Disclaimer: I do not own House M.D. or the ideas of “A Christmas Carol”. Someone does own these stories/ideas, but that person isn’t me…obviously. So, I own nothing while writing this story.

A/N: Time for the next chapter!! Here it is and I hope any readers keep reading no matter what! I also hope that the readers take the time to R&R since it definitely helps my story and all reviews are greatly appreciated. (= Enjoy the next chapter!

Music that inspired this chapter: “Silent Lucidity” by Queensryche, “Beautiful Lie” by 30 Seconds To Mars, and “How To Save A Life” by the Fray! (=

Chapter Two: House’s Dream

House was quietly lying on his bed, thinking about Cameron’s case and not being able to fall asleep. He didn’t know why the thought of her case bothered him so much. He had refused to take her case and it had shocked Cuddy more than anything else he had done before. In his mind, it was complicated. If he took her case, he would be able to help her. He was sure he could figure the answer out as he always did, but it also meant a risk of showing real feelings that he would rather avoid and deny. If he had taken her case, he would have risked showing those feelings to Cameron, and he wasn’t sure he was ready to do that again. She would see through him; he was sure of it. Still, was avoiding those feelings worth her suffering if he didn’t take the case? House didn’t know, and he wasn’t certain about which choice to make. It was complicated.

House rolled over onto his side and stared at the clock. It was almost one in the morning and all he could do was wonder over her case. His eyes moved to the remaining spots of blood on his floor and he pictured again how she had looked earlier that day. Then, his eyes shifted to the pills that were still scattered across his floor. Some of the white pills were crushed and bits of them were mixing into the hardwood floor. House refused to get up and tidy the problems in his room. Instead, he rolled over again to stare at the ceiling. There were no noises around him, except for his slow breathing. Those thoughts wouldn’t escape his head and it was going to drive him crazy, he was sure. The other team members would help with Cameron’s case, especially Foreman. House imagined Cuddy giving Foreman control over the case, as she would usually do. He thought of Foreman and Chase trying to bounce ideas off of each other in House’s office. They would work on it and her case would eventually turn out right. Right?

“Nothing bad is going to happen. Nothing is going to happen.” House whispered these words to himself, willing them to be true. He repeated the words again and again as he closed his eyes and, without any more thoughts on Cameron’s case, he fell into an uneasy sleep where strange dreams waited for him.

The hospital was so quiet tonight, and there wasn’t anyone around at all. House opened his eyes and looked around the empty hallway that he was now standing in. Why was he back at the hospital? He was sure this had to be a dream, only a dream that meant little to him. Looking around, he became more confident that this was just a dream.

There was no one else in the hallway. No nurses, patients, doctors, or any sign of living creatures anywhere. There was no one there except House. It was almost dead silent in the hallway and House was alone. He continued to look around and he considered calling out for someone, anyone. What was the point of this dream if there wasn’t anyone there but House? Theories worked their way through House’s head as he attempted to come up with an acceptable explanation. His train of thought was interrupted by a sudden soft whispering somewhere in the hallway. House couldn’t make out what was being said; the words were too quiet and distant. Then, the words became louder and continued to get louder until House heard an unbearable mixture that seemed to be made up of ten thousand people speaking at once. It became a constant hum and he could only determine what a few of the sentences were saying.

“I could make it your case…House...you are the Scrooges of all Scrooges…why are you breathing so heavily…House…Scrooges of all Scrooges…”

The words kept coming and they blended into one another until House only heard a single, obnoxious noise surrounding his ears. The noise became increasingly loud until he placed his hands over his ears, hoping the sound was stop sometime soon. With one more mention of his name, the noises stopped and more silence reached his ears. House slowly put his hands down and realized that the hallway, while it now lacked the unnerving noises, was not completely silent. He heard a small whimpering coming from one of the rooms to his right and he approached the hospital room with caution. The door was already open and more hopeless whimpering came from the room. House entered the hospital room and looked around before he realized that the only weird thing was the vast amount of blood on the bed. There was nothing else there, no one that could be causing the whimpering. Feeling an expression of confusion cross his face, House kept staring into the room as if something would appear instantly.

“House.” He turned with great speed and met the eyes of someone he really didn’t want to see at that moment. It was Cameron who stood in front of him, gazing at him with interest and a look that showed the majority of her discomfort. House studied her before responding. She looked much better before she had fallen ill; clearly, this was how she now looked in the hospital. Her hair was matted down and distasteful, not at all like the light, attractive hair that she often showed off. Her eyes were hurt and lacked their usual warmth. Her skin was pallid and there was no glow to her skin at all. In truth, she looked weak, but here she was staring at him and waiting.

“Why are you here? I know this is a dream, so you’re not exactly real, are you?” Cameron shook her head and sighed. With a faint smile on her lips, she moved closer to House. She opened her mouth to speak, and House noticed that her voice took on a different quality, one that was almost angelic or ethereal.

