FIC- Five times Cuddy protected Cameron
Title: Five times Cuddy protected Cameron
Pairing: Cuddy/Cameron, brief Thirteen/Cameron
Rating: R
Summary: Written for prompt 19. Cuddy/Cameron: Protection for thehousefemslash fic-a-thon.
A/N: These 5 times are unrelated. It's been a while since I've done a "Five..." and I had a sudden urge to write one... so I did.
*******************
1.
“Do you have anything to say for yourself, Dr. Cameron?”
The Deputy Chairman of the Board was watching Cameron, his face stern. She had ignored protocol and resuscitated a DNR patient whom she believed to be clinically depressed, and therefore not capable of making an informed decision about her health. However, upon regaining consciousness the woman had been furious with Cameron for not allowing her to die, despite the fact that had she accepted the offer of a heart bypass she would go on to lead a relatively active and normal life.
Cameron’s choice to shock her back to life had been based upon three facts. One; she was only twenty-seven and had her whole life ahead of her, two; her condition could be easily managed, and three; Cameron suspected the woman had done something in order to bring about the cardiac arrest. Though she had no proof (and she hadn’t since been allowed near the patient to find any evidence) this would have entirely justified her actions to the Board.
“I did what I believed to be the right thing,” Cameron told him. “Maybe you think that’s wrong, but when you have a split second to decide what to do, knowing that your actions are going to cause someone to live or die... well I chose for her to live.”
“But that wasn’t your choice to make,” Wilson, who was on the Board, threw in. This surprised Cameron; she was sure she would have his backing.
“She wasn’t capable of making that decision for herself,” Cameron argued.
“So you get a psychiatrist to evaluate her,” Wilson said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
Cameron sighed. “Yes, I’d paged for someone from pysch to come down, but before they did she went into, or rather, put herself in cardiac arrest.”
“You have absolutely no proof of her doing that,” the Deputy Chairman spoke, dismissing Cameron’s words as an excuse.
“Well, no. Because you won’t let me anywhere near her!” Cameron said, exasperated by this point in time.
“Can I say something?” Cuddy had been sitting in silence listening to the conversation go around in circles for the past twenty minutes. She had left the talking to everyone else so far, but now that she’d spoken, Cameron was sure it wasn’t going to be good. Damn she was in trouble.
“Of course, Dr. Cuddy,” The Deputy Chairman of the Board gestured towards her.
“Thank you,” Cuddy acknowledged him. “Dr. Cameron, am I right in saying the patient refuses to see a psychiatrist or say why she doesn’t want a heart bypass?”
“Yes,” Cameron responded.
“And if she were to have the heart bypass, and it was successful, she would be completely fine, physically?” Cuddy prompted.
“Yes,” Cameron repeated.
“So there is no logical reason for the DNR?” Cuddy asked her final question; for the moment.
“No,” Cameron told her.
Cuddy nodded. “Well in that case, it seems that your suggestion that she is depressed isn’t entirely ridiculous. Until she has been examined by a psychiatrist, I suggest that she should be unable to state she wants a DNR on her file.”
Speechless, Cameron listened as Cuddy backed her up, the only person in the room to stick up for her so far.
Cuddy continued speaking to the other members of the Board. “And even if she isn’t depressed, Dr. Cameron believed her to be, rendering her incapable of making that choice for herself. Therefore, whichever way we look at it, Dr. Cameron has done nothing wrong.”
Everyone stared at her in dumbstruck silence.
“I’m of the opinion that disciplinary action in the form of suspension or any sort of warning is unnecessary. Dr. Cameron is an excellent doctor, and this should not in any way, shape or form be a black mark on her record. Does everyone present agree?” Cuddy asked, manner and body language showing supreme confidence.
Slowly, everyone raised their hands in the air. No one fucked with the a decision the Dean of Medicine made unless it affected them personally.
Cuddy nodded, her eyes flickering in Cameron’s direction before she stated, “Motion passed.”
**
2.
Cuddy knew that Thirteen and Cameron were dating, and Cuddy also knew that the concept of dating had an entirely different meaning to both women. Whereas Thirteen tended to treat the entire relationship as casual and was nonchalant in just about every way; Cameron took what was going on between them as a far more serious deal. It was in fact Cameron that had openly admitted to House that they were seeing each other; something that Thirteen had appeared annoyed about when she discovered that they were no longer a secret.
How did Cuddy know all this?
She watched. It was simple, really. Most of the time she couldn’t give a damn about who was sleeping with who, as long as it didn’t affect their performances at the hospital, or didn’t have the potential to. This however, had disaster written all over it. The two women were polar opposites; Cameron being sweet, kind, and caring, and Thirteen being detached, clinical, not uncaring, but not affectionate enough either at times. It was obvious to Cuddy that someone was going to get hurt, and that someone was most definitely not Thirteen.
