Parisian Holiday Part 5-Thanks for reading!
House made sure he wasn't in the office when Cameron came back with the Reuben. He did however, to prevent a House witch hunt by the hospital staff, leave a note for Cameron saying he had to see Cuddy on business. He walked into Cuddy's large oval office a bit too quietly for Cuddy's taste. She could see why he had been hiding from her sights for so long. He looked horrible. His eyes looked exhausted. The palor of his skin was bleach. Whatever life had been pumped into him, she readily realized it was clearly a product of the disappearing act Cameron had pulled while she was in conference with House's willful lackeys and Wilson. They had finally resolved most of their issues with an abrupt silence when they realized Cameron was gone. Wilson of course as always felt guilty. Chase and Foreman didn't think Cameron had a shot in hell in making a difference and Cuddy had just kept her head on straight as she could manage.
Cuddy smiled sadly at House. She didn't quite know what to say.
"Here's the man of the hour. How are you feeling?" Cuddy asked gently.
" Cameron tells me I've been causing everyone trouble. I guess I've been a little bit more under the weather than I thought I should be. I need a sick day." Cuddy looked at House as if she had never heard those words in her life from anyone. House never took sick days. That was like asking the sky not to be blue.
"Sure!" Cuddy said almost too readily. "If you want to take a few...I'm sure everyone at the hospital would agree you need a leave of absence. Your sickneess doesn't just stop in the diagnostic department either. I've heard some of the stunts you have been pulling in clinic. You were caught by a parent letting a child write out a prescription?"
"He was enthusiastic about doctors! I thought it would be good practice for the future. Young minds are very impressionable," House said furtively. Cuddy smiled. Well, at least he was still in one piece.
"Pure cockroach," Cuddy said with purse of her lips. "Nothing we can do to get rid of you."
"You really didn't think I would self-wallow into oblivion, did you?" House asked with a dastardly grimace.
"I wonder, without Cameron what would have happened..." Cuddy said with a hard glance. House twirled his cane a little. He stuck out his jaw.
"I will make it up to the department," House said evenly.
"Why don't you start with Cameron?" Cuddy's voice was personal. She stood up from her desk and took off her glasses. "You can lie to everyone else, but not me. She saved you. You wouldn't be walking into my office right now if it wasn't for her." House looked down at the floor and stomped the floor a few times with his cane. Cuddy stood square to him with her arms folded.
"Cameron is-"
"Cameron is a good person. She was definitely better than the rest of us," Cuddy said gulitily. "But I've known you longer. No more of this...I won't have my employees subjected again to your personal problems. Next time you act like this you will be escorted out of the building by me personally."
House smiled with a gentle nod. He was off the hook, again!
"Did you know cockroaches have wings?" he asked. House lifted up his hands and flapped a little. Cuddy smirked.
"Okay, go fly away!" she cried. House flapped out.
"I'll be back tomorrow!" he yelped as he left her office. Cuddy made an ugly face. Only one sick day, she thought, why couldn't it be longer?
*******************************************************
Wilson was dressed in a biege trench coat and was managing the wheel of his luxury Lexus well, while House finished the Reuben Cameron had left on his desk with a sour inward disengagment. She had left a note on his desk with the sandwhich. It had said simply, "Everybody lies." He hadn't thought much of the message until he noticed she had left the pickles on his Reuben and there was a whole bunch of them. It was completely evil of her. What was with that girl? Hitting, pickles on his Reuben? It got him thinking...she might be interesting if he gave her half the chance. Wilson had been astounded that House seemed actually to be back to his old self somewhat. Cameron had told him that she had roused him a bit, but she had done far more than that... and honestly, he wanted to know every detail what happened. But House had been elusive simply saying she had given a good argument for him to get a little more active.
"You're deliberately throwing me off course. I'll find out what happened from Cameron," Wilson said with glee.
"She won't tell you. Dr. Cameron is a woman of rare character." Wilson suppressed a smile and then looked at House to explain further. Then his eyes focused on House's head. He was wearing a flat cap. It looked familiar. Wilson pointed at it while making a turn to drive.
"Isn't that Dr. Cameron's hat?" Wilson asked shrewd.
