"House! My office, now," Dr. Cuddy seemed to be on the war path again, and the leading member of the axis of evil seemed to be House – again. Though what he had done this time... no actually, House had to correct his thoughts, what Cuddy had found out this time was a puzzle. He followed Cuddy into her office more out of curiosity than any other reason.

"Take a seat, House," Cuddy said as soon as they had closed the door.

"What?" House wondered. "Are we going to have a civil conversation? Your summons didn't sound like it."

"When have we ever had civil conversations?" Cuddy asked. "I need to talk about Wilson with you."

"What about Wilson?" House asked guardedly.

"Well, we could start with what you did to him last night," Cuddy snapped. "Are you trying to turn him against you? He is your best friend, not to mention pretty much the only person standing between you and Tritter, and you treat him like garbage!"

"How did you find out about yesterday?" House asked curiously.

"Several people reported your callous behaviour to me the first thing this morning! You ought to know by now that I always find out," Cuddy nearly yelled at him.

"Interesting," House announced.

"Interesting?" Cuddy actually yelled this time. "Is that all you can say?"

"Well I find it very interesting," House claimed. "For several days people have glared daggers at me because of the trouble I have caused Wilson. They make snide remarks not quite behind my back and now they couldn't wait to run to you with this tale. Yet not one of those who indignantly witnessed yesterday's events did offer Jimmy the ride I had refused. I find it quite fascinating human behaviour."

"I can't believe you!" Cuddy gasped. "Is this just some kind of a strange experiment to you? Your career is on line, Wilson's is nearly in the toilet and you just observe human behaviour?"

"I find it interesting," House said. "See, we have Wilson, a guy universally liked. He is charming, kind, and handsome, his puppy-brown eyes melt half the female population to a puddle at 50 paces – or so I have been led to believe – he is a dedicated doctor and all around good guy. True he does have three divorces behind him, but nobody's perfect! And yet none of those observers thought to give him a ride home. I find that interesting. Don't you?"

"No," Cuddy claimed. "They were too flabbergasted at your callousness!"

"That could well be," House admitted. He pondered for a moment and then he asked: "How many friends would you say Wilson has?"

"What? Are you now counting friends? Comparing who has more? Just remember that once you have totally alienated Wilson, YOU won't have any!"

"Oh, I'm well aware of it," House admitted carelessly, "but I'm not bothered. However, Wilson was the one you wanted to talk about, so let me hear it: How many friends do you think he has?"

"I've never counted them; I don't even know all of them. But everyone likes him, so lots I would think."

"That is what you would think," House conceded. "Where are they?"

"What do you mean?" Cuddy asked puzzled.

"Just that," House said. "Nobody likes me, but right this moment, though that is subject to change, I have five people covering my ass, Wilson being one of them. Who is there for Wilson? Who is lending him money? Who is opening his or her house to him to stay in? Who is giving him lifts to work and home? Is there anyone at all there for him?"

"Well not you for sure!" Cuddy snapped half-heartedly as House's words started to sink in.

"Hey, I don't want Tritter any more on my case than he already is! But as Wilson is being abandoned by his bestest friend, one would expect his second bestest friend to step in to take the slack. Or even his third bestest, or fourth or..."

"I get the point! Maybe they don't realise he needs help."

"You think so? You really think that his situation and my behaviour are not all over this hospital in great and excruciating detail?"

"No, I don't," Cuddy sighed. "There is no way people don't know what is going on with him. I don't know why his friends haven't rallied around him to help. I have been too busy trying to protect this hospital and you from your idiocy."

"Well, maybe you ought to take a moment and think about Wilson," House pointed out. "That is if you want to keep the best oncologist in the country on your payroll. So think, and tell me how many friends Wilson has."

"I don't see any point in that. This is not about Wilson's other friends, this is about YOU!"

"Just humour me."

"Fine!" Cuddy agreed finally. She thought for a moment and House watched the emotions play on her face. After a moment a puzzled look came over Cuddy's eyes. "I can't think of anyone but you."

"Exactly!" House said emphatically. "Everyone has been focusing on the fact that I have only one friend, and they have totally missed the point that the same is true of Wilson, too."

"But that is crazy!" Cuddy shook her head. "Everybody likes Wilson! Why would you be his only friend? It makes no sense."