“House said that you weren’t working last night.”
Cuddy had come down to the ER to speak to Cameron about paperwork, and discovered her in her office, in a somewhat intense discussion with Thirteen.
“Well... I was. Who are you going to believe?” Thirteen’s reply was biting, and Cuddy froze at the door, not sure what move to make.
“House wouldn’t lie about something like that, he would have no reason to,” Cameron reasoned, trying to keep her voice calm.
Thirteen looked annoyed. “Maybe he just wants to cause trouble, did you ever think about that?”
Even though she knew she shouldn’t, Cuddy felt for Cameron. Really felt for her. Being cheated on sucked, and Thirteen had obviously done something she shouldn’t have, because Cuddy knew for a fact she hadn’t been working here last night. She herself had remained at the hospital to do paperwork, and upon going to Diagnostic’s to locate a patient’s file, she hadn’t seen any sign of Thirteen’s presence.
But still.
“Dr. Hadley was helping me with my paperwork,” Cuddy announced, stepping into the room. “I assume you’re talking about last night?”
Cameron whirled around. “Oh. Really?”
Cuddy shrugged, trying not to look too guilty. Lying came naturally to her, especially after so long of working with House.
“She’s right,” Thirteen finally found her voice, after a few seconds of shell shocked silence.
“Why didn’t you just say that in the first place?” Cameron asked suspiciously.
“I said I was working at the hospital... I never said I was working with House,” Thirteen replied. “Just accept it, ok?” She walked out of the office, acknowledging Cuddy with a small but grateful smile, and began making her way out of the ER.
“Was she really with you?” Cameron asked her boss, looking hopeful.
Cuddy didn’t have the heart to shatter her dreams. “Yes.” In what was meant to be a comforting gesture, she stepped forward, gently placed her hand on Cameron’s arm.
Finally believing the lie, Cameron’s face broke out into a smile. “That’s... thank you.” She hugged Cuddy, who reciprocated the embrace, knowing that all she had done was band aid a wound that would eventually be too big to heal.
Not remembering why she’d come down in the first place, Cuddy left the office with the sole intention of going to find Thirteen. She was going to made it clear that never again would she cover for her, and that if she had an ounce of decency within her that she would end things with Cameron. Stringing her along was downright cruel and unnecessary. Then, she herself would be there to pick up the pieces and make sure Cameron was ok.
Because she cared, even if Thirteen didn’t.
**
3.
Ninety-nine percent of the time, Allison Cameron was extremely observant and aware of her surroundings. Whether it was spotting trouble across the ER ward, or noticing when House increased his Vicodin intake; it was a talent that Cameron seemed to effortlessly possess. Of course, working in the Diagnostic’s Department for over three years had helped her to develop the skill, but at the same time she had never been the sort of girl to wander around with her head in the clouds. Nevertheless, that was ninety-nine percent of the time. Everyone made mistakes, and though they were infrequent, Cameron was no different to others.
As usual, it had been a hectic day in the ER. Cameron had been rushed off her feet running here, there and everywhere, trying to organise the department, treat the patients and control her staff all at the same time. Some days were worse than others, and this Friday had been one of those days. In all honesty, Cameron’s mind was focused on her warm bed waiting for her at home and not where she was going.
It was nearing midnight when she stepped outside the warmth of the hospital and into the car park, where there were still a large number of vehicles. Many of the day staff had gone home, but the night staff, patients and their relatives were still in the building. Even so, the car park was deserted of people, and so Cameron wanted to quickly get to her car safely, especially with it being so late.
She was so focused on reaching her own vehicle that she didn’t even attempt to look as she crossed the road, merely stepping out, facing forward. It was only as she heard the roar of an engine to the right of her that she turned her head, and she froze, almost as though she was seeing the car come towards her in slow motion. Bracing herself for the collision, for a flash of pain, she was surprised when it didn’t come, and instead she felt an arm around her waist, tugging her backwards in the direction of safety.
“Dr. Cameron... Allison, are you alright?”
Cameron turned to see Cuddy before her, still gripping her waist and watching her with a concerned expression on her face. Finding her voice, she replied, “I’m fine.” She looked dazed, still not having properly taken in what had happened.
“Are you sure? You just... stepped out in front of the car,” Cuddy said worriedly.
“I didn’t see it,” Cameron’s cheeks reddened as she realised how stupid she must sound.
“How did you not...? Wait. You didn’t... you didn’t mean to...?” Cuddy anxiously insinuated she thought Cameron may have deliberately walked into the road.
“Tried to hurt myself? Why would I do that?” Cameron asked incredulously.
Cuddy shrugged and said awkwardly, “Well, I don’t think anyone expected Kutner to... you know...” She couldn’t seem to bring herself to say the words.
