A/N: I am terrible at updating, I am so sorry real life has gotten so annoying lately. Anyway, this chapter I am using "Last Resort" as a template, don't be surprised if you see some of the same elements in this chapter. Language warning is still in effect for this chapter, and that is all, enjoy chapter twenty one!

Chapter 21- Damage Control

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill her." House examined David and saw something on his arm.

"Your arm, you have a rash. It's not bacterial pneumonia, I was wrong."

"What do you mean you were wrong?" David shouted at House.

"The rash doesn't fit in with bacterial pneumonia therefore I am wrong. Can we move on?" Before David got an answer the phone on Cuddy's desk sprang to life. David picked up the gun again and pointed it at House.

"Pick it up and put it on speaker," House leaned across the desk and pushed the speaker button on the phone.

"Welcome to the happiest place on earth!" House voice drawled in sarcasm. From outside the clinic Wilson and a group of police officers gathered around the phone in the nurse's station.

"Dr. House, this is Captain Baker, who else is in there with you?"

"Just me, Cuddy and Mr. Happy with a gun over here,"

"Is anyone hurt?"

"Dr. Cuddy has a little boo-boo, but other than that everything is just peachy."

"Can I speak to whoever is holding you captive, please?"

"I think he is talking to you," House snarked and looked at David.

"This is David Croft,"

"Mr. Croft, how bad is Dr. Cuddy hurt?"

"She is unconscious, but alive, for now unless you guys come bursting in here."

"Dr. House do you believe Dr. Cuddy requires immediate medical attention?" Captain Baker asked with alarm.

"No, Cuddy will have a headache, but she will be awake in a half an hour."

"Okay, we will maintain our position outside of Dr. Cuddy's office at the nurse's station. Do you need anything Dr. House?"

"Tell my team to be in my office in ten minutes to do a differential." House said and David reached over to hang up the phone.

"So, since we have some time, let's chat." House looked up at David who looked at him with confusion. "You have seen countless doctors and then you come to me, with a gun threatening me and Cuddy. I want to know why. But, I think I know why. So, I am going to go with your wife left you because you became obsessed with your illness or a family member died because doctors ignored them or misdiagnosed them." House knew he was right by the guilty look on David's face. "It's the second one, isn't it?"

"My girlfriend found a lump in her breast when she was doing a routine self-examination; her doctor wrote it off as a benign cyst. By the time he realized that it was actually breast cancer, it was too late, and she died 6 months later."

"How is that my fault? So, she died, and that's very sad. Why did you bring Cuddy and I into your screwed up life?"

"I don't want the same thing to happen to me. Doctors need to pay more attention to their patients and not ignore their concerns or questions."

"Well aren't you such a law abiding citizen." House snapped, "Cut the crap, you are only doing this for your own selfish reasons. This is your own twisted way of making your girlfriends death mean something. Guess what? It doesn't mean anything, it never does." House's cell phone sliced through the conversation, David reached over and pushed the speaker button.

"House is everyone still okay in there?" Thirteen asked with concern.

"Yes, we were having a lovely chat about the weather that you rudely interrupted, thank you."

"Silly me, I thought you needed us for some kind of medical reason, should we call back later?" House inwardly smiled at Thirteen's sarcasm, it feels good to know he trained his team well.

"Rambo has a rash along with fever, joint pain and fatigue."

"House the cops are here, why are you still enabling him?" Foreman asked.

"He still has a gun on me, the cops will coming in will cause that thing to go off, wouldn't want that to happen. Cuddy might complain if she gets blood on her carpet." House deflected.

"No, you just want to satisfy your curiosity no matter what that the stakes are."

"Great Foreman you figured out my motives, now can we get to the medicine?"

"Varicella," Taub chimed in.

"According to the medical history, the patient had chickenpox as a kid, next!"

"When do you read patient histories?" Foreman asked, worried.

"I was bored, what else do you have for me?"

"What about sarcoidosis?" Chase questioned.

"No lung involvement, anything else?"

"Lyme disease, it explains the joint pain, fever, fatigue and rash." Thirteen said with excitement.

"Lyme disease it is, send some Doxycycline down, and go check the patients home for any potential toxins or anything to back up our theory." House commanded.

"I live at 2397 Jackson Street," David added to the conversation. House hung up the phone.

