"She wants to see you." House didn't bother looking up from his Gameboy. "And?"

"Quit playing House—this isn't a game."

"Who said it was?" he volleyed back attention still on Donkey Kong feet propped on the edge of his desk.

"You aren't going to convince me you're apathetic about this—I found you at her bedside this morning remember? You put March in the ICU…You bellowed at the police…House you threatened her surgeon because you didn't think he was suturing correctly!"

House sat up putting his game on his desk. "I don't think I was trying to sell you on apathetic, I don't think I've been trying to convince you of anything in way of my feelings for Cameron."

"Then why your flippant answer?"

"Cameron asked for me, big whoop just wait a second I'll jump up and run to her! Hell, give me five and I might even be able scare up a tear!"

"House…" Cuddy started crossing her arms.

"What? Dammit what do you want from me Cuddy?" House stood. "What, tell me? I mean I tried to do the whole caring thing, I went to see her and she sent me out of the room! I went to see her because I'm her employer and therefore in some small way—I mean really you and your poor excuse for security let him into the building—feel some culpability for her. I expended that responsibility by my visiting her—I'm done. Fulfilled my obligation she refused."

"Don't give me that crap. She was shot for petesake, she gets a pass, she gets as many passes as she can possible use! She's going through hell and for whatever reason she wants to see you. I'm sorry she hurt your ego the first time but you need to get over it and go see her before she gets over you…" she held up a hand, "Don't argue with me on this—She for reasons beyond my comprehension cares about you, I'm not saying you have to return her feelings, though I think you do, you can't afford to lose anyone who genuinely cares because I don't know if you know this or not but you aren't that loveable.

"Go see her now—she needs you."

"I'm not her father." He glared.

"Thank goodness for that because you having thing for her would be disgusting not to mention illegal." Cuddy didn't wait for him to retort or argue; she gave a meaningful look/glare then sashayed out the door.

---Protecting His Kitten---

"I'm sorry Dr. Cameron, I've paged him five times, he isn't answering."

Cameron was crestfallen but did a bang-up job of hiding it. "Well I'm sure he is very busy…"

"I'm sure," the nurse agreed giving a sympathetic smile as she wheeled the dinner tray away.

Cameron closed her eyes, everything was insane…everything was upside down and backwards and she had driven away House and she really wanted to see him. She was exhausted, she hurt and she couldn't quit wanting to cry.

---Protecting His Kitten---

"You ass," Wilson slammed House's door.

"Okay, someone forgot their Zoloft…" House turned down Paul McCartney's Figure of Eight.

"You refused to see Cameron?!" Wilson was struggling not to yell.

"How is that any of your business? I don't think it is, but since I'm feeling affable I'll let it go."

"Explain to me how you can beat a man, terrorize the hospital with your demands for priority care, which she was already getting I might add …Explain to me how you can sit all night at her bedside yet refuse to see her…" Wilson paced.

"Cuddy really needs to learn how to keep her trap shut…" House glared.

"You can pretend you don't care about her, I'll go along, and I'll even help you lie to yourself if you want me to — I'm your friend, but damned if I will stand by and let you maliciously hurt Cameron."

"Wow, everybody is suddenly the biggest advocate of the littlest duckling; but in case you haven't noticed o gallant hero—salvation is your style, not mine."

"Avoidance, I forgot, that's your style."

There was silence for a beat. "You're still here and see I thought that remark was a departing shot—my bad."

"Do you love Cameron?" Wilson folded his arms watching House carefully.

House mimicked the actions.

"Well do you?"

Still House was silent but Wilson caught a slight change in the masked face.

"You do! You love Cameron!"

House's gaze flicked, it couldn't hold Wilson's and it was then, for certain he knew without a shadow of a doubt House loved Cameron, not only that because frankly Wilson and everyone else in the hospital hand a pretty good inkling, but House knew he loved Cameron and that, was huge.

"You love Cameron and because you can't remember the last time you really felt vulnerable because of a woman you can't face her! This isn't because she threw you out of the room, it's because you're afraid if she sees you she'll see everything you can't hide!" Wilson actually laughed in amazement.

"Glad you find this amusing."

Wilson shook his head, "I do, I do find this amusing, not that she was shot obviously but the fact you are acting like a love sick teenager…that is amusing."

House glared but still it couldn't meet Wilson's eyes, the sneer was directed just over Wilson's shoulder.

---Protecting His Kitten---

House still hadn't come by the next morning. Cameron tried not to think about it, tried not to think about what she had done. She had pushed him away, she had tried for so long to get him to show even the tiniest bit of concern and when he finally does what does she do? She pushes him away. And why? Because she had a damn hallucination, it was stupid—it was childish.

She would be going home today which she was desperately glad for, she was ready to be out of the hospital, away from House, away from the office where everything got so FUBAR…she snickered to herself at the fact her mind had used the acronym, she cursed, not with great affinity but she wasn't a prude yet she still shuddered using the 'f word', it was just so vulgar. Perhaps these random thoughts were signs she was creeping closer back to normalcy—or probably closer to truth, closer to insanity.

