A/N: Hello everyone!! I am sincerely sorry for the long delay in this story. My family and I have just returned from an extended vacation following a very deep personal loss. This chapter has been delayed long enough and I hope you guys enjoy. There are many surprises coming for a favorite doctors and I hope many of you will stick with me to the end. Also thank you guys for all the wonderful reviews. You guys are truly the greatest and all reviews are greatly appreciated.

Chapter 20: Broken Promises

She was mad as hell; actually that didn't even come close to describing how she was feeling. Pissed, angry, betrayed, there it was, that fleeting emotion she had hoped not feel when she thought of her husband. He had lied to her and in doing so left her feeling like he had betrayed her. What was so bloody damn secretive that he could be honest with her? What was he trying to hide?

Dr. Lisa Cuddy stalked down the corridors of her hospital in a fine rage. Everyone who got a good look at her immediately changed directions and went another way. No one wanted to be the ones to take the place of her unruly diagnostician. Lisa never noticed that she had managed to clear the hallways as she moved steadily towards the office of the one person who could shed some light on why her husband found it necessary to lie to her.

For God's sake they had only been married 3 months. Three damn months and he was already keeping secrets from her, and the idiot thought she wouldn't find out. Thought he was so damn clever that he could dupe her. Oh he was going to pay, damn if he wasn't. With thoughts of murder, revenge and mayhem dancing through her brain, Lisa violently pushed open the door to Wilson's office and stormed in.

She managed to take a small amount of satisfaction that she had scared the shit out of her Head of Oncology. The look on his face was priceless and she had no intentions of giving him any breathing room to gather his thoughts.

"Where the hell is he really?" She damn near shouted as she rounded his desk and leaned over into his personal space. Wilson shrank back trying to put some distance between himself and the woman he was sure was going to kill him. Despite the fact that she was 5 months pregnant with triplets, she still scared the piss out of him.

"Where is who?" He asked drawing a complete blank as to who she was referring to.

"Don't play coy with me," she replied poking him in his chest. "My loving, adoring husband, that's who. I know the wretched beast is not at any medical conference, so if you want to not only continue to work here, but live a long healthy life, now would be the time to tell me where he is."

Wilson was trapped and he knew it. The bad part, the really bad part was that he had no idea where Greg was, or what he was up to. He had believed that he went to Chicago for some conference, wether it had to do with medicine or not, he wasn't entirely certain. But the woman in front of him didn't seem as if she was willing to believe anything he had to say except exactly what she wanted to hear.

"Lisa, I really don't know where he is," Wilson began hoping to use reason. "He said he was going to Chicago, I believed him. Obviously that is not the case?" He posed it as a question hoping to deflect her anger.

"Oh he may well be in Chicago, but he damn well is not at any convention," she huffed. "At least not a medical one." Wilson had to admit to himself that she looked glorious in her anger, he ws still relieved that said anger was not directed at him.

"Have you talked to him?" He asked. He got up and walked to the small fridge and pulled her out a bottle of water. She snatched it from him and chugged it down; he hoped she didn't give herself cramps.

"No, the dirty rat bastard has his cell phone turned off," she all but snarled as she continued to stalk around his office like a cage lioness. "And he has had the audacity to not return my messages. I am going to kill his crippled ass when he gets back to New Jersey. Oh what the hell, I'll just go to Chicago, run him to ground and kill him there."

At first Wilson just thought she was blowing off steam, but then she got a gleam in her eyes and headed for the door of his office. He could tell that she had every intention of running House to ground and making him pay for upsetting her so badly. Not daring to think about the repercussions of his actions, he stepped in front of her and grabbed her by the shoulders.

"Lisa you can't just run to Chicago and try to find him," he tried to reason with her. "He could be anywhere, he may not even be in Chicago." He had the foresight to not mention the fact that she was heavily pregnant, that path would only lead to her anger focusing back on him.

