Saving Grace:
The Arrival
A/N: I know that many of you are active on Livejournal. I have one, but am only now really starting to use it. Can anyone point me in the direction of a House/Cameron community or something of the sort on there? Thanks! :)
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Unnecessary disclaimer: None of the characters appearing in the TV show "House, M. D." belong to me.
Abstract: When Cameron's marriage with Chase falls apart, she decides that she cannot wait for another man to come around to be a mom. What happens when a wrench gets thrown in her plans? HC
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Allison Cameron was pretty sure she was going to throw up.
She finished riding out the contraction and turned to glare at the man driving her to the hospital. "Why the hell did you tell me to eat?" she yelled.
"I told you why!" House said defensively.
"You didn't tell me it was going to make me vomit…" Cameron grumbled.
"You haven't," House countered.
Cameron's glare returned. "When I do I'll make sure to face your direction!"
House would have had a sarcastic rebuttal, but they had just pulled up to Labor and Delivery.
He hurried to help her out of the car, but two nurses had already beaten him to it and were helping Cameron into a wheelchair.
"Hey, cripple here!" he shouted to them as they pushed Cameron away faster than he could limp.
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"At least I got a private room," Cameron grumbled as the nurse pushed her into a bland hospital room.
"At least this wing has real walls," House grumbled back, suddenly wishing his office was located in the maternity ward.
Once she got settled in, interrupted by only one contraction, a silence settled over them.
House broke it by picking up the remote and turning the TV to the O.C. Cameron reached over and took the remote from House, eliciting a "Hey!" from him.
"My labor, my TV," was all she said. Despite her irritable mood, she cracked a grin. "Unless you want to make it the fifth term in our delivery room agreement," she added slyly.
House didn't even consider it for a moment. "No way!" he said. "The last term is going to be way better than that."
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Wilson had stopped in for just an instant on his way home from the hospital after a late evening of paperwork. Thanks to the L&D nurses, the news had spread quickly.
He had only popped in to say hello and good luck to Cameron, and to give House a look that meant they needed to talk later. House, of course, ignored the look, but Cameron had been glad to see him. Many other people also stopped by during the labor, including Dr. Cuddy.
"How are you?" Cuddy asked excitedly as she entered the room.
"That's like coming to the lion's den and asking if they're hungry," House grumbled.
Cuddy gave House a look. "If he's bothering you, I can kick him out," she said to Cameron.
"Oh, no, he's been great," Cameron reassuringly, but Cuddy looked unconvinced.
"Well, have the nurses page me if you need anything at all," Cuddy continued, giving Cameron a comforting pat on the shoulder.
House began to point surreptitiously at the door when he saw the signs of a contraction coming on.
Dr. Cuddy didn't get it, and gave him an odd look, but she left, understanding more as she heard the moan from the hallway. She should have expected it; after all, she paid House to be extremely observant.
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The hours passed in Gregory House's mind like a stop-motion sequence in a movie, each frame a little different. Legs draped over the chair here, a head resting on the bed there. Occasionally House was out of the frame altogether; he had been promised as many food breaks as he wanted.
However, something inside him kept him from taking full advantage of it. Something in him didn't want to leave this woman to face each contraction alone.
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A nurse came in for another check, a regular occurrence in the last hours. This time, however, was different. After checking on her, the nurse cheerfully announced, "Fully dilated and effaced! Ready to have a baby?"
In response to that, Cameron only nodded wanly. She was totally exhausted. She'd been in labor all night.
Moments later the room was filled with nurses fiddling with monitors, preparing equipment and checking her stats, until the doctor made his sweeping entrance, repeating the nurse's words, "Ready to have a baby?"
Cameron's response was the same, but House's wasn't. He scowled darkly. The attending was Dr. Jeffries, a rather insufferable man. The guy actually said hello to House in the hallways, despite the glare that was always shot his way in response.
This time, Dr. Jeffries ignored House, and the delivery team got down to business.
House felt incredibly odd and uncomfortable. He was the only silent person in the room. Cameron's deep guttural moans unnerved him, the team of overly cheerful doctors and nurses loudly urging her to push, even more so.
He had one hand on her shoulder, with the other being crushed by the strength he didn't know she had in her fingers as he stood by and watched her bring her child into the world.
House was sure he had never felt so out of place nor so unsure in a room full of doctors in his life.
Normally with other doctors he was the one who knew what was going on, the one who was in control. He had attended births before, of course, but he had been on the other side. It was an entirely different experience to be the loved one and not the attending. There were so many things that could go wrong at a birth.
He was brought forth from his reverie by a tiny wail. At this, he realized his hand was no longer being squeezed; indeed, the hand in his grasp was completely limp, and he had to look over and check to make sure that Allison was alright.
When he glanced, he couldn't look away. She was absolutely radiant, as beautiful as he had ever seen her. His breath caught in his throat looking at her. Her eyes were full of love, but it was not for him. Her gaze was focused on the tiny new human that lay across the room, being checked over by a gaggle of nurses.
He wanted some of that joy for himself, so he squeezed Cameron's hand, who turned her megawatt smile to him for just a moment.
They brought the child over to her, and she slipped her hand away to take the baby in her arms. "Isn't she beautiful?" Cameron said, not taking her eyes off her daughter for a moment.
House could only nod in reply, a knot forming in his throat.
The doctors and nurses had furtively sneaked out, leaving the two alone with the child.
Any observer would have assumed they were their own little family, two joyous parents who had brought a new life into the world. Only those on the inside could possibly know the tangled relationship between these three.
However, that was the last thing on House's mind as he finally tore his focus from the woman beside him to the child in her arms. The tiny babe waved her fist around and opened her deep azure eyes. House's eyebrows quirked up slightly when she appeared to focus right in on him.
That was when he knew. He would be wrapped around Eleanor Cameron's little finger for the rest of his life.
The unthinkable had happened. Gregory House was becoming a softy.
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