Hello, all! Just a fair warning: The next few chapters will revolve around Debra a bit, but House and Wilson are still there. But there is a reason for it, a very IMPORTANT reason for it; it dwells into House's past as well, and answers a few questions the two have had since they were children.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

"Oh, God," Cameron stammered when she walked through the door of her water-damaged and foul-smelling apartment. House walked in behind her, with Wilson and Debra behind them. It was Saturday, two days after the fire in her building complex, and she asked for extra hands in case there were more things spared than she'd anticipated.

When Cameron looked to the right in the alcove where her couch was supposed to be, it wasn't. The chair facing the t.v. and window wasn't there, either. The dining room table and chairs, the extra bookshelf, her treadmill, the entertainment center – all of her furniture was gone. The only thing in the room was burnt drywall, drips of dark, dirty water down the walls and on the carpet, which was mixed with ashes that 'squished' under their feet.

The fire chief was waiting outside the apartment because they allowed residents brief entrance to retrieve anything they could find, but then the building would be condemned until after repairs were completed. He also told Cameron that the fire had burned between the third and fourth floors, where it had originated, and in certain spots on the third floor it burned through to her apartment through the ceiling. They had to remove all combustible items in order to prevent re-ignition of the fire, and they were right – they removed everything, and that everything had been scattered across the front lawn of the building after they left. He had warned her of the condition of her place, that there were miscellaneous items that remained – charred books and other items that were indistinguishable. But she didn't want to believe it was that bad, couldn't believe it.

Cameron started to take a few steps towards the kitchen, where beyond that was her bedroom, but House held her back, with Debra on her other side. They discussed beforehand that she shouldn't be allowed any further into the apartment, considering neither one of them knew if anything would cause harm to her, or the baby, but mainly the baby.

"No…I've got…to…" She pushed forward with such force House's hand slipped from her shoulder and she took a few steps toward her bedroom.

"Cameron, fine. Stay at the door; Wilson and I will go in, Debra will st…" But she hadn't heard a word of it.

She kept walking to the bedroom but stopped at the door. House was closely behind her and looked over her shoulder. Her bed, nightstand, dresser, and bookshelf were still there – granted, they were severely water and smoke damaged – but they were there in one piece.

Wilson pushed Cameron and House aside as he and Debra went in to look around for a closer look. Cameron uttered under her breath but the two weren't listening. They were kneeling and picking up anything they could find that didn't look beyond trash. While the fire was two floors above her apartment, her bedroom was virtually untouched.

"House, can you get the box?" Wilson asked as he put a few items on the bed.

"Clsssst," Cameron mumbled.

Debra looked up and noticed she was pointing to a door that was half open. Wilson caught the stare and walked to the door and opened it for a full view of its contents. Cameron gasped and took a step forward, but this time House was on her and put tremendous force on her shoulders to stop her. There on the floor was a plastic container, about 2-1/2 feet (2' 2") wide and two feet deep. Wilson reached in a grabbed it and placed it on the bed.

HOUSE MD HOUSE MD HOUSE MD

Later that afternoon Cameron sat on House's bed and was going through the contents of the box they'd recovered from her closet. She was so distraught that she demanded House leave her alone while she did so, and he did. After about an hour she walked out into the living room with a blanket wrapped around her arms, which wasn't big enough to cover her swollen belly, and sat down silently beside House, who was sitting on the couch drinking a Scotch.

"How did it go…" House was sent into a repulsive facial expression and covered his nose. "Cam, you need to wash that…" The blanket was emitting a strong, foul smoke odor, like the smell of a three-day old fire in a fireplace, and not very attractive as perfume on a woman.

"No," she said sternly, and only wrapped herself tighter.

The doctor's appointment the day before with Dr. Crooks showed no complications with Cameron's pregnancy, but he warned that she should remain calm and stress free until she delivered. And the only comfort she had at the moment was her grandmother's blanket that she had around her shoulders.

House looked at her the whole time as she leaned back, threw her head on the back of the cushion and closed her eyes. After several minutes he put his arm over her head, pushed it forward and slid his arm down to her shoulders and pulled her to him. She put up no resistance whatsoever. Her head landed on his right thigh but he didn't flinch; with the Scotch and the vicodin he'd taken, it didn't hurt him at all, well, it did a little, but he could handle it. He lovingly caressed her back and ran his fingers through her hair.

HOUSE MD HOUSE MD HOUSE MD

"Good morning, Debra!" Cuddy said as she entered her office and smiled at Debra.

"Good morning, Dr. Cuddy," Debra answered.

"How did Gregory take his first day at Kiddy Care?"

It was Monday morning and it was Debra's first day back to work full time. It was just two weeks earlier when she moved into House's apartment because of the fire and they'd settled in quite well with the new arrangements; well, she did but House was still adjusting to his new roommate.

"Dr. Cuddy, can I go run up to Greg's to see how Cameron is settling in and if my cousin is working his seven-month pregnant girlfriend to death already?" she lied; she had other intentions.

A few minutes later, Debra walked into the diagnostics room and said hello to Foreman and Chase, who were sitting at the table looking at a patient's file.

"Robbie, Gregory was playing with the phone for hours last night – you know, the one you bought him. He loves it," Debra said. She was referring to two weeks earlier when she'd asked him to watch Gregory while they went to Cameron's apartment.

"Great!" Chase said as Foreman rolled his eyes as he looked over the top of the file at him.

"Aw, how sweet, Robbie," Foreman teased, with Chase giving her a mean stare but then shook his head.

"Debra Lynn, get in here!" House screamed from his office. She turned to where the voice came from and saw him behind his desk with Cameron sitting across from him. She stepped through the door walked towards Cameron, lovingly patting her shoulder.

"Hey, how are you feeling, Allison?"

"Great, thanks. How did Gregory do at the day care center when you dropped him off? Did he cry?"

"No, not at all! I was surprised. He took to having Robert watch him very nicely but this is an entirely new environment. Jim swore I'd cry right along with him, but I didn't. Well, I did, but it was in the bathroom before I went to my office." House and Cameron smiled at her. "What did you want, Greg?"

"I was wondering, um, well…"

"Oh! Just get ON with it!" she said with a huff. Her patience had been thin recently and every little thing seemed to make her short-tempered.

"Where did Wilson find his real estate agent for your new apartment?" he asked, sipping his coffee as if it was nothing out of the ordinary. Debra looked from him to Cameron and then back to House. "Yeah, yeah, I know. I hate change, don't start."

They talked a few minutes and then Debra asked if she could have a minute alone with her cousin.

"Greg, I, um, need your help with something," Debra said as she sat down.

"Is everything okay?"

"Actually, no."