Apologies.

I gave a warning a few chapters back, that this case was not going to be solved.

Because that would be the end of this story and there is going to be a sequel. I'm so sorry for this mix up, please don't hate me.

This is the last chapter of this series, I hope you enjoy it.

--

Falling over backwards for you
Falling over everybody else
I put myself in that position
Everytime I have the chance

-

I heard the door open, and for a moment I thought it was my mother. She had gone home late last night, not wanting to sleep in the hospital, and had promised to come back today to sort through the discharge papers as well as the AMA ones. However, it was not my mother, instead I glanced up to see House standing there, closing the door cautiously behind him. I raised my eyebrows, pleasantly surprised.

"Did they put you back on my case?" I asked, Chase having informed last night that I was no longer House's patient. He seemed not to hear me, his eyes fixed on Wilson on the other side of the glass door, who, after what seemed like deliberating what was best to do, sped down the hallway towards the lifts. House reached down and locked the door.

"No." He said simply, looking up at me at last and limping in my direction. I was beginning to get nervous, my gaze stuck on the syringe of drugs in his hand, "But that's not going to stop me treating you."

"Why did you have to lock the door?" My voice was quiet, giving away my nerves. House shrugged as he came to a stop by my bedside, and sat on the edge.

"Like I said, I'm not your doctor anymore." He didn't look good, he looked as if he hadn't slept, or showered, for days.

"You don't look good..." I muttered, furrowing my brow in concern. I pulled back the covers a little and pushed myself closer to him, my eyes examining his face which looked worn and tired, "are you sick?"

"No." House groaned as if he'd heard it all before, "But thanks for pointing it out."

"What's with the needle?" I asked quickly, deciding not to step around the subject, he was holding it so casually, and glanced down as I mentioned it, looking as if he'd forgot it was there all along.

"Oh this?" I sighed; he raised it in the air and examined it under the light, "It's going to cure you."

"Of what?" I was doubtful, I couldn't help it, I'd wanted for so long to find out what was making me sick, but every time I thought he'd figured it out, he was wrong, and I was further back than where I started.

"Of Bubonic plague." House said simply. My eyes widened, plague? Since when did I have the plague?
"If I caught the plague shouldn't I be dead by now..." I asked sceptically. House shrugged.

"You're a medical marvel." He said. I narrowed my eyes.

"Maybe you've got it wrong." I pointed out, House grinned slightly, still holding the needle as if it were a trophy.

"There's only one way to find out." I opened my mouth to retaliate, but I stopped as I heard a knock on my door, I looked over to see Cuddy standing there, her face flushed with anger, her lips pursed into a thin straight line. Wilson was standing next to her, his hands tucked in his pockets, looking extremely worried.

"House, don't be stupid!" Cuddy called, "Unlock this door now!"

"What's going on?" I asked. House rolled his eyes.

"I'm not your doctor, remember?" He muttered, he motioned to the drug, "technically this is illegal." My mouth formed an 'o' shape, and I looked over at the door again, Cuddy beginning to lose her temper.

"This is serious!" She yelled, "You can not give her that!" I knew she was referring to the medicine, and I glanced down at it fearfully.

"What is it, exactly?" I murmured.

"Chloramphenicol." House said simply, ignoring Cuddy who was beginning to thud her fists against the door, "It's for pneumonic plague, which you have, well, I presume you have. One injection and you're cured."

"Emily?" I heard another familiar voice and I glanced again over to the door, where my mother was now standing, my face drained of colour as I watched horror flood her face when she realised she was locked out, "What the hell is he doing in there?!" My mother screamed at Cuddy, who glared at her and continued her attempt to get House to listen.

"House, you know it's dangerous!" Cuddy screamed, "It's not safe!" I felt my stomach tie in a knot and I faced House once more, who had a slightly guilty expression on his face.

"What does she mean?" I whispered, the whole situation was overwhelming, and I felt like walking over to the door and letting Cuddy in, just so I could get some sort of straight answers.

"There are side effects..." House moaned, and I got the impression he hadn't been planning to tell me about this at all, "We're actually not supposed to use it anymore... because..." He pursed his lips together and looked down, "Its can cause aplastic anaemia"

"What?!" I cried, my mother had now taken her chance to bang on the door, her teeth gritted together in frustration.