“I am here, House. True, this is something of a dream. I can see you still do not understand. There is something you must do in this dream, perhaps something to figure out. I know you’re good at that, House.” He didn’t respond to Cameron’s words. When he gave her no answer, Cameron continued. “It’s actually simple. You need to change your actions House. Don’t you see that your actions are causing harm to others already? If you decide not to change your decision, I fear there is little chance to save her.” House took her words in, but could not resist asking the main question.

“Who?” Cameron rolled her eyes at House and pointed to something behind House. Already sure of what he was going to see, he turned around to the previously empty hospital room, only to be surprised by a new figure. The figure was lying in the once empty hospital bed that had been stained with blood. The body was covered in patches of old blood and tubes. He recognized her immediately. The figure in the bed was that of Cameron, and House realized this was how she looked now in reality. This was what he would have seen had he taken her case. Machines beside her bed beeped and kept track of her heart rate and blood pressure. Right now, she looked perfectly stabilized. House turned back to the ghostly Cameron with the feeling of confusion running through his mind.

“You? I’m supposed to save you in this dream? Why does everyone keep bothering me about this subject? It’s really starting to get old now. So what are you, the ghost of Cameron or something?” Cameron sighed again and remained quiet for another moment.

“I guess you can say that. Though I think ‘ghost’ is meant to be reserved for those who are already dead. Clearly, I’m not dead yet. Still, you’re the only one who has an exceptional chance of helping me, and I would appreciate it if you would.” House faced the hospital bed again, trying to think without the Cameron’s ghost staring at him so sternly. Even in his sleep, he couldn’t get away from these types of subjects. House made his decision and turned away from the hospital bed. He focused cold eyes on Cameron’s…spirit, maybe? Whichever term you used, it was the same thing.

“I’m not changing my decision just yet. I don’t think I really want to. I would say sorry, but you’d probably think I’d be lying. Not that you’re that good at deciding when I lie anyway.” All of a sudden, the machines behind House went on the alert and he already knew what it meant. “Cameron”—if it was her at all—was beginning to go into cardiac arrest. House could only watch as the monitors sent out alarms that would normally send nurses and doctors rushing into the room, but there weren’t any nurses this time. The ghostly Cameron moved towards the bed and looked down in wonder at her own body. Then, she waved her hand dismissively and the monitors returned to their quiet state. House realized it had been her that caused the immediate alarms. She faced House again and tilted her head at him, a few strands of her blond hair falling free.

“You see? That’s what will happen if you refuse to help her. In this dream, it’s only your decision that helps her. That’s what I was explaining to you, House.” Cameron smiled softly and House scowled at her. He didn’t like the way this dream was turning out. Then, another thought came into his head.

“Who are you really if not Cameron’s ghost?” The ghostly Cameron shrugged as if she herself had no clue.

“I am…let’s just say that if this were “A Christmas Carol”, I would most likely be playing Jacob Marley right now. That’s the best way I know to explain it further.” House felt another wave of confusion and dislike course through him.

“Why would that suit you?” Cameron—ghost, spirit, whichever—dropped her smile and focused sharply on House in a way that ruined some of her angelic image. Her eyes became hot coals that burned into House’s own eyes and he wasn’t sure he wanted to hear her answer. He was still trying to determine whether this image of Cameron could be lying to him; he previously accepted that this could be a possibility.

“It’s simply because you are somewhat killing me now, mainly due to your ignorance. Or it could be that I pity you and your poor decisions. Choose whichever response makes you feel more comfortable. I suspect both of them don’t sound very tasteful to you. So now…”

“Let me guess. ‘Now you will be visited by three ghosts who will force you to change your ways.’ Right? This is all interesting, but how the hell am I supposed to get out of this dream?” Cameron ignored House’s question and his mocking tone.

“You aren’t that far off, House. Each night you will be visited in this dream by three people. I just pray you’ll listen to them instead of mock them like you seem to do with everyone else. Perhaps you’ll make the right choice.” House avoided her eyes as he gazed around the hospital room, trying to come up with ways to twist this conversation around. Cameron’s words didn’t escape him, no matter how much he tried to ignore her now.

“What three people? You know what; I have come up with the solution that I’m going to start listening to Wilson a lot less. Clearly this is his entire fault for putting the idea in my head.” Cameron settled back on the hospital bed, careful not to touch her other self. House could feel her eyes on his back, watching his every move like a hawk.

“That’s easy. It’s the three people who cause you the most heartache. Besides me, that is. You’re going to have to face those three people, house, whether you enjoy it or not.” House finally faced her again and glared at her.

“That’s the best you have? People who cause me heartache? A lot of people cause me heartache, simply because they are too annoying to bear. This should be fun. When’s the first spirit or whatever coming?” Cameron headed for the door and motioned for House to follow her. Reluctantly, he moved beside her into the hallway, which was still quiet and empty. “This place isn’t exactly lively, is it? A church is louder than this. So, when the hell is that spirit coming? I’m just so looking forward to the meeting. The spirit is definitely a woman, right?” Cameron pretended not to hear House’s comment. She turned to face House once more and answered his question.

“The first spirit is coming now. Good luck, House. You’re going to need it.” With those last words, Cameron headed down the hallway before her entire figure faded into nothing, leaving House completely alone in anticipation for the first round.