Human Resources
A.N. It's the two-year anniversary of Confessions! Thanks for the support, and here's to another year. I'm struggling with House and Cameron apart, to be quite honest. But, spoiler alert, this is a Hameron story, and it'll come good. I'm excited for their future.
Speaking of the future, and not to get too personal, but it's looking like I'm starting a new job come January. There's a fair chance it's going to bite into my hobby time (British universities care little for work/life balance). We'll see how it pans out in terms of upload schedule!
The next morning, Wilson knocked on Cuddy's door and entered at her call. "Morning", he said cheerily, moving to sit in the chair across from his boss. "I've had a glance through the files you sent across yesterday. I'll need to check with Benson, but everything looks in order from my end".
"OK. Is she settling in?". Benson was an English doctor who had joined oncology towards the back end of last year. By all accounts, she was proving an exceptional appointment.
"Yeah, she found a place nearby, too, so it's all pretty good at the moment".
Cuddy smiled but quickly glanced back to her computer screen. "You seem content. Good night with Mathilde?".
"Actually, hung out with House: watched a bit of TV, drank some beer".
"Ah, so the biggest bromance in Princeton is heating up again?".
"Baby steps. Have you, uh, decided about any further action regarding…disciplining us?".
"Could you be more specific, James?", she asked, looking at him levelly.
"Y'know", he murmured, unsure of her tone. "My, ah, smuggling Amina Ahmed through customs-".
"-metaphorically, of course".
"And House's mistakes over the course of…yeah…".
The Dean sighed. "You'll go through the proper channels if this situation occurs in the future? We have processes in place to deal with medical malpractice or negligence".
"Yes". Not for the first time in his career at PPTH, Wilson felt like a schoolboy before the principal.
"Then I'll let it slide. Lord knows I've given our mutual friend a similar leeway in the past". As was her practice, Cuddy had reviewed the details, allowed a cooling-off period, and made a call. Wilson had done what he thought was right, and it didn't sit well to punish that. As for House…
"And House?", he asked.
"I'm not disciplining him either". Because he's going to have a hard enough time as it is.
Wilson smiled. "He'll be delighted. Or, well, he won't tell you-".
"-Cameron wants to leave Diagnostics", she spoke suddenly.
"What?".
Cuddy said nothing, only tilting the computer screen towards the other, who scanned it rapidly. Faint sounds from the lobby area filtered through, and outside the window a siren sounded as an ambulance neared the hospital complex.
"When did you get this?".
"Sent last night; saw it literally five minutes before you walked in".
"Sent late last night by the looks of it, and from her phone". Wilson pointed to the tell-tale automatic disclaimer under the text.
"Is half eight late?", she shrugged, noting wryly that her own job was very much a five to nine deal. "Anyway, what's that got to do with anything?".
"Well, there's a chance that she may've sent it in a rush. Y'know: at home, glass of wine, alone, January blues…".
Cuddy sat back and folded her arms. "Oh, sure, a woman sends an email and the only explanation is that she's become emotional".
"I just meant-", he began.
"-I know what you meant. But if it's all the same to you, I'm going to treat this message as serious and considered until I hear otherwise". She returned the screen so that it faced forwards and knitted her hands in her lap.
"Fair enough".
"Obviously", continued Cuddy, "we're both in House's corner—our long history stands for something. But I also have a friendship with Cameron now. Not to mention a duty to the hospital. If a member of staff feels like they can't focus on their job, or if they seriously wish to change departments, I need to deal with it. I can't just think about how House might take the news".
"Understandable", nodded the oncologist, sitting back in his chair.
"And we need to consider the personal dynamics. When I spoke to Cameron before Christmas she said the split was mutual, but I think we both know that House must've been the instigator. So can you imagine how hard it must be for her to see him every day and still feel in love?".
"She's done nothing wrong, yet she's the one being emotionally punished", agreed Wilson quietly.
"I mean, obviously, it's hard for House as well…".
