In the al intensive care unit, House leaned on his e he open door, which revealed at least a dozen incubators taining fragile sick babies. "Exhibit A," he said, pointing to one of the incubators, "baby girl Hartig. Term baby, forty-two hours old. Went into seizures 6 hht into intensive care, diagnosed with obstru of the small bowel."

  "I'm still amazed you're in the same room with a patient," Dr. Wilson sarcastically joked.

  "Or that you learned her name," I added, reag for the chart hanging on the baby girl's incubator.

  "People don't bug me until they get teeth," House respoo Dr. Wilson. "And sorry, CJ, I promise I'm w on learning your name," he added sarcastically, widening his eyes.

  "Exhibit B," House tinued his odd presentation, pointing to another incubator. "Baby boy Hausen. Aerm baby, forty-eight hours old. Brought into the NICU before the Hartig baby: fever of unknown in, 101 degrees, trending upwards."

  I quickly grabbed the chart of the sed baby and pared them.

  "Wow, that is amazing," Dr. Wilson said with feigned surprise, moving around the room. "You hung out in the OB/GYN lounge and heard about two sick babies," he said with mock surprise, smiling smugly at House. "It's eerie," he sarcastically cluded as he approached one of the two incubators, presumably to touch baby Hausen.

  "Don't touch that," House and I coordinated surprisingly, stopping Dr. Wilson before he could touch the possibly iious baby.

  "Alright..." Dr. Wilson aken aback, stepping slightly away from the fragile baby.

  "What's going on?" Dr. Wilson asked again after a few seds of silence, looking puzzled.

  "Yeah, what's going on, kid?" House asked, his strange smile growing, narrowing his eyes.

  "I'm almost certain there's an iion spreading in the hospital," I said, causing House to smile broadly.

  "No, PJ, the children have totally ued illnesses," Dr. Wilson kindly expined.

  "No, they fell ill within four hours of each other," House tered.

  "They were in the same delivery rooms, and the maternity rooms are neighb," I added, "which makes transmission possible," House immediately affirmed.

  "Okay, this is really cute," Dr. Wilson said amusedly, gesturing towards House and me, "but it doesn't add up. The Hartig girl has a bowel obstru," he expined, "no matter how close their beds are, I'm pretty sure kids 't share a blockage."

  "Look, kid, this is why you shouldn't trust a doctor's diagnosis," House sarcastically affirmed. "What does bowel obstru on a chart indicate?" leaning on his e, House asked Dr. Wilson.

  "Well, normally, I'd say it indicates a patient's bowel is obstructed," Dr. Wilson said ironically, "but I'm pretty sure you have some deeper truth to impart..." he tinued before being immediately interrupted by House. "It means that some random doctor of ierminate skill thinks that the patient's bowel is obstructed."

  "Trying to avoid ughing, 'okay, you're upset because they threw you out of their lounge,'" Dr. Wilson affirmed.

  "They threw you out of their lounge?" I asked amusedly as House rolled his eyes, moving towards the basket beside one of the baby's incubators, "no, they didn't," House immediately deaking an X-ray print.

  "Look at the X-ray," House said, handing the print to Dr. Wilson. "It's a normal gas pattern."

  "You want, I get you a key to the oncology lounge," Dr. Wilson calmly said to House, "kid, expin to Wilson what that means," ign the other doctor's words, House pointed again to the X-ray print.

  "There's air in the ," I responded, immediately uanding House's request.

  "If it's air, then no bowel obstru," House nodded in agreement, causing Dr. Wilson to furrow his brow slightly as he studied the image again.

  "Even if it's air, it could have been there before the obstru," Wilson ented, no longer so sure.

  "No," House immediately denied, "something's ied both these infants."

  "And what do you pn to do?" Dr. Wilson asked, leaving the X-ray print.

  "I'll go to Cuddy; we he maternity ward shut down," House said seriously, looking at the babies.

  "Cuddy won't shut dowernity ward because..." Dr. Wilson was saying but was interrupted, "I k was you," someone practically shouted from the hallway outside the al intensive care unit.

  "Walter, what's going on?" surprised, Wilson asked the man, taking a step forward to stop the furious man's rapid walk.

  "He's what's going on," the annoyed man poi me, repeating himself.

  "Mr. Stratford?" when the man was close enough, I reized him, "I warn you, kid, no oed to House will get near my daughters," advang even more before being stopped by a surprised Dr. Wilson, Mr. Stratford decred.

