In this chapter, Stacy returns.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Cuddy closed the front door of her home and walked into the warm, sunny, clear late-May morning. She stopped to look at her bed of flowers that she'd planted earlier in the spring and took in deeply the scent of the flowers. She was happy, happier than she'd been in a long time. The past three months hadn't been as bad as she thought they'd be, and for that she was thankful. She got into her car, lowered all the windows and drove to work with a smile on her face.
Back at Cameron's…
"Robert, we're meeting the gang for dinner tonight, ok?" Cameron reminded Chase as they walked toward the front door.
"Yeah, fine." He said.
"What's wrong? You have barely said two words to me and hardly touched your cereal."
"I'm ok, I'm ok." He said. They each got into their own cars and headed off to work.
Back at the clinic…
"Good morning, Assistant!" Cuddy said as she walked through the door to her office and put her briefcase on her desk.
"Good morning, boss! It's been two weeks and you are still calling me that." Her assistant said with a smile on her face. "You got two calls from Greystone Insurance and one from a Matthew St. George, who will call you back later." She continued as she brought Cuddy a cup of coffee and the messages.
"Thanks, Melissa." Cuddy said as she looked at the message forms. She hesitated at St. George's message. 'This couldn't be good news.' She thought to herself.
"Have you trained that man to get up in the morning, yet?" Cuddy asked as Melissa sat back down behind her own desk.
"Hey, isn't that your job? You're his girlfriend, I'm just his tenant." Melissa teased. "He had a restless night. He was playing that piano late and kept Stevie up. But at least he wasn't playing his ragtime crap. I think it was 1:45 the last I looked at my clock."
"Hmm, ok. Are you still coming to dinner with us tonight?" Cuddy asked.
"You betcha! Rog said he's paying for mine."
"Uh, dear, it's a business meeting. I'm paying for it."
"Oh, no wonder he was so eager to pay." They laughed.
Back at House's apartment…
House lay in bed and opened his eyes after he heard Melissa say goodbye to 'Stevie McQueenie' from the living room. He looked around at his clean bedroom, with books neatly stacked on his dresser and clothes neatly hung up in the closet. He wasn't sure if he liked it being neat or not, but at least he was able to find clothes quicker.
He was surprised at how easily Melissa's move into the spare bedroom had been. Granted, there wasn't much, but her little pieces of furniture fit nicely in the room, he had to admit to himself. She stayed in her room a lot, unless Cuddy wasn't over or Rog wasn't over to give the other privacy. Melissa always felt funny having Rog hang out in her room, but of course, that didn't bother House at all. They just made an agreement to 'keep IT down.'
And he couldn't believe how she loved riding his bike in to work with him. The few that asked House about Melissa riding in to work with him he just said he picks her up at the bus stop. At first he was uncomfortable with everyone knowing his business, but she had to convince him she hadn't told anyone, which was the truth. He couldn't help think of her arms around his waist and thinking of LizBeth, and wondered if she would have liked to ride, as well.
His therapy had been going very well. Well, he had two outbursts and Dr. Parker had to kick him out, but he'd always return and behave himself, to a degree. But, he was still being monitored with the Vicodin through Dr. Cuddy, and that had been working so far.
The morning went by uneventful and as Melissa arrived back at House's apartment around lunch time he was walking out the door to go to work. It had been that way for two weeks since she'd started to work part-time with Cuddy.
"Hey, I'll pick you up at 5:45 for dinner, ok?" House said cheerily.
"Rog is pickin' me up."
"Oh, that's right. Fine. See ya later!"
The gang sat around O'Brien's Tavern and Pub earlier that night. Rog stood up and tried to get everyone to be quiet for a second.
"I'd like to ma…" Still, no one got quiet.
"HEY! EF Hutton says!" Wilson screamed out, and they all got quiet. Not for Rog to speak, but because they didn't know what the heck he was talking about.
"Uh, that commercial…in the 70s..oh, wait…" Wilson started to say and everyone laughed, except Rog.
"Ok, guys! I want to make a toast to a couple of people, if I may."
"No! You may not! Now sit down!" House screamed at Rog, but he just kept on talking.
"I want to thank everyone for letting my transition to PPTH a smooth one, and for putting up with me and my three left feet and two right ones." Rog started to say.
Here, here!" House screamed as he raised his glass. Rog rolled his eyes and Foreman couldn't help but grin at House.
"And I especially want to thank Dr. Hou…" House interrupted House again.
"Hey! That's me! Ok, everyone be quiet!" Wilson reached out and smacked House in the back of the head with a hearty 'thuddish-thwap.'
"OW!" House yelled out, but it didn't really hurt.
"As I was saying," Rog finally said with a small chuckle. "I want to thank Dr. House and Dr. Cuddy for everything they've done for Melissa during her liver transplant and recuperating and giving her and me more time to be together." Rog finally said and raised his glass.
Melissa's face turned a little red, and Rog couldn't resist bending over and giving her a kiss. And she kissed him back, with passion. All the others at the table and the noise in the room all vanished…until Rog and Melissa felt silverware being tossed at them and then heard the 'oooh, that's soo gross' and 'get a room' from everyone at the table. Yes, everyone.
Rog stood up with his face a little blushed, too and said, "Dr. Cuddy, I have a knife in my back. I need to file for work- man's comp!"
"File the paper with me in the morning!" Cuddy answered him as he sat down.
And the gang sat around the table sharing stories, food, laughs and genuine feelings for one another.
"Hey! If Sharon Lemon married Joe Ade she'd be Sharon Lemon-Ade!" Rog screamed out sounding quite tipsy after he drank only two beers, and they weren't lites. Everyone booed him, then couldn't help but laugh at his corny joke. Everyone went home that night with a full stomach, a spinning head and genuine affection for their coworkers. Until the next morning, when all hell broke loose.
The next morning, Chase, Cameron, Rog and Foreman were sitting in the conference room waiting for their next case, if there was going to be a case. It had been really slow the past few weeks and they were all bored.
Rog kept busy making his collection of cases they'd been working on from first admittance of patient to their release. Chase kept staring at Cameron trying to get her attention but she was too enthralled looking over House's mail and deciding which case she wanted House to review. Foreman, on the other hand, sat solemnly in the chair staring at the wall. He still hadn't gotten over Michelle, even though it had been three months, but he would, eventually. Melissa tried fixing him up with a friend of hers, but then after two dates she went back to her ex-boyfriend.
"MR. Foreman! In my office, NOW!" House screamed from his office after he'd checked his voice messages that morning.
Cameron and Chase looked at each other quickly then watched Foreman walk through the door. They watched as House's hands flew in the air, his mouth contorted with angry words with his face and neck turned red. Foreman's shoulders slowly slumped from the normal arrogance. They couldn't see Foreman's face from the angle he was standing, but they knew the gist of it: Foreman was in deep trouble.
Foreman left House's office but went out through his main office door. House glanced into the conference room and saw all three of them staring at him so he waved with a 'what are you looking at?' expression.
"I knew he couldn't be cool for more than 24 hours, Allison! You owe me dinner." Chase told her as he snickered.
"Well, he must have a reason why he went off on him." Cameron said.
