A/N: Short scene here, and then next chapter, we dive back into the case and the egglings for a few. Things are extremely busy right now, music wise and otherwise. I'm doing the best I can on updates, but rest assured, it will all get posted, and the ending is known. The last chapter of this story is one of my favorites in it.

(H/C)

"Greg?"

House snapped out of his medical haze and turned. Cuddy was standing right at his elbow with two take-out boxes and a worried expression. She smiled when she realized she finally had his attention. "Good morning."

"Morning, anyway." He started to look back at the whiteboard, and she set down the boxes and gripped his arm firmly.

"Come on, Greg. Breakfast is here."

"I'm not hungry, and I've wasted enough time already. I don't need a babysitter." Those two phone calls had come out of Kutner's time, and at least the first one hadn't been relevant, not when he had dialed it, even though it had turned out with some interesting suggestions. But making that first call at all had been a purely illogical indulgence. He could have jumped straight to Jensen and saved time, since Jensen had the same theories about Kutner's last week. Well, except for the car.

Cuddy opened the boxes, releasing a smell that he had to admit was good, then marched to the whiteboard and turned it around. "You need to eat. And even if you aren't hungry, I am." She stopped at the coffee pot to get her own cup and also refilled his.

He looked at her more closely. She didn't just look worried; she looked unsettled herself. "You haven't eaten yet?" He checked his watch. 6:40. "Did Marina come early?"

"I called her and asked her to." She settled into the chair next to him and fished in her purse, extracting a bottle. "I also brought you the Flexeril." He didn't carry that one with him routinely, just on tough days, and he hadn't known yesterday morning on leaving that it would be such a demanding day. She had obviously checked the locked medicine cabinet in their bathroom and taken inventory. "I thought with Kutner's case and all, you might want it."

He fired up immediately. "It's real pain, damn it. Not just psychosomatic."

She looked so taken aback that he realized she hadn't been thinking that after all. "I know the pain is real, Greg. But muscular tension can make it worse. That's a physical explanation. I'm sorry if I said that wrong."

Damned reconditioning. He couldn't ignore the phrase, not at this point, and what's more, she knew it. He tried to give the minimum required kiss and hold onto some of his grudge, but she extended it, and he could feel again that she was rattled. "Are you okay, Lisa?" he asked once they parted.

"I didn't sleep that well." She caved under his differential look. "I had a nightmare. That it was you instead of Kutner."

"Just a dream. You knew better once you woke up."

"I still wanted to see you. And you do need to eat." She pushed his container at him and picked up her own plastic fork.

For the first time, he surveyed the food offering. His consisted of hash browns, bacon, and a muffin, with all but the muffin having a grease quotient that definitely exceeded Lisa Cuddy-House's preferences. She had stopped at a corner grill that they ate at once in a while when he could convince her that occasional meals there wouldn't hurt anything. Her own selection was eggs, along with another muffin, but the eggs still weren't up to her standards. He imagined her standing in line there in her business suit among that usual crowd, and part of him deep down was touched. Not that he would admit it, of course.

She saw the half smile anyway. "Believe me, this is not going to be breakfast every day, so you'd better enjoy it while you can."

He took a bite, then another, realizing that he had been hungry in spite of himself. "Are the girls okay?" he asked with his mouth full.

She, of course, swallowed her current bite before replying. "They're fine. They were restless last night, though, and they woke up early. They accepted me going to work. In fact, I told them I was picking up breakfast for you on the way, and they both thought that was a good idea."

"I'll try to get home tonight, at least to see them," he said guiltily.

"They'd like that." She sighed. "Last night was just Mom and Dad once the girls got to sleep."

"What about the old man?" he demanded, putting his fork down. He realized that he had actually been relying on Thornton to keep an eye on the home front and be there for them while he himself was at work. So much for that theory.

"He was there, but he couldn't stay long. He was bringing his kitten home from the vet, and they had sedated the kitten for the trip. He stopped by to give the girls a quick look at him, but he needed to get on home before Jet woke up. I'm sure if he'd known in advance you were working, he would have picked up Jet some other time so he could spend all evening. Better finish that while it's hot." She took another bite herself in demonstration.

He shoved in a few more. "What did the girls think of the cat?"

She smiled. "That was neat. Rachel was all concern, feeling sorry for Jet, but Abby was interested in the splint. She was poking around it until Thomas stopped her, and even then, she was checking it out with her eyes. She was fascinated."

"What kind of splint is it?" He finished the hash browns and stuffed in a too-large bite of muffin.

"It looked a little like he had a crutch tied tightly to his side and fastened around his body."

House was thinking through the medical steps required. "It would have to be slightly longer than the leg, so it always hit the ground first. Couldn't be too much longer, though, or walking would be too off balance."

"Yes, just a little longer. You could see where his paw ended under the bandages. I'm sure you can examine the kitten the next time we go over to Thomas' house. In fact, Rachel was already asking this morning. Maybe he can have a housewarming over there once he finishes getting unpacked and Jet is settled in." The girls had seen Thornton's new house back just after he made an offer on it and had passed approval on the play structure in the back yard, but it had been empty then.

"He probably won't let us get out of that. He's going to be underfoot all the time now." Which was almost reassuring after his own nightmare.

Cuddy thought of some further comment on him and the old man; he saw it cross her face. But then she decided to leave it alone, at least while they were eating. "Then Belle jumped up on the couch and was sniffing Jet. Now that was funny."

He grinned, remembering her response to his "cheating" with Mozart. "Has she packed her bags and stalked out in disgust yet?"

"No, but she was all puffed out and growling. And Jet was sound asleep, of course. Then she finally started licking him, but she was still snarling at the same time."

"Just like a woman," House commented, and Cuddy nearly choked on her current swallow of coffee. "Are you all right?"

"Fine." She looked like she was fighting back laughter for some reason. "Then after Thomas left, Rachel and Abby were playing zoo, and Abby wanted to splint up one of the animals like that. They had fun with that scenario. Rachel was comforting it, and Abby was the vet."

He took his last bite and reached for the meds. She watched but carefully didn't say anything as he added the Flexeril to his morning round. With breakfast over, she asked for the first time about the case. "Any progress?"

"Some ideas on last week. Damn it, I wish I could crack that laptop. Email could really help us. He's not responding to antibiotics, not yet. I'm starting to think viral. His kidney function is a little better overnight, at least."

"You'll get it."

She still looked worried, and he could tell even more that she'd had a rough night. She was tired already at the beginning of this day, much as he was. He slid his chair over closer and extended his arm, and she met him halfway and snuggled in, leaning into him. They silently held each other for a few minutes as the hospital slowly woke behind them.