“I guess not,” Cameron said delicately. “But really, I just wasn’t paying attention.”
Cuddy reluctantly nodded, and finally, she removed her arm from Cameron’s waist. Immediately Cameron missed the warmth that the physical contact between them had brought her, though she tried not to focus too much on it and concentrate on the conversation instead.
“Thank you,” Cameron gave Cuddy a genuine smile that made her eyes shine as brightly as headlights in the darkness. “You stopped me from getting seriously hurt; probably saved my life.”
Cuddy waved away Cameron’s gratitude. “It was nothing; really.”
“It was to me,” Cameron said softly, and without considering her actions, she placed a gentle, chaste kiss on Cuddy’s cheek. “Goodnight, Lisa.”
“Night,” Cuddy replied, remaining rooted to the spot as Cameron moved away, stepping back and making sure that she looked both ways before crossing the road; successfully this time.
**
4.
Meeting a partner’s parents for the first time could never be fun, Cameron thought to herself. Some occasions were more bearable than others, but more often than not nerves were present throughout the entire event. Of course, they sometimes relaxed as time went on, but in other cases they increased tenfold.
Like now.
The moment she’d said hello at the door of Cuddy’s parent’s home, she had known this wasn’t going to go well. In fact no; scrap that. She had never envisioned it going well from the moment she heard Cuddy say on the phone to her mother, “I’m dating a woman from the hospital.” The look on Cuddy’s face and the muffled raise voice from the other end of the phone that followed these words were a pretty good indicator that Cuddy’s mother hated her before she’d even met her.
“So Allison, how long have you been a junior doctor at the hospital?” Cuddy’s mother began her interrogation.
Sat next to Cuddy, opposite her parents, Sarah and Daniel, Cameron forced a smile onto her face. “I’m actually not a junior; I’m the Head of the ED department. Though my speciality is immunology.”
“Oh, so you’re qualified? You look far too young to be a doctor,” Sarah observed.
Hearing Cuddy wince beside her, Cameron tried not to be too offended, and chose to take it as a compliment. After all, it was insult to Cuddy as much as herself; she doubted Cuddy appreciated her mother implying that she was some sort of... sugar mommy.
“Are you religious?” Sarah fired off the next question.
“I’m atheist,” Cameron told her, seeing no need to lie. It wasn’t like she could pretend to be Jewish, if she was asked a question about the faith then she would have no idea how to answer. And really, she doubted it would make Cuddy’s parents hate her any less anyway.
“Oh, I see,” Sarah looked fairly disgusted, and exchanged looks with Cuddy’s father, who until now had remained entirely silent, with a stony look upon his face.
Cameron glanced at Cuddy, pleading with her eyes for help. Cuddy gave her a reassuring look, and took her hand in her own.
“You don’t have any children, do you?” Sarah asked, making a face at the fact that the two women were now holding hands.
“No...” Cameron wondered where this line of conversation was going.
“Well, that’s something I suppose. At least children aren’t involved in... this.”
Cuddy didn’t say anything and so Cameron let the comment on their relationship go. “I was married, once,” she stated, trying to make conversation.
“To a man?” Sarah checked.
Cameron nodded.
“Marriage is a lifelong commitment. Why are you not still together?” Sarah pressed, managing to be rude without all that much effort seeming to go into it.
“He died,” Cameron said softly, feeling even more awkward. She hadn’t even discussed her husband properly with Cuddy, so she really didn’t want to go into detail with her parents.
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Sarah said, but she didn’t sound sorry at all. “You know, there are plenty of other men out there for you, and for that matter; Lisa too.”
“Mom please,” Cuddy tried, but Sarah carried on regardless.
“I mean really, this is just absurd. And I wish you wouldn’t hold hands, it makes Daniel and I feel quite uncomfortable...”
“Enough!” Cuddy exclaimed, standing up from the couch she had been sat on and wrenching Cameron up in the process. “We didn’t come here for you to insult Allison and lecture me. It’s rude, hurtful and unnecessary.”
“Don’t speak to your mother like that,” Daniel spoke for the first time, his voice authoritative, rather like a male version of Cuddy.
“No,” Cuddy snapped. “She shouldn’t speak to Allison the way she is.”
“It’s ok, Lise,” Cameron whispered.
“No it’s not,” Cuddy shook her head. “Come on, this was a bad idea. We’re leaving.”
Cameron allowed Cuddy to lead her out of the lounge, out of her childhood home and back to the car. She thought that Cuddy might be mad at her too for not making more of an effort, but judging by the kiss she received the moment Cuddy parked the car around the corner of the street on their way home, she was guessing not.
**
5.
