House realises how much he loves Cuddy when her life hangs in the balance as a shooter comes into the hospital demanding a diagnosis he can't give. Holding them and four patients hostage.

"House, why are you in my office?" Cuddy said, walking into her office.

"Looking for your underwear." House said, spinning in her chair. Cuddy laughed and moved him off her chair, earning a 'huff' from House.

As Cuddy went to ask House about the patients he should be seeing in the clinic, a man walked in.

"I'm looking for ?" The man said, and Cuddy and House both looked up.

"What for?" House asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Are you ? I thought it was a woman.." The man said, confused, looking at the name on the door.

"She is, can I help you?" Cuddy said, shaking her head at House.

"I need a diagnosis." The man said in an urgent tone.

"If you go to reception over there, they'll get you a doctor." House said, gesturing towards the next across from Cuddy's office.

"Oh, okay." The man said, and walked out.

"Don't you have patients to see?" Cuddy said, looking at House.

"Hmm, no, I don't think I do." House said, sitting on the couch.

"House." Cuddy said, giving him the eye.

"Can't you just get a nurse to do it?" House complained.

"Just go and do your job-" Cuddy said, laughing. But was interpreted by the door opening and a hand full of people coming in.

"What's going on?" House asked, and the patients coming in looking at both doctors with fear, and then the man from before came to view with a gun holding it up at Cuddy. Everyone froze.

"I told you I was looking for a diagnosis. I need the best doctor in the hospital." The man said, and Cuddy looked straight at House, and he stood up, earning him a glare from the man who moved the gun towards House.

"Well you've got two, what seems to be the problem?" House said, and looked at Cuddy, nodding his head trying to settle the fear he could see in her eyes. She nodded back, and looked at the man with the gun.

"Move the desk towards the door to block it." The said, ordering the patients, once it was done, they all ran towards the window where Cuddy was stood. What was going to happen?

Outside the room, the hospital was being completely evacuated unless it was emergency in which they were taken to the ER. Cameron and Chase stayed, continuing to ring until someone would answer.

"I bet the shooters hogged the phone." Chase said.

"Well it's all we can do right now." Cameron said, and Chase stood next to her and grabbed her hand.

"It's all going to be okay." Chase said, and she smiled at him. As security and the SWAT team came in, the whole hospital floor was on lockdown.

"I've seen sixteen doctors, none of which can give me a diagnosis. You're all my last resort." The man said. "Here are my medical files, read them, do the tests, and figure out what's wrong with me." The man said, who's name they soon found out was Jason. Nobody moved.

"What are your symptoms?" House asked.

"I can't breathe, insomnia, sweats, rashes." Jason said, his hand shaking as he held the gun up at House, who was now stood in front of him.

"Sit down." House said.

"What?" Jason asked.

"Sit down." House said again, and he did.

"Why?" Jason asked.

"I need to examine you." House said, pulling out a small flashlight and running it across his eyes.

"There's nothing wrong with your brain, well, not medically anyway." House said, sarcastically. He walked towards the wall and began to write down his symptoms.

"What does he have?" House asked Cuddy.

"Erm, lung failure?" Cuddy suggested.

"Anything else?" He asked her as he wrote down her suggestion.

"Heart defect?" Cuddy spoke again. "Cancer?" She suggested again. House turned around and noticed a change in Jason's posture.

"Look up for me." House said, and Jason looked up at him, the gun still held up at him.

"His left eye, it's shaking side to side." House said.

"Meaning?" Cuddy said, moving towards him, but as Jason moved the gun towards her she stopped moving.

"Nobody moves." Jason said, and everyone froze again, looking at House.

"Blow into this lighter for me, try and blow out the flame. Hold it as far away as possible." House said to him, throwing him a lighter. As Jason blew on it, his breaths were coming out heavy and diluted.

"Shortness of breath, meaning you probably have pulmonary scleroderma" House said. The phone started to ring again, and Jason passed it House with his free hand.

"Crime scene." He said sarcastically.

"House is everything alright in there?" Cameron said on the other line. Jason then put the phone on speaker.

"It's about to be, I need some propofol, to prove that it's pulmonary scleroderma." House said.

"Some propofol?" Cameron said.

"Yes. Have someone bring it up." House said.

"Have the woman on the phone bring it up." Jason said, and put the phone down.

"He wants me to go and take it up." Cameron said, walking to the medical cabinet.

"What? No! Are you insane?" Chase said, following her.

"If I don't take it nobody will come out of there alive. Do you really want their death on your hands?" Cameron said, grabbing the propofol.

"If anything happens, you run." Chase said, and Cameron nodded, walking towards her office.

House sat on the desk that blocked the door, waiting for Cameron. When there was a knock, the gun was held up at Cuddy neck.

