Hello all! Just a little one-shot to take a break from writing Bosses, Babies and Brutal Honesty- which will be back soon! Enjoy!!!
Disclaimer- Nothing related to the TV show belongs to me…but it's on my Hanukkah list!
The Good Doctors
"I'm resigning." Cameron said firmly as she stood in front of House, who was seated at his desk. "My letter of resignation will be on your desk tomorrow morning." She said in the same strong tone. She turned on her heel and began to walk out of the office without another word.
"Whoa whoa whoa!" House said quickly, "Come back here."
Cameron quickly turned around, making her long brown hair swing over her shoulder.
"What." She demanded.
"Why? Why are you quitting?"
"I'm not quitting." She argued, turning again to walk out.
"Excuse me?" House questioned.
"I'm not quitting. I'm resigning. They're entirely different."
"How?"
"One implies that you're giving up, that you're done trying. The other implies that you've given it your all, are sick and tired of dealing with everyone's shit, and need to leave." Her voice wasn't raised, but the anger was clear, "I'll leave you alone to figure out which is which."
"Why are you resigning?" He asked scornfully.
"Why are you asking? Do you really want to know, or are you just asking because you know I want you to."
"Do you want me to?"
"What do you think?" He simply stared at her, daring her to continue.
She plastered an empty look on her face, ready to say some things she'd held inside for much too long. "Can I give you some advice? I promise, it's not about your personal life or your screwed up relationships."
"What's left?" He asked, the sarcasm thick in his low voice.
"Your job, and the people you work with."
"Fine. Don't expect me to take this 'advice' but by all means, go ahead."
Not really caring if he was listening or not, she launched into a rant. "If you ever want a single person to play lap dog for you again, lighten up. Try not scaring them so much. Some people aren't as easy to train as Chase. Some people expect respect before they obey your every command. We were too easy on you. We allowed you to teach us without teaching you."
"You weren't supposed to teach me."
"It's a teaching hospital, teaching is a very broad word, who says younger doctors can't teach experienced, older doctors? Aside from you I mean…"
"Well, I mean, people would assume-"
Cameron cut him off by saying, "Since when do you care about what people would assume? You've always went against what was expected, what was within the rules. While we were standing around like lost little puppies, waiting to be ordered around by the all mighty doctor House, you taught us some things that no doctor should ever learn."
"Oh really, now, what would those lessons be?" He said, feigning interest.
"Where do I begin? Oh! I know! How about, "Everybody lies." Sure, fantastic philosophy from a misanthrope's point of view, but not such a wonderful factoid for young, impressionable doctors. Throughout our fellowship we also learned about how people can never be happy in love, people are just stupid, and of course, ignore rules, they're just there to annoy us!"
"Perfect! Just what I was shooting for!" House enthused.
Cameron sighed, her first sign of distress. "Curing patients used to put such a joy in my heart. You took that away, you made them puzzles, their lives simply clues, their families and friends simply tools to assist us in search of an answer. I want that joy to come back. I need to leave before I become a bad doctor."
"You think I'm a bad doctor?"
"No." Cameron said, not nervous to hurt his feelings, "You can be a good doctor and completely ignore patient's feelings and wishes, you're ok with that. I'm not. If I didn't pay attention to who they are, what's going on in their lives, if I'm not caring, I become a bad doctor. The only way I can work is with compassion, you take way that compassion, you take away what makes me the type of doctor I am, which is a good one."
"Right, because you're all about the love."
"I used to be House, I used to be."
"You're not anymore?"
"No, I'm becoming you, even I've noticed, and that really sucks. I don't want to be miserable."
"Being me only means being miserable?"
"No, it means being misanthropic, arrogant, rude, abrasive, and sometimes downright mean. The only benefits I can see are brilliance and the ability to make people listen, even if you're wrong."
"People listen because I'm not wrong."
"All people are wrong sometimes, House. Even if you don't like to realize it, you are a member of the human race, and are capable of human emotion, and consequently, human error."
"How long have you been waiting to say all of this?"
"Honestly? A while."
"Why didn't you say it?"
"I needed the job."
"You thought I'd fire you for speaking your mind?"
"Maybe, or you could haul off and slug me."
"Well, since you're resigning," again, the word was spoken with hatred, "You're not risking me firing you…but the other thing…"
"I guess a person never knows."
Silence reigned in the room for a long time before House gripped his cane and rose to his full height. Cameron's neck slowly pulled her head up to look him in the eyes. He moved close to her, and she took a step back, truly afraid that her speech had angered him enough to get violent. She had, after all, no idea how much alcohol and Vicodin were coursing through his system.
"You know, you've awfully sexy when you're angry." He spoke with lust.
Her frown turned into a coy smile, "Oh really?" she asked, "I guess I should have said all of this when I liked you."
"You did."
"No, I-" she was cut off by House's voice.
"You still like me."
"I-" This time, she was cut off by his lips, pressing firmly against hers. Once the shock faded, she let her body relax into his, to breathe his scent and feel his body. His hand pressed against the small of her back, and she wrapped her arms around his middle.
The kiss became passionate before Cameron broke away to say, "Maybe, I still like you." House simply smiled before taking her home to teach her another lesson.
FIN
Hope you all liked it! If you did, or if you saw something that needs to be improved on, click that little arrow down there! Thanks!