This was not going to be her lucky day. Not that she believed in fate or gave too much credence to bad luck, but if she did, she would have known that today the odds were definitely stacked against her. Ten minutes before walking out the door, she spilled dangerously hot coffee down the front of her only remaining clean work blouse. Then two feet before reaching her car, she twisted her right ankle when the right toe of her fabulous, albeit dangerously new high heel shoes, caught itself on the edge of the sidewalk.
The only thing this day had going for it, she thought as she pulled into the hospital parking garage, was that it was almost twelve noon and it was Friday. Otherwise, she would have been tempted to pack in the whole thing in and turn the car back towards home.
Cameron had just started to make her way across the lobby towards the large entrance doors when she heard her name called out. She hesitated for a moment before turning towards the clinic and the sound of Lisa Cuddy's pleasant, but authoritative voice. The lobby was unusually loud and heavy with traffic, but the clickity-clack sound of Dr. Cuddy's heels on the smooth floor still resonated through the atrium-like area.
She dropped her bag down by the base of the reception desk as she waited for Dr. Cuddy to reach her. She gazed at Cuddy's figure as she walked closer to her.
Lisa Cuddy, she thought, was never anything but immaculate in her appearance. Her deeply hued dark hair and olive skin tone was strikingly set off by the rich eggplant purple color of her perfectly tailored designer suit.
Self-consciously, Cameron reached up to tuck behind her ear a section of hair that had slipped the bonds of the clip holding her hair together.
Cuddy seemed slightly annoyed and rushed as she spoke. "Dr. Cameron, perfect timing. Do you have a moment?"
Cameron fidgeted slightly with her blouse, trying to smooth out the creases and hide the coffee stain. "I was just about to meet Dr. Charles upstairs".
Cuddy dismissed Cameron's plans with a wave of her hand. "Well, don't. We've got a bit of a crisis in the clinic. Dr. Wilson has had a family emergency and had to leave, and Foreman and House are a bit swamped at the moment. It seems there's a stomach virus going on around town, so we've got a full house in there".
Cameron nodded slightly as her eyes looked past Cuddy and towards the waiting room of the clinic behind her. "Is Dr. Wilson alright?"
"He's fine. Apparently his soon to be ex-father in-law had a stroke last night, so he's gone up to Morristown to be with his wife's family". Cameron pursed her lips together as the corners of her mouth turned down sympathetically. She had gathered things were quite strained between him and his wife, but Wilson wasn't the type of person to let that get in the way of something like this.
"If you've already taken your lunch," she said impatiently, as she turned her wrist over to look at her watch, I'm sure they could use your help now". "I'll page Sebastian and let him know there's been a change in your schedule. Oh, and thanks".
Cameron silently stood by the reception desk for a moment as people moved past her on their way to unknown destinations within the hospital. For a moment, she thought of ducking into the Ladies Room to straighten her appearance, but dismissed the thought quickly. As she walked towards the clinic, she felt a tinge of trepidation but also the queerest sense of happiness as well.
"I need a vacation," she said aloud to herself, as she pushed open the doors to the clinic and signed herself in.
Across the counter, Foreman scribbled the last few notes in the patient file and illegibly signed his name before handing it over to the nurse behind the desk. He smiled at her as if she would be pleased at his speed in seeing the last patient, but her lack of interest was only slightly more evident than her sour disposition. She unceremoniously grabbed the completed file from his hand as she shoved a new one in it.
A familiar voice drifted by him, cutting in to Foreman's displeasure and foul mood. "You can stop mentally cursing me, I heard you all the way across town and I've got the scars to prove it". Foreman turned quickly from the desk to see Cameron standing behind him, arms crossed over her chest with a mocking grin on her face.
"Allison, you've got one minute to make a break for it before we put you to work in here. And, don't even let House see you. He's beyond being pissed off today".
"Well, today is your lucky day," she said lightly, grabbing the next patient folder in the queue.
"Are you serious? Wait, what are you doing? Aren't you supposed to be with Dr. Charles?"
Cameron smiled at the combined look of confusion and displeasure that had taken over Foreman's face. "Cuddy said you all were swamped down here and she pulled me back in to help. So, now that I'm here, why don't you go grab some lunch? House will be ticked, but I can handle him until you get back".
Foreman laughed awkwardly under his breath. "I'm good, for the moment. But, House… is in rare form today. I've had to send the nurses in every fifteen minutes to make sure he's actually seeing people and not sleeping instead. I don't know what's worse, having kids puke all day on my shoes or babysitting House".
The nurse behind the counter tapped her pen loudly on the desk. "The woman in exam room 3 has thrown up twice and has asked how much longer you'd be, Dr. Foreman," she said, curtly. Cameron smiled and turned towards exam room 2, wishing she had chosen another pair of shoes instead of the new ones she wore today.
She softly knocked twice on the door as she quickly studied the chart before her. "Hi, Ms. Williams, I'm Dr. Cameron-- so what brings you in today?" she asked, raising her gaze from the patient file.
"I think my diaphragm needs to be refitted".
Cameron dropped the file to her side as she instinctively raised her free hand to her hip. "House, what are you doing?" she belted out, in her most perfected annoyed tone.
"Comfortable?" she asked, as she swatted his crossed legs out of one of the gynecological stirrup on the exam table. "Foreman said you'd probably be sleeping, but kicking back with a magazine sounds more your speed. And, just for shits and giggles, what did you do with Ms. Williams?" she asked, waving the mystery patient's file in front of his face.
"Well, I was comfortable until you blew my cover. What are you doing back here, anyway? Did Dr. Do-good get a pimple today and cancel all his appearances?"
"No. Cuddy said you needed help. So…Ms.Williams, House? Where'd you put her?"
"Diagnosed and discharged! I figured it would take Foreman at least half an hour to get in here to her, plenty of time to get caught up on Britney and Kevin," he quipped, as he pointed to the vapid looking couple on the magazine cover.
Cameron sighed impatiently. "House, there's a waiting room full of sick adults and puking children. Don't you think Britney can wait?"
House leaned over the exam table and threw the tabloid into the trash. "Killjoy. So, did you actually volunteer to help out in this hell hole or did Cuddy draft you?"
"I told you. Cuddy said you needed help," she said, as she watched his face contort with disbelief. "I still work here, you know".
"At least for a few more days, anyway," House smirked deviously, plucking the patient file out of her hand as he brushed by her.
"Wow. Way to make me feel the love," she mumbled under her breath, as she followed him out of the exam room, shutting the door behind her.