Disclaimer: Nope not mine even though I want them so bad.
Author's Note: So here is the second chapter. There should be more soon. So if you can't tell I have kind of taken cannon stuff and twisted it to my liking. I guess this would come in around the beginning of season four...if you squint and turn your head to the right. R& R and enjoy!
The next day I am walking to the NICU when I see her from across the hallway. It takes me a moment to realize that its her because her hair is a shade of honey blonde. I turn quickly toward the elevators and press the button. I wonder if it would look weird if I were to turn and half run up the stairs. "Dr. Cuddy." I hear her say as she catches up to me.
"Dr. Cameron." I stutter professionally. "You decide to take the job?" I ask stupidly.
"Yeah." She sighs. "House is crazy but that doesn't mean that I don't miss this hospital." She smiles at me and I start to hope that she means me.
"I'm glad. It'll be good to have you back." The door to the elevator opens and I quickly thank God that I have an escape.
"You look great by the way." She says as I move to step into the elevator and leave her on the outside smiling that smile that makes me want to kiss the corners of her mouth.
"So do you." I say cordially before stealthily hitting the "close door" button. I hope she knows that I mean she looks beautiful.
Getting out of the elevator on the third floor, I head towards the NICU. Chase had paged me before I ran into Cameron. My guess is something happened to their patient and House is nowhere to be found. "You paged me?" I say to Chase as I enter the glass room at the end of the hall.
"Yeah." He says as with an almost unnoticeable toss of his hair. The hair is adorable I have to admit that. "Her heart stopped." He indicates the baby sleeping in the bassinet to his right. "We were able to stabilize her but she is having trouble breathing on her own. I think her lungs are shutting down."
"Where's House?" I ask trying to focus on the fact that this case is not mine to get involved with.
"I've paged him three times." Is all Chase has to say before I am out the door and headed to find my employee.
I find him on the fourth floor, sleeping in his favorite coma patient's room. "House." I say loudly to try and wake him. "House!" I say a little louder this time. Still no change. Frustrated with him and with myself for letting him act like this, I take the magazine covering his eyes and smack him on the shoulder with it.
"Hmph." Is all he stutters before opening one eye to glare at me. "What do you want?"
"You're needed in the NICU. Your patient crashed." I say.
"I'm sure Chase has a handle on it." He states before leaning back in the chair again and closing his eyes.
"House, I don't have time for this today." I begin to plead with him.
Something pops into his head because he sits up and smiles his cheshire cat smile at me. "So I hear Cameron's back." He states with nonchalance.
"Yes. I just hired her for the senior attending slot in the E.R." I cross my arms instinctively as the words fall out of my mouth.
"You two getting back together?" He asks with a cock of his eyebrow as he sits up to lean on his cane.
"Don't be ridiculous House." I can't even remember how many times I've had to say that to him.
"Her hair makes her look like a hooker." He wiggles his eyebrows at me. I'm fighting really hard to suppress the urge to clench my fists. "Did you notice?"
"I haven't seen her yet actually." I lie. "Which is the opposite of what I want you to do with your patient today." I say, indicating the door with my right hand.
He gets up and heads toward the door. He stops halfway out and turns around to face me. "Do you think Cameron still likes men? I was thinking about asking if she wanted to get a drink."
"Do what you want, House." I sigh with a shake of my head. I know he is testing me to see what my reaction will be. I don't give him the satisfaction he thinks he deserves.
"Hm." He observes as he turns and leaves. Knowing that he is off to eventually do what I asked of him, I head back to my office to bury myself in paperwork to renew the hospitals insurance policy. I see Cameron by the information desk again talking to Chase as she puts on her scarf. They seem to be having an amicable conversation. He leans in to kiss her on the cheek as he gives her a hug and she catches my eyes over his shoulder. I look away as I turn to the door to my office. I sit down at my desk and open up the insurance policy on my computer. I find my mind wandering from time to time as I try and analyze why Chase would kiss Cameron on the cheek in the middle of the hospital. I don't let it wander any further because I know I will start wondering if they are together.
Two hours pass and as I am packing up to head out of the office for the day to go and work from home, my door opens and House and his team enter. I stand up behind my desk, knowing that whatever they are here to tell me could only be bad news. "What happened?" I ask without pretense.
"Analee died twenty minutes ago." Foreman says with an exhausted sigh.
"How?" I ask quietly.
