A/N: I apologize for the delays in the updating from Monday up until now because I was sick last week. And last Friday through Sunday I took my first vacation in months. I'm pretty much back now, though.

And my permanent sched for Summer updates: Updates: M,T, Th, F, S… None on Wednesdays and Sundays.

Thank you for the revs last chapter…! Breaking Walls has broken the 900 mark! Gosh! I love you guys!

Important announcement at the end A/N with regards to the remaining chapters before finale. :D

People who have been spoiled on Twitter… :D

Hope you like the chapter!

BREAKING WALLS

CHAPTER 37: DOWNHILL

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Turning on a corner towards her route unconsciously too fast and mindless of anything else other than escaping the man following hot on her trail, she was caught unaware when a car roared it's horns beside her but everything happened in a flash and it was too late.

House and their unborn child was the last thing that crossed Cuddy's thoughts before losing consciousness and drowning in the confines of airbags in the aftermath of her Lexus' collision with a Ford Escape hitting her car at a fast speed and another vehicle hitting her tail end afterwards.

"Dad, look out!" fourteen-year old Lyle Baker bellowed at his father who was driving when he saw a red Lexus speeding to where his father was clearly heading. They had been singing in the car when he glanced to his left and saw the seemingly crazed woman driving like on a race with Road Runner.

Kyle Baker tried to warn the driver by repeatedly sounding his horn but the driver wouldn't stop, as if on the run. He tried to break but they were too much in a close distance from each other that impact was inevitable.

"Lyle, cover your face!" he told his son who was buckled safely, yet he wanted to be sure because of the airbags. His wife would kill him if Lyle got the smallest of scratches.

He stepped on the break but it just minimized the impact which was still hard. He immediately covered his face and leant back on his seat so the airbag's impact on him won't be too hard.

His car hit the other, he couldn't see where for the airbags did their job. But in a millisecond another wracking noise of metal clashing into metal savaged his and his son's ears. The car was hit yet again.

More concerned for his son's safety, he immediately swatted on the airbags, "Lyle, you okay, son?" he asked loudly.

"I'm okay, dad! Go check the lady!" he exclaimed.

"What—"

Lyle cut him off saying, "The woman driving the car, dad! I'll manage getting out of these balloons on my own!"

Kyle immediately got out of the car, almost giving himself vertigo from all the sudden movements. He took a moment to balance himself and when he did, he looked at the damage done. He instantly felt his pockets for his phone and dialed 911 as he joined the woman from the other car who also unintentionally hit the Lexus.

"I've already called an ambulance!" the woman informed him as she tried to open the door but was unsuccessful in doing so.

When Kyle saw the woman's shoes he tried his best not to roll his eyes. The woman was rich, obviously. Rich but... and… Oh never mind! He had to help the supposed lady in the car Lyle told him about.

The woman's side of the door was wrecked a few inches from the lock and continued to the next door. The real destructive hit was on the next passenger door which was crushed from Kyle's tough Ford. He must have- luckily, he thought- swerved and avoided hitting her directly.

Glass shards from the windows were scattered everywhere from the collision.

"Miss! Miss! Are you okay?" he urgently asked, seeing if she was conscious and responsive or not.

Kyle unlocked the door and tried as best he could to pull open the wrecked door. And as soon as he did, it noisily slid to the side giving him the needed space to try to provide first aid to the woman in the driver's seat.

Opening the door, he was horrified yet relieved at what he saw. The woman was, in his non-perverted opinion, a sight to behold but what horrified him was how much this angel's face was bruised. Maybe from the glass, and the impact of the airbag on her. Carefully, cautiously, he opened the door and was met with a limp, bleeding arm.

"Oh my God, go check her pulse!" the woman who was beside him spoke anxiously. Well, she probably was a Richie rich with a nice soul, Kyle thought.

"Where is that damned ambulance?!" she screeched, dialing on her Blackberry again.

"If they said they're coming, they are. Can you please check on my son inside the car?" Kyle said urgently, checking the unconscious woman's pulse.

The other woman nodded and went to open the Escape's door nearest her and didn't find the man's son. Seeing as the father was busy with the victim, she circled the car and spotted the kid repeatedly scratching a sharp stone on his father's seemingly brand new car.

"What do you think you're doing, young man??" she asked in disbelief, afterwards surveying a fast-retreating green car with furrowed brows.

More concerned for his son's safety, he immediately swatted on the airbags, "Lyle, you okay, son?" he asked loudly.

"I'm okay, dad! Go check the lady!" he exclaimed.

"What—"

Lyle cut him off saying, "The woman driving the car, dad! I'll manage getting out of these balloons on my own!"

