Author: Milady Dragon
Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Sorry…
Author's note: Once again, I'd like to thank those of you reading and reviewing. I appreciate the time and effort!
Chapter Fifteen
Cameron had taken five steps from the room before the thought that John had done a really good job in manipulating her into joining Elena with the Sharrion had crossed her mind like a shadow.
Three steps later, she realized that John hadn't done any such thing. He'd only asked. It had been her own decision to accept the request. She hadn't had to; that was the kicker. She was quite certain he would have gone along with her answer, no matter what it would have been.
She chewed her lip, lost in thought as she headed toward the elevator. Everything that had happened so far had been her own choice. If she'd really been unwilling to rejoin the life of being a Tomorrow Person, she could have done so the moment she'd seen John in the E.R. It would've been simple enough to change her story, and claim that she hadn't known him at all, that it was just a mistake in identification. Or she could have let Cuddy use whatever contact number they'd been able to locate among John's belongings, and let the other doctor handle notifying Tim. Surely there would have been some sort of explanation she could've come up with: perhaps just saying she didn't want anyone to know she was involved might have been good enough. Cuddy might very well have accepted it, and not pressed, and it most likely wouldn't have been a much longer step to ask that her request be kept in confidence. Cameron could have come up with something to tell Wilson, Foreman, and House, in order to get them off the track; House would've been the one who'd most likely wheedle some sort of tale out of her. He might still have accepted John as a patient, but the fact that such pedestrian injuries were below him might have been enough to get House out of the picture.
As for Paul and Elena…well, they'd never met before this. Cameron remembered that Elena had claimed that John and Tim had mentioned her before, but would Elena have recognized Allison the Tomorrow Person from Cameron the immunologist? Especially if Cameron had stayed as far away from John and his medical care as possible?
Her secret would still be safe.
She could be living her life now, just as it always had been: as just another Sap, making her way in a mundane world with nothing more to worry about than paying her bills every month and keeping up with her cantankerous boss. No powers; no responsibility; no more putting herself in danger for the idea that, someday, her people would no longer have to hide in fear.
But was being normal really worth losing everything that was herself? It had seemed that way, once upon a time when she'd been young and…well, stupid. How can a person willingly set aside their own identity just because they weren't happy with who they were at that moment in their lives? It had been all too easy…
"Cameron!"
She started at the sound of Wilson's voice. Somehow she'd made it to the elevator door without knowing it, and had been standing there at the closed doors for who knew how long, just staring into space. She turned to look at the oncologist; he was just behind her, looking concerned. "Are you all right?" he asked.
Cameron nodded. "Just lost in my own thoughts, that's all."
"Must be really convoluted-type thoughts, judging from the fact that I called you three times before I got your attention."
She flushed slightly. "Sorry."
He waved her apology aside. "No problem. How's your friend doing?" Wilson leaned around her, hitting the call button.
"Much better." Cameron reported the latest test results.
"Good." He ushered her into the elevator car. "I must admit, I…I didn't give much for his chances when I saw him in the E.R."
"Neither did I," she admitted, as the doors closed on them.
"Look, Cameron…I know it's none of my business, but…well, I'd be lying if I didn't say I was concerned about you and House – "
"There is no "me and House," I promise you." She was touched by the inquiry.
"It's just that, seeing you at his place…"
"It was business, Dr. Wilson. Just business. I wanted to talk to him about John, that's all."
"I don't want to see you get hurt, that's all."
"Thanks." She smiled. "But what I guess you didn't see were Elena and Paul waiting outside for me."
"No, I didn't." He looked relieved.
The doors slid open, depositing them both on their requested floor. Wilson went down the hall one way, and Cameron headed toward House's office. She mulled over what had passed between them, and couldn't help but appreciate the other doctor's well-meaning solicitude. She'd been afraid that it would get disseminated through the hospital's gossip chain, but apparently Wilson had kept silent on the subject. She was grateful to him for that.
She pushed open the door to House's office…and stepped into an argument.
" – just don't see how you can be ignoring this!" Foreman was practically shouting.
"I wouldn't be ignoring anything, even with you yelling in my ear," House replied, in a surprisingly even tone.
The two of them were standing in front of the lighted board, a set of MRI pictures clipped to the surface. Cameron knew instinctively that they were John's; after all, House had been coming to look at them once he'd left them up in the ICU. She decided to stand back, and let this play out.
"Just look at these scans." Foreman indicated several slides in rapid succession. "Here…here…and here. There's way too much activity in the frontal lobe for these to be anywhere near normal."
Cameron shivered. Of course Foreman would pick up anomalies in John's results, since he was a neurologist. However, he wouldn't know what House did: that, while they were off from what would be normal for a Tomorrow Person, they were also not right for a Sap. The brain injury had suppressed his powers, but they were beginning to show up on the scans.
