"So, what'd you bring me?" House asked as Chase entered the conference room. The younger doctor handed over a few pieces of paper; Hayley's lab results, before moving towards the sink unit and running his arm under cold water. Cameron leaned forward to try and get a look at them and House whipped them out of her eye line; holding them tight against his chest and staring down his nose at her. She raised an eyebrow at him and he snuck a peek at the results before sliding them across the table towards her. As Cameron browsed the results, her forehead creasing the way it always did when she was concentrating, House looked over at Chase; puzzled by his actions.
"What in God's name are you doing?" He asked and Chase turned to face his boss.
"Hayley wouldn't let me draw blood unless she could give me a Chinese Burn first. She called it pre-emptive payback." Chase looked offended when Cameron laughed quietly. "I'm glad you find it so funny." He said, and she turned to talk over her shoulder.
"You should count yourself lucky. Once time she and Michelle made a pact that Michelle would pay Hayley a dollar for every time she had to get stuck by a needle. She made seventeen dollars in one week."
"Smart kid." House remarked as Chase took a seat at the table, his face a perfect picture of confusion.
"Who's Michelle?" he asked, and Cameron bit her lip. She hadn't told Foreman or Chase about her sister; House had said it wasn't relevant to Hayley's current condition.
"My sister. She had APL and died when she was 13; Hayley was an allogeneic donor for her." She rattled off in one breath. Chase looked shocked as he registered the information, and what it meant for Cameron to tell him.
"Well, it hurts less already." He said after a few seconds, noticing the tense worried expression on Cameron's face and deciding the best thing to do was to act 'normal'. She gave a small smile and House abruptly reached over and snatched Hayley's lab results out of her hand, slapping them down on the table.
"That was touching, but if we could get with the programme? Lab results showed a severely decreased neutrophil count."
"So it's definitely auto-immune." Chase commented and House threw him a scathing look.
"Are you going for some kind of record for who can make the most obvious comments in one day? If I give you a badge will you shut up?" Chase scowled, but shut up.
"He's right though, it is auto-immune." Cameron said, and House narrowed his eyes.
"Do you want a badge too?" he asked and she rolled her eyes at him, before jumping when the phone rang in the corner. House heaved himself to standing and hobbled over to pick it up. He listened for a moment, and Cameron and Chase stared at each other.
"Dr. Cameron." House said, putting the handset back on its cradle. Cameron turned to look at him. "Apparently there is a six foot tall black man asking for you at the lobby. With flowers." Cameron raised an eyebrow.
"Excuse me?"
"There is a six foot black man, with flowers, in the lobby asking for you." Cameron stood hesitantly, darting little glances at House as if to make sure he wasn't joking. She walked out of the conference room, checking over her shoulder a few times. House heard her footsteps getting quieter and looked at Chase, who shrugged.
"This I have got to see." House smirked.
House arrived in the lobby in time to see Cameron greeting an impossibly tall black guy with a hug. Chase, who was close behind him, grinned.
"Well this is interesting." The younger doctor said, moving forward to 'investigate' further and House had to fight hard to resist the urge to trip him with his cane. Instead he followed Chase, nearing Cameron and the visitor who were talking animatedly.
"…she's going to be so happy to see you; I didn't even think to call you, or her friends." Cameron said, and the guy grinned.
"Yeah I figured, so I called her school and all her friends signed cards. It's somewhere in the box." House realised that as well as flowers, the guy had brought an office box full of what looked like random goodies, and there was also a knapsack covered in scribbles on the floor at his feet.
"Ahem" Chase cleared his throat and Cameron turned, smiling at him and House.
"This is Jake Anderson, Hayley's boyfriend." Chase and Jake shook hands but Cameron had to hide smile when House's only reaction to the visitor was a surveying glance; taking in every little detail – from the NYU sports sweater he was wearing to the well-worn sneakers on his feet.
"Jake, meet Doctors Chase and House."
"You're taking care of Hayley?" Whatever House's opinion of Jake it was clear that he was really worried about Hayley. Chase nodded.
"We're looking into possibly auto-immune diseases, but she should be fine." He said.
"Do you want to go straight up and see her?" Cameron asked, and Jake looked relieved.
"I'll show you," Chase offered, moving to take the box from the counter.
"Thanks." Jake and Cameron said together, and Cameron took a step backwards to let Jake past. House however stood stock still, and both Chase and Jake had to side-step around him. When he heard the gentle ping of the elevator doors he turned to Cameron and raised an eyebrow.
"That's the boyfriend? How old is he?" Cameron lowered her eyes, trying hard to stifle a smile.
"He's 21, a senior at NYU."
"I got that from the sweatshirt." House retorted sarcastically, turning and moving in Jake and Chase's wake towards the elevators. Cameron followed him, shaking her head slightly. She caught up to him at the elevator, and just as his hand stretched out to press the call button she said,
"They met in an online support group; his twin-sister had APL too. Ella died after three years. He understands Hayley as well as I do, maybe more." House pressed the button, not looking at Cameron as he told her,
"Not possible."