"It makes perfect sense," House observed almost sadly. "Wilson once told me, that only two things in his life work for him: his work and this screwed up friendship he has with me. The needs of his patients give meaning to his work. My perceived need gives meaning to his life. Those two things consume him. There is no room for other relationships. He needs need. He lives for being needed and the only needs he doesn't heed are his own."

"If he is that dependent on you – not that I agree – but if he is, then why are you abandoning him? This situation is mostly your fault, so you ought to be there for him more than ever."

"When have I ever been there for anyone?"

"You have been there for your patients. And me."

"Patients need my skills, not me. As for you, you don't demand nearly as much of me as Wilson does. He is beginning to consume me, too, not just himself."

"And so you abandon him! You can't do that, not now!" Cuddy cried indignantly.

"It's for his own good," House said, sounding callous, though there was a strange flash in his eyes Cuddy couldn't quite understand. "He needs to learn that nobody wants you when you're down and out. That is why we need to be self-sufficient."

"Your idea of self-sufficiency is not the same as most people's! And who the hell are you to decide what kind of lessons he needs?" Cuddy was yelling again.

"You mean it's only Wilson who has the right to do something like that," House asked sarcastically. "It's ok for him to decide that I need to be dared into going Vicodin-free for a week? Or that I need a lesson in humility, therefore you don't tell me that my treatment worked?"

Cuddy blinked in confusion. "This is different," she protested a little weakly, though.

"I'm like a cancerous growth in his life, Cuddy," House sighed. "He needs a radical operation to realise that he needs to get a life. That he needs to put himself first sometimes. That when he needs to make a choice between being a doctor and being a friend the choice is always to be a doctor first, and friendship takes second place."

"What do you mean? He is an excellent doctor, always!"

"But he sees our friendship as an ethical obligation, which occasionally has superseded his obligation as a doctor. Obviously I'm not going to give you any specifics so just take my word for it."

"And you have a problem with that? He saves your ass, and you complain about his priorities?" Cuddy was taken aback.

"Yes," House said simply. "When you take a patient all your obligations are to that patient. Your only concern is your patient, his life and the quality of his life. You do your best and your worst for that patient. You don't let ethics, laws, friendship stand in your way, if something needs to be done. Once you've done your all, and the patient is no longer under your care, you can forget him, but until then nothing but the patient matters."

"But Wilson fights for his patients just as hard as you do – though I have to admit he thankfully tends to keep things ethical and legal. Which I think is a good thing." Cuddy exclaimed.

"He is endangering his patients now. Tritter goes after him, and he folds like a house of cards. He has referred all his patients to other doctors; he hasn't even tried to fight to keep them."

"What was he supposed to do? He cannot write prescriptions! Or are you saying he ought to just roll over you?" Cuddy could do sarcasm with the best of them when she wanted.

"If all else fails, yes," House surprised Cuddy who stared at him with her mouth open. "Of course I would prefer it if he got himself a lawyer and went after Tritter for harassment, coercion and blackmail. He has a case, you know. But he won't do that. Not even for his patients."

"If you think he is so lost, don't you think you ought to help him, not to abandon him?" Cuddy asked.

"If he is to find himself, to realise that he needs to put his own needs first at least some of the time, I'm the last person he needs near him. If he is suffering from cancer called Greg House, then Greg House is not the cure!" House seemed tired and for a moment almost defeated. "Besides, we need to take Tritter into account as well. The more I seem to care about Wilson, the more Tritter will make him suffer. It's not just Wilson he is trying to coerce with his tactics."

"House... I ... I really don't think you are right. I ... This cannot be the right way!" Cuddy didn't know what to say. "There must be some other way to help Wilson get balance in his life. You cannot just abandon him! Even if this turns out ok, even if you are right and he does find himself, Wilson will never be your friend again."

"That is possible, but I have lost friends before. It's not fatal, you know."

"House! He is your only friend, you best friend! You need him!"

"No, actually I don't," House denied. "He needs me much more than I need him. My friendship with him has never been about my need. He was my friend, because I wanted him to be my friend. But if this is the end, so be it. And who knows, if things go right, we may end up forging a new, different kind of friendship out of this."

"And if they don't go right?" Cuddy sounded apprehensive.

"Well, then I was wrong," House said, standing up and walking to the door. As he opened it, he turned back to Cuddy for a moment and said quietly: "Be there for him, Cuddy. Just in case I am wrong, and have overestimated his strength and inner reserves." And then he walked out.

The End.