  "Oh, so this is the girl you've been telling me about, PJ," House said with a broad smile, "you dog," he tinued, putting his hand on my shoulder with exaggerated pride, "if she's anything like Walter's wife, I uand why you hat m-after pill prescription."

  "What!" much more annoyed, Mr. Stratford excimed again.

  "Ignore him, Walter," now actively holding back the small man, Dr. Wilson tried to reason with him, "and you, shut up, House, don't cause trouble," annoyed with House, Dr. Wilson tinued.

  "Mr. Stratford, your daughter and I are just friends," quickly removing House's hand from my shoulder and moving away from the man, I tried to expin to the furious man with my hands up, strarying to demonstrate my innoce.

  "I don't believe you; I don't know what you've learned from this man, but it 't be anything good," still being held back by Dr. Wilson, Mr. Stratford poi House with disgust, who, pretending to be offended, pced one of his hands on his chest while shaking his head slowly.

  "Okay, that's enough; we have real doctor work to do," stopping his performance, House said, "Walter, I promise you on my word that PJ is a great kid," seriously, House tinued, leaning on his e, "just let them be teenagers; I know PJ loves her, and he's willing to take responsibility," he tinued maliciously smiling.

  "Shut up," Dr. Wilson and I ordered House simultaneously, who was smiling amusedly.

  "He's a good kid, Walter; he's just learning medie from House," releasing the stout man, Dr. Wilson expined again, trying to reassure the man who still looked upset but much less threatening.

  "Oh sure, let's trust Wilson's judgment," House exaggeratedly excimed, raising one of his hands, pretending to be offended, "if no one is going to listen to me, it wasn't a joke that I have real medical work to do; when you're done here, go to the office, kid," walking proudly alongside the other two doctors, House disappeared from sight.

  "I'm being pletely serious, stay away from my daughter

  ," still obviously frustrated, Mr. Stratford said, pointing at me with a furrowed brow before angrily walking back where he came from, leaving Dr. Wilson and me alone in the hallway.

  "Kat or Bianca?" Dr. Wilson discreetly asked.

  "You know his daughters?" surprised, I asked.

  "When Walter Stratford started w at the hospital, he invited a few of us to di his house," Dr. Wilson expined calmly, "unfortunately, he also invited House," he finished ironically.

  "Well, her of them, it wasn't a lie, Kat and I are just friends," I quickly expined.

  Sighing softly as he shook his head, "House wasn't wrong; Melinda Stratford is a beautiful woman," Dr. Wilson affirmed suggestively, before he could deny the accusation again, Dr. Wilson's pager alerted him, "I have to go, but good luck, PJ," lightly tapping my shoulder, Dr. Wilson said before quickly walking away.

  "She's just a friend," I mao say to the doctor before he disappeared pletely, waving his hand in farewell as he walked.

  With a faint but growing migraine, I stood incredulous at the happenings in front of the al intensive care unit. A momehe cry of one of the babies reminded me of what was going on. I had some books that I o return to the hospital library before heading to the diagnostic lounge.

  After a brief moment speaking with the librarian, Neil, I walked with a much lighter backpack to the diagnostic lounge.

  Ihe office with gss walls, the three other doctors who worked alongside House were each doing their own thing. Dr. Foreman was studying a series of X-ray images, Cameron was standing reading some dots, while Chase eacefully sleeping in one of the chairs.

  Silently greeting Cameron, the only one of the three present doctors who noticed my presence, I took a seat in one of the free chairs to wait for House.

  A few mier, House entered his office, taking a rge red book from one of the shelves at the entrand then throwing the book at Chase, immediately waking him up. "Get up!" he excimed, walking to the ter of the room. "We're going hunting," House tinued, amused.

  "For what?" exasperated, Dr. Foreman asked.

  "Wabbits," House immediately responded sarcastically.

  "Wabbits," slowly shaking his head, annoyed, Dr. Foremaed.

  "You're not funny," House sighed with false defeat. "Expin, kid," leaning on his e, House ordered.

  "We believe there's an iion spreading among the newborns," I expined.

  "No," House immediately said, "you believe it, I know it for a fact, and therefore, all of us will look for evidence so that Dr. Cuddy accepts that there is an iion spreading to the beautiful newborns," House finished with great sarcasm, leaving no room for the other three doctors tue.

