A/N: Okay, there's a lot going on in this chapter. I was going to split it in half and post it as two chapters, but I can't keep you guys guessing so I decided to throw this all in. I hope you guys are ready for this, because this is the conclusion of everything that has been going on.

I know that I have been a horrible updater but I'm really trying to make it up to you. My muse has been kind of low lately. I have been sick for nearly two weeks so I've been kind of down lately, but I'm hoping that my muse will pick up.

Sometimes it's just enough to watch a youtube video by KatrinDepp. She's amazing; I recommend you watch her videos. At least they give me lots of inspiration.

This is a really long chapter. I think it's one of my longest yet and they're all kind of long, but I didn't want to cut on the suspense so here you have it.

Huge thanks to my readers and reviewers.

Cuddy wrung her hands together nervously. Her eyes drifted from her cell phone to the clock on the wall. It took ten minutes to drive from the courthouse to the hospital. It had been forty minutes since House called, and he didn't answer his phone. Her immediate thought was that something had gone wrong. Maybe he hadn't been released. But she dismissed that thought immediately. He was out of custody, he had told her so. Then her thoughts went to other possible scenarios, each one just as horrible as the other.

Cuddy shook her head. She shouldn't jump to conclusions. He was on his way, she was sure of that.

She rested her head against the pillow and closed her eyes. Her hand went down to her stomach and she stroked it lightly. She wasn't sure how she was going to tell him that the baby was all right. She knew that the news had devastated him, and she couldn't wait to see his face when she would tell him that their child was all right. Yet she still dreaded to tell him. She still wasn't quite sure how he would react, but hoped that he wouldn't be too angry with her. She couldn't stand the thought of him staying angry with her when they hadn't seen each other for two weeks. She missed him so much it actually hurt her, and if there was anything those two weeks had taught her, it was how much she truly loved him.

Her eyes snapped open when she heard the door to her hospital room open. She watched Dr. Rossetti step into her room and close the door quietly behind her. Emily had become a true friend in the past weeks. She had insisted on keeping her watchful eyes on her baby while she was still recovering.

"I thought you were asleep." She muttered. "How are you?"

"I'm fine. House called."

Emily's eyes widened and she placed her hand on her chest in relief. Emily had been infuriated when she heard that she hadn't heard in House for two weeks, and had called the police station to demand that he could have a short phone call with his girlfriend. Unfortunately her persistence was met with equal obstinacy, much to her dismay. Cuddy didn't have the energy to pursue her rights to hear from House, and had calmly told her that they couldn't hold him there forever. She had always been sure that he would be released, and it turned out that her prayers had been answered.

"And? What did he say?"

"He's out. He's coming as soon as possible."

"Thank god."

Cuddy smiled and nodded her head. Her smile faltered when the noticed Emily's expression change from relief to concern.

"Is everything okay?" Cuddy asked her. Emily opened her mouth but shook her head.

"I actually came in to tell you something. I'm afraid that something terrible has happened. Nurse Sarah Adams was found dead early this morning."

Cuddy gasped, and clasped her hand to her mouth.

"What happened?" She finally asked.

"The police is working on it, but they think it was murder."

Cuddy felt sick to her stomach. Her thoughts raced as she processed the horrible news. The worst part of this was that she was certain who was behind this.

She had meant to testify against Dr. Saunders, but had decided to contact the police today. She couldn't believe that one of her employees could be capable of such a horrible thing.

"I think I know who did this." Cuddy blurted out.

"What?"

"I know who did this. I need to call the police." She said quickly and started to reach for her phone, but Emily stopped her.

"Lisa, what are you talking about?"

"The same person who killed Nurse Adams is also behind House's imprisonment and my injury."

"Lisa, just wait." Emily grabbed her shoulders lightly. "These are serious accusations. Are you sure this is related to your accident? I know that you've been through a lot, and House's imprisonment hasn't exactly helped, but you need to calm yourself down and think about what you're doing. If you accuse someone of such a serious thing as murder, you're altering that person's life, and you need to be sure that you're right."

