Friendly Conversations {Cuddy/Day 15}

[Dr Angel Fraser]

Angel fiddled with the handle of her mug at the booth she had sat in. She'd called Cuddy and asked if she'd like to meet up for coffee. Staring into the contents of her mug, she reflected back to her first day at work after everything had happened.

She was still somewhat shocked at what had happened in Wilson's office. Wilson had actually kissed her. After that she had become confused, not sure how to interpret what was going on between them. She'd managed to avoid him for the most part, and when she was around him, she felt strange. She needed advice, female advice and Cuddy was the only friend she found she could talk to right now.

[Dr. Lisa Cuddy]

Entering the coffee shop, Cuddy looked around. Spotting Angel in a corner booth, she made her way over and slid in across from her friend. As she shrugged off her coat and set it next to her, the waiter came over. He offered Angel a refill and turned to Cuddy.

"White hot chocolate, if you would," she replied to the waiter before looking to Angel. "Sorry I'm late. Had a patient come into the clinic just as I was getting ready to leave." The waiter returned with her hot chocolate a couple minutes later. Sipping slowly at it, she wondered what had Angel looking so upset.

[Dr Angel Fraser]

Angel gave Cuddy a warm smile when the other woman slipped into the booth. Nodding for the waitress to fill her coffee up, she wrapped her hands around the mug for warmth. "Don't worry about it Lisa." She said, blowing the steam off her coffee. "We're both doctors I completely understand."

Running through what to tell Cuddy in her mind, she decided to start with some small talk first. "So is the patient alright? I mean I'm guessing it wasn't too bad because you weren't that late." She inquired, taking a sip from her mug.

[Dr. Lisa Cuddy]

Setting her mug down, Cuddy smiled. "Yea. He's all right. Just allergic to his daughter's pet rabbit..." Deciding it couldn't hurt to ask one of her own questions, she went ahead.

"What about that man you had to schedule a bypass for? How did that go?" She knew it wouldn't be long before they got off the medical catch-up and to the real reason Angel had invited her for coffee. But until then, until Angel was comfortable enough to talk about it, Cuddy would relax and enjoy the back-and-forth. She wouldn't rush Angel into talking about it. That wasn't what friends did.

[Dr Angel Fraser]

"Oh pet rabbits." Angel wrinkled her nose. "Very cute, but very stinky. I had one when I was ten." She chuckled. "I'm glad that it wasn't anything serious."

When Cuddy inquired about the gentleman who was scheduled for surgery, she smiled. "He's recovering quite comfortably with lots of pictures and cards made by his granddaughter." It was quite cute to see whenever she'd go to check in on him. "She even made one for me. I keep it in my office now." Her smile brightening. She enjoyed little gestures like that. Always made her feel more appreciated. "I guess you're probably curious as to why I wanted to talk."

[Dr. Lisa Cuddy]

Cuddy was happy to hear that the man was recovering. She was always happy to hear that patients were doing fine. It made her feel as though she had the best doctors working under her command. "That's so sweet," she responded about the card. "Children are cute that way." Cuddy smiled a bit at that, thinking inward about her own child.

"If you feel that you're ready to talk about whatever's bothering you, I'm here to listen. You know that, Angel," Cuddy replied, reaching across the table to rest her hand on Angel's arm and giving her an encouraging smile. "I'm always here to listen."

[Dr Angel Fraser]

"They are. Almost makes me want to have one." Angel chuckled. "Almost. I think I'll just stick to walking in the pediatrics wing every now and then." She sighed, shaking her head.

"I don't know what to do about Wilson." She said, realizing it sounded as if she had a problem with him. "I kinda of like him, and I think he may like me. I feel as though I'm back in high school. Whenever I'm around him I feel calm, relaxed, able to by myself." She looked down at her coffee. "The other day, in his office... Well, he kissed me."

[Dr. Lisa Cuddy]

Deciding to keep her mouth shut for the moment, Cuddy just listened to Angel. This wasn't the time, or the place, to tell Angel her secret. That would come later, when Angel didn't have something to talk about. Her eyes went wide when she heard what Wilson had done.

"He...Wilson kissed you?" she repeated. That didn't sound like him. As far as Lisa knew, James had never kissed a woman before the first date. "What happened?" Of course, she meant 'What were you doing when he did it'. It sounded to her like Angel was crushing, but it might be something deeper. If it was, it would be good for both her and Wilson to work on a relationship. As long as it didn't interfere with their work, at least.

But, then, perhaps it was deeper than a crush for Angel. The way she said she felt; that was exactly as Cuddy herself felt around House. But she wouldn't mention that. It was Angel they were talking about, not her. "I think you're in love," she whispered, raising her hot chocolate to her lips again.

