THE THINGS THAT ONE TAMES - CHAPTER 35/39
A Forever Knight/House, M.D. Crossover
AUTHOR: A.S. NightBird
WRITTEN: April 2006
PAIRINGS: House/Cameron, Nick/Natalie, Strong Wilson/House Friendship
RATING: FOR MATURE ADULTS - This story contains profanity and adult sexual situations.
SUMMARY: A Forever Knight/House, M.D. Crossover - House meets the ultimate medical challenge. For Steve McQueen fans, he plays a prominent role in this story.
See Disclaimers, Author's Notes, etc. in Part 1.
CHAPTER 35
The rest of Friday was uneventful. Nick napped for a few hours, then ate a huge dinner, played cards with Cameron, who stayed with him, and then slept soundly all night.
Saturday was another quiet day. Cameron had showered in the morning and put on fresh clothes. The plan was for Cuddy, Wilson and House to come in around nine that night when they would check on the telomere results.
"So Nick, are you going to contact Natalie?" She asked as they sat down to lunch. Bright sunlight streamed into the room.
"I'll decide when we see the results tonight. If it's good news, then yes, I will." He shrugged. "Since we have no way of knowing whether this is permanent or not, I will contact her and ask if she'll move down here with me. I know she'd miss her work, but I also think she still loves me and would rather be here for whatever time we may have together." He sighed. "Maybe we could even have a child, if she's not too old for that." He stared wistfully out the window.
"House told me she's never married. I'd say she does still love you and still has hope that one day you'll be together. A child may be possible with today's medicine. I think it will depend more on you than her. We can always do a semen analysis later on." She reached across the small table, took his hand in hers and gave it a squeeze.
Nick cocked his head and gazed into Cameron's eyes. "What about you, Allison? Greg seems calmer, happier ... although he still has his moments, and I suspect he always will. A person doesn't just throw off the kind of devastating betrayal, loss and hurt that he's sustained."
"You're talking about Stacy...." Her brow furrowed.
"Yes, and other things I'm not at liberty to discuss that I learned from his blood. I won't betray Greg's trust in me. He's truly earned it." He studied her face intently.
"I don't expect you to. I'd never want that. I'm not looking to change him, but I do mean to show him that he can trust me ... that I won't hurt him. I love him, Nick. He deserves to be happy and have a good life. He's been through such hell. He didn't ask for any of this." She stared at her food.
"No, he didn't. As I've told you before, he loves you, too. He just isn't very good at showing it or expressing his feelings to others or when others are around. But make no mistake about it, Greg has feelings that run very deep and he gets quite emotional when he's alone. It's one of the reasons he drinks so much and takes too much Vicodin. He keeps so much bottled up inside, it has to come out somehow." Nick gently reached out and lifted Cameron's chin with his index finger and looked into her eyes. "You're really good for him, and he knows it. He's making an effort to be worthy of you. Have you noticed how few pills he's been taking?"
"Now that you mention it, yes...."
They finished their meal in companionable silence, then watched some television.
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By 9:10 p.m., they'd all gathered in Nick's room. He was showered and dressed and having a hard time containing his excitement.
"Well," Cuddy said, "shall we all go over to Moffett Hall?"
"Lead the way!" Nick was grinning.
They walked out of the hospital and across the courtyard. Nick was sniffing the crisp fall night air. "The night seems so different now ... the smells, the sounds...."
"I suppose it'll take a little while to adjust again to a normal way of life," Wilson commented. "I can't imagine what it's like for you."
"It's certainly different; I can tell you that!" Nick chuckled.
They entered the building. Just a few dim lights were on. The only sounds were of the distant clicks, hums and whirring of the machines that worked through the night automatically processing or maintaining samples.
Cameron stopped in front of a door and unlocked it. Turning on the lights, she retrieved the samples and took them into the room with the electron microscope. "Now for the moment of truth."
After placing the sample into the machine and pumping it down, she began to focus in. Soon the telomeres were visible thanks to a special process that made them observable. She stepped back, allowing Wilson to take a look.
He studied the sample for a minute, then broke into a grin. "They look normal, Nick. Human normal." He moved next to Wilson, who pointed out the telomeres for him.
"Wow! I guess we really can celebrate now." Tears began to stream down his face.
"Hey," House grumbled, "watch those tears. You short-circuit this thing, and it'll cost you plenty."
