Chapter 26
Cameron was alone the next day in George's room, monitoring his condition. The Jersey doctors had thought it best to send Wilson and Foreman to inform Hamilton, Shepherd, and Burke that the treatment had yet to show signs of working. Chase was off in the cafeteria with Izzie, desperately trying to show he cared. And House was House, so Cameron had no idea where he was.
And for the moment, she hoped he wouldn't appear. Her mind kept drifting back to yesterday. House had been standing outside of her hotel room, waiting to divulge important information. She feared that it was the relationship death sentence that she was not ready for. Allison Cameron just did not understand Gregory House. She thought she did, but now she wasn't so sure. He had told her that he liked her during their first date in LA. They had held hands since then. He had even basically forced her to kiss him, but each time he pulled away. She did not think that she could handle another rejection. Cameron wasn't used to it. Although she worried that her colleagues disliked her, she knew she could get a date with almost any man she chanced to bat her eyes at, if she had been the kind of woman that batted her eyes.
Cameron had never felt drawn to any other man like she was to House. When she had been a girl, her dreams were of Jake Ryan in Sixteen Candles. The perfect guy with the great smile and the rad car that wanted more from a girlfriend that a beautiful body. She fantasized about Prince Eric from The Little Mermaid. Cameron had wanted perfection then. And now she wanted Greg House, who was the antithesis of Jake and Eric and perfection. But that kiss had been magical. Her body was set on fire every time she thought about that kiss. She hoped that House had the same reaction. He had felt so strong yet giving when she had leaned on him. Cameron flushed, recalling her brave move to lick his lips before she kissed him. Her tummy did flops when she remembered that House had encircled her with his arms, tugging her to him.
"Any better?"
Cameron's head whipped up to see House had entered the room. She pushed back strands of hair that she had disrupted by the action while she wondered how long he had been standing there. "What?" she asked.
House stepped further into the room. He knew that he didn't have to talk quietly; George was unconscious after all, but he feeling the need to be reverent and romantic, his voice hummed like a soft, raspy song. "I mean O'Malley," he answered. "Is he any better?"
She switched on doctor mode and responded accordingly. "His stats are returning back to normal, but he still hasn't waked up yet." Cameron sat down in the chair next to his bed. The young doctor was going to be there for a while.
"We still need to talk," House said abruptly.
Cameron looked up at him with shock. "We can't have that conversation here," she chided, motioning to George.
Rolling his eyes, he swung his cane back and smacked it across the foot of George's bed, making a loud thwack. "The kid's in a coma," he retorted. "I don't think he'll mind too much."
Her heart thumping loudly in her chest, she sighed, "Okay, what is it?"
House's eyes slid down to the floor. In a hushed voice, he said, "I like you."
Hot anger blushed her cheeks. Cameron's voice was grating as she replied, "You let me think that you were breaking things off so that you could tell me what you've already said the night of the movie studio?"
He rolled his head in frustration. No one ever understood him the first time he opened his mouth. It really was annoying sometimes. "I know that my actions confuse you, so I am trying to explain myself. Wilson said it was a good idea. I should have known it was a dire mistake just on that count. He's a decent man, but he can't buy clothes and he certainly can't keep women. "
Cameron didn't want to get off track. "Can we please get back to how you plan to enlighten me?"
House ducked his head and headed closer to her, now being only a few feet away. "I like you. Not in a "check yes or no" way. It's more of an "I'll let you borrow my Ipod" like. Or "You can talk through General Hospital" like. Or "You'll eventually have to meet my parents" like." He paused when he saw her pale, flabbergasted face. House knelt down beside her. His blue eyes looked up at her with fright and helplessness. Because that's how he felt. Greg House had fought it for two years, but he was helplessly and hopelessly in much more than like with Allison Cameron. He said roughly, "I like you for the long haul—in LA and New Jersey."
Cameron was almost praying that she did not cry, but if she had, they would have been tears of joy. Her hands reached out to grab either side of his face, pulling him to her. House gladly followed. Their warm breath mingled together, their faces only inches apart. House noticed that Cameron smelled like roses on a warm day. His eyes closed involuntarily. Sighing inwardly, he thought, She's so beautiful. House's lips were primed to devour hers when…
"Georgie!" a woman's voice cried, echoing through the room. The diagnostician's head fell.
Standing up, he addressed the family in front of him. The woman was a short, plump older woman that looked like a mother. Her hair was sandy brown and looked as though it had probably matched George's when she had been young. It curled around her round face pleasantly. House could imagine her playing bridge and teaching third grade, as Izzie had told him she did. The man next to her was as plump as she, but he was wearing overalls. He had a kind face like his wife's, but House assumed that he would be the kind of man he was likely to poke fun at had it not been for the large and burly two sons behind him. The men looked nothing like their younger brother. They wore army fatigues and trucker hats. They had the same blue eyes as George, but that was all they had in common.
Mrs. O'Malley ran to her baby. "Your son is still in a coma, but he seems to be progressing," House reassured her. Mentally, however, he was singing "Mary had a Little Lamb" in order to calm his raging nerves, or worse yet—hormones.
"Who are you?" Mr. O'Malley asked, his eyes scoping House out. "We were told Dr. Burke was treating George. And George had told us that Dr. Burke was…"
House smiled at O'Malley's hesitance to tell him the color of his skin was missing a few pigments. "No, I'm Dr. Gregory House," he informed them. "And this is Dr. Cameron. We took over George's case yesterday."
"Are you any good?" One of George's brothers asked. He had taken off his hat and was holding it, out of respect, close to his chest.
House turned to him. "At many things, Beau Duke," he retorted. "I'm really good at making little girls cry and doing macramé."
Cameron darted out of her seat, saying hastily, "Dr. House is one of the best doctors in the country. He'll take good care of your son."
House was tired of being interrupted. Grabbing his cane, he said, "Now if you'll excuse us, we'll let you have some time with George." He rushed Cameron out of the room and shut the door before the O'Malleys had time to say anything else.
"Where are we going, House?" Cameron asked, out of breath. He had a grip on her hand, leading her down the hall.
House finally came to the room he was searching for, the On Call room. Opening the door, he pulled into the room and locked them in. The motion caused Cameron to sway. She had always assumed that House was strong, but she didn't know how strong until now. "House…?"
She didn't have time to say anything more. His hand still holding hers, House yanked her towards him. If his back had not been braced by the door, they would have fallen over because she tumbled into his chest. His lips came down hard on hers. She whimpered from the shear pleasure of being this close to him. House started to pull away, afraid that he had hurt her, but Cameron hauled him back to her with her hands just above his waist. She playfully bit his bottom lip. Flames burned his body from his toes to the tip of his head. He thought he was going to lose it. He forced himself to yank his lips from hers. He kissed the side of her neck, his breath, hot and enticing, tickling her silky skin. Cameron moaned, slipping her hands underneath his blue button-down shirt. Her fingers swept over the tight muscles of his abdomen as she vaguely questioned herself. Not in a million years did she think that she would be doing something like this in a hospital, with Greg House no less! She gathered her courage and whispered in his ear, "House, I like you for the long haul, too." Then she tugged on his earlobe with her teeth.
TBC
