Chapter 37:

Tuesday morning brought dreadful weather; rain was pounding on the window panes, coming down from the sky in great bursts. The quarter-sized droplets were beating ferociously, almost music-like on the rooftops and window panes like a drum.

Inside the Cuddy residence, however, there was no evidence of the atrocious weather that was brewing outdoors, nor any evidence that the two people in the bedroom sleeping had even argued the day before.
Cuddy was snuggled up to House's side with her head nestled in between his own head and his shoulder. Her left arm lay across his bare chest, moving up and down in tune with House's even breathing.

House's one arm was around Cuddy's back, as his hand rested on her upper arm. His other arm was behind his pillow. Just as he continued to enjoy a peaceful slumber, he was suddenly awoken by a sharp pain in his right thigh, a pain he was indeed used to. Rolling over and withdrawing his hand from behind Cuddy, he grabbed an all too familiar orange bottle from the bedside table and poured three Vicodin pills into his open palm and dry swallowed them immediately.

Both hands latched onto his thigh and started to massage the dead muscle tissue.

Cuddy woke up a few minutes later and switched off the alarm clock, which was about to go off in two minutes. Turning away from the nightstand, she turned her body and went to wake House, but found that he was already awake.

"Hey you," she said, smiling at him. Her smile faltered as her eyes traveled down to his leg. "You okay?"

"Fine," House said gruffly. He didn't want her to see him like this. He let out a breath and turned to face Cuddy, who was looking rather concerned. "It's fine, Lisa," he repeated. "Just pushed myself a little too harder than I should have."

Cuddy smirked, remembering the previous night's events. "I don't suppose last night's escapades had anything to do with it?" she quipped, the corners of her mouth turning upward.

"Oh shut up, preggo," House told her, grinning. He wrapped an arm around her.

Chuckling softly, Cuddy moved closer to him, laying her head down on his chest. "Look at that rain. It sure is coming down hard," she said, glancing at the window that was directly across from her.

House looked out the window as well. "Yup," House answered, as he kissed her head. "So you ready for today?"

Cuddy bit her bottom lip before answering him. "I'm kind of nervous . . . but excited at the same time."

"Me too," House whispered, more to himself than to her.

Propping herself up on her elbow, Cuddy looked at him. "What do you think it's going to be like?" she asked.

"Don't tell me you've never seen an ultrasound before?" House began, cynically, "because seriously you shouldn't be Dean of Medicine and instead go back to the first year of med school."

Cuddy punched his bicep lightly. "You know what I meant!" she told him, rolling her eyes and chuckling.

House matched her laugh. "I know," he said, laughing softly. "I don't know," he said, changing his tone, "I mean . . . it's going to weird. . ." He cleared his throat, clearly starting to get somewhat uncomfortable.

Cuddy didn't say anything for a moment. She immediately sensed the change of tone in his voice; a tone of insecurity.

"You're freaked out, aren't you?" she finally asked him, looking deep into his blue eyes.

"A bit," he admitted quietly. He glanced down at the bed sheet that covered the lower half of his body. He then eyed Cuddy suspiciously. "Now don't go around telling everybody that I'm sensitive. It'll ruin my reputation," he said jokingly.

Cuddy smirked. "Wow. I'm probably the only woman who actually knows the real Greg House," she said. "Don't worry," she added with a grin, "I won't tell anyone that behind the gruff, narcissistic hard-ass of a doctor, there's actually a real human being who's capable of feeling and expressing real human emotions."

"Oh shut up," House told her.

Cuddy chuckled, surveying him as she laid her head back down onto the pillow. "Alright. I have to get dressed. I have a lot of stuff to do before eleven," she said, as she threw the covers off her body and went to stand up, but not before House grabbed her forearm, pulling her back towards him.

"I love you," he said softly, cupping her cheek with his hand while tracing her features with his eyes.

"I love you too, Greg."

House released her and she got up out of bed and went into the bathroom to take a shower.

Around the same time that House and Cuddy were getting ready for work, Wilson and John were lying in Wilson's bed together. Wilson was lying on his side with his knees bent as John was in the spooning position behind him.

"So, you nervous about today?" Wilson asked, as he enjoyed the feel of John's genitals rubbing against his backside.

John paused, as he rested his chin on his partner's shoulder. "Surprisingly, not really."

Wilson turned his head to look up at him. "Really?" he asked, surprised.

"Really," John confirmed. "Hey, if I don't get it, I don't get it. No big deal."

