Title: Blood & Water part i
Pairing: House/Cameron and House/OC
Spoilers: None at present, although this one's set firmly in this season somewhere.
Rating: PG-13 but will progress to PG-17
Summary: I don't want to spoil the kicker at the end of this part, so I'll leave the summaries until part ii.
Blood & Water
X
"Five pm exactly, Dr. House signs out."
Scrawling his name with an exuberant flourish, House made direct eye contact with the duty nurse behind the desk and flashed her the sort of pleasant, non-threatening smile that was guaranteed to throw any members of staff who knew him entirely off their guard. It was a tried and tested method of subterfuge, but one that he resisted using more often, as its effectiveness relied on the well-known and extremely well-documented fact that Dr. Gregory House smiled at no-one. However, as the slab-faced woman in front of him stared coldly back, House realised with a sinking feeling that his usually successful efforts to shirk the last half-hour of his Clinic duties had been thwarted by two fundamental truths. One: the duty nurse was new, and two, she appeared to own a wristwatch.
"It's four thirty-two Dr House."
"It's... what ? Are you...sure?" Shaking his wrist, House held his own watch to his ear and frowned, before raising his eyebrows in a pantomime of bemusement. "I could have sworn someone just said it was...wait a minute, isn't today the start of daylight saving?"
"That's not for another two weeks Dr House."
"I work to the Chinese Calendar."
"And the clocks go back not forward."
"Try telling that to Mao Tse-Tung."
Locking eyes with her, House gripped the handle of his cane with a fierce and grim determination, but her gaze was unwavering; like staring into a hole in the ground. Slowly, he counted to ten before reaching for the pile of charts on his right.
"I'll be in Exam Room One then. Although I do have to urinate first and that has been known to take me as long as...twenty four minutes and thirty-one seconds," a small grimace of contrition, "I just can't seem to get about as fast as I used to..."
"Dr. House."
Closing his eyes, House took a deep inward breath and let it out again through his nose. The now very obvious scent of Gloria Vanderbelt should have alerted him to Cuddy's presence, even if the clouds of brimstone hadn't. After all, that was why he had persuaded Wilson to buy it for her on her last birthday; 'put a bell on the cat, so to speak'. For some reason his proximity alarm didn't work so well though when they were surrounded by the smell of stale sweat and day-old vomit.
"Dr. Cuddy . I was just explaining to the lovely and vivacious Nurse..."
"Phillips."
"...Nurse Phillips here that my pressing need to make water currently outweighs my fervent desire to fulfill my necessary and, can I just say, enriching? And often strangely fulfilling duties as..."
"I need you to stay on till six-thirty."
"Absolutely not."
Her nostrils always flared a little when she was angry. Leaning back, House narrowed his eyes, fingering the handle of his cane, and wondered who or what exactly had put a bug up her administrative ass today. Surely the nostrils weren't merely on account of his slack grasp of the work ethic.
"Cameron had to leave early. I have no-one else to cover."
"Foreman..."
"He's working on the Matthews boy."
"Chase is..."
"He's still not back from Richmond and before you say it, it's only because you suggested his damned name to the board of trustees so it's your own fault he isn't here to cover your ass."
He could feel a headache coming on. Something sharp and ice-picky levering its way between his eye sockets. Rubbing at his temple with the heel of his hand, House swore a vicious and violent revenge on the soft, pliant body of Allison Cameron and mashed the tip of his cane into the ground. As if sensing her triumph, Cuddy stepped in, breathing into his ear.
"Better go take that bathroom break now. You might not get the chance again."
Her ass was disappearing through the double doors by the time he'd even summed up enough energy to ask the question.
"What was so damned important anyway?"
She blinked at him, confused.
"Cameron?"
"Oh..." a small frown and a shake of the head, "She didn't say exactly. Some kind of family emergency."
XX
"This doesn't work ."
Stabbing the nib of the pen into the paper repeatedly, House finally succeeded in spattering a small but significant quantity of ink onto the log sheet before giving up and throwing it down in disgust. Watching him, the duty nurse's pale face remained as impassive as a Baked Alaska. He glowered at her briefly before stumping away.
"Six thirty-five. Write that down when you find something...usable. Like blood or a...rusty nail."
Exhaustion always robbed him of wit. He knew that and, dully, under the background noise of pain and the ever widening gap between his will and his ability to withstand it, he recognised his own limitations. He should have told Cuddy that he was attempting to cut back on his Vicodin intake this week, but his pride and the subsequent warm, encouraging looks he knew that kind of confession was bound to garner had kept him silent. The last thing he needed right now was another of Wilson's little pep talks or Cuddy waving the pious little pom-poms of professional concern under his nose. What he needed was a double shot of Wild Turkey and some quality alone-time with his remote and his new EZ-Boy.
He was half-way through the lobby when all three dropped irrevocably from his mind.
