Unexpected discoveries (2)
A.N. Now that we're getting into date things and personal stuff, I thought it might be useful to explain my thinking regarding Cameron especially. If you're not interested, or you fear it'll ruin your fanfic immersion, feel free to skip to the chapter.
Cameron is one of the only characters in all of House who gets next to no backstory development. We get Cuddy's family, Chase's dad and childhood, Foreman's brother, parents and childhood, Taub's wife and kids, Thirteen's disease and brother, even Park's parents. Cameron gets virtually nothing. We never see her parents, her family (though she has an older brother mentioned briefly in season 3), or her interests (beyond the fact that she reads a book at home and runs in season 1). Beyond her Chicago roots, we have no idea what her background is, nor what her hobbies are. She is reduced in the later seasons to 'Chase's girlfriend and wife'. Not great, really, and one of the reasons why I prefer earlier to later House.
Consequently, it has been hard to find things that Cameron might like to do when she isn't working. I try and avoid making up characters or hobbies out of the blue, but with Cameron there is little choice, and there's a good chance my interpretation of Cameron will differ from your own. Going forward, I'm probably going to borrow some details from Jennifer Morrison herself to flesh Cameron out. Apparently, JMo's dad was a music teacher, and she herself was a decent clarinet player in her youth. Hence this chapter.
"So where are we going, and why on earth have you forced me into this penguin suit?". House had noticed that Cameron hadn't given him an answer back in his apartment.
Cameron glanced across at her passenger. House could complain that the suit made him uncomfortable, but she thought he looked incredibly dashing. She had purposely worn the red dress, and stipulated that he wear something equally formal, because she had wanted an excuse to recreate the circumstances of the hospital poker evening last year. She had taken his breath away then, in front of Foreman and Chase.
What he didn't know was that he had taken away hers as well: the tuxedo fitting his long limbs snugly, but not impairing his movements which, even with the cane, still managed to be graceful; his grey-tinged hair, tamed somewhat, catching the light as he worked at the whiteboard. Cameron supposed that her decision to accompany him to monster trucks had been the seed of their situation. But that moment of mutual attraction during the poker evening had been the impetus.
"Hello? Are you gonna tell me?". House folded his arms and looked at her, oblivious to the turning of his date's mind.
Cameron could see his posture in her peripheral vision but remained looking at the road. "I could. But I won't".
House scoffed. "God, are you ever gonna let me live that one down?".
"Nope".
"Just give me a clue. Come on, you know how much I have to know stuff. Don't do this to me".
"OK", she relented finally. "It involves music".
"Damn, you're not taking me to a club, are you? Because if you are, I'm tucking and rolling right now".
Cameron looked at him incredulously.
"I mean it. Don't think I won't", he said, hand on the door.
"Oh, I believe you, House". They drove in silence for a few moments. "What kind of clubs do you know where the women wear long red dresses and the men full suits and boots?", she asked conversationally.
"The stupid kind", House muttered under his breath.
"I thought so", Cameron smiled sweetly at him.
"So what kind of music is it?". House turned fully in his seat to look at his driver.
"Y'know", she sighed, "a normal person would just accept a surprise and wait and see".
"A normal person would do that", House conceded. "Then again, a normal person would also tell her companion where she was taking him without being mysterious".
She had to accept that he had a point. "If I tell, you have to promise not to kick up a fuss. You said I could pick the date, and I have. If you don't like it, you'll have to live with it".
House raised an eyebrow but nevertheless clasped his hands together in a gesture of supplication, before turning to face forwards.
"We're going to a clarinet recital", she declared, risking a glance towards the other's profile. The expression was unreadable. "Well?", she spoke after a few moments. "No sarcastic comment? Should I prepare for your tuck and roll?".
House snorted, but his voice was quiet. "You don't need to worry".
"Good, because I'd have a hell of a job closing the door after you".
"No, you don't understand". He once again turned towards her. "You don't need to worry. About anything." House had realised suddenly that years of sniping comments and ironic put-downs had made her unsure of herself, automatically defensive. This had been her date suggestion and rather than looking forward to it she had been fretting.
