The first sound she heard was the beeping of his watch alarm. The second was similar: the beeping of the thermometer he was pressing into her ear. The third was less jarring but less welcome: the slight creek of the mattress as he got out of bed.
Kelly didn't move. She was warm and comfortable and though the blinds were closed she knew the sun wasn't yet up. The last thing she heard was the shower springing to life as she fell back to sleep.
When House returned in a towel and saw her still cocooned in a pile of blankets and breathing evenly, he didn't bother to leave the room to get dressed. And when he climbed onto the bed to try to gently extract her from the covers and get her moving, he had to fight a wave of tenderness at her sleepy protests and adorable bed-head. The fight was lost.
He curled up next to her again, albeit on top of the covers, and talked to her quietly while smoothing her hair. "Up. Now. We have to get going in about 15 minutes. Come on. I know you're tired, but if all goes well this'll be the end of it. Suck it up." He loosened her grip on the blankets and was finally able to fold them back away from her. His lips turned upward slightly at the sound of frustration she made when she finally summoned the energy to roll out of bed.
He left her then to give her some privacy while she dressed, sitting down with a bowl of cereal in front of the early news while he waited. Finally he heard her quiet approach and then felt her hand rest on top of his head. "Morning."
"Hi." He left the cereal bowl on the coffee table and switched off the TV as he stood. "Ready to go?"
"Maybe I should take a cab. So we don't arrive together."
"Nah." He held the door open for her and locked it behind him. "It's early. No one will see us."
They took his car, and no conversation passed between them as she dozed in the passenger seat except for House's instructions regarding the lie she needed to tell the nurses if anyone asked about the night before, in order that it fit with the story he had fed them on the phone. Easy enough.
House had been right; no one saw them as they parked the car and walked into the hospital together. No one was in the elevator to hear her admit she was nervous about the procedure, or to see him take her hand and give it a comforting squeeze, telling her he'd be right there and she had nothing to worry about. No one was there to see her stand on her tiptoes to kiss him chastely on the lips in thanks. And after the doors had closed behind her when he'd shooed her out onto her own floor, no one was there to see him lean heavily against the wall with a thoughtful smile on his face. No one at all.
They didn't see each other again until she was wheeled into the operating room. House was scrubbed but didn't plan to participate. He ignored the curious looks of the assembled team (none of HIS team were involved in the surgery) as he pulled up a stool and sat near the head of the table, talking to her quietly and explaining again what was about to happen. "If you're uncomfortable with the local or you start to panic, the anesthesiologist will put you out. But we need you to try to stay calm and awake so we can make sure everything is kosher. Okay?"
Kelly was lying on her stomach, and an extension had been added to the table to cushion her face and still allow her to breathe, much like a massage table. She didn't lift her head as the procedure had already begun and she'd been ordered to keep still. So she answered with a tiny, "Okay."
Twice her heart rate had risen and she felt the need to bolt, and twice he had raised a gloved hand to the back of her head and stroked her hair as he encouraged her to breathe slowly with him.
They'd targeted two separate sites to explore, and the scar tissue was first retracted and then removed from each. After doing stimuli testing to be sure they hadn't damaged the nerves, she was stitched up and it was over.
"I'll see you later," he whispered to her before leaving, glancing up at the gallery as he did so and annoyed to see Thirteen staring at him.
She met him later in his office. "Surgery went well?"
"So it would seem," he answered, not lifting his eyes from the computer screen.
"It was nice of you to sit in there with her." Thirteen knew she was pushing it, but she wasn't trying to tease. It was just interesting, that was all. "I'm sure she appreciated it," she added when he remained silent.
Still nothing.
Finally, she gave up. "She's back in her room now, if you want to see her."
"Are you too busy to do your job, Dr. Hadley?" he said warningly in a low voice. "The last I checked, I had a team to deal with patient care."
"We're doing it. I just thought-"
Finally he looked up, his eyes locking on hers and flashing with irritation. "I can't say I don't pay you to think. But I'd rather not have to start paying you to stay out of my business. Because if it comes to that, I'd rather hire someone who will throw that in for free."
She left him without another word, his angered outburst telling her what she wanted to know. She couldn't wait to talk to Kutner about all she'd learned that morning.