Next morning, the 23rd of December, Stacy visited Cuddy on her way to see Mrs. Simon.
"So, how is your case going?" Cuddy asked.
"Actually, not my case anymore," Stacy said. "Not after today."
"What do you mean?" Cuddy was surprised.
"I have gathered the preliminary information that my firm's divorce lawyer needs, I have consulted with the firm that handles Flora's inheritance and matters involved with that, and we have sorted out all the details that need to be taken care of," Stacy told her. "I have done what I came here to do and I'm going home later this afternoon."
"Mark must be happy to have you back," Cuddy remarked.
"He won't be home till tomorrow morning," Stacy avoided the real question.
"But he must still be happy when you don't need to be near House any longer," Cuddy repeated.
"Yes," Stacy admitted. "I have spoken with him on the phone every evening. Though he is no longer paranoid about Greg, he is still not comfortable with me spending too much time with him."
"Given what happened the last time, I'm not surprised," Cuddy pointed out.
"Mark doesn't know what happened last time," Stacy confessed. "Or, he knows something went down, just not what. I did tell him that some of the old feelings were messing up my mind but that we had talked, Greg and I, and we had got closure on them. Not exactly a lie, though not quite the truth either."
"And you think he never suspected that you had sex with Greg?" Cuddy doubted.
"I'm sure he suspected, but he chose to believe what I told him," Stacy said with some guilt. "I know I should have been honest with him, but I didn't want to hurt him for no good reason."
"Oh, Stacy, Stacy, Stacy," Cuddy shook her head. "Your really need to stay away from House."
"I know, that is why I'm wrapping up my involvement with Mrs. Simon," Stacy explained. "Mind you, I don't think Greg would want me around either. Not now when we all know that I was wrong when I insisted that you do the surgery."
"I was the one who suggested it," Cuddy pointed out. "You would not even have known of the option had I not told you about it, so don't go thinking that you forced me into anything. I was quite in agreement with you over it."
"Yeah, and we were wrong," Stacy didn't look too happy. "Before I could tell myself that at least I had saved his life. Now I cannot be so sure. It could have worked as well for him as it is working for Mr. Park."
"We cannot know that," Cuddy said. "He was right when he pointed out that I am not in his league as a doctor. He has already done things for Mr. Park that I would never have thought of. Also he is using his own case and experience to help him. I don't think I would have been able to save his leg, probably not even his life had we not done the surgery. I regret it, I hate it, but I have to live with it. As do you."
"Yeah, I suppose so. It just isn't as easy now, when we know more. I better go and see my client so that I can finish up and go home to my husband."
"You will keep in touch, though?" Cuddy asked.
"I will," Stacy promised. "I just don't think I will come visiting any time soon."
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Chase had got to work early that morning. He didn't really have anything important to do, as his one patient was doing well, but he felt too impatient to stay home. Chase was waiting for House when he got to work, at his usual late hour.
"Problems with your patient?" House asked as a greeting.
"No, Mrs. Simon is just fine," Chase denied. "In fact, now that Stacy has helped her start the process of getting rid of her biggest pain, her husband, she is doing very well. Her kids also came by yesterday and totally side with their mother. It looks like Mr. Simon will end up being one very miserable man."
"Fine. Not interesting, really, but good for her." House remarked. "So what was it that brought you to me, then? Need time off? A pay-raise? – neither are going to happen, so if that was it, save yourself the trouble and go away."
"I haven't slept these last three nights," Chase started.
"Ah, insomnia!" House exclaimed. "Let me write you a prescription."
"Sorry House," Chase did not seem regretful at all. "You are not getting out of this that easy. I am going to say what I have to say and you are going to listen to me."
"Ooo, mutiny!" House shook in his shoes. "Should I be scared?"
"Very," Chase said dryly. "Look, since you told me that I need to decide if I want to be a doctor or not, I have been up at nights trying to figure out what I am, who I am and what I want. I cannot ignore the fact that Rowan Chase was my father, and I know you didn't mean that I should when you suggested that I take him out of the equation. But I have tried to find out what choices in my life have been directly due to him and what the things that I have truly wanted are. Problem is I can't think of anything that I wanted."
"That could cause a problem or two when you try to figure out what you want to do," House nodded.
"Yea. Foreman told me once that his father always credits God when Foreman does something well, and if he does something wrong, it's his own fault. Of course, Foreman has a father who loves him, even if he could give Foreman a little more credit. My father had only one god and that was Rowan Chase. And I was expected to have the same god. I'm fairly sure I went to the Seminar because there, at least, the God had a different name." Chase paced back and forth.