Cuddy stopped struggling against her, and thought about what she was saying. She could be wrong, but she could also be right, and if she was right then a dangerous person was on the loose.

"Just think about it for a moment. If you're sure then call the police, but don't do it unless you're positive." Emily said calmly.

"And please don't strain yourself. Take a nap or something, and call when you've thought about it, okay?"

"Fine." Cuddy let her hand fall on the mattress.

"Just rest. You're so pale. Have you slept at all?" Emily asked with concern.

Cuddy touched her face self-consciously. She admitted that she hadn't been able to sleep much because of her constant worries. She had barely slept the entire night. Her thought kept coming back to the horrible event that led to her accident. She went through the details over and over again, trying to remember as much as possible.

"You're right. I should rest."

"Do you want me to stay?"

"No, I'll be fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." She demanded. Emily didn't hide her concern but stood up and stepped out of the room.

Cuddy closed her eyes and sighed. Sleep didn't sound too bad. She was really tired, and now when she knew that House was out of prison she could rest more easily.

She drifted into an uneasy sleep. She dreamt that she was standing in an empty hospital corridor. She felt a pang of pain in her lower abdomen, and slowly she turned her head downward where she spotted a bloodstain on her white nightgown. Her eyes watched the blood trickle down her legs and to the floor. She turned her head around and watched with horror the trail of blood on the white floor. She screamed out in horror and ran her hand under her nightgown. Her hand returned sticky with thick blood. Her hands shook as she wiped them on her hospital gown.

Suddenly she heard a sound of heavy footsteps behind her and turned around swiftly. Her heart fluttered when she saw House stand there. He was so tall, and so incredibly handsome. She tried to walk towards him but her body stood frozen. She tried to move but she couldn't. Finally her legs caved under her and she dropped on the floor.

"House." She whispered. Her voice a silent plea for him to help her, but he didn't move. Instead he stood on his ground and watched her with distain.

"You lost our baby." He spat out.

"No I didn't." She shook her head. "Our child is alive."

"No. Look at yourself. You disgust me."

She looked down at the blood on the floor and her stained hospital gown.

"No." She shook her head in denial. "It can't be."

House didn't say anything and started to walk away. She scrambled after him.

"House. No, House, don't leave me!" She screamed after him. She finally reached him and grabbed his hand. He stopped and looked down at her disgustedly.

"Don't leave me." She begged him.

"You leave me no choice. You killed our child."

"No, I didn't."

"I don't love you anymore." He spat the words out with such cruelty that it made her arms drop to her sides. Tears trailed down her cheeks as she watched him walk away.

"House." She choked.

She was stirred out of her sleep when she heard the sound of the door close. Her heartbeat drummed in her ears, and she kept her eyes closed. It was probably just a nurse. She was falling back to sleep when she felt a hand against her mouth. Her eyes snapped open and she met unfamiliar eyes. She tried to scream but the hand was pressed firmly against her lips.

"Shh Dr. Cuddy. If you fight you will be sorry."

She felt something sharp touch her neck. Her eyes widened with horror when she spotted the silver blade against her neck.

"If you scream I'll kill you, got it?"

She nodded her head slightly so the knife wouldn't push into her. He removed the hand away and replaced it quickly with a tape. She tried to control the tears that threatened to fall.

Dr. Saunders smiled ruefully, and held her securely with his hand so she couldn't move. She gasped when she felt the knife move deeper against her skin.

"How does it feel Dr. Cuddy? How does it feel to feel so hopeless?" He growled into her ear.

"How does it feel to feel so hopeless knowing that we got you're boyfriend, and within the next hour he will be dead. Do you want to know what they're doing to him right now?"

She didn't want to know. If he was capable of murder he sure could be capable of other things. She tried to push against him and knock him off her but his grip was tight and her injury prevented her from moving quickly.

