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I watched over the rim of my coffee mug as Chase, Cameron and Foreman weaved their way through the crowded cafeteria garden. They found me easily - for some reason not a single soul decided to sit at any of the tables around me.

"Why did you call us?"

"Why here?"

"Do we have a case?"

"Yes!" I called, almost joyfully. "Differential diagnosis, people! Symptoms: troubles concentrating, altered behavior..."

"Are we diagnosing Wilson again?" frowned Chase.

"No!" I was pissed off at how fast they worked it out. "Why do you assume that every hypothetical patient is Wilson?"

"Because..." Foreman suspended his voice theatrically, "usually every hypothetical patient is Wilson?!"

That was enough...

"Chase, Foreman - to the clinic!" I said in a commanding voice. "Cameron, there's a mountain of correspondence waiting for you on my desk."

I watched with satisfaction as all three of them stood up with dismayed expressions. Foreman and Cameron were already few steps away, but Chase stopped.

"Actually, why aren't you eating lunch with Wilson?" he asked, looking at some spot behind my back.

None of your business, I wanted to say, but I bit my tongue. I didn't want them to get suspicious.

"He had some urgent biopsy to perform" I repeated what Wilson had told me half an hour ago. "Why are you asking? Out of politeness or curiosity?"

"I thought I had seen him a while ago in that red car" he said, pointing to the place he had been staring at before. "There was a woman sitting behind the wheel..."

I turned rapidly, spilling my coffee all over the table. Unfortunately - the car was already gone behind the curve. I felt the blood draining from my face and I slowly glanced at my team. They looked as if they had seen a ghost.

"Something happened? Did you have a fight again?" Cameron returned to the table, sat next to me and for a moment I was worried she is going to hold my hand. Her concern was really annoying...

"Everything's fine, it's just that Wilson has been behaving strangely lately..."

Dammit! Why the hell did I mention that?!

Now even Foreman turned around.

"If you want us to treat him like a patient and diagnose him, why don't you start by searching your apartment?"

I looked at him with reproach. I wasn't going to search my home, not now and not ever! I only do it with all my patients because, first of all: they are morons, who don't know what in their homes could be dangerous. Second of all - they usually don't hide anything on purpose, because they don't expect us to break into their homes. If Wilson had anything to hide, he would definitely make sure I wouldn't find it. And third of all - it was my, our, home, so not only would I feel stupid, but Wilson would feel hurt, once he found out... All right, I exaggerated. If Wilson were hiding something, and it seemed that he was, the only person who had the right to feel hurt was ME!

"I'm not searching my home..." I said slowly and after a moment I smiled evilly. "But now YOU are going to search Wilson's office! And do it quickly, we don't know when he'll be back..."

They looked at each other and then at me. They must have noticed I wasn't kidding, because all three of them went back towards the hospital without a word.

"Check if the balcony door is open first!" I called after them, but they didn't even look back.

I sat for another ten minutes in the cafeteria garden, staring at the spilled coffee stain, starting to dry around the edges. I wondered what they might find and if they were going to find anything at all. Where the hell did Wilson go? With whom? And why was he lying to me?!... No, that one was stupid - he lied to me, because he was hiding something from me. But what? Didn't Chase say that Wilson had been in that car with some woman?... No, I'd rather not think about this... Everything was perfectly fine between us. Wilson couldn't be stupid enough to screw everything up... And if... I clenched my fists until I felt my fingernails digging into my palms. I couldn't wait a moment longer. I grabbed my cane and went to Wilson's office.

"And?" I asked, standing in the balcony door. Wilson did forget to lock it after our last conversation. How the hell could he kiss me and at the same time lie about some fucking biopsy?! Maybe that was what his three marriages were built upon?...

"House, we've been here for ten minutes" groaned Foreman.

"Twelve. But that's not what I was asking about" I said angrily. "Got anything? It's just an office, not a White House. And there's three of you..."

"There's nothing 'suspicious' here, House" stated Cameron. "No mysterious entries in his appointment book, no chocolates hidden in his desk... No female underwear... or any other kind for that matter. Nothing at all!"

"I think I've got something" said Chase. "Some huge receipt from a store outside the city..."

"That one I already know about" I interrupted him, but he apparently didn't hear me.

"...food, alcohol, six boxes of..."

"Hey! There's two of us after all" I called and tore the scrap of paper from his hand. Chase turned tomato red and it looked like he wished the ground would swallow him. He might even spend the rest of the day in the clinic, just to avoid seeing me... This whole situation amused me and for a second I forgot the reason for this whole investigation. But only for a second.

"Right, get out of here. Find something to do, so that I won't have to see you unless it's absolutely necessary" I said, walking towards the balcony.

"Where are you going?" I heard Cameron's worried voice behind me.

"And I don't want to hear any more questions!" I added categorically, looking over my shoulder.

There was only one person who could know the answer to the question that was bothering me...

"Cuddy, where is Wilson?" I yelled, barging into her office.

She was reading some documents and when she looked up at me, she was clearly irritated. Nothing new here.

"I am the hospital administrator, not Wilson's mother! You see all this?" she gestured at her desk. "Some people, unlike you, have to earn their paychecks. And Wilson" she glanced at her watch, "is having a lunch break right now. He's probably sitting in his office and wondering, why nobody is eating half his sandwiches..."

"Wilson is not at the hospital" I interrupted her. "And I have to know where he is!"

"Then call him and ask, and don't bother me anymore..." Cuddy wanted to get back to her paperwork.

"He's not answering his cell" I lied without batting an eye. "I have to know..."

"You HAVE TO let me work!" Cuddy gave me a tired look. "If you did anything to him again, or he to you, I don't want to know about it. I will probably find out anyway, because soon half of the hospital will be gossiping..."

"Cuddy..." I groaned, trying to look like a lost puppy.

It worked, because she looked up at me. But when she started to scrutinize me carefully, I knew it wouldn't be easy to get an answer. Damn it!

"If Wilson didn't tell you anything" she said slowly, "why should I?"

"Because..." I tried to think of some rational argument. Or irrational, as long as it would convince her. "Because you're my friend?"

"I'm also Wilson's friend, so if he asked me for discretion I wouldn't be able to tell you anything..."

"But he didn't ask?..." I held on to it as if it were a lifeline.

"No" she stated tersely and I breathed a sigh of relief. "Because he didn't say anything to me!"

Cuddy laughed and went back to scanning her documents. I thought franticly about anything else I might do in this situation. Suddenly I had an idea, but it was so... unlike me. I shook my head. I didn't want Cuddy to know just how desperate I was, but apparently I had no choice.

"And what if I..." I hesitated, it was so hard to say those words, "...took two extra hours in the clinic?" I finally pushed out in one breath.

She glanced up at me, clearly intrigued.

"Five!"

"Three!"

I smiled inwardly and thought Got you! with satisfaction. My triumph didn't last long. Cuddy shook her head and laughed, genuinely amused.

"Well, House. In that case I'm truly sorry I don't know where Wilson is." She laughed even harder, seeing my confused expression.

I felt like an idiot. I furiously rapped my cane against the floor, but I knew it was pointless. Cuddy really had no idea where Wilson was. I turned on my heel and walked out of her office.

Wilson was going to pay for this.