As the storm got worse, the loud thundering woke Cuddy. Her body's natural reaction to the loud noise caused her to pull Remy closer. As the younger woman's presence registered with Cuddy, she felt her stomach twist nervously.
This wasn't right. She was her boss, yet here she was playing mom to the girl. She didn't understand why Remy was acting this way, but it definitely wasn't normal. Mentally, she ran through the reasons why this could be happening: shock or trauma, the medicine, the fever itself. They were all possibilities, yet none of them seemed enough on their own. Obviously, the girl's past was playing into it.
Cuddy absently pushed the girl's hair off her face, tucking it gently behind the girl's ear. Remy reacted to the movement, but didn't wake. Instead, she began to suck on her thumb, still sleeping. Cuddy could feel the pressure of their actions, washing over her again.
In a way, she felt like she was taking advantage of the girl. She was the responsible one, still fully aware of what was going on. She shouldn't allow Thirteen to continue and she really shouldn't be responding the way she was. Glancing at her clock, she realized it was nearly seven. The overhanging storm was really messing with her internal clock. Through her curtains, it still seemed like the middle of the night.
Making up her mind, she attempted to slide out of the younger woman's grasp. Her movements stopped the moment she heard Thirteen's whimper. Crying in her sleep, the girl clutched onto Cuddy's form, terrified of losing the security. Cuddy's emotional side instantly won over her rational mind.
Wrapping her arms against the girl once more, Cuddy murmured against the crown of her head, "I'm here. You're safe honey." She wasn't okay with feeding the girls delusions, but there was no reason she couldn't care. She just had to be realistic about things. She wasn't a mother and Thirteen was hardly a child. They were coworkers, acquaintances, possibly friends, but that was all.
Pressing a hand against the girls face, she realized that the fever was back. It wasn't nearly as high, as the night before, but she still should take something for it. Having no choice, but to disturb the girls slumber, Cuddy moved quickly. She hugged the girl tightly, and then slid completely out of bed. She felt guilty the minute the girl began to stir, but continued towards her bathroom.
Searching through her medicine cabinet, she found something to give her for the fever. She peeked in on the girl and found her once again sleeping. Heading towards her kitchen, she grabbed the rest of the girl's medicine and continued on to find her something to drink.
Thirteen tossed and turned, but was unable to find the warmth she was missing. Slowly cracking open her eyes, she was met with unfamiliar surroundings. The first thing she realized was that she was scared. Then she realized that she felt horrible. Sitting up was a mistake. The minute her head lifted off the pillow, the room began to spin. Lying back down, she gave into the lethargy she felt. Drawing her legs up to her chest, she hugged them and tried to go back to sleep.
Cuddy came back into the room, finding the girl awake. "Hey," she smiled, warmly, "How are you feeling?" She sat down on the bed and placed the various bottles on her nightstand. One by one, she opened each bottle and took out the medicine for the girl.
"I don't feel good," Thirteen said, with a scratchy voice. She looked up at Cuddy, pleading with the older woman to make her feel better. Scootching her body closer to the edge, she moved until she was pressed up against Cuddy's warmth once more.
Cuddy couldn't hide her smirk; the girl's actions were too cute. "Come on," she said, as she playfully nudged the girl, "Sit up." When the girl just snuggled closer, Cuddy's tone became more serious, "Remy." She drew the younger woman's name out, until shy blue-green eyes looked up guiltily. Shaking the pills in her hand, she gave Thirteen a no-nonsense look.
Thirteen sighed, clearly unhappy about having to move. She sat up and let Cuddy dump the pills into her hand. Grabbing the glass of orange juice that Cuddy offered, she quickly took the pills in one shot. Having a few more sips of the juice, she realized how thirsty she was. It burned slightly against her raw throat, but the cool liquid felt wonderful to her overheated body. "Thanks," she said, handing the glass back to Cuddy.
The older doctor set the glass on the table. Before Thirteen could lay back down, her hands quickly made their way to the girl's neck. Checking her glands, Cuddy smiled when Thirteen leaned into her touch. "Looks like you're hanging again with me today," Cuddy said, realizing the girl was no closer to getting better.
"I don't feel good," Thirteen said, scrunching up her eyebrows. She was miserable and the only thing that seemed to be helping was Cuddy's touch. The woman taking care of her was sweet and gentle, leaving her with a feeling of security.
"I know you don't. Good thing it's the weekend huh?" Cuddy asked, still trying to gauge Thirteen's mental state. She caught herself too late, as she was already brushing the girl's hair away from her face. Bringing her hand back to her lap she wringed them nervously. "Think you might want to try to get up for a little while?" she asked. Getting away from the bed, seemed like the best option to get away from their growing closeness.
Thirteen thought it over for a moment, before nodding. "Okay," she said, looking to the older woman for guidance. She didn't really find it troublesome that she didn't recognize the room they were in. All she knew was that Cuddy was safe. She could trust her and nothing would go wrong.
Cuddy smiled at her, relief flooding her features. She stood up ready to move, only stopping to notice Thirteen wasn't following. "Come on," she said, offering her hand to the girl.
Thirteen quickly grabbed on to her hand, following blindly through Cuddy's home. As they walked, she was more concerned about how funny her chest felt, than her surroundings. "My chest hurts," she said, not understanding why it was hard to breath.
Cuddy stopped and turned to face the younger doctor. She moved her hand to the girl's chest and could feel the phlegm rattling as the girl took shaky breaths. "You're just congested, it will pass. Do you want me to make you some tea? It should help," Cuddy rambled, talking to the girl as if she didn't hold the same knowledge she had.
