Chapter 1
Grace rolled her eyes at Lisa, nodding towards the man giving this speech about hygiene and hand washing. She grinned and checked her watch, she would be going back to see Robert in a few hours and she couldn't wait. Grace was tall, slender, and you could say the perfect girl. Except for her collapses. She had low blood pressure, meaning that her body needed sugar, or it would no longer function right. The worst experience was a minor heart attack over nine months ago. Brushing her hair back, she fiddled with her engagement ring Robert Chase had given her not too long ago. Lisa looked around the room to see some very bored faces surrounding her. She sighed, it was the same every year. Going to New York for some stupid health and safety seminars where they talked of the same thing time and time again. She let out a stifled yawn as the presenter continued in his monotone voice. She looked over to her employee, Grace Hamilton and smiled
Grace bit her lip looking around, "Some party huh?" she whispered. "Next time, I'm not coming," she declared sighing in boredom. The presenter, Ryan Lobes, looked toward Grace and Lisa and kept his gaze for a few seconds. It was long enough to get the message across that he could hear them speaking and he thought it rude of them. After he finally looked away and continued on with the tiresome seminar Graces boss laughed a little. "your lucky, at least its your choice to come or stay back in Princeton," she whispered. Grace grinned, "I came here to help you, but I don't think that I'll go so kind next year," she winked at the man who was glaring at her. "Since when is any of this new news? Hey, do you hear that? Is the essence of death, dying because this buffoon is killing us off slowly,"Grace turned around and fixed her gaze outside of a window, staring at the view outside of the world trade center. The city of New York stretched below her. Again the dean of medicine of Princeton Plainsboro Teaching Hospital of New Jersey shrugged, "who knows why we have to come every year. Its one of those things that corporate demands we do though so there's no fighting that." She shifted in her seat a little as Ryan finished his speech off by saying, "keep it clean people, keep it clean!" turning around to stretch a little before sitting up she gave Grace a strange look, "Death? I can't smell death, and I work at a hospital." standing up Lisa led the way out of the conference room and into the elevator heading for the lobby, Grace grinned and followed her, glad that the meeting had gotten a break. "Hey, Lisa, I'm going to go head over to the second building, their food is better," she laughed and waved goodbye.
Lisa Chapter 2
Lisa took the survey and headed back toward the elevators in the next hallway over. she would do the cumbersome job while waiting in the other conference room for the next presentation which was on "managing your workspace". She couldn't help but laugh a little at her annoying, sarcastic, and just plain mean, employees text message. stepping out of the elevator she could see directly out to the city. She stopped and moved closer to the window seeing a strange object not to far off in the distance. It looked as though it were a plane, but she was on the 13th floor, that was way to low for a plane to be traveling near. she continued staring and her eyes widened, it was a plane, and it was heading straight for her. she clicked the "reply" button and ran into the elevator clicking the lobby.
House felt his phone buzz and picked it up, laughing, he expected to see a fuck you, or shut up, but not this. 911? He stood and paged Chase, forwarding Lisa's text. Getting into his car and speeding down to where the World Trade Center buildings. He got out, leaving his car parked in the middle of the road, "Shit," he said, he watched as the plane made direct contact with the first building. "No," he screamed, Where the hell was Chase? he thought angrily, he jogged to the building and through the doors.
Grace Chapter 3
Grace screamed and ran to the window. "What the?" she was staring at the 1st building. It was smoking and the end of a plane was just visible on the side, "Oh my God." she screamed again and burst into tears, "No," her doctors instinct followed. Grace yelled in the hall, "Everyone, downstairs and out of this building immediately, now!" Grace started to run, she grabbed people, telling them the story and telling them to take as many with them as possible. She ran through the 5th floor, and up into the sixth.
Lisa Chapter 4
The elevator shook with great power, it was like nothing Lisa had ever felt before. It had to of been a shock wave, "Shit!" She yelled and clicked the emergency stop button. She was lucky in the fact that the elevator was very close to one of the doors out into the building so she pried them open and tumbled out onto the 2nd floor. she quickly looked to see what floor she had landed on and texted Greg again hoping he wasn't being an asshole and just ignoring her text messages all together. This time the message said, "floor number 2" she looked around and found herself trapped. She had come onto a floor that had just been full of smoke but it was now fully inflamed. Feeling a teardrop on her cheek Lisa dropped down to her knees and began crawling around trying to find some sort of way to escape. She was panicking now, no longer able to think straight about anything. She couldn't even remember her name, she was going to die.
