CHAPTER FIVE

After House parked his bike in the handicapped space of the hospital, and before he shut off the engine, he sat on his bike a moment. Something occurred to him: He wasn't really handicapped…well, he walked with a cane but it didn't hinder his ability to get around. But yet he parked in the same spot day after day. He looked behind him and saw an empty 'regular' parking spot only fifty feet away. He looked back at the handicapped sign and thought, 'Well, maybe tomorrow I'll park there.'

He finally stepped off his bike and limped into the hospital right before 10a.m. and headed straight to his office, luckily without running into Cuddy. Oh, but he didn't have clinic duty. He'd forgotten about that, which was easily explainable after Cameron informed him she was leaving him.

He stepped off the elevator and walked past the reception desk, where a nurse had seen him step off the elevator and watched him until he walked into his office. He knew she was watching him but he didn't pay any mind to it.

"Afternoon, House," Said a familiar voice in the corner of the conference room.

He saw Foreman sitting in a chair with a medical book in his lap. For just a split second Foreman thought he saw a glimmer of happiness in House's eyes, which quickly abated when House said, "It's morning. And what are you doing here?"

Foreman snickered, shook his head and smiled. "I thought I'd give work a try, against my better judgment."

House narrowed his eyes and said, "You were bored, right?"

Foreman gave a hearty laugh. "Yep, pretty much."

House continued to walk to the coffee machine, poured a cup and sat down beside Cameron, who was sitting by Chase. A second later he stood up again, practically pushed Chase out of his chair and sat between Cameron and Chase.

"I'm glad you're back, Foreman. I've been getting all the flack from this man." Chase said, nodding his head toward House.

"Oh, come on, now. There are plenty of snarky comments I've been reserving for Foreman when he got back. I still wuv you, Chassey Wassey." House said sarcastically but with a slight grin.

Cameron leaned back in her chair, got Chase's attention and mouthed, 'Told ya'.

House shot a look at Cameron. "Told him what?" House demanded.

She looked at him puzzled that he could have known what she'd said. "Ah, I was in a band, remember?"

"So?" She asked.

"I can read lips. Learned it in Band 101. I got an 'A'. " He replied.

House looked at Chase, then back and forth a few times between Chase and Cameron, like he was waiting for someone to pipe up with what they had said.

"What?" She asked House naively as she shrugged her shoulders.

"You started it."

"Grow up." She shot back.

"Excuse me, Dr. House. May I speak with you a moment?" Sticking her head through the door was the nurse that had been staring at him from the reception desk.

House looked at the woman then looked at Foreman. Foreman stared blankly at House then the nurse again. He noticed she hadn't taken her eyes off of House so he kept his mouth shut.

She started to take a step back when Cameron piped up and said, "House, how can you live with yourself being so rude all the time?"

"It's ok…it's ok." The nurse said and turned and walked away back to her station.

"Why do you have to always be a horse's patooty?" Cameron snapped as she stood up and walked out the door.

"Now, Dr. Chase," House said mockingly, "What was it that little Ms. Cammie told you?"

Chase looked at Foreman, who just shrugged his shoulders. "I'm staying out of that one." He said.

Chase sighed, looked at House and said, "She said you'd be jealous."

A look of bewilderment with a tinge of 'you're joking with me, right?' crossed House's face then a snicker, which was more like a 'psshhaw' then a loud, very faked laugh emitted from his boss. But he never said anything because in a way Chase was right, 'the little twerp.'

"Chase," House said as he walked to his office, "why don't you go find me a 26-letter word for 'cat'."

They watched him sit down at his desk, put on his headphones, turn on his MP3 player and grabbed his Game Boy.

"Thanks for your support, man." Chase said to Foreman.

"You're very welcome, dude."

HOUSE M.D. HOUSE M.D. HOUSE M.D. HOUSE M.D. HOUSE M.D.

A few minutes later Cameron walked into House's office and stood at his desk waiting to get his attention. His eyes were closed but she knew he wasn't sleeping for his fingers were playing 'keyboard' on his thigh. After what happened earlier at his apartment, she hadn't shaken off the anger quite yet.

'How could I have ever thought I loved him?' She thought to herself, and if she could have she would have kicked herself in the butt. 'Well, I did and we can't go back now. At least it only last two weeks.'

As she stood there thinking to herself she hadn't noticed his right eye was cracked just a little and was searing through her, but he didn't say anything.

After a few minutes of watching her he asked, "Is there a booger on my chin?"

His voice, sexy, gruff voice shook her out of her thoughts. "Uh, no, ummm, House, Peggy, she's the nurse at the reception desk, you know…the one you were rude to…anyway, she said one of her friends is pretty sick."

"So? Get her a card."

"She said you know her."

"I don't know Peg…" He started to say.

"No! Peggy's friend, the one that's sick." She said and sighed heavily.

"Yeah, I know a lot of people. I'm special like that."

Cameron laid a piece of paper on his desk and said, very sarcastically and coldly, "Give her a call. She said to tell you it's Fifi LaRoo."

HOUSE M.D. HOUSE M.D. HOUSE M.D. HOUSE M.D.

Who is Fifi LaRoo? And why was Cammie snippy when she gave him the note? Was she having 2nd thoughts about leaving him?

Please review and let me know what you think. Thanks :o)