Disclaimer: I do not own anything … but I would not mind, to own Wilson
Note: Story takes place in s3, though there are no actual spoilers.
The title is inspired by the song by Mazzy Star.
And this is some kind of prologue to my story, I hope you enjoy it, and do not forget to review :)
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The door literally flew open and just a second later Dr.Gregory House entered his office. Immediately he closed all the shades and sat down on his couch just enjoying the silence for once.
He had been down doing clinic duty the whole day, and the patients had "surprised" him with rashes, colds or headaches.
Now he had one himself. And all he wanted was to be left alone.
But of course that wish wasn't granted to him. Just two minutes later, the door to the diagnostic office was opened and someone entered his office.
House though did not open his eyes, nor did he respond to the intruder.
Just go away, he thought to himself.
"House?" a familiar voice asked almost whispering.
He opened his eyes and looked over to Cameron, who was giving him a questioning look.
"What?" he sounded harsher then he had intended to.
"We got a case."
He sighed loudly then took his cane and followed her into the conference room, where Chase and Foreman were just sitting down.
House slowly limped across the room straight over to the coffee-machine.
"52-year old female suffering from severe migraine attacks. Her blood pressure is normal and the EEG showed no irregularities." Cameron stated.
House yawned loudly, poured himself a cup of coffee and sat down next to Chase.
"House?" Cameron looked at him.
"What?" he barked at her.
"The case?"
"Well, give that woman some ibuprofen and send her home, what is the big deal?"
But instead of responding Cameron just continued presenting the case.
"She was admitted cause she also suffered multiple strokes. CT Scan showed nothing."
"And the blood pressure was normal?"
Cameron had to smile, cause obviously this had caught House's attention.
"120 to 60. normal." She stated.
Now House got up and wrote all the symptoms on the board.
"Last year she was diagnosed with Subcortical demence, unrelated to Parkinson. She also has diabetes."
After he had written down everything he stepped back and looked at the board.
"Okay, first I want a tox screen, … and someone gets her history."
With that all three ducklings got up.
House looked at the board and remained there for a moment.
Then he went back to his office, until the ducklings came back with the results he had plenty of time for an episode of "General Hospital".
An hour later they all were back gathered around the board, discussing the test results.
"Tox screen was clear." Foreman said.
"Okay, someone give me the CT scans." House demanded and Chase handed him the file.
House looked at it for a while then turned back to the board.
"Foreman? Do an MRI on her brain. The ventricles."
"What do you think?" Chase asked.
"I think Foreman should do an MRI." House turned around to Chase.
"I do not think it is MS." Cameron stated.
"Why not Dr.Cameron?" House asked almost starring at her.
"The EEG was clear. No typical MS symptoms."
"Well, do it anyway."
"Why? CT scan was clear." Cameron blurted out.
"Okay, then lets just have a cup of coffee and talk. Wait until the woman has another symptom that we can discuss." House answered grimacing.
On that Cameron gave up and got up, as well as the other two ducklings and they left the room.
House watched Cameron leaving and sighed.
He really liked the new improved woman, Cameron had turned into lately.
Much more willing to stand up for herself than in the first year of her fellowship.
He was wondering if …
Don't even think about it House, he reminded himself.
Waving away the thought he put back the marker on its designated space and decided to get another cup of coffee.
"Like I said, no MS." Cameron almost sounded proud.
They were all looking at the MRI Scan.
"Yeah, little miss sunshine knew it all the time. I think you get a star for that in your book." House said.
"Okay … Foreman, you are the expert, what looks wrong on this scan?" House added and stepped back so Foreman had a better view.
"SAE" Foreman immediately said.
"Subcortical Arteriosclerotic Encephalopathy?" Chase asked irritated.
"Yeah, we got the whitish matter around the ventricles around here and here." Foreman pointed to the places.
"Plus we got Subcortical demence, diabetes, hypertony. It is classic." He added.
"Start the treatment." House said and looked at Cameron.
"Can I talk to you for a minute?" he asked her.
Cameron nodded shortly, yet surprised. After the two men had vanished he started,
"I need you to do an errand for me."
"An errand?"
"Yeah, this thing were you go out into the scary world." he remarked in his usual sarcastic tone.
She rolled her eyes and House added,
"Cuddy wants to force me to go to this doctor thing at the PHCS. And she wants proof that I have been there. So could you just drove there and get me something like a pencil."
"Uh … ." Cameron started but House already moved towards his office.
She went after him, not willing to just do what he just ordered her to.
"House? You might be my boss, but I am an immunologist and not your secretary."
She stamped her arms on her hips to underline her determination.
House turned around,
"I am gonna cover the clinic for you?" he proposed.
"You? You would trade clinic hours for this?" Cameron eyed him with a suspicious look.
He obviously was up to something.
"Yeah. Sure."
"Why?" Cameron was not willing to let this go yet.
"Because I love the clinic so much, mommy." He cried.
"Why?" Cameron asked again.
"If I would go down there the PHCS-dean, who by the way is not as hot as Cuddy is, would drag me into something and I would end up having to talk to other doctors all evening. And I hate those guys." He said.
