(no subject)
Title: Reality's Nightmare, Part 6/6
Author: Janelle (blue_crystal_9)
Pairing: House/Cameron
Rating: PG 13
Warning: Violence, swearing.
Summary: A man kidnaps Cameron in order to attract House's attention to his medical problems. Obviously, it works, and the team has only four days to solve the man's case or Cameron will be killed.
Spoilers: Pretty much anything from Season 1 and 2.
Disclaimer: House does not belong to me. He, along with the rest of the characters, belong to David Shore and FOX.
Author's Notes: Oh boy. Guys, I am so sorry this took so long…I suck. A lot. There’s a long winded apology inside. *lol* Anyway, this is the last bit. It’s long…twelve pages, which is a lot longer than what I usually write. But I figure the last chapter has to be long, to sum everything up and all that. So, enjoy. ;)
Feedback: Feedback is love. :)
Other Parts: Part One Part Two Part Three Part Four Part Five
EDIT: Okay, I don't know what's up with the text half way through. It goes all...orange. I've tried fixing it, but for some reason, it won't change over to black. I think it's something to do with the HTML coding or something, and I don't know how to fix it. If anyone knows, please tell me, because it's annoying.
Yay! I fixed it! *snorts* I'm so happy about that fact. *lol* ;)
OMG guys, I’m am so EXTREMELY sorry this took so long. I had it written months ago, and I experienced a few problems with the program I was using. We just got a new computer, and I didn’t realize that the program was just a trial. Basically, the trial ended, and it wouldn’t let me copy the file, and I had to retype the whole thing. I was very annoyed, and usually I tend to avoid things that annoy me. So, I kind of…avoided this fic for a while. I’m sorry! *wails* Did I mention how much I suck? I suck hugely, monstrously. I’m so extremely sorry! Pleasedon’tkillme! *lol* ;) And then I had finals, and school was so busy, so I wasn’t able to work on it for a long time. Not to mention that I rewrote the ending about a trillion times because I couldn’t decide how to end it. *lol* If I ever wrote a novel, it would take me like, a decade to finish it because I would rewrite it a thousand times. *lol* ;) Anyway, I’m so sorry, and I’m going to shut up now. Enjoy! ;)
Reality’s Nightmare: Part 6/6
Foreman and Chase walked into House’s office. He looked at them expectantly.
Foreman sighed miserably, “They’re all negative, once again.”
“Arghh!” House growled in frustration, “Goddamn it! Test them again, one of them could be a false negative.” Great, he was resorting to false negatives. Just great.
“We already did.” Chase sighed. “We just tested for like, fourteen different illnesses, and we’ve tested for every other disease known to man. If we haven’t found it by now, I don’t think it’s very likely that we‘ll find it in time.”
House glared at Chase, and then said to the two doctors, “Go and do some more research on his symptoms. We’ll do another differential in an hour or so.” They nodded, and left House’s office.
House leaned his head against the back of his chair. His head was throbbing from lack of sleep. He exhaled loudly. However hard he tried, he could not stop thinking of Cameron. Especially after that stupid dream that he had. It had seemed so real….and Cameron’s voice had sounded as clear as if she had been in the room with him. House sighed quietly, and tried to shake his thoughts of Cameron away, but his attempts did not work. God, even his thoughts of the girl clung to him like a freaking leach. House rolled his eyes; he shouldn’t really be surprised at that fact. He’d been thinking about her a lot lately, and it had been more than apparent recently. Or rather, what Cameron and he felt about each other had been as obvious as a huge, neon pink elephant sitting on the conference table screaming, “Look at me!” At least according to Wilson, and he was usually a reliable source.
Sighing heavily, he sat up in his chair and pulled out his vicodin and popped a couple. He looked at the bottle and rattled it. It was almost empty, and he’d only just gotten it before this whole fiasco started. And he wasn’t just using it for his leg and his lack of sleep either. He knew that now.
*********
Cameron took the thermometer out of Michael’s mouth and sighed, relieved. His temperature was now 99.3. It had dropped very quickly in the last few hours, finally. He was still sleeping, but he wasn’t as fitful as before.
