A/N: I'm sooo sorry it's been so long! I had to re-read it all just to refresh my mind! But hopefully this chapter makes up for the wait! I've made a medical outline for the plot so I should be back on track now! Please read and review if I haven't lost you! And if there are any errors concerning the medical procedures at all just let me know. I've done my research, but I'm still not a doctor so I would be interested if I made any crucial mistakes.

Disclaimer: House, M.D. is the property of Fox and David Shore, not me by any means; nor will I ever own any fraction of this amazing show.

On with the story!!!

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"We have a problem," started Cameron unsurely as she, Chase, and Foreman re-entered House's office where he was currently juggling his infamous red ball on the head of his cane, his Nike covered feet crossed over each other and propped up on top of his desk, resting on a seemingly unimportant stack of paperwork.

Upon hearing those words House abruptly stopped his unique form of entertainment and the ball fell to the carpeted floor of House's office with a deep thud.

"Judging by the lack of information in your hands, after I specifically sent you out to perform a PET scan on the patient, you either got lost or the machine is broken." House shrugged his shoulders. "Now this hospital is an impressive size, but considering I didn't hire three morons—"

"Cuddy's not in her room." Foreman broke the news quickly and House almost seemed to roll his eyes at this statement.

"Well what do you want me to do about it?" asked House in an aggravated tone of voice, "you think she'll be there if I come along with you?" House removed his feet from his desk and stood slowly to his feet, grabbing his cane from its resting place at the side of his desk. "Go look for her!" he demanded, pointing out the direction of his office door they had just recently entered with his free hand.

His team quickly exited the office and House shook his head, pulling his pager from his jacket pocket.

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"With chemotherapy and the advancements made in recent years the quality of life now for your situation is substantially more fulfilling—"

Wilson reached down into his pocket upon the sudden intrusive beeping it caused and frowned at the interruption.

Cuddy's missing
-H

The scowl on Wilson's face quickly transformed into one of panic as he silently read the message it held.

"I'm so sorry, excuse me." Wilson hastily exited his office, leaving his patient behind him so quickly he didn't notice the exasperated confusion on her face as he took off down the hospital corridors.

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Not on the roof
-W

Not in her office
-H

Cafeteria's clear
-Cam

Chapel's empty
-Chase

Not in ER, OR, ICU
-F

Keep looking
-H

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House retreated from Cuddy's office in a hurry, intent on checking the security tapes; hoping to find that Cuddy at least hadn't left the hospital.

Passing though the halls of the diagnostics department, he stopped suddenly as he detected movement within his peripheral vision.

There she was.

The panic slowly leaving his body, House watched through the glass walls as Cuddy sat at the head of the table in the break room; a variety of books were splayed out across the table in front of her ranging from neurology to psychology to Greek mythology.

"You have one of the best rooms in the hospital," said House casually as he entered the room. "Why do you have such a problem staying there?" he asked despairingly.

Cuddy's head snapped up at House's voice.

"You're in no condition to be running around the hospital," chided House, "go back to your room."

"And you're in no position to be telling me what to do," retorted Cuddy as her head dropped back into her books in front of her.

"Still irritable I see," House remarked dryly. "Here's how this is going to work," started House firmly, "you're either going to go back to your room on your own," House slapped his hand down on the page of the book Cuddy was currently reading unexpectedly, causing her to jump back in surprise and look at him, "or we'll sit here and argue until you have another seizure and I have to drag you back to your room."

The two shared a silent stare in the darkened office; the blinds had been drawn closed. Cuddy was the first to break the heavy silence. "I've been taking the phenytoin you prescribed for me." Cuddy said in an unidentifiable tone of voice. "I won't be seizing anytime soon." she stated quickly after.

"That doesn't mean—"

"Interesting choice," Cuddy interrupted, "an anti-epileptic medication…"

House was silent for a moment before he responded, "It would stop your seizures," he explained himself.

"Exactly," said Cuddy pointedly. "Now why would you want to do that?"

Her eyes fell to the table below her as she considered this action, "The seizures were the only prime cause for my illness, and everything else was merely trivial."

She looked back up at House, her face filled with confusion. "So why would you take away the mediating factor of my illness and leave me only with the insignificant symptoms consistent of the common cold?"

