Wisps of smoke curl around his face as James stands silent, leaning against the edge of the balcony, gazing outward but all the focus remaining on the thoughts swimming around in his head. He had meant to go home a few hours ago, nothing had really gotten done but if he had started at the computer screen much longer, he was surely going to crack. However, the thought of returning to Julie and those looks she would give him, the ones that were always saying 'I know something's going on, Jim and you know what? I don't really care because you're not the only one who's got something going on" intimidated him enough into hiding here.
She probably assumed that he was with another woman right now, then again if that were the case, she was probably with another man. Really, this would have been the perfect setup if he were any other adulterous husband; they both go off and sleep with whoever the hell they wished and then they come home to each other, smile, and pretend that there's almost nothing wrong. However, he isn't any other adulterous husband and in truth, it didn't work for him. House had a bet going, Cameron told him about it a few days ago, if the marriage lasted two more months House was getting nearly three hundred dollars. He wasn't sure he could manage that long.
Wilson takes another drag of the cigarette and flicks the ash over the edge, vaguely wondering where it would drop. It could be picked up by the wind, travel the country and finally settle down on some concrete in Nevada or something, or it could just fall to the ground below him, never getting to really experience anything at all and get trampled on by hospital staff and patients. Then he reminded himself that it was just some ash and it didn't matter what it's fate was, so he should really just stop thinking about it.
There was a noise behind him, or rather behind and to the right of him, but the oncologist didn't bother looking. He had thought House left earlier that day to catch some show on TV but apparently. However, when he listened closer it dawned on him that the footsteps were not the usual ones projected by his crippled friend but rather slow and soft and distinctly without a limp.
Finally turning around, he raises an eyebrow as Chase offers him slightly nervous grin while trying to discretely conceal a bottle of whatever cheap booze House had laying around his office. He'd known that House and his team had been having a long week, oh god did he know, but he had also been under the impression that the patient had been showing progress lately.
"I uhm..Sorry for interrupting." Chase finally says and it occurs to him that he had been staring this entire time. It didn't bother him too much, much less than it should have, if he was stuck staring at something, he would much rather have it be Chase than the lonely scene before him.
"Don't worry about it," he mumbles in response, temporarily forgetting that he had been holding a cigarette at all until the glow catches his eye. "I'm not doing anything that's particularly good for me, anyway."
Chase grins and the bottle is brought out from behind his back. "I can't say I was going to do anything much better."
Chuckling a little, he fishes around in his coat pocket before pulling out a packet of cigarettes. "Well then, what say we indulge in our vices together, hm? I've got cups in my office somewhere."
"That sounds like a wonderful idea."