(hiding under kitchen sink from Laurie and Psycho) Okay, here's the next chapter! Enjoy, and please review, bunnies!
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He could hear voices as he fought his way back to consciousness. The sounds of the hospital and normal chaos were welcomed, but a pressure on his arm had him confused as he struggled to open his eyes. The sounds and voices were becoming more distinct, and he thought he heard Cuddy and Wilson talking. Finally he managed to force his eyes open, but the bright light had him closing them again.
The pressure on his arm shifted, and he tried to open his eyes again, squinting against the bright lights and white walls. He tried to take a breath, but quickly realized that there was a tube in his throat, and he mentally groaned and made a note to smack Wilson. He blinked again to rid his sight of the darkness. He tried to bring his hand up to rub his eyes, but was surprised to discover that he couldn't move his left arm.
He turned his head, hoping to see Allison sitting beside his bed and reading a book, with a gentle smile on her face. But he was happily surprised to see his son curled up against him, staring off into the distance with his Ipod in his hand. He grinned and brought his right hand up to rest on top of Matt's thick curls. Matt let out a shriek of surprise, but when he realized who the hand belonged to, he pulled his earphones off and threw his arms around his father's neck, careful of the tube in his mouth.
"Daddy, you're awake!" he whispered loudly, and House gave him a thumbs up. He leaned over and kissed his dad's stubbled cheek, then climbed off of the bed and ran out of the room to find Aunt Lisa or Uncle Jimmy.
House watched his son run out of the room, and a few minutes later he ran back in with Cuddy and Wilson in tow. "See! I told you my daddy was awake!" he exclaimed quietly, and Wilson and Cuddy watched in amusement as Matt ran across the floor and scrambled back up onto the bed, sitting his small body beside House.
Wilson grinned at Cuddy and Matt, then walked across the floor to stand beside House's bed. "It's about time you woke up, you lazy bum," Wilson scolded House teasingly, and House just rolled his eyes and motioned to the tube in his mouth. Wilson looked at the small child and said, "Hey, scout? Why don't you go see Aunt Lisa for a minute?"
Matt frowned at him, then reluctantly climbed off of the bed and walked over to Cuddy. A few moments later, Wilson turned back to Matt and motioned for him to return, and the small boy darted back over to the bed and eagerly scampered onto the bed. Matt launched himself into his father's arms and hugged him as tightly as his little body would allow.
After a moment, House whispered hoarsely, "Hey, you little parasite. Where's your mom?"
Matt's eyes widened, and House turned to look at Cuddy and Wilson, but they wouldn't meet his eyes. He could feel his heart rate go up, but he ignored it and asked again, "Where is she? Where's Allison?"
Wilson stepped forward again and looked House in the eye. "Allison is…" Matt turned to look at Wilson, his eyes wide and round with fear, and House hugged his son and said, "Matt, why don't you go with your Aunt Lisa? I'll bet she'll get you some ice cream."
Cuddy stepped across the floor to stand beside Wilson, and Matt looked at his father before begrudgingly climbing off of the bed and taking her hand.
Wilson waited until they were both gone before he turned back to House and said, "How are you feeling?"
"I'm fine," House snapped. "Where's my wife? How is she?"
Wilson chewed on his lower lip for a moment, a gesture that House didn't like one bit because he knew it meant that he was about to say something he wouldn't like. Finally he shoved his hands into the pockets of his lab coat and said, "She's not doing good, House. She's still unconscious, and she has a broken arm and several bruised ribs. You have a few broken ribs, so you won't be going anywhere for a while."
He was starting to ramble, and House knew that there was something Wilson wasn't telling him. Something bad. He took a deep breath, ignoring the intense pain that flared in his ribs. "What is it that you're not telling me, Wilson?" he demanded, and he saw Wilson's eyes brighten before he turned his head. "Damn it, Wilson! Tell me where my wife is!"
He glared at his best friend, and Wilson finally answered him. "She's in a different part of the I.C.U., House."
"How is the baby?" House asked somewhat softly.
"We don't know yet," Wilson answered truthfully, and House shut his icy eyes.
When he reopened them, Wilson looked at him sympathetically, and House stated simply, "I want to see her"
"I know you do," Wilson assured him. "But you're not going anywhere for a while."
"The hell I'm not," House growled, struggling to sit up. Wilson darted forward and carefully pushed him back against the pillows.
House gave up and crossed his arms over his chest, staring at the wall. "Where's Matt?" he asked. "I want to see my son."
Wilson nodded and walked over to the door. "I'll go get him so you can see him." He walked out of the room, and House closed his eyes and viciously fought back the tears that stung his eyes.
A few minutes later, an ice cream covered Matt bounded up onto the bed and threw his arms around House, giggling happily. House found himself relaxing and smiling at his son's antics as he plopped himself down beside his father. "Aunt Lisa gave me chocolate ice cream!" he exclaimed, licking his sticky fingers.
House smiled at the little boy who was so much like himself, and he ignored the painful protest from his ribs and pulled Matt into his lap. Suddenly Matt went very still, and House felt his own breath hitch as he looked up at him and said, "Daddy, where's Mama?"
House looked helplessly at Wilson, wanting to know the answer to his son's question himself. At the same time terror coursed through his veins at what Wilson's answer might entail.
Wilson looked between the two, and he sat in the chair beside House's bed, running one hand through his blond hair.
