Eames laid the baby on the bed near the window and called her father and then Logan, to let them know where she was. They were still over an hour out. She wasn't surprised to hear that Mike was a little closer. She expected him to arrive a full half hour or more before her father. Logan drove like Bobby did.

For lack of anything else to do, she laid down beside her little son, tucking her arm around him and drawing him in against her body. His soft sigh as he snuggled into her reassured her, made her feel more connected to life in general. Although she fought it, fatigue claimed her exhausted mind and body, and she slept.

She woke with a start to a booming knock. Mike. She got up quickly and hurried to the door, pulling it open. Without hesitation, she stepped into his arms. He rested his head against hers and held her tight. "It'll be okay, Alex."

"You didn't see her, Mike."

"Where's Bobby?"

"Where do you think he is? He's not going to leave her." He heard no resentment in her voice, only grief. He kissed her forehead as she looked past him. "Where's Carolyn?"

"She wasn't feeling up to the ride when I woke her up, so I dropped her off at the captain's place. She'll come down with him tomorrow. I thought this morning sickness stuff went away after a few weeks."

"It all depends. Some women suffer with it until the baby is born."

"Great. She hates being sick and every time she is, she gives me that Look what you did to me, you asshole look. If I were into fortune telling, I would predict this kid's gonna be an only child." He tightened his arms around her. "How's Maggie doing?"

"Not good." She hesitated to bring her emotions in check. "Mike, she stopped breathing, and they have her on a respirator."

He shuddered at the thought of his little bunny in a hospital bed, needing a machine to help her breathe. He swallowed a lump in his throat. "Why? What the hell happened?"

She stepped away from him and sat on the bed closest to the door, wrapping her arms around her torso. "Nothing, that's just it. She got washed under by a breaker, but Bobby got her right out. There's no reason for this. Bobby didn't get sick."

His heart went out to them both. "But he's going to make himself sick now. Go on back to the hospital, Alex. I'll stay here with the little mite. Tell Bobby I'll see him later, and give Maggie a kiss for me."

She looked toward the bed where Tommy slept, blissfully unaware of his sister's struggle against whatever it was that had taken her health. Again she fought her tears. She walked over to the bed, leaned down and kissed Tommy, running a gentle hand over his wispy, blonde curls. She crossed the room and wrapped her arms around Logan's waist. "You know what to feed him?"

"Pizza and beer. Got it." He grinned when she pulled back to glare at him. "Don't worry. I've taken care of him before. Tom and I will be fine. Go take care of your husband. He's the one who'll need it."

"Thank you, Mike."

He kissed her forehead again. "Go."

She left the room, and he sat on the bed by the baby and flipped on the television.

She stood in the doorway and watched in silence. Exhaustion and stress had finally overtaken him, but he remained in physical contact with Maggie, which didn't surprise her. A hand touched her back and she looked into the kind face of Maggie's nurse. "My name is Sara," she said quietly. "He fell asleep about thirty minutes ago."

"Did you have to sedate him?"

"No, but Dr. Chase did leave orders for it. I heard he was difficult downstairs."

"He's just scared. She means the world to him, and it will kill him if we lose her." She shuddered involuntarily at the meaning behind those words. "How is she?"

"No worse. She's taking a few breaths on her own, and she's stable. So far her blood culture is negative, and so is her urine culture. We don't think it's an infection."

"That's good?"

"Yes."

"Then what's wrong with her?"

"They haven't figured that out yet."

"Has Dr. House been in yet?"

Sara hesitated. "You haven't met Dr. House, have you?"

"No. Not yet. Why? What's wrong with him?"

"He's a brilliant doctor...but his bedside manner can leave something to be desired. The word...unconventional comes to mind. But he will take good care of Maggie. That much I can promise."

"As long as he makes her well. How bad can his manner be?"

Sara just smiled, squeezed her arm and walked away. Eames wondered at that as she watched the nurse depart. Unconventional. In her experience, unconventional was a very good thing. She turned back into the room and walked to Maggie's bed. Stepping around to the other side, she leaned down and kissed her daughter.

Sensing the movement in the room, Goren tensed suddenly, then lifted his head, looking around until his bloodshot eyes rested on her. She felt her heart drop at the look in his eyes when he realized that everything that had happened was very real; it hadn't been a nightmare. She walked around to him, slipped her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. "Hey, baby," she whispered to him. "I didn't mean to wake you."

