Life and Limb

by purpleu

As House deals with learning that his leg was deliberately maimed by a doctor seeking revenge for House blowing the whistle on him, he must also deal with his patient, a firefighter with a leg problem that may also cost him his life. Lydia tries to help House handle these problems, but when a crisis occurs to two people close to him, will she even be able to help?

3. Chapter 3

"Life and Limb"

Chapter Three – "Knee-Jerk Reaction"

By: Purpleu

"Make that two units of O Negative! Repeat, O Negative!" House yelled out as he came alongside the stretcher. He saw that Lydia was about to question him. "I don't have time to play mentor right now; unless blood type can be confirmed with absolute certainty, use O Negative."

"Universal donor," Lydia said as she put her head down.

"Where was he hit?" Chase asked.

"He has two in the femoral artery area, and one in the hip," Lydia replied. "The blood was pulsating out everywhere; I couldn't get it to stop at first." She began to softly cry.

"Are you hurt?" House asked.

"I'm fine," she said, but her voice belied her fear. House's team had appeared out of nowhere. He assumed that Foreman had paged them, not knowing whether it was Wilson and the ladies or not. Nurses from the E.R. began moving patients that were already on gurneys away from an area at the back of the room; one grabbed an empty stretcher and dropped the sides so Wilson could be transferred off the ambulance's stretcher.

"We're going to have to move him with Lydia on the sheets," Thirteen said. Foreman, who was off to the side with a crying Annie, came to the stretcher.

"You two, over here!" House called to two orderlies who were standing nearby. The stretchers were pushed together. With House, Forman and an orderly on one side, Chase, Taub and the other orderly on the other and Thirteen by Wilson's feet, they were ready to move Wilson and Lydia over together. "Count of three. One, two, three!" The transfer wasn't smooth; Lydia's hands were jostled as she and Wilson were moved, and some blood splattered onto her face. Fortunately, she thought to close her eyes and turn her head. House grabbed a sheet and took a corner to wipe Lydia's face off; he looked down at the bloodied sheets and tried to put out of his head the source of the red stains. He saw Foreman removing Wilson's shoes and socks and placing them in a patient's belongings bag. Wilson's pants had already been cut away; Lydia had reached up under his boxers to place her hand on the wound.

"Dropping the head and raising the feet," Taub called out as he manipulated the gurney. The move would keep more blood at the core of the body. The shirt Wilson wore was partially unbuttoned from the bottom; House grabbed the two sides, and popped the buttons to expose Wilson's chest.

"Cut the rest of it off and get a sub-clavical line started; start large bore IV's," House called out.

"O-sat is eighty two; starting oxygen, four liters," Thirteen said. Wilson responded to the touch of the oxygen mask going onto his face. He weakly moved his head back and forth.

"House?" Wilson whispered.

"I'm a little busy trying to get your veins to cooperate," he replied as he attempted to start an IV on Wilson's left arm. Chase was working on the sub-clavical line; Foreman had taken off his suit jacket, rolled up his sleeves, and was attempting to start an IV in Wilson's right arm.

"He's lost so much blood, the veins are collapsing," Forman said grimly.

"I don't care if he looks like he's a junkie because of all the tracks on his arm, keep trying," House said tersely.

"House…" Wilson spoke again.

"Still busy," House replied.

"Annie…where…?"

"Annie, come here," Lydia said. "Say something to him." Annie came forward hesitantly, her legs trembling as she walked.

"I'm right here, sweetie. I'm not hurt, I'm just worried about you," Annie said as she touched his left shin with her hand. "You hang in there, OK? I love you…I love you so much," Annie said as tears rolled down her cheeks. Wilson gave a slight nod and turned to look at Lydia.

"You…OK?" he barely managed to say.

"She's got her hand in your groin; how do you think she feels?" House said tossing aside the needle and tubing as he once again failed to get a line started.

"House, I've got a large bore started here," Foreman said. "If we need to go down smaller over there temporarily…or start a second on this side…"

"I don't think even a standard bore would work right now," he said as he looked over Wilson's arm and hand.

"What about a twenty-two gauge needle with a butterfly?" Lydia asked. "It might help to work open a vein for a larger needle at a later point." House looked over at her, and saw from the expression on her face that she was in pain.

"You did get hurt," he said as he took out the smaller needle to try in Wilson's arm. "What happened?"

"The bullets were hot when I got my fingers into the wound; I think I may have burned them a little."

"Lydia, you've got to switch out," Taub said. "Your fingers are going to go numb and then you won't be able to keep the seal secure on the artery."

"House," Wilson said once again.

"Not yet finished making you into a pin cushion," House said as he moved the needle in and out within the vein. "Flashback! Got it!" House looked up as Thirteen started the flow on the bag she had placed up on the IV pole; he saw that the connection was good. "Voodoo doll transformation completed," House quipped.

"House…take care…of Annie…" Wilson whispered as his eyes rolled back in his head.

"That's your job; believe it or not, I can only handle one woman at a time." There was no response. "Wilson…Wilson, stay with me," House said intently to his friend. "Damn it, Wilson, stay with me!" House yelled.

"Pulse rate is rising," said Taub.

"He going to code," Thirteen said urgently. Chase came around behind House to set the defibrillator. House grabbed the paddles.

"Get off of there!" House ordered Lydia.