"And do you know my patient's history, Dr. Foreman?" House still sounded deceptively calm.
Foreman looked at him in shock. "And you say you do?"
"Mr. Valentine is my patient, and I know more about him than you do." Now the older doctor's voice was gaining that hard edge that Cameron knew so well.
"Yet you're ignoring such obvious brain damage?" Foreman just wouldn't let it go.
"Have you actually seen him? Hmmm?"
That shut Foreman up. His mouth opened and shut twice before he could get the words out. "No, and I can't believe you did either!"
"That's where you're wrong." House looked smug. "In fact, I just came from there. Didn't I, Cameron?" His intense blue eyes caught hers.
Foreman turned. He obviously hadn't known Cameron was standing there.
"Yes," she backed him up.
"And can you tell me your impressions of my patient?"
"He's aware and responsive to questions, although memory of the event that brought him here is understandably missing."
"You see?" House waved his cane in her direction.
"Why are you standing up for him, Cameron?" Foreman asked her.
Her mouth fell open. "I'm not!" she denied, irritated that her fellow "duckling" would even think such a thing.
"Have you even seen these scans?" Foreman indicated the films. "This is your friend he's screwing with!"
"My friend is doing just fine," she retorted hotly. "I was speaking to him, and there's nothing wrong. He recognizes where he is…and he knew me. He also responded well to all physical and visual stimuli."
Foreman rolled his eyes. "That might be the case now, but there's something seriously wrong with his brain, and House refuses to do anything about it!"
Cameron's heart was beating so hard she was surprised neither man could hear it. Foreman was way too close… "House knows what he's doing, Foreman," she answered, trying to get her fear under control. If he knew the truth…well, she trusted House with their secret, but she wasn't about to do that with anyone else, let alone Eric Foreman.
"And what do you propose?" House sneered. "Cut into his skull and go digging around in tissue that's been overly traumatized already? Get real, Foreman. That would be far more dangerous than leaving well enough alone…even if there were something abnormal about the MRI's."
"Are you not seeing what I'm seeing?" The other doctor was back to shouting.
"Yes." Inversely, House's tone grew soft. "But I also know what's normal for this patient, and you don't. So don't go sticking your ass into something you don't know anything about."
"If you don't do anything about it, you'll be responsible for the irreversible brain damage – and maybe death – of this patient!"
"Oh, don't be such a drama queen," House scoffed. "You're beginning to piss me off. Why don't you go play with Chase; there's a good boy." He made a shooing gesture with his free hand.
Foreman shook his head, then turned to Cameron. "This patient is your friend," he urged her. "Surely you don't want anything to happen to him!"
"Nothing's going to happen to John," Cameron replied, crossing her arms over her chest. "Everything is just fine."
"You're as crazy as House is!" he exclaimed. He stormed out of the office.
"Going to blab to Cuddy, no doubt," House snarked, thumping his cane hard against the carpet.
"How did he get the scans?" Cameron asked. Her heart was still hammering. She knew if Cuddy decided to step in…
"Some idiot down in Radiology gave them to him, thinking it was another case we were working on."
"Didn't you give orders that no one else should see them?"
House rolled his eyes. "No, I wanted all and sundry to know I was treating the next stage in human evolution! Don't be stupid, Cameron. It doesn't suit you."
She bit her tongue in order to hold in the retort that threatened to leap from her mouth. "We need to stop him from going to Cuddy."
"And just how do you propose to do that? Unless you want to let him in on your little secret, too."
"God, no!"
"Then the best bet is to beat him at his own game. Can you get Tim to make up a medical proxy for you and the kid?"
By "kid," Cameron assumed he meant Paul. She nodded, contacting the biotronic computer as she did so. "The paperwork is going to be faxed here in a few minutes," she reported.
"Good. You'd better warn Paul he might have company before too long."
"Paul?" Cameron sent.
"Yes, Allie?"
She explained what had happened. "So expect to get some visitors. If you do, don't let them do anything."
"This is just bloody great! Why can't we just take John and jaunt ourselves out of here?"
"He's still weak, and we don't know what the stress of the jaunt might do. But we'll do that, if it comes down to it." And it would mean Cameron would have to give up her own life here. She shivered uncontrollably.
House must have caught the movement, because he asked if she was all right. It felt odd to her, that he should be that interested in her well-being. "Just considering the option that we might have to take John out of here before he's ready to be jaunted."
"Then let's just hope it doesn't get that far, shall we? I'd hate to lose one of my doctors over another's idiocy."
Just then, the fax machine started up. Cameron was there so quickly it felt almost as if she'd jaunted, pulling the paper off and reading it carefully. She thanked Tim silently, then headed out of House's office with her boss in tow.
They were in the elevator when she heard from Paul. "Some bloke is here, with a lady doctor claiming to be in charge."
"Stall them, Paul. We're on the way."
