Disclaimer: House MD is property of David Shore and Fox TV only the plot is mine.

Haunted

Chapter 13: What Happens in Angola Stays in Angola

Hour 29

Them hum of the florescent light was the only noise in the room as Dr. House flicked on the switch to view th results of the MRI. Four tired doctors gathered around the light board hoping for the smallest of hints that could unlock this mystery. "What do we see?" House posed the question but already knew the answer as he stared at the pictures of Cameron's brain.

Chase stared at it for a moment before reluctantly speaking up. "Parabronchial thickening."

"Enlarged hilar lymph nodes." Foreman said with a sigh as he crossed his arms..

"Purile effasions." Wilson finished out the new symptoms lowering his head so that he was looking at his shoes and not at the board.

"Parabronchial thickening, enlarged hilar lymph nodes, and purile effasions." House repeated what his team and best friend had said as he gave the results on final look over before limping over to his desk and sitting down and taking out his yo yo. "Any new and shiney ideas would be helpful."

"Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome ." Foreman suggested when nothing else came to mind.

"No, HPS would only account for the fever and O2 stats and none of her other symptoms." Wilson said but could come up with nothing better himself.

"Ebola?" Chase suggested after a moments thought. "It doesn't account for all of her symptoms but it nothing accounts for all of them."

"Marburg." The trio of doctors sitting around House's desk looked up at the older diagnostician and waited for an explanation. "Remember a little epidemic that was going on in Angola last year?"

"Yeah, a Marburg outbreak." Wilson spoke up. "It was the worst outbreak of any hemorrhagic fever." He remembered reading about it last spring. It had received quite a bit of press.

Chase grabbed the folder of House's desk and flipped it open to view the history. "It says that Mr. Gale was in the Peace Corps. He spent six months in Angola last year."

"He could have contracted the virus there and brought it back and gave it to Lily." Foreman beamed as he took the file away from Chase.

"Forget the MDR treatment get her started on vasopressers stat." House ordered but they were already heading out the door.

Hour 30

Cameron was still unconscious from the sedatives. They thought it best to let her be out of it for a while so that she wouldn't be in pain. Nurse Brenda had returned to the hospital for her next shift an hour early and was sitting with her when Chase and Foreman came into the room. "Good afternoon, doctors." She greeted warmly giving them a bright smile.

"Hi, Brenda." Foreman nodded to her as he began to treat Cameron with the vasopressers.

"How are you?" Chase asked while giving Foreman a hand. They knew that Brenda was one of Cameron's few visitors. Actually she was her only visitor besides the people treating her. She didn't want her family contacted.

"I'm just fine." She gave them another warm smile then turned her face serious as she looked down at the immunologist lying in the bed. "How is the case coming along?" She asked in a bit of a worried tone.

"Its been bumpy but we think that this latest treatment might be the one." Foreman told her in a reassuring tone as he finished his preparations.

"Marburg virus." Chase stated as he checked the status of the lesions. He pulled back her gown and saw that they were now covering her chest. Brenda gave a slight grimace at the sight as Chase continued. "We think Mr. Gale might have brought it back from Angola. We'll know in a couple hours if treatment is working or not."

"Dr. House thinks this is promising?" She asked the younger doctor who was now covering Cameron back up and pulling the sheet up around her almost tucking her in like you would a child when you put her to bed.

"He thinks so." Chase put a hand on her arm to reassure her before drawing several tubes of blood. He figured he might as well get more blood while she was sleeping so that it wouldn't cause her pain when she came out of sedation.

"He really is a brilliant man. I just wish he'd be a little less of an ass sometimes." The two doctors and nurse Brenda shared a laugh at this as they put the finishing touches on vasopressers.

"I think we'd all agree with that statement." Foreman shook his head as he checked all the monitors making sure her stats were where they should be.

"Oh come on guys. He's not that bad." Chase defended his boss. Yeah he could be quite an ass but he always got the job done even if it meant trouble for him and the team.

"You always cease to amaze me Chase." Foreman laughed again this time at the confused look on Chase's face as he stared at the neurologist questioningly.

"What?" He said, his voice squeaking lightly as his accent thickened. Brenda just sat back and watched. She always thought it to be quite funny when the ducklings, as they had come to be called, bickered.

"No matter what he does you always think he walks on water." Even with the Vogler incident Chase had still defended House's actions.

"No, Cameron thinks he walks on water. I think that he's a damn good doctor even though his tactics are a bit unorthodox at times." Chase had just finished his explanation when he heard the familiar thump of a cane behind him. Turning around he saw Dr. House with a smirk on his face and Wilson behind him walking into the room nodding a greeting to Brenda.

"What have I told you kids about talking about people behind their backs?" Both Foreman and Chase lowered their heads and walked out the door with House behind them as they headed off to the lab. Brenda left as well. She had to start her rounds.

Hour 31

Wilson stayed to sit with her for a few moments. The sedatives would be wearing off soon and he didn't want her to wake up alone. He felt his eyelids beginning to droop after sitting for only a minute. He tried to brush off the feeling but with every blink it became harder and harder to open his eyes. One the seventh blink they didn't open.

"Dr. Wilson?" Wilson jumped to attention at the sound of the voice. Cameron was still asleep so it wasn't her. He turned his head as he felt a hand on his arm. Cuddy was standing next to him with a sympathetic look in her eye as he rubbed his face.

"Sorry, I must have fallen asleep." He said as he stood up and paced a few times hoping that would wake him up a little.

"It's alright. This is a hard case and you've been up for over twenty four hours." Cuddy reassured the drowsy oncologist. "Any changes?" Wilson proceeded to tell her their theory about Marburg and the father bringing it back from Angola. "Do you think it will work?"

"We'll know in a couple hours." Wilson said. He was afraid to sit back down so instead he leaned against the wall with his arms crossed.

"She may not have that much time if you're wrong."

"Funny thing, time." Wilson pushed himself off the wall and walked towards the door. He knew he needed to find something to do or he would fall asleep again. "Its every where yet we never seem to have enough of it."