RUBIK'S REVENGE - Chapter Two
Title: Rubik's Revenge
Pairing: House/Cameron
Rating: M (in subsequent chapters)
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
A/N.:: This is set sometime during season 4 (a few months after 'Games').
Summary: When Cameron falls sick and becomes one of his patients, House has a hard time figuring out what’s wrong with her. Will he be able to save her before the time runs out? And will he finally start facing his feelings for her?
UNWELL
Moments later, House pushed his way through scurrying nurses, abandoned gurneys and anxious relatives, constantly watching out for the familiar face of his former employee and every so often using his cane to kick someone in the shin if they didn’t get out of the way quickly enough for his liking.
Ever since she had started working in the ER they had occasionally met in the cafeteria or one had visited the other at his workplace for some reason. Sometimes to get a consult, sometimes in search of a new patient and sometimes - well, actually most oft the time - just to hang out and chat.
Now nearly four weeks had gone by since he had last caught sight of her. At first because he had been too occupied with a new case and then because she had taken a much needed vacation. Hawaii, Bahamas, Barbados or some other place on earth surrounded by water he could no longer recall. Not that it really mattered.
He would never admit it - even if his life depended on it - but secretly he missed the playful banter that usually took place whenever they ran into each other.
Through the grapevine he had heard that she must have broken up with the wombat. The gossip factory was working overtime about the reason behind it. If one could believe the tittle-tattle to be true, the Australian had left the Princeton Plainsboro and accepted a job offer at the Massachusetts General in Boston.
Maybe this new development would pay off in his favor and heighten his afore rather miniscule chances to win her back. After all she had quit her job as a reaction to him firing her boy-toy beforehand, hadn't she? Out of sympathy or a false sense of obligation: Who knew! And to be honest, he didn’t really care either.
He rounded another corner and there she was: Allison Cameron. She was so engrossed in the examination of her current patient that she didn’t even look up once, oblivious of his presence.
So, he leaned against the nearest wall and grasped the opportunity to watch her undisturbed. Like an extremely captivating piece of art, he could never get tired of just looking at her. She had always been exceptionally beautiful but this time he noticed something different about her.
Her hair had changed to a darker shade of blond than the last time he had laid eyes on her, the warm color making it look more natural and flattering. Loose waves framed her delicate features in a very appealing way and her skin - a tell-tale sign that she had spent her holidays in the sun - had acquired a wonderfully luscious tan.
When she was finally done with the patient, she raised her eyes and caught him staring at her from across the room. Their glances melded over the hustle and bustle of the busy emergency room, binding them together like two links of the same chain.
Only now he noticed that she didn’t look recovered at all, like it was to be expected after a long vacation by the sea, but rather seemed haggard and weary. Normally vivid and lively, she now looked utterly exhausted.
She closed the curtain which shielded the patient from the view of unwelcome observers and approached him with a hint of a smile on her face, holding his gaze all the time and stripping off the gloves she had worn during the examination on the way, disposing of them in the nearest trash can.
“Hey!” she said in a flirtatious tone once she came to a stop directly in front of him.
“Hey!” he echoed her greeting, a barely detectable grin flashing over his lips.
“New haircut?” Cameron asked nosily, instantly noticing that his hair was a whole lot shorter than usual.
“No, it’s fall. I’m shedding!”
His typically cutting remark won him a broad smile which lighted up her face in a very endearing way and mastered to chase away the overly wan look for at least a few seconds.
“What are you doing here?” she asked still smiling.
“The Wicked Witch tried to lure me into her gingerbread house. Thought I’d make a run for it before she ends up spanking me with her broomstick again. I still got those nasty bruises.” he stated vividly and added with a waggle of his eyebrows: “Wanna see?”
Cameron’s response was just a significant roll of her eyes.
“Why are you really here?”
House plainly stared at her for a few seconds, pondering the best way to tackle the subject. Just as he finally opened his mouth to speak he was interrupted by the help-seeking cry of one of the nurses.
“Dr. Cameron!”
“Sorry, got to go!” his former duckling excused herself in an apologetic tone of voice. “Duty is calling.”
She turned around and headed for the booth the nurse had pointed to. House looked after her until she had disappeared behind the curtain and decided eventually to follow her.
When he opened the concealing piece of fabric he was greeted with the sight of Cameron wrestling a very battered looking druggie. Although both of the patient’s arms were securely strapped to the bed, the young doctor was failing miserably at the attempt to inject him with the mild sedative that was filling the syringe she was holding. The guy was struggling persistently against the ties that were holding him down, making it completely impossible for her to get the right angle.
“Need help?” House asked after a few seconds of silent observation.
