Of pregnancy expectations and exasperations
"Do you think House is going to find out whom Chase is engaged to?" Cameron asked catching up to Foreman who quickened his stride in annoyance at her insistence.
"Probably," Foreman said shortly and continued to the free clinic without looking at Cameron.
"But do you think, he'll tell us once he knows?" Cameron asked in a whining tone.
"Don't know," was Foreman terse reply.
"Do you..."
"Woman! Leave me alone!" Foreman exclaimed, exasperated, and stalked away from a confused looking Cameron. Her brow furrowed. She would find out what she wanted to know. One way or an other...
"Look uncomfortable." House ordered.
"What?" Chase looked up from House's fries, he had been contemplating to steal.
"People have to think I'm pestering you." House clarified.
"You are pestering me," Chase dead panned."Hey! No hitting with the cane." Chase scowled.
"Perfect. Keep that expression." Chase rolled his eyes.
"You know they're going to suspect that the two of us are engaged if you don't glare at me," House said in a very serious tone. Chase broke out into laughter.
"They are never going to suspect that,"Chase disagreed still chuckling.
"Why not?" House asked petulantly.
Chase looked at him in a that question's answer is so freakishly obvious it certainly doesn't merit an answer way that made House cross his arms and huff. House was obviously trying to provoke him by acting like a child.
Chase stole a couple of French fries, when nobody but House was looking. Chase smiled sweetly at House. Purposefully, being friendly and thereby behaving contradictory to House's wishes. In House's logic, Chase was being irritating and therefore had issued a challenge at who could play the game of being irritating better. House loved this kind of games and even more importantly, he was in a playful mood. He grinned maniacally and his eyes gleamed mischievously. Chase saw the gleam and knew, he was in trouble. There was no reasoning with House, when he got in this kind of mood. Not that he minded it, when they were at home, but at work Chase forebode terrible, terrible things to happen.
"Gregory," Chase whispered admonishingly.
"Robert." House mimicked trying to look innocent. Chase spent the rest of his lunch looking like the apocalypse had been heralded, while House smiled serenely lost in thought.
Cuddy sighed. She disliked having to do paper work day in day out. Sometimes it made her wistful to the times she only had to file her patient reports which were a piece of cake in comparison. At that time she just had been ignorant and had no idea how good she had had it. Now she wished back to the luxury of time to spare to chat with her fellow colleagues. She wished she could go to lunch and enjoy it without having to look at any report, but she hadn't the time. She would have to grab a salad to take back to her office, if she wanted to have a free evening. And she had promised herself that she wouldn't take work home, today. She sighed and made her way to the cafeteria.
She stood in line, idly wondering if they had her favourite tuna salad, when she spotted her major trouble maker. House and Chase were sitting at a table. That wasn't out of the norm. The alarming thing was that House was smiling. That wasn't good, it always meant trouble, mostly for her. She looked at House companion to discern what he was up to. Chase was looking like he had indigestion. Peculiar. Unhelpful.
Cuddy was startled out of her contemplation, when she was told to move. She nodded took the salad nearest to her and went to pay she hopped that House wasn't doing anything stupid. But with the knowledge that she would find out sooner or later, she walked back to her office to find Cameron hovering before her office-door, anxiously waiting. Now, Cuddy really wondered what House was getting up to.
"Dr. Cameron."
"Dr. Cuddy"
They entered the office in silence both mulling over their own thoughts. Cuddy put her salad away and sat down. She motion to Cameron to do the same. If Cuddy wasn't mistaken, then Cameron was embarrassed. She decided to finally break the silence that was beginning to become tense.
"What brings you here, Dr. Cameron?"
"Er..." Cameron swallowed audibly. Suddenly, feeling silly. "It's just that Chase... "
"Yes?"
"and House..." Cameron looked at Cuddy profoundly and then recounted the earlier discussion. She was beat red when she finished.
"The point is... Chase is engaged and won't tell to whom. And who knows what House will do once he finds out... I'm not saying that he will but..." Cameron stopped flustered. She sounded childish, even to herself. She caught Cuddy's eye.
"It was very kind of you to inform me." Cuddy said politely. She searched for further words. "I will talk to House."
Cuddy gave Cameron a reassuring everything-will-be-okay-smile which spurred Cameron into standing up and mumbling something that could have been a thank you. She walked out of the office before Cuddy could say goodbye or do anything more than gape after her. Cuddy shook her head and took her salad. Sometimes she wondered if certain persons around her shouldn't be in a psychiatric ward, herself included.
