Disclaimer: I wish I had full rights to the brilliant idea that is House M.D…but I don't. I do not own House M.D. (that goes for characters, places, and events) and I most certainly do not own the ideas of the classic story "A Christmas Carol". Someone does, but it isn't me.
A/N: First off, thank you again for all the reviews; they really help my story to keep living. I also hope that the readers enjoy the next chapter and perhaps take a few moments at the end to review and tell me what they think. All reviews are very much appreciated! Thank you and enjoy.
Additional Note: I might expand these next few chapters, so if they seem very long please keep reading it! Plus, someone makes a cameo in this chapter!! Time is almost running out for House and then who knows what he will do? (Well, except for me, of course, since I'm the one writing it!!) Keep on reading and enjoy!
Music that inspired this chapter: "Angels On The Moon" by Thriving Ivory, "Don't Fear The Reaper" by HIM, "Wings Of A Butterfly" by HIM, and "Second Chance" by Shinedown.
Chapter 7: Running Out of Time
The insistent rapping on the door continued as House managed to pull himself away from the tangled sheets on his bed. He grabbed up his cane, took time to swallow two pills, and stumbled towards the living room, which eventually led to the front door. House paused in the doorway of his bedroom, already considering the words that would inevitably tumble out of Cuddy's mouth only moments after he would allow her entrance. Plus, by taking his precious time in heading for the door, House was sure to annoy Cuddy before she had the chance to annoy him. Score one for the doctor.
House approached the front door and deliberately waited for Cuddy to knock hard against the door a few more times. Now it sounded as though she were irritated, simply by the way she was knocking as loud as she could and perhaps as hard as she could. House swung the door wide open once she had quieted down and there stood a furious, yet exhausted-looking Cuddy with her arms crossed. House found it somewhat amusing that she was about to lecture him when, only minutes before, he had secretly listened in on what she wanted to say. House actually had to stifle a brief laugh, hoping that Cuddy wouldn't notice, but apparently she noticed everything.
"Something amusing, House? Why am I even asking? Everything that's complicated eventually becomes amusing to you. What took you so long in answering anyway?" House filled the front door, preventing Cuddy from stepping any closer.
"Sorry, I was busy with another woman. She was so attractive; it took all my strength to leave her to come see which annoying person was banging on my door. Don't tell me you're here to declare that we're getting a divorce, honey?" Cuddy rolled her eyes dramatically as if she didn't expect any less from someone like House. She then gestured to his living room and House grudgingly let her pass. She paced around his living room for a few minutes, taking every sight in and looking as if there were something seriously wrong with the room before hesitantly settling herself on the end of the sofa. House limped over to the other side of the room and glared down at her while remaining in a standing position. Cuddy suddenly pasted an expression of concern on her face, one that House was determined to ignore. Then again, even he could sense the breaking of his once strong boundaries. He hated to admit it this late in the game, but his previous argument about refusing Cameron's case was slowly melting away. Boy, he was anticipating the arrival of the third ghost if only to get this whole situation over with.
"Is your leg hurting you at all?" Cuddy had aimed this unexpected question at him, and it was one he had to wonder about. As if on cue, a shot of pain entered his leg and he attempted to hide the discomfort from Cuddy. Still, it wasn't supposed to be hurting, especially since he had just swallowed two Vicodin no more than ten minutes ago. Placing one hand on his leg, House nodded slowly. Cuddy sighed deeply and got to her feet. She came closer to House and he backed away as though she had leprosy. "Are you alright, House?"
"I'm perfectly fine. You know how my leg constantly hurts, so why does that surprise you now? I'm fine." He turned away from her, but Cuddy was seemingly unconvinced.
"I'm trying to figure out this whole situation, House. Why won't you take her case? There has to be something…" House suddenly whipped around to meet her eyes, his own like cold ice which held her gaze steady. Cuddy actually took a step back, as if House's expression had hurt her somehow.
"We've been over this a thousand times, or so it seems like it. Let Chase and Foreman deal with it, but I will not take her case! I said it before and I am saying it now; it holds the same meaning as when I first said it in your office. I am not handling this case." Cuddy looked ready to shed a few tears. Her eyes had taken on a sad, hopeless look as she attempted to get House to reconsider. House, on the other hand, was feeling a strange sense of anger at Cuddy, the one who kept pushing and badgering him about his choice. Now, she lowered her voice to a faint whisper.
"House…you can't…please, for Cameron…"
"I'M NOT TAKING HER CASE!" Cuddy collapsed onto the couch as House's stern voice surrounded her. She looked like he had struck her hard. Two slow tears fell down her cheeks as she took his words in. Then, she rose to her feet once more and started for the front door, not bothering to look House in the eyes. When she finally reached the door, she half turned and spoke only a few words to him.
