"Comfort to the Comforter" (m) - (2 Parts)

[tma]

I used this stolen plot bunny.

Set in season 2, before Cameron is involved with Chase, involving a Cameron x Wilson relationship. Wilson gets sick and Cameron goes to check on him after House mentions it in one of their team meetings offhandedly. She finds he is really sick and convinces him to let her take him home. After he falls asleep on the ride home, she just takes him to her place. Cute caretaking shall commence.

Comfort to the Comforter

Sometimes you don't miss someone until they're not there. She thought that she had that one down pat- after losing her husband after six months of marriage. Evidently, sometimes people have a way of sneaking into your subconscious. When House didn’t immediately find a reason to involve Wilson in a consult, she had wondered. In fact, she even found herself throwing out the idea that cancer could be a possibly, even though she didn’t think that it was. It would be a long-shot at best. Which, usually House picked up on those very quickly.

Instead, House simply made a vague gesture and said, "Not today",”and went onto berating Chase (a favorite pastime) without another word. Now she was certain that something wasn’t right. Had they had a fight? Or… Cameron thought about the news that she had learned earlier in the week from the nurses- that Dr. Wilson’s 6 year old cancer patient had died on the table. Now that she'd thought about it, she hadn't seen him since. Of course, the team hadn't had any new patients in those days, so it hadn't occurred to her.

She had made a mental note to herself to take a quick peek in his office. Just to see if he was there. Which had sounded reasonable at the time, but somehow now that she was actually standing at the door to his office with her hand poised to knock, didn’t make sense. If there was a problem, what did she think that she could do about it? She couldn’t even deal with telling a 28 year old young woman that she was dying- he had had to do it for her. She couldn’t imagine losing a patient that young, telling the family… let alone having it happen on the operating table. She shuddered at the thought. She told herself that it wouldn’t matter, Dr. Wilson always knew just what to say in any situation, so she thought chuckling to herself, he'd probably find a way to help her “help” him. At any rate- standing in front of his door pondering whether or not to knock was just foolish. She took a deep breath and knocked.

“"Come in."” The voice sounded gravely- but then again- when had she heard him talk through a wooden door? She quietly slipped in.

He was still in his suit jacket and sweater-vest, hunched over paperwork, scribbling away as she came in, one arm extended, holding up a finger to signal that he would be just another moment. “"Yes."” The word came out as a question, as he lifted his head to look at her. Surprise, and something that she couldn’t quite indentify swept quickly over his features before composing themselves into his usual friendly smile. “"What does House need now?"” he asked, rolling his eyes slightly. Cameron noticed that his eyes had a slightly glassy look to them and that his faced looked flushed. She had never seen him like this, shivering slightly, shadows under his eyes, hair that looked slightly tousled from fingers raking through it in frustration. He looked absolutely miserable, but still he clung to his friendly professionalism like a rope.

She realized that she hadn’t replied and that Wilson’s hand was rubbing at his neck, which was a clear sign of agitation. She parted her lips to reply, when he suddenly spun his chair as far to the side as he could and sneezed a pair of harsh, throaty sneezes into the elbow of his jacket. “"Rchmpt… huh… ehEitChmpt", he cleared his throat and murmured, “"I'm sorry... excuse me... you were about to say?"” His voice was made deeper with congestion.

This wasn't a situation that she had been prepared for, yet strangely she was put more at ease by the thought that here was something that she could do for him. “"Dr. Wilson, it isn't House, it's you.”"

He looked thoroughly baffled by that statement. “"Wha..." he harshly cleared his throat, “"What do you mean?"”

She plunged ahead. “"What are you still doing here?"” she questioned.

His eyes momentarily flashed with uncontrolled annoyance. She could tell that he wasn't used to be spoken to like this, particularly from fellows. Or really anyone other than House, she amended. He quickly schooled his features back to normal and responded dryly. “"I work here. I'm a department head. You may have noticed."”

She could tell from the way that he was slightly squinting his eyes that he was having one hell of a headache, and that he was screaming inside for her to leave. But he needed to be at home, wearing something much more comfortable than a suit, and bundled up under covers.

He rubbed his hands down the length of his face, and sighed, “"What did you..."…” he paused, breath catching, hands trembling slightly. He made a grab for the tissues, and turning again he sneezed twice into them “"Chmpt… Heh… ehEiChmpt. "

“"Ble..."” she started to say, as he shook his head briefly before sneezing another double into them. These were harsher than the previous two and threw his head down. They sounded wet and miserable, and were just barely contained.

He sniffed, grabbed a few more tissues and blushing (was she really seeing Dr. Wilson blush?) scrubbed at his nose. His eyes, when he raised them to her were moist with the effort of the suppressed sneezes.

He opened his mouth, Cameron presumed to start an apology, but she quickly drew in and touched a hand to his forehead. He was so in shock at the gesture that he hadn’t quite recovered until after she stated, “"You're running a temperature."

He gave an embarrassed chuckle and brushed the idea away with his arm. “"I'm fine."” Of course, his current state, including his congested pronunciation of the word "fine" belied that statement.

