Hi everyone! Someone asked me why I came up with the date 'May 13th' for Cuddy and House first night together and as title for this fanfic. Well, I published it on May 13th as birthday gift for a friend. Here where that date come from. But I have to apologize to her because in the meantime she's four years older and I haven't finished it yet. I'll try to make amend. In the meantime I hope you'll enjoy the update (let me know!) ;)

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Chapter 7 - Skills

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House stood bare-footed in front of his own office and tightened the grip around his drip pole. He didn't remember that door but his name was on the glass so there were no doubts he really was the Chief of Diagnostics in that hospital. It looked like he was a sort of genius in solving mysterious cases, putting together weird symptoms to diagnose rare diseases. It sounded cool. He entered and just looked around then sitting down in the chair behind the desk. He opened a dresser. A half bottle of Vicodin, a half bottle of Scotch. Pieces of a life he really couldn't remember.

His hand touched a pair of reading glasses and the last number of the England Journal of Medicine. He lifted through the pages, moving the magazine closer and then away till his arm allowed in an attempt to focus the blurred lines. He sighed and reached for the glasses. He was still not used to presbyopia. He put the glasses on his nose and finally could read the recent review on lung cancer. Suddenly he stopped and looked at the window door in front at himself.

- Cuddy. From that same door she looks at him with an half hesitating, half embarrassed eyes. She stays still on the door, then she whisper a thanks... and just leaves.-

He closed his eyes then abruptly standing up. These pieces of his unknown life were becoming to be annoying.

And...what if his memory couldn't come back?

The differential room was empty and he took a few step around, stopping in front of a whiteboards.

Words written with black ink.

17 yrs. Female.

Dysarthria. Swallowing impairment. Tiredness.

Anorexia.

A male writing probably. But not his own.

Respiratory distress.

Respiratory arrest.

A female writing this time. In blue ink. He knew it. It would be impossible not recognizing it after having stolen her handwritten notes for months.

Cuddy's writing.

He took the red marker and turned it through his fingers. He heard the light steps approaching from behind but didn't turn, still staring at the list of symptoms on the whiteboard.

"MRI is clean," the well known female voice calmly said from behind him "Your team thought to a psychiatric disease till she had respiratory distress. She didn't improve with antibiotics. Honestly they worsened her symptoms. She's intubated now, after two respiratory arrests"

House just nodded not turning to look at her.

"Travels? Hobbies?" He asked moving his eyes on Cuddy this time. His eyes travelled from her heels to her pencil skirt and the tight shirt which stressed out her breast.

"Er... no recent travels. According to her anamnesis she liked reading books, but she quit recently because of tiredness"

His eyes focused again on the whiteboard. He abruptly turned his head to stare at her but just looked piercingly into her eyes.

"It's not anorexia. She quit solid food because she can't swallowing. And you don't quit a relaxing pleasure because of tiredness. She quit because she literally can't keep her eyes open. Weak ocular muscles"

House wrote 'palpebral ptosis?' in capital letters and red ink under the list of symptoms and turned to look at Cuddy again.

"Myasthenia gravis?" She whispered as he nodded

"Confirm it with Tensilon Test, put her on prednisone and reserve a surgery room for a thymectomy" House said as Cuddy took her phone to instruct the team.

She smiled at his accurate instructions about therapy.

"I have a medicine degree, you know?" Cuddy teased as he smirked in turn

"You sure my so-called 'diagnostic team' has one too?" He joked letting out a laugher that resounded inside his skull making him grimacing. He ignored the way in which Cuddy's eyes looked at him worryingly.

"Now you owe me a beer and at least a dinner, woman" he teased as a smile curled up her lips again.

"You're sure you're right, are you? But you forget I monthly pay you for your skills, Dr. House" Cuddy teased in turn

"DIAGNOSTIC skills" she pointed out as he lifted an eyebrow on that clarification.

House laughed. A genuine laugher, not a mocking one. He shook his head and looked at her again.

"Why did you feel the need to clarify it, Dr. Cuddy?" he asked still chuckling and with a piercing mischievous look.

Cuddy wet her lips and gave him what had to be an annoyed look that instead turned in an amused one.

"Because, House," she paused "the old-yourself never miss a chance for sharp sexual comments"

House nodded with a thoughtful look, that turned in a sad one.

"This proved that... 1. I haven't aged well, 2. I can't no longer getting laid without having to pay for it and 3. I hide under smutty innuendos my crush on you"

Cuddy's mouth opened in disbelief to his words.

It was like listening to him making a differential, just, this time, on himself. He had just analyzed his own behavior and feelings rationally, like if he was watching himself from outside. It was definitely out of character for House to bare his soul like this, opening up to someone and even more to her.

He didn't give her time to reply this time. He stared at her then just turned and walked out of the room.

She took a step in his direction and then stopped, watching as he disappeared along the hallway.

