Covert operations
Over the course of the next several weeks the department was busier than it had ever been, and Cuddy was beginning to grumble that her Head of Diagnostics had intentionally taken on extra cases to avoid clinic duty. In truth, House was using the increased workload for a dual purpose. In the first instance, it enabled him to observe Cameron directly. He had seen her work in close quarters before, of course, and knew that she was an excellent doctor under pressure. Of the three fellows, Cameron was the most methodical and thorough. He could remember one case where they had all examined an x-ray of a patient's head, and she had been the only one to notice the man's metal jaw which precluded an MRI. This case was etched in his memory because it was the day she returned to work following Vogler's removal.
At another point, she had been the only one in a room full of medical students and his fellows to correctly diagnose muscle death in a hypothetical patient. Chase and Foreman were more likely to experience an epiphany but, if it came to it, House knew which of the three he'd trust to save his life. His subconscious had been relieved when hers was the first face he saw following the hallucination.
House had used the time over these days to watch Cameron the person rather than Cameron the doctor. Long experience had taught him that pressure tended to reveal an inner nature, and this was the first time that he had wished to observe the woman rather than the professional. He carefully noted how she carried herself when dealing with patients and colleagues, how she alternated between good humour and severity when it came to gathering information from stubborn individuals, and how she conveyed her opinions on treatments with tact one day and aggression the next.
House also discovered, whenever he spotted her around the hospital or in the cafeteria, that she received a lot of male attention. In one week alone she had been approached by four different men in the lunch queue, and when he had sent her to carry out tests, he had found a note by a lab tech and a phone number. House had dutifully copied down the number, intending to sign it up to various extreme magazines. Gushing Grannies was an absolute steal at ten bucks per issue. He had used Wilson's computer to do this research.
This reconnaissance made him increasingly familiar with her mannerisms and peculiarities. He had never noticed before how her nose twitched slightly when she was provoked to emotion, or how she span her pen between her fingers when she was concentrating. He became familiar with the subtle smell of the perfume she wore and the way she draped her white coat over her desk chair. Like him, she avoided pickles at lunch. Unlike him, she paid for food herself. In general, she ate alone with a book, though on occasion she was joined by Foreman and Chase. A quick peek had revealed that she favoured non-fiction, generally histories. House hated to admit it, but this was a huge factor in her favour. He rarely saw her on her phone.
Given that he no longer needed his cane, it had been easier to observe her—not only was he faster, but the sound of his stick squeaking on the hospital floors was hardly conducive to covert operations. Every now and then, though, Cameron caught him looking. During a differential he had been admiring her form from the corner of his eyes while Foreman spoke. He detected that she was stretching her arms above her head and couldn't resist stealing a glance. The red blouse that she wore under her white coat had ridden up, revealing a tantalising glimpse of taut pale skin. His gaze had travelled up involuntarily to the swell of her breasts, and then her eyes. Cameron was looking straight at him, eyebrow raised. Rumbled. He had sent her off to the lab after that and mentally chastised himself for wondering the colour of her bra rather than thinking on the case.
But not only did the increased workload afford House the opportunity to watch Cameron in action, it also provided him with a pretext for the second part of the plan to gauge her suitability: direct questioning. Things came to a head following the conclusion of an especially tough case in which an investment banker was found to have contracted rabies. Foreman was already writing up the case for journal submission and the team was looking forward to a day of paperwork.
They were all gathered around the conference table sipping coffee.
"As you know", began House, "it's been pretty pedal to the metal these last few weeks. Contrary to what you may have heard, this has not been because I have wanted to avoid clinic duty—it's not my style to avoid work by doing more work".
"What is your style, exactly?", inquired Chase.
"Windswept and interesting. I thought you knew that".
Chase smirked.
"No? OK, I'll come clean. I have been challenging you on purpose because it is time for your annual evaluations".
"Since when do we have annual evaluations?", asked Cameron. That red blouse again. The top button was undone.
"Think of it as a holdover from Vogler. He made me think about your work when I was forced to fire one of-".
"-you didn't fire anyone. I left voluntarily", she interjected flatly.
"Whatever. My point is the whole sorry episode convinced me that occasional check-ups of one's employees is beneficial. To that end, I will be conducting interviews with each of you". House paused, preparing for the tricky part of his plan: selling it to the subordinates. "The aim is to gain a better understanding of how you function as a team. Therefore, the main topic of conversation will be your colleagues. I'll ask each of you to discuss one of your fellows, with the idea being that I'll have a pretty good understanding of you three by the end".
"You want to interrogate each of us over how we get along with the others?", asked Foreman.
"Precisely. I knew you'd get it, big dog. I always thought you were the smartest chicken in the coop". House glanced around at his team, who looked less than impressed that they were being required to discuss each other with their boss. "Don't worry, everything is strictly secret: doctor patient confidentiality and all that. Chase. Shall we start with you? Ladies first, et cetera. Rest of you can have the next little while off. Use it well". House got up and motioned for the intensivist to follow him into the office, pulling the blinds across the glass partition.
Chase sat down in the seat opposite the desk while his boss went to his computer, turning the monitor away so that its screen was hidden from the interviewee. "Right. Can I get you anything—water, coffee?".