Grace Chapter 5
Robert Chase had been laying down in a lounge chair on his hotel rooms balcony just before receiving the text message that his boss, Gregory House, had sent him. His phone had been on silent as he had just wanted to relax and not be disturbed by anything but looked at his phone just by chance. He was planning on just checking the time to make sure he was still on schedule for he had to go to the WTC for a meeting in an hour and a half. He saw he had a message and when he read it he raced to the World Trade Center because it had been forwarded from his bosses boss's phone and he knew she was there. Getting out of his car he watched as the building began to swivel, "Fuck! Grace and Lisa are there aren't they!?" He asked House as he had run up to him. "Second one's fine, if Grace is in there she's okay, man you are so late. Ten minutes in fact. Don't you answer your fucking phone anymore!?" House swore at him and opened his phone. "I'm going to floor 2 and," he covered his ears as a second bomb like sound reverberated off of the walls.
Grace shrieked and threw herself onto the ground as the walls collapsed. Papers flew everywhere, she pulled herself up and looked out of a broken window, what had just happened?
"Another plane just flew into this building!" someone screamed and ran past her. Grace swore and ran down the halls, tearing off her heels and running as fast as she could down to the lobby trying to save as many as she could. Chase sighed and now swore to himself, he would never keep his phone on silent ever again. He covered his ears as the second plane hit the other tower and rolled his eyes. "Great!" he said sarcastically, "look you know Cuddy is in this building somewhere either dead or alive, but I'm going to go make sure that Grace wasn't caught in the second building. He turned and ran out of the building that was already starting to collapse in on itself and ran toward the south building, praying to god his fiancee was safe.
Lisa Chapter 6
Lisa felt the floor beneath her beginning to give way and the fire threatening to light her skin on fire. She stopped moving and went into a rolled up position, "no one can say I didn't try." she cried to herself feeling no more hope. She saw a flash of new flames spring up around where she lay on the floor, and went unconscious.
House ran to the second floor, not that it mattered, the first and the second floor were one now. Heat waves and fire met him, shielding his eyes, he searched for Lisa. "Lisa!" he called choking on the smoke. He saw her form, laying in the flames, her clothes ablaze with fire. "No!" he threw himself on her, trying to beat out the flames. He picked her up and ran outside, "Talk to me Lisa,"He couldn't see her face, it was black with soot and ashes, blood came from her mouth and nose, and her neck's skin was burned away, leaving raw flesh. He rolled her onto her back and felt for a pulse.
Grace Chapter 7
Grace fell to her knees, tripping over rocks and bricks. She stood up and saw Robert, "Get out of here!" she called running up to him and falling into his arms. She kissed him, "Please, go, go somewhere safe!" she was crying. She stepped back, her eyes found something behind him, her mouth fell open. "Robert, watch out," she threw herself at him, shoving him out of the way as the building fell. the next thing she never saw, but felt. A wave of pain shot through her, as something hit her, or went through her stomach. It plunged itself deep into her rib cage. Tumbling rocks fell on top of her and all that remained visible was her left hand, the glint of her ring dusty in the wreckage.
Just as a pipe from one of the buildings frame's along with a avalanche of rocks, the New York City police department and paramedics all arrived on the scene. Chase had already started digging through the rock, his shirt over his mouth and nose to try and keep the heavy black smoke from entering his lungs. Standing up for a second he flagged a group of EMT's over to him, "Over here! My fiance is stuck under these rocks." The group he flagged down consisted of 4 men and a woman whom all looked flabbergasted and frantic as they began digging for her. After finally removing the rubble from around her they could see that the pipe had pierced through her back and lodged itself her in the stomach. The woman EMT spoke to the devastated Chase as they rushed her onto a stretcher and into an ambulance. "We're going to do all we can for her sir." she said solemnly. Chase shook his head, "I'm a surgeon at Princeton Plainsboro in New jersey, let me come with! I need to be with her! I love her, were engaged. I don't want to loose her!" He didn't wait for an answer. Instead he pushed passed her and rushed into the ambulance himself. After a few minutes they drove off and it looked as if they ambulance were in a high speed chase of some sort. He held her ash barren hand and looked at her tear stricken and scared face. While wiping away the tears from her face and the EMT's working on helping keep her alive worked on her he spoke, "stay with me baby! I love you! Were gonna get you through this! Just, stay with us, please!"