She checked the rash on his neck. It was also clearing up.
Cameron placed the thermometer back on the coffee table and sat back down by the wall, yawing. She hadn’t slept for a long time and she was completely exhausted. Resting her head against the wall, she let her mind wander. Her thoughts instantly went to House. It wasn’t really surprising, but it didn’t make this “getting over him” thing any easier. But House wasn’t the type of man that was easy to get over; he wasn’t exactly the average type of man.
Who was she even kidding anyway? They had never actually dated; they hadn’t even been in a relationship. They had barely even been friends…there wasn’t anything to “get over”. But despite thinking this way, she still felt a pang in her chest whenever she thought of him. Whenever she would get close to “getting over” him, he would give her one of those stares where it left her fingers and toes tingling, leaving her wanting more. And then she’d be back where she started. Getting over Gregory House was not an easy task, one at which she may never succeed at. She’d just be left in this continuous, vicious cycle, unable to break free.
*********
Five hours later, Michael was completely back to his normal, bastardly self. He’d been feeling much better for the past three hours. His fever and rash were completely gone. His joint and muscle pain, fatigue and sore throat were still there but seemed to be slightly better.
Cameron was confused.
She didn’t understand how his fever had become better, and so quickly at that. Sure, she’d given him some Tylenol, but that would have barely had an effect, if anything at all.
So now they were back to her sitting chained by the wall, completely bored and in uncomfortable pain, and him sitting in a chair, reading. Every now and then he’d look away from his book and stare at her. And his stare was creepy.
After a good couple of hours of stifling silence, he broke it by saying, “So, why do you work for a bastard like House anyway? I would have figured someone like you would have quit by now.”
“I wouldn’t say House is the biggest bastard I’ve met,” Cameron muttered under her breath. Louder, she said, “He’s a brilliant man, and an exceptional doctor. I had the chance to be one of his fellows, and I took it. I’m glad I did, because it was a great opportunity. I’ve learned a lot from him.”
Michael snorted, “Yeah. I’m sure.”
Cameron just glared at him. Then she thought of something. “Where is your daughter during all of this?”
“She’s at summer camp, a horse camp.” He smiled faintly, “She loves horses. She’s always begging me for one.” He turned and looked at her straight in the eye, “It was the perfect opportunity for me to do this thing, because I didn’t have to worry about her this way. I had to pick the right time.”
“Yeah, everything worked out perfectly for you.” Cameron said angrily.
“Except for that whole thing where you kicked me in the groin and almost escaped, because that really wasn’t very-”
“Oh shut up!” Cameron snapped, annoyed.
*********
Thud.
Thud.
Thud. Thud.
THUD.
House bounced his cane off of the floor, desperately searching his brain for an answer. They only had less than twenty four hours left, and that was starting to make House edgy.
He wanted to sleep. He wanted to eat a real meal, and go snark at Wilson, and watch General Hospital. And he wanted Cameron back. He wanted her back more than anything, and he was pissed as hell that she wasn’t back yet. He wanted to see her, not just speak to her on the phone. He needed the visual aid, and if saw her, it would reassure him that she was alright. He needed to see her again. He had finally admitted something to himself, which was that he felt something for her. And that freaked him out a lot, because now he couldn’t deny it anymore. He couldn’t hide behind a façade, because he had admitted it to himself. And when he admitted it to another person, that was when everything would go haywire.
All these thoughts were making him worry, because now he wasn’t sure if he could solve this. And that was one thought that he didn’t want to have. He was rarely ever unsure about his abilities, and doubting himself during a case was never a good thing, because usually it ended disastrously.
*********
By 12:30 A.M., twelve hours later, Michael had a fever again. And, once again, Cameron was rushing around trying to bring it down. But this time he was being very uncooperative. Whenever she tried to take his temperature or give him water or ice, he would push her hand away.
After half an hour of that, she snapped, “Oh my God, if you want to die of a fever, that’s fine with me, you miserable son of a bitch!” She was tired, she was in pain, she was hungry, and she was cranky. She wasn’t going to stand for this bullshit; it was too late at night for it.
