Story Title: Touch of Destiny
Chapter 10: Minor Changes
Chapter summery: Cameron's put in charge, House meets some interesting people, and Chase is forced to face reality.
Disclaimer: Not mine, unless you don't recognize a character. Then it is mine, and you shouldn't take it.
xXx
AN: Alright…this is getting great!! BTW…I have no medical knowledge…so if it doesn't seem right, it probably isn't. Though I do use the Mayo Clinic websites…haha! And if the format is confusing, let me know. I'll explain it.
The Great Susinko: Thanks! I need to hear words of encouragement like that. Thanks for reminding me that they're in character even if they aren't….if that makes sense… haha!
saz89: Yay! I'll update…now:D
sweetgreuy: All shall be revealed in due time, my dear. Patience…
SapereAude: Thanks!
AnybodysBaby: Thanks dear! I'm glad you need me to update. I try to update when I can. :D
Colonelheather: I aim to please! Don't hit refresh too much…it takes awhile to write a chapter!
Guardian.Ghost: House is going to take his time…it is House, after all. Yeah, I agree with you…STAKE THE CLAIM ALREADY! But…like I told sweetgreuy…all in due time.
Obsessedwithstabler: (Holds hands up in surrender) Okay okay! Sorry!! And as for H&S….You are evil!!!
Bethsmom: Yeah, I would have written more about what happened during the week, but it was actually an afterthought. I wasn't even going to put that part in. So, maybe I'll do "flashbacks" or something like that…
Splante: I was having a moment of major insecurity. Thanks for the support!! And don't worry about Wilson. He's being…Wilson.
House.Cam-xx: That's sweet! Yeah, I felt much better about Chapter 9 once people started reviewing. I guess I need a new life goal now….hmmmm
LittleDragonfly23: Yup, they know. What will they do now….we must wonder…. :D
SilvaK: I'm glad House is still House-like. We'll see how this chapter goes…
breakaway01: Thanks! Yeah, I need to be reminded to slow down sometimes…I just wanted to get at least two chapters out while I was on break.
xxBuffyfreakxx: (smirks) All will work out in the end. Never fear! I am a House/Cam shipper, NOT a Cam/Chase shipper. So don't worry. And yes, it is fun to mess with people's heads. (evil grin)
Gabunny: I'm glad this has kept your interest! It's always a plus for a writer when she (or he) hears that her (or his) writing is interesting!
xXx
As of yet, Cameron hadn't found out about House's frequent correspondence with her mom. But he knew that even he couldn't hide it from Cameron forever. He contemplated Mrs. Cameron's latest request.
Why don't you come out this weekend? We will meet you at where ever you want to meet us at. Give me a call or drop me an email.
House had actually called her and arranged for three days to spend in Baltimore with the Cameron's at their place. Now all he had to do was find a way to "stake his claim" as Kaeyla insisted on him doing. Maybe she'd have some ideas for him.
The only thing Cuddy was aware of was that House was requesting three days vacation. She had granted it with great confusion. Where was House going for three days? Cameron wasn't going, so it couldn't be with her. And when she questioned House all she got was a smirk and a cane pushing her out of the way.
A note was found written on the whiteboard when the three underlings came in on Monday morning.
Hello Ducklings,
Cameron is in charge. Listen to her.
House
PS: In case you have an argument with this, Foreman, you've already had your chance. Chase, you are inept, so that rules you out. Cameron, don't make me regret putting you in charge.
PPS: I will know if you two don't listen to her.
PPPS: Chase, keep your grimy paws of Cameron. I'll know if you so much as look at her in a sexual manner.
GH
The three just stared at each other in shock before Cameron slowly sat down. "He put me in charge?" Then his last statement sunk in and a grin showed before she hid it. "Keep your grimy paws off. That was funny."
The look Chase shot her was one that said he disagreed with her amusement. That wasn't proving it, House, he thought moodily, slouching in his chair while Foreman and Cameron shared a laugh.
xXx
The moment Greg stepped into the passenger waiting area; he knew exactly who Kaeyla Cameron was. She was standing a little ways from the passenger exit and was scanning the crowd for him, he assumed. She looked exactly like Allison, only her hair was graying and she was a little heavier than her daughter, but the family resemblance was obvious. When she caught sight of him, he wasn't surprised to see a huge grin cross her face and she started to wave.
