"Cameron. I love you."

She probably thought he was the biggest bastard on the face of the planet right now. Slipping the swab into the culture medium, he wondered if she knew he meant it. That he was showing it in the only way he could. That he knew she was slipping through his fingers, and that was okay. He would be there to catch her if she fell.

Ridiculous, since rescuing people from their own stupidity wasn't exactly what he did, and considering he couldn't even catch himself these days. But then, Cameron had always inspired him to be ridiculous.

Snorting, he signed the hand written lab req and personally delivered it down to the lab. The tech raised an eyebrow when House said he wanted it delivered directly to his office, but softened in understanding when he saw Dr. Cameron's name. He promised they'd put it through as quickly as possible.

Of course they would. They'd do it because they liked Cameron. Everyone liked Cameron. Hell, HE even liked Cameron. He'd told a lot of whoppers in his day, but forcing the lie off his tongue when she was standing there looking at him with those puppy dog eyes was one of the hardest things he'd ever had to do.

Almost as hard as not punching Chase in the face when he realized he'd slept with Cameron while she was high. He was still working on that one.

It wasn't jealousy, he assured himself, drawing the blinds shut and locking the door behind him. He wasn't jealous that Chase had gotten to kiss her, touch her. Do things with her that he was only ever going to get to dream about. No, he wasn't jealous. It was just Chase had taken advantage of her in a weak moment. Everyone knew you didn't sleep with a woman when she was high off her gourd. It was the principle of the thing.

He knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that there was no way she was seeing those results before he did. If it was negative, she'd forgive him, and he'd feel a helluva lot better. If it was positive, he could cushion the blow, make sure he had everything in place so she wouldn't have to deal with the details. It wasn't much, but it was something.

"As you wish," he murmured softly, reaching for his GameBoy and remembering the book from his childhood. Another man, in another time, who had shown his love the only way he knew how. Cameron might never know he meant it, but he would. And because he would, he would keep taking care of her the only way he knew how. The only way he would let himself. Quietly, from the sidelines, with just enough bitter bastard thrown in to keep her motivated, because that's what he did.

And if he was lucky, no one would ever be able to tell.