House waited in the corridor for Wilson.
Before he'd even reached the door Wilson had given him a stern look and told him to wait outside.
House wasn't happy about it, but somewhere in his red berry fogged mind he knew that it would be safer and ultimately less painful to stick with his friend and do as he was told.
Wilson emerged triumphantly a few minutes later, the biopsy sample sitting safely in a plastic phial.
"That looks nasty." House said, his pupils wide and inky black as the followed the movements of the specimen.
He tried to pull himself up from the seat he'd slumped into, but it was impossible.
Wilson was shocked when he heard something akin to a giggle issued from his friend as he fell back into the chair, threatening to topple it over with his weight. He pocketed the sample and pulled House out of the chair with some difficulty.
"Where'd the nasty thing go?"
"It's in my pocket. Do you want coffee or something?" Wilson said as he began steering his friend down the hall.
"Hmm, Cameron." House muttered dreamily.
"What?"
"Cameron makes coffee. She's not nasty, she's pretty."
"Yes, she is."
"Hey!" House said poking his friend roughly in his ribs. "You're not allowed to think she's pretty."
"And you are?"
"Oh yeah, she likes me, so I'm allowed to like her."
"You like her?!"
House slapped his hand over his mouth; his eye's wide with shock at the words he'd just spoken.
"House," Wilson said pulling the hand away, a wicked smile across his face, "Do you like Cameron?"
"She has pretty hair." he said in a wistful sort of way with a soft smile around his mouth.
"Pretty hair?" Wilson said almost sceptically.
"Hmm, much prettier than Stacy's." House stuck out his tongue and made a retching sound at the mere mention of her name, "But her hair changes; sometimes it's straight, sometimes it's curly, sometimes it's up and sometimes it'd down. But it's always pretty."
It was all too easy for him to imagine running his fingers through her long tresses.
"House, do you like Cameron?"
"Of course I do! God, sometimes you're so stoopid Jimmy." he said shaking his head.
"This is great." Wilson said with a large smile, "I'm getting almost straight answers out of you. I think you should be on the gas instead of Vicodin."
"Jim-Jim-Jimmy-Jim-Jimmy-Jim-Jim..."
"You're quoting "The Muppets Treasure Island" now?"
"So what if I am? Kermit is a cool frog." he said slumping against his friend before suddenly standing straighter whilst pointing at the crowd around him, his voice growing steadily louder "I want to see Cameron, all these people are ugly."
"House, shut up." Wilson hissed embarrassedly.
"No!" he whined, still stumbling along with his friend, "I want to see Cameron!"
"Fine we'll go and see Cameron. She'll be in the lab anyway."
House stopped.
"I don't like the lab." he said in a hushed and fearful tone, "Nasty things happen in there."
"But Cameron will be there."
House heaved a great sigh, "Fine, but if she's isn't..." he said pointing a would-be threatening finger at his friend.
"Okay, now can we go save your patient?" Wilson said hitting the call button for the elevator.
"Fine." He grumbled.
"What is it with chicks called Allie?" House said out of the blue as they emerged on to the correct floor.
"What? Why?"
"They like me."
"Huh?"
Wilson was entirely confused.
"Cameron and that 17 year old in the clinic the other day."
"You did a 17 year old in the clinic?!" Wilson exclaimed.
"Shhh Jimmy. No, there's only one Allie I like but what is it with them?"
"I dunno," he answered before muttering, "Personally I think there's something wrong with both of them if they like you."
"Cameron's broken." House said softly in a pensive tone.
"What?"
"She's broken. Dunno how but she's damaged. And it's not just her dead husband. She's still pretty though, like the patterns of cracked glass." he said in a distant voice.
"You're poetic when you're high do you know that?"
"Really?" House asked sounding pleased with himself.
"Yeah."
"Do you think she still likes me?"
"How am I supposed to know? Why don't you ask her?"
"Okay." House said gaining more purpose in his stride.
"Woah, slow down there." Wilson said bringing them to a stop, "You can't ask her if you still likes you."
"But you just told me to."
"I know, but you just can't."
"Why? I want to know. She turned me down the first day I came back. Do you think that means she doesn't like me or only likes me when I'm a sick puppy?"
"You asked her out?"
"Yes, Jim-Jimmy-Jim, keep up. So, do you think she likes me?"
"I'd say so."
House grinned.
Wilson grew nervous once more. "So, are you still going to ask her if she likes you?"
"Nope, I'm going to tell her I like her."
"Right now that you definitely can't tell her."
"You can't stop our love!" House exclaimed.
"Isn't that what you said that about the other Allie? And look how that turned out."
"True." House replied dejectedly.
A few silent steps passed.
"Do you love her?"
"No." House said strangely sober, "But sometimes I think I could."
"There's hope for you yet, House." Wilson said with a genuine smile.
"Yup, and you won't let me tell her I like her."
"No, tell her by all means. I just don't want you to do it whilst you're high and not entirely in control of your mouth."
"That's pretty smart."
"Thanks."
"Look," he said pointing though the glass, "There's my girl. God, she is just so pretty. I want to touch her hair. It looks so shinny and... and pretty."
"I'm not going to let you molest your employee."
"But... her hair." he said longingly.
"No." Wilson admonished.
"What happened to him?" Cameron said as she rushed out into the hall and directly to House's side.
House giggled slightly once more.
"Adam was struggling with the anaesthetist; he was scared of the mask. House had to have a couple of tries before he realised that it wasn't dangerous."
"In short, I'm high as a kite." House said with a chuckle, enjoying the feel of Cameron pressed against his side. His arm rested across her shoulders, the silk of her hair brushing the back of his hand.
"Just as long as you're not "seeing music"." Cameron muttered.
"I'm not but that was so cool."
Wilson sighed; "He's been babbling ever since we started heading down here."
"I don't babble." House protested as they pulled him into the lab.
"Fine, he's been talking non stop."
"But I do it so well, and not just the talking. I do it well too." he said grinning lecherously and leering slightly towards Cameron.
"House." Wilson admonished.
"What?"
"What did I say?" Wilson said in a parental tone.
"But..."
"Why don't you just sit down and shut up until the gas wears off." Wilson said as they dropped House into the seat between them.
"Fine." House grumbled as he leant forward on the empty expanse of workspace and rested his head on his hands.
He watched as her nimble fingers prepared the biopsy on several slides and Wilson talked with Cameron in more detail as to what happened when the biopsy was taken.
Her tied hair shimmered in the dim light and looked entirely tantalizing and enticing.
"You have pretty hair."
Wilson chuckled silently to himself.