"Oh, stop defending him!" Chase tried to whisper.
"I think it's his time of the month." Rog said out of the blue.
"Oh, he doth speaketh!" Chase said sarcastically.
"In case you guys haven't noticed, he's been getting crankier the past month." Rog told them.
"Crankier than usual? That's hard to believe." Chase said.
"Hey, isn't a man allowed to be cranky when he wants to? We have to put up with you women PMSing." House said as he snuck in the conference room; Chase hadn't seen him come in because his back was to the door.
"House, are you alright? Is anything wrong?" Cameron asked as he poured a cup of coffee.
"Yeah, there's always something wrong. That's the story of my life." He answered sadly, then walked back into his office and sat down hard in his chair.
What House was really upset about was the phone call from Stacy from the hospital in Denver. Her message said: "Greg, it's me. I had the baby last night. It's a little girl and we named her Charnie Warner after Mark's grandfather. We're both doing fine…I mean Charnie and I. Hope you're doing well. Bye, Greg."
Later that morning, Foreman sat in the lab doing the blood work for the13 patients House assigned to him, which would take him the rest of the day.
'Well, at least he didn't give me clinic duty.' Foreman thought to himself. Just then, House stuck his head in the door with Chase and Rog behind him.
"By the way, you have three of my clinic hours tomorrow, dude!" House barked then walked away leaving Chase and Rog to catch up with Foreman.
"Man, what did you do?" Chase asked as he sat down.
Rog stood by the table and grabbed a chair, but it twisted in his hand and banged against the table, sending the vials of blood from the patients crashing to the floor.
"Damit, Rog! I spent two hours getting all that blood!" Foreman yelled at him.
"I'll call maintenance to get it cleaned up." Rog said as he moved the chairs that were around the table.
"Oh, you'll do more than that! You will go get the blood from the patients again." Foreman said to Rog nastily.
"Foreman, look, I know House is probably still angry with you when you were his boss for that short time. Granted, that was almost six months ago and he should have forgotten about it. But, you need to lighten up, man!"
Foreman looked at Rog and let the words sink in, as he realized he did have a point. "Ok, look, sorry. But he is really pushing my buttons."
"Right. And you're allowing him to push those buttons. Why can't you get along with him? I think it's because you two are too similar and neither one of you will back off." Rog said.
"Rog, when I want your opinion, I'll give it to you." Foreman snapped as he went to a cabinet and pulled out another box of vials to take the blood again.
"Bye, House!" Rog said as Foreman walked out of the lab. Chase and Rog cracked up at his little 'you're sooo like House' little dig at Foreman.
When Rog and Chase were walking down the hall to go back to the conference room, they ran into Cameron who was headed to a patient's room.
"Chase, can I talk to you for a sec?" Cameron asked, giving Rog a funny glare. Rog went ahead to the conference room so the two could have some privacy.
"Chase, you remember Doug, my older brother? He's coming in next weekend. Do you have anything planned?" She asked him.
"Well, from what you told me about him, I'll find somewhere else to go." She couldn't help but grin. "From what you told me about him, I should be scared."
"Yeah, a little. But he's harmless."
"I'm sure he's harmless 'til he meets the man that gets his baby sister pregnant."
"No, Robert. He'd be more harmless to you than to How…" Cameron cut herself off from speaking. Chase frowned at her trying to figure what it was she was really trying to say.
"I've told you before, honey, he's fine. Just watch out for his left hook." She said as she winked and walked away from him.
Right after lunchtime, House walked down the hall toward Cuddy's office but not to see her. He wanted to know when Melissa was leaving because he was ready to go home and wanted to know if she wanted a ride. Not that he really wanted to drive her home. He wanted his place quiet for a change so he could think.
'Oh, stop being a bastard. She's always quiet.' House scoffed to himself.
"Hey, Doc! Sorry, but there ain't no complaints against you today! But I'm sure some will come in tomorrow!" Melissa said with a laugh. He smiled at her, although he felt it was forced.
"You need a ride home?" He asked her as he grabbed some M&Ms out of a bowl she kept on her desk.
She looked at him for a moment as if she were trying to look through him. "Only if you buy me lunch."
He cocked his head and said, "Uh, wait, that's two favors to you and none for me. What's up with that?"
"Darnit! I was hoping you wouldn't catch that. Ok, I'll drive, you pay." She said.
House walked to Melissa and felt her forehead with his left hand. "No, no fever. But I think you are seriously ill." She burst out laughing.
"Ok, you drive a hard bargain! But I can only afford McDonald's." She said as she stood up. He tapped the end of his cane at her shoulder and she laughed.
About half an hour later they were sitting at Quervo's Cantina. Before their food arrived, they munched on nachos while she talked the whole time, basically. House kept looking around the room, avoiding eye contact with her. After their food arrived, House messily ate a steak fajita, and Melissa ate a steak Quessadilla.
"Ok, Greg. I have a question for ya." Melissa said as she swallowed her last bite and took a sip of her Sangria. "And I don't want any smartass answers, from you, ok?" She said sternly.
He looked at her, took a huge bite of the fajita and sat back as he slowly chewed.
"Good, I'm glad your mouth is full. You can't argue with me when I chew you out. Ah! That was funny. Chew you out! You're being a pig…on, never mind."
House raised his eyebrows in curiosity, chewed as fast as he could, swallowed, sipped his beer and put his elbows on the table in full interest of what she was about to ask.
"I wanna know what your problem is." She finally said.
"Oh, is that all? If you haven't figured out what my problem is you never will."
She sat back and glared at him. "Seriously, there has been something that's been bothering you for a couple of months. I don't want to pry and overstep my bounds as your tenant, but as your friend, I think I have a right to ask."
House was impressed at how Melissa approached his 'more than normal snarkiness.' "I think I've pretty much stayed out of your way." House told her.
Melissa shook her head. "No, no. I'm not talking about that! That's the thing. You're getting too much into my business." She hesitated a moment.
"You ask me where I am when I go out after 7, even though I tell you I go to Rog's. I hear you flush the toilet moments after I walk through the door. That's happened more than once so there's no coincidence there. You never leave for work until I walk through the door, and I know you wait until I do sometimes because I've heard Cuddy on the phone with you when I'm still there! And you are playing that piano into the wee hours. Not that I'm complaining about that, though. I have my moments of needing stress relief, too. And like I said, Greg, I don't want to pry, but I'd hoped at least by now you'd know you can talk to me."
House took a deep breath, shook his head and took a sip of Melissa's Sangria. "I think I need something stronger than my beer."
She narrowed her eyes at him. "What's bothering you? And why are you being so protective of me?"
"I didn't know I had a watch dog as a tenant." House snapped.
"Oh, is that how you see me? A 'watchdog?'"
"If the shoe fits." House said.
Melissa shot back, "I can usually put up with your stupidity and not let what you say phase me. But you can be a real ass, you know that? I'm just concerned about you! Oh, but I forgot! Dr. Gregory House doesn't need anyone to care about him. Oh, heaven forbid! You know what? I'm done."
She got her wallet from her purse, threw money on the table and stood up.
"I'll walk the rest of the way home." She said as she turned and quickly walked out of the restaurant.