His father got out the car quickly and he immediately pushed off the airbags that punched him earlier and was now wrapping him in a cocoon. He pawed at them until he got out and checked himself. He had some bruises on his arms that were starting to form but his face felt okay.

He looked at his reflection from the car's window but had no luck. He walked towards the side mirror and that was when he saw it from the right corner of his eye.

A green… was that a Toyota? Whatever… what the—

Lyle's eyes bugged out of their sockets! The hell! This was terrifyingly awesome! Yet disturbing and vomit-inducing!

Why the hell is that maniac laughing?

His eyes temporarily met the menace's ones from afar but the eyes immediately lost interest in him. That was insulting! He didn't really look younger than ten! He was fourteen, damn it!

But if that maniac was part of the reason the lady ran turned abruptly, and now, lost interest in him, maybe he thought he wasn't a threat?

Whoa, dude! I have some amazing detective-like abilities! Go, Sherlock!

Lyle traced the point of view of the man's eyes and was shocked that he was smugly looking at the smashed Lexus.

Then he recalled the rapid events of the crash.

Indeed, the woman had been driving recklessly for her or anyone's good. She hadn't the face of a drunk woman when he saw her from afar. She had the pale face of a crazed woman on the run from someone…

The guy in that car was probably stalking her! No doubt! He's laughing! Well, more like sinisterly grinning.

Goosebumps started forming on his skin at the menacing thought of that happening to him. Wait, he's on the phone… And grinning while looking at the car?

I'm going to be a witness! Why didn't that feel terrifying? Lyle thought in disbelief at himself. He tried to look for a pen and a piece of paper but he saw that the devious felon was about to hang up so he immediately got down on his knees and picked up the closest rock of any size he could get his hands on. He squinted his eyes and focused on the plate. He had a hard time at first but eventually had a grasp at the plate just in time the driver had started to reverse.

"What do you think you're doing, young man??" she asked in disbelief, afterwards surveying a fast-retreating green car.

"Can you please get the style of that car?" Lyle hurriedly asked the woman as he eagerly annoyingly scratched on the door.

"Why—"

"Just do it!" what, the nerve of this child! The woman thought as she tried to determine what type of Toyota the green car was.

"It drove away too fast! I'm sorry, I couldn't quite get the point of trying to get it." She said in a heavy British accent that made Lyle scrunch up his nose.

"Guess, then!" the kid urged her.

Okay, okay… Toyota… Toyota. What models does Toyota have that resembled that car?

"I got it!" Lyle suddenly screeched in success, making the woman look at him.

"It could be a Corolla! It looked like my mom's car when I was nine."

"Good job kid. Your dad's checking if you're okay."

"How is she?" the woman asked Kyle. "I'm Beatrix Knightly, by the way."

"Kyle Baker, that's my son, Lyle," he introduced as he tried to push away the deflated airbags.

"Dad, is she okay?" Lyle asked concernedly.

"I don't know…"

"She's bleeding," Beatrix suddenly exclaimed.

"Don't you think—"

"No, there," she pointed to Cuddy's thighs which were partly apart and since the skirt rode up high she saw the blood from the . Kyle's eyes went wide.

"The ambulance is here!" Lyle gratefully exclaimed, pointing at the vehicle from afar heading towards them, the sirens being heard louder as it go closer to them.

As the paramedics did their job, a few minutes later the cops came and Cuddy was brought to PPTH as the medics recognized their boss.

The two adults conversed with the police and informed them of everything. Beatrix and Kyle took the cop's number and they gave theirs as well just in case.

"What hospital was she taken to?" Lyle then spoke, curious.

"Princeton Plainsboro Teaching Hospital. It's the nearest and the medics recognized her at once," the cop answered, looking from Lyle and back to the two grownup.

Even more curious, Lyle asked again, "Who is she?"

"Medics said she's their Dean of Medicine at Plainsboro, Dr. Lisa Cuddy." The cop answered.

Extending his hand towards the two cops Kyle shook hands with each of them, thanking them. Beatrix did the same. They said they'll keep in touch just in case the victim decided to do something, or whatever.

"Thank you for not running and leaving me alone to deal with it," Beatrix said with her heavy accent, extending her own hand sincerely towards Kyle who shook it in return. "Likewise," he said.

"Here…" Beatrix started, grabbing a card from her front business suit pocket and handing it to Kyle, "Is my card, contact me if the cops contact you. I may look uninterested with what happened but I hit that woman's car all the same and I'd like to give my personal apology to her soon but I have a meeting for which I already am late for."

Kyle just raised an eyebrow and nodded. She really didn't look like a woman who had… well, a heart. But she might as well be.

