Part II
"So… chest x-ray revealed granulomas in the lungs." House capped the pen. "Any more differentials?"
"TB," Foreman said immediately. "Fits her symptoms. Also, she's presenting a fever and chills."
House nodded. "Anything else?"
Cameron half-shrugged. "Fungal infections can cause granulomas but…"
"It doesn't fit with her other symptoms," Chase finished, tapping his pencil on the table.
"What about the rash?" House proposed. "Anyone taken a look at that?"
"It's a erythematous eruption on her shins. They're most commonly associated with drug reactions or infections," Foreman answered.
"Well that doesn't fit TB," House retorted. He stared at the board for a few moments. "I want a full blood work up. And talk to the patient some more, she's obviously not sharing all of her symptoms. No one doesn't notice a fever."
The three doctors stood up and started to leave the room when House called out, "Cameron, stay here for a minute."
Foreman and Chase exchanged glances as they walked out of the room, wondering what Cameron did this time.
House waited until the other two were around the corner before talking. "Have you talked to mom yet?"
Cameron tensed. "I haven't had a chance."
House reclined back in his seat, watching as Cameron's whole body tightened, waiting for his berating. "And why's that?"
Cameron's chin tilted upward. "I've been busy. The patient-"
House cut her off. "Foreman and Chase can handle the patient for now. You have a job to do. Remember yesterday? I said something along the lines of 'find me something juicy'? I want to know if mom's hiding something."
Cameron scoffed. "What makes you think she is? You've barely spoken to her!"
"Everybody lies," House replied easily.
Cameron's eyes narrowed. "Right, of course they do." She paused for a moment, holding his gaze. "I'll go talk to her now."
"Good idea," House said simply, twirling the cane in his hand. With that, Cameron walked out of the room, not looking back once.
"Ms. Winters, can I talk to you for a moment?" Cameron asked, standing in the doorway.
Chase glanced up at her with a questioning look, which Cameron avoided. The woman nodded quickly, "Of course."
Cameron led the woman to the end of the hallway to a semi-secluded area and sat down in the chair. The woman sat down on the couch across from Cameron, her face openly worried.
"Is everything alright?" Anita asked, fiddling with the hem of her dress shirt.
"Uh, yeah, I just…had a few questions for you. Um, have you been out of the country recently? Maybe to Africa?" Cameron cleared her throat, her eyes trained on the woman.
Anita shook her head. "No, I went to Italy a few years ago, but that's about it."
Cameron nodded slightly. "Okay, has Caitlin been out of the country?"
"No, she's been begging me to take her to Europe," Anita laughed a little, "As if I have time right now."
Cameron tried to smile but it was strained. "Ms. Winters-"
"Please, call me Anita," she corrected.
"Anita, it's very important that you're honest with us. If you have ever been to Africa or have had contact with someone who was ill, maybe with TB?" Cameron suggested.
"W-what do you mean?" Anita trembled. "Is my daughter going to be okay?"
"She will, but it's essential that you tell us everything so we can avoid a misdiagnosis and help your daughter," Cameron paused for effect, her expression serious, "I'll ask again: have you been out of the country besides Italy?"
Anita's eyes shimmered with tears. "I…N-no."
Even Cameron could tell the woman was hiding something now. "Are you sure?" She persisted.
Anita pressed her hands against her eyes, sniffling. "No!" Her voice was thick with tears, "I haven't!"
Cameron watched as the woman tried to hold back her sobs. "Okay. You can go back to your daughter's room now, Dr. Chase should be done drawing blood."
Anita pulled her hands away and sniffled again. "You believe me?"
Cameron stood up, her face solemn. "I don't have a choice."
Cameron had just purchased a coffee and salad and sat down at a table when the familiar sight of a cane and a pair of athletic shoes came into view. She glanced up in mid-bite to see House standing over her.
"Judging by the mixture of pensiveness and frustration on your face, I'd say talking to what's-her-name's mother didn't go so well," House guessed as he lowered himself into the chair across from her.
