AN: Just a brief chapter to start off the final two story arcs. There will probably be no more than five more chapters in this story, if that many. I'm planning on ending with a bang!

Chapter 38

House heard the door to his room slide open and turned, expecting Cameron to greet him. Instead, a furious looking Wilson entered and slid the door shut behind him.

"I thought you were done with me," House sniped at him.

"If I wasn't before, this latest stunt would be enough to convince me," Wilson spat at him. He was angry. Not just about Cameron, but about Cuddy as well. "Do you have any idea what you did to her?"

"Oh get it over it," House said. "Everyone else moved on. You're the only one still holding a grudge."

"Not Lisa, you ass, Allison!" Wilson exploded. "God, are you really that self-absorbed that you couldn't see what would happen?"

"I'm sure I'll regret this, but what the hell are you talking about?" House asked angrily.

"Allison! Has been pacing out there for hours, worrying herself sick over you only to find out that you didn't want her here when you woke up!" Wilson was shouting, taking all his frustrations out on House. His anger over what had happened with Price and Cuddy, his annoyance over what he'd just done to Cameron but mostly his hurt that House had never talked to him about this surgery.

"Look, Wilson. I get that you've made it your mission in life to take care of needy women, but taking on two at a time is really a little much, even for you," House said. He couldn't believe Wilson's nerve. After telling him their decade long friendship was over, Wilson still felt like he had the right to lecture him about his behavior.

"Well who else is looking out for her?" Wilson demanded. "You? You were so wrapped up in whatever was going on in your head to consider what it was doing to her. Just like you always do. You've spent years convincing yourself that nothing anybody else does matters to you. Dammit, House, when are you going to get it? What you do matters to other people!"

"Jimmy," House said in a low voice. It was enough to stop Wilson. "If it didn't work," he fiddled with the bed sheets. "I had to know first, so I could be ready to be there for her."

"Stupid ass," Wilson muttered. "She wanted to be there for you."

House and Wilson just stared at each other for a minute before House looked away. Wilson sighed. It had only taken a few minutes, but he'd been sucked back in. It was like House was a celestial being, drawing people in with gravitational force.

"She stopped in the ladies room. She wanted to wash her face before she came in; she was muttering something about a Stones album," Wilson waved a hand and then looked as his watch. "She should be okay when she gets in here, but you better make sure she understands why you did it."

"She will," House said. Then he narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "What do you mean, she should be okay when she gets in here?"

"I, uh," Wilson rubbed the back of neck guiltily. "I … put a couple of valium in her tea."

"You dosed her?"

"She needed it," Wilson said defensively. Before House could respond, the door slid open and Cameron entered. House noticed the bandages on her hands immediately and looked a question at Wilson, who shrugged and stepped out of the room.

"Hey," House said cautiously. He saw Cameron clench her fists and then wince. He realized what must have happened to her hands and felt a surge of unexpected guilt.

Cameron walked slowly to the edge of the bed and rested her hands on the rail, just as she had done when he was being prepped. She looked at him and when House met her eyes his guilt tripled.

"You can push all you want, I'm not going," Cameron said. Her voice was calm enough, thanks to Wilson, but it was low and serious and House had no doubt she meant every word she said. "The good, the bad and everything in between, that's what I want. I can handle whatever you want to throw at me. You're not as tough as you think."

House nodded a quick nod. He saw Wilson shoot him an exasperated look from the hall.

"I'm sorry."

"I know."

House reached a hand out and squeezed her wrist, avoiding adding any discomfort to the wounds on her hands.

"So?" she asked.

"No more pain," he answered. Cameron smiled and let tears run down her cheeks, The Rolling Stones be damned.

"You're still a pain," she said.

"And I always will be," House assured her.

"That may be the most diabolical thing I've ever heard come out of your mouth," House said appreciatively to Cuddy. They were seated at a table in the corner of the cafeteria, Cuddy picking at a salad and House devouring his second plate of french fries. "Think we can pull it off?"

"Do you doubt me?" Cuddy asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Always," House said witheringly. "You don't think she'll be mad?"

"I haven't asked her, but she's unwittingly divulged some information that leads me to believe not," Cuddy said archly. House grinned and shook his head.

"You've been questioning her?"

"Not questioning," Cuddy qualified, "discussing."

"Uh-huh," House replied. "Because this sort of thing comes up in casual conversation."

"No," Cuddy said, rolling her eyes. "She's helping me plan it without even knowing." Cuddy slid an invitation to the hospital fund raiser across the table to House. He glanced at it quickly and realization came.

"I take it back, that may the most diabolical thing I've ever heard come out of anyone's mouth," House said. He glanced at the invitation again. "Wilson's in?"

