'Get out...'

Alison kept her voice as even as possible, trying to ignore fear building inside her. She wasn't usually so unnerved but as she stared into the cold hard eye's of her attacker she felt the overwhelming urge to cry.

He shouldn't be here, shouldn't have even been allowed to pass through the front doors but as he'd point out... on a minor technicality, there was nothing stopping him. She hadn't pressed chargers yet so he couldn't be arrested and though the his job was pending suspension, he could still visit patients.

She froze as he took a step closer, feeling the protest lodge in her throat.

Clearly he had mental issues, the fact he had come back seeking her out proved nothing less, but her body refused to cooperate with rational actions. He was dangerous but even though the emergency call button was well within her reach, her movements were paralyzed by fear.

'Now, don't be rash…' Mason caught her gaze eyeing the red button and smiled cooly, 'I just came to see how you were feeling after your accident…'

A feeling of dread settled in the pit of her stomach but she forced the emotion back willing herself to remain strong.

She could hand this.

Pulling together all the strength she could muster, she forced her eyes to meet his mentally channeling her anger. 'Thanks for your concern but I'm fine. Now get out before I call security.'

He looked unfazed by the threat as he ran his hand along the edge of the bed. He knew with absolute certainty he could convince her to 'alter' her statement and refused to be deterred by her unwillingness to cooperate. 'I heard the police are paying you a visit today.'

She swallowed hard, refusing to cower to him. 'And...?'

He smirked, towering over her as he came to a stop. 'I thought we could…'

'Get the hell away from her.'

A familiar voice cut through the room with a deadly air of calmness that sent shivers down Allison's spine and as she glanced towards the door her feelings of fear ebbed into relief at the sight of Wilson loosely holding House back.

He was here, which meant she was safe... though for a moment she wasn't sure which man she should be more afraid of.

To an outsider, House seemed in complete control. His voice was cool, held an even tone but she knew him better. His eyes betrayed the fact he was barely keeping it together and fortunately Wilson could see it too.

Unfortunately Mason couldn't and just shrugged his shoulders at the demand, 'No reason I can't be here.'

Wilson kept his grasp firm as House jerked forward slightly.

He was angry too but it was nothing compared to what House would do if he let go and, resisting the urge to find out, he narrowed his eyes at the man standing beside Cameron's bed. 'Get out. Before I let him beat the crap out of you.'

Mason's resolve wavered slightly but didn't completely disappear as he turned towards Cameron.

'Guess I'll be seeing you.'

The threat was all it took for House to break free and he lunged punching the man square in the face. 'You son of a...'

Security pushed passed Wilson who didn't protest as he was shoved roughly aside.

When Mason had entered through the front door, the guard had immediately paged House knowing he had no grounds to refuse the doctor entry. Insisting he couldn't throw the man out he'd offered to wait out in the hall on standby while House 'gave him a reason'. It wasn't exactly a cleverly devised plan and while Wilson had hoped they could talk him round... clearly that wasn't the case now.

Despite the fact he knew House would've like to have gotten in a few more rounds before he was intercepted, he made a mental note to thank the head of security for his attentiveness, as Mason was led none to gently from the room.

Glancing over at House, who was gingerly propped up against the wall, he inwardly winced as he moved over to inspect the damage. 'Show me…'

'It's nothing.' House waved his hand dismissively, ignoring the concern.

It wasn't nothing.

Wilson could tell by the way he flinched that he'd probably cracked something but despite his reservations he remained silent, watching the man limp towards Cameron. It was almost cute the way he perched awkwardly on the bed beside her.

House could feel Wilson's gaze burning into his back but chose to ignore it, deliberately keeping his voice low. 'Are you all right?'

Cameron nodded hesitantly, unable to keep her fingers from trembling as they ran over his split skin.

'You shouldn't have…' She swallowed hard as a lump nestled in her throat. Now that the ordeal was over she could feel the adrenaline that had been pumping through her body slowly start to disperse and she wanted nothing more than to curl up in a ball and cry.

He sighed, removing his hand from her line of vision. 'Guy stole my stapler, he had it coming.'

'I thought you took his.' Wilson interjected, prompting a slight laugh from Cameron.

House just shot him a pointed look, 'You say tomato...'

The sentence was left hanging as he turned back to the women beside him. Clearly she was trying to compose herself and he was unable to stop the wave of mixed emotion that flowed through him.

He wanted to comfort her, reassure her that he wouldn't let that son of a bitch anywhere near her again... but he also wanted to run, placing as much distance between himself and the problem as possible.

Despite his reservations, a nod from Wilson kept him from leaving and he shifted so he was sitting beside her against the pillow. 'It's okay, I won't... he can't hurt you now.' The words tasted strange as they left his mouth but she didn't seem to notice, instead closing her eyes tightly against his chest.

Instinctively he moved his arm around her shoulder mildly surprised by the comfort the contact brought and he settled his chin against her hair reassuring himself she was safe. At some point without realizing it his anger had faded into concern and though the unexpected shift unnerved him, he stayed where he was allowing her presence to ease his worry.

Wilson watched the pair interact with humble fascination.

It had been a long time since he'd seen House act in such a selfless way and though he was clearly uncomfortable, he didn't look like he was going to bolt anytime soon.

With that in mind, he excused himself from the room feeling suddenly intrusive. Cameron was in capable hands and whatever was going on between the pair it wasn't his place to comment, or at least not at this particular point in time.