Ch 42: Shot Through The Heart

House arrived amid an all out argument between Thirteen and Foreman the day after he was informed about his party from 'the mysterious beyond.' The pregnant woman was red in the face and stood screaming on one side of the table while Foreman's head looked ready to explode with a vein popping out of his temple on the other side. Sundai sat at the end watching fearfully as the more experienced team members went at it like angry dogs.

"What the fuck were you thinking? You can't do that! You just can't do it!" Thirteen was yelling at her ex-boyfriend.

"You're not in any position to tell me what I can and can't do!" Foreman yelled back. "You're too hormonal to know the difference between medicine and torture!"

House snorted at that comment, wondering if it was possible to confuse those particular concepts. "I'd like to know what you to are screaming about," he said, tossing his bag into a chair. "The entire hospital can hear you and it's a wonder someone hasn't called security."
"This idiot keeps telling the patient that she'll die without treatment. A seven year old girl doesn't need to hear things like that!" Thirteen bellowed. House stuck a finger in his ear and turned it a bit, hoping to keep the ringing to a minimum.

"She needs to know the consequences of her actions," Foreman retorted, turning to House for back up. "If she doesn't tell us what her mother gave her for 'being sick' we'll never be able to treat her, let alone cure her."

"You could have just waited for the panels to come back," House suggested, holding up a file. "You told a seven year old she would die?"

"It's the truth," Foreman replied stepping forward to claim the file.

"Uh-uh…" House stepped around the man and handed the file to Sundai. "You're not going near the kid again. If she had decent parents, you'd be sued.

"I told you…" Thirteen started, but House cut her off.

"You're not allowed to gloat either. You hurt my ears…"

"But…"

"No buts, you're both going to join me in the inner office while Sundai starts the kid on her treatment." House nodded toward the newest team member, hoping she would take the hint and go on. To House's great pleasure, she wasn't as daft as Taub and did exactly what House hoped she would. "My office," he repeated over his shoulder, limping out of the differential room.

He settled down at his desk and waited for his fellows to join him before he spoke. "I know that you're not in the best of ways to work with each other, but you'll have to deal with it. Be professional. I can't have you yelling down hallways at each other, and as much as competition helps people get answers, spite keeps them from competing in a productive way." He took a deep breath. "I want you both on the team because you're both good, but I'll fire you if the fighting gets to this point again."

He took a long sip of coffee, looking at them over his cup. Thirteen was extremely pale, House assumed from the screaming match, and he took in Foreman's appearance. He looked back to the pregnant woman just in time to see her eyes roll back in her head. "Catch her!" he yelled, spitting his coffee all over his desk as she started to keel over. Foreman was quicker than he looked, fortunately, and caught her before she hit the ground.

"What's going on?" Cuddy asked, entering the office to see House scrambling around his desk and Foreman settle Thirteen onto the ground before yelling for a nurse.

"She's out!" House yelled, checking Thirteen for a pulse.

"Is she alright?" Wilson kept asking. It had been nearly an hour since Thirteen had passed out and he had been pacing her room since he got the word. House had Foreman and Sundai doing a full work up on the young doctor and he was monitoring her himself.

"I don't know," House repeated for what seemed like the hundredth time. "Why don't you go get a coffee or something?"

"I can't leave her," the oncologist mumbled.

At first, House had just thought that the stress of the argument had caused Thirteen to keel over and that perhaps rest and some fluids would do her good, but she had yet to respond to anything the doctors of PPTH were doing for her and he was beginning to get seriously worried.

"Do you think it could have something to do with her Hungtinton's?" Cuddy asked her fiancé while Wilson was in the bathroom.

"I have no idea," House replied. He sat with his friend until dinner, watching Thirteen and wondering whether or not she would survive.

"We should try to save the kid," Foreman suggested to House when the diagnostician finally returned to his own office.

"Are you suggesting a cesarean?" House asked.

"If you can't find out what's going on with her it could cause damage to the fetus."

House nodded. "I'll let Wilson know…the baby will be premature, but if we can't find out what's going on with Thirteen, she'll probably lose it."

"Two months premature, right? That's still a good chance of survival."

"I'll see what he wants to do."

"What do you mean? You don't even know what's wrong with her yet!" Wilson said in protest as House explained the idea of taking the baby early.

"You're my best friend and a good oncologist, but you're really not good in emotional situations like this," House said gently.

"Thanks," Wilson retorted sarcastically. "You'd be great, I'm sure."

"I didn't say that. You're going to have to make the decision, though."

Wilson sighed. "Do what you think is best. I can't do this shit anymore…I don't know why it is that every girl I get that could possibly turn out right ends up half-dead with you trying to fix them…" he said sadly.

"Don't worry…I won't fuck it up this time," House replied, turning away. He nodded to Chase, who was outside the glass door and the blond entered. He started prepping Thirteen for surgery, not meeting Wilson's eyes.