Holiday Ficlet 30/30: Future for keenai
For keenai:
Future
Foreman sighed and rubbed his forehead with his thumb and forefingers. He sighed again and dropped his hand around the glass in front of him as he rolled his neck, stretching it from side to side.
“It’s not good for people who work in a hospital to look so run down, you know.”
He didn’t glance up as Cuddy slid into the booth opposite him, setting her own drink on the table. “You’ve only got yourself to blame.”
“Actually, I think you’ve only got yourself to blame.” She lifted her wine glass and took a sip of the dark liquid. “What are you trying to prove?”
“What do you mean?”
“When I offered you the job. What was on your mind? What was the first thing you thought of? Getting back at House? Proving that you’re a better doctor than House?”
“Not everything in that hospital is about House.”
“True.” She nodded and took another drink as he ran his thumb along the rim of his glass. “But I think this is.” He shrugged and she continued. “If I hadn’t thought you had some issues with House, I wouldn’t have put you in charge.”
“Why did you offer me the job? What was on your mind?”
“You’re a good doctor and House respects you. He challenges you most because he seems something of himself in you.”
“I’m not like him.”
“You are though. You care about being right. You care about curing people.”
Foreman smirked. “He doesn’t care about curing people. He just cares about…”
“About what? Chalking up another survivor? If that were the case, he’d actually get his paperwork in on time.”
“He cares about House. What makes House look good. What makes House right. What makes House seem smarter than everyone in the room.”
“He’s a good doctor.”
“He’s a crappy doctor. He’s a good scientist.” He picked up his drink and downed it in one swallow. When he dropped the glass back on the table, he met her eyes defiantly. “You like him.”
“No. Not really. I think he’s an egotistical, maniacal bastard. But I respect him and what he does, even if I don’t approve of how he does it. House…challenged everything. Every professor hated him. Every student hated him. But his patients just cared that he cured them. Everyone says they want a good bedside manner, but they don’t. They want to get better.”
“He looked up ‘doctor’ in the dictionary and saw that it meant to mess with stuff…”
“Improve it.”
Foreman shook his head. “You want to know why I took this job? Not the one you offered. The one with House.”
“You wanted to follow along behind him and make his apologies?” She hid her smile behind her wine.
“I thought he’d teach me something. I thought he’d have something to offer me that no one else could. The brilliant Dr. House.”
“Eric.” She set her glass down and caught his gaze, ignoring the shock from her use of his first name. “When we had that little girl on the table - Andie?”
“The cancer kid? What about her?”
“No one saw the clot except you.”
“So?”
“Everyone was questioning it. Everyone was doubting it.”
“Yeah?”
“You told House you saw it. That was all he needed to hear.” She glanced down at her hand on the table and moved it slightly, letting her fingers rest against his. “You don’t need House to tell you you’re a good doctor. You are a good doctor. He’s just making you a better one.” She picked up her drink with her other hand. “Now, why did you accept my job offer?”
He smiled and turned his hand over, feeling her fingers against the palm of his hand. “I get to hang out with the boss.”
“So it had nothing to do with House?”
“Well, I do get to make him do rectal exams.” He caught her hand and rubbed his thumb over the back of it, smoothing her pale skin. “Not everything in the hospital has to do with House.” He stood up and helped her to her feet, letting her lead him to the door.
Cuddy smiled back at him over her shoulder. “Does this?”
“Does it matter?”
She smiled and shook her head. “No.”
Future
Foreman sighed and rubbed his forehead with his thumb and forefingers. He sighed again and dropped his hand around the glass in front of him as he rolled his neck, stretching it from side to side.
“It’s not good for people who work in a hospital to look so run down, you know.”
He didn’t glance up as Cuddy slid into the booth opposite him, setting her own drink on the table. “You’ve only got yourself to blame.”
“Actually, I think you’ve only got yourself to blame.” She lifted her wine glass and took a sip of the dark liquid. “What are you trying to prove?”
“What do you mean?”
“When I offered you the job. What was on your mind? What was the first thing you thought of? Getting back at House? Proving that you’re a better doctor than House?”
“Not everything in that hospital is about House.”
“True.” She nodded and took another drink as he ran his thumb along the rim of his glass. “But I think this is.” He shrugged and she continued. “If I hadn’t thought you had some issues with House, I wouldn’t have put you in charge.”
“Why did you offer me the job? What was on your mind?”
“You’re a good doctor and House respects you. He challenges you most because he seems something of himself in you.”
“I’m not like him.”
“You are though. You care about being right. You care about curing people.”
Foreman smirked. “He doesn’t care about curing people. He just cares about…”
“About what? Chalking up another survivor? If that were the case, he’d actually get his paperwork in on time.”
“He cares about House. What makes House look good. What makes House right. What makes House seem smarter than everyone in the room.”
“He’s a good doctor.”
“He’s a crappy doctor. He’s a good scientist.” He picked up his drink and downed it in one swallow. When he dropped the glass back on the table, he met her eyes defiantly. “You like him.”
“No. Not really. I think he’s an egotistical, maniacal bastard. But I respect him and what he does, even if I don’t approve of how he does it. House…challenged everything. Every professor hated him. Every student hated him. But his patients just cared that he cured them. Everyone says they want a good bedside manner, but they don’t. They want to get better.”
“He looked up ‘doctor’ in the dictionary and saw that it meant to mess with stuff…”
“Improve it.”
Foreman shook his head. “You want to know why I took this job? Not the one you offered. The one with House.”
“You wanted to follow along behind him and make his apologies?” She hid her smile behind her wine.
“I thought he’d teach me something. I thought he’d have something to offer me that no one else could. The brilliant Dr. House.”
“Eric.” She set her glass down and caught his gaze, ignoring the shock from her use of his first name. “When we had that little girl on the table - Andie?”
“The cancer kid? What about her?”
“No one saw the clot except you.”
“So?”
“Everyone was questioning it. Everyone was doubting it.”
“Yeah?”
“You told House you saw it. That was all he needed to hear.” She glanced down at her hand on the table and moved it slightly, letting her fingers rest against his. “You don’t need House to tell you you’re a good doctor. You are a good doctor. He’s just making you a better one.” She picked up her drink with her other hand. “Now, why did you accept my job offer?”
He smiled and turned his hand over, feeling her fingers against the palm of his hand. “I get to hang out with the boss.”
“So it had nothing to do with House?”
“Well, I do get to make him do rectal exams.” He caught her hand and rubbed his thumb over the back of it, smoothing her pale skin. “Not everything in the hospital has to do with House.” He stood up and helped her to her feet, letting her lead him to the door.
Cuddy smiled back at him over her shoulder. “Does this?”
“Does it matter?”
She smiled and shook her head. “No.”