"Get him away from her!" My mother was screaming, hitting the glass so hard I wouldn't have been surprised if she broke it. She leaned against it, taking in a deep breath, "I'm going to kill you." My mother growled, her glare focused on House, who could easily ignore her.

"Aplastic anaemia... that..." I was trying to remain calm, I was locked in a room with House, a man who obviously was not in his right mind, and was attempting to inject me with a potentially deadly drug, "That's not good!"

"It's extremely rare." He continued on, "and it's even less likely seeing as it'll be injected, the only real risk is if you take it orally. Plus it's only one injection."

"But it's aplastic anaemia!" I pointed out, everyone had now gathered round my door, including House's team, and they were all attempting to get the door open, "I could die."

"I might be right." House pointed out, "I might be right and you'll be cured." He glanced over his shoulder, for the first time acknowledging the commotion he was causing and slowly turned back round to face me, "It's up to you."

I glanced from House, to the syringe, to the group of people attempting to get into the room. I noticed Wilson had produced a bunch of keys and was trying desperately to unlock the door, my mother's eyes wide with rage. I swallowed nervously and looked back to House, who was still staring at me expectantly.

"Do you trust me?" He asked. I looked down at my lap, shutting my eyes for a second in an attempt to block everything out, it was no use, I raised my head and swiftly rolled the sleeve of my right arm, as I had been wearing a royal blue hoody in bed, and offered him the crook of my elbow.

"Yes." I told him honestly. He nodded and took my arm, I could hear my mother's voice rising as she realised what was happening, Wilson attempting to get her to stay silent, reassuring her he had found the key.

There was a sharp sting on my skin and I shut my eyes, biting down on my lower lip as the pain which stabbed into my arm reached its peak. I took a deep breath and opened my eyes, wondering why everything had gone so silent. I looked round, the door was open, everyone standing in the doorway with their eyebrows raised, mouths open in horror, I glanced at House, the syringe in his hand was empty, and there was a small drop of crimson blood on my arm from where the drug had entered my system.

--

"What the hell were you thinking?!" Cuddy's voice was high and shrill, her eyes wide for emphasis, her hands balled into fists. House sat with an apathetic look on his face in front of her, bouncing his cane absentmindedly off her floor, "You stole medicine, a potentially deadly medicine, which you then administered to a patient who you were no longer supposed to be treating!"

"I cured her." House sighed, his mood had lightened significantly since the incident, "Last time I checked that's what you pay me to do."

"I pay you to cure your patients!" Cuddy cried, "I took you off her case!"

"Can't stop me, I'm dedicated!" House said with a smug smile. Cuddy groaned outwardly.

"You may not have even cured her." Cuddy sighed, leaning against the edge of her desk, "You could have just made her worse."

"I'm willing to take that risk." Cuddy shut her eyes for a few seconds, knowing she was going to hear from Emily's parents pretty soon. They were currently with their daughter, probably scolding her for letting House stick a needle in her arm.

"Go home." Cuddy said simply with a defeated voice. House got up off his seat to protest, limping towards her desk.

"I can't, I have to keep an eye on her!" House pointed out, "She could have aplastic anaemia!" Cuddy narrowed her eyes, not finding the situation in the least bit funny, and in no mood to joke. She sighed and self consciously straightened her skirt.

"First of all, if you've given her aplastic anaemia she has a good few months to live, she's not going to drop dead the moment you turn your back," House opened his mouth again, probably to say something sarcastic or witty, but Cuddy cut him off, "I know you want to keep an eye on her, I know you want to see if you were right, I know you want to see if the medicine has worked... but you have another 48 hours before we find out, so please, go home and get some sleep. You need it."

"Fine." House murmured, turning round slowly, causing Cuddy to sigh with relief, "I'll be at home, getting drunk, if you need me."

--

House had lied. He had no intention of going home, no intention of just waiting till the next morning to see how Emily was doing, but he hadn't wanted to stay in Cuddy's office for hours, arguing why he should still be on the case.

He sat outside on a bench which was on the street facing the hospital, his coat wrapped round him, a cup of coffee in his hand, the steam rising from it into the cold air. He'd been sitting there for a good long while, only getting up when he needed the bathroom, or when he felt the need for a sandwich.

His eyes were trained on the doors opposite him, and they lit up as he saw the sight he'd been waiting for, a disgruntled Cuddy pushing through the front doors, a large scarf enveloping her neck as she trotted towards the car park, desperate to get out of the cold and get home as quick as possibly.

