a/n: Okay, did anyone else believe that entire "two chapter left" thing? I honestly did, until I started writing and realized how many plot points are still left to tie up. So, it will be at least three more chapters, maybe four (although I say three right now). This is one of them. This one is meant to be less surprising, yet it's dramatic.

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Chase and Foreman made the long slow walk out of the ICU, shoulders low and heads down. They weren't surprised to see Cameron and Pamela somberly waiting with House, each seated in the row of chairs lining the orange wall.

Cameron rushed over and fell into Chase's arms. "How is she?"

"In a coma. We are waiting for all the results to come back, but it's looking like DIC."

Cameron gasped, while House dropped his head in disappointment.

"DIC?" Pamela asked.

"Disseminated Intravascular Coagulopathy," House answered. "It doesn't go over well with Intensive Care Specialists like Chase over there. They see it too much. They have their own acronym for it."

"What is it?"

"Death is coming," Chase answered woefully.

Cameron was all too familiar with the acronym as well. "What's going to happen now?"

"We need to stop the progression, otherwise she'll go into left side cardiac failure, just before the rest of her organs shut down."

"Is that the only problem?"

"There are other complications," Foreman replied. "Once she's stable, we'll need to check for neurological damage because some reflex responses aren't looking good."

"I'm considering starting her on rFVIIa." Chase divulged.

Cameron transformed into differential mode, knowing the controversy of the treatment. "Is it that bad? The use of recombinant activated factor VIIa works best in patients with massive hemorrhage in whom standard measures of stabilization are unsuccessful. It's only in some cases that it reduces DIC."

"It's been known to work better in cases of obstetric hemorrhaging," Chase argued.

"Chase is right," House said, quickly dismissing Cameron's concerns. "Considering the mortality rate for DIC is about 80 percent, I would say he's onto something." He waved his hand at Chase. "Go do it."

Chase and Foreman nodded before moving on in a hurry.

House leaned forward in his chair, resting his forehead on his cane. He waited for what was coming next, certain that sympathetic Cameron going to make her move.

"Is Dr. Wilson in the NICU?" she asked.

"Uh huh."

"I'll go talk to him." Cameron found her forward path restricted by a cane.

"No, I'll handle it. No reason to hide from the boy the fact he has two dads. He should find out young, so he'll adjust to society better."

Cameron gave him a firm stare. "House, try to be a friend? He has to be crushed right now and you're hardly coming in with good news."

"Me? Why I'm his best bud."

"House-"

"Don't worry about us, we'll be fine. Go help the ambiguously gay duo in there. Be useful for a change."

Cameron gave him a scowl and left. She didn't mind the angry outburst directed at her. His misguided anger usually meant he was caring about something.

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Sitting on the other side of the glass wall, almost lost in the low lit room, was the only man he ever known to be a true friend. House was never good at reciprocation, and he didn't think Wilson would expect it this time. Still, it hurt him to see the broken look on his friend's face right now, even if he'd never admit it.

The NICU was always a quiet place, despite the presence of busy staff at all times and distraught family members hovering over their struggling children. House worked his way over to Wilson, who was in a plastic chair next to the crib, arms folded and legs stretched out, wearing a sterile hospital gown.

Wilson's eyes drifted to the man towering over him, then wandered back to his feet. He knew that look on House's face. Grim was usually House's attempt at sympathy. He wasn't in the mood for it today.

House gave the child a careful study. He was surprisingly healthy for what he just went through. He was a large baby, but that made sense to him. He was too, and never heard the end of it from his mother. The measurements attached to the side of the crib confirmed how large. 9lbs, 4 oz.

"Clinical evidence of perinatal asphyxia," House commented, repeating the note on the chart.

"Duh," Wilson replied. "He wasn't breathing when he was born."

"It doesn't seem to have been for too long though. He likely avoided neurological damage." House grabbed a chair that was nearby and sank down into it, finding relief for his aching body. He bounced his cane on the floor a few times while he and Wilson avoided eye contact, both aware of the awkward silence.

"So who was the quick thinker that thought it was fetal hypoxia? My money is on Chase." House said, asking and answering his own question.

"Yep," Wilson confirmed. "He connected all the symptoms and the first minor sign of trouble he acted swiftly. He saved this little guy's life."