  "Let's split up," House ordered. "Chase with Cameron, the kid with Foreman, and with me," he finished.

  "So we're going to search for an imaginary iion just because you and the kid think it exists?" annoyed, Foreman asked, mog House.

  "Yes," shamelessly House responded immediately, "so, we're looking for newborns, possibly just a few hours old, fever of unknown in, seizures, cough with sputum," ign Dr. Foreman, House tinued listing each symptom. "I thought I was just teag the kid, do they really need me to expin how to differentiate between a healthy newborn and ohat isn't?" House asked ironically.

  Without responding, the three defeated doctors prepared to leave.

  "e on, kid, let's go find some Wabbits," walking beside me, House said, seemied.

  After searg several rooms with perfectly healthy newborns, House, Dr. Foreman, and I stopped in front of the maternity nurses' desk. "I'm telling you, House, there's no iion spreading in the hospital," Foreman said tiredly.

  "Good news, no epidemic," appearing suddenly in one of the hallways of the wing, Dr. Chase assured as he walked alongside Cameron.

  "Tragic, huh?" Foreman sarcastically asked, staring fixedly at House, exasperated.

  House seemed somewhat annoyed, staring down one of the hallways. "Overflow rooms, third floor," he said immediately, breaking away from the desk and walking toward one of the elevators.

  "This imaginary iion has spread to the floor?" Foreman asked sarcastically, mog House, receiving no response from the e-bearing doctor.

  Following House to the elevator, we went up to the third floor. "Is there any ce we're wrong?" I asked the man as we walked to one of the rooms. "Sure, but it's more iing if we're not," House replied in his usual sarcasm, jokingly pushing open the door to the first room to enter.

  Ihe room, a small family with a newborn baby in their arms, obviously worried, was studying the baby. "We were just going to call," one of the two women in the room immediately ented.

  "Did he get hot all of a sudden?" House asked seriously, approag the baby aly toug his forehead to feel his temperature.

  "Yeah," the same worried woman replied.

  "And we're on," carefully leaving the baby in the arms of one of the women, House quickly left the room.

  "Someone will e with you shortly," reassuring the two puzzled women in the room, I followed House out of the room.

  "Go get your siblings," jokingly, House instructed me, "we have an iion to figure out," he tinued seriously, walking down one of the hallways.

  Heading back down in the elevator, I met the three doctors having a versation in front of the nurses' station. "So, did House finally give up?" Cameron asked when she approached them.

  "No, in fact, we found another patient; House seo brief you," I immediately responded, causing all three doctors to close their eyes in disappoi. "We have a real iion spreading through the hospital," defeated, Dr. Foreman said, walking out of the wing followed by Cameron and Chase, equally defeated.

  "Hey, Brenda," approag the desk, I greeted the nurse on duty."Oh honey, how are you?" the woman asked cheerfully, "are you here for your volunteer work?" she tinued, quickly searg through papers on her desk, probably for some patient who needed a nail trim or a spoh.

  "I'm good, thanks, and for now, I won't tih my volunteering," I expined immediately, fortunately stopping the nurse in her dot search.

  "Oh, that's too bad. In all my years, you've been the best volunteer. You learned incredibly fast everything that o be learned," the woman said sympathetically.

  "Yeah, I know, I learned a lot," trying to hide the forature of my smile, I replied, "sorry, do you know if my mom has arrived yet?" I quickly ged the subject.

  "Don't you know?" surprised, the woman asked, "I'm sixteen already, I came on my own," I expio the nurse.

  "Oh honey, you're a grown up now," the nurse said with excitement, "let me check," resuming our previous versation, she picked up her phone, presumably calling the desk where mom would be w.

  "Yeah, your mom arrived several minutes ago. Do you need me to pass on a message?" removing the phone from her ear and c the microphoh her hand, the woman asked.

  "No, it's okay, I'll talk to her ter. Thanks, Brenda," I said as a farewell, getting ready to go to the diagnostic lounge. "You're wele, sugar," the woman replied with a big smile before tinuing her phone call.

  In the office with gss walls, the three doctors under House's and were discussing while sitting around the table.

  Foreman, upon my arrival, began with an obviously fake cough that he repeated loudly a couple of times, even elbowing Chase lightly to get his attention but failing.

