Ruined Part 7

Cameron knew she looked like a wreck. She'd had a horrible weekend alone, save for her cat, who made her cry more every time she saw her and remembered receiving her from House.

For all she knew, Stacy had gotten her way. Part of Cameron figured it might all be for the best, though. Maybe it was better that they'd broken it off before either of them got too involved.

Cameron knew that was stupid, for she had already been too involved and hoping for a real future.

She'd had a hard time getting out of bed that morning, but she'd made it to work on time.

One of the worst parts about going to work was that she knew it would be a slow day. Their patient had been released that weekend, so now she was scrounging up as much paperwork as possible to do to keep herself busy.

Wilson came into the diagnostic conference room and stopped a few feet from her desk. "Have you seen House?"

"Um... no." She said quietly. She hadn't seen him all morning and her stomach felt sick, waiting for him to walk through those doors.

He nodded and stood there as if he wanted to say something.

"You could check the clinic." She offered.

"Cameron," he said suddenly. "I don't know exactly what happened, but House... he's a disaster. He's really hurt... and I think you should talk to him."

"I don't think he would even let me try to talk to him."

"Well, you have to do something."

"Why me?" she asked, trying to hold herself together.

"It has to be you. You broke him. Only you can fix him." Wilson turned and left the room.

Cameron didn't know what to do. How could she fix House when she couldn't even fix herself?

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When House finally came back from clinic duty, he was in a wretched mood. He figured that mostly everyone could tell what kind of mood he was in, because no one had bothered him as he left the clinic a few minutes early.

What he didn't know was that Cuddy had seen him leave, and she had noticed the way he'd been acting.

House made it to his office without any type of human interaction. He was relieved to see that Foreman was the only one in their conference room. That meant House only had one person to kick out. He was planning on winding down a bit in his office with his tv and some coffee. He didn't want anyone in the next room, making noise. Kicking Foreman out would be his way of passing the word on to the others that House wanted to be left alone.

House went into their conference room from his office. As he made his way towards where the coffee pot was, he kicked Foreman's chair. "Go find something to do." He barked.

"Like what? We don't have a patient."

"I don't care. Go help in clinic or something." He paused to grab a clean red mug. "You can go help deliver babies, for all I care."

Foreman rolled his eyes. He didn't have any clue as to why House was acting the way he was, so he humored him and left the room.

House picked up the coffee pot, but it was empty. He set it back down and sighed. He leaned onto the counter in front of the sink and bent his head down.

He had so many emotions running through his head, and even his chest, and he couldn't understand them. He almost wanted to cry, which made him angry. He kept thinking about the night when Cameron had broken up with him. She'd been worried about her reputation as a doctor and she thought the only way to fix it was to break up.

When Chase had found out about their relationship, Cameron had made sure he was honest about keeping it to himself. And he did. Cameron had stopped worrying about Chase.

But when faced with Stacy knowing about their relationship, Cameron knew there was no way to be sure that Stacy would keep that to herself. Cameron knew that Stacy wanted House to be miserable and if Cameron was dating House, then Stacy would also make Cameron's life miserable, just out of jealousy. All Stacy had to do was tell the right people in the hospital that Cameron was sleeping with her boss.

This was all Stacy's fault.

House took a few deep breaths to try and calm himself down, but it didn't work. He wanted to yell out every swear word he knew. He looked down and realized he was still gripping onto the red coffee mug.

He stared at it for a minute, then lifted it up and threw it into the sink. He listened to it shatter.

He sighed again, leaning over the sink and staring down at the red pieces laying there.

House straightened up when he heard someone behind him. Turning around, he saw Cameron standing there.

She looked uncomfortable and sad. She also looked like she wanted to say something. Sometimes that caring look in her eyes drove him crazy.

Before she could say anything, House walked around her and disappeared into his office.

She knew not to follow him. All she wanted to do at that moment was to put her arms around him. But she knew better, so she left.

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Wilson was in line to pay for his lunch when Cuddy approached him.

"I need to talk to you." She said gravely.

Wilson paid the cashier. "Can I eat while we talk?"

"Sure." She said and walked with him over to a table that was in a semi-private spot. She sat down across from him. "It's about Dr. House."

Wilson sighed heavily. He was starting to get annoyed with people talking to him about House. "Whatever he did now, I had no involvement or prior knowledge of it."

Cuddy rolled her eyes. "Relax. I know this may come as a shock, but I did notice that he's been extra - we'll say - moody lately."

Wilson shifted in his seat and brought his coffee up to his mouth. "So?"

"So, I wanted to know what's wrong with him."

He shook his head and swallowed his coffee. "I can't tell you."

She looked surprised. "Why not?"

"Sworn to secrecy."

"Right..." she nodded slowly. She sat quietly for a moment as Wilson ate some of his sandwich. "Oh, for heaven's sake, just tell me what's going on!"

Wilson looked around cautiously as he chewed his food.

She rolled her eyes again. "I won't tell anyone it was you. I swear, you're all like children." She muttered the last part.

"Ok," he said once his mouth was empty. "House has been seeing... someone."

"That's great! Maybe he will finally stop bugging me about Stacy."

Wilson shook his head. "Stacy found out about House and this... person, and, well, the way House put it, is that she interfered in his new relationship." He paused. "And they broke up."

"House and this woman broke up?" she asked.

"Yes. And now he's miserable."

"I'll say." Cuddy commented. "Is there anything anybody here can do for him? To help him?"

"Well, there's nothing you can do to help him."

"Then who could help him?"

"Right now, the only one who could make him feel better would be that girl he was seeing. But she's afraid to get back together with him because she's worried about her reputation."

Cuddy raised her eyebrows. "Her reputation? As what?"

He sighed. "As a doctor." He paused. "It's Dr. Cameron. That's who House was seeing."

Cuddy sat back in her chair, thinking over everything she'd just heard. "So, let me get this straight. Dr. House and Dr. Cameron were seeing each other, but they broke up after Stacy 'interfered,' because Dr. Cameron was worried about her reputation."

"She's afraid Stacy will tell the nurses and other doctors that she is sleeping with her boss."

"Are they just sleeping together?" she asked.

"No, it's a full relationship. Or, at least, it was. But Stacy would put it across as if Cameron was sleeping with House for special perks or something."

"Ok," Cuddy put her hands on the table. "So, the only way to make House happy is to make Cameron not worried about her reputation. We have to make sure Stacy stays out of their business."

"How are you gonna do that?"

"I'll think of something."

Something dawned on Wilson then. "Why do you care?"

Cuddy's eyes softened. "If House could be happy, then things could run smoothly in this hospital for a while."

Wilson nodded and stood up with his empty food tray. "Well, good luck with all that."

She stood also, to go back to her office. "I'll need it. I feel like a school teacher, telling kids to stay out of other kids' business."

He chuckled and left the cafeteria, discarding his tray on the way out.

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That night, Cameron lay motionless in bed, dreaming of House.

He was slowly kissing her jaw, kissing up and over and finally landing on her lips. They were at his place, in his bedroom. In his bed. She could smell him; the mix of his sweat and cologne. She could feel his hands on her... all over her. In all the right places.

In her dream, she was remembering the last time she'd slept with him.

When Cameron woke up, the serene look on her face instantly turned to a look of pain. Her heart ached, deep in her chest, and she wanted to cry again.

She rolled onto her side and curled up tight. She sighed and closed her eyes, thinking, 'I don't know what to do.'

Tears rolled down to her pillow. 'I don't know what to do.' She held back a sob. 'Please tell me what to do.

I need him.'



Ruined