"Over here, Greg!"
As if I need her to yell across the airport at me so I know who she is, he thought wryly, the feeling of dread starting to fade. With a short nod, he adjusted his bag hanging over his shoulder and limp-stepped over to her.
"It's Mumsy Dearest!" House's tone took on a babyish lilt and she laughed.
"It's Greggy-poo!" She laughed again at the death look he shot her and she reached out to give him a hug.
He rolled his eyes and let her hug him briefly before stepping back. "So, you're Kaeyla Cameron."
"And you're Gregory House." She said back. "Let's go get your things. My husband is waiting for us down at the luggage claim."
xXx
"Why is it when House is gone, we finally get a case?" Cameron muttered as she picked up the file Cuddy had dropped onto the table. Chris Morrison, the file read.
"It's called Murphy's Law." The Dean of Medicine said as she left. "He strikes when you don't want him to. Good luck, and if you need me, call."
"Thanks for the support." She rolled her eyes and turned to attention to the boys. "25 year old male with an unexplained headache, nausea, stiff neck, and hair loss. What's the differential diagnosis?" She stated, walking to the whiteboard and uncapping the pen, writing down the symptoms. She could already feel a headache coming on.
"Do NOT start acting like House." Chase moaned. "I beg of you, Cameron, please!"
Foreman ignored Chase and thumbed through the file. "How about we start with analyzing the symptoms? Unexplained headache, nausea…"
"…stiff neck and hair loss." Cameron finished, annoyed. "Did I forget anything?" She asked sarcastically.
"Nope." He said with a small smile at her sarcastic tone.
"Good. Now if you're done repeating everything I say, let's return to my original question. What's the differential diagnosis?" She asked again, looking at each of them in the eye as if to remind them who was now the boss, even if it was only temporary.
xXx
The first thing he noticed about Mr. Cameron was the cane, almost identical to the one he had to use when Wilson sawed his other one in half. Without thinking, he nodded to the cane and smirked. "You fall off a train?"
"Landmine decided to become better friends with me in Viet Nam." The man glared at him. "You have a run-in with a semi?"
"Thigh muscle rebelled before committing suicide." He snarked with his own glare. The two men held each others gazes before Mr. Cameron relaxed a bit and held out his hand. "Name's Bill."
House noticed his bag and struggled to grab it off the carousel. Kaeyla moved to help him, but a glare from Bill stopped her. House somehow managed to get his bag onto the ground and sighed with relief that he remembered to grab the one with wheels. He took his hand and shook it. "Greg."
"I'd say that it's nice to meet you, but we'll wait until I know what you're like." Bill stated as they headed towards the car. House let a small smirk escape. He liked this man already.
Kaeyla just grinned at House as they walked as if to say told ya so.
xXx
Cameron snapped the lid back on to the pen and tapped it on her chin. "So that's it?" She asked, staring at the short list skeptically. "Meningitis, a migraine, or a tension headache? No wonder House calls us idiots. Cuddy wouldn't have given the patient to us if it were the last two, and the other doctors already ruled out meningitis. Something else, anything!"
"You asked us what we thought." Chase shot angrily. "That's all we can come up with!"
"No, I asked for a differential." Cameron glared at him. "That means to use your damn brain! If it were a migraine, he wouldn't be here on our whiteboard. Same with a tension headache." She sighed and rubbed her temples with her fingers. "We're missing something, but until we can figure out what that something is, we need a full history. Chase, get on that. Foreman, run his blood and run a broad spectrum for any autoimmune, and get a spinal tap to retest for meningitis."
She walked into House's office and collapsed into his desk chair as the two boys left. How did House handle this on a daily basis? She unconsciously picked up his ball and tossed it from hand to hand, staring at the board. A thousand ideas ran through her head but she pushed them aside when they didn't match what symptoms they had. A beeping brought her attention down.
Patient seizing
She sighed and walked over to the board, scribbling down the latest symptom. She stepped back and leaned against the table, her mind racing to figure out the puzzle.
xXx
House took the back seat of the small car the Cameron's owned after shoving his bag and computer bag into the trunk. Bill's wood cane was beside him on the seat as well as his own collapsed cane and he rubbed his leg subconsciously, willing the pain to go away so he wouldn't have to take pills in front of his hosts. It didn't work. Trying to be discrete, he popped the lid and shook out two pills. He glanced up in time to see Bill down his own set of pills. With a smirk, House dry swallowed his two vicodin and turned to stare out the window.
