A/N: It's my day off, and I'm in an updating mood! Sorry for the wait, it's that time of year again. Enough of my excuses! Please read, review, and enjoy!
Chapter 12: It all comes crashing down
The next morning, Cameron yawned without opening her eyes, relaxing against the softness of the bed. She hadn't realized how much she'd missed sleeping in a real bed. No way she was going back to the couch after this. She rolled over and opened her eyes, finding her face an extremely short distance from House's.
She started for a second, then relaxed again. She'd forgotten about the previous night's events.
"I'm in bed with him." The reality struck her and she peeked under the covers tentatively, just to make sure nothing else had happened that she didn't remember. They were both fully clothed. She sighed in relief. If they did have sex, she wanted to remember it the next morning.
She sat up carefully and got out of bed, as silently as possible, instantly grateful that there was no familiar stiffness in her neck or back. She crept around the room to the closet, and picked out the days clothes. Then she headed to the bathroom to shower, leaving her bedmate still fast asleep.
She showered longer than she'd meant to, and upon coming out, found him waiting, tapping his cane on the floor.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to take so long."
"I was about ready to get in there with you, just to save time, you know."
"I know. Well, it's all yours now." She moved past him and as she did, he grabbed her around the waist, pulling her toward him. Then he put his lips over hers and kissed her good morning.
She heard herself sighing at his touch, and reigned in her emotions before things got too far. He pulled away from her and went to the closet, brushing her clothes to one side and yanking the first of his clothes his hands touched.
"I'll just put some coffee on," she said, making her exit. Every time he touched her, she could swear her feet left the ground.
"If only this was for real." She put the coffee on and scrambled some eggs for breakfast.
He came out, his wet hair sticking out at every possible angle, and she stifled a laugh.
"Do you ever comb out your hair?"
"Is there a reason to?"
"I'll take that as a no. May I?"
"May you what?"
"Comb your hair."
"No! It's functional, it's fine."
"It's a mess. Please?"
"Will you quit bugging me if I let you?"
"Yes."
"Whatever turns you on."
"Do you even have a comb?"
"If I do, it'll be in the top drawer of the dresser."
She went into the bedroom and opened the top drawer. It was packed. She began rummaging through it, and at the bottom found a box with no paper and a tag. Curious, she took it out and read the tag.
"Greg: Please use this. My love, Stacey."
Cameron made a face in spite of herself, and opened the box. It was a comb. A nice one, at that. It was probably quite expensive. And he'd never used it; that much was clear. She took it out, holding the handle by two fingers and tossed it in the trash can, followed by the box.
"Couldn't find one?" He asked her as she returned.
"Nope. You look ok as is." She smiled. Better messy hair than using the Stacey comb.
They ate the eggs Cameron had made, finished off the pot of coffee, and headed out the door together.
Once at work, House made his usual retreat to his office, and Cameron sat down, nervously awaiting her lunch with Todd Porter.
"It's just lunch. It doesn't even come close to qualifying as a date."
She kept glancing at the clock on the wall, until she thought she might go insane. She got up abruptly, heading down to the clinic so she'd at least have something to do. Chase and Foreman looked after her.
"What's up with her?" Chase asked.
"I dunno. Maybe her and House are fighting or something," Foreman replied. Chase shrugged, and looked back down at his crossword.
Cameron was in exam room 1 with a little girl and her mother, when there was a knock on the door. Her first instinct told her it was Todd, but it was too early and he didn't know where she was.
Dr. Cuddy stepped into the room. "There you are. Dr. Porter was looking for you."
"What? It's too early for lunch!" One look at her watch told her otherwise.
"Oh, thank you, Dr. Cuddy."
"Are you ok? You look a little pale."
"I'm fine. I just had a question for Dr. Porter about the new cardiology equipment." She rubbed her temples."
"Ok, he's waiting for you near the registration desk."
She left, and Cameron diagnosed a sinus infection and prescribed some medicine for the little girl. Then she took a deep breath, steadied herself, and went to meet Todd.
"Dr. Cameron…Alison, right here." Todd called out to her from the desk.
"Ready for lunch?" She asked.
"Definitely. I'm starving." They left together, not knowing they were being followed by a certain young nurse.
They walked to Louie's and were seated at a table, and brought menus.
"So, you must be excited about all the renovations in the cardiology department," Cameron began, determined to break the uncomfortable silence.
"Yes, they're just wonderful. They help the entire department run more efficiently."
He reached over and took her hand, suddenly leaning in close to kiss her.
"Todd, no, I told you, I'm with someone."
