Dr. Chase left the hospital, dragging a hand tiredly across his face and then running his fingers through his now-short blonde hair. Another day done, another case solved, another life saved. He was exhausted. House had been even grumpier than usual that day. He was about to turn the corner when a flutter of gold caught the corner of his eye. He turned slowly, his heart quickening... and then froze.
She was sitting there, looking as beautiful as ever. He tried to control his reaction to the sight of her. Keep calm, he told himself. He hadn't realized how much he'd missed her until that moment. How could she not see how much he still loved her? It was written all over his face. "What are you doing here?" he asked, thankful that his voice was steadier than he felt.
Cameron stood up slowly and a gust of wind blew her blonde hair back from her face. He forced back a memory of touching that hair, feeling the silky texture, smelling her perfume and shampoo... "Dr. Cuddy offered me a job," she said. From her posture, he sensed she was as agitated as he was. "I got fired from my last one."
"Why?" Chase asked, trying to hide his surprise. What could she have done that would have gotten her fired? She was a good doctor, and not likely to do something that would provoke a lawsuit. No, it was him and House who did things like that—daily—but not Cameron.
She shrugged slightly; obviously she wasn't keen on the subject. "I made a stupid mistake," she replied vaguely.
"So where are you working?" Chase asked, not wanting to anger her by pursuing a topic she wanted to avoid. Things were already tense enough between them. "The ER?"
Cameron nodded, and he felt a rush of relief that she hadn't been offered a position on the team. "She said I could take back the position I had before."
"It's been a while," Chase said. He could hear the sudden tightness in his own voice. "Almost two years."
"Yeah," she replied softly, "it has." He gave her a small nod and started down the sidewalk again, but she grabbed his arm. The sensation of her touching him again sent a jolt through his body. It was like electricity. "I was waiting for you to come out," she said when he looked back over his shoulder at her. "I wanted to talk."
"There's nothing to talk about," Chase responded, appalled at the coldness of his tone. How could he talk to her like that? He knew why, though—she'd broken his heart.
The hurt look on her face made guilt tighten his chest. She released his arm and took a small step back. He'd never seen her look so small. "I guess if that's the way you feel..."
"No, I'm sorry," he quickly amended. He took a deep breath. "Let's get dinner."
Cameron looked up at him with shining eyes, and for a moment he thought she was going to cry. When she spoke, though, her voice was steady. "Okay."
Chase's throat abruptly felt dry. Dinner with Cameron? What in the world was he thinking? Every second with her was like slowly feeding himself through a shredder. He couldn't let her know that, though, so he forced a smile and led the way to his car. He had a feeling it was going to be a long night.