House sat shocked for a moment then he shook his head, grabbed the money she put on the table, pulled bills from his own wallet as he stood up and followed her out to the street. He had trouble reaching her because she was walking very fast, and with his leg starting to ache it was almost impossible. But he kept yelling her name and she kept on walking. House finally stopped, turned around and headed back to the restaurant. He put the key in the bike's ignition and went after her that way.
"Ma-lyssa!" House called as he slowly led the bike to run the same speed as she was walking.
"Come on! Don't be like this!" He hollered. She kept on walking.
House cursed, pulled ahead a few car spaces and parked the bike. He jumped off but landed on his right leg harder than he antici-pated and went down on his right knee. Melissa had been trying to ignore him but she couldn't when she saw him go down. She ran to him and reached for his elbow to pull him up. He mumbled something under his breath as he slowly stood and put his left hand on the seat of the bike to balance himself.
"Melissa, get on the bike. We'll talk when we get home, ok?" House said but she just stood staring at him.
"No, I've had it. I've tried to be understanding and patient but I can't anymore." She said.
"Please? You'll understand, believe me." He begged.
She sighed, put her hands on her hips and thought a moment. "Fine. At least you'll know where I'll be." She said
sarcastically and straddled the bike. He smiled at her as he got on the bike himself and sped off, faster than he had to. She had to hold onto him tighter and she buried her face in his back as they drove back to House's apartment.
---Back in Cameron's apartment, she and Chase just sat down to eat dinner.
"Did Foreman ever tell you why House made him do all that blood work?" Cameron asked as she sipped her wine.
"Yeah. House is still ticked off that Foreman was his boss. That was six months ago! He needs to get over it."
"Are you serious? That's all it was?" Cameron said, shaking her head. "He needs to seriously grow up."
"You mean you are not defending him?"
"No, not anymore. Robert, I understand House is a great doctor. You know that, too, or you wouldn't be working for him. But he has too many issues that he needs to deal with, and it gets tiresome being on the receiving end of his tirades. No, something needs to be done. What were his conditions of being released from rehab?"
"Allison, I have no idea." He told her.
"Well, Cuddy would know. She needs to know what's going on."
"And you are planning on talking to her about it?" He asked.
"No, I was hoping you would."
"Excuse me? No, he already hates me and still wants me fired. Do you really think I'd do that? Besides, I've got that letter in my file, and I need to stay clean for as long as I can." He said.
"It didn't stop you from trying to get that bone marrow from Anica, did it?"
"Now, look, that was a completely different story." He objected.
"Oh, it was? How?"
"Because it involved a life-or-death situation of a patient. In this case, it doesn't." He simply said.
"Robert, you've ratted on him before, with Vogler for instance, and there was no patient involved. It was the only way of you getting on up on House. So, what do ya say?"
"I still say no, Allison, especially when you put it that way."
"What way? Hey, if you really look at it, the only person you going to Cuddy is going to hurt is House. Well, it won't hurt him; he'll think it will, though. But, whether you like it or not, I do care about House." She said.
"Oh, you do, do you?" He snipped.
"Robert, stop it! I don't have House. I never had House. I had a 'thing' for Hou..."
"A 'thing?' Can you be more specific?"
"No. But, it's you I have now, not House. It's you I want now, not House. And you don't have to worry about Doug.' She tried to reassure him. "We've been dating almost six months and I think it's about time he met you."
"But you said he gave a kid a concussion in high school!"
"And I also said the other kid had an army knife in his hand, too! They call that self-defense here in the states. I don't know about Australia." She teased him.
"Oh, very funny." He said.
Chase and Cameron went to bed that night happy; happy to be together. He turned on the radio and 'With You' by Prince was playing.
'I've kissed your lips so many times. And I still get the feeling I felt the very first time. I kiss your lips and lay with you. And I cherish every moment we spend in each other's arms.
'Guess my eyes can only see as far as you. I only want to be with you.
'We've come so far in so little time, guess sometimes I wonder if this is meant to be. Sometimes you are so very kind that the nights you're not with me I'm scared that you're gonna leave.
'I guess you could say that I'm just being a fool. But I only want to be with you.'
Chase rolled back over and kissed Cameron goodnight as he wrapped his arm around her waist.
"Robert, I love you." She told him for the first time.
"I love you, too, Allison." And she kissed him back. They made love that night. Not had sex, but made love. And they fell asleep with their bodies entwined as if they were one entity. And, in a way, they were.
---Earlier that evening, back at House's apartment, Melissa was in her room changing into shorts and a t-shirt when she heard House on the piano play the intro to 'Get Here' by Oletta Adams, then immediately switch over to 'It's Not Easy To Be Me' by David Grey.
She walked into the living room, quietly sat down and watched him play with her knees to her chest and her arms wrapped around them. He magically turned the keys into a silhouette of grey storm clouds brought into her mind by the emotion he evoked in the keys. And she was touched.
'I can't stand to fly, I'm not that naïve. I'm just out to find the better part of me. I'm more than a bird. I'm more than a plane. I'm more than some pretty face beside a train.
And it's not easy to be me…'
That was one of those rare songs that hit home with her, to a lot of people, apparently. She finally figured out that's because she'd always searched for a better life than what fate had handed her so far. And, here she was, with a safe roof over her head, a job she actually loved for a change, people who cared about her for the first time in her life, and Rog.
Pounding on the piano was his way of getting his frustrations out. She thought to herself: 'He is the most complicated man I've ever met. One minute he can actually show he has a heart, and the next second turn on you. And from what I've heard about him since I've been with Cuddy, he is your basic Grinch, with a little Scrooge and "Mommie Dearest" thrown in.'
If House was such a GrinRoogOmDear, then why had he let her stay at his place? He finally belted out the last of the notes and grabbed his glass of Scotch on the bench beside him.
"Greg, that was beautiful." Melissa said softly. He slowly turned to look at her; he hadn't realized she was right there.
He nodded his head as if to say, 'thanks' but he seemed a little embarrassed she was there.
"Where did you learn to play like that?" She asked.
"I'd sneak into the music room in high school." He said humbly.
"Wow. Somehow I believe you." She said as he stood up and sat down in his recliner facing the couch where Melissa was. They stared at each other like they were having a contest on who was going to be the first to speak. And, of course, House won.
"Greg, you want me to move out?" She asked.
"Yes….no. I don't know." He knew he was in trouble because whenever she used his first name she was serious; 'Doc' was when she was being playful. He took a sip of Scotch as if that would make the words come to his mouth easier.
"Rog and I talked about me moving in with him, but, I'm not sure if I want to do that, yet. It's too soon, there's a lot to consider and I'm just not sure if I want to get serious with anyone. I know about your sister, Greg, and I can't help but feel like I'm here in her place. And I know you can't have no one fill the place of someone you've lost when you were young." She said sadly.
House looked at her contemplating exactly what she meant by that and asked, "When you were hallucinating up at the cabin, you whispered 'Ted.' Who is Ted?"
"Ted was my older cousin. He'd always come over and 'rescue' me when things got bad at home. But when I was 12 he was killed by a drunk driver, and I just lost it. That's why I was with Jack so young. It was just to be out of the house and away from
my parents."