Lisa Chapter 8
Lisa lay there, completely oblivious to what was going on in New York City and the terrorism that had just occurred causing her to go unconscious. Out of nowhere suddenly there was a blinding white light that surrounded and filled her entire body up. "but I-I never got to say goodbye!" She yelled out to no one in particular. she felt herself moving, she knew she was no longer in her own body in New York. She wasn't even on earth. She was entering heaven and she knew it, "I'm not ready to die yet! I wasn't finished! People down there! They need me, they need my help! There not ready yet either!"
House cradled Cuddy in his arms, putting his mouth to hers and breathing for her. He pressed down on her throat, hoping her windpipe would start working again and hoping that it hadn't been crushed. He held her tightly, crying and trying to help her. "Come back," he said. He pressed on her chest and recoiled as blood and vomit erupted form her mouth. After a few seconds of panicking over dying Lisa suddenly felt another tug and she was looking over New York City. She was presently in her body, but it was as if now she had a connection with Gregory House. She watched as he cradled her in his arms and felt her heart warm up, a promising feeling. She wondered if the strange connection she was suddenly feeling with him would actually get her.
Grace Chapter 9
Grace knew her heart wasn't beating, but she didn't seem to be really dying yet either. She had no idea what the hell was going on, just that pain was all she could feel, and she would do anything for it to stop. The pain intensified as the ambulance went over a speed bump and skidded, the stretcher she was on, slid to the back of the bus."Damn it," one of the men said, he pushed Chase roughly aside, taking his hands and placing them on the pipe. This was his first day on the job and he didn't really know what he was doing. He pulled, the pipe came out with a horrible squelching sound, with cracks, and the man knew he'd splintered half of her ribs, if not more. He tossed the pipe aside. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" another man, had yelled at him, watching Grace. Blood poured like water, from the unopened wound, the pipe was the one thing keeping her from bleeding to death. Grace felt the pain and screamed, then, she felt the pain die away, slowly and everything was growing blacker by the minute. Her feeling of touch was gone, and her memories were flooding back to her. Chase looked at the man who had just removed the pipe with a death glare. He was about to pounce on him when the ambulance came to a complete stop and the driver and other doctor that was sitting in the front rushed Grace out of the ambulance and into the nearest operating room. Chase rushed around to find the supervisor quickly and got clearance to head the surgery. He knew what had to be done. He took his place at the head of the table and immediately went to the traumatized blood vessels. After a few seconds she was no longer losing blood. As he continued on with the surgery he instructed each doctor on what to do. It took hours and hours until it was done but he felt confident she'd at least be able to live. He just hoped she would wake up.
Lisa Chapter 10
Greg continued CPR and breathing help, ignoring the fact that she hadn't been breath breathing for a while. He took a pocket neosporin out of his pocket and rubbed it in on her neck, trying to cool the burned skin. He didn't want to see the rest of her body. Lisa needed to let House know she was there, she needed him to help her. she squinted and thought as hard as she could concentrating on coughing. For a body that was actually dead this was impossible so really what came out was a weird snort cough which lasted for less then a second. House stopped, "Lisa?" he clutched her face, watching her head loll hopelessly back. "Come on Lisa," he set her down and began CPR again. "I need an ambulance!" he called rubbing her arms, trying to keep the blood flowing. Chase sighed not knowing he was actually responding to what she was thinking, "I know it must hurt but come on Grace. I need you! a lot of people need you!" The paddles pressed down against her chest again, he was still crying, "come on baby, please." He watched the monitor, praying she'd come back. Suddenly Lisa was made aware that the higher power that be knew it wasn't her time just yet to stay up in heaven with the angels. She was to go back down to earth. She didn't really see what was waiting for her though, it wasn't House. It was obvious he was trying to bring her back but she figured it was only because she was his boss. House took her face, "Cuddy, please," he was whispering. "Please, Cuddy I need you, I would die without you." he hesitated then said, "I love you," That was it, that was why she was supposed to go back. As soon as Greg had said those words she was brought back into her own body. No more huge bright lights surrounding her and in her but she felt the warmth. Her breathing was extremely shallow and slow but it was there, as was a small pulse. An ambulance pulled up to where House was sitting with Lisa in his arms, waiting.
