Hey guys, I'm back in the states from vacation so..another chapter finally coming your way...

Remember where we left off: Kate just brought House in as a motorcycle victim. From here on in, I can assure you that NOTHING is going to mirror what happened in the finale or up until that point (other then House's leg and Stacy, whom we MIGHT see later on..haven't written that far yet...). This is a fanfic and while it is based on the show, this particular story is not any sort of interpretation based on happenings in the show. It's my own.

Where we left off:
Excusing herself, Kate withdrew from behind the curtain and walked in the direction to the nurse's station. She was immediately met by a nurse who informed her, "Ms. Cuddy, your sister is in Board Room F on the third floor."
Kate nodded to show she understood. "Bring a basin there. He's probably going to vomit again," she ordered, and without another glance in the nurse's direction, she continued her brisk pace toward the stairs located outside of the ER.
"This isn't a show, people!" she roared at all the onlookers who were either staring at the curtain, where behind it, House was lying behind on a gurney, or gaping at Kate as she strolled past.

Chapter 48:

As she progressed down the somewhat vacant hallway, towards empty rooms with glass walls each equipped with long glass tables with rolling black leather office chairs surrounding them, Katherine Cuddy took a breath and focused on the task at hand. What she was about to do was something she dreaded doing, but she knew it had to be done. And she knew she was the one who had to do it.

Stopping just outside the door to conference room F, Kate took a deep breath and pushed the door open.

Lisa Cuddy, who was in the midst of addressing her employees who were seated around the glass table with papers in front of them, stopped talking midsentence and looked around at the door, which had just opened.

"What are you doing here?" she immediately asked, surprised.

"You need to come with me," Kate told her sister, simply.

Raising her eyebrows, Cuddy fixed her sister with a 'You can't be serious' look as she gestured around the table. "Kate, I'm clearly in the middle of a meeting."

"I know that, but Lisa, there's no room for discussion," Kate told her, plainly.

Her eyebrows meeting in the middle of her forehead, Lisa Cuddy narrowed her eyes. "Fine," she said, coolly, before turning and addressing her staff, "All of you review the plan in front of you until I get back."

Standing up, she walked past her sister and out the door.

Before speaking, Kate closed the conference room door quietly behind her and then turned to face her sister, while ignoring all of the stares from those sitting around the glass table.

"This better be damn important, Kate," Lisa Cuddy spat out, as she faced her sister with her arms folded across her chest.

Kate took a deep breath and locked eyes with her sister before saying anything.

"Lisa, she started slowly, "…there's been an accident…"

"What?" Lisa started, confused.

And then she understood.

Her mouth dropped open as realization struck. "Oh God. No!" she said, horrified.

Gently taking her sister by the arm, Kate began to lead her towards the end of the hallway towards the stairs.

"Lisa, Greg's downstairs in the Emergency Room."

Wrenching herself free of her sister's grasp, Lisa Cuddy hurried to the stairs, moving as fast as her pregnant body could take her.

"What happened? Is he okay? Is Greg okay, Kate?" Her heart was hammering wildly in her chest.

Kate stopped her. "Lisa, slow down and let's go down to the ER." Taking her sister by the arm, Kate led her downstairs.

Aware of all the stares they were getting when they walked into the Emergency Room, Kate ignored them and when they reached the curtain, she pulled it back, revealing House lying on the gurney, his left arm immobilized, ice packs lying on his left side, dried vomit on the side of his mouth. A metal basin was lying beside his head, next to the IV pole, which was already hooked up, a line traveling into House's right arm

"Oh my god," Cuddy cried out softly, rushing forward.

Nodding at the nurse, who excused herself at once, Kate stayed silent as she watched her sister scan down House's body as she took everything in.

"What happened?" Cuddy finally asked, as she tried to keep her voice steady, but Kate could hear the strain.

"He crashed his motorcycle, presumably on the way here. Possible concussion. I'm not sure yet if the shoulder is torn or dislocated." She paused and then said softly, "Lisa, I didn't check his leg."

"Thank you," Cuddy said, quietly.

Suddenly, House retched again. Lisa and Kate rushed forward and Kate grabbed the basin and held it up to House's mouth as her sister gently turned his head as he emptied the contents of his stomach, which was nothing but clear bile at this point.

Closing her eyes briefly, Lisa exhaled slowly, gripping the gurney's metal black railing for support with both hands. 'What was happening?' she thought, her mind racing as she struggled to get a hold of what was going on.