"She had Thoracopelvic dysostosis. She went into respiratory distress and her heart stopped. We weren't able to revive her." Thirteen says with an icy professionalism.
"How are the parents?" I know House doesn't want me to care, but I can't help but feel a heartbreaking attachment to the case.
"Their baby just died." House scoffs. "How do you think they feel?"
"Ok." Is all I can say as I sit back down at my desk and House and the others get the hint that this conversation is over and vacate the room in orderly fashion. Tears pool in my eyes and I wipe my hand over my face to try and get them not to fall. I fail miserably and a few hot tears slip from my eyes. I know its stupid. I was only in same room as the patient for a few minutes, have never spoken to the parents, and have very little knowledge of the case and still I feel a guilt that makes me feel incredibly alone.
I get my stuff together slowly, not wanting to walk out into the lobby of my hospital looking like a mess. I leave the radio off and roll down the windows as I drive back to my house in no particular hurry. First thing I do when I get in the door after dropping my bag at the door is walk into the kitchen to pour myself a glass of wine. Still in my coat and shoes, I start to cry again. I put the wine glass down, not even wanting to drink it. I reach into my jacket pocket and pull out my phone. My thumb hovers over the send button as I stare at Cameron's number. Taking a deep breath, I hit the green button and press the phone to my ear. Five rings and she hasn't picked up. On the seventh ring, I am on the verge of tears and hanging up when her end of the line clicks to life. "Hello?" She asks like she knows who it is.
"Cam--Allison, can I come over?" That was not what I originally intended to ask her, but its the only thing that I remember how to say right now.
She must hear my tears because I have a feeling she wouldn't give in this easy if I were to sound alright. "Yeah, I'll leave the door unlocked." She says quietly before she hangs up the phone without saying goodbye.
I grab just my keys and drive to her house. It seemed like the longest car ride in the history of the world. She left the door open like she promised me she would and I walk into her apartment, shutting and locking the door behind me. She is sitting on the couch watching CSI and doesn't turn to look at me. I hang my jacket on the peg near the door and slip off my shoes. She finally turns to look at me when I reach the edge of the couch. I can only imagine what I must look like because she gives me a concerned look. Seeing her makes the tears come again and I sit down next to her and curl into her shoulder as I start to cry."Hey, hey." She says soothingly as she shits to wrap her arms around me. "What's wrong?" She asks into my hair.
"I don't even know." I choke out.
"Okay." She says. I miss that about her. I miss how she doesn't pry and just waits for me to be able to tell her what's wrong. I also miss the way she always smell like Dior.
I must have cried myself to sleep on her shoulder because I wake in the same position with CSI still playing in the background. I realize that Cameron hasn't moved either and I suddenly feel bad for crushing her shoulder for however long and disentangle myself from her to sit up straight. "I'm sorry." I apologize quickly. "Its just been a long day." I run my fingers through my hair and look towards the clock. I'd been asleep for about half an hour.
"You don't need to apologize to me." She smiles sweetly.
"I should get going." I say but I really hope that she'll ask me to stay.
"You don't have to leave." Cameron says sweetly.
"I don't have any clothes." I say trying to make futile excuses for myself.
"You could wear some of mine, it'll be fine." She assures me. She leads me back to her bedroom and I think about the last time I was here. Don't expect me to be here when you decide that you want this. "Here," she says handing me a pair of familiar looking sleeping boxers and a t-shirt. "I think the boxers are yours anyway."
"Thanks." I say genuinely and she nods her head slightly before leaving the room. I change into the clothes that she gave me and head back out towards the living room. I sit back down on the couch and lay down to put my head on her lap. She instinctively places her hand on my shoulder and even though it is January and I should be freezing, her body heat comforts me. I tell her everything. I tell her about Thirteen asking me out and House's patient. I tell her I don't know why I took the baby's death so hard. I tell her everything except the fact that I think about her everyday. I don't ask her if she is seeing Chase. She doesn't say anything as I stop talking and take a deep breath. "Thanks for letting me stay over tonight." I say to prompt her to speak.
"You don't need to thank me." She says as she reaches to her right to grab a blanket from the side of the couch. She hands me a corner and I sit up so that she can rearrage herself so that we are both laying on the couch with my back pressed against her chest and stomach. We fall asleep with her arms wrapped tightly around me. Its innocent enough. We are to the point where we could almost be friends again. Its the first time I have slept through the night with her in almost four months. I don't know how I thought I could live without this.