Ever since she was a little girl, Lisa Cuddy had been a light sleeper. If her father got up in the middle of the night to deal with an emergency at the hospital where he worked; she woke up. If her mother got up to go and get a glass of water downstairs; she woke up. If her sister got up to sneak out of the house to meet her secret boyfriend; she woke up. It didn’t take much. The slightest creak of a stair, the sound of a car backfiring out the window, the noise of a police siren as they rushed past her house; whatever.
That was why when Cameron began whimpering in the middle of the night, she woke up immediately.
“Alls,” she sleepily addressed her girlfriend, blinking a few times until she felt properly awake. “What’s wrong?”
Cameron whimpered even louder, squirming around in her sleep. The moonlight through the window allowed Cuddy to see that she was still asleep, her eyes scrunched tightly shut, and a look of terror on her face.
“Baby, wake up,” Cuddy said gently, trying to pull her out of what was evidently a nightmare. “It’s ok.” She smoothed a hand across Cameron’s forehead, eliciting a gasp from her. Jerking in the opposite direction, Cameron’s eyes shot open, and she sat up breathing rapidly, each breath she took shallow, airy.
“No,” Cameron cried out, speaking for the first time. “No... no... no... no... no...”
“Shhh,” Cuddy enveloped the other woman in her arms in an attempt to calm her. “You’re safe, Alls. It’s just a bad dream.”
Upon hearing Cuddy’s voice, Cameron quietened and relaxed, resting her head against Cuddy’s chest. After shakily taking a breath, she croaked, “Lisa?”
“Yes, sweetie?” Cuddy replied softly.
“I was just... just checking it was you...” she stammered, trembling in Cuddy’s arms.
“Of course it’s me,” Cuddy said, trying to ease her fears. “I’m here, ok?”
“I’m scared,” Cameron blurted out.
There was nothing Cuddy wanted more than to make her girlfriend realise there was nothing to be afraid of, and so she tried to make her see that nothing bad was going to happen, that she would do everything in her power to protect her. “You’re safe,” she repeated slowly, wanting Cameron to understand this above everything else.
It seemed to do the trick, and Cameron mumbled into Cuddy’s bare skin, “I’m sorry; you must think I’m an idiot.”
“I would never think that,” Cuddy promised. “And whatever it is... you can talk to me if you need to. It doesn’t matter what it is, I’ll understand.”
Cameron swallowed hard, holding onto Cuddy even more tightly. “It’s nothing.”
Placing a kiss upon Cameron’s forehead, Cuddy insisted,” It’s something if it’s affecting you like this. If it’s hurting you, then it matters to me.”
“It doesn’t hurt like before,” Cameron whispered. “It just hurts sometimes. When I remember, or sometimes when I’m sleeping. Most of the time... it’s ok.”
“And right now? Is it ok now?” Cuddy asked, making sure to keep a hold of Cameron so that she didn’t start panicking.
“No,” Then backtracking, “I mean yes. You’re here so it’s better than if I was on my own.”
Cameron was so obviously trying to be brave and play the tough girl, but her body language betrayed her, as she furiously scrubbed at her eyes in a poor attempt at masking the tears from Cuddy. Her heart wrenching, Cuddy pressed a hand on top of Cameron’s, clasping it in a physical attempt at linking them together.
“I’ll always be here,” Cuddy said adamantly. “You can tell me anything.”
For a few minutes Cameron remained silent whilst she tried to compose herself. Cuddy watched patiently, not caring that it was four o’clock in the morning and she had to be up for work in three hours; her only concern was Cameron. Eventually;
“I got hurt. In the worst way a woman... anyone can be, and sometimes I can’t help but replay it in my mind without even meaning to, like when I sleep. And I want it to go away and never come back, but it doesn’t, even though it was over ten years ago,” Cameron paused, and Cuddy waited, holding her in a comforting embrace but not so much so that she was stifled. “It’s not even like it’s just that I remember... it, because it’s his face, his voice. It’s everything I should have seen but didn’t, and by the time I did, it was too late.”
“It’s ok,” Cuddy said, even though it really wasn’t. What else was she supposed to say?
“He was my friend,” Cameron added, quieter now. “And that’s why I can’t forget how he was. He wasn’t just a stranger that I met once, he was the boy I knew since I was four. The boy who lived next door.”
“Not anymore,” Cuddy told her. “He’s never going to hurt you again.”
“How do you know that?” Cameron asked, unbelieving.
“Because I promise I won’t let him,” Cuddy said simply. “He took away one moment of your life. Don’t let him take away the rest.”
Placated as much as she could possibly be, Cameron allowed Cuddy to lie her back down. She was calmer now, Cuddy’s hand running through her hair making her feel sleepy again. With whispered words of love and protection in her ear, Cuddy coaxed her back to sleep.
****************