"Matt, remember when I brought you in here to see your daddy while he was sleeping?" The young boy nodded. "Well, your mommy is sleeping, too. She needs to sleep for a little while while she gets better." Matt paused before nodding in acceptance, but House closed his eyes and laid his head back against the pillows.
Wilson saw House's eyes close, and he rose to his feet and reached for Matt, saying, "Come on, scout. Let's let your dad get some sleep." Matt shook his head furiously and burrowed into House's side, and House cracked one eye open to glare at Wilson.
"He's fine," House growled, and Wilson backed away with his hands raised in surrender. They waited until Matt had fallen asleep, then House turned to Wilson and said, "What's wrong with Allison? How badly was she hurt?"
Wilson swallowed, then looked into House's stormy blue eyes and said, "She's not doing good, House. She was…" His voice trailed off as his mind attempted desperately to find a way to tell his best friend that his wife had been brutally raped, and they weren't even sure if she would survive. He swallowed thickly again, and he finally forced the words out of his mouth. "House, I'm so sorry. Allison was… she was raped," he whispered, and House's eyes turned the color of slate.
His mind struggled to process the information. Allison? His Allison, raped? The mother of his children had been hurt, and her life literally was hanging in the balance. And it wasn't only her life. Their child was in her womb, and if Allison died, so would their unborn child. His heart pounded in his ears, and he wrapped one arm around his sleeping son, welcoming the biting pain of his aching ribs.
"I have to see her," he finally growled through his teeth. "You are going to take me to her, Jimmy, or so help me I'll get out of this bed right now and go without any help."
Wilson knew that House was absolutely serious, and he settled on a compromise. "Okay, House, I'll take you to her after you and Matt take a nap," he stated firmly, and House glared at him. "Not a moment before. That poor kid has been through hell these last two days, and this is the first time he's actually slept without waking up screaming or crying. I'm not going to wake him up."
The two glared at each other, both refusing to back down. But House looked down at his son, and his resolve crumbled. "Fine," he muttered, and Wilson smiled in triumph, then grabbed an extra blanket from the closet and tucked it around his nephew.
"I'll see you in a couple of hours," Wilson said softly as he walked to the door. House just closed his eyes and tightened his arm around Matt protectively as he faded off to sleep.
MDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMD She was dragged slowly from the painless peace of unconsciousness, and her entire body ached as she reluctantly opened her eyes. The room was bathed in darkness, and for several peaceful moments, she didn't know where she was or how she had gotten there.
Then her memories returned with a violent force, and she moaned and closed her eyes.
"Are you alright, Mrs. House?" an unfamiliar voice asked, and Cameron moaned again and opened her eyes. She looked around, hoping to see her husband. But he was nowhere in the room, and she began to panic.
Two hands grabbed her shoulders, and bile rose in her throat as she screamed and struggled to escape. "No!" she screeched. "Where's my husband? Where's Greg?"
"What are you doing? Get off of her!" another voice ordered, and suddenly the hands were gone, and Cameron kept her eyes shut, but tears squeezed out of them and trailed down her cheeks.
A gentle hand caressed her face, and she shuddered and reluctantly forced her eyes open again, hoping to see House's smirking face. But as her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she realized with disappointment that it was Cuddy's hand that was gently smoothing back her matted hair.
Cameron tried to speak, but her throat was too dry and sore to form any words. She looked up at Cuddy helplessly, and the older woman quickly grabbed a cup and pitcher of water from the stand beside Cameron's bed. Placing a straw into the cup, she held it to Cameron's lips and allowed her to drink her fill. Once she was finished, Cuddy placed the cup back on the stand, and Cameron took a deep, albeit shaky breath.
Cuddy wasn't surprised in the least when the first words to come out of Cameron's mouth were, "Where's House?" She didn't answer right away, and Cameron began to panic, her eyes wide and desperate. "Lisa, please. Where's my husband? Where's my son?"
Cuddy sat on the edge of her bed and took her hand, squeezing it gently. "They're fine, Allison. House woke up a little while ago, Matt's with him, and they're both asleep," she assured the younger woman. Cameron shuddered with relief, but the worry and pain in Cuddy's eyes was all too visible, and she felt a lump rise in her throat. Her hand went automatically to rest on her stomach, and Cuddy noticed the gesture, saying, "The baby's fine, Allison." A smile slowly spread across Cuddy's face, and she reached into her pocket and withdrew a black and white sonogram, placing it in Cameron's hands.
"Congratulations," she murmured softly as Cameron touched the sonogram. "It's a little girl."
Tears spilled from Cameron's eyes, and Cuddy gently drew her into a hug, rubbing her back. "I can't believe it," Cameron whispered, clutching the sonogram to her heart. "A little girl?"
Cuddy laughed softly as she slowly pulled away from the embrace. "I know," she laughed as she brushed her tears away. "House with a baby girl? This should be interesting." Both of the women laughed.
A yawn interrupted Cameron's laugh, and Cuddy smoothed her hair back again and said, "Go back to sleep, Allison. When you wake up, we'll see if we can't get you and House put in the same room, okay?" Cameron nodded reluctantly and leaned back against the multitude of pillows, closing her eyes. Cuddy sat with her until she was asleep, her own tears trailing down her cheeks as she watched the younger woman sleep.
TBC...
A/N: Ahh, I'm so evil. MWHAHAHA!! Anyways, please remember to review, and I'll update again soon! Buh bye!