Chapter 4

"How are you feeling?"

He smiled, but refused to look directly at her. He didn't like being the patient. And he wasn't comfortable with Cameron seeing him like this. He had hated that Stacy saw him so weak, but for some reason, it even felt worse knowing Cameron was going through it now. He didn't want her to think even less of him than what she must now.

He answered, "Now that they've resumed pain killers, damn fine."

She nodded her head in affirmation and stepped closer to the bed. Foreman had told her over the phone that the ketamine had failed to work. Her heart sank low for him, but it also hurt her soul. Cameron knew there was not much chance of him grabbing her into his arms while he was still physically challenged. She didn't care about his leg, but he did. She knew that he thought everyone else did, too.

Sitting down in the chair next to him, she placed her elbows on her knees and inhaled deeply. She decided to sit back up. Her green eyes pierced right into his. "There is a man," she said. She then paused.

House's eyebrows rose. "From Kilimanjaro?"

She glared at him in the manner House had become fairly familiar with. She continued, "He's made me an offer."

House rolled his eyes. "You're not Jane Austen for crying out loud. You aren't going to lose the family estate if you don't marry him, are you?"

She crossed her arms in front of her chest. "He didn't propose," she barked, "but he's done a hell of a lot more than you have."

His eyes widened into that bewildered gaze he had so often given her. "Who is it?" House practically whispered.

Cameron knew that if she told him who it was, it would change the answer to the question she was about to ask. She looked at him squarely and said, "The person is attractive, has a good job, and is intelligent. Does that satisfy you?"

He knew she was baiting him. He secretly enjoyed it when she did, but this was becoming uncomfortably dangerous. "Wait a minute," he guffawed, smiling, "are you actually talking about Cuddy?" He snapped his fingers in disappointment. "I told her not to sleep with you. You know, unless I was present and all."

Despite herself, Cameron smiled as she looked down at the floor. She didn't know how much House ached every time she did that, that confident but bashful thing. Some of the times, thinking about being with her hurt more than his leg, but this pain tended to be welcome, considering it came with the fantasy.

He took her all in, the texture of her hair, the scent of her perfume, how her clothes perfectly fit on her body. His voice was the only sound in the room. "You don't love him."

As she looked back up, she declared, "I need to know how you feel before I give this man an answer. I owe all of us that. You owe us that."

He thought about it for a second. House had been so sure that she would be waiting at his side for him to wake up. She hadn't. All the old fears suffocated the dreams he had of her while he was sleeping. He couldn't make her happy, and he knew it.

His sky blue eyes hit hers. House drew a shaky breath, then uttered, "Go with this guy. He sounds like a regular Colin Firth."

"That's not an answer, House."

It was his turn to look down. Quietly he said, "Yes it is."

Although she had predicted it would happen, her head snapped back in surprise. House had rejected her again, for about the third time in roughly a year and a half. Her throat was thick, and she was afraid she might start gasping for air. Cameron's lips formed a straight line as she stood up from her chair. She didn't want to cry until she left the hospital.

She looked at him one last time before she fled the room. "Don't worry, House," she said, almost pushing each word from her mouth. "You'll never have to answer that question for me again. I'm sorry to have disturbed you while you are trying to recuperate. How selfish of me." Cameron turned around and stomped away.

He wanted to scream at her to stop, that he had lied, that all he wanted to do was kiss her and hold her. But he squeezed his eyes shut and let her go. Whoever this guy was, he had to be a better man than him.

TBC