Hear No Evil

by Jazelle1996

An adventurous story with lots of suspense, twists, love, cliffhangers and surprises. Lots of medical drama and plenty clinic patients for House to diagnosis. COMPLETE

19. Chapter 19

The gang heads to Atlantic City, where House still does his medical magic!

CHAPTER NINETEEN

TIME LAPSE: Three weeks later, the afternoon of Tuesday, May 9th

In Pine Springs, N.J., Dr. Robert Chase finally finished packing, after an hour of taking extra special care not to 'ruin' the surprises for 'his girl'. He had less than an hour to go pick her up and drive to the hospital to meet their transportation to the conference in Atlantic City, N.J.

In Rosedale, Dr. Allison Cameron sat on her bed, looked at an empty suitcase and sighed heavily. She didn't want to go, not after the way 'her guy' had been acting. Even her parents were acting funny, especially her mother.

A few weeks ago, Mom Cameron (hereto referred to as Mom C) called her niece, Toni to come visit for a few days. But she had an ulterior motive for inviting her, a motive her daughter Cameron would figure out soon enough.

FLASHBACK TWO WEEKS EARLIER:

"Allie, Toni's here!" Mom C called from the front door to Cameron, who was upstairs in the sitting area at the computer, in between doing laundry because her washing machine had broken and the apartment maintenance crew wouldn't be able to fix it for four days.

Cameron rolled her eyes and pretended not to hear her mom holler out to her. She didn't dislike Toni but she just didn't really LIKE her very much. She was crass, snotty at times, a know-it-all, opinionated, domineering, everything and more that Cameron hated in a personality trait. 'Wow, kinda sounds like House.' She snickered to herself.

But the funny thing was they were only 13 months apart in age, with Cameron the oldest but they could have been sisters instead of cousins. They had the same length and color hair (although Cameron adds some highlights), same shaped face, same build and some of the same mannerisms that Cameron swore Toni had copied from her. They may look alike, but she was glad she was nothing like Toni.

She lost her train of thought when she suddenly heard foot stomps on the carpeted stairs ascend in her direction and Toni appear at the top of the stairs.

"Owlie! HI! It's been so long since I've seen you!" Toni squealed as she met Cameron in a hug. Cameron closed her eyes, put on a fake smile and returned the welcome.

An hour later the girls were in the bathroom, with loads of makeup in front of them, including every shade of eye shadow ever made the past ten years. Cameron was sitting up on the edge of the counter and Toni just finished applying a moisturizer on her. That was only after Cameron had to endure 45 minutes of 'you do this this way and you do that that way…'. Cameron thought she would puck right in the toilet.

"Toni, we really don't have to do this. I've got loads of laundry to do for work and we have the conference in two weeks and…" Cameron said, trying to get out of the torture her cousin was putting her through, not necessarily because she was so busy.

"Now, Auntie Emily said I had to do this or she wouldn't leave me the pearl necklace Granny gave to her, which should have gone to my mom." Toni said snottily.

Cameron gave her a confused look then was about to tell her off when Toni said, "Oh, I can't believe I said that. I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have said that…look, there's a reason why I'm doing this but I can't tell you why."

Cameron calmed down a bit and asked, "Why not?"

"Because it's a surprise. Now shut up and let me show you how to make you beauteous!" Toni said with a smile.

"I already look beauteous." Cameron said, suddenly relaxed and the two women giggled.

"Now, keep your eyelids closed…no, don't squint so hard…" Toni told her as she was putting on the eyeliner.

"I HAVE put on makeup before, Toni Spamoni!" Cameron shot back but said it with a smile.

"Oh, but not my way, dear cousin"…

FLASHFORWARD TO THE PRESENT

In Longview, NJ, Dr. Gregory House continued to lie in bed, stared at the ceiling, procrastinating until the last possible minute he had before he had to go to PPTH. He figured if he waited long enough, he'd miss the bus Cuddy had set up so he would have to ride his bike there, which was fine and dandy with him.

Mom and Dad House had volunteered to take Charnie since their visit weeks before and would keep her most of the summer. At first he was relieved they offered, but being in the house alone, well, he had Wayni, but it wasn't Charnie. He missed her. He really missed her. He made a mental note never to let his parents take her for that long a period again.

In Edenton, NJ, Dr. James Wilson cleaned the last plate from lunch earlier that day and was drying his hands. He walked into the living room and found Sarah sitting on the couch, her head on her folded right arm and fast asleep, dead to the world. She had been that way the past month. The radiation treatments were starting to take their toll on her physically, but not mentally. She was a strong woman, and he loved her for that. And the prognosis was good, excellent even for a full recovery this time.

Little Charlie was sitting next to her happily reading a book for school. His teacher, Mrs. Maruka, gave the kids an assignment to read as many books as they could before the end of the current school year. So far, Charlie was ahead of the other students by four books, and Wilson couldn't have been more proud of his son…their son.

Wilson whispered to Charlie, "Hey, bud, wanna help me with my bag?"

"Yeah! Ye…" He hollered out but his Dad sshh'd him with his finger to his mouth.

As Wilson said goodbye to Charlie on the front porch of the house he made sure to tell him how proud he was of him and that he was not worried whatsoever about leaving 'Charlie to watch over his mother.'

Charlie's little chest popped out, he got a big smirk on his face and said, "She won't get into enny twouble, Daddy, pwomise!"

A short distance from Edenton, right before Dr. Rog Nelson left for PPTH, he made sure the oven was turned off, the refrigerator was turned down to a low, acceptable temp, the water was shut off from the clothes washer, the t.v. and stereo were unplugged (in case there was a bad storm, which was the case, or so he heard, in NJ from Spring storms), the patio sliding glass door was closed, locked and secured with a wooden stick in the tracks.

Now, the last thing he had to do was set his radio in his bedroom alarm #1 for 4:00 am, set alarm #2 for 5:30 am, turn the volume up to as loud as it would go and smiled sheepishly. His stupid neighbors had been making a whole bunch of noise from parties they had during March Madness, especially when GMU played FLA. But he was only pissed at his neighbors because they were rooting for FLA, and Becka graduated from GMU, and of course GMU lost….but that was only the beginning.

What really was irking him was the three or four times a week they made 'those noises' from their bedroom and he could hear every squeal, moan, groan, you name it. But he knew they both get up at 7 am every morning, and the 4:00 and 5:30 would be just 'perfect' for getting them back.

He was so grateful House told him the exact story of how he dealt with an old roommate…when he did the same to Wilson because he was making him lose his much needed 'be nice' sleep.

Rog left his apartment and headed to PPTH, for four days of fun-filled gambling, drinking, partying, losing money gambling and the stupid ten hour conference.

"Someone please remind me why I'm doing this!" He said out loud to no one near him as he walked down his front walkway.

In Carter, NJ, Foreman's bag was already packed, by Nancy, before she left for work that morning. He just loved how organized she is, but sometimes…well, sometimes she could be TOO organized. It was almost to the point of driving him insane. But, at least he never lost any books or papers or the keys or the umbrella.

Before he left for PPTH he made sure to put out the vase with three red roses on the kitchen table for her when she came home from work. But he had second thoughts after he saw it sitting there. He wasn't sure exactly WHY he was having second thoughts, or exactly WHAT he was having second thoughts about.

Dr. Lisa Cuddy sat on the curb in the parking lot of PPTH, on the West side of the building, and waited for her 'staff' to arrive so they could leave for the conference. She kept looking at her watch, sipping from her coffee that she knew she shouldn't have gotten this late in the day and grew more and more impatient.

"They are more than half an hour late! Why is it they're always on time at work but for conferences they're late!" Cuddy screamed at the driver of the minibus, who only looked at her and smiled.

"I think you forgot to get in the 'Patience' line and spent most of your time in the 'Control' line before you were born!" The man said laughing.

"Oh, shut up A.J.!" Cuddy replied then laughed herself. "I guess it'll save me from staying out all night and miss the conference

in the morning."

"There ya go, sis! Think on the bright side!" A.J. said.

Suddenly both of their attentions were drawn on a vehicle that was blasting the horn and racing toward them at a speed definitely too fast into a parking spot.

"Robert, you are SUCH an idiot!" Cameron hollered at him as he turned off the engine. She stormed out of the car, grabbed her own bag and approached Cuddy and A.J. She got in the bus without saying a word to either of them.

When Chase walked toward the bus he looked at Cuddy and said, "I think this is really going to backfire."

Cuddy looked at him concerned. "Don't worry, I'll talk to her."

"Don't you dare tell her…" Chase started to say but Cuddy interrupted him.

"I wouldn't, don't worry. Now get in, will ya!" She said authoritatively but with a smile.

