Thanks for reading and reviewing! Okay, so I took a little liberty here with the medical stuff, had to be done. I don't know that it's not possible, but I don't know if it is either (the whole House bit towards the beginning).

Chapter 26

"Have you seen House?"

Taub didn't look up as he flushed Tommy's foot, "He practically ran out of here a few minutes ago."

"Did he say where he was going?" Wilson asked, impatiently.

"No, why?"

"One of my patients is asking for him."

"Maybe it had something to do with his Mia?" Tommy's dad said from the corner chair.

Taub looked at Tommy's father quizzically, "His Mia? How do you know about Mia?"

Tommy's father looked down at his shoes, "I accused him of not knowing what it's like to worry sick about a child when they're in pain."

Wilson lifted his chin a bit as he breathed deeply, hoping Mia wasn't the cause for House's quick departure, "I'm going up to the NICU."

Taub nodded his head, "Please let me know how she's doing." Wilson nodded as he ran out of the room.

"Why is Mia in the NICU?"

Taub looked over at Tommy's dad, "She had open heart surgery a few days ago."

Tommy's father shook his head feeling rotten for his earlier conversation with House, "Oh my God."

Cuddy stood outside the NICU, hand covering her mouth, tears streaming down her face. She stood silently, waiting for House to arrive and waiting for word on Mia.

House limped as quickly as he could to her side, looking through the glass walls for Mia, "Where is she?" He asked before his gaze finally found her, "Why is she in isolation?"

"RSV." Cuddy whispered. House closed his eyes and sighed. Cuddy didn't turn around to face him but continued speaking, "She wouldn't take her bottle when I tried to feed her. She was warm to the touch and she had discharge from her nose. We were so careful with hygiene but apparently one of the other babies brought in was infected without our knowledge and with all the parents and staff in and out…it just spreads so quickly."

Cuddy turned around to look up at House, "She was so close to going home and now she's back on the ventilator. She's been through so much already and now this."

"Come here." House wrapped his arms around her and held tight, lightly kissing the top of her head.

As they stood there, Wilson approached. Just by looking at the way House held Cuddy, especially given House's usual reluctance at public displays of affection, he knew instantly something was very wrong, "What happened?"

"RSV." Cuddy said, without letting go of House.

"Did you page me?" House asked.

"I did."

"What is it?"

"It can wait, Sean was asking for you."

"I'll go see him in a little while."

Wilson nodded and the three stood and watched through the window, hoping that Mia would be okay.

"I'd like to apologize."

"I'm sorry Mr. ah…" Taub looked at Tommy's chart for his father's name as they stood in the clinic's lobby.

"Brian."

"Brian, Dr. House isn't answering his pager right now. I can give him a message for you."

"No, I'll wait. Would you mind letting him know I'd like to speak with him."

Going against his better judgment, Taub nodded and headed towards the NICU. On his way to the elevator bay, he found Thirteen and Cameron chatting in the entry way.

"Where are you off to?" Thirteen asked.

"NICU."

"Why?" Thirteen asked.

"House isn't answering his pages and we're pretty sure he rushed to the NICU a little while ago."

"Oh my God, Mia." Cameron said, as she and Thirteen now walked alongside Taub towards the elevators, "I'm coming with."

The elevator opened and the three colleagues entered, "So what were you two talking about?"

Thirteen stayed quiet and Cameron blushed a bit before holding up her left hand to show Taub a sparkly new engagement ring, "Chase asked me last night and I said yes."

"Wow, congratulations!" Taub said earnestly.

Her panic rising, Cuddy turned to her source of support as she watched several nurses crowd around Mia, "What's going on? House?"

"I don't know, I'm going in there."

Cuddy and Wilson watched as House scrubbed his hands furiously, donned a smock and entered the isolation area of the NICU. They watched as House stood over Mia's bedside, listening to her chest with a borrowed stethoscope, and turning sharply to the nurse beside him, clearly yelling something indistinguishable from the quiet of the NICU lobby. Obscured by House's body, they watched as House worked on Mia feverishly, occasionally stopping to yell at nearby staff before returning to doing whatever it was that he was doing. The one of the nurses tried to stop him at one point which further angered House, and it was clear to both Cuddy and Wilson that whatever House was doing was in Mia's best interest and that something was very obviously wrong. Soon, one of the NICU doctors approached and took hold of the nurse's arm, calming her, allowing House to finish working on Mia. The nurse covered her mouth and clearly looked apologetic.

After what seemed like an eternity, they could see House hovering over Mia, first listening to her chest and then he appeared to be speaking to her after removing the stethoscope from his ears. Then, glaring at the nurse, he stormed out of the NICU, swearing under his breath as he removed his gloves and smock, throwing them angrily into the nearby bin.