"So, Greg." Bill spoke suddenly. "What do you do for a living?"
"I'm a doctor."
"So is Allie." If House listened hard enough, Bill almost sounded amused. "And I can guarantee that you aren't an immunologist."
House smiled slightly. "I'm a certified diagnostician with a double specialty of infectious diseases and nephrology. I'm department head, and I have three in my fellowship. Cameron, Allison, is one of them." He almost added that he was also a world-renown pain-in-the-ass, but decided that mentioning that with his actual profession was not a good way to get on Bill's good side.
"You call my daughter by her last name?" Bill's tone was turning dangerous.
"Yes. It's not as professional as calling each of us doctor and it isn't familiar enough to be too personal." House found himself explaining and willed himself to stop talking. He didn't want to reveal too much too soon.
xXx
All the patient history told them was that no one in his family died of unknown causes and that he was hiking in a forest in Connecticut about a week prior to being hospitalized. Nothing Chase got was helpful to their case, and she was starting to become frustrated.
Cameron was back at the board, staring at it as if the answer would suddenly jump out at her. She was startled when someone placed a hand on her shoulder. "Oh, Wilson." She breathed a sigh of relief before turning back to the board. "Something else happen?"
"Foreman wanted me to tell you that the spinal tap was negative for meningitis. He's still working on the blood tests." Wilson said simply, watching her. They stood there in silence for a bit before Wilson cleared his throat. "You haven't even been to see the patient yet."
"I'm trying to save the patient, not make friends with him." She muttered grouchily.
He nodded, rubbing his hand over his face tiredly. "House is rubbing off on you, Cameron."
"I at least want to visit him! That is much more than House can manage." She whirled around, anger in her voice and on her face. "I know he's rubbing off on me, Wilson, and I'm not too happy about that. But House put me in charge. I have to find a cure; I have to solve the puzzle. If House were in charge, I'd be in there with the patient. But he's not. I'm in charge." She emphasized the "I's" as she spoke.
Wilson grinned. "Nice to know you still have a conscience at least." He patted her shoulder and left her staring at the board once more.
Her pager went off again. She glanced at it and sighed, writing high fever on the list of symptoms before heading down to the patient's room, her lab coat billowing out behind her.
xXx
The Cameron's residence was small and quaint, a little farm-style house just outside the city. It wasn't on a farm, but it was out in the country. He took one whiff of the air as he stepped out of the car and a genuine smile escaped. It had been awhile since he had been out of the city.
Kaeyla led him down the hall to the guest room. He was extremely grateful that the house was only one level and guessed it was because of Bill's leg that stairs were nonexistent in the house.
As he toed off his shoes, he took a brief look around. The room was simply decorated yet had a homey sort of feel to it. He had a feeling that the room wasn't used much. A movement at the door turned his head to see Bill standing there.
"This is Allie's room when she's home." He said gruffly before turning and walking down the hall, the sound of the cane clicking on the wood floor.
House took another look around the room and tried to imagine Cameron living here. He could see her as a teenager talking on the phone with a friend or as a med student staying up late nights at the desk in the corner cramming for that exam the next day. He pulled a scowl when he realized that he was smiling at the thought of Cameron in the room.
Damn it, I'm becoming soft.
xXx
Cameron walked briskly down the hall towards the patient's room, trying not to think about her short conversation with Wilson. She could hear the commotion from down the hall.
"His temp is 104.5 and rising rapidly." Chase announced to the orderlies in the room who were putting icepacks on and around the patient, his voice surprisingly calm.
"Then why isn't he in an ice bath!" Cameron yelled at Chase as she entered the room. "His fever is at 104.5!"
"104.9." Chase ignored her and continued to call out the steadily rising temperature.
"Chase! Five more points and he could die. He needs to be put in an ice bath."
"We can't!" Chase finally yelled back. "Cuddy won't let us without his authorization. He'll be in too much pain and…"
"Screw Cuddy." Cameron snapped without thinking. Chase just stared at her. "What?" She asked impatiently.
