There is only one chapter remaining after this one. This one comes down to the question everybody wants to know the answer to. Will Cameron live, or will she die...

Disclaimer: House MD is property of David Shore and Fox TV only the plot is mine.

Haunted

Chapter 16: Precious Moments

Hour 38

It was only one hour in to the treatment and already House and the team were eagerly awaiting results. They knew that it would be another hour or two before they saw any sort of change in her condition but it still didn't change the fact that they wanted the answer now. Nurse Brenda had been given the rest of her shift off to sit with Cameron and report any change and to keep them informed about the state of the necrosis. According to her last update, the necrosis was now on Cameron's chest creeping towards her neck. The tubes of blood had been sent off to the lab where the ELISA was being preformed by the lab techs. Foreman and Chase had found it hard to focus on the test so they gratefully accepted when the techs had offered to do the test for them.

Wilson was sitting in the chair in front of House's desk, his legs crossed supporting a medical journal with an article about Nipah. He was only half reading it. It was hard to remain focused on the words on the page. His mind kept drifting back to her. He and Cameron had never been really close but he had always liked her. Wilson had wanted to explore a possible relationship with her at one point but decided it best not to since she worked for his best friend. What could have possibly made her inject herself in the first place? Once she was better he hoped she would answer that question for him.

Sitting across from Wilson in House's chair was Chase. A few strands on blonde hair falling into his eyes while he rested his chin in his hand and surfed through on line medical journals and anything else he could find on the Nipah virus. He held great faith in Dr. House, he was positive that this was the answer and in a few hours they could all breathe a sigh of relief and get some rest knowing that their friend and colleague was on the path to recovery. But still he could not help but feel his skin tingle, his breath shallow and quick with worry with each passing moment. Cameron would be just fine and things would get back to normal, well as normal as they can be at Princeton Plainsboro.

Finding it hard to reread and reread over every detail of the case files for Alex, Lily, and Cameron Foreman abandoned his post at the glass table and began brewing another pot of coffee. Coffee seemed to be the life blood of the group right now. He snickered to himself thinking of how bad Cameron's coffee was. You could always tell when she had made it of a morning, House would come strolling in, late as usual and pour a steaming cup. After on sip he'd get this look on his face that was a cross between an Asian man eating something sour and that lady on the bill board ads against meth. Foreman made a mental note to have Cameron make on of her special blends when she was fully recovered.

One person was absent from this little powwow; Dr. House. His leg wasn't bothering him to bad thanks to the resent refill of his vicodin curtsy of the boy wonder, Dr. James Wilson. But he still felt the need to walk, rather then pacing his office he decided to take a nice stroll through the halls and find out where his feet would lead him. He walked through the psych ward, the ICU, clinic, physical therapy, palliative care, and even pediatrics. With each step he became more frustrated. She had injected herself and for what! Some damn kid! She had lost her legs and any hope of a normal life and probably her medical license in the process. House would never admit even upon pain of death that he cared about his fellows and it pained him to see them sick or hurt. He stopped when he saw where his feet had led him this time, the lab. And there on the counter was a syringe full of Cameron's infected blood. The lab tech had his chubby face buried in the microscope mumbling something to himself and didn't notice House enter the room and slip the syringe into his pocket.

Hour 39

Rounding the corner House could see the three doctors in his office. Chase was sitting at his desk, naturally, it seemed if House wasn't in the chair that the intensivest would take up residence. Foreman was leaned over his shoulder looking at whatever was on the screen while Wilson was talking on the phone. All three turned their attention to House as he stormed through the door with a determined look on his face.

"Thank you." Wilson said as he hung up the phone with a sigh and folded his arms in his lap. "That was Brenda. So far no reaction to the treatment and the necrosis has now reached her shoulders." Both Foreman and Chase let out a sigh in unison as they hung their heads. "But we still have another hour until the treatment kicks in, then she should be..." Wilson was unable to finish his sentence when a very angered House decided to finish it for him.

"... fine." He said through gritted teeth as he paced back and forth. Chase and Foreman ignored the screen and instead focused their attention on House, surprised that there wasn't steam coming out of his ears. "She doesn't have another hour!"

"If the treatment works she will." Wilson said in a calming tone. He knew that this had been taking a toll on his friend, he was actually surprised it had taken him this long to have an out burst about it. "Everything points to Nipah and the only way it can be transferred from human to human is through blood."

"So, who's going to be next? I'll need a new idiot when Cameron kicks off." Chase, Foreman, and Wilson jumped as House slammed something down on the desk making him ball bounce out of its trey and onto the floor with a thud. When he moved his hand away they saw a syringe labeled Cameron, Allison WARNING: contaminated. "What about you Foreman, huh?"

"What?" Foreman said as he took a step back from the needle afraid that House might actually jab him with it. "Seriously House, you're losing mind. Get a grip." He wasn't sure if House was serious or not.

"No, not you. You've already had your turn with the Naegleria. How about Wilson?" The oncologist stiffened at his name and sighed as House turned on him with that smirk of his.

