Chapter 11
They stood there looking at each other, not knowing what to say. The children were still sitting on the ground, feeling uncomfortable from the tension between the two adults.
Cameron broke the spell by crouching down by Alex. "What happened?" she asked her daughter.
"Matt and me was racing and I falled. Matt asked him to help." Alex pointed to House, who was still standing there. His mind had not yet registered what happened.
Alex continued, "Matt asked him to help and he came over to look at my leg. He sayed my knee not breaked, only scratch"
Matt nodded his head in agreement. "Mommy, it's true. I did asked for help but only because Sis was crying"
Cameron frowned slightly at her son, as she examined Alex's leg. "Matt, how many times have I told you to not talk to strangers"
"I'm sorry, Mommy. I did 'cuz Alex was crying. And I no like to see her cry"
"Mommy, don't be mad at Matt. He only wanted to help me," Alex pleaded her mother.
Cameron smiled slightly at her children. She was happy to see how deeply they cared for one another.
"I'm not mad. I just want you to be more careful the next time. Okay"
The twins nodded their heads.
House must've found his voice again for he interrupted their little moment when he said, "Aww…how touching. One big happy family."
Cameron's smile faltered, but continued talking to her children as if House wasn't there.
"Here are the snacks and drinks," she said pointing to the backpack. "I'll leave them by this tree in case you guys get hungry or thirsty. You guys continue playing, I'll be talking to Mister over here, okay"
The children nodded their heads once more. They each gave their mother a kiss before running off to play.
Cameron stared after them with a little smile on her face when House interrupted her thoughts again.
"So…Dr. Allison Cameron has children. Twins, in fact. How lovely," his voice dripping with malice, bitterness, and a faint tinge of hurt that was covered up with sarcasm.
Cameron slowly stood up. She closed her eyes and exhaled once before turning around to face him.
The stubble still covered the lower part of his face. His mouth was stretched in a thin line of indignation. Dark circles that formed under his eyes gave Cameron the impression of exhaustion. Exhaustion from cases, exhaustion from waiting for the love of life to come back.
Cameron's gaze traveled up further until it met his eyes. They were still as blue as the sky on a bright, sunny day. Perhaps even more so. The irises may appear full of life, vibrant, but at a closer look, it showed coldness. His eyes revealed dark tunnels that seemed to stretch for miles without hope of finding the light at the end of it. It could make a person feel like they are falling, falling until the end of time for the pit was bottomless. That was how cold and dark his eyes seemed. Because of those eyes, his face showed no emotion; thus, giving his expression a feeling of detachment from anyone and anything.
Cameron couldn't look at his face any longer. She quickly turned away from the scrutiny of his gaze. She turned her head to look at her children, who were playing together in the open space by the pathway. Their laughter could be heard ringing through the park.
House's gaze reluctantly left Cameron's face and turned towards the children. The girl was a splitting image of her mother. With the dark brown hair and the creamy white skin, Alex could've been Cameron's twin instead of the boy's. The boy himself didn't look much like Cameron. He had sandy-colored hair and his cheekbones weren't as high as Cameron's. Nonetheless, he was still an attractive boy. Together, the children made an adorable pair.
House soon looked away from that scene. He couldn't deal with the idea of Cameron being a mother, much less a mother to twins. The children looked like they are around five years old, which meant that Cameron had moved on around the time that she quit her job, House thought.
House smiled bitterly at the thought of Cameron getting together with someone while he was sitting in his office, going through bottle after bottle of alcohol, regretting her departure.
He looked back at Cameron. He couldn't deal with the silence any longer so he said, "Why'd you move"
Cameron was taken back by his question. "How'd you know I moved"
"I came by two weeks after you left to…" he trailed off, not sure of what to say. Should he tell her that he came by to proclaim his love for her only to find out that she had left? He wanted to tell her that. He wanted to badly but…he was afraid she wouldn't accept his answer. She had given him many chances before and he didn't take them.
How can he tell her that he never realized what he had until it was gone? Even though the line sounded like it came straight out of a sappy movie, it was true. He didn't realize how much he cared for her until she left. Left her job, left Princeton, left him.
