Chapter 12 Next Morning
Cuddy blinked, trying to deal with the jackhammer drilling between her eyes. "Wow." She rubbed her forehead, trying to soothe the pain. As her eyes blurred into focus, she realized quickly that she wasn't in her bed…or apartment for that matter.
"What the?" she asked, feeling a wave of panic wash over herself. She peeked under the sheets to find that her clothes and undergarments were undisturbed. "We were drunk and he didn't try anything?" Trying to consider that thought made her head pound away at a more rapid rate.
From outside, she heard him snoring.
She got up and slipped out of the bedroom. There, she found her host curled under a couple of sheets on the couch. What possessed him to do this? From the stories that Wilson had told her and others, House had never given up the bed for him and they were good friends.
And yet he did so for me. She blushed, feeling guilty about her initial waking thoughts. This is SO weird! I mean THIS is House, Dr. Crass Himself. Who would've thought? She crept back into the bedroom and pulled the quilt off of his bed. Once back in the living room, she covered him with it. Well, House, two of us can play this game! "Thanks," she whispered.
He stopped snoring, falling into an even deeper sleep.
She sat on the soft chair by the couch almost keeping watch over him. Since the earliest days of their friendship, she had watched his feelings harden and his cynicism deepen. When he and Stacy grew closer and eventually got engaged, she had tried to date other guys. Her career ambitions scared off the nice guys. She had steered clear of the creeps for the most part.
House had even kicked one jerk out who had tried to take advantage of her, bulling the latter halfway down a staircase in the process.
Consequently, her relationship ventures usually ended badly; cast up on Life's rockiest shoals.
His infarction and the subsequent break up with Stacy changed things again. Because of her understanding of his psyche, she kept tabs on him, managing him as the opportunities arose both from afar and eventually, bringing him to Princeton despite his four previous firings. She took his barbs and degrading remarks because it was his form of flattery.
Everyone else looked at her as superwoman, the boss, a robot.
At least he thought she was sexy…granted it was a game to him but she chose to take the remarks in that context.
As long as he took those steps or stood up for her such as with Vogler, their move or his sacrifice for her comfort, she would wait for him. I've waited this long, Greg. She bit her lip and settled into the chair to watch him sleep.
Unfortunately, reality rapped at the door.
Who would be here now? She jumped from the chair and looked through the peephole to find Cameron waiting outside. What is she doing here? She composed herself. Nothing happened, Lisa. Besides, even if it did, it's none of her business. She opened the door and slipped out into the hallway. "Hi, Cameron."
"What are you doing here?" Cameron demanded.
"I got caught in the rain last night and House let me spend the night. He's still sleeping," Cuddy explained.
The younger woman looked at her skeptically. "I'll bet. What did you do to him anyway? I need to talk with him."
Cuddy sighed. "Look, Allison, the building's…."
"Don't patronize me, all right? As for what's going on, I don't know what this Arizona thing is but I'm going to talk him out of it!" Cameron yelled at her.
Hearing thumps on the nearby walls and people glaring at them through their cracked doors, Cuddy winced. "Keep it down."
"I'm going to talk to him if it kills me!"
Cuddy glanced back into the apartment and saw him starting to get up. She worried to herself, What if he decides to stay? What then?
Then House stormed over, peering at Cameron from behind Cuddy. "Get in here dammit!" He looked apologetically at his neighbors before ushering the two women into his apartment and slamming the door behind them. He glared venomously at them. "Do you know what god damn time it is?" He inhaled three vicodin with little noticeable effect.
"House, I'm sorry…." Cuddy started.
"I don't have a problem with you, Cuddy," he assured her. "It's Ms. Susie Sunshine that I'm pissed at."
"Oh so now I'm the problem?" Cameron challenged. "I mean what about Ms. Ex-Boss there messing with you? Or the sudden job offer? Have you thought this through?"
He shook his head. "Leave her out of this, Cameron. I'm a big boy. I made up my own mind."
"Yeah after she you…."
"I don't recall my personal life being any of your business, Cameron. But just so you know, NOTHING HAPPENED LAST NIGHT! You know NOTHING about what's good for me! Nada! Zip! Nunca!" he lectured.
"Maybe not but I'd be willing to try!"
He sniggered coldly at her. "Who says I want you to? I told you yesterday, I'm gone! Stop being such a cry baby and grow up!"
