Chase stormed from the doctor's lounge after speaking with Wilson, still angry from his earlier encounter with House.
He was furious over the fact that House had almost maimed a little girl. Chase had figured out the correct diagnosis but when he tried to tell House, all he got was a punch in the jaw.
He wasn't mad at the fact that House had decked him for no reason. He was used to dealing with an addict, even though getting knocked on his ass in public was a humiliation he didn't appreciate.
No, he could take the abuse. He was used to that. It was the fact that he had gotten one right and it didn't matter that bothered him more. Chase thought that House would finally acknowledge him as a good doctor.
Wilson's advise was, "Chase, you solved one. You helped a patient. That better be enough for you."
He knew it should have been but it wasn't. All he wanted to hear was "good job". Two simple words that no one had ever bothered saying to him before.
Chase had given up years before trying to win his father's approval. He wasn't quite sure why he had needed House's so much, but now even that didn't matter. He wasn't waiting for it anymore.
As he walked purposely from the hospital and headed for his car, Cuddy had noticed his demeanor and became worried.
She couldn't help but wonder what he was going to do. She knew that it had been Chase that had saved Alice. She had also heard from several people that House had refused to pay attention to the intensivist and when Chase stood up to him and forced him to listen, House had responded by hitting him.
Cuddy decided it was a good idea to follow the young man to make sure he wasn't going to speak to Officer Tritter in a fit of rage. Tritter had already approached everyone close to House in an effort to bring him down. Cuddy knew it wouldn't be the first time that Chase had betrayed House and this time he had an even better reason to play Judas.
Chase pulled out of the parking lot, never noticing that Cuddy was a couple of cars behind him.
As he drove along, Chase realized he was in no mood to be alone tonight. He decided to stop at Mulcahey's Pub to have a drink and unwind before heading home. Perhaps even find comfort with a beautiful woman who was willing to help him forget his troubles.
When Chase entered the pub and saw the crowd of happy people, he at first regretted his decision. He was about to turn around and leave when he changed his mind. He wasn't about to let thoughts of House ruin his evening so instead he grabbed an empty stool at the end of the bar, sat down and ordered a beer.
While he waited, Chase barely had time to glance around the pub at the available women when he heard a soft, feminine voice ask, "Do you mind if I join you?"
He smiled slightly, thinking this was going to be easier than he thought. Chase turned around, hoping that the woman looked as sexy as she sounded. He almost fell off of his chair when he saw who the woman was.
"Dr. Cuddy!" he exclaimed, failing to keep the surprise from his voice. "Uh, yeah, sure, please sit down."
Cuddy smiled at Chase's obvious discomfort as she sat on the stool next to him.
When the bartender brought his beer, Chase turned to Cuddy and said, "Let me buy you a drink."
Cuddy thanked him and ordered a chardonnay. It occurred to her that of all her employees, he was the one she had the hardest time figuring out. She still wasn't quite sure of what was the best way to handle the situation.
There was a moment of uncomfortable silence until Chase spoke again, "Is there a reason why you followed me here?"
"I heard what happened with House and I was worried about you," she replied.
"You mean you were worried about what I was going to do," Chase responded, looking her directly in the eyes. "You have no need to worry. I have no intention of running to Tritter and exposing House."
Caught off guard by Chase's perception, Cuddy did not bother trying to deny what she had been thinking.
"Thank you," she said with a sigh of relief. "I wouldn't blame you if you did, but quite honestly it could be detrimental to the hospital."
The bartender returned with Cuddy's glass of wine and they again sat in silence as they sipped their drinks.
"Are you alright?" Cuddy finally asked, softly touching Chase's face and turning it towards her so she could get a better look. "Your chin is already showing signs of bruising."
"I'm fine," he answered curtly. "Since you feel the need to babysit me, can we at least talk about something besides House?"
Cuddy agreed, not really knowing how to make small talk with Chase away from work. She decided to relax and make the best of it.
"How are you at pool?" Cuddy asked, nodding her head in the direction of the billiard table in the back of the pub. "Care to have a game?"
