Thank you for the kind words! I'm glad I'm keeping people entertained while we all are trying to get through our own House-withdrawal. This chapter is more intense, but please be patient. The next one will be a bit lighter.
To address LazyCatfish27's comment: The visible love bite in the real world is meant to add an element of magic to House and Cuddy's experience in that room. It's not really supposed to make sense in terms of plausibility, but it will re-appear in a later chapter.
The next day, Wilson walked to the ICU, a cup of black coffee in hand. Dark circles had formed under his eyes from a sleepless night, and he was walking with his shoulders slumped. When he approached the nurse's station, he checked the clock. 5 p.m.
He took a sip from his paper cup. Looking through the glass doors, he watched as two nurses tended to House and Cuddy, who remained unconscious and ventilated in neighboring beds.
"Any changes?" Wilson asked Foreman, who was sitting at a computer.
"No, House's heart rate and blood pressures have been somewhat elevated, which is not unexpected given the stress of rapid detox. Cuddy has been hemodynamically stable, and her lungs seem to be clearing a bit. The intensivists have been weaning the vent settings for both of them."
Wilson nodded his head. "It's been twenty-four hours since we started the rapid detox. I think it's time to decrease House's sedation."
"You seem to be feeling better," Cuddy remarked, lying next to House on the bed.
"The nausea is gone, but the pain is still a bitch," House said with his right hand on his forehead.
Cuddy squeezed his left hand. "You've been a trooper. I think you're doing great."
House turned his head to look at Cuddy, her dark locks spilling elegantly on to her pillow. A small mischievous smile took over the corners of his lips. "I'm ready for my prize."
Cuddy tried to suppress a chuckle. "What prize?"
"Oh, don't give me that. You promised me the glory of your naked body when I got through the worst of the detox."
"Are you sure you're ready for this?" she asked.
"Let me see the girls," House responded impatiently. "A promise is a promise."
Cuddy smirked as she sat up and loosened her robe, letting it fall off of her shoulders. She turned around and gave House a shy smile, briefly avoiding his hungry gaze as his eyes beheld her supple breasts and pink nipples.
House continued to stare unabashedly. "Detox has definitely been worth this sight."
"If I had known that my breasts were such an incentive for getting clean, I would have flashed you long ago," Cuddy joked, practically purring at him.
House's eyes widened. "Seriously?!"
She leaned down to give him a quick kiss on the lips. With her head hovering over his, she added, "I didn't know they held so much power over you."
House cupped her breasts in his hands, admiring their weight and fullness. He lifted his head to capture Cuddy's lips with his own, and then he pulled her down on top of him. Holding her in a tight embrace, he deepened their kiss, thrusting his tongue into her mouth. She playfully slid her tongue along the side of his.
His right hand ran up and down Cuddy's back before it traveled down to her ass to give it a light squeeze. As they continued to kiss, she opened her legs a bit in response. House quickly rolled them over so that he was on top. When he tried to put some weight on his knees he collapsed from the pain, crushing Cuddy with his weight. Embarrassed, he broke their kiss and tried to roll off of her. Cuddy held on to him tightly with her arms and legs, not letting him move.
House did not want to admit that his right thigh was going to prevent him from performing. He buried his head in Cuddy's neck, not wanting her to see the pain in his eyes.
Sensing this shift of emotion, Cuddy kissed his neck and whispered, "I love feeling you this close to me."
After a minute of kissing his neck and shoulder, she gently rolled them over, and she sat up, straddling him.
House's hands snaked up to Cuddy's breasts again and caressed them. Frustrated from his pain, he carried a hint of sadness in his eyes as he looked up apologetically at her. She grabbed his hands and pulled him upright so that they were sitting face to face.
Still straddling him, she reached down to his cock and began stroking it while she looked deeply into his eyes to communicate how much she wanted him. When she felt him hard and ready, she slipped on top of him, taking as much of his cock into her as she could. She parted her lips and exhaled a soft moan at the sensation of him filling her. House grabbed her ass cheeks and let a pinky tease the outside of her anus. Cuddy grabbed his head roughly and kissed him passionately as she began moving up and down on his shaft.
"There they go again," Foreman said shaking his head. Thirteen was secretly smiling to herself.
Taub looked through the glass surrounding the ICU and saw that House had pitched a tent, and that both he and Cuddy were having elevated heart rates.
"This can't really be happening," Taub muttered.
Wilson ran his hands through his hair and sighed. Embarrassed, he mumbled, "Let's let them … finish … or have House calm down ... before we wean the sedation. I wouldn't want him to wake up in the ICU like that."
