They somehow made it to the bed without tripping over each other. House lost his cane along the way, but that could wait until morning. He didn't plan on going anywhere else for the night. Cuddy's soft skin all over his, her hair tickling his chest, made him gasp and shudder. He let her have her way with him. She was going to anyway, whether he liked it or not. He ended up liking it... a lot.
Truth be told, House preferred to sleep in his own bed. When Cuddy bought her bed she surely didn't count on a moody six-foot-three doctor taking up more than his fair share. The fluffy, girly bedding did nothing for him either, but he knew better than to say anything unless he felt like sleeping on the floor. His no-nonsense bed was made for a tall man. Of course, there was plenty of room to share.
House would probably never know, or ever care to know, how much the restrictions of his leg and his constant pain really bothered Cuddy. Always having to be aware, being careful not to kneel, kick, or put too much weight on it. She would deny it to the bitter end, just as she denied that the awful surgery scar didn't bother her either. She could deny all she wanted. He knew she was lying, whether she truly believed she wasn't or not. Everybody lies. That was fine with him. It was a lie he was more than willing to live with as long as it didn't drive either of them away.
Awake, as usual, the clock casting its eerie green glow while the illumination of the streetlights fought for some space. They were semi-successful, whitewashing the dark furniture of his bedroom. A dull ache began to snake up his leg and wrap itself around his thigh. Barely conscious of it, House snatched up the Vicodin bottle and tipped two into his mouth, dry-swallowing them like he had done a million times before.
Just knowing the pills were in his stomach made him feel better and he let himself drift for a while, just listening to the pleasant sound of Cuddy purring away beside him. He thought of her ripping open his shirt without so much as a word to warn him. A heart-stopping surprise, and he loved it.
The lights made Cuddy out to be nothing more than a jumbled heap of shadows. He edged closer until he felt her hair brush against his shoulder. He curled up into it and could smell the faint flowery scent of the conditioner she used mixed with a trace of perfume. She always smelled like a fresh spring day and he loved that too. House wrapped her heat around himself and closed his eyes.
Whenever Cuddy was with him, she always made it a point not to disturb her lover. More often than not, he could at least sleep a few hours straight through. But not always.
He hadn't had a good night, turning and mumbling on and off for hours. The blankets twisted up around his waist. Her hand stroked his cheek up to his temple as beads of sweat trickled down.
"No...wait..." he muttered and turned away. Still asleep. His eyes moved frantically under their lids and his breath hitched.
"Ssshhh..." Cuddy whispered. "Greg, it's okay."
"Stop!" he yelped, jerking awake, eyes wide and scared.
"Greg!" she cried, her heart racing with his, clenching his arm to keep him falling out of the bed. She watched as he looked over at her as if he didn't know who she was. His face was the color of ashes.
He shook his head, trying to shake off the nightmare like it was a leaf caught in his hair. It wasn't enough. "Jesus...," the doctor gasped.
"Greg." Cuddy cupped his chin and turned his face to hers. "Greg, it's all right. It was just a dream."
"Jesus...Lisa..." Gradually, the color returned and his breathing slowed to normal.
"What was it?" she asked.
"I don't remember," he answered stonily, obviously not wanting to talk. Probably lying, but she wasn't going to push it. He fell back into the pillow, still a bit spooked.
She stroked his cheek again and he strangely seemed to welcome it instead of pushing her hand away. Nothing was said, she stared at him, he stared into space.
"We can stay here awhile," Cuddy finally said.
He didn't answer, just turned and buried his head in the crook of her neck. She reached and turned off the alarm.
