Chapter 2

"All right, this game is designed to test your powers of observation. Stay where you're seated and put these on when I tell you." House handed each duckling a blindfold.

"You'll all need a pen and a blank sheet of paper …" House watched as they organized themselves, "all set?"

"Now, in a moment I'm going to ask you to put on your blindfolds for a few minutes while I prepare. When I'm done, you'll remove your blindfolds and write down one dozen changes you observe. All of the changes will be visible from your seats, so there will be no need to get up and walk around the room. You'll have ten minutes to write down your answers. The person with the most correct answers wins. It's that simple. Any questions?"

"Yea … what if there's a tie?" asked Chase.

"I have a way to deal with that if it happens." House said, closing the blinds in the office.

"Okay …Blindfolds on … I'm watching you, so no peeking and no cheating!"

"I don't know why we even bother to play along with House …" Foreman said, impatiently tapping his pen on the table.

"Yea, we'll get screwed, no matter how well we do …" agreed Chase.

"Shhhh …we should be listening to pick up some clues …" chastised Cameron.

"Listen to Miss Eager Beaver … someone sure wants her date with House …" chuckled Foreman.

Just then Cameron felt a strong hand on her shoulder and warm breath on her neck.

"I personally find Eager Beavers incredibly sexy … ", House whispered quietly in her ear. She shuddered as he brushed her cheek softly with his scruff before moving away.

He still wants me … I have to win … Cameron thought.

"Remove your blindfolds … your ten minutes begins … right now." House said, looking at his watch.

Cameron looked around the room and felt ill … nothing looked different and she could tell by Chase and Foreman's expressions that they shared her thoughts.

"Eight minutes left … why aren't you guys writing?" House stood in front of the whiteboard, staring at the group.

"House, did you really change a dozen things or are you just messing with us …" Chase asked in frustration.

"I'm not messing with you … ", said House, with more than a little disappointment in his voice, "c'mon people … get with it, this isn't hard."

House grabbed the whiteboard suddenly.

"House …" Cameron jumped up out of her chair and ran to House. "Are you okay …?"

House held on to her arm as he reached for a chair.

"I felt a little dizzy … it's nothing … I'm just tired, that's all …" Their eyes met as she helped him into the chair.

"Oh my god …" Cameron said quietly.

"It's nothing Cameron … go back to the game." House said insistently.

"Is he all right?" Chase whispered to Cameron.

"I don't know …" she said, with a worried expression on her face.

"Two minutes people …"

Cameron began to write furiously, shielding her paper from the prying eyes of Chase and Foreman.

"One Minute …"

Foreman threw down his pen. House limped over to the sink and filled his red mug with water.

"Time's up! Hand me your papers …"

"So … Foreman … a blank sheet of paper. Either you just don't give a damn or you're incredibly stupid ... and Chase, you got one right … congratulations!" House said sarcastically. "I can't believe it, especially when I gave you guys the first two answers."

"Cameron … would you please write your answers on the whiteboard ... it's okay to erase it, and explain to your colleagues what they missed …"

Cameron began to write, as she spoke:

1. Dizziness

2. Fatigue

3. Alcohol on breath

4. Changed shirt. Same colour, different design.

5. Sweaty.

6. Signs of jaundice in eyes.

7. Hand tremors

8. Pale, clammy skin

9. Wearing glasses

10. Holding cane in wrong hand

11. Drinking water

12. Holding head at an angle

"First House stumbled and reached for the chair; he said he felt dizzy and tired. When he spoke to me, I could smell alcohol on his breath and I noticed many of the other symptoms and changes: the jaundice, the glasses and his pale, clammy skin. He had changed his tee shirt while we were blindfolded, yet it was already drenched in sweat and as he sat I noticed the hand tremors and the head tilt. And finally when he walked to the kitchen, he used his cane in the other hand and got a mug of water to drink – and House never drinks water."

"Very good Cameron … perfect, in fact. You can sit down. Thank you and congratulations, you won."

Cameron smiled slightly as she sat down.

"Now, you two idiots … not only did you lose, but if I'd been a real patient you would have killed me. These are symptoms that a regular viewer of "Grey's Anatomy" could recognize. Do you have anything to say for yourselves?" House asked, staring at Chase and Foreman.

"I'm sorry House … I was looking at the room, I didn't think to look at you …" said a dejected Chase.

Foreman said nothing.

"Well, I hope you learned something today …" House said shaking his head with disgust.

"It's five o'clock … time to go …"

House watched Foreman and Chase head for the door. "And rest this weekend … you'll be working some long hours for the next two weeks ..." he added with a devilish grin.

"Goodnight House … Cameron …"

"Goodnight."

Cameron packed her bag and then knocked tentatively on the door to House's office.

"House, are you really okay … your eyes, the jaundice …" Cameron asked, worry etched on her face.

"I'm as fine as I ever am … yellow contacts, baby powder, water and a shot of scotch. That's all it took to fool Chase and Foreman. But you … I'm very proud of you, good work!"

"Thank you House."

"I'm looking forward to our date, what did you have in mind?" House asked as he packed up his PSP.

"Dinner might be nice, but dress casually … I'll make the reservations … would you be able to pick me up at seven?" Cameron asked, smiling.

"Seven it is. Car or bike?"

"Bike. I feel adventurous." she said over her shoulder, as she walked to the conference room and quietly locked the door.

"House …" Cameron called out, "before we go, I was wondering if you could review the conclusions of our DDX for me … I want to be sure that I understood your diagnosis correctly."

House came out of his office and put his bag down. He saw Cameron sitting on the conference table across from the whiteboard.

"Okay … but it's not that complicated. Let me just change this tee, I soaked it to fake my symptoms …" House said, stripping it off over his head and reaching for a dry shirt in his bag.

"House … could you leave it off for a few minutes … I'd really like that …" Cameron said, her eyes burning with lust as she stared at his bare chest.

"S-u-r-e … ", he said slowly, picking up a marker. "I was kind of surprised at you and Chase getting into it today … although he deserved it … his crack about your panties … that was kind of crude …" House was secretly delighted at the image, but wanted to gauge Cameron's reaction.

"Oh, that's Chase for you, wrong as usual …" Cameron said off-handedly.

"So they weren't … wet …" House asked.

"No … not at all …" she said innocently.

House turned to the whiteboard to hide his disappointment.

Maybe I'm reading way too much into this …