House smirked, drained his cup of coffee, set it down on the ground next to him and straightened up, making his way over to the hospital, just as Cuddy's car pulled out of the grounds.

He knew it was late, the early hours of the morning, but he knew that he couldn't go in until Cuddy had left. Emily's parents weren't that much of a problem; they had left about an hour after House. Now he had nothing standing in the way between him and his patient.

As he stepped into the warm entrance of the hospital, allowing his coat to loosen, nurses flashed him suspicious glances, wondering why he was here, he just ignored them and made his way over to the lifts, pressing the button and stepping in, eventually making it to Emily's level.

The whole floor seemed deserted, it was dark, and the only lights were coming from the nurse's station and a few rooms where patients were still awake, or doctors were working over time. No one was going to interrupt him, so he continued down the hall, stopping outside Emily's room and peering in.

For a moment his heart stopped, noticing the covers of her bed thrown back, and no one underneath them. He was convinced, in that split second, that she'd left already, that she'd ran away or her parents had smuggled her into their car. He relaxed though, as he spotted a small figure, slumped against the end of the bed, half lying on the floor, bathed in the soft glow of the television flickering in the corner.

He took a deep breath and opened the door, he noticed her eyes were shut, and her chest was rising and falling slowly but steadily, so he tread softly, being sure not to wake her. He came to a stop in front of her and knelt down, with much difficulty, wincing as pain shot through his leg, but he ignored it.

Her face was unnaturally pale in the light from the TV, and her lips were parted slightly, with some hair framing her face. Then he saw it, just at the corner of her mouth, a spatter of blood standing out drastically against her skin, the small amount of liquid was enough to send him spiralling out of his good mood. He scowled, quickly realising he'd been wrong, that he'd put her through everything for nothing, and slowly reached out, cupping her face slightly and wiping the blood away with his thumb.

"Hm?" Emily stirred, her forehead creasing as her eyes fluttered open, quickly connecting with House's, who froze, unsure of what to do. Automatically a smile spread across her face, a reaction which always occurred when House was around, and she raised her hand to where House's was resting, her fingertips touching it lightly, "Sorry, it didn't work." Her voice was foggy, and she wasn't fully awake, but she still was able to register what was going on.

"I can see that." House sighed, retracting his hand quickly, tensing at the feeling of her skin, "Sorry I woke you."

"It's okay," She sighed, rubbing her eyes groggily, "I mean, my backs sore, if I stay here any longer I won't be able to walk tomorrow." She grinned as House straightened up, and quickly she pulled herself off the floor, not looking to House for a helping hand, and flexed her back, wincing and placing her hand on it. "I was watching TV..." She sighed.

"Yeah..." House didn't know what to say to her, part of him felt guilty, as if he'd let her down, he'd been so sure in his diagnosis that he never considered disappointing her. And now he'd done it, again.

"I'm leaving tomorrow." Emily said, walking to the TV and turning it off before returning to House's side, "The discharge papers are all signed."

"You could wait longer..." House suggested, not happy at the fact she was leaving him, he hadn't fixed her yet, "I mean, you're not cured."

"I'll survive," Emily told him honestly, "No one's figured out what's wrong with me in five years, another little while won't hurt."

"So what? You're just going to leave, give up?" House growled, Emily shrugged.

"I don't want to." She stepped towards her bed, sitting down on the edge and staring up at him. Now that the television had been turned off the room was almost pitch black, but they could still see the outlines of each other against the cool light flooding in between the blinds, "Cuddy suggested that I come in for regular tests, as an outpatient, there's no rush."

"Who's your doctor?" House asked, trying not to sound offended that she'd organised something like this without consulting him. He didn't need light to see that Emily was grinning, causing her eyes to shine.

"You, of course!" She laughed; she pursed her lips together, and tilted her head to one side, "You're the best, right?"

"Your parents are okay with this?" House asked sceptically, surprisingly not in the mood to make snarky comments or jokes. Emily swiftly shook her head.

"It's not up to them, remember?" She reminded him, "It's up to me. And I want you." House nodded slowly and glanced down at his cane, which he began to bounce of the smooth floor. He eventually turned round, trying to keep his composure up, and took a deep breath.

