A/N: I forgot to give credit in the last chapter. The statistics that Ginsberg cited regarding deaths caused by NSAIDs came from one of my House/OC babe muses, glenlivet19. A million thanks, glennie. Oh, if you aren't reading her story, Run Away From the Pain, you're missing out on a great read. And don't forget her classic, The Elle Word. Go check them out.

Disclaimer: Don't Own, except OCs.

House, Ann and Ginsberg went back up to House's room.

"That seems to have gone reasonably well," Ann observed as she helped House into a chair.

"The medical stuff was a slam dunk," Ginsberg noted. "The rest won't be so easy. But we do have at least one advantage."

"What's that?" House asked.

"Your almost brutal honesty," Ginsberg stated.

"His honesty? I'm not following you," Ann said.

"Doctor House has been pretty open about things like his drug use and some of his other less-than-model-employee behavior," Ginsberg opined. "So, nothing that comes out in discovery is likely to shock anyone."

"That's certainly true," House snorted. "I've worked hard for my reputation."

"And, in this case, that's in our favor," Ginsberg argued. "No one will view Doctor House's behavior as anything but 'normal' for him and won't be surprised by it. Therefore, he has nothing to fear from discovery. Doctor Cuddy, on the other hand . . . "

". . . has a reputation to protect," Ann said, "And a job that requires personal credibility and propriety, so if her behavior becomes known it could ruin her standing and endanger her job."

"Precisely," Ginsberg agreed. "So, she has every reason to go along with pretty much everything we want. And, since she is the official face of the hospital, her behavior is a reflection upon the Board that hired her and kept her working here. They're not going to want to be embarrassed by what she's done, either. Or endanger the hospital's reputation, for that matter."

"Remind me never to have you on the opposing side," House commented.

"You wouldn't, Doctor House," Ginsberg said. "I've made a successful and profitable career representing the little guy against large institutions. I don't go after individuals."

"If it was a good enough case . . . " House ventured.

"Nope," Ginsberg disagreed. "I don't like going after people for mistakes. I prefer to take down the arrogance and stupidity of large organizations. That's where the money is, for one thing."

"And the other things?" Ann asked.

"I'm very good at what I do," Ginsberg stated, matter-of-factly, "So, I wouldn't want to use that expertise on some poor Joe Q. Slob somewhere. It wouldn't be fair."

"What's fair got to do with?" House inquired cynically.

"Nothing, if you don't care about that sort of thing," Ginsberg admitted.

"And you obviously do, because . . . ?" House questioned.

"That's what my Mom and Dad taught me," Ginsberg answered.

"Let me guess," House said. "They were affluent, left-wing Jews living in Connecticut, and they taught you to care about the less fortunate."

"Hardly," Ginsberg countered. "They were Jewish refugees and we lived in Crown Heights. My Dad was in Bergen-Belsen and my Mom survived Auschwitz. He was a factory worker and she was an electrician."

"An electrician?" Ann asked.

"She was a seamstress in a small Polish town," Ginsberg explained. "When she got to the camp, she saw there were a lot of other girls who were seamstresses, and they were all in this long line. She decided that didn't look good, so she told the guards she was an electrician."

"That was smart," House noted. "But isn't that something that's hard to fake?"

"She figured it out as she went along. She's eighty-six and she can still wire a switch," Ginsberg noted proudly.

Hadley came in with soup and sandwiches and promptly left.

Ginsberg and Ann ate their lunches while House attempted to eat the items on his lunch tray. Ann took pity on him and gave him her soup. House took it since he was hungry, it was real (that is, non-hospital) food and he saw she wasn't going to eat it. He also noticed that she barely touched her sandwich.

He was worried about her lack of appetite, but he supposed she could still be stressed out from everything that had been going on. Heck, it could even be as simple a thing as she was sick of take-out. She always did prefer the food she cooked herself. He decided not to say anything, but to watch her and wait to see if her appetite improved once they got home.

"So, you told everyone at the meeting you're here the rest of the week," Ann remembered. "Where are you staying?"

"Um, that was a bit of a bluff," Ginsberg admitted. "I did pack a bag, just in case, but I really don't have any reservations. I guess I'll be on the internet this afternoon looking for a hotel."