Grace Chapter 11
Grace tried to open her eyes but they wouldn't budge, she tried to breath, but a tube was down her throat and her stomach and chest felt like someone had put it in a meat grinder. She knew she was on life support and hated it. Defiantly in a coma. She hurt so much and wished she could just have it all go away. Chase was sitting in Graces ICU and he felt terrible. His hand in hers he felt tears rolling down his face, "Honey, I am so sorry. I feel terrible. I feel like its all my fault. I even said I would never let anything happen to you, look at us now! It should be me in the hospital bed, not you. I should have jumped in your way before I let you jump in mine. I-If only I had known sooner!" He knelt his head down next to her knees and cried aloud, no longer able to keep a hold of himself. "I love you so much Grace! I don't want to lose you! Just-If you can hear me-your surgery went really well-I got all your vitals to where they need to be to-so if yo-When you pull through this, and after a few days of recuperating I will do whatever you want, whenever you want. I just want to be with you. When you wake up! I want to get married to you right away. I never want to leave your side!" He loved her so much that the only thing he could do was pour his heart out. He felt it made him sound rather like a girl but at this point that didn't matter, the love of his life was in a coma and he needed to get her back. Grace tried to call back but she was a soul trapped in a useless body. "Chase!" she screamed knowing it would do no good, "Chase, stupid idiot, this shouldn't be you, don't feel bad." she gasped as a fresh wave of pain rush over her. He looked up as her heart rate increased for a split second, "Grace? Can you hear me?" He continued to watch the monitor. Grace screamed, "Chase stop it!" little though she wanted to, she pulled herself from her body, and felt a rush of relief, as her soul separated from her bandaged form, the pain left her and she watched the monitor line go flat.
Lisa Chapter 12
House was crying with relief, "Oh, thank God." he picked her up and put her in the bus, "Move you, I'll kill you," he pushed the man aside and sat next to her, holding her hand. "Good girl Lisa." he said over and over again. she tried to squeeze his hand to let him know she had heard what he said and that she was really with him but it only came out weakly. He didn't feel her, but he set to work, he wasn't a doctor, really, but he diagnosed people, screw that. He took a needle and gave it to her for the pain until he got to the hospital. She couldn't wake up but she could mumble, at least a little bit, "Greg." she groaned hoarsely. "Do us both a favor Lisa, and shut up for once," Greg said, bandaging her up.
Grace Chapter 13
Chase looked up and screamed, "I NEED A CRASH CART NOW!" Doctors raced into the room. He took the paddles and put them up against her chest, "Charging, and CLEAR!" Grace swore, "Damned no, I just need a moment!" she called waving at them, felling herself being drawn back to the body. "It hurts!" she called she was crying again. Grace shook her head, "Chase, I love you but..." she drew herself away again crying. "I shouldn't of survived, I shouldve died, along with those others, you shouldn't be here. Go back to the trade centers, save more people!" she put her face in her hands. Chase sighed and turned to the control panel and turned the voltage up a few more notches. The doctor whom had brought the crash cart in shook his head, "You'll kill her! Don't even!" Chase shook his head, he was going to do it, he had to. He loved her so much and it was his last hope. "Charging and-" He pressed the paddles down, "CLEAR!" He closed his eyes, praying. nothing. Grace shook her head, "Please Chase, you're gonna get fired. He yelled, "ONE MORE TIME!" one of the doctors tried to take him away from the paddles but he kicked him, "No! She's coming back! I'm a doctor, I know what I am doing!" He took the paddles to her chest one last time, "Come on Grace! Please come back!" He looked at the monitor, "Charging and CLEAR!" After her pushed the paddles against her chest he put them down and started for the door. Grace was yanked back to her body with a force she'd never felt before. "Damnit chase," she thought angrily. she heard her pulse start again and the pain come rushing back. She moaned in agony, knowing that no one would hear her. Chase had his hand on the door knob when he heard the pulse coming from the monitor. "Grace?" he turned around and saw her face squished up in pain. He ran over to her, tears now cascading down his face, "your alive! You're here!" He went to one of her IV's and upped the morphine a bit, hoping it'd make whatever pain she was feeling go away.
