Author's note: Wow. 200 reviews. I never thought one of my stories would reach that milestone. In fact, when I started this story, I was worried that no one would review because it was mpreg. I guess I was wrong about that.

Once again, I need to acknowledge JulieandJulia as the 200th reviewer. (Is it luck or skill? JulieandJulia must be one of those people that can manage to call into a radio station and be lucky caller 12, where the rest of us get busy signals) Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read and review. So, I would like to recognize everyone who has reviewed so far: BertieTiger, Blackbirdox, cathepsut, Cleavage Queen, DJSteele, elizajay, hilson, House Fan, H&W forever, i luv ewansmile, JulieandJulia, Kirai-Ninja, Lady Makbeth, LoriB, Lylaa, maybe not today, micetea, molly, oceanclover15, PerLuminisPropinquus, Rhastahippy, run-for-your-life-hikari, sandboxboy, Shota-Hunter, Skyblue Advari, slashfan54, Story Fan, TombeDeLaLune. I hope I got everyone! I really appreciate anyone that has taken the time to write a review.

So, this is the penultimate chapter. I am sort of sad to think that there is only one more chapter after this. Enjoy.

Chapter 29: How to Get Out of a Meeting

The board of directors only met once a month, but it always seemed to come around more often. To accommodate everyone's schedules, the meeting was held at 7 PM on the second Thursday of every month. Lisa sank back in her chair, only half listening as two of her department heads were arguing over the proposed budget. She sighed. Already an hour and a half into the meeting and there was still two items left on the agenda. From the corner of her eye, she saw James Wilson reach into the pocket of his labcoat and pull out his pager. As soon as he read the display, all of the blood seemed to drain from his face. Her worst fears were confirmed when he passed the pager to Barry Coleman, who was sitting to his right.

Both men were rising from their seats when she looked down at the agenda in front of her. Suddenly the last two items didn't seem so important. Dr. Mueller was drawing breath to continue his monologue when she interrupted him. "Thank you all for your input. It's late, so why don't we continue this discussion next month." Before anyone could protest, she adjourned the meeting and joined James and Barry in the hallway.

Wilson was obviously on the phone with House's mother, while Barry had started making calls to assemble the team of surgeons, techs, nurses, anesthesiologists, and neonatologists. Without a word, Wilson handed her a notecard, and she started dialing the number of Robert Chase, who was going to assist the neonatal team. Fortunately, all three of House's fellows were eating dinner at a nearby restaurant. That eliminated the need for another call to Dr. Cameron, who had agreed to assist with collecting the cord blood, a procedure that Wilson, ever the oncologist, had insisted upon. She moved down the list to call Wilson's mother.

When all of the calls had been made, they hurried down to the loading dock, where they were to meet House and his parents. The plan called for sneaking inside, going through the kitchen and into a nearby trauma room. Barry was now on the phone with House's mother, getting vitals and other information. She turned to Wilson. "What happened?"

"Nothing traumatic. He didn't fall or anything. He just felt something tear inside." He shrugged miserably. "Maybe we shouldn't have tried to go for another week."

She shook her head. "Don't second guess it. You know how important every extra day can be at this stage." She reached into her pocket, and felt the envelope she had been carrying around for almost a month, ever since the afternoon when she'd found House writing letters to his daughter. She'd caught only a glimpse of the words scrawled across the envelopes – '16th birthday', 'high school graduation'. She'd had to fight hard to keep back the tears when she realized the implication of those letters.

The envelope in her pocket was slightly crumpled from being carried so long, but the words 'Her Name' were clearly visible. "House wanted you to open this after she's born."

He glanced at the front, and then without a word, stuffed it in his pocket. She tried to think of something to say that wasn't stupid or cliched. In the end, she was saved by the arrival of House and his parents. They loaded House into a wheelchair and then they took a detour past lecture halls that were deserted, and then a quick trip through the kitchen. They took a left turn and then were in the back of the ER. The cubicle was already curtained off and already contained most of the people in charge of House's care.

Everyone stood back as Barry performed a quick examination. He looked, up. "I don't think the bleed is as bad as we had last December, but I think it's time to end this. There's a real possibility that things could go south in a heartbeat."

They all watched until House finally nodded. Then there was a flurry of activity as they prepared to transport him to the OR, and others left to make sure everything was ready. This time Wilson scrubbed in with the other doctors, so he could be there to see his daughter born, and assist if the need arose. When he got to the OR, he could see that they were almost ready to begin. He looked down at the man he had loved for so many years, and he tried to think of something to say that wouldn't sound stupid or show House just how scared he was.

House looked up; he would recognize those brown eyes anywhere, even without the fear that Wilson was trying unsuccessfully to hide. "Hey." He watched the corners of Wilson's eyes crinkle as he tried to smile behind the mask. "I need you to do me a favor." He waited until Wilson nodded. "I want you to go with her when they take her up to the NICU." Wilson started to protest, but House cut him off. "I don't want her to be alone." There was another reason; he didn't want Wilson there if he ended up bleeding out on the table. He held Wilson's eyes, until the younger man finally nodded. "I love you." It was something he wouldn't usually say with anyone else around, but he needed to say it one last time.

Wilson leaned down to kiss him, and then whispered, "I love you, too. I'll see you when this is over."

"OK people, we're ready to begin." It was one of the anesthesiologists, but House was having trouble figuring out which one. He watched as Wilson moved out of his field of vision, and then everything went black as the drugs hit his bloodstream.

When the fog cleared, he was staring down into his own abdominal cavity. What was even more disturbing was the amount of blood that was flowing, seemingly unchecked. He watched as the surgeons worked to plug the leaks, trying to figure out how things were going by watching their body language. He could tell by the amount of blood and their tense efficiency that things were far from the best case scenario.

He tried to fight the panic as he watched the anesthesiologist hang another unit, and then the despair hit. He was too late. She was already gone, taken up to the NICU by the neonatal team. Wilson was gone as well. At least she wasn't alone.

He looked across the OR at the new occupant in the room. "Am I dying?"

TBC

Author's note: Well, if it makes you feel better, it is the last cliffhanger of the story.