From Chapter One

Soon it began to approach nine o'clock and Cameron began to get anxious about seeing House after their confrontation the previous evening. At 9:02 she heard his shuffle-step coming around the corner and she braced herself for whatever he planned on dishing out.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Good morning my minions. What thrilling medical mystery awaits us today?"

"For us, a fourteen year old male patient, Sean, who has seizures, hallucinates, and has allergic reactions to everything we give him. You have clinic duty, at least according to Cuddy. What did you do to piss her off this time?"

"And that is where you are wrong homie. YOU have clinic duty, my clinic duty to be precise, I get the new patient."

Foreman just rolled his eyes as House's blatant racist remark knowing that he makes sexist and anti-Australian ones all the time. It wasn't anything personal. So he went off to the clinic leaving Cameron and Chase with the ever hostile House.

"Cameron, you do a scratch test. Chase, and when that's done I want you to do an EEG. See what is going on with his brain waves."

Happy to have escaped any problems with her often irritable boss Cameron headed of to the teenagers room to run the scratch test.

This is odd. He could have singled me out in front of Chase and Foreman and embarrassed me, but he didn't. Why? I don't have clue. But I know better then to kick a gift horse in the mouth, especially when that horse is House. He isn't usually the gift giving type.

Cameron was finishing up with Sean when House came barging in.

Shit! He had something worse in mind, he didn't want to humiliate me in the privacy of our office, he wants to do it in public!

"So Sean, do you like Dr. Cameron? She is always so concerned with having people like her."

That's it! I am going to kill him!

"House! Get out! Now! Or I am going to take your cane and put it where it belongs! Up your…"

"She's feisty isn't she? Well I had better be going. I wouldn't want to grow any new appendages. I think it would be called retrogression if I grew a tail."

"I am sorry about that Sean. Dr. House, well, he has the maturity level of a child sometimes."

As if to prove her point House limped by their room carrying his Gameboy on the way to torment Foreman down in the clinic. She was just happy to have him out of her hair for a while.

Coffee. I need coffee. It is only eleven o'clock and I am exhausted! It's House's fault. I have spent most of my waking hours during the past two days either angry with him or arguing and angry with him. And of course I might be dying. A long, slow, painful death. I know, I tell patients all the time that HIV isn't a death sentence anymore, but still the odds of you living a long healthy life til your 95 with 2 kids, 4 grandkids, and a couple great-grandkids isn't that great. Wonderful. Now I am lamenting. Got to get that coffee.

Two cups of coffee later Cameron was not feeling any better but she knew she had a little time left before the results of the EEG and scratch test were back so she headed to the ladies locker room for a quick shower hoping she would feel more refreshed afterwards.

A few minutes, and songs, into the shower she realized she was not alone in the room. Suddenly her sixth sense, the one reserved for sensing House's presence, went off and told her that he was the other person in the room.

"House? What the hell are you doing in here?"

"I have questions."

"And they couldn't wait until after my shower? You know, you are starting to remind me of a stalker I had in college."

"No. Well at least to the first question. Stalking you is an interesting idea though. It was fun hearing you sing in the shower."

Coming out from behind the partition, and already feeling exasperated, Cameron asked, "Alright, what is so urgent?"

"Why do you want me to like you?"

WHAM! The question knocked Cameron back like a gust of wind and she struggled not to look shocked. It didn't take long for a vulnerable look to appear on her face as she paled slightly and cast her eyes down at the grubby tile floor.

"You know the answer." Cameron could not bring herself to admit out loud to House that she liked him again.

"I need to hear you say it."

"You just want me to feed your ego? Screw you!"

Furious Cameron stormed out of the locker room to go find out how Sean was. All she could think about was the music from yesterday.

"Life's a bitch and then you die." Your preaching to the choir! HIV, I Love You, I want to embarrass the heck out of you, feed my already over-grown ego…All in two days! Does it ever end?

House on the other hand was sitting spell bound in the bath room wondering what he said wrong. All he was seeking was reassurance. It had nothing to do with ego.