Cuddy smacked him hard on the arm. "Shut up, House!" He just looked down his nose at her. The others laughed. Cameron glanced at him, knowing the show of emotion made him uncomfortable. She could tell he wanted to flee, yet at the same time was truly happy for Nick.
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Back in the hospital, Nick took his cell phone from the bedside table. "Damn! The battery's dead."
"House reached into his jacket pocket. "Here. Use mine." He tossed it to him.
"Uh ... I'm going to call Canada."
"That's fine. I know where you live." House winked.
"Right."
"Do you want some privacy? We can go into the office," Wilson offered.
"Actually ... I'd prefer the support." Cameron moved to Nick's side. He smiled warmly.
It was around 10:30 p.m. He knew Natalie would be at work. Janette had been keeping an eye on her since Nick had left and was regularly updating him on her activities. Before calling her, there was one other call he had to make first. He punched in the number.
"Hello?" said a soft French-accented voice.
"Janette, it's Nick."
"Nicolas! How good to hear from you."
"Janette, I'm calling to tell you I've done it. I'm human again!"
"What? You are serious?"
"Yes, and this time it seems to be for real. A wonderful team of doctors figured out it's a virus. Natalie had been on the right track all along. It appears they've cured me." There was silence on the line. "Janette?"
"Yes. Yes, I'm here. I can't believe it. It's a virus? Have you told Natalie yet?"
"Yes, a virus. No, I wanted you to be the first to know. You could become human again ... be Patrick's mother."
"He is all grown up now, Nicolas. He's married and has a child of his own. No, I wouldn't want to disturb him by suddenly entering his life again. His aunt and uncle did a wonderful job raising him." She paused. "No, I am happy as I am. I'm sure LaCroix knows by now. I doubt he'll be as happy for you as I am." She gave a mirthless little laugh.
"I'm sure you're right. He'll just have to adjust. He still has you. I just couldn't be his 'son' anymore. Tell him I'm sorry."
"I will. Please, Nicolas, have a good life, but keep in touch."
"I will, Janette. I promise." Nick hung up and let out a huge breath.
Cuddy, House, Wilson and Cameron sat watching silently, knowing the next call would be the hardest.
Again, Nick dialed from memory, his hand shaking slightly. The phone rang twice. "Natalie's Bed and Breakfast." He smiled at the sound of her voice. A voice he hadn't heard in twelve years. "Hello?" He was lost in reverie. "Hello? Is anybody there?"
Snapping back to reality, Nick hesitantly spoke up. "Nat?"
There was silence on the end of the line, except for a gasp of breath. "Nick? Is that you?"
"Yes. How are you?"
"Oh my God! Nick? Is that really you? Where are you? Are you all right? What have ---"
"Whoa, Nat! Slow down. Yes, it's really me. I'm in Princeton, New Jersey. I've been living here since I left. I'm calling because I have something important to tell you."
"What is it?" came the stunned reply.
"You were on the right track all those years ago. It is a virus. And I've been cured, it seems. I'm human again, Nat. I've been out in the sun." He heard a sharp inhalation, then silence. "Nat? Are you okay?"
"Uh, yeah. Wow. When did this happen?"
"Just a few days ago. I'm still in the hospital. It's a long story, but a small team of brilliant doctors helped me based on your notebooks."
"This is unbelievable! I've always hoped you'd find a cure. I've always hoped it would be in my lifetime."
"I know. I did, too." He paused and took a deep breath. "I know this is really sudden, and I know you love your job.... I can't return to Toronto. You know that. Ummmm ... will you come here to be with me?"
"Of course I will! How could you think I wouldn't? Funny thing is, it's been kind of slow recently, and we'd hired two new pathologists a couple months ago. I could resign tonight and there'd be no problem. I've told them I might just leave at any time."
"How soon can you come? I can have your things packed and shipped for you."
"Soon as I can book a flight. In fact, I can probably catch a flight out tomorrow afternoon. Where should I fly in?"
"Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, New Jersey. It's about an hour's drive from here. I'll have my driver meet you. He'll be carrying a sign with your name. Call me at this number, 609-555-1752, and let me know what flight and gate, so I can make the arrangements."
"Okay. I can probably book something through the internet tonight." She paused and took a deep breath. "God, I've missed you."
"I've missed you, too."
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