"When you came by to…?" Cameron said, disrupting his thoughts.
"When I came by to…to ask you to come back to work. Again, for the second time"
"Why"
"Because Cuddy was making me interview sniveling, stuck-ups. I thought that I could've save the trouble by asking you to come back," he said, choosing to not look her in the face.
Cameron quietly asked, "Even if I was there…what made you think I would come back"
House was silent. He didn't know what would happen. He had half hoped that Cameron would profess her love for him then come back to work. He wasn't expecting for her to leave Princeton.
"Greg?" Cameron asked worriedly.
House snapped his head towards Cameron. "What did you just call me"
"I called you Greg"
Her simple answer made his heart stop again for the second time that day. She had called him Greg, not House, but Greg. She didn't see House, her former misanthropist boss that was crippled whose only emotions that he ever portrayed were anger or sarcasm. No, she had called him Greg, a man that she had feelings for.
Cameron continued when she felt uncomfortable with House's silence. "I had quit so I thought that since I'm not one of your little ducklings anymore, I could call you by your first name. You know, as your equal"
House broke the tension between them when he said, "So…you still a doctor"
"Yeah, I found a temporary job at St. Francis Medical Center in Trenton. I just moved back here about four months ago so I hadn't found a permanent home or job yet"
"'Just moved back"
"After I quit my job, I traveled to Georgia where my parents live. I lived with them during the pregnancy. They were helpful. Especially after I found out I was carrying twins," she added softly.
The silence consumed them once more. House clenched his jaw from the pain in his leg. He didn't want to pop a Vicodin in front of Cameron because for some reason, he felt that he had to keep his appearance up around her. He didn't want her to think that he was weak.
Cameron noticed the pain in his features so she casually suggested, "Wanna sit on the bench? My legs are getting tired from standing around." House gave a slight nod.
Once they were settled, they spent several minutes staring at the children run around, playing. They seemed so carefree…so innocent.
"Where's their father"
Cameron didn't reply. She continued watching her children as if she didn't hear him. She didn't want to tell him that he was their father. It would devastate him to know that he missed all their firsts. Their first breath, their first smile, their first tooth, their first steps, their first words.
She smiled slightly at the thought of their first words. Both of them had said "Daddy" as their first word. Matt had said it first. Cameron had clapped her hands and laughed and kissed him with tears brimming her eyes. Alex must've been jealous with all the attention Matt got or for some other reason but whatever the cause was, she had repeated her brother. They both spoke their first words on the same day.
Tears gradually began to fill her eyes. She felt guilty from not letting House knows how much he had missed. He didn't even know about the children's existence and it was all her fault. She couldn't keep the secret any longer. She had to tell…no matter what the outcome will be. He might leave her and the children. She'll accept that fact. All she wants right now is for him to know he is the father of two beautiful, wonderful kids. She had to tell him about their children…and it's either now or never.
"Cameron?" House's voice shook Cameron from her reverie.
She turned to face him. "They don't have a father"
Bursts of anger erupted inside him. He turned away from her gaze. You have got to be kidding me! First you got together with some guy that you probably met at a bar. Then when you got pregnant, the guy just upped and left! You have got to be kidding me! If I ever find the guy, I'll-
"Greg?" Cameron interrupted the rant in his mind when she noticed a twitch in his jaw and that he was slowly clenching and unclenching his hand. "Are you alright"
"Tell me, Cameron, about the wonderful guy you met. To start off, you met him around the time you quit your job, judging by the age of your children. Then once he found out you were pregnant, he bolted! Just tell me about the freaking fantastic guy you--"
"Greg!"
He pivoted his head towards the speaker. "What? You don't want to say anything bad about the father of your children? Nice, polite Cameron doesn't want to talk about the man who got her pregnant then left her behind his back"
Cameron was silent. It's either now or never, she told herself.
"Greg…I…I"
"What? Do you want to tell me that you still love him? That you loves the one who made you cry yourself to sleep countless nights? That the first thing you think of when you wake is him?"
"Yes," she whispered softly.
House couldn't believe his ears. "You what"
"I still love him," she said quietly, as a single tear rolled down her right cheek. House didn't know what to say. He couldn't bring himself to look at her in the face.
