Amber was examining CT-scans, MRIs and other work that had piled on her desk while she had been mostly occupied with House's patient. She had taken care of the urgent requests even then – sometimes even with House – but now she had to go through the rest of them. She turned from the light board and nearly slammed herself against a manly chest.
"Damn it!" Amber cursed. "You do know that people usually knock on the door House? You don't actually have to scare the living daylights out of people."
"I know," House shrugged unconcerned. "But it's not half as much fun."
"Fine," Amber glared at him. "Now that you have had your fun, what else do you want? Our patient got new symptoms after all?"
"Yeah, some, but they're consistent with Fibromyalgia," House didn't seem interested.
"Good," Amber declared. When nothing more was forthcoming from House, who was just looking around her office with interest, Amber went on: "Have we got a new patient then?"
"No, no patients," House muttered. "Unless you have one for me?"
"No, I don't," Amber stated. "All my cases are very bread and butter. So if you were prowling for a patient, I'm afraid you have to prowl on to some other department. I hear ER is a pretty good place to go if you're looking for a patient; or the clinic."
"Auh, ouch," House hammed. "She hits hard. Very funny, but I'm not looking for a patient. I'm looking for information."
"The library is situated near the Witherspoon wing," Amber pointed out a little acerbically. She was starting to feel suspicious.
"Yeah, but I doubt Chase has spent any time there today," House turned to observe Amber.
"Chase?" Amber replied neutrally putting an inquiring look on her face.
"Yes," House nodded. "I heard he was MIA this morning. Or perhaps I should say AWOL since he apparently didn't go home last night."
"Well since neither one of us is his commanding officer," Amber mused. "That is hardly our problem."
"I thought you were friends!" House acted all surprised. "Don't you worry if your friend is in trouble?"
"Do you always know and worry when Dr Wilson is in trouble?" Amber countered.
"Well, if he's in trouble he is usually with me," House dismissed. "So no, I don't worry but yes I always know."
"Figures," Amber rolled her eyes. "Well Chase isn't exactly someone who goes looking for trouble, so I really see no reason to worry, at least not unless he doesn't show up for work tonight as scheduled. But if you are worried then why don't you ask Dr Cameron?"
"Because she asked me," House gave the answer Amber had half expected.
"And why would she think you know where Chase is?" Amber mused. "It's not like you're his keeper."
"No, but she thinks I'm your keeper," House replied. "Though that, too, is silly. But I can't help it. She thinks I know things."
"And how exactly does she think that you knowing where I am helps her locate Chase?" Amber avoided House's gaze by gathering together a file she had just finished.
"She has somehow got it into her head that when Chase is not with her, he tends to be with you," House shrugged.
"Well, when we are together, Chase and I," Amber still avoided House's eyes. "We are usually here in the hospital, and since apparently neither one of us was here, she really has no reason to assume that we were together."
House watched Amber fiddle with her files for a moment. The silence was not comfortable but Amber refused to break it.
"I thought Amber was supposed to be a soft stone," House reflected. "But you are putting up an impressive stone wall nevertheless." Amber still refused to react so House continued: "Ok, let's stop the games. Was he drunk again last night?"
"I don't think I can say," Amber muttered.
"I'm not going to rat him to Cameron," House stated. "I want to know if he is in trouble. I know he isn't my responsibility anymore, but I would hate to see all my training go to waste – even more than it already is."
"If you want to know what is going on with Chase," Amber turned to give House a stern look. "Ask him." She met House's stare unflinchingly though the blue eyes staring at her seemed to go straight through to her very soul. She refused to look away, though, even when the silence lengthened.
"And whatever he wills happens to me. I am the silence that is incomprehensible and the idea whose sound is manifold and the word whose appearance is multiple. I am the utterance of my name. Why, you who hate me, do you love me, and hate those who love me? You who deny me, confess me, and you who confess me, deny me." House seemed to be almost unaware of having spoken as he contemplated Amber.
"What was that?" Amber asked confused.
"Nothing, just something from the Nag Hammadi," House shook his head. "I have been trying to put my finger on the strange similarity between you and Chase. You are so different, yet something about you two always seemed somehow so similar. I think I got it. You didn't go into details about your parents but your mother was a drunk, wasn't she?"
Amber considered denying it for a moment, but since there really was no point in doing so she nodded: "Yeah, she was an alcoholic."
"Abusive?" House asked.
"A little," Amber downplayed it. "Until I found a way to stop her."
"Yeah, you would," House mused. "I know about Chase's mother and how his father left them. Yours didn't so he was a different influence from your mother, and apparently a stronger influence. Not a good influence, but stronger. Unlike Chase you fight tooth and nail for your position in the sun. Chase will fight only when he feels threatened. And he accepts abuse up to a point, unlike you. When Cameron slapped you, you retaliated immediately. But you didn't hit her back. You found another way; in fact you found a more effective way than slapping her would have been. And even while you were smearing that cake all over her face, you made sure there was no actual touching. Interesting."
