Chapter 13

Allison turned the key in the lock and opened up the door. She smelled something delicious and fresh coming from the kitchen.

"Whoa, that smells delicious!" Chase said excitedly. "I'll be right back." He headed back to the guest room so that he could set up his gift for her.

"Hey, Allison!" Thirteen said when she came out of the kitchen.

Cameron laughed. Thirteen was wearing an apron and had flour smeared on her face. "Rem, you look like one of those women from the movies who's always in the kitchen!" she said. "That's cute."

"I was making your dinner!" Thirteen said. "Leave me alone!"

"I gave you a compliment!" Cameron said, laughing again. She sat her things by the door and then straightened herself out. "What'd you make?"

"Chicken, rice, I don't know," Thirteen said. "Good things. There, I made good things for you."

"You better have," Cameron joked. "Where are we sitting?"

"At the table in the kitchen," Thirteen said. She led her there, pointing to her place at the table. "You're sitting there, and Chase and I are sitting on either side of you."

"I like that arrangement," Cameron said. She sat down in her place. "You guys are the greatest."

"Don't have to tell me that twice," Chase said as he returned to the room. "You can't have your gift until after dinner. I left it in the back room."

"Thanks, Chase," Cameron said. "Now I'm going to be sitting here, anxious as all get out. Thanks a lot."

" 'Anxious as all get out'?" Thirteen said with a laugh. "Who says that?"

"I do!" Cameron said. "Now, shut up."

"Chase, can you serve her?" Thirteen asked as she prepared her own plate.

"Why do I have to do it? Chase asked at the same time that Cameron said, "I can get my own plate, you know."

"Okay, Allison, it's your birthday, you're not getting your own plate," Thirteen said. "And Chase? Stop complaining. I spent all day cooking and cleaning and setting up for this, the least you can do is get a plate for yourself and for Allison."

Chase stared wide-eyed at her. "Um, okay," he said, slowly getting up.

Cameron sat in her chair, chuckling. She poured herself a cup of what she thought was champagne until she sipped it. "Is this," she said, "sparkling apple juice?"

"Yup," Thirteen said. "I bought it while you were at work."

"You didn't hurt yourself, did you?" Chase asked. Thirteen smacked him on the arm.

"Well, thank you Rem," Cameron said. "Sparkling apple juice is the best thing besides—"

"Wine!" Thirteen and Chase shouted at the same time. They high-fived each other. Cameron just threw them a look and waited for her dinner to arrive in front of her.

Chase sat the place in front of Cameron. She looked down, spying the array of her favorite foods and smiling in delight. "Thanks, Rem," she said.

"Hey, hey," Chase said. "What about me?"

"Chase, all you did was put the food in front of me," Cameron said. "But thanks for being here!"

Chase huffed and then laughed, and took his seat after fixing a plate for himself.

XXX

"Why are you still here?" Cuddy asked when she spied House in the clinic, standing at the counter. "I figured you would've left by now."

"The case is difficult and Chase isn't here," House said. "So I have to stay late to work on it with Boring and Bitesize."

Cuddy sighed. "Why do you call them that?" she asked. "There's no point to it."

"It makes it bearable for me to work with them," House told her, turning around. "I might be over later, depends on how long the case takes."

"That's fine," Cuddy told him. "I'll see you later, House."

"Night, Cuddy," he said.

"Night, House," she said. He watched her as she exited the clinic and walked out of the hospital. He then went to the elevator and took it back up to his floor.

"Got anything?" he asked when he entered the room. "I need information."

"There is nothing to explain these symptoms!" Taub said, somewhat exasperated. "I can't tell you what's wrong with him."

"I agree with Taub," Foreman told him. "We've checked this guy several times, there's nothing to explain what's wrong with him except for the fact that he's sick."

House thought for a moment. "Unless he isn't sick," he said suddenly.

Taub and Foreman stared at their boss. "What are you talking about?" Foreman asked. "He's obviously sick, he's losing functionality of his liver and kidneys, above all else."

"Maybe he's making himself sick," House said. "Didn't he say that he almost never gets sick? What if he's making himself sick?"

