MOVING FORWARD

Chapter 1 -Eye of the storm-


House rushed towards the lab, uncaring of the throng of people surrounding him, screaming and running away from the scene, or of his leg, which throbbed in pain.
Smoke filled the entire floor in a thick, dark cloud, so that he was forced to cover his nose with his free hand to proceed.
In a matter of minutes Cuddy, Wilson and other doctors arrived at the scene, and though House could hear Cuddy's cryptic orders, a stormy chaos brewed inside himself.

It was imperative that he reach the lab, because his wildly thumping heart didn't look as if it would go back to beating normally.

Wilson saw him first; Cuddy was still giving orders for everyone to clear the area and for someone to call the services.
He was about to say ... something, but he took one good look at House's face up close, and felt slivers of ice making their painful way down his gut.
When he realised, with disbelief, where House was heading, he jumped in haste and seized his arm.

"Where do you think you're going? The lab isn't safe!"
House looked at him a moment, and it was enough for Wilson to tighten his grip on his friend's arm.

"Let go of my arm."

Wilson squared his shoulders and tightened his lips, tensely holding House's steely gaze.
"No, I won't let got of your arm. You're gonna stay clear of those doors."

Huse growled and pushed past him, thumping his cane with force on the floor, his limping steps determined to get to that door and go inside.
Wilson chased him and seized his wrist again as Cuddy turned away from the security guards speaking to her, eyes narrowing sharply when she saw what was happening between House and Wilson.

"House you've never set foot in that lab and I ain't gonna let you start now. Stay here."

"Don't make me punch you, Jimmy. I'm going in there and if you know what's good for you, you'll get out of my way."

Cuddy's voice cut in sharply to rein in both men.
"No on is going whithin 30 feet of those doors unless it's the firemen team we sent for. This is not a good time to play games, House."

"Dr. Cuddy kindly go to hell and take Dr. Wilson with you"
Cuddy snarled as Wilson stepped between them.

"I am not going to suffer your foolishness, House! Clear the area before I have security escort you upstairs."

House wrenched free from Wilson's grip and side-stepped Cuddy, making his way to the lab doors once more.
Cuddy barked at him to get back, but House limped on, seemeingly deaf to the dean's orders.
When two burly security guards blocked his path, House snarled and raised his cane.
"Get your dogs out of my fucking way, Cuddy!"

"House I will not tell you again. If you won't limp back towards your department I'll get a gurney to escort you on a stretcher and throw in some anaesthetics!"

Wilson tried to make him see sense one last time.
"Come on man, be reasonable. Whatever it is you need it's gonna have to wait."
House whirled round and lost all pretense of patience.

He started beating at the guards, whom stepped back, taken by surprise and a little wary of the doctor's feral face.
"Damn you all, I have to get in there NOW-
Cuddy cut him off, for she, too, was losing her barbed patience.

"Seize him!"

House roared like an anrgy bear and Cuddy actually stepped back in surprise as he shouted.

"Goddammit Cuddy, come off it! Cameron's in there!"

Wilson's mouth dropped, both horrified at the unexpected news, and shaken to see the snarky, perpetually unaffected man he knew very well acting so out of character about one of his 'ducklings'.
Then it clicked and he let out a dismayed if somewhat comprehending groan.
It wasn't just any duckling.
It was Cameron.
Next to him, Cuddy went pale.

Before they knew what this new, unpredictable House was about, he'd reached the lab doors.
With a frustrated cry, House banged on them savagely with his cane. They were closed from the inside, as though blocked by something.
But this didn't matter to House, who was by now so lost in the storm inside himself he couldn't have been made to reason any more than he could jog.

His heart beat erratically.
No matter what would meet him on the other side, he wouldn't stop, because Cameron was in there somewhere and he, House, would drag her out if he was forced to crawl on all fours.

He pushed and banged at the doors, cursing as well as slamming his fists in frustration. He tried to remain calm and think rationally, but his jumbled thoughts were no longer coherent, and he was forced to rely on instinct.
House banged at the doors once more, breathing heavily.

"Cameron!" Though he raised his voice, House felt it was more of a whisper coming deep from the region of his chest, instead of flowing from his mouth.
He banged on the door once more, than again, and again, desperately listening out for her voice.
Her voice, House incoherently thought, as long as he could hear her voice, he could hold on to enough strength to get her out.

There was a sound from the other side of the doors, like rocks hitting the floor.
House froze, breathing heavily, straining to hear any other noise, because it could be Cameron.

A muffled voice meekly called out, and the sound was so faint as it reverberated through to House, he thoguht he'd imagined it.
He banged on the metal doors with his fists, calling her name again, praying (without with being aware of doing it) that she was alive and would answer him.
Once more, he was answered by muffled sounds that could have been coming from a crumbling wall or a struggling Cameron.

With bated breath, House listened again and tried to push the doors open, eve if only by a sliver, anything to be able to hear her voice.
This time there was no doubt as to whether the sounds were real or not, or to what their source was.
They were muffled gasps and pain-filled sobs that could only come from .
House felt his heart twist painfully, and the feelings inside were so intense, he clawed at the door with renewed frenzied strength, trying to get inside.

"Help..."

"We're coming Cameron!"

Her cries rose an octave and became so cutting in their pain, Wilson's gut twisted in pity as they sent House into a maddened state, once more kicking and pounding and shouting.

"Greg! I'm in here!"
More bangs, followed by cursing at Wilson's left, where Cuddy was impatiently waiting for the rescue team to arrive, her aggressive demeanor matched by his own burning question - what the hell is taking them so long?- but it was House he had to watch once more.

The lab had gone silent, and Wilson's heart sank; that wasn't a good sign.
House pounded on the door, even more desperate than before, if that was possible, to hear her voice again.

"Allison!"
Nothing.
"Allison can you hear me? Stay awake!"

A muffled sob greeted his ears, and if he thought the pain in his leg was maddening, then this was enough to make his insides squirm.
"I can't breathe ... help me ... Greg!"

"Can you move at all Allison?"

There was a catch in her breathing, ragged as it was.
She found it difficult to raise her voice, and raising her head was out of the available options.
When silence greeted him, House strained towards the doors again, which made grinding noises as they were pushed back, but didn't budge.
He repeated her name again.

"Allison!"
God, please, please!! "Baby talk to me!"
He pounded on the solid steel doors once more, the metal cooling his face, but not his heart.
House gripped the doorway tightly, now feeling sick with apprehension.

"I can't ... move...I don't ... Greg! Greg!"
Never had Cameron sounded so desperate.

"I'm coming Allison! I'll get you out of there, love, I swear, just hold on for me!"

"Greg...please..."

As House let out a pained moan, Wilson's heart squeezed with pity.
He'd suspected there was something between those two, but seeing House baring his soul like this, watching as he reacted painfully to Cameron's voice was not something he could easily fathom or bear, because despite everything, House remained his best friend, and his pain was affecting Wilson a lot more than his heartbreak with Stacy had.

Cuddy, too, observed House, but her eyes were unusually sad and understanding, even if somewhat awed to be seeing House of all people, so distraught, so completely gone from reality, focused on his and Cameron's pain and displaying so much emotion that had nothing to do with sarcasm. Then again, Cameron always had the ability to reach him in places forbidden to the rest of the world.
She reflected that when all this was over, she'd give both House and Cameron a week off.

It had been so long since Stacy, Cuddy had unwittingly forgotten what the other true Gregory House could be like.
But then again, thinking back to Cameron's and his face sometimes, she could see that he still lurked deep, deep inside, somewhere.
Cuddy didn't know if there was truly a God up there, but she silently prayed he heeded her words and let Cameron live, for House's sake.