It was morning. The नारंगी, ऑरेंज glow of the autumn season shone in through the cobwebbed window to the side of House’s double bed. House yawned, and stretched his arm out, expecting to find an empty shallow dent अगला to him, but he was astonished to find that Cuddy was still there, sleeping soundly. Although, his happiness was outshone when he noticed that her lips were a pale shade of blue and grey. House turned on his side, and gently placed his fingertips on her lips, to find they were barely warm.

House began to shake her rigorously until he saw her eyes flicker in the bright light of the sun. “Morning.” Cuddy spoke in a disjointed tone, as she looked confusingly at House. “What were आप doing?” There was a pause, while House began to calculate things in his mind.

“Your lips.” Cuddy looked away for a minute, before touching her lips with her supple fingers. “There ice cold.” House put his hand on her neck and grabbed the watch from the bedside table; and began measuring her pulse.

“Your pulse is normal. I was अगला to आप the whole night, if आप stopped breathing, I would have known.” House became frustrated, he had allowed his unruly emotions to संपूर्ण, कुल मिलाकर his medical mind; and missed an important clue, right underneath his nose.

Cuddy got out of bed, and stretched; suddenly, House forgot about the puzzle, and found joy in watching Cuddy’s behaviour.

“It’s only six o’clock. आप should stay.” House’s impulsive tone was powerful, almost glamouring her into staying, with his piercing blue eyes and smooth voice.
“Let me borrow a shirt, I need to get home.” Even though House wanted her to stay for aesthetic purposes, he also felt that if she stayed, he could find out what was wrong with her.

“And what if आप faint again, या आप stop breathing like आप did last night.” House felt he was grasping at straws.

“I’ll probably be at the hospital द्वारा then. Why do आप care so much anyway?” Cuddy was earnest in her question; either she had squandered away the romantic thoughts she had of House, या she lived in a state of denial; a place House knew very well.

“You slept in my बिस्तर last night.” House’s obvious statement of fact, with a hint of sarcasm, seemed to corner Cuddy into a corner she didn’t want to be in.

“…I was sick…it was nothing personal.” Cuddy’s voice was filled with uncertainty; as she slipped off her pyjama top, her bare back facing House; she couldn’t see his smirk appear on his face. While she buttoned up one of his white shirts, which seemed to swamp her, she smiled as she began to smell his aftershave on the collar.

“Sure-” Cuddy faced House again, and he began scanning her body up and down; her wavy, tousled hair and natural face made him reminisce about the first time they were together.

“I’m going to need a CT scan.” Cuddy put her hands on her hips, as she wore her mask of seriousness; something which seemed to tense up House.

“It’s a date.” The cheeky expression that seemed to grow bigger on House’s face made Cuddy role her eyes and leave, not before picking up her clothes and shoes.

*



Wilson seemed to notice House’s extra shifty eyes, as he wandered towards his office. There was no witty banter that morning, only an intense need for him to leave House alone. Not knowing what was going on, Wilson went to interrogate Cuddy, only to find that she wasn’t in her office.

“Where’s Dr.Cuddy?” Wilson asked the two nurses on duty at the Clinic. “She had an appointment set for this afternoon, it was urgent.”

Wilson began to worry, an urgent appointment had to be something serious in order for Cuddy’s hectic दिन to be interrupted. And with no sign of House, and House not being his usual self; Wilson put two and two together, and came up with six.

“Foreman. Where did आप last see House?” Wilson had rudely interrupted a freehanded differential, much to the annoyance of Foreman.

“I saw him get the elevator about and घंटा ago, don’t know where, and I don’t know why.” His disgust and frustration was plastered onto Wilson, not his first victim of the day; Taub and Thirteen had been दिया a handful throughout their differential.

Wilson left, with the trail drying up, he decided to let this one go for a few और hours, and bring it up the अगला time he spotted either of them.

Meanwhile, House was swinging on the chair in the CT scan room, he was waiting patiently for Cuddy to walk in wearing the patient uniform.

“Are आप just going to sit there?” House spun back around, and saw Cuddy standing with her arms crossed, at the end of the CT scanner.

“Let’s do it.” House कहा in an affirmative voice, as he watched Cuddy lie down on the CT scan board. House pushed her inside gently, and then made his way back to through the glass doors.

“I don’t know why you’re in such a euphoric mood. Either आप want me to sick, या you’re just…high.”

Cuddy couldn’t see that House was in a very serious mood, his eyes scanning every pixelated image of her brain.

“Shut-up, and don’t move.” Cuddy understood the seriousness in his voice, and began to ease up and didn’t move.

“There’s oedema, localised on the right hemisphere. It’s small, and it looks benign.” House’s words cut through Cuddy like a razor sharp knife, a tear fell from her eye. When House shut it off, he waited a moment.

“Are आप ready to come out?” His voice was filled with worry, but also a sense of strength; he didn’t want to see Cuddy upset, and he sort of knew that she felt the same.

“Yeah, I’m okay.” When Cuddy कहा this, House made his way back into the CT room, and he took her out of the machine. Noticing how pale she was, he didn’t know what else to do, except look deep into each other’s eyes. It was only when Cuddy broke down in front of him, that he wrapped her in his arms; hoping to shelter her from the pain.

“I can’t do the surgery myself. We have to get Wilson involved.” House’s words were that of a man who had but a barrier around his emotions; and even in this tender moment, could not या would not let them out.

Cuddy remained frozen, even in House’s arms; she could not tear herself away from what she had just found out.

“Could आप just give me a minute?” Cuddy released her hold on House, and turned away from him. House sunk his head low, before leaving her alone in the room. Even though he knew he had to keep his composure, he couldn’t stand to lose her; not like this, not like he failed to save Amber. He had to save Cuddy.

TBC