"See you tomorrow morning then," he murmured as he stepped through the door, moving to close it behind him, "Get some sleep, you look tired."

--

Sara woke up with a smile on her face, rolling over in her bed to see a little sunlight pour through the blinds which covered the dirty window looking into her apartment. Today was the day she'd be taking her daughter home; she'd get rid of that psychotic doctor for a while, as well as never having to see Jeff again. She sprang out of her bed, and began to get ready for the day ahead.

She had a shower, she brushed her hair, she cleaned her teeth, she wore a fresh set of clothing, she put on mascara, lipstick, nail polish, and for once in her life she ignored the brown powder concealed in a bottom drawer in her kitchen. She didn't feel like she needed it today.

She took one last glance at herself in the mirror, and with a broad smile, stepped out the front door with a skip in her step.

She drove quickly to the hospital, as it was early there was very little traffic, and she arrived ten minutes prior to when she was expected. She grabbed her handbag and stepped out into the cool morning air, slamming the door shut behind her, locking it, and strutting into the building.

The hospital never seemed to sleep, there were nurses running around, a few solemn looking doctors with stethoscopes round their necks slowly pacing the corridors. Sara was the happiest looking one out of them all, and walked purposefully up to the lifts and waited.

The doors slid open and she stepped inside, glancing at the few people already standing within, checking quickly to see if any of them were House, and let out a sigh of relief when she realised they weren't, and stood with her head raised high until the elevator came to a stop on her floor.

She practically ran down the corridor to Emily's room, seeing that she was awake, dressed and ready to go, her smile broadened and she stepped into the room.

"Hey!" She cried, causing Emily's head to spin round to face her. She'd been sitting cross legged on the bed, watching TV, but a sad smile rose to her lips at the sight of her mother.

"Hey mum." She murmured, obviously attempting in vain to look happy. Sara decided to let it slide, she'd cheer up once she got home.

"Are you ready to leave?" She asked. Emily slowly shook her head apologetically, "Why not?"

"I need to get all my stuff packed." She explained, Sara slowly nodded her head, and rushed over to the nearest drawer. Emily quickly rose off the bed to stop her, "Mom, what's the rush?" She hissed. Sara straightened up and shrugged.

"Just want to get you home as quickly as possible!" She told her. Emily continued to smile sadly at her and shrugged.

"Look mum, I want to get home, I do," She sighed, "But I can't go until I've talked to Dr. House, you know that." Sara slowly nodded and pursed her lips together so tightly they disappeared into a thin line.

"Okay, that's okay," She murmured, turning round slowly and adjusting the strap of her handbag which hung over her arm, "I'll just go wait downstairs, okay, I'll be in the cafeteria, drinking coffee, when you're ready to go." Emily nodded slowly and watched as Sara left the room, obviously trying her best not to get angry.

--

House woke up with a start the next morning, his brow furrowed as he threw the blankets off him and he awkwardly swung his legs over the edge, as he tried to remember why he felt like crap, why he had this sick feeling pumping through his veins. He quickly remembered Emily, and the fact that she'd be walking out of his life in just a few hours, and it didn't make him feel any better.

He didn't know why he was so upset about this patient leaving, he couldn't figure out whether it was because he hadn't fixed her yet, or whether it was something more than that. Even if he tried his best, he honestly wouldn't be able to say.

He slowly made his way into the kitchen, glanced round his almost empty fridge for a few seconds, and shut it again. He wasn't hungry. And he wasn't the type of person who'd eat just because they knew they should. His head was sore, and the pain was pounding mercilessly against his temples. He'd attempted to forget about Emily last night, by consuming way too much alcohol, and only now was he realising it wasn't the smartest idea in the world.

He got dressed, barely paying attention to what he was putting on and eventually left his house, climbing onto the back of his bike he placed his helmet over his head and started up the engine, his cane neatly tucked away, and sped down the road, heading towards the hospital.

When he arrived the first thing he noticed was Sara Laine's car, parked out the front, ready to take Emily home. This wasn't good, he needed to talk to her, and if her mother was there that was going to make the task more than difficult. Still, he parked his bike, hopped off it and removed his helmet, grabbing his cane he limped through the front doors of the hospital.

