Chapter 36

Cuddy's flight was good. She tried to relax a little and listen to music. Once at the hotel, she called House and took a shower. She was still in the bathroom when someone knocked at the door. She wondered who it was. Maybe the room service. "Wait a minute, please, I'm coming!" Wrapped in a towel, she went to the door and asked: "Who is it?"

"The room service, Madam" a low voice replied on the other side.

"I didn't order anything."

"Someone left a packet for you at the reception."

"Oh, wait a moment please"

"I'm sorry but I have to go back to the reception right now, I can't wait."

Cuddy didn't know what to do. She didn't want to be seen with just a towel wrapped around her, but she didn't really have the choice, did she?

"Okay, I open the door so you can hold the packet to me through the half-open door." As she opened slowly the door, Jay's head appeared.

"Hello, Lisa!"

Cuddy was so surprised that she instinctively pushed back the door quite abruptly which hit Jay on the forehead. "Mr. Jay, please, stay in the hall, I'm not decent" she exclaimed.

"Ouch!"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you." Cuddy said and opened the door a little more.

"Really? I'm gonna have a bump if I don't spread some cold water on my forehead. May I come in?" he replied in an angry tone of voice.

"Yes, please, the bathroom is on the left."

"Thank you" Jay replied and headed to the bathroom with his hand on the head while Cuddy closed the door before she went to the bathroom too.

"I'm really sorry but you scared me. Why are you here? Do you want something? I thought we should meet at the conference."

"I'm sorry, that wasn't in my intention to scare you, Lisa. I just wanted to know if your trip was good and if you were ready for the conference." Jay replied still angry. "Can you give me a towel please?" he added and looked at his hand. "Hey! I'm bleeding! Dr. Cuddy, do something?! You're a doctor!" he exclaimed verging on panic.

Cuddy neared him. "Let me see and stop shouting like a little boy. It's nothing, just a scratch." She replied with a little smile and dabbed Jay's forehead with a wet towel.

"Ouch! It hurts!" Jay exclaimed.

"Really? I didn't think you were so oversensitive to pain" Cuddy replied in a teasing tone of voice.

"I'm not! It really hurts a lot. I'm certainly disfigured now." He whined. After a moment he asked anxious: "Are you sure it's not serious?" and turned to Cuddy with the wet towel on his forehead. And what he saw helped him to forget his pain. "Finally I don't regret my scratch, you're really … sexy with your towel Lisa." He added with a smile and eyed her greedily.

Cuddy blushed. After a few seconds, she managed to say: "I'm sure it's nothing but if you don't trust me or if you're afraid I can drive you to the hospital so you can make a scanner." Then she added half-joking: "Just in case…"

"I trust you, it's just that…"

"That?"

"I've got a terrible headache and I feel a little dizzy." Jay replied and leant his hand on her shoulder. Her skin was warm and sweet. Cuddy moved back suddenly, Jay was thrown off balance and hurt the wall.

"Mr. Jay, are you okay?"

"Yes I think I am but not thanks to you, Dr. Cuddy. Do you want to kill me?"

"No. I … I thought you… Can I help you? You should maybe lay down."

"Please, don't touch me anymore. I'm gonna lie down on your bed while you get dressed." Jay replied upset.

"Are you sure you're gonna be okay for the conference?"

"Don't worry, I'll go there with you. Now go get dressed."

Cuddy nodded. "Are you sure that you don't want to go to the hospital?"

"Dr. Cuddy, I trust you, if you say it's nothing serious, then everything's okay." Jay said firmly. He seemed to get his self-confidence back.

"Okay, then I'll get dressed"

"What are you going to wear?"

Cuddy turned back. "I… "

"This skirt and this top?" Jay said and showed some clothes on a chair next to the door.

"Yes"

"Good choice" Jay replied with a bright smile and a glint of desire in his eyes.

"So may I get dressed? We're gonna be late…" Cuddy said embarrassed. She felt uncomfortable. Jay obviously pretended to feel dizzy and she perfectly knew why.

Jay stared at her and sighed. "I'm waiting for you, don't be too long" Then after a few seconds he added rolling his eyes: "I could feel bad."

Cuddy got dressed, put on her make-up, brushed her hair and opened the door of the bathroom. "I'm ready, we can go."

"Do you have some aspirin? My head is aching"

"Of course" she replied, went back to the bathroom, took some pills and held them to Jay with a glass of water.

"Thank you." He swallowed the pills, gave Cuddy an intense gaze, was about to say something but gave it up and opened the door. "Let's go to the conference. And please don't try to hurt me one more time." He said softly and smiled.

Oooooooo

Meanwhile in Chicago. House was in his office trying out his new lounge chair. He was satisfied. It was brown, in leather and very comfortable. House took some resumes and began to skim them. He was absorbed in his reading when someone knocked at the door. A young woman with brown hair and green eyes stood on the threshold. She was smiling and had a bag.