"While I'm happy to provide you with intellectual exercise," Amber didn't sound happy at all. "I have work to do and I'm really not that keen in hearing you dissect my life so perhaps you could take your musings to your own office?"
"You said you had a meeting this morning," House went on musing ignoring Amber's words. "And Chase was missing, too. I bet he got himself drunk last night and ended up on your couch again. I don't think you could have dragged him anywhere near an AA meeting though, but I'm sure you took him somewhere. ... Adult Children?"
"I told you that if you want to know what is going on with Chase you have to ask him," Amber stated firmly. She wasn't going to rat her friend to anyone.
"Yeah, I think I better," House murmured and wandered out of Amber's office leaving her staring after him in indignation.
-------------------------------
When Chase turned to take his gym bag from the bench to put it inside his locker and then get started with his shift he found that somehow House had managed to sneak in on him and was inspecting the contents of the bag.
"Do you mind!" Chase snapped trying to take his bag.
"I'm not finished with it yet," House responded moving it away from Chase.
"It's my bag," Chase insisted reaching for it and finally managing to snatch it back from House.
"But not your track suit," House observed.
"Of course it's my track suit," Chase stated, though he didn't manage to put quite the conviction he wanted into his voice.
"You really better not cheat on Cameron," House told him. "You are a lousy liar and she would catch you the very first time. And that is Amber's track suit. I've seen it on her."
"Just because I have a similar track suit, does not mean it is hers," Chase insisted throwing his bag into his locker and locking it. "What do you want House."
House seemed to consider something for a moment but then he went straight to the point: "Where you drunk again last night?"
"Is it any of your business?" Chase prevaricated.
"Since when have I cared if something is my business or not?" House challenged.
"Never to my knowledge," Chase admitted. "But it still isn't any of your business."
"Is it getting out of hand?" House ignored Chase's position. "Are you risking your job and career with your drinking?"
"What makes you so sure I did drink last night?" Chase demanded.
"You smell of Amber's soap," House told him. "I don't think she would let you spend the night unless you were totally wasted."
"Shit!" Chase cursed.
"Yeah," House agreed with the sentiment. "Next time, when you get home, shower again. But this time, answer my question."
"You're a fine one to ask!" Chase scorned. "You risk your career on daily basis with your pills and your bedside manner and pretty much everything you are."
"True, but that's me," House shrugged. "I know what I risk and I know why. I also know what I need to function and how much I can take of whatever I need and still function. And I know when not to go near a patient with sharp instruments in my hand. You, on the other hand, are drinking just to get drunk. Yes, so far you have made sure that you have enough time to recover before you come to work, but you also know that the more you drink the more you need to drink to get drunk and though you may feel sober, the time your body needs to get rid of the alcohol does not vary with your feelings. In time, when you have trained your body to it, you may in fact be perfectly capable of operating on people even when slightly drunk, but if somebody dies on your table then, you will be in big trouble no matter why the patient died."
"I won't let it get to that," Chase insisted. He didn't want to hear the same lecture again, not on the same day.
"And what are you doing to make sure of that?" House asked. Apparently he didn't care if Chase liked being lectured or not.
"I'm handling it," Chase maintained. "Why do you care anyway?"
"Beats me," House replied. "But I just seem to. Might have something to do with wombats being an endangered species... How are you handling it?"
"Fine," Chase snapped finally. "I don't need you to monitor me because Amber has already taken that job. She took me to a meeting this morning and though I don't have any problems yet, she has made me aware that I may be heading in that direction so I'm finding ways to make sure it doesn't happen. Happy now!"
"No, but I'll accept your answer for now," House stated. "Though I'm curious; what was the meeting you went to? AA?"
"No," Chase sighed. There was no denying House. "She knew about a place where the Adult Children of Alcoholics meet and she took me there. Just so that I know where to go when I need help."
"Is it the one she goes to herself?" House queried.
"She just knew about it," Chase shrugged.
"Interesting," House smiled. "She wouldn't rat you out either. But don't worry, I already know about her mother. Ok, if you are handling it for now, then fine." Abruptly House turned to go. At the door he turned to look at Chase again: "If you need help, you can come to me, too."
The offer took Chase completely by surprise and he couldn't do anything but nod and say: "Oh ... ok."
"Mind you, I may be too stoned to help," House went on making Chase smile. "But on the other hand, when I'm stoned I'm more likely to agree to things I wouldn't do when sober. So it may work out ok either way." With that, he was gone.