Chapter 13 - Bad luck! Maybe not so bad –

After such a night, with so many emotions, Cuddy was still shaking. The kiss! Feeling him so close... his smell... his touch! She knew that the next day had to come, even though she rather stayed in that night forever. Dealing with him was inevitable; after all, he was her employee.

She made sure nothing she needed was left behind; grabbed her car keys and headed out. Her metallic silver Lexus was waiting for the usual ride to the hospital.

She drove for three minutes before the rain started. Three minutes later and the droplets crashed against car as though the ocean was pouring from the clouds. She couldn’t see an inch in front of her. When she decided to pull over, her car suddenly died. She tried to start it again; but no luck, the engine was dead. Oh God, what am I going to do now? She thought.

“I have to call someone. Urgh. I can’t believe this is happening. How could I forgot to refuel?!”. She grabbed her purse and search for the cell phone. “Who am I going to call?” She asked herself. The name G. House showed up in her screen. In a fraction of a second that vision vanished. Black screen. “Ahhhh! That’s exactly what I needed now! No gas and a dead battery on this damn cell.” She said, basically screaming and throwing her phone to her back seat.

No alternatives crossed her mind... she had to walk... With all that rain, she had to walk to Princeton Plainsboro Teaching Hospital. How could she forget her the umbrella at home?

When her Stilettos touched the ground she was instantly soaked. Not even a minute out of the car and she was drenched. It was eight in the morning. None of the little shops along the street were open yet for her to duck into or awnings to walk under. The street had nothing and no one.

After three more minutes, walking under the intense rain she felt a car getting near. It was slowing.

“You’re going to get a cold.” She heard coming from the car. The voice was familiar to her but she couldn’t say who it was. He reached out for the door from inside, unlocked, and opened it for her.

“House?” She asked trying to assure herself that she was indeed looking at him.

“Who else? Ohhhh I really looked like Clooney in that Nespresso commercial.” He laughed.

She got into the car and tried to make herself comfortable even with her clothes dripping. He admired her while she tried to clean her face.

“So where are we going?” He finally asked.

“Excuse me?” She said.

“Yeah Cuddles. Where are we going? I suppose you want to get dry first or am I wrong? Going to work with that sexy wet outfit might not be a good idea, at least for you because all the guys wouldn’t mind looking through those clothes.”

She squealed and smiled. “Maybe you’re right...”

“By now you should now that I’m always right.” He snapped.

“Can you take me home? I take a shower, change and call a cab to work.”

“A cab? I know you earn good and I thought you had your own car.” He said.

“Well, Mr. House, I do have a car but has you can probably see by the fact that I was in the middle of the street walking and not driving under the intense rain, that something happened.” She quickly responded.

“Oh sorry, I thought this was just one of those desperate measures to find the prince charming.” He said with a smug on his face.

“Funny!”

“Do you know about cell phones? I think they are handy in these kind of cases.”

She frowned “Do you think that if my cell phone was working I would be, and I repeat, in the middle of the street walking under the intense rain?”

He nodded “Well, Mrs. Cuddy, seems like you’re having a wave of bad luck, thank God I showed up, who knows what more could’ve happened. Lighting could have struck you; you could have twisted your ankle.”

“Can you just drive me home please?” She asked.

“Yes, Mistress.”

---

Cuddy called for a tow on House’s phone as he drove back to her car. They waited as the tow came and followed it to the nearest mechanic. When she left her keys with them they headed back to her place. She got in leaving the door open for him. He got in and went to her living room, sitting on the sofa and looking to the magazines she had on the table.

“Thank you for the ride.” She said near the door.

He jumped. “We’re even now. I owe you nothing.”

She smiled softly. “Are you staying?”

He looked her in the eye and then looked down. “If you want me to...”

The smile never faded as her eyes kept him in sight. “I do.” She went to her bathroom to take the well deserved shower to bring back the heat to her body.

When he looked at the door she was already gone so he smiled to himself. He would wait for her and drive to the hospital.

TBC