"If you don't mind messy, you can stay at our place," Ann offered.

"You don't want a guy you barely know at your house," Ginsberg stated. "Besides, when Doctor House gets discharged, I'm sure there won't be enough room."

"He's not going home any time soon," Chase interjected as he entered the room, carrying some paperwork. "We have to get him off the post-op pain meds and get his new pain management regimen working before we discharge him."

House groaned in frustration. "I didn't agree to that."

"Your pain management specialist insists that we get the meds regulated as much as possible," Chase said.

"And we don't want to give the other side any ammunition regarding your new protocol," Ginsberg noted. "That means you're going to have to do this by the book."

"Great," House muttered. "How long is that going to take?"

"I'd say you won't be going home before the weekend," Chase estimated.

"Which means I'll be here until then, too," Ann noted. "So, Shel, you can have the house all to yourself."

"I'm a lawyer," Ginsberg stated with a smirk, "Are you sure you don't want to go home first and lock up the valuables? Seriously, I'm pretty sure I'll be around next week, too. What happens when you get home?"

"Not counting the master bedroom, I have three bedrooms with adjoining baths," Ann noted, "And I have another bedroom with a fold-out couch. I think we'll be able to figure it out."

"But you hardly know me," Ginsberg protested.

"Hell," House interjected, "She slept with me the day we met."

Ginsberg smiled. "Are you offering to share, Doctor House?"

"No way!" House growled. "Get your own hot babe."

"Besides," Ann sighed theatrically, "Greg has ruined me for any other man."

"It's true. I have ruined her for any other man," House chimed in. "Me and my friend Huge Johnson."

"I thought it was the trauma associated with getting anywhere near you," Chase interjected, trying to deflect the discomfort he felt about the discussion of Ann and House's sex life. "It's time to remove your IV."

"And that's my cue to leave," Ginsberg said. "I'm not so much for the blood and guts."

"Then watch yourself with Cuddy," House informed him. "She's been known to rip the heads off men and suck out their insides."

"Thanks for the warning," Ginsberg smiled.

"Let me walk out with you," Ann offered.

Ann gave Ginsberg her key, the security code, directions to the house and she told him about all the prepared food she had in the basement freezer. She also texted Danielle to tell her that they had a houseguest, just so Danielle wouldn't be surprised if she went over to get Ann some clean clothes and found the attorney staying there.

By the time she returned, House was IV-free.

"I'll be back in three hours to give you your first dose of oral pain meds," Chase told House and left.

"Three hours, huh?" Ann asked with a playful tone in her voice. "What are we going to do with three whole hours?"

"There are certain things that spring to mind," House answered with a leer of his own. "It seems to me that someone promised me some post-meeting sex."

Ann lowered the blinds and went to the door and locked it.

"Other than the 'excursion' this morning, which was hardly a relaxing experience, you've been stuck in one of these uncomfortable beds for several days. How about a massage first?"

Ann helped House out of his clothes and took off hers as well. She helped him to the bed.

"Do you want me face up or face down?"

"Face down."

House rolled over on to his abdomen.

There was a pause. "I know I've told you this before, but you have the most gorgeous back." Ann began kissing him on the nape of the neck. She traveled down his entire dorsal side, placing soft kisses everywhere.

House felt slightly self-conscious as she reached his love handles. Granted, compared to most guys his age, they were pretty small, but they were still there and a reminder that he couldn't just work out and get rid of them.

House felt a jolt when Ann ran her face all along the back of his waist. It was a silent statement that she accepted this part of him, too. And it was even deeper than that. It was a genuine gesture of unconditional love. House felt some intense feelings rise in his chest. If she didn't start the massage soon, he wasn't sure if he could keep it together much longer.

He uttered a small groan when she began kissing his butt. Luckily, this brought arousal rather than profound emotion, which helped pull him back a little.

His arousal was intensified further when she moved his legs apart and began caressing the spot in-between his butt crack and his balls. House began to make whimpering noises as the caressing changed to tickling and, then, even worse, to licking.

All thoughts of a massage departed what was left of his rational brain as she moved to licking his balls.

"Fuck, Annie," he hissed as she paused and gently turned him over. His erection sprang up and she took him into her mouth.

She went down on him just a few times. "I want you inside me when you come," she whispered huskily, unable to disguise the lust in her voice.