Chase was a little shocked to be offered hospitality by House, but he wasn't prepared to look a gift horse in the mouth. "Uh, sure. Water would be good".
House nodded, before yelling: "CAMERON! HEY, CAMERON, GET YOUR STUNNING LITTLE ASS IN HERE!". Chase nearly jumped out of his seat.
Cameron poked her head through the door wearing a look of annoyance. "What?".
"Your colleague would like a glass of water".
"On second thoughts, I'm fine, thanks", muttered Chase hastily.
House shrugged and waved the woman away; she didn't look happy. "OK. Let me just pull up my assessment form…yes, yes. Here it is". He opened the folder containing his porn collection and muted the sound. "OK. Let's talk about your relationship with Cameron. I noticed a few weeks back that things were a bit dicey between you". House also noticed a slight flicker cross the other man's face at his mention of 'relationship'. "I trust that's sorted now?".
"Yes, it's all good. We just had a misunderstanding".
House nodded, but Chase wasn't forthcoming. "May I remind you, Dr. Chase, that any and all information you share within these walls will remain entirely confidential".
"It was just a personal clash. It has nothing to do with work". Chase folded his arms.
"Ah, well, you see, that is why I need to know the outline. The team is so small that any personality clashes need to be dealt with". House browsed through the clips on his screen: 'Penniless college girl and the landlord'. Nope. 'Pizza delivery chick has a special delivery'. Maybe.
"The outline is that Cameron has been seeing someone I think is bad for her. I'm not saying anything more. Ask me something else".
House's gaze had darted to Chase upon this revelation of Cameron's apparent relationship with another person. He made a mental note. "Fine. Moving on…". Now he scrolled down and hit a few keys randomly: "how would you characterise Cameron herself?".
"I think she is an excellent doctor, a skilled immunologist, and a valued member of the team".
"Uhuh, uhuh. But I already know this. I want your personal insight. What do you think sets Cameron apart from other people?".
"Why are you asking me about what she's like personally?".
"I'm just progressing through the stipulated questions", answered House, his eyes fixed on the young woman on the screen who had struck an unfortunate deal with her cheerleading coach and was now in the process of undressing.
Chase looked sceptical.
"It's important that I know everything about my employees. Don't worry. I'll be asking the others about you, too".
"Fine", he sighed. "What was the question again?".
Over the course of the next thirty minutes, House learnt little that he didn't already know about his pretty subordinate. She was caring, considerate, and (at least to Chase) aloof. He made a perfunctory note, thanked Chase, and asked him to send Foreman in with a parting warning: "it is vital for the integrity of hospital staff policy that this evaluation remain between us".
Before long Foreman entered and took the vacant seat.
"Ah, Dr. Foreman, good afternoon. Let's see…". House pulled up another clip: 'Mom and the gasman'. "Right. Let's discuss, hmm...", he made a show of consulting the records on his screen which, unknown to Foreman, displayed no records at all, "...Cameron, I think. What do you know of the coolness between your fellow fellows, my fellow?".
Foreman narrowed his eyes. "What has Chase told you?".
"I'm afraid I'm not at liberty to divulge that information. As you know, I'm a stickler for the rules. But let's just say, between homies, that I've heard about a disagreement over certain romantic attachments. Can you add any further insight?". The 'gasman' on the screen had been joined inside 'Mom's' kitchen by the young widow next door. Because of the muted sound, House wasn't sure how this had happened.
"Why do you care about this?". Foreman was on guard for two reasons. First, he didn't know how much, if anything, his colleague had told their boss, and was reluctant to betray the true cause of Cameron and Chase's spat without good reason. Second, the line of House's questioning seemed to indicate his own interest in their undoubtedly beautiful co-worker. Whether this was a good or bad development remained to be seen.
"I care about all my employees".
"Your poker face sucks".
"Sorry. It's my computer. You have my undivided attention". House flicked off the porn and turned his full focus to the man opposite. "I just want to know what happened between two of my employees. I can't have dissension in the ranks."
"Sorry, it's not for me to say. You need to talk to Cameron".
House leant back in the chair, hands clasped behind his head. After a thoughtful pause, he inclined his head towards the other. "You're loyal. I can respect that. Just tell me one thing: what do you think of Cameron?".
Foreman raised an eyebrow but replied truthfully. "I think she's too good for you, Dr. House".
The nephrologist said nothing for a time, staring up at the ceiling. Beige paint, stained and cracked through repeated baseball bashing, stared back.
Foreman remained seated but finally broke the silence. "Is my assessment over?".
House's gaze, which had been far-off, swept back into focus. Foreman got the absurd impression that his boss' eyes were seeing him for the first time, despite the fact that at least twenty minutes had passed since he had first entered the office.
"Yes, it's over".
House's demeanour had changed. The usually confident Head of Diagnostics was suddenly unsure; the usually ironic and mocking blue eyes suddenly serious and subdued. Foreman felt the other to be on the cusp of a significant decision. He could make a guess at what it concerned: the flirtation, the monster trucks, the date, the glances. Foreman had seen most of it, had even tried to warn House away when Cameron first revealed to her colleagues that she was interested in their boss. There was a good chance that it would end in tears.
"House?", he asked from the door. "Just be careful, OK? Don't crush my friend".
"I'm not going to crush Cameron. I'm…going to talk to her. Send her in, please".