"Intensivists are well trained to identify early warning signs. He did his job. Now he and Foreman are using their years of training for Cuddy. Don't you want to know how she's doing?"

Wilson sighed. "A nurse checked for me. She said she was in a coma."

"Did she tell you she's gone into DIC?"

Wilson tried to show no reaction, considering he's seen worse case scenario too often. His bravery was short lived though as he buried his face in his hand. He didn't want House to see him fall apart. "No."

"She's not going to die. Chase and Foreman have a few tricks up their sleeves."

"Tricks?" He asked, raising his head back up.

"rFVIIa."

Wilson nodded. "It's been proven to work in some DIC cases. What's the chances of hemostasis?"

"In an AFE diagnosis, twenty percent." He saw his friend's body droop in disappointment. "Why don't you go see her?"

"I can't right now." Wilson said, rubbing the heels of his hand into his temples. "Just before she went down she begged me to take care of the baby."

"I'll get Cameron up here. She's got this baby thing down."

"I'm not ready to say goodbye to her, okay. I don't want to see her and it turn out to be the last time."

"That's a bunch of crap. Every time you see anyone it could be the last time. You're just afraid of her dying in your arms."

"Yes. I'm afraid. I can't see her like this. I don't want the last thing I remember is her hooked up to machines keeping her alive."

"Chicken."

Wilson sat straight up. He wasn't taking House's crap today. "I'm here taking care of your son, a child you won't even acknowledge. Who's the coward here? Hypocrisy is not usually your style."

House quietly backed off. If he learned anything about their friendship, he knew when to cross a line and when not to. "Okay, your choice. I'll be in the ICU if you need me."

Wilson didn't watch him leave. He knew he wasn't going to get a hug and sympathy from House, and if he had that would have freaked him out worse. Still, a small bit of him hoped he would at least acknowledge his son. Wilson got up and hovered over the baby.

"Whatever happens, I'll never leave you, Michael."

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Chase poured through the latest test results when House arrived. Judging by how quick he was there, he wasn't much of a help to Wilson. "The treatment is helping. The DIC has not progressed in the last hour."

House grabbed the results from him and checked for himself. "It hasn't reversed either."

"The next four hours are the most critical. We'll have a better idea then. How's the baby?"

"Fine."

Chase nodded. Fine always meant good when House said it.

"Cameron, go up to the NICU and see Wilson. He apparently needs pointers on caring for a baby." House ordered.

"No problem," Cameron replied with a weary smile.

Foreman and Chase looked at each other with concern.

"What?" House asked.

"You sent Cameron to console Wilson," Foreman said. "That means he can't be in a good place right now."

"Your concern isn't with Wilson right now, or the baby. Keep her alive." House shouted, his frustration over the situation apparent.

"We're doing that," Chase answered. He moved in closer to House and spoke lower. "She can hear us. Behave in here or I'll have no problem kicking you out."

"He started it," he said pointing to Foreman.

Chase gave him a non-verbal warning this time, with a stern glare.

"Okay, I'll be good." He took his place at the side of the bed, mocking his former fellows with his expression of compliance. Once Chase and Foreman were satisfied, they went on with their work.

House had a rare loss of words. Cuddy probably didn't need to hear him gripe anyway. Of course there was never a time when she did. "I'm sorry," he said softly, and then settled in to hold his vigil.

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"Dr. Wilson?"

Wilson was embarrassed to be seen right now by someone else at the hospital, especially an impressionable young lady that was only there to do her job. He'd seen her in action before when issues of proxy and guardianship had come up. He slid his hand over the stubble on his face. He normally was so well manicured and clean shaven, but he had let himself go over the last couple of days, ever since Lisa went into labor. His clothes were rumpled, his eyes bloodshot, and his hair tousled. "Yes Becki."

"I'm sorry to disturb you during this difficult time, but are you the baby's father?"

Wilson had to smile at her straight forward approach. Most clerks tried to be more diplomatic than that. Too bad he actually had to give her a response. "No, I'm not."

"Did Dr. Cuddy leave instructions on who would make decisions for her and the baby in case she was incapacitated?"