"This is your end game isn't it? That is why you gave my team your home address; you don't plan on going back there."

"Like I said, you either diagnose me and I go to jail for kidnapping and assault. Or you don't diagnose me and I kill the both of you and then myself." All of the sudden House and David heard a small groan from the floor. Cuddy's eyes flicked open one by one, drowsily stared around the room. House limped over and slowly knelt down on the ground beside her. Cuddy grabbed her head in pain and looked at House for an answer.

"House…" Cuddy hoarsely whispered.

"Ssh, don't try to talk, just relax. Can you stand up?" House calmly asked. Cuddy shook her head no, and House wrapped an arm around her slowly guiding her to the couch. David sat back and silently watches the couple, feeling an ounce of shame over what he has done. House does seem to be an ass to everyone else but her, he thought to himself. Cuddy feebly sat down on the couch and House gave her one of the few Vicodin he had left.

"Thanks," Cuddy whispered and dry swallowed the Vicodin.

"What is the last thing you remember?"

"I remember hearing the sirens and…that's it, I guess." Cuddy mumbled.

"Okay, just follow my finger," House then performed a successful neuro scan on Cuddy. Meanwhile, Taub and Thirteen arrived at David's apartment. They were shocked to find everything laid out for them on the kitchen table.

"What do you think of all this?" Thirteen asked while examining the cleaning supplies for potential toxins.

"I think that House is going to get him and Cuddy killed because of his mouth." Taub bluntly stated.

"I don't know House has held his tongue on Cuddy's behalf before, why should this be any different?" Taub scoffed,

"House is House; he is going to continue to enable this sociopath until he gets his diagnosis. I know he cares about Cuddy, but he cares about his puzzles more."

"I haven't found anything toxic or anything that can prove Lyme disease, have you?" Thirteen asked.

"No, usually though when someone lays everything out for you, there is something else they don't want you to look for." Back at Plainsboro, Wilson frantically pounded on Cuddy's door with a vial of doxycycline in his hand. David grabbed his gun and motioned for House to see who it is. House pushed back the blinds to reveal his trembling best friend.

"It's just Wilson, he has your medication," House unlocked the door and snatched the vial out of Wilson's hand.

"House is everyone okay in there?" Wilson asked with worry.

"Everything's great, we were about to hold hands and watch The Hills together. Do you want to come in and join us?" House sarcastically remarked. Wilson sneered and shook his head. "Great, I will be seeing you later then,"

"House wait…" Wilson said but was cut off by House slamming the door in his face. House took the vial and put the needle into the hole, filling it about half of the way with the antibiotic.

"Sit down on the couch, this might hurt,"

"No, I want her to take it first," David said and pointed to Cuddy. House looked at David with perplexity.

"Do you think Wilson gave you a sedative?" House inquired.

"It's possible, which is why I want her to take it first." House knew it wasn't a sedative, but he didn't like the fact that Cuddy was their guinea pig.

"House, just give me a little bit of the antibiotic," Cuddy whispered from her position on the couch.

"No, I will take it," House said and began to wrap the tourniquet around his arm.

"You are my doctor, if that really is a sedative then I won't have anyone to treat me," David said.

"Cuddy is half of a decent doctor, I'm sure you guys will manage without me," House said and injected himself with the drug. The trio waited in silence for anything to happen. "Satisfied?" House asked after five minutes.

"Yeah, I have to use the bathroom first." David awkwardly announced and walked into Cuddy's adjoining bathroom.

"Thanks, House, for sticking up for me," Cuddy mumbled and kissed his cheek.

"Wilson's a manipulative teddy bear, I had to make sure he wasn't pulling a fast one on us," House stated.

"A manipulative teddy bear? What does that make you?"

"The manipulative bastard, it's kind of my pet name." Cuddy beamed and kissed him on the lips.

"HEY HOUSE GET IN HERE!" David yelled from inside the bathroom. House got off the couch and limped into the bathroom. "My pee is brown, what does that mean?" House sighed,

"Your kidneys are shutting down, I was wrong again."

A/N 2: I know I ended with another symptom last time, but they are good cliffhangers. Anyone have any idea of what he has? If you guess correctly you get to pick a name for any upcoming character. The disease will be revealed soon, but reviews are always appreciated.