"Yes, it is. She didn't want it anymore, so she gave it to me last week as an impromptu gift. Though I think she was trying to get me to say or do anything. I wasn't very interested in anything these past few weeks."
"She gifted you. She got you to actually turn down misery."
"A break from it," House said wiping the grease off his hands on a few napkins spread on his paper plate. Cameron always thought of everything.
"Sounds serious House..." Wilson said trailing off.
"Please, she would have thrown it to anyone. Just as easily to Chase, Foreman or even you." Wilson glanced at House with tight eyes. Cameron and him had built a bit of a friendship but House didn't like acknowledging it too much. It bugged Wilson but Wilson knew also what that meant.
"Denial is a terrible thing," Wilson intoned and then added, "I hear Chase and Cameron have been seeing one another."
"That's nice. Maybe she'll hound him and stop bugging me."
"You didn't know?" Wilson asked dubious. House was incredulous with Wilson's comment. He was clearly insulted and frowned severely at his friend.
"Who are you talking to?" House asked. "I mean, I know I've been pretty distant for the last few weeks, which I should apologize for, but some things need not be asked."
"So, you knew about them and did nothing?"
"Well, generally, when two people start getting intimately involved they want some privacy. A third party is iffy at best." Wilson rolled his eyes.
"You didn't even meddle? You love to meddle!" Wilson exclaimed. "That almost proves you are in denial."
"Cameron slaves over an old timer like me all day long. If anyone is in denial it's her. She'll be happy with Chase. He's manageable for her."
"We hope," Wilson said a bit underhanded. He was baiting House. House craned his head. He opened the glove compartment and threw his paper plate and napkins into a small plastic bag. Cameron had thought of a bag too. He shut the compartment and looked at his friend Wilson a little closer. He narrowed his eyes serpentine.
"You know something. Its bad and dare we say compromising to Chase's character?" House asked sly. Wilson smiled proudly. He didn't spend all that time with House and learn nothing.
"Okay, you are proving you care."
"I don't."
"Admit it. You want to know."
"I have a sick need for office gossip just as much as the next person," House said almost quaint.
"House..." House rolled his eyes and brought his cane handle higher and patted it against his cheek a few times. Wilson stopped the car at a stop sign and looked at his friend expectantly.
"Marginally, there is some care for the well being of co-workers in my stone heart."
"God, you're incredible." Wilson said. House smirked.
"Confess or die?" House asked dryly. He nudged Wilson't arm with his cane handle. Wilson looked at his arm and bristled a little. Wilson looked back to the road and hit the accelerator.
"Foreman says Chase has been seeing some girl named Esther on the midnight shift."
"Oh, I already knew that," House said with a scoff.
"Then why did you act stupid?"
"I wanted to know how much of a gossip you really were."
"Forget it!" Wilson said blank. House inlcined his head.
"Well, how else couldn't I notice? Chase had been taking these new special power naps during the day. I've noticed he's been popping some pills when he walks past me occasionally. One afternoon, he left the bottle out and he didn't think I saw them. Caffeine pills-he's been taking them since he's been having trouble staying up during work. So I wondered what was keeping him up."
"You suspected," said Wilson slowly.
"I figured it couldn't be work keeping him up. Chase already thinks he does a good enough job half the time he wouldn't be seeking approval, especially from me, he would know how futile an endeavor that would be. If he could only teach Cameron that! Anywho, I figured it was either partying or a social call of some sort. Then when I over heard between Chase and Cameron that Chase was doing extra work during the midnight shift I became intrigued. I followed him one night and saw him snuggling with Esther in one of the clinic rooms. But your gossip of course only confirms that its a rumor now. Which I expertly placed in the hands of Foreman."
Wilson's mouth dropped and he laughed hard. He slapped House on the shoulder. House smiled sidewards at Wilson. He leaned his cane back and forth between his hands as if he were a magician.
"Speaking of confirmations," House said. "What's going on between you and Cuddy?"
"Nothing, why?" Wilson answered tartly. His face was a little red. Wilson tightened his grip on the steering wheel. They parked in front of House's flat. Wilson was frank.
"Hey, if you aren't sharing about Cameron. Why would I share about Cuddy?" Wilson asked.
"Do you think even if I had deep dark feelings for Cameron I would share them with you? Mr. Chase tattle teller of his wooing of nurse Esther."