"So, you see me as Ted, same as I see you as LizBeth." He tossed the idea at her.
"NO! Well…" She thought it over a moment. "I guess so."
"So, what's the problem? Do you want to move out?" After a brief moment she shook her head.
"Good, I don't want you to move out either. And I'll lighten up on you if you make dinner for me every night." He said seriously.
"Excuse me? Oh, you've already played that little reverse 'pshyc' trick on me. Nice, by the way! Three nights a week and Sundays." She offered and they both laughed.
"What was it you were going to tell me back at the restaurant?" She asked since he appeared to win the 'avoidance' game again.
He apologized for what he'd said to her earlier and explained he'd gotten some disturbing news earlier that morning. He reached into his pocket, pulled out the $50 she'd put on the table before she stormed out of the restaurant and handed it to her.
"What's this, Doc?" She asked as she took the money.
"It's for groceries. I just said you had to make dinner, not buy it." He lied. "I'm going to bed."
"No, you're not." She said.
He stood and stared at her. "And why not?"
"Because you didn't give me a reasonable explanation for why you've been so irritable lately."
"I didn't know I had to."
"You do now. That's the only reason I got on your bike." She told him.
He looked up at the ceiling and as he looked at her he said, "Because I'm a father now." And he walked away to his bedroom with Melissa watching him.
'What the hell?' She asked herself. Then she shrugged, telling herself she'd never really fully understand that man, but she did know one thing. He did have a heart. He didn't show it much, but he had one. And she went to her own bedroom and sat on the bed, thinking, then fell to sleep a moment later.
Early the next morning, House had to fight with Melissa to get up. But she was just trying to make a point of how difficult it was to get him up in the mornings. He ended up throwing at pillow at her face and she threw one right back at him.
"Hey, I've got something for you!" House said excitedly.
"What? Oh, goody!" She said like a little girl. "Wha' is it? I wanna see it!"
"It's 'out there'." He said as he cocked his head toward the door. She jumped out of bed and ran to the living room, leaving the bed sheet a tangled mess on the floor.
"Where? Where is it, Doc?" She screamed, but he was standing right behind her.
"It's in the dining room." She turned around and saw, there, on the table, a motorcycle helmet.
"OH! You bought me a bike? Kewl, thanks!" She said as she picked up the helmet and put it on. "Ok, so, where's the leather jacket and key?"
"Girl, do you think I'm made out of money?" He asked with a smile on his face at seeing her so happy.
"Well, yeah! Duh!" She teased.
"Sorry to tell you, but it's just a helmet. But it's purple! Geez, I thought you would have loved it being purple." He said, faking a cry.
"Oh! But I love that it's purple! Ok, I'm ready for work!" She squealed as she headed for the door.
"Woman! I think you are forgetting something." She looked at him confused then saw that he was looking at her from head to toe. She looked down and noticed she was in her shorts and tank top.
"Oh, Lord!" She burst out laughing. "Does this mean I can at least drive it now, then?" She asked him as she took the helmet off and placed it on the couch.
"Heck, no! Are you insane?"
"Yeah, just a little. I'm living with you, aren't I? But you will take me to work, right?" He smiled and nodded his head.
As House drove to work with Melissa holding onto him tightly his mood was up somewhat, but he still thought of Stacy and the baby. He had been dreading that phone call the past couple of weeks. He wanted to call her back, but something told him not to. His pride, maybe?
Melissa walked into Cuddy's office as she said 'thanks' and waved, and House continued to the elevator, where he ran into Foreman. They rode up together, but neither spoke a word to the other. Foreman was still angry about being House's stress relief but he didn't let House know it. House stood back with a smug expression and waited for Foreman to react, which he didn't. They walked into the conference room where they met Cameron, Chase and Rog. House went to his office to get rid of his helmet and duffle bag, then came back with a coffee mug.
"Romeo, Juliet is downstairs for ya!" House said with a smirk. Rog poked his face out from behind a medical book and smiled.
"Good morning, boss." Rog said.
House frowned. "That's MR. Dr. House Boss to you, Rog." House said as he walked back to his office.
"House?" Chase called to get his attention. "We haven't had a patient in almost three weeks."
"Well, go poison someone but don't tell us what you gave them." House shot back at Chase. Rog just shook his head and Chase smirked.
Just then House's phone rang and Cameron picked it up. She gasped, frowned, looked at House, then hung up quickly and stood up.
"House, it's Charlie. He's just been admitted in the E.R. Sarah and Wilson are down there too."
House, Cameron and Rog all ran out of the office into the hallway and down to the E.R. As Rog and Cameron stood outside in the hall but watched through the glass, House walked into the E.R. and saw Charlie unconscious with an oxygen mask on and sweat pour from his face. A doctor was giving him an I.V. with medications in it. Sarah was crying, but calm, in the corner of the room while Wilson and the other doctors worked on him.
"What happened?" House asked Sarah as he went to stand by her and watched intently.
Wilson hollered out, "GET TNF TO CHECK FOR CYTOKINES TO SEE HOW MUCH TISSUE THE VENOM HAS AFFECTED!"
"I wen...went ow...get...per this morning...dam wasps...nest...by the doo.." Sarah was slowly calming down and the crying wasn't as intense. "He got stung two years a--go and only had a little reaction. But this...he screamed so loud, God! It made my blood curl..." She blew her nose in a Kleenex. "The area of the sting on his wrist was the si-ize of a grape within minutes, and poor James freaked out. I've never seen him freak out."
House looked over at the team working on Charlie. His pulse was thready and his blood pressure was too low.
"DAMIT! HIS THROAT IS CLOSING UP! DYSPNEA...GET ME A SCAPEL!" Wilson ordered as he wiped away drool that was coming out of the corner of Charlie's mouth.
"James, what IS it?" Sarah started to say but House held her back.
"Let them work, Sarah." House said calmly to her. She closed her eyes and buried her face in his shoulder.
A nurse sterilized Charlie's throat at the diaphragm and Wilson cut quickly about two inches, then a nurse handed him a tube to get air into his lungs.
"Ok, he's breathing now, Wilson." The doctor said. "Give him Methylprednisolone to decrease the swelling and Diphenhydramine to fight the histamine. And check his IgE level; we don't want him going into anaphylactic shock."
"And check his leukocytosis on the CBC for demargination from catecholamine, also electrolyte, BUN and creatinine level and check for any liver damage." Wilson ordered as he stepped back from the table and let the nurses draw more blood from his son.
He walked to Sarah and pulled her to him and she broke into tears. Wilson shot a look at House and he could see the look of fright in House's eyes, even though just by looking at him no one else would have been able to see that.
"Come on, there's nothing els..." House started to say but Sarah interrupted him.
"I am not leaving here until I know he is ok, Greg!" Sarah said sternly.
"Baby, he's in goo..." Wilson started to say.
"James, no way. You can go if you want, but...God, he's all I have." Sarah said and burst into tears.
Wilson could do nothing but hold her to him again and sat her down in a chair that was right behind her. "Ok, baby, we'll stay here." Wilson told her. She fought back more tears and stared at her son on the table.
House leaned against the wall and watched as the nurses and doctor continued to monitor Charlie's condition.
