House stilled on the examination table as Wilson began to strap his hand once more.

He was utterly exhausted. Tiredness seemed to sweep through his body like virus sapping him of all strength.

Too much had happened and he had had too little sleep, he was running on caffeine and faith alone.

And if truth be told he felt was fast running out of both.

Caffeine.

Cameron wasn't making his coffee, that in itself had severely reduced his normal intake but it was aided by the fact that the sludge from the vending machines could fuel cars, the coffee from the machine in the staff room was too bitter and entirely the wrong brand and the cafeteria was too far away. Even so he could never get the exact right mix of cream and sugar that Cameron seemed to have perfected.

Faith.

He didn't know where his faith was placed. In Cameron? In himself?

He hoped that he had his faith in her, he knew from experience that he could not be trusted with such matters and though it was hard to place his trust, his hopes, his desires and needs in her but he could think of no other who could be up to the task.

Was it faith in them? Together?

A singular entity that he thought and hoped they might become.

There was just too much to lose for him not to want to be with her.

Her sweet kisses, her warm body, her soft voice and the way she looked at him with that small smile and shinning eyes.

He didn't want to miss one minute of it more than he had to.

He had no idea how long it might last. He knew instinctively that it was his last shot, that after Cameron he would be done with love and love done with him so he decided to throw himself into it entirely.

Sure, he had known heartache and hated every gut wrenching second of it and though he knew he'd feel the same if not worse if they parted five years down the line, but it would pale entirely when compared with that moment when her heart stopped, that moment where he'd lost all hope and there was nothing to support him but the thin glass window that let him watch the horrific scene the threatened to make his world collapse in on itself and make him lost in the deep dark blackness of it all.

She was his light, even in times when he'd pushed her away and denied his need for her, the thought of her still comforted him as he sat at his piano with scotch and Vicodin running through his system.

But the Vicodin his body at that exact moment was concentrated on the pain in his hand and leg and was of little benefit to him otherwise.

Caffeine was almost non-existent.

But his faith... his faith felt renewed after thinking it over.

He had faith in what they could become.

He had hope for their future.

He believed in them.

"All done." Wilson said quietly, tossing odd ends in the trash and tucking the x-ray films into a folder.

"Thanks." House muttered.

"Where were you?" Wilson asked.

House looked at him in confusion.

"You looked like you were miles away."

House nodded lightly.

"Worrying about your parents?" Wilson said tentatively afraid to bring up the topic.

House smiled in a slightly creepy self-deprecating manner. "No, actually."

"Then what...?"

"Allison."

"Allison?!" Wilson said completely and utterly shocked at House's use of her first name.

House rolled his eyes, "William gives me a look every time I call her Cameron. I think it might have something to do with the fact that we've slept in the same bed for most of this week."

"And making out on said bed."

"They didn't see that." House protested.

"But we all know they guessed it."

House sighed lightly and nodded in acceptance.

"So, what were you thinking?"

"How long it'll be before we can have hot wild sex."

Wilson stared at him distinctly un-amused.

House dropped his gaze to his feet.

"She's my last shot Wilson, I can't mess this up." He said finally meeting Wilson's gaze.

"You won't." Wilson said confidently pulling himself up onto the examination table next to House.

"How can you know that?"

"Because, as we discussed this morning, you're happy, you don't want to run from the thing that scares you; you want to stay and work through it. You're showing passion for something other than your puzzles and that's what makes me think you'll be able to do this."

"What about her?" House said in a slightly frantic tone, "She has no clue what she..."

"She's worked for you for two years. She's saw you high, saw you detox, saw you give yourself a chemically induced migraine, stood by you though insane medical decisions because she believed in you and put up with you pushing her away the whole time. She knows what she's getting into. You just need to get over of your guilt over this shooting. She doesn't blame you at all and you should let it go."

"I just... it's just when my leg..."

"She's not you." he said sincerely before joking, "And you're far less attractive than Stacy."

House smiled ever so slightly and shook his head in almost disbelief.

"I better go; she'll be getting back soon." House said lowering his feet to the floor.

"I'll go with you." Wilson replied doing the same motion with far more grace.

House glared at him slightly.

"She's a friend!" he said defensively. "I just want to make sure she's okay. And to be honest I want to make sure you're okay too."

House nodded once and moved to the door, Wilson following close behind.

And in the hospital lobby beyond the entrance of the clinic chaos and noise awaited them.