The Greater Good
Allison was lying in bed, waiting for Remy to get up… They had been back together for a few weeks now, but it all felt new and exciting still… but it felt right and familiar as well.
Once the brunette started opening her eyes, the blonde leaned over and started kissing her cheek then whispered, "You drool still," She grinned and kissed her ear.
Remy laughed a bit, "Shut up!" She looked at Allison's eyes then moved the pillow a bit to see a bit of a drool stain. She covered it with her hand and looked at the blonde, "Love you."
~0~0~0~0~0~
As they gathered around, discussing their patient and her right to leave all of her research at the drop of a hat, and discussing her right to be happy or continue on and make a difference in the world, House stepped in and told them all how it really was… as per usual.
"People act in their own self-interests. You're all here because you're happy to be here. Or at least because it's your best option."
"I'm here because I want to help people." Kutner turned and looked at him.
"No, you're here because it makes you feel good to help people. Taub and Foreman are here because they've got no other viable choices. And Thirteen is desperate to make her life matter before it's over."
Thirteen turned to him and gave him a look.
Taub cocked his head to the side, "So... you're happy to be here?"
Ever sarcastically, "Does it show?"
~0~0~0~0~0~
Foreman held up a card with a train, duck and piano on it, "Got it?" Thirteen nodded and he held up another, "Good?"
"Yep." She said as she rubbed her temples.
"You okay?"
"Just a headache. I took some ibuprofen, but—"
The hair on the back of his neck stood on end, "Where's the pain, front or back?"
"Front." She went back to the task at hand, "Why are there never any interesting pictures on these cards?—They should make a dirty version." She joked.
"A sharp pain, or more of a throbbing—"
"Relax, it's not a side effect. People get headaches." She gave him a look.
"True, but I can get you an MRI." He said seriously… he could not believe he let himself do what he did… he cannot believe he let himself switch her meds with someone else's…
"If I'm on the drug, it's been weeks. It's not like something's going to suddenly crop up now."
He took in a breath and nodded, "Okay. First card."
"Train, duck..." She looked down in thought.
"You can't remember?" He sounded a bit panicked.
"Piano." She laughed at him, "Seriously… you need to calm down, dude…"
~0~0~0~0~0~
Foreman walked into the lab and held up a finger, "Look straight ahead." He moved his finger to one side.
"Why didn't we do this test this morning?" Thirteen asked with a laugh in her tone.
He moved his hand to the other side but not very far, "You see that?"
"No." She knit her brows.
"Damn."
"I'm losing my peripheral vision?" He nodded for an answer, "I am on the drug. Does this mean you have to tell them and take me off it?"
He looked down, "No, and yes. As far as they're concerned, you're on the placebo. I found out last week. The trial was getting positive results... So I switched you."
"So my headaches..." She took a breath and looked down, "I'll stop taking the drug, and everything should be fine." She went back to work, "Specimen's negative for blastomycosis."
"That's it?"
She got up and went for the door, "I'll go give House the test results. You can tell the patient."
"Hey…"
Thirteen stopped and turned to him, "You just broke trial protocol and risked your entire career to give me a drug we're not even sure will help me…" She shook her head, "You're a good guy, Foreman and you're a friend to me and Cameron, but I can tell you for the both of us that you shouldn't have done it… even if you were trying to help… I don't know what to say…" She shrugged and walked out.
~0~0~0~0~0~
Foreman walked into the locker room and found Thirteen grabbing things from two lockers, "You want to talk about your headaches?"
"Not particularly."
"You went off the drug, but the headaches are worse. You need an MRI."
Thirteen took a pill bottle from her locker and took a couple out before putting it in her bag, "The patient needs an MRI. If she had gangrene, would you be amputating my leg?"
"Those pills have codeine in them? You're taking twice the indicated amount." Foreman said seriously.
She looked at him, "I've only been off the drug for 24 hours… that's not enough time for anythi—"
"You have worsening headaches, loss of peripheral vision, and a long history of pretending bad things aren't happening. You need this MRI."