Nevertheless, Cameron's visit had left Cuddy more than a little curios. It made her wonder what had made House smile earlier and if he had figured out whom Chase was engaged to. Why that had left Chase looking so ill at ease. She scooped up what was left of her salad and chewed in contemplation. She looked at the clock and decided that if she hurried, she would still be able to corner House in the cafeteria.
Cuddy found House exiting the cafeteria. Typically, work was a foreign concept to him. But it made little difference, after all it was his tendency to ignore work for play that interested her. At the moment, she needed information or if she was honest with herself, she was in the mood for gossip and expected him to provide her. It wouldn't do for other staff to question her respectability and she knew in respect to House that that had been beyond hope after their first meeting. She came to a halt a short distance from the door in front of House. They stared at each other. It wasn't 'rush hour' at the cafeteria but there were still various nurses, doctors and patients that passed them by on their way in or out of the cafeteria. Cuddy was excruciatingly aware of their presence and didn't know how to broach the subject. Now, she could sympathize with Dr. Cameron. But she wouldn't give House the satisfaction of being openly noisy.
"Um..." Cuddy bit her lip.
"..."
Cuddy pulled her self together. " Dr. Cameron brought Chase's changing circumstances to my attention." She said questioningly. There, that should make House talk. But as he was House, he didn't. He only looked at her expressionlessly. Contradictory bastard.
"House!" Cuddy said exasperated by his continued silence. House practically radiated satisfaction for getting to her. He took a exaggerated breath and began to spin his tale.
"Well, Chase is such a girl it is no wonder someone wants to make an honest girl of him." House leered. Cuddy rolled her eyes at him. House continued in a mildly disgusted tone, suppressing his mischievous grin."And you know girls tend to grow parasites. Ugh..."
He faked a shudder. Cuddy stared at him in wonder. "You mean..."
"These things tend to get very demanding and annoying. At least the relatives tend to shut up once there is a sparkling band at the girl's finger therefore Chase's engagement ring. Like that'd make the little bugger any more bearable. The..."
Cuddy was no longer listening to House. She knew his 'opinion' on children. She ignored his rant in favour of wallowing in fantasies of adorably cute little babies. In her distraction, she missed the rather maniacal grin that passed House face as well as the slight smile of Nurse Brenda who had avidly eavesdropped on their conversation.
She walked back to her office after telling House a flimsy excuse to get rid of him. Her mind still thinking baby related thoughts, when she sat back down to complete her paper-work. She continued working her mind wandering without her permission. After approximately two hour and a mountain of paper-work later, she gave up. She now longer had the concentration to do more. She was to preoccupied with Dr. Chase. How she wished to be in his shoes. Engaged and soon to be mother- father. She decided to have a chat with him. House definitely hadn't offered help, she was sure Dr. Chase would appreciate it.
House was sitting in his office, waiting. Well, not exclusively waiting, as that would have been boring, but he was listening for his missing fiancé, while he watched General Hospital on his pocket TV. He smirked, he was quite satisfied with himself. He knew he already had won their game. He couldn't have planned it better with Cuddy. And that Nurse Brenda the biggest gossiper of the Princeton Plainsboro was nearby at the same time was a stroke of good luck. He knew she would have spread word in less time than it took him to get back to his office and as he already had been her for a few hours his fiancé shouldn't be far-off.
House wasn't under the illusion that Chase would be happy with him. He knew Chase would be angry. But that was kind of the point. House liked Chase angry and flustered. It was sexy. And he might even get something more out of it once at home. House never minded Chase's 'revenge'.
Suddenly, the door banged open.
"You know I'm not going to get pregnant no matter how often we do it." Chase announced upon barging into House's office. He glared at House.
"Oh, how cruel of you to burst my hopes. I was so looking forward to see you up the duff."
"Funny." Chase dead panned. " Because of you Cuddy gave me pamphlet on paternity leave and volunteered 'a friendly ear to listen to my worries and concerns' if I needed one. She even offered me to come to her if I had any questions regarding pregnancy. As if I hadn't studied medicine for years. I mean I'm a doctor for god's sake." House smirked. Chase stomped his foot.
"And as if that wasn't enough. I was followed by whispers the whole day. The stories- they are outrageous. I couldn't even tend to my patients in the free clinic because as soon as I turned my back the staff pointed at me and they giggled. It was making me paranoid. " Chase finished in a huff as he leaned against House desk.