"Don't even think about it." He snapped. He leaned against her ear and whispered.

"First we're going to torture him so when the time finally comes he'll be begging for death."

She tried to stifle down a whimper of fear. This couldn't be happening.

"House is going to die, and there's nothing you can do to prevent it."

She could feel his breath in her ear, and she wanted to push him away.

"And when that happens justice will be served. When they'll find his dead body, everyone will know what he truly is. A sorry son of a bitch who deserved it."

Cuddy wanted to scream. She wanted to kick him hard in the balls and run off to find House.

Dr. Saunders moved the blade against her skin. Her breath quickened, and she felt hopeless as he taunted her with his games.

"But you know what? Just as much as I like to see House's dead body, it won't surpass the feeling when I'll slice that pretty neck of yours and watch the life slowly fade from your eyes."

Her heartbeat quickened with fear when she felt the tip of the knife thrust into her skin. The gash was small but she could feel the blood trickle from the small wound. She begged him with her eyes to spare her life. But she watched his dark eyes observe her with such malice that she knew that he wasn't capable of any remorse. Suddenly the horrible reality hit her.

She was going to die.

She let out a shuddering breath and closed her eyes. She refused to let him see her suffer, and he was not going to be the last thing she would see.

Her thoughts went to House, and she hoped with all her heart that he was safe. She thought about how much she loved him, and how lucky she was to have experienced the time she had with him, and she hoped that he knew just how much she loved him.

The tears streamed freely down her cheeks, and she embraced the upcoming pain. She could feel the blade move slightly away, and she squeezed her eyes shut.

Suddenly the door burst open, and she opened her eyes quickly. In the doorway stood a female officer. Her arms were outstretched as she pointed her gun to Dr. Saunders.

"Drop you're weapon." She ordered.

Dr. Saunders hand moved swiftly to her neck, the blade pointing against her skin.

"Don't. Or I'll shoot." She warned.

The knife hesitated against her neck, and she could feel Dr. Saunders hand tense. He was a coward, and would never risk his own life.

"Dr. Saunders. You don't want to do this. Drop your weapon."

"You don't understand. She deserves to die." He cried out.

"No she doesn't. Dr. Cuddy hasn't done anything wrong."

She could see his hand tighten around the shaft, and she knew that this had been the wrong thing to say.

"Yes she does. They deserve to be punished for their sins."

"Dr. Saunders, you know that it's not true. Dr. Cuddy has done nothing wrong."

"You don't know anything." He snapped.

"Dr. Saunders. Please drop the knife, and we can settle this differently."

Cuddy felt the blade sink deeper against her skin, and she was sure that if he would push deeper he would cut through her skin. She stared at the officer with wide eyes. Her methods weren't working. He wasn't backing down.

"Don't do it." She said firmly.

The next event happened so quickly that she could barely register what happened. She could feel the blade push closer, then she heard gunshot, and felt the knife move away from her neck. Dr. Saunders hold slackened and she fell against the mattress. She saw the officer move quickly towards Saunders, and yank him on the ground. She heard him cry in agony, and watched the red stains on the white sheets of her bed.

She watched the scene before her numbly, and tried to register exactly what had happened. She heard someone scream, and a loud clatter of footsteps but everything was hazy around her. She watched as the officer held Dr. Saunders on the floor, and barked orders. Soon a group of security guards entered the room and yanked Dr. Saunders off the floor and dragged him out of the room. She felt a hand on her shoulder and barely registered when her name was called out.

"Dr. Cuddy."

She blinked and tried to speak but no words came out.

"Dr. Cuddy, you're safe now. He can't hurt you."

"House." She breathed out. "House…He's in danger. You have to help him." She cried out and struggled to get out of bed, but her injury prevented her from going anywhere.

"Dr. Cuddy calm down."

Cuddy grasped her hand, trying in vain to make her understand the severity of the situation.

"They're going to kill him. You have to go to him." She rambled.