"Mmm. His apartment is in a pretty poor way".
"How poor? You don't think…?". Cuddy's words drifted off.
"Vicodin? Nah. Nothing I saw suggested a relapse. I think it's more a case of drinking, smoking a bit, not eating properly. But you know what he's like. Even when he's happy, I'm not convinced his diet branches much beyond canned soup and peanut butter".
"Is he still exercising?".
Wilson shrugged.
"In any case, House's wired differently. Sure, he's lost one love, but he's still got medicine, a second love, to soften the blow. Cameron's got nothing, and I'm not at all surprised she's looking to remove herself from that situation".
"You're right", he sighed, "she needs to take care of herself. In her email she suggested heading down to the ER for a bit. Is that feasible? Immunology doesn't strike me as an automatic fit".
Now it was Cuddy's turn to shrug. "Those diagnosticians are probably the most well-rounded doctors under this roof. I'm not concerned about that. Besides, she was in the ER when I reassigned them all after House's shooting—Porter told me she was brilliant; he'd be delighted to make room for her".
"So it's just a question of human resources, redistributing staff from place a to place b?".
"Fundamentally, yeah. I'm not going to block Cameron's career, not to mention impact her wellbeing, just so that House feels less bad about a breakup he initiated".
"Mmm, that's fair enough", murmured Wilson, drumming his fingers on the desk.
"I'll set the wheels in motion then. There's a woman coming in from a magazine next week, I think. She'll interview House and his team, then I'll reassign Cameron to the ER".
Silence fell in the room as both friends were lost to their own thoughts. Wilson, for his part, thought back to the late summer's evening when he and Cuddy had chatted together on the sidewalk following a meetup at House's apartment. Were we wrong to push this?, he had asked.
"I know what you're thinking, James. But I don't think this was an inevitable outcome. Those two were—are—perfect for each other, but, y'know, life is messy; shit happens. There's no way you can account for such things".
"The other issue", mused Wilson, "is Cameron's leaving means Diagnostics is a man down".
"Well", nodded the Dean slowly, "there's no hidden agreement that says it needs to be three fellows and one boss. I could easily see them working as a trio. I mean, Foreman's been angling for more responsibility anyway. This would create a bit more room if nothing else".
"Knowing House, he'd probably invite like twenty guys to interview, assign them all a number, and go from there".
"Or that", she agreed. "Assuming Cameron departs, how d'you think he's gonna react?".
"I genuinely have no clue. Ordinarily, I'd say he'd indulge in a drink and drugs binge. But now? I feel like he wants her to be happy. And if that means she needs to leave…maybe he'd be OK with that".
"Do you think there's a chance that her threatening to leave will sort of make him realise what she means to him?".
"It's possible".
"But she's still in the hospital. Maybe she'd have to move away to force his hand?".
"Your guess is as good as mine", sighed Wilson loudly, glancing at his watch. "I should get to work. But I'll hold off telling House about this until you've sorted it through with Cameron".
Cuddy nodded, tabbing back to her second screen half-heartedly. "S'pose I'll send her an email now. No point trying to delay it. See you later", she smiled weakly.
Wilson returned it, leaving the room quietly.
Later that afternoon the diagnosticians had reconvened to discuss the progress of their latest patient, who had suffered a seizure while running on a treadmill under Foreman's observation.
"There wasn't any abnormal electrical activity in her EKG when it occurred, so it wasn't caused by a ventricular fibrillation", he said.
"Myocarditis? Viral infection weakening the wall muscles. We'd need to biopsy her heart to confirm". Chase glanced once again through the file.
"Myocarditis wouldn't cause a seizure, though", interjected Cameron. "Could be genetic? Brugada syndrome".
"No, we'd've seen evidence of Brugada in the EKG", mused House, who was standing by the whiteboard and spinning the marker between his fingers.
Foreman tried again. "A pheochromocytoma-".
"-look at you, using the big words".
"-which causes excess adrenaline, which causes heart problems and…seizures".