"Ready!" Chased called out

"Lydia, move!" Foreman said. House realized she was trying to, but had been in one position for too long. He handed the paddles to Chase, put one arm around her shoulders, and one under her knees. With one swift movement, House lifted Lydia off of the gurney.

"Clear!" Chase yelled and hit Wilson with the paddles. House set Lydia down in a seat next to Annie as Wilson's body convulsed from the electric charge.

"Oh my God! Greg, help him!" Annie yelled out.

"Again!" House commanded, seeing that Wilson didn't respond the first time.

"Charging…Clear!" Chase called out. Wilson's body again rose off the stretcher; this time, it worked. Wilson's heart rate dropped and blood pressure rose slowly to relatively good levels considering what he had been through. His wounds began to bleed again without pressure on them; Taub quickly hopped up and placed his hand into the femoral wound.

"Once we get the two units into him, we can get him into surgery ASAP," Chase said. "Going to clamp the artery with an atraumatic clamp." Chase began working on Wilson; the placement of the clamp would eliminate the necessity of having someone keep pressure on the wound.

"Call Rayner," House said. "He's the best vascular surgeon on staff."

"I'll page him," Foreman said stepping away from the group. He didn't want Annie to hear him describe the extent of Wilson's injuries to the doctor.

"Clamp's in place," Chase announced. Taub slowly climbed down off the stretcher.

"You OK there?" Thirteen asked Taub.

"Fine. The hip isn't bleeding as severely as the femoral artery, but we'd better get something on it." Chase stepped over, took a look at the wound, and went to work placing a compression dressing on it. He needed to cut open Wilson's boxer's to do the work, but draped a sheet over the groin area when he was done. At least Wilson would have some privacy.

"That should hold it until we get him into the O.R.," Chase said. Different members of the team attended to Wilson, attaching EKG leads, piggy-backing on various IV's and assisting with a chest X-ray. They had to carefully position Wilson; an X-ray of his hip would be needed later, right now the wound in Wilson's groin was of primary concern.

"He'll need a urinary catheter," Thirteen said stepping back over to the gurney.

"I'll do it," House volunteered. "Your lack of experience with that part of the male anatomy may have serious implications on their future happiness." House looked over his shoulder at Annie, who appeared to be in a daze. Everyone else managed smiles; in the midst of tragedy, leave it to House and his gallows humor to lighten the situation ever so slightly.

"I'm not that inexperienced; you can ask Foreman." House gave Thirteen a look as he pulled the curtain around the stretcher to shield his work from passing eyes; a small measure of dignity was the least he could do for Wilson at the moment. He went about things quickly, and got the catheter in without a problem. House was glad for the few minutes away from the madness of the E.R., but now as things were settling down, he wanted to talk; he wanted to know what happened over by the restaurant.

"Rayner's on his way," Foreman said as House opened the curtain. "He'll be here in about thirty minutes." Thirteen had gotten Annie and Lydia cold water. She had offered them coffee and blankets, but both refused.

"Is…is he going to be OK?" Annie asked, her voice cracking.

"He lost a lot of blood," House began, "That's why he coded…"

"His heart stopped." Her tone indicated it was both a question and a statement. House nodded as he looked away from Annie. He sat down and started to gently clean Lydia's hands with supplies that Chase had brought over. Clearly, they were hurt more than "a little," as she had put it earlier.

"Yeah, he lost enough to make that happen," House said looking at Lydia. "But if you hadn't acted as quickly and efficiently as you did, we'd be talking about him in the past tense." Lydia shook her head.

"And then I could have killed him by yelling for the wrong blood type."

"You wouldn't have killed him with two unit of O positive; he's not that easy to get rid of. He may have had the heebee-geebees for a bit, but nothing more. And since he's not a woman, which I can attest to since I put his urinary catheter in, his future kids won't care either. But, that's why charts are always checked, actions in the E.R. are called out, and it's always best to work with a team. Whether it's a thrown together group like here," House said as he glanced around the E.R. "Or one that you hand-picked because you knew they were the best, and more than capable of having your back when necessary." House looked down at the floor. "Nice to know I made the right choices." The team looked pleased. They knew better than to say thank you; House would only manage to turn it around into a sarcastic comment.

"You've got dibs on knowing Wilson longer than we do," Taub said over his shoulder, "But we do all think of him as a friend."

"He's such a good man. It was so easy to fall in love with him," Annie said as she began to cry again. Lydia took her hand away from House and put her arm around her friend.

"Look, he's been through a lot; he suffered a terrible trauma. But he's a strong person, and he knows he has you supporting him and loving him. That makes all the difference in the world between giving up and fighting to hang on." Annie nodded and put her arms around Lydia. She started to rock back and forth as she cried.

"Oh, God; I'm letting my emotions just wander all over the place. All I can think of is you waiting at the hospital for me…and then staying by my side for so many years, all because I made a stupid, desperate mistake."

"Sometimes the best way to show how much you love someone is to get past their mistakes, and help them back to their feet," Lydia said as she stroked the top of Annie's head with the back of her hand. Lydia was still wincing even though her fingertips weren't touching anything.

"Lydia, let House finish taking care of your hands," Foreman said sitting down on the other side of Annie. She nodded and turned back to House. He could tell she wanted nothing more than to crumble into his arms and start crying; she held it together for Annie's sake.

"I'm hanging bag number two of O Negative blood," Chase called out. "BP is eighty-two over fifty, pulse is sixty four, o-sat is eighty-nine, and he's in normal sinus rhythm." All were signs of a person in distress, but more stabilized than he had been earlier.

