Chapter 5 – Pain

She stayed in the hospital for a week. Everyone had been visiting her. Everyone except for House. She was cradling her son tightly against her chest as she smiled at Chase, who was carrying her bag. She was genuinely grateful. She knew how hard it was for him after everything that had happened between them and yet he was still helping. Cuddy had put an extra 'confidential' sign on the chart of her little boy to prevent any member of the OB staff other than her attending from discovering her secret. The hospital staff only knew that this little creature was named Will.

Of course, who would think that this little boy with a mellow disposition and a cherub face belonged to Greg House anyway? Like an angel God dropped down to earth, he slept all day long, snuggled peacefully in the arms of his mother. Only when she handed him over to the arms of a visitor did he start crying. Inconsolably.

"You sure I can't give you a ride home?"

"We'll take a cab, thanks though, Rob…", she said softly and smiled.

Chase nodded and escorted her to the waiting taxi. She could still feel the gaze of some nurses on her back. It would never stop. Resigning, she looked up at Chase who simply shrugged. She had told him. Of course she had. It would've been too cruel to keep him stay in the dark. He had accepted it and decided he would prefer to be more likely than to loose her. To him, her friendship was everything. He couldn't ask for more. Not anymore. She didn't know why she deserved somebody like him in her life. A miracle.

William laid against her breast with his head buried in her shirt, hiding from the suspicious looks of the strangers in the comfort of his mother's bosom. Tenderly she ran her hand over his downy head. She was smiling when she looked at him. So impossibly proud.

"You can call me, whenever you need help, okay?"

She looked up and set him apart for a moment before she nodded slowly.

"Thank you," she murmured softly, before getting into the cab.

Chase took a step back as the car started to pull away. Cameron watched out of the window but doesn't seem to notice him, almost as if she was looking right through him. Chase frowned and turned around.

He was standing behind him, staring at the cab exiting the parking lot. Of course it had to be him. Chase had never stood a chance against this man. After all these years, House had hurt her again and again, toying with her emotions. And still after all this time she couldn't let go. Perhaps they weren't meant to be together. Sadly. He had carried her to the end of the world and he knew that she knew.

When he passed House he paused for a moment, his head held high.

"Hurt her again and I will show you what real pain is."

House said nothing and stood still. Chase thought – hoped – that House finally understood. Sighing, he went back into the hospital. There were lives he had to save.

House didn't know what he should do. He had a child. A son. And his mother was the most interesting woman he'd ever met. An enigma, impossible to describe. Frustrated, he ran his hand over his face. His biggest problem was finding the will to get over himself. He struggled to imagine that happening. But when he closed his eyes, he could see Cameron, the little guy and himself – together, as a complete family. That was…against his nature.

Just the thought of celebrating birthdays, pushing him on a swing and visiting acts in school made him afraid. He wanted to hide in a dark cave and stay there for a while, like a bear in hibernation. He smirked as he realized his son would probably be a master at playing hide and seek.

Meanwhile, Cameron arrived at her apartment. After paying the cab driver, she exited the car, carefully holding onto William's carseat. With a tired sigh, she looked at the building in front of her – her home for the past few years since coming to Princeton. She grabbed her bag and went inside. Perhaps she should move. A fresh start and getting away from House. But who she was kidding?

She placed the baby's car seat on the kitchen table and sat down across of William, ignoring the muddy footprints she'd left with her shoes.

"Your dad is a little bit…complicated", she started softly, but then stopped. She didn't want to be focusing on House right now, so she steered her one-sided conversation with Will in a slightly different direction. "Why should I do this alone, right? I'm going to try very hard, but I can't guarantee that I'll never make a mistake. A little understanding from your side would be a big help. Sometimes, when it seems the weight of everything is too heavy to carry, I might nearly fall apart. But, there's nothing I can do about that, you know? It's not like there's someone waiting here to put me back together."

She fell silent. Tears had formed in her eyes and were now rolling down her cheeks, leaving wet sparkling trails. William watched her carefully intently. He hadn't made a sound while she spoke. Her eyes were red and swollen and her whole body tense. Even though he couldn't say anything, her baby boy's icy blue eyes were making it easier. She buried her head in his belly and smiled softly when he stuck his hands in her hair and pulled at it.

A knock on her door destroyed their togetherness, bringing Cameron out of the little world in which she and Will had been. She got up and looked through the peephole. Of course it was him. Anxious not to make any sound, she stilled and hoped he would disappear. Tiredly, she laid her forehead against the door soundlessly without noticing he mimcked her gesture. Hands on either side of the door gripped the opposing knobs for several minuets. Perhaps she could end this. Cameron's fingers twisted and slowly opened the door.

Without any words to speak, she stared at him as if he was the product of her imagination. He was watching her – judging. Again. The messy hair. The red and swollen eyes. The thin body. He leaned heavily on his cane and tried to find the right words. She wouldn't help him. And he couldn't blame her anymore. A shaky voice from behind her caught their attention.

Cameron ignored House and within seconds was at her son's side. She gingerly picked him up from his seat, holding him against her shoulder, and immediately the whimpering disappeared. She turned her head toward his face and gave him a soft smile.

When she looked up she noticed that House now was standing in her living room, staring at her.

William's tiny fists were clinging to her shoulders as she gently rubbed his head.

"What do you want?"

TbC

A/N: Okay, here I am once again. xD Sorry for the delay. A big, fat thank you to chicagochicklett for beat-reading it. Sorry to annoy you sometimes. ;( Without you I would be helpless. Read and review please.