"Point taken, but to me its obvious. You care about her House. But I am betting my soul you are so in love with her so much you wouldn't want to give her any reason to leave any sooner. And if you were both romantic with one another, there would be a chance you would lose her. And you are just a miserable coward, who doesn't want to take the chance at real true love...not just something guaranteed conquered like Stacy."
House leaned back in the car seat and listened to his friend closely. He yawned a bit and said nothing.
"Well?" Wilson asked. House got a glimmer in his blue eyes. He could see Wilson was unfolding a bit. It made House feel a little less guilty about the last few weeks of depressive haze he had put everyone through. He didn't want the fun to end. He knew it would be boring to just nod his head or remain silent this time.
"I'll take that bet, though I think your soul is too high a price."
"Huh?" Wilson asked.
"If I get involved with romantically with Cameron in the next say...two months...I get three thousand dollars from you. If not, you pay me three grand."
"No, I'm not going to do that. Its preposterous and wrong."
"Of course its wrong!" House cried. "Its gambling. Now shake on it or you're a dirty welcher. You were willing to bet your soul on it." House put out his hand. Wilson waivered a bit. Reluctantly, he shook House's hand.
"I'm going to regret this, aren't I?" Wilson said. Then he remembered what Cuddy had told him about Marcia Cole and he laughed. "Oh well, I think I've won that three grand automatically," he said to House.
"How's that?"
"Marcia Cole is coming to make a visit for a few months."
House's face froze. Then slowly his head went into his hands.
"Not her," he said. "Not now. Is God just being mean to me? Okay I take the bet back."
"Oh, no," Wilson said. "You're stuck now. Better think fast."
House certainly was stuck. He had never been able to resist Marcia Cole romantically. It was one of those unexplainable things, like the rain coming out while the sun shined. He was in for it. House left Wilson's car with a wave of his cane. When he got into his flat, he took off the hat Cameron had given him with a flourish. He brought her hat with him into his bedroom in contemplation. Did he know what he felt for Cameron? He closed his eyes and tried to imagine life with a woman like her. But he knew himself too well. Her niceness couldn't handle his overwhelming apathy for himself. Besides she was annoying enough without another sob story added to her resume of self-sacrificing acts. Maybe he should drop the whole thing. Then again, an anger rose in him, he was going to win this bet because he wanted to prove Wilson wrong. He wasn't afraid of Cameron. He could have her if he wanted to. In fact, he could have her at any time. The trick was timing everything right. He fell asleep and dreamed of pickles.
Cuddy smiled sadly at House. She didn't quite know what to say.
"Here's the man of the hour. How are you feeling?" Cuddy asked gently.
" Cameron tells me I've been causing everyone trouble. I guess I've been a little bit more under the weather than I thought I should be. I need a sick day." Cuddy looked at House as if she had never heard those words in her life from anyone. House never took sick days. That was like asking the sky not to be blue.
"Sure!" Cuddy said almost too readily. "If you want to take a few...I'm sure everyone at the hospital would agree you need a leave of absence. Your sickneess doesn't just stop in the diagnostic department either. I've heard some of the stunts you have been pulling in clinic. You were caught by a parent letting a child write out a prescription?"
"He was enthusiastic about doctors! I thought it would be good practice for the future. Young minds are very impressionable," House said furtively. Cuddy smiled. Well, at least he was still in one piece.
"Pure cockroach," Cuddy said with purse of her lips. "Nothing we can do to get rid of you."
"You really didn't think I would self-wallow into oblivion, did you?" House asked with a dastardly grimace.
"I wonder, without Cameron what would have happened..." Cuddy said with a hard glance. House twirled his cane a little. He stuck out his jaw.
"I will make it up to the department," House said evenly.
"Why don't you start with Cameron?" Cuddy's voice was personal. She stood up from her desk and took off her glasses. "You can lie to everyone else, but not me. She saved you. You wouldn't be walking into my office right now if it wasn't for her." House looked down at the floor and stomped the floor a few times with his cane. Cuddy stood square to him with her arms folded.
"Cameron is-"
"Cameron is a good person. She was definitely better than the rest of us," Cuddy said gulitily. "But I've known you longer. No more of this...I won't have my employees subjected again to your personal problems. Next time you act like this you will be escorted out of the building by me personally."
