Disclaimer: I swear that they're (sadly) not mine!

Thanks to everybody who's been reviewing- I really love hearing what you think. You guys rock!

This chapter is a little different. I've decided not to go into detail about the cases. I know that some of you might be disappointed, so I'll explain why:

1) I'm not a doctor (even though I do love medical shows) so I won't insult anybody's intelligence by pretending that I can make up three cases off the top of my head.

2) If I decided to put in a case, it would mean lots of research- which I really don't have time to do (and would make me have to stop updating!)

3) This is a House/Cam fic, not a thank-God-Cameron's-finally-standing-up-for-herself fic (even if there is a lot of that in there). So, I want to move things along as quickly as possible.

Sorry if anybody's disappointed- please let me know if you are, and I can try to compensate with...em...more chapters?? I dunno...

Anyway, enjoy!

PS: House calls Cameron...'Cameron'...which is what Wilson was trying to say in the last chapter- sorry if it was a little confusing.

All three case turned out to be what House would call 'diagnostically boring'.

Cameron had been wrong: the 'usual battery of tests' had borne unexpected fruit.

Chase's patient had epilepsy mixed with a vitamin deficiency which made his seizures more pronounced and wildly unpredictable.

Foreman's had carbon monoxide poisoning due to a leaky gas tap in his house. (Why his regular doctor had missed this was another mystery, perhaps best left unsolved).

And Cameron's had lupus.

She almost laughed at the irony: the minute House was out of the office, someone actually had lupus.

Because of Cameron's new policy (the minute a patient was diagnosed, they were kicked on to the relevant department: "We're not a treatment centre. We diagnose; someone else can treat," she told them, causing the boys to exchange worried glances), after one really late night, and one very long day, they had their cases wrapped up.

"Don't worry about the paper work," she told the other two doctors, "I'll sort that out. You guys must be wrecked. We'll start a bit later tomorrow. How about 10.30?"

Chase and Foreman nodded. Working three cases at once had been exhausting- especially since they'd had to keep looking for spare rooms to work on their differential. They fervently hoped that the carpet would be replaced soon so they could stop scrounging for rooms.

Foreman left, but Chase hung back a little.

"Something on you're mind?" she enquired idly as she stacked the files together.

"I…uh…I wanted to say that is was a really good idea to do three cases at once," he rubbed the back of his neck a little nervously, "and I think that you're doing a really good job."

A smile lit up her tired face: "Thanks. It's nice to hear that."

"And, I was…um…sort of wondering if you wanted to go out for a drink."

"I'm sorry Robert, but I really have to get this paperwork done. Then I think I'm going to have an early night," he looked crestfallen, and she felt bad for him "Maybe some other time," she added kindly.

He brightened at that.

"I'd like that," he paused for a moment, as if he was expecting her to say something else. When she didn't, he went on: "Good night then, Allison."

"Good night."

She breathed a sigh of relief when he left. Then she gathered up her files and headed up to House's office.

It wasn't that he wasn't a nice man- well, not exactly nice, but he was just the type of person she should be dating: smart, young, sort of boyish, good looking…and not House.

In the end, it always came back to House.

Why?

She didn't know, and she wasn't sure that she wanted to either…

She was worried about him- that was all.

The light in the conference room was on.

Puzzled, she pushed open the door, and saw that Cuddy had finally come through: there was a man laying a new carpet.

Not a moment too soon, she thought, as she curled up in House's chair for a well-earned rest, she was getting sick of office space.

An hour later, she woke with a start screaming his name.

Still half asleep, Cameron stumbled from the chair, tripping over herself as she lurched into the conference room.

House was bleeding. So much blood- and she couldn't stop it. Her hands were stained in blood- his blood. The life was draining from him and she couldn't do anything…

Slowly, the fog began to clear from her sleep-drenched mind.

She was in the conference room, but nobody was there. It was dark and empty. There wasn't a trace of blood on the carpet.

Suddenly she realised that the carpet had been replaced, and House was alive and in a coma up in ICU.

The urge to check on him was too strong.

She checked her watch: it was 11.30pm. ICU would be deserted, and no doubt Nurse Carver would be happy to turn a blind eye…

AN: How was that? What do you think of the whole Chase/Cameron thing?