A/N: I'm so sorry it's been so long since an update. I've had a bit of writer's block. And the season finale took me a few days getting over.
Disclaimer: If they were mine, Chase would have packed his things and hopped back to Australia like a good little kangaroo when House fired him!
Chapter 34
House grumbled as he grabbed another chart from the seemingly endless stack in the clinic. Just think, in a few short weeks there'll be even more of these idiots here, House thought bitterly to himself. He had no clue what made the hospital's board think expanding the free clinic was a good idea. It was a free clinic, for heaven's sake. It's not like they were making any money out of it. Sure, Cuddy had given him the whole spiel about lightening the load in the ER for non-emergent cases and goodwill in the community, yadda, yadda. No matter which way you sliced it, it just meant increasing amounts of moronic patients with sore throats, runny noses and things jammed into every possible bodily orifice.
"Melanie Shore," House said as he limped into Exam Room 2. "Says here you've got a sore throat, what an unusual symptom, and you're tired."
"The campus doctor said he couldn't test me for strep because my student health plan doesn't cover it. He said to come here," Melanie told him. "I don't want to miss a lot of classes."
"Right, those cotton swabs with the extra long handles must be a huge budget breaker," House grumbled. He sat down on the rolling chair provided in the exam room and hooked his cane on the sink. Rolling across to the cabinet on his right, he opened a drawer and pulled out a package. "So, you're a freshman?" he asked, donning a pair of gloves and rolling back to his patient.
"Pre-law," Melanie confirmed. "How did you know I was a freshman?"
"Only a freshman would be eager to go to class," House said. He opened the package and withdrew a long cotton swab. "Open up, say 'ah'." Melanie did so and House performed the throat culture, wincing as she gagged at him. "Lovely. I'll be back with your results. Sit tight."
House exited the room and instructed one of the clinic nurses to run a rapid strep test. He quickly dismissed a patient with a plantar's wart on his foot after assuring the man in his normally pleasant manner that it was not, in fact, a tumor. The nurse returned the results for Melanie's test: negative. House reentered Exam Room 2 to find her asleep on the exam table.
"Hey wake up!" House shouted. He'd already been in the clinic for over an hour and his patience was wearing mighty thin. "It's not strep. That means it's probably viral. Nothing much I can do for you. It should clear up on its own in a few more days. Rest, fluids, the non-alcoholic kind. Go."
Melanie dragged herself from the exam room reluctantly. House checked his watch; he still had forty-five more minutes in this infernal place. And Cuddy wanted more of these people here?
House finally escaped his clinic hell and hid out in his office for an hour. His next appointment with Dr. Jessup was later that afternoon, and House was really hoping for some good news this time. His leg had been bothering him more and more lately; it was nearly as bad now as it had ever been, even immediately after the infarction and surgery. He hadn't spoken to Cameron about it, but he was glad he'd given her that box. Another few days of this and its contents would have been noticeably depleted.
The alarm on his watch woke House from a light sleep about twenty minutes before his appointment. He'd told Cameron he had another appointment, but she hadn't been sure if she'd be able to make it. House made his way slowly to the elevators, glancing as casually as possible down the hall in case an immunologist/administrator should be trying to meet him at his office. When the elevator doors opened House got in and leaned against the back wall, hoping she was waiting to meet him at Dr. Jessup's office.
The elevator dinged and House stepped out to the surgical floor, shooting a quick glance in the direction of the central nurse's station. He walked down to Dr. Jessup's office and entered the waiting room, disappointed to find no Cameron there either. He nodded to the receptionist, and took a seat. Luckily all his dawdling had timed his arrival perfectly.
"Dr. House? Dr. Jessup will see you now." An older nurse, the sweet grandmotherly type, ushered him back to Dr. Jessup's office.
"A garden theme?" Cameron asked skeptically. "How do you plan to make the hospital look like a garden?"
"I don't," Cuddy smiled at her. "The university has a horticulture program. They have a beautiful garden on the far side of campus; it's modeled after the gardens at Versailles. Of course it's not nearly on that scale, but it has that same open feeling … I'm surprised you didn't know about it."
Cameron laughed and leaned back into the couch in Cuddy's office. The two women were currently discussing the hospital's annual fund raiser. Cameron had attended three now, but helping to plan one was quite a different experience.
"Just because I'm from the Midwest doesn't mean I'm into gardening or farming," Cameron said.
"I didn't mean that. It's just so beautiful, it reminds me of Paris," Cuddy smiled softly.
"I've never been," Cameron said.
"Oh Allison, you have to see Paris. It's amazing. No matter what you like, it's there. Theater, art, history, nightlife. You and House should think about it for a honeymoon trip," Cuddy suggested.
"Can you seriously picture Greg getting along with the French?" Cameron asked with a laugh. "How much time do you think we'd have before he insulted someone and … what time is it?"
"Two-thirty," Cuddy said absently. She'd been thinking of the view from the top of the Eiffel Tower at night. She wondered briefly if she and James might take a trip there after the baby came.
"Two-thirty?" Cameron gasped. "I'm missing his appointment. Lisa, the garden theme sounds fantastic, let me know what you need me to do, gotta run!"