A few minutes later, Wilson arrived, immediately followed by Foreman and Rog.

"Where's House?" Wilson asked Cuddy before he got on the bus when he didn't see either his bike or his mustang.

"I don't know and I don't care. We're already more than an hour late. Let's get going, A.J." Cuddy said as she looked at the faces of the passengers to make sure she had everyone she was supposed to have.

And most of the gang was now on their way to Atlantic City, NJ for what was to be a very exciting and unforgettable adventure, as was their first vacation in upstate New York.

But, hopefully no one will get shot.

They arrived at the Taj Mahal Casino and Hotel excited. Everyone was mesmerized by the sounds of the slots, people screaming in winning joy and the people walking in the lobby in every kinds of stylish clothes, from shorts and t-shirts to evening gowns, the ladies' necks with Diamond encrusted necks and bracelets walking like they owned the place; even a white mink shawl.

While it wasn't the first time in A.C. for Foreman and Cameron, it was Chase's first time. He walked directly toward the slot machines while the others stood waiting for Cuddy to the rooms.

"Chase! Hold on! We'll check into the rooms and then come back down, okay?" Foreman hollered out to him but he kept on walking.

"Let him go. This place is big enough for him to get lost in." Cameron said snottily to Foreman.

"He's your boyfriend." Foreman retorted. Cameron rolled her eyes and chased Chase down.

When she caught up with him she practically had to pull him with all her strength back to the lobby. "But they're calling my name! I wanna play!" Chase whined like a little kid in a candy store.

"Chase, you might not want to gamble while we're here." Cuddy said with a laugh as she approached them with the keys in her hand.

"I don't have a problem with gambling." Chase told her with a slight blush.

"You sure as hell do! You decided to work for House, didn't you?" Foreman asked laughing, but the others didn't join in. He looked at them confused until he noticed their gaze was drawn behind him and turned to see House giving him a death glare.

"Thanks for covering for me." Foreman said to his coworkers.

"Hey, we tried to warn you." Cameron said with a smile.

"Oh, I just thought you guys were having a seizure." Foreman shot back.

"Chase, I think you are running late for your Gambler's Anonymous meeting!" House teased.

"Oh, that's not til tomorrow morning." Foreman answered for Chase.

"Ok, just one rule: whatever is said or done here stays here." House said.

"That's Vegas, House. But the hookers are all booked here, your loss." Wilson told him.

Cuddy changed the subject real quick and said, "Okay, you and Foreman are sharing a room handing Rog a key , this is yours and Cameron's handing the key to Chase , here's yours and Wilson's handing the key to Wilson, even though House tried to grab it ..."

"You've got one key left, and I assume that's your private room? How come I don't get a private room?" House asked Cuddy seriously.

"Because I'm the boss." She said flatly. House bent his head in defeat. "Okay, let's go. We can get some serious gambling in before we have to get to bed for the conference tomorrow." She said as she started walking down the lobby toward the elevators.

"She only gets out every two years." House said with a snicker as he handed Rog his duffle bag. He looked at him startled because he was carrying Cuddy's bag already, but he managed with all three bags. When they reached the elevators everyone turned left but House.

Cameron stopped, turned, looked at him and said, "House, the elevators are this way."

"I don't need a babysitter." House snapped, not turning around to face her. "I've got a date with a horse named Joyous Jazz in 15 minutes."

"I'm not going to spend the night chasing you down, House. You're on your own." Wilson told him.

"Great! Just what I wanted." He said as he turned the corner and disappeared out of view.

"Let him go. Maybe he'll get lost." Cuddy snickered as the elevator doors opened and they all piled in.

Cameron and Chase entered their suite and she commented on the decor: Indian style headboard over the king sized bed, jacuzzi in the bathroom and even the toiletries. Chase put their bags on the floor by the armoire and looked out the window.

"Allie, we have a view of the oceanfront."

Cameron seemed excited and ran to the window, smiling as she saw the seagulls fly around lit by the bright lights from the hotel and boardwalk. Her shoulder brushed up against his and she quickly backed away from him, throwing herself on the bed.

"Do you want to go downstairs?" She asked him, hoping he would to leave her to take a nice soak in the jacuzzi.

"Not really." He said as he sat down next to her. "Allison, what have I done to make you so angry with me?" He finally asked.

"Oh, beside the fact that you're keeping secrets from me, been ordering me around, driving like a maniac and whispering behind my back, nothing, really." She said snottily.

Chase chuckled, which only seemed to make her angrier. "Fine, I'll go downstairs for a while and you stay up here." She said as she stood up and headed for the door.

He caught up with her at the door and stood in her way. "Robert, let me go!"

"No, I don't want this trip ruined by you being mad at something that isn't...look, Allie, I'm not doing anything behind your back. It's just a little surprise, but you have to wait for Thursday."

She squinted her eyes at him, as if that would drain his thoughts to her brain and she'd know what his problem was. "Robert, you know I don't like surprises." She said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"But it's a good surprise, babe. Don't you trust me?"

House sat in the Horse Racer's Addicts Parlor, a smallish room with little cubicles for one person to sit with a small t.v. screen in each, with six bigger screens on the wall before them.

He was discouraged and pissed off, not to mention drunk. Joyous Jazz won him $1,200, but then he had a hunch on TendaLindaBinda, which he only succeeded in losing that bet. But he told himself there was no way HailGal was going to lose, but she did, 'the damn dog food!' And then the jockey on LingBling recorded a three pound weight loss and he knew he couldn't lose. But he cursed out loud when that horse came in fourth. But at least he got free drinks, and he enjoyed the drinks more than he enjoyed playing the horses.

At 11:30 he decided to head up to bed, even though he wasn't quit ready to. He walked through the casino, busier than he thought it would be on a Tuesday night. As he grudgingly limped by one particular Roulette table something caught his eye, or ears, really, from all the screaming. The dealer was just handing a player a huge mound of chips and he figured playing $100 wouldn't hurt. He reached in, took two Vicodin then threw a hundred on the table.

"What do you want, Sir?" The dealer asked, eyeing his leg.

"A new leg." He told her.

She looked at him then a smile slowly grew on her face. "Ones, nickels, what?"

"Nickels. The blue ones. Blue is my lucky number." He said with a smirk as he noticed her blue fingernail polish as he sat down in a high bar stool chair.

She smiled at him again as she grabbed the blue chips and pushed them toward him. "Place your bets, please." She said as she watched the three at the table place their bets.

House played $10 on 19, Charnie's birthday. The dealer spun the wheel and House never kept his eyes off the wheel. The little white ball landed on 36. House grunted as the man beside him screamed right in his ear. House gave him a dirty look as the man jumped excitedly and high-fived his friend standing next to him.

The next roll he played $10 on 20, for no particular reason. The man beside him played several numbers, including 19. The dealer cried out "No more bets" as she waved her hand over the numbers. The ball landed on ... 19.

"Damnit!" House screamed as the man's screaming drowned him out. "You know, if you keep screaming like that you'll bust your vocal cords. It's a proven fact."

The man looked at him funny then said, "Not according to my medical research I did at Harvard."

"Harvard is Law." House corrected as he placed two chips on 36; that's how old he was when he met Stacy.

"Yeah, well, I lied." The man told him as he placed his own chips on several numbers on the table, including 20.

"Oh, you must have read my thesis at Princeton." House snickered as he watched the dealer twist the ball around the dome of the wheel.

"Princeton is law, too, dude."

House had enough of the pip-squeak little punk and paid no more attention to him.

"No more bets." The dealer cried out.

The ball spun around the wheel as a waitress walked by, crying out, "Beverage, coffee..."

House interrupted her call by ordering a scotch, no ice, two straws. She smiled at him, wrote down his drink and walked away.

He played two more spins and lost them both, except for the man next to him. House looked as the man's pile of chips and silently cursed at him for having so many while he had only $50 left. The waitress walked by, put a napkin in front of House and placed his drink on it. She stood there a moment, waiting for a tip, but when he felt her still standing there he turned around and said, "Thanks." She stormed off.

He got brave the next two spins and played $5 each on 3 and 36 again. He watched the ball spin and when the ball landed on 3 his eyes flew open.

"YES!" He screamed out.

"Nice one." The dealer said as she placed the clear pentagon-shaped peg on his chip, removed the loser ones and handed him $180 in chips, which he set aside from his original bet.

All of a sudden he felt light headed but threw a chip on number 19, once again, and for the last time that night. The dealer hollered good luck and flicked the ball to circle the wheel. At the last moment House threw his remaining two chips on 19, bent his head down, held his breath and waited for the dealer to say anything but 19.