She collected her books and arranged them carefully in her arms before standing slowly onto her feet. "That's not your style," she stated factually as she brushed past the dumbstruck House to return to her room.

Not one to be left at a loss of words, House turned the subject of the conversation towards Cuddy. "It's not polite to steal from my office," he said, referring to the stack of books she cradled firmly in her arms.

"It's my hospital," Cuddy pointed out with a satisfactory smile, "therefore, I have access to everything in this hospital—even your office."

House pretended to act shocked, "Then I should probably hide my secret porn stash," House said with false importance, "I wouldn't want those to somehow get stolen."

"That's not as secret as you think, House," Cuddy said with a small grin as she turned to retreat from the room.

Cuddy was surprised when House followed her out the glass doors and into the hallway. Upon Cuddy's irritated look House spoke up, "Just making sure you don't escape again. We can't afford to continue losing the patient." he said, referring to Cuddy.

As they walked towards her room, Cuddy said a silent thank you to whoever made sure to give her a close backed hospital gown, for House was trailing closely behind her; probably checking out her ass again.

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Cuddy settled into her hospital bed after placing her books on the end table beside her and released a deep breath. Her room was now occupied by House, Wilson, Chase, Cameron, and Foreman and she only wished for them to go away.

"How are you feeling?" asked Wilson as he stepped up to Cuddy's bedside.

"Do you really have to ask?" said Cuddy harshly, but quickly reprimanded herself as the starkness of her voice registered in her own mind.

"I'm sorry, Wilson," she began softly, "I know you're here because you care about me, but I'd like to be alone right now."

Wilson nodded his understanding and turned to leave. His absence allowed the ray of light to fall upon her face from the window and she recoiled from in instantly. Remembering her visual sensitivity to light, Cameron made her way quickly to the window and shut part of the blinds, leaving a steady stream of light to fall upon her exposed legs.

Cuddy nodded her thanks as everyone turned to leave, but a weak groan of pain from Cuddy stopped them in their tracks. It sounded again, this time Cuddy's hands reaching out towards her chest. The doctors stood still for a moment, trying to discern what was going on and if were serious or not, when Cuddy became breathless.

The doctors crowded Cuddy's bedside as she struggled desperately for any amount of air to fill her lungs.

"She can't breath!" Foreman called out, "We need to intubate!"

As Chase rushed over with the endotracheal tube and Cameron appeared at the other side of Cuddy's bed with Laryngoscope Cuddy drew in a deep breath, her face reflecting an immense amount of pain by doing so. This unexpected intake of air stopped Foreman in his tracks as he looked at Cuddy. She was still clutching her chest tightly and making muffled sounds of pain.

"It's a pleural effusion!" stated Foreman suddenly as he tossed the endotracheal tube aside and reached out to Cuddy. "Help me turn her to her side!" Chase assisted in shifting Cuddy as Cameron left, only to return quickly to inject Cuddy with a local anaesthetic.

Foreman exposed the side of Cuddy's chest and Cameron administered an antiseptic solution to the area as Foreman made a small cut into Cuddy's chest and inserted a cannula needle in the incision.

The doctors watched with a mixture of dread and relief as a steady stream of liquid drained out of the tube connected to Cuddy's chest and into the drainage bag below her, leaving a slight bloodstained tint behind it in the tube.

As the fluid drained from Cuddy's lungs her breathing eventually steadied. The doctors were too preoccupied with the sight of the bloodstained liquid draining from their boss that they could only stare at it speechless. All except House, who slowly made his way over to the foot of Cuddy's bed.

The other doctors in the room drew their attention to the direction of House's gaze slowly to see what had intrigued him so much.

Illuminated by the still steady steam of light from the outside window, Cuddy's legs were covered almost entirely with deep red bumps.

House had looked at it long enough and turned to leave the room. Glancing over his shoulder to his team and Wilson he signaled them to follow him with a short gesture of his head. One by one, they filed out of Cuddy's room towards the diagnostics department, a few nurses entering the room as the doctors left it to check up on their boss.

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A/N: You know what to do people! Leave me a review if you're still interested and tell me what you think. In regards to my medical layout I made, we're still at the very top of the list. :D So review to keep me going, and add fuel to my inspirational fire! I have lots of ideas that need to be ignited!