Author: Milady Dragon
Disclaimer: Neither House nor the Tomorrow People belong to me…
Author's note: Thanks again to everyone reading and reviewing, and I won't apologize to those of you who now appear to be at least partially addicted to the Tomorrow People!
Chapter Fourteen
"John is awake again," Tim reported.
"He's awake, Allie," Paul 'pathed at the same time, his voice just as excited as the biotronic computer's.
"Thanks, guys," Cameron replied, her own gladness coloring her mental words. "We're on our way up."
She and House had come back to his office, after leaving the Lab. House had commented that John's latest test results were most likely in, and Cameron of course had joined him. She was anxious to see what they said; there was a part of her that was terrified that the elder Tomorrow Person's head injury had been severe enough to incapacitate John's own mental powers, perhaps permanently. She didn't know if the doctors and healers on the Trig would be able to do anything, if that ended up being the case. What would John do if he couldn't be a functional Tomorrow Person anymore?
Sure enough, the reports were lying on House's desk, and Cameron found herself looking at the file, innocently sitting there, with a fine sense of dread. House stumped around the desk, practically throwing himself into the chair, the file in his hand before his ass hit the seat. Even though he didn't want to admit it, Cameron knew he was as concerned as she was; while House's practices were eccentric to say the least, there was a part of him that wanted his patients to get better…and while he'd always outwardly say he didn't care, Cameron knew differently. One couldn't be a doctor and not care, at least in some small way.
House didn't even have a chance to look at the results, though, before she was relaying the news that Tim and Paul had given her. He sighed, standing painfully. "Your friend's timing sucks," he groused. Yet he headed toward the ICU, the file open and reading as he walked.
Cameron was beside him. Secretly she enjoyed having him at her side. It somehow felt like he should always be there, like he was another part of her that just happened to be a separate entity. She knew there wouldn't be anything between them, but it didn't matter. She'd always feel like this, and she'd cherish the sensation for as long as she lived.
Paul was holding a cup for John to drink from when they entered the room. John was dreadfully pale, the cut on his cheek standing out starkly against his skin. But his eyes were clear, and they brightened when Cameron came in.
"Allison!" The exclamation was weak, but no less sincere for it. "Then I wasn't dreaming?"
Cameron smiled, coming to the side of the bed and taking his uninjured hand. "I'm afraid not," she quipped. "You're stuck with me."
John smiled weakly at her jest. "It's good to see you."
"You too. I just wish it weren't like this."
"I hadn't actually planned to end up in hospital…" he coughed, and Paul offered him the cup again. After taking a small sip from the straw, he continued. "I'm…I don't remember how I got here…"
"That's to be expected." She sat down on the edge of the bed, careful not to jiggle her injured friend too badly. "What do you remember?"
"I was investigating…" then his voice faded out, and his eyes glanced over Cameron's shoulder.
She knew who he was looking at. "That's Dr. House. He knows, John. You can trust him."
"He's your boss?"
She nodded. "He's the attending on your case."
"Why not you?" He was confused.
Cameron smiled self-deprecatingly. "Because I was so shocked by your appearance in the E.R., that I gave away that I knew you. I couldn't be an attending since it's against hospital policy."
"Our Cameron's never had much of a poker face," House jabbed.
"How would you know?" she snarked back. "You've never gotten me into a poker game yet." Our Cameron?
"Never mind those two, John," Paul put in. "They're always doing that."
"I…see…" The elder TP managed to look at little less confused.
"What do you remember?" House prompted again, absently bumping his cane into the foot of the bed.
John's brows drew down in consideration. "I remember being at Intellex, and I remember being called for the press conference…then it's all blank."
"There was an explosion," she explained. "The entire Research Center was destroyed."
"Do they know what caused it?"
"Not yet." Cameron recognized that look; it was the same expression House got when faced with a particularly interesting medical mystery. "But quite a few things have been going on while you've been unconscious."
"How long is that?"
Cameron smiled reassuringly, as she answered," A week."
She hadn't thought it possible for John to go any paler, but he did. She instantly checked the machines he was still connected to, to make sure his vital signs weren't being affected by his shock. They were fine. "How badly was I hurt?" he managed to gasp.
That was House's cue. He recounted John's injuries, leaving the head trauma for last.
Her friend's eyes sought hers, after the recital ended. "I remember…you told me, didn't you? Not to use my powers…"
She nodded. "I know it's going to be hard, but you can't. Not yet. We have to make sure the brain injury is healed before you try to do anything."
John closed his eyes. "I…can't feel any of you."
Cameron did sense his panic, and she squeezed his hand, hard. "Just let it come. Don't rush it, okay? We can feel your presence, and that has to be a good sign."
"But I can't feel his mind, Allie," Paul sent to her.
She ignored him, concentrating on John. Cameron couldn't let him get upset. "You just focus on getting better," she soothed.
"I have your latest test results back," House said. He waved the folder. "According to your MRI, the intercranial swelling has gone down, and the EEG readings are indicating the usual Tomorrow Person pattern, but it's shallower than it should be."
"What does that mean?" John asked, swallowing hard.
