Chasing Grace:
Interlude
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Unnecessary disclaimer: None of the characters appearing in the TV show "House, M. D." belong to me.
Abstract: Follows Saving Grace. The four members of the House family each embark on a personal journey, and grow together as a family.
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A/N: Sorry about the wait on this one! I got stuck writing a chapter so my posting suffered a bit.
This isn't a full length chapter. As you can see by the title, it's just an interlude. But I hope to have another chapter up soon.
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Robert Chase hung up the phone and walked out into the salty breeze that blew across the deck of his home in Melbourne, Australia. "I just got a call from Eleanor."
A small woman, tan with sandy brown hair was leaning on the railing. "What did she say?" she asked as she turned to look at him.
Chase put his arm around the woman, turning to look out over their balcony. "She's performing in New York in a month. She invited us to go."
The woman looked to him with a surprised expression. "Are you going?"
Chase sighed. "She's my daughter, Kate."
They both turned back to gaze out over the balcony. Robert Chase had become a successful surgeon in Melbourne, and his home was a testament to that. It's proximity to the beach filled it with the smells and sounds of sand and surf—things he had missed dearly when he lived in the States. This was his home, his sanctuary. He had a wife here, two amazing stepdaughters, and soon, a grandchild. He had a great life.
But he paid for it dearly. His own daughter hardly knew him at all. He blamed himself entirely for it. If only he'd gone to visit more often, called more persistently, actually brought her to Australia like he said he would. Life has a way of getting away from you, he thought. Now she was an adult, and the invitation extended was likely little more than a courtesy.
But now that she had called, he couldn't imagine not being there…
"You're thinking too hard," Kate said, stroking the side of his face. Her mouth curved into a half-smile. "What's going on inside that head of yours?"
"Just thinking about how much I screwed up when it comes to my daughter," he said flatly. Kate's smile dropped.
"Listen to me," she commanded, pulling him to look at her. "You're human. We all are. People make mistakes. You can still fix this one, though."
Chase looked at her incredulously. "I can't go back in time and suddenly be there for her entire childhood," he said sarcastically.
Kate rolled her eyes. "Of course not. But you can go to this concert thing. Talk to her. And then don't stop talking to her. When you come home write her through email. After you've been talking a bit, invite her down here, like you'd always promised."
Chase stared off into the distance for a moment, thinking? Was she right? Could he fix it so easily?
"It might take a little time," she added gently. "For her to trust you and get to know you. But I promise it will be worth it in the end."
She looked up at him and smiled, and he smiled back. "Guess I should go book my flight."
Kate grinned. "Atta boy."
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