  "If you want to know something, you ask," I said, assuming the reason behind his strange behavior.

  "He's got you there," smirking, Chase said.

  "What do we know?" after rolling his eyes forcibly at Chase and giving him a slightly stronger elbow jab, Foreman asked, avoiding eye tad keeping his eyes on some dot previously oable.

  "As far as I know, three siewborns, cough with sputum, spiking fevers, BP's plummeting, ing from two delivery rooms, three different maternity rooms, and I don't know if there are any on personnel or on equipmeed," I expio the three present doctors. "Oh, one of the babies was diagnosed with a bowel obstru by some radiologist. House doesn't trust that diagnosis," I tinued, making Chase and Dr. Foreman snort unsurprised.

  "I don't trust whoever made the diagnosis," entering along with Dr. Cuddy into the office, House said, dropping a bunch of papers oable, allowing the other three doctors at the table to quickly lean in to take them.

  "Three sick babies, and a fourth showing early symptoms," writing on the board, House said.

  "How bad?" obviously ed, Dr. Cuddy asked seriously.

  "Spiking fevers," reading one of the charts, Chase said, "BP's plummeting," Dr. Foreman tinued, "they're barely able to keep systolic up; at this rate, they'll be dead in a day," Dr. Foreman said pletely serious, looking at the other charts.

  "Where did this e from?"

  "Two delivery rooms, four different maternity rooms, no on personnel, and no on equipment," Cameron immediately responded.

  "Well, there's gotta be something in on," with growing desperation, Dr. Cuddy told House.

  "Yeah," sarcastically, House affirmed, "that would be the differeween an epidemid a ce," he tinued with a smirk.

  Ign House, apparently with a growing migraine, Dr. Cuddy shook her head while rubbing her forehead, "I'm putting a team together," she asserted, "we're going to start swabbing," defeated, Dr. Cuddy left the office.

  "Dr. Cuddy," following the ed woman out of the office, I called out to her, stopping her in the hallway.

  "Yes, PJ?" urgio respond quickly, the woman asked.

  "You know my mom is pregnant..." I was saying, but the doctor interrupted me, "yeah, don't worry, I'll send any vulnerable person home," she replied without stopping.

  Ba the office, the three doctors were turowards House. "Thanks for ing baow that the kid is here, we start. Differential diagnosis, people," House ordered with a marker in his hand.

  "Parasite," Dr. Foreman immediately said, causing House to write it on the board.

  "Spreading too quickly," Cameron disagreed, and House crossed out the word he had just written.

  "Virus?" Chase asked, making House write on the bain.

  "No lymphocytosis in the blood tests," I disagreed, remembering the data from the charts.

  "And they're not responding to a cycle of avirarapovirin," Dr. Foreman added, "if it's some other virus, we'll never find it in time anyway," nodding at Dr. Foreman's reasons, House added a question mark o the word.

  "Bacterial iion," I said as a st possibility. House pointed his marker at me, nodding before writing it on the board. "It's not responding to broad-spectrum antibiotics, so we've got somethiant," as he wrote on the board, House said seriously, "the usual suspects."

  "MRSA," Dr. Foreman immediately said, "it's always MRSA in hospitals," House nodded, writing on the board.

  "Maybe a inated food or water source?" uainly, Cameron said, "Pseudomonas," she tinued, and House nodded slightly before writing on the board.

  "VRE?" Chase asked, unsure, and House also wrote it down.

  "H. Flu," I added, "okay, those are the big ones," House wrote it down as well, "cultures will take forty-eight hours, might as well be post-mortem," ironically, House ented, "we'll start them on Vany for the MRSA and Aztreonam for the rest," closing the possible iions, House ordered, "let's get MRIs, check for abscesses or some occult iion," House tinued, pointing at me, House said, "grab us if you find something important," walking to the door of the office, House tinued, "or unimportant," ending by leaving the office.

  Bidding farewell with a silent nod from the three doctors, I left the office behind House.

  "So, Walter's daughter," walking through the hospital corridors, House with a smirk said suggestively.

  "No, we're just friends," I responded exasperatedly to the annoying man, who simply narrowed his eyes, examining me.

  "Let's say I believe you. Walter isn't the first oo accuse you of doing his daughter," House said amusedly, studying my expression, surely finding what he was looking for. "So, who, do you have a girlfriend?" the man asked sarcastically.