"You have 20 seconds. If you're not back then I will shoot her." Jason said, and House quickly ran out and opened the door to Cameron.

"Is that Cuddy?" Cameron said, looking in the room.

"Yes so I've got to go. Bye now." House said, shutting the door and walking in. Jason lowered the gun, and Cuddy let out a breath she didn't know she was holding.

"Give it to someone first. I don't trust you." Jason said as House held up the needle.

"Seriously?" House asked, looking at him.

"Him." Jason said, pointing to the man at the right.

"I'm not taking that. You hate doctors right? Take it out on them, give it her." The man said, and pointed at Cuddy.

"She's sick." House lied. "You're a creep." He said, and injected him, with no effect.

"Roll up your sleeve." House said, and Jason started to roll it up when the man hit the floor, unconscious.

"Are you kidding me?" Jason said, holding up the gun.

"I thought I had more time with a man that size." House said, placing the needle down, a gun pointed at him.

"You won't shoot me, not when I'm the one that can diagnose you." House said, and the man pointed the gun towards a patient.

"You need to know you can't mess with me." The man said, and shot a man in a brown coat in the leg, earning a shout of agony.

"There was a gun shot." A SWAT officer said, as they paroled the office.

"Who was it?" Chase said, holding Cameron's hand.

"We can't really see, the blinds have been shut." An officer said.

"What if it was Cuddy? Or House?" Cameron said to Chase.

"We both know if it was Cuddy, House would of had her out there by now." Chase said, and Cameron nodded, looking back the door.

Back in Cuddy's office, Cuddy began to wrap up the man who was shot in bandages. House paced the floor, and Jason, the shooter, continued to disconnect the phone every time it rang.

"If his diaphragms not working maybe his nerves are freezing up." Cuddy said, and House stopped pacing. When the phone rang again, House asked Jason to answer it, putting it on speaker.

"I need to draw his blood, could someone make a special delivery?" House said.

"SWAT team how's everyone doing in there?" An officer said, and Jason put the phone down.

"It's going to be hard playing doctor if you keep-" House started, but Jason interrupted him.

"Open the blinds." He said, holding the gun towards the window.

"What?" House questioned.

"You." He said, pointing to a young girl, mid 20's. "Open the blind." He continued, pointing the gun at her.

"Why me?" The girl asked, worry written all over face.

"Just do it!" Jason shouted.

"Why me? Why not someone else?" The girl freaked out, and Cuddy walked over to the blind and opened it, and a crowd of officers disappeared around a corner.

"Did anyone else hear them?" House asked, and everyone shook their head.

"He has hyperacusis." House said.

"What does that mean?" Jason asked, leaning against the wall.

"It means we have a favourite, it's nerve related." House said, and as Cuddy finished up with the shot man, she walked over to House.

"Amped up hearing could be linked to nerve pulses." Cuddy said.

"Puff up your cheeks." House told Jason, and as he did, House noticed a defect.

"A big mug shot smile." House said, and Jason did.

"Left side facial weakness." Cuddy said.

"Seventh nerve pulse." House said, and then the phone rang, interrupting him. Jason moved to answer it.

"Don't hang up the phone again." An officer said.

"You're going to send in..." Jason said, moving his hand, signalling House to speak.

"Capsaicin." House shouted, "200 micrograms." He continued.

"And two syringes this this time." Jason said.

"And we'll give you his blood." Cuddy said.

"No meds and no blood unless you give us something in return. You have to give us a hostage." The officer said.

"You can have two." Jason said, and hung up the phone.

"Okay, Cameron, get a wheelchair, we have a leg shot victim and a unconscious male coming through." The officer said to her, and she walked over to the wheelchair that was in the corner and followed the officers with it.

As the two hostages came out, Cameron made eye contact with Cuddy, who gave her a sad smile, she smiled back and took the patient away, after handing House the meds he asked for.

"This will only hurt if you don't have it." House said.

"Get him to take it first." Jason said, pointing at a man who was stood in the middle.

"I'm not taking anything." The man said.

"How much does it hurt." A guy said, young.

"Looking to be the hero?" House asked him.

"I've been beaten up a lot, I can take pain." The guy said.

"How old are you?" A nurse asked.

"There's a man with a gun, I think that trumps parental consent." House said.

"That medication can also cause nerve and muscle damage." The nurse said, and house touched his nose, followed by the young lad, followed by the young girl, the pregnant woman, then the nurse. Leaving the man who was supposed to take it in the first place the only one left.

"Come on, I'm not taking that crap." The man said.

"You have to, it's the rules." House said.

"I'll do it." Cuddy said, fear in her voice, and House looked at her, fear falling into his face and eyes.

Cuddy lifted her top up at the back, and House stood behind her, getting ready to inject her.

"Why are you taking this risk? This could shut down your nerves." House said in a worried tone.

