"Hi Mrs Braith, my name is Allison Cameron, I'm another member of Dr Houses team. How are you feeling today?
"A little tired, but otherwise okay considering how I have been, and call me Dawn." Cameron noticed that she spoke with a strain in her voice, as if talking troubled her.
"Okay Dawn, I am going to ask you a few questions, some of which may seem a little odd, okay?" She made sure her voice was light and breezy so she didn't instil any worry in her patient.
"How long ago were you diagnosed with asthma?"
"About four years ago, the doctor gave me inhalers and steroids, but it wasn't that bad until recently, so he re prescribed me pred… something…"
"Prednisone?" The patient nodded in affirmation. "Okay, now for the weird question….have you always had freckles?" Dawn looked at her confused.
"Um…no, I think it's just an age thing, you know, too much sun when I was younger" She sounded a little nervous at the sudden apparent change in topic.
"Okay, that's fine, ill be back to see you soon." Cameron kept the smile on her face until she turned around to leave the room and then let it fall.
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House was sat in the clinic with the new season's copy of playboy when Wilson poked his head round the door. The thing Wilson found most amusing was the fact that he was lost in thought, despite having the magazine on his lap, and there was only one possible reason. He knew Greg House better than anybody, and could see beyond his fierce exterior, and into his slightly less fierce interior. He's lost in the puzzle. He was about to turn and leave the room when House spoke.
"She's smart, young and beautiful. She smiles and offers comfort to everyone. She probes people to get to the root of their problems, but what do we actually know about her other than the obvious?" Wilson moved into the room, intrigued at where House was leading.
"We know she married young, to a dying man…… She doesn't like telling patients that they are going to die, though she knows what it is like to be in that position, so maybe that's not such a mystery…..She is not an only child…..She tries to find out how people are feeling emotionally as well as physically….We all assumed that she was just over empathising with the patients and being invasive with co-workers, but by doing this she has hidden herself."
He was on to something and he knew it. It's an act, it's all an act.
"Cameron isn't half way as open as she would like us to believe, it's just taken me this long to realise that. What better way to hide yourself than being innocent and contrite. She is playing a part, and we are the audience- she has manipulated all of us into seeing her as weak, but I cant work out why…" He trailed off, his gaze on Wilson intense and confused. Satisfied that House had finished Wilson spoke.
"We all create an identity for ourselves, dependant on how we want others to see us. It is the only way we can protect ourselves from the world around us, but usually it is transparent enough for the people who care about you to see through- almost like looking through shield of coloured glass- a person may appear one colour, but you know they are another. The question is do you really want to risk breaking down a shield in order to satisfy your curiosity? Are you willing to say you are prepared for what you might find? If you ever wanted my advice then this is the time to listen- There is a reason for everything and it's not always pretty. Cameron has walls up in order to protect her for a reason, so before you go tearing them down remember that you are the same. She has managed to hide from you this far, so what makes you think she wont be the one breaking through your shield."
House knew he was right and he nodded thoughtfully, as Wilson left the room giving one last look at his friend. As he walked back towards his office he considered the letter he had received this morning from the nearby hospice for terminal patients. Cindy Kramer, Cameron's terminal patient had died in her sleep and they were forwarding both Wilson and Cameron letters written by the deceased. He had put them in his desk drawer and was waiting for the right moment to give Cameron hers which was significantly thicker than his. As he walked past the diagnostics room he saw Cameron sitting with a cup of coffee at the computer
"Doctor Cameron, can you come to my office in about five minutes?" He smiled showing that she wasn't in any trouble, but she looked confused- even a little resigned, as if she knew what was coming.
Wilson straightened out his desk and took the two letters out of the drawer. His was simple- it said how much she had appreciated the work of the Oncology department during her short stay, nothing too personal, but he realised Cameron's relationship with the patient had turned into a friendship- another life ending in tragedy.
As she came into the room she scrutinized Wilson's posture. He was hunched over slightly as if trying to decide on a course of action and obviously hadn't heard her enter.
"Doctor Wilson?" He jumped slightly in his chair, and offered a half smile
"Sit, please." He indicated the chair opposite his desk "Um I got a letter this morning from Loside hospice- I'm afraid Cindy passed away… I know this must be hard for you considering your relationship with her, but I wanted to tell you in person…" Cameron held her hand up, cutting him off, smiling as she did so
"I know…I was there when she died, she wasn't in any pain. She asked me to thank you….I know you warned me about getting emotionally involved with a patient, but I did, and I don't regret it." Her voice was sad, but her eyes seemed….lifeless….Wilson leaned forward and presented her with the letter
"The hospice sent us these letters that she wrote before she died…If you need to talk…?" She stood carefully looking him dead in the eye
"Thanks Wilson, but I'll be fine. I'm gonna go read this, if House asks….?" He nodded at her unasked question
"I'll tell him you're in the clinic and he won't go down to check" She smiled at him and left.
Wilson watched her go. He was starting to see what House was talking about. She looked ill- thin and drawn. He told himself it was purely out of concern rather than a perverted curiosity as he sent out a page for House.