She moved up to straddle him. He grasped her firmly but gently by the hips and lowered her to the bed so they were lying side by side. Even though he would have preferred to take her with him on top, this was about the best he could manage right now.

He slid his fully erect penis along her channel. She was dripping wet. Although it shouldn't have surprised him at this point that her merely touching him was enough to make her completely aroused, it did. And it filled him with gratitude that this beautiful woman wanted him that much.

He penetrated her slowly, to make sure she felt every bit of him. The sounds she made told him he was having the effect he wanted. After he was inside her up to the hilt, he pulled out again, feeling her body clutch at him as he slid away. It was a sensation he knew he would never grow tired of because it told him the depth of her desire, and how welcome he was to join with her in this most intimate of ways.

He established a slow, steady rhythm, with her body moving in time to meet his thrusts. She came first – a lustful, loving, shuddering mass, unable to hide the depth of her pleasure.

He thrust inside her one last time and released completely, both physically and emotionally. He felt so safe with her that the feelings he'd been taught to hide, both by the cruelty of his father and by every betrayal he had ever experienced, were on full display in his face as he looked into hers.

Ann's breath hitched as she saw the incredible beauty in front of her eyes. She felt like she was being given a piece of his soul.

"I wish . . . I could tell you . . . how much I love you, but . . . there aren't words . . . " House's voice was thick and halting.

"I know . . . I feel the same way about you. You are the most magnificent man . . ." Ann choked slightly as she reached over and caressed his face.

They looked into each other's eyes for several moments, simply feeling the love passing between them. Finally, they pulled together into a tight embrace and fell asleep.

They weren't sure how long they had been sleeping when Ann's cell woke them up. It was Ginsberg. He had arrived at the house and had settled in. He needed the password to access the wireless connection so he could use the internet, which Ann supplied.

He spoke to House while Ann got up and got dressed. When House hung up, she helped House into a clean hospital gown and put a towel over the spunk, so House wouldn't have to sleep directly on top of it. Not that he would have minded, he told her.

She unlocked the door. Within a few minutes, Chase arrived with House's pain meds.

Chase supplied House with a copy of Shankar's report so he could review it, and briefly explained the protocol to Ann. It was somewhat more complicated than taking a pill a day, but not a heck of a lot more than that.

Ann felt her anger rising yet again, wondering why this hadn't been done earlier that year, or when House left the mental hospital a year and a half ago, or even when the bad cop had been going after him four years ago. That beautiful body and soul subjected to all those years of needless suffering. Well, she'd just have to make sure he never hurt like that again.

After House took the meds, Chase checked him out and then left again, telling House and Ann that they'd see him when Danielle brought dinner.

"I'm tired," House declared.

"Do you think that's a side effect of the new medication?" Ann asked with concern

"I think it's a side effect of a really great fuck," House answered with a small smile. "So, you're tired too, am I right?"

Ann looked at the expectancy on House's face, almost like a small child seeking parental approval. God, did he really not know by now how much she enjoyed having sex with him? And did he not know how earth-shattering that particular afternoon had been for her?

"Exhilarated and exhausted, yes," Ann responded. "You gave me a piece of your soul. Thank you."

House looked uncomfortable. He never knew what to say to her when she said things like this. He hesitated. "You're, um, welcome . . . "

"I never did give you that massage in this afternoon. How about now?"

"You're yawning. You are too tired."

"I'm never too tired to touch you."

"Still, I like a little something-something with my massages. At least the ones from you. I think I'll need until tonight to recover enough."

"Do you want to take another nap, then?"

"As long as you join me."

Ann pushed the two beds together and climbed in. House spooned Ann and they both fell asleep in a matter of moments.

Chase and Danielle arrived around six with dinner. They saw the blinds were still closed, so they entered the room quietly. House and Ann were in bed, holding each other. He was drawing circles on her back, while she was caressing his face. They were talking quietly. Every so often, one would lean in to tenderly kiss the other – on the lips, the hair, the cheek, the chin, the forehead, the throat, the eyelids, the shoulder. They were completely relaxed, and, at the same time, intensely connected to each other. In its own way, it was a more intimate scene than if Chase and Danielle had walked in on them having sex.