"19!" She called out, and House looked up like he hadn't really heard her say the number he bet on. A wide smile grew as he watched her put the clear peg on his three chips.

"Nice win, Sir. $1,050!" She called out then the Manager came over and watched her count out the chips.

"Cash me out." House said as he pointed to the $180 already in front of him.

A few minutes later House walked toward the six elevators in a happier mood than he did when he walked out of the Horse Parlor. He pressed the 'up' button and waited for one of the doors to open. When it did, he limped in and leaned against the side as the doors closed. He looked at the floor panel to hit 17 but there was no 17. He frowned, looked at the other side of the elevator to see if his floor was on that panel, but it wasn't. He knew he was drunk, but not that drunk.

He cursed loudly and tried to think what he had to do to get to his floor. 'Get to the next floor and get back on…but on this one? Oh, hell.' He thought to himself.

When he finally figured out that he was on the express elevator, he chuckled to himself and hit the floor closest to his. He got out and waited for the door to close so he could get on another elevator to take him to his floor. When another set of doors opened he got on, but not before checking the floor panel had the floor he was staying on.

House finally reached the room he was sharing with Wilson and only then remembered Wilson had the key. He put his hand over the peephole and knocked loudly with his cane. There was no answer. He knocked again, and thought he heard some moans and groans from the room next to his and prayed it wasn't who he thought it was.

He knocked again and again and again, and by now his head was starting to hurt. After five minutes he figured Wilson was down in the casino and he wasn't about to go chasing him around. So, he leaned against the wall and slowly slouched down.

About ten minutes later Foreman and Rog were walking down the hall toward House, who had his head against the wall and was flailing his cane like a magician.

"House! Lock yourself out of the room?" Rog asked as he snickered.

"No, I'm waiting for room service because I'm really hungry. Here's your sign." House answered. "Actually, I won $1,230! How much did you two win?"

"I won $420 on blackjack and Rog won $250 on slots." Foreman said as he reached for his key.

"Those are girlie gam..." House started to say.

Just then they heard the door handle click and Wilson slowly opened the door. "Do you two mind? People are trying to sleep."

House peered up at him with a snotty look and slowly stood up. "Our neighbors aren't sleeping. I've been listening to them for the past 15 minutes." House said as he walked in the door.

"Uh, Chase and Cameron are next door..." Wilson started to say.

"Please, I don't want to even think about it. So, where's the hookers?" House asked as he walked to one of the double beds.

"I don't need a hooker, I've got Sarah." He said as he got into bed. "Nite, House. I am not waking you up in the morning."

"Yes you will. You'll have to dry your hair and clip your nails and make noise making breakfast, oh, darnit!" House said as he laughed, walking into the bathroom to get ready for bed. Wilson turned the light off over his bed and was asleep in seconds.

House walked back into the room and sat in bed. "I was thinking about going to that Gentleman's Club, Donna's Doilies, tomorrow night after dinner. Wanna go?"

When Wilson didn't answer he looked over at his friend, who was out like a night. He hated that about Wilson, he could go to sleep quickly while House always tossed and turned for a good hour before he finally dozed off. He reached for the remote, turned on the t.v. and ordered a movie, a good movie, one that reminded him of Donna's.

Greg is a little kid of about six playing alone in his backyard, which is the way he likes it. There is no one to order him around, or yell at him to clean this or clean that. He reveled in his 'alone time', especially lately, because his mom is expecting their second child any day now.

Mom House was surprised how hard her son seemed to be taking the new arrival, so to compensate months earlier she talked Dad House into allowing Greg to have a pet. But unfortunately for Greg, the only pet his father let him have was a rabbit, basically because it could be kept as far away from the house as could be, and Greg had no argument to say about that, nope, not at all.

When he's done chasing the ball away from himself he heads to the fence to the two tall trees, where between them are smaller bushes. Sitting on thin wooden legs is a wooden cage, a cage that Dad House built to keep the rabbit away foxes, stray cats and such. Of course, Dad House wouldn't let Greg live down the 'hassle and inconvenience' he put his father through.

After he finds some good, dark green, long grass for 'The Lone Ranger', he throws out the used straw and uneaten grass and refills his water bottle with old rain water (again, his father wouldn't allow regular tap water to be used on 'dinner.'). As the Lone Ranger is happily nibbling on his new munchie, Greg sits down in front of the cage and watches him eat.

Greg is, and has always been (for a kid of six), fascinated about what makes things tick, like how his whiskers move on their own when it eats, where does the food go and the like. He notices the Lone Ranger's stomach, like it has really expanded the past few days, and it piqued his curiosity. Greg gets closer and closer to the metal cage front, closer…and…

Lone Ranger stops eating and hops a few steps to Greg's nose, where he flicks up his nose and smells what else 'Dad Greg' has for him. The tickling of its whiskers almost makes Greg sneeze but he holds it in. More tickling, but it's becoming more irritating now…tickling…tickling…

Greg wipes his nose with the back of his hand and notices it feels wet, glooby, funny, nothing like the way the back of a hand should feel…tickling…tickling…

He wipes his nose again and something gets up his nose……………..

House is awakened with something foamy in his nose and it still itched. He opened his eyes and saw Wilson sitting on the other bed staring him down, with no smile on his face. He looked at the back of his hand, which is whipped cream. House's head flopped back down on the pillow and a smile slowly grew on his face.

"Hey, it was you that told me we should have some 'college' pranks between us! I just couldn't think of any when I was at your place." Wilson said as he stood up. "You have 20 minutes to get ready for the conference. Meet you downstairs."

House groaned under his breath, slowly stood up and headed for the bathroom, the first place a man goes as soon as he gets out of bed. He took his time to brush his teeth, ran his fingers through his hair to "wash it", checked for blackheads and/or pimples, grabbed clean clothes, changed and headed out the door…

…almost running into Rog as he closed the door behind him.

"Hey, Dr. House!" Rog said, almost sounding drunk.

"My, Dr. Nelson, I see you've had an early date this morning." He said as he started to walk down the hall.

"Can you hold up for me! I just need to grab something and we can go down together." Rog said as he put his key in the door and it closed behind him.

House almost had a mind to keep on walking, but he had somehow gained a little patience with Rog, and by little, that's actually .002 of patience he had for Rog, which was an improvement from the first time he met him.

A half hour later, the two men plus Cameron, Chase, Foreman, Cuddy and Wilson sat at a table in the conference room for the seminar, looking like they'd all had less than an hour's sleep, which wasn't the case. Cameron just finished her third cappuccino, which resulted in her rapidly shake her left leg, so hard that the silverware was clinking together and the flower vase in the center of the table was slowly turning on its own. Foreman reached out to put his hand on her knee, pressing down very hard, to make her stop shaking. But that only resulted in her thumbing her fingers on the table which was beginning to get stares from others at tables around them.

The man approaching the podium looked familiar to House, but he couldn't quite place his face. The man stood behind it, adjusted the microphone, tapped it once and said, "Good, it's still working." The man said.

'Oh, man! He's the man at the Roulette table last night. Moron.' House thought to himself and fought to crack a sarcastic smile.

"My name is Dr. Walter Cleaver-Jones…" The man started to say.

"Everyone, it's Beaver's brother!" Cameron shouted out, louder than she thought then bust out laughing. She wasn't fazed by the glances, especially from Chase.

"Cameron, cool it." Chase warned her.

"As I was saying, I am Dr. Cleaver-Jones, head surgeon at D.C. General in Washington, D.C…."

"Pffttt! Isn't that supposed to be Denver Colorado General? Is that what D.C. stands for? DUH!" Cameron blurted out.

"Cameron, what the hell is that matter with you?" Cuddy said very embarrassed.

"Nothing. Awesome cappuccino! You need to get one!" She said, bursting out laughing.

"Please, Dr. Mathers, continue." Cuddy said, kicking Cameron semi-softly under the table but Foreman cried out, "Ow!"

"Sorry, Foreman." Cuddy whispered, and prayed the seminar was over. She would expect behavior like this from House, but not from Cameron. She'd never seen anyone OD on cappuccino before, and knew she'd be down from her high very, very shortly.

An hour later, Dr. Cleaver-Jones (thankfully) left the podium after spending all that time referring to statistics on heart failure and prognosis of cardiac distress and percentage rates of recovery and trial medications. At this point, Cameron's head was resting on Chase's shoulder and she couldn't keep her eyes open.

"Chase, why don't you take her upstairs to sleep off the caffeine high." Cuddy said as there was a 15 minute intermission just announced.

"I think that's a real good idea." He said as he helped her up, grabbed her purse and carried her out of the room.

House was about to leave, too, when he saw 'Wallie Cleaver' approach the group at the table.

