DEAD

"House suffered a complex-partial seizure. The violent shaking cased his skull fracture to widen causing a brain bleed. We won't know if there's and cognitive damage, until he wakes from the coma." Foreman announced to the team morbidly. "…But there's a significant chance he will die." He bowed his head unable to go on, as did everyone else. Taub and Thirteen each shed a tear.

Wilson had made sure his friend was ok and stable. He helped stop the bleeding and got him to a room, but he had no time to worry. Wilson's mind was on Amber. She was going to die. He had to go see her. As soon as Cuddy entered House's room with her tear-stricken face, Wilson rushed past her without a word, quickly walking to Amber's room. She was on Bypass. He rushed to her side just as she was waking up. Her weary green eyes met his tear-filled brown ones. "Hi…"

Cuddy was in the ICU with House. She called in Foreman and Thirteen to help her check his vitals. "Still non-responsive," murmured Thirteen.

House was back on the bus. He looked around the familiar scene; something was different. He quickly scanned every empty seat listening to the slow rumble of the bus's motor. The bus was moving. He turned and saw Amber sitting next to him.
"You're dead," he stated bluntly.
"Everybody dies," she replied simply.
"Am I dead?"
She looked at him knowingly. "Not yet."
"I should be."
"Why?"
"Because life shouldn't be random! Because lonely, misanthropic, drug addicts should die in bus crashes; the young do-gooders in love who get dragged out of their apartment in the middle of the night should walk away clean."
"Self-Pity isn't like you."
"Yeah, well I'm branching out from self-loathing and self-destruction." He paused, and looked down quickly. "Wilson is going to hate me."
"You kind of deserve it."
"He's my best friend." House's eyes were watering.
"What now?"
"I guess I'll just stay here with you."
Amber shook her head. "No. Get off the bus."
"I can't."
She looked at him quizzically. "Why not?"
"Because it doesn't hurt here. I don't want to be in pain; I don't want to be miserable." He paused, thinking. "And I don't want him to hate me." A tear slid down his stubble cheek.
"Well you can't always get what you want." He looked at her as the bus came to a stop and the doors opened. "I can't do it…" murmured House.
"Get off the bus," she repeated, more fiercely.
"I can't… I won't…" he said defiantly.
"Think of Wilson. If you die, how will he react?" House wiped his damp eyes. "I can't get off…"
They sat there, Amber glaring angrily at him and House sitting there, tears silently rolling down his cheeks. The bus door closed, and started off.
House murmured, "I'm sorry Wilson…" and he closed his eyes, still crying.

"He's Flat line," yelled Foreman to Cuddy. "Get the paddles!" Thirteen brought over the defibrillator while Cuddy quickly paged Taub and Wilson. "Charging, clear!" and shocked him. Cuddy came over and took the paddles from her. "Charging, clear!" Still no pulse. "Charging, clear! Charging, clear!" Cuddy was yelling franticly. "Charging, clear!" Foreman took her shoulder.
"Cuddy…"
"BACK OFF! Charging, Clear!" She shocked him again with still no effect. "Cuddy…" She looked at him tears gushing freely from her eyes. They all looked at Taub as he entered the room and looked from the flat line House, to Foreman talking to Cuddy with Thirteen behind him. Foreman looked back to Cuddy. "Time of Death: 9:27 p.m." Everyone bowed their heads. Cuddy and Thirteen were crying and wet droplets were falling from Taub and Foreman's eyes. Foreman quickly got out his phone and paged two people. One minute later the sliding doors opened and Chase and Cameron came rushing in. Chase spoke. "What's up? We got a 911 page…" He stopped as he saw everyone's teary faces and looked to Cameron who had already processed what happened and was starting to cry. Then he saw House: still and unmoving, his heart monitor's flat line; Chase was the last one to cry, except for one person…

"It's time…" Amber looked up at Wilson. "I'm tired…"
"Just a little longer…"
"You're always going to want just a little longer…"
Wilson gave a sob, then turned and shut off the machines. The whirring slowed and stopped.
She looked at him, "I love you…" and she slowly closed her eyes, her last breath warming Wilson's chest.
"I love you too…" and he sobbed loudly into her blood-crusted hair. After 5 minutes he kissed her forehead one last time and left the room. As he walked down the long and dreary hallway, he saw Cuddy rushing toward him. Her eyes were red and puffy, her face was wet, but he paid no regard. As she caught up to him and stood in front of him she opened her mouth to say something, but Wilson spoke first. He looked at his shoes and said, "Time of Death. 10:04 p.m." When Cuddy didn't say anything he looked up at her suspiciously. She only looked at him apologetically, and turned on her heel to leave. "Wait!" called Wilson. "What were you going to say?" Cuddy turned back to him, and took a deep breath.
"House is dead…" but she couldn't continue, for a fresh wave of violent tears struck her. Wilson was speechless. His eyes were quickly filling with tears, but he didn't know why. His brain wouldn't process it. His two closest people, both dead within a half-hour of each other…
When Wilson didn't respond, she left; still sobbing hysterically. Wilson kept walking to his car and drove home in a stupor. "No, it can't be true…" he tried to reassure himself. "It's all just a nightmare…" Deep down he knew he wasn't thinking rationally, but his subconscious thought it was better than facing the truth. "If I just go to bed, I'll wake up with everything back to normal. House will screw with me and I'll go to lunch with Amber and complain about it to her. I just need some sleep…" Wilson lied in his bed, shoes and all. And closed his damp and confused eyes and fell asleep…
His dream was a weird one. They were in House's office. House was yelling at Wilson; telling him about how bad the pain was. Wilson gave House the usual lecture about the dangerous addiction to the narcotics. But, then, House agreed with him. Wilson was taken aback, completely surprised about the lack of argument or remark from House. But, before he could say anything, House screamed out all of a sudden and collapsed to the floor. Wilson rushed to his side, ready to do anything to help him, but House looks up at him and smiles. "It's all your fault. You asked me to do it; to risk my life for her." Outraged, confused, and ashamed, Wilson was once again left speechless. But House continued, "But I love you anyway. You're a great friend." A tear leaked from the corner of Wilson's eye. House eyes were wet, but glazed over. They met each other's eyes, and House closed his for the last time. His breathing slowed, and his heart stopped. Wilson wondered vaguely why he wasn't calling for help, but deep down he knew there was nothing he could do for his best friend.