"I...didn't mean to fall asleep," he answered.

She rested her cheek against the side of his head. "Anything much happen while I was gone?"

He shook his head. "They added antibiotics to her IV, just in case, but they don't think it's an infection."

"Then why the antibiotics?"

"It's their first line of offense. If they're wrong, delaying treatment can cost time she can't spare. They said it wouldn't hurt her, and if she doesn't need them, they can stop them. Th-they also gave her a dose of steroids, to see if she responds to them. They...they will reduce inflammation, maybe get her kidneys working right again...depending on why they shut down in the first place. They're thinking inflammation, but they don't know from what. They drew more blood." She kneaded the muscles at the base of his neck and he leaned his head back into her chest. "Your dad is here?"

"No. Mike is. He drives like you do."

"How's the baby?"

"Still sleeping."

"And how are you?"

"A little better than you are, but not much."

He was silent for a long minute. "How can I help her?"

Her breath caressed his ear as she answered in a whisper, "By staying calm and letting the doctors do their job. I know you hate to leave anything in someone else's hands, but you have to let them help her."

He was silent for a long moment as he watched Maggie's chest rise and fall in sync with the machine. She felt a subtle change in the muscles beneath her hands, an almost imperceptible droop of his shoulders. If there was one thing she'd learned in her years as his partner, it was how to read his most subtle gestures, to communicate without seeming to. And she knew the struggle that was going through his head. He was lost and he didn't know how to find his way.

"Bobby," she said softly as she slid her arms around his neck and pressed her cheek into his. "If you give up, then Maggie doesn't stand a chance. She has to know that you are here, more than anyone."

"You're her mother," he protested half-heartedly.

"I am, and I love her dearly. I know she loves me. But you...come on, Bobby. You have always been special to her. You know what you mean to her. Remember when she was a baby? How she would sometimes cry and not stop until you were there, and then she'd smile and settle right down to go to sleep? She needs you here, with her."

"I'm not going anywhere," he muttered. He took Maggie's hand, held it snugged in his much-larger hand. "I...I'm scared, Alex."

"I know you are. So am I. But we can't let that beat us." She gently stroked his hair. "You're exhausted. Put your head back down and go to sleep for a little while. I'll watch Maggie."

"But you..."

She stepped around and kissed him. "Don't worry about me. Rest for a little while...unless you want to go..."

"I'm not going anywhere," he repeated, his voice firm.

There was that stubborn streak, and she smiled to see it. She knew he meant it. She gently pushed his shoulders toward the bed. "Go ahead and put your head down. I promise I'll wake you if anything happens."

He resisted just for a moment before he let her push his head and shoulders toward the mattress. He rested his hand against Maggie's head and put his head back on his arm. Then his wife began to gently rub his shoulders and his back, and he didn't know anything more.

Dr. Gregory House limped into his office as the day began and groaned when he saw the file sitting on his desk. He really had to teach these kids to say no to a case every once in awhile. He propped the cane next to the desk and picked up the file. Goren, Margaret. Age five. A child...This would be right up Cameron's alley. He opened the file and began to read.

By the time he finished with the file, Chase, Cameron and Foreman were there, waiting. "Want to bring us up to speed, Chase, since you accepted this case?"

"A five-year-old girl presented with sudden-onset fever which quickly progressed to shock leading to respiratory distress. She was air evacuated from Tom's River and intubated en route when she stopped breathing. She has a decline in kidney function with associated electrolyte imbalances and a diffuse infiltrate bilaterally in her lungs. I started her on ampicillin and clindamycin, and gave her a 250 mg bolus of solumedrol."

"You're bothering me with a simple case of pneumonia?"

"There's nothing simple about this, and it's more than just pneumonia. Her condition deteriorated rapidly and for no apparent reason. Maggie was asymptomatic until after an incident on the beach."

"What kind of incident?" Foreman asked.

"She was playing near the water and got hit by a breaker and swept under. Her father got right to her and claims she wasn't under for long. He says she never stopped breathing or showed any ill effects outside of being frightened by what happened."

House looked thoughtful. "Foreman and Cameron, go talk to the parents and see what they tell you. I want to see if the story remains consistent."

Foreman looked at Cameron and Chase, rolled his eyes and headed for the door. As he pulled it open, House said, "I saw that."