"He'll call you; you know he will," he tried to use his soothing voice, hoping to diffuse the rest of her anger.

"He lied to me Wilson," she said hurt creeping into her voice. And Wilson realized that was part of the problem. House had managed to hurt her and upset her, and he was not around to make any of it better.

"I can't say one way or the other," he replied rubbing her shoulder. "You know him and you know that at times he can be careless of other's feelings. I'm sure that his intentions didn't involve hurting you in any way, sometimes he just can't see beyond what he wants to see."

"It doesn't make it hurt any less," she mumbled. Lisa was embarrassed now that the anger had drained away.

She hated for any one to see her vulnerable, and that would include her husband if and when he managed to bring himself back home. That was something else that was bothering her, that she needed him so much; she hadn't slept well since he left and she had the constant fear that he wouldn't come back, wouldn't come back to her specifically. That made her feel weak and stupid, she shouldn't need to depend on any one else for anything.

"Lisa how did you know he wasn't at the convention?" Wilson asked as he walked with her to the door.

"The head of the convention is an old friend, and she called to ask why I hadn't sent my wonder boy diagnostician. I told her I had," she replied as she slipped out of Wilson's office and headed to the clinic where she was sure she could be kept so busy she wouldn't think about her husband.

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Dr. Gregory House sat in a deep, plush chair and stared at the woman sitting across from him. He had been on edge and nervous the last couple of days, and the events of today had left him edgy and snapping with temper. The woman sitting across from him barely seemed to notice.

"Greg, this doesn't have to be as painful as you've made yourself believe it is going to be," she said studying him frankly with her crystal green eyes. Her eyes make Greg think of a cat, a very sneaky obviously up to no good cat.

"I don't like head doctors," he replied gruffly. If Mike hadn't insisted on this session, Greg would have never subjected himself to the psychiatrist sitting there studying him like a fat juicy mouse she was going to slurp up.

"I'm not particularly fond of egotistical geniuses, but I'm willing to overlook that if your willing to play nice for this session," she said gracing him with a smile. "Mike didn't say we had to become best friends, he just needs to know that you can handle what you're setting yourself up for."

"What's there to handle?" House asked snidely. "I have a leg that is pretty much fucking useless, keeps me in constant pain and requires that I limp along with a cane. What's not to love?"

"And if everything goes right with this procedure; are you ready for the full use of your leg?" She asked him.

"I'm pretty sure I'll be able to adjust to living without all the things I just mentioned," he replied. House had to admit that he could like Dr. Sara Winzer, even if she was a shrink, and if he wasn't married he'd even consider trying to get a drink out of her.

"But what happened to your leg has been a part of you for a long time, so much so that it has come to define a large part of what you are now. What happens if you lose all that because the leg is healed?" She asked it smoothly with just a small touch of sarcasm.

"If the leg is healed, I can go back to doing the things I did for the first thirty plus years of my life," he quipped. "I'm sure that those things had a larger impact on who I am, then having a leg that's not worth a damn."

Sara thought is was time to lower the hammer on Dr. Gregory House. "And if things go wrong? What happens if you lose the leg?"

The look on his face was one of quiet deliberation. Sara knew that losing the leg completely would have a far greater impact on him than any other outcome. Essentially he had already lost the leg, but the fact that it was still attached to him physically allowed him to believe that there was a chance that it could all be made better. Getting an amputation took all those options away, and she could tell that House didn't like losing control of any situation.

"That is a risk that I would be forced to take," he replied evenly.

"So you're saying that you could live with a worse outcome?"

"You think that would be worse than the never ending pain that chews at you every minute of everyday," he all but snarls. "How about the fact that the damn thing is all but useless and I'm forced to limp around in a parody of walking. Or that the slightest push could send me off balance and to the floor in a graceless heap. Tell me could anything be worse than all of that?"

"So losing the leg wouldn't be a worse place for you to be?" She asked knowing that he was either lying to himself or wasn't willing to face the truth yet.

