Chapter 4

House found Nicky sitting at her desk, typing up notes from his doctors. She looked up when he walked in and gave him his messages. He glanced through them before scrunching them up and throwing them in the bin.

"You can't just ignore them," Nicky said furiously, getting up and retrieving them from the bin.

"On the contrary, I just did," House said. "Anyway, you're my assistant, you deal with them."

"I'm not a doctor," Nicky retorted, I can't give them the answers."

"Sometimes that makes two of us," House was goading her.

Nicky was relieved when his beeper went off, giving her a chance to calm down before their next bout. House gave her a sly grin before hobbling back out of her office.

The next day started the same, Nicky had a lot to catch up on from the day before and House knew it. He kept her at his usual morning meeting this time just to add to the pressure and afterwards, gave her all his case notes from his Clinic he'd been stacking up for the past couple of days. He couldn't help but feel a little bitter over that lunch date with Wilson. Neither of them had so much as hinted what they had talked about and it grated on him not knowing.

"Why do you do it to her?" Foreman asked as they headed for the ward.

"Keeps her busy and out of my hair for a while doesn't it?" House replied with a glint in his eye.

Foreman shook his head and walked on ahead.

Just before House knocked off for the day, he walked into Nicky's office as she was finishing up a phone call. He didn't take much notice of it, he was thinking about the way he'd treated her this morning and was feeling guilty. He knew he was taking out his anger with Cuddy out on her too. He knew that she'd applied for the post and quite rightly assumed that he'd wanted and needed an assistant. Once again, he knew deep down that she was an asset to him but his pigheadedness wouldn't show Cuddy that she was right.

"Have you finished typing up the notes from this morning, yet?" House asked.

"No, and do you want to know why?" Nicky stood up, her eyes flashing in anger.

House shook his head, slightly amused that he'd wound her up so easily this time, all thoughts of guilt erased from his mind.

"Because I was taking notes for you at a meeting that you were supposed to be at," she spat.

House's smile slid from his face, she'd covered for him yet again.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I have to be somewhere." She pushed past him and strode off up the corridor, leaving House staring after her.

-----

Nicky sat in the waiting room feeling sick with nerves. She leaned forward, her elbows resting on her knees, her hands entwined and stared at the floor. Wilson had been called away but was due back any moment, all she could do was wait. She looked down the corridor for the umpteenth time, hoping he was on his way, but this time she saw House, his eyes fixed on her, she had no worries about showing her irritation with him turning up either.

"So this is where you're hiding," he said, sitting down heavily next to her. "Is Wilson trying to poach you from me?" He chuckled, but underneath it was a serious question. They'd had lunch yesterday and they could have been talking about a move.

"No, he's not trying to poach me, if I wanted to switch, I'd have told you first," Nicky retorted, "Give me some credit."

"Oh," was all House could say. She'd completely thrown him, yet again.

"Actually, I've got an appointment," Nicky said finally.

House at last looked at her body language. She was hunched over, fidgeting with her hands, her eyes were darting everywhere and there was a sheen on her skin. No, there was more to this meeting than met the eye.

He took her hands roughly in his and Nicky spun around to look at him, confusion written all over her face.

"You're seeing Wilson as an Oncologist, aren't you?" House said quietly.

Nicky sighed, but said nothing and looked straight ahead.

"Is there anything I can do?" House asked.

"Why because you think I've got cancer?" Nicked answered him with a question. "It's common knowledge that you have no time for cancer patients, they don't interest you enough and most of them die anyway. So why bother being nice now? You might as well carry on the way you have all along, I may not be around for much longer anyway."

"Or it might turn out to be nothing," House said shrugging off her outburst.

"Yeah, maybe. Just leave me alone, Dr House," she snapped.

He was staggered at her abruptness, but he'd warranted it, he'd behaved atrociously to her from day one. It was at times like this she should have been able to turn to him for advice and a shoulder. There was also some truth in what she said, too, he had said all those things about cancer patients.

He got up to go. "Have dinner with me tonight," he suddenly said.

Nicky looked at him, amazed. "What did you just say?"

"My behaviour towards you has been unspeakable to say the least, let me show you how nice I can be," House explained awkwardly. "I want to turn over a new leaf, if you'll give me a chance?"

The sound of Wilson's polite cough startled them both.

"Shall we?" Wilson said, motioning towards his office.

Nicky got up, but House grabbed her arm lightly before she could walk away from him.

"Well?" he asked.

"Why? Are you feeling guilty now because I might be ill? I want the truth."

"No, it's not that," House replied, "although I am worried about you," he added hastily. "I'll explain it all later, if you'll meet me that is?"

She sighed. "Alright, seven thirty at Verdi's, I'll meet you inside."