Chapter 3 - Kare kare
...
House walked into Cuddy's hospital room and met her gaze just a moment as she tried to stand up leaning on her IV drip pole. Her feet touched the floor, but her balance lasted less than a couple of seconds before her knees gave way. And House wasn't quick enough to avoid her from falling on the floor.
"Shit Cuddy..." he said, taking her hand and then putting an arm around her waist, trying to lift her from the ground and helping her to lay back on the bed, trying not to lose his own balance.
She avoided his gaze and bit her lip, as if she was about to cry. Her vulnerability was a part of her that he didn't know, or rather, that she had never shown him.
"Hey, if you're aiming at my parking space in PPTH parking lot, just forget it!" He said smiling slightly, trying to make her smile.
She raised her head and looked at him, still biting her lip, but let out a small laugh as her eyes misted.
"It's just too early, Cuddy!" He said still staring at her as she nodded.
"Give time to those beautiful legs of yours to remember how to work!" He said looking into her eyes, again trying to make her smile "It's not a pyramidal damage. Balance disorders are frequent after what you've been through. You just have to be patient."
He watched as she swallowed and nodded without saying anything. What could he tell her? He wasn't Wilson. He wasn't used to comfort and support people. He didn't know the right words to do that. Actually he even wondered why he was still there... almost like there was a mysterious force keeping him tied to that room. There was no point in beating around the bush. There was no point in hiding behind excuses. He was there for her.
House's cell phone vibrated in his pocket. Given the time he didn't even need to look at the screen to guess who was the caller. Noon, local time. At Princeton, 11 pm. Of the previous day.
"So... am I even your last thought before sleeping, Jimmy?" He said answering the call. He could practically feel him rolling his eyes, and smiled a wry smile meeting Cuddy's look.
She continued to look at him as he spoke on the phone.
"Sure Wilson, I get it! You repeated it only eighteen times!" He said, rolling his eyes "I'm not the one with a neurological deficit!" He added snorting before rolling his eyes again as he listened to Wilson's voice on the other end of the line.
"No, not even her!" He said, looking at Cuddy "I was kidding, Wilson! And rather... don't get too used to that armchair! It will soon be claimed by the right ass" he added "You know you can't compete with that, don't you?" He said, glancing at Cuddy again.
She rolled her eyes at him however letting out a smile, then looking back at the nurse who was taking the umpteenth sample of her blood.
That smile. That was why he was still there.
"That's it, Mrs. House" she said, looking at her and smiling slightly as she just smiled back and nodded.
Wilson almost fell off the chair on which he sat.
"W-what?" He stammered in a mixture of astonishment and disbelief.
"What... what?" House asked in the receiver.
"Mrs... House?"
House rolled his eyes again.
"Unfortunately for you, no, I didn't changed sex, Jimmy!" He said sarcastically avoiding Cuddy's gaze "So... either you also need a neurological examination or it's better for you to let go of that drink and go to sleep!" He added as he could guess him shaking his head looking at the glass of Scotch in front of him.
He looked up as he put the phone in his pocket, meeting Cuddy's gaze.
"Call him tonight... if you don't want him taking a plane to come and see how you are" he said, looking at her and smiling slightly.
"I would have already done it. If someone hadn't seized my phone" she said, glaring at him and raising both eyebrows.
House ignored her, sitting down on the armchair next to her bed and staring at her, stretching his legs in front of himself.
"No work, Cuddy! Period!" He said, holding her gaze "Anyway... Wilson wants you to know that he's doing fine. He also watered the plants in your house and fed your dog" he added.
Cuddy looked at him, smiling slightly.
"I don't have a dog, House" she said smiling.
House shook his head, letting out a laugh.
"Good for it" he said, laughing "Or I guess it would have needed the intensive care too by now"
"I really don't know how to thank you" she said looking at him as he handed her a glass of water.
"It's just a glass of water" he said, smiling "If you'd like something better, Cuddy, you just have to ask" he said with a very mischievous look as he watched her rolling her eyes at him.
"Don't be an asshole, House" she said, smiling "Can't you just accept my thanks?" She added, looking into his eyes while instead he looked away.
"I am an asshole, Cuddy" He replied, though with the hint of a smile.
"Oh, I know it very well!" She said laughing "But not this time" she added, staring at him "So... thank you... for everything..." she repeated, not looking away from the blue of his eyes.
God, those eyes... Not gray. Not blue. A perfect mix of them.
He immediately drove away the image that appeared in his mind. Vivid as if it happened only the previous day. He knew what he could see into those eyes. But those eyes belonged to another life. She had granted that look to other men. And she was going to grant it again to other men. To others. Not to him.
That ship sailed many years ago... he said in his mind repeating her words... That ship sailed many years ago, House...
Nurse Helen walked into the door smiling slightly as she approached and checked Cuddy's drip.
"Um... excuse me... I need to go to the bathroom" Cuddy said, looking at her.
God, it was so frustrating to need help even to pee! She almost regretted the catheter. At least with that she didn't need to ask for help! She would have done it by herself if her legs decided to cooperate. But she couldn't still standing by herself. Every time she tried her legs shook and her head spun... She hated to ask for help. But she couldn't help it.
And she hated being a patient. She was definitely a not patient patient...