With actions surprisingly fast for a man who was extremely sick with fever, he hauled the gun out of his pants with lightning speed and pointed it at her, screaming, “Shut the fuck up!” He looked at her with wide, crazed eyes.
She sighed and flopped down on the floor and he fell back down on the couch, sweating profusely.
Half an hour later she noticed that the rash had reappeared on his neck again. Just as she was beginning to get very angry and frustrated, her cell phone rang. She picked it up, “Hello?”
“Cameron, it’s me.” House’s brisk voice came through the phone. “Anything new?”
“His fever is back again and the damn rash.” She sighed wearily, “I don’t know what to do House.”
“Did he mention if he’d had a rash like that before?”
“Uh…no. I can ask him, though. Hold on a sec.” Cameron said and put down her cell phone. She crawled across the room, holding on to her side where her injured ribs were as though her insides were about to fall out. She gritted her teeth in pain and when she reached the couch she said softly, “Michael?”
He looked at her with unfocused eyes, “What?” Cameron jumped slightly. She’d thought that he was asleep.
“Do you remember if you had a rash before like the one you’ve got now?”
“No. I had a rash a few times before, but that was because I had taken my daughter to a farm to ride some horses. I’m allergic to horses; that’s why I had the rash before, it was an allergic reaction. I would have gotten her a horse if I wasn’t allergic,” Michael said sadly.
“Did you have a fever also when you had the rash?” Cameron asked.
“Yeah…I think. But the rash and the fever aren’t connected; the rash was from an allergic reaction.”
Cameron sighed, “It wasn’t just an allergic reaction Michael. Both are connected somehow. You should have mentioned this before.”
“I didn’t know.” He muttered tiredly.
Cameron picked up the phone and said, “He had a rah a couple times before this, the same time as the fever. He thought it was just an allergic reaction.”
“This is exactly why I hate people. They’re idiots.” House muttered darkly. “I need to think. I’ll call you back soon.”
“Alright.” Cameron said and he hung up.
*********
House walked out into the conference room and wrote next to the rash and the fever on the white board that they occurred together. He turned around and looked at Chase and Foreman, “He had the rash before, and as far as we know, they both occur together, and usually late at night and the symptoms are gone by morning.”
“Why weren’t we informed about this before?” Chase asked quizzically.
“Because people are extraordinarily stupid. You should know this by now Chase, especially since you are in the top ten of that list.” Chase glared at House. House just rolled his eyes and said, “Differential diagnosis. Yet again.”
They shot back and forth different ideas, but House wasn’t satisfied with that. “Humph,” He grunted, and stared at the white board. “Something’s missing.”
“What?” Chase asked.
“I don’t know, obviously,” House snapped. He glared at Chase and Foreman. “Now go and test for those diseases that we mentioned. We can’t waste time.” They turned and exited the conference room. House stared at the symptoms, frustration evident on his face.
*********
A few hours later, Chase and Foreman came back with the test results. Foreman opened his mouth to speak, but before he could say anything House cut in, “Oh, let me guess, the tests are negative, right?”
“Yes.”
“I suspected as much.” He tapped one of the markers on the edge of the whiteboard, his eyebrows turned down in a frown. Suddenly he turned around and said, “I’ll be right back.”
He limped into his office and pulled out his cell phone and hit the speed dial for Cameron’s cell.
After a few rings, Michael’s petulant voice came over the line, “What do you want House?”
“Hand the phone to Cameron.”
“Why?”
“Just do it.” House snapped irritably.
“No.”
“If you actually want to get rid of that very high fever you’re experiencing right now, you’ll hand the phone over to Cameron.”
A few seconds later Cameron’s quiet voice came over the line. “House?”
“Is there anything unusual on his skin, besides the rash? Something subtle that you may not have noticed?”
“I don’t think so,” Cameron said, but after a moment of thought she added, “But he does look as though he’s lost a significant amount of weight recently.”
“Did he mention that he lost any?”
“No, but just by looking at him you can tell that he has. His clothes are too big for him, and his face is a little sunken.” That sentence set the gears in House’s brain moving.
“Give the phone back to him.”
“Okay,” Cameron said, slightly puzzled.
Once Michael had taken the phone, House said, “Have you lost any weight recently?”