"Ok, his breathing has improved and his blood pressure is coming back up. Good job." The head doctor said as he left the room. Wilson smiled at Sarah, who looked at House. He nodded his head and smiled back at her.
"I've got an appointment in a few minutes." House said as he patted Wilson on his shoulder, who nodded.
"Thanks, Greg." He said and House nodded back.
House walked out of the E.R. and gave a sigh of relief; little Charlie was doing better. He headed up to the third floor for his 'mind cleansing' with Dr. Parker. Cameron headed back up to the conference room. Rog headed to Dr. Cuddy's office to see Melissa.
"Hi, sweetie! Guess what Doc gave me?" Melissa asked with a smile as Rog walked through the door.
"Your own place?" He said seriously.
She whispered so Cuddy couldn't hear. "Rog, we've talked about this before. I'm not ready to move in with you. It doesn't mean I've stopped caring about you, I've told you that."
"How did your dinner date go with Dr. House?" He asked with an increasing look of anger.
"Stop it! Why you so insecure about me staying with him? The man is like a brother to me. And you have to admit, he has gotten nicer, don't you think?" Melissa caught Cuddy looking at them but turned away quickly.
"Rog, we'll talk about this later. Now isn't the best time." She said.
"There's nothing to talk about, Melissa. It's over." Rog said and walked out of the office.
Melissa stared at the door, then the clock. It was only 11:00; she had two more hours of work. She felt tears swell in her eyes and fought keeping them at bay. She looked up to see Cuddy walk toward her. Melissa turned away as Cuddy sat in the chair beside her desk.
"I couldn't help but overhear. Are you ok?" Cuddy asked.
Melissa nodded her head. "I can't say I blame him. But he has a real problem with me being at Greg's. It's harmless!
Besides, everyone knows you two are an item now. It's ok...it's ok." Melissa said as she got her composure. "It's better this way. Ok, what report do you need, now?"
Cuddy looked at her a little shocked. Melissa picked up on it and said, "Oh, hey. I let him in as far as I thought I could handle, and it was fine. Great. But, I'm glad I found out what kind of man he is before we actually did have sex."
"You two nev…" Cuddy asked.
Melissa laughed. "No. And I think he was just looking for an excuse to end it. I couldn't do it…sleep with him. Oh, he stayed the night, but we just talked and cuddled." She said as she wiped the sole tear from her cheek.
"Can you keep a secret?" Cuddy asked. Melissa nodded her head and smiled, thinking Cuddy was going to tell her they'd gotten real serious, like, marriage.
"Greg and I split up last weekend." She said sadly.
Melissa shook her head. "What? I don't believe it."
"Haven't you wondered why I haven't been over, lately?"
"No, Lisa. He went to your place a lot, and the past week he's been with you. Hasn't he? He's been coming home after midnight." She asked when Cuddy frowned.
"No, he hasn't been with me. You said all week?"
Melissa nodded her head. "Please, please don't tell him I told you! He'll think I betrayed him."
"Don't worry, I won't. I'm sorry about you and Rog, but men! Who needs 'em anyway!" Cuddy said as she stood up.
"Lisa, us women do! We may hate them sometimes, but we need them." Melissa said as she laughed.
Later that afternoon, House was sitting on the couch opposite Dr. Parker, pretending to be completely bored with being there.
"Dr. House, what has been going on with the relationship between you and your father?" She asked. House just shrugged his shoulders and slouched deeper into the couch, spreading his legs as far out as he could.
"You do understand if you don't cooperate with any of these sessions that we'll have no other choice but to re-admit you to the rehab center." She warned.
"Oh, I'm so sorry! I didn't understand the question. I was just letting it go through my wheels and cranks before I answered. It's fantastic between me and Dad!" House answered, obviously too over-dramatic and quite sarcastic.
"When was the last time you talked with him?"
"At the rehab center when he was so very supportive of me."
"Dr. House, where do you want to be going with this? Because if you have all this extra time to be wasting my time, I've no problem with that at all. I've got all the time in the world, because you, Sir, need a lot of work."
"Oh, thanks! I'm glad you think I'm a piece of work. That's a great compliment."
"What was it that happened to make you hate your father so much?" She asked as delicately as she could. He stared at her blankly, trying to find the words that he'd said only twice in his life. He said them before, why couldn't he say them again?
"Ok, I see we aren't going anywhere there. How are things with you and Melissa?" She asked.
"Good."
"Just good?" She asked.
"Yep."
"Have you two had any problems with the living arrangements?"
"Nope."
"How is your relationship with Cuddy going?"
"We broke up. Wanna go out with me?" He asked with a sly grin.
"That won't work with me, Dr. House. In that case, do you think there will be any issues with Melissa still living with you?"
"She's not living with me, she's renting a room. She has a boyfriend."
"That didn't stop you from trying to 'get' Stacy even though she is married."
House narrowed his eyes at her and said, "Oooh, you're good!"
"How has it been with the painkiller being monitored? Have you had any particularly bad days?" She asked.
"Every single day." He said bluntly.
"That's a whole other session, Dr. House. What I'm concerned about now is any lack of judgment on your part."
"Pertaining to what, exactly?" He asked sharply.
"I understand it was pretty hard to adjust after your infarction. I'm just curious if you've ever had any thoughts on ending it all?"
"You mean like a need to jump off the highest bridge? All the time, Dr. It starts when I walk into the clinic, but miraculously subsides as soon as I walk out the door."
"I'm being serious. Have you had any suicidal thoughts?" Again, House stared at her blankly. A simple yes or no question and he didn't know what to say. He slowly nodded his head yes.
"What's stopping you?" She asked point blank.
He answered, "Melissa."
"Why?"
"Because I don't wa…" He stopped speaking.
"You don't want to what?"
After a brief hesitation he said, "I don't want to let her down."
"Let her down? You don't owe her anything. Who do you really owe, Dr. House?"
He sat in silence for a few minutes but did not look at Dr. Parker but stared at the wall, floor, anything but look at her. Because he knew as soon as he did, and said that one name, it'd be all over for him. He'd cry. Actually cry in front of someone. Someone would know he was hurting. Someone would know he had a heart. 'But, this was confidential, right?' He thought to himself.
"LizBeth." He softly whispered.
---After Rog left Melissa he went back to the conference room. Foreman and Chase glanced at one another because they could tell there was something wrong with him.
"Where's Cameron?" Foreman asked Rog.
"With Sarah." He answered.
"Did Juliet take the poison already, Romeo?" Chase asked with a snicker.
He looked at Chase and shook his head. "You guys ever have problems with women?" Rog asked.
They both burst out laughing. "Who hasn't, man?" Foreman answered.
"What do you guys think of House?" Rog asked.
"Oh, that story will be on 20/20 tonight. Don't miss it." Chase said sarcastically.
"Wait, I get it. You're jealous of House!" Foreman asked amused.
"No, I'm not. It's just…she seems to be leaning on him, but she won't talk to me. She won't even move in with me." He told them.
"That is jealousy." Foreman insisted.
"Rog, does this have anything to do with Melissa having AIDS? Do you think she's keeping you at a distance because of that?" Chase asked.