"Lisa, are you ok?" Kate's sister's voice of concern brought her back to the present as she opened her eyes and stared at her sister from across the gurney.

Shaking her head, Lisa focused on her sister. "You brought him here even though you hate him," she said, softly.

"I don't hate him, Lisa," Kate told her quietly, "I never have."

Lisa nodded, satisfied with that answer. She had more important issues to deal with.

"He needs an orthopedic." She nodded towards House's left shoulder and without hesitation, drew back the curtain, stepped out and drew the curtain closed again.

Walking briskly in the direction of the ER nurse's station, she stopped at the desk. "Get Robert Quigley on the phone," she motioned toward the nurse, keeping her voice as steady as possible. "He's an orthopedic. Tell him it's an emergency."

She waited until she was handed the phone. "Rob, hey, it's Lisa Cuddy. Listen, can you come down to the ER? Greg's been in an accident and his shoulder looks really bad... Can you come have a look?"

After confirming with Quigley, she gave the phone back to the nurse, and said, "When Dr. Quigley comes down here, direct him to curtain three, please."
"Right away, Dr. Cuddy," the nurse said, hastily.

Walking back to where House was, she drew back the curtain before stepping behind it. Yanking it closed behind her, she heard Kate say, "I think he's coming out of it, Lisa."

Rushing forward, Lisa stood by the bed and gazed down at the man occupying it.

"Greg?" she called out.

House moaned.

"Greg, honey, don't move, okay?"

More moaning. Letting out a breath, he grimaced and yelled out against the pain that was stabbing through his left side.

Grabbing his right hand, Cuddy gripped it and said softly, "It's ok. It's okay, Greg. Shhh…. Try not to move."

Kate, not wanting to intrude, retreated as far as she could from the bed while still eying her sister carefully.

Finally opening his eyes, House opened his mouth to speak, but was silenced when a finger was put to his lips.

"You have a couple of bruised ribs, and your shoulder is torn…" She paused and then asked softly, "Does your leg hurt?"

He nodded and reached up with his right hand to cup Cuddy's cheek.

She noticed a look in his eyes that she couldn't quite place. "Greg, are you in alotta pain right now?" she asked quietly, as she laid her own hand over his on her cheek.

He nodded, and closed his eyes.

A small cough made Lisa look around at her sister. "Sorry," Kate said, apologetically, as she mentioned toward Robert Quigley, who had just yanked back the curtain.

"Now that does not look good." Quigley said, pointing towards House's left shoulder.

Nodding to Kate, he strode past her, pulled up a chair and began examining House's shoulder.

"Looks like it was done before impact," he murmured, "…and then some."

"From the looks of it, Doctor, he seemed to have been thrown off the bike and twisted or the like as he went over the handlebars," Kate told him, and clarified, "I was at the scene of the accident."

Nodding in agreement, Quigley turned his attention toward the Dean of Medicine.

"He needs surgery, Lisa. As soon as I get an MRI to confirm, then it can be done." He paused and then finished out, "I assume you'll sign the paperwork as the proxy?"

She nodded. "I'll do whatever is necessary…He definitely needs the surgery?"

"I'm pretty sure, yes," Dr. Quigley told his boss, "It'll be confirmed with the MRI but yes, it's a high possibility that he will…Now if you'll excuse me, I'll go get the paperwork ready and see if I can get him into the OR in the next half hour, although being in a relationship with the Dean of Medicine certainly has its perks," he finished out with a smirk.

Lisa laughed, and Kate smiled a little.

Excusing himself, Quigley left.

"You don't have to stay," Lisa told her sister, looking up as she caressed House's knuckles delicately.

Kate shrugged. "I'll make sure he's okay."

Lisa smiled at her. "Thanks, Kate."

House groaned and then coughed. The grip on Cuddy's hand tightened. "Lisa," House choked out softly.
"Greg, I'm right here," Lisa told him softly, as she brushed a stray piece of hair off his forehead out the way of his eyes. "I'm right here," she repeated, her voice breaking.

Opening his eyes, House searched above him until Cuddy's face came into view. "Sorry I didn't make it for the meeting, but I decided to drop in anyway," he joked, and then winced in pain, closing his eyes.

Lisa laughed, even Kate smirked a little.

"Well at least I know you still have your sense of humor," she joked before turning on a serious note.

"You're going in for surgery in a bit for your shoulder," she told him.

"What happened?" House choked out softly, as he opened his eyes again. "All I remember is some asshole cutting me off."