  "Yeah," after a few seds of internal debate, I replied to House, "by ce, Kat and I were alone for a few hours at the mall, but it was just as friends," I expio the man, feeling foolishly fident talking to House about my life.

  Sn, House shook his head, "how did she take it?" House asked iedly.

  "Who?" I asked.

  "The queen," House immediately responded ironically, "the hormonal teenager blind enough to go out with you," the man corrected himself sarcastically.

  "Well, I don't know, she didn't want to talk to me," ign the man's joke, I replied.

  Narrowing his eyes, House stopped for a moment. "Is she a cheerleader?" he asked, receiving an affirmation from me. "Popur, eye-catg, possibly blonde, during lunch, she possibly sits in the ter of the cafeteria," House began listing things, "she has at least two friends who always apany her, she obviously stands in the middle when they walk down the hallways, and it seems like people instinctively move out of her way?" leaning on his e, House asked with a smirk.

  "How is it possible that you know that?" I asked amazed by the man's dedu.

  Starting to walk again, "you're athletipleasantly kind, much taller than average, and obviously, you have good grades," calmly House affirmed as he walked, "but you're basically socially i," raising his e sarcastically, House tinued, "which is basically the perfect mix for someoh attention-seeking behavior and a highly infted self-esteem," smirking, House tinued.

  Before I could say anything, House tinued, "the strahing here is that she didn't front you publicly," furrowing his brows, House said, "which leads me to think two things: either she ime to maximize the situation, she'll start with rumors slowly spreading throughout the school, she'll let herself be seen g by some people, and before you know it, the whole school will know that you and she broke up and that you're an ass and she's a victim," smirking, House asserted.

  "Oh yeah? you tell me the lottery numbers for that day?" I sarcastically asked.

  "That or she cheated on you and thinks you found out, so she o avoid you to buy time thus avoiding you causing a publifrontation, doing the above before you do," ign my question, House tinued.

  "Yeah right, or she's just upset and o clear things up," annoyed, I replied.

  "I hope your social idiocy doesn't i your diagnostic ability," with feigned , House said, "the st thing I need is for you to mistake a cold for prostate cer," House tinued.

  "Ha ha, ironiing from you," I responded, pointing at the man.

  Feigning offense, House stopped for a moment, "if you're so sure, you won't mind putting money on it," ging his expression, House said with a satisfied smile, entering the ic.

  "Yeah sure, I'm going to bet that my girlfriend isn't an opportunist, you don't even know her," annoyed, I said.

  "You're right, I don't know her," with a flicted expression, House said, "then it's better for you, you have no problem with it, fifty?" he tinued after pretending to think for a few seds with a challenging look, staring me in the eyes.

  "Fine," I said after a few seds, making House smile widely.

  "Just don't cry when you find out I'm right," sarcastically, House said, walking to his usual office, "go to your irlfriend and have the first patient e in," pointing to the nurses' station, House ordered, entering the office.

  "PJ, how are you?" cheerfully, Nurse Fryday asked.

  "I'm good, how about you, Fryday, and how's James?" I asked kindly, remembering a past versation with her about her son, taking a chart from the stack.

  "Oh, you're so kind, PJ. James is much better, as you said, it was just a cold," warmly, the woman said, "I heard about the maternity ward," leaning over the desk, the nurse made sure no one could hear her, "it's good that they sent your mom home. Is it very serious?" she whispered, tinuing.

  "Yeah, I'm gd mom went home too. For now, It's only iing newborn babies; we still don't know much," I reassured the ed woman.

  "Oh my God, poor little things," with sadness, the nurse said, "well, I'm sure if anyone figure it out, it's you guys," hopefully, she tinued.

  "I hope so," tapping the chart lightly in my hand, I thahe woman before calling in the first patient.

  A man who obviously had a cold.

  Following our usual procedure, House remained seated in his chair, 'watg' as I did what should have been his job with the obvious cases of colds, then if he agreed with my diagnosis, he took care of prescribing the necessary medication, and I would have to take the papers to the o call in the patient.

  After several 'type one' patients, House had me call in another patient, "Jill Valentine," I said in front of the chairs filled with people waiting for their turn, causing a woman to stand up immediately; she seemed to have pain in her feet from her way of walking. "Yes," relieved, she said.

  "Dr. House will see you now," pointing to the office, I the woman.

