Cameron…

Cameron moved into the room stealthily, watching the little girl now asleep in the hospital bed as she moved into the area while holding the syringe full of medicine she would need to inject into the child's IV. The child looked peaceful, angelic—and too still. It made Cameron shudder, mostly because she was still suffering emotionally from the last case she had been involved with and mostly because a case that involed children always touched her more than others. Maybe it was the female in her. Everyday the world of medicine played havoc more and more with her moral stability, with the way she had always viewed the world. With the way she had always viewed herself. It bothered her that she was allowing herself to be tainted, but then again, weren't they all?

In the end, House was right. She was, after all, still slightly attracted to the man, but now she kept asking herself if it was because he was lame or because of his bold, enigmatic behavior. It was time she faced reality. She envied his science, the way his mind worked, but she also pitied his lack of emotion. Who knows? Maybe the reason their group functioned so well together was because they were all psychologically deranged. House had no emotion, Chase suffered from childhood psychological issues, Foreman had his own secrets, and she was overly nurturing. They were all screwed.

"Have the test results come in?" A worried voice asked from behind her and Cameron turned in time to see a harried looking woman move into the room, a cup full of steaming coffee held worshipfully in her hands as she gripped its comforting warmth for support. The mother. Cameron nodded.

"The tests were negative for strep, but we haven't ruled out the possibility of an infection, either viral or bacterial. I'm going to treat her with antibiotics. One way or the other, we should know in a couple of hours whether or not the treatment is working." Cameron promised as she saw the way the woman's brow creased in slight confusion while her eyes shone with a light Cameron had come to recognize as hope.

"And if it doesn't work?" The mother asked almost in a whisper as Cameron looked first at the bed and then back at the mom.

"Then we'll do more tests and figure out what is causing her problems. I promise we will do whatever we can to determine what is wrong with your daughter." Cameron commented firmly, her usual resolve settling over her as she stared at another case transforming quickly from a file into something more human for her. She took everything personally. It was her saving grace and her curse. It was what made her the missing link in the House chain because it gave her a reason to search for a cure, but it also made her weak and vulnerable. She was House's scape goat as well as his sounding board. All in all, she kept him sane because she gave House the emotion in a case that he lacked. It was the reason, Cameron now realized, that he had hired her. How do you keep yourself from making a mistake by allowing yourself to view a case in an unemotional, sterile way. Easy. You hired someone who could look at it differently. It was how House kept himself from floundering. Chase was House's agreeable intern, Foreman was House's antithesis because he fought almost all of House's decisions, and Cameron was House's emotion. If you aren't a full human being, then you surround yourself with people who can make you whole. Cameron had to admit that House was one hell of a reasonable man. At least he realized he needed them each for different reasons.

Looking now at the mother, Cameron considered that as she moved over to the bed before inserting her needle into the end of the IV, watching as the last of the medicine moved into the plastic tubing. It was a waiting game now, and if that didn't work, then it was all about who could guess the right scenario faster. Cameron sighed before smiling slightly at the mother while moving past her back towards the door.

"Is there anything missing from her medical background that we need to be aware of?" Cameron asked quietly as the mother shook her head slowly, her gaze fixed on her still daughter. Cameron sighed as she nodded before closing the door behind her. She rested her head on the palm of her hand as she moved into the center of the corridor.

"You should have considered taking a leave of absence after the last case, Cameron." A voice said softly from behind her and Cameron shrugged as she turned to face Dr. Wilson.

"I'm fine." She insisted as she spun on her heel in order to march down the corridor in hurried steps. She had clinic duty.

"Are you fine? Or have you let him convince you that you are fine?" Wilson called out quickly as Cameron cringed. Wilson was good at that—determining what the rest of them were feeling before any of them even knew it themselves. It was why he was House's best friend, because he could read the man's mood better than a psychic at the state fair. Crystal ball or not, Cameron wasn't paying to have her fortune read.

"I'm fine." She repeated as she continued to walk. It didn't pay to let her emotions take her away from the hospital. She still brought them back with her when she returned.

"We all take certain cases home with us, Cameron. Remember that." Wilson called out finally as Cameron looked over her shoulder and met his gaze evenly. He was right. They all did. She more than most.

"House doesn't." She remarked matter-of-factly as Wilson shook his head and met her gaze with a slight half-grin.

"You'd be surprised, Cameron." He said quickly as she raised one of her brows questioningly. But she knew Wilson. He never talked about House other than the occasional vague comment. Cameron's beeper went off.

"I'm being paged." She stated simply as she veered off toward the clinic. She just hoped it wasn't the case involving hemorrhoids.