Occam's Razor - House M.D.

Part 25- Early in the Morning

The next morning, Madelyn woke up to the pink sunrise cracking through the window in House's bedroom. The sheets felt like the perfect blend between cozy warmth and a whimsy awakening; had Madelyn and House just woken up in the same bed?

She adjusted her body to sit upright, against the pillows and chuckled through her big yawn,

Oh my god... she thought to herself, stunned but still ecstatic. Leaning over to the nightstand where a half-full glass of water sat, Madelyn picked up the glass and attempted to rehydrate herself from a long, busy night.

"House!?" Madelyn spoke, her voice as loud as she could make it at this hour.

She realized she was alone in the bedroom, but didn't get the sense she was alone in the apartment. A moment later, House walked in the bedroom where Madelyn's face lit up,

"Morning," House said, handing her a fresh cup of coffee.

Madelyn eagerly took a sip–it was just what she needed.

"Good morning, handsome." Madelyn replied, giving House a sweet kiss on the lips.

He happily kissed her back and returned to his indented spot on the bed. Snuggling up in the pillows where it was coziest, House relaxed and closed his eyes. Neither one of them considered themselves morning people.

Madelyn drank her coffee, and checked her phone for any missed texts or emails:

Remy>: How did the date go?!?! It's 6:47a and I still haven't heard from you, so I'm guessing things went pretty well huh?

Remy>: Yeah okay, it's 7a so when you and House wake up, just remember to change your clothes for work!

Thirteen had shown Madelyn unconditional support thus far in the time they've been friends, so Madelyn wasn't surprised when she wanted to know all the details. Of course by now, Thirteen had already formulated her theory as to how their date went, and Madelyn laughed to herself thinking of how exciting it'll be to tell her all about it.

"Greg..." Madelyn whispered, moving her hand back and forth on House's thigh to wake him up. It turned out he was still awake,

"Ouch, shit."

"I'm sorry, was that you bad... leg" Madelyn hesitated, knowing the answer. House sat up and gazed off.

"I'm sorry, I didn't think." House stayed silent, with a fairly blank expression... maybe he was just tired.

Madelyn moved her hand back in her lap, and asked:

"Is your leg okay?"

"It's fine. It wasn't like you hit it.", House replied monotonically.

Madelyn exhaled heavily more like a sigh, and she couldn't shake the urge to restate her question.

"I meant, from last night?" House turned to her, his eyes soft.

"During sexy time?" House played, the usual sarcastic tone in his voice back. Madelyn nodded. "Sex doesn't impede my leg, and vice versa. Don't overthink it."

"How'd it happen? The injury..." Madelyn inquired, her voice shaky. She wasn't sure if she was crossing a boundary. House didn't love the topic by any means, but he knew it was going to come up sooner or later.

He sighed loudly, "Muscle death. Lead to an infarction."

"Was it caused spontaneously or by an aneurysm?"

"Aneurysm," House whispered, "If it were up to me, I wouldn't have gotten the tissue extraction."

"If it were up to you? What do you mean?" Madelyn seemed confused. House lowered his head, beginning to feel insecure.

"I was with somebody at the time of the injury, and eventually she needed to give consent on my behalf. She chose surgery when I didn't want it."

"Why would she do that?" Madelyn asked, frustrated by the idea of the betrayal, but also trying to show concern.

"Martyr complex. People are selfish even if they think they're doing the right thing." House confessed, no longer sounding as bitter about it as he once had.

Madelyn sympathized, and scooted closer to House, "I'm sorry."

House's lips compressed in an attempt to express ambivalence, "Don't be. Besides, I got a sweet ol' cane out of it."

Madelyn lifted the covers off herself and House and delicately placed her hand on House's scar. She brushed her fingers across its divots and placed her lips gently against it, kissing the most vulnerable part of him.

House ran his fingers through Madelyn's hair and closed his eyes trying to save himself from physically recognizing his flaw. He watched as she straightened herself back up besides him, and rested her head on his shoulder. House felt something from deep inside, that erased any sense of anxiety at that moment. He felt how his feelings for Madelyn had become something to cherish and no longer something to feel threatened by.

"Think you could put your head back down there for a sec?" House asked with a dorky smile, returning to the present moment.

"Okay," Madelyn agreed, "why?"

"Well since you were kind enough to give my scar a little attention... mind giving some to my other pal?" House played coy, referring to his penis. Madelyn scoffed,

"Seriously? We have work in an hour."

"Well, I guess your shift starts now" House pouted, giving Madelyn his irresistible puppy dog eyes.

"Sure..." Madelyn exhaled with a big smile, "whatever you say, doctor."