"Those numbers…they're all higher than before, so he's doing better?" Annie asked looking between Lydia, House and the rest of the team.

"Yes, they're borderline," Thirteen said. "But much better than before." Annie nodded and managed to smile a little.

"I've been trying to learn some things about medicine, just like James has been trying to get used to certain things about music," she began. She turned to Forman. "O-sat stands for oxygen saturation and it's based on a percentage of some kind?" she questioned him. Foreman nodded and smiled.

"That's it in very basic terms," he said.

"It's better than Wilson's progress with music," House said as he started to bandage Lydia's fingers. "Living above him, Fraulein and I can attest to the fact that his attempts at playing the cello are akin to a cat's reaction to its tail being processed through a meat grinder. Even the kids find it funny." Annie finally managed to laugh.

"He's so cute when he tries to play; his face gets so…intense. He wants to learn to play an instrument, but I just don't think the cello is right for him."

"Considering where his injury is, I don't think he'll be up for spreading his legs and sticking a large wooden object that vibrates near the area anytime soon," House noted.

"I was thinking maybe the guitar. Then he could play some of those oldies we both love." House could see Annie's mood changing to a calmer state.

"I think a kazoo would be more appropriate," he said hoping to boost her spirits up even more.

"You know, I hate to bring this up, but we do have a patient waiting upstairs," Chase said. House dropped his head down as he finished working on Lydia's fingers; the main burns were on her index and middle fingers, with some burns on the ring finger of each hand. He would much rather keep working on Wilson or Lydia right now, but both were stable.

"I'll be the primary on Wilson's case, you take the deflated leg," House said. "Divide and conquer will be the best approach."

"House, we never take on two major cases at once," Thirteen pointed out. "When the repair on the tissue and femoral artery is done, and the assessment is done on his hip, Wilson will be a standard case." She saw House start to clench his jaw is an obvious display of disapproval at the suggestion he would be anywhere except with Wilson.

"If you look at his medical records, I am Wilson's primary care physician, I am his health care proxy, and his power of attorney. Until he indicates otherwise, I'm making decisions for him and staying with his case."

"I would have thought that those rights would have been transferred to Annie by now," Foreman noted. Annie shook her head as she pushed her hair away from her face.

"Ironically, that was something the four of us were going to discuss over dinner. James and I would have power of attorney for each other, but Greg would retain his position as health care proxy."

"Our situation is a little more complicated because of the kids," Lydia said, indicating House as well as herself. "I can't even think about the issue of custody. But we were going to bounce some ideas off each other tonight. We never talked about it before because we're all healthy and didn't see an immediate need. You think working in this profession, we should have shown more common sense on the subject."

"It's probably just as well things worked out the way they did. Chatting about one's mortality over a dish made with curry, doesn't always lead to the most logical of thought processes," House noted.

"House, how about you stay with Wilson and we'll just come to you with information and questions when we need to. It's pretty much the way we do things anyway. We can even see if I.C.U. has two adjoining rooms," Chase said. House nodded as he thought things over.

"How far did you get before all hell broke loose?" he asked.

"Not very far," Thirteen admitted. "He's twenty-six, married. His wife is four months pregnant. He's a firefighter for Westwood Municipal Fire Department and volunteers with the department in Harrison, his hometown."

"What does the wife do for a living?"

"She was the manager of the local Golden Corral buffet; but she was already suffering severe swelling in her legs and ankles, so she's on a leave of absence. Just drives her elderly in-laws to doctor appointments and the supermarket," Taub said.

"We got a basic medical history on the guy, but there was nothing remarkable there. We were just about to go into any job related injuries, when Foreman paged us," said Chase. House looked around to Lydia and Annie and then over at Foreman.

"How did you know they would be needed?" he asked.

"I didn't know for sure," Foreman said letting out a sigh. "The E.R. called and said they had an ambulance coming in with shooting victims from the restaurant you were going to for dinner; one man and two women. The E.R. was told that two of the people worked here; when I asked for names, they didn't know, but they said one of the women was a red-head and had an accent. I just processed that as Wilson, Lydia and Annie." Foreman looked at House. "You did a pretty good job of running when you followed me here. How the hell did you do that?" House, who had taken off his sport coat before he started to work on Wilson, rolled up his sleeves to reveal bruises and scrapes.

"I was far from graceful on my approach to the E.R.," House said. "But I made it without requiring any medical attention." Lydia looked around.

"Greg, where's your cane?" He looked in the immediate area, as did the team and Annie. It was nowhere to be seen.

"I must have left it at the front desk, along with my backpack," said House looking extremely puzzled.

"I'll call security and have them check," Foreman said.

"I know I'm getting better at walking without it in familiar places," House said, giving his head a slight shake. "I wouldn't have traveled throughout the bowels of this place without it, though."

"House," Foreman called out. "Security has both of them. I guess you want your cane here, but what about the backpack?"

"Have them put it under my desk in my office." House was still confused as to how he "ran" from the front desk to Emergency. Even accounting for the fact that he fell several times, he did seem to remember moments of actual running. And forgetting about the adrenaline that must have been racing through his veins…has Tom really made that much progress with him that when he needed it, his leg didn't fail him?

"Dr. House, here's your cane." House looked up to see a security guard standing in front of him, holding out his cane.

