Author: Milady Dragon
Disclaimer: I don't own either House or the Tomorrow People.
Author's notes: I hope my general explanation in the last chapter helped. I promise to flesh it out more as the story goes on…
Chapter Four
After saying goodbye to Elena, and watching her fellow Tomorrow Person jaunt home, Cameron found herself alone in her apartment.
Alone with her thoughts.
Well, not exactly alone…not when there was Tim to talk to.
"Good evening, Allison," the computer greeted her warmly.
"Same to you, Tim." It was amazing how swiftly she'd fallen back into the old habits: when she'd been younger – and firmly ensconced within her extended family – she'd always contact Tim before going to bed.
"I have missed our evening talks. Only Kenny ever came close, but he would always say good morning to me."
She'd once met Kenny, on a trip to the Trig. Within minutes, he'd had her laughing. "How is Kenny?"
"Dead, I am afraid," Tim answered sadly.
"I'm sorry. I really didn't know him, but he was really nice.""Thank you. It was a difficult time, for all of us. Especially for John."
"I can understand that. Kenny was the third TP to break out, wasn't he?"
"Yes. John was first, then Carol. I do not believe you ever met Carol."
"No. I never had that pleasure. I hope she's not dead, too…"
"Not at all. Carol is very much alive, and very happy."
Cameron stifled a yawn. She hadn't realized how tired she was.
Tim picked up on it. "You should get some rest. We will get caught up later, I promise."
"I'll hold you to that, Tim. I feel like I've missed so much…"
"You are, of course, welcome to jaunt to the Lab anytime you wish."
"I will, when John's out of the hospital."
"Allison, I have not contacted any of the other Tomorrow People. Except for Paul, they are all off world at this time."
"That's for the best, I think. I know John wouldn't want the fuss."
Tim chuckled. "You are right. I will contact them, if…" His voice faded.
She didn't want to think beyond that, either. "What about Paul? You say he's on earth?"
"Yes. I have contacted him, of course, but I told him he need not change his plans. I would let him know if he were needed. It would save him much explanation, considering he is in the midst of a family vacation at this time."
"But you and I both know he's most likely trying to get out of it at this very moment."
"Of course."
This time the yawn was too huge to ignore. "Sorry, Tim."
"There is no need to apologize. You should sleep. We shall talk in the morning."
"Goodnight, Tim."
"And you, Allison."
Cameron broke contact. She showered, changed, and had crawled into bed in record time. But, as tired as she was, she couldn't get to sleep. She played with the idea of taking something to help her, but decided against it. The thoughts that kept her mind active were ones she'd never considered before, and they were a little troubling. She needed to think them through, if she were to get any peace.
Being a Tomorrow Person was something she'd long forgotten about. She'd so much wanted to be normal, that she'd totally sublimated her powers and much of her memories of her time with John. Cameron had seen so much, experienced so much, just in that three-year span. She'd set foot on alien worlds; stopped at least one invasion from space; had been offered a future no ordinary person could ever have dreamed of. She could have been anything: a diplomat, serving the Galactic Federation like so many other Tomorrow People before her; an explorer, seeing planets no human being ever would; or she could have followed her first love, medicine, becoming a doctor among the greatest the galaxy had to offer.
And, in the end she'd turned her back on all that, had mercilessly crushed those aspirations into what a normal person could have achieved. But, strangely, she didn't regret it. She hadn't missed her powers at all.
But her one major regret was in hurting John. He'd quite literally saved her life: when a Tomorrow Person "broke out," gaining their powers and all the responsibilities that came with them, it was usually a nightmare time. Many nascent TP's didn't survive the experience, and as matter of fact had witnessed one such failed break out. John had come at the time when she'd needed him most.
And she'd repaid that by betraying his dream…and betraying him in the process.
Cameron punched the pillow angrily. She'd thrown away the friendship and trust of a really good man, just because she'd gotten scared and hadn't wanted anything to do with her true nature any longer.
John needed to recover, so she could apologize.
She didn't even know when she did fall asleep; but she was suddenly awakened by Tim's panicked voice in her mind. "Allison!"
Her heart literally stopped. There was only one reason he'd sound like that. "What's going on?"
"John's vital signs are rising precipitously. His heart rate has doubled, and his brain activity has become erratic."
Tim gave her details as she jumped out of bed, darting out into the living room and going for her jaunting belt. "It sounds like he's having a seizure," she diagnosed, as she snapped the belt around her waist. "It's not unusual in patients who've suffered severe head trauma. Can you jaunt me into the room next to his?"
"I can." Tim sounded calmer.
"Don't worry, Tim. I'll check it out."
"I am jaunting you now."
Cameron had forgotten just how it felt to jaunt. While a Tomorrow Person could teleport on their own, the belts gave them a power boost and made jaunting much more accurate.
Her apartment faded out, and in the next instant the room next to John's appeared around her. She was disoriented at first, and she reached out toward the bed to steady herself. The tiles were cold under her bare feet, and that sensation did more to help her regain her equilibrium than anything else; while jaunting didn't really feel like anything, suddenly being in another place could really be confusing.