"Dr. House?"

"That's what's written on the door."

"Yes, of course. I'm Dr. Charlotte Nera, I'm masseur-physiotherapist and I work in the Department of Traumatology."

"I don't remember to have read your resume. If you want to work with me, please, leave a resume. I'll get back in touch with you if I consider you're worth it." House returned to his reading but Charlotte remained there. "Do you have an ear problem?" he asked upset.

"No. I'm not here to work with you. I'm here FOR you."

House looked at her surprised. "What do you mean for me?"

"Mr. Barrow told me that you asked him for a lounge chair because of your leg. He said Dr. House needed a comfy lounge chair to lay down when his leg hurts too much, maybe you can ease his pain with an appropriate massage. So here I am!"

"Mr. Barrow really told you to give me a massage?" House replied suspicious.

"Yes he did. So what are we doing? Do you want me to try to ease your pain? I'm a good physiotherapist." She said with a smile.

"Well, I suppose we can try." House nodded.

Charlotte neared him, took a small bottle out of her bag and spread some massage oil on her hands. Then she waved House to take off his pants. She massaged him for about ten minutes, House looked at her and enjoyed the massage. She was right, she was a great physiotherapist.

"Where are you from Dr. Nera?"

"Please, call me Charlotte." She replied and stared at him.

"Hum, let me guess, you're… French."

"You're right. I come from Lyon, a great city.

"And why are you here? I mean in Chicago. Why don't you work in… Lyon?"

"I wanted to improve my English." She replied quickly and looked down pretending to concentrate on the massage.

"That's not the real reason."

"Of course it is."

"You're lying." House said staring at her. "I think you came here to forget someone. Am I wrong?"

She looked up, surprised. "How… how do you know?"

"Usually when people go to another country, there are three main reasons: they meet someone from this country, fall in love and follow this person in her country; or they find a job in this country; or they want to flee someone or something."

"Why did you choose the last one? How can you say I'm not in love with an American or that I didn't need a job?"

"A doctor finds always a job. You don't care to spend lots of time at work because you agree to give me massages in addition to your job so you're certainly single so you're certainly single, and you don't have any make-up, your clothes are before everything comfortable and practical, so you don't try to seduce which means that you broke up recently and don't want to start a new relationship."

Charlotte looked at House, dumbfounded. "I… I'm impressed. You're right, I broke up with my boyfriend six months ago and I still can't get over him. I thought that to change all my life would help me to forget him but…"

"He wasn't worth it, you'd better forget him."

"How can you say that?! You didn't even know him!"

"If he let you go, he wasn't worth it. There are plenty of great guys. Get out; I'm sure you'll find one."

Charlotte sighed. "If only it was so easy…" Suddenly she asked him: "Is that true what people say about you?"

"And what do people say about me?"

"That you're arrogant, selfish, cynical, cold, that you mistreat your patients and your fellows, that you don't hesitate to break the rules if you need it, that… "

"That?"

"That you drove in Dr. Cuddy's dining-room because you were jealous and went in jail." She whispered and focused on House's leg.

House looked at her. "Yes. Everything is true."

She looked up and their eyes met. "I'm certain you're much better than that."

House didn't say anything.

"You are better than what people say because if you weren't… Dr. Cuddy wouldn't be with you today. I just met her twice but I liked her immediately. She's smart and sensitive, she seems to be someone who does the right things. So if you're back in her life, if she forgave you what seems unforgivable, it means that you're a good person. In your own way maybe but a good man."

House looked at her, he was moved by this young woman. "I don't know." After a while, he added with a smile: "But you forgot to say that I'm brilliant."

She laughed.

"And sexy, and funny and"

"Well, how do you feel? Does your leg hurt less?"

"Yes, you did a great job."

"I suggest that I come three times a week. Do you agree?"

House nodded. "Charlotte, would you like working with me? I mean do you want to be a member of my team?"

"Are you kidding?"

"No, I'm serious."

"I… I'd love to but… I'm just a physiotherapist, my knowledge isn't good enough to work with you and… and if I do, then I can't be your physiotherapist any more…"

"Okay, I understand, but maybe you could accept to be a consultant of my team?"

"Why not?"

"Okay then."

They stood up and remained close to each other for a few seconds. Suddenly, Charlotte leant over House and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek. He looked at her surprised.

"I'm sorry, I… I don't know why I did that… you… you're a nice man, Dr. House. See you on Monday."

"Why not tomorrow? My leg hurts a lot at this time."

"Okay, see you tomorrow" she said and left.

Neither House, nor Charlotte had noticed a nurse who observed them. Once she was certain that the way was safe, she went away with a nasty smile.