"Please calm down. I know that you're scared but you need to calm down." The female officer said calmly.

"He said that House is in danger."

"Where is he?"

"I don't know. He called me when he got released and told me that he would get here as soon as possible. I haven't heard from him since then."

"When was that?"

"I'm not sure. It must be about two hours."

Concern flashed in her eyes and she grabbed a cell phone from her pocket. She pressed dial and turned away from Cuddy.

"Sam. Dr. House is missing." She said quickly. "I'm not sure, but you were right about Dr. Saunders." She turned her head to Cuddy. "No, she's safe, but I barely got there on time. Saunders had her when I got there, but we got him." She said briskly. She didn't say anything for several moments, but nodded her head from time to time.

"Okay. I'll see you there." She snapped the phone shut and turned to Cuddy.

"Dr. Cuddy. We'll do everything we can to make sure that Dr. House is safe."

"Thank you."

"No problem. By the way, I'm officer Katherine Jennings." She walked over to her and she saw concern flash in her eyes.

"God you're hurt." She said and turned her head to the doorway were a group of nurses stood by with terrified expressions on their faces.

"Hey, you." She said and pointed towards one of them. "Can't you fix this?" She asked and gestured to Cuddy. The nurse seemed to snap out of her trance and hurried over. Thankfully she didn't say anything and worked quickly.

Officer Jennings kept her eyes on her.

"How did you know?" Cuddy suddenly asked.

"What?"

"How did you know that I was in danger?"

"A friend of mine has been supervising Dr. House's case. He has been suspicious that things haven't been what they seem to be. He told me to keep watch on you in case someone would attempt to do something. It turns out that he was right."

"Does he know where House is?"

"He's working on it." She reassured her, but Cuddy didn't feel reassured at all.

"Is it okay if I ask you a few questions?"

"Of course."

"How well do you know Dr. Saunders?"

"Not too well. He was just an employee."

"Did you know him before you hired him?"

"No, why?" Cuddy asked suspiciously.

"Detective Pritchett and I went through some old patient files."

"Oh yes. I remember. I was asked permission for you to go through them."

"Exactly. Well, Detective Pritchett saw something interesting. Two years ago Dr. House treated a patient with an unknown heart problem. You were her attending for a few days before Dr. House got the case back. At first we didn't see anything odd about it until we saw that Dr. Saunders was noted as her next of kin. Do you remember this?"

Cuddy closed her eyes when she remembered. She had completely forgotten about that case. It had been particularly hard case, and House had stepped over the line. She had taken the case away from him, but soon realized that they couldn't treat her without his help. Unfortunately they diagnosed her too late and she had passed away.

"That patient was Dr. Saunders mother."

"Oh no."

"We think that he was so infuriated by his mother's death and now he seeks vengeance for her death."

"I wish I had known." She whispered.

"No. This isn't your fault." Officer Jennings assured her.

"But Detective Pritchett is sure that he isn't alone. Do you know if there is anyone who could be in this with him."

"Krauss." She said quickly. "Christopher James Krauss. He's his uncle. He's on the hospital board."

Officer Jennings wrote down the name and raised her eyes to meet hers. The wheels in her head turned as she thought about the past few months and suddenly it clicked.

"Krauss has been removing large sums out of the hospital into his private account."

She hadn't been sure before but now everything seemed to fit. He could easily have gathered the information required to transfer money out of the hospital. That was reason enough to want her out of the hospital because she was one of the few who oversaw the whole finances of the hospital, and he knew that he couldn't bribe for her silence. When he realized that he couldn't remove her from the hospital he tried to find other ways…But that didn't explain why he would want House dead.

"Were any other names in that file?"

"No, why do you ask?"

"I never knew how they were related, but could it be that Krauss was her last name?"

"I'll run it through. Hold on."

She stood up and dialed on her phone.

"Hey Steve, can you run something for me in the National Database? Uh, the name is Margaret Atwood."