"Hello, everyone. I thought you looked familiar, Dr. House." He said as he extended his hand. "Nice win last night."

Cuddy looked at him confused and House told her, "I won the lottery."

She introduced everyone at the table, who immediately excused themselves and left Cuddy and House with 'Wallie Cleaver.'

"So, what did you think of the speech?" Dr. Cleaver asked as he smiled arrogantly to a woman who walked by and said hello.

"Well, on the terms of having a rectal exam and your speech I'd say..." House started to say but Cuddy interrupted him.

"It was very enlightening." Cuddy said, trying to sound sincere.

Thankfully, House's pager went off, and a second later Cuddy's went off.

"1704...911?" Cuddy said.

"It's the room next to mine."

A few minutes later House and Cuddy walked into Chase and Cameron's room.

"What's goin..." Cuddy started to say until she saw Cameron passed out on the bed, sweating profusely.

"I wanted you to see her before we called an ambulance." Chase said.

House walked immediately to Cameron and felt the vein in the inside of her wrist and frowned in concern. "Her heartbeat is too fast and she's breathing to heavily. How much coffee did she have this morning?"

"Just at breakfast. When I was bringing her up here she said she was nauseous and she was sweating and she vomited."

"Cameron...Cameron..." House said, smacking her cheek to get her to come around, but she only mumbled.

"Go ahead and call." Cuddy said. "I'll cancel the reservations for you."

An hour later House, Cuddy and Chase were in the waiting room of the England General Hospital on Pacific Ave; House was standing against the wall while the other two sat in chairs. Chase leaned forward with his face in his hands to hide his fear over Cameron's condition. All Cuddy could do was pat his back, to hopefully reassure him she'd be fine, but she wasn't all that sure herself. She called her parents, who wanted to come but she said she'd call them when they knew something. Cuddy just thought Cameron had an adverse reaction to the caffeine.

But Cuddy didn't understand how she reacted that way because Cameron had always been healthy and she never had any medical issues when she was younger, as House pointed out. The attending doctor came out of the exam room and walked toward the three.

"We've given her Adenosine to slow her heart rate and it is coming down, but not as quickly as we want. She's still unconscious but she came around briefly." He looked at Chase. "Are you her boyfriend?"

Chase nodded but remained silent. "May I speak with you for a moment?"

House and Cuddy watched them walk down the hallway and wondered what was going on that he couldn't tell the three of them.

"I know." House said arrogantly.

Cuddy shot him a look like she wanted to smack him. "And what is wrong with her?"

"She's anorexic." He simply said, and the look on Cuddy's face was that of disbelief.

"No, no way. She's never shown any symptoms. Besides, I would kno..." Cuddy said then had to force herself to shut up.

"Did you call the others?" Cuddy asked while they waited for Chase to return.

House nodded his head. "They're taking notes." He said trying to be funny and Cuddy noticed it, but she couldn't find the strength to laugh.

Chase finally walked back toward them and looked paler than he did before, which is white as a sheet for him being Austrailian.

"How is she, really?" Cuddy asked as he sat back down beside her.

"She's anorexic." Chase said. "But I don't believe it. She's not all skin and bones. She's thin, yeah, but..."

"Robert, someone suffering from anorexia doesn't have to be all that thin. If she's been at a consistent low weight for long periods of time it'll put a strain on her heart, which apparently the caffeine kicked off that reaction." Cuddy told him and he looked at her curious, but didn't ask any more questions.

A few minutes later a nurse walked out and told Chase he could see her but for just a moment. They wanted to keep her in over night to keep an eye on her.

Chase's heart was pounding when he pushed back the curtain and saw his girl lying on the gurney, wires coming out from the white gown they changed her into and the monitor beeping her heart rate, which indeed was too fast for his tastes. He took a deep breath and walked toward her. He reached out and grabbed her hand, holding it tightly in his, brushing the hair away from her neck.

"Allie, why didn't you tell me?" Chase said. "whyyy..."

Just then he heard a groan from her throat and noticed she was trying to open her eyes. "Baby, I'm here. It's your Snuffle-up-agus."

"Rawww..." She mumbled and her eyes finally fluttered open. "Wha..."

"Shhh." Chase said with a smile. "Glad to see you awake." He said as he leaned in and kissed her lips.

"You ruined everything." He said as he held her hand closer to his chest.

"Get out." She said as she turned her head away from him and tried to free her hand from his.

"Oh, Allie. Wait a sec..." He said as he reached into his pocket with his free hand and pulled out something in a little black box.

She frowned at him at first but when he slowly opened the box her eyes flew open wide.

"Rober..." She mumbled and tried to catch her breath.

"Allison, you've been the only one that I can ever imagine us in our 60s, sitting in rocking chairs on the front porch, watching the grandkids playing in the front yard and holding hands...will you marry me?"

She squeezed his hand and smiled then closed her eyes tightly. "Robert, there's...something...I need..."

"I know, baby, I know. I want to be with you every step of the way. I don't want you to go through it alone."

"No, no, damnit." She said, looking away from him.

"Allison, I don't understand."

She finally turned back and looked at him then said, "Koala, I'm pregnant."

A few minutes later, Chase walked out of Cameron's room looking very gloomy. Chase looked at Cuddy as she stood up and watched him sit down. At first she didn't know what to say.

"Chase, is she still awake?" She asked.

He didn't say a word but only shook his head as he threw his head against the wall and closed his eyes. They had been in this situation before, only Chase didn't know she was pregnant the first time. But after that happened he knew, deep down, that he could handle having the baby, and looked forward to it. But the complication of her being anorexic was a different story. A life threatening knife in the back, of which he could handle. Losing the baby, he'd gotten over that before. But, losing Cameron, that, and that alone, he knew he couldn't handle.

Cuddy silently walked into Cameron's room and stood at the side of the bed. Cameron opened her eyes and looked up at her with deep, sad eyes.

"How are you feeling?"

Cameron shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not sure."

"The doctor said you can be released tomorrow, and you are excused from the seminar." She said as she reached out and patted the top of Cameron's hand.

Cameron didn't say a word, as Cuddy knew she wouldn't. If it were House that were let off he would have been

miraculously cured.

"Allison, he's also very concerned about your weight."

She frowned then said, "Wow, what ever happened to patient confidentiality?"

"You work with House. You should be used to it." Cuddy said with a smile, trying to add a bit of levity in the situation. "There are treatments that you can join and I can help you."

Again Cameron frowned, not fully understanding what Cuddy was referring to.

"When I was in college I was bulimic. It took a mild heart attack for me to..." She started to say.

"Dr. Cuddy, I'm not anorexic."

"Not according to your low red blood count and the damage to the lining of your stomach." She pointed out. "Chase cares about you. You're not in this alone."

"Yes, I am." She said then corrected herself. "I've got a baby to worry about now."

For a brief millisecond Cuddy looked surprised, but then, considering how long she and Chase had been together she wasn't.

"We'll talk when we get back, okay? Get some rest." Cuddy said as she started to turn away.

"Dr. Cuddy?" Cuddy stopped and faced Cameron again. "Were you really bulimic?"

She looked at her doctor and shook her head. "House helped me out of it. He was there when I had the heart attack. If it weren't for him I would have died."

Later that evening, House was sitting on the double bed by the window and looked out over the ocean, watching the seagulls fly about in the pre-Summer winds that kicked up the surf. He'd been waiting for Wilson to come back up from the casino after the seminar broke up so they could go out to dinner. Not that he wanted to. He really wanted to go to Donna's Doilies for the women, but for some reason he was no longer in the mood to go.

His eyes grew heavier from the calmness of watching the birds and he'd just closed them when the door burst open and Wilson loudly came in.

"House! I did it again! After winning the benefit I just creamed them at Texas Hold 'Em!" He said excitedly as he headed for the closet, grabbed a clean shirt and jeans and headed for the bathroom.

"It was brilliant! I had nothing but an ace high, the river was about to be turned and the jerk went all in!" He said as he walked back into the room in the new changed clothes.

"I knew he was bluffing because he always rubbed his nose out of nervousness. And I called him! He had sweat pouring down from his bald head! I made him wait like five minutes before I called him, just to make him sweat some more! $478! The last card was an ace, and all he had was a pair of treys!" He said with a laugh.

"Uh, you owe me half of that." House said as he sat up, popped a couple of Vicodin and put his legs over the bed.

"Excuse me! I don't think so!"

"Who taught you how to play, and how to read people?" House asked arrogantly.

"I won from the skill I've obtained from experience and knowledge because I'm GOOD like that!" Wilson said

seriously with no smile on his face.

House looked at him like he'd completely gone insane. Then Wilson burst out laughing and House joined him.