Incapacitated. What a cold word for being in a coma and medically unable to function, he thought. Why couldn't they have come up with a better word? Vacationing works. "She didn't have anything on file?"

"Yes, for her. She approved heroic measures, so we are leaving those decisions right now up to Drs. Chase and Foreman. I just needed to know if there was someone else they should be talking to."

"No, there isn't."

"The baby is a different matter then. Since no father has been identified and she didn't give you any authority, the child will have to be handed to social services and will likely become a ward of the state."

"Dr. House." Wilson blurted. He knew House would be none too happy, and it was a violation of his agreement with Cuddy, but there was no way he was going to let this child become the state's problem. This time, if House didn't cooperate, he would beat him until he did. It's not like he could run far. "He's the father."

"Can that be proven?"

"Yes."

"Okay. I'll talk with Dr. House then."

Wilson had to admire her calm and professional reaction. He knew she would be off to spread the word among the other staff. It was gossip even he would by dying to share. Becki went to leave the room, but Wilson stopped her. He had an idea.

"Becki, Dr. House wasn't willing to play a part in Michael's life. Can he sign guardianship to me?"

"I'll have to check, but yes, I believe that's possible."

"Offer that as a suggestion to him first. He won't be so hostile and mean to you if you do."

"Thanks Dr. Wilson, but shouldn't I let him know he has other options first?"

Wilson shook his head, wondering how wise it was to send this girl off to peril in the face of a miserable bastard. She was too young, too innocent to be sacrificed. Still, despite his guilt, it was her job. "He already knows that. He has dismissed that as an option. Trust me, save yourself the trouble. Let me know if he doesn't cooperate."

"Thanks, I will."

Wilson smiled at how nice she was. He always liked dealing with nice people around the hospital, or at least ones that went to the trouble to act nice. He looked at his watch. He guessed that within a half hour everyone in the hospital would know whose Michael father was.

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Foreman saw the young clerk leaving the ICU, frightened beyond belief but she seemed to have gotten what she came for. No doubt it involved House. Only he left that mark of terror in others, especially when something was bothering him.

He slid open the glass door leading to Cuddy's suite. She had been in a coma for over a day now, and despite the lack of progression of DIC, she wasn't out of the woods yet. Each hour she was alive though provided more hope.

Foreman took a seat next to House. He knew the drill. Wait for the joke or insult, and then go on.

"I'd tell you how much like hell you look, but it's not like there's a color change in your face. Have you gone blacker?"

There was the joke. "House, I've-"

"Got the MRI results. I can tell from your look it's either not good or inconclusive."

"It's more inconclusive than anything, but the loss of oxygen has caused some brain injury. We won't know how bad until she wakes up."

"If she wakes up."

Foreman shrugged, not arguing that point.

"What did Chase find out?"

"Nothing's failing. Her organs are slowing regaining normal function, and CBC shows slight improvement."

"Where's Chase anyway?"

"Downstairs with the twins and Cameron. He needed a family break."

"Remind me to get all weepy over that later." House scoffed.

Foreman smiled, noticing the slight holding back in the delivery of that insult. "Come, admit it, you can relate. You probably want to go hug your son right now."

"He's my child in blood only."

Foreman's smiled got wider. "Yeah right." He pointed to Cuddy. "I'm sure she doesn't believe you either."

"Don't you have something to do? Your wife is in the hospital now. She'd be nicer if she got a little midnight at noontime."

"Lunch was three hours ago, but thanks for the suggestion."

House was surprised to hear that. That meant he had been there all day, ever since he arrived at the hospital this morning. Time was usually completely lost in the ICU.

"You should check on Dr. Wilson," Foreman suggested. "He hasn't left the NICU ever since the baby went there."

"He gets one family member, I get the other. Anyway, I'm sure he's enjoying the peace. He's going to need that time to start making choices."

"What are you talking about?"

"I just gave Wilson custody of the child. He's now his problem. I'm sure he's going to be touring daycare centers and interviewing pediatricians soon."

"You gave up your own baby? Especially when he won't be able to know his mother anytime soon, if at all?"

"Look at it this way. It's a good test at learning how to overcome hardship."

Foreman twisted his lips together, holding back his knee-jerk reaction.

"Come on, spit it out." House challenged.

