"But… what is wrong with the clothing? It is pretty, pastel colors, with little drawings…"
Cameron tried to convince Renelle to acquire some of these children's style clothes.
Renelle first looked Cameron in the eyes until that bright blue color in her eyes slowly faded until it became a dull blue without any shine.
"I am leaving." Renelle said two words in a dry tone, turned around and took a step.
"Wait! Okay, okay. Let us go to that boutique over there…" Cameron held Renelle by the shoulder to prevent her from leaving.
Before Renelle could react, Cameron quickly took her hand and did not let go.
Without waiting for an answer, Cameron pulled Renelle forward, passing the children's clothing section.
"I love coming to this place. It has very good clothing and it is close to the hospital…" Cameron began to present to Renelle the women's clothing boutique that stood ahead.
"Uhm… Although I think your clothing is boring, it is definitely something I will like to wear…" Renelle murmured.
Renelle looked Cameron's outfit up and down and then directed her gaze toward the mannequins posing in youthful positions that no one in real life ever makes.
In the large grid-patterned window on the other side of the boutique, ensembles of modern outfits were displayed: clean colors in cardigans, blouses and straight pants.
Renelle directly ignored the skirts.
Although in these years the clothing seemed very fashionable and modern, to Renelle's eyes it looked very outdated with a retro style that no one used anymore. Of course, Renelle came from a planet called Blue Aqua with a few decades in the future.
"What do you mean boring?…" Cameron unconsciously released Renelle's hand and looked down at her own clothes.
While Cameron wondered if she had chosen her outfit poorly, she did not notice that Renelle was turning around to look behind her.
'Again? It is the second time I feel this energy… A familiar energy yet unknown at the same time…' Renelle looked toward the north.
The energy manifested for less than a second and disappeared again. Renelle remembered feeling the same thing moments ago while walking along the street and passing the shops on the main Nassau Street.
But since this energy only flickered and disappeared without a trace, Renelle could do nothing. With Cameron beside her she could not go investigate what was happening either.
Ignoring Cameron, who was still looking at her clothes and wondering what was wrong, Renelle wanted to finish this and leave. Renelle entered the boutique, pushing past some clothing racks, and a sales assistant quickly approached.
Before the sales assistant could say anything, Cameron entered behind Renelle and greeted the assistant with a smile.
"Mary! Hello!"
"Cameron? Hey, hello. Are you here to buy clothes again? You just bought an outfit a couple of days ago? Do not tell me it is to show your boss~"
The saleswoman, upon seeing a familiar client, smiled naturally and professionally.
Cameron was a great customer. Not only was she a recognized doctor with a good salary, but she liked to buy quality clothing that was professional without losing femininity and elegance. In conclusion, the young doctor had generated good commissions for her.
"Ahem! No, I do not know what you are talking about! No, this time I am accompanying this little one so she can get some clothes."
Cameron quickly coughed and changed the subject before the sales assistant could say anything more.
With her face flushed, Cameron pointed at Renelle.
"What a beautiful girl. Is she your niece? There is nice clothing for girls on the other side of the store…"
"Ahem! Cough. No, she is my boss's daughter. Renelle is a big girl. She does not want children's clothing. Do you have clothes here in her size?"
Before the saleswoman could speak more, Cameron interrupted her upon seeing that Renelle's face was becoming shadowed again.
"Your boss's daughter? That doctor who has a masculine air but is rough and wild, the one you like so much and cannot stop talking about… AH!"
"Ahem! Mary, please help me find nice clothes for Renelle." Cameron could not stand it anymore and ended up pinching the sales assistant.
"Cameron, I think your throat is acting up. You should see a doctor like… Hehe. I understand, I understand. Come here, little one. Let me show you some outfits that will look good on you. What do you think of Doctor Cameron's style?"
The sales assistant, seeing how Cameron's face darkened, decided it was better to stay quiet and start doing her job.
"Whatever…" Renelle looked strangely at Cameron and then followed the sales assistant.
Cameron noticed Renelle's look and felt her face burning, but if she explained it could be worse. So in silence Cameron followed Renelle and the assistant Mary.
---
After some time Renelle felt that the sun was dying from how little light was still entering through the boutique windows.
"Is it not enough already?"
"Just try this dress, come on!"
