Chapter 7: Why?

A/N: Hey everyone, thank you for the reviews. Sorry to keep you waiting! As I said in an earlier note, I'm sorry if the science is wrong (which, I am sure, it is). Don't take any medical facts from here, because I only used the internet to briefly research different conditions. Anyway, enjoy!

Staring blankly across the room, Thirteen drummed her fingers on the table in a monotonous rhythm. She checked her watch again, heaving a sigh. Still two more hours… Thirteen had considered taking a nap in the doctor's lounge, but her strange encounter with her patient left her with little desire to interact with people. And, of course, there was the risk that she might run into House. She was sure he knew. House was privy to any secret a person left in plain sight, which Thirteen figured she must have done if Jake could so easily discern her feelings for Cameron.

But if House knows, then why hasn't he bugged me about Cameron? She thought, Does he have some sort of end game? What is he thinking? With a frustrated groan, Thirteen slumped over the table, burying her head in her arms.

"This is the woooorst," she grumbled.

"What's the worst?"

Thirteen jerked her head up, nearly falling off the stool. It's Cameron. Oh, God. Of course it's Cameron.

"I, uh," Thirteen began, grasping for words, "this, uh, this test. It's taking a long time."

"No longer than normal, though?" Cameron teased.

Thirteen narrowed her eyes playfully at the blonde. "Ha ha."

Cameron stuck her tongue out at Thirteen. "So, I know it's not Thirteen Thursday," she said, smiling lopsidedly at the brunette, "but I was wondering if you wanted to hang out tonight?" Thirteen's brilliant eyes widened. "I mean, we don't have to. I know we're in the middle of a case and all." Cameron's face fell.

The sight of a dejected Cameron caused Thirteen's chest to tighten. Quickly, she replied, "No, that sounds fun. What did you have in mind?"

"Well I had just planned on watching a movie tonight in my pajamas," Cameron laughed, the sound washing over Thirteen like warm tea. "But if you want to do something else, I'm game for anything." The blonde offered Thirteen a congenial smile, and Thirteen couldn't help but be entranced by Cameron's comfortable presence.

"Movie sounds good," Thirteen said, her lips curling into a small smile.

"Awesome," Cameron grinned. As she turned to leave, Thirteen felt a great chasm stretch between them.

"Wait," Thirteen blurted out, desperately trying to hold on to Cameron. She said the first thing that came to mind. "Do you know what was up with the snakes?"

Cameron laughed at the silliness of the question, which had caught her off guard. Whenever Thirteen's playful side emerged, she was always pleasantly surprised. "Yeah, I saw House earlier. He said a good prank was long overdue." Cameron rolled her eyes. "He was itching to take credit for it, because he couldn't wait any longer."

"I'll bet," was all Thirteen could think to say. She wanted to grab Cameron and hold her down on the Earth, but Cameron was slipping through her fingers.

"I'm heading down to the ER. Let me know when the test comes back."

With that, the blonde left, leaving Thirteen standing alone on the edge of a cliff.

"He was positive for rheumatic fever," Thirteen said, sliding into a chair in the conference room. "I've started him on antibiotics."

House uncapped the dry erase marker. "Then we can cross off fever and… just fever."

"When I talked to him earlier," Cameron said, "his headache seemed to have been cured with two Aspirin."

"What about the abdominal pain?" House asked, the gleam of foresight flashing in his eyes. He was this close to solving the case.

Cameron shrugged. "He ate some bad sushi yesterday."

Leaning against the cabinet, House lamented, "That's disappointing."

"That's what happens when you take a correct history," Cameron laughed.

"Well, the antibiotics should kick in soon," House sighed. "That leaves us with tremors, slurred speech, and impaired balance."

Thirteen's eyebrows knit together. "He wasn't slurring when I talked to him."

"The symptom relapsed," Cameron explained. "When I was taking the history while you were in the lab, it took him ten minutes to explain a few sentences."

House loudly tapped the white board with his cane. "Do I even need to ask? I really hope, for your own honors, that you can figure this one out." Cameron started to say something, but House interrupted her. "C'mon, why not let Thirteen say it? She's also got a terminal disease." A dark humor clouded his face.

Thirteen was ashamed that she couldn't look him in the eye when she mumbled, "Early onset Parkinson's."

"Wonderful! Now," House said, shooing them out the door, "go break the news."

"I can do it," Thirteen whispered, casting a sideways glance at Cameron. The blonde looked away when their eyes met, simply pulling the door open and striding forlornly down the hall.

"Dr. Hadley!" Jake exclaimed, a mirthful grin exploding across his face. "Look, look, look!" Gesturing to his sketchbook, Jake nodded vigorously, imploring Thirteen to view his work.

"Seems like you've got your tremors under control," Thirteen laughed, moving toward him.

Thirteen struggled to hold in a gasp as she glimpsed a photographic-like portrait of Cameron. Cameron's face was turned upward at a three-quarter angle, as if she were looking in the direction of someone who had called her name. Easily recognizable were Cameron's soft eyes, sloping brows, and pleasantly arched lips. Somehow, Jake's drawing radiated Cameron's kindness in a way that forced Thirteen to sit on the edge of the bed. Jake handed her the sketchbook, inviting her to look more closely.

