Chapter 6

The nurse kicked House out of the exam room while she helped Allison into a gown and onto the table with a warm blanket. Despite the warm exam room and blanket, Allison couldn't stop the shaking that was taking over her body. Now that the adrenaline had passed, her body was going into shock and the shaking caused the pain in her ribs to be nearly unbearable. Red, hot, bolts of pain were shooting up her arm from her swollen wrist. She tried to concentrate on slowing her breathing and relaxing but the ordeal and her injuries were overwhelming her.

A few minutes later there was a light tap on the door. House poked his head in and seeing that Cameron was changed and covered up, he entered, closing the door softly behind him.

"Hey," he said quietly, sitting down on the stool beside her. "You know if you really wanted to play paramedic, we could have arranged a ride along for you. No need to go and get yourself hurt." He tried to make her smile but even he couldn't deny the seriousness of the situation.

Allison let out a small, shaky laugh but quickly gasped at the pain it caused. A tear slipped out the corner of her eye and she wiped it away quickly.

"Sorry," House said, "I suppose not all of my jokes are that funny."

He smiled slightly and put his stethoscope in his ears. He pulled the bed up so Allison was sitting up slightly and carefully lowered the front of her gown to three inches under her throat. He tried not to gasp audibly when he saw her chest and many black and blue bruises. His stomach twisted in anger at the obvious finger marks around her throat, someone had tried to strangle her and damn nearly succeeded.

"Did you lose consciousness?" He asked gently, listening to her lungs.

"For a few seconds," she replied unsteadily, "he was choking me." Her voice caught and tears filled her eyes, spilling over and onto the front of her gown. She swiped at them, embarrassed by her lack of emotional control. "Sorry," she muttered, wiping her nose.

House wordlessly handed her a tissue and placed a warm hand on her shaking shoulder, the closest thing to comfort she had ever seen him give.

"I'm okay," she sniffed. "I think I may have broken some ribs."

House's lips pursed in anger, "How?" He already knew the answer and dreaded her response.

"He kicked me." Allison looked at the wall. "Right after I woke up on the floor." House didn't trust himself to respond without getting angry and he didn't want to upset her any further. He simply nodded and placed his hands gently on her neck, examining the bruising there.

She winced but let him continue his inspection, trying not to moan in pain whenever he accidentally pushed too hard on a bruise.

House moved up to her face, examining the large, ugly bruise that was spreading across her cheekbone. "How did this happen? Was it a fist?"

"Gun barrel."

House shook his head in anger. "You need a CT scan to check for a concussion and facial fracutres. You are going to have quite a shiner." He smoothed back her hair to reveal a minor cut on her forhead. "This won't need stitches but I'm going to get you an ice-pack to put on your cheek."

When he was done, House pulled her gown back up and arranged the blanket so she was completely covered up to her neck. He reached under the blanket and gently pulled her arm out to take her pulse. Quietly, he took in the bruises on her wrist; more finger marks.

Allison took a shuddering breath. "I'm pretty sure my other wrist is broken." She motioned to her left arm, too weak to pull it out and show him herself.

"Who's the doctor here anyway?" House chuckled, "you are always one step ahead." He limped around to the other side and lifted the blanket revealing a battered wrist. It was so swollen he couldn't see the wrist bone but it looked somewhat deformed. "Ouch."

"Can you wiggle your fingers?"

She tried and failed, but succeeded in sending a bolt of pain up her arm. She hissed in agony.

House sighed. "Its definitely broken and I think your index finger could be fractured too. I'll get some x-rays ordered. But first I want to take at look at your ribs."

He looked at her carefully. "Cameron, would it be okay if I examined them? I can get Cuddy to come in here and do it if you would feel more comfortable."

Allison widened her eyes in shock. Dr. Greg House did actually have bedside manner! She shook her head, "No its okay. You can do it, just don't tell Chase or Foreman that I have nice breasts or anything."

House smiled, "Don't worry. I might not even need to take a peek at your fun-bags anyway. If you wanted me to though..." he trailed off, mischievously waggling his eyebrows. He wanted to get a smile out of her.

Cameron laughed softly, "What the hell are fun-bags anyway?"

"Ask Cuddy," was his cryptic reply.

"Okay. I'm just going to open your gown on the side and take a look at your ribs." House searched her face, looking for any signs of unease or regret. Not seeing any, he pulled back the blanket so it was across her waist and pulled the left panel of the gown to the side. He bunched it up just beside her left breast, leaving the skin there covered.

Cameron shuddered in pain as he lightly pressed on her ribs, feeling for bumps and ridges.

"I don't feel any displaced fractures but I'm sure there are some. There is some pretty severe bruising here." House covered her back up, and gave her hand a light squeeze; a gesture that shocked Cameron.

"Okay. I'm going to go ahead and order those x-rays and CT scanand we'll transfer you to a unit bed in the next hour or so after we cast up your wrist." House grabbed another blanket off the counter and spread it on Cameron's shaking form. "You are in shock, just try and relax.

"I'm trying," she muttered between chattering teeth. "I just can't get a decent breath of air."

"I know," House said, "I'm going to get the nurse to start you an IV morphine drip and some oxygen. It should make you feel better." House took a deep breath and wrung his hands nervously, "Cameron, I have to ask. Did this guy rape you?"

Cameron closed her eyes in pain. "No, but he would have if Jake didn't show up. He was feeling me up." She took another shuddering breath, trying to stave off the nausea that was threatening to overtake her.

"I'm sorry." House sat beside her once again and took her hand gently. "I'm going to get the ball rolling here and you can get some rest. I'll just be outside ok? I'm going to send the nurse in and I'll be back once I talk to X-ray."

Cameron closed her eyes and nodded, tears falling down her face. "Thanks House."

T.B.C...