"That's actually… plausible," Taub said. "He could be making himself sick to see what it feels like."

"Wouldn't that make him a hypochondriac, then?" Foreman asked. "And what could he take that wouldn't show up on a tox screen?"

"That's what you're here to find out," House said, putting on his coat. "I'm going home."

"You're going to leave us here to do this by ourselves?" Foreman asked, wide-eyed. House gave him a look and effectively shut him up. Foreman sighed. "Let's go, Taub." He and Taub walked out of the room.

House gathered his bag and things together and left the room a short time after them, stopping off at Wilson's office before heading home. He saw that his friend was still there, and opened the door. "What're you doing here?" he asked.

"Finishing some paperwork," Wilson said simply. "Why, what do you need?"

"Why do you ask me that every time I come in here?" House asked. "Maybe I just wanted to talk and visit you? How about that?"

"Whatever you say," Wilson said. "I need to finish this work before I can go anywhere."

"You think I'm going somewhere with you?" House asked. "I just came to see what you were doing!"

"You never just come to see what I'm doing," Wilson replied. "You always want something. What is it you want?"

"Nothing."

Wilson sighed. "Is Cuddy's mother coming to town again?" he asked.

"Oh, no," House said immediately. "I couldn't take that again. I just have nothing to do."

"Go home, go to Cuddy's, do something," Wilson said. "I have work to do."

House sighed loudly. "Fine," he said, standing slowly. "See you tomorrow, then."

"Night, House," Wilson said. He never looked up from his work.

House exited the hospital and went back to Cuddy's home, knowing she'd be waiting for him to step through the door.

XXX

Cuddy smiled when she heard the doorbell sound, knowing that House was standing at the door, waiting for her to answer. She left her daughter playing with her food in the dining room and rose to answer the door.

"Hey," she said when she opened the door. She kissed him lightly. "Missed you."

House laughed. "It's only been an hour!" he said. "You've had no time to miss me!"

"I missed you the second I left the hospital," Cuddy told him, letting him in and closing the door.

"Don't go all lovey-dovey and stuff," House said as he took off his coat. "You know that bothers me!"

"Oh well, you'll have to deal with it." Cuddy walked back over to the table and sat with her daughter. "We have Chicken Stir Fry for dinner tonight," she said. "Come make yourself a plate."

"You can't make me one?" House said to her jokingly.

"Nope, I'm not your housewife."

House laughed and walked into the kitchen, taking some of the delicious-looking food out of the pan and placing it on a plate. He poured himself a cup of water and joined Cuddy and her daughter at the table. "This better be good," he said.

"The dinner?" Cuddy asked. "It's delicious. Rachel likes it."

"So?"

"She's been picky lately," Cuddy said. "You remember the dinner with my mother, I said that!"

House remembered that dinner and cringed. "That was the worst thing I've ever lived through," he said. "Don't torture me like that again."

"Didn't she come and apologize, though?" Cuddy asked. "Before she left?"

"Yeah, but… still!" House laughed. "Never again. I hate being nice!"

"So why're you so nice to me, then?" Cuddy asked him.

"No idea," House said. "I need to stop that."

XXX

"Can I open my gifts now?" Cameron asked Thirteen and Chase when she finished with her dinner and cake.

"Should we let her, Chase?" Thirteen asked, directing her attention to the man across from her.

He thought for a moment. "Maybe, Rem," he said. "Rock paper scissors to see who gets them?"

Thirteen sighed. "You are such a little baby," she said, holding her fist out. They played the decisive game, and Chase lost. "Don't pout, just get them!" Thirteen and Cameron chuckled as Chase went to get the gifts.

"You are so mean to him," Cameron said while he was gone.

"Not true," Thirteen said. "I'm nice to him. I just won a game, that's all."

"You knew you were going to win, though," Cameron laughed. "You need to do something better with your life than making fun of Chase."

Thirteen laughed. "Shut up, Allison!"

Chase came back into the room and placed the bags and boxes in front of Cameron. "I hope you like them," he said. "And some are from work, too."

"Who would get me gifts besides you two?" Cameron asked with a chuckle.