Helen helped her to sit up and she placed her feet on the ground. Cuddy looked at her as she handed her the IV pole, inseparable companion of her few trips out of that bed.
She watched Helen as her attention was caught by the sound of her pager.
"Sorry... I have to go ... It's an emergency" she said, shaking her head and looking at House, gesturing him to stand up to help his wife, as he glared at her.
What?
Helen knew she wasn't really his wife. He had told her in one of their nightly chats while eating home-made kare-kare from a Tupperware. She was the only one he had told the truth to. Corrupted by that pork in peanuts spiced sauce and vegetables.
She knew about them.
So? What was that? Was she doing it on purpose?
House hesitated. And Cuddy too.
"Um... his leg..." she said, looking at Helen and then at House.
Helen put a hand on her arm smiling slightly.
"It's just a few steps" she said smiling slightly again before quickly leaving the room.
Cuddy looked at House, standing in front of her.
"No" she said, looking down at her own feet.
"Come on, Cuddy!" He said "You don't want to wet the bed, do you?" He asked in the same tone he would have used with a four-year old.
God... she absolutely needed to pee... she had postponed that as much as she could to avoid asking for help... but now her bladder left her no alternative...
She said nothing, but put her hand on his shoulder as she placed her feet on the ground, leaning with the other hand on the drip pole. House held her wrapping an arm around her waist as he could feel her clearly losing her balance slightly and leaning on him.
She inhaled deeply and just nodded as if to say she was fine.
Of all the situations in which she could be that was one of the most embarrassing. She didn't know if he was watching her, but she avoided looking at him as with one hand she lowered her panties and he helped her to sit down.
"Please... don't say anything..." she said, sitting down.
House didn't replied but the corners of his mouth lifted into a slight smile as he stood near her just staring at the door. If he could he would have given her a bit of privacy. But he couldn't risk to find her on the floor again... And of all the possible situations that one was definitely embarrassing.
"I can't..." she said exhaling loudly as her bladder refused to cooperate.
House smiled, rolling his eyes.
"C'mon Cuddy!" He laughed "It's just pee. And... it's not the first I see. Do you think yours is different from the others?" He said teasing her.
Cuddy rolled her eyes in turn to that obvious innuendo and closed her eyes trying to relax.
A deep sigh escaped her lips at the sudden feeling of wellbeing that followed the emptying of her bladder and House couldn't keep from laughing.
"I thought you had to pee... not having an orgasm, Cuddy!" He laughed, not looking at her but still watching the door.
"Oh... shut up!" She said, slapping his arm, but failing to hold back a smile.
House rubbed his arm.
"You're not so weak" he said, still rubbing his arm.
Cuddy leaned again on the drip pole as she tried to stand up, then using her only free hand to fix her panties as best as she could. She kept avoiding House's eyes as she did so, then feeling again his arm around her back.
"Anyway... in my dreams I watch you as you take them off, not while you put them on!" He said, laughing, as he couldn't help but make fun of her again.
She didn't answer but gave him a glare that turned into a smile as she shook her head and leaned on him.
"Go back to bed, woman!" He said in an imitation of Fred Flintstone that make her let out a laugh.
"All you need is a club, Fred" she said, laughing and leaning on the bed and he helped her to sat down on it.
The flash she saw in his eyes made her roll her eyes in anticipation.
"Wanna bet, Wilma?" He replied with a very mischievous look, looking straight into her eyes and running his tongue on his lips.
She held her gaze with a look somewhere between exasperation and amusement. She had served him that joke on a silver platter. Again. And she laughed, shaking her head.
How did he do that? Always being able to make her feel uncomfortable and at the same time so comfortable ...
Exasperating and yet funny.
Unreliable and at the same time... reliable.
Irritating and... exciting.
... And, God... so...
"Cuddy" he said awakening her from that thought while fixing the oximeter on her index and one of the ECG electrodes below her collarbone.
The tone of his voice completely different from the one of a few seconds before. Worried?
"You're tachycardic" he said, looking at her pulse on the monitor and then taking her wrist to check it. 102 bpm.
She met his gaze for a moment and bit her lip.
"Er... I'm fine, House" she said, looking down and avoiding his gaze.
"Do you have dizziness?" He asked taking her face with one hand and lifting her head to check her eyes.
Isocoric pupils. No nystagmus. Dilated pupils in the gray-blue of her beautiful eyes.
The beep on the monitor fastened even more, and she pushed his hand away from her own face, whispering a no before taking off that electrode. She was good at hiding her emotions. Always. But not when a stupid electrode literally read her heart.
House looked into her eyes but said nothing and just fixed it again in her left subclavian fossa, and then the other one in the right subclavian fossa, letting her to fix by herself the one on her left anterior axillary line on her last rib, practically under her left breast.
"It's everything okay?" Nurse Helen asked, walking into the room.
They looked at each other for a few seconds, then House took a step back and she turned her head slightly toward Helen, nodding and smiling slightly.
Helen smiled back, then looking at House.
"Alam kong OO ang sagot niya" she said as she walked toward the door, glancing at him as he rolled his eyes at her.
She would say yes...
Cuddy looked quizzically at him.
"Er... nothing important" he said, looking at her and then again toward the door beyond which Helen was gone, unable to hold back the hint of a smile.