Foreman ignored him and left the office with his colleagues right behind him.

Logan slept comfortably, vaguely aware of movement in the bed beside him. His sleeping brain was still processing the movement when almost twenty pounds of little boy squealed and pounced into the middle of his belly, knocking the breath from him in a single 'oof.' "Unna My!!!"

Little arms threw themselves around his neck and he had to smile. "Hey, tiger."

Tommy sat up and looked around the room. "Gapa!"

Stretched out on the other bed was John. He turned his head toward his youngest grandchild and smiled. "Good morning, Tom."

Logan pushed himself up onto an elbow, his other arm around Tom. "When did you get here?"

John looked at the clock, which read 7:34. "Three-thirty or so. Alex left word at the desk for them to give me a key so I wouldn't wake the baby. She said Maggie is still the same."

He watched Tommy climb off Logan and slide to the floor, toddling to the bathroom. "Mama? Dada?" He came out and looked under the beds. "Maga?"

"They're not here, buddy." Logan sighed heavily.

Tom headed to his grandfather and held up his arms. John picked him up and hugged him. "It's all right, baby."

"Mama?"

"Mommy'll be here in a little while, Tom. Are you hungry?"

Tom nodded. "Donut, Gapa!"

John had to chuckle. "After you have eggs."

Logan sighed. "Did Alex say if they have any idea what made Maggie sick?"

"Not yet, they don't."

Logan fell silent, not wanting to address the dark thoughts running through his mind. "John, do you mind if I run over to the hospital? I really want to be sure Bobby's okay."

"Go on, Mike. I'll get Tommy dressed and get him breakfast. Give my princess a kiss for me."

Logan nodded and, after stopping to kiss Tom's head, he left the room.

Eames was sitting on the edge of the bed, watching Maggie. Goren hadn't slept long, but she was relieved that he had slept at all. His head was still resting against his arm, but his dark eyes were on his little girl.

She slid off the bed and leaned over to softly kiss him. He closed his eyes for a moment. Then her hand sifted through his hair. "I'm going to check on Tommy. I want to be sure Mike gives him more than a donut and a soda for breakfast."

He didn't raise his head. "Mike takes good care of the baby. And your dad's here. Besides, a donut and a soda one time isn't going to hurt him."

She kissed his temple. "No, but then he'll come to expect it and I have plenty of other battles on my hands without adding another. Sometimes Dad can be as bad as you and Mike when the kids beg. Mush, every last one of you." She was reassured a little to see the corner of his mouth raised in an imitation of a small smile. She kissed that smile. "I love you, Bobby. I'll be back in a little while."

"I..." he swallowed. "Do you have to leave?"

"I need to see Tom and I imagine he wants to see at least one of us. So unless you want to leave..."

"No. No, I don't."

He slowly sat up, stretching his back as his wife leaned over to kiss Maggie. Then she kissed him again, softly, lingering. Touching her forehead to his, she said quietly, "Just remember that they are helping her. Behave. I'll be back in a little while."

He nodded, reluctant to see her go. Everything spun beyond his control when his wife wasn't there. As she got to the door, he called to her. She turned and he studied her for a long moment, contemplating what she meant to his life, eternally grateful that she had chosen to spend the rest of her life with him, in spite of his many shortcomings. "I love you, too, Alex," he said, unable to keep the emotion from his voice.

She returned to him, folding her arms around his neck and hugging him. "We'll get her through this," she whispered into his ear, filling her voice with a confidence she did not fully feel.

His arms tightened around her waist and it was with great reluctance that he finally released her. "Kiss Tom for me," he said.

"I'll bring him up to see you and Maggie." She rested her lips against his forehead. "I won't be gone long."

He watched her leave, fighting another urge to call her back. Turning back to the bed, he rested his chin on folded arms and reached forward, lightly tracing her arm with a finger. "Come on, baby. Wake up."

He moved his hand up toward her head, smoothing her hair back from her forehead. He let his mind focus on seeing her smile and her bright eyes. He listened to the memory of her laughter, of his name being called by her voice, and he remembered the surge of tender love he felt every time she patted his cheek or nestled her hand into his hair when she was tired. A single tear trailed its way over a cheek that only yesterday she had kissed after whispering into his ear, "I love you, Daddy." He would give his life to hear those words spoken one more time.