, but since she was already this far it seemed stupid to hesitate now, so she walked to the bed, to the side House was waiting by and settled herself down on her side – fervently thankful that she was wearing a covering cotton nightgown. As she settled down House put one pillow under her head and the other he tucked between her knees, which immediately put her spine in a better position. He then tucked her in, almost like she was Aiko, which she found somewhat disconcerting – but reassuring. "Ok?" He asked and Cuddy nodded already feeling sleepy.
House checked on Aiko first and then he crawled in bed next to her. He flopped around for a moment to get the covers the way he wanted and then – to Cuddy's surprise – he settled against her back, spooning her.
"Oh!" Cuddy let out the sound almost unknowingly.
"Do you mind?" House asked sleepily. "It's not that big a bed so we are bound to bump into each other during the night, better get it out of the way immediately so we won't disturb each other later."
"No, it's ok," Cuddy muttered. "I just didn't expect you to be a spooner."
"I'm not really, but with your passengers there this is probably the most comfortable position to take," was the answer.
"So you only spoon with pregnant ladies?" Cuddy smiled.
"You got it, now shut up and sleep," House sounded like he was smiling too, but it was difficult to know for sure.
Cuddy took his advice and settled down to sleep; only she couldn't. All of a sudden she felt an overwhelming sense of comfort from feeling House breathe against her neck and the contrast to the loneliness she usually felt when waking up at night made her cry. Damn hormones!
"Are you crying?" She heard House's voice behind her. She tried to wipe the tears away and calm down but to no avail. House sighed: "What is it about my bed that every time I get you in it, you cry?"
"I'm pregnant," Cuddy snapped at him, though mildly.
"You weren't the last time," he pointed out.
"By the time I cried I was – or as good as," Cuddy countered.
"Ok, I have to give you that," House conceded. "But even pregnant ladies need some reason to cry, no matter how small. So what is it? If not my bed."
"It's just ..." Cuddy sniffed and sighed and sniffed and got her voice under control – and she could have sworn she felt a small kiss against her hair, but decided that if it wasn't her imagination she better ignore it. Anyway real or not, it got her to calm down enough to speak. "I know you promised to be there for me with the kids, and I know that even if you run for the hills all of a sudden, your mother would be here for me and there's Wilson and Kasumii and any number of people I wouldn't have even believed would be there for me when I first thought about having a child. So I know that I'm not alone, that I have no need to be extra scared or even worry about what is going to happen to my children if something happens to me. I really know that I'm not alone..."
"Except that you are," House surprised her with his understanding. "And of course you are! You are the only one who is pregnant. There are only so many things that others can share with you or help you with right now. And all that does crash in on you in the still of the night, when you are alone in your bed and there is nobody you can wake up and help you take your mind off it."
"Yeah, that's it exactly," Cuddy agreed. "Only now I'm not alone, you really are here, like you promised and somehow that makes me sad!"
"You feel the contrast between this night and what is normally your situation," House mused. "Was this a bad idea? Is this making things worse for you in the long run? Because we cannot have many nights like this and not have something happen between us, no matter how pregnant you are."
"No, no, this is fine, it's just my hormones," Cuddy was not going to give up her position now. She might feel sad and weepy now but she knew that that would pass soon enough and her back loved House's bed! No way was she moving now. Not until she had similar mattress in her own bed.
"It's not just that, is it?" House asked. It seemed that the night and the darkness – and possibly the fact that they weren't face to face – got him into an open mood, too. Not that he was opening up about himself, just more concerned about her. "You are also wondering if once you are a mama of three, you will ever get anyone share a bed with you in a more permanent way. Your career has been in the way before, but I cannot see how you could fail to find someone who will appreciate the woman you are. Men may be pigs but not all of them are idiots."
"No, I know they are not," Cuddy sighed. "But that exactly has been the problem so far."
"What do you mean?" House was puzzled.
"You remember Don Herrick?" Cuddy asked. House made a negative sound so she went on. "The Oil man."
"Oh, your Funny Valentine," House was suddenly on the same page again. "What happened to him? I never saw him again and you seemed to like him? What did he do to make you ditch him?"
"I didn't ditch him," Cuddy revealed. "He ditched me."
"Then he was an idiot," House stated. For a second Cuddy considered turning around and checking it really was House in bed with her, because he was never this nice to her. Well, almost never. "Did he even tell you why?"
"Yeah, you," Cuddy said simply.
"Me?" House was taken aback. "He ditched you because of two interruptions from me? He cannot have been that insecure or timid. You would have spotted it earlier on and not have met him at all."
"No, the reason he gave was that I was everything he wanted," Cuddy paused before delivering the punch line. "When I was with you!"
"He wanted a three-some?" House suggested a little startled.
"No, silly," Cuddy had to laugh. "No. He said that he didn't know if it was you or my job or just me loving arguments but when he saw me with you I was focused, and vibrant and alive. Intensely alive. That was the woman he wanted to know, and – not being an idiot - he knew he wasn't going to. So he said: thanks and no hard feelings."
"Hmm, I suppose one has to respect a man for knowing his own mind," House mused. "Sorry, had I known ..."
"You would still have screwed up my date," Cuddy finished for him.
"Probably," House admitted. "So what was it? Me or your job or arguing?"
"Darn if I know," Cuddy sighed. "Though I never feel as alive as when I'm arguing with you. You challenge me like nobody else. I just haven't figured out if I hate it or like it. But it does get addictive."
"Like Vindaloo curry," House remarked dryly.