It would take time to repair the damage, but now was as good a time as any to start. "What I mean is, I don't want you to worry about what I think, away from the hospital. I'd much rather you be yourself, doing the things you enjoy, unapologetically and straightforwardly. That's what I'm going to be doing in this relationship anyway…what?". House had stopped, looking at the other's raised hand.
"Hang on. We're in a relationship?".
"It would…appear so".
"Oh. OK, then".
Both remained silent, processing this revelation. On the one hand, they had each taken this status for granted: they had kissed, spent time together, received the blessings of their boss (and their Wilson). The only thing they hadn't yet done was sleep together. Still, to hear the word 'relationship' spoken out loud made the whole thing sound more concrete. More permanent.
"So, umm, what do we do now?", Cameron asked as calmly as possible, both hands on the wheel.
"Well, if you weren't driving, I'd kiss you", House said matter-of-factly.
"Yes, it's a tricky one. How about you just lean over and kiss me on the cheek for now?". Cameron's voice was light, but the pounding of her heart betrayed her.
"Alright". House did as instructed, brushing his lips against her skin.
"I didn't really feel that, to be honest. Why don't you try again?".
House repeated the motion, this time using more pressure. "Better?".
"No, but there's nothing we can do about it at the moment".
"I'll kiss you properly when we get to this mysterious place. Seriously though, it can't be that far now, surely?". House swivelled his neck to look at road signs through the window.
"I am serious, and don't call me Shirley", Cameron announced, looking straight ahead.
House's head snapped back around, and his eyes narrowed. "Was that…was that an Airplane! reference?".
"Maybe".
"I was sure that you quoted a line from that film to Foreman and Chase the day I came back to work".
"I did", she grinned. House hadn't been in the room, but he had entered just afterwards and hinted to her at the time that he had heard some of their conversation.
"Did they get it?".
"They did not".
"Of course they didn't. I haven't seen that film for ages", he spoke wistfully.
"Me neither. I think it's on Netflix, though".
"Great. I reckon we know what we're doing next week", he said, winking suggestively.
"Dr. House! Are you recommending we watch Netflix and chill on our next date?". Cameron adopted a tone of faux outrage.
"Yep. That's precisely what the doctor advises". House sat back, relaxing into the seat.
House and Cameron emerged from the crush of the lobby into the fresh night air. "So, what did you think?", she asked with a hint of trepidation. Though House had seemed to enjoy the concert, it was hard to tell whether it was genuine or merely for her own benefit.
"Believe it or not, I thought it was great. That guy was pretty good on clarinet".
Cameron laughed, relieved. "That guy is Martin Fröst, and this is his first American tour in four years".
House glanced sidelong at his companion as they reached the car; she saw him looking and caught his eye. "What?".
"I just never knew you liked music, that's all". He filed it away in his brain as another piece of the puzzle that was his immunologist.
"There's a lot you don't know about me, House". Cameron unlocked the car and opened a door. When the man didn't move to open his, she asked: "are you getting in, or…?".
"I want a burger and a milkshake. Do you want a burger and a milkshake? Since you got the tickets, I'll shout you." House looked at her over the roof of the car.
"Umm, sure. But wouldn't it be quicker to drive and find a place?". Cameron still stood with her door open.
"No need. I saw a joint on the way in. It's not far. Fifteen minutes tops. Plus, it's a nice evening and I always like to walk if I can, especially after the, ah, y'know…". House drifted off. This was the first time he'd mentioned the shooting to Cameron when it was just them, alone, out of the office. He still hadn't confessed the hallucination to her, the reason for why things had suddenly changed between them. There was still time.
She smiled and retrieved her cardigan before locking the car and wandering over. "Lead the way, kind sir".
House grinned at this and offered her his arm, which she took. They strolled along in silence. House loved the evenings on the east coast, especially this time of year when late summer yielded to autumn. The air was fresh, though didn't carry the chill characteristic of later in the year, and he took a simple pleasure in seeing the leaves turn. Since the shooting he had enjoyed many late-night runs, when the streets were almost empty, free to sift through his thoughts. The doctor in him acknowledged that this constant exercise was a risk, but he couldn't help it. Finally able to experience the world unimpeded, he wanted to use every second, in case the spectre of unbearable pain returned.