"Dr. Winzer when you get right down to it either situation is a lose-lose," House said evenly. "If I lose the leg or it get's no better, then I'm still pretty much swimming in the same pond. Neither situation is a pretty place for me to be, but if there is a chance that it could get better then I think I should grab it and hope for the best."

Sara studied him for a moment. Outwardly he was calm, but she could tell that underneath the surface he had just faced some of his darkest fears. It was important for him to have both eyes open and KNOW that he ran the risk of losing the leg permanently. But now she also understood that if he didn't at least try that would be as undesirable as accepting that he was a cripple for the rest of his life.

"Dr. House, I think you've examined the possibilities as far as they can be explored without actually going through the procedures," she said giving him one of her best winning smiles. Too bad the man was married, for some reason he exuded a certain charm that attracted a woman's attention. "I see no reason that Dr. Crenshaw and his team can not proceed. I wish you luck and I hope that you experience some level of success.

"I guess I should say thank you," House replied levering himself out of the deep seat.

"I'm sure it would bruise our ego too much and I wouldn't want you to hurt yourself," she laughed. "Mike is waiting for you in his office, and Greg I will see you again."

Greg was lost in thought as he headed down the hall to Mike's office. He hadn't told Lisa exactly what he would be doing in Chicago and it was making him feel guilty. It was a sensation he wasn't use to it and he still wasn't sure what to do about it. He knew she was going to be mad as hell when she found out, but he hadn't been able to tell her the truth. He wasn't ready to put himself out there for criticism yet, this whole thing already made him way to vulnerable. And if he was honest with himself he was already as vulnerable as he could get where Lisa was concerned.

"Greg are you going to come in, or would you rather stand in the hallway and scowl at my door?" Mike said pulling him out of his deep thoughts. Greg tried not to look too guilty at having been caught completely unaware and strode into Mike's office all but throwing himself into a chair.

"So it looks like we are a go?" Mike said also taking a seat.

"Yes it would seem that way," House replied. He was still slightly lost in thought about his wife and the doghouse he would be living in for the next few weeks if he was lucky.

"We have a lot to plan between now and then," Mike said going through the charts that had been compiled by his staff.

"There was one thing I wanted to ask," Greg said pulling his thoughts together. "I'm sure that I can get you guys privileges at PPTH and that being the case can this be done there?"

"I'm guessing there are extenuating circumstances as to why you's want this done in Jersey?" Mike said leaning back and studying the man he was beginning to think of as a good friend.

"My wife is already going to have my head on a platter for not having told her what I was up to," he said looking guilty. "I don't think it would be a good idea for me to come all the way here to have this done after she has just given birth to 3 babies. Throw in the fact that Braeden will have gone through chemo and the transplant, it seems that it would be a better idea if I could have this done as close to home as possible."

"I agree," Mike said shocking him with his easy acceptance. "The cord blood will need to be treated here, but everything else can be done at PPTH. My team may be a little disgruntled at first but I'll smooth that over. Don't worry Greg, we'll figure out all the details over the next couple of months."

"Well then it's time for me to face the music and head home," Greg said getting to his feet. He held his hand out and Mike shook it feeling the bond between the two of them grow stronger. He like the irrasicable diagnostician and the fact that they were embarking on an exciting experiment together just seemed to solidify their friendship even more.

"I've arranged for Vincent to take you to the airport," Mike said smiling at the look on Greg's face. "I have a meeting that I just can't get out of."

"I'll bet," House replied giving his friend a look of death.

"I'll be calling you to arrange for a visit to PPTH to look over the facilities, and I'm hoping to have a nice visit with your wife." He said walking Greg out the door and to the reception area where Vincent was waiting for them.

"Good, then we can both be in the doghouse together as I'm sure I will still be there," Greg joked slapping Mike on the back.