House smiled with a gentle nod. He was off the hook, again!
"Did you know cockroaches have wings?" he asked. House lifted up his hands and flapped a little. Cuddy smirked.
"Okay, go fly away!" she cried. House flapped out.
"I'll be back tomorrow!" he yelped as he left her office. Cuddy made an ugly face. Only one sick day, she thought, why couldn't it be longer?
*******************************************************
Wilson was dressed in a biege trench coat and was managing the wheel of his luxury Lexus well, while House finished the Reuben Cameron had left on his desk with a sour inward disengagment. She had left a note on his desk with the sandwhich. It had said simply, "Everybody lies." He hadn't thought much of the message until he noticed she had left the pickles on his Reuben and there was a whole bunch of them. It was completely evil of her. What was with that girl? Hitting, pickles on his Reuben? It got him thinking...she might be interesting if he gave her half the chance. Wilson had been astounded that House seemed actually to be back to his old self somewhat. Cameron had told him that she had roused him a bit, but she had done far more than that... and honestly, he wanted to know every detail what happened. But House had been elusive simply saying she had given a good argument for him to get a little more active.
"You're deliberately throwing me off course. I'll find out what happened from Cameron," Wilson said with glee.
"She won't tell you. Dr. Cameron is a woman of rare character." Wilson suppressed a smile and then looked at House to explain further. Then his eyes focused on House's head. He was wearing a flat cap. It looked familiar. Wilson pointed at it while making a turn to drive.
"Isn't that Dr. Cameron's hat?" Wilson asked shrewd.
"Yes, it is. She didn't want it anymore, so she gave it to me last week as an impromptu gift. Though I think she was trying to get me to say or do anything. I wasn't very interested in anything these past few weeks."
"She gifted you. She got you to actually turn down misery."
"A break from it," House said wiping the grease off his hands on a few napkins spread on his paper plate. Cameron always thought of everything.
"Sounds serious House..." Wilson said trailing off.
"Please, she would have thrown it to anyone. Just as easily to Chase, Foreman or even you." Wilson glanced at House with tight eyes. Cameron and him had built a bit of a friendship but House didn't like acknowledging it too much. It bugged Wilson but Wilson knew also what that meant.
"Denial is a terrible thing," Wilson intoned and then added, "I hear Chase and Cameron have been seeing one another."
"That's nice. Maybe she'll hound him and stop bugging me."
"You didn't know?" Wilson asked dubious. House was incredulous with Wilson's comment. He was clearly insulted and frowned severely at his friend.
"Who are you talking to?" House asked. "I mean, I know I've been pretty distant for the last few weeks, which I should apologize for, but some things need not be asked."
"So, you knew about them and did nothing?"
"Well, generally, when two people start getting intimately involved they want some privacy. A third party is iffy at best." Wilson rolled his eyes.
"You didn't even meddle? You love to meddle!" Wilson exclaimed. "That almost proves you are in denial."
"Cameron slaves over an old timer like me all day long. If anyone is in denial it's her. She'll be happy with Chase. He's manageable for her."
"We hope," Wilson said a bit underhanded. He was baiting House. House craned his head. He opened the glove compartment and threw his paper plate and napkins into a small plastic bag. Cameron had thought of a bag too. He shut the compartment and looked at his friend Wilson a little closer. He narrowed his eyes serpentine.
"You know something. Its bad and dare we say compromising to Chase's character?" House asked sly. Wilson smiled proudly. He didn't spend all that time with House and learn nothing.
"Okay, you are proving you care."
"I don't."
"Admit it. You want to know."
"I have a sick need for office gossip just as much as the next person," House said almost quaint.
"House..." House rolled his eyes and brought his cane handle higher and patted it against his cheek a few times. Wilson stopped the car at a stop sign and looked at his friend expectantly.
"Marginally, there is some care for the well being of co-workers in my stone heart."
"God, you're incredible." Wilson said. House smirked.
"Confess or die?" House asked dryly. He nudged Wilson't arm with his cane handle. Wilson looked at his arm and bristled a little. Wilson looked back to the road and hit the accelerator.
"Foreman says Chase has been seeing some girl named Esther on the midnight shift."