"Unbelievable, tell me I couldn't do that! ME! What were they going to do, sit around and wait for her to suffocate before doing anything?"

"What's going on? Is she okay?" Cuddy's voice faltered.

"She had a pneumothorax and they just stared at her, said they had to wait for a doctor."

With a sharp gasp, Cuddy's panic was in full swing, "Her lung collapsed?"

"She's okay, she's okay." House said, talking almost more for himself than for Cuddy, "That brainless nurse said we had to wait for a doctor. A doctor. Unbelievable. She would have died if they had waited, there was no time. She was in a sterile environment so I did it right there. I didn't think you'd object if I inserted another chest tube." Cuddy shook her head.

"I…" House stared at Cuddy, "Hey, you're not going to do that fainting thing are you? Are you still taking the lorazepam?"

"No, no fainting and yes."

House looked at her, rolled his eyes and again pulled her into a hug. He had no idea what Mia was doing to him, but he apparently couldn't be bothered by worrying about what Wilson or anyone else would think by embracing Cuddy.

"I…" before House could finish his thought, Cameron came rushing down the corridor with Taub and Thirteen hot on her heels. Pausing before she said anything, Cameron looked amused at seeing her former boss publicly embracing the dean of medicine, openly, and apparently without any desire to pull away.

"How's Mia?" Cameron asked.

Cuddy shook her head, not knowing what to say; she stepped away from House and looked up at him, hoping he would explain. Without looking away from Cuddy, he answered, "RSV and a pneumothorax. Why are you here?"

"I was concerned, I heard you rushed up here and…"

House interrupted Cameron, "Not you. You." He said, motioning towards his two newer fellows.

"Brian Anderson is waiting downstairs to talk with you."

"Who?"

"Pencil boy's dad." Taub replied.

House looked down at Cuddy, "I'll be back."

"I'll go with you." Wilson said, heading towards the elevators with House.

"Taub, Thirteen, back to the clinic." House grunted as Cameron neared Cuddy, wrapping her arm around her shoulders.

"Are you and House?"

Cuddy nodded.

"House, what are you going to do?" Wilson could sense the tension in the elevator as they neared the main lobby, suddenly fearful of what his friend might do. House did not respond, and as the doors opened on the main level, Wilson reached for House's shoulder, trying to get his friend's attention. House shrugged out of Wilson's grasp and with considerable speed, despite his limp, he stormed over to where Brian Anderson stood waiting to speak with him.

"Dr. House, I just want to say how sor…"

Brian was unable to finish his thought as House verbally assaulted him with, "You want to know what it feels like to watch your kid hurt?" And without thinking, House cranked his arm back and with all of his pent up rage and frustration, heart breaking sadness for Mia and Sean, and undeniable frustration with the turmoil boiling in his mind, he took a sharp swing at Brian. A loud and unmistakable crack could easily be heard and blood spattered everywhere.

"Dr. Cuddy, you're needed at the clinic immediately." A nurse behind the desk said, hanging up the phone.

"Now?"

"Dr. Kutner said it was an emergency."

Cuddy ran down the stairs and into the lobby, hurrying to the main desk as she watched the janitor mop the floor, "Is that…is that blood?" She asked. "What's going on? Where's House?"

"There was a fight, he's in exam room one."

Cuddy dashed to the exam room, opened the door and saw House, with his shirt smeared in blood, sitting on the exam table as Wilson finished stitching a small gash on his knuckle.

"Oh my God, what happened? Are you okay? What did he do to you?"

House did not look up, staring instead with unfocused eyes at the floor.

"House is fine, except he apparently lost a few brain cells since he got up this morning." Wilson said, tying off the last stitch, "He took a swing at some guy who was treated here this morning. House hasn't said a word since."

"House?" Cuddy walked over to him and placed one hand on his shoulder and used the other to hold his injured hand for a better view, "You hit a patient?" she asked, looking at the two expertly crafted stitches Wilson had sewn. Again, no sound.

"He broke the other guy's nose. He's over in exam room four, Brian's his name I think. Brian said it was okay, that it was his fault but it was completely unprovoked. This is all on House. The other guy had a bandaged hand, couldn't have tried to swing back." Wilson put the suturing supplies down with force into the basin next to him, staring at House all the while, before standing to leave.

"You're suspended until further notice. The board can decide what to do with you." Cuddy looked at him, silently pleading that he at least look at her but his gaze remained fixed on the floor.

"Cuddy?" Wilson asked from the doorway.

"What?" She replied, a little too harshly.

"My patient, Sean, has been asking to see House all day. Before you send him home, I'm sure Sean would like the chance to say goodbye. He goes home before House will be back."

"Fine, visit Sean and Sean only. Then go home."

House said nothing.