"Were you in the lobby when Foreman came through playing town crier?" House asked.

"I was, and I've got to tell you something, Dr. House: you've had trouble with your leg for as long as I've been working here. I never thought I'd see the day when I'd watch you take off and run like that. If there's something different you're doing…I'd keep doing it." House became uncomfortable as he realized that everyone was looking at him with insipid little smiles on their faces. He felt like he was being potty trained and just did number two in the bowl.

"Thanks," House said as he took the cane from the elderly guard.

"By the way, how is Dr. Wilson…and you ladies, too?"

"We're fine," Lydia answered, "but I'm afraid Dr. Wilson has had it rough. The surgeon should be here shortly and we'll see how things go from there." The guard nodded.

"Well, when he's up to it, tell him I send my regards."

"I will, Smitty, thank you," Lydia replied. She turned to look at House as Smitty walked away. "So, you ran and there's an eyewitness to the fact," Lydia said as she smiled and carefully folded her arms.

"I also fell, too. If you ask around, I'm sure you can get a dozen or so witnesses to that fact. Besides, there's nothing remarkable about running; it's a normal activity that most people engage in with regularity. Are you saying I'm not regular?" Lydia laughed as she shook her head; something on her forehead caught House's attention when her bangs moved away.

"When did you join a sacred sect?" he asked, taking note of the redness he briefly glimpsed. House's eyes widened as he pushed Lydia's hair away and got a good look at the mark. It was a burn, in the shape of a perfectly round circle. He recognized it right away; he felt sickened as he realized it as the opening of a gun barrel.

"The son-of –a-bitch didn't shoot you, so how the hell did this happen to you?" he asked looking at Lydia's face. She wouldn't return his look. House's team gathered around to look at what House was talking about.

"She was damned lucky," a male voice said. A man in a very basic suit and tie walked toward the group. "I'm Detective Williams, I'm handling this case." He offered his hand around to all. "How is Dr. Wilson?"

"Stable at the moment," Foreman said. "He lost so much blood that he coded on us a little while ago."

"I've seen plenty of shootings and bleed outs, but this is one of the worst. You," Williams said looking at Lydia, "Did a fantastic job. I was surprised when I heard you were an administrator here and not a doctor or Physician's Assistant. You were barking out orders like a pro." Lydia dropped her head down. She felt she didn't deserve the praise; calling out the wrong blood type for Wilson earlier was still bothering her, even though it was far from a fatal mistake.

"If she was so busy sticking her hands into my best friend's groin to stop the bleeding, when did she find time to have a close encounter with the guy's gun barrel?" House asked as he brushed aside Lydia's bangs.

"Well, I need to take a statement from the ladies, if you're both up to it; the details of everything will come out then," Williams said.

"Any reason I can't dress the wound? Even if there was, I wouldn't let it stop me; I'm more interested in finding out who I have to hunt down for doing this," House said indicating the burn mark.

"No one; the guy who mugged them got into a gun fight with two officers a few blocks away. The perp is dead."

"How…? Lydia asked. "Did he have second gun?"

"No, and that's where your luck comes into play." Williams took out a note pad. "Look, let's start this from the beginning. How did you approach the restaurant?" he asked Annie.

"Hold on," House said. He turned to Chase. "For our upper level patient: metabolic panel, CBC with differential, X-rays of the lower and upper leg, all views. Culture the wound, see what story it can tell us."

"I'll have the radiology and phlebotomy departments handle this for now so we can get things started," Chase said. "We'll go full on with him once Wilson's surgery is done. I'll give everyone a call." House looked up at Chase and nodded. Williams turned his attention to House.

"You're in charge around here, I take it." House almost smiled as he saw the look on Foreman's face at being overlooked as the obvious leader in the hospital.

"Just of my little scout troop here," House replied. "Wilson and Foreman are the official go-to guys."

"But as the old saying goes: do you want to talk to the man in charge, or the woman who knows what's going on?" Thirteen said, indicating Lydia, who shook her head.

"I'm in charge of the insurance billing area," Lydia explained. "Not the whole hospital."

"I wouldn't be surprised if you were running the show around here. You have a commanding personality," Williams said to Lydia, who was very much ill at ease with the compliment. If she didn't know better, she'd swear that Williams was flirting with her. House was oblivious to Williams' attention to Lydia; he was pleased with how uncomfortable Foreman was becoming with each passing moment.

"Got everything going," Chase said as he stepped back over to the group. "The patient is stable; the acetaminophen drip seems to be holding the temp down, although he's still 103.6." House nodded.

"We may have to start a broad spectrum anti-biotic rather than waiting to see if the culture indicates gram-positive or gram–negative. Text the lab, tell them to make the culture a priority." House looked over to Wilson and Taub. "How are Boy Wonder's numbers?" House asked Taub who was standing closest to Wilson.

"Holding steady; BP has risen slightly," he answered.

"Good," House said as he turned to Williams. "Now you can get your story with a minimal amount of interruptions." Williams eyed House up.

"Are you sure you're not in charge?" House shook his head.

"Wouldn't want the job; too much contact with the species known as human beings. Plus, I'd have to act as if I actually gave a rat's ass about things." Williams laughed.

"I understand. OK, are you up for this?" he asked Annie and Lydia.