"Means we'll have to wait and see. I want to run EEG's every hour, to monitor your progress. I can compare them to the ones Tim sent me, and that will determine your rate of recovery. There isn't any indication of permanent brain damage, though." He reached out and wriggled John's bare toes, where they stuck out from the cast on his right leg.
The elder Tomorrow Person actually giggled, and that made Cameron chuckle. "I didn't know you were ticklish," she teased.
Paul looked like he was filing that piece of information away for future reference.
"That's a good sign." House commented. "No nerve damage, then." He patted the cast lightly, then took a pen from his pocket and hastily scribbled his name on the plaster. "How's your pain level?"
"Not too bad," John answered grudgingly, still affronted by House's foot tickling; and yet, he was obviously relieved at the test results.
"Not too bad as in, 'It hurts like hell but I'm macho so I can handle it,' or in 'I want to scream but I don't want to be seen as a girly-man'?"
Cameron wanted to laugh at her friend's expression, and actually bit the inside of her lip to keep it in. Paul wasn't so controlled; a snort escaped before the younger TP could reign himself in.
Then John went inscrutable, which if Cameron remembered correctly meant he really wanted to tell House off, but knew it wouldn't be a good idea at that particular moment. "The first one," he answered tightly.
House actually looked impressed that he chose to answer like that. "Then I'll have the nurse bring in something that'll keep that touch-guy image intact. I'll also arrange the hourly tests. I want to see the MRI scans personally, just to confirm the report, then we'll see where we go next. Cameron, you can stay if you want. I'm sure you'll want to catch up. Just remember, no fun stuff without me…" With that, he left the room, sliding the door shut behind him.
"The man is a complete prat, Allie," Paul chuckled. "How do you work with him?"
"It's easy when you know how," she answered.
"I hope I never learn!"
"Just a second, you two," John interrupted. Although still weak, his voice was fast regaining the stern tone Cameron knew so well. "Allison, you said more had happened while I was unconscious. And where's Elena?"
"Those two questions are part of the same story," she admitted. With that, she told him everything that had happened since the explosion. Cameron played with the idea of glossing over Elena's disappearance, but changed her mind since it was apparent that the other woman was all right. They hadn't actually heard anything from her, after her original contact, but her presence was a calm in Cameron's mind.
She was interrupted once, when the nurse came in with the medication House ordered; Cameron was concerned that it might knock John out once more, but it didn't; in fact, the elder TP seemed to become slightly more focused once the pain was diminished. When she was done, Cameron could swear she could see the wheels spinning in John's head, as he digested what they'd been able to discover.
"Good work, the both of you," he said. "Although I'm not certain letting a Sap tag along on a potentially dangerous mission was exactly the smartest thing to do."
"You don't know House," Cameron replied defensively. Suddenly she felt like a teenager again with that criticism. "He was going to go, no matter whether or not we let him. Once he gets his teeth into something, you can't get him to let loose."
"Besides," Paul added, "he might be a royal pain in the ass, but he's been a real help."
"It was his idea that got us access to the Intellex mainframe," Cameron continued, sending Paul silent thanks for backing her up. "We wouldn't be where we are now without him. And hopefully with that information Elena might be able to talk the Sharrion into leaving peacefully."
"I'm not sure I like the idea of Elena being alone with an alien race we really know nothing about," John said.
Cameron had been thinking that, too. Although she trusted the other woman, Elena was in a situation that no one really knew anything about. The Sharrion were an unknown, and despite the fact that they apparently hadn't hurt her yet, that could change. She admitted as much to the other two.
John was getting tired; it was evident in the suddenly fast blink pattern Cameron was seeing; that meant he was trying to stay awake, without much success. "Allison, do you think you could get away? I'd feel better if someone was with her."
She felt touched by John's trust in her; after all these years, and after what she'd said to him, it was amazing that he should depend on her so quickly. She opened her mouth to reply, but Paul cut her off.
"I can go," he volunteered eagerly.
"No, Paul," John answered. "I think it would be best if you stayed here. This is going to take a…diplomatic touch, and you can be somewhat…impulsive."
Cameron suspected he'd really meant something different, but didn't say anything. She'd been around Paul now for almost a week, and she'd noticed that the younger man had a bit of a temper, and would often say whatever came out of his mouth without thinking. She simply didn't think impulsive was a strong enough word. "It's a good thing my boss knows what's going on then," she said lightly. "That way I don't have to come up with some sort of wild excuse to leave."
John seemed to take the hint about House, because one side of his mouth lifted in a self-deprecating smile. "Thank you, Allison."
"You're welcome." She patted his arm. "Get some sleep, and I'll see what I can do."
"Keep me informed about what's going on…"
"I will." Cameron stood. ""And thank you."
John's eyes, which had been on the verge of closing completely, opened. "For what?"
"For still having faith in me."
"I never lost it…" With that, the elder Tomorrow Person was asleep.
Cameron looked at Paul. "Why is it, he can be such a jerk, and yet make me feel like the most trusted person in the universe?"
He shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine," he 'pathed back. He seemed somewhat irritated by having to stay, but was accepting the decision.
"I'll let you know what happens. Call me if you need anything."
"I will. Good luck."
"Thanks."
She left, heading toward House's office to give him the good news.