Cameron took the advantage of his silence by saying, "I still love you"
He snapped his head towards her. "What did you say"
"I still love you." More silence consumed them.
She continued. "When I quit…I…I…I was pregnant"
"So I was right. You did meet him around the time of your resignation. I take it that's what you meant when you say 'personal reasons"
She gave a small nod, then bent her head forward, looking at her feet rather than at House, who didn't seem to connect the dots yet. He still thought that she got pregnant by someone else.
This made it even harder for Cameron to break the news to him. It's not like she can just come right out and say, "Just so you know, you got me pregnant and when I quit my job, I left without telling you. So now five years later, I'm telling you now."
"So…do I know him"
Another small nod. "You know him very well"
"It's not Wilson, is it?" She shook her head. "Chase?" Another shake. "Foreman"
"No"
"Carl from book-keeping?" She didn't answer him.
She lifted her head. "You"
House was shocked speechless. His brain didn't seem to register what she said.
"Me"
She didn't reply.
They sat there in silence. When the initial shock had worn off, House soon became angry.
"You were pregnant and you didn't tell me? I had gotten you pregnant and you didn't tell me?" House was practically yelling at her.
"I tried to…but you wouldn't listen"
"When did you try to tell me, Dr. Cameron?" He had went back to calling her Dr. Cameron. It signified him pushing her away, his shield from pain.
"That night in your office"
House couldn't believe what he was hearing. "'Willing to commit?' That was what you were talking about"
"Yes"
"Why didn't you just come right out and say it? Don't dance around what you were going to say and just say it. You have got to be kidding me"
She didn't say anything. She had expected this, so she let him say whatever was on his chest.
"I can't believe you! I am a father and you didn't tell me? Father of twins! Twins! Not one, but two!" He stopped for a minute to catch his breath.
When his breathing got back to normal, he looked at her with such anger that she quickly looked away.
"I can't believe you're telling me that you love me after all these years! After you left your job, left Princeton, left me! After all these years, I find out I'm a father!"
He continued, "I can't believe you. I spent months, not weeks, but months blaming myself for your resignation! My office and my home looked worse than Ground Zero after 9-11! For God's sake, I stopped eating! Do you know the only things I consumed Dr. Cameron? Bottles of Vicodin and booze! That's all, nothing else! Wilson had to stop by several times bringing food because I didn't step one foot outside my home!
But then I slowly came to accept it. I began eating solid foods again and then, slowly started going back to work. After a while, I thought that everything was going to be alright. I thought that you're going to come back and we would be fine again. But now…now you sprung this surprise on me! I can't believe you"
Cameron sat there, not saying anything with tears now freely streaming down her face. She didn't know what to say. She thought that Greg didn't care for her, so she gave him up. She left. She didn't know that she caused him this much heartache.
She looked up at Greg, who was now standing up from the bench.
"Greg…I…I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. I thought you didn't care for me. You know I still love you, Greg"
House couldn't look at her. He kept his face blank and his voice cold. He continued staring straight ahead as he said, "Don't…don't you dare sit there and tell me that you still love me. I don't want to hear any of it. If you love me, how could you leave me like that? And worse, you left without telling me that I got you pregnant. No…no. If you had truly loved me, you wouldn't do that to me. You would've stayed. You would've told me. No. You didn't love me, Dr. Cameron"
He started to walk away.
"Greg," Cameron called after him, her voice shaking with emotions.
He stopped a few steps away. For a moment, Cameron thought that he would come back. With hopes high, she stood up from the bench.
But all her hopes were soon dashed when he said quite angrily, "Good luck and Goodbye, Dr. Cameron. It wasn't a pleasure to see you again"
Cameron watched hopelessly after him, her heart breaking into a million pieces. Her shoulders shook with crying.
"Greg," she called after him softly. The tears were now falling off her chin and into oblivion.
"Greg."
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Author's Note: Hope you guys will like this chapter! Contact me about what you think needs fixing and remember, critisms are more than welcome!
P.S. I was informed that my Anonymous reviews butoon was disabled. Well, I fixed it so now if you want to remain anonymous, you can do so.