"Yes," Annie replied. She cleared her throat and began to speak. "James and I had parked on Stewart Avenue, and we walked around the corner to Franklin Avenue. There's an alley in between the building on the corner and the restaurant. We were passing by the alley, when this guy jumps out and says, 'Get in here, get in here.' And he's waving around a gun." She took a deep breath and a drink of water before continuing. "The guy was holding a bag, or a pillow case or something; he said, 'Put your stuff in here.' He seemed very agitated and kept saying 'Hurry up, move it.' And he was cursing a blue streak. So, James took off his watch, took out his wallet and cell phone and put them in the bag. I…I put my purse in the bag…I told him my phone was in my pocketbook, but he didn't believe me; he said to take it out, and if I was lying, he would kill us." Annie started to cry. "I showed him my phone, and then put the phone, my purse, my bracelet and ring in the bag…I guess he didn't see my earrings because my hair was hiding them; but he did see my necklace." Annie began to finger the locket that was at the end of a long chain around her neck. "He told me to take the necklace off and put it in the bag…" Annie looked around at everyone. "I just freaked out. This is my grandmother's locket. It has the only picture of her on stage that I own."

"Was your grandmother a musician?" Thirteen asked.

"She was an opera singer. My mother always said that the musical talent in the family skipped a generation; she couldn't play or sing at all," Annie said half-laughing, half crying. "I begged him, I pleaded with him. I told the guy that it was my grandmother's locket and please don't take it from me. He said, 'Well, it's mine now, bitch.' And he…he pushed me up against the wall and grabbed for it. James got between the two of us, and the next thing I knew, I heard the gun go off." Annie broke down sobbing. She fell into Lydia's arms, unable to continue relating the events of the night. Lydia hugged her friend offering words of comfort as she held Annie tightly. Williams knew better than to push; he sat silently, making notes on his pad.

"Do you want some more water?" Lydia asked. Annie shook her head no.

"I just want to get this over with, and never have to think about it again." House had been listening to Annie, and felt the horror she must have experience when the gun went off; he remembered being shot himself. House also was becoming angry, angry at the wrong person. The whole thing was the mugger's fault, but House was getting pissed at Annie for not handing over the necklace. What the hell did she think…that the guy would say, oh, it's your grandmother's, keep it? Logic told him that Annie panicked, that she wasn't thinking clearly. His emotions told him that she thought the damn locket was more valuable than Wilson's life. He closed his eyes and tried to put the thought out of his head as the detective was speaking.

"Annie, I just wanted to check…your last name is Harris?" He spelled it out, and Annie confirmed the information. He did the same with Lydia. "Are you up to continuing?"

"Yes. James…he fell against the wall and slid down to the ground." She looked over at Wilson on the gurney. "There was blood everywhere…I started screaming for help, and then I heard another scream. I looked up, and I saw Lydia standing by the door to the restaurant…and…and he was pointing the gun at her head." Annie began crying again to the point of not being able to speak. Williams sensed she needed a break.

"Lydia, can you pick things up from here?" he asked. "I'd like to finish this up as quickly as possible to spare you two any further stress."

"Yes, I can." She drew a deep breath and began. "I had parked on Tanner Street which runs parallel to Stewart. I came around the corner, and almost got to the front door of Frankly Thai, when I heard the gun shots. I didn't see what was happening, because I was putting my phone into my pocket; I had my head down. I heard Annie screaming, but as I took a step toward them, there suddenly was this man standing right in front of me. He…he put his gun right up against my forehead…and he said…'Are you ready to die?'" Lydia started crying and leaned against House for comfort. "I just closed my eyes…I heard a click, then he started cursing…he ripped my necklace from me and he ran away." Lydia put her hand up to her throat and looked at House. "I'm sorry…I didn't know what to do."

"You did the right thing," House said kissing the top of Lydia's head. "I can buy you another necklace. Last I checked, Lydias with an amazing mind, a heart of gold and a hot body are not standard stock items kept on a shelf." She started to laugh through her tears.

"I was so afraid I'd never see you or the kids again," she said as she wiped her eyes with the tissues House had handed her. "The awful thing was…I couldn't move; I was just frozen in one spot. I heard Annie screaming, but I couldn't do anything."

"But you did finally go over and attend to Dr. Wilson's wounds," Williams noted. "You probably saved his life." Williams watched as Lydia leaned into House and he kissed her cheek.

"Come on, Fraulein; sit up so I can get your bull's eye taken care of." House had cleaned the area on her forehead before and was now dressing the wound with ointment and gauze. He became aware of Williams' intense gaze. "Neat thing to be able to play doctor with your girlfriend," House said pointedly in Williams' direction.

"Not when the boo-boos are real," he replied. House shot him a look.

"Yeah, but I'm still the one who gets to kiss and make it better." Williams was about to come back with another retort, when Annie interrupted.

"How soon will we be able to get our things back?" she asked. "I want to call James' parents, and the number is in my cell…and his."

"The items are being logged in and processed. It won't be too much longer until you can have them." House looked around for his jacket; he spied it over the back of a chair. Retrieving it, he dug into the pockets and fished out his phone.

"I have their number, too," House said. "Do you want to make the call, or should I?" He held out the phone toward Annie. She started to reach for it, but then shook her head.

"I…I can't. I'll get hysterical and frighten them which will be no good. Especially since his dad had those…stents…put in last year. I don't want to upset them any more than needed." House looked surprised.

"When did Daddy Wilson have his coronary arteries invaded? And how many stents were put in?"

