Physician, Heal Thyself
Ch. 8
"Paracetamol," House said loudly and angrily. "Tylenol!"
"House, calm down—" Cuddy said.
"They gave me fucking Tylenol!" House said, ignoring her. "And not even T3, the good stuff!"
"T3 is an opioid, they could hardly have given it to you—"
"You might as well give Advil to someone who's been shot in the head!"
"House, sit down!" Cuddy yelled.
House glared at her, but finally shut up and sat down on the couch in her office, rubbing his leg.
"Look," Cuddy said. "I know you're in pain after the physiotherapy. But anything stronger crosses into the narcotics category and we can't do that after your detox. Besides," she joked weakly, "Vicodin's hydrocodone and paracetamol, so you'll be getting half of it, at least."
"Yeah, the Garfunkel, not the Simon," House said.
" Also, now that you're over your addiction and your pain is normal—"
"Normal," House snorted.
"Normal as in not drug dependent," Cuddy stated firmly. "There is a good chance that regular painkillers will relieve your pain. The important thing is that you believe it will."
"The placebo effect," House scoffed. "Now that I can put my faith in."
"Actually," Cuddy said. "Someone who had cancer was cured with a painkiller, so no reason it can't relieve leg muscle pain."
"You should tell Wilson that," House said. "He'd be pleased at being put out of a job." He thought for a second. "No, really, he would be."
"House," Cuddy said patiently. "You have a very well developed sense of skepticism, I know. But you need to believe that paracetamol will work just as well."
"What I need is morphine," House grumbled.
"Look, it's almost five," Cuddy said, glancing at the clock. "Why don't we go home and I'll massage your leg for you."
House cheered up immediately. "I could live with that."
"And good news," Cuddy said over her shoulder as she exited the office. "They delivered your piano."
"Yes! Piano sex!" House grinned, limping after her.
--
However, when they got to Cuddy's house, they were confronted by a stressed-out nanny. Apparently Rachel was sick and was crying nonstop.
"Thank you, Teresa," Cuddy said to the nanny. "I'll take over from here."
The nanny nodded thankfully, kissed the baby's head, and left rather quickly.
House raised an eyebrow at the crying baby in Cuddy's arms. "Need this?" He took out the bottle of Tylenol and rattled it in front of Rachel's face. "Go ahead, take it. I really don't mind."
Cuddy frowned disapprovingly. "Can you get the Infant Advil from the medicine cabinet? And some warm water?"
"What am I, the substitute nanny?" House said before he thought better of it.
Cuddy glared at him. "Fine," she said, thrusting the baby at him. "I'll go get it."
House was shocked at the brawling baby being thrust into his arms, but he managed not to drop her. "Oh Jesus," he muttered, and joggled it awkwardly. "Alright. Don't cry. I hate crying women." He remembered that the last time he held the baby, it had thrown up on him. That was not promising.
The baby did not oblige him, and wailed louder than ever.
"Okay," he looked around for inspiration, and suddenly saw the newly delivered piano standing proudly in the living room. He limped over, and raised the lid with one hand. Then he sat down on the bench, and cradling the baby in one arm, he started playing Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata with the other hand.
At first, one couldn't even hear the notes over the baby's wailing. But slowly, the crying dropped in decibels and the flowing notes became more audible.
Cuddy came into the living room, surprised at the sight of House soothing the baby with music. She quietly went over to them, and took the now-sniffling baby out of House's arms. House kept playing, now with both hands. The tune had shifted into Debussy's "Clair de Lune".
She fed Rachel the infant drops and some warm water, and rocked her while House played. Rachel, calmed by the music and feeling better with the medicine in her, began to blink sleepily and drift off to sleep.
When Rachel was asleep, Cuddy quietly went to put her in her crib, making sure the baby monitor was turned on so they could hear if she woke up. Then she padded back into the living room, where House was still playing with his eyes closed.
It was like no music Cuddy had ever heard before. "Clair de Lune" had melded into Jewish traditional music, and now it was an adaptation of "You Can't Always Get What You Want". He changed songs seamlessly, without a break in between, so it was all one long, beautiful melody.
Cuddy realized that he had just skillfully molded his music to fit her entire life.
She sat beside him on the bench. The music had now turned into "Unchained Melody" from the movie Ghost. The notes were achingly longing, as Cuddy realized that is what he felt about her. She leaned her head on his shoulder.
He took one arm and wrapped it around her waist, as he finished the song with one hand. The last tinkling note reverberated through the house in the silence that ensued. He dropped a kiss on the top of her head.
"Thank you," she mumbled into the crook of his neck.
He turned his head as she raised his face to his. Her grey tinted blue eyes looked into his clear cerulean ones before his mouth descended on hers, and they kissed slowly in the last of the day's sunlight.
"Does your leg still hurt?" she murmured against his lips.
"Yes," he said, very definitely. Somehow she knew he'd say "yes" no matter what the case was.
She smiled and started kissing him again, rubbing a hand up and down his thigh. He groaned and shifted so they were entirely facing each other, as one hand got tangled in her hair and the other moved down to unbutton the front of her blouse.
I need your love
I need your love
Godspeed your love to me.
A/N: I got the Simon and Garfunkel joke from Monk, btw. Great show. If you like House, I think you'd like Monk. And the next chapter will most likely be the last. Thanks to all who reviewed!