Standing beside the reception desk, a woman stood alone, her arms crossed tightly over her chest and, although only her profile was visible, something about her face; her pale lips and long dark lashes seemed strangely and hauntingly familiar to him.
Dressed simply and elegantly in a tailored grey suit, her dark hair was pulled back low on her neck in a barrette, making her look younger than her actual years, which at a guess he made thirty-five, maybe thirty-seven. Her long slender neck was pale and graceful, as were her hands, and she was tall. Even without the ridiculous heels she had forced her feet into, she had to be at least five ten. Slowing almost to a halt, House slid his eyes sideways as he passed her, shouldering his bag as he did so, and was surprised to see her give him a similarly curious look. Her lips twitched in a smile and, seemingly unable to help himself, House paused, frowning, before slowly making his way over to her.
He was right. At least five-ten.
"I'm sorry...have we...met before?"
It was such an indescribably lame line that he hoped she would take it at face value. Unfolding her arms, she smiled crookedly at him for a second before extending her hand a little. Perfect manicure and an empty ring finger.
"Uh...no. We haven't. Although I've heard a lot about you. Dr. House, right?"
Her voice was warm, a faint Mid-western twang that she'd all but trained out. Gripping her hand, House stared with a sudden unabashed curiosity into her face. It was her eyes. Something about her eyes.
"Isabel O'Connell."
"O' Connell ..."
The name didn't sound familiar but maybe she was related to a patient, one he'd actually spent time with. What was the name of that girl who'd been hearing voices? The one that Chase had been so fascinated with.
"It's Irish. He was Irish. My husband." She answered the question before he could answer it, dropping his hand and re-crossing her arms as she did so. She shrugged. "We're separated."
"Ah."
Behind him, the Clinic doors slapped open, dispensing a harassed looking mother with four squalling kids in tow. Momentarily distracted, House turned to watch their progress across the lobby, before returning his full attention to her. Checking the display of her mobile phone, Isabel was frowning slightly. Chewing on his lower lip reflectively, House watched her for a long silent moment. That she was beautiful was a matter of simple fact, but it wasn't that that was drawing his attention right now. What that was was something he didn't altogether understand.
Clearing his throat, House looked outside into the darkness. Suddenly the appointment he'd made with his EZ-Boy didn't seem quite so urgent any more.
"You know I was just going to get a cup of coffee across the street. You're welcome to join..."
"Ally!"
Oblivious to his words, Isabel stepped quickly past him. Later, when he'd had time to think about it, House was fairly sure she must have heard him, but for the moment he was grateful that she didn't respond. Grateful because the 'Ally' that she was so intent on hugging at that exact moment was non other than Dr. Allison Cameron.
"Issy...I'm so sorry, I got held up in traffic. And then when I got there you'd already gone."
Her chin hooked awkwardly over the much taller woman's shoulder, Cameron looked at the same time both childlike and protective as she wrapped her in a warm affectionate embrace. Shaking her head again in an expression House knew all too well, she backed off a step or two before looking her full in the face. Neither of them seemed even aware of his presence.
"You ok? Mom said..."
"Mom worries too much," a shrug, "I just felt like visiting. Can't I visit my baby sister without it being some big emergency?"
Something flipped inside him; a switch, like someone flooding a room full of light. Only it was a room he hadn't visited ina good long while. It was a room he liked to pretend had never existed. Looking down at the handle of his cane, House wondered silently if he could make it to the door before either of them turned and saw him. Or better still somehow rewind the course of time and take back the words he'd just heard himself utter just seconds before to Allison Cameron's older sister.
"Dr. House..."
Stepping away from Isabel, Cameron's gaze was surprised and wary. As she crossed her arms over her chest, House rolled his eyes. Of course. The idiosyncratic Cameron Clench should have been the only clue he needed.
"I'm...sorry you had to cover for me. I had...Cuddy said it wasn't a problem..."
"It wasn't."
Raising an eyebrow sharply, House looked past her shoulder. Standing directly behind her sister now, the resemblance between them both was obvious. Same mouth, same pale full lips, same cheekbones. And the eyes. Of course, how could he forget the eyes.
"I may...I'll be a little late in tomorrow. Issy...my sister just got into town and I'd like to take her out to breakfast if that's ok." When he didn't reply immediately, her frown deepened. "I'm owed two weeks paid leave..."
"Unbunch the panties, Cameron. Did I say no?"
Her glare froze the air between them, "No."
"Take the day off, " swinging out his cane, House lurched past her, keeping his eyes down, "Hell take the whole week off for all I care, just clear it with Cuddy first. And tell her I don't work past five again unless she sweetens the deal."
Palming the phial from his pocket, he levered the lid off and slipped two Vicodin into his mouth without breaking his stride. He was almost to the door when Isabel's voice reached him.
"It was good to finally meet you Dr.House."
It seemed safest to pretend that he hadn't heard her.
TO BE CONTINUED IN PART II