Little addendum to last week's chapter (which came to me after I had posted it), sorry it's so short. The scene won't have a "better" conclusion – at least not at this point in the story.
Chapter 42
He ignores all of her calls over the weekend and shows up at work on Monday as if nothing had happened. He barely acknowledges her at the front desk where she converses with a nurse when he comes in and picks up some slips, and she is too busy to stop him when he moves on towards the elevators.
Later that day, she summons him into her office.
Half an hour later, he barges in without knocking. "If it's a case, I'm checking out. It's four forty-five."
She glances at her watch. "It isn't, and it's five past three."
He shrugs and remains standing in the middle of her office.
"We need to talk."
"No. We don't."
"Alina," she drawls out the name, as it doesn't cross her lips with ease, "mentioned a setback."
"So?" His voice sounds dismissive. "You're neither my therapist nor my support group leader."
"No, but I'm –" Cuddy staggers, unsure of how to finish the sentence.
"What, Cuddy?" he insists, taking a few more steps toward her. "You're what?"
She stares at him with her mouth slightly agape. 'Wife', 'girlfriend', 'mother' – none of those apply. 'Friend', yes, but it doesn't give her any rights. 'Boss' she's the most certain of, at least she has this one on paper, but on some days even this role he manages to make her doubt.
"As long as I don't show up here hammered, it's my business what I do at the weekends."
She rids herself of her paralysis and stands up from her chair, remembering what she is really concerned about. Approaching him slowly and not taking her eyes off his face, she asks, "Are you back on Vicodin?" Wilson already told her House had denied it, and his team hadn't observed any intake today, but she needs to be sure.
He glares at her. "Nope."
She exhales in relief. Then she tilts her head and softly asks, "Why didn't you come to me? Friday night?"
He looks almost contemplative. Earnestly, he replies, "Because you're–" He leaves the rest of the sentence hanging in the air on purpose. His stare is piercing.
Her eyes drop from his, and she feels as if she's been slapped. For the second time she falters, unable to step up to his challenge.
He narrows his eyes and nods as if in agreement or understanding. Then he turns away from her and limps out of her office.