House exited Dr. Jessup's waiting room and nearly collided with Cameron as she barreled down the hall.
"Where's the fire?" he asked.
"Did I miss it?" Cameron panted. House just nodded. He knew she wasn't going to like what he had to say. "So?"
"So, we need to get your stuff moved in soon," House told her. "I'm not helping you reorganize furniture in wheelchair."
"How soon?" Cameron asked.
"The surgery's in two weeks," House said.
Tuesday of the following week once again found House in the clinic, even grumpier than his usual clinic demeanor as he watched workmen in what had been Cuddy's office constructing new walls for the addition of the two new exam rooms. He practically snarled at Nurse Katie when she handed him a patient file and pointed him toward Exam Room 2.
"Melanie Shore," House said as he entered. "Sore throat, tired, chest pain." House stopped when he looked at the patient. "You again? I know you said pre-law and not pre-med, but I didn't think rest and fluids were that complicated."
"My throat is worse, my chest hurts and I feel like I'm out of breath all the time," Melanie said. "I know I'm pre-law and not pre-med, but that's not better."
House rolled his eyes. Why did everyone who came into this clinic think they knew more than him? He checked her temperature and it was slightly elevated. House took a stethoscope and listened to Melanie's chest and back.
"Any cough?" he asked. Melanie shook her head no. House checked her throat. "Just because it's not strep doesn't mean it's not bacterial." He took out his prescription pad and scribbled something on it. "Take this, if you don't feel better in a few days, come back when I'm not here."
Foreman, Cameron and Chase were eating lunch at a local café. The three of them had been together as House's fellows for the longest of any doctors on record. Before they started, no fellow had ever stayed more than a year. It was a testament to how well they'd worked as a team, despite their many conflicts, disagreements and out right fights.
Chase was telling Foreman a story about the first week he and Jasper lived together when she'd accidentally locked herself into the laundry room in his apartment building. Cameron was laughing lightly and Foreman was smirking and shaking his head.
"She was sleeping on top of the dryers when I found her," Chase said with a laugh.
"I can't believe you're really leaving in a week," Cameron said to Foreman.
"Believe it. My boxes are packed, my locker is empty and my charts are done," Foreman replied.
"Are you really that anxious to get out of here?" Chase asked him.
"I'm anxious to get where I'm going," Foreman replied. "It's different for you guys. You have relationships and lives here. I mean, I like you and all, but this is just a job," Foreman said.
Chase nodded. He knew Foreman was ambitious; he'd known from the first moment they'd met. Chase wasn't the 'climb the ladder' type. He was happy with his job; he knew he was doing good work and helping people.
Cameron nodded. She knew this was what Foreman had always wanted, a chance to run his own department. She also knew that he had family where he was going, and while he'd liked working with them they'd never really been all that close. Maybe part of the reason Cameron became attached to her coworkers was because she didn't have any family to speak of.
"Can a couple of newbies join the dream team?" Jasper asked. She and Price had come in for lunch and found them.
"Yeah, I'm sure that's exactly what House thought of us," Foreman scoffed. He scooted his chair over to the left and allowed Jasper to pull up a seat next to Chase. Price pulled up a chair on Chase's other side and planted himself next to Cameron.
"So Dr. Price, how are you feeling after your bout with influenza?" Cameron asked him softly.
"Much better, thank you," Price replied. He smiled encouragingly to let Cameron know he appreciated what she'd done for him. "Is Dr. House taking a vacation?"
"I beg your pardon?" Cameron asked.
"He told us he'd be out next week and maybe the week after," Jasper supplied. "Are you planning a trip? A honeymoon maybe?"
Cameron just shook her head no. House obviously hadn't told them about the surgery, and she wasn't about to. He was being ridiculous of course, as soon as the first nurse got a look at him the whole hospital would know about it. Cameron figured he just didn't want to put up with all the pep talks beforehand.
Wilson sat in his office and stared out toward the balcony. Spring was finally creeping up on New Jersey, and the pale blue sky looked incredibly inviting. For once, there was no last minute paperwork for a drug trial and no dying patient. Wilson was bored. On such rare occasions as this, normally Wilson would join House in whatever he was currently doing to avoid work.
Wilson pushed thoughts of House resolutely out of his mind. For the past ten years or so, House had been his main focus. Through two marriages, one affair and three girlfriends there had never been anyone who was as important to him as House. The moment Lisa had revealed he was going to be a father that changed. It had taken Wilson a good six months to realize it; but Lisa and his daughter were the most important things in his life and nobody, not even House, could change that.
Wilson was ashamed of himself that it had taken Lisa's collapsing to show him that despite how much he knew he loved her and the baby he was still putting House first. That was never going to happen again. No matter how lonely he was.
"Just go talk to him," a voice said from the doorway.
"No," he replied without turning around. He knew who it was; the hair on the back of his neck only stood up for one woman.
"He misses you," the voice told him. "And I know you miss him. Jimmy, you can still be his friend and not put him first."
Wilson waited until he knew she was gone. "No, I don't think I can."