"Okay Dr. Cameron, Cuddy has signed your discharge papers so come 11:30 you're out of here," the young handsome Nurse Travis grinned coming in with a bottle of pain killers, a bottle of antibiotics and a paper with the mandatory do's, and don'ts and the time and date of her appointment to get the stitches out.

"Great—I think that I am going take a shower once you take the IV out, get it done with." Cameron talked absently as Travis started to unhook the interventions drip.

"Okay, would you like me to get a female nurse to come give you a hand…" he put a cotton ball on the vein of her right hand where the needle had been.

"Let me guess, you would want to watch?" Cameron tried to playfully flirt but it didn't really work.

"No, I'm not a voyeur," Travis checked over the bandages one more time, a warm grin bringing out delicious dimples.

"You're male; I think it comes with the territory and the extra testosterone. But no, really I'm fine, thanks for the concern though. I'm a doctor, I know how much I can push before I do harm."

"If you're sure?" Travis didn't look like he was.

"I am." Cameron urged him to go. She was ready to be clean, to be rid of the grime that hung on her. She had the outlandish idea that if she could just get under a hot stream of water and just scrub with a bit of soap she could be rid of the last few days.

She felt slightly woozy as she stood but brushed it off. Her back ached, but she was sure it was being in bed so long. She grasped the back of her gown closed with one hand then gingerly worked her way to the bathroom pale pink surgical scrubs pilfered by Travis in hand.

It is commonly known that hospital room bathrooms are small, white, coated in rubber and smell like latex dust and ammonia. But what is slightly less known, unless you have been a patient, is that these hospital bathrooms are the closest thing to heaven that can possibly be conceived.

She turned the water on and was one step closer to paradise.

---Protecting His Kitten---

House retrieved his last set of clean clothes from his office gym bag; he would have to go home tonight.

"Are you still behaving like a child?" Wilson appeared in the office doorway.

"If by that you mean am I still refusing to visit Cameron then yes—I am still acting like a child."

"She is going home this afternoon and I think you are risking more than you realize if you let her go without seeing her. She is likely your last chance at any sort of real relationship."

"Do you ever get tired of sounding like a girl?" House refused to let it be a big deal.

"Make this a joke, pretend you don't want to have a relationship with her, tell yourself you think nothing more of her than 'lobby art' and don't care what you tell yourself just go see her." Wilson flexed his hands in frustration. He knew that no amount of arguing or reason would change House's mind, the doctor was more stubborn than a mule, so with a disgruntled sigh he stalked out.

House glared at nothing in particular, just for the fun of it. Chase and Foreman were in the clinic, Cuddy had sent them home, but they came back, apparently they couldn't keep their minds busy either.

He could only see Cameron's face, her wide terrified eyes as she lay bleeding into the carpet…he heard her voice gasping his name…her hand clinging to his. He couldn't get it out of his mind, he couldn't close his eyes, he couldn't banish the image.

Begrudgingly he lumbered to his feet, he didn't have to tell her he cared, he didn't have to show her—but he did have to see her and not for her…but for him.

---Protecting His Kitten---

Her room was empty and he was almost glad. He was about to leave before she suddenly showed up but he heard a few thuds and a muffled crash.

He froze before dropping his cane moving with four quicker then imaginable steps to the bathroom throwing open the door.

"Cameron!"

She was on the floor back to him, soap in her hair and she shook.

"Cameron?" he demanded half falling to his knees turning her to her side, he braced her as she convulsed.

"Cameron…can you hear me?" he struggled with the rushing water pounding down on them. He held open her eyes looking at her pupils. He reached up as the seizure faded to turn off the water and pull the emergency button.

"Hang on baby…its okay…" He pulled the towel she had hung on the bar and wrapped it around, pulling her to his chest.

She shattered again in his arms. Over and over; he couldn't do anything but hold her, an arm around her back, the other cupping the back of her head, pressing her face into his neck. He squeezed tight his eyes.

They were soaked, he couldn't get up off the floor with her, they could only wait for help.

It seemed like an eternity before a nurse appeared in the room, but when he did he had Wilson, Chase and Foreman in tow. Cameron was taken from him and he couldn't think. The weight was gone and he had a wave of angry protectiveness that was exploding out, he wanted her back.

"What happened? Who was supposed to monitoring her?" House made it to his feet dripping water, voice harder than iron.

Wilson was the only one still in the room, the rest left with Cameron on a gurney.

"Are you okay?" Wilson offered a towel.

House tossed his jacket aside, striding rapidly across the room, water pooling under his Nike's with every step.

"House…"


PostDisclaimer: so, um in case you didn't know this, or guess it all ready, I'm not a doctor, I didn't even really research medical care related to gunshot wounds and I've never had surgery so I pretty much winged it the next chapter will also contain medical stuff that I have very little clue about LOL. If the medicine was a key plot point I would have researched more but it kinda takes a back seat here so I hope you don't mind terribly. Thank you so much for reading!! RA