“Yeah, but I’ve been sick, so that’s not really unusual.” Michael said crankily.
“Well, how much did you weigh before the symptoms started?” House questioned
“Er, about 160.”
“And how much do you weigh now?”
“About 130, maybe a little less.”
Cameron was right, he had lost a lot of weight. House felt slightly proud for his fellow, she’d picked up a very good observation.
Michael’s voice broke into his thoughts, “You’d better hurry Dr. House. Only three hours left. You’re starting to lose.”
“Technically I’m not though, since I’m not the one who’s sweating bullets and can barely stand without falling over.” House shot back.
“We’ll see about that.” Michael said and hung up. House sighed. This guy and his cliché sayings were really getting on his nerves.
He limped back into the conference room, “He’s lost weight. A lot of weight and it hasn’t been purposely lost.”
Chase suggested a disease and House snorted, “No.”
“Why not?!” Chase asked indignantly.
“Because that idea’s stupid, and it doesn’t fit.”
“Well then, why don’t you suggest something? We’ve run through a zillion diseases, there aren’t any diseases left that completely fit these symptoms. We can’t test anything else without going over the ‘time limit’,” Chase said.
House glared at him, “Well then, talk less, and think more.”
“Well, hepatitis fits the symptoms,” Chase said, annoyed.
“We already tested for that, you idiot.” House sneered.
“There’s something called a false positive.” Chase shot back.
“Which we already ruled out, because we retested it three times.”
“Stop arguing!” Foreman snapped at Chase and House. “You’re just wasting time. Now, what about Rheumatoid Arthritis? It fits and - oh wait. We already tested for that.” Foreman sighed, defeated. “Damn it.”
“Wait, what did you say?” House asked, staring at Foreman.
“Rheumatoid Arthritis, but we already tested for it.”
House stared at the white board as though it wasn‘t there for a moment; you could practically see the gears in his brain moving. He got that look in his eyes then, and suddenly he said, “He’s got Adult Onset Still’s Disease.”
“AOSD? There isn’t even any way to confirm that. It can’t be it.” Chase argued, shaking his head.
“It fits the symptoms. And besides, his white blood cell count was elevated, which is a sign.”
“But doesn’t it normally only appear in children, not in adults?” Chase asked.
“In rare cases, it does. And it‘s usually diagnosed clinically, that‘s why nothing was coming up positive during the tests.” House explained.
“Yeah, but everything else that we’ve thought of fits the symptoms as well. It may not be AOSD. ” Foreman said.
“Except the tests for those were negative, which we’ve already established. We’ve treated patients with the black plaque and rabies for Christ’s sake. Just because it’s extremely rare doesn’t mean he doesn’t have it. It’s the only thing that completely fits. It‘s the only thing that makes sense.”
Foreman thought for a moment, and then said, “Yeah, I agree.” After a tense moment, Chase nodded too.
House stood up abruptly, knocking over his chair.
“What are you doing?” Chase asked, bewildered.
“Getting Cameron back.” House called over his shoulder as he jogged-limped into his office. He grabbed his cell and hit speed dial.
Michael answered, sounded very delirious. House bit back a snarky comment and said, “Adult Onset Still’s Disease.”
“What?”
“You’ve got Adult Onset Still’s Disease. Now I want my immunologist back.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. We’ve tested every other disease it could possibly be. It’s AOSD,” House said forcefully.
“So, I tested positive for it?”
“There’s no way to accurately get test results for AOSD. It’s only diagnosed by a clinical diagnosis. But the symptoms fit.”
“But it may not definitely be that.” Michael argued.
“Every puzzle piece of this damn puzzle fits perfectly. I’ve been doing medicine for over twenty years, I know what I’m talking about. Now, I’ve given you a diagnosis, you can either follow my medical advice and live, or you can choose not to and die.” House said scathingly.
After a moment of silence, Michael said, “Alright.”
“Now, I want Cameron. Let her go, now.” House demanded.
There was an amused chuckle over the line. “Did you seriously believe that I would let her live, Dr. House?”
“What?!”
“I’m not going to let the person I kidnapped roam free in the streets.”