  Entering the office behind the woman, I indicated for her to sit on the bed in the ter of the room, "this is Doctor House," introdug the doctor, "Doctor House, this is Mrs. Valentine," handing the chart to House, I presehe woman.

  "Mrs. Valentine, what's the reason for your visit today?" obviously tired, House asked apathetically.

  "My joints have been feeling all loose, and tely, I've been feeling sick a lot," the woman expined, pregnancy? "

  maybe I'm overtraining; I'm doing the marathon, like ten miles a day, but I 't seem to lose a," the woman tinued.

  "Lift up your arms," from his chair, House asked, obviously suspeg a pregnancy as well.

  On her left arm, the woman had a birth trol impnt scar, also notig the scar, House relutly stood up, "you have a parasite," sarcastically, House assured.

  "Like a tapeworm or something?" worriedly, the woman asked, still keeping her hands up.

  "Lie bad lift up your sweater," House ordered, the woman followed House's dires, lying back while keeping her arms up, "you put your arms down," House tinued, making the woman follow his instru, lifting her sweater to show her abdomen.

  " you do anything about it?" obviously worried, the woman asked.

  "Only in some special cases and during the first four or five weeks," preparing the portable ultrasound, House sarcastically replied, "after that, it bees illegal to remove, except in a couple of states," House tinued, using the ultrasound on the woman's abdomen.

  "Illegal?" surprised, the woman asked.

  "Don't worry," House said, "many women learn to embrace this parasite," he tinued, "they , dress it up in tiny clothes, arrange pydates with other parasites."

  "Pydates..." not uanding, the woman murmured.

  "You're pregnant," surprised that the woman didn't uand, I crified, surprising the woman.

  "It has your eyes," House added ironically, turning the ultrasound s.

  "But that's impossible," the incredulous woman said as she stared at the s.

  "Well, I assume you weren't getting your period," House sarcastically said. "Maybe that should have given you an inkling."

  "But I'm on this birth trol impnt," the woman argued, still incredulous.

  "Yeah, I know," House said, writing on the chart. "We saw the scar on your arm," he expio the puzzled woman.

  "My doctor said I might not get any periods at all if it was w," the woman quickly tried to excuse herself.

  "Mm-hmm," House murmured, still writing on the chart. "Iingly enough, you also don't get any periods if it isn't w, which is why you were supposed to get regur pregnancy tests," he ented sarcastically, not notig the remorseful expression on the woman's face. "I'm going to send a nurse io schedule your prenatal care," House said wearily. "You're due in about five months, so start pnning the shower," he tinued, causing the woman to pale.

  "Um, Doctor?" the woman said, embarrassed, catg House's attention. "My husband and I wao have a kid soon, but oh God," the woman began, pletely embarrassed, "like four months ago we had this really big fight," she tinued, much more embarrassed, House and I obviously uanding where the versation was going. "He moved out, and I did something stupid," the woman expined quickly.

  "One-night stand?" House asked the woman, giving me a smirk.

  "Ex-boyfriend," the embarrassed woman admitted.

  "I'll schedule you a paternity test, too," House wrote on the chart.

  "I 't let my husband know," the worried woman said.

  "Does the old boyfriend look like your husband?" House asked.

  "Yeah..." after thinking for a few seds, the woman responded, shrugging slightly.

  "Then just have the kid," House said calmly. "He'll never know," he assured the woman. "The most successful marriages are based on lies," House said ironically to the woman. "You're off to a great start," House said, taking the chart and leaving the office.

  A brief awkward moment ensued in the few seds that the woman, who seemed on the verge of tears, and I were alone in the office. "The nurse will be here in a moment," I said, quickly exg myself from the increasingly tearful patient.

  Outside the office, House had finished giving orders to the present nurse. "e on, kid, your siblings have things to tell us," he said, walking out of the ic.

  Bidding farewell to the nurses present in the ic, I quickly followed House through the hospital corridors.

  Inside his office, the other three doctors under House's and were sitting, sharing equally troubled expressions.

  "Well, you look cheery," House said sarcastically, walking to his chair. "What’s going on?" he asked seriously.

  "The Hartig and -Lupino babies," Cameron said sadly. "Their kidneys are shutting down."

  "And the uri shows no casts," Chase added.

  "Which means the antibiotics are causing the kidney failure."