"No, it has nothing to do with that. I know how to protect myself. I really like her, and I haven't even pressured her about having sex…not until she's ready. But her being with House…I can't handle that." Rog said.
"You mean to tell me you two haven't slept together?" Chase asked surprised.
"Yeah, we've slept together. We just haven't had sex. And don't make it sound like that! If you were in my shoes, would you be worried about your girl?" Rog asked.
"Well, I don't think my girl would be dumb enough to live with House in the first place." Foreman said.
"Excuse me?" Rog bellowed.
"Hell, that didn't come out right. I've noticed between those two there is some kinda bond. I don't know what that is, though." Foreman corrected himself quickly.
"I broke it off with her." Rog finally told them.
They both sat up in their seats and leaned forward. "Why did you do that, man?" Foreman asked.
"I don't know. I went to see her and the first thing she says is, 'guess what House got me.' I just lost it."
"Rog, all I can tell you is you two need to sit down and figure out what it is you both want in your relationship." Chase said seriously.
"Ah, love advice coming from Oprah? This I've got to hear." House snipped as he walked into the conference room and sat in one of the chairs. "Please, continue, Oprah."
'How in the hell does he do that?' Chase asked himself and shook his head.
"How's Charlie, House?" Foreman asked.
"He's stabilized, but he's not quite out of the woods, yet. So, what was that love advice you were giving out? Cuz I have a problem I need someone to listen to." House said with an evil grin.
"Well, gotta go get blood." Chase said as he stood up quickly and walked out.
"What, Chase? You need help? Hold on!" Foreman yelled as he ran after Chase.
That left House and Rog in the conference room alone, staring at each other, and silent. House was playing his staring game again, but Rog didn't back down. While keeping an eye on House, Rog reached out for his bottle of Pepsi, and with the back of his hand accidentally knocked the bottle over and the drink spilled over the table and chair. Rog cursed as he ran to get paper towels and House sat back and watched him.
"Ha! I won!" House said.
"Won what, Dr. House?"
"The staring game! Uh, you missed a spot." House said as he pointed to an area that was already dry. Rog gave him a dirty look, threw the towels in the trash and sat back down.
"So, Mr. Nelson. What are your intentions with Melissa?"
"That's Dr. Mr. Nelson to you." Rog snipped back, repeating House's own words he'd used earlier. "I don't think that's any of your business, Sir."
"Oooh, I get a 'sir.' And you're right. It isn't any of my business. But since you spend time in my dwelling, it is my business."
"Dr. House, Melissa is not your daughter, nor your sister, nor should be any concern of yours. And you won't have to worry about me visiting your "this is my apartment for this month" again. I broke up with her." Rog said.
House raised one eyebrow. "Why?"
"Because she doesn't want me, and won't as long as she's under your roof."
"Rog, you are the only one she's seeing."
"Then why the hell are you buying her things?" Rog spat.
"Buying her...oh, the helmet. Rog, it is the law that every motorcy..."
Rog interrupted him. "A helmet? For the bike? That's what you bought her?"
"Yeah, moron. Didn't she show it to you?"
"Well, she said…I didn't...oh, hell." Rog said.
"Rog, I do care about Melissa. But I have no intention, thought or desire to date her. She's 21 for Pete's sake! I'm not a pervert." Rog played the staring game right back at House.
"Ok, ok. So, I am a perv. But my point is..."
"Your point is I am a moron." Rog said, and couldn't help but grin.
"Wow, you learn quickly." House teased back.
"Melissa is a great gir...woman. She's not as vulnerable as you think she is. She just needs someone to love her." House hesitated a moment as he realized what he just said.
"Dr. House?"
"Hmmph?"
"May I visit your lovely apartment this evening to talk with Melissa?" Rog asked.
"I'd say you'd better. But I won't be home tonight. I'm going to Cuddy's."
Rog nodded his head, stood up and walked out to go talk to Melissa about seeing her later that night. House sat back and thought about their conversation for a moment. There was one thing that he knew: Rog did care for Melissa. And House was okay with that.
He thought about the session with Dr. Parker earlier. After he'd said LizBeth's name, he got choked up and couldn't talk. It took him a few minutes to get it together and told her about his sister and the rocky relationship between her and their father. He also spoke of her suicide, in which Dr. Parker made a note in his chart. But he didn't, or couldn't, go into any further detail. Not yet. He wasn't ready. Then his mind wandered to Charlie, and he realized he hadn't checked in to see how he was doing. He reached for the phone and called Wilson on his cell phone.
"Where are you?" House asked when Wilson picked up.
"At the hospital."
"Why is everyone such a smartass today? I mean, where is Charlie now?" House said impatiently.
"He's sitting up asking where you are." Wilson answered.
"And that would be where? Geez!"
"We're still in the E.R." And Wilson hung up.
House shook his head but smiled that Charlie was okay and went to see him. For someone he hadn't known for long, Charlie sure had taken to House. Well, he was just going to have to put a stop to that. House slid the door open where Wilson, Sarah and Charlie were. Sure enough, Charlie was sitting up with a big smile on his face.
"Unkle Gweg! I got bit by a waps! Stupid waps!" Charlie said and showed House where it stung in on his forearm. "I have medzins...see!" Charlie said and pointed to the tape that kept the needle in place.
"Yeah, I see that. Glad you're better, dude." House said, attempting to sound like a little kid. It came out like he was drunk, but Charlie didn't know the difference. He smiled then looked at Sarah. She winked at House.
"When ya going home?" House asked Charlie.
"When you take me! Mommy said you take me riding!" House looked at him confused.
"No, sweetie, I said he'd help you ride your bike." She said with a laugh.
"Mommy! Don't call me that!" Charlie said sternly.
"Sorry, Bubba." She said.
House smiled, gave a high five to Charlie and walked out. And again, for the last time he hoped, sighed with relief. 'Well, ok, I'll leave Charlie alone. He is just too damn cute.' House thought to himself as he walked back to his office.
Meanwhile, back in Cuddy's office, Rog sat in the chair across from the desk Melissa sat behind. She hadn't said a word when he'd come in.
"I should have listened to you, Missy. And I apologize for what I said earlier. Can I bring dinner over to you tonight? We can talk then?" He asked.
"No. Allie and I are going to dinner. We haven't gone out in a while." She answered.
Rog nodded his head. "Can you call me when you get back, then? I'm not ready to give you up yet." He told her.
In a way, what he said was corny, but she was at least willing to hear what he had to say, even if it was over the phone. She nodded her head as Cuddy walked back in from the restroom. She didn't say a word as she walked to her desk and sat down.
"I'll call you." Melissa said as she stood up, grabbed a notepad and walked into Cuddy's office. Ok, so, Rog still had a chance.
Melissa walked into Cuddy's office, got notes on a few letters to type then she'd be going home. She'd been feeling tired lately, but when she caught her afternoon nap she felt better. Melissa changed into her jeans and checked her makeup in the ladies room then dredged upstairs to diagnostics to let Cameron know she was leaving.
"HEY, shortey!" House called from his desk when Melissa walked in. He stood up, put on his jacket and grabbed his duffle bag and cane.
"Hey, tall-ey!" She hollered back. "Allie, I'm leaving. I'll be ready at 6:00 when you come by."
