Author's note: I apologize in advance for any medical mistakes in this or the next chapter. As stated before, I am not a doctor, nor in any way related to medicine. This is a relationship story, the injuries here are for dramatic purpose only. So please have patience with the semi-medicine. Thanks again for the positive reviews.

00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

There was so much blood. As a doctor, he was certainly used to blood and it had never bothered him before. But this was a woman he held in his arms and that he, well, he could admit it, that he cared about.

House wondered how she hadn't passed out. But she was fighting with the doctors and nurses that were trying and failing to tend to her injuries. She sounded weak. He had never heard her sound like that before. He moved into the exam room as fast as his bum leg would take him and up to her bed. The doctor there looked relieved to see him.

"House, she won't let us touch her."

House barely acknowledged the man's words. He looked at the woman covered in blood. "Kate." He said in a quiet voice.

"Don't let them touch me, Greg. Please. You know how I hate hospitals."

"I won't let them do anything unless you say it's okay. But I need to know what happened."

"The S.O.B. shot me. And then I fell off the damn fire escape. And when I was trying to get up to go after him, he shot me again! When I get my hands on that…"

House had to laugh in spite of the worry he was feeling. But then he tried to concentrate on her injuries. "Where were you shot?"

"He got my shoulder, I think. At least that's where I feel the pain. There and my arm."

The ER doctor chimed in. "She also may have broken her other arm or wrist when she fell."

"How high up was the fire escape?" House asked.

"Third floor." Kate answered.

"And you tried to keep pursuing him after falling three floors and being shot? Tell me, where did you leave your superhero cape?"

"I've been shot before and kept going. I would have gotten him if he hadn't shot me in my right arm. I'm almost as good a shot with my left hand. But then, when I fell, I messed up something in my left, so I couldn't use either."

House asked for her chart and saw that she had refused to let them either look at the wounds or even give her something for the pain. He knew that right now she was probably floating on the adrenaline of the situation, but pretty soon that would be dying down and the pain would be horrendous. Dealing with constant pain himself, he didn't want to see someone he cared about have to deal with it.

"Kate, will you let me look at the injuries? And let my team help me?" He knew instinctively that they had followed him.

"Yes." was her weak reply.

House motioned for Cameron to approach. "This is Dr. Cameron. She's going to help me check you out." He knew that Cameron was gentle enough to hopefully gain Kate's trust. He examined the bullet wounds first. One was in the shoulder, the other in her upper arm. The shoulder bullet was still there and would need to be removed. The other had gone straight through her arm. The wound would still need to be cleaned and stitched. Next he examined her other arm. The wrist was indeed broken, as well as the three of her fingers. They would all need to be set. A quick exam of the rest of her body showed some contusions, but no other broken bones.

"Okay, Kate, here's what needs to be done." He explained all the procedures that she would need.

"Can you do it?" she asked.

"I'm not a surgeon. You need a surgeon to do it."

Panic started to rise in her eyes. He added quickly, "I can get you the best surgeon we have here, one that I trust. And I will stay in the operating room with you the whole time."

"You promise you won't leave?"

"I promise I won't leave."

She looked into his deep blue eyes and she saw truth in them. He wasn't lying to her, wasn't saying what she wanted to hear. He would do exactly what he said.

"Okay."

"Good. Now Dr. Cameron's going to give you something for the pain."

"No! I don't even have any pain. I don't want…"

"You will be feeling pain very soon. Take it from me, you don't want to. It'll make you sleep and you'll be out for the operation. No," he said as he saw her starting to protest again, "we can't do it if you're not asleep. You'll move and mess up everything. You said you trusted me?"

"I do trust you."

"Then shut up and do what I say."

She nodded and he signaled for Cameron to give her the medication. She started to drift off almost immediately, but before she did, she reached for House's hand and said, "Don't leave me."

"I won't." He promised.

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Gossip spreads quickly in a hospital like Princeton-Plainsboro. Before long, everyone was saying how a friend of House's had come into ER and he had rushed down there. Since most people assumed the only friend he had was Wilson, some thought the other doctor was the one in ER. But when he was seen in his office, the word got to him as well. He searched and found House's team on the observation deck above an operating room. He didn't see House there.

"What's going on?"

Foreman motioned down to the OR. "Friend of House's. Came in with two gunshot wounds and some broken bones."

Wilson looked around the room again. "So, where's House?"

Chase answered this time. "Down there."

Wilson looked at the operation and to his surprise, saw a doctor standing near the patient and not doing any work. He was wearing full scrubs and mask, which made it hard to make out his face. Then Wilson saw the cane he was leaning on.

"House is in the operating room?"

"He promised her he wouldn't leave her, so he's there. Believe me, the surgeon is not happy. House keeps offering advice." Cameron said.

Wilson felt like he was full of questions. "Who's the patient?"

"A cop. Her name is Kate Martin. She was shot in the line of duty. She refused to be treated until House came down. And he was really upset when he heard she was injured."

It clicked for Wilson. "Okay, she must be his girlfriend."

Three pairs of eyes looked at him incredulously. Chase was the first to speak. "Girlfriend? House has a girlfriend?"

"He actually told you about her?" Foreman asked.

"Of course not, well, not in so many words. But he hinted and asked some questions. I can put two and two together."

Cameron looked at the operation again, then back at Wilson. "I think he really cares about her. I've never seen him be so…kind and considerate with anyone before."

"Then let's hope she makes it. Or I doubt we're gonna see much kindness out of him in the future." Foreman observed.

00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

House was thinking along the same lines. He knew Kate's injuries weren't too serious, but she had lost a lot of blood and anytime you opened someone up, there was always a chance something could go wrong. There were other things to consider as well, but he was concentrating on the operation. He wasn't sure what he'd do, how he'd feel, if she didn't make it. Every time the thought entered his head, he shooed it away and tried to think about other things. Like what was taking this damn surgeon so long to get a bullet out.

"Remind me not to take you hunting with me if you can't figure out where a shot would go."

"House, if you don't shut up, I am having you removed from this operating room. The only reason I haven't already, is that the patient is, for some ungodly reason, a friend of yours and wants you here. But if you don't let me do my job and SHUT YOUR MOUTH…"

"Bully." House said, almost whispering it, but then kept quiet. He knew they were doing their best. He just hated having to wait for other people to do things. He wanted to get in there and look for the bullet himself. He wanted the operation to be over. He wanted to turn back the clock so that this had never happened.

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000