"He knows. As far as anything else goes, that's up to you," Cuddy said, looking pointedly at him. She checked her watch. "She'll be here to drive you home any minute. I've got to run."

"Waddle," House mumbled under his breath.

"Cripples shouldn't throw stones," Cuddy sniped at him as she piled her napkin and utensils in to the mostly empty salad container. "How's the physical therapy going this time?"

"Not terrible," House admitted. "I should be out of this damn chair in a couple of days."

"Good," Cuddy smiled at him. She stood up and took her trash from the table.

"My god Cuddy, Allison is supposed to be the one becoming a house, not you," House quipped as her ample pregnant belly cast a shadow across his fries.

"How long have you been waiting to use that one?" Cuddy asked in disgust.

"About a month," House admitted. "Had to wait until you had the proper girth."

"Nice to know some things never change," Cuddy said. She turned and walked out, tossing her trash as she exited.

House leaned as far back as the wheelchair would allow and thought over what Cuddy was proposing. It had barely been two weeks since the surgery, but he was already working on the physical therapy. His pain was gone, but with it a little of the muscle control had gone as well. The surgery had left a few dead spots where the nerves simply didn't function anymore. Great for pain relief, not so great for walking.

Cameron settled into her desk chair and picked up the file she'd been poring over all day. She'd just come back from driving House home after his physical therapy appointment. He was making really good progress, from her point of view. By week's end he'd be out of the wheelchair and returning to work. It would certainly make their home life easier; maneuvering his wheelchair around the boxes still jammed into their cramped apartment was nearly impossible.

Cameron shook her head and tried to concentrate on the file again. This case was really bothering her, but she couldn't really put a finger on why. House would have been obvious in his attempt to make her admit it bothered her because the patient was a toddler and she would have been annoyed, which was a big part of the reason she hadn't brought this case to him for a consult yet.

The other part was just sheer obstinance. All those years of working for House were supposed to have taught her to be a better diagnostician. She wasn't readily willing to admit she couldn't figure out this little boy's symptoms. She sighed again and jotted a note to do some research on DiGeorge Syndrome later.

"Hey," Cuddy said as she tapped her nails on Cameron's open office door.

"Sit down and put your feet up," Cameron said without looking up from the file. Cuddy smirked and sighed at the same time; sometimes Cameron was such a mother hen. She wondered how House put up with that.

"I don't do it to House," Cameron said, still not looking up.

"How did you know that's what I was thinking?" Cuddy asked.

"Because I've been taking my excess mother hen tendencies out on you to avoid doing it at home," Cameron said. She made one final note and looked up at Cuddy.

"Wow," she breathed. "Sorry, maybe it's that dress or maybe you've dropped but oh, Lisa, you're just … "

"Enormous. I know, I know. You're darling fiancé advised me at lunch time."

"Oh no, did he use the 'house' joke?" Cameron asked sympathetically. "I tried to tell him it wasn't funny, but you know Greg."

"It was pretty much a given," Cuddy agreed. "Speaking of your worse-half, have you guys set a date yet?"

"Not yet. It's been a little hectic with the move and his surgery, we haven't really talked about it," Cameron said automatically. Her eyes drifted down to the file on her desk. "Hey Lisa, what you would say about a toddler with constant vomiting, dehydration, fevers and recurrent infections that go in cycles?"

"Cycles? Cushing's can be cyclical, although that's pretty rare," Cuddy commented.

"Yeah, that's on my list too. Three other doctors have diagnosed a milk protein allergy, but that can't be it. The symptoms come back no matter what his diet is like," Cameron said.

"It definitely sounds like some kind of food allergy, and recurrent infections… it's got to be autoimmune. Lupus?" Cuddy suggested.

"Lisa," Cameron deadpanned, "it's never, ever lupus." Cuddy rolled her eyes. "I already tested him for that anyway; it's really not lupus this time."

"What did House say?" Cuddy asked.

"I … haven't asked him," Cameron hedged.

"Allison," Cuddy rebuked her.

"I know, I know. I just don't want to deal with the mocking and the teasing and the calling me an idiot and …"

"Point taken. And back to subject of your man, I had a thought," Cuddy said. Cameron raised an intrigued eyebrow. Cuddy laid out her plan and Cameron's grin grew wider and wider with every word.

"Do you think we could really pull that off?" Cameron asked. "You have no idea how much I want to pull one over on him. Well, actually you probably do, which just makes this even more brilliant. What about Jimmy?"

"He's in, and I'm pretty confident I can ensure his silence," Cuddy said. "So?"

"Sounds like a plan to me," Cameron agreed. The two women smiled conspiratorially.