"Oh, I already knew that," House said with a scoff.
"Then why did you act stupid?"
"I wanted to know how much of a gossip you really were."
"Forget it!" Wilson said blank. House inlcined his head.
"Well, how else couldn't I notice? Chase had been taking these new special power naps during the day. I've noticed he's been popping some pills when he walks past me occasionally. One afternoon, he left the bottle out and he didn't think I saw them. Caffeine pills-he's been taking them since he's been having trouble staying up during work. So I wondered what was keeping him up."
"You suspected," said Wilson slowly.
"I figured it couldn't be work keeping him up. Chase already thinks he does a good enough job half the time he wouldn't be seeking approval, especially from me, he would know how futile an endeavor that would be. If he could only teach Cameron that! Anywho, I figured it was either partying or a social call of some sort. Then when I over heard between Chase and Cameron that Chase was doing extra work during the midnight shift I became intrigued. I followed him one night and saw him snuggling with Esther in one of the clinic rooms. But your gossip of course only confirms that its a rumor now. Which I expertly placed in the hands of Foreman."
Wilson's mouth dropped and he laughed hard. He slapped House on the shoulder. House smiled sidewards at Wilson. He leaned his cane back and forth between his hands as if he were a magician.
"Speaking of confirmations," House said. "What's going on between you and Cuddy?"
"Nothing, why?" Wilson answered tartly. His face was a little red. Wilson tightened his grip on the steering wheel. They parked in front of House's flat. Wilson was frank.
"Hey, if you aren't sharing about Cameron. Why would I share about Cuddy?" Wilson asked.
"Do you think even if I had deep dark feelings for Cameron I would share them with you? Mr. Chase tattle teller of his wooing of nurse Esther."
"Point taken, but to me its obvious. You care about her House. But I am betting my soul you are so in love with her so much you wouldn't want to give her any reason to leave any sooner. And if you were both romantic with one another, there would be a chance you would lose her. And you are just a miserable coward, who doesn't want to take the chance at real true love...not just something guaranteed conquered like Stacy."
House leaned back in the car seat and listened to his friend closely. He yawned a bit and said nothing.
"Well?" Wilson asked. House got a glimmer in his blue eyes. He could see Wilson was unfolding a bit. It made House feel a little less guilty about the last few weeks of depressive haze he had put everyone through. He didn't want the fun to end. He knew it would be boring to just nod his head or remain silent this time.
"I'll take that bet, though I think your soul is too high a price."
"Huh?" Wilson asked.
"If I get involved with romantically with Cameron in the next say...two months...I get three thousand dollars from you. If not, you pay me three grand."
"No, I'm not going to do that. Its preposterous and wrong."
"Of course its wrong!" House cried. "Its gambling. Now shake on it or you're a dirty welcher. You were willing to bet your soul on it." House put out his hand. Wilson waivered a bit. Reluctantly, he shook House's hand.
"I'm going to regret this, aren't I?" Wilson said. Then he remembered what Cuddy had told him about Marcia Cole and he laughed. "Oh well, I think I've won that three grand automatically," he said to House.
"How's that?"
"Marcia Cole is coming to make a visit for a few months."
House's face froze. Then slowly his head went into his hands.
"Not her," he said. "Not now. Is God just being mean to me? Okay I take the bet back."
"Oh, no," Wilson said. "You're stuck now. Better think fast."
House certainly was stuck. He had never been able to resist Marcia Cole romantically. It was one of those unexplainable things, like the rain coming out while the sun shined. He was in for it. House left Wilson's car with a wave of his cane. When he got into his flat, he took off the hat Cameron had given him with a flourish. He brought her hat with him into his bedroom in contemplation. Did he know what he felt for Cameron? He closed his eyes and tried to imagine life with a woman like her. But he knew himself too well. Her niceness couldn't handle his overwhelming apathy for himself. Besides she was annoying enough without another sob story added to her resume of self-sacrificing acts. Maybe he should drop the whole thing. Then again, an anger rose in him, he was going to win this bet because he wanted to prove Wilson wrong. He wasn't afraid of Cameron. He could have her if he wanted to. In fact, he could have her at any time. The trick was timing everything right. He fell asleep and dreamed of pickles.