House could feel the panic forming a knot in the back of his throat, “No, you’re letting her go.”
“I don’t think so.”
“Well, what if I called the police? What if they’re already on the way?”
“It doesn’t matter. I’m out of here in five minutes. Besides, they don’t know where I am or what my actual name is. As far as you know, I didn’t give you my real name, or really any of my identity, except my medical history.”
“Is Cameron still alive?” There was fear in his stomach, trying to claw its way up past the lump in his throat and out to freedom.
“Goodbye, Dr. House.”
“IS CAMERON STILL ALIVE?!” House yelled.
A dial tone was his answer.
“Fuck!” House stuffed his cell phone in his pocket and practically ran out of his office. Foreman and Chase followed him.
“Where are you going?” Foreman yelled.
“That bastard’s going to kill her.”
*********
Just as Cuddy was putting down her phone House raced into Cuddy’s office, the door hitting the wall with a loud bang.
“Did you call the cops yet?” House asked frantically.
“I called them hours ago, just a little while after I talked to you. I didn’t want to call and be too late. Besides, you should’ve called them earlier, it was foolish not to.”
House silently thanked a God he didn’t believe in for Cuddy’s smart thinking and asked urgently, “Did they find out anything? Where the cabin is or something?”
“I just finished talking to them before you came in, and they’ve discovered they’re in a cabin just off Exit 19, about an hour away from here. They just sent out squad cars about half an hour ago. They should be there very soon.” House had already left her office before she’d finished her sentence.
House was driving out of the hospital parking lot a few minutes later. As he drove, a feeling of fear and dread settled in his stomach, making him feel sick. He was driving way over the speed limit, but he didn’t care.
All he could think was, ‘Please let Cameron be okay.’
*********
Meanwhile, Cameron watched as Michael hung up her cell phone and put it on the coffee table. “Was that House?” Cameron asked.
“Yep.”
“Did he figure out what you have?”
“He said I have ‘Adult Onset Still’s Disease’.”
“Of course.” Cameron said to herself, shocked. “AOSD makes perfect sense, I can’t believe I didn’t think of it before, I’m an immunologist for Christ’s sake. I can’t believe House didn’t think of it beforehand.” She narrowed her eyes suspiciously when she noticed that Michael was walking shakily towards her, looking at her strangely. “What are you doing?”
She gasped when he pulled out the gun and pointed it at her, “Did you really think that I would let you walk out of here alive, Allison?”
“But…t-the police c-can track your finger prints. T-they’ll find you, and p-put you in jail.” Cameron stuttered, her eyes locked on the gun.
“By the time they get here I’ll be long gone, and I’ll have a new identity.” He smiled dementedly at her, “Goodbye Allison.” He pulled the trigger. Cameron screamed, but didn’t feel the bullet hit her. Instead, it whizzed closely past her left ear and hit the wall.
“Oops, bad aim,” Michael said, and aimed the gun at her again. But this time Cameron moved. She grabbed the first thing she saw, which was her cell phone, and threw it at him. He just ducked and it hit the door flame and fell to the floor.
“And apparently you have bad aim also.” He raised the gun again, but then Cameron grabbed the lamp and threw it at his head. It smashed and he grabbed his head, howling in pain. The gun skittered across the room. Cameron lunged for it, but Michael grabbed her foot and tried to haul her back. She kicked her feet and connected with his face. He let go and she reached for the gun but was unable to retrieve it, because her chain was pulled as tight as it would go. Her fingers were just barely touching it, and she flailed her hands frantically, but to no avail. Michael staggered up and grabbed the gun. He aimed at her again, “Nice try, but I win. Bye bye.” He began to pull the trigger.
She shut her eyes, wincing as she waited for the impact of the bullet to come.
BANG!
Her eyes popped open. The door had been thrown open, and five police officers were standing there, guns pointed at Michael, “Sir, put your weapon down and your hands on your head.” Michael continued to point the gun at Cameron, but his arm faltered slightly. “Sir, put the gun down or we will have to shoot.” He raised the gun again and pulled the trigger.
