Chapter 2

DISCLAIMER: House is the creation of David Shore, not me.

Cameron hurried through the airport towards the row of cabs out the front, feeling completely disembodied. It wasn't just worry about her father that made her feel this way, although she was worried. She was also in shock, as her mind constantly replayed what she had just done- she had quit. She had left House.

The whole plane ride from Newark to Chicago, she had been silent as though struck dumb, as the magnitude of what had occurred sank in. It was so easy at the time, she knew when he made his threat to fire her that he didn't expect her to leave. She was Cameron- reliable, dependable, and predictable. But after his treatment of her for the past three weeks (hell, for the past three years), and in the wake of the shocking news from her mother, it had been so easy to walk away.

The minute she and Wilson were in her car on the way to her apartment so that she could pack; Wilson had shook his head, turned to her and said,

"That was amazing!"

Cameron had uttered a weak laugh, and then moaned feebly at the memory of what had happened.

Once Cameron was in the cab on the way to the hospital, she forced herself to forget about House and concentrate on her father. Cameron and her father had always been close, she came from a very close-knit family and she couldn't bear the idea of losing him.

She dashed into the hospital as soon as the cab pulled to a stop, and headed straight to the reception desk.

"Hi, can I help you?"

Cameron gave a small, polite smile to the nurse on duty. "Hi, I'm looking for my dad. Jack Wheeler?"

The nurse nodded and checked her computer. "Sure, hon. He's in room 415."

"Thank you. Is Dr. Ferguson around, by any chance? I'd really like to talk to him about my dad."

"I can page him, and see if he's available," the nurse offered. "Can I just get your name?"

"Dr. Allison Cameron," she replied and understanding dawned in the nurse's eyes.

"No problem. If he's free, I'll send him to room 415," she smiled and Cameron thanked her.

She had just gotten off the elevator on the fourth floor and was headed down the hall when a voice called out to her.

"Allie!"

Cameron turned immediately, and in her tired state, she couldn't help the tears that sprung to her eyes at the sight of her big brother.

"Brendan!"

Her brother met her and grabbed her into a huge bear hug, smiling at his little sister's tears. "Al, he's going to be okay," he soothed her and Cameron forced a smile.

"Really?"

Brendan paused and then nodded. "Yeah... I mean...."

"What is it?" she demanded.

"He needs surgery," her brother confessed and Cameron let out a faint "Oh."

"Bypass surgery?" she guessed and Brendan nodded.

"Double, actually. But he's awake, and conscious and he's not in any pain. They're going to do the surgery tomorrow morning. Come on, he's been waiting for you."

Brendan grabbed a bag off her and led her down the hall. Cameron paused just before entering the room.

"How's he look?" she asked quietly.

Brendan gave her a reassuring smile. "He looks like Dad."

Cameron took a deep breath as her brother opened the door and led her into the room.

"Hey, look who's here!" he announced cheerfully and Cameron forced a smile on her face as she entered the room.

"Allie!"

"Hi Mom," she greeted her mother with a warm hug. Sarah Wheeler inspected her daughter critically, and immediately knew something was wrong with her daughter, but decided to wait before investigating.

Cameron embraced Cleo, her sister in law, and then turned to her father.

"Hi, Dad," she smiled, kissing the top of his head, like she had done when she was a child.

"Hey, Allie. How are you sweetheart?" Jack asked her.

"Fine. How are you?" she asked pointedly and Jack waved a hand dismissively.

"So much fuss. I'm fine. A little tired, but it doesn't hurt. Hope we didn't pull you away from anything at work, princess."

Cameron paused, thinking of their patient, and then shook her head reassuringly. "Nope," she lied, not wanting her parents to feel guilty about her leaving work so abruptly.

"Why don't we go get a cup of coffee, sweetie?" suggested Sarah, no longer able to wait to interrogate her daughter.

"Sure," Cameron agreed and left with her mother.

They walked in silence down to the coffee machine, and once they had received the drinks, Sarah turned to her daughter bluntly.

"Honey, you look like crap. Is everything okay at work?"

