early afternoon, Tuesday, January 2, 2007

[hbic-cuddy.livejournal.com]

Cuddy found herself trying to evade dozens of questions and consults  and demands as she made her way to the OB-GYN clinic for her ultrasound. Why was it that when she really, truly needed to be somewhere, that's when everyone suddenly seemed to need her? It was as if an alert had been sent out through the hospital and now her staff was conspiring to stop her from reaching her destination. She finally cut over to a back stairway and then nearly ran from the stairwell to the clinic door. It wasn't the most professional behavior but at that point she didn't care. She was taking personal time to go to her appointment and personal time meant no one was allowed to interrupt with professional concerns. Unless someone was dying. Or the hospital was burning down. But other than that, no interruptions.

She glanced around before entering the clinic, hoping to see House. She'd emailed him a reminder about the appointment that morning but otherwise she hadn't said anything. He knew when the appointment was and he'd said he'd be there but she couldn't help but wonder if he would actually show up. She could've gone to get him from his office but...well, if he wasn't coming it was probably because he'd decided to have a little freak out over the baby. In that case, her presence might only make it worse. She decided to leave him to attend the appointment of his own free will, although she couldn't promise there wouldn't be some serious discussion that night if he didn't show up. 

The last couple of weeks since they'd reconciled had been pretty good. Not perfect. Their relationship would never be perfect, if such a thing even existed. But their squabbles had been relatively minor and they'd dealt with them without letting small problems blow up into major fights. They'd even enjoyed a night out for House's birthday. Cuddy had taken him out for dinner and then to a jazz club and he hadn't stared at another woman once. Of course, that may have been because the club was too dark for quality ogling but she'd taken it for what it was worth. In a way, she supposed it was almost like being back in the honeymoon phase given how long they'd been apart, but there was a difference. Now they knew just how much they wanted to be together and how much they were going to have to work at it.

Barbara Patil was waiting for Cuddy, a smile on her face as she ushered Cuddy into the exam room where the ultrasound was set up and ready to go. Cuddy felt a flutter of nerves, which was a little uncomfortable. She'd had to down a big bottle of water to make sure her bladder was full for the exam. It was plenty full, and that made any stimulus an uncomfortable reminder of the fact.

"You can put on a gown but it's just as easy to pull your shirt up and your pants down," Barbara said as she pulled a stool over next to the exam table and turned on the ultrasound machine. "The gel can be messy but it won't stain."

"I don't need a gown." Cuddy glanced back at the closed door. She wanted to wait for House before they began but she didn't want to ask Barbara to wait if he wasn't going to show up. She sat on the table and lay back, giving a big sigh as she pulled her shirt up to expose the growing swell of her abdomen.

"That's a big sigh," Barbara said. "Nervous?" 

"Not exactly," Cuddy said. She was a little nervous. There was always a small possibility that something bad would show up but it was mostly anticipation that made her nervous. That and wondering if House was going to make an appearance. "It's just that...." Cuddy was interrupted by the sound of the exam room door opening.