The pair reached the burger bar, collected their food, and took the last remaining booth by the window. The place was quite busy. Clusters of students sat around tables chatting, and there were a few individuals reading books or phone screens. Aside from the odd glance at their formal dress, no one paid them any mind.
"So how come you never told me you liked music?", House asked, taking a giant bite of his burger.
Cameron sipped her shake. "What do you mean?".
"Well, my stereo is always on, and my guitar is always primed, and you seemed to take little interest in John Henry Giles when we treated him".
Giles had been a legendary jazz musician they had dealt with nearly two years back. House had been like a kid in a candy store. She smiled at the memory. "I suppose I've always tried to keep my work and personal life separate. It's easier that way, makes it easier to cope".
House chewed on a handful of fries. "Cope with what?".
"Cope with everything: the patients, the medicine…", she paused, "…and you".
He remained silent, anticipating more.
"This job is difficult, House. You make everything seem so easy, but it's really not. Chase, Foreman, and I…we're smart people, all finished at the top, or near the top, of our intake. But sometimes it feels as if we are children playing at being doctors. Medicine is so vast, and we each have our specialisms, but sometimes it seems that we never know enough. At least, not compared to you. It's both infuriating and exhilarating, to be honest. So, in order to stay sane, I compartmentalise my life between home and the hospital".
"How's that working out for you?".
"Well, up until, what, four weeks ago, it'd been going great".
House slurped his milkshake. "What happened four weeks ago?".
"I kinda sorta kissed my boss. And things haven't been the same since". Cameron wolfed down much of her burger before resting her elbows on the table.
"Mmm. I know what you mean". They smiled at each other. "So…the clarinet? Explain".
Cameron chewed her fries but still managed a smirk. "I played a lot in school, got pretty good at it, and that's that, really".
House polished off his food and sat back. "Do you still play?".
"Not as much as I'd like, but I can still hold a tune. My dad encourages me to maintain a level whenever we talk. He's a music teacher back in Chicago and managed to get me these tickets on short notice".
The elusive Mr. Cameron. House once again filed this piece of information away. "You've told your parents about us?". He wasn't sure how he felt about this possibility. 'Excited and afraid' probably best described it.
Cameron looked at him closely. "Nah, I just said I had to entertain a friend of my boss' over from England and had heard they liked music".
"Is this friend a guy?", he grinned.
She raised an eyebrow, acknowledging the game he was playing. "Yes, and he's devilishly handsome".
"Ugh. I know I started this but I'm regretting it already". House suddenly experienced a flash of anger at this imaginary character he had conjured up as a joke. He reached across the table and took her hand in his. Cameron smiled at his possessiveness and didn't attempt to break contact. "Well", he said, returning to the issue of her clarinet ability, "maybe you can play for me sometime".
Cameron twirled her hair in a finger as she considered the request. "Only if you accompany me on the piano. Or the guitar, though the piano will sound better".
"Sounds good. Might be nice to play with someone for a change. Wilson hasn't got a musical bone in his body".
"You really like him, don't you?", she said after a few moments.
"He's alright". House released her hand and sat back into the booth, playing with the straw of his milkshake. "I'd be dead without him".
The statement was delivered without preamble or preparation and Cameron looked to the table as she thought through its implications. Dead through pain; dead through drugs; dead through loneliness. She supposed that Wilson had helped House through all of these, long before she had arrived on the scene. She resolved suddenly, wherever she and House ended up, never to get between them, never to demand that House choose between herself and his best friend.
House rose and took their trays to the counter. He returned to stand next to Cameron. "Ready to get out of here? Those students over there are looking at me like they've never seen an old man eat a burger and fries before".
Cameron got to her feet and smiled. "You're not old, House".
"Oh, you", he sighed dramatically. "I went fishing for that and you fell for it hook, line, and sinker".
That's not the only thing I'm falling for. "OK, you're a pretty old man. But you're my old man, and I think you're very pretty". She pulled him into a kiss, tasting the strawberry milkshake on his tongue. Having made their point to the suddenly bashful kids on the other table, the pair made their way outside.
It was now late evening, and the air had cooled considerably. Cameron shivered, despite her cardigan. House wordlessly removed his jacket and draped it over his companion. Hand in hand, the two doctors ambled away into the night as the phone in the jacket vibrated unheard and unheeded.