There was quite a lot of commotion coming from John's room. Cameron moved out of the empty room, emerging just enough to see around the corner. Two nurses, an orderly, and the night attending were all there, trying to help, but it was all she could do not to storm inside and do what she could.
John was indeed having a seizure, just as she'd guessed. Cameron's eyes filled with tears, knowing she couldn't do anything, that she had to watch them working around her injured friend. His entire body was jerking, and the orderly was trying his best to hold the flailing limbs down without doing any more damage to the broken legs. One of the nurses was doing the same to his broken arm, while the other was handing a syringe to the attending, whom Cameron recognized as Dr. Sheridan.
Sheridan inserted the needle into the shunt in John's IV. Cameron knew it had to be an anticonvulsant – most likely Dilantin – and she was quickly proved right as the drug took effect, and the convulsions ceased.
Cameron released the breath she hadn't been aware she's been holding. She overheard Sheridan order a Dilantin drip, to prevent another seizure, and she tried to duck back around the corner to avoid them seeing her.
What she hadn't counted on was that someone had noticed her presence, and it wasn't by anyone in John's room.
She turned, and almost ran into House.
He was standing just beyond the empty room, staring at her in shock.
Oh my God…
House recovered first. "Well, I've always wanted to know what you wear to bed…" he drawled, shifting his weight slightly.
Cameron actually blushed. She'd had Tim jaunt her to the hospital without bothering to change; her nightshirt draped just to above her knees, and the jaunting belt rucked part of that material up around her waist, making it even shorter. It was then she realized just how cold her bare feet were.
"Allison, what is wrong?" came Tim's worried mental voice. He must have picked up on her emotions.
"John's okay. I'll have to talk to you later." She shut down her connection to the biotronic computer, needing to concentrate on her boss.
Who was just standing there, looking at her appraisingly. "I was in my office when the page came through. Now, by using deductive reasoning – and observing your state of undress – I would say that you'd been at home, in bed. The question is: just how in the hell did you get here before me?"
There wasn't a simple lie she could fall back on. Cameron could just walk past and pretend nothing was out of the ordinary – and she was really tempted to do just that – but it would just put off this confrontation. She'd hoped she'd never have to explain; that John would recover and that he and Elena could leave her to the secrecy she'd lived with for all these years. She could never go back to being without them, she'd known that the moment she'd felt Tim in her head, but they'd respect her decision to want to be in the periphery of events. Of course she'd help out when she could, but all she really wanted to be was a doctor, and to learn from one of the best Earth had to offer. Her ambitions really didn't run in any other direction.
House was starting to look impatient. Cameron cleared her throat, then asked, "Don't you have a patient to look in on, Doctor?"
He snorted, stumping past her. "Don't think this is over," he snapped.
Cameron didn't think that for a second.
She watched him enter the room, then turned and went back into the one she'd jaunted into. She leaned on the bed in order to steady her suddenly shaky knees. What was she going to do?
"Tim?" she called out silently, knowing he'd be waiting to hear from her.
"Allison! You said John is all right?"
"Yes." She closed her eyes, the better to concentrate. "But we might have another problem."
"What has happened?"
Cameron took a deep breath. "My boss saw me here."
"And he wanted to know what you were doing there? Could you not say you were visiting?"
"I was in bed when you called, Tim. I didn't put any clothes on. I'm in my nightshirt."
"Ah." Surprisingly, the computer didn't sound at all bothered by her revelation.
She wanted nothing to pound her head into the nearest wall. "How did I ever survive being a Tomorrow Person in the first place?"
"Do not berate yourself, Allison. It was equally my fault, for calling you when John's condition changed."
"But I should've been ready for a late-night call. Our very existence depends on hiding from the Saps…"
"Not all Saps are out to exploit your powers. Perhaps your Dr. House would keep your secret."
"But it's not just me, Tim! It's John! He's helpless, if anyone comes for him."
"I believe you are making a mountain out of a molehill. If anything does occur, we can simply bring the two of you away. It would mean you would have to give up your life…ah. This is really what you're afraid of, isn't it?"
Cameron sighed. He'd hit the dilemma right on the head. Intellectually, she knew that House's knowing about herself and John could only help in her friend's recovery. And, truth be known, she did trust House; he was a major asshole, but he had been known to keep a secret.
But would it change the way he thought of her?
"You cannot hide from this, Allison. If you cannot come up with a logical explanation, then you must tell Dr. House the truth. If it makes you feel any better, I believe John would agree that sharing your secret would be the best thing."
"Yes, well John is lying in a room, attached to all different sorts of machines and unconscious right now. He's not in any fit state to agree or disagree." She sighed again. "Do you have the coordinates to House's office?"
"I do."
"Then why don't you jaunt me there?"
"You are making the right decision."
"I haven't decided anything yet, Tim." But she'd have to, if she intended to stay at the hospital.
If she intended to keep working with Dr. Gregory House.