Cameron paused, then conceded there was no point pretending she was fine to her mother- she always saw straight through it.

"I may have left in the middle of a case," she admitted. "I've barely slept or eaten in the past three days. I'm getting by on a million cups of coffee," she chuckled and Sarah sighed in exasperation.

"Oh, Allie! You should have said something!"

"And make you and Dad feel bad for dragging me from work? No," Cameron shook her head. "And I couldn't have stayed at work knowing about Dad. I had to come."

"Well, I owe a big thank you to Dr. House then for letting you come in the middle of a crisis," Sarah smiled, which Cameron returned faintly.

She hadn't told her family much of anything about House, except that he was willing to go to any measures to save their patients, and was slightly unorthodox with his methods for doing so. Certainly they knew nothing about the history between House and Cameron. Cameron had fallen in to the traps of protecting her colleagues characters, and hence only told her family the best of House, Chase and Foreman. Only Brendan and his wife knew what they were really like.

"Why don't I take you home, sweetie? You can get some sleep, have a hot shower and eat something," Sarah proposed, but Cameron shook her head. As tired, emotional and hungry as she was, she was too keyed up both about her father and House to sleep.

"No, I've lasted this long," she smiled. "Besides, I want to talk to Dr. Ferguson about Dad."

Sarah rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "You doctors," she scolded gently. "Completely unable to switch off, aren't you?"

"Guilty," Cameron replied lightly as they returned to Jack's room.

It was an hour before Dr. Ferguson found a free moment to call upon Jack and his visitors, and Cameron got a pleasant surprise when the man entered the room.

"Michael!" she exclaimed, recognising the face immediately of a young man she had gone to first high school, then college and med school with.

"Allison Wheeler," he grinned back at her. "No, Cameron now, isn't it? How are you?"

"I'm good," she smiled. "I had no idea you're Dad's doctor!" she turned to face her family in shock.

"I've been here an hour, and you couldn't find two seconds to mention Dr. Ferguson was Michael?"

"What? And miss your face?" Jack teased her tiredly.

Michael laughed and then gestured out to the hall. "So, you wanted to talk?"

Cameron nodded, and squeezed Jack's hand lightly before following Michael into the hall.

"So, you look like crap. Is working for House that bad?" he asked her, grinning.

Cameron chuckled. "I left when Mom called about Dad. It just happened to be in the middle of a case," she explained.

Michael nodded in sympathy. "I know how that is. But to reiterate, is working for House that bad?"

Cameron laughed. "Working for House... is an experience. All the stories and rumours we heard in med school are right- he's a genius asshole."

"Really? All the stories?" Michael asked eagerly.

"In the three years I've worked for him, I've seen him dig up a dead cat, shut down an entire maternity ward based on a hunch, shoot a corpse and be shot himself by a former patient. And I am yet to see him actually pay for his own meals," she added as an afterthought.

"Wow... that sounds like.... an experience," Michael replied in awe.

Cameron smiled faintly, remembered she no longer worked for House, and abruptly changed the subject.

"So, my Dad?"

Michael nodded and his tone turned professional. "Right. He's really going to be ok, Al. The surgery will be very straightforward, and as long as he makes some lifestyle changes, he'll be fine."

The two doctors and old friends stayed in the hall talking, until Cameron was satisfied she knew every detail of her father's condition and then she bid Michael goodbye and returned to the room.

"Feel better?" Brendan smiled up at her, knowing his sister hated situations she had no control over, and her way of dealing with that was to know all information possible.

"Slightly," Cameron replied, resuming her seat.

"Visiting hours are about to end," Cleo spoke up. "We were just discussing dinner. Anything particular you feel like, Allie?"

Cameron shook her head. "I'm not picky."

"Alright then," Sarah said, standing up. "Let's get going then."

Cameron hung back as her mother, brother and sister-in-law said goodbye to Jack and smiled as brightly as she could muster for her father.

"I'm glad you're here, princess," he murmured sleepily to her as she planted a soft kiss on his cheek.

"Me too, Dad," she replied.