Hello everyone, and welcome to my first fanfic! Please be nice whimpers Anyways, regarding the word "caned"... not mine. I don't know who originally thought of it, but it is genius in using it for House.

Don't own House, etc. But I will soon, once my penguin army is ready... Muahahahaha...

Heart pounding in her ears, Dr. Cameron stared down at the letter she had just received. Well, not really her, but she had received it to give to someone else. Dr. House. Who else?

As usual, she was sitting in her office, sorting and reading (he obviously wasn't going to anyway) through his mail, separating the "interesting" ones from those that would not appeal in the slightest to the misanthropic doctor. She sighed. While this letter was certainly interesting, the immunologist had a feeling it wouldn't appeal to House. Weary from the long night the team had gone through yesterday with a puzzling patient (it turned out they had confused an MRI with another patient's, and a hidden tumor had been the problem), she could hardly stand on her feet. Quickly moving to the coffee machine, she poured two cups of French roast, sat down at the table, and waited.

Not long after, she could hear the rhythmic tap of a cane on the hall floor. She glanced up through the glass window as Dr. House caned by, wishing she didn't have to give this letter to him. Heart heavy, she stood up again as the door opened and House walked through, and offered himthe now cool second cup of coffee. He raised his eyebrows.

"Dr. Cameron, how nice of you to cater to your boss. Looking for a raise?" He winked at her and took a long sip from the red cup. He didn't say thank you. She didn't expect him to.

"Dr. House..." She faltered. "A... letter came for you today."

Moving to the coffee counter, House picked up a sugar packet. "And they never do otherwise? Funny, I thought that was the mindless job I have you doing every day. By the way, I thought you were made of sugar and the like. Why is it that you don't put it in your coffee?"

Cameron started and looked down at the coffee she had been steadily sipping for the past ten minutes. That was odd, she usually did put sugar in her coffee. Several packets, in fact. Setting down the cup, she picked up the letter and held it out to her boss. "This letter... You probably want to read it." She bit her lip and looked at the floor as House took the letter while staring at her curiously. Unfolding it, he scanned it quickly. Cameron waited for something to happen. For some kind of emotion to pass across House's face. For anything, other than this numb kind of waiting.

House blinked, turned around, walked into his office, and closed the door.

Cameron sighed as Chase and Foreman walked in. They stared after House, who was now sitting in his chair, his back to the door, re-reading the letter.

"Care to explain?" Foreman asked as he set his coat on the back of his chair and sat down.

Cameron kept her eyes on her clasped hands. "It's... not really for me to say. But I don't think he'll be coming out for a while."

Chase snorted. "Fine. I'm getting something for breakfast then. Want anything?" he asked as he headed back out the door he had just come through, still in his coat. Foreman and Cameron shook their heads. Chase shrugged and looked forward to his first real breakfast in a long time, not justa quick cappuccino at a drive-through like he usually did. Foreman glanced at Cameron, still looking at her hands. She just shook her head and looked over to House in the other room, who was still reading the letter, his hands slightly shaking.