Please enjoy the last (and longest, surprisingly) chapter of this fan fiction. I hope you've all liked it and the direction it went in. Reviews are most appreciated, and suggestions for my next story would be welcomed as well!
"Now, Marissa, I want you to check in with me when you leave here," says Cameron, holding onto her hand.
It is late morning, and the light is shining through the hospital room window, possibly the brightest it's shone in days. The rays sparkle against the healthy rosiness of Marissa's face and frame her freshly brushed hair with tints of golden that Cameron had never noticed before. How much prettier one looks when they're not inches from being worm food, huh? Cameron had brought in some of her old clothes for Marissa to wear—something that actually covered her navel and rode down past the middle of her thighs. She sits cross legged across from the doctor.
"Yeah, I will. It's funny, Allison—I've gone years without trusting anybody. I didn't know who could be believed to tell the truth, to want the best for me. Certainly my parents didn't. So—I didn't really believe in anyone. But in just a few short days, you've proven yourself to me. How did that happen?" Marissa seems a little far off, and then looks into Cameron's smiling eyes.
"Maybe it's an impending death thing. Maybe it's a neediness thing. But maybe, you've just always wanted someone who you could have faith in. I do want to be that person for you, Marissa—promise me you'll allow me to do that," Cameron says, and squeezes her hand. Marissa replies with a small smile and a nod.
"Beautiful moment, encore!" House butts in, wiping a fake tear from his eye. "Now, however, there is business to take care of involving your imminent capture and relocation—"
"Dr. House." He stops mid-sentence, not expecting the fortitudinous gaze he received from the girl. "I'm not going to fight CPS anymore. I finally realized something. If I go on doing what I've been doing, I'll be letting my parents see that they won, that they broke me when I was a child. I couldn't give them that chance," Marissa says bravely.
House examines the girl's expression, knowing full well that this girl, perfectly vulnerable to the idiocy of the rest of the human race, had finally overcome it. He didn't say anything to that extent, just this:
"Plus the fact that it's illegal."
Marissa sighs lightly. "I'm ready."
"Good," he replies, "Because they're here."
At that moment, a friendly looking middle-aged woman walks in with a clipboard and Marissa's knapsack that Thirteen gave her. "Hi Marissa, I'm Nadine. I'm here to take you to our facility. We can leave shortly, if you can be ready?"
Marissa stands up. "Yeah, I don't exactly have much I need to pack up." She laughs, a real laugh, not a sardonic chuckle that she's been accustomed to. Cameron smiles at this. Marissa turns to face her.
"You've been so great, I hope you know that," Marissa tells her.
They hug warmly. Over Marissa's shoulder, Cameron looks to House and states calmly, "Who says you can care too much?"
House rolls his eyes. "Well, before you go, I can get you a refill on that Prozac, seeing as it isn't killing you after all."
Marissa thinks for a moment, and then turns to him and says, "No thanks. I think I'd like to try and manage without them. Maybe it'll be a little easier now. I mean, I don't want to be hooked on some pills for my whole life—"
House can't help but chuckle a little at this unintentional demonstration of his own life. He half-smiles at her, and says "See you later kid, practice safe sluttiness."
He walks out, ignoring any response his comment may have elicited. Wilson's probably in the cafeteria right now and House has no lunch money.
Taub is standing at the conference room whiteboard with a marker in his hand. The doctors are going to do what they do best when there are no patients or clinic duty—goof off. And what better way to goof off than with a little survey?
"Okay, the polls are open. Who is House in love with? My vote goes to Cuddy, most definitely." He writes Cuddy's name and puts a tally next to it. "Foreman?"
"I'd say Cameron, really—I've worked with them for a long time and I don't think anyone could miss it," he responded.
Taub scribbles "Cameron" and tallies, and then points his finger at Kutner, raising his eyebrows.
"Uh, don't think I'm weird guys, but I think he's got a thing for Wilson."
Taub and Foreman stare at him, while Thirteen tries to stifle her giggle and save face. Kutner leans back and groans. Not again!
"Alright, Thirteen?"
"It's obvious, isn't it? He's in love with himself," she says, filing her nails.
"Damnit. Four-way tie," Taub laments, as a stressed looking Cuddy walks in.
"House here?" she asks. She receives mixed negative replies, and she looks down. Figures. "Well, if he does come in before the end of the day, tell him I'd like to talk with him." Foreman nods, and she power walks out of there.
"I haven't even seen him all day. What could he have possibly done?" says Thirteen.
The doctors shrug, and decide to get started on a game of Monopoly.
Thirteen and Kutner both want to be the horse. Their hands touch as they both try to grab it. They look up at each other for a brief moment, and Thirteen pulls away, facing the other way. He then touches her shoulder, and places it in her hand. She looks at him again, and then nods in gratitude.
As she turns to sit, she thinks to herself. Why can't I smile for him?
It's seven in the evening, and Cameron has just finished her shift in the ER. After removing a rather large onion from a body who was evidently trying to eat it the wrong way, she's up for anything. She boards the elevator and takes it to the surgery and diagnostics floor. Chase promised her a cookie at lunch today, but he was paged before he could get it. She wants that damn cookie.
She approaches the nurse's station. "Excuse me Ashley, could you tell me where Dr. Chase is at the moment?"
Ashley is a young nurse, probably not more than about twenty-four. "I'm sorry Dr. Cameron, Dr. Chase has just been called in for an emergency neurosurgery. He probably won't be available for a few hours." Seeing the downcast look on Cameron's face, she adds, "Oh! And he told me to give you this."
She pulls out something wrapped in a napkin, which Cameron takes. When she peels it aside, she sees her cookie, teeming with M&Ms, just like she loves. She smiles. "Thanks Ashley," she says, and begins to walk down the hall.
It isn't long before her steps are halted by a sudden cane to the abdomen.
"Ooh, cookie! Can I has a bite?" says the scruffy doctor.
"It has M&Ms. I know for a fact that you hate them, because I offered you some of mine two weeks ago and you made a face. What do you really want?" Cameron grins at him.
"Where's Wombat?" he asks.
"Isn't that a children's game?" she ponders. "He's in surgery, why?"
"No reason," he shrugs.
She looks at him for a moment. "Well if that's all, I think I'll get going—"she struts off.
"Cameron?"
She turns around.
"I heard there was going to be another monster truck rally tonight, and I have season passes. I'm a VIP, you know."
"Yeah?"
"There's going to be lots of cotton candy."
"That sounds nice."
"…Would you like to go?"
She walks back to him and studies his face, to make sure he isn't bullshitting her. He's as serious as he could possibly be. She smiles, and says very softly, "Like a date?"
"Yeah. Except for the 'like' part."
"I'd love to."