"Come on, everyone's waiting downstairs for dinner. We're going to the Showboat because Cuddy said they had the best buffet there. And Chase is going back to be with Cameron for a while."

An hour later the gang was sitting around a large table with plate after plate for each of them. Either they were hungry because they were bored from the seminar or they were working up an appetite to gamble all night.

Rog asked how Cameron was doing but House remained silent. Cuddy filled everyone in on her condition, minus the anorexia and pregnant part, but said she'd be fine. The gang seemed relieved then happily shoved more food in their mouths.

"Okay, I'm off!" Foreman said as he stood, still chewing the last of the chocolate cake he had.

"Do ya think you can wait for us so we can all go together?" Cuddy asked.

"Oh, you mean so you can steal all of our money, right?" House corrected.

"No, just your money. I still have $1,000 to get back from you."

"Come on, Rog." Foreman said as House shot Rog a curious look.

"Oh, you need your little good luck charm?" House teased.

"No. He needs me to help him get women." Rog said as he stood up and put $1 on the table for the waitress who brought their drinks.

Foreman laughed but then headed for the exit.

"What are you going to do, Wilson, with all that money you won earlier?" House asked as he also stood up but didn't bother putting a tip for the waitress.

"I thought I'd take both of your monies and take Sarah and Charlie to Cape Cod for the summer." Wilson said confidently as the three walked out of the restaurant.

"Oh, you think so, huh?" House asked, almost at the same time as Cuddy did.

"Well, we'll see about that." Cuddy added.

While Cameron slept, Chase sat at the side of her bed, holding her hand in his and watching her sleep. Then, and only then, did he really notice how pale her complexion had gotten, and how her eyes looked like they were beginning to turn black. But why hadn't he ever noticed how thin she was when he held her? He felt partly responsible. What kind of boyfriend was he to not notice? The more he thought about it, the worse he started to feel.

As he felt his eyes get heavier and heavier, he cradled his arm with hers and put his chin on his elbow. And was fast asleep within minutes.

Wilson, House and Cuddy walked into the 'real' poker hall, which was one big room with a security guard at the entrance and several walking around the many tables. They checked to see if any of the tables had three tables available, then they checked out the dealers. House wanted a hot female dealer, Cuddy wanted a hot male dealer and all Wilson wanted was to win as big as he did earlier.

"No way! Her teeth look like they haven't been brushed in years." House moaned as he started to walk away from a table that the other two had shown interest in.

"House. Come on, it's the only table with three chairs." Cuddy said and sat down at the seat on the end, with House and Wilson following suit.

He reluctantly sat down in a chair next to Wilson, but there were two players between them and Cuddy. And Cuddy preferred it that way because she could keep both eyes on the men just in case House decided to make poor betting moves when he knew Cuddy was bluffing, or did have a hot hand.

The dealer took her sweet time shuffling the deck after she exchanged their money for chips, which was fine with House because she may have had bad teeth, but she was overflowing in the cleavage department.

"Ok, I know all of your little tricks, both of yours! So, you better watch it. You may have gotten me before, Wilson, but not this time!" Cuddy said threatening as she threw in the ante of $10.

Rog sat in the chair at the blackjack table and for the past hour he had been flirting with a red-head who was alone; well, she wasn't alone, but her friend was playing Texas Hold 'Em and she didn't like that game.

Foreman was over by the slot machines, but had a clear view of Rog's table. He also had been talking with a woman, who seemed to be about 18. He told himself he wasn't going to let anything happen because he had Nancy at home, but she was so darn gorgeous.

"We're leaving Friday. But I could stay an extra few days." He told her, but then thought of Nancy and inwardly kicked himself. "I meant it's just getting warm now and...and..." He stuttered, trying to calm himself down before he scared Shalene.

"Well, it's only 10. What's your friend like? We both love to dance." She said as she looked in Rog's direction.

"I think Rog would like s a date."

Shalene thought a moment. "Well, let's get out of here!" She said as she grabbed her bucket of quarters. "I'll meet you at his table." She said as he nodded and she she walked off.

Foreman excitedly walked to Rog's table and patted him hard on the shoulder. Rog jumped and almost spilled his drink but caught it in time.

"Hey, you're getting quicker. You haven't spilled anything since we've been here." Foreman said with a laugh.

"Oh, we still have two more days." Rog said. "What's up? Who's that girl you were talking to?" He asked as he waved his hand over his Q and 9 so the dealer wouldn't give him another card.

"She's cashing out and we're going dancing."

Rog frowned at him. "And what about Nancy?" He asked as he clapped, yelled 'yes' and pulled the four winning chips to his pile.

"I ain't bringing her back to the room! And hey, we're going to get her girlfriend."

"Then if she has a girlfriend why are we...OH! Never mind." Rog said with a cute laugh and pushed his chips to the dealer.

Back at the poker table with Cuddy, House and Wilson, things were getting very tense. House hadn't spoken the past 15 minutes, Cuddy was completely drunk off her cranberry juice and vodka and Wilson talking to the woman sitting next to him. She looked to be about 19 or 20, but 21 was the legal age limit to

gamble so he knew she had to have been older than that.

He fought the urge to flirt with her, and since he had Sarah, his love for her was greater than taking the risk of flirting with anyone. But he had noticed House eyeing her and couldn't help laughing to himself. The funny thing was she was eyeing him, too.
But the looks they shared were only when it was down to her and House and the river left. And each time she wiped him out.

House had about $100 left, and the ante was now up to $20. He was getting stiff and knew he had to stop and stretch his leg but he wouldn't without taking all of the girl's money. Cuddy was up, but not by much. And Wilson...well, his confidence wasn't up as much as it was at the charity poker event.

Shalene, Foreman and Rog walked through the hall to get to the poker area and they passed a window that caught Rog's eye. Behind the shiny, lit window was a Scrabble board. The board itself was marble with diamond accents, and the letter pieces beside it were marble with gold encrusted letters.

"Oh, man! That is awesome!" Rog exclaimed.

"Rog, that's $1200!" Foreman said, as Shalene suddenly looked at Rog in a whole new light.

"What time...oh! Five minutes! I have to have that!" Rog said as he rushed into the store.

"Rog! How in the hell can you afford that?" Foreman asked as the two followed him in.

Rog didn't answer them, told the woman he wanted the Scrabble board and she smiled widely.

"You do know it's $1200?" The woman asked, looking at Rog like he wasn't serious.

He grinned sheepishly, reached into his pocket and pulled out a boat-load of crisp, unbent 100 bills. Foreman's eyes flew open.

"Will this cover it?" Rog asked the woman, who shook her head, still smiling and went to the back to get a new game.

Rog turned and looked at Foreman and said, "Blackjack has always been my game." Suddenly Foreman gained a new respect for his coworker.

The three left the shop with Rog walking with a pep in his step. They walked toward the poker area, and Foreman was getting a little nervous. He knew the three were playing and he just didn't want to see House at the moment, but he continued to follow her to a table with three familiar faces.

"Okay, little girlie, how much you got left?" House asked the girl rather menacingly. Again, it was down to House and her and he was determined as never before to finally beat her with his straight that he already had.

"Depends. Why don't you just go all in and I will call you." The girl said, looking at her girlfriend with two strangers. "Hey, Shay! I'm almost done after I take this man's money."

The three stood around the table watching the final match between the woman and House. Foreman secretly wished House would lose. The girl looked at her chips, pushed all $420 into the pot, and said, "You have to call me to see 'em."

"You don't scare me." He said, as he counted out the $420 in chips and only had $50. "I raise you fifty." House said defiantly.

"Uh, you can't do that, Sir. Not since she's gone all in." The dealer said.

House looked at her and gave her a dirty look. "Spoil sport." He told her and threw out his King and Ace with a smirk and she returned the sentiment by laying her own cards down, a pair of Queens. House squirmed in his chair.

"Nervous?" The girl asked but he didn't respond.

"You just have trip Queens. That doesn't beat a straight." House said smugly.

As the 10, Jack, Three and Queen lay quietly on the table, the dealer set three new cards aside and laid the river on the table. House's eyes flew open, the girl screamed, "Gotcha!" and everyone cheered, for the girl, of course.

"Uh, I think you just went down with the boat...a full boat. Or full house? Is that what they call it, Shay?" She said, winking at her girlfriend.

"Way to go, Isabella!" Shalene said and hi-fived her friend.

"Unbelievable!" House said as he sat back in his chair as Isabella reached for the chips and gave House a wink.

"What'cha got there, Rog?" Cuddy asked as she took the last sip of her drink and slurped it a bit too much, making it loud and long.

"A Scrabble board! It's great! I'll show it to you later." Rog said.