BANG! The police officers had fired at him, and he fell to the floor, and the bullet from his gun shot to the right of Cameron. She watched, shocked and dazed, as the bullet wounds in his chest began to seep blood. She could tell by where the bullets had shot him that he had died immediately. He was now staring at her with cold, unblinking, dead eyes. She watched as his blood stained his shirt a deep crimson. She couldn’t tear her gaze away from him.
“Miss?” She jumped about a foot when one of the police officers touched her lightly on the arm. “Miss, I’m Officer Johnson. Are you alright?”
She blinked and said shakily, “Yes. Well, no. I’ve got a few injuries.”
“Okay, well Officer Walker and I will help you to a police car to wait until the ambulance comes, alright?” The police officer said as he released her from the chain bound to her left ankle.
She nodded mutely and allowed the two police officers to put their arms around her for support, slowly helping her walk out of the cabin.
It was raining lightly outside, and the sky was a dull grey in the early morning light. Cameron felt tears build up in the back of her eyes. She’d never felt so alone and afraid before.
It began to rain harder, and they were barely past the porch before she began to get soaked with rain. She dimly heard the sound of a motorcycle approaching from the distance.
Cameron looked up as the motorcycle swerved in the driveway, and the driver hastily turned off the engine, pulling off his helmet.
It was House.
A strangled sob escaped from her throat as he spotted her and began to limp quickly toward her. She pushed the police officers away, not caring about how much her ribs hurt, or how much pain she was in. She stumbled toward him, and nearly fell onto him. He caught her before she fell, and helped her stand upright, and then wrapped his arms around her. She began to sob freely then, the tears cascading down her cheeks, mixing with the drops of rain. It was almost funny, because throughout this whole ordeal she hadn’t cried at all, but as soon as she saw House, she’d fallen apart.
She clutched onto him as though she were a small child, and as her sobs grew louder, he held her closer, not saying anything but rubbing her back soothingly. He placed his chin on her head and sighed with relief.
The sound of an ambulance siren could be heard in the distance, and in a few seconds the ambulance arrived, followed by a van from the Medical Examiner’s. The M.E.’s went into the cabin to attend to Michael’s body, and the paramedics went over to Cameron. As they helped Cameron onto the gurney, House spotted the M.E.’s carrying Michael’s body on a stretcher, with a sheet over him. When House saw this, all the anger he’d been feeling for the past three days escalated. He glared furiously at Michael’s body, the hand holding his cane gripped it so tightly that it turned white and shook slightly. Cameron noticed House standing there, frozen, and called softly, “House?” He turned, and limped over to Cameron, muttering, “The bastard got what he deserved.” He didn’t look back.
“Sir, are you going with her?” One of the paramedics quietly asked House.
“Yes,” House said and climbed into the ambulance after they loaded the gurney in which Cameron was strapped to into it. Then the ambulance sped out of the driveway, sirens blaring, heading down the highway toward PPTH.
*********
Cameron thanked Wilson as she got out of the car. He asked her if she wanted him to stay with her for a while, but she shook her head and said she’d be fine. She closed the car door and he waved goodbye as he drove out of the parking lot.
As soon as Cameron had entered her apartment, she sighed with relief. The first thing she was doing was getting a nice, long, hot shower and then something to eat. They’d given her some dinner at the hospital, but she was still hungry.
After the ambulance had brought her to PPTH, Foreman had taken a look at her ribs. She’d gotten some X-rays, which had shown that three of them were broken. She’d also gotten a few stitches in her left ear, where the bullet that had whizzed past her earlier had grazed. She hadn’t noticed it until the paramedics had mentioned that she was bleeding in the ambulance.
Everyone had been at the hospital to welcome her back, despite the early hour, and she’d felt a rush of gratitude toward them all. They’d all worked tirelessly to set her free, and she would be eternally grateful to them.
Finally, after hours and hours in the ER (most of that was waiting for the X-rays to come back and other such things), she was given some pain meds, and was finally released. House had stayed with her the entire time, only leaving her side to get coffee or food or to go to the bathroom. He’d been strangely quiet too, except when he’d made one of the nurses in the ER cry for being so slow about bringing her food. After she’d agreed to let Wilson take her home he’d disappeared, and she hadn’t spoken to him since.