"Oh, poor you." House said, fanning compassion and patting his head in a patronizing manner. Chase scowled at House. Chase had enough for today, he wasn't in the mood for House teasing.
"I'm sure it's just the hormones." House said with conviction and saw Chase expression darken further, but before he could utter another remark Chase had stalked away.
"You're such a drama queen," House yelled after Chase."My wombat," he breathed nearly soundlessly. He decided, he would let Chase calm down and in the meantime. House grinned to himself. He'd go to bug Wilson.
Chase shift was over. Or at least as far as he was concerned, he was free to go. It was late afternoon and he couldn't stay for another second. The curious stares and insistent whispers were really getting to him. He just wanted to go home and relax. Maybe have a beer and forget the horrible annoyance this day had brought. He couldn't believe some people and vowed to never again be a curious-pain-in-the-ass. He had half a mind to get very drunk but he knew it wouldn't solve anything. It never had for his mother.
He changed clothes and went into the diagnostic department to retrieve his briefcase. He was glad that he had come with his own car this morning, so he could go as he pleased. It would have been a disaster if he had to take the bus today or wait for House. Chase sighed, when his gaze fell on his sparkling engagement ring. How he wished to just tell the truth at the moment. It would make his life so much easier.
"Chase?"
"Oh, no..." Chase turned around to see Cameron enter.
"So, who is the lucky woman?" Cameron asked timidly, a friendly smile plastered on her face.
"There is no woman." Chase rolled his eyes.
"Oh, please. Why are you lying?" Cameron accused angered. "I just want the truth."They stared at each other. Cameron glared at Chase until Chase shrugged to tired to continue this confrontation. When he looked at Cameron again, her gaze had softened. He sighed.
"Fine, it's House. I'm engaged to him." Chase said resigned. Cameron chuckled, at first slightly, and then, Chase watched her incredulously as her chuckling morphed into outright laughter. Chase gritted his teeth. He was fed up with being laughed at.
"Now, don't be crass. I KNOW you fiancé is pregnant and that's great. There's no reason to hide..."
"You know! You know nothing!" Chase fumed leaving a flabbergasted Cameron behind.
To hell with it. Chase declared that the day was officially down the drain. Nothing won, if he stayed sober. Only annoyance lost, if he didn't. So, what the hell. Chase rushed through the halls, two flights of stairs up into the lab and knelt before the fridge. He began rummaging in it, when somebody entered the lab.
"What are you doing there?"
"I'm getting some whiskey."
"Out of a lab fridge?" Foreman asked incredulously.
"Yeah..." When Chase thought about it now, it did seem strange. "House ordered me to buy it and hide it here." He offered as explanation.
"I see." The sad thing was Foreman really did. House behaviour was erratic at best, but whiskey in a lab fridge seemed like something that made sense, that was fairly normal.
"Want some?" Chase asked, after retrieving two bottles.
"Sure." Foreman took the offered bottle and sat down next to Chase. They drunk their whiskey in companionable silence. Both content without inane chatter.
"What are you doing here?" A lab-tech asked upon finding the two sitting on the floor.
Foreman looked at the man with a vacant gaze. Then he pointed somewhere above said man's head and turned to whisper into Chase's ear. Chase and Foreman snickered. The lab-tech rolled his eyes at the obviously drunk as hell doctors.
"Get out." The lab-tech said exasperated and pointed behind him at the door. The two snickered louder, but began to move wobbly towards the door. They made their way out of the building holding onto each other and the blurry walls. Outside, they made it the short way to a more a less secluded bench. Both subconsciously aware that they couldn't make it that much further without the help of a steady object to hold on to.
They sprawled onto the bench and Chase slung an arm around Foreman's shoulder."Foreman..." Chase face was only inches apart form Foreman's as he tried to make eye-contact in his inebriated state. "I neeeever zzzought I'd sid with YOU outside thrinking whiiizzkey."
"Jo, who'd 've thought." Foreman agreed wholeheartedly. They grinned at each other at the irony and clinked their bottles, after the third try.
"Cheers!"
Neither knew what impression they gave in their half embrace, while grinning at each other like loons, nor were they aware who watched them from the hospital entrance.
Still not mine.
Note: Firstly, Getting drunk doesn't solve writers block nor problems.
DON'T GET DRUNK! NEVER!
Secondly, my first cliff hanger... *evil grin* ^^
Thirdly, tell me what you think or complain about not updating for five month!