Lisa gestured toward her sister. "Kate here can tell you better than me."

Surprised, House turned his head and searched the eyes of Katherine Cuddy, waiting silently.

Stepping forward, Kate said, "I was getting off my shift, and my driver saw a motorcycle smashed against a guardrail on the side of the highway. You were face down in a ditch. I brought you here and let my sister know right away."

Silence. Then as he continued to stare at her, House said quietly, "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Kate replied softly.

Suddenly, a wave of dizziness came over House and he closed his eyes and exhaled slowly, wincing as he did so.

"What's wrong?" Lisa asked him, quickly.

"Dizzy," he muttered. Without thinking, he moved his immobilized arm as he tried to bring it up across his body to his forehead, and hissed, gritting his teeth hard to keep from screaming out in agonizing pain, but couldn't keep it in.

Yelling out in pain, he squeezed his eyes shut as he tried to distract himself from the agonizing pain going through his left shoulder.

"Shhh, it's okay. You're okay," Lisa told him softly as she felt him almost break her hand with the amount of force he was exerting. "It'll pass. Hold on, Greg."

Groaning, House maintained a grip on Cuddy's hand as he slowly felt the pain in his shoulder begin to subside. When he opened his eyes, he took a slow and steady breath.

Remind me never to do that again," he told both Cuddy sisters.

"What about don't move your left arm? You could start with that," Kate suggested.

House smirked, although it was notably more like a grimace.

Just then, a nurse pulled the curtain slightly back and stuck her head in.

"Dr. Cuddy, Dr. Wilson is here. Should I let him in?"

The Dean of Medicine nodded. "Yes, thank you."

"Lisa, hey," Wilson said to her as he walked behind the curtain where House was. "I knew something was wrong when you were pulled out of that meeting." He looked over at House, who was lying on the bed. "Hey buddy."

House gave him a little head nod. "Wilson."

Turning to the woman on the other side of the bed, he stuck out a hand. "James Wilson. You must be Kate," he said as means of introduction.

Kate shook his hand. "I am. I saw you at the New Year's party…so, you're the 'best friend'?"

"I am," Wilson replied. "What happened?"

"Motorcycle accident," Kate told him.

His eyes moved swiftly down House's body. "Broken ribs?" he questioned, looking up at Kate, who shook her head.

"Just bruised."

Looking over at his boss, Wilson said, "Do you want me to tell Brenda to reschedule the meeting?"

Cuddy shrugged. "If you want to…"
Wilson stepped toward her. "It's really no problem." He paused and then said quietly, "You should stay here."

Nodding, Cuddy told him that she will set a time with Brenda to let the others know about a rescheduled meeting. "Thanks, James."
With a swift nod to Kate, Wilson stepped out from behind the curtain and went to see Brenda, Cuddy's assistant.

With a promise to return later on, Kate made her exit as well, leaving her sister alone with House, as he was due to go in any minute for surgery following an MRI.

Once the paperwork was signed by Cuddy, she, Robert Quigley and a nurse succeeded at getting House into a hospital gown so he could go into surgery.

As House was getting wheeled into the MRI machine room, Cuddy stopped Quigley and the nurse, who were wheeling the gurney.

"Rob, can you give us a few minutes?" she asked him.

"Certainly," Robert Quigley replied. "We'll be over there. Give me a holler."

Waiting until the nurse and Quigley were out of ear shot but still in view, Cuddy let her hands rest on the bed railing as she looked down at House, who had just opened his eyes.

"Hey," he said softly.

"Hi," she said, matching his tone. "How's the pain?"

"Trying not to think about it." He coughed and then winced, as he laid his right hand across his body on his left side. "Can you…can you call my mom?"

Cuddy caressed the right knuckle of his hand with her finger tips. "I was planning on it," she told him, quietly.

"Thanks," he said, half grimacing. Bringing his right hand upwards, he caressed her cheek softly with his fingertips.

Bending down, Cuddy kissed him softly on the lips. "I'll see you when you get out," she whispered.

Standing upright again, she signaled toward Quigley that House was ready

Upon wheeling the gurney into the room with the MRI machine, Quigley looked at the Dean of Medicine.

"I'll call your office once I get confirmation of what exactly he tore, and then we can go the surgery."

"Thanks, Rob," Cuddy told him.

With that, she turned on her heel and walked to her office, without giving recognition to all the stares that were directed her way as she walked down the hallway.