Cameron had to smile.
"Okay, then … I will get down there and you will cover three hours of clinic duty for me?"
"Deal ." House winced at her and then sat down behind his desk.
About two hours later House was standing in front of the whiteboard again.
"Okay, it is not SAE. What are we missing?" he whispered.
"It still could be MS. Maybe the doctors at PHSC did not notice it?" Chase suggested.
Suddenly House turned around and eyed Chase suspiciously.
"What?" Chase asked.
"It is 9.32 pm." House said.
"Yeah, so?" Foreman asked confused.
He put down the file and limped over to Cameron's desk, picked up the phone and dialled.
It rang 5 times before the answering machine went on,
"You have reached the line of Dr. Allison Cameron. Unfortunately I can not …"
He smashed the phone back on as the door to the conference room was opened, and Wilson stepped in,
"House? Cameron … she was just brought into the ER."
"What?" Chase asked and stood up from his chair.
"She was in a car accident."
"Is she okay?" Chase followed up while House grabbed his cane and walked out of the room.
"Yeah, just a few … bruises … House?" He asked watching him leaving.
House went straight to the elevator and hit the button to the ER floor.
He had to admit, he hasn't been that worried in quite a while. And it was not that kind of feeling you have about a friend or a collegue. It was more like with … no House, that is wrong, she is your employee and this should not effect your feelings, he told himself again.
When he arrived at the ER he saw Cuddy talking to Nurse Brenda at the nurse's station.
"How is she?" he asked Cuddy looking around.
"We got everything under control." Cuddy said.
"How is she?" he yelled angry at her.
"I am okay." He heard a quiet voice from behind the curtain on his left side.
He limped over to her and pulled the curtain away, and what he saw made his heart break apart.
Cameron's face was covert by a huge cut all over her right cheek and there were bruises all over the rest of her face.
House slightly touched her cheek but pulled back when she frowned with pain,
"Sorry." He said soft.
"What happened?" he added.
"A deer ran into my car when I was on my way back here."
"Let me guess … you did not want to hurt it and so instead you crashed into a tree?" House said half joking.
Cameron gave him a shy smile.
"So … do you have … ?"
"Cameron?"
House turned around and saw Chase and Foreman coming up to them.
"You okay?" Chase asked worried and stopped in front of her bed.
"Yeah, I am fine." Cameron answered smiling.
"House? " Foreman turned to House.
"House?" he repeated when he did not respond.
"Hmm?" House not looked up to him.
"The patient … she had another series of strokes. She was brought back to ICU."
House frowned and then looked back to Cameron.
"Chase? Give Cameron a ride home." He said and looked to Chase.
He just nodded and then helped Cameron out of bed.
"But I can work. I am okay." Cameron protested.
House turned back to her and eyed her,
"Chase, get her home." He said not breaking eye contact with her.
"But …" she started but House interrupted her,
"You are going home, and you are going to rest, did you hear me?" he said and raised his voice a bit with the last words.
Cameron looked at him, and finally nodded.
"Good. And Chase? I'll expect you to be back in half an hour. And no drugs this time." He said and grinned.
House looked at the MRI Scan in front of him. His mind was racing through the possibilities.
Foreman was sitting on the chair at the table, watching him.
"Blood pressure is still normal?" House asked.
"Yes, absolutely normal." Foreman stated.
House looked at the board, then back to the window,
"Hmm…"
He walked over to his office and sat down behind his desk, switching on the computer.
About two minutes later he yelled a "Ha."
Foreman went over,
"What?"
"Go do a skin-biopsy." House simply stated.
"What? Why?"
"Cause I am the boss and I can make you do whatever I want."
Foreman gave him his What-do-you-think-you-are-doing look so House sighed out loud and added,
"Cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy, CADASIL." He said.
"Yeah, right … there were like 500 cases all over the world … ever." Foreman said.
"Do it. It is the most logical explanation. She has symptoms of SAE but she is missing the high blood pressure. Which is CADASIL."
Foreman thought about it for a moment then sighed and went to do the biopsy.
About two hours later he entered his apartment.
House took out his leather jacket, and sat down next to his piano, rubbing his right thigh.
It had started to hurt badly again. He took out his Vicodin and swallowed one.
He looked at the clock behind him, almost 8.
Maybe he should call Cameron to see if she was doing okay.
The least he could do after all it was his fault.
He took out his cell phone and dialled her number.
It rang 4 times, 6 times but no answer and when the machine started he hung up.
What are you doing House?
He sighed and got up, he really should clear his mind of these feelings, the feelings he has had for a long time now.
Thinking about her all day long, watching her while she made coffee or dreaming of her in the night did not make things easier for anyone.
Why couldn't she just go out of his head finally?
He sighed, she was messing with his head and there was nothing he could do against it.
A long time ago, he had decided to never let anyone near his heart again, the wound Stacey had left was still there and he did not intend to rip it apart again.
Maybe … someday, he would be ready to let someone in again, let someone be part of his life.
At this time he had no idea that this day would come sooner then he would have thought.