"But for now, Izzy, we're going dancing!" Shalene said excitedly. She introduced Isabella to Rog.

"Uh, I can't dance. Bad leg." House said as he stood up and stretched.

"Uh, I wasn't talking about you coming." Shalene said snottily but with a smile.

"I'm gonna have to take this up to the room." Rog said as he lifted up the bag.

"Let's make this even better. I have $850 to get back from you two. Let's play naked Scrabble." House said.

"House, we still have the second part of the medical conference tomorrow morning. I think us old foagies need to get to..." Cuddy started to say.

"Who you calling an old foagie?" House snapped. "Chicken?"

"Are all you guys doctors?" Isabella asked in surprise.

Wilson stood up, said 'yes' and pushed in his chair. "This old foagie is going to bed." He announced.

"What do you say, Eric? Izzy and I suck at Scrabble." She said with a teasing smile, then leaned into Foreman's ear and whispered, "I think Izzy likes Rog."

"Foreman, really, I don't wanna be late either. It's already 11:30." Rog said, totally not getting that Izzy had snuck up on him and stood very, very close to him.

"Come on. An hour won't kill anyone." Foreman said as the group walked out of the poker area.

Thirty minutes later Shalene, Isabella, Foreman and Rog were just getting settled at the small, round table in Chase and Cameron's room.

"What if Chase comes back?" Rog asked nervously. "This is their room."

"Rog, will ya calm down!" Foreman said as Shalene sat next to him in the two available chairs and Isabella sat close

to Rog on the end of the bed, a little too close. Rog nervously scooted over, and she sensed it. She huffed a little bit and sat Indian style while giving Shalene a 'what the hell are we doing here?' look.

"Okay, so, what are the rules?" Shalene asked Rog, as he got up and poured a round of Tequila.

"Easy." He said as he carefully removed the board and pieces from the box. "I made up these rules in college. Everyone makes their normal word plays, and after every 50 points, the person with the least points has to remove something OR take a shot of Tequila."

"Sounds good to me!" Shalene said as she winked at Foreman.

"Oh, wait. And if anyone challenges someone's play and it proves to be a word that will be two items of clothing." Rog said, handing out the bag of marble letters to be picked to see who plays first, which, as it turned out, was Shalene.

While the others shuffled their letters around, Shalene quickly laid out G-A-S. It took all Rog had not to burst out laughing. 'Well, she said they weren't very good. Guess they didn't lie.' He thought to himself and wrote down her score.

Then it was Isabella's turn, who laid out T-R-O-I-T-I-S behind the G-A-S. Foreman and Rog both shot her a look as she announced "48 points". Foreman gave Shalene a teasing look while Rog swallowed hard and nervously.

"That's only two more points I need, Eric. You know what that means?" Shalene asked as she checked to make sure Rog wrote the right number.

"Rog, I think we've been duped!" Foreman said as he laid the letters R-E-N-O-V-A-T-E. "Hmm, that's 49 points, Missie! "You know what that means." He said playfully to Shalene, trying to imitate what she'd just told him.

Immediately following there was a loud banging on the wall from the next room, the room where Wilson and House were, but everyone ignored it.

Rog kept shuffling his letters for a good five minutes, and the three started to hoot and holler to get him to hurry. He grinned sheepishly and laid out the letters A-S-P-E-R-I-T-Y.

Now it was Shalene's turn and she quickly placed P-A-T-I-E-N-T. "Ok, Rog. I'm officially over 50 points. Who has the least points?" She asked then leaned forward to read that it was Isabella.

"But that's no fair! I've only had one turn." She cried out and again there was a thud on the wall.

"Rules are rules!" Rog said. "That'll be one item of clothing, please." Isabella stood up and tossed her 3-inch heel toward the wall, smacking it right back the exact place the banging came from.

A few more rounds pass by, a few shots of Tequila for everyone playing, and a few articles of clothing were thrown across the floor. Rog being the most sober and Isabella the most drunk. Foreman challenged Shalene with C-U-N-I-E-F-O-R-M. He knew it was a word but also knew it was spelled wrong. It should have been cunEIform, but she insisted it was spelled right. The four got into a lighthearted argument and there was more hard and loud banging coming from the adjoining room.

"Oh, I've had enough of this!" Foreman said as he stood up and walked to the door, his shirt off but with pants still on.

Right before he reached for the door handle there was a knock on the door and Foreman opened it, expecting to see Chase. But it was House, and not looking too happy.

"Hiiii, bawsssse!" Foreman said, slurring his words because he was starting to get drunk himself.

House looked over Foreman's shoulder to see Shalene partially clad and Isabella, who was still completely dressed, as was Rog.

"Oh, I bet I can tell who is winning." House said, not removing his eyes from Shalene, who was watching the muscles and shoulders of Foreman.

"Actualleee I think it's…" Foreman started to say but House interrupted him.

"No, it's me. 'Cuz this game is over." He snapped.

"Yoooou party pooooper!" Isabella called out from the table.

"Hey! How do you spell cuneiform?" Rog called out. "If you get it right you can stay. I think Foreman's gonna be done in a sec anyway." He finished with a laugh and Isabella laughed with him and laid her hand on his knee.

House hesitated a moment and said, "CUNEIFORM."

"Ding! Ding! That's right!" Shalene screamed.

Foreman turned around and yelled, "No! You spelleded it cunIEform!"

"Thad'll be two articles, Shay!" Isabella told her friend.

"Can't I just take two shots?" She pleaded.

House got a huge smile on his face and eagerly walked into the room, sitting down on the other double bed.

"What'r'u doin', House?" Foreman asked as the door closed.

"Rog said I could stay. Pretend I'm not even here." He said.

Suddenly, Foreman turned a shade of green House had never seen before (other than his own face) and he ran into the bathroom, closing the door just in time for the sound of upchucking echo into the room. Rog and Isabella laughed as Shalene downed her two shots of Tequila.

"Guess you're short one person." House said. "I'll take over his letters. Who's turn is it?"

"It's yours." Rog told him.

House moved around the letters, looked at the board then gave a huge smile. He placed C-A-T-E-C-H-U-M-E-N for a total of 57 points.

"Ok, which one of you ladies gets to undress?" House asked excitedly.

"What kinda wurrrd is that? I'm not as educamated as you are." Shalene protested but then laughed, but only because she was the one with the lowest points now and that meant she'd have to take off one more piece, which would be her bra.

"It's a person who is being taught the principles of Christianity." House answered nonchalantly.

"I'd take his word for it, Shalene." Foreman said as he walked out of the bathroom and flopped on his stomach at the top of the bed Shalene was sitting on. He closed his eyes and was out in two seconds.

"Pffftt, lightweight." House said, looking at him. He turned and looked at Shalene. "I would take my word for it if you were me. Or do you want to challenge me?"

"No, no. I won't challenge you." She said, as she stood and ran to the bathroom squealing.

"You have to take it off here!" House called out.

"There's was no rule sayin' clothes had to be taken offfff in front of everybuddy." She called back.

"True." Rog said, ignoring the dirty look House shot his way.

"You have three hours clinic duty for that." He told Rog.

"Yeah, wha-eva." He shot back.

'Why hasn't that man gotten into his thick skull I don't do clinic duty!' Rog thought to himself but his attention was drawn to Shalene as she walked back into the room with bra in hand.

A few more rounds went by and everyone was equally drunk. Once the liquor was gone they had to resort to clothes-removing only. House had his shirt off but still wore his pants; Shalene was down to just her blouse and undies; Rog had one sock off and Isabella was still completely dressed, minus a shoe.

House played the word G-L-I-S-S-A-N-D-O, and was quite pleased with himself, thinking one of the girls would challenge him. But it was Rog that challenged him.

"Oh, you don't know what you are getting into, Rog. It's a done deal, but it is a word." Isabella told him.

"So, what is it?"

"Glissando is a rapid slide thru consecutive musical notes." She answered.

"Oh, I am impressed. You are educamated!" House said as Rog wrote down the points then announced that Shalene was the 'bottom of the Tequila bottle'. Even House found that funny and laughed with everyone.

"Izzy, kill 'em wid da next wood or you in big trouble." Shalene said as she stood up and pulled off her panties.

House was almost drooling and Rog acted like his eyeballs had exploded in his head.

"Ok." She said as she laid out letters on the board to spell out S-E-B-O-R-R-H-E-A. "How's that? 61 points."

"How in the heck did you know that word?" House asked, rechecking her point count.

"IZZY! You got over 50! What are you doing?" Shalene said. "I've only got my top left!"

"Seborrhea, it's a disease of the sebaceous glands of the skin, right?" She said. "Sorry, Shay."

House just stared at her, not sure what to think.