"John, you'll get it," Wilson reassured him. "You graduated 3rd in your class; you're smart; you have experience. You'll get it." He flipped over so he was facing John.

John smiled as he stared at the man lying next to him. "I love that you always think positively," he said, grinning.

Wilson smirked. "What I do best."

Lazily, John's fingers made their way across the pillow and he cupped Wilson's cheek. "Mhhm. I like it. Always trying to see the bright side." Pulling Wilson closer to him, he engulfed the other man's lips in a passionate kiss

After they broke apart, John ran the back of his hand slowly down Wilson's cheek. "So you know what it means if I get the job, right?" he teased.

Wilson's eyes sparkled mischievously. "A night of outrageous mind-blowing sex after I take you out to dinner, or before, or both, whichever you want," he teased, fairly amused at the idea.

John couldn't help agreeing enormously. Chuckling, he joked, "Well, yea, but that's not what I meant."

"Well, what did you mean?" Wilson asked, in between kissing John on the lips.

"I meant," John began softly, that I finally get to see you every day." Pulling Wilson closer to him, his tongue explored the insides of the oncologist's mouth delicately, while his smooth, gentle hands moved down, caressing Wilson's bare chest. Moving his hands around Wilson's back, John pulled him close, their mouths never separating.

Wilson's fists were tightly balled as he grabbed fistfuls of John's hair and moaned loudly with pleasure. He rolled on top of John, the crème colored bed sheet's entwining both men, trapping them on top of one another.

But they barely seemed to notice.

Wilson's hand traveled down to John's hard shaft, which stood ready at attention like a reliable and obedient army sergeant. As he caressed the tip with his hand, he broke apart from John's lips and grinned at him. "Lucky me," he teased.

Just as he went to kiss John's neckline, the alarm clock on the side table buzzed with impeccable timing. With his hand still on John's cock, Wilson reached around with his other hand to switch off the rather annoying beeping sound that he did not want to hear at that moment.

"Damn," he sighed. "I gotta go shower," he said, sounding rather disappointed.

John stopped him by laying a hand on his arm. "Oh no you don't," he said grinning. Wrapping an arm around the doctors' back, he pulled Wilson closer to him and kissed him.

"Didn't your mother ever teach you it's rude to start something and not finish it?" he growled seductively into Wilson's ear.

House and Cuddy made their way into the hospital parking lot at half past nine that morning. It was still pouring monsoons as they hurried quickly into the lobby entrance.

Cuddy headed to her office to sign off on some charts and to do some mundane but necessary methodical desk work that had to get done, not to mention she had to get ready for her one o'clock meeting with John Greene.

Foreman and Cameron were already seated at the conference table, each with a mug of steaming hot coffee and charts in front of them, when House arrived.

"Late night last night?" Foreman asked, smirking, referring to the fact that his boss was late (well, later than usual) and moving at a slower pace than he usually did.

"Oh shut up," House told him, shrugging off his backpack and jacket.

Foreman smirked. "Score one for Foreman," he muttered cheerfully under his breath.

Ignoring him, House eyed the folders and asked, "New case?" He turned to the whiteboard, marker in hand. "Make it quick," he said, turning back around to survey his employees' as he twirled the marker around in his fingers. "I only have an hour."

"Why?" Foreman quipped, "Got a hot lunch date with the Dean or something?"

"Lisa has an appointment," House mumbled.

Cameron glanced down, knowingly.

Immediately, House noticed this and glared at her accusingly. "What?" he demanded, lightly.

"You know that there's already a gender pool going on downstairs, right?" she informed him.

"Are you serious?" he sputtered out, in surprise rather than anger. "Why does everyone have to know everything about everything? Seriously!"

Cameron smirked. "Well," she said coyly, "in case you haven't noticed, you ARE dating the head of this entire hospital and she IS knocked up with your kid, so. . . I don't know, you tell me."

"Ha ha," House replied in a flat voice, "How much is the bet?" he asked, somewhat vaguely interested.

"$70 on boy, $95 on girl," Foreman told him quickly. ". . .so far," he added, hastily.

House produced his wallet from the back pocket of his jeans. "And why wasn't I informed of this bet?" he asked, opening the black leather wallet and starting to thumb through the bills to see how much cash he had on him. "Put 20 on boy. Up the stakes."

It took Cameron a few seconds to realize what her boss was doing. "House!" she quickly scolded him, "you cannot bet on your own baby's gender!"

Glancing up from counting his money, House looked at her, with his eyebrows slightly raised. "And why not?"

Cameron gaped at him. "Because …because…," she sputtered out, unable to speak.

