Here's the next chapter….

We're going to see a bit of Chases thoughts and we have lunch with House and Wilson….

Hope you have fun!

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The drive back to the hospital could have passed off peacefully, if it had gone after Chases liking.

Taub had a different idea. "So you were once a small Greg House?"

"What?" Chase asked shocked. Not only did he felt insulted, but also attacked in a strange and frightening way that he did not understand.

"Well, just not averse to drugs." Taub looked to Chase who was by now holding the steering wheel of his car a bit tighter than necessary. His whole figure reflected stress and discomfort again, like in the elevator a few hours earlier.

"Listen, I told you, I'm not going to share any party stories with you. That didn't change, all right?"

"I don't get it! Why is it so hard for you to admit it?" Taub asked. "You yourself have said we all had our experiences. So why so defensive?"

„I'm not defensive. I'm just …."

"Private Person, I know." Taub interrupted. "But believe me, sometimes silence says more than gossip."

"Then, I guess there is nothing more to say!"

Chase, to be honest, did not know why he reacted so negative. He was accustomed to it since he was a child, to give nothing away of himself and his life. Not in school, not in the seminar and later not at work. He had also never changed his own rules. Not this one. He thought his life would be simpler.

I figured out it hurts a lot less to just not care.

But do not care, was for people like House, perhaps an option. For people with a functioning conscience, it was hard, if not to say dangerous. Of course it hurt!

It hurt to see his dying mother. It hurt to not talk to anyone about it. It did hurt to lose the Father, the one pretended not to love. It hurt to know nothing of his death and cause another death on the basis of that. It hurt to know to be the second choice. It hurt more to love than to be loved. It hurt to be abandoned. It hurt to take a life. And it hurt even more to find it right.

So much pain had not been the goal he had sought for himself, as he took the curse of this one rule 'to just not care'. And perhaps that was what hurt the most.

Chase felt at once completely frustrated and angry. He was dressed in a dark cloud of his feelings when he stepped on the gas, without noticing that the lights still indicated in red. Only the sounds of Taubs yelling took him back to reality. After a few seconds of hectically looking around, the two occupants sighed with relief and dropped back in their car seats.

"Wow!" Taub gasped "Are you color blind or what?"

Chase responded with a shaky voice, "I'm … am so sorry. … I thought it…"

"… you what? … thought it was green? You should check your eyes!"

"I'm really sorry."

"Yeah, never mind. You're lucky this isn't a busy street."

"Think so!" Chase sighed.

The rest of the way back, he turned off his thoughts. He concentrated on driving. When they arrived at the hospital, Chase gave Taub the sample bag and informed him he would just go home.

Taub looked at him suspiciously. "You're okay?"

"Yes!" Chase said. "I'm just tired. I'm going home and catch up some sleep. There's nothing left to do for me. Foreman and you can do the test. I need to sleep."

Taub closed the door and looked thru the opened car window, "Watch the lights! Stop on Red!"

Chase faked a smile and nodded. Then he pulled out from the parking space and went home.

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"I'll take whatever he's taking." House said to the waitress in the cafeteria.

Wilson rolled his eyes and ordered their sandwiches, fries and cookies for dessert. They sat in silence eating for quite a long time.

"So, how's Sam." House suddenly asked.

"She's fine, thanks!"

"No trouble in paradise?"

"Nope, no trouble. Milk's cold, dishes are clean and we're talking about us and our feelings." Wilson said. "Are you disappointed?"

"Why would I be disappointed?" House asked while stealing a cookie from Wilson's plate.

"Don't know."

"I'm not disappointed. I'm happy that you're happy." House smiled.

Wilson looked stunned.

"What? I'm not allowed to be glad that my best friend is happy with his ex-wife?"

Wilson went right on with this, "Why do you always call her my ex-wife?"

"Well for the first reason, she's your ex-wife. And for the second reason she'll be you ex-ex-wife."

"See" Wilson lectured "I knew it; you don't like her."

"I never said I do like her." House defended himself.

"But you just pointed out that …. ", but Wilson was cut off by House.

"All I said was that I'm happy if you're happy." House pointed with a fry at his friend, "That's your problem Wilson. You always tend to read between lines, even when there aren't any lines to read."

"So you're just happy that I feel happy about dating someone. You couldn't care less who I'm dating?"

"Again! Lines that aren't there!" House huffed. "Of course I care about who's going to crash your little world."

"She's changed House!" Wilson said. "I've changed. It'll work!"

"Okay! If you say so!"

Wilson looked at his friend and noticed actually concern in his expression. He felt bad for not seeing that he really cared about him and his tragic relationship-history. He decided to give him credit for once, "Thanks!"

"No problem." House nodded.

"I guess I'm not used to you actually being nice." He frowned, "That didn't sounded as nice as it should have."

"Don't worry about that one. I think you've plenty of dealer points." Both smiled at that.

"What are you and Cuddy doing tonight?" Wilson got an idea. "Maybe we could go on a double date."

"Sorry can't." House immediately answered.

"House, if you're not trying to know Sam better …. "

"I've got an appointment today after work." Wilson nodded and House knew his friend took the excuse without any doubt. "And I see no point in knowing your new/old ex-wife."

Wilson didn't respond. "Can I ask you something?"

"Try me!" House smirked.

"What is it you and Nolan talk about? I mean when you're in therapy."

"Sorry Wilson, doctor-patient confidentiality." House retorted. "I think Nolan wouldn't be thrilled if I talked about him in public."

Wilson nodded and accepted it. "But it's helping?"

"Don't know. But I think he's making progress." House smirked. "Finally!"

"Good for him then!" Wilson knew exactly that House wasn't talking about his therapist than rather as a referring to himself.

"Yeah, I think he's finally lighten up somehow." House blinked and put on a smile.

"You mean he's happier; less miserable?" Wilson tried to find out if House really was on his way to get better.

"Something like that." House told nonchalantly.

"I'm glad for you, House! That's a huge progress."

House and Wilson finished their lunch while talking about Hospital gossip and House's favorite Soap opera, which became Wilson's obsession as well, even if he didn't watch it. But House always told him the news and he kind of liked it.

On their way back to their offices they ran into Taub and Foreman.

"Patient inhaled too much mold- spores." Taub told his boss. "We found some under her sink in her apartment."

"It actually fits, House. No drugs, but mold." Foreman said. "We started her on steroids. If she's lucky she can go home in two days."

"Very lucky, she only has to switch apartment apparently. Nice work guys!" Wilson and the other two doctors flinched at House's laudatory words.

House looked around. "Where's Chase?"

"Chase went home. He said there's nothing left to do, so he's going to catch up some sleep." Taub declared.

House nodded but recognized Wilson's worried look. He knew his friend was hiding some information about his employee.

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So this is it! Next chapter will be Nolan and House.

You think Amy's problem was the mold? Stay tuned and find out ….