"Without asking!" he protested to his friend, James Wilson, who was sitting in his office with him.
"What? Putting up the decor?" he asked.
"No. Using my speakers. Although she didn't ask about the decorations either"
Wilson smiled at his spastic friend. "Are you sure they aren't her own? She does have money, you know."
House jerked out a desk drawer and pointed to an empty spot. "They are mine."
"At least she is putting them up only a day before Valentine's Day."
House grumped. "Because she knows I would just tear it down if I had the extra time."
This time Wilson laughed, causing House to turn his glare to him. "What are you getting Cam?"
"A gift certificate for a ass-ectomy after I shove all this girlie crap straight down her throat. Oh, God. She's putting up streamers now. Where does she get this stuff?"
"Girlie crap stores, I'm sure."
House narrowed his eyes at him. "Why do I get the feeling you are making fun of me?"
"Seriously, what are you going to get your only female employee?"
The older man sulked. "I hadn't thought about it."
"We'll go after work. I'll help you pick out something."
The female in question came through the connecting doors at that moment. "Good morning, Wilson! House."
House noticed things in her hands. "Stay away from me with that blasphemy."
She gave him a pretty smile and leaned over his desk to attach a small red heart to his forehead. "It's only one day, House."
He growled but left the heart where it was for the moment. "This would be your favorite holiday."
She slapped a few hearts on the wall near him and moved to the outer day to decorate the hallway. "Nope. But close."
"I can't escape it," House moaned as Wilson led him down the floral aisle of a grocery store- the closest House would go to anything remotely "grossingly" romantic.
"Get over it," Wilson told him and walked up to the showcase with beautiful displays.
"Nope. Nope. Nope," he answered for every one that Wilson pointed to him. "Too girlie."
"She is a girl!" Wilson shot back.
House wandered as a sales associate came up to them. He ignored her as he studied the small stuffed animals on a shelf. Seeing a plain teddy bear he made his decision and carried it back to Wilson. "This is it."
The younger of the two raised an eyebrow but knew better than to argue with House. "Ok. But I think you need to at least get her a flower to go with it."
"Fine." He stalked over to the single flowers and selected a huge pink and white lily before handing it to the associate. "I want this one. Find a vase to put it in."
"House," Wilson protested. "At least get Cameron a rose."
He stubbornly shook his head. "No. Don't you remember our office last year. It was a damn floral garden with every rose color imagined. She got things from people on different floors, nurses, and even got some from patients. One was addressed 'To the hot doc who works for the grumpy one'. Somehow they got Cameron out of that."
"It could have been Chase I suppose."
"That's what I kept saying."
"But a lily, House?"
"It smells good," House argued.
Wilson finally acquiesced. "Well, at least she will get yours first, I suppose."
House clutched his prize while they walked out into the cold. "You getting her something?"
Wilson smiled. "I have something small ordered."
House arrived at the office long before the others did so there was no coffee when he got in. He had been spoiled by Cameron when it came to the brown liquid so he figured the Valentine's gift and letting her hang Cupid's throw up was consolation to fresh daily coffee. He sat at his desk for the longest time staring at the blank card that accompanied the flowers. Wilson had insisted on him writing his own thing and wouldn't give him any. Finally he had it and in his own scrawl he scribbled, "Finally found a real stuffed animal made by grandma". Proud of himself he hobbled next door and placed the small vase with the lily in the middle of Cameron's desk, putting the light brown bear against it. Satisfied, he made his way back to his office and found his big quasi-tennis ball to use the glass wall between the offices to have something to bounce it off of while he waited for his coffee to be made.
He didn't have to wait long.
Cameron, ever the early bird, was the first to arrive and went straight for her desk and finger the arrangement before picking up the card.
"Damnit," House swore under his breath as he watched her through the open blinds. "I should have put it by the coffee maker."
As she read the card her mouth spread into a smile and she looked in his direction in amazement. Picking up the bear she hugged it close for a second before putting it back and walking to the connecting door to enter House's office. "House, that was sweet."
House made a face. "I don't do sweet. You must be thinking of someone else."
She walked around his desk and stood in front of him. "The bear is smirking and smells just like you."
"Hey! I smell good."
"Yes, you do. Now, accept my thanks graciously." She bent down and wrapped her arms around his neck to give him a hug.
He returned it for several seconds before pushing her away. "Get me my coffee!" he demanded with a scowl.
She gave him a sharp salute. "Aye, aye, Captain," she said, then made her way to the machine to brew their pick-me-up.
It had started. It wasn't ten o'clock yet and the phone had been off the hook for calling Cameron down to the front desk. Cameron was beaming as she took yet another bouquet to her desk, her nose in the flowers. House watched as she placed the vase down with the rest on her desk and gave a hug to their co-worker Robert Chase.
House rolled his eyes and got to his feet to join in the festivities. As he opened the door he was assaulted with the smell of roses and a hint of lily. "Good God. Why do I get the feeling I'm in the Rose Bowl?"
Cameron took his coffee cup and refreshed it for him. "Isn't it great?"
"No. I'm allergic to flowers." To prove his point he sneezed on Chase without bothering to make an attempt to cover his mouth.