Complete silence filled the room and Cuddy watched officer Jennings pace back and forth, biting her nails as she waited for the information.

"Okay thanks." She muttered.

"Margaret Atwood was born Margaret Anne Krauss. She was married to Thomas Saunders for a couple of years then got divorced. She took the name Atwood in 1989 when she married Paul Atwood. She was the younger of two siblings. Her brother is Christopher James Krauss. It fits."

"They want to avenge the death of Margaret because they think that we're responsible." Cuddy breathed out.

"Damn." Officer Jennings dialed again, and talked for several minutes. Cuddy didn't listen. House was somewhere in danger and she couldn't do anything to stop it.

"I'll be there in ten."

Officer Jennings placed the phone in her pocket and glanced at Cuddy.

"Thanks for your help. We'll find him, don't worry." She said surely, and just as quickly as she had arrived she disappeared out of the room.

Cuddy leaned against the pillow and hoped that she was right.

House felt a horrible pain in his head and leg. He lay sprawled on the floor, his hands were chained behind his back, and he felt blood trickle down his forehead. He watched the dustbins on the floor move with the cold wind that gushed through the unglazed window. He was situated in an abandoned construction building. The cement floor felt cold and hard, and did little to help the throbbing pain in his leg.

His mind raced over the events that had led him to the place he was now. He had stepped into the cab, and the next thing he knows is that someone is restraining him, and he is gagged until he loses consciousness. When he regained consciousness he was in the same position he is now.

He tried to move into a sitting position, but it proved to be more difficult than he had anticipated. He tried to untie the bondage but there was no way for him to loosen them. He cursed, and tried to look around for something sharp to cut the rope.

"Language Dr. House. I assure you that you can't get out of this."

House looked around for the owner of the voice, and much to his surprise it belonged to an old man.

"Who the hell are you?"

The man raised his eyebrows. He didn't like the way he looked at him.

"You don't know me Dr. House? That's too bad because I know you."

The old man walked slowly towards him. He was clad in a black suit that was fitted against his skeletal frame. His grey eyes were disarmingly cold, and devoid of any emotion.

"My name is Christopher Krauss. You must have heard my name."

Oh yeah, that name rang bells. When he realized whom he was everything clicked.

"You're the one behind my imprisonment. You must have bribed the judge to prolong the custody. You pushed Cuddy down the stairs." He spat out angrily.

"Impressive Dr. House, but not impressive enough. I have heard so much about your great mind and intellect, and I must say that you have disappointed me thus far. I would have expected that you would have realized the truth much, much sooner."

"Is this a game to you?"

"You tell me Dr. House." He said menacingly and crouched down beside him.

"You're one sorry son of a bitch."

"Is that all you have to say?" Krauss cocked his head to his side a taunting expression on his face.

"What do you want from me?"

Krauss raised his eyebrows. He stood up and adjusted his jacket.

"Nothing. I just want us to have a small chat, that's all."

"Well you're showing that in a weird way. If you want to chat then you can at least release me." He said angrily.

"I'm afraid that it's nonnegotiable." He snapped his fingers and right then four men appeared. They were large, and bulgy, and he realized that there was no way that he could defend himself against them. Krauss gave them a small nod, and just as quickly as they had appeared they went to him and grabbed his arms and legs. No matter how hard he resisted it came to no use. They slammed him on a table and strapped his arms and legs to the table. He cried out in frustration, and tried with his might to pull at the ropes that were holding him in place.

The guards stood on each end of the table and observed Krauss who walked slowly towards them. He unbuttoned his jacket and draped it over a single chair that stood by the table. He sat down and observed him with his grey eyes.

He nodded his head to the guards, and House watched in horror as they clenched their fists. The first punch was directed to his bad leg, and he cried out in pain as the fist connected with the soar spot. He grit his teeth and tried to control the tremor that started in his leg. The next went to his face. After that he couldn't detect where they aimed because all he could feel was horrible pain.