"But still a jealous God," House reminded him.
"Possibly the reason I didn't last there, - in addition to my Father's influence, of course. I went to medical school because my father wanted me to. I specialised as an Intensivist because that was as far from Rheumatology as I could get at the time. I came to the States to get as much distance as I could between us, yet I stayed in medicine, which meant that every time I said my name, I would be asked if I was related to the great Rowan Chase. So far my every choice has been either because of him, or in order to get away from him. It has been very difficult to try and think what it is that I really want. What it is that I really am?" Chase looked almost tortured. House decided not to comment.
"You said that my father expected his genes to kick in and make a doctor out of me. I thought about that, and came to the conclusion, that if he wanted to credit his genes for my success, then he had to credit his success on the genes he had got from his parents. I did not choose to be a doctor, but I think – at least by now – medicine has chosen me. This really is what I want to do. I may not like the idea that I'm a doctor because my father was one, but on the other hand, he too was just a depository on the way for the genes in me that make me one." Chase sighed deeply. "I don't know much about my father's family. He never spoke of them. He might have told me something had I asked, but I didn't want to know. But I suppose they live in me and whatever it was that they were make me what I am. I know you are not interested in my musings or reasons, but the end result of this all is that I do want to be a doctor. I do want you to renew my fellowship. I do want to learn more."
"You are sure?" House asked. "This is not just lack of sleep speaking?"
"I'm sure," Chase asserted. "I may end up deciding that I want a different speciality from intensive care, but I do want to be a doctor."
"Well, that was really all you needed to tell me!" House insisted. "No need to go all deep and soulful on me."
"I know," Chase said. "But since I had to go through the torture because of something you said, I felt the least you owed me was to share some of it by listening."
"Thanks for the consideration," House sniped. "You had your say, now go and do something doctorly."
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Later that day House got another visitor into his office. Soo brought her father in, in a wheelchair. He had been to see a physiotherapist to plan the rehab and on the way back had asked his daughter to bring him to House.
"I see you have been able to leave your bed for a moment," House greeted them.
"Indeed. The pain has subsided so that I manage now on pills, the waste of the dead cells has gone and my doctors tell me the real healing has started." Mr. Park said.
"I'm glad," House nodded. "Though I have to warn you, we still don't know the final results."
"I know, I have been warned," Mr. Park told him. "I understand that the biggest worry is still the pain."
"It is," House admitted. "So far things look good. However the fact that the pain has subsided as hoped does not mean that it cannot come back. Hopefully, if it does come back, it won't be constant but just intermittent, though naturally we are aiming for no pain at all."
"That would definitely be my preference," Mr. Park agreed.
"Quite understandably," House smiled wryly. "I would not recommend chronic pain as an alternative to anyone."
"I know that you don't care for thanks," Mr. Park said. "But I still want to thank you for everything you have done. And not just what you have done for me but what you have done for my daughter. She will be a better doctor with this experience."
"It was interesting to find out how that treatment worked," House explained. "I have always wanted to know. As for your daughter, well, she'll do."
"Thank you, Dr. House," Soo replied with slight irony, but she was smiling widely.
"Don't let it go to your head," House advised. "You still have a long way to go."
"I know, Dr. House," Soo replied seriously. "But I intend to do my best."
"Which reminds me," House turned in his chair and got something from a drawer. "My Mother came by this morning on her way to her meeting with a therapist. She said that you ought to have some kind of token as a mark for courage under fire. I think she found it rather impressive that you had threatened to beat me up with my own cane if I don't agree to take your father's case."
"Soo? What is Dr. House talking about?" Mr. Park was startled.
"She better tell you the story yourself," House said. "Here, this is what I promised my Mother to pass on to you. Catch." He threw a small box to Soo.
Soo was puzzled but she opened the box to look inside. "Oh. ... You really mean for me to have this?"
"Promised my Mother," House shrugged. "You don't expect me to go against my Mother's wishes, now do you?"
"No, of course not," Soo took a little jade duckling out of the box. It hung on a thin silver chain. "Thank you. It is lovely. Please thank your mother for me."
"Will do." House promised lightly.
"I think we better leave Dr. House to his work, then," Mr. Park said smiling at his daughter and her pleasure. "And while you wheel me to my room you can tell me what it was that you did to impress Dr. House's mother this much."