"'I'll have to find something to wear and fix my hair and makeup and pick out the right shoes...OH! It just sucks being a woman,
Missy!'" Chase teased, sounding like a girl, or, at least attempting to.
"You guys are sooo funny! And you don't have your rituals you go through before you go out? Like, shave your face and take a shower and powder up and put on cologne and then spend 20 minutes getting your hair part to go the right way?" Melissa shot back.
"Touché, girl!" House shot as he came through the door.
"Where did you get that?" Cameron asked when she saw Melissa's new helmet.
"Oh, Stevie bought it for me for babysitting him. Wasn't that sweet?" She answered.
House almost choked on his tongue then shot Melissa a look of disgust. "IT'S NOT STEVIE! IT'S STEVE MCQUEEN! Mr. McQueen to you now!" House said and walked out the door. Melissa said a quick goodbye but flashed Rog a smile before she walked out. She still watched him as she turned the corner out of sight of the conference room.
A little while later, House and Melissa were in the apartment. Melissa was really curious why House had lied to her about not being with Cuddy. But, hey, it was only fair. She'd chewed him out for him being overprotective, so she couldn't really say anything.
"Melissa, you feeling ok? You look a little pale." House asked as he threw his jacket on the couch and the helmet next to it. She eyed the jacket then gave him a dirty look. He rolled his eyes, picked up the jacket and hung it up on the coat rack by the door.
"Yeah, I've just been tired lately. I'm fine. Thanks for the ride home. See you tomorrow." She said as she headed to her bedroom.
Hours later, Melissa woke up and rolled over on the bed. The clock read 11:45. "Oh, man!" She said as she jumped out of bed and opened her bedroom door. She walked into the dark living room and passed the couch. There, asleep, was House. The light from the full moon shined on his button-down shirt with the first three buttons undone that showed a few chest hairs. And he was wearing shorts. She saw the thick, long scar on the outside of his right leg that went from his calf to mid-thigh. It didn't look too bad, but it was dark and she thought it might probably look worse.
Since he was asleep, she figured he wouldn't know that she touched it. She had to. She'd killed many a cat in her lifetime, even
though she was 21. Curiosity should have been a virtue for Melissa. She knelt on her knees on the carpet by his waist, reached her hand out and touched the scar on his calf, as slowly and as softly as she could. She felt every curve and indent in the scar. Her fingers ran over his knee, and ran over the soft, dark hairs on the outside of his thigh. He turned his head from the back of the sofa toward Melissa, and for a brief second she thought he'd woken up. But he didn't. She knelt there looking at his face: every line on his forehead, every line in the corners of his eyes, every worry line, and shape of his lips.
'God, what am I doing?' She thought to herself. Just then House mumbled something and Melissa quickly took her hand away from his knee.
"Wha are oo doin'?" House muttered, and she smelled the liquor on his breath, but it wasn't too overpowering.
"Nothing. I thought you called me an..."
House reached out his hand for her right hand and brought it to his chest. He ran her fingers through his chest hairs and smiled at her. She smiled back.
"We shouldn't be doin' this." She whispered, feeling something inside her she'd never felt before.
"Doing what?" He said as he sat up.
Ever so slowly he leaned in toward her, like in the movies, but she didn't pull back. She kept her eyes on his as he got closer, and she could see the faintest black line that surrounded his blue eyes. She kept her lips as still as she could but could still feel them moving, waiting for his lips. And when his lips touched hers, she closed her eyes and brushed her lips against his. And it was the best kiss she'd ever had. She felt his left arm brush against the hair on her neck, and his lips brushed her cheek, to her ear to her neck...
Melissa moaned under her breath which woke her up from her dream, and she found lips really were brushing against her cheek, her neck. Her eyes flew open and she saw Rog sitting next to her, kissing her.
"Rog..wha..." Melissa mumbled.
Rog picked his head up and looked at her. "Shhh. Just listen to me. I've been a real jerk and I can't apologize enough. But I have to be honest. I don't like you here with House, Melissa."
"Rog, I told y..." She started to say.
"I know, I know. I understand now. I'm an only child so I don't understand that sibling relationship. But I do understand one thing." He said as she sat up. "I've loved you from the moment I saw you, and since then I've fallen in love with you."
"Rog, why do you want me? I have AIDS, I can handle that. What I can't handle is falling in love with you then dying and leav..." She fought back tears and choked on her words. After a moment she continued.
"Ever since I was a little girl I wanted to have that perfect house with the fenced-in yard, two dogs in the back, three cats in the house and four kids. And I wanted to watch them grow up and be a grandmother. And then, having the man that I'd shared my life with for 50 years sitting beside me in rockers on the front porch with the grandkids playing in the front yard and looking at my husband and..." She wiped the tears from her cheek.
"That's not going to happen, I realize that now. And so yeah, I've pushed you away. And glad you broke up with me. It took the pressure off me." She told him. "But I don't want to hurt you, Rog. I wouldn't want to do that to anybody. I care about you too much. You've got a bright future ahead of you and I don't want to take that away from you if I give you AIDS."
"Melissa, don't you get it? I don't care if I get it. Because the time that I've spent with you would have all been worth it. I can do more research on it. I did my medical thesis on AIDS research. And let me be the one to decide who I fall in love with, and spend as much time as I can with them, will ya?" Rog said.
Melissa looked at him and all the anxiety and stress left her. She threw her arms him and cried on his shoulder. She didn't cry because of what he told her, or how she felt about him. She cried because for once in her life, well, twice with House, someone really loved and cared about her.
"Rog, I love you, too. I really do. And thanks."
Rog pulled her away from him. "Thanks for what?"
"Just thanks." She cried as she kissed him, and realized the kiss from House was actually Rog she had been kissing, because it was the best kiss she'd ever had.
Rog wrapped his arms around her and lay down with her on top of him. They kissed for a few minutes and Rog tried to roll over to lie beside her, but he got himself off balance and ended up throwing Melissa and himself on the floor. His wrist got tangled in the lamp cord and the lamp crashed to the floor with the glass shade shattering in a million pieces above their heads.
Immediately there was a pounding on the door. "HEY! I will not clean up the blood in there!" House said, as he'd been listening from behind the door.
"Shi...oohh...geez." Melissa said as she stood up and headed for the door. She opened it and House stood there with a sly grin on his face.
"Allie is here." He said teasingly and walked away.
"I'll be out in a minute, Allie!" She said as she closed the door behind her.
She heard Cameron answer, "Take your time, you two!" And she laughed.
Cameron sat on House's couch waiting for Melissa.
"So, what are you two doing tonight?" House asked Cameron.
She looked at him puzzled because he knew why she was there - dinner. "I'm taking Missy to a strip club down on 5th. She said she's always wanted to go to one."
House raised an eyebrow. "OH! I wanna come! Can I come!"
"House, it's a male strip club." She told him.
"Oh. Well, I can dance! I'm sexy!"
Cameron rolled her eyes and shook her head. "House, the women there aren't blind." She teased.
"Ouch! That hurt. Fine. Guess I'll have to go to a 'title' bar by my...hey, wait! So, what's Chase doing? Can he come with me, Mommy, please?"