House's right hand moved from her ass back up to her left breast. He gave it a rough squeeze before running her hard nipple between his index finger and thumb. Cuddy inhaled sharply while her mouth was still connected to his. He broke their kiss and immediately took her neck in his mouth and began sucking and kissing it. Her left hand clutched on to his hair as he did this while her right hand roamed all over his back. She kissed his temple and roughly brought his head back up to hers. She ran her tongue along the inside of his bottom lip before having it invade his mouth for another deep kiss.
House and Cuddy moved quickly in unison, the fire between them obliterating the pain in his leg. As they tried to move faster and faster, she pushed him down on to the bed so that she could ride him. He grabbed on to her thighs and watched her slam herself on top of him over and over again. When he felt her walls begin to tighten, he reached to her clit and rubbed it mercilessly, sending her over the edge to cry out his name. The sound of her passion caused him to lose control, and he came inside of her as she rode out the last waves of her orgasm.
After a few moments, Cuddy leaned down to kiss House softly on the lips. She lifted herself off of him, letting him fall out of her before she lay down next to him. He drew her closer to him and kissed her forehead.
"You know, we could do this all the time when we move in together," House said a bit cheerfully. "Of course we would have to get back to the real world first, but …"
"You're awfully persistent," Cuddy replied in a teasing tone.
"It's the next logical step." He planted a soft kiss near her eyelid.
Cuddy propped herself up on her elbow and looked at House amused. "Since when has the next logical step for sex in this non-existent room been moving in together?"
"Mmmmm … I don't see your point," he said with a hint of humor in his voice. He planted another soft kiss on her nose.
"You really want to move in with Rachel and me."
"I want to move in with YOU, and I'll tolerate the kid as long as you and I get to play in the squish bin everyday." He tickled Cuddy's side, causing her to shriek with laughter.
"Oh my God, stop!"
House smirked. "I've always known that you think highly of me, Cuddy. But as much as I would like to believe that I am a deity …"
"Shut up." Cuddy silenced him with her mouth. He returned her kiss with two of his own.
"So I was thinking I should move into your place since it's bigger. I'll have to figure out where to put the piano."
Cuddy smiled and shook her head.
"We stopped the Fentanyl. Dr. House should be waking up soon," the nurse said.
"Thank you," Wilson replied. He took a seat between House and Cuddy.
Time was passing slowly. He looked up at the clock. 6:37 pm.
Foreman entered the ICU. "No changes?" Foreman asked.
"He's off sedation now. I'm just waiting to see if he'll wake up," Wilson said.
House's ventilator beeped.
"He's fighting the vent. House? House! Open your eyes! Open your eyes if you can hear me," Foreman shouted as he ran to his bed.
House's eyes barely opened as he struggled against the breathing tube and the ventilator.
"I think it's time to extubate him," Wilson said excitedly.
Cuddy lay back down on the bed and rolled on to her back. She and House lay there side by side, smiling to themselves.
"I can't believe we're going to do this," Cuddy said, staring up at the pristine ceiling.
"Believe it. You're going to have guitars, Bourbon, and a kickass sound system invading your house," House replied. He clasped his hands behind his head.
"I still can't believe it."
"I'm going to add 'Prescription Passion,' re-runs of 'The L Word,' and 'The Hills' to your Tivo." He looked over to see Cuddy rolling her eyes. "I can't get enough of Speidi," he said sarcastically.
"And I can't believe you actually watch those shows. They're terrible," she said, still smiling.
"Blasphemy!"
Cuddy looked over at House for a second and saw that his eyes were smiling. Taking an audible breath, she turned back to look at the ceiling. "What other living quirks do you have? You're not going to bring over any porn, and don't even think about hiring a prostitute for a threesome."
Cuddy's remarks were met with silence. She turned her head and saw that House was gone.
House opened his eyes. He began coughing against the tube in his throat.
"He's awake! Pull the tube!" Wilson shouted.
House was heaving as he coughed out the tube Foreman was pulling. He continued to cough as he gasped for air. Thirteen readjusted the bed so that he could sit up more.
"House! You're in the ICU. You've been in a car accident," Wilson said as calmly as he could.
"Cuddy … where's Cuddy?" House asked hoarsely.
"Cuddy is right there," Foreman pointed to the next bed over. "She was in the accident too, but she's been hanging in there."
"Cuddy …" House repeated hoarsely. He tried to climb out of bed, but the nurses and Wilson pushed him back.
"House, you need to rest. Your body has been through a lot. Before you woke up, you were undergoing rapid detox," Wilson said.
"I know."
"How did you know …"
"I could feel it. How bad is it?" House asked, nodding towards Cuddy.
"She had cardiac tamponade from the trauma, but that's resolved. She is also recovering from ARDS secondary to trauma, which is why she's still on the vent. She's not on sedation, so we're waiting for her to wake up," Foreman said.
"I want to see her," House said, slightly gasping.
"She's right there," Taub responded.