"You just said to screw Cuddy." Chase asked, astonished. "You are willing to break the rules?"
"If it means saving the patient, yes." Cameron said firmly, not having to even think about it.
Chase just stared at her in shock. "House isn't supposed to be rubbing off on you, Cameron."
"We are supposed to be learning from him, Chase. That is the point of a fellowship!" She glared at him and turned to the orderlies in the room. "Ice bath, stat!"
She was busy helping to put Charlie, Chuck, whatever his name was in the bath so she didn't see Chase leave the room, a determined look on his face.
xXx
Much to House's surprise, Bill helped Kaeyla in the kitchen with the meal. House had limped out there without his cane to get a glass of water and was surprised to find the couple cooking lunch. Bill had his arm around Kayela's waist and was sneaking a bite of pasta from the fork she was testing it with. She hit his shoulder playfully and he dropped a quick kiss on her lips.
House observed them unnoticed for awhile before deciding that he wasn't all that thirsty and slowly made his way down the hall, feeling like he had intruded on a private moment.
He flopped himself down on the bed and stared at the ceiling, wondering at Bill's behavior in the kitchen. At the airport, Bill had seemed just as gruff and miserable as House was, but that sense of peace, love, and playfulness around his wife wasn't faked.
Maybe, just maybe…
He debated calling Cameron before logic won and he instead kept torturing himself with his thoughts.
xXx
The patient was currently stable after going through another seizure, dropping a cup of water on himself, puking all over Chase when the blinds to the outside window were opened, and freaking out once he realized that he couldn't see the nurses and doctors. Meningitis was crossed out and three more symptoms were added to the list. She stared at the growing list with frustration. Headache, nausea, stiff neck, hair loss, seizures, high fever, weakness, light sensitivity, and loss of some vision.
"Differential." She said wearily, facing her coworkers with a determined look on her face.
"Brain tumor." Foreman said finally. "Explains everything."
"Nothing ever explains everything." Cameron muttered, writing down brain tumor. "Anything else?"
"MS." Chase spoke up, having changed into some scrubs while his clothes washed.
"Okay." She said slowly, writing down MS. "Do another lumbar puncture after an MRI. We need to see what's going on in Charlie's brain. The MRI will cover both the tumor and the MS."
"It's Chris." Foreman stated as he stood up.
Cameron just waved him off distractedly. "Whatever."
They left after scrutinizing her a bit and she was left once more staring at the board. The solution was on the tip of her brain, but she couldn't grasp what it was.
xXx
Lunch was amazing. House figured that if Cameron could cook half as well as her mother, well, he'd never go out to eat again.
When he sat down at the table to eat, the friendliness Bill had shown with his wife was gone, leaving behind the bitter man House had first seen. However, whenever he spoke to his wife, or his wife spoke to him, he was gentle and even smiled.
Hell, if he can do it, so can I. House thought to himself as he twirled his spaghetti on his fork. "Good food, Kaeyla."
"Thanks." She smiled. "The sauce is homemade. Allison has the recipe if you want to get it from her."
"I might just do that." House found himself smiling in return and inwardly winced. Softy! His mind seemed to yell. He ignored the inner voice and tilted his chin up slightly. "Is there dessert?" He tried not to sound too hopeful.
She laughed lightly as she cleared off the table. "You and my husband. Yes, there is dessert."
The serious talk was going to happen that afternoon at the soonest, he could sense it. Or maybe he was just feeling weird with the looks he was receiving from Bill…
xXx
All the MRI revealed was a slight swelling that was unexplained, and the lumbar puncture revealed nothing new. They debated what else it could be before Cameron had sent them down to the clinic to do both theirs and her clinic hours while she thought.
Chase went to Cuddy to complain again and Cuddy just smiled. "She's growing. Let her grow. House knew what he was doing when he put her in charge."
Chase grumbled as he left Cuddy's office. He needed to find a way to woo Cameron before House returned. But how could he do so without insuring the emanate wrath of House?
Cameron was once again in House's chair, the white board no longer any use to her. She had memorized it. She had briefly debated calling House but she didn't want to hear his criticisms about how inept she was at her job. She wanted to prove that she could solve the case just as well as he could. She had sent Chase and Foreman home and was now tossing the ball in the air and catching it while she thought. Everything Chase had found about the patient as well as all his symptoms in the order they appeared ran through her mind as if it were an old movie. She paused as a realization entered her mind.
