Departure

Act 8, Part 2: It's Good-bye Time

It was the night before he left for Boston. Steve had already packed up his desk and said good-bye to some of the people at the station. He also turned in his badge