Hello everyone!

It has been... Quite some time. Sorry D: I've been mainly focusing on my crossover with The Good Doctor and, well, on uni as well. And I haven't been that inspired for this story, whenever I get an idea it seems to me like I keep writing the same drabbles over and over again. But I thought I could at least hit the 3/4 mark. Maybe it'll motivate me because there's only 25 left (!) and I've been at it for years now (!). Fingers crossed!

This one is set in 5.04 "Birthmarks". I really hope that you'll enjoy it. Thank you for your patience and support. Happy holidays :)

75. Drive safely.

"It's done," Cuddy texted Wilson as she walked away from House's office, hesitating for a fraction of a second on her choice of words. She felt like she'd just committed an unspeakable crime.

Granted, giving someone a sedative without their knowledge or consent wasn't exactly something the law approved of, but Wilson had been adamant. House was never going to go to his father's funeral of his own volition, and his mom would be devastated.

Cuddy did sympathise with Mrs House, but she also believed that House was a grown man, capable of making his own decisions. If he didn't want to attend the damn funeral – so be it.

What had convinced her, was that Wilson would be driving him to Lexington. What better than a road trip for old friends to mend their relationship? She knew that the two of them would be best friends again, despite Wilson's resentment and House's guilt. They just needed time, which was why she hadn't hired a replacement for Wilson yet, no matter how the board insisted that she finally did.

She waited near the elevators down the hall. The doors eventually opened, and Wilson appeared with a wheelchair.

"Is he out yet?"

"Just give it a few more minutes."

They waited in silence. It was late morning and the hallways were quiet. She sighed. She remembered that time when Wilson had asked her to dare House to go cold turkey for a week, or when he had insisted she didn't tell him that he had been right about that shot of cortisol… The former had resulted in House hurting himself, and the latter in House using Vicodin again.

"What if he falls and hurts his head or his leg," she mumbled, chewing on her thumbnail.

"He's in a hospital, surrounded by doctors. He'll be fine."

As if on cue, they heard a thud coming from House's office.

They waited a few seconds.

"Let's go," Wilson said as he pushed the empty wheelchair. Cuddy opened the door of House's office for him and shut the blinds.

"You want to lift his feet and I'll lift his head?" she asked as she kneeled by House's shoulder.

"Let's get his phone first," he said.

She frowned. "What the hell for? We're not kidnapping him!"

"I need a bargaining chip. His Vicodin, too."

She helped him roll House onto his side so he could check his back pockets. Then, they lifted him and cautiously sat him in the wheelchair, and took him to Wilson's car in the parking garage.

Moving House into the passenger's seat proved to be even trickier, but somehow, with Wilson sitting behind the wheel, they managed. Cuddy made sure his leg was positioned comfortably and handed Wilson House's cane.

"Put it in the trunk," he said.

She scoffed. "What, you think he's going to get out of the car at a red light and limp away?" Wilson arched an eyebrow. She put the cane in the trunk. "What time will you get there?" she asked as she helped Wilson secure House's seatbelt.

"Late tonight. His mom will delay the funeral if necessary."

She acquiesced and looked at House's asleep features. He would be pissed that they forced him to go to the funeral, but he would definitely find Wilson's presence interesting… which clearly wasn't the case of his friend, who dreaded the trip and was only doing it for House's mother.

But she knew everything was gonna get back to normal.

"Drive safely," she said as Wilson started the engine. She kissed House's forehead before she shut the door and watched Wilson drive away.