  "You're the nephrologist," Foreman said. "Whie did it? We'll take 'em off that one," he tinued, after a few short seds without receiving a response. "Don't tell me both Vany and Aztreonam ..." Foreman was asking.

  "They both cause this," Chase interrupted him. "There's no way to know whie it is."

  "," I added, annoyed. I could only think of one way to be sure which medication was w.

  "We 't take them off the antibiotics," Foreman objected. "They'll die of the iion."

  "If we leave them on both the antibiotics, they'll die of kidney failure," Camerued sadly.

  "So, we take our best guess, then," Chase resolved. "Which drug's causing the kidney failure?"

  "It’s like I said, it’s always MRSA in hospitals," Foreman immediately responded. "Take 'em off Aztreonam," he voted.

  "I still think it’s the Pseudomonas," Cameron said. "I vote to take them off the Vany."

  Throughout the discussion, House, very unlike his usual behavior, only watched the doctors discuss with seriousness on his face. "There's no point in guessing," House decred after closing his eyes for a brief moment.

  "No, House," I said immediately, dedug what he was about to order .

  "Take one kid off Vany and the other off Aztreonam," he ordered the doctors, ign me.

  "They have the same disease; you want to give them different treatment?" Chase asked incredulously.

  "What the hell are you doing?" Foreman asked, annoyed.

  "Therapeutic trial to find the cause of the iion," House responded sarcastically.

  "You 't do this," I said more ao House.

  "It's wrong," Foreman added.

  "We have four sick kids, at least," House said. "Who knows how many more haven’t started showing symptoms yet?"

  "We have a duty to these two!" Foreman excimed.

  "If these two have differeions, we know how to save the rest," House decred harshly.

  "You 't gamble on a baby's life," tears filled my eyes with fury. I had lost lives many times in my work as a paramedic, but this was much worse.

  "So you’re ning one of these kids to die based on random ce," equally upset, Foreman said.

  "I guess I am," House nodded seriously. "And kid, this is the job. Deal with it o home and hug a teddy bear," he said irritably before walking out of the office.

  "Where are you going?" Chase asked the man.

  "I'm going to Mommy," House sarcastically responded, leaving the office.

  "He 't do this, he?" I worriedly asked the doctors still in the office.

  "It's House," Foreman, still annoyed, said, and that was enough of an answer.

  "I don't like this," Cameron said sadly.

  "House is right; it's the best way to ehe lives of the other babies for now," Chase argued.

  "There must be ahics issue with this," I said.

  "Oh, there definitely is," Foreman monotone said. "But it's House; by now, you should know him," he tinued ironically.

  With Foreman ending the discussion, the office fell silent. I could feel increasing pressure in my chest, and I couldn't stop thinking about my soon-to-be-born brother or sister. There had to be something we could do.

  Standing up abruptly, I walked to the board. "We missed something," I said annoyed. "Are we sure it 't be a parasite because of the transmission speed?" I said, and the doctors slowly nodded.

  "PJ..." Cameron said as she stood up calmly with a small friendly smile.

  "We also said it's not a virus because we didn't find lymphocytosis in the blood test," I quickly said, ign Cameron. "PJ, mate," Chase said equally calmly, standing up, "but how about a virus that affects locally to an an?" I said hopefully but also a bit desperate, making Cameron slowly shake her head.

  "Maybe we could..." I was saying, but I was interrupted.

  "We wouldn't know until the autopsy," Foreman calmly said. "I'm sorry; we didn't miss anything; we just don't have a way forward for now. I'm truly sorry, PJ," surprisingly kihan his usual demeanor toward me, Foreman said.

  "But..." I tried to make anument, but Cameron, now beside me, stopped me by putting her hand on my shoulder. "It's okay, PJ; we've done everything we for now; there's no other way."

  Uo help it, a few tears escaped my eyes. It was happening again; I was uo save a life. Feeling my legs weak, I sat down on one of the free chairs, c my fad allowing myself to cry while Cameron stood by my side, along with her fellow doctors, pletely silent, possibly just as flicted as I was.

  A few mier, with dry eyes, we weled House back to his office with a stoic expression. "Foreman, with the Hartigs, follow your theory, take her off the Aztreonam," House ordered. "Cameron, the -Lupinos, take him off Vany," he tinued seriously.

  After a long sigh, Foreman and Camerohe office, followed by Chase, who also left the office with a downcast expression.