"Sure! It'll keep him off me for a change." Cameron said.
House was taken aback and didn't know what to say. Melissa bounced into the room with Rog behind her.
"I'm ready." She said.
"Have fun at the strip club and don't dance with the men after the show!" House said as the gang walked out the door. Both Rog and Melissa turned around and looked at House confused.
"Never mind, I'll explain in a sec." Cameron said as the door closed behind them.
House stood in the living room of his quiet apartment, wondering what he was going to do now. He wanted to call Cuddy, but his pride got in the way. He wanted to call Stacy, but knew that would never happen. He wanted to call Ginger but figured she was already booked, 'that tramp!' So, he lay on the couch with a glass of Scotch and the t.v. remote in his hand. Alone. Again. Naturally.
That same night, Cuddy sat alone in her house thinking about House. Things were going so smoothly between them and she
wasn't ready to give him up. But, she couldn't risk it. The person she really wanted to talk to was House. She just had to. She figured he'd be at home, especially since Melissa said he was coming home late. And she knew Melissa and Cameron were going out to dinner, so she'd be able to talk to him.
She sighed, picked up the phone and dialed House's number. The phone rang twice and the answering machine picked up but pressed the hang up button real quick because she hadn't thought of a message to leave. She held the phone in her hand then placed it back in the cradle. A second later, it rang. She hesitated picking it up but finally did.
"Hello?" She said.
"What do you want?" A male voice asked.
"Uh, you called me." She answered.
"But you called me first." He said.
"HOUSE!" Cuddy said a little loudly, then she heard him laugh. "What do you want?" She asked.
"I dunno. What did you want?" He asked.
"House, ok, you win, again! I just wanted to know what you were doing."
"What do you want to be doing?" He asked.
Cuddy looked at the phone then hung up on House, but she had a grin on her face. She knew he'd call her back. 15 minutes went by, then 30. 45 minutes. He still hadn't called her back and she lied on the couch, slowly getting drowsy when there was a knock on her door. She slowly stood up and hollered through the door, "Who is it?"
"I don't know. Who are you?" A male answered. Cuddy shook her head, unlocked and opened the door for House, who stood there with a grin on his face and a bottle of Scotch. She stepped aside to let him in without saying a word.
"What did you want?" House asked seriously as he sat on the couch. She grabbed two glasses, put in some ice then walked into the living room and handed him a glass. He poured them each a drink and handed the glass to Cuddy, who sat down next to him with her leg under the other.
"I was just bored." She finally said.
"And you couldn't tell me that over the phone?" He asked then took a sip from the glass.
"House, what's been going on with you, lately?" She finally spit out.
"I've been wondering the same about you." He shot back, as was his normal defensive move. "I mean, we're all lovey dovey one minute and you break it off the next? That's something I would do, but not you."
"Greg, I just don't think I can deal with things right now."
"What do you mean 'with things?' What's going on?"
Cuddy took a deep breath and told House the whole story. She'd also finished at least half the bottle by the time she was finished, putting even House to shame. Her speech was fairly understandable, but her eyes had grown weary and dazed.
"Lisa, do you really think he'll come after you?"
"I hope not. I got a call from Matthew St. George, my attorney in the case, who left a message but I haven't called him back. I just figured he'd gotten out."
"Were there other women who accused him of rape, too?" He asked.
"Yeah, there were three of us, which were enough for a guilty verdict."
"Is there anything the cops can do?"
"No, Greg. Nothing."
"Is that what Thomas was looking for? Something about the case? You know, the day he wrecked this place." House asked.
Cuddy nodded her head. House asked, "Why would he be looking for anything on the case? And why would you have anything on the case?"
Cuddy shook her head. "Do you really think that matters to me, Lisa? I cared about you once. It doesn't matter to me. But I understand now." House told her.
"House?"
"Cuddy?"
"What have you been up to? In your spare time."
"Oh, the usual. Playing my piano, killing Purple Onion Monsters, playing with Steve. You know, I've been thinking of getting him a girlfriend."
"Oh, really? What would you name her?"
"Mae West." Cuddy laughed and shook her head. "I guess I should have said where have you been? At night?"
His eyes narrowed at stared at her. "Out." He simply said.
"Is there something bothering you?"
"No, not at all." House lied. "Hey, how many fingers am I holding up?" House asked, holding up three.
Cuddy said, "Seven."
"Hmmm. Close, but it's twenty six. I think you need to get to bed. You finished all my liquor, anyway." House said as he stood up.
"Oh, I'm sure you have more at your place." She answered.
"Goodnight, Cuddy. And thanks for telling me." House said, leaned in and gave her a quick peck on the cheek.
"Yeah, thanks for telling me, too." Cuddy said sarcastically as they headed to the door.
House rode his bike home but took the long way. When he walked into his apartment, Cameron and Melissa were sitting on the couch giggling like little teenaged girls. House rolled his eyes and hung his jacket up on the coat rack. When it fell, he didn't bother picking it up and replacing it.
"How were the studs, girls?" House asked.
They looked at each other and giggled again. "It was sooo fun!" Melissa squealed. "There was one guy that I swear looked like Mel Gibson! Well, when he was younger."
"Ok, you know what? I've been drinking and I feel kinda sick, well, sickerer after listening to you two. So before you two get out Barbie and her Dreamboat, I think I'm going to bed." House said as he headed to his bedroom.
"I hope things work out for you and Rog, Melissa. I really do." Cameron said to Melissa after his door closed.
"Yeah, I hope so, too. I really care about him, but I'm just scared, you know? But I'm glad we talked." Melissa answered.
"Well, I have to get up early tomorrow. I'll see you then." Cameron said as she headed to the door.
"Thanks for dinner, and listening. I appreciate your advice." Melissa said as she gave Cameron a hug.
"Oh, god! Don't let House see us hug!" Cameron said with a laugh.
"Too late. Please, continue ladies." House said as he walked into the kitchen and stood at the opening between the two rooms.
"Mr. Landlord, sir, Doc, please, shut up!" Melissa said with a wink and a laugh. Cameron walked out the door and Melissa went back into the living room.
"So, where did you go tonight?" Melissa asked as she sat on the couch.
"Chase and I went to the title bar on Elm. Man! You missed it! There was this girl there that had the most beau..." House started to say as he sat down.
"Oh, believe me, I didn't miss anything." She said. "Seriously, where were you?"
"I told you!"
"No, you lied. Chase called Cameron while we were eating dinner." Melissa lied. She knew Cameron was twisting his leg when she said they were going there, and she knew House didn't go.
"I was over at Cuddy's." He answered honestly.
"Uh, you weren't there, either. And you haven't been there all week, either." Melissa said.
"Yes, I was. Wanna call her?"
"No. I'm just wondering what's going on with you. You know I'm a worrier." She said.
"Well, you don't have to worry about me." He told her.
"Well, someone has to!"
"No, they don't. I'm all grown up. Besides, I have Steve here."
"Uh, okay. Sorry I asked. I am so tired of playing games with you. And I'm sorry I care." She said as she stood up and went to her bedroom, making sure the slam the door closed.
House sat in the living room staring at her door. 'Damnit.' He thought to himself.