Chapter 3-Here Comes the Pain Again

Disclaimer: I own nothing (but the sick guy-I know I said that before. Warning spoilers for episode "No Reason". I just saw it last night and I thought it was one of the best.

House awoke, full of fever and fight hours after he had lost consciousness on the floor of the boardroom. He blinked his blue eyes rapidly trying to disperse the fire that was burning beneath them, but to no avail. He could barely keep them open and the pain in his head was so bad. He placed one hand to it. God, this was going to be a trip.

"Feeling any better?"

House looked over in the direction of the voice with one hand covering his eye. Cameron's voice seemed to be drilling a hole into his already pounding head.

"Maybe if you put your voice down to mute, I'd be fine."

After having said this, he looked around the room.

"Hmm. De'ja vu. Didn't I have a conversation like this with you before next to my hospital bed?"

Cameron smirked. "You mean the one that you had in your head caused from your hallucination after being shot?"

House nodded. "Oh yeah, jeez, I must have forgotten all about that," he said with a spat.

"Do you have a headache?" Cameron offered.

House opened one eye while making sure the other one was completely covered.

"How'd you guess?"

Cameron snorted. "Why do you have to be so obnoxious?"

House feigned sweetness. "Can't help it. I was born this way."

Cameron continued. "We ran some tests on you while you were out."

House seemed intrigued. "Feeling me up without my knowledge? Well that just sucks!"

Cameron smiled. "Your lumbar puncture showed some abnormalities. The MRI showed some possible neurological damage, but nothing conclusive."

"Blood work?"

Cameron's gray eyes met his. "Nothing conclusive."

House closed his tired blue eyes.

"Well, consistency is nice."

Cameron sighed casting her eyes downward. "We didn't even see your whiteboard until after you got settled here. Were those all of the symptoms you had been feeling?"

House nodded solemnly. "All except vomiting blood on lab coats," he gestured toward Cameron, "that's a new one. Right now, I have a hunch that more will follow."

"Why?" Cameron wondered.

"Because," House started to say through gritted teeth, "I am having one right now."

Almost as if on cue, House seized the bedrail trying his best not to cry out in agony.

Cameron rushed to his side, "What's wrong?"

"Extreme pain throughout my body," he answered through gritted teeth.

"Hold on."

"Not much else to do is there, Cameron," House rasped.

88888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888

Cameron paged Chase and Foreman. Within moments, they

were all there followed by Cuddy and Wilson.

"Gee word travels fast…Oh my God!"

House gripped the bedrails even tighter, rapidly blinking his eyes until the redness began to disappear from his hands as he loosened his grip on the bedrail. He wanted to scream and cry and inflict pain on anything that moved within his grasp, but he refrained. His breathing slowly began to return to normal.

"The pain seems to be subsiding." Cuddy remarked as she checked his vitals. His rapid heartbeat began to slow.

"Are you OK?" Wilson asked.

"Just peachy," was the rasped reply.

"It's official, Cuddy proclaimed, "You are our new patient.

House rolled his eyes in mock horror and tried to stand up.

"God, no. It's bad enough I have to work here, but you want me to live here too?"

"Yes, you will live her and you will like it," Wilson insisted trying to push his friend back down. It didn't take much.

"I am not," House said between breaths, "going to stay here. If you want to observe me, then take care of me in my natural habitat."

Cuddy scowled. "The zoo doesn't want you back."

House glared in her direction, "The zoo? That's the best you can do?"

No one seemed to take his answer about staying with him at his apartment as a resolution.

House sighed. Five against one were not good odds, especially while he was in this condition.

He waited to see what they would say and just as he was about to concede, Cameron spoke first.

"Fine, I will take the first shift at your home."

House tried not to look surprised as he smiled sweetly at her.

Cameron eyed him suspiciously while she helped him to sit up and prepare to go home.

See? Told you that reviews make the writer write faster. Two chapters in one day is new one for me. Thank you for the reviews so quickly guys. IT really makes my whole day!

Next up: Cameron gets first shift. Will House be on his best behavior? Maybe even teach her something? (Nothing perverted now) Smiles.