A/N: I know this chapter is really short, but this is not one of my best medical mysteries so I kept it pretty bare bones. This isn't one of my favorite chapters, but I hope it isn't too terrible.

Chapter 3

Days passed, and Mrs. Quigley continued to decline. Her blood pressure and cardiac problems were not complications, but symptoms. In fact, they had become more frequent as time went on, accompanied by muscle pains, rashes and swelling. House had even braved the wrath and asked her about an affair. She denied it, and House believed her. Anyone who spent more than a minute with her knew she could no more cheat on her husband than she could leap tall buildings in a single bound.

Quig had brought in the calendar she kept of their symptoms, and while it gave the team an excellent timeline of her illness, it didn't reveal anything that could help discover what it was. House had gone to their home with Quig and looked it over himself; it revealed nothing.

On day three, Price had suggested leukemia. House scoffed.

"You oncologists, it's always cancer with you guys," he sneered. Price only stared. "Fine, test her." House said. Price had been wrong.

On day five, while Foreman and Jasper were heatedly debating Jasper's insistence they treat her for lupus, despite House's protestations that Cameron must have possessed her, all three fellow's pagers began beeping. Price, Foreman and Jasper rushed to Mrs. Quigley's room, House remained behind. Only minutes later, Jasper and Price returned.

"New symptom," Jasper stated. "Tremors, possibly a mini-seizure. Foreman's taking her for an MRI now."

xxxxx

Cameron sat in Dr. Bell's office, waiting for her to arrive. She'd been ushered in by the nurse, who had told her Dr. Bell would be a few minutes. Dr. Bell joined her quickly.

"Alright Allison, last time you gave me the background on your relationship. Why don't we pick up where we left off, which was a few weeks before he proposed. You alluded to a fight?" Dr. Bell picked up her pen and pad to take notes.

Cameron quickly recapped the argument she and House had the night Cameron left. Dr. Bell made a few notes while Cameron spoke. When she'd finished, Dr. Bell considered for a moment.

"Allison, before we begin our discussion, I'd like for you to tell me about the night he proposed," Dr. Bell inquired.

Cameron closed her eyes and remembered those moments again, the scene that had been playing in her head and dreams for days.

"Busy for the rest of your life?" House asked.

Cameron gasped for a second time. She looked at House in stunned silence. A voice was screaming in her head to say yes. Cameron could feel herself stepping forward to help him off the floor and wrapping her arms around him. The voice in her head screamed louder to say yes already you fool.

And then, a quieter voice pervaded her thoughts. Why was he asking now? Did he really want to marry her? Was he only asking because he thought that was what she wanted?

"House, I…" Cameron began.

"House?" he asked her. "What happened to Greg?" He released her from his embrace and dropped his gaze to the floor; his voice was tight and edgy.

"Why now?" Cameron asked. House looked up at her blankly. "A couple of weeks ago you weren't even sure you wanted me around. Now you want to get married?"

"I heard Price asking you out today," House said.

"I said no," Cameron protested tiredly.

"But you could have said yes," House said, eyes to floor once again. Cameron shook her head, but House wasn't looking. "You smiled at him."

"I was just…" Cameron started, but House interrupted her.

"That's supposed to be my smile," he told her. Cameron felt nauseous. Those two voices in her head were now shouting at each other. Should she be thrilled that he'd finally admitted he wanted her, or dismayed that he only thought he wanted her because he was afraid someone else did? Her mind reeled back to their first fight, and the 'I love you'. Was this going to be his solution to their problems?

"I need to think about this," Cameron finally said. She watched as House's face, so open when he'd entered her apartment, became stony. He grabbed his jacket and cane from the sofa roughly. He turned to leave, but then turned back. He placed the ring box in her hand.

"If you give it back, I'll know your answer," he told her and then limped out before she could respond.