"Last November, and I think it was two stents." Annie looked at House. "Didn't James tell you?"

"No, I just knew he spent a lot of time at home toward the end of last year. Never asked me to come with him, which he usually did."

"House? Wilson's waking up again," Taub called out. House hurried over to the stretcher followed closely behind by Annie. "He was trying to say something a second ago."

"Wilson? It's your favorite pain in the ass," House said in a sing-song manner. Wilson's eyes fluttered open; he turned his head in House's direction.

"E.R.?" he asked.

"No, 'Grey's Anatomy.' We're waiting for the surgeon while we try to get enough blood into you so you don't scare the crap out of your girlfriend again. Then, you're going into surgery. I told Foreman to call Rayner; what he lacks in personality, he makes up for in skill." Annie moved in closer to Wilson.

"Hi, babe," she said taking his hand. "I'm right here." He nodded.

"How…did I…scare…"

"You coded." Wilson closed his eyes.

"That's…usually your trick," he said as he shook his head. House hid his smile from Wilson.

"Yeah, well it was your turn to grandstand this time," House said.

"Sweetie, I'm going to call your parents and let them know what's going on."

"No, I…don't want…my dad getting…upset…"

"Why didn't you tell me about your dad's heart problem?" House asked. "I could have at least gone with you and played shotgun on the ride down to your folks." Wilson shook his head.

"Dad's….very stubborn...too proud…to let anyone…know about his problems." House looked away from Wilson.

"Like father, like son," he said.

"James, I'm going to call your parents," Annie insisted. "They'll be very upset if I don't. They're going to want to be with you."

"Are you sure you're up to it?" House questioned. Annie nodded.

"I got along very well with his folks when we visited them a few weeks ago. I can do it." Suddenly, a man in a polo shirt and khakis appeared at the foot of the stretcher.

"Hi, Dr. House? I'm Chris Rayner. I believe we've met before, but it was a long time ago." Rayner offered his hand, which House took reluctantly. "Dr. Wilson? It's Dr. Rayner," he said as he put latex gloves on. "I'm going to take a look at what happened to you." Rayner looked over at Annie. "Mrs. Wilson, I think it would be better if you stepped away for a moment." Annie was taken back at Rayner's assumption that she was Wilson's wife.

"I'm James' girlfriend…" she began.

"Are you his health care proxy?" Rayner asked curtly.

"No, Greg is," Annie answered indicating House.

"Then he's the one I need to direct my comments to." Annie was startled by Rayner's demeanor; House just plain didn't like it.

"Dr. Wilson is perfectly capable of deciding who he wants his case discussed with; his mind is operating in present tense," House said. Rayner and House locked eyes. The two men were clearly going to clash over certain things regarding Wilson. That was OK with House. What was not OK, was the way he spoke to Annie, who was a bundle of nerves to start with. House himself was very often accused of the same behavior, but now that the shoe was on the other foot, the guy's attitude got under House's skin.

"As I'm sure you're aware, Dr. House," Rayner began in a patronizing tone, "I can only discuss Dr. Wilson's medical issues with a designated representative that he has approved in writing," House clenched and unclenched his fist around the head of his cane.

"It's OK, Greg. I want to call James' parents now. I'll be back, sweetie," Annie said as she gave Wilson's hand a squeeze. Wilson nodded and Annie stepped away to make the call.

"I see the artery has been clamped. Was pressure applied before that?" Rayner asked as he looked over the femoral area.

"Yeah, Dr. Taub was having a quasi-intimate relationship with Wilson by keeping his hand in Wilson's groin. He's a member of my team, and one of the doctors attending the wounded warrior at the moment."

"How long did he apply pressure?"

"About twenty…maybe thirty minutes. Before he took over, Ms. Strohman who was part of the dinner party going to Frankly Thai, was applying pressure no more than a minute or two after the shooting occurred." Rayner looked at House curiously.

"By Ms. Strohman, are you referring to the woman who came to work here at PPTH a few months ago? The bitch who's great at busting chops if you inform her that you have better things to do than her damn paperwork?" Rayner asked.

"No, I'm talking about the bitch who sooner or later is going to wind up being your boss when she becomes Dean of Medicine. She also happens to sleep next to me every night," House replied.

"Sorry, I didn't know there was a personal connection," Rayner said as he began to look at things in the hip area. Wilson winced and whimpered as Rayner touched the area. "I can't be sure, but there appears to be bone chips here….it's also possible that the head of the femur's been shattered."

"Wha...what?" Wilson whispered.

"You're going to have fun driving them crazy at security checkpoints in airports," said House. Wilson would not be happy with the idea of an artificial hip, but he'd have to deal with whatever was necessary to keep him mobile. Rayner removed the gloves from his hands. "I'm going to have to wait until we're in the O.R. to get a clear picture of what's what. Open the curtain." The directive was aimed at House; he usually didn't care about please-and-thank-yous, but he felt that he should have at least been shown respect as both a doctor and a "family member" of the patient. Nevertheless, House reached over and opened the curtain half way; House could be seen by Annie, Lydia and his team, Rayner could not. Rayner looked at House, and after a moment, opened the curtain the rest of the way.

"How does it look, Dr. Rayner?" Foreman asked.

"He's not going to tell you; you don't have a get out of jail free card," interjected House. Rayner shot him a look, then ignored House.

"Is that the second bag of blood he's getting?" Rayner asked as he glanced over his shoulder at Wilson.

