GETTING SCARED
The rest of the day had gone by rather smoothly for Cuddy. She had spent the rest of her day un-packing boxes and doing some last re-arranging. Now she was sitting in her living room, looking around at the new design. It was dark outside and she was starting to feel a little bit edgy.
She hadn't really been on her own since the entire bomb/stalker thing had taken place. She had spent a lot of time with House or Wilson. Not to mention Cameron. So she had never had the time to feel a little scared because she always had someone there. Even when she was staying in the hotel at least she had the option of going down and hanging around in the kitchen or at the front desk.
Now, alone in her house, things just didn't seem right. She kept hearing strange noises outside and she wasn't sure if they were real or just her mind playing fucked up games on her.
Finally she decided to get her mind off things by making herself something to eat. After all she did need to eat and she had promised Cameron and Wilson that she would look after herself. She would have also promised House as well if he had asked, but he hadn't. That did not mean that he wasn't watching her to see if she was eating properly.
She decided to cook up some pasta with mushroom and chive sauce with veggies. She added the pot of water to the stove for her vegetables and placed another pot for her pasta. It wasn't as if she was a whiz in the kitchen but she could make do as long as she was only cooking for herself or one other person.
20 minutes later and her meal was almost done, however, she could still hear the noises from outside and they seemed to be getting louder. She needed to snap out of this. Stop being so scared of nothing. She needed to get some control back into her life and she needed to start right now. She slowly turned the stove off before making her way to the front door.
She was just about to reach her front door and look through the peep hole when suddenly her phone rang loudly. The sudden noise made her jump and let out a gasp of surprise. She wasn't really sure if she wanted to answer it. After all it was getting late and she'd already talked to Wilson for the night and no one else would call her. Cameron would wait for Cuddy to call her first and so would House. The hospital knew that she was on leave and the police had her new mobile number. So unless it was some telemarketer or someone like that then she didn't want to know. She let it ring out but when her answering machine came on the person on the other end hung up without leaving a message.
"Don't worry about it." She said to herself "Just enjoy your dinner and the rest of your night."
She double checked to make sure that her door was locked and then walked back to her kitchen. She ate her meal, with a glass of red wine in her living room. Eating at the dining room table had always felt weird when she was eating by herself.
During her meal, her phone rang three more times. Each time put her a little more on edge and each time they left no message. Once she had finished her meal, she tried desperately to get the ringing phone out of her mind but it was easier said then done. The best option would be to take the phone off the hook but she feared that someone would try to reach her then. She stood up and went to place her dishes in the sink. That's when she heard the rustling of some bushes outside.
"That's it!" She said suddenly and nearly ran to the phone.
She had wanted to stay by herself in her home to get used to it but she simply couldn't anymore. She needed someone there with her. She needed House. She quickly dialed his number which she had memorized long ago and prayed that he was home.
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House was having a late night. He didn't need to go into work tomorrow so there was no need to get up early. He had decided not to drink anything yet, he had no idea why since regularly he would have a few glasses of scotch. He had taken a few extra vicodin tablets though.
His mind kept re-playing the events of the day over and over in his mind. He had never really hung out with his team outside of work and he was surprised to see how different they acted when there was no patient to be cured. He liked how everyone seemed to be relaxed or at least a little less stressed then they had been during the week. The emails and video cameras had sent everyone on edge, so a day together had helped everyone.
Now because he couldn't sleep he was playing random tunes on his piano. His phone ringing startled him slightly and stopped him playing a piece. He grabbed his cane and made his way to his phone. Usually he would not answer his phone so late because if it was his team or the hospital then his pager would go off. However since the whole bomb/stalker thing had happened he was much more alert. After all Cuddy could be calling, or the police, and if so House did not want to miss the call.
"Hello?" he answered.
"House? It's Lisa," Cuddy said, almost timidly.
"Hey, everything okay?" House asked immediately fearing the worse.
"No, well yes, I…" She paused and House could tell that she was trying to find the right words "I just… I know its late but would you be able to come over?"
"Of course," he replied quickly. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah I'm fine. Its probably nothing but…"
"I'll be right there, okay?"
"Okay thank you, Greg."
"See you soon."
He heard Cuddy sigh in relief before she hung up.
As quick as he could, he hung the phone up and grabbed his jacket, helmet and keys. Then he headed out and locked the door.
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Once the call had ended Cuddy immediately relaxed against her sofa. Just knowing that House was going to be with her soon made her feel all that much better.
TBC
Next chapter - I NEEDED YOU