"Have a safe trip Greg and keep a look out for my call." With that Mike jogged back up the hall as he sifted through all the plans he would need to get implemented.

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Greg did his best to ignore the constant chatter that was coming from the driver's seat. He had neglected to charge his Ipod so that was not an option. And even though he was engrossed in his Gameboy and his current game of choice, Vincent's voice just seemed to cut through all the noise so that it reined supreme in the small car.

It didn't really matter to House as he was still trying to figure out what he was going to say to Lisa when he got back to New Jersey. He knew that she was aware of his deception by the number of voice mails and ignored calls on his cell phone. That may not have been the smartest move he had made, but he just couldn't bring himself to explain what he was doing until he knew that there would be something at the end of it.

He cursed succinctly as Link died trying to rescue Zelda. He hated this damn game and he was going to give his son hell for getting him hooked onto it. Vincent chuckled at the stream of curses that flowed out of his mouth as Greg started from his last saved place. House once again tried to tune out who and where was making up the plans for Vincent's evening. His wife was occupying all of his higher brain function and he was thinking about calling her.

Greg pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and gave it a hard stare. What would he say? What SHOULD he say? Something like I'm a fool and if you give me a few minuted I'll do everything to explain...

"OH SHIT!!" He heard Vincent exclaim from next to him and then the sound of brakes squealing. Greg looked up to try and find out what had caused the normally unflappable Vincent to curse, when he heard the sound of breaking glass and metal grinding against metal. The sound of the impact was like an explosion in the back of his mind and as the sensation that he was flying took hold of him, he was sure that he had missed something very important.

Several things flashed across his synapsis and were all instantly swallowed up by the dark oblivion that was racing for him. Pain blossomed through out his body only to be over shadowed as his head cracked hard against something he couldn't identify. What was left of his vision went grey, then black as the last thought that skittered across his brain was, Damn, Link better have a good reason as to why he didn't rescue Zelda when he woke up.

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Lisa jumped as her whole body felt like it was about to seize. She managed to spill the cup of lukewarm coffee she had been holding all down the front of her cream colored suit. That thought barely registered as she tried to calm her breathing and ascertain where this unreasonable fear had crawled from. Her stomach was in knots and she felt like something was chewing at her belly.

"Get a grip woman," she mumbled trying to placate herself. She wasn't sure if she had dozed off or what, but something had pulled her violently back to the present. When her cell phone began it's shrill ring, she almost tossed it out of the window instead of answering it.

"Cuddy," she damn neared barked into the phone.

"Lisa, it's Mike," came the brusque voice through the static of her phone. "Mike Crenshaw in Chicago."

"Is something wrong?" She asked. Her first fear was for the babies she was carrying, but Mike wouldn't have news about the babies would he? Unless something had gone wrong with the insemination and the babies weren't a match to Braeden.

"Yes," he said not wanting to drag it out. "There has been an accident. Greg was hurt and they had to medivac him to Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Lisa you need to get here right away; he's critical.

Lisa sat down hard and her world still felt like it was spinning. Greg was hurt, that was all that mattered yet she couldn't manage to say anything or make herself move.

"Do you need me call someone to help you?" She heard Mike ask. Did she need someone? She was sure that she did, but the person she needed wasn't there, he was hurt and she had to get to him.

"No...no Mike," she stuttered. "I'll be on the next flight to Chicago. You let that son of a bitch know that if he so much as flat line before I get there I'll kick his ass." With that she hung up and called out to her assistant and called Wilson's office.

Everyone jumped to her commands as she snapped them out efficiently and calmly; what they could see was that inside she was slowly dying. She wouldn't lose him, he couldn't leave her. Damn it, he had promised her that if he died and she wasn't ready for him to go, he'd come back. Well he needed to bring his crippled ass back right now before she had to go to hell and drag him back.

Oh my I can so be a bad person!! But I can also see Cuddy striding through hell looking for Greg. OK I'm begging for reviews, so pleas take a moment and let me know.