Three loud, sharp raps knocked her forcefully out of her peaceful oblivion. Groaning, Cuddy made a rather pathetic attempt to sit up, but instantly fell back at the sudden pain of her vicious headache. Instead she lay in her comfortable bed, sweating and shaking slightly. It had to be him anyway. He was the only one who'd come around at... nine 'o' clock?

Somehow, without knowing, she had slept through her alarm. She missed work. How had that happened? Last time she wasn't in, chaos ensued at the hospital. An MRI machine was destroyed beyond repair, two nurses quit after only two weeks on the job, a patient complained about rudeness and threatened to sue... the list went on. And currently, the cause of all these troubles was at her home. Typical.

--

Cuddy heard his slow, cautious steps accompanied by the thunk of a cane hitting her carpeted floor. Of course he would force his way in; she would have been more surprised if he hadn't. Inwardly, she had to be relieved that she was simply ill instead of sleeping too late; the latter would have been most embarrassing.

"Cuddy?"

Shit. He was here in her room while she looked like some of the extremely ill patients of his. Not the most attractive appearance. He did not seem fazed though. A hand softly touched her forehead, withdrawing as its owner winced.

"You're too warm." He muttered, taking her clammy wrist in his hand and gazing upon her glazed eyes with a hint of... was that worry? "Have you taken any medicine?"

"Yes... last night." Cuddy yawned, allowing her eyes to flutter closed, still aware of his presence. His hand left her wrist, letting it return softly to the smooth duvet, and he limped away, muttering what suspiciously sounded like a string of curses. After a brief moment of panic, he returned very quickly. She felt him place a cool, damp cloth on her face and wipe away the sweat that shone upon it. The gesture was so relaxing, that she felt her awareness become hazy, and she accepted the welcoming lure of sleep.

--

He had thought she might be sick, especially as she did not turn up at the hospital, but he couldn't believe she was this ill. She was shaking even more than when he first arrived, with strong trembles wracking her body. He wondered fleetingly if he should call an ambulance; it seemed more than the flu. This idea was only reinforced when she started mumbling, mostly incoherent phrases, but a few words were distinguishable.

"Leg... sorry..." The shaking had now reduced a significant amount, but the deliriousness was a new symptom to worry about.

"Lise?" He tried shaking her, trying to wake her up as gently as possible. He needn't have bothered, as she remained asleep, her mouth parted slightly open as she inhaled and exhaled. Her muttering ceased and he felt himself sigh as relief flooded his senses. The thermometer he had previously given her was plucked from her mouth, and when he glanced at it, he let a small smile flit across his face. She'd be okay.

--

As she slowly returned to consciousness, Cuddy was aware of a surprisingly soft hand resting loosely and comfortingly on her forearm. The first thing she saw when her eyes finally managed to struggle open was him.

"Good. You're awake." His hand gripped tighter on her forearm, another coming up to brush a few loose strands of hair from her face. She wondered what exactly had happened whilst she slept.

"How long?" She questioned in a small, fragile voice so unlike her normal strong, bossy tone.

"Several hours." She could see him smirk as he leant closer to her, looking her over. "Loving the pyjamas by the way. Very hot."

He was referring to her baby pink shorts and tank top pyjamas, a pair that she had only bought the week previously when she finally managed to get some time to herself, away from the hospital. The comment was so like him that Cuddy relaxed, smiling in content as she felt her eyes become too weary to remain open.

"Don't do that to me again" she thought she heard him whisper, but she had no time to ponder it as she became extremely sleepy.

"Thank you House." She said tiredly, letting herself slowly drift away to her dreams, but not before she felt a kiss on her head and a murmured, "You're welcome".

AN: I was bored, and I've wanted to write a "House takes care of Cuddy" fic for a while. :)