I don't own; you don't sue.
This story is a change for me; usually I write vast blocks of dialogue, but somehow, here it's minimalist. But, as a wise man said, movies are about what people say and do, prose is about what people think and feel.
The first season episode "Cursed" made a big impression on me. I've been fond of Patrick Bauchau, who was cast as Chase's father, for a long time, and wanted to explore some of Chase's issues with Rowan. One of the things that makes Robert Chase such an intriguing character is the way we never quite get inside his head--obviously, he's thinking and feeling, but we're left to wonder what's really going on under that bland exterior.
Dedicated to my father, Haakon.
Underlying Causes
Doctor and nurse---it's such a cliché. And yet, Cynthia fills a tremendous void in his life. He is newly arrived in a strange country---she makes him feel welcome. She is warm and sympathetic---never laughs at his accent and always explains, with infinite patience, the jokes he doesn't fully comprehend. Rowan is more at ease with her than he is with many of his peers. Seeing her outside their normal work environment seems natural, because there's never time, at the hospital, to talk about each other.
Rowan already knows Cynthia takes her work very seriously. Sometimes too seriously---she suffers for the patients, and each one she loses is fresh grief. Remarkably, she hasn't become hardened as some nurses do. She is still gentle, still kind to the most abrasive patients. "They're afraid," she reminds him, when it costs him an effort not to snarl back at a sharp-tongued patient. She's right, of course, they're in this together, doctor, nurse and patient, all fighting the patient's disease. When he focuses on that, it's easier to maintain a genial demeanor.
There's talk around the hospital---there's always talk around a hospital---and when his superiors ask him about it, Rowan quietly informs them that he's going to marry Cynthia---that he hasn't yet asked her is none of their business. She accepts his proposal, and they wed on a lovely September day. He doesn't care about all the formalities: she's his, that's all he's ever wanted. Doctor and Mrs. Chase toast each other with champagne and get a little tight, but by the end of the festivities they're both in a very good mood and more than ready for the wedding night.
The wedding photographer snaps what seems like hundreds of shots because her family is paying for everything and they want pictures. Studying them later, Rowan is surprised. He's never given much thought about how they appear as a couple, but he has to admit, they look good together. He's a lumbering bear of a man. Cynthia doesn't quite come up to his shoulder and she's a hummingbird of controlled energy and grace. The contrast is striking.
At the wedding, Cynthia wears her light red-gold hair styled like Princess Diana, and her wide blue eyes meet the camera over a delighted smile. In one picture, they're standing face-to-face, and he has his arms around her, glaring at the photographer and holding his bride protectively. The flash has captured the belligerent expression on his face as surely as it did his dark auburn hair and his green eyes.
"That's a nice one, I must say!" Cynthia chuckles as they thumb through the proofs. It was a lot of silly fussing, and he tells her so.
"When we're showing these pictures to our grandchildren, you'll think otherwise," is her sage reply. Doctor Rowan Chase smiles and agrees.