"Hmm, would take a while to find a tumour flushing adrenaline. She'll need blood draws every two hours".
"I can do that". Cameron was looking for a way to avoid Chase. Although they hadn't exchanged words since last night's brief—and completely innocuous—WhatsApp exchange, she wanted to take no chances. Nervous enough having sent the email to Cuddy, it would just be easier to keep her head down until the time came that…what? She moved on? Already, her stomach churned.
"What about photic epilepsy? Nothing to do with the heart and explains the rest, too. We should rule it out first, at least".
"That could work", replied House, keeping his eyes fixed on Cameron. "You two, EEG to confirm. Blondie can do the bloods".
"I don't mind helping Cameron", piped up the Australian.
"It's a one-woman job", she said, having already moved to the door.
"You can do some of my clinic hours if you don't fancy working with Foreman". House went to pour himself another cup of coffee.
"No, it's fine", he protested hurriedly. "EEG, it is".
"Suit yourself. Let me know how it goes". The nephrologist watched as his charges filed out one by one. Office dynamics had never been his strong suit, but he felt something brewing beneath the surface. Chase, obviously, had already declared his hand. Cameron, though, seemed different somehow.
She had been right before: they really were pretty hopeless at being apart. It had been over a month and he still thought about her daily.
As was now routine, Cameron found time at the end of the day to check her email. Their patient, though not cured, was stable and House had told the fellows to head home for rest. Rather than walk out with Foreman and Chase, she diverted via the office, ostensibly to pick something up from her desk, but really because she wanted to see if Cuddy had replied. Things had been so hectic this afternoon that she'd not had the chance to check.
Heart in mouth, she logged on, noting the lights off in the adjoining room. True enough, a message lay in her inbox.
RE. Transfer request
She clicked on it.
Hi Allison,
This should be possible. Would you be able to meet at some point to discuss the logistics and your transition period?
Best wishes,
Lisa
That was it.
Cameron immediately hit 'reply' and typed out a response. No sooner had it sent did she hear a notification from the instant messenger.
LC: Hey, you free?
AC: Yeah, just got back to the office
LC: If it's not too late, we can discuss your note?
AC: OK. Shall I head downstairs now?
LC: Yes, now is good
AC: On the way
The immunologist rolled back on the desk chair and made for the door, but not before logging out and turning off the machine. It never hurt to be careful, just in case colleagues or boss returned unexpectedly.
Cameron walked across the lobby to Cuddy's office just as Fiona Townsend was leaving. "Oh, hey. Dr. Chase, right?", asked the latter.
"Actually, it's-", she began.
"-relax, I was joking. Of course I remember you, Dr. Cameron. You made quite an impression on my father at the departmental party before Christmas". Townsend stood in such a way that in order to enter the Dean's office, Cameron would need to walk through her.
"Oh, I don't know about that", she smiled thinly, never quite able to forget this woman's flirting with House last year.
"You're too modest. Are you off to see Lisa? I just dropped something by myself".
"Yes". The immunologist thought about folding her arms but instead stuck her hands in the lab coat's deep pockets.
"It's pretty late. Is House keeping you back?". The question seemed laced with a hint of intrigue.
"No, we've just finished working on a case. I'm off home after seeing Cuddy".
"Right you are. Can I ask you something, girl to girl?".
Cameron nodded.
"Dr. House… I don't spot a wedding band and was just interested what the story was. D'you know if he's seeing anyone at the moment?".
The other woman could feel anger rising, and all the little insecurities and depressed thoughts, the culmination of the last month or so, nearly burst their bounds. It took all her self-control simply to set her mouth into a tight line and fix Townsend with a green-eyed stare. "Not to my knowledge, no".
"Hmm, well, I guess such men aren't everyone's cup of tea".
"If that's all? I really need to see Cuddy".
"Oh, sorry! Please, go ahead", she gestured, stepping aside and calling after Cameron as she knocked on the office door: "have a nice evening!".
Piss off, bitch.