I've taken your advice, and I'll try to improve the story. But now, for chapter 2.

Disclaimer: I don't own House M.D.

UPDATE: I'll explain the medical titles to you to make it easier to understand the story.

Cardiomyopathy: A condition where the heart muscle (the myocardium) gets larger and thicker, causing the blood flow to decrease and the heart to beat unsynchronized.

Ventricular Tachycardia (V-tach): A heart rhythm where the heart's ventricles beat too fast, causing collapse of blood flow. The heart's atriums can still beat at a normal fashion.

Pulseless V-Tach: A rhythm where the heart has electrical activity of V-Tach, but it doesn't cause any heart beat. It's a type of cardiac arrest, and will lead to V-Fib (the ventricles only quiver) quickly.

Broken Heart Syndrome: A type of cardiomyopathy caused by stress to the heart, for an example when you lose a loved one. Causes V-Tach and other fatal irregular heartbeats.

Heart-lung bypass: A machine which keeps up blood flow when the heart's stopped. Can keep a patient alive up to 24-hours.

FIXED: 28.3.


"Wha...where am I? You..." "You've been a very bad boy House..." "Let me go! I need to wake up to solve this case!" "You're not going anywhere... ever."


Back to the real world:

"Cardiomyopathy, left Bundle Branch block, two attacks of V-Tach, second one leading to cardiac arrest. It's pretty clear; Pulmonary Hypertension." Foreman said.

"BP meds didn't effect." Masters said.

"Maybe it was too late, he might've been lying there for an hour." Foreman said.

"It's not too late!" Wilson almost yelled.

Everyone was silent, until Taub said: "Takotsubo cardiomyopathy? It explains why the V-Tach attacks happened during stress."

"I agree. Broken Heart Syndrome does fit, House can't feel emotional pain, so it's targeted on the heart causing Takotsubo." Wilson said.

"But why doesn't his heart start?"Foreman said.

"Let's try once more, maybe it will start." Wilson said.

"Fine. Warm House up." Foreman said. The team rushed out of the room. Foreman gave Wilson a look.

"He's not dead! Wilson yelled angrily.

Cuddy came into the room saying: "We must accept the facts. He had cardiomyopathy followed by cardiac arrest, which he didn't recover from."

"Not you too! Am I the only one here who... Cuddy! Is this your way of handling a broken heart? It's so dumb... I..." Wilson left the room almost crying.

At the operation room:

"93.2 degrees." Masters said.

"No changes in the ECG." Taub said.

"Speeding up Heart-lung bypass..." Chase said.

"95 degrees, no changes." Masters said.

"This is a waste of time. he's dead!" Chase yelled.

"Let's keep trying, we might get his heart working." Taub said.

Chase sped up the HL-bypass once again. "95.9 degrees, no changes." Masters said.

Chase sighed and said: "A waste of time. Let's get Foreman declare House dead." Everyone was silent for a small time.

Wilson walked into the room. "Any changes?"

"95.9 degrees and still asystole." Taub said.

"Try CPR." Wilson said.

"You know it won't work." Chase said.

"Don't be so damn negative!"

"Wilson's right. Maybe we should try CPR." Masters said.

"NO!" Chase said and left the room.

"We'll go get Foreman, meanwhile you can try to wake House and say good bye."

Taub said and left with the rest of the team.

"House. House... HOUSE! Wake up now! I need you to solve this damn case!" Wilson yelled at House.

"Come on, wake up now!" Foreman walks into the room.

"He doesn't wake up." Wilson said.

"I'm sorry Wilson, but I must..." Foreman was interrupted by the monitor starting to beep in a steady rate.

"...what the...?"

"Sinus Tachycardia with heart rate 120, blood pressure 100 over 60, and he's breathing on his own." Wilson said in a rush. "Go get the others! He's alive!"

Just as Foreman rushed out of the room, House woke up from his deep sleep. As he slowly opened his eyes, he was first blinded by the light. After he had gotten used to the light, he saw Wilson watching at him. "I expected someone else to be next to me when I wake up from this nightmare." House said in a weak voice.

"Cuddy? She needs some time to think, and besides you'd better not see her. When she walked into the room the last time, you got cardiac arrest. We think you have Broken Heart Syndrome."

"I know it's Takotsubo, there's no other explanation. As simple as that." House said.

"But nothing explains the sudden start up of the heart." Wilson said.

"Lasarus Syndrome. Maybe you pressed my chest too hard during the CPR because you were worried, and that caused pressure to build around my chest. Now it was released, causing the Sinus Node to release impulses and re-initiate a heart beat." House said.

"Maybe. But that's not important. We must treat your heart the best we can, and ensure you won't get another cardiac arrest." Wilson said.

The team rushed into the room. "House, are you ok?" Masters asked.

"Yup. I just had a cardiomyopathy which lead to a cardiac arrest and I just saw a terrible nightmare of losing the one I love the most, but yeah." House answered.

"The one you love the most would want to see you." Foreman said.

"Don't let her in!" Wilson said.

"I agree with Wilson. It would be better for him not to see Cuddy until he has healed a couple of days." Masters said.

"Let's let House decide that." Foreman said. "House?" House stayed silent. "House...?" He saw Cuddy watch through the window concerned. "I agree with Wilson and Masters. Tell her I'll see her when I get up from this bed. Now let me rest." The team left the room, Wilson walking after them.

"Hey House, promise me one thing. Stay in that bed until Foreman lets you out."

"I will." House said and Wilson left the room.

The next morning:

"No cases yet. You can go do something else." Foreman said.

"At last, the last week has been really full of patients." Chase said.

"Let's go to the cafeteria." Taub suggested.

"What a great idea. Haven't been there for a long time." Chase said.

As the team reached the door, it opened to show a familiar face. "Leaving without saying hello to your good ol' boss?"

"House? You should be resting." Chase said.

House threw his cane into the table and sat down into his chair. "I'm as cheery as ever." He said.

"Get back to bed!" Foreman yelled at House.

"I officially declared myself healthy, so unless you have been promoted, I don't need to follow your orders." House said.

"You really don't seem to care of your own health." Chase said.

"As I said, I'm in full health. Go to that cafeteria." The team kept watching at House. "It's an order." Foreman stayed in place. "Were you promoted or did Cuddy fire you? Unless not, go to the cafeteria, now." House said. Foreman left the room keeping his eyes on House whole the time. "You're a very bad hider." He said as Cuddy walked in.

"We need to talk."

"Do we?"

"House! You don't seem to understand."

"I do, very well. And if you excuse me, I need to go to the bathroom."

"You can't be this childlish!" Cuddy yelled.

"I am, and you're right, I can't change." House kept looking at Cuddy with a little sadness on his face. "I'm sorry." As he opened the door, Wilson walked in.

"House! I should've guessed."

"That I wouldn't make up with Cuddy or I wouldn't keep a promise you knew I wouldn't keep." Wilson gave an angry look at House. "Now, excuse me." House walked out of the room.

And this 'episode' ends with Cuddy and Wilson giving a smile at each other. Maybe everything is going to be normal after all...


R&R! At least it's longer than chp. 1