  "You have to learn, PJ; sometimes we have to make horrible decisions to save at least one life. That has to be the main job of a doctor," leaning on his e while still seated in his chair, House said seriously.

  Without responding to the man, I quickly followed the doctors out.

  Iernity wing waiting room, at the reception desk, Dr. Wilson was w on some papers while watg Cameron talk to the mothers of some of the babies. Approag the man after a brief greeting, I nodded my head and apanied him to watch the news delivery. "Does it ever get easier?" I asked, feeling the knot in my throat again.

  "No," Dr. Wilson immediately responded. "But you learn to carry it."

  The women strangely seemed relieved as they spoke with Cameron in front of them, whily made me feel ashamed of my behavior in House's office. To add salt to the wound, a small teddy bear was within reach of the two women, now hugging each other in relief. Wait.

  Cameron seemed to have fialking to the two women as she walked towards where Dr. Wilson and I were talking. "What did you tell them?" Dr. Wilson asked the woman, annoyed.

  Uo hear Cameron's response, I quickly approached the relieved women on the couch. "Hello, excuse me, where did you buy the teddy bear?" I asked politely, trying to hide my sudden ay. "Oh, hi, a kind dy gave it to us when our baby was born; she has a cart full of them," one of the two women with tears of happiness in her eyes responded.

  Without saying anything else, I quickly moved away from the women to where Dr. Wilson and Cameron were looking at me strangely. "PJ, what..." Dr. Wilson was asking, but it was my turn to interrupt. "Where is Foreman with the other family?" I asked anxiously. "What?" Cameron asked, puzzled. "Foreman," much more rudely than I would have liked, I immediately replied to her, catg her off guard.

  "There," pointing to one of the hallways, Cameron said, and before they could ask why I was behaving like that again, I ran off.

  In front of a fountain and a gss wall, Dr. Foreman was talking to another couple. It seemed that Foreman had been direct with them because unlike Cameron's couple, they seemed defeated and about to cry.

  Searg in their arms and around, I couldn't see a teddy bear. Foreman noticed my presend my strange behavior, furrowing his brow.

  Ign Foreman's doubt, I quickly approached the sad couple. "Did you receive a teddy bear when your baby was born?" I asked without beating around the bush, surprising the couple and Dr. Foreman.

  "Who are you?" the incredulous sad man asked.

  "I'm sorry; he's not supposed to be here," emphasizing the st part, Dr. Foreman quickly tried to guide me out of the pce.

  "When your baby was born, did you receive a teddy bear?" I asked again seriously, dodging Foreman.

  "Yes, is this important?" the incredulous sad man with a growing frown asked Foreman. "No, it's not, sorry," Foreman immediately respoo the man, ging his expression when he faced me, obviously angry.

  I didn't need more; I quickly moved away from the pce again to House's office.

  Ihe office, Dr. Wilson, Cameron, and Chase were sitting, apparently discussing something. "They think you've gone mad," House said sarcastically, leaning ba his chair as soon as I entered his office. "What did you find, kid?" he asked with a smirk, leaning forward.

  "on equipment," I said, making House widen his smile even more. "Teddy bear," I said.

  A moment ter, Foreman arrived behind me, agitated and obviously angry. "I won't allow you to talk to the patients' families again; what the hell were you thinking ing in like that with a couple terrified? House, you have to trol this kid!" Foreman practically shouted, pointing at me.

  "Foreman, PJ found something," once again today, Dr. Wilson quickly intervened between an adult doct to harm me. "What?" surprised, Foreman stopped, frowning at me.

  "The Hartigs and the -Lupino babies had a teddy bear at some point when they were born; I bet the other babies did too," I tinued quickly, making all the doctors frown in thought.

  "They weren't Wabbits," I joked to House. "It's bear season."

  ---

  Author Thoughts:

  As always, I'm not Ameri and Not a Doctor.

  I'm man enough to admit that a stray tear escaped from my eyes in the final stretch of the chapter.

  And I know, I know, cliffhanger, don't hate me.

  That being said,

  I think that's all. As always, if you find any errors, let me know and I'll correct them immediately.

  Thank you for reading! :D

  PS: PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW.

  PS2: Possibly this chapter has more errors than usual. I have to leave my house quickly and I don't have time to read the edited chapter. If you find any annoying errors, I ask you to ighem for a few hours because I won't be able to correct them.