"I'm a doctor, they're patients." Cuddy said.

"This is beyond doctor loyalty. You figure your going to die anyway, so this is you waving the white flag." House said, and Cuddy said nothing. House injected her, and Cuddy fell to the floor in pain in less than 10 seconds, holding in her screams as the medication fought her nerves.

"Happy now?" House said to Jason, trying to block out the sound of Cuddy, he hated seeing her in pain, it was torture for him. He injected Jason with the medicine, and he soon fell to the floor in pain as well. He walked over to the wall and crossed out nerves. He looked back at Jason, and noticed he'd started to sweat. Cuddy stood up and walked over to house, holding the left side of her back lightly.

"He's only sweating on one side of his face." Cuddy said, and house walked over to him. Hasp held the gun up protectively.

"What are you doing?" He asked House.

"I'm seeing if I can strangle you faster than you can pull the trigger." House said, annoyed.

"He's checking your pulse and heart rate." Cuddy said. Jason nodded and House put two fingers on the side of his neck.

"It's racing, 160." House said.

"We need to get paddles." Cuddy said, the meds still causing her pain.

"I'll need the gun. It doesn't stop trigger fingers." House said.

"Nobody gets my gun." Jason shouted.

"We can slow it down chemically." Cuddy said.

"If we don't know what heart defect he has we can't." House said.

"If we don't do something he's going to kill someone." Cuddy said. "I'll go get the meds." Cuddy said, but the gun moved towards her.

"Nobody goes anywhere." Jason said.

"If she doesn't come back you've got plenty of other people to shoot." House said. Jason turned towards the young lad.

"You. Come here." Jason said, and the young man came over.

"You have 30 seconds or I'm shooting him." He said to Cuddy, and she ran out. She opened the draw and got the medicine she needed, her hands shaking. She shut the draw and turned around quickly, before running back in. Ignoring the shouts of the officers outside. When Cuddy came back in, Jason let the man go and he walked away from him, standing near the window where he was.

"You take it first." He said to Cuddy.

"No. It works if someone's hearts beating to fast, if it's beating normally it could stop her heart." House said, turning around to Cuddy who had already rolled her sleeve up.

"What are you doing?" He shouted to her, but she'd already injected herself with it, and she felt fine for a few seconds, before falling to the floor, turning a pale colour.

"Come and inject him with this." He said to the nurse and he went to check on Cuddy.

"Her pulse is very weak, but it's there." He said, lifting her up bridal style and placing her on the couch, he began to press on her chest with his hands trying to speed up her heart, and as she began to gain colour in her face, her eyes fluttered open and closed, her left arm falling to the floor. He felt for her pulse and it was getting stronger, he told the nurse to watch her and went back to Jason.

"You're heart beat is back to normal. But you're still only sweating on one side." House said.

"What's does that mean?" Jason asked him.

"You have lung cancer." House said, standing up.

"Help her walk out the room, get her heart rate up." He said to the nurse and the young guy when he saw Cuddy was awake. They helped her get up and walked her around the room, her eyes kept falling shut and her legs kept giving up, but her heart rate was coming back up so they continued.

"I need proof." Jason said.

"Of course. Oh damn, I left my CT machine in my other pants." House said.

"How many hostages for a trip to CT?" He questioned.

"All of them." House said.

"Everyone except you and Cuddy. She takes everything I take." Jason said.

Cameron and Chase were talking to the SWAT team when a group of patients came running out.

"Where's House and Cuddy?" Cameron asked.

"The woman is all messed up from the drugs he made her take and he's keeping them both. Can I go now?" The young man said, and the officers let them go.

"What drugs?" Chase said.

"He must be making her take everything she takes." The officer said. When they heard the door open, they all looked over and saw house and Cuddy tried to the shooter with a rope on the way to the elevators. They saw the way Cuddy looked, her eyes heavy, her neck weak. Cameron turned around and placed her head in Chases shoulder and he hugged her.

House grabbed Cuddy's hand and looked at her as they made their way up to CT. She looked up at him and smiled, her heart rate was back to normal. Once they were at the CT, Jason untied them all and lay down on the machine. Holding the gun up.

Cuddy pushed the button and House began the X-Ray, once it was done, he turned the computer around.

"If you want us to be able to know what's wrong with you, give us the gun." House said.

"Why?" He asked.

"The metal in the gun is stopping us from seeing the tumour." Cuddy said.

"Either give me the gun, or shoot me." House said, and Cuddy looked at him. Jason placed the gun down on the table and lay back down, and House began the CT again.

"Well? What is it?" Jason asked.

"Nothing. There's no tumour." House said. Cuddy walked over and looked at it, shocked.

"What's does he have then?" Cuddy said, and House shook his head, and looked at the gun. Jason looked down at his gun and then at House, they both went for it, but Jason got it and grabbed Cuddy.