Chase felt a slight twinge of jealousy, until he remembered he had Danielle with him. He thought of all the times in the last few days, in-between work, running errands and hospital visits, when they'd had sex or cuddled in bed with each other. Even better, setting aside the night he'd spent at the hospital monitoring House, he couldn't remember the last time he'd slept without her. He didn't realize he was grinning.

Danielle tapped Chase on the arm and gestured that they should leave the room.

"What?" Chase asked as they stood in the hallway.

"I just wanted to say I saw that you looked happy for them," Danielle responded, "And I wanted to acknowledge you for making progress with the PDAs."

"Um, thanks. Actually, that wasn't why I was smiling."

"Oh. Then why?"

"I was thinking about us."

It was Danielle's turn to break into a grin. "Yeah, it has been pretty good lately, hasn't it?"

"Uh-huh. Listen, um, what do you think about one of us giving up his or her apartment?"

Chase made sure he asked the question in the most oblique way possible because of past experience with Cameron. Whenever he suggested taking the relationship to the next level, she would hesitate, tell him all the reasons it was a bad idea, tell him she wasn't ready, and try to talk him out of it. Chase braced himself for Danielle to say something negative.

"Sure," Danielle said without the slightest hesitation. "Any preferences which apartment?"

"Well, mine is bigger, but yours is newer."

"I think there are bigger apartments in my building, so we could both move, if you wanted to . . . "

"Yeah, instead of your moving into my place or my moving into yours, it might be a good idea to move into a new apartment together."

Again, Chase braced himself for a litany of objections, but none were forthcoming.

"I'll text the management company tonight and see if we can meet with someone tomorrow at lunch to check out what's available."

"Great. We should probably go interrupt the love birds before the food gets cold."

"Okay."

They re-entered the room to find House and Ann in a full-throttle, deep-throated kiss.

Chase cleared his throat loudly. "You might want to eat first and get some strength before you move things along any further."

"Killjoy," House muttered as he and Ann separated.

Ann climbed out and she and Chase moved her bed away while Danielle began to put food out on House's bed tray.

"What did you get?" he asked eagerly.

"We went to Antonio's," Danielle told him, "because Annie just loves their puttanesca." Danielle shot House a look that Ann didn't see, but that let House understand he wasn't the only one who was concerned about Ann's lack of appetite. House returned a knowing look.

House didn't want to Ann to figure out what had passed between himself and Danielle, so he deflected by turning the attention back to him. "Yeah, yeah, what did you get for me?"

Chase and Ann had returned to the bedside, and Chase rolled his eyes at House's apparent display of self-centered-ness, not having seen the exchange between House and Danielle.

"Well, you were a bit of a challenge," Danielle admitted. "We thought anything with tomatoes would have acid in it that might bother your stomach. So, that meant no bolognese, marinara or red clam sauce, not to mention fra diavolo. We thought seafood wasn't the best on an iffy stomach, so no white clam sauce. And we thought the alfredo sauce wouldn't sit too well because it would have too much fat."

"So, what did you get me?" House whined. "A breadstick?"

"Too rough of a texture," Chase interjected, enjoying House's distress.

"We finally decided on pasta with pesto," Danielle stated. "We told them to go easy on the parmesan so it wouldn't be too salty."

"Gimme," House said, putting out his hands, palms facing him with fingers repeatedly and rapidly moving towards him in the universal sign of grabby-ness.

Chase rolled his eyes a second time. "You're welcome."

Danielle pulled out a foam plate and served up House. She then pulled out another plate for Ann.

"Why don't you serve yourself and Robert first?" Ann asked.

"I've already got the container open," Danielle said, looking at House meaningfully, but almost imperceptibly.

"Take it easy," Ann requested as she saw Danielle pile food on her plate.

"But you love this puttanesca," Danielle stated. "I just want to make sure you have enough."

"I can always get seconds, so slow down," Ann said. There was slight irritation in her voice, and not only did House and Danielle hear it, but so did Chase.

"Can I have something?" Chase gave Danielle his best puppy-dog eyes, trying to diffuse the situation.

Danielle gave herself and Chase some of the linguine with red clam sauce. The room became silent as they ate.

As they finished up, House belched loudly. "That was excellent!" he proclaimed.

