Shifting uncomfortably, House crossed his left leg over his right and leaned back against the chair. Watching Cameron, House wondered if this was the discomfort she felt when watching him. Sighing, he leaned his head back and closed his eyes. Numbers flashed through his mind: 9:31 (the number of hours it had taken to finish the surgeries); 498 (collective number of sutures and staples in Cameron's body); 73 (the percent of bowel they removed); 5 (the number of months they thought tentatively it would take for her to recover enough to return home); and 4 (the number of hours House had been sitting by her bedside). Running a hand over his eyes, House sensed another presence in the room. Looking to his left, he met a gaze he knew. A woman, no more than thirty, with the exact same eyes as Cameron, stood there, clutching the hand of a woman who looked to be in her sixties, also with the same sea green irises. Both women, as a prerequisite for visiting a patient in the ICU, were wearing paper surgical masks identical to House's. The older woman's hand flew up to her mouth as she quickly crossed the room and took Cameron's bandaged hand. The younger woman turned to look at House, who had pulled himself into a sitting position.

"Emmy Wright," she said, extending her hand. "I'm Allison's older sister. You must be Doctor House." House nodded, observing how much Emmy looked like Cameron. "That's our mother, Elizabeth," she said softly. House nodded numbly. Excusing himself, House stepped outside, only to be followed by Emmy. "Doctor House," she said, as soon as the door had closed. "Doctor House, is Ally going to be okay?" House took a deep breath.

"To be quite honest, Miss Wright, I don't know. I'll have her surgeon, Doctor Li Okinama, come talk to you, but..." House was cut off by Emmy shaking her head.

"Doctor House, Ally tells me that you're one of the best diagnosticians in the nation. I know you know what her prognosis is. Please, just tell me." House could tell that she was at least prepared to pretend to handle the news.

"Miss Wright, your sister was beaten severely. Her internal organs sustained massive, massive trauma, in addition to a number of fractures and breaks. Right now, and probably for the next couple of weeks, even months, it's going to be touch-and-go," House said, his own words ringing in his mind. "But if there's one place in the country where she'll be better taken care of than anywhere else, it's here." Emmy nodded, allowing a tired smile to grace her face.

"You're not as mean as she said you were." House laughed shortly.

"I'm tired. Normally I'm more, how shall I say it, spritely." House hesitated momentarily. "I won't let anything bad happen to your sister." Emmy met eyes with House.

"I know you won't." Turning, Emmy stepped back inside the room, joining her mother at the side of Cameron's bed. From the side of Emmy's stance, House could just barely see the vent tube snaking down Cameron's throat, tangled in a mass wires protruding from her arms and chest. His mask, which he had removed to talk to Cameron's sister, floated gently to the ground. Sitting down on a row of plain, fabric chairs, House resumed his waiting. Leaning forward and resting his head on his cane, House wondered just how much of what he had said to Emmy was true, and just how much of it was what he wanted to be true.

HCHCHCHCHC

Cuddy stepped inside her office, heaving a sigh. Sitting at her desk, just where she had left him half an hour ago, was Wilson. Staring out the window, Cuddy had to speak to break Wilson's reverie.

"Jim?" she asked, crossing her office to stand in front of her brilliant wood desk. Wilson turned in his, rather her, chair and smiled tiredly. Cuddy returned the same exhausted smile, before perching on the edge of the desk. "House says she's out of surgery," Cuddy said, arching her back, reveling in the cracking sounds it made when she stretched. Wilson nodded, before turning to stare some more. "What's wrong? You seem a little distant." Wilson shuddered noticeably.

"Did House tell you that Cameron had been getting hate mail, both at home and at work?" Wilson asked without turning around. Cuddy's face registered surprise that Wilson could sense. "She's been getting unaddressed hate mail for almost a month now. It's plain and simple: "I'm going to kill you." There's nothing she can do about it, because it's addressed with a printer and looks professional. House had a whole collection of them in his desk... he's been keeping them, I guess, as proof if the guy or girl ever came around. I've been thinking, though... first some lunatic comes and shoots House, now Cameron gets attacked outside of her home. When did being a doctor become fatal?" Wilson asked, finally turning to face Cuddy. Cuddy sighed, all of her 38 years lining her face.

"It became fatal when we started thinking we were gods," she said, sitting in a chair in front of her desk. Wilson laughed dryly.

"If that was so, House would have been dead a long time ago." The two shared a smile. Wilson had just turned around when Cuddy's door opened, ushering in two police officers.

"James Wilson?" the taller officer asked. Wilson swiveled in the chair and stood, confused. "You're under arrest for the rape, battery, and attempted murder of Allison Cameron. Please stand up and place your hands behind your back." Cuddy jumped up.

"Officer, that's absurd, Dr. Wilson would never...," she cried, looking wildly between Wilson and the officers. Wilson stayed glued to his spot.

"Sir, if you'll please step out from behind the desk," the officer said.

"I want my lawyer," Wilson said, most likely to Cuddy, before stepping out from behind the desk. "Lisa, I'm innocent," he said, brushing against Cuddy as he was handcuffed and escorted from the room. Cuddy could hardly wrap her mind around what was happening. Following the three into the hallway, Cuddy, along with a sizable crowd, watched Wilson tugged down the hall and out of sight. Cuddy stood rooted in her spot for a long moment, before turning on her heel and rushing to the ICU.

HCHCHCHCHC

House had almost fallen asleep when he heard the frantic click of heels in his ear. Looking up, he saw Cuddy jogging towards him. He had just opened his mouth to make a quip when she arrived smack in front of him.

"James was just arrested!" she said, breathless. House furrowed his brow.

"James...Wilson? Did he not a pay a ticket? What the hell was he arr..." House was cut off.

"He was arrested for raping Cameron."

House heard her words and closed his eyes, crossing his left leg over his right again in an attempt to make the pain in his soul seem less.