Title: All I Need
Author: leezh
Fandom: House
Pairing: Chase/Cameron
Summary: Chase wondered whether Cameron even knew where her heart was.
Notes: AU. S3 timeline before 'Human Error'. Lyrics taken from One Republic's '(Say) All I Need' which I recommend to be listened while reading, though I'm not sure whether it's a songfic, becausse this is me experiment on style, me trying something new! ) Enjoy!
Do you know where your heart is?
Do you think you can find it?
Wednesday morning.
He's thrown out of her apartment.
Sent back to his own. To shower. Proceed to the hospital.
Alone. Separately.
Camouflage.
All over again.
But-
He wasn't complaining.
She told him no strings attached.
No relationship.
Just sex.
As in cue-
He assured her he knew.
He only said he knew.
He didn't say he was okay with it.
And too bad he stopped denying it seconds after he said it.
Stupid subconscious.
Well, bless my soul
You're a lonely soul
Cause you won't let go
Of anything you hold
He saw 'his' picture that morning.
He flipped her drawer open innocently, for the sake of aspirin, and there it was.
The dead husband.
Symbol of his most retarded action of the year.
After that, he knew.
The pills were useless then.
Quick swallow, constant throbbing on the back of his head.
And it really wasn't a good sign.
It never was a good sign.
Something caught his eyes.
Just then, as he walked by.
Small shop, it seemed, one that he always missed before.
Small, cozy. Vintage. Excellent smell.
Traditional waffles, a.k.a. the cuisine love of her life.
Perfect.
Clouds forgotten, he flicked his phone open.
Smile on his face. Tone cheery.
She picked up at the seventh ring.
"Hey," he said. "I'm on the 5th. Had breakfast yet?"
"No, I-"
A dull thud in the background.
"Crap, I dropped the hairdryer. Chase, is there anything important you want to say? I'm completely screwed here-"
Anything important?
Oh yeah, he forgot.
No relationship. No excuse just to ask about her eating habit.
"Well-"
Click.
She hung up.
And he surprisingly wasn't surprised.
Disappointed, not shocked.
Sighing, he had a debate with himself.
In? Take out?
But no.
He lost his appetite.
It sure wasn't his day.
A step back.
He turned, and-
Do you know where your love is?
Do you think that you lost it?
Late.
She was running late, and she hated when she did.
Dashed into the elevator.
It felt slow.
It was slow.
She stared at the floor number.
Jabbing impatiently at the 'close' button.
And a nurse rushed in.
So last minute.
The door finally closed.
She looked sideways.
Chloe, is it?
She couldn't really remember.
She gave her morning smile, receiving it back.
Continuing her staring.
Chloe interrupted.
"Doctor Cameron?"
Hm?
"Diagnostics Department, right? With Doctor Chase?"
A nod and smile.
Slight wonder about 'Chase' specific question.
Quickly faded on the back of her mind though.
For some reason, Chloe looked-
Squirmy?
"He's just brought in."
What?
"Brought- Brought in?"
She stammered. Out-of-character-ly.
"He looks bad. They said it was a horrible accident, I-"
Chloe paused. "I just thought Doctor House should know."
"Accident?" she repeated.
"Didn't even get his feet on the street. The police said the driver was stoned as hell, ran up the sidewalks-"
Distinct memory flashed through her mind.
She shivered already.
"Where?" Her voice sounded almost croaked.
Chloe eyed her, concern sparked as her voice cautious.
"The corner of 5th and Ocean Avenue..."
And just like that.
It all crashed down.
She crashed. And plummeted, hard.
Go on, go ahead and scream it
Just say it
Severe concussion. Large amount of blood loss. Collapsed lung.
Twenty-hour worth of surgery.
And he was lucky he's still alive.
Who was she trying to kid around?
It wasn't luck.
It was cruel fate.
She blinked.
It couldn't be happening.
The Chase she knew was-
Chase.
House's pet. Sometimes an ass.
Sometimes he could be the sweetest guy ever, before returning to his jerk self.
But-
There was always smile on his face. For her.
The tingling in his eyes.
Soft bluest gaze.
He was all 'It's Tuesday, I like you.'
Not 'Wednesday, I'm lying here in comatose' kind of guy.
He wasn't.
He was not, she repeated in her mind.
He would get out of it. Soon.
Over and over again.
Like a mantra.
Blur on her sight.
But he wasn't moving.
The beeping was maddening.
Soon she lost track how long she had been crying.
Well, all I need
Is the air I breathe
And a place to rest
My head
She brushed his hair away from his face.
He got a slight fever.
But she's feeling so cold.
"It's Tuesday," she murmured.
It was the day.
But he's still unresponsive.
And she's still there.
Waiting?
She wasn't sure.
She's just-
"Chase."
It was almost a pleading.
"Don't you have something you want to say to me?"
Silence.
Just the excruciating sound of the constant beeping.
His eyes stirred inside his eyelids.
More silence.
She bent closer.
Throwing away her stare for a while.
She still got the wet on her eyes.
Swept them off.
Had to be strong.
Though she had forgotten how a long time ago.
She slipped her hands into his.
Imagining soon he would brush his fingers against her palm.
And for a second-
She almost believe it came true.
Did they twitch, ever so slightly?
She looked up to him.
A pair of blue, tired eyes were slowly focused on her direction.
It was no imagination, she was sure.
His voice was weak.
Distorted.
But it was his.
"Cam?"
FIN.