CHAPTER 10

Uncomfortable silences followed the end of each sentence. Both House and Cameron were completely out of words to speak, although they had enough in their heads to fill novels. Neither of them had ever been good at small talk, and yet they didn't dare speak of anything real. Cameron was in a state of shock. What was he doing here? Why now? What did it mean? She felt like she was falling in a dream. It isn't real, but it's still terrifying. It took all of her willpower to keep in control of the situation. She was dying to know what brought this man into her life after so many years, but wouldn't dare to try to find out for fear that the slightest move might send him away. House felt like he was paralyzed. He didn't have control over his mind or his body. He would attempt to transform thoughts into sentences, but he couldn't get his mouth to move. He felt helpless, trapped inside his own body.

His finally moved his mouth, but only air escaped. He cleared his throat to give his voice a jump start, and was finally able to croak, "He looks like him."

"Yeah. He was married for a couple years but his wife was killed in a car accident a few months ago. We got back in touch and I've been trying to help him out as much as I can. He works at the Mayo clinic, but he has a lot of speaking engagements and consultation requests in the area."

Silence.

"He'll be back at around 7 if you want to say hi to him." Cameron was grasping for noncommittal things to say. She didn't want House to think there was anything between them, but she didn't couldn't figure out how to say that without being forward.

"No, that's okay. Well, I'm gonna go back to my hotel. Good to see you." He had no hotel booked, but his mind was a blank. He had literally nothing he could say to her. He had a vast river of thoughts hidden behind an immense dam, and when the river threatened to rise up above it and flood over the top, he would lose all control. He felt the river rising within him, perilously close to spilling all over, and he knew he had to leave before he drowned. He turned to leave.

"House!" Cameron cried out behind him. She became embarrassed. The name escaped from her mouth without permission, her desperation getting the better of her. House stopped and turned his face to hers. She had nothing to say. Their eyes met for one last time before House walked out of her life for good. Until he stopped. He turned toward her and heard himself say, "How about dinner?"

She drew in a breath. "Sure. Meet me here at 8?"

He nodded to the floor. "Yeah." His head snapped up to meet her eyes. "See you at 8."