Sorry for the long wait, and apologies that it couldn't be a longer chapter. More to come soon. Review please!
"What's happening to my son?" the angry mother demanded of Cameron. "Ma'am, please, we—" Cameron began, only to be shoved out of the way by the vociferous woman. The patient was now unconscious and in his own room, being examined by three doctors at once.
"We've done this before, but he shows no similar symptoms from the previous case. Maybe his arteries…" Chase began, finishing his sentence in his head. Frowning, Foreman shook his head. "I don't think so. The arteries wouldn't cause trauma, if that's what that was … it has to be something in the brain, maybe…" he also trailed off.
House also frowned, and said, "The foot bone connects to the, ankle bone, the ankle bone connects to the, leg bone, the leg bone connects to the … to the … there's your problem. No bones above his leg. Case solved!"
The angry mother rushed in towards House, her face a mix of frustration, anger, and maternal worry. "What's going on? Do you know what's wrong with him? Why won't anyone answer me? What –" she raged before she was promptly slapped across the cheek by Keira, who had entered the room and rescued the startled House. "To answer your questions: nothing, not yet, and because you never shut up. Now, we're going to do some tests on him, and they will help us to figure out the real answers to questions one and two. In the meantime, why don't you look at our gift shop?"
As Keira escorted the unstable mother to the waiting area, she heard House mutter behind her, "Forget the gift shop, get her some sedatives." Turning, she saw the older doctor's sparkling eye turn away from hers. Feeling pleased that she had possibly undone her previous wrongs, and the woman was now off her hands and into Cameron's, Keira treated herself to a quick latte in the cafeteria before meeting back at House's office.
Three hours later, the team of diagnosticians scurried away from their boss to test the patient in various painful ways. Keira lingered slightly, wanting to be sure that she had made amends, but a warning look from Cameron stopped her.
"Are you … mad? For some unknown reason?" Keira hesitantly asked as she and the other woman working for House performed a MRI on the now awake but dazed patient, who had still not spoken a word. Cameron frowned, thinking. After a moment, she hesitantly said, "Well, as an answer to your question, I suppose I have to ask a question." Keira looked wary, but nodded for her to continue. "Are you trying to take House's job?" Cameron asked.
Keira sat silently for a moment or two, completely relieved at Cameron's answer. Then she began to laugh much to the surprise of the latter. "So…you are? Or you aren't?" Cameron wondered. Still chuckling to herself, Keira answered, "Of course not. I just got here, and I respect House very much. I wouldn't want to take his job, or—"
"So I'm guessing that this is a no to our previous proposition?" Lisa Cuddy said from behind them. Startled, Keira leapt out of her chair, almost pressing some fatal buttons that control the MRI machine.
"Um… I guess so. I mean, I wanted to think, but…" Keira stuttered. Cuddy looked unsure. "Well then," the Dean of Medicine said, "I'll give you a day. Think about it, I can always find someone else."
After the latter had left, and Keira had collapsed into her chair, Cameron was bursting with inquires. "What deal? Are you going to get a higher position? Is this about controlling—" she said to Keira. Dr. Olivieri looked though Cameron as questions were thrown at her, trying to imagine a future as the Dean of Medicine…or working for House.
"Well???"
"I…I don't know. Rain check on the questions. In the mean time, we're done here, so let's get him back to his room and get the results," Keira said firmly. She would have to think about this later, and in the meantime, avoid Cuddy.
Upon arriving at the room of the silent patient, Cameron and Keira were met by the rest of House's team and the Grinch himself. "He's been transferred," House said vacantly to no one in particular. "Him? The patient?" Chase asked. "Why?"
Shaking his head, House answered, "I dunno." He paused for a minute to throw some Vicotin in his mouth, then perked up a little. "Cuddy must not want us getting too bored with repeated cases. Hey, don't blame me, I was onto something with that leg bone theory."