Lisa Chapter14
They arrived at the hospital. House walked with them, as they wheeled her out, "Faster!" he told them and they went into a faster jog. They put her in the ICU, not knowing if she had broken anything. Gregory set up some x-rays and got her ready for cat scans and MRI's if need be. "Gre-!" Lisa looked at him and saw he was scowling, "I-I must have had the strangest dream..." She was speaking in almost less then a whisper She saw his face and tried to hide under her covers, had god just played a trick on her to try and will her to come back, "yes." "What was it?" he sat down, turning her to him, examining her wounds, despite his glare and scowl. His hands trembled when he got down to her chest Lisa shook her head, "I-You would think it was stupid." She said. A rush of curiosity filled her up as he had trouble examining her chest. feeling a smile run across her face she quickly tried to hide it... She watched him, "Its lucky you said you loved me." House tripped and knocked over a lamp. "Wh, I wouldn't say that, I mean I did, but it wasn't true, I hate you." Lisa looked away, tears welling up in her eyes, "I heard what I heard, and your having a very hard time handling my chest. If you were relaxed and not trying to hide something. you'de be enjoying yourself right about now. I know you Greg." "Do I?" Gregory went to her and glared down at her chest, at least he was a good actor. He put the bandages back on without flinching. "Have a nive day," he started to walk out of the room, leaning on his cane. She watched him but didn't want him to leave, "Greg!" "What doctor," he turned.
Grace Chapter 15
Grace opened her eyes and used her remaining strength to glare at him, then smile softly, after that, she passed out, her eyes rolling back into her skull and her mouth lolling open, blood coming out of the corner."She's bleeding internally jack shit," the doctors had rushed forward and pointed to her chest. Chase threw his hands up in the air,"That's it! I quit! I don't know what to do anymore!" He walked out of the hospital room, crying. Other doctors rushed forward and started on Grace, it turned out the other doctor had been wrong, it was stored up blood from the accident, that had just now been released. It was good that Chase had shocked her, or else she could've been dead in a few weeks. Grace heard them, and realized Robert was no longer with her, worried she wondered where he'd gone. A doctor went out, looking for Dr. Chase, "Chase, come on your hooker's stable." Chase turned around, "Excuse me, my hooker!?" "Sorry, your bitch, that one, Lace something or other," he said. He hated that girl, actually, he hoped that she would've died. He tried to ask her out, but she refused, the stupid bitch. "Did you," Greg crossed his arms and stared down at her. Chase walked up directly in front of his face, "You EVER call my fiance, Grace, a bitch, hooker, or anything else thats vulgar or even close. I swear to god I'll-" He stopped, "your just jealous aren't you?""No, she's not my type, a slut and ugly, I prefer hot women and nice," he said grinning at him. " "She's one of those people who you don't care if they die or not." "for your information, Grace is a wonderful woman! One of those people who you don't care if they die or not? Uh, so what do you call me shocking her until I got her heart rate up? Why don't you stick your dick in your mouth and leave me and my fiancee alone. I love her and I don't care what you think!" He turned and ran for her ICU, just wanting to be by her side. Chase walked into her room, "Grace? You okay?" She started and looked around, "Rob, is that you?" He nodded as he sat down beside her, "uh huh. Feeling better? I gave you a little extra morphine to help keep the pain away since you were in your coma. Im sorry. I-While you were in a coma, your heart rate went flat, I almost lost you-I needed to get you back. I love you so much!" Grace flushed, "I know, I'm not deaf, blind or stupid. And I do have nerves." she rubbed her arm looking away, "you-you heard me?" He asked her, "I-Im sorry I acted so foolishly..."
"It's alright, I'm guessing I would've done the same thing, were I on the table," she said. "How much of a percentage do you think that I'll survive the night?" she asked looking back down at her stomach.