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"So?" asked Wilson when he and House had been allowed back in the room.

"Bed rest" sighed Cuddy looking everything but pleased "for the next three months"

Wilson couldn't help but smile, knowing that Cuddy would hate not being able to be at the hospital, ordering people around and ensuring that her hospital ran smoothly.

"It's not funny" she said glaring at him, a hint of a smile playing on her face; she was obviously relieved that it wasn't anything worse.

"Are you going to stay here, or are you going home?" asked Wilson

Cuddy thought about it for a moment, as much as she liked the hospital, she was sure she'd much rather spend time in her own bed "home" she replied

From the corner of his eye, Wilson caught House's face and realised that his friend was thinking the same as him "fine, but I'm going with you" he said to Cuddy, not thinking she should be alone.

Sighing, Cuddy knew there was no way she was going to change the oncologist's mind and so nodded.

"How's Cuddy?" asked Taub as House entered the room

"Why so worried?" asked the grumpy Boss limping on his cane more than usual "She'll be fine. She's on bed rest for the rest of the pregnancy, but other than that, she's fine"

"Bed rest?" asked Thirteen "So it is serious"

"Like I said, she's fine, can we focus on our patient?" he asked

"Uh, House?" started Foreman "We don't have a patient"

Confused, House looked around the room "Then why are you all still here? Don't you have homes to go to?" he asked

Looking between themselves, the four employees shrugged and figured they'd better take that opportunity to go home.

"What's with him?" asked Kutner as he, Foreman, Thirteen and Taub entered the elevator.

"I heard he spent the night in Cuddy's room" said Taub as the elevator began to move

"He wouldn't do that" countered Foreman checking his watch

"I don't know …" said Thirteen

"Dr. Bates!" called Cuddy as she saw the obstetrician pass her room "Hi"

"Oh, hello Dr. Cuddy. Is everything alright?"

"Yes, but, uh, when exactly can I go home?" she asked, starting to really hate her hospital room and all the machines she was hooked up to.

"Well, you haven't had any further contractions, the Baby's heart rate is back to normal, I think soon is our best bet, probably tomorrow afternoon. But I'd like to keep you overnight, just to be safe" replied the kind doctor.

Sighing and leaning back onto the pillows, Cuddy nodded and Dr. Bates left the room.

That night, while Cuddy slept, House silently made his way into the room. This time, he wasn't going to stay, that would just raise suspicion and, while he was barely ok with letting Cuddy realise his feelings, he had no intention of letting everyone else figure them out too.

Standing there for a few minutes, House's mind travelled all the way back to their college days when she'd been a mere under grad and he'd been her tutor. He couldn't believe it had been over 20 years, what was more, he couldn't believe that in all that time, he'd never managed to admit his feelings, to himself, or to anyone.

Sighing as she shifted slightly in her sleep, House made his way out the door and headed home.

"Are you ready to go?" asked Wilson, the next afternoon as he helped Cuddy onto the wheelchair they'd brought up for her.

Smiling happily up at him, Cuddy nodded, her large iron-framed bed seeming more inviting than ever.

"Alright, do you need anything from your office?" he asked her.

"No, I have everything" she replied

Once in her house, Wilson decided to help Cuddy into the bed in her guest bedroom rather than help her go upstairs seeing as the last thing he wanted was for her to be moving up and down stairs when she needed things. The doctor had said she was only allowed to move when absolutely necessary, i.e. when she needed to go to the bathroom or eat. And even that, Wilson was trying to do for her. He had already told her in the car that he would be spending the night there, much to her displeasure. It wasn't that she didn't appreciate what her friend was doing for her, but Lisa Cuddy had always taken care of herself, she had always been an independent, bright and successful woman and, somehow going through the pregnancy alone was, to her, another proof of who she was. It was probably stupid, she was well aware of that, but that didn't change that that was how she felt. And being treated like she was helpless was the last thing she wanted.

"James, really, I'll be fine. Look, I'm in bed. I have plenty of food around me, and the bathroom is less than 30 feet away" she tried again to convince him.

"Cuddy, it's just for tonight, please. I wouldn't feel ok leaving you alone …" he said just as his cell began to ring "excuse me"

"Wilson" he answered when he was out in the living room

"How is she?" asked the male voice on the other side. A male voice Wilson recognized as belonging to Greg House and yet the sentence wasn't something he associated with the diagnostician.

"Uh, she's fine, she wants me to leave"

"Are you going to?" asked House immediately thinking it was a bad idea.

"I wasn't planning on it, no" replied the oncologist

Wilson could have sworn he heard a 'good' come out of his cell phone, but just as he thought of asking House what he'd said, his friend bid him goodbye and clicked off.

TBC

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CJS-DEPPendent