Odd, Cameron couldn't help but think, how the usually safe cafeteria was gradually becoming everyone's favorite place to corner her. "You're right, she is hiding something. Is that what you wanted to hear?"
"Actually, I was thinking more along the lines of you having the answer, but my ego can always use the stroking," House replied, placing his cane on the table.
Cameron let out a quiet scoff and took another bite of her salad.
"You eat disgustingly health foods," House commented and glanced around her plate. "Where're your chips?"
"Excuse me?" Cameron said, frowning as she sipped her coffee.
"Chips. Usually when Wilson buys a salad he at least compensates with a bag of chips. Preferably Lays," he answered, still looking at her tray.
Cameron's glare deepened. "I don't have any chips." She sighed and dropped her fork. "Is there something else?"
"Blood work came back," House said, finally getting to the point.
"Anything?" Cameron asked, curious. She took another sip of her coffee.
"Oh yeah," House said, his eyes widening almost comically. "My office, five minutes." He grabbed his cane of the table and hobbled out of the cafeteria.
Cameron stared down at her unfinished salad and sighed, loudly this time. She went to toss it out and kept the coffee, sipping it as she made her way back to House's office.
By the time she arrived, Foreman and Chase were already sitting down, looking at the whiteboard with concentrating. Cameron sat down and looked to see House had written 'calcium and ACE elevated'.
"You probably want to add enlarged lymph nodes," Foreman suggested.
House's eyes narrowed as he wrote. "I would have if someone had actually mentioned…"
"Caitlin," Chase supplied.
"Caitlin had enlarged lymph nodes," House finished.
Cameron studied the board. "Well the elevated calcium level explains the fatigue, complaints of bone pain and weight loss."
"And the ACE level raised is…?" House prompted.
"Gaucher's disease," Chase suggested.
Foreman shook his head. "No seizures."
"Well, that's not always the case," Chase countered.
"Ooh, tension in the room," House intoned.
"Guys," Cameron interrupted, ever the peacemaker, "we need a more definitive answer and it's not going to be found by raised ACE levels."
"What about-" Chase began but was cut off by the high-pitched sound of a phone ringing.
House glanced down at the phone in front of him, which was definitely not ringing. He looked up at the confused doctors. "Cell phone anyone?"
"Mine's in my car," Foreman answered.
"Mine's at home," Chase added.
"Oh," Cameron spoke up, sounding surprised, "it's mine." She reached over to her coat hanging behind her. She took it out and looked at the screen with an obviously controlled blank gaze and quickly turned it off. "Sorry about that."
Chase glanced over at her. "Who was it?"
Cameron shook her head. "Nobody important. So, definitive answer?"
House's gaze stayed on Cameron. "Lymph node biopsy. And lung too." He made a mockingly quizzical face. "Can we do both?"
Cameron rolled her eyes a little. "I'll get the consent forms for a lymph node biopsy. It'll take less time."
"You go do that," House agreed as she exited the room.
"We'll go prep the patient," Foreman said and he and Chase stood up.
"Ah-ah-ah. Not so fast," House said and pointed with his cane to the chairs. "Sit down. I want to do a differential."
Foreman frowned. "On what? The biopsy will-"
House waved his hand dismissively. "Not on…"
"Caitlin," Chase supplied again.
"Caitlin. On Cameron's interesting phone call," House corrected.
Foreman scoffed. "It's a phone call. Not the answer to the meaning of life."
Chase, however, looked mildly interested. "What do you mean?"
"Evasiveness, trying to hide annoyance or fear…or both," House paused, glancing upward. "Could be important. Might threaten her competency as a doctor."
Now Chase rolled his eyes. "No, it won't. Foreman's right, it's just a phone call. Probably her mum or something."
Foreman stood up. "Okay, now we're gonna go prep the patient." Chase followed him as they walked down to the room leaving House sitting in his chair.
He was studying Cameron's coat, wondering who was calling. Someone who she didn't talk to regularly, he mused, otherwise they wouldn't have called in the middle of the day. Not a family emergency, she would have said so.
House twirled his cane, tilting his head slightly. Who could possibly be calling Dr. Allison Cameron?
