Chapter 33

September had come and gone, leaving behind only the memories of a wedding, a kiss, and countless arguments. Now October had taken its place, and with it came the prospect of chilly weather, orange leaves, and a hospital benefit.

Cameron had returned to her position as department head of the ER, and Foreman and Hadley had returned to their positions on House's staff. Of course, Chase was very satisfied with this arrangement considering he had half expected his wife to remain on House's team permanently, but Cameron wasn't so sure she felt quite as satisfied as her husband did. It was true. She liked the ER, but she didn't love it. Granted, she was happy that Chase seemed more at ease around her now, but she couldn't deny that she missed the mysteries and possibly even House.

House, on the other hand, had mixed emotions about Cameron leaving the department. At first he was relieved that he would no longer have to see her every day. There would be no more awkward silences and no more tension, and (best of all) he didn't have to confront her about the kiss. He could finally go back to doing his job without any distractions. But then he realized that he would no longer get to see her every day, and maybe he would miss all of the awkwardness and the tension. He would miss having a fresh pot of coffee every morning. He would miss having his mail sorted through. He would miss her standing up to him. He would miss her. It was for that reason that, after much debate, House finally decided to offer Cameron a permanent spot on the team. He had had four employees before, and he was fine doing it again. So, he left his office to track down Cameron in the ER.

Cameron immediately saw House as he entered her department, so she finished up with her patient and made her way over to him. "I don't have a case for you," she said without giving a thought to any other reason he might be there.

House nodded and began shuffling through the various files stacked on the nurse's station counter.

Cameron looked at House curiously. "I just told you," she repeated, "I don't have a case for you."

"I know," House replied. He sat down behind the nurse's station and put his feet up on the desk.

Cameron continued to stare at him. "So what," she asked, "you just came to hang out?"

House didn't respond, but he seemed to be looking around the room for something.

Cameron sighed and was becoming annoyed by his presence. "Wouldn't a clinic room be quieter?"

"I didn't come here to take a nap," he retorted.

"Then why did you come here?" she asked.

House stared at her but didn't answer.

"Seriously," she continued, "if there's nothing that you need to talk about, then I need to get back to work."

House inhaled quickly and bit his lip. It was now or never. "We could use another person on the team," he stated right as Cameron was starting to turn away.

"Are you asking me to come back?"

House gazed into her eyes but said nothing, and she took this response as a yes.

"You already have three people on the team."

"A year ago, I had four," he replied, "and a year before that, I had forty."

Cameron sighed. She was faced with a terrible decision, but she knew that she could never answer him honestly. As much as she wanted to spend every day with him, she couldn't. "I… don't think that would be such a good idea." She bit her lip and judged his reaction.

House was both shocked and disappointed. He had been sure that she'd agree to come back. He wondered if it had anything to do with the kiss that they'd shared but never discussed. He couldn't question her, though, without appearing desperate. So, he nodded his head in acceptance, rose from his seat, and left the emergency room without another word.

Seeing his reaction made Cameron's heart sink. She felt terrible for having to deny him, but she knew that she would feel even more terrible if she betrayed her husband again. She frowned as she watched him leave, but she forced a smile when she turned around and discovered Chase behind her. "Hey," she greeted him and gave him a peck on the cheek.

Chase was in much higher spirits now that Cameron was back in the ER. He felt bad for having doubted her loyalty, so he decided to pay her back. "I've got a surprise for you," he said.

"Another one?" she asked with a still fake smile. "After what happened last time, I figured you'd learned your lesson."

Chase chuckled. "Well hopefully this one will end better."

"What exactly will… end better?"

Chase pulled two tickets out of the back pocket of his scrubs and showed them to her.

Cameron grabbed them to see what they were for. "These are for the hospital benefit."

"I figured it'd be a nice way to spend our first Halloween as a married couple."

"I wasn't aware Halloween was such an important holiday for you Christians," she joked.

Chase felt suddenly uneasy for some reason. Maybe it had something to do with Cameron pointing out their difference in religion. "Was that House you were talking to?"

Cameron looked behind her at the door that House had left through and then gave Chase a nod. "Why?"

"What'd he want?" he asked innocently. "Did you find a case?"

Cameron shook her head and debated about how much to tell him. She finally decided to just tell him and avoid any future conflict. "He offered me a position on his staff."

Chase's jaw dropped slightly at this news, but he regained his composure. "Why would he do that?"

Cameron knew where this conversation was going, and she also knew that she didn't want to answer his question. "Relax," she reassured him, "I wanted a chance to play detective again—and I got that chance—but now I'm happy to be back in the ER. I turned it down."

"Like you turned me down?" he asked.

"What are you—"

"I know it wasn't House's decision to keep me off the team last month."

Cameron was a little surprised, but she shouldn't have been. Her husband could be pretty smart when he wanted to be. "So you think it was me?"

"House had no reason to tell me no," he answered her. "You're the only other option."

Cameron was embarrassed and regretful at first, but she quickly turned angry. "Why did you want back on the team so badly? You love surgery."

"You love the ER," he shot back.

Cameron rolled her eyes and grabbed a patient file from the counter. "This is ridiculous," she asserted. "I don't have time for this." She stormed off to see a patient before Chase could say anymore.

Chase watched as she rushed off to avoid arguing with him, and he eventually did the same. He heaved an annoyed sigh before dashing out the door and back to the Surgical Department.