"You have 10 minutes to figure it out or I'll shoot her." Jason said, and Cuddy took deep breaths, looking at House, worry written on both their faces.

"Cushing syndrome." House said, after awhile.

He walked to the phone.

"I need dexametphaphone, and enough time to provoke a respiratory reaction to prove its Cushing syndrome." He said, looking at Cuddy.

"I'll bring it in." Cameron said.

"He has a time, you have 2 minutes to bring it in or he'll shoot Cuddy." House said.

"I'll be as fast as I can." Cameron said, and the phone went dead. Around 40 seconds later there was a knock at the door. House grabbed the drugs and shut the door again.

"Give me your arm." House said to Jason.

"Cuddy first." He said.

"Are you kidding me? You nearly killed her last time. Just give me your arm." House said, but Jason grabbed the needle to fast for him to stop it and injected it in Cuddy, earning a scream of pain as she fell to the floor, they watched as she had no major reaction. House lifted Cuddy on the CT machine, making sure she sits up, before turning back to Jason.

"Now you can give them me." Jason said, and House injected him. As House looked at Cuddy he noticed a change in her posture, he put his hands on her neck and her pulse was racing. Her head fell back and her body collapsed, House lay her on her side.

"What's happening?" Jason asked.

"Her kidneys are shutting down because of the drugs you made her take." House said, anger in his tone.

House placed his hands down on Cuddy's kidneys, earning a cry of agony. He picked up his phone and rang Chase and Cameron again.

"The dexametphaphone is making Cuddy's kidneys fail but no his. Why?" He asked them.

"This guys been on 50 different medications, maybe his kidneys should be shutting down but somethings protecting them." Cameron said.

"Are you sure he hasn't been anywhere? Mexico?" Chase said.

"Nowhere south of Florida." He said, and House and Cuddy looked up at him.

"You idiot." House complained.

"Florida counts?" He questioned.

"You blame the doctors but you can't even give a half way decent history."

"I need 300 grams sulfadiazine." House said.

"On my way." Cameron said.

"They want Cuddy." Chase said.

"What?" House asked.

"For the sulfadiazine, they want Cuddy." Chase said again.

"They can have Dr. House." Jason said.

"No, you can have Cuddy, bring a wheelchair." House said.

"No!" Jason shouted, holding the gun to Cuddy. "You bring the drugs in and leave, or I shoot her." Jason shouted, and put the phone down.

"House go. Either the drugs will kill me or he will, it makes no difference." Cuddy said, sitting up.

"No if you get out you-" House started but Cuddy shook her head, walking over to him.

"Get him the drugs and leave." Cuddy nodded, squeezing his hands.

"You'll die." House said, holding in all his pain.

"Maybe. Maybe not." Cuddy said softly.

"Try and not die. Okay?" House joked.

"I will." She smiled.

"Cuddy I-" House started, looking at her, and he nodded her head.

"I know." She said, interrupting what he was saying, because he knew what he was going to say. And he walked out.

"Where's Cuddy?" Chase said, as House walked over.

Back in the CT room, Cuddy was making Jason the drugs he would need.

"Here." Cuddy said, handing him the drug.

"You first." He said, and Cuddy looked at him.

"You really don't feel bad about killing me?" She asked him.

"Not if you don't feel bad about killing yourself." Jason told her.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Cuddy asked him.

"You volunteered to take the drugs, you didn't leave when you had the chance. It's like you don't want to live." Jason said.

"I don't want to die!" Cuddy said, tears falling down her eyes.

"Take the drug!" Jason shouted, and Cuddy held the drug to her arm, her hand shaking.

"I don't want to die! Please. Don't make me take it." Cuddy said, and Jason pushed the needle into her, and then the room blew up, sending them both flying backwards.

SWAT officers came in, surrounding Jason and lifting him up, cuffs around his wrists. House walked into the room, and saw Cuddy lay on the floor.

"Don't be dead, don't be dead." House muttered to himself. When he went over and pushed her to face him, she was what he assumed dead, until she spoke.

"Hi" Cuddy said, and she then began to fall in and out of consciousness, House picked her up bridal style and carried her out, placing her on the gurney Chase and brought over and rushed her to the ICU.

House watched from outside the ICU room she was in, he watched as they pumped her chest and filled her up with fluids to flush out the drugs. House began to walk away when he started to hear a flat line, he turned around and watched as they tried to get her heart beating again. He watched as he muttered things to himself. He looked up when the door opened.

"From what she was made to take, I'm surprised she made it." Cameron said.

"She's lucky." Chase said, and they both walked away. House walked into her room and sat in the chair next to the bed and watched her breathe, he grabbed her hand, stroking it.

"Hey." She said, smiling at him, squeezing his hand.

"Hi." He smiled, squeezing her hand back.