-/-

Cuddy waited till every member of the Board exited the room, everyone but Wilson. She massaged the back of her neck more because of tiredness than of pain and looked at him out of the corner of her eye, then turning to look right at him, sighing.

"You want me to tell House?" Wilson offered as she shook her head instead

She collected the papers in front of herself and just stood up, giving her friend another look before leaving.

"After discharge, I'm not sure he should stay alone at his apartment, Lisa" Wilson said before Cuddy exited the door.

She stood there, not turning toward him. From the stiffness of her shoulders he could tell what she was thinking about, valuing the only possible option he was, silently, proposing.

"I mean, I don't know..." Wilson continued, "You know Amber. She and House can't be under the same roof. And...I love her but she can rip my balls off for much less"

Cuddy nodded and turned to look at him this time. He was choosing his girlfriend over his best friend but she couldn't blame him...there's no way two roosters can be in the same chicken coop.

"Um..." She bit on her lower lip and nodded "but you think it's a good idea that I'm the one hosting him instead!" She didn't hide the mocking shade in her annoyed voice "Are you conscious he think he's in love with me, right? I can't do that. I can't ignore it. I'm not going to give false hope"

"False hope..." Wilson repeated "To him? Or to yourself?"

Cuddy glared at him but didn't reply. Her lips parted and she inhaled like to say something, but just exhaled instead.

"It's a bad idea" she said at last shaking her head slowly.

"C'mon Cuddy. I'm asking you to open to him your house, not your-"

He stopped on the last word and she stared at him, still, with a piercing, dangerous look in her eyes.

She run her tongue on her lips not averting her eyes from Wilson's as his face reddened.

"-legs?" Cuddy asked in a sharp but calm and low tone.

Wilson's hand run in his hair as his face went through all the possible shades of red. He swallowed.

"Er... heart" he gave her an embarrassed look "I would said...heart" he giggled at his own dumbness and Cuddy just inhaled deeply and closed her eyes for a moment and gave him an unconvinced nod. Annoyance turning in amusement at the look still in Wilson's eyes.

"You're an idiot" she said as her hand slapped his nape.

He watched as she moved past him. And he massaged the back of his head as he couldn't help the little smile which played on his lips.

-/-

"You were right about myasthenia"

House met Cuddy's eyes above the shoulder of the nurse by his bed. She stood in the doorframe, crossed-arms. Her white-coat on and a folder against her chest. She gave him a little smile as she shifted her weight from one leg to the other one.

"I know, but you're not here to congratulate, Dr. Cuddy"

He still was amnesiac but he hadn't lost his ability in reading her. Her eyes. Her posture.

"Whatever it is, spill the beans, Lisa"

House swallowed a couple of pills, then handing the empty glass to the nurse. They both looked at her as she exited the room.

"If I'm dying can I make my last wish?" He asked in a teasing and mischievous look as she approached his bed.

"Sorry. No dying, no wish" she replied with a smirk "Dr. Foreman's going to sign your discharge in a few days. He's convinced your memory will be back soon and you'll be better at home than in a hospital bed. You just need time"

"Yeah," he said as his eyes darkened "and in the meantime he'll run my department"

It wasn't a question, but a statement and he watched her as she just swallowed and nodded. He didn't need her to say it out loud, he could tell it from her eyes. And he was amnesiac but not that naive not to know that, after a neurological damage, he couldn't go back to his job without having back his license first. Because that was the point. No matter if he had just solved a case... the Board could not risk to have in its hospital a doctor with just a half memory left.

"It looks like another Dean of Medicine is kicking my ass out" He said in what had to sound like a joke.

But it doesn't sound like that to Cuddy's ears and she looked down, trying to swallow the sudden lump in her throat.

She took a step back and her fingers left the grip on the bed rail but House's hand took hers before she can be out of reach, and their eyes locked.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean what I said," he said in a low tone "It's the only subject from our past I didn't want to bring back"

Our.

She would have lied if she said that 'our' didn't hit and affect her, giving a sort of pang at her heart.

She shook her head and gave him a half smile.

"This Dean of Medicine isn't kicking your ass out," she said this time putting her hand on his forearm "you just can't sign papers and see patients for a while. As far as I remember it's what you always do, Dr House" She stressed the last sentence with a teasing look and a mischievous smile and he smiled in turn.

"Yeah, I think I heard something about this" he playfully replied as she nodded and chuckled.
"Anyway," Cuddy said again "when you're ready to be back, I'll supervise your 200 hours of internship and I'll be in the commission of your final test"

"Uhm, these roles reversed sound interesting" he said with a smirk "Flirting with the teacher is included?"

She rolled her eyes in what had to be an annoyed look but failed in not to smile back.

"Not feigning indignation with me, Sunshine" House playfully rebuked her "I haven't ask you to give me a special review before my test" he made fun of her as she run her tongue on her lips, more amused than annoyed "Not yet"