"You got it, Allie."
Cameron told House that Foreman and Cuddy were already on the warpath. House snorted. "I'd have been disappointed if they weren't."
The doors opened, and they both strode down the corridor. Even before they got close, they could hear Paul's raised voice. " – don't know who the hell you think you are, but you can't just come barging in here!"
There was a response, but it was so low Cameron couldn't make it out. She and House turned into John's room. Paul was being confronted by both Foreman and Cuddy; the dean was trying to calm down the obviously upset young man, while Foreman was standing back, looking somewhat smug.
All three turned to regard Cameron and House as they entered. Cuddy put her hand up. "I think you should leave, House – "
"Why is that?" Paul demanded hotly. "He's John's doctor, after all!"
"We think he might be putting Mr. Valentine's life in danger by deliberately ignoring what appears to be serious brain damage on the MRI's," Cuddy answered.
"Bullshit!" the younger TP scoffed. "Do you even know anything about John's condition?"
"There are definitely signs of something wrong on the scans – " Foreman put in.
"And I've explained to you," House said slowly, as if he were speaking to a child, "that the scans are in tune with the patient's own personal history."
Cuddy's eyebrow went up, but she didn't say anything.
"And you didn't listen when I told you there was no way that sort of function can be normal!"
"Bloody hell," came the rough, furious voice from the bed. "Why don't you argue somewhere else?"
All of them turned. John was awake, his eyes narrowed, and Cameron recognized that look quite well: it was the one that the elder Tomorrow Person often used to quell the odd unruly alien or junior TP. She had to wipe the grin off her face. She wished his powers were working, so she could 'path to him what was going on.
"Mr. Valentine," Cuddy began, coming to stand by the side of the bed, "I'm Dr. Lisa Cuddy, the Dean of Medicine here at PPTH. There's been some concern about your course of treatment – "
"I see." John struggled to rise, but was both too weak and unable to get enough leverage with his one good arm. He involuntarily hissed in pain, and Cameron came to help, putting a couple more pillows under his head and shoulders. "And what makes you believe Dr. House is doing something wrong?"
Foreman explained about seeing the MRI scans. As he did so, John's expression became more and more stony.
"And is it usual practice for one doctor to pry into another's patient's private records?" he asked quietly.
"Not usually, no…" Cuddy admitted.
"Then I don't see where it's this Dr. Foreman's business what my test results are."
"But there are some genuine concerns – "
John pegged Foreman with that quelling stare of his. "If Dr. House doesn't have any concerns, then I fail to see why you should. Especially since you're impugning his judgment also means you're impugning Dr. Cameron's as well. After all, she agrees with him, that nothing is wrong with me."
"Dr. Cameron isn't an attending on your case – " Cuddy rebutted.
"But she is a doctor," John interrupted. "And I would think that our previous relationship would mean she'd want me to receive the best care possible. If she thought I wasn't, then I should hope she would do something about it."
Cameron couldn't keep the grin hidden any longer. Watching John at work had always been a treat. She glanced over at Paul, seeing that the other TP was just as amused as she was.
"As you can see," House drawled, " there isn't anything affecting my patient's mental faculties."
"You…you appear to be right, House," Cuddy replied slowly.
"Of course he's right," John put in. "I sincerely hope you're not considering removing him from my case."
"We were, yes."
"You can't, not legally at any rate," Paul said. "Allie and I have medical proxy for John. Don't we, Allie?"
"We do." Cameron produced the document, handing it to Cuddy.
The dean didn't even look at it. Instead, she said, "It appears Dr. Foreman might have been a little…alarmist."
"I should say so," John agreed waspishly. "And I should hope you don't usually air your disagreements in front of your patients. It's highly unprofessional, to say the least."
"I'm sorry we bothered you, Mr. Valentine." Cuddy practically dragged Foreman from the room.
"God, he's almost like another House – " was the last thing Cameron heard from Foreman as they left.
She smiled down at her friend. "Very nicely done," she congratulated.
John let the withering look fade, to be replaced by tiredness. "Thank you, Allison."
"And thanks for the warning," Paul added.
"That won't happen again," House vowed. "I'm going down to let the radiologist know just what a cock-up he caused."
"Wait."
He stopped at Cameron's request. "What is it?"
"In your opinion, when can we move John?"
House sighed. "I understand you're worried, Cameron, but you can't do anything too hasty. It might attract more attention if he leaves sooner than he'd usually be ready."
"Dr. House is correct, Allison."
She regarded her friend. He'd gone pale again, and was breathing a little too fast. She reached out and took his uninjured hand. His presence was a little stronger in her mind now, and that boded well for the return of his powers. "Foreman would have cut open your brain, John! Just because he thought there was something wrong with you – "
"He tried to do what he thought was best," he answered, his voice deteriorating. "You can't blame him for that."
Maybe he couldn't…but she could.