"My daddy's the head surgeon at D.C. General in Washington. I always read his books, mainly when I was on restriction, which was a lot." Isabella told them.

Suddenly, House turned the same shade of green that Foreman showed earlier. His stomach turned. Wasn't Dr. Walter Cleaver-Jones the one giving the seminar?

Just then there was a loud knock on the door and an announcement, "Security!" Everyone looked at each other petrified, except House, who was quite amused.

The door opened and a uniformed-clad man was standing in front of another man, who House instantly recognized and cursed to himself.

It was Dr. Walter Cleaver-Jones.

"Isabella Margaret Cleaver-Jones! Get your clothes on this instant!" Dr. Walter screamed at his daughter, with his neck red with anger and his voice threatening. "You two were supposed to be back in the room an hour ago! Thank God the dealer knew who you left with."

Isabella rolled her eyes at Shalene, grabbed her clothes and ran to the bathroom while the others put on their clothes that had been the penalty over the Scrabble game.

"Dr. House! Isabella is 20! And Shalene is only 19! What in the hell were you thinking!"

"I was thinking that if I had a daughter their age at a casino I'd keep an awful close eye on them. Isn't 21 the legal age to gam…" House started to say but Cuddy interrupted him by barging into the room.

"House! What is going on here!" Cuddy demanded as she looked around the room, frowning at the empty Tequila bottle and Foreman still passed out on the bed, with no shirt.

"Your employees tried to rape these girls!" He shouted and pointing to the men.

Isabella walked back into the room and said, "Oh, Dad. They were not. Chill."

"Don't talk to me like that, young lady! We'll talk about your gambling tomorrow but for now…" Dr. Walter said.

"Rest assured, Dr. Cleaver-Jones, I will take the appropriate action against these men." Cuddy told him as Dr. Walter grabbed his daughter, fussed at Shalene to leave with them and stormed out of the room, almost running into Wilson who was standing at the door watching the action.

"I am appalled at you! I would have hoped you knew better than do something like this!" Cuddy screamed at Rog, who was trying to defend himself but his mother wouldn't let him speak. "It's 1:15. We'll talk about this when we get back to the hospital." She said as she walked angrily out the door.

Early the next morning, Cameron was released from the hospital and Chase helped her back to their room at The Taj Mahal. He opened the door for her and let her walk in, where she stopped dead in her tracks and looked around the room.

Foreman was now lying vertically on the bed under the covers, Wilson was lying on top the covers, Rog was lying on the other bed and lying on the floor, covered with Rog's bed sheet with his right foot propped up on the end of one of the beds was House.

"What happened here?" Chase said as he walked past Cameron and picked up an empty Scotch bottle. "And why do I miss everything?" He whined, as he looked at the Scrabble board the guys had been playing after the others left.

There was every possible dirty word not printed in the dictionary, some that were but had double meanings, and one Chase made a mental note to ask Foreman what the word meant.

Cameron sat down slowly on the end of the bed next to House's foot and pulled it toward her, in the opposite direction of what his foot would naturally twist to. At first he didn't move but when it was at the point where it should have broken off naturally he finally grunted but didn't fully wake up.

Chase walked up to House, bent down right in House's face and yelled, "HOOKERS!"

House finally jerked away and said, "Where?" Then he opened his eyes, looked at Cameron and said, "Oh, there she

is!" Then burst out laughing.

Cameron narrowed her eyes at him and in one fast move jerked his foot away from her until he screamed and rolled himself over with his foot before it did break.

"What the hell, woman!" He yelled. "Hey, no yelling."

"That was you! Don't mind him, Allison. He's finally on crack, I think." Chase said as he walked to Foreman and with his knee shook the mattress to wake him up.

"No." House corrected. "Half a bottle of Tequila and hiccup/burp a third of scotch. Just as good."

Wilson started to groan as he put his hand on his forehead, slowly sat up and looked at House and Rog, then Chase and Cameron. "Ok, either this is the worst nightmare I've ever had or I've actually gone to hell."

"You're in hell, Ace." House said as he tried to sit up, too. "Oooooohhhhh, somebody shoot me."

"It would be my pleasure. Now out!" Cameron demanded.

Later that morning in the Crystal Ballroom before the seminar was about to start, most of the gang was sitting at their table sipping coffee. Cuddy agreed to let Chase stay with Cameron to keep an eye on her and to make sure she'd eat something for breakfast and they'd meet up for lunch...if they ever made it that far.

Cuddy looked tired and a little grumpy, Wilson looked just plain grumpy, Foreman and Rog were amazingly upbeat, laughing and joking about the early morning manly 'Scrabble Words Your Mama Won't Let You Say' game.

"I didn't even know that was possible!" Rog said as Cuddy gave him a dirty look. "Oh, please. I'm not a child, Cuddy."

"After last night I'd think twice about that comment." She shot back as her eyes shifted to the door, and the others followed her gaze.

A man they recognized all too well walked into the room with two young ladies walking behind him, very close to him. Dr. Walter looked around the room, saying 'hello' to those he knew and shaking hands with a smile on his face. But his smile disappeared when he spotted them looking at him. Cuddy smiled back and waved, hoping that was enough to qualm any tension he might still be feeling from their shenanigans with his daughter.

Isabella smiled and winked at Rog but Shalene ignored Foreman, which was fine with him, because now that he saw her in normal lighting, and not all the hype and excitement of being in the casino, he wondered what it was about her that attracted her to him in the first place.

"Foreman, did you notice the left side of Izzy's face being swollen last night?" Rog asked him sounding concerned.

Foreman took a closer look at her and agreed with him. "She does look paler than she did last night."

"Her father is a doctor. Don't be butting your heads in where they're not wanted. You all are still in trouble." Cuddy said. Rog agreed with her to himself and let it go. He knew his mother had a point. But still, she seemed to have gotten sickly awfully quick.

Rog's attention was drawn to House as he watched him limp to the table. Cuddy looked up at him as he pulled back the chair and was taken aback by his appearance. His pants were terribly wrinkled, his shirt had a small stain on it and even his jacket was wrinkled. He sat down and immediately reached for the coffee urn.

"House, the least you could have done was iron your clothes." Cuddy said a little tiffed.

"Dry cleaners don't open til 10:00." He said groggily. "That's why I'm wearing these shades, to hide the wrinkles. You should try it. Cheaper than Botox."

"Only if they were magic glasses to make you disappear." She said with a sly grin.

"Oh! That was good, Cuddy!" Rog said with a roaring laugh, which drew Dr. Walter's attention to them.

After a few more minutes of greetings to others in the room, he whispered to the girls to sit at the table and that he'd be right back. He walked to the PPTH table, keeping his eyes glued on House the whole time.

"Good morning, Dr. Cleaver-Jones." Cuddy said, trying to sound bubbly but it came out 'but kissing-ly' sick.

"Pleasantries are not necessary this morning." Dr. Walter said. "I still intend to press full charges." He added sternly.

"Oh, and what would happen if I tell Donald Trump your little girl gambled and she's underage?" House asked.

Dr. Walter stood quietly for a moment until he felt someone rub up against his shoulder. He turned to look at Isabella, who was holding her head and sweating profusely, with Shalene holding her under her arm.

"I said stay at the ta…" Dr. Walter started to say.

"Daddy, I don't feel good." Isabella said, just as her eyes rolled in the back of her head and she fell backward. Luckily, Shalene caught her before she hit the ground.

"Is there a doctor in the house?" House screamed out, seeming to be the only one who got the joke, sick joke albeit, but funny to House none the same.

After the paramedics came and left to take Isabella to the hospital only then was it announced that the seminar was cancelled. There were a few 'ooohhhs' and '…be okay…' whispers throughout the room. But then there was a very loud 'Holy hooly booly!' cry that came from the PPTH table, and it seemed as if everyone in the whole room turned to stare at Dr. Gregory House's inappropriate outburst.

"What!" He asked, trying to sound innocent. "The caffeine from the coffee just hit my bloodstream."

"Let's get out of here." Rog said excitedly as he looked at his watch and stood up. "It's only 9:45. Let's hit the boardwalk first."

"Oh, thought you were going to say the casino. You have a problem." House said as he and the other stood as well.

"I don't have a problem." Rog disagreed as they walked out.

"Yes, you do have a problem." House egged him on.

"House! You're the problem. Now shut up." Wilson snapped then laughed as House headed off to the horseracing area and the others hit the casino.

Hours later at the hospital in the center of the A.C. strip, Dr. Walter was growing more frustrated and anxious at the doctors there for not being able to diagnose his daughter. It was confirmed Isabella had the mumps, as her parotid glands between her jaw and ear were very swollen. Her fever had spiked to 103.9, which was normal for someone with mumps. But the infectious-looking spots, they could not be explained. The spots covered the entire length of her body, mainly on her back, arms, torso and thighs.