The punching and kicking went on for what seemed like forever. His body was burning and he couldn't see or hear anything. He wanted to die, and he wished that they would just finish with him. Out of the corner of his eye he saw something glisten, a knife that was situated in the pocket of one of his offenders. He tried to focus on the knife, and a way to grasp it, but it turned out to be nearly impossible. The bondage held him in place and the guy wasn't close enough for him to be able to get a hold on it. He finally got a chance when the guy leaned forward and punched him in the cheekbone. With quick reflexes he managed to grasp the handle and grasp it in his fist. He held on it for dear life like it was his lifeline.

The beating went on for what seemed like forever when it finally stopped.

His body was on fire, and he gasped for breath. He spit out blood that had formed in his mouth, and could have sworn that a tooth had followed. He could feel his eye swell up, and he watched through the gap as Krauss stood up from his chair and walked over to him. He stopped by his side and leaned forwards so his head was close to his ear.

"How does it feel Dr. House?"

House didn't answer. He wasn't going to cave in to his sick mind, and stayed silent.

"I think you know by now that you're going to die here so there's no need for you to stay silent."

House resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Well, if this was the end then he sure as hell was not going to cave to that madman.

"You don't really seem to care whether you live or die. That puzzles me since I thought you had so much to lose."

That touched a nerve. It made him think whether he had accepted defeat. Thinking back to his imprisonment and the way he had dealt with it made him realize that he had given up too soon.

"I thought so." Krauss muttered.

"You pretend to be so unattached to people. You think that you're superior to everyone around you, yet here you are, a vulnerable wreck who can't be there for his girlfriend when she needs him the most."

"That's hardly my fault, now is it?" House spat angrily. "I'm not the one who is playing god."

"Who said anything about god?" Krauss spat. "God is just an excuse for humankind to find answers to things that are unexplainable. People pray to a god that doesn't even exist, and if there has ever been a God he has long abandoned us."

House watched him ramble on with curiosity. The mentioning of God had made him react so strongly, which made him realize that maybe if he let him talk enough he could release the bondage. He didn't keep his eyes off Krauss who watched him with furious eyes. Slowly he moved the blade against the rope.

"Dr. House."

He froze when he heard him say his name with his thin voice.

"You may have accepted your death, but can you accept her death?"

"If you so much as touch her…"

"Then what? Are you going to kill me? I don't think that you're in any position to give any threats." He picked up a pocket watch and checked the time before placing it again in his pocket.

He yanked his head towards the guards and so the second round began. This time he started to numb up to the pain, and when he seriously thought that this would be the end of him they stopped. He didn't know how long Krauss was going to keep it up.

"Leave us." He said coldly. They left, and House and Krauss were completely alone in the room.

"Why won't you just kill me?"

"Because your death is not enough. I need to see you suffer like you made my sister suffer."

"What?"

"You don't remember her do you? Of course you don't. You're the great Dr. House. The doctor who is so good that he doesn't even have to see patients to figure out what's wrong with them."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

Krauss marched to him and yanked his head back. He leaned forwards so they were face to face.

"Margaret Atwood was my sister. Two years ago she was sent to you because she had abnormal heart problems. You didn't see her for four days. You made her go through hell. You gave her different treatments every day until Dr. Cuddy took over the case. Two days later she's dead. You killed her Dr. House. You and Dr. Cuddy made her suffer until she took her last breath, and you don't even remember her." He spat out.

It all dawned on him. He could barely remember the patient, because Cuddy had forced the case on him, and he didn't give a damn about some old woman who had what appeared to be normal symptoms for a person her age.

"What do you want me to say? That I'm sorry? She died because there was nothing we could…"

Krauss punched him in the face so his head yanked to the side.

"Don't you dare say that. You didn't care about her well being at all. Wasn't she interesting enough? Wasn't her case puzzling enough for you? You killed her Dr. House, you can't deny that."