She walked briskly down the hall to the patient's room. She observed the closed blinds and quietly walked into the room. He turned his face to her. "You're Dr. House?"
Cameron shook her head. "No, I'm Dr. Cameron. I'm the attending since Dr. House is currently out of town."
"Oh." He sighed. "I figured that with your reputation, you would be one of the first to visit, not last. I had guessed you were gone."
She gave a small smile. "I'm trying to figure out what is wrong with you. Tell me, where were you a week before this happened?"
"It's just like I told Dr. Chase. I was on vacation to Connecticut and went on a hike. Nothing relevant." He sounded bored.
"Did you get bit by anything? Mosquito, tick, anything?"
He shrugged. "Probably. Yeah, most likely. Why?"
She didn't answer. She was already gone and heading back down the hall, ready to go home and rest. She knew what was wrong. She didn't know how she knew; all she knew was that she knew. She just had to make sure, and her books were at home. Granted, House had the same books in the office, but she wanted an excuse to go home.
xXx
House was right about Kaeyla wanting to talk; he just didn't think that she would wait for the serious stuff until after dinner was cleaned up. He noticed that Bill had escaped into a different room, probably the bedroom.
"So, Greg, tell me. Why are you so hesitant to accept that my daughter cares for you?"
House was momentarily floored. He stared at the floor, unsure how to answer. He looked up briefly, his look one of a tortured man.
She smiled softly. "That's what I thought. You and my husband are so much alike." She leaned forward in her seat and watched House intently. "You can't accept the fact that she is in love with you. You think that she's only interested because you are damaged." She used her fingers to quote 'damaged' and continued. "The truth of it is, Greg, is that she doesn't see how damaged you are, nor does she see your apparent inability to love. She sees you." She took his silence and his intent stare as a signal that he was listening and that she should continue.
"Greg, Allison has a big heart, as I'm sure you've noticed from working with her. She also has great faith in humanity. What you don't know is that all that almost died when she was 15." At the almost horrified look on his face, she hurried to ease his mind. "No, it wasn't her. It was her best friend."
"What happened?" He found himself asking when Kaeyla paused in the story for longer than he was comfortable with.
She gave a sad smile. "Drunk driver ran a red light going 90 in a 30 zone. Turns out it was one of her classmates. Good kid, bad choice. After the funeral, she wouldn't leave for a month. We had to practically force-feed her so that she'd live. It took a couple of years for her to become the Allie we know and love today."
She paused again, gauging his reaction. He was staring blankly at the wall behind her. She stood and touched his shoulder. "Think about what I've told you, Greg." She left behind a House who remained motionless and deep in thought for an hour until he finally got up and went to bed, his mind whirling.
xXx
Cameron had a smirk on her face that both Foreman and Chase immediately recognized as the 'I've solved the case' smirk House usually wore.
"What is it?" Foreman asked. He and Chase were rubbing their eyes, trying to wake up from the abrupt wakeup call.
"The patient was in Connecticut." She said simply, her tone proud and smug all at the same time.
Both Chase and Foreman looked annoyed. "You called us here early to tell us something we already know?" Chase asked, pissed.
"What does Connecticut have?"
They both drew blank looks. "Forests, cars, towns…?"
Cameron rolled her eyes. "Lyme disease."
Foreman shook his head. "He doesn't have…"
"He has primary encephalitis." Cameron interrupted. "Caused by the lyme disease. Biopsy his brain if you don't believe me."
"We aren't authorized to do a brain biopsy." Foreman insisted.
She smirked and handed him the forms. "Then go get authorized."
xXx
The next morning, House awoke to sunlight burning his face. With quick look around, he realized that the house was quiet. Reaching down for his cane, he groaned as he struggled to his feet and winced when the pain shot up his leg. He dug in his pocket for his vicodin and took two, sighing in relief as they slid down his throat. He dressed quickly, hungry for something to eat. With a grimace, he limped into the kitchen to grab a glass of water and some breakfast. A note caught his eye.
Greg,
We went out to the store to grab something special for lunch. Make yourself at home. Explore any room you want except the master bed, please.
