Two more chapters for you reading pleasure. Let me know what you think.

Chapter 85. TODAY'S THE FIRST DAY

House drove Cameron to the hospital for her first day after taking

Gretchen to school on Monday morning. Several people greeted the

returning Immunologist before she even reached the elevators, but

many more were new since she'd worked there before.

The Infectious Disease department was on the second floor. As she

left the elevator, House reminded her, "Meet me in the cafeteria for

lunch at noon." She smiled and gave him a quick kiss goodbye.

When she reached Taylor's office, it seemed to be filled with

doctors. Probably the entire department was waiting to meet their

new colleague. Taylor introduced her to everyone: Russell Davidson,

his fair-haired boy (literally), whom he'd called 'one of his best

people' when she'd seen Taylor a few weeks before, Yoon Cho, a very

formal-looking Korean gentleman whose age was as indeterminate as

many Orientals, Nancy Lloyd, a woman with dark blond hair in a messy

chignon and a quick smile, Arthur Billings, a short fortyish man with

graying hair and mustache, and Akiko Tanaka, a young and slim

Japanese woman of medium height.

"You're the Allison Cameron who's done so much work on the Brazilian

flu," Tanaka said. Cameron couldn't tell if that was a compliment or

accusation since her expression was neutral, but the woman went on

with something like awe in her voice. "Great work!"

Everyone but Davidson nodded in agreement. All he said was, "You

suggested to Dr. Taylor that we increase the dosage when your

protocol doesn't work." Definitely an accusation.

"The virus seems to be developing a resistance to Acofloxacin,"

Cameron said, anticipating him telling her that even increased

dosages weren't working. "I think it's time to find a new antibiotic.

Merck-Pfizer just came out with a new one that may be promising,

Stratamycin."

"Have you used it?" Billings asked.

"Not yet," Cameron said, shaking her head.

"We currently have three patients with confirmed cases," he went on.

"Guess we can try it. I'll check whether we have any."

"I think one of the drug reps left some last week," Taylor said. He

walked to a cabinet in his office and began rummaging through a

drawer filled with samples. He pulled out some of Stratamycin.

Cameron spent the morning visiting patients with one or another of

her new colleagues. She was impressed by Tanaka's thoroughness,

Billings extensive knowledge of diseases and antibiotics, and Cho's

bedside manner, at once dignified and friendly. Lloyd was very

competent, but the least decisive of the group, as if she doubted

her own abilities. Davidson seemed to have attached himself to

Cameron. She couldn't tell whether he wanted to imitate her or catch

her in a mistake, but just before noon he asked her to have lunch

with him.

"I'm sorry," she said, although she knew it wasn't exactly the truth,

the 'sorry' part that is. "I've already made lunch plans."

"I can at least accompany you to the cafeteria, show you where it

is," he insisted.

She replied, "I know where it is. I used to work here."

And in fact, as they made their way, more people greeted her than

him. When they reached the cafeteria she said, "Well, I guess I'll

see you later," and she made a beeline to the table where Drs. Cuddy,

Wilson and House were already seated.

Davidson frowned, then got his lunch and found a table to sit by

himself, watching his new colleague eat, chat and laugh with the

PPTH Administrator and the heads of two departments, wondering what

they were talking about.

"Just got a call about the Pink Palace," House told Cameron as she

sat down. "We got the mortgage."

"The house in our neighborhood with the pink kitchen?" Cuddy asked.

"Yeah. We close on Friday."

"So soon?" Cameron suddenly felt panic, then thought about it. "Good.

The sooner the better."

"What're you doing about the kitchen?" Wilson asked.

"We're having it remodeled before we move in," Cameron said. "Guess

we have to find a kitchen contractor."

"We had some work done over a year ago," Cuddy said. "I'll give you

the name of the people who did it."

"Oh, I love your kitchen! Greg, what do you think?"

"Guess we can talk to them." He shrugged.

"Well, you don't have to be so hyper about it," Cameron said,

sarcastically.

"I just hope it's a simple, fast job and doesn't cost an arm and a

leg. I've only got three good ones."

Cameron decided it was time to change the subject. "How's Tommy doing

with Albert?"

"Great! I'm really amazed," the boy's mother said.

"He hasn't taken any more pictures, though."

"I think that part of the plan is over," House said, but Wilson and

Cuddy raised their eyebrows.

That afternoon, as she worked with the other doctors in the

department, Cameron found out that Billings was a widower with a

teenage son, Cho and his wife were expecting their first child in

February, and Tanaka had only recently joined the department.

Davidson was quite a ladies man (this she learned from two of the

nurses assigned to the department who warned her to stay away from

him). And Lloyd had a wicked sense of humor and baked 'the best

brownies this side of the Hudson' (according to the same two nurses).

No one said much about the head of the department other than the

fact that he was a good doctor and treated everyone fairly (but

Davidson more 'fairly' than the others, according to, of all people,

Billings).

Cameron thought it would be very interesting indeed to work with

these doctors.

She and House left the hospital at 4:30 to pick up Gretchen, who'd

stayed after school for orchestra practice despite the cast on her

arm. House hadn't said anything but he'd been concerned that

Cameron would be exhausted by her first day back at work. She

surprised him by being tired but not completely drained.

This time, Gretchen was talking to an Asian boy while she waited for

her parents. "Mom, Dad, this is Nelson. He just started playing the

viola too. And he's a good friend of Tommy's." Nelson, who was not quite

as tall as Gretchen, was the boy who'd

arrived late with Tommy on Gretchen's first day.