Thirty minutes later and Hayley was sat cross legged, facing Jake who was sat on the floor on the other side. Their seating arrangement had made Cameron laugh when she saw them, but given that Hayley was in a clean room, only medical personnel were allowed direct contact. Hayley had squealed with pleasure when she saw Jake coming down the corridor with Chase alongside him; the pair of them laden with goods. They had been talking through the glass ever since.
Jake had been outraged when he found out what had landed Hayley in hospital in the first place; not with her but with his room-mate. Hayley had protested that it was her decision but Jake was firm – swearing that as soon as he got back to New York he was kicking Brandon out of the apartment.
"How did you know I was here anyway?" Hayley asked through the glass wall, suddenly realising that she hadn't given a thought to this, or the knapsack and box that he had brought with him. The flowers, before bright and alert, were resting droopily in a plastic water jug beside Jake.
"You weren't answering your cell, and none of my emails were getting through so I called the apartment and your mom told me what happened, and where you were. She asked me to give you this…" he gestured to the knapsack. "I think it's clothes. And the stuff in the box I know you want." He tipped the box up a little so Hayley could see inside, and she craned her neck to get a better look.
"Oh that's so sweet!" she exclaimed, a wide grin on her face. Inside the box were several boxes of chocolates, a small teddy bear and dozens of pastel coloured envelopes.
"The cards are mostly from your friends and people in your building, chocolates from Walter and Charles and the bear's from me. Though I guess you can't have them in there, right?"
"A bubble's a bubble, baby." Hayley joked, trying not to let the tears that were rising rushing to her eyes spill over. Jake noticed, and scooted a half-inch closer on the floor.
"You, my beautiful, intelligent, wonderful girl, are going to be just fine." He told her, pressing a finger firmly on the glass. "I promise." Hayley smiled as a tear fell gradually down her cheek.
"Thank you for visiting me." She said in a small voice; if Jake weren't so close he wouldn't have been able to hear her. "I'm sorry you had to find out from my mother."
"Make it up to me when you're better." Jake suggested with a grin, but Hayley's face fell and tears slid faster down her cheeks.
"I'm moving to New Jersey." She whimpered, her voice clouded by tears. Jake looked stunned.
"What?"
"My mom's signed over guardianship; she doesn't want me anymore. Once I'm discharged I'm leaving New York and moving in with Allie. Permanently." Hayley felt the enormity of the situation weighing on her again; the day before her only thought was that she had been abandoned by the one person supposed to truly love her; she hadn't paid any attention to what it really meant. She would be leaving behind everything, her whole life; her friends and her job and her school…and Jake. It felt like whole minutes passed, though in reality it was only seconds before Jake said-
"It's ok." Hayley blinked rapidly; that statement wasn't what she had been expecting.
"How is it ok? I'll be living in a whole different state!" she exclaimed, eyes wide.
"It'll be ok because I love you. I can come visit you here and you can come to New York and we can call and email all the time. I'll even write you since you're so hot on that."
"Promise?" Hayley asked; her voice small and her eyelashes spiked with tears.
"You're moving to New Jersey, not the Black Hole of Calcutta. We'll be just fine. I promise."
While Hayley and Jake were talking, House and his employees were in the conference room. Foreman had been excuse from clinic duty to discuss the decreased neutrophil count from Hayley's lab work.
"We're not getting anywhere." Foreman complained. Sitting on the table in front of him was a three-inch thick medical encyclopaedia. So far they were on the C's, and the list was stretching ominously in front of them.
Cameron sipped her coffee; she felt strangely relaxed sat throwing diagnoses around the conference room. It was an almost foreign feeling, in the recent days the times when she had felt truly able to breathe were few and far between. Now, knowing Hayley was with Jake she was reassured and able to sit and loosen up; which was odd really considering the patient they couldn't diagnose was her sister.
She shook her head, trying to focus and rejoining the conversation in time to see House throw a pen at Chase's head. She had no idea what Chase had suggested, but it was quite amusing to see the pen flying across the room. Foreman cleared his throat.
"Can we please try and get back to the differential?" he asked, rolling his eyes as Chase rubbed his forehead. Cameron felt sure she saw House smirk, and suddenly he reached across the table and grabbed the textbook from in front of Foreman. He flipped through the pages rapidly before slapping his hand triumphantly on the page. He slid the book around and gestured for Cameron to read the page. She scanned it over and raised an eyebrow;
"Febrile seizures?" House scoffed and pointed to the opposite page.
"Felty's Syndrome." Cameron felt as if a light bulb had suddenly gone on in her head.
"It fits," she replied. "Unintentional weight loss; joint pain; fatigue; general malaise…and the low neutrophil count is classic of Felty's."
"Foreman, get an MRI. Focus on the liver and the spleen. Chase, you can take over in the clinic." Foreman and Chase hurriedly left the room and Cameron stared at House.
"What am I supposed to do?" she said, with a hint of annoyance gracing her voice. House shrugged his shoulders.
"My mail's waiting…"
Wow. Chapter 12...and I am so not bored of writing this story. If anything I am trying to limit how much time I spend writing because I'm supposed to be doing a thousand-and-one other things which are much less fun and rewarding.
Anyway, please please review because it makes this so worthwhile. Thank you muchly:D
