Wow more great reviews, thanx! Here's chapter 3. And yeah, some people asked if Taub was dead...I tried to make it obvious but yeah he went down with the plane. Sorry if it wasn't clear. RIP Taub. =(

CHAPTER 3: ON THE SHORE

House could feel the sharp burn of his muscles cramping as he dragged himself through the water, but the sand underfoot was an immense relief. They'd been swimming nearly an hour through the thunder and lightning, but they had finally reached the shore of a small island.

He gasped in relief as he finally made it to the sandy beach, letting himself collapse to the ground. Around him, the others followed suit, clearly exhausted. Chase had carried Emily most of the way, while Foreman, Cameron, and Cuddy had each done their share to help Ethan as he grew too tired to paddle along on his cushion.

They lay in silence for a while before a shout from the water broke through their thoughts.

"We need help!" A man's voice carried to shore.

Cuddy raised her head, looking around for the man. She spotted him in the water, struggling with a young woman with what looked like part of the plane's wing sticking out of her side. "Oh my God," she breathed. She began to run towards them. "Come on!" she called to the others.

"I should stay here with Ethan," Cameron said to Chase. "Go. Cuddy needs you."

Chase ran after Cuddy, who had already begun swimming toward the man and woman. Back on the beach, Emily began to cry.

"Emily," Ethan said weakly, getting up from the cushion and walking over to where Chase had left her. "Don't cry. It's okay. Look, we're on land!"

"I want Mommy!" Emily sobbed. "Is that Mommy out there?" She turned her big blue eyes to Ethan worriedly.

"Um…" He looked at the woman again, but only for Emily's benefit. "No, that's not her."

Chase and Cuddy had reached the couple in the water. The man was older, but clearly strong. He pulled the woman along with him through the water with determination, his jaw set firmly. Relief washed over his face as the others reached him. "Thank goodness. This woman is injured very badly. I pulled her from the wreckage."

"We're doctors," Chase assured him. "Here, let's get her on land."

"Do you know her?" Cuddy asked.

"No," the man replied. "But I'm an ex-Marine. We don't leave people behind."

They'd made it to land now, and Chase helped the man lay the woman on the sand. The wound was clearly deep, and she was shivering. He could tell she was in shock. "What's your name, Ma'am?"

"Su…Suzette," she managed to mumble.

"Okay, Suzette," Cuddy said authoritatively. "You're going to be okay." She examined the wound and the entry. The plane part was stained with blood, and without technology, she had no way of knowing what kind of internal damage it had inflicted. "House!" she called.

"House is officially on break," he shouted back, still prostrate on the sand.

"House," she snapped, "a woman is dying. Get your ass over here. Now."

"Fine," he grumbled, moving awkwardly towards them. It was difficult walking on the sand for a normal person, let alone someone with a bad leg. He wished he had his cane. And maybe a lifetime supply of Vicodin.

"I think I'll go help, too," Foreman said to Thirteen and Cameron. "I don't trust House under these circumstances."

Thirteen followed him, leaving Cameron alone with Ethan and Emily. "I'm hungry," sniffled Emily.

"Oh…" Cameron looked around helplessly, but there didn't seem to be anything edible on the beach. "I know you are, sweetie. When they have that woman over there, we'll all go find food together, okay?"

"Okay." Emily leaned against her, looking miserable.

Over tending to the woman, House crouched to inspect the wound. "Looks like there's a lot of internal damage. Which happens when you take a plane to the stomach."

"Skip the sarcasm," Cuddy hissed. "Patient's awake."

"Not for much longer," House said, but his voice was low enough that Suzette could not hear him. "Without an OR, she's not going to make it. Even if she doesn't die from internal bleeding, she'll die of infection."

"Do we have anything we could pack the wound with if we took the wing out?" Foreman wondered aloud. He was starting to think the situation was hopeless.

"Here." Chase removed his t-shirt and went back to soak it in the sea water. He wrung it out and returned. "This is the closest we'll get to a sterile dressing."

"Please," begged Suzette. She raised one of her bloodied hands and grabbed Chase's arm. "Don't let me die."

"Give her something to bite down on. It's going to hurt," House warned, preparing to pull the metal shard out.

"How about your shirt?" suggested Cuddy.

"I wish we had a coconut," House lamented.

"What?" Chase asked. "Not exactly the time for a snack break."

"Coconut water is sterile," House replied. "We could make her an IV with it. And a delicious snack for us."

"Should I go look for one?" asked Foreman half-heartedly.

"Sure," House answered dismissively. "And if you see some bananas, we can make a Pina Colada."

Foreman's eyes narrowed. "So, by your sarcasm, should I assume that's a no on the coconut front?"

"Just hold her still. Thrashing around isn't going to help when I yank this thing out." He paused and grinned at Cuddy. "That's what she said?"

Cuddy rolled her eyes. "I'm not even going to dignify that with a response."

"Could we please get back to the dying woman?" Chase frowned. "Sorry…wounded."

"Close enough though," Foreman mumbled as he stepped forward to hold down one of her arms. Chase held down the other, while Thirteen and Cuddy each held down a leg.

"God that's hot, ladies," House remarked as he placed a hand on the woman's stomach. "Okay, this is going to hurt, so...if you have to sue someone later, my name is Eric Foreman."

He pulled swiftly on the metal, causing the woman to scream. Blood gushed from her side, and he quickly packed Chase's shirt against the wound, applying pressure. "That's all we can do for now. We'll have to take turns applying pressure and hoping to hell she clots as fast as...hmm. Can't think of an analogy, there."

"We should find shelter," Cuddy said reasonably. "We'll have to transport her somehow."

"The more we move her, the more she risks bleeding out," Foreman insisted. "We should try to build a shelter around her, if we can."

"That'll be great when the tide comes in," Chase replied. The day had begun to take its toll on him, too.

Just then, Cameron walked over carrying Emily and with Ethan walking at her side. "What's the plan?"

"To find shelter, or build it somehow," Foreman said decidedly.

"I vote the plan is 'get our asses rescued,'" House offered.

"I want to find my mom," Ethan spoke up.

"Me too," Emily added.

"Well…let's start with shelter," Cuddy said reasonably. "Then we'll go from there."