"I was going to tell you that you're an ass, but I realized that wasn't accurate. You're a bitter disappointment." Foreman got up and walked away.

House took the biting comments in stride. He had it coming. Still, he didn't regret his decision. "You of all people know this is for the best," he told Cuddy. "I'll only screw the kid up worse than he already is.

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Chase enjoyed the small smile that slipped onto his face when he saw Wilson sleeping in the chair next to the baby. He hadn't smiled at all for the last 36 hours. He needed to have one, but he probably needed sleep more.

Michael was so content, calmly examining all the room's sterile surroundings with fascination, with wires still hooked to him. The infant's big eyes eventually met Chase's, triggering another big smile from him. It reminded him when Ethan was there over two months ago, although this baby was twice his size.

"Hey there little fella," Chase said. He knew how well babies responded to a human voice. The noise prompted Wilson to wake.

His reaction at seeing Chase was mixed. Chase was always so detached when delivering news, so he couldn't read at first if his visit was good or bad. He was smiling, but the baby could have brought that out.

"Michael is doing really well," Chase told him while reading the chart. "He seems to be passing all the proper milestones. Any stay at this point is just a precaution."

"Yes, it's looking good." Wilson moved his palms across the sides of his face before stretching his arms upward. "You've come to give me an update?"

"Yes. I can give you sometime to pull yourself together."

"Nope, give it to me."

Chase pulled up a chair and sat down next to him. Both men were pretty exhausted, but even Chase knew that Wilson was worse for wear. "The rFVIIa is reversing the DIC. It's going slowly, but she's coming back."

"But?" Wilson knew there was more.

"She's still in a coma, and there are signs of neurological damage. We can't tell how bad until she wakes, but at very least she's in for a lengthy rehabilitation."

"If she wakes."

"Yeah." Chase knew he didn't have to offer sugar coated hope to a fellow doctor that has seen as much death as he has.

"Okay, thanks."

Chase knew from the quick response Wilson wasn't in the mood for socializing, but there was more he needed to say. "Dr. Wilson, I usually don't pry, but this isn't a usual case. You know as well as I do that most coma patients hear voices. I'm willing to bet it would help her if she heard yours."

Wilson shook his head. "She knows why I haven't been there. I'm honoring her request and taking care of the baby."

"None of us have talked to her much about Michael, not even House. We were reserving that for you. It could really give her hope."

"House has been talking to her?"

"Yeah, constantly. I'm sure she wants to wake up so she can put him in his place like she always does."

Both laughed over that visualization. Probably a little more than the quip warranted, but the fatigue contributed to their slap-happiness.

"House didn't mention the baby?" Wilson was surprised.

"No, or at least he isn't telling her he's doing well. He doesn't think it's his responsibility."

Wilson nodded. "It would be great if Michael could be there with me."

"I'll talk to the NICU attending on duty. I'm sure with supervision he'll allow that."

"Thanks."

Chase paused for a few more seconds, making sure Wilson was okay before going on. "That's not all. I'm also here to talk about you. We all are worried about you as well. You need to go home, shower, change clothes, fix yourself up and just rest for a bit. Michael will be fine. Allison said she'll make sure someone will be with him all the time while you're gone. She's offered to take first shift."

"I can't leave him."

"Yes, you can. Don't forget I worked for House for over three years as well as Allison. We aren't beyond drugging you if we have to. That or we can have security toss you out."

Wilson smiled. He knew that wasn't an idle threat. "Fine, I'll go as soon as Cameron gets here."

"Actually, she's waiting outside. Shall I give her the okay to come in?"

Wilson nodded.

Chase got up, stopping to offer another smile to the baby.

"Chase?"

"Yes Dr. Wilson."

"Thank you. Without you, Michael could have had brain damage or died. You saw something none of us did. I'll always be grateful. I'm sure Lisa would be too if," he stopped in time, preventing his emotions from overtaking him.

"I was doing my job, and you're welcome."

"Thanks for being so damn good at your job." A small break in his voice slipped through.

Chase gave him a humble smile. "I'll talk to Dr. Agbar right now." He stole one last gaze at the pleasant child before going on.

Wilson took in a deep calming breath, accepting that a small rest would be good at this point. He was taking his adopted son to meet his mother. He needed to be at his best.