Startled, she looked up into his eyes and he noticed that this little incident seemed to have taken its toll on her since she looked even more exhausted now than she did a couple of minutes before.
“Ya. Thanks.” she answered gratefully.
He hobbled further into the room, leaned his cane against the edge of the bed and went to stand behind Cameron, pinning down the patients upper- and forearm to allow her unimpeded access to his veins no matter how much the guy would struggle and trapping her therewith effectively in between the circle of his arms.
He stood so close that their bodies were almost touching. The tension between them was nearly tangible, charging the room with a sudden surge of prickly electricity.
Her breath hitched in her throat when she felt the gentle puff of his breath on her cheek, caressing her like a feather. She involuntarily closed her eyes as a slight whiff of his after-shave reached her nostrils, making her head spin with dizzy delight. Why he was wearing such even though he obviously didn’t even know how to spell the word ‘shaving’ was a mystery to her and she damned herself for the effect that he evidently still had on her.
Shaking herself out of her reverie she had trouble concentrating on the task at hand. She tried to calm her shaky fingers as she finally succeeded to administer the sedative to the almost forgotten patient.
Meanwhile their close proximity didn’t leave House unaffected either. The heat she was emitting made a shudder run down his spine and he felt a wave of unacquainted sensations flooding his senses. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and inhaled the sweet scent of her perfume mixed with something that was uniquely her.
“Like the way I smell?” Cameron asked boldly, bringing him back to reality. She hadn't been able to refrain from smiling when she had felt the sudden change in his breathing on her skin.
She turned her face halfway so that she was able to look at him, bringing their face even closer together. Needing to break the spell her eyes had on him, House jumped back as if stung by an adder.
“Just checking if you are wearing the same after-shave as Wilson.” he snapped, looking everywhere but at her.
Not one to be fooled so easily, she instantly unmasked his hurtful comment as what it really was: A desperate attempt to hide his disconcertedness at being caught.
Remembering that she still held the needle in her hand, she headed towards the trash can to finally dispose of it. Out of the corner of his eye, House saw that she suddenly started to stagger. Without thinking he let go of his cane, which fell to the floor with a loud thump and jumped forward catching her just in time before she slumped down unconscious.
Trying his best to drown the rising tide of panic inside of him, he started yelling to alert one of the nurses:
“I could use a little help here.”
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Pairing: House/Cameron
Rating: M (in subsequent chapters)
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
A/N.:: This is set sometime during season 4 (a few months after 'Games').
Summary: When Cameron falls sick and becomes one of his patients, House has a hard time figuring out what’s wrong with her. Will he be able to save her before the time runs out? And will he finally start facing his feelings for her?
UNWELL
Moments later, House pushed his way through scurrying nurses, abandoned gurneys and anxious relatives, constantly watching out for the familiar face of his former employee and every so often using his cane to kick someone in the shin if they didn’t get out of the way quickly enough for his liking.
Ever since she had started working in the ER they had occasionally met in the cafeteria or one had visited the other at his workplace for some reason. Sometimes to get a consult, sometimes in search of a new patient and sometimes - well, actually most oft the time - just to hang out and chat.
Now nearly four weeks had gone by since he had last caught sight of her. At first because he had been too occupied with a new case and then because she had taken a much needed vacation. Hawaii, Bahamas, Barbados or some other place on earth surrounded by water he could no longer recall. Not that it really mattered.
He would never admit it - even if his life depended on it - but secretly he missed the playful banter that usually took place whenever they ran into each other.
Through the grapevine he had heard that she must have broken up with the wombat. The gossip factory was working overtime about the reason behind it. If one could believe the tittle-tattle to be true, the Australian had left the Princeton Plainsboro and accepted a job offer at the Massachusetts General in Boston.
Maybe this new development would pay off in his favor and heighten his afore rather miniscule chances to win her back. After all she had quit her job as a reaction to him firing her boy-toy beforehand, hadn't she? Out of sympathy or a false sense of obligation: Who knew! And to be honest, he didn’t really care either.
He rounded another corner and there she was: Allison Cameron. She was so engrossed in the examination of her current patient that she didn’t even look up once, oblivious of his presence.
So, he leaned against the nearest wall and grasped the opportunity to watch her undisturbed. Like an extremely captivating piece of art, he could never get tired of just looking at her. She had always been exceptionally beautiful but this time he noticed something different about her.
Her hair had changed to a darker shade of blond than the last time he had laid eyes on her, the warm color making it look more natural and flattering. Loose waves framed her delicate features in a very appealing way and her skin - a tell-tale sign that she had spent her holidays in the sun - had acquired a wonderfully luscious tan.