"Are they here?"
"No, but that doesn't make it any less wrong. Please, this is strictly platonic."
"Oh, I apologize. I assumed that when you invited me, it was for a deeper reason."
"Not at all." Cameron looked away. "I thought this might be a mistake."
"No, it's all my fault. I shouldn't have seen something that wasn't there to begin with."
"It's ok, I just don't want anything getting back to him."
"Understandable. That little screw-up is just between us."
Sheila, who had been watching through the window of the restaurant, covered a hand with her mouth to hide her gasp. She had seen enough. She turned and headed back to the hospital to pay a visit to one Dr. House.
The lunch improved drastically for Cameron after the misunderstanding. She learned a lot about the department and its new equipment and construction. She'd always held an interest in the field, but was embarrassed to admit she didn't know all that much about it. After they'd eaten, they headed back, still in conversation about Porter's latest patients.
House was sitting behind his desk, thinking about Cameron. The whole set-up was strange, and kept getting stranger. But, amazingly, it felt good. It felt right. Sure, the main goal had been to keep Doris at bay, and it was working wonderfully, but he wondered if there might be more to it than that.
He had to talk to Wilson. But he couldn't, not without giving up what he was up to. He was on his own on this one. He thought, tossing his tennis ball in the air over and over again. Finally, he threw it up higher than usual and as it came down, he smacked it with his cane, sending it crashing against the door.
He was lost. He hated to admit it, but it was true. He was also falling for her, something else he didn't care to admit.
"Just admit it to yourself. Get it over with."
Then out loud, he said, "I like her. I like Cameron."
He deflated in his chair, putting his head down as far as it would go. The next step was to tell her, but how to do it. After debating several possibilities, he decided to do it then and there. He was about to get up and go find her when a knock on the door made him snap to attention. Without an invitation, it swung open, revealing someone he couldn't recall ever seeing before.
"Who the hell are you?"
"My name is Sheila, Dr. House. I'm an admirer of yours."
"So that gives you the right to barge into my office?"
"I knocked. I have something I think you'd like to know about your girlfriend."
Cameron and Porter entered the hospital together, still chatting away, unaware of how close they were to each other, and oblivious to the form watching them from above, tapping his cane against the floor to a rhythm that only he could hear.
The two said their good-byes, and parted ways. Cameron headed for the elevator to return to diagnostics, and House headed back to his office to wait for her, now convinced that the nurse had been on to something.
When Cameron entered the conference room, she found two somber colleagues who looked up as she came in.
"I wouldn't go in there if I were you," Foreman warned.
Her hand paused on the doorknob. "Why not?"
"He's been throwing a bit of a tantrum," Chase informed.
"What happened?" She asked, concerned.
"We were coming back from lunch when we saw some nurse go into his office. She came out about 5 minutes later, then House left, came back, and started throwing things and swearing," Chase filled her in.
Cameron stood there a moment, fitting the pieces together.
"Oh, my god. Sheila. She must have seen Todd and me…seen what he tried to do….and told….oh, my god. But why does he care? It's not like we're actually going together, after all…unless…he likes me."
She prepared herself for the worst, and opened the door.
The office was a mess. Everything thrown everywhere, papers, the phone, books, all over the place. He was sitting at his desk, his hands covering his head, either unaware of her presence or ignoring her. She stepped closer.
"What do you want?" He asked her sharply, a tone she couldn't recall hearing before. It reached new depths of coldness, mixed in with anger, hurt, and the worst feeling he could probably experience: a loss of pride, shame. Because he liked her, had been vulnerable enough to admit it to himself, only to find this out.
"It isn't what you think," she began.
"On the contrary, it's exactly what I think. I saw you in the entrance. You were so close you were practically on top of each other. And, wow, I don't blame you. He's younger, and he can run and dance, and everything. In fact, I think you should go to his office right now, and…"
She cut him off, hands over her ears. "Stop it, just stop it! You're not even letting me talk!"
"Don't have to, and don't really want to hear it. You can pick up your stuff tonight. I'll get a ride from Wilson."
Cameron bit her lip to keep from crying. It was pointless though, and she felt the tears begin to fall.
"What about D-doris?" She stammered.
"Don't care." He said, and got up without another word, heading for the hall. Once he was gone, she collapsed to her knees among the mess and sobbed. She'd ruined everything.
A/N: Hope you liked it! A bit of a cliffie, I know, and I'm sorry, but it was a good stopping place. Please PLEASE R&R!! I won't update till you do, cause I'm just that cruel.