The moment he stepped over the threshold he found himself ducking to one side in an attempt to hide. His gaze had fallen on the lifts, which Sara Laine had just walked out of, a thoroughly pissed off look on her face as she made her way towards the cafeteria. House breathed a sigh of relief, realising that Emily was still here and, in this moment of time, was without her mother. He walked as briskly as he could towards the elevators, stepped quickly into one of them and began to head towards Emily's room.

He stepped off at her floor and limped along the corridor, coming to stop beside her room. He took a deep breath as he looked in, finding himself staring at Emily, as she walked around, shoving her belongings into a backpack lying open on her bed, getting ready to leave. She spun round, glancing downwards at the ground to check to see if she dropped something, and when she looked up her eyes met his, and a genuine smile rose to her lips, making House want to turn and run in the other direction.

--

I was quite tired, and having House wake me up late last night hadn't helped matters much, but I was coping. I'd woken a lot more early than usual, a strange feeling developing in my stomach, a mixture between guilt and nervousness, which was only amplified when I found myself staring through the glass wall at House's face.

He looked tired, as usual, and cautiously limped towards the door, opening it and stepping inside. I waved in an attempt to be cheerful, and turned back round, busying myself with preparing to leave.
"Morning." I sighed, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear as I stuffed a jacket into the bag, which was almost full. He nodded instead of saying anything, and continued to watch as I rushed about the room, "You alright?"

"Yeah." He said, a bit too quickly, his voice giving away that it was a lie. I stopped what I was doing and turned away from bag to face him, not helping but to allow a look of sympathy to cross my face.
"Don't tell me you're going to miss me." I teased, knowing that the last thing he wanted now was for either of us to be serious. He shrugged.

"Oh, I don't know," He sighed, "Maybe I'm glad to get rid of you." I smirked at him.

"You're not getting rid of me," I pointed out, "I still have to come in for those check ups."

"Damn, I forgot about those." He murmured, trying to sound disappointed, but it was obvious the news made him a little happier.

"So every week you get to stick a needle in my arm," I told him as I decided to continue to pack, "The way I see it, you've got nothing to complain about." He remained silent for a few minutes, watching me closely, I almost felt as if he was making sure I wasn't stealing stuff.

"Wheres mommy?" He asked eventually. I shrugged.

"Cafeteria, I think. Getting her caffeine fix. Why?"

"Just making sure she hasn't abandoned you." He sighed, "People have a tendency to do that." I narrowed my eyes at him and shot him a glare, but didn't reply and continued to pack. Eventually I was done and, with much difficulty, I closed the bag and swung it over my shoulder. I turned round with a smile on my face, but it evaporated as I noticed House, who was standing in front of me, looking guilty.

"I'm sorry." He mumbled. I raised my eyebrows, he sounded sincere, and a look of sympathy swept across my features. The last thing I wanted was for him to feel bad, and I shook my head quickly and stepped closer to him.

"You don't have to be," I told him quickly, staring up at him, wide eyed, "It's not your fault I'm sick, and it's not your fault that no one can figure out what's wrong, you shouldn't be sorry, I-"

My voice failed me as House raised his hand and settled it against my cheek, my breath catching in my throat as I realised what was happening, but my body wouldn't move. He leant down, and slowly pressed his lips against mine, catching me completely off guard. My eyes widened and I raised my hands to his chest, moving to push him away, but my knees went weak and eventually my eyes closed and I gave in.

He tasted like drugs, and some sort of alcohol, the type which would scorch your throat but leave a warm feeling in the pit of your stomach. His hand slid down from my face to my neck, and he gently pulled me closer, so even if I wanted to, I couldn't pull away. The whole thing was slow, deep and strangely intense, so when finally our lips parted, I felt as if I were shaking, despite the fact I was standing completely still.

"Emily..." He whispered, still standing close enough so I could feel his breath on my lips, and I had a strange feeling another apology was on it's way. But before he could get another word out, the noise of someone clearing their throat broke the silence and he quickly retracted his hand, as if my skin had burnt him.

"Um, Emily," I spun round to see Dr. Cameron, standing with a completely shocked look on her face, her wide eyes darting from me to House and back again, "You're mom is still waiting downstairs."

I nodded sharply and spun round, realising that in the midst of everything I'd dropped my bag. I bent down and picked it up, flashing House a timid smile before ducking my head and walking out of the room, "Bye," I mumbled under my breath, glancing over my shoulder one last time, House still not having moved an inch, his eyes locked on mine, not needing to say another word.