The restaurant Cameron had selected was warm, casual and very Italian. She'd been there once or twice with Foreman and Chase for dinner, but that had been many months ago. It was always busy, even on a weeknight such as this evening. Luckily, a table for two was not as hard to come by as a larger table and their wait to be seated was only a few minutes.
Their table was tucked away in a corner, just off the main dining area. It had a chair on one side of the table and a comfortable booth seat on the other. Sebastian swept his arm out to let Cameron slip into the booth side and then sat next to her as their waitress quickly briefed them on the specials and then brought them two glasses of white wine.
"This is nice," Sebastian said, as his eyes made a quick sweep of the room. "Very you," he commented, his smile lighting up his face.
"Listen, let me just say this before the waitress comes back over, so I don't get sidetracked," he said, nervously. "I want to apologize if I offended you back at the hospital. I know you really care about that place, but it just pisses me off to see a good doctor like you slip through their fingers. So, how are you dealing with all of this, Allison?"
Cameron fingered the delicate stem of the wine glass as she contemplated how best to answer his question. "You don't need to apologize. It's nothing you've done. I have been hurt by all of this, I can't lie about that. But, there really isn't a lot I can do, so there's no use stewing about it".
"Honestly, after House was shot, I lost it a little bit. He's a real bastard most of the time, but in his own twisted little co-dependent way, he held us all together. To see him like that, fighting for life on that office floor--it haunted me," she explained softly, then shaking her head to clear the thought. "And then, Chase left, and it all started to unravel a bit more," she said, taking a slow drink from her glass of wine.
Sebastian's eyes poured over her delicate features, trying to imagine the carnage that had taken place not long after he last saw her.
"I can see where that would all be a bit overwhelming," he added, sympathetically.
Cameron shook her head in agreement. "Oh, but there's more. To top it off, I found out two weeks ago that House and Cuddy were… seeing one another and not only did she want him, but she wanted to end my fellowship as well," Cameron's eyes glossed over Sebastian's caring face. "She's made it quite clear there is no future for me at PPTH, I'm afraid".
Sebastian's gaze dropped to his wineglass on the table. "And House? What does he have to say about all of this?"
"I don't know. There are some days where I think he wants me to stay, but mostly I think he could care less," she said, regretfully.
"Allison, I don't think you believe that's true. Look, House is a lot of things, but he does care about you. He thinks you're a good doctor. He depends on you and Chase and Foreman. I can't imagine this is easy on him. God, what am I saying? Am I actually defending the asshole? I must be jetlagged," he laughed gently, as their waitress set down a large plate of fried calamari and a steaming bowl of marinara sauce between them.
"Do you think you could work with him and not have feelings for him?" he asked soberly, looking directly into her eyes.
Cameron shifted uncomfortably in her seat at the question. "I don't have feelings for him," she said, defensively as she stared at her hands. "Not anymore," she lied again to herself, as she lifted her eyes to hold his gaze.
"Ok, let's change the subject. I finally get you to dinner after six months and the only thing we've found to talk about his House. I'm sure he's reeling with satisfaction in some bar somewhere, don't you think?" he said, lightly.
Cameron smiled and laughed lightly at the thought, but in reality, the very image of that made her quite sad.
"Listen, I know you turned me down once, but things aren't the same as they were then, are they? The offer still stands- come back with me, Allison. The pay is lousy, but I could show you so much about these people. They need our help desperately and they're so appreciative of it. It really makes you feel like a doctor-- a true healer when you're with them".
"Ah, look I know it's my passion-- my dream," he continued. "But I'd like for you to see it someday. Let me show you another side of medicine besides House's way," Sebastian said, his hand reaching out to cover hers. "It could change you".
Cameron gave his fingers a small squeeze. "You know, I really would like to see it. I hope you know that. You do, don't you?" she asked. "I just need some time to think about it, though. I finally set up two interviews today and who knows, I may get there and hate them both. But, I owe it to myself to go and see what they're about, don't I?"
Sebastian cupped her hand between the two of his. "Believe it or not, just saying you'd think about it is good enough for me for now. That's more than I got last time, right? Heck, I'd say that's progress," he said, as his smile lit up his face.
"What? What are you thinking?" he asked, watching her as if she was in deep thought. Cameron blushed. "What am I thinking? Ah, honestly, that this is the first real date I've had in…well, I'd be embarrassed to say how long," her mind quickly flashing back to the horrible date with House. "So, thank you. I appreciate you making me feel special. No one's done that in a long time," she said, sadly.
"Well, I can't figure out for the life of me why a smart, beautiful woman like you would ever have to sit home on a Saturday night. Are all the men in New Jersey just nuts?" he laughed, pretending to scan the restaurant for them.
They sat comfortably at their little table for well over two hours, just talking and enjoying one another's company. Finally, Sebastian called the waitress over, paid the bill and they left the now almost deserted restaurant.
"You passed the street for the hospital," she said anxiously, once they were back in his car. "You haven't forgotten my car is still there, have you?"
"Nope, didn't forget. I'd a…I thought I'd come pick you up in the morning and we could ride to the hospital together. I hate being the new kid in school, so I thought someone like you could show me where the all the cool kids hang out," he said, laughing lightly.
Cameron smiled. "I'm definitely not one of the cool kids, but if you don't mind backtracking from your hotel to come get me, then that would be fine. I'm usually there by 7:15, but I guess since I'll be working for you, I'll let you decide what time," she said, as she helped him navigate their way back to her apartment.
Sebastian cringed. "I'm not sure how much House is or isn't going to know tomorrow morning, so it's probably best if you stick to your normal schedule. I'll be here at 7 and we'll stop for coffee and a bagel," he said, as he pulled his rental car in front of Cameron's apartment house.
She fingered the strap of her bag nervously. "Would you like to come up for coffee?" she asked, awkwardly.
Sebastian's eyes were warm and obviously touched by her offer. "I better not. It's been a long day and I 'm sure there's some sort of hospital regulation about that sort of thing," he said, sarcastically.
Cameron smiled at the reference to her penchant for following rules. "I understand. Maybe some other time before you go, then?" she asked.
"I'll be looking forward to it" he said, as he picked imaginary lint off his slacks. "Allison," he said, abruptly. "Do you think I could …" Cameron interrupted his words by nodding her head. "Yes," she said softly, before his lips gently touched hers. From under his breath, Sebastian groaned as their lips slowly separated. "Come on. Let me walk you to your door before I get too carried away," he said, as Cameron giggled lightly.