Chapter 3 – Velvet Revolver

This fight could be the last fight
No giving and no winning
One time could be all the time
Should we decide to end the misery

The nurse looked surprised when Cameron asked where Dr Derek Shepherd was. She was his sister, but no one seemed to know of her, which wasn't much of a surprise.

House had disappeared from her side to do whatever he did, but she missed his… presence?

She came to a stop outside her brother's room, seeing a beautiful redheaded woman sleeping awkwardly in the chair by his bed, his wife.

Her sneakers (she had been smart enough to change before she left for the airport) made her able to tiptoe over the linoleum floor. Without disturbing… Addison, Mrs Shepherd. She took Derek's chart, flipping the first piece of paper, looking at his diagnosis, the result of his first biopsy and the x-rays showing how big the tumour actually was. Tears clouded her eyes, her medical mind flipping through ways he could be treated, but found none. He was going to die and there was…

,,Ally?

She let the chart fall into its place, hoping whoever had seen her hadn't seen her looking at it. She slowly turned around and saw her oldest sister holding a cup of coffee, her auburn hair hanging loosely around her face, shadowing the features that was almost identical to Cameron's. Black bags under her eyes were the only sign of how little sleep she actually got.

Addison woke with a start and saw the unfamiliar woman standing in her husband's room. Cameron blushed, feeling awkward in the presence of the two strong women. She felt young and naïve and had always done that. But she wasn't. She had probably felt more sorrow than either of them. Anger rose in her throat. They had no right to look at her like that. She was a confident woman, working as a doctor for a hospital respected on the east coast. She was a fellow under House and what were Addison and Jenny exactly?

She pushed the mean thoughts aside and stepped out of the room, looking at the two women who in return stared back at her.

,,You actually came,'' Jenny said.

,,Of course,'' Cameron replied, hating the fact that her older sister had reason to doubt her. It was not how families were supposed to work. But because she was the one who had caused the family to fall apart in the first place, she could really only blame herself.

,,I'm sorry,'' Addison said, frowning. ,,But who are you?''

,,Allison, Derek's younger sister,'' Cameron answered. ,,I just heard about…'' she waved in Derek's direction. ,,And I came as quickly as I could.'' She could see the wheels turning in the other woman's head.

There was a small chance Addison hadn't heard about what she had done, but that didn't keep her from hoping. ,,I just want to be here,'' she murmured. ,,I don't want our stupid fight keep me from his side.''

,,He wants you here,'' Jenny told her. ,,No matter what he says, he wants you here.''

,,And Holly?''

,,Holly will have to deal.''

--

House limped down the hallways towards the doctors' lounge where he had seen his old 'friend' Burke disappear into.

,,Hey, Mr!'' a nurse called after him when his hand was touching the doorknob. ,,You're not supposed to walk in there!''

He rolled his eyes, not caring, and pushed the door open.

The black-skinned man was putting coffee in the coffeemaker, his eyes miles away, leaving House to sneak up behind him with no trouble.

,,Heya there, old friend,'' he said cheerily and Burke jumped in surprise.

,,House!''

,,Burke.''

Burke rolled his eyes. ,,What are you doing here?''

,,What's Dr Shepherd's diagnosis?'' House asked, easily evading the question.

,,What is it to you?''

,,Curiosity,'' he shrugged.

Burke looked suspicious and with good reason. ,,Tumour on the sixth vertebrae, inoperable. He will most likely be dead within the next six weeks, if not sooner.''

,,I want to see his chart.''

,,You are not a certified doctor in this state, House. You're not family and you'll mess something up. That's what you always do.''

They faced off, House being only a few inches taller, but still he seemed much bigger. He blamed his ego. ,,His sister works for me. I'm doing this for her.''

Burke looked doubtful. ,,Since when do you do anything for anyone?''

,,Since his sister works for me,'' House replied mockingly, like he was talking to a child.

The other doctor shock his head, but moved to open a drawer in an old looking dresser, seeming out of place in the sterile hospital. He pulled out a yellow folder and handed it to the gruff older doctor with suspicion written all over his face. House opened it up, quickly skimming over the over words he automatically highlighted in his mind. He didn't show it, but the more he read on, the more intrigued he became. ,,Thanks,'' he called over his shoulder and limping out off the office before Burke could call him back.

--

Cameron excused herself from the silent room only disturbed by the constant and never ending cycle of beeps from the machines from beside her brother's bed. She craved doing something, just something other than staring. She rubbed her forehead and temples, trying to ease the headache that had formed and now didn't seem to disappear.

It was in the middle of the night and the usual midnight dull had taken over the ICU department. She wandered down the hallway, spotting a vending machine.

,,I'm glad you're here,'' Jenny's voice sounded behind her. ,,I don't know what I was thinking when I tried to track you down.''

Cameron smiled sadly. ,,It wasn't like I've given any sign of wanting to be in contact with you,'' she said. ,,But… I have to be here.''

Jenny pressed her lips together and Cameron could see her fighting tears.

,,Don't cry,'' she whispered. ,,It's isn't your fault.''

,,It's just,'' Jenny began. ,,Mom is dead.''

Cameron gasped, knives stabbing her heart, hurting, clenching in unbearable pain. Tears welled up into her eyes and she could do nothing but cry. Jenny wrapped her arms around her baby sister, pent up pain breaking free by with Ally's pain. It was longing for her husband in Afghanistan, her brother dying, her sister finally coming back to her and her mother's death three years earlier.

Cameron couldn't remember how long they had been sitting there in the middle of the empty hallway, but what felt like hours was probably only minutes. Her breathing evened out slowly and she ran her hand over her eyes, smearing her mascara onto her hands, but she didn't care. With one last sniffle, she looked up and saw House leaning against the white wall, looking at her with a deep frown.

,,House,'' she said, voice harsh and ragged.

,,We need a place to stay,'' he said simply. ,,Come on.''

She could feel Jenny's questioning gaze, but she didn't know how to answer the question. 'Yeah, my boss – who by the way is a misanthropic son of a bitch – just decided to came with me to Seattle for no apparent reason.' She blinked instead, rose to a stand and rubbed her face to get the stiffness of crying away. ,,I… yeah.''

,,What?'' Jenny said.

,,I'll be back tomorrow,'' she reassured.

Her sister nodded and gave her one last hug before disappearing into a nearby bathroom.

,,You look like hell,'' House commented. ,,If you wanted to be Miss Wet T-Shirt, you could've at least worn a white shirt.''

,,My mom is dead,'' she stated. ,,And I didn't know.''

--

Lyric's by Velvet Revolver, The Last Fight.