"Mm! Mm! Little Renelle looks good in everything. Cameron, I admire you…" the assistant gave Cameron a thumbs up.
Cameron made an annoyed face at the sales assistant but turned back to look at Renelle to convince her to try on a dress she had in her hand.
"What for? There is already a lot of clothing here." Renelle pointed at a chair where there were pants, cardigans, blouses, t-shirts, even underwear and all kinds of socks.
Of course the underwear and the rest were packaged; it was not as if she was going to try them on right now. Somehow the assistant Mary had managed to gather everything in these two hours so that Renelle would have a wardrobe that would last her a week without repeating an outfit.
"It is true. Cameron, you are not going to pay for all of this yourself, right?" the assistant Mary gave Cameron a strange look.
Cameron gave the sales assistant a pair of white eyes, guessing what she was thinking.
"No, House gave his wallet to Renelle…"
"Eh?" Renelle was surprised. 'I am not going to pay for all of this! It is true, I have that…'
Then Renelle remembered that a plastic card was in her wallet.
"That is fine! Then, Cameron. Renelle also needs a coat, a sweatshirt, a jacket. How about a gabardine? Since that computer movie gabardines have become fashionable~"
The assistant Mary got excited. Although she earned commission, when she saw all the clothing and thought about the total her body shivered. But if a man was paying it was the best. Mary felt fondness for Cameron and would not cheat her, but if Cameron was using a doctor's money and she herself benefited, she would support her.
And Renelle, thinking about the plastic card whose relief formed the name -Wilson-, did not mind buying more. In her previous life she had spent a long time wearing the same clothes stained with dirt and other things.
So, with the weather cooling and bringing the small and cozy city of Princeton into the winter season, Renelle accepted all kinds of coats.
The POS machine processed the black card without problems and Renelle put the card and the purchase receipt back into the wallet.
Cameron did not notice anything strange. Instead, she secretly hid a couple of dresses to give them to Renelle when she took her home.
Although Renelle had remained firm in not wearing dresses, Cameron still had the desire to see Renelle in beautiful feminine dresses.
At the end of a day of shopping, Mary said goodbye to Renelle and Cameron while helping to arrange the shopping bags in a taxi that she had helped call from the boutique.
"In the end we bought a lot. It is a pity we do not have time to go to dinner…"
"And whose fault was that? Just a couple of pants and some t-shirts would have been enough…" Renelle crossed her arms in the back seat of the taxi. She had already discarded those rags she had cut with scissors and a scalpel at the hospital.
And on Renelle's feet were a pair of soft brown velvet boots that reached her calves. The large and ugly poorly cut men's pants had been replaced by a fine straight-cut cream-colored pants and on top she wore a light pink short-sleeve blouse with a round neck and a soft rainbow on the front, with a white cardigan over it.
Cameron only smiled upon seeing the girl beside her who pretended to be a tough girl who did not care about anything but whose small feet covered by boots swung gently in a way that showed joy.
"There are still things left to buy for you: a toothbrush, towels, you need some house slippers…" Cameron began to list the things that were still missing.
'Does a woman need so many things to live?' Renelle complained inside.
"It does not matter. Near home there is a place where I can buy all of that…" Renelle said, downplaying it.
"All right. We will leave this at home and I will accompany you to buy. It is still not late. On the way we can buy something for dinner. Let me show you my cooking skills."
"Whatever…" 'Cameron cooks?' Renelle simply spoke and looked out the taxi window toward the quiet streets of Princeton on the way to her house.
---
Meanwhile at Princeton-Plainsboro University Hospital.
"Have you seen House?" Wilson approached the reception in the hospital lobby and asked the nurses who were busy with paperwork and one attending to a patient taking their medical records.
"Doctor House said goodbye running and hiding from Cuddy about an hour ago." the head nurse on duty answered Wilson without looking at him.
"Oh, maybe he is worried about his daughter and ran home to see her… Well, it seems I will go to dinner alone." Wilson said goodbye and left, taking out his wallet to calculate the budget for dinner.
"Eh? Is a card missing here?" then Wilson noticed that a card was missing and remembered that he had used it to pay at the cafeteria when he met Renelle.
"But the cafeteria is closed now… Well, I will ask tomorrow." Wilson murmured while walking toward the glass doors of the hospital and pushing them to exit.