Kaeyla
Although the temptation to go into the master bed was great, he respected her wishes and settled for just exploring the open rooms. He poked his head into the sunroom and let a low whistle out when he saw what was sitting in the corner. There, protected from the sun, sat a baby grand piano.
With a reverence only a musician could understand, House moved towards the magnificent instrument. He ran a hand over the shiny black of the top before opening the lid covering the soundboard. He lifted the lid covering the keys as he took a seat on the padded bench, running his fingers over the keys lightly, not making a noise. He finally gave in to desires and positioned his fingers in a "C" chord, closing his eyes in pleasure at the magnificent sound that emitted from the soundboard. He began to slowly play random chords and scales, relishing in the sound before an original composition began to form from his fingers.
He never heard the Cameron's come home, nor did he see Kaeyla smile at him from the door, so absorbed in his music was he. Gregory Daniel House was in his element, that much was evident.
xXx
It hadn't taken much convincing to get Chris to sign the forms authorizing for a biopsy. He was a bit wary at first at the thought of them taking a bit of his brain, but once Foreman had explained that the part of the brain that they were taking a sample from was less risky than any other brain biopsy, Chris gladly signed. He just wanted to get well, out of the hospital, and back home.
The biopsy went by with no complications and once the patient was back in his room, Chase and Foreman were in the lab analyzing the sample from the biopsy. Wilson was in the lab as well, fiddling with his own microscope, smirking as the scene unfolded before him.
"Chase, take a look at this." Foreman had taken the first examination of the sample.
Chase walked over and took a peak. "Oh my god."
They looked at each other in disbelief.
"Cameron was right." Chase shook his head slowly. "She was actually right."
Neither of them wanted to tell her that she was right. They didn't need a smug Cameron on their hands. But they had no choice, and so they slowly made their way back up to the diagnostic's department.
What they didn't know was that Cuddy had a spy in the lab with them. Once they were gone, Wilson grinned and headed up to Cuddy's office. She was going to be pleased with this new bit of information.
xXx
The music filled the house. Greg had no idea how long he sat there, completely absorbed in the sweet sounds of the piano. He had no way of knowing that his hosts were currently in the kitchen preparing dinner to his music. One great classic followed another. Bach, Handel, Mozart, and Beethoven. He soon traversed into the more modern pieces, taking some of his favorite songs from The Rolling Stones, the Who, and the Beatles and turning them into classical pieces.
He tilted his head back and closed his eyes, a smile gracing his features as he moved from The Stones to a song he had heard Cameron listening to the other day, Listen to your Heart. He had no idea what the words were, he just liked the piano part. Just as he finished the song and was about to go into another one of his original pieces, the sound of something dropping alerted him to another's presence in the house.
With a look of embarrassment, he closed the piano up and gently lowered the lid to cover the sound board once more. He ran his hand over the lid as he limped by, feeling more at peace having played the marvelous instrument.
No one made a comment when he entered the kitchen. Without a word, he took the plates from Kaeyla and set the table, trying to let her know that he was available to help without actually volunteering. Bill just watched House with a calculating eye, seeming to judge his every move. Normally, House would be unnerved by the constant watching, but to his great surprise, let it roll.
Damn it again. What is happening to me?
xXx
Cameron was floating. That was the best way to describe how she moved. When Chase and Foreman reluctantly told her that her diagnosis was correct, she rejoiced internally while keeping a cool exterior. Take that, House!
She ordered the battery of treatments and sent them to heal the man while she stared at the board for a moment. She had done it. She, Allison Joy Cameron, had actually solved a case without the help of House. So this is what it feels like! No wonder House like solving puzzles. With a content sigh, she slowly erased the board before walking into House's office and collapsing on the couch. She needed to rest before going home so she wouldn't crash her car on the way home.
xXx
AN: The piano part to Listen to Your Heart is beautiful. I wish that I could play by ear, because I'd play that. Oh, it's pretty. Ahhh…I love piano music.
And I figured that if Cameron was thrust into being department head for a few days she'd take charge pretty well. Hence why she was a bit more…House-like than normal…
Oh, BTW…14 pages!! What the heck?? LOL! I hope ya'll know that this isn't the norm…I usually have a hard time getting 8 or 9 pages…hmmm. Love ya'll!!