People working at PPTH knew better than to stand in Dr. House's way. Those who didn't know any better—or who didn't know how to read his body language—have a better chance of getting run over by a steam roller and live to tell the tale than to cross the dastardly diagnostician.
House lumbered down the corridors, fuming. He couldn't possibly be losing his finesse in dealing with Cuddy. The daft woman must've married the hospital and signed some iron-clad pre-nup, because she couldn't risk NOT confirming Charles' self-imposed diagnosis on nationwide television. Media, whore, just like Sebastian "I'm here to die for a good cause" Charles, MD (House changed "medical" into "mediocre" for this patient).
He slowed down a few doors away from the patient's room as an idea to thwart the conference began to ferment in his mind. A moment later, he soured at it—Chase was too chicken to streak in the middle of the press con…and even if he wore a paper bag over his head, a lot of people would've recognized his ass, particularly if the news conference reached Australia.
House's thoughts continued in this vein as he neared Charles' room. Just as he was about to slide open the door, he stared into a scene that made him reconsider the streak diversion. He'll have Foreman sneak some joints into the man's pants and then frame him.
Cameron was seated next to Charles' bed, holding his hands. House couldn't tell what Cameron was feeling or thinking, with her back to him, but the meaningful look on Charles' face had galvanized the diagnostician into action…
Cameron had no idea how long she held Sebastian's gaze—hand—before a crippled maniac barged into the room. She was shocked to see the wild look on House's face a split second before he wiped the patient's table top clean with his cane and proceeded to flush Sebastian's cell phone down the toilet.
When House left, the room was a mess of a hotspot—literally. Aside from wreaking havoc on Sebastian's personal effects, the diagnostician also raised the temperature in the room to sauna levels.
Cameron looked at Sebastian in worry. The famous doctor was staring at the ceiling, breathing deeply. Aside from the furious words he exchanged with House, she thought Sebastian took her employer's shenanigans in stride.
"How did you last this long working for that psychopath?" he suddenly asked.
Cameron nearly jumped at that. She composed herself before looking at Sebastian's face, which mirrored the shock and gruffness in his voice. He received a smile from the lovely woman before she called for a nurse to clean up the carnage House left behind. Got to make the room presentable, at least, before the voracious media men eat their fill on the scene of the crime.
"He's—got his moments," Cameron began, as she took the chair she vacated in shock a few minutes earlier and sat on it, facing Sebastian. "When he thinks the patient is being, um—"Cameron made some waving gestures and bit her lip. Dr. Charles got the message.
"A stubborn ass?" he supplied sarcastically. "Or more right than House himself, which would make him look bad?" Sebastian loosened the collar of his robe a bit, finally feeling the heat from the adjusted thermostat.
Cameron shook her head, trying hard not to laugh outright in case House hears her and comes back for Round 2. "From my experience so far, he's usually right." She peered at Sebastian through her thick lashes and the humor was gone from her face. "Is something wrong?"
Sebastian stopped wiping the sweat off his face immediately and put on a bland face, which didn't fool Cameron in the slightest. "Uh, no, nothing—nothing's wrong!"
Cameron frowned.
"I'll go adjust the temp—"
But at that moment, Dr. Lisa Cuddy had arrived with the members of the press.