The intruder's eyes welled up with tears at his words.
He growled, "Oh cut that out!" He just about flung the tissue box at her. "Keep the box. You'll need them by the time Foreman's through with your patients."
"As if she…" She motioned to Cuddy.
"Didn't you hear him?" Cuddy retorted. "He's not interested in you! Leave it alone!"
"And now, you're talking for him? Oh this is rich!" Cameron cracked.
"That's it," he hissed, bringing his full guns of cruelty around to bear. "Maybe if you weren't so busy trying to save the world, you'd find someone! You'd also see that some people actually care about others for who they are not what someone wants them to be! She cares that way for me—the real me. You're wrapped up in some fantasy! This is reality, Cameron! You can't save every cute puppy, kitty, stray, whatever! GROW UP!" He pointed to the door. "Scram! Don't let the door hit your delicate ass on the way out!"
As angry as she was, even Cuddy had to hesitate at his cutting words and barbs. Granted, he was crass but rarely on this scale.
Cameron fumed while wiping her eyes. "You bastard! To think I defended you with Foreman and Chase last night! They're right! You're a cold hearted beast!" She stalked out of the door, slamming it behind her.
"I'm a cold hearted beast and a bastard. Quite the way to start the morning. Hope this time she got the hint," he gibed.
"House, I should go," Cuddy decided. "I'm provoking…."
He grasped her left forearm and shook his head. "Don't. It's not your fault that she can't accept reality, Cuddy."
She considered the desperate hand on her arm and the need in his eyes. He really does want me! "Are you sure?"
He regained his composure, slipping the mask back on. "Do whatever. I'd…like it if…you stayed." As he said them, the words stuck in his throat.
Once again, he had caught her off guard. If not for his lecture to Cameron minutes before, she wouldn't have believed it. Then the question about the previous night popped back into her head again.
Sensing something wrong, he asked, "What?"
She sighed. "I wanted to ask you about last night."
He rolled his eyes. "We talked, ate bad Chinese and got blitzed. Rather than send you back in the downpour, I…let you have the bed."
She smiled at him. "Thanks. I appreciate the consideration. It's kind of surprising though."
He snorted while setting up the coffee pot and starting it. "Yeah I can be considerate. Just don't spread it around. I do have a rep to protect, you know."
She chuckled at him. "Don't I know it? I have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised to wake up with my clothes still on."
He considered her for a minute. "Can I be honest?"
"Aren't you always?"
He smirked. "Blunt yes. Honest no. Everyone lies. I'm going to tell you the truth if you want to hear it."
She nodded. "Okay. Let me have it."
He sat down beside her. "Look, Cuddy, you're incredibly hot, okay? Believe me; I would love to be the first guy you're with."
She looked at him incredulously.
"Surprise! Yeah I figured you're still a virgin. But what fun would it be for me or you if you're out cold? You've always been too absorbed in your numbers, O' Evil Queen of the Universe," he declared.
"You mean Deposed Queen," she corrected.
"Yeah and I'm in charge of redeeming you."
She stared at him in shock. "Says who?"
He sighed. "That Bourbon did a job on you, didn't it? You put me in charge." He smirked for effect.
"Shit," she realized. "I'm never going to get out of this one."
"No you aren't. But part of redeeming you is not damaging the goods." He eyed her chest for a minute before continuing. "No freebies."
"Wow," she mentioned, not believing that he was saying this after all of his leers and staring at her in the hospital.
"Of course, I still get to look at the cleavage," he clarified.
She rolled her eyes. "I should have known that was coming. At least you didn't ask me for sex in front of Cameron."
He scrunched his brow and snapped his fingers in anger. "Damn! That would really have pissed her off too!"
"House, cut it out. That's low even for you," she chided.
He smiled evilly. "But it would have been so worth it!" He sighed and looked over at the cage where Steve McQueen stared back at them. "Still, it would have given Steve a heart attack."
She snickered, "Nice to see the rat gets consideration too."
"Steve is my friend. He doesn't try to change me and neither do you. Don't worry, Cuddy. I'm still me." He turned to get their coffee.
"Being lumped together with the rat doesn't impress me, House," she countered.
"Tough. Get used to it," he shot back good naturedly.
Despite the banter, she had seen a different side of him that morning; one that she could definitely get used to. Thanks, Greg. I don't know how this is going to turn out but it's a good start.