"You're going to be so used to take-out that you won't want to eat what I cook anymore," Ann said, trying to sound like she was joking, but sounding despondent instead.

"Are you kidding?" House asked rhetorically. "I spent years eating take-out and I can hardly wait to get back to your home-cooked food."

"Well, that's a lot of pressure," Ann commented.

"Okay," House responded. "You're afraid I won't want to eat your cooking and then you're afraid I will? What's wrong, Annie?"

"Nothing," Ann said. "I guess I'm just tired."

"These beds aren't exactly comfy," House noted. "I have to stay; you don't. Why don't you go home tonight?"

"I was kind of looking forward to sleeping with you with no IVs in your arms, but if you want me to go . . . "

"C'mon, Annie, don't do this! I'd like nothing more than for you to stay with me. I'm trying not to be my usual selfish bastard self, but you're giving me a hard time about it. Why?"

"I'm sorry. I think it's just the fatigue and stress."

"Okay. So, you're going home, then, to get a good night's sleep?"

"I haven't slept without you for a long time. I don't think I can any more. I want to stay."

"Would you like me to prescribe a sleeping pill?" Chase asked. "Would that help?"

"No thank you," Ann responded. "Addictive personalities and sleep aids are a bad combination."

"I guess," Chase agreed.

"I have an idea," Danielle stated. She reached into her purse and took out an i-pod. She flipped through the playlist and then selected something.

She put it in the dock she brought earlier. (Ann had requested it when House was unconscious because she thought it would calm him to listen to his favorite music.) The room was filled with sounds of the ocean.

"I'm not crazy about any new-age crap," House talked over the sounds.

"It's not like it's Enya or anything," Danielle cringed at the thought as she turned the volume down a little. "It's just the ocean. And it doesn't have any of those awful squawking seagulls. I had to look for a while to find this."

"I don't want to make you listen to this if you think it will bother you," Ann interjected. "You need your rest, too. But, it does remind me of the time at the bed and breakfast last fall when we made love on the beach."

"So, you're saying we can have the atmosphere of that really hot fuck without the sand in our buttcracks?" House asked.

"Okay," Chase muttered. "We're officially in the TMI zone now. We have to get going."

"Yeah," House responded, "Time for you two to go home and get your own sex on."

Danielle giggled and Chase somehow avoided blushing.

Danielle and Ann packed up the leftover food and put it back in the bag for Danielle to take home.

"See you tomorrow," Danielle called over her shoulder as Chase pulled her out of the room.

"Are you going home?" House asked.

"Nope," Ann replied. "It's just too difficult for me to sleep without you."

"That really shouldn't make me as happy as it does," House noted.

"Let's get ready for bed," Ann said with a small smile.

They went to the bathroom. Ann brushed her teeth and used the toilet. She quickly changed as House checked her out. He pretended to be leering so she wouldn't know he was looking to see if there was any visible weight loss. She looked fine to House, which was strange, since she hadn't been eating much for several days.

Ann stood behind House was he brushed his teeth. His gown was open and the back of him was on display. Ann started to fondle his bottom. "Just gorgeous," she commented softly as she continued to stroke his backside.

Even as House enjoyed the grope, he wondered what was going on. Ann was exhausted and she wouldn't eat anything, but she had the energy to feel him up like this? It didn't make sense. Something was wrong.

Or was he just over-thinking things? He knew his brain liked diagnostic puzzles, so he wondered if his subconscious was just looking for one to keep him occupied. Everything that was happening with Ann could be explained by fatigue and stress. Time to stop looking for zebras and go to sleep.

House got back into bed and took the pain meds the nurse had brought for him.

The nurse left and Ann pushed the two beds together and climbed in.

House put his arms out and pulled Ann into him. It felt really good after so many days of not being able to hold her while they slept.

"I love you, you know," House told her.

"I know," Ann acknowledged. "And I love you, too."

She settled her head on his shoulder and tenderly caressed his chest. Before long, House could feel her hand still and hear her breathing even out as she slept.

House didn't fall asleep immediately. He was aware of a nagging feeling in his gut that was telling him something about Ann wasn't quite right. He didn't think it was a crisis, so he pushed it out of his mind. He'd figure it out tomorrow. Sleep finally came.