"My Mom should be here soon", Nelson said. "See you tomorrow Gretchen.

Nice to meet you," he told her parents.

"So, where are we going today?" Gretchen asked.

"Who says we have to go somewhere every day?" her father asked.

But Cameron told her "We're going to look for a car."

"What about the house?" Gretchen wanted to know.

"The mortgage was approved," Cameron said.

"Hooray!"

Cameron turned to House. "That'll be ten dollars, Doctor."

"Huh?" Gretchen was confused.

"Your Dad thought you'd say 'outrageous' but I bet on 'hooray'."

"You bet on what I'd say?" But Gretchen knew by now she should have

expected it.

Chapter 86. ALL I NEED IS A PHOTOGRAPH

The next morning Cameron took the family bus they'd bought to the hospital.

Gretchen had told her it was 'just like Dana Foreman's'.

She was sharing an office with Nancy Lloyd and was with a desk, computer, office chair, plus a couple of for books. A far cry from her fairly spacious office at ACH.

Determined to make her desk her own, she was placing a picture of Gretchen when Lloyd arrived. "What a beautiful child!" she said. "Yours?...But of course she is. She looks so much like you."

Cameron smiled. "My daughter Gretchen." Then took out the picture of Gretchen and House at the piano. Lloyd took it from her hand and looked at it.

"Davidson's telling everyone that you know Drs. Cuddy,

Wilson and House really well," Lloyd said, waiting for her response.

"I've known them all more than twelve years," Cameron admitted. "I

did a fellowship with House before I left for Albany."

Lloyd put the picture down. "Davidson thinks Cuddy forced Taylor to

hire you."

Cameron wondered whether it was a ploy to find out whether it was

true or whether she was trying to tell her that Davidson was jealous

of her and a rumor-monger to boot.

"What do you think?" Cameron asked her new office-mate.

Lloyd smiled for the first time that morning. "Any hospital would be

lucky to have you. Davidson's an idiot."

Cameron chuckled. "Actually, he's not that wrong. Cuddy asked Taylor

to add me to the department as a favor to me, House, Gretchen and

Tommy."

"Her son?"

"Yes, he and Gretchen became good friends last summer while she was

staying with House."

As Cameron continued to unpack her box, Lloyd took another look at

the picture and smiled. Then, abruptly, she said, "Guess it's time

for rounds." She was looking forward to watching Cameron go head to

head with Davidson. She was certain that her new colleague was up

to the challenge.

House had never had any pictures on his desk, but one suddenly

appeared, taking a place of honor next to his grey and red tennis

ball.

"What a cute dog!" Sullivan exclaimed when she saw it.

"Are you calling my daughter a dog?" House asked in mock anger.

His Fellow just laughed. "No, although Gretchen's cute, too, of

course. I meant the Basset."

"I should hope that's what you meant." House appeared to be placated.

"That's the dog Chase has been talking about, isn't it?" She didn't wait for an answer. "Harvey's ready to be discharged" she said to change the subject.

"You'll just have to sign these paper's." She handed him Jared's

father's discharge papers, the original reason she'd entered his

inner sanctum. "The dietician has discussed his restrictions with

his wife."

House took the papers and quickly signed them, then handed them back.

But Sully didn't move. "Was there something else?"

"Yeah, where'd you get the dog?" she asked.

Gretchen was finding that Tommy was right about Mrs. Bean. She was

a wonderful teacher. They'd been studying the Revolutionary War

in history and today Mrs. Bean was talking about Washington crossing

the Delaware River.

"I'm sure many of you have done that, crossed the Delaware I mean.

Who has?" she asked.

More than half the class raised their hands.

"Of course, you were probably in a car or other vehicle and actually

crossed OVER the river."

They nodded in agreement.

"Anyone cross it in a boat?" she asked. But no one had.

Monique Jackson, a black girl with a very pretty face who was always

fashionably dressed, raised her hand.

"Yes, Monique?"

"The water in the river was moving very quickly where we drove over

it."

"Yes, it is usually a quickly moving river," Mrs. Bean said. She then

held up a large copy of the famous painting of Washington's crossing.

"Have you ever been in a row boat?" she asked the students.

A few had. Suddenly something else occurred to them. Nelson raised

his hand this time, and the teacher indicated he could speak.

"You have to sit and they tell you to wear a life jacket, but he's

standing. How come he didn't fall out of the boat?" the boy asked.

"Good question!" Mrs. Bean said.

"But it's just a painting, not a photograph," Gretchen said when Mrs.

Bean called on her. "Maybe he wasn't standing at all."

"Yes, maybe the artist just painted it that way because it looked

better," Tommy added.

"Or maybe he was standing and fell off the boat, only no one ever

told," another boy, David, said.

Everyone laughed.

"So, what does this tell us?" Mrs. Bean asked.

"Everybody lies," Gretchen said.

Most of the children laughed again.

"The father of our country couldn't tell a lie," Nathan, a thin and

very serious boy with large glasses, stated.

"I think Gretchen means the artist lied," Audra said.

"Hmmm," Mrs. Bean said. "Is it a lie when an artist paints something

that isn't literally the truth, just represents it?"

"I think they call that 'artistic license'" Tommy said.

"Very good, Tommy," Mrs. Bean said, and the boy beamed.