"Vindaloo curry?" Cuddy wondered.
"That's what Stacy called it. I'm like really hot curry that burns your mouth and makes you swear that you never want to eat curry again," House explained. "Only, then one morning you wake up and feel that you really want some curry."
"I suppose we have to agree that she probably knew what she was talking about," Cuddy nodded. "Besides I know what she means. You are like fire, intensely fascinating, but get too close and get burned. The only one who seems to be immune to it is Wilson."
"That's because Wilson doesn't really know what he is risking," House sighed. "On one level he knows me better than anyone, but on another – he doesn't know the first thing about me. Which, I suppose is the reason why we are friends."
"That's screwed up," Cuddy observed.
"That's me," House agreed. "Now, are you going to try and sleep anytime tonight or...?"
"Sleep," Cuddy voted. "But I want that new mattress tomorrow."
"We'll make it happen," House promised as they slowly drifted to sleep.
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Next morning House woke up early, both Aiko and Cuddy were still asleep. He checked the time and realised it was close to the time his mother usually woke up and went into the kitchen to start on the breakfast. He got out of the bed - managing it without waking Cuddy – and made his way to the main kitchen where Blythe indeed was mixing a pancake batter.
"Greg!" Blythe exclaimed. "You're up early. Is your leg bothering you or is something wrong with Aiko?"
"No, no, everything is fine," House responded pouring himself a glass of juice. "It's just that... Could you go and get some clothes for Cuddy from her room. Sweats, something, anything."
"Why would I do that?" Blythe was a little confused at the request. "Isn't she in her room?"
"No," House confessed. "Her mattress is too soft now that she is pregnant – which reminds me we need to find her a new one today – so she is asleep in my bed now. Only since I found her here in the middle of the night she doesn't have anything to change into once she gets up."
"Oh," Blythe couldn't help it but she experienced a small flare of hope: maybe her son had found happiness after all. House, of course read his mother like a book.
"No, Mom, we have not moved in together," House clarified. "We just slept in the same bed. Friends can do that sometimes when necessary, and it was necessary because Cuddy's back was killing her. Besides, she is nearly six months pregnant! Just think: how horny were you when ... you ... were ... that ... far..." House's voice slowed and died down as – totally fascinated – he watched a deep crimson tide make its way up his mother's neck and face probably covering her from her toes to the top of her head. House closed his eyes and shook his head: "Shit! I may have just scarred myself for life!"
"Gregory," Blythe was still red, but she was a grown woman and capable of speaking to her son – even about anything. "You don't need to take that attitude. Surely you knew a stork didn't bring you!"
"Mom, its one thing to assume that your parents have a sex life," House didn't choke on those words; he just looked like he wished he could. "Or even to hope, academically, that it was and is a satisfying one. This, however, is different. This is too much information. Besides I was there!"
"No you weren't," Blythe insisted. "You were, now what is it you say – yes, you were just a parasite. Long before you were you."
"Theoretically I agree," House grimaced. "But sometimes theory just doesn't cover everything. However, that was not supposed to be the subject of this morning's conversation. Let's get back to Cuddy and her wardrobe, please."
"Fine, I'll go get something for her to wear," Blythe relented. "Will you wait here or...?"
"I'll be here, but I think it would be better if you took the clothes to her," House mused. "Since I don't want to keep her visit a secret – especially as nothing worth hiding happened anyway, it might be best if you two can talk about it in private. She might have a thing or two to say about me that she wouldn't want to say when I'm around."
So that was why Cuddy woke up to find Blythe in House's bedroom with some clothes for her. Aiko wasn't there anymore as she had been waking up when Blythe got there and she had carried the baby to House to mind.
"Greg asked me to bring you some clothes," Blythe smiled. "He thought it would be nicer for you than trailing through the house in your nightgown. And don't worry, he told me what happened."
"Thank you, Blythe," Cuddy tried to shake the last remnants of sleep from her as she sat up. She had to say that she hadn't slept this well since she got pregnant. "I wish I had realised what was wrong with my bed myself. I would have arranged for a new mattress sooner. I hope House got some rest, too. Is he ok? His leg?"
"He is fine," Blythe smiled. "He is taking care of Aiko's morning routines."
"So Kasumii stayed with Grey again last night?" Cuddy smiled. She liked the young couple – especially since both had made it clear that there was no chance Kasumii would not stay on as a Nanny to Aiko and the Triplets.
"Hmm," Blythe confirmed. "They are coming later to spend the Sunday with us, as, I suppose, are the others, too. Or at least most of them."
"I still find this idea of open house that House has here a little hard to believe," Cuddy wondered. "It's almost like a parallel universe."
"Not really," Blythe revealed. "This was the way our home was when he was a child. He put up with it because of me, now he is doing it for the children. Besides, he does have his lair to retire to if people start getting on his nerves."
"Do you think we can make this work?" Cuddy wanted to know Blythe's opinion.
"Yes," Blythe was sure. "It will take work, make no mistake, but I believe that since you are both willing to do the work, it will be ok. Not easy, but you'll be fine."
"Thank you," Cuddy smiled. "Sometimes I just need to be reassured."
"And Greg isn't necessarily the most reassuring person around, is he," Blythe sighed.
"No," Cuddy agreed. "But he has his moments, when he wants to. Thank you for the clothes. I'll get dressed and come to the kitchen for breakfast soon."
"Good," Blythe nodded. "See you then. I'm sure Greg has got Aiko ready by then too."