When she was finally done with the patient, she raised her eyes and caught him staring at her from across the room. Their glances melded over the hustle and bustle of the busy emergency room, binding them together like two links of the same chain.
Only now he noticed that she didn’t look recovered at all, like it was to be expected after a long vacation by the sea, but rather seemed haggard and weary. Normally vivid and lively, she now looked utterly exhausted.
She closed the curtain which shielded the patient from the view of unwelcome observers and approached him with a hint of a smile on her face, holding his gaze all the time and stripping off the gloves she had worn during the examination on the way, disposing of them in the nearest trash can.
“Hey!” she said in a flirtatious tone once she came to a stop directly in front of him.
“Hey!” he echoed her greeting, a barely detectable grin flashing over his lips.
“New haircut?” Cameron asked nosily, instantly noticing that his hair was a whole lot shorter than usual.
“No, it’s fall. I’m shedding!”
His typically cutting remark won him a broad smile which lighted up her face in a very endearing way and mastered to chase away the overly wan look for at least a few seconds.
“What are you doing here?” she asked still smiling.
“The Wicked Witch tried to lure me into her gingerbread house. Thought I’d make a run for it before she ends up spanking me with her broomstick again. I still got those nasty bruises.” he stated vividly and added with a waggle of his eyebrows: “Wanna see?”
Cameron’s response was just a significant roll of her eyes.
“Why are you really here?”
House plainly stared at her for a few seconds, pondering the best way to tackle the subject. Just as he finally opened his mouth to speak he was interrupted by the help-seeking cry of one of the nurses.
“Dr. Cameron!”
“Sorry, got to go!” his former duckling excused herself in an apologetic tone of voice. “Duty is calling.”
She turned around and headed for the booth the nurse had pointed to. House looked after her until she had disappeared behind the curtain and decided eventually to follow her.
When he opened the concealing piece of fabric he was greeted with the sight of Cameron wrestling a very battered looking druggie. Although both of the patient’s arms were securely strapped to the bed, the young doctor was failing miserably at the attempt to inject him with the mild sedative that was filling the syringe she was holding. The guy was struggling persistently against the ties that were holding him down, making it completely impossible for her to get the right angle.
“Need help?” House asked after a few seconds of silent observation.
Startled, she looked up into his eyes and he noticed that this little incident seemed to have taken its toll on her since she looked even more exhausted now than she did a couple of minutes before.
“Ya. Thanks.” she answered gratefully.
He hobbled further into the room, leaned his cane against the edge of the bed and went to stand behind Cameron, pinning down the patients upper- and forearm to allow her unimpeded access to his veins no matter how much the guy would struggle and trapping her therewith effectively in between the circle of his arms.
He stood so close that their bodies were almost touching. The tension between them was nearly tangible, charging the room with a sudden surge of prickly electricity.
Her breath hitched in her throat when she felt the gentle puff of his breath on her cheek, caressing her like a feather. She involuntarily closed her eyes as a slight whiff of his after-shave reached her nostrils, making her head spin with dizzy delight. Why he was wearing such even though he obviously didn’t even know how to spell the word ‘shaving’ was a mystery to her and she damned herself for the effect that he evidently still had on her.
Shaking herself out of her reverie she had trouble concentrating on the task at hand. She tried to calm her shaky fingers as she finally succeeded to administer the sedative to the almost forgotten patient.
Meanwhile their close proximity didn’t leave House unaffected either. The heat she was emitting made a shudder run down his spine and he felt a wave of unacquainted sensations flooding his senses. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and inhaled the sweet scent of her perfume mixed with something that was uniquely her.
“Like the way I smell?” Cameron asked boldly, bringing him back to reality. She hadn't been able to refrain from smiling when she had felt the sudden change in his breathing on her skin.
She turned her face halfway so that she was able to look at him, bringing their face even closer together. Needing to break the spell her eyes had on him, House jumped back as if stung by an adder.
“Just checking if you are wearing the same after-shave as Wilson.” he snapped, looking everywhere but at her.
Not one to be fooled so easily, she instantly unmasked his hurtful comment as what it really was: A desperate attempt to hide his disconcertedness at being caught.
Remembering that she still held the needle in her hand, she headed towards the trash can to finally dispose of it. Out of the corner of his eye, House saw that she suddenly started to stagger. Without thinking he let go of his cane, which fell to the floor with a loud thump and jumped forward catching her just in time before she slumped down unconscious.
Trying his best to drown the rising tide of panic inside of him, he started yelling to alert one of the nurses:
“I could use a little help here.”
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Next Chapter...
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