"Um, Cuddy. And some of the people from the ER," Chase said. "Open mine first!"

Thirteen laughed. "Chase, you sound like a little baby!" she said.

He looked at her. "Shut up."

"Stop bickering you two," Cameron demanded. "Chase, give me your gift if you want me to open it first."

Chase handed her the gift from him and leaned back in his chair, smiling a smug smile at Thirteen. "She opened mine first."

"'Cause she didn't want to hear you gripe," she joked. "Plus, saving mine for last is saving the best for last."

"What'd I say?" Cameron asked as she opened Chase's gift.

"Sorry," Thirteen and Chase said in unison. "Mom," Chase added. Thirteen threw a breadstick at him.

Cameron continued to open the gift, and laughed at what she saw. "You got me wine?" she asked.

"Happy birthday!" Chase said with a laugh.

"You're a loser, you know that?" Cameron said. Chase just laughed.

Cameron proceeded to open the gifts that she received from the people at work, planning to save all of the cards to read until after she'd opened and gushed over all of her gifts. She placed them in a pile next to her, and placed the gifts (besides the wine) on the floor by her chair.

Cuddy had gotten Cameron a basket full of things to take care of herself for the winter, including lip balm and gloves, which Cameron greatly appreciated, seeing as how she did not have that many items that she could wear outside in the dead of winter without being cold. She kept it in her head to write out thank you notes to those who gave her gifts, or even just a card.

She kept going through the gifts, Thirteen getting visibly antsy as Cameron got closer to her gift.

From several doctors in the ER (they'd gotten her a group gift), she'd gotten a basket of flowers. From her parents just a card and some chocolates, and from (surprisingly) Foreman she'd gotten a notebook, though she couldn't imagine what for. She hadn't expected a gift from Foreman, and was surprisingly delighted.

"Okay, now," Thirteen said. "You have to open mine now!"

"I might make you wait 'til after Chase leaves if you keep telling me to open yours," Cameron threatened, holding the large gift in her lap.

Thirteen pouted, and Chase said, "Yeah, and that could be a while. I don't plan on leaving any time soon."

Thirteen stayed silent.

Cameron took a deep breath and carefully unwrapped the gift, which was awkward sitting in her lap. She had to reach up her arm's entire length just to reach the top of the box. "Damn you, Remy," she said. "You know I don't have long arms!"

"So then put it on the ground!" Thirteen suggested with a laugh. Cameron followed that suggestion, setting the box carefully on the ground.

At long last, Cameron got the box open. She was shocked to see what was inside. "You used this giant box to put a pillow all the way at the bottom?" she asked. "But thanks, though. You knew I wanted a pillow. I can sleep more comfortably now."

"Ally," Thirteen said. "Look under the pillow. Oh, and you're welcome."

Cameron eyed Thirteen suspiciously, and Chase, and then took the pillow out of the box. She gasped. "You got me a new MacBook?" she said with a large smile. "That must've cost so much!"

"It was worth it," Thirteen said happily. Then she looked over. "Something wrong, Chase?"

He had a forlorn look on his face. "You always overshadow me!" he said, sounding as hurt as a child who'd had his spot taken on the kickball team in elementary school because the recess aide told him to.

"Oh, get over it!" Thirteen laughed. "Happy birthday, Allison."

Cameron had tears in her eyes. She hugged them both. "Thank you guys. So much. I love you."

"Love you, too, Allison," Chase and Thirteen said at the same time. They sat down and watched Cameron open her cards.

XXX

Hey guys… sorry I haven't updated in so long, if you're still following this story xD My life's been busy, I've developed a crush and can't write while I'm talking to them, everything's just so distracting. (And a note to you guys—DON'T JOIN TUMBLR, YOU'LL NEVER GET ANYTHING DONE. :) ) LOLOL. But yes. Thanks for reading, and I promise, updates will be a lot faster. I love this story, it's my baby. It's the first story that (according to y'all) I've written well. Thanks for all the positive reviews, and keep reading! I'll try to update at least once a week from now on xD Thank you, thank you. I hope you liked/loved this chapter. I love you all!

-Mani 3