New Jersey.
Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital.
"I can see!"
Under Dr. Chase's care, the patient, Case, who was at risk of permanent blindness due to a blood clot, regained his vision in no time.
Outside the ophthalmology operating room:
"Brilliant diagnosis and treatment," Dr. Cameron said, gazing at Chase with admiration. "Eyes might not matter much to House, but for a 16-year-old like Case, they're everything. You didn't just save his life—you saved his future."
"Nice work!" Dr. Foreman added, unable to hold back his approval.
"Uh…" Chase shifted awkwardly.
"What's wrong?" Cameron asked, a mix of surprise and delight in her voice. "Wait, was this House's idea? I thought he only cared about beating Duncan, not Case's quality of life after recovery."
"No, it wasn't," Chase said, clearly torn.
"No way!" Foreman caught on first, giving Chase a look of pure exasperation. "This wasn't your idea or House's—it was Adam Duncan's, wasn't it? You went behind our backs and contacted him, didn't you?"
"Chase…" Cameron froze for a moment but quickly regained her composure. "Honestly, it's fine. Whatever your reasons, the result is that Case's eyes are saved. And you took a huge risk—if House finds out, he could fire you. You still deserve the credit!"
Then, turning to Foreman, she added, "Let's keep this quiet."
"Heh," Foreman smirked. "You think he can fool House? If he actually pulled it off, he wouldn't be standing there looking so guilty. He's already tricked us once before, hasn't he?"
Back when Case first lost his sight, it was Cameron who suggested secretly asking Adam for advice. Chase egged her on to do it alone, but then Foreman pointed out the risk of House firing her, and she hesitated. What she didn't expect was that Chase—not just encouraging her—had secretly gone to Adam himself, gotten a solid idea, and tried to use it to impress House. Too bad House seemed to see right through him.
What a sneaky little guy…
Yep, classic Chase!
"What did House say?" Cameron asked, ever the peacemaker, brushing aside her annoyance at Chase's antics.
"He said there won't be a next time," Chase replied with a wry smile.
"No next time?" Foreman raised an eyebrow, stunned. "That doesn't sound like House at all. With his temper, there's a 99% chance he'd fire you!"
"Maybe he got a massage and it put him in a good mood?" Chase offered uncertainly.
"Cut it out!" Cameron frowned, unimpressed. "It's not about a massage… That's not the real reason. Deep down, House cares about the patients."
"I bet it's because firing Chase now would leave him short a critical care doc he actually likes bossing around," Foreman said with a cold laugh. "If he lost to Duncan because of that, he'd never forgive himself. Compared to his need to win, giving Chase a pass is no big deal."
"No way," Cameron shook her head. "If that were true, he'd already lost—Duncan solved a problem House couldn't."
"You're missing it," Foreman said, crossing his arms. "You just said House doesn't care about Case's eyes. His bet with Duncan—if there even is one—is about keeping Case alive. As long as Duncan's input doesn't mess with the life-or-death stakes of the bet, House doesn't care. That's why Chase got off the hook."
"There's no bet!" Chase interjected. "This is just House's one-sided obsession with outdoing Duncan—showing off his skills, slapping him in the face, proving 'Adam's a jerk who dodges responsibility.' Duncan doesn't even care about this rivalry."
"Oh, and you know that how?" Foreman mocked. "You think sneaking around and chatting with Duncan makes you an expert on him? He and House are the same kind of person—arrogant, selfish jerks! They just show it differently. House only cares about solving the puzzle, not the patient's life. Duncan looks perfect, but all he's after is the 'miracle doctor' reputation. He doesn't care about patients either. On that, I agree with House—both of them are selfish jerks!"
"…" Cameron fell silent.
"Maybe only totally selfish jerks can become legends?" Chase mused thoughtfully.
"Nope," Foreman corrected. "It's super-genius selfish jerks who become legends. Regular selfish jerks, no matter how extreme, are just jerks. Super-geniuses see the world in a way normal people can't—deeper, more rational. That's why they're even more selfish. Humanity's survived this long because selfishness is baked into our genes. There's no such thing as true altruism—helping others always comes back to helping yourself. House is a polished self-server. Duncan's a polished do-gooder. Same difference."
"Enough!" Cameron snapped, unwilling to accept such a harsh take—especially one that trashed two legends she admired. "House and Duncan might not be perfect, but they're not that selfish. I believe they've got some real heart deep down. Besides, now's not the time to debate who they are. Let's focus on saving Case!"
With that, she walked off.
Chase and Foreman exchanged a glance, shrugged, and followed her.
Next up, Case suffered liver failure. Cameron grew more convinced it was lupus. House, however, insisted on ruling out hepatitis E—a condition so rare it barely hits one case a year. He told Cameron to use her charm and the trust Case's dad had in her to give him a shot of methylprednisolone, despite zero medical evidence to back it up.
House's exact words: "Use a little—don't kill him."
Methylprednisolone would tank hepatitis E fast, letting them rule it out quickly. Without Cameron's likability to pull off the bluff, Case's dad would've asked any other doctor and gotten a hard no. The dosage was a nightmare to nail—too little, and it wouldn't work or show results in time; too much, and it'd be a one-way ticket to irreversible death. A real Schrödinger's dose.
Clearly, the calculating Dr. House didn't pick Cameron just for her skills or her looks. He valued her beauty, her genuine kindness, and her admiration for him—perfect for convincing patients and families, whether straight-up or with a little deception, to do what he'd otherwise have to handle himself.
(Chapter End)