The most startling thing was what the police had told her about Michael while she was being questioned at the hospital. They’d mentioned something about car accident that Michael (she hadn’t bothered finding out what his actual name was; she didn’t want to know) had told her about earlier; the one that had killed his wife. His wife hadn’t been driving; it had been Michael. His daughter had been in the car also, and she had been killed as well. He’d blamed himself for their deaths. Michael had, according to some of his friends and family, lost it after that. He’d deluded himself into thinking that his wife had been driving and she had been killed. He’d begun believing that his daughter was still alive, and had not died in the car accident. When people had noticed that he wasn’t exactly sane anymore, and had tried to get him some help, he’d disappeared. The police had been looking for him ever since. And when he became sick, he’d become desperate, trying to stay alive for the daughter that was actually dead. He’d taken on a different identity, and had went to visit different doctors, finally resorting to House, who hadn’t been very helpful when he’d met with him. Out of desperation and fear, he’d kidnapped Cameron, all the while becoming more and more insane.
*********
House stood outside on the roof of PPTH, staring at the city’s lights which shone brightly in the dark. He’d been up there thinking about all that had happened ever since Cameron had went home.
Ever since Wilson’s little “speech”, House had been trying to figure out what to do. He knew that he had feelings for her, he always had. Possibly even something past that, something even stronger. He’d just never acted on them because he was afraid he’d hurt her. But he was also just as afraid, or possibly even more afraid that she’d hurt him. Despite the fact that he acted as though nothing could hurt him, he was rather vulnerable and insecure about relationships. Possibly because of what Stacy had done to him. He couldn’t handle having his heart broken like that again; he knew that if it did, he would never recover.
But now that she’d almost died, he realized that he didn’t want to lose her. He could have lost her before anyway; she could have quit, or transferred, or been offered a better position, or even been swept away by another man. Or TB guy could have come back and taken her off to Africa, and then he’d be really pissed. She was someone that he’d never find anywhere else; she was naïve, too caring, too compassionate, but she was unique, and a puzzle that he could never quite solve. And she like him, maybe even loved him.
He’d finally realized that he didn’t want to die alone. He hadn’t had this kind of feelings for anyone except Stacy. And he was prepared to put his heart on the line so that he could be with her. Because really, what did he have to lose? He wouldn’t have an opportunity like this ever again.
He’d made his decision. House turned abruptly, and went into his office and left the conference room, grabbing his coat on the way out. Very soon he was speeding away from the hospital on his motorcycle and into the darkness.
*********
Cameron was lounging on her couch, mindlessly switching through channels on the TV. It was past eleven, but she was wide awake, despite the fact that she’d barely slept in three days. But too much had happened, and she was too wired to sleep. She’d already eaten, and her hair was up in a towel, still wet from her shower.
Suddenly there was a knock on her door. Cameron switched off the TV, and tossed her hair towel in the corner of her bedroom. She walked slowly to the door, wary of her ribs. She opened the door slightly, but kept the chain across. And then blinked in surprise at who was there.
“House.” Cameron said, surprise evident in her voice. She unlatched the chain and opened her door so that he could limp into her apartment.
As she closed the door, she asked, “What’s wrong?” There was a funny expression on his face; she couldn’t quite read him.
Cameron opened her mouth to say something else, but House cut her off, “Just…shut up Cameron.” He said wearily and she blinked, but didn’t say anything. “Okay, I’m not very good at the whole apology thing, as you know, so I’m just going to run with it. I’m sorry-”
Cameron interrupted him, “Um, for what, exactly?” She watched as he started pacing back and forth in front of her couch.
“For this whole shitty, kidnapping, crazy man…thing. For being an asshole to you when you thought you had HIV.” As his speech went on, the faster he talked, “For the stupid speech I gave you at that stupid, bad date. For being a bastard all the time, for…everything.” He gestured helplessly, and finally looked into her eyes.
Cameron grinned slightly, and joked, “Well, I should have this conversation recorded. Greg House apologizing to someone…this has got to be some sort of record. I wonder if-”
“Cameron.” House sighed, interrupting her tangent, “I’m trying to do the whole bonding thing. You’re ruining it.” But she could see the twinkle of mischief in his eyes.
