Ch 29: Back in the Saddle Again

It was a few days before House actually came out of his coma, but when it happened he made sure everyone knew about it. Cuddy was beside him when he opened his eyes and surveyed his surroundings. She peered into his eyes carefully using the flashlight perched on his bedside table. "Christ, woman, are you trying to burn out my retinas?" he asked grumpily. "I know you hate me, but you could leave some vital organs intact."

"I don't hate you, House. I love you," she told him. He squinted at her, looking her over suspiciously.

"You told me to fuck off over a bridge," he pointed out. "And I pretty well did as you told me…I'm out of your hair. You can get back to being Dean of Medicine, or hospital administrator, or clinic whore, or whatever it is you prefer to go by."

Cuddy was taken aback by his bluntness. She had most certainly not expected him to be so rude; he had just come out of a coma, after all. He was, she realized, more scarred than she had thought he would be. She looked at her hands and cleared her throat, then stood, not knowing what else she could do. She walked out without another word or glance in his direction, fighting back the tears that threatened to overtake her.

House knew, of course, that Cuddy had been at his side the entire time by the joyous look in her eyes when he finally started stirring. He couldn't help himself, however. She had cut him deep and his pride was hurt as well. He sighed and let his head fall back onto the stack of pillows that she had most likely fixed under him the way he liked it. He wondered when Wilson would come by for a while, but fell asleep before he could give the idea more than a once over.

Wilson was standing over him, checking his pulse when House awakened again and he allowed himself to relax into the other man's bedside manner. "How's the kid coming along?" he asked the oncologist loudly.

"You were only out for a little over a week," Wilson told him. "There is no kid yet. Thirteen's still only four months pregnant."

"Damn! And I was hoping for some drama," the diagnostician said sarcastically.

"It sounds like you've got enough of that in your life," Wilson said. "You're avoiding Cuddy like the plague even after she didn't leave the hospital for nearly two weeks and only left your side to piss or pick up her kid."

"She doesn't want me. I'm a liability," House said sourly. The words seemed to leave an unpleasant after taste in his mouth, which he was not at all fond of.

"She apparently wants you somewhat, she stayed with you."

"But I'll still end up hurting her. She's right…it never would have worked out."

"You don't even believe that," Wilson accused. "You don't want it to work, because then you'd have to really commit to something. The wedding plans are still in place for four months from now. You could be the happy couple who grows old together and adopts bunches of orphans or whatever, but you'd rather stew in your own displeasure and your self-pity."

"Don't get all psycho analyst on me, Jimmy. I had that rotation as well."

"Too bad it didn't turn out for you. You're a self fulfilling prophecy! You want to be miserable…"

"How many times have I tried to get on a drug trial that I didn't need or score some weed that might not have been used for medical purposes? Do you think those times weren't me attempting to get my shit straight?"

"You barely even tried! I had to help you out with pretty much everything," Wilson was exasperated. "Which could have meant my license, by the way, for your information. You keep going back to mediocre fixes that will help you for a while. I think you like the limp making you special…noticeable."

House snorted. "And Chase will be the next Queen of England!"

"Too right the little bastard will," Wilson laughed.

"He probably would look better in a dress than that insane woman," House laughed and tapped his open palm against the table. Wilson couldn't help the smile that automatically crossed his face. House really was quite funny…things were back to normal for the dynamic duo, in any case, and both parties were very happy about that fact. House turned the channel to his soap opera and Wilson grabbed a chair and put his feet up on House's hospital sheets.