"Bye lady," Lyle said, waving.

Beatrix gave a small smile at the smart, eagle-eyed kid and climbed inside her Porsche and drove off.

"Let's go, they'll be in charge of the mess here. We have insurance to claim," Kyle said, pushing his son by the shoulders.

They boarded the car and drove to their destination.

PPTH, 7:30 am

House had been restlessly walking around the hospital, easing the tension and the oncoming headache brought about by Cuddy's call. He trusted she drove safely. He didn't trust the man or men she said who was after her, though.

"House!" Nurse Brenda's voice boomed at him early in the morning. Why was she even on this floor?

"I knew you'd chase after me at some point. But—"

"Cuddy was rushed to the ER thirty minutes ago! MVA. She was brought to the OR twenty minutes ago." Brenda urgently informed him, her face dead-serious.

House's face tightened instantaneously and Brenda waved at him to follow her quickly. How didn't he know she was rushed to the ER??

OR

You told me you'd be careful.

There he was, looking down at her, mentally hitting himself.

This was his fault.

She was bruised and scathed. She was in an operating room, on the table, for crying out loud!!!

"House, why are you here?" he was snapped out of his staring and thoughts by the doctor's voice booming from the intercom set up from the surgical room to the observation room.

"She's my boss." was House's nonchalant, automatic reply and cover while he kept his eyes on the woman he loved. "Why is she here?" House then asked, unaware of why his lover was in stirrups.

"Well I don't think Dr. Cuddy is in the mood for your crap," Webb told him as he nodded to an OR nurse to heavily sedate their boss before they started.

"What procedure?" House asked. He knew what, based on the items prepped. He just couldn't believe his eyes. Couldn't believe it was going to happen again to her. She'll be devastated.

And then it clicked.

Was that the good news she was to tell him?

Most probably yes. She did say that he should 'maybe', be scared.

Well, even if you turned the world upside down, there was nothing he could do. And what he's seeing now wasn't good news. Cuddy's supposedly good news wasn't good anymore. It was painful. It will be painful when she woke up.

Her pain was because of him. Again.

He should have protected her. But he couldn't, wasn't able to. She told you to stay. He did.

He wanted to leave the hospital and look for her. He didn't.

You said you'll be careful. I wasn't there for you. For… our… For our child. Our unborn child.

It was just a fetus, his old self told him but he shook his head. It wasn't just that. It was ours.

Theirs. Half his.

The guilt was seeping into every pore in his body. He should have been there for her. He should have looked for her. This wouldn't have happened if he was there for her.

He screwed up her dream of becoming a mother. He was worse than his father. He was worthless.

"Dilation and curettage. Dr. Cuddy had a miscarriage from the accident. Now shut up before I screw this up and it all becomes your fault, House." Webb told him coldly and the doctor didn't know he hit a nerve.

He was feeling so guilty about this. Useless, too. House flinched as a hand clamped on his shoulder. It was Wilson. "You okay?" Wilson asked him. House shook his head. Glancing down at Cuddy's stoic, pale, battered face.

You don't deserve her.

"No." House answered as he took one last look at Cuddy. He couldn't just stand there and watch while they did the procedure. He might throw up from the guilt churning in his guts. This was..

"This wasn't your fault. Don't batter yourself for it," Wilson told him in a firm voice, placing a hand on House's shoulder.

"I didn't know she was pregnant. I didn't look for her when she called earlier when she said she was being followed. What isn't my fault?" House said in a low voice, his eyes trailing Cuddy's face, inspecting her bruises from afar. He didn't have the guts to go down there and be there for her. Not when he was beating himself for this.

Wilson furrowed his brows and looked down at the table where Cuddy lay. His eyes went wide. "I'm sorry, House," he whispered to his best friend. They remained silent for awhile. Wilson watching, House avoiding.

"Where are you going?" was what stopped House and his feet from moving even closer to the door, stopping him from exiting.

"I can't see her like that. She deserves better," House said, defeated. He let her down.

Wilson furrowed his brows. "Leaving her now will be her undoing. She'll need you when she wakes up. You know that."

House shook his head and made his way even further out into the door. But as he was about to shut it closed, Wilson's voice shot an arrow somewhere it will be hard to remove.

"If you leave her now, you're right. She deserves better."

A/N: Hope you liked it! No torches please! ;)

Please leave a rev and let me know what you think!

IMPORTANT announcement:

BREAKING WALLS WILL HAVE MORE THAN TEN CHAPTERS LEFT BEFORE FINALE… :D

Ideas went to my mind at the last minute. Hope you guys stay around for the ride!