"And it's a hard winter's day"

A "House" Ficlet – for Devon

Disclaimer: Not mine

Info: PG, Ducklings.

By Moonie

"There you are," Foreman greeted Cameron as she ran in, quickly discarding her jacket and bag and putting on gloves.

"I came as soon as I heard," she looked around at the chaos that had become the Princeton-Plainsboro ER.

"We've got people everywhere and probably more coming, gotta keep moving," he nodded to her as she went to attend to a woman on a stretcher. The day had been over. Many of them had gone to the comfort and warmth of their homes.

It hit the news at about 10:30PM – a building had ignited in flames, hundreds of people inside, many floors having collapsed as well. People had started being pulled out and shipped off to all hospitals in the area. The number of dead was already starting to build.

"Help us, please!" Cameron and Foreman looked back to find the cry had come from a woman in bad shape herself, hobbling in with a small girl in her arms.

"I got it," Cameron told Foreman as she went to them. Taking the child and leading the mother to the beds, Cameron saw Chase and Wilson working nearby. "Can someone take a look at her?" she asked them, indicated the mother as she placed the girl down.

"Go, I got it," Wilson told Chase.

"Right here," he walked with her to another nearby bed.

"What's her name?" Cameron asked the woman.

"Emma."

"Hey Emma, can you hear me?" she asked as she started looking her over.

"Yeah…" she could barely reply.

"That's good. I'm gonna take care of you, okay?"

"Careful…" Chase rushed to catch the woman as she started to fall forward. "She's unconscious!" he called. A nurse came forward to help him.

"Mommy…" Emma tried to look over.

"Emma, I need you to look at me," Cameron diverted her eyes away from the scene, making her focus elsewhere. "Everything's fine, you're safe," she assured her, taking her hand. She caught Chase's eye and he shook his head. She looked back to the tiny blonde in Winnie the Pooh PJs. "Do you know where your father is?"

"He's on a trip for work."

"Can you tell me his name?"

"Andy… Andy Malcolm."

"Okay, we'll get him here. I'm gonna take you somewhere, you're okay, you don't need to be here," she picked her up.

"What about my mom? Is she okay?"

"I don't know if…" Cameron hesitated as she headed for the children's ward.

"She's gone, isn't she?"

"I'm sorry…" Emma didn't speak the rest of the way. She was left with those who'd watch over her until her father arrived. After leaving her, Cameron had to take a moment to breathe.

"Cameron, motor!" she heard House call to her.

"Right," she followed.

By the doors, Wilson and a couple of nurses waited as paramedics unloaded a man whose leg had been crushed and amputated on site. It took a moment for him to realize he knew him.

"Mr. Cole?"

"Dr. Wilson…" he spoke weakly.

"You know him?" one of the nurses asked.

"He's one of my patients," he explained.

After being told about his situation, Wilson sent Mr. Cole off to surgery. Part of him wanted to follow, make sure he'd be okay, but there were still so many people in need of treatment. Everyone was doing their part and he had to do his. He made sure they'd call him with details of any changes and he got back to work. Still he couldn't get Mr. Cole off his mind. He'd been treating him for less than a year, but he'd come to know him while he'd treated his wife. She'd passed on now, but they still talked at least once a year. At Christmas Mr. Cole would send him a card and some small present. He wanted to be there for him, felt like he should.

"You okay?" Chase asked, passing by.

"Yeah," he cleared his throat, focusing again.

"How's it going over there?" Chase asked one of the paramedics as they moved back toward the exit.

"Still a mess, not sure how many are still stuck in there. It might come too late for some of them," he spoke grimly as he headed out.

Chase headed back toward the crowded area. A loud clanging noise followed by shouting drew his attention and he ran to the source. It was a woman, looking to be in her forties and not too pleased with being surrounded by all these people.

"Let go of me!" she insisted with the doctor trying to inject her with something. "I don't want this!"

"Ma'am, you need…"

"That's Mrs. Bradley to you, "Doc", now leave me alone!" The doctor stepped back with a sigh.

"Want me to try?" Chase asked him.

"Please," he walked back. The others left as well upon request.

"Thank you," the woman spoke carefully after a moment, not looking up at him.

"It's all right. How come you don't 'want this'?" he asked, coming over to check her vitals.

"I shouldn't… I should be… down in…" she struggled to go on.

"I'm sorry I don't understand."

"My ex-husband always said I was an oven's worst nightmare. I bet he and the new wife are just going to enjoy this… He's twisted enough to." What she was saying without actually saying it dawned on him a moment later – she'd started this.

"You shouldn't let yourself go untreated because of guilt."

"You think that'll cover it? 'Guilt'?" she laughed sarcastically. "I… I'm horrible. All those people out there – dead, dying… it's my fault. I deserve whatever comes my way, and being okay has no place in it."

"I can't just leave…" he spoke gently.

"I'll make you a deal. Get a cop here, then you can treat me," she finally nodded.

"Okay," Chase went into the hall. It was barely a minute, but when he returned she was gone. "Mrs. Bradley?" he looked around. "Have you seen the woman who was in there?" he asked a man in a chair back in the hall. He shook his head. "Damn it!" he ran off down the hall.

Hours later, what seemed like days, people stopped coming, the crowd thinned. Cameron was exhausted, drained, but she stopped by the children's ward. Looking in through the window he saw Emma was with her father, doing okay considering what had happened.

On her way out, she found Wilson standing outside. "You should go home, sleep."

"Yeah, I just…" he looked to her for a second and the look on his face drew her concern.

"What happened?"

"Patient of mine, he was in there. He didn't make it."

"I'm sorry."

"I just keep thinking… the last few years, his life and his world were ruled by cancer. First it was his wife, then him. And then this fire comes, and it takes him…" Not sure what to say, Cameron reached into her pocket, pulling out a small pack of vending machine cookies.

"Here," she handed them to him. "You need them more than I do." He accepted them with a small smile.

"Thank you."

"Nights like these… Sometimes I wonder what's missing from my life. I just feel like I should do more, you know? Get a hobby, a pet… Yesterday everything was fine, now it's over, so sudden. The number makes it all so much more real."

Looking to the side, Cameron and Wilson spotted Chase walking out as well. He seemed even more worn and torn. "Hey… I kind of lost sight of you in there after a while, where'd you go?"

"Patient ran off had to find her. She… the fire started in her apartment. She didn't want to be treated and I turned my back for a second…"

"Did you find her?" Wilson asked.

"They pulled her out of the river, she jumped… They got her in time, she'll make it. I shouldn't have left, I knew…"

"You can't control it all…" Cameron assured him.

"This shouldn't have happened, it wouldn't…"

"With everything going through her mind…" Wilson added.

"We'll take you home, I can stay…"

"Yes on the ride, but you don't have to stay. I'll be fine, I promise."

"How about a drink first?" They turned to find Foreman joining them.

"Not on an empty stomach…" Wilson pointed out.

"Great, we can eat too."

"Works for me," Cameron nodded as the four headed to the cars, facing the new morning.

the end.

up next: House/Cuddy