She crossed her arms in front of her chest. What he didn't realize was that she could be equally stubborn when she needed to be. “"You’are not. Are you driving or am I?"”

His eyes were wide and his mouth hung open. Cameron would have laughed if the situation were different. She had left him at the point of sputtering and gesticulating, something that no one short of House ever seemed able to do.

She repeated her question, with equal parts kindness and firmness.

Realizing that this was a battle that he wasn’t going to win, he rubbed his temples, and answered so softly that she had had to lean in to catch what he was saying. “"Would...… would you mind t...taking me?”"

She let out a pent-up breath that she hadn’t realized that she had been holding, and flashed him a brilliant smile. “"That's better. I'll pack up my things and let you pack up yours, and I'll meet you back here in five minutes."”

He gave a crookedly bemused grin and nodded.

TBC

*I hope that I'm fulfilling the "bunny" in a way that the poster of said "bunny" enjoys* I'm enjoying writing this pairing.

[Evergreen]

oh my god. today is the best day ever. seriously, everything is going right today and then i come onto the forum and find this. this is actually my plot bunny, and i'm so happy you took it. i replied with that on the garage sale thread, but you must not have seen it. ahhh, i'm so happy and hopefully you'll be happy to know that on that garage sale thread, i also offered to take your sick will schuester request, if you'd like. haha.

[ichixshiro14]

Totally awesome start, can't wait to see where it goes

[TheCakeIsAlive]

Oh wow.... :)

... *comes out of stupor and starts squeeing*

This really reads like an episode, Wilson is completely melt-worthy and awwww!

Yay for TBC! Awesomely written as always!

[tma]

Kristen- oh my gosh... I am So happy that you are enjoying this- I am LOVING your Glee fic.

Wilson walked out to her car in silence. As Cameron drove, he stared out the window in heavy contemplation. Cameron doubted that he even realized that she was there.

She had forgotten that he was in a hotel room. Wilson gestured for her to come in as she had followed him from the car. It was sterile, efficent and small. A nice room, but completely devoid of any personal touches. Not even pictures in frames. This was in sharp contrast to his office, which held a variety of "knick knacks" (momentos from patients), as well as a large collectible print from "Vertigo" which she'd gathered was his favorite movie. Even though his office was professional, it somehow screamed "Home!" in comparision. No wonder he didn't want to leave, she thought.

She had noted that there wasn't even a stove in the "kitchenette". A coffee pot, a mini fridge, and a microwave. She'd hate to feel miserable and come "home" to this.

What if... She couldn't believe that she had even been cotemplating lying. I've been around House too long. She just couldn't do it, even though she knew that it would be much more difficult this way.

As he had started to shrug out of his wool overcoat, she came up next to him and gently touched his shoulder. She felt him start at the touch and automatically stepped back.

"Doctor Wilson, you can't stay here."

He looked at her as if she'd grown another head. "I what?"

"Can't stay here. I mean... not when you are sick."

He chuckled roughly, "Well then back to the office, unless you sah... suggest huh.. huh... House EiTchuh.. Chmpt..Rmft" He had been thrown off balance with the harshness of those sneezes and he stumbled slightly back.

Before he could regain his bearings, she broke in, "Bless. Not House's place." she said rolling her eyes. "My apartment." As he raised an eyebrow and parted his lips she quickly finished, "I have a fold out sofa and an actual stove.", the last stated as a quip, and a glance over to the kitchenette area.

The slight head tilt let her know that he was actually considering her proposal. He coughed harshly into a fist. "I... was thinking about calling in tomorrow though." he admitted sheepishly, gaze resting on his loafers.

She bit back a laugh. "I would certainly hope so. In fact, if you didn't I would have been on the phone with Dr. Cuddy myself."

The self-depricating bit of a smile came reappeared. He rubbed at his neck and countered, "But you don't have the day off."

"I don't?" she questioned.

"Well... I...." he started, but somewhat fortunately for his failing ego he was saved by his twitching nostrils. He grabbed for a handfull of Kleenex and sneezed a forcefull trio of sneezes into them. "Ugh... cuse be..." he cleared his throat. "Sorry." he tried instead.

"I was going to take the day off anyway." At his skeptical expression, she protested, "I was. House has been..." she trailed off, not wanting to get into that, especially not when it paled in comparision to what he had recently gone through.

He gave a harsh chuckle. "House." he finished for her, nodding in sympathy.

She nodded back, "Exactly."

"It won't be putting you out?"

Almost there... Cameron shook her head.

"Well..." he shrugged his shoulders, acknowleding the fact that Allison Cameron was a force of nature and that he had been bowled over, at least momentarily. She hid her grin behind a hand as he packed an overnight bag. It would be best not to gloat.

TBC

[Evergreen]

yay! i'm so happy you like the glee fic, and i really do like this. i love cameron. i'm so sad that she left house, but i've been loving her on how i met your mother. haha. as for wilson, i would marry robert sean leonard. for real. robert in dead poets society made me fall in love with him. plus, wilson as a character is a cutie! you write them so well! yay!

[TheCakeIsAlive]

hmmm.... Wilson...

*fangirls*