***Remy met Taub's eyes; both realizing their patient was only getting worse...***

11 111 111 11 111 11 111 11 111 11 111 11 111 11 111 11

"Thanks, again, for your help, Agent Gibbs, McGee...Ziva," Jefferson said as he shook each person's hand. They'd apprehended the suspects and all of the weapons. They'd been correct about the hostage situation; three of them had been found tied up in the back of their swapped vehicle, injured but not seriously so. "I hope your agent will be okay."

"He will be," Gibbs replied, right as his cell rang in his pocket. He nodded to the agent before walking away a bit and answering, "Yeah. Gibbs."

"Jethro," Ducky's voice sounded on the other line. "Something's happened..."

11 111 11 111 11 111 11 111 11 111 11 111 11 111 11

"You're certain there's nothing wrong with his spinal column," Ducky asked from where he sat at the conference table with the diagnostic team.

"X-rays showed no sign of any fractures," Foreman said.

"And the MRI showed no sign of masses or tumors in his brain," Chase said.

"The jaundice has already started to go away," Thirteen said, "Which means it's not a related symptom. It was the immunoglubins."

"Which brings us back to square one," House chimed in.

"It could be a metabolic disorder," Taub suggested.

"Or MS," Chase added.

"No one's gonna suggest Lupus?" House asked with a mocking look of surprise.

"He doesn't have any of the other symptoms," Foreman defended.

"Well, we could sit around and wait for something else to go wrong," House said as he tapped his chin. "Or we can test him now, and save him the trouble. Of course...that's up to you. Oh wait! No it's not...Go!"

Ducky watched as House's team flooded out of the room and the lead diagnostician stayed and turned to face the white board again. "Why do I get the feeling that you don't believe any of those diagnoses are correct?" he asked.

House twisted around to briefly glance at the doctor he hadn't realized was still in the room. "Call it a hunch," he told him.

Ducky smirked at the familiarity in the man's personality and stood from the table as he began to approach where the doctor stood. "I read his chart, so I know you've had him tested across the board for STDs. With all of them coming back negative, I'm interested to know what else you think it could be that's causing his paralysis."

"Well I'll be sure to inform you once I have anymore ideas...Ducky, is it?"

"That's what my friends call me," he replied, a bit weary of what the doctor might say next. "But if you'd prefer, you can call me Dr. Mallard."

"But I don't have a cutesy name to offer you to call me," he said with a mockingly regretful look on his face.

Ducky kept a neutral face as he replied, "That's quite alright, Dr. House. Not everyone is secure enough with their manhood to openly go by a seemingly childish nickname."

After a moment, the corners of House's lips turned up into an almost wicked grin, "I like you, Ducky."

11 111 11 111 11 111 11 111 11 111 11 111 11 111 11

"Seriously, guys, you've taken blood like fifty times!" Tony said angrily as Taub drew blood from Tony's arm. "Can't you test one of the other vials?"

"I know it seems excessive, but it's necessary," Hadley said as she adjusted the IV bags at his other side.

"Well, goddamnit, can you just take enough for however many other tests you'll need to run, and get it over with?"

"DiNozzo!" Gibbs stated firmly from where he sat near the window. "Stop givin' them a hard time and let 'em do their job."

"Thank you, Agent Gibbs," Taub said with a small smile as he pulled the vial from Tony's arm.

"Yes...THANK YOU, BOSS!" Tony nearly shouted in frustration, startling the lot of them. Ziva and Tim shared a shocked glance from where they were standing across the room. Gibbs stood, ready to reprimand his agent, but Tony began to cough.

"You need to calm down, Tony," Hadley told him, then handed him a glass of water.

"Sorry..." he said sheepishly and went to take the cup from her hand. But to his, and everyone else's surprise, it dropped immediately to his lap.

"Oh god...I'm sorry," Remy reached for a towel from the drawer to clean up the mess.

"Wasn't your fault," Tony's voice was small and afraid. They all focused on his face as he continued, "I couldn't grab it..." Tony held both hand out in front of him, trying like hell to bend his fingers, but he couldn't...

***Remy met Taub's eyes; both realizing it was only getting worse...***

11 111 11 111 11 111 11 111 11 111 11 111 11 111 11

Tbc...

A/N: Short chapter on purpose! ;)