DISCLAIMER: i don't own House, Cameron, Wilson, Chase, Foreman, Cuddy, PPTH, the Clinic, or anything associated with them. however, i do own the detectives and the suspect.
so here it is, the chapter you've all been waiting for! sorry it may disappoint you, but i kind of struggled with it. there was no inspiration or anything, i just wanted it over with. boo-hoo, i'm losing my touch! waaaah! i'm going to make sure i finish it the way i want, even if it means juggling it with school... well, on with it.
The lack of sleep finally caught up with House down in the clinic. He felt it as soon as he was assigned his first patient. So for the next two hours or so he diagnosed and prescribed treatment for all the runny noses and infections in an almost mechanical manner.
"A runny nose" It's a cold.
"An infected wound" Swab it.
"A sore throat." Tonsillitis. Antibiotics.
"A very sore throat" Infection of the trachea. Antibiotics.
"Numbness in the toes." Shoes are two sizes too small.
"Toothache". Why are you here?
"Constant headaches." Hair is tied too tight.
House had had enough. He needed some sleep or he was going to lose it... well, the rest of it.He stormed out of the clinic into Cuddy, who was at the front desk talking to a nurse.
"How's Cameron?" He demanded.
"Same as she was two hours a-"
"I'm going home, bye." House interrupted Cuddy, and limped out to the car park. It was when he was standing where his car should have been that he realised he had ridden to the hospital in the ambulance. Dammit.
He called for a cab, and fell into bed without even changing clothes. He managed to kick his shoes off, and was asleep when the second one hit the floor.
Although he trusted that Cuddy or one of the other doctors would page him if anything happened to Cameron, he still slept uneasily. But a full night's uneasy sleep was infinitely better than no sleep in any case. He got up, showered, and drove back to the hospital.
-----------------------------------
"No change in the brain or respiratory patterns. She's stable for now, but a lot could still happen." One of the doctors who had been monitoring Cameron reported to House when he arrived back in her room. He said nothing, but headed over to his chair by her bed.
His butt had just touched the seat when the door slid open and the two detectives entered. Oh great, House groaned to himself. Just what I need.
"Dr House?" Luckily for her, Detective Morris remembered how to address him.
"Yeah." House answered flatly.
"We have a lead on Dr Cameron's case." She had also remembered how to address him about Cameron. Smart woman.
"Oh?" She had his full attention now, though he tried not to show it.
"Well, from the angle and depth of the wounds, we can safely say that she was attacked by someone around the same height or a little shorter than her, probably a minor. So I'm going to ask you again – did you see anyone suspicious hanging around outside her apartment building?" She watched him, waiting for an answer.
House tried and tried, but he couldn't remember seeing anyone outside her building. "No, I didn't." he replied after a minute of hard thinking. Detective Morris looked a tad disappointed, but nevertheless she continued to scribble in her notepad. Detective Leonard spoke up, again making House jump.
"We found traces of leather on the knife blade, did you see any discarded clothes?" he asked.
"Who would throw away an authentic leather jacket?" House asked, incredulous. "Regardless of a few holes, you don't just-" he stopped. Something in his mind clicked.
A leather jacket… An infected wound…the angle suggested a minor…House had pulled himself from the chair and was out the door before the detectives had time to blink.
-----------------------------------
Cameron felt him there, and immediately relaxed. You're back…"They caught him. The bastard that did this to you. He came in this morning with an infected cut on his arm, and I swabbed it and sent it down to the lab." House was by her bed, talking to her. He didn't care that he was talking to a comatose patient; all he wanted was her to wake up now that everything was sorted out. "Then Dumb and Dumber came back this morning and told me that the attacker was a kid, and that there was leather on the knife that you jabbed him with, and it all clicked into place. It was quite beautiful, really." He added dreamily.
"I went to the lab, and got the cops to compare the DNA from your knife with the DNA from my swab, and… dun, dun, dun… it was a match! But you already knew that."
Cameron listened to him rattle on, her subconscious form smiling.
"So… you can wake up now." House said as if she was pretending.
If only you knew how much I want to… Cameron had tried, but she didn't feel strong enough. And the pain… it was too much to bear. Maybe if she slept a little longer it would become easier.
yeah, its a bit short... well, its very short. like i said, i had a bit of trouble. so.. review, but be nice. and honest. but if its so bad you cant be honest AND nice, then just be honest and mean. dont worry - i wont cry. bye for now. :)