She handed him his mug back. "No, you aren't. Stop being a baby. It's one time of year."
"That's what everybody keeps telling me but it's not. This happens on your birthday too."
She smiled up at him. "Well, yeah. But this is different."
"Flowers are flowers, Cameron," House argued.
Chase smirked, drawing his attention. "What's the matter, House? Upset you didn't give the best?"
House looked at the blond man. "See, Chase, you don't have to worry about that when you don't get anything to give."
Chase looked confused. "Really? I thought..."
The phone rang once again on Cameron's desk and House, next to it, answered it. "Allison's Rose Horticulture. How can I direct your call?"
The person on the other end was silent for a second before saying, "Um. Is Dr. Cameron there?"
"She is," House said pleasantly. "But she's so busy watering the garden that she can't come to the phone. Can I give her a message?" He ignored her hand that was out to receive the phone.
"Yes. Please let her know she has had some flowers delivered to the front."
"Will do."
"Oh, and, sir?"
"Yeah?"
"Is there a Dr. House there as well?"
House made a face. "Yes there is."
"I've heard he's mean. Could you pass the message that he has a package as well?"
"Yep. They will be right down." He hung up on the girl and turned to Cameron. "Our presence is requested downstairs."
Her eyebrows went up but she nodded. "Ok."
"You are out of room on your desk," House told Cameron as they walked from the elevator towards the front receptionist desk.
"I am going to put the rest on the conference table. We don't have a patient right now anyway."
"What are you going to do with all of them?"
"What do you mean?"
They made it to the desk, whose counter was full of flowers. House rested his cane on the counter top and leaned against it. "I mean, you can't possible take all those home." He turned to address the new girl. "Allison Cameron and Greg House answering a summons. Anyway, what are you going to do with all of the flowers."
Cameron shrugged as the woman searched for their prizes. "Probably the same I did the year before. I gave them to patients."
House rolled his eyes. "But they aren't for them."
"I know. But when they have nothing they enjoy something to look at." Something hit his elbow and he shifted to pick up the arrangement and handed it to Cameron without looking at it. "I would think the live flowers would show the poor bastards how fragile their live really is. Especially here."
"Yes, but most people don't think like you do." She glanced at the card in her basket. "And this one isn't mine." She showed him the card and he saw it had his name on it.
"What the hell...?" He took the card from her. "To the doctor who has everything he needs except the unexpected. The Wall Art, the No-Haired, the Wombat, the Boss Lady, and the Cancer guy."
Cameron was beaming at him. "Happy Valentine's Day, House."
It was a cellophane basket that was loaded with bags of pretzels and chips, a tin of dip, and all sorts of other things he couldn't see clearly. But he saw the bottle of his favorite brand of scotch in the back. It was nearly perfect. Except..."A balloon, Cam?"
She laughed as she picked up her latest addition and walked towards the elevator. "It was Wilson's idea."
"It's hideous." It was inflated lips puckered up to kiss with the caption "I luv u" on it. He held his gift with one hand and used the other for his cane, not bothering to worry about the balloon as it trailed behind him occasionally hitting someone in the head. He tried to leave it outside of the elevator door but Cameron spotted it and dragged it in before they had shut.
"Oh, the balloon isn't that bad, House."
"They spelled 'love' wrong. And if you like it then you take it."
She laughed again. "It's yours."
"Then it's mine to give away. Take it!" The doors opened and House shifted again to carry his burden.
"I'm not taking that balloon, House," she told him as they walked down the hall. "What would people think?"
"I don't give a damn."
"Then use it for target practice," she suggested.
"Hm. That might be plausible."
They walked into the conference room where Wilson, Chase, and Foreman started to applaud their entrance. House sat his basket on the table while Cameron dumped hers onto the last space on her desk.
"Cute balloon," Chase told him.
"Bite me," he responded back. All but House laughed.
"Open it," Wilson said, gesturing to the cellophane. "They crammed a lot of stuff in there."
House untied the ribbon that held it closed and released the balloon so that it hit the ceiling, the ribbon still way long enough to be easily grabbed. As he pushed the plastic out of the way his blue eyes widened. Cameron came around to remove the cellophane all together and to help him remove all the items. Mentioned small packages of Sun Chips, pretzels, Cheetos, and Cheez-Its along with potato chips to put into the french onion and cheese dips included. A big canister of mixed nuts, a six-pack of canned cokes, and a package of Chips Ahoy cookies- although the two stacks separated for utilizing space. There was a gift certificate to a deli shop down from his house because they knew his love for reubens. And, of course, the scotch. "Wow," was all he could say.
"Oh!" Cameron said. "There is one more thing." She went to her desk and searched her purse for a second before bringing out a small sack. "Cuddy wouldn't have let me put this in there." She handed it to him and he found it was the newest game in his Game Boy series he loved to beat.
"Do you guys want pay raises or something?" he asked as he went about opening his latest acquire.
"Now that you mention it," Foreman told him, "buying yours and Cam's wasn't cheap."
"Not my fault you can't budget." He started cramming his things back into the basket. "Now if you don't mind I have some things I need to be doing."
As he walked back to his office he heard Wilson behind him, "Don't forget your balloon."