"No, I need to be near her," House insisted. He tried to move again. Thirteen pushed his shoulders against the bed.
"House, listen to us. You have just been through a lot. Cuddy is right there. Once you've been stable off the vent for a little while, we'll help you over to her bed so that you can hold her hand," Thirteen said calmly but emphatically.
House nodded.
"House? House, where did you go?" Cuddy called out to the empty room.
She threw her robe on and checked under the bed. No House. She walked around the living area, looking for a door.
Seeing that there was no escape from the room, she sat down on the couch in stunned silence. Panic seized her as she realized that she was trapped in another dimension alone.
She began breathing rapidly and clutched her robe. The uncertainty of House's fate overwhelmed her: she did not know if he had returned to the real world, if he had passed on, or if his spirit had ceased to exist because the life from his body was extinguished as well.
Tears rolled down her cheeks, and she started to feel faint. She allowed her body to drop against the sofa cushions as the room started to fade from her vision.
The alarm from Cuddy's monitor went off. The repetitive rhythm of the low bell signaled that her heart was in distress.
"Call the code!" Foreman shouted. "She's in V Fib. Get the crash cart!"
"Cuddy!" House yelled.
"Nurse, please restrain him," Wilson said as he flew to Cuddy's bed.
"Cuddy!" House continued to yell, swatting away the nurse.
"Okay, two hundred joules, charging. Everyone, clear!" Foreman yelled as he placed the paddles on Cuddy's chest.
He pressed the paddle buttons and delivered a shock. The monitor showed no changes.
"No change. Three hundred joules, charging. Clear!" Foreman yelled.
"Cuddy!" House screamed. He managed to get out of his bed. Taub and Wilson held him back as he continued to scream. "Cuddy!!"
"No change. Three hundred and sixty joules, charging. Clear!" Foreman yelled.
The paddles went off. The monitor still showed no changes. Thirteen began chest compressions.
"Get the epi and amio ready. We need one milligram epi right now!" Foreman said.
"Already on it," Taub responded quickly as he pushed the epinephrine into Cuddy's IV.
"Cuddy … " House said weakly as he held on to Wilson, his pain overwhelming him. Wilson helped him back to his bed.
"We're doing everything we can, House," Wilson said quietly.
"Three hundred and sixty joules, charging. Clear!" Foreman shouted. Thirteen jumped back. The paddles went off.
Cuddy felt weak. When she opened her eyes, she was sitting on a familiar park bench in the summertime. Green trees lined a small pond, in which ducks were swimming. Next to her she saw a younger version of herself sitting with a younger version of House. She tried to open her mouth to speak but couldn't. Instead she listened in on their conversation. They did not seem to know she was there.
"So … I'm starting internship in a month," the young House said, looking intently at her college-aged self.
"Yes, I know. You must be excited."
"Working a hundred hours a week in a hospital? Hardly. But I'll figure out a way to get out of some of those hours. Feinstein has too much going on to notice."
"I'm sure you'll figure out some way to get in trouble."
"Getting in trouble would be worth some more nights with you." House gave her a mischievous smile as he tried to touch her chin. She scoffed and turned away to look at the pond.
"Don't be ridiculous, House."
"The other night …"
"Look, the other night we were in a celebratory mood after the final. We had too much to drink. I don't regret it because it was fun, but … you and I know it's not going anywhere." She continued to look at the pond.
For a few seconds, the young House looked visibly upset. He opened his mouth and shut it again.
:: "Look at him," Cuddy pleaded with her younger self. ::
House quickly recovered. His face bore no emotion on it. Cuddy turned to look at him, seeing a stoic expression. She turned away again.
"I don't regret it either. All semester I was wondering what was underneath your sweater."
"You're an ass." Her younger self was trying to hide the disappointment in her face.
"A cute ass all the ladies love to flirt with," he said, almost cruelly.
She turned to look at him. "You're so egotistical it's annoying."
"All the ladies love it."
She sighed and shook her head. "Good luck with internship, House. I'm sure I'll hear about all your famous stunts and exploits." She stood up. "Maybe I'll see you around."
She left. House sat on the bench and stared after her, brooding.
:: Cuddy inhaled sharply. Still feeling weak, she closed her eyes. ::
"She's back!" Foreman announced. "Sinus rhythm, and we have a strong pulse."
Taub, Thirteen, and the nursing staff began cleaning up the area around Cuddy's bed. House tried to get up again.
"House, Cuddy's fine. We need you to rest," Wilson said quietly.
"She is NOT fine. She just coded, and she's still intubated," House responded bitterly.
"I know. I know," Wilson ran his hand across his forehead. It had been a long day. "I'll get a nurse to take out your Foley. After that, you can go be by her side."
"Thank you," House whispered gratefully at his friend.