Thirteen nodded, obviously miserable. When they reached Cuddy's living room, Thirteen let Cuddy lead her to the couch. Sitting down, she shivered slightly. "Thanks," she said, as Cuddy covered her with a throw. "Momma?" she asked, curiously.
Cuddy couldn't hide the shock that covered her features. This wasn't supposed to be happening, she thought. Nothing had changed; Thirteen still wasn't back to herself. Sitting down next to her, Cuddy grabbed Thirteen's hands in her own. "Remy, we need to talk," she said, patiently.
Thirteen could hear the strain in Cuddy's voice. She had done something wrong, she could tell. Her eyes welled up with tears and she waited for Cuddy to explain.
"Remy, I'm not your mom. You work for me," she said, trying to sound kind. Cuddy had no desire to send the girl into distress, but she needed to make things clear. "You work for me, at the hospital," she continued, hoping something would click.
Thirteen looked at Cuddy confused. What the woman was telling her seemed vaguely familiar, but not in any way that made sense. "I don't understand," she said, as her lip began to tremble.
"Don't cry," Cuddy murmured. Puling Thirteen into her arms, she tried to explain, "You're sick honey. You came to my office last night to ask me for some medicine. Then I brought you here to keep an eye on you. I don't know why it's happening, but ever since last night you've been acting very young."
"How old am I?" Thirteen, asked nervously. She pulled back from Cuddy, looking at the woman with fear in her eyes.
A sympathetic look washed over Cuddy's face, as she tried to tell the girl, "Let's just put it this way, you've finished medical school." She squeezed the girl's hand, reassuringly. Cuddy waited patiently, giving the girl a moment to absorb the new information.
"I'm scared," she finally confessed. "What's happening to me?" There was such need and pain in her gaze, as she questioned Cuddy.
Cuddy sighed and shook her head. "I honestly," she paused, at a loss for words, "I honestly don't know. You were fine last night, then the power went out, you got scared and you've been like this since." She watched the girl's features change from confusion to helplessness. "You can stay here with me for now. Let's just focus on getting you feeling a little better, and then we'll deal with the rest."
Thirteen knew she wanted to stay, but was saddened by the fact that the older woman only seemed to want her there out of necessity. While it was obvious that her going anywhere on her own was a bad idea, she had hoped that the woman honestly cared about her.
She tugged on the girls hands gently, trying to coax a response out of her. "I'm hoping that it just has something to do with you being sick, maybe when you feel a little better things will clear up. If not," she teased, playfully, "We'll just call House and let him diagnose you."
Thirteen's expression changed, but was surprisingly one of happiness. "I remember him," she admitted, then glared at Cuddy, "You're not really going to call him are you?" The last thing they needed was House there to mock them.
Cuddy laughed, it was the first bit of real relief she'd had that morning. Still laughing, she spoke gently, "No, I won't call him. Everything's going to be okay Remy. We'll work it out." Seeing the girl still didn't look any more assured, she realized something else was wrong. "Remy?" she asked, concerned.
Thirteen looked at Cuddy, curiously. "You don't like me very much do you?" she asked, catching the woman completely off guard. She needed to know. There were things she was still uncertain about, leaving her at an obvious disadvantage. Whatever their normal dynamic was depended on it.
"What?" Cuddy asked, surprised. "I like you. Honestly, we just don't know each other that well. I know that you're a good doctor, even if you do have a bit of House's wild streak in you. I know that you care about your patients and your friends, I respect that." She didn't want the girl to feel uncomfortable with her, but she didn't know how to put her at ease either.
Thirteen digested what Cuddy told her. "Okay, that makes sense," she said, nodding. Feeling more at ease now that she knew why the woman was being so nervous, she smiled at her shyly. "Can I still call you momma?"
Cuddy bit her bottom lip, torn by her own emotions. "If it makes you feel better, I guess," she said, nervously. "As long as you understand that this isn't real. I mean," she paused, struggling to form her thoughts into words, "I just need you to understand. If this is something serious, I don't want to make things worse. "
Thirteen nodded, pushing her way back into Cuddy's arms. "Thank you," she whispered, shyly. Placing a loving kiss on the older woman's cheek, she lay back down on the couch under her blanket. She smiled up at Cuddy's somewhat shocked expression.
"Still want that tea?" Cuddy asked. She was beyond nervous at the decision she'd just made. She couldn't deny that Thirteen calling her momma felt right. She didn't want to think about whose interest she'd had in mind while making the decision.
Thirteen shook her head no. "Can we watch a movie?" she asked, sleepily. The medicine was finally kicking in, making her feel exhausted. When Cuddy nodded, she smiled up at her.
"What would you like to watch?" Cuddy asked, gently rubbing her thumb against the back of the girl's knuckles.
"I don't care," Thirteen said. She really didn't care what Cuddy put in, as long as she stayed close. She didn't care what the relationship was normally, Cuddy made her feel safe.
Cuddy nodded and then got up to go look through her movies. "Okay, how about this one?" she said, holding up 'The Muppet Movie'. When Thirteen nodded, Cuddy turned the TV on and put the movie in. Walking back over to the couch, she hesitated. Giving in to her own desires, she said, "Alright kiddo, scoot over."
Remy grinned at Cuddy. She couldn't have been happier in that moment. Moving to the front of the couch, she shot Cuddy a pleased look. Thirteen giggled as Cuddy climbed over her to lay down behind her.
"Just for a little bit," Cuddy said, sleepily. She wanted to get at least a little work done later. Sliding one arm under the girl's neck, her other arm wrapped around the girl's waist.
"Okay momma," Remy said, grinning. She pulled Cuddy's left arm, so that it bent back towards her and hugged it to her chest. Lying there quietly, it was only a matter of minutes before both women were sound asleep once more.