"Wow," Thirteen breathed. As her eyes traced the curves of the drawing, she was unaware that her countenance began to mimic Cameron's luminousness.

"That's a loving stare if I ever saw one," Jake said quietly.

Looking Jake in the eye, Thirteen felt a crack shoot through her rigid exterior. Her emotional vault was in serious danger of being opened. "Please don't tell anyone," she whispered.

He shook his head, grinning, "That's your war to fight. I'm just a hisss… historr… ian." Jake's smile faded at the resurgence of his slurred speech.

The color drained from Thirteen's face and she felt as though she had been dunked in ice water. I have to tell him now, she thought. What I came here to do…

Setting the sketchbook back in Jake's lap, Thirteen crossed her legs, attempting to stall for even seconds longer. "Jake, I have good news and bad news," she started, willing her fingers to cease their twitching. "The good news is that we didn't need to go back to your house to figure out what was wrong with you," she joked. "Also, we determined that you have rheumatic fever, which we're treating now. It's totally curable." Thirteen bit her lip, forcing herself to deliver Jake his fate. "The bad news is that the rheumatic fever was masking an underlying condition." Thirteen opened her mouth to break the news to Jake, but the words died in her throat.

"What is it?" Jake asked, now resembling a terrified puppy.

What is your problem? Just tell him! Thirteen thought. "Jake, you have early onset Parkinson's Disease." Thirteen's gaze dropped to her hands, which had stopped fidgeting.

"That's a… a… isss thaaat a bad one?" Jake's slur only augmented his panic.

"By all accounts, no," Thirteen said, meeting his eyes again. "Parkinson's is neurological disorder that will eventually make movement and speech very difficult. The symptoms you have now will be magnified as you get older. But that's far off from now."

"Is it curable?" Jake asked. Thirteen shook her head solemnly. "How long will I have until I… stop functioning?"

"It's difficult to tell," Thirteen started. "People diagnosed with late staged Parkinson's usually live until their seventies or eighties. Early onset is different, obviously. I think you'll still have a few decades of being able to draw well," she said, offering him a tight-lipped smile.

Jake looked straight ahead, having been transported to another planet.

"I know this is a lot to take in," Thirteen whispered, covering his hand with hers. "Do you want me to stay with you?"

Still staring across the room, Jake managed to nod. Thirteen squeezed his hand lightly. "Wh… what do I do now?" he asked, attempting to conquer his stutter, brow creased in determination.

Thirteen drew in a long breath. "Jake, I hope you'll bear with me for a moment," she said, his eyes meeting hers. "I have Hunting's chorea. It's a genetic disease. In fifteen to twenty years, maybe, I'll lose control of my body. I won't be able to hold things and I'll barely be able to move around by myself. I won't be able to form a coherent sentence," Thirteen said, glancing at Jake ruefully. "And then," she continued, "I'll lose control of my mind. I'll be in pain and I'll want to die."

"And yet, here you are," he said slowly. The words slammed against Thirteen's ears, instantly reminding her of when House had uttered the exact phrase to her on her first day back at PPTH.

"And yet, here I am," she breathed, hardly realizing what she was saying.

"How do you get over… something… like this?"

Thirteen felt a shudder run through her. She shook her head, bringing her back to Jake. "You don't," she said simply. "But you learn to deal with it."

"I better get sssstar… started… on my b-b-bucket list," Jake laughed. Thirteen couldn't help but smile at Jake's inextinguishable optimism. "Have you done yours?"

"Done my what?"

"B-bucket liiist."

Thirteen shook her head. "I was headed to Thailand, but I came back to work at the hospital."

"If I may," Jake started slowly, "wh-why haven't you t-t-told Dr. Cam… Cameron… you know."

"Good question," Thirteen sighed. "I guess I'd rather be in pain with her than be in pain without her. And she's married, you know? I don't want to ruin that," she murmured. Jake offered her a sympathetic look. "Anyway, Jake, it seems like your tremors aren't very severe. I think you'll still be drawing for a long time." Standing slowly, Thirteen added, "You'll be discharged soon."

Thirteen made to leave, when Jake said, "Dr. Hadley."

"Yes?" Thirteen felt tired and defeated, as if her feet were sinking into the floor.

"I w-want you to have th-this." Jake carefully ripped his portrait of Cameron out of his sketchbook and held it out to her.

Thirteen stared at the drawing. As she glanced at Jake's shining eyes, out-stretched hand, and the portrait of Cameron, the lock guarding her heart clicked open. She let out a shuddering gasp, grabbed the drawing, and hastily left the room.

She ran to the locker room, bursting through the door. Stumbling into the wall of metal, Thirteen slid down the lockers and clutched her knees to her chest. The drawing fluttered silently to the floor. She slammed her fist against the lockers, cursing herself for falling in love with someone who could never love her back, someone who she didn't have a chance with from the start.

"Why, why, why, why, why," she moaned, pounding her hands against the lockers. As Thirteen's breathing grew increasingly erratic, she felt her throat sealing shut. She gasped for air, her head swimming. Why, why, why? Thirteen felt her body go limp and she slumped over onto the floor. Why?

"Thirteen!" a faraway voice called. "Shit. Thirteen? Thirteen!"

A/N: Whew, that was an interesting chapter to write… Let me know what you think of it! :)