Cameron walked in as Thirteen was about to say 'No' again, but the look in her eyes was all she needed to consent.
~0~0~0~0~0~
Thirteen laid on the bed and Foreman and Cameron started up the MRI.
Foreman pressed the speaker button, but looked to Cameron as well, "I'm sorry. I figured... I just thought I could help you."
"It's hard to have a conversation when I'm trying not to move." Thirteen said from inside the machine.
Cameron looked at him as he took his finger from the speaker button, "The only people that's ever cared about her are me and her father… and she and her father have this long history of never talking about real things… like the fact that we are together and I'm not just her best friend… The fact that you did this for her is all new and it scares her… give her time…"
"I did it for you too…" He said quietly. She knit her brows and he looked at her before he continued, "I realized that I don't like her like that… I realized that you guys are like… you're my aspirational couple… If I could help prolong that in any way… I wanted to do it… it occurred to me when she was making fun of me last week for pulling a you…"
Cameron nodded, "Thank you…" She touched his hand, "That's lovely… It really is… but you're still a little crazy from risking everything for us…"
He was going to respond to that, but the monitor beeped and he looked at it, "Oh, God."
~0~0~0~0~0~
Cameron came back from getting groceries… only essentials, "Hey baby. I'm back. How are you…" She trailed off as she saw her girlfriend on one of their couches with blood running down her leg. She dropped their food and ran over to her.
"My leg is bleeding."
Allison looked at her leg, then took her hand, "What happened?"
"I was going for the phone, and I fell over the table. I can't see."
Allison knit her brows, "What do you mean?"
The brunette shook her head and with tears in her eyes and voice, "I can't see anything."
"I'm calling Foreman." Cameron said seriously as she picked up the phone, "We can't let him turn himself in… we need him to help figure out what's wrong..."
Thirteen nodded and held Allison's hand tight.
~0~0~0~0~0~
Later, House walked into their apartment. Allison had cleaned up her leg, made her eat and was at the moment holding her, trying to calm her… She didn't answer the door because she knew Remy wasn't gonna want to talk to anyone unless it was Foreman… and it wasn't Foreman.
They heard his thump step and sat up, "You didn't answer the door."
"Probably because we didn't want to talk to anyone. You can leave your stolen key on your way out." She looked over to where she'd hear his voice.
"I was looking for Foreman. I figured..." House walked back across the living room and saw at Thirteen's eyes were still trained to where he was standing, "You can't see. Where is he?"
"On his way here." Cameron answered. "He was on his way to the drug company, but when I came back from getting us food and she was blind I called him and told him to turn his ass around."
~0~0~0~0~0~
After House and Foreman nuked the tumor that was in her brain, and after a lecture from Kutner of all people, Foreman looked from Cameron to Thirteen, who was dozing at the moment. He looked back to Cameron.
"I'm sorry." He turned and walked out of the room and down the hall. He was going to the drug company.
"Al? I can see you." Remy opened her eyes and blinked a bit. Allison stood up and sat on the bed and Remy traced the woman's features, "I can see you." She said again.
Allison looked at her with tears in her eyes and a big smile on her face before she pulled from her and took off after Foreman to tell him not to go because she was fine. She came back and kissed her girlfriend then sat with her a while more.
~0~0~0~0~0~
Remy woke up first this time. She smiled at Allison when she woke up, "You snore still." She leaned over and kissed Allison's nose then her lips.
Allison pushed away, "Shut up."
"You do!" Remy pulled her back into her hold and kissed her cheek.
The blonde turned and pushed her so that she was lying on your back, "Can you see still?" She asked sitting up.
Remy sat up too, "Yes, baby, I can see still."
Allison put her index finger up and went out to the side, "Can you see my finger?" She asked.
Remy smiled at her and pulled the blonde between her legs, "Yes." She kissed her neck, "Stop worrying. I'm fine… Don't blame this on Foreman either… You know he already turned himself in, got kicked off the trial and all that…"
"I know… it's just… Scary." Allison looked at her.
"Don't be scared… let's just move on…" She grinned and hugged her close.