Title: Leave the Light On
Author: i luv ewansmile
Summary: Lisa Cuddy's world was tumbling into a dark abyss, all her hard work and nothing to show for it, she was still miserable, if only one doctor could have the cure for her bleeding heart. Huddy. A different spin starting from the kiss scene in "Joy" 5x06.
Disclaimer: I do not own House, nor do I make any profit.
Chapter 11
"…Never mind me cause I've been dead
Out of my body been out of my head
Never mind the songs they hum
Don't want to sing along
There's nothin that I said
That'll bring you happiness happiness
Is hard to come by I confess
I'm bad at this thing happiness
If you find it share it with the rest of us
Never mind the words that came
Out of my mouth when all that I could feel was pain
The difference in the two of us
Comes down to the way
You rise over things I just put down…"
Wilson returned to his office where he left Lisa Cuddy while she was reapplying some of her makeup. She had just finished when her cell phone started ringing.
Shocked that she was actually carrying it, but not entirely surprised, Wilson wondered, where is she hiding it on that stunning body, um, dress. Even in the sanctuary of his mind, James Wilson was still trying to be a gentleman.
Wilson does play the part of a gentleman and turns around. Cuddy pulls her dress up to mid-thigh, and unclasps the phone resting there in its holder against her leg.
House would have loved this, she thinks, smiling sadly to herself as she lets the dress fall back down over her legs. She starts to answer it, but checks the number to see who it is first. She gasps so loudly that Wilson takes it as his cue to turn back around.
His forehead wrinkles in confusion at her reaction, then a deep hollow feeling overcomes him, knowing that something terrible has happened when Cuddy answered the phone.
The night is cold and dark but the street is cast in a soft white glow, radiating from the headlight of an orange motorcycle. The driver never had the time to turn it off; it was now running idly while the owner takes cares of his other worries, himself.
An audible groan is heard from the pavement, along with heavy panting as House tries to calm himself down and ride out the pain. Eyes squeezed shut, arms gripping his leg as best he can. Trying to soothe the spasm without bending his spine from his supine position on the ground, he barely had any energy to move.
Pain has that way of blocking all other thoughts from your mind. It takes over, controls your life, nothing could bring you out of it, except maybe, a cell phone, the lifeline to the outside world, out of this misery and quite possibly into another.
House thinks to himself how absurd his situation really was. Getting told by his love of his life to practically get the hell out of her life and never to come back. Then passing out, his head almost making contact with the headlight of his motorcycle, only for him to twist himself away to crack his skull on the curb, which only added fuel to the fire he felt radiating from the knee he just mangled and the scar that reminded him every day of all the things he's lost.
Being brought back to the present his hand wraps around his cell phone, House lets out a shaky breathe, and stares into the night wondering if he really was stubborn enough not to make the phone call.
His predicament made the choice for him; he wasn't sure himself if he could even get up, so he flipped the phone open, dialed the number and when he got an answer he answered, gruff from the pain and slurred by his pounding head, House said, "Hey," through gritted teeth.
Cuddy almost screamed into her phone from the joy of hearing his voice. So shocked that he called, she almost dropped her phone, fumbling with it in her hands, before she demanded, "House, where are you?"
The line was silent for a moment, Cuddy thought he might have hung up, but in reality his head was swimming and his ears ringing from Cuddy's loud, high pitched questioning, he needed a minute to recuperate.
After his view of the world didn't stop spinning, House shut his eyes once again, trying to block out the pain and listened for her voice.
"House, I'm sorry, I'm... so… sorry, I didn't….I didn't mean anything of what I said, please come back….come home." House had never heard her beg, of course she'd bargained with him to do his job, his clinic hours… but to hear her pleading with him… he could swear her pull of gravity could be felt through the phone; he actually wanted to be there with her, he needs her to here with him.
All else forgotten, the night's previous harsh words, the tears cried, had all replaced been erased by the worry and fear, and love he could decipher in her voice, he could tell she'd been crying, and that just pierced his heart even more. He had to get back to her.
There was nothing but loss, that could put House's life back into focus. He had lost her, again. But you couldn't lose something you never had, right? Oh, but he does have her, her heart anyway.
If he could take her misery away for just one night, and oh, how that night seems so long ago now, she could take his troubles away, they could leave all this, this pain and suffering, if they could just be together one more time. No words, just them. No job, no fussing. Just comfort, just love.
That's all they need, their love, so strong it has bound them throughout the years, the storms of life. They've been witness to each other's bad times; have taken a part of the good. It doesn't matter if she's day and he's night, they are balanced when together, and when they are apart, they are each a force to be reckoned with. Only together could they be whole, complete.
House has realized he's taken to long to answer, he could just picture the frown lines on her worried face, he's about to answer telling her the name of the street sign he can just make out, when he gasps, the pain in his body unrelenting.
Cuddy softly breathes the words out, "House, are you okay? Are you hurt? Please, tell me where you are?"
He softly acquiesces. Then he barely whispers, "…and Lisa…" though he does not finish the statement, he knows she knows.
His chest is heaving as he tries to keep himself breathing. His last thought is she's coming. There is a small smile on his lips as he slowly lets himself fade into the comfort of unconsciousness.
Wilson had watched Cuddy carefully throughout the conversation, swearing to himself that the stress of not knowing was going to kill him, a heart attack most likely, by the way his heart was thudding in his ears.
Cuddy was adamant about seeing House but Wilson assured her he would find him and bring him home, he left her to be ready for them when they arrived.
By the time Wilson had arrived with the paramedics on scene, Wilson's heart stopped the second he caught sight of his best friend.
House was sprawled on the pavement, head leaning on the curb, almost like he was sleeping. But this wasn't the sight that stirred Wilson into motion, causing him to jump out of the vehicle before it came to a complete stop.
Wilson took notice of the way House's hands rested on his knee, and the steady rise and fall of his chest. Wilson was relieved at the sight of House's breathing.
It didn't take Wilson long to piece together what had happened. The bike's headlights were still running, House's cane was laying next to his prone form, House's cell phone laid next to it, there was fresh vomit on the pavement.
Wilson's voiced cracked a bit when he called out House's name. There was no response.
No, Wilson thought, as he planted himself on his knees, hands hovering over House's head, afraid to touch him, afraid of what he would find.
But he didn't have to touch him. Wilson stuck his fingers to the shiny black substance on the curb. Pulling his hand up to his face, Wilson recoiled, falling back, landing on his bottom.
The shiny black substance was not black in the shine of the headlights of the vehicles, but a strong ruby red.
While Wilson gazes at House's pallid face, the crew quickly jumps into action. Soon Wilson is whispering sweet assurances to both himself and the man strapped to the gurney.
The sirens of the ambulance drowned out his words, but it was between him and God, and he surely wished God hears his prayer tonight.
To be continued...
Author's Note: Hope you liked the update. Please review and tell me what you think!
Remember, this is only my third story ever, I'm still quite new at this, so any feedback is helpful! Thanks!
Chapter was edited for mistakes, then reposted.
If you have any questions or some detail is confusing, please PM, sometimes what comes out on paper is not exactly as clears as I had it visioned in my head.
Lyrics by Grant Lee Buffalo, "Happiness".