Chase was thankful for the change of subject and asked, "Are you any good?"
"As a matter of fact I'm quite good" Cuddy responded. "I don't want to brag but I was the champion of my dorm back in college."
Chase smiled and said, "Well, in that case, I hope you don't mind sharing a few pointers. I always like to learn from the best."
They grabbed their drinks and moved to the pool table where Cuddy expertly racked the balls.
"Would you like to break?" she inquired.
Chase gallantly waved his hand toward the table and replied, "Ladies first. And besides, you're the expert."
"Maybe we could make a little wager," Cuddy suggested.
"What do you have in mind?" Chase asked suspiciously. "Just remember that you have a big advantage, but I'm always up for a bet."
Cuddy thought for a moment and said, "How about if I win then you have to cover for House in the clinic for a week, but if you win, I'll make him cover for you for a month."
"Oh, sure," Chase scoffed. "That seems really fair."
"What the hell," he added with a shrug after considering the offer. "I guess if I'm made to work in the clinic for a week then that's a week away from House. Okay, it's a bet."
"That's the attitude," Cuddy laughed. "It's a win-win situation for everyone. You get a week away from him and I don't have to listen to him make excuses on why he can't do clinic duty."
Cuddy walked happily to the end of the table and prepared to break.
As Cuddy leaned over the table with her legs slightly apart, Chase couldn't help but enjoy the view. She was wearing a tight fitting, knee length black skirt and a pink V-Neck sweater which was cut daringly low.
Even though Chase knew it was wrong, he took full advantage of admiring his bosses posterior while she was preparing to shoot.
He hadn't even realized that she had managed to knock in the six ball on her break until Cuddy said, "That makes me solids and you stripes."
Cuddy walked around the table, looking for her next shot. She decided to go for the three ball and positioned herself directly across the table from Chase, affording him a generous view of her ample cleavage. Chase had no idea a game of pool could be so enjoyable.
After knocking in the three ball, the seven ball was her next target. Unfortunately, upon hitting that ball into the pocket, the cue ball also went in.
"Ah, I can't believe I scratched," complained Cuddy. "Oh well, at least you get a shot now."
Chase walked over to the wall where several cue sticks were displayed and began to pick up each one and inspect it. Cuddy watched in amusement as he pretended to act like he knew what he was doing by checking the weight and the tip and also holding each one out straight to make sure it wasn't warped.
After finally settling on one, he returned to the table.
All of a sudden Chase's demeanor changed and he settled down to business. He made quick work of sinking each of the striped balls into a pocket. With each shot, Cuddy was amazed at how the cue ball would end up perfectly aligned for Chase's next shot. Once all of the striped balls were gone, Chase called the corner pocket for the eight ball and easily made that one too, winning the game.
Chase turned to look at Cuddy with a look of triumph on his face, only to find her standing with her hands on her hips and a look of annoyance.
"Dr. Chase," she began. "I believe I've been hustled."
Chase laughed and answered, "Well, to be honest, you never asked me if I could play. I guess it would have been the polite thing to do to tell you that I grew up with a billiard room in our house. If you don't want to keep your end of the bet, it's okay."
"No, what's fair is fair. And it's not as if House doesn't deserve it," Cuddy asserted. "Besides, I really should have known better. After all, everybody lies."
Chase offered to buy Cuddy another round to make up for his deception and they headed back to the bar.
Both of them were a little surprised by how at ease they felt around each other and fell into an easy conversation while they slowly enjoyed their drinks.
Once Cuddy finished her second glass of wine, she decided it was time to call it an evening. However, there was still something she felt the need to tell Chase before she left.
"I hope you don't mind my bringing up what happened earlier at the hospital, but there is one thing I need to say," she stated. "I'll never forget what you did today, Dr. Chase. Thank you."
Cuddy stood up to leave, then stopped and put her hand on his shoulder so that he would give her his full attention. Then she added sincerely, "I know it's not much, but I just wanted to say good job."
As she turned to leave, Cuddy never noticed the tears of gratitude that had welled up in Chase's eyes.
The End.