[Dr Angel Fraser]

"We were working, or at least I was trying to work and I think he was trying to do the same." Angel sighed, looking at her mug of coffee. "He came over and sat beside me on the couch, and we were talking about how to grieve." She bit her lower lip again. "The next thing I know he kissed me."

When Cuddy said it was love, Angel nearly spit out the coffee she had just drank. "Love?" She sputtered. She wasn't completely sure she knew what love was or felt like. With Jackson it had been a wild roller coaster of emotions, but she knew she had loved him. With Wilson, it was the complete opposite. "Couldn't be love."

[Dr. Lisa Cuddy]

Cuddy quirked her lips, thinking. It couldn't be as simple as all that...could it? "Hm. James doesn't usually do anything until he's convinced it's the best thing he could do." That even applied to both times he had willingly left Princeton-Plainsboro. He'd felt it was the best thing for him to do. "Did he say anything? Before or after?" Cuddy pressed. James Wilson had done something that didn't seem like his norm, and that in and of itself had Cuddy concerned. About both her friends.

"Yes. Love," she repeated. "You're in love with him, Angel. You feel comfortable around him, don't you? Safe? Like he could do no wrong in your eyes?" If Angel answered yes to two of those three questions, there would be no doubt in Cuddy's mind that it was love. She debated for a split second about using another tactic to try to convince Angel that she was in love.

"There's someone...that makes me feel exactly as you said you feel around James. I'm around him, and I feel like I don't have to be an administrator. I feel...free. Unattached to my work. You feel that way about James, don't you?" Her eyes were nothing but kind as she smiled and looked into Angel's eyes. "This could be good for both of you."

[Dr Angel Fraser]

"He said he was going to something completely inappropriate." Angel sighed. She really wasn't sure how to take any of this. She was horrible at reading people, well people who weren't her patients.

"Yes, yes and yes." She smiled, a dreamy look on her face. She really was turning into a giddy high school student. "House..." She said, hearing Cuddy's example of what love felt like. "I saw the way you two acted when you brought me in. I'm surprised I can remember that, but I do." She looked at Cuddy slyly, wondering what her friend's reaction to that would be. "I don't know, I mean this soon after both of us have been dealt the loss of a loved one?"

[Dr. Lisa Cuddy]

Hmmm. Yeah. She had it bad for Wilson, and from the sound of things, Wilson had some feelings for Angel as well. Cuddy was about to say something when Angel said his name. Instantly, she blushed. Had they been that obvious? Who else had noticed? Her thoughts were racing.

"Were we really that obvious?" she asked, needing to know if Angel had been the only one who had noticed. "I..I mean..." Damn. Angel knew. It wouldn't do any good to refute it, since it was true. Even though Angel hadn't asked outright, Cuddy had sensed that it would come up later anyway. "And before you ask...Yes. We're officially dating." Raising her mug to her lips again, she sipped, trying to force down the blush.

"You and James could heal each other. Don't you see? He needs this after losing Amber, and you need this after Jackson. You need each other, Angel. Take it slow, and you'll both know when you're ready to move on...together."

[Dr Angel Fraser]

"At that moment, yes." Angel chuckled, draining her mug. She wasn't sure who else would have noticed, or who else would have cared. "I'm happy for you, I really am." She said, trying to reassure Cuddy that this was a good thing. She could see her friend blushing and smiled sweetly.

"I suppose you're right. I mean we've both gone through the same thing." She sighed, shaking her head. What Lisa said was rather true, they could both heal each other, being there for each other. "Well, the whole taking it slow thing..." She blushed a deep red. "Yeah, you can probably scrap that idea."

[Dr. Lisa Cuddy]

Cuddy didn't need reassured that she was in good hands with House. She knew that. She just needed to know that the secret would be kept safe. "Well...there are rules against employer-employee sexual relations. I need you to keep it secret. At least for now." She'd already gotten Wilson's promise of silence.

Lisa nodded as Angel continued speaking. When she finished, Cuddy turned an odd look on the cardiologist. "What do you mean, 'scrap that idea'?" she asked, setting her half-full mug aside. "If you rush in, you won't have time to heal..." Cuddy stopped, her eyes going wide. "You didn't..." she asked, slowly shaking her head.

[Dr Angel Fraser]

"But if you two are a couple, then I don't see how those rules would affect you...." She raised an eyebrow when Cuddy mentioned that she had a secret and that she wanted to tell her. "What is this secret? I mean I know we slept with House... but we both made sure no one would find out about that." She inquired, curious now.

Angel let out a chuckle that turned into more of a cough. "Well, um.. After that kiss, we tried to do some more work, but it didn't quite work out that well. He came back to the couch, I kissed him this time, and one thing kinda led to another... Until we were interrupted by a certain doctor." She grumbled, knowing Cuddy would completely know who she was referring to.