"Let's just hope your decision doesn't take away Cameron's life. That would be a pity, House." She burst through the door and slammed it closed behind her. The empty room, with no possible presence but House himself, seemed to mock him. The silence was never-ending as he stood still beside the piano, contemplating Cuddy's words. It was true that he had already known what she was going to say. Even so, this scene seemed worse than the one that had existed in his dreams.
House decided against going into the hospital the next morning, if only to avoid running into Cuddy after that awful scene. House's head was still reeling from that scene, how he had raised his voice to Cuddy when he usually didn't result to it before. It had come on so quickly that he just happened to snap at Cuddy. The look on her face was strange—no, not strange, maybe hurtful in some way. It was the way her defenses seemed to break away at that one moment and made her appear vulnerable. He knew full well she would give him a difficult time if he showed up at the hospital, simply because she was disgusted and furious with him. Still, that wasn't his fault. If only she would stop trying to change his mind. If only every force in the world would stop trying to change his mind. Then, maybe it would be easier to stay strong with his choice.
Since he wasn't heading for the hospital—and Wilson had called numerous times to make sure House would arrive, calls that House had ignored—he figured he should try to talk to someone. Wilson was clearly out of the picture; he would just end up agreeing with Cuddy's view that House should stop playing whatever game he was playing. Foreman was not an option; he would argue with House and say that he was being either selfish or just plain stupid. Chase was the last thing House would result to; he was Cameron's love interest and he was still angry at House for refusing Cameron's case. So who was there left? A thought immediately came into House's mind. To House, it seemed like a pretty good idea.
House banged on the apartment door at least five more times before he heard the sound of footsteps approaching the door. He was sure this would help him in some way. The door swung open to reveal a young woman, one who was incredibly familiar to House. He nodded his head at her as she gave him a look of suspicion.
"Thirteen. Well? It's kind of rude to leave a visitor in the cold." Thirteen swept a piece of her long brown hair over her shoulder and stepped aside to allow House entrance to the apartment. She closed the door with enough force to suggest that she was irritated. That wasn't so unfamiliar to House, either. He glanced around the apartment before choosing to stand near an open window. Thirteen followed House to the window, but decided to wait for his words.
"Do you think it's my fault if Cameron dies? I know Foreman must have told you already." Thirteen nodded and took a minute to answer, most likely choosing her words carefully.
"I don't think it's anyone's fault if she's ill. No one can control how someone gets sick. In that way, it's not your fault. However, your decision about your involvement in the case is…interesting. Why don't you want to take her case?" House glanced at her, noticing that her eyes were dark and her lips were drawn into a tight line. She was worried about the situation with Cameron, or at least she seemed concerned. For some reason, he felt the need to tell her the truth.
"I'm…uncomfortable with the fact that she's ill. I'm letting Foreman and Chase handle the case, but I'm sure they're doing a poor job with it. I know I might be the only person to figure out the answer. I don't want her case because…" House's voice trailed away and Thirteen inclined her head toward him.
"Because you care about her? I get it; you're afraid to get close to her while working the case because you think that if you do, there's still the chance that she'll get worse. There's still the chance that her illness will overtake her and she'll be gone once you prove you're vulnerable. It's because you care about her that you don't want to get too close to her, especially with the threat of her…dying." House glanced at Thirteen with wonder in his eyes.
"How is it that you can read all that correctly while talking about this subject, but no one else can?" Thirteen turned her focus back to the window before responding. When she did, her voice was soft and it was her turn to become vulnerable.
"Well…that was the way I felt when I was diagnosed with Huntington's. I thought that if I got too close to someone after being diagnosed that it would take a worse turn and I would…go...at the point when I was most vulnerable. It could be taken away so quickly at the moment when things seem like they could be alright. You think that, maybe, if you shut the emotions out that the idea of death or loss will be easier to cope with. That's why I understand you now." House watched as water filled Thirteen's eyes while she spoke. She dabbed at the water in her eyes and laughed dryly before facing House again.
"What do you think I should do now? I'm interested to hear your opinion. Everyone else is hell-bent on making sure that I change my mind. So…what's your view on this whole subject?" Thirteen moved towards the couch that was near the center of the room they were standing in. House waited patiently for her answer, hoping this visit wasn't a waste of time or another moment of déjà vu. He had had enough of that in the last few days.
"I think…I think you should do what you believe is right, House. If you do what you think is right, I don't imagine that you could be wrong." House allowed these words to bounce around his head carefully. That was a brilliant view, at least in his opinion. It was one that he couldn't easily argue with. Thirteen smiled at him as she watched him considering this idea. Then, he nodded once more. Another urge instantly came over him, one that told him to tell Thirteen the truth about what was happening to him. In fact, this was the most that he had revealed to her about his thoughts since…ever. He had never felt open with her until now, and he wondered why he had chosen this moment to let her into his mind.