“Sorry.” She smiled softly at him, “You don’t need to apologize for anything, and as I said before, the last three days weren’t your fault. And besides, I like you as a bastard. It’s you, and I wouldn’t want that to change. Contrary to your belief, I don’t really like change, and I don’t want to change you, and-”
In one swift movement, House closed the space between them and captured her lips with his. He hadn’t intended to kiss her, it was almost as though some unseen force had made him do it. He’d crossed the point of no return, but he couldn’t go back now. He didn’t want to anyway.
Cameron had jumped slightly when he’d first kissed her. But after a moment, she responded to the kiss, and wrapped her arms around his neck. She placed one hand on his cheek, his stubble scratching her hand. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer to him.
After they broke apart, Cameron said, “Okay, well maybe I like some change.” House looked at her for a moment, and grinned at her and laughed. It was a genuine laugh, one that was rarely ever heard from House. She smiled back at him, “I like it when you laugh.”
He smiled at her for a moment, and then his face turned serious. “I was so distracted during this case. I think it was because you were in danger, and it made it so difficult to concentrate. Every time I tried to think, your face would come up in my mind and then I couldn’t think about anything else. I was worried about you, probably the most worried I’ve ever been about anyone in a long time. I knew that if something happened to you…” His words caught in his throat, and he had to take another big breath before continuing, “I knew that if something happened to you, I would have never forgiven myself.” House stared into her green eyes with his intense blue ones, watching her reaction. The eyes that could figure out every secret in the dark crevasses of your mind, the eyes that could read your mind like a book. The eyes that seemed to look right through her. Or at least, they used to.
Cameron took his hand and squeezed his reassuringly, “Well, despite a few broken ribs and some scratches and bruises, I escaped rather unscathed. You solved it, and that’s why I’m here, alive.” She smiled at him softly
House said quietly, “I missed you, Cameron. A lot.”
Cameron said teasingly, “I thought you said you didn’t like me.”
House smiled back at her, “Everybody lies, Allison.” He closed the distance between them and kissed her again.
Finally, they broke apart, breathing heavily. House rested his forehead on hers, reading her expression.
Cameron broke the silence, “House, would you mind staying with me tonight?” At his surprised look she said hurriedly, “I don’t want to sleep with you or anything.” At least not right now, she thought wryly. “I just don’t want to be alone.”
House nodded, “Okay.” Cameron smiled at him, and House continued, “Besides, we have plenty of time to do that other stuff later.” He winked at her, and she laughed. The she took his hand and led him to her room, quietly shutting the door.
She pulled back the bedclothes and got in while House kicked off his sneakers. House got in, pulling the comforter over them. He put an arm around her waist, and pulled her close to him. House placed a light kiss on her cheek, and she turned and faced him, kissing him softly on the lips. Then she flicked the light off and snuggled closer to him, relishing in his warmth. After a few minutes he was asleep. She realized that she hadn’t locked the door, but didn’t care. She didn’t need to anymore. Cameron grinned in the darkness, and soon the sound of House’s even breathing lulled her to sleep.
For the first time in three days, she felt completely safe.
FIN.
Eh, I'm not sure if I like it. I think I went a little too OMG!dramatic there a few times. And maybe a bit too fluffy there at the end (and House is probably a little OOC as well). Whatever, this ship needs a little fluff now and then. ;) Plus, I'm not sure if I like the paragraph on Michael at the end, but I figured I needed a bit more back story on him. Oh, and never again am I going to put so much medical stuff into a fic. I did so much research, and it made me want to bash my head into a wall. *lol* I probably screwed it up anyway. *lol* Anyway, it's finally done, and that's what matters. :) Oh, and they had this disease (Adult Onset Still's Disease) on a show called Diagnosis X a few weeks back on TLC. I was watching it and I was like, "I bet it's AOSD." And it was, and I was like, "Ha, I win!" *lol* ;) Anyway, I'm going to stop babbling now. I hope you guys enjoyed it, it was so much fun writing it. And thanks so much for reading and commenting during this whole thing. You're all made of awesomeness. ;)