He'd just gotten off the phone with Dr. Cuddy, who called to ask how Isabella was doing. At first he got snippy with her but then it dawned on him that maybe Cuddy was on to something, so he asked her what she thought it might be.

She told him she didn't really know, but that Dr. House was an excellent doctor and maybe he could help with the diagnosis. Dr. Walter practically screamed in her ear, ranting on that that madman wasn't going to touch his daughter then proceeded to hang up.

Back in the horseracing parlor, House was actually having a good run of wins. He was up $3,200, but made up his mind he wouldn't tell anyone because then he wouldn't be able to have Wilson by him lunch ever again. In the back of his mind he planned out what he was going to do with the money, then another even better idea would pop into his head, and just as quickly that, too, was be replaced by another. Oh, House just loved being a winner.

The last bet on this race before dinner was on Charity Case, whose odds were very low but he had a 'hunch' about the horse. His heart felt like it was going to beat out of his chest on the $800 bet. The starting bell went off and all of his attention went to the big screen t.v. showing the race.

The horses flew out of the opening gate, with Ling Prof a strong lead ahead of the others. Closely behind her was Ambassador Land with Revenge Agent a solid third. Behind him were Eye Team and CDN Fan. At the back of the pack was, of course, Charity Case. House sat back and sadly stared at the screen, mouthing, 'come on, come on!' to the horse, as if he was talking to it telepathically.

House heard someone clear their throat behind him as the horses pounded the track, turning the final corner and had half a lap left, but he ignored the obtrusive noise. Charity Case was slowly picking up speed and passed Eye Team and CDN Fan. House screamed, "YAH!" and he pounded his fist on the table.

"House, I think you might want to see…" Cuddy started to say but House interrupted him.

"Shhhhh." He simply said as he intently watched Charity Case overtake Ambassador Land and was now on the tail of Ling Prof. Now, normally second isn't a bad place to be, but when someone bets to place first, second just doesn't cut it.

"Come on, Charity!" House yelled as Cuddy stepped back and watched the race finish, with Charity Case winning by half of Ling Prof's body length. "GO! Yes!"

House clapped his hands, fisted his hand in the air and turned to high-five Cuddy, who would not have it, but did ask, "How much?"

"How much what? Oh, that I'm going to give you? Hmm, let's see, how much do I have to pay you for no more clinic hours for the rest of my life?" He asked with a grin.

"Hmm, let's see," Cuddy said, imitating House. "You cost us $1 mill with Vogler, and $50,000 for the lawsuit with the jazz musician. Oh, and plus all the mental anguish you have put me, your team and the hospital through, plus I want a new Lexus, I'd say no less than $3 mill." She said with a smirk.

"Well, with odds at 24 to 1, I just won $19,200! Not quite $3 mill. Sorry, boss." He said with a wink. "Why are you here, anyway?" House asked as he limped away to the Cashier to collect his winnings, with Cuddy following him.

"Oh. I think you should see Isabella…" Cuddy told him about the mumps but all the tests the doctors ran were either negative or inconclusive.

"She's got a rash from detergent or clothes or something. She'll be fine." He said as he handed the ticket to the cashier and anxiously waited for the crisp $100 bills.

"There's a spot on her back that has already become neucrotic. And despite the fact Dr. Cleaver-Jones hates your guts I think you should at least take a look at her." She said as she mentally crossed her fingers.

He stopped, looked at her intently and finally gave in. "Show me the way."

House and Cuddy walked into the hospital and were a little surprised at how crowded it was. When they found the room number they walked down the hallway toward her room and Dr. Walter was standing outside the door.

When he saw them walking toward him he screamed at House, "Don't you dare come near my daughter!"

As they got closer Cuddy told him, "I know you're upset about last night..."

"You damned right I am."

"You know, I don't have to be here." House told him sarcastically.
"How's her condition?" Cuddy asked.

He gave House one more nasty look and said, "She's in a lot of pain. They've got Alcemdia cream on her back to stop the itching but it doesn't seem to be helping."

"May we see her?" Cuddy asked.

"I said..." Dr. Walter started to say but was interrupted by Shalene hollering for him from the room.

He turned and ran into to her room. "What is it, baby?" He asked.

"It...won...stop...itch..." She told him as she scratched the back of her shoulders and the front of her neck.

"Stop. You'll get them infected." Her dad told her.

Cuddy and House had snuck in and stood by the door. House was paying special attention to what she was saying to see if he could figure out what had caused them.

"Here's some more cream. It should help." Dr. Walter said hopefully.

"Oh, it's the cheater." Isabella said weakly as she saw House and Cuddy standing by the door. Dr. Walter whipped his head around and ordered House out.

"Dad...stop, will ya. Mabye he can..." She stopped talking because she was having trouble breathing.

Dr. Walter screamed for a nurse but one didn't come right away. Cuddy looked a little panicked then watched House walk toward the bed. Dr. Walter tried to push him away but House stood his ground.

"Do you want her to die?" House said.

He looked at House and he swore he could see his brain cells thinking about his question. Isabella started choking worse and her complexion turned a bright red.

"For God's sake, Dr. Cleaver! Don't let her die!" Shalene begged.

Dr. Walter looked at her then his daughter, whose eyes were now closed and it seemed she had completely stopped breathing. He slowly stepped out of House's way so he could get to Isabella. Cuddy handed him a scapel she'd found in one of the cabinets and pulled her head back to better cut cleanly at her airway. After a moment he'd cut a slit and placed a tube in her neck, and instantly there was air coming out of the tube. The nurses rushed in then and took over as the others stood back and watched them stabilize Isabella. Dr. Walter would not make eye contact with House, even after he'd just saved his daughter's life.

A few minutes went by and she was breathing on her own. House and Cuddy turned to leave, to go back and brainstorm with the other doctors.

"Thanks." Shalene said. "Nite. Don't let the bedbugs bite."

House stopped in his tracks, turned back around and looked at her. He walked back to Isabella, pulled the sheet down and looked at the back of her thighs. Then he quietly left the room with Cuddy behind him.

"House, what was that about?" Cuddy asked as they got in the elevator.

"I need to break and enter. Is that still illegal?"

"Yeah, but that's never stopped you before." She told him, and he smiled back.

"Okay, just checking." House said as the elevator door opened and they walked into the hallway for the exit.

Back in Chase and Cameron's room, Chase sat in the chair by the table that looked out over the ocean. The squacks of the seagulls and the roar of the waves crashing on the shore was calming to him, they always had been.

He heard Cameron moaning from the bed she'd been sleeping in all day, and he was grateful she was finally awake. He stood up and walked to her bed, sitting down next to her and ran his hand over cheek lovingly. Her eyes slowly opened and she smiled as she focused on his face.

"Hey." She said putting her hand on his bent knee.

"Hey." He said back. "How are you feeling?"

"Better, but I'm hungry." She said as she slowly sat up.

"Good. That's a good sign." He said as he leaned in and softly kissed her.

"So, tell me what your little scheme was."

"No, after we eat dinner. Foreman called. We're meeting them at 6."

"I'm not eating until you tell me what you were planning." She said firmly.

He sighed loudly and shook his head. "Cuddy helped me get a room at Cape May, booked a limo and we were going to spend the weekend there."

She looked up at him and gave him a long, hard hug. When she let go she kept her arms around his waist and asked, "What do you mean, 'were'?"

"After last night I figured it wouldn't be a good idea." He said, noticing her facial expression turned very disappointed. "Tell you what. It isn't going anywhere, right? We can go anytime. I promise you I will take you, but this time I won't keep it from you."

She smiled brightly at him and pulled him closer to her.

"Robert, I love you." She whispered into his ear.

"I love you, too, Allison."

House walked down the hall on the floor above his own at the Taj Mahal. He'd gotten an extra key from the desk, saying he'd lost the key when he was using the jon and the key fell in the toilet. She'd asked why he didn't reach in for it and he asked her if she knew how many germs were in a toilet. That shut her up and she quickly handed him a new key.

He put the key in the door and pushed down on the nob when the light turned green. He walked in and headed straight for the bed. He lifted the comforter, then the sheet and checked out the mattress. In the lining at the bottom were several dark spots, and upon closer inspection noticed about five bugs in the lining. He lifted the bed sheet further and looked at the mattress. There were little spots of blood, some were dark and a few were still bright red.

A smile crossed his face as he dialed a few numbers on his cell phone.

"Cuddy, call Wally Cleaver. She's had an allergic reaction to bed bugs." And without any further word from him he hung up the phone.