"Something else has been happening to me in the last few nights. Actually, it's more like something from "A Christmas Carol". It's…different." Thirteen threw him a weird look, one that suggested confusion. She cleared her throat and then glanced down at the floor, making quite sure that she averted House's eyes.
"Why don't you tell me about it? Maybe I could help you." House caught the sight of three children outside, playing and laughing in the white snow. It was a sight filled with glee and happiness, something only echoed with empty space inside House. He stared at the children for another moment, watching as one of the kids coughed harshly before flinging an icy snowball at a younger girl. Then, he shut his eyes and began explaining.
"I have strange dreams. I've been having them for a couple nights now." Thirteen landed herself on one side of the couch, tucking her legs underneath her. She placed one hand against her head and leaned back into the couch. Apparently she thought this was going to be a long story. Well, she was right about that part.
"House, everyone has strange dreams once in a while. That's not very different."
"True, but my dreams are completely realistic. I'm in the hospital at night and Cameron's there, laying in her hospital bed just as she is in reality. There was another Cameron there, too. Only, this one was more like me and acted hateful. Then, there were two spirits who showed up like the ones in that oh-so-meaningful Christmas story. In fact, a third one is coming tonight and they're supposedly showing me the 'error of my ways'. I am seeing this every night and it hasn't ended yet." House poured this out to Thirteen in almost one huge breath, not allowing her the chance to interrupt. Now, her eyes grew wide with worry as she rolled this around her head.
"House…how much Vicodin have you had today?" House glared at her for the first time since entering the apartment. Great. She was thinking that he had taken too many pills and that it was affecting his mind.
"I only had two pills, the amount I take each morning. I'm not overdosing, I'm not drunk, and I'm certainly not crazy. This is what's happening to me, except it's in my dreams. There are spirits that are trying to convince me that refusing Cameron's case is wrong. Stacy was the first spirit, and then it was Cuddy last night. I have no idea who the third one is, but I'm definitely looking forward to ending this. You don't believe me." This last sentence came out in a statement instead of a question. Thirteen paused and looked thoughtful for a long time after House's words had faded away. Then, she stood up and hastily walked over to face House directly.
"You're telling the truth, aren't you? This is what you're seeing? Maybe your dreams are telling you to consider the pros and cons of your choice. Maybe it's just your mind telling you to consider your options carefully. Then again, that Vicodin idea might still be a strong possibility." Thirteen showed a light smile, and House realized she was mocking him with this last statement.
"I have to figure this out. I literally feel my defenses breaking and I know time is running out. Just do me one favor. Don't tell anyone else about this whole thing with my dreams. At least not yet." Thirteen looked skeptical for a second before putting on a confident smile.
"Sure. I promise I won't tell anyone. As I said, just do what you think is right, House." She led House to the door of the apartment and opened it slowly for him. All he wanted to do was leave that place before he revealed anything else to her. Hell, she probably though he was insane right now. Oh, well. He started down the hallway, calling out an awkward 'thank-you' to Thirteen, and stopped short when his cell phone went off. He reluctantly answered and discovered that it was Foreman. This ought to be good.
"House, where are you? Cuddy's wondering why you're not at the hospital. Anyway, Cameron's having another problem." House recalled the early part of his dream last night where Cameron started bleeding heavily. He knew this would be the reason for Foreman's call.
"Let me guess. She's bleeding heavily through the hospital sheets and you don't know why." The other end of the line went silent and House knew he had been right. Foreman spoke up again, this time sounding as if he were in disbelief.
"How did you know that, House? Yes, she is bleeding extremely heavy and it's becoming difficult to stop it. Where are you?" House glanced back at Thirteen's apartment door and wondered if Foreman would believe the truth. Probably not.
"I just had a marvelous chat with your girlfriend. She was good company today." Foreman made a 'humph' sound that made it seem like he didn't believe House.
"Yeah, right. Remy's busy today; she wouldn't have time or patience to talk to you today." House rolled his eyes even though Foreman couldn't see him. Typical that Foreman refused to listen to House. Of course, he did take up the chance to lie to Foreman whenever he could.
"It's true. You could ask her yourself. As for her being busy, it seems you are so naïve that you can't tell when even she's lying to you. And I thought you were more decent at lying than Chase." Foreman decided to cut across House's words, simply out of annoyance. Another score for the doctor. That was two points in one day.
"House, this is serious. We are running out of time and options. Cameron still hasn't woken up; we think it's from loss of blood now. Plus, this proves that the theory I came up with is wrong. It means we're back to square one and Cameron is still dying. I hope you're happy now, House. You're getting exactly what you want." House hung up the phone, all the while hearing those cold words reverberate off the walls of his mind.
