Author's Note: Hello, again, Readers! Let me get this out of the way: I do not own House. Thanks again for all the reviews - they're great and I'm addicted. :)

House followed Cuddy to the clinic. As they'd left his office, he's spotted Chase and Thirteen down the hall, returning with Maggie, and he'd quickened his pace toward the elevators. Cuddy had looked at him, arching a brow questioningly.

"Let's get this over with," he said. He glanced back as they reached the elevator, but the two doctors and the dog were no longer in the hallway.

Cuddy directed Nurse Brenda to collect the blood sample. Once again the nurse was cool and professional, making no comment about the purpose of the blood draw. House was silent as well, trying hard to keep the humiliation he felt off of his face. When was Cuddy going to trust him, he wondered. Or was this a punishment for something? He couldn't see what she had to punish him for – he hadn't even retaliated when she'd sent him on a wild goose chase for Thanksgiving.

The clinic waiting room was standing room only again so as soon as Nurse Brenda finished, House went to get a chart and started seeing patients. He hoped that Thirteen and Chase could continue to manage both monitoring the patient and looking after Maggie.


Thirteen and Chase had seen House leaving with Cuddy. They hurried into his office, fearful that the Dean of Medicine would look back and spot them with the dog. Neither of them had any doubt that House would take the blame for the dog's presence and bear all the punishment but they didn't want to see that happen.

"Where do you suppose they were going? The clinic?" Thirteen asked, dropping into House's chair. Maggie jumped up to sit in her lap and she patted the dog absent-mindedly.

"Cuddy has House taking drug tests since he moved out of Wilson's apartment," Chase said.

"Tell me you do not have a pool going on that," Thirteen said reprovingly.

"No, I don't," Chase said. He leaned against the edge of the desk. "What is he doing with this dog?"

"His neighbor didn't come home last night."

"The dance instructor?"

"He's worried about her. He…" Thirteen was cut off by the sound of a cell phone ringing. The ring-tone was one they hadn't heard before – "Minnie the Moocher."

"That's House's phone," Chase said, moving to the coat rack and digging into the pockets. He pulled the phone out, looking at the caller id. "Who's Sarah?" Thirteen sprang from the chair.

"That's his neighbor!"


"Dr. House, you have a patient waiting in exam 1." House paused in putting down the chart he was carrying.

"I haven't pulled a chart yet," he said.

"He asked for you specifically," the nurse replied. "Exam room 1." She held out a chart and House took it, making his way to the room.

"Mr. Jeffries," he said, reading the name in the chart as he entered. "Why did you ask to see me?" When he looked up, he wasn't too surprised to find that the patient wasn't waiting on the examining table. Oftentimes patients were too nervous to sit and wait. They paced, just as this man was doing.

"Where is she?" the man snarled, lunging at him.


When Sarah heard Todd's threat on the answering machine, she scrambled to get her cell phone from her pocket. She wasn't sure if he was going after Greg but she couldn't leave him vulnerable. She dialed his number, pacing anxiously as the phone rang and rang. She thought she was about to be sent to voice mail when someone answered. She frowned in confusion at the voice on the other end. After a second she remembered that one of Greg's fellows was Australian.

"Hello?" the man said again.

"Doctor… Doctor Chase, where's Greg?" There was a rustling on the other end and then a woman's voice came.

"Sarah, it's Remy… Dr. Hadley. We met the other night. Where are you? Are you ok?"

"I'm fine. Listen, you've got to warn Greg. A man may come there, looking for him. He's… it's a long story but I'm worried he might try to hurt Greg."

"Ok. We'll warn him. But what about you? He's worried."

"Just… tell him I'm ok." Sarah hung up. She didn't want them to get wrapped up in asking her questions. They needed to get to Greg.


Thirteen and Chase burst out of the elevator and into the lobby. Foreman and Taub were just entering, returning from the patient's home.

"What's going on?" Taub asked.

"We need to get to House," Thirteen said, hurrying toward the clinic. Chase went with her. Taub and Foreman looked at each other, shrugged, and followed them.

In the clinic, Thirteen and Chase rushed up to the desk.

"Where's House?" Chase asked. The nurse opened her mouth to speak but there was a loud crash from the direction of exam room 1.

"What was that?" demanded Foreman.

"That's where Dr. House is," said the nurse, looking frightened. "I'm calling Security." A second later there was another crash and everyone jumped. The blinds, which were drawn over the window into exam room one were pushed back as someone was slammed into the window.

"That's House," Thirteen said, moving toward the room. Chase followed her.

"Security's on the way," Foreman said. He was a few steps behind them.

"We're not waiting. Come on!" Thirteen rushed forward and Chase and Foreman quickly moved with her. Taub stepped over to the pharmacy counter, speaking urgently to the pharmacist.

Thirteen threw open the exam room door. A wiry man was standing over House, who was on the floor. House's cane was in the man's hand and as they watched he swung the cane at House's head. Chase and Foreman rushed forward like a pair of line-backers, pushing the man back toward the wall. Thirteen rushed to House, who was half-lying, half-sitting, on the floor.

"Little help here," grunted Foreman, struggling to maintain his grip on the man. Thirteen started to go and help but at that moment Taub rushed into the room, a syringe in his hand. "Hold his arm," he said, and Chase struggled to comply. Taub shoved the needle home and pushed the plunger. After a few seconds, the man's struggles ceased.

Thirteen knelt on the floor beside House. His eyes were open but he was obviously having trouble focusing. One hand gripped his bad leg. His other arm hung stiffly at his side. The back of his head was bleeding from where it had hit the window. She put an awkward arm around him to help him stay seated and he grunted in pain.

"House," she said. "Look at me." She fumbled in her lab coat pocket for a pen light but House slumped, his eyes going shut. Taub looked at her and stuck his head out into the clinic.

"We need a gurney in here!" he yelled.

"Where the hell is Security?" Foreman demanded. Even though the man was still now, neither he nor Chase had relaxed their grip on him.

Thirteen went with House to the emergency room. She helped the nurses get him into a hospital gown and got her first glimpse of the scar on his leg as they were removing his pants. She winced. It looked awful. No wonder he needed pain medication, she thought. There was a small round bruise forming near the scar and after a second she realized that his attacker had jabbed him in his bad leg with the end of his cane.

The ER's exam revealed that, in addition to the bruise, House had a broken collar-bone and two cracked ribs. They scheduled an MRI to check the severity of House's concussion. He still hadn't regained consciousness.

Cuddy joined Thirteen after the x-rays were taken.

"What happened?" she asked.

"A patient in the clinic attacked him. He's got a broken clavicle and two cracked ribs. I think the guy jabbed him in his bad leg with his cane. When we burst in, he was swinging it like a bat, aiming right at House's head." Thirteen shuddered.

"The patient got loose, from Security, before the police arrived," Cuddy said.

"What? Taub sedated him."

"Apparently it wasn't enough. The police are here – they want to talk to you. Did House do anything to provoke this?" Thirteen glared at Cuddy who took a step back.

"Why do you always assume that he did something wrong?" she asked, looking back to House, lying still on the gurney. What do I tell the police, she wondered. Thirteen didn't think that House getting attacked was a random event; it had to have been the man Sarah had called to warn them about. Where was Sarah now?

"You're right. I shouldn't make assumptions," Cuddy said. "I'll stay with him while you're talking to the police."

"If he wakes up, tell him that Sarah called and said she was ok." Thirteen took one last look at her boss and hurried away, leaving Cuddy staring after her.