"House, stop it. You're acting like a child." He knew that House wouldn't actually stick him so he stood his ground as House limped in front of him and leered.

"No, you don't work for me so that would be no fun at all." Chase, who had been trying to sink into the chair in hopes of being forgotten gulped as House slowly turned his face to him. "But you on the other hand, not counting the time you got smacked by the mobster, have never been hurt or sick while under me. I think we have a winner."

"No, House." Chase wasn't sure whether or not to stand up and try to move away or to sit there and let House continue. House wouldn't actually infect him, would he? At this point he wasn't sure so he did stand up and made a weak attempt to hide behind the neurologist with out actually looking like he was hiding. "Look, everything is going to work out. Just calm down." Calm down? Since when does House calm down? Chase didn't try to hide the fact that he was using Foreman as a human shield when House picked up the syringe and took a step close to him.

"If any of you do anything as stupid as infecting yourselves with a deadly disease you won't have to worry about the disease killing you, I will." With that the syringe vanished as House shoved it into his pocket and stormed out the door. After a full five minutes of shock the doctors were able to move, Chase finally dislodging himself from Foreman with a shaky breath as they all tried to collect themselves.

As it neared the third hour of the treatment they all headed out the door to go to Cameron's room hoping that all of their work would pay off.

Hour 40

As they walked down the hall they saw Brenda at the nurse's station with a less then pleased look on her face. "What's wrong? I thought you were supposed to be with Cameron?" Wilson asked as they all stopped in front of the counter.

"Dr. House told me to get out." She replied as she slid a folder into the appropriate slot behind the counter. She had a firm dislike for the older man no matter how good of a doctor he was.

"House is with her now?" Chase asked, a little worried that he still had that syringe with him. Nurse Brenda said that he was so the other doctors went to join him. When they entered the room House was leaned against the far wall with his eyes closed. The monitors showed a small drop in Cameron's heart rate but nothing to be worried about. The necrosis was now at her jaw, they now knew why House's eyes were closed it was a hard sight to look at.

Chase noticed the syringe sitting on the counter next to her bed and decided it was safe to enter the room. Wilson went first though and stood next to his friend, followed by House's underlings who took up posts around the room. Now all that was left was to wait. "Since I've been in here," The other three men in the room jumped at the sound of House's voice. "the necrosis has moved from her chin to her jaw."

"How much has it eaten of her thighs?" Wilson asked. The smell that hung heavily in the air of puss and rot was almost nauseating but he was able to fight it. He wanted to be here both for her and for House.

When House shook his head signifying that he didn't know Chase moved from his perch on the counter and went to Cameron's side and pulled back the covers. Some blood from the soars was on her gown but that was to be expected. As for what was under the gown, he wasn't sure what to expect. The only one that had stayed by Lily's side was Cameron. He untied the last string and pushed the cloth away from her body. What he saw nearly made him vomit. Where her legs had been cut off and about half way up her thigh was nothing but a greenish black mush. The necrosis had to be the worst he had ever seen. The other doctors had to turn their eyes away from the sight, quickly Chase pulled the gown back over her not even stopping to tie it before covering her back up and stepping away.

Forty five minutes passed in uncomfortable silence as the vigil continued. In that forty five minutes the necrosis had covered her face and the heart rate continued to fall a few points at a time. If she were to flat line they wouldn't be able to use the defibrillator to bring her back because of the necrosis. Chase, Foreman, Wilson, and even House had begun to pray for the treatment to kick in. It could still save her.

More precious moments passed by in silence as they prayed with closed eyes. Not even at the shrill cry of the monitors did they open their eyes. After a few seconds House opened his and looked up at the clock. "Time of death, 2:56 am."

Numb. That is they only word to describe the feeling in each of them as one by one they opened their eyes. Wilson put a reassuring hand on House's arm out of sight of the other two and gave it a light squeeze as he saw the diagnostician lower his head in defeat. Foreman crossed the room and turned off the monitors. He would have cried had he been able to feel at the moment but there was nothing there. There were many prayers for the dead in the Catholic faith, several came to mind but Chase refused to utter a single one. Praying had never done him any good and it failed him for the last time as he glanced at the shell of what was once the beautiful, kind, caring Allison Cameron.

No one looked up as the door slid open but they recognized the clicking of heels as Cuddy walked into the room. She took in the weary blank faces of the doctors and then at the monitors. Cameron was dead. She felt the heavy sorrow tug at her heart as a single tear fell from her eye. Had it not been for the gruff noise of the man clearing his throat she would have forgotten he was there. "Umm." She paused to clear her own throat before continuing as the four men in the room finally turned to her. "This is..."

"Dr. Eli Larson." The short balding man interrupted as he pompously stepped in front of the Dean of Medicine. "I'm with the Center for Disease Control, I'll be taking over here." The four men had no registered emotions on their faces when he spoke though they were all slightly angered. With one final look at their fallen comrade they pushed past the man and disappeared down the hall.

A/N: There is one chapter left, I guess you could say its an epilogue. I'm eager to hear your thoughts and comments on this chapter, no flames please.