"Yea," House said smirking at her, "that's what I thought."

Without another word, he turned his back on his two employees' and strode into his adjacent office. After about fifteen minutes, he became rather bored with the methodical mundane task of checking his email, and he began a game of Space Cadet pinball

At about five minutes to eleven, he picked himself up from his chair and made his way upstairs and walked into the OB-GYN office.

Approaching the receptionist at the front desk who was typing at a computer, he opened his mouth to speak, but the receptionist smiled at him and cut him off.

"Dr. House, Dr. Cuddy is in Room Four. You can go on back."

Nodding curtly at her, House made his way past the desk and limped down the hallway, pausing at the second door on the right. He knocked rapidly and pushed the door open.

Cuddy was sitting up on an exam table, dressed in a hospital gown, while a nurse was at her side wrapping a black blood pressure cuff around her arm.

Her whole entire face radiated upon seeing him. "Hey."

House closed the door and walked over to her. "Hey boss," he said grinning. After giving her a soft peck on the lips, he nodded curtly at the nurse in a way of greeting and then turned back to Cuddy.

"You do know that there's already a pool going on downstairs about the sex."

Intrigued, Cuddy raised her eyebrows. "Really?"

"Yep."

Cuddy smirked, fairly amused. "What are they up to?"

"Not quite at a hundred. Stakes are higher on 'girl'."

Upon hearing that comment, the nurse smiled to herself as she unwrapped the cuff from around Cuddy's arm and made a note in the manila folder that she had with her.

Cuddy shook her head, chortling softly to herself. "The things people bet on." She nodded at the nurse. "Thanks, Becca."

"Parker will be with you shortly." With that, Becca turned and left, closing the door behind her.

Once the door was shut, Cuddy turned to House. "How's your leg?" she asked, concerned.

He shrugged. "It's okay, I guess," he said, casually.

Noticing he didn't really want to talk about it, Cuddy let the subject drop. Just then, her cell phone rang.

Hopping off the table, she bypassed House and fished through her purse until she found her phone. After the fourth ring, she found it.

"Dr. Cuddy," she said, placing her mouth by the mouthpiece. "Yes, hi," she said, after a few moments. ". . I'm actually unavailable but I'm sure Ed in Maintenance will be able to assist you in what you need . . . yes, I'm not sure of the extension. . yes, check with them. . . okay, you too. Bye." Disconnecting the call and shoving it carelessly in her purse, she turned back around to see House looking at her with an amused expression on his face.

"What?" she asked, questionably.

"You never stop, do you?" he said with a grin on his face.

Cuddy stopped walking and looked at him, waiting for him to elaborate. "And what is that supposed to mean?"

House smirked, loving the fact that she didn't catch on and now he had to explain himself. "You know when people say they are married to their job . . . " he began, letting his voice trail off for effect.

With her hands on her hips, Cuddy walked up to him and turned her nose up. "Am not," she said, arrogantly.

House brushed her raven black hair off her shoulder and cupped her cheek. "Wanna bet?" he asked, smirking as he stared into her eyes.

"No," Cuddy said, trying not to grin.

"'cause you know I'm right," he continued, as she hadn't spoken.

"I hate you," she told him, still trying to refrain from smiling.

Amused, House hooked his cane on his arm and brought both hands to rest on either side of her waist, pulling her closer to him.

"No you don't," he said, grinning. He touched his lips to hers and slipped his tongue in.

Cuddy welcomed the kiss as she pressed her body into his and wrapped her arms around his back. Their tongues caressed each other's tenderly for a few moments.

House broke apart from the kiss and moved his lips next to her ear. "Are you ready?" he whispered.

Cuddy responded by squeezing his arm. "Yes," she breathed quietly.

Resting his forehead on hers, he stared into her eyes. The moment he captured her lips in a soft kiss, the exam room door opened.

"Dr. Cuddy, Dr. House," Cuddy's obstetrician Joseph Parker said, as he strode into the room briskly, with a manila folder tucked underneath his arm. "How are you today?"

"Good," Cuddy told him, "Thanks." She let go of House and made her way over to the table, while he followed closely behind her.

"Excellent," Parker said, enthusiastically, ""If you could get up on the table for me and lie down, Lisa, then we can get started."

Cuddy did as she was told as she lay down on her back on the exam table.

As she caught House's eye, she realized that even though he would never even come close to admitting it, he was in fact just as freaked out as she was, even if he was in constant denial. But they were in this together, and Cuddy was determined to help him through it, day by day.

TBC...