"Fine." House screamed. "I killed her, but she would have died anyway. Her heart was barely functional when she came into our care. There is no way that we could have done anything for her."

"Yes you could." He cried out angrily. Krauss had lost his cold demeanor. His grey eyes were on fire with anger and resentment, his face red with rage.

"This is how life is. People die." House growled.

"Shut up." Krauss cried out. He dug his hand into the pocket of his pants and drew out a gun.

House froze when he spotted the gun in his hand. Sweat formed on his brow, and he tried to swallow away his fears.

"You don't want to do that." He said evenly. "My death won't bring her back."

"I don't care. You deserve to die."

"If you wanted me dead, you would have killed me already." House reasoned. "You don't want to do this. Just lower the gun."

Krauss didn't lower the gun, but House could detect a flicker of doubt in his eyes.

Suddenly he heard a burst of noise and dark figures enter the room.

"No." Krauss cried out.

House could see his eyes harden and realized that he had made his decision. He squeezed his eyes shut and shifted away. He heard the gunshot before he felt the bullet dig into his side. At that moment the rope gave in, and his hand was finally free. He didn't see what happened next, but he could swear that he heard another gunshot. The pain blinded him and he couldn't breathe or hear anything.

He felt hands on his side, and someone place an oxygen mask over his face. He could swear that he saw a familiar pair of brown eyes, but then he could be wrong. He fought to keep his consciousness, but it was hard and slowly he started to cave into the swarming darkness until he finally lost consciousness.

House felt like someone had driven a truckload over him. No, it was worse. He felt like someone had punched him mercilessly and shot him in the gut. That was about right.

He opened his eyes and blinked into the bright light. He sighed and tried to adjust to the light. Finally his eyes adjusted and he realized that he was in the hospital.

He felt something soft against his hand and turned his head downwards and saw a familiar hand in his. He felt relief flood him when he realized that she was safe, and sound. He had been so afraid that he had lost her, but there she was. He turned his face sideways so he could see her face. She lay in a hospital bed, which had been placed beside his. Her head lulled against her pillow, and she was sound asleep. He watched her face, and took in every detail. He admired her long lashes, and full lips, and the way her neck curved down to her shoulders. He took her all in, and felt himself almost choke up.

She was pale, and he could spot dark circles under her eyes. He wondered whether she had slept at all the last couple of weeks.

He stroked the back of her hand with his thumb in slow circles, careful not to wake her from her sleep.

He didn't look up when the door opened. He heard heavy footsteps approach his bed, but he didn't dare look away from her face in case she would disappear if he would.

"I'm glad to see that you've woken up. You gave us quite the scare."

House looked up and saw Pritchett lean against the doorframe. He walked up to him and sat in one of the chairs by his bedside. Pritchett didn't say anything and neither did he. No words were required, but Pritchett was the first one to end the silence.

"You're lucky. Not everyone has the same opportunity you have." House looked away from Cuddy.

"I know." And he did. He was not going to screw up. He had been too close to lose her and he would never take her for granted, ever.

"Is…is he dead?" House asked suddenly. He needed to know.

Pritchett looked down and that was all he had to know. Somehow he didn't feel relieved or glad. He felt something he rarely felt, remorse.

"But we caught Dr. Saunders, and Krauss's minions who tried to run away when we approached the building."

"How did you know where we were?"

"I'm good at my job." Pritchett shrugged.

"Well…thank you for everything." House muttered. He wasn't too used to thank people, but he was no fool, if it wasn't for Pritchett he would be dead, and the same went for Cuddy. He looked at Cuddy and couldn't believe that this was finally over.

"You're welcome." He stood up and placed his hand on his shoulder.

"Goodbye Dr. House."

House watched him leave the room, and the door close behind him.

He fell against the pillow and looked at Cuddy. He closed his eyes and clutched her hand slightly tighter just to be sure that she was there. Soon he fell into a peaceful, dreamless sleep.