"Yes; here's the preliminary chart…" Thirteen began to say.

"I don't need to see that," Rayner said rudely cutting her off. "Verbal reports from an attending doctor will be fine." House's team began to go over the sequence of events, the medicine that was put through the IV, the difficulty in starting lines on Wilson…everything. When they were done, Rayner looked at Foreman.

"Can I assume that as a close colleague of Dr. Wilson's you're going to want to be in the O.R.?" House could see that Rayner's attitude was even getting to him.

"As a neurologist, I'd like to be in there, yes," Foreman said standing up to face the overbearing doctor.

"Of course, of course. Dr. Chase, I'd take it that you'd like to assist me?" Chase was also not fond of Rayner's demeanor, but he kept his cool.

"I'd be glad to scrub in," he said.

"I'll be scrubbing in, too," House said. It was a statement of fact, not a request. Rayner cast a wary eye on House.

"Dr. House, do you really think that's a good idea? The operating room will be crowded enough as it is, with one surgeon, two doctors, the anesthesiologist and the surgical nurses all in there. Besides, aren't you a little too close to Dr. Wilson to keep an objective opinion about things?"

"I'm actually very objective," House said. "I'm objective enough to know you counted incorrectly. There's going to be two surgeons, a neurologist, and the other assorted medical professionals you named." Rayner was about to answer, when Taub called over to them.

"House, Wilson wants you."

"So do a lot of people; only one brainy female gets to have me." House came over to the gurney.

"House…" Wilson whispered.

"That's what people call me, among the other names they mutter under their breath."

"No…no DNR." said Wilson. House realized that he shouldn't be the only one to hear this, even with Taub up on the gurney.

"Annie, come here," he said. Annie walked over.

"What's the matter?" she asked anxiously.

"I think Wilson wants to make a change to his living will and I want multiple sets of ears to hear this." He looked down at Wilson. "What were you saying? Wilson?" Wilson opened his eyes and looked at Annie.

"No DNR…don't let me die…"

"Oh, my God, James, of course not! What are you talking about?" She looked at House for an answer, not knowing what Wilson was trying to say.

"Right now, his living will states that he wants a Do Not Resuscitate order; he didn't want to be a vegetable. What he's saying now, is that he no longer wants the DNR, he wants all means possible used to keep him alive. Would everyone concur?" House looked at Taub, Annie and Lydia, who had walked over next to her friend.

"Yes, absolutely," they all said in one form or another. House looked down at Wilson.

"Why the change?" he asked. Wilson turned his head.

"Annie," he whispered. Annie teared up and squeezed his hand. House shook his head.

"You manage to keep finding new ways to hang around and be pleasantly annoying." Wilson managed a slight smile. "I'll put the notation on your chart and have it initialed by your fellow head honcho, Foreman." House turned and saw that Rayner had finally decided to take a look at the chart that they had started for Wilson.

"Dr. House, did you just state that Dr. Wilson's Living Will stated that he wanted a DNR order in effect?"

"Until about a minute ago, yeah," House said as he reached for the file Rayner was holding.

"I'm very concerned, Dr. Foreman, that proper protocols weren't followed. According to Dr. Wilson's chart, he flat lined, and measures were taken to revive him. Dr. House, as Dr. Wilson's health care proxy, you knew what his wishes were. It seems to me that you allowed your own wishes to be carried out instead of his." Rayner looked at House accusingly, gloating that he had caught House in a mistake. House was clearly not happy with what Rayner was pulling.

"Are you really that pissed that we pulled you away from your weekly poker game at the club? Or was the tonight the night you usually see your girlfriend for your weekly hook-up? Oops! Forgot that your wife doesn't know about that."

"Dr. Rayner," said Lydia very quickly stepping in to try and diffuse the situation. "Although it may seem that Dr. Wilson's wishes on the subject of a DNR order were ignored by…well, all of us, really…the fact is, they were not."

"But clearly this says…" began Rayner.

"Yes, I know what that says, and I know what Dr. Wilson's Living Will says; a copy of it is sitting on my dining room table at the moment. What supersedes any written document, is a spoken plea for help in the midst of a crisis. Dr. Wilson said, as he just did now, 'Please do not let me die.' I think it would have been improper protocol to ignore such a request, don't you?" Rayner was completely flustered as he tossed Wilson's chart onto the end of Wilson's gurney.

"Point very well taken, Ms. Strohman; I wasn't aware of the full circumstances." Rayner turned to House, knowing he might as well give in. "If you would like to scrub in, Dr. House, you are more than welcome." House looked down at the floor and tapped on it with his cane a few times.

"Despite my…differences of opinion with some people, I fully trust the skills and abilities of the people you previously selected to join you in the O.R." Rayner nodded and started to walk away. "However," House added in, "I will insist on you using one of the rooms that has an observation deck. Like the eyes of the gods, I will be watching from above." Rayner shook his head in disgust.

"Have them prep O.R. number three; we'll scrub in and begin." The surgeon stormed away down the hall. Lydia, along with everyone else, began to chuckle. Even Det. Williams, who had returned at the beginning of Lydia's speech to Rayner, joined in.

"Why the hell did you want him to operate on Wilson?" Chase asked. "The guy is a total jerk!"

"I didn't ask him to come here because I thought he'd play nice in the sandbox," House said. "Despite his annoying and abrasive manner, he's damn good at what he does."

"Hmmm…sound like someone else we all know?" Lydia asked as she put her arm around House. He shot her a look and shook his head.

"Dr. Wilson didn't ask for help before, did he?" Williams asked.

"Of course, he did," Lydia said. "He may not have said it out loud, but there's a certain unspoken language between friends that can always be heard by the right people," she said looking at Annie, then at House and Wilson. "By the way, when did you start referencing gods of any kind?" she asked House. He shrugged.

"It sounded appropriately omnipotent at just the right time. Besides, there just might be times when a shout out to activity from above comes in handy," he said.

"Like if you're home alone with the kids and the angels decide to start bowling?"

"Yeah, that is a pretty good one," he replied. Lydia saw that everyone looked confused.

"It's a concept best understood by those who deal with children," she said.

"When the hell did I start being included in that motley crew?" House asked as he avoided looking at everyone.

"About two…months…ago." House turned around and walked over to Wilson's bedside.

"Yes, Uncle James. You're an expert on this stuff, we get it," said House. "You're going to head in to prep for surgery. Chase and Foreman are going to be in the O.R. with you. I could have given Rayner a hard time and insisted on being in there…but you told me to take care of Annie." Wilson managed a smile.

"Thanks." Thirteen approached the gurney.

"House, I just suggested to Annie and Lydia that we find a way to help them get cleaned up. I know Lydia can't get her fingers or forehead wet, so I thought you could help her. I'd give Annie a hand," she said dropping her voice, "and make sure she's OK. She said the guy pushed her against the wall; I wanted to check her back. I was going to use the locker room closest to your office."

"Good idea; are there any clothes they can change into?"

"I was going to give them each a pair of scrubs and some of those crappy hospital booties. I know that no one is leaving here tonight; maybe tomorrow, we can run over and get some things they need," said Thirteen.

"Maybe even convince them to go home for a bit," House replied.

"No, no," Annie said firmly, "I'm not leaving James."

"Annie, you're going to have to go home and get some sleep," Lydia said.

"No, I can sleep in one of those reclining chairs that I've seen in patient's rooms."

"Look, let's get you two cleaned up and Wilson prepped for surgery. We can discuss living arrangements later," House said stepping aside for Annie to get closer to Wilson.

"Bye, sweetie. I'll be right there when you wake up. I spoke to your parents, and I'll take care of them when they get here, don't worry." Annie gently squeezed Wilson's hand. "I love you."

"I love you…too," he whispered. He closed his eyes as Annie squeezed his hand one more time. She quietly began to cry as she stepped away. Lydia put her arm around her and led Annie over to the doors that exited the E.R.; House moved up to the head of the gurney.

"So, the game plan," House said as Wilson opened his eyes, "is to get the lead out, repair the pipeline, and see if you can resume your career with the Bolshoi Ballet. Oh, and since I'm the one who put your urinary catheter in, I've put in a special request for a pillar support for your third leg." Wilson closed his eyes and ever so slightly shook his head.

"You forget…one thing," Wilson said weakly. "I'm the…one who…put your catheter…in after the crane…collapse." House looked down at Wilson and smiled.

"And you've been seething with envy ever since." He realized Wilson was moving his hand. It looked like he was trying to curl his fingers in so he could give House a fist pump. House didn't know what made him do it, but he opened his friend's hand, and placed it in his. House could tell by Wilson's increased heart rate, that he was pleased by the action.

"I'll be watching from above," House said.

"You…won't be…the only one," Wilson replied. House wasn't sure if Wilson meant Annie, Lydia or some other no-see-um entity. Right now, House didn't want to know.

"See you later." House grabbed his cane. "Can you wait outside of the O.R….just in case your services are needed?" House asked Taub.

"I already planned on scrubbing in." he replied. House nodded and walked toward Lydia and Annie. He stopped after a few steps, and turned to look at his team. "I'll be in the observation room."

"House, I was going to have someone get some coffee and something to eat and have it brought up to the waiting area. Even if just a snack, you all need some sustenance," Foreman said. House closed his eyes for a second.

"Thanks." As House continued to the E.R. doors, Thirteen came up next to him and joined him in walking toward the ladies.

"James' parents are on their way here. I told them to ask the security guard to call you to get the OK to come in," Annie said to House as she handed his phone back to him.

"How did they take it?" he asked.

"They freaked out, like any parent would do."

"Almost any parent," House noted as they turned a corner.

"Greg, I spoke to Reverend Bell as I was on my way to the restaurant. He said your mother was stable, no real changes. I told him I'd check back with him tomorrow," Lydia said. She suddenly stopped walking. "Oh, no! I just realized I don't know where my pocketbook is."

"Don't worry," House said. "I saw one of the EMT's give it to Foreman. He put it in a patient's booty bag along with Wilson's shoes."

"I'll text Foreman and have him bring it to you in the waiting area outside the observation room," Thirteen said.

"Oh, I called Tom and Marianne after I spoke to Mr. and Mrs. Wilson; Tom's on his way over. They're not going to say anything to the kids." Lydia nodded as they turned the final corner for the hallway to the elevators.

"I called Slick," Thirteen said. "He heard about the shooting on his police scanner, but had no idea it was someone he knew."

"Surprise, surprise," House said grimly.

"Greg…James isn't out of the woods yet, is he?" Annie asked. House pushed the button for the elevator and shook his head as he looked down at the floor.

"He's not even halfway through the forest."