Chapter 1- As Pale As Death

„Coffee?"
He didn't get a response.
„Cuddy.", Wilson said, his voice even softer now. This time she seemed to have heard it and slowly raised her head, trying to clear her mind. A pair of swollen and red eyes looked back at Wilson, who gently handed her one of the two cups of coffee he had just got.
„Thank you.", she whispered and took a sip.
„Are you sure you don't want to get some hours of sleep?"
„I'm fine."
„You know what happened isn't your fault-„
„I know." She slowly nodded, taking another sip of the hot coffee.
Wilson fell silent. He turned his head to look at the hospital bed next to them where House was laying.
„He will wake up again.", Wilson tried to reassure Cuddy and himself, „ He will wake up from the coma. We just have to give it time…"
Cuddy nodded weakly, her mind was wandering again, back to this afternoon, back to when it had happened. She was sick of fighting against it, so she just let the memories come into her head once more.
House entering her office, House acting really weird, House collapsing… and now House in a coma. And Wilson telling her all this stuff. About House hallucinating, House seeing Amber, House thinking he slept with Cuddy. With her. House had hallucinated sex with her.
Cuddy blinked as the pictures of House's face this afternoon came back. She had never seen him like that before. Never. So hurt. So fragile. So… disappointed?
A moment later the dean of medicine noticed that Wilson was watching her. The worried look on his face told her that he knew pretty well that she was thinking about it, living this afternoon again and again in her thoughts, like a video. Her head automatically pushed „play", the images came, it ended with House collapsing and falling into a coma. Then „rewind" and „play" again. And again. „Rewind" „Play."
Suddenly a loud „beep" disrupted the silence. It jolted Cuddy, who dropped her coffee. Wilson jumped up, looking at the monitor next to House's bed in panic. „Ventricular fibrillation!"
Cuddy got up as well, her face getting ever paler. „We need help in here!", she shouted. Nurses came running quickly with a crash cart, while House's heart had stopped beating.
Wilson's heart in contrary was beating fast, almost too fast, as he reached for the defibrillators. He tried to calm himself down, the next minutes mattered. His hands were sweating. Cuddy was watching him, her own heart almost exploding as well.
Almost in trance Wilson put the defibrillators on the chest of his best friend and started to shock him. Cuddy was looking from Wilson and House to the monitor and back again. Nothing happened. Wilson shocked him again. The monitor didn't change. And again. Nothing.
Cuddy's heart was beating faster and she hold her breath for a moment, her eyes piercing the monitor.
„House, please!!", she found herself screaming, her own voice sounding strange to her.
Wilson shocked his friend again. „Come on, House!", he whispered.
„Maybe we should announce time of death…", one of the nurses carefully said. She was right, too much time had passed now and the chance that House's heart would start beating again was heading towards zero.
„No!", Wilson and Cuddy said almost simultaniously. They weren't ready to give up. They weren't ready to loose their friend, their emotions were blocking the medical facts.
The nurse quickly shut up again and stepped back.
„He is dead".
Wilson stopped shocking House and turned around to look where the voice was coming from. Cuddy turned around as well.
A man was standing near the door, dressed completely in white.
„Get out of here!", Cuddy said.
„I have to take him with me.", the man pointed at House.
„Oh you won't" Cuddy stepped in his way.
„Cuddy.." Wilson murmured.
„Yes?"
„Look at the nurses." Wilson had noticed that they weren't moving anymore. They were standing there like statues, frozen as if they weren't human beings.
„Oh my god…what…"
Cuddy blinked. Was her mind playing tricks on her? Wilson gazed at them. Was he now hallucinating as well? Was this even real?
„This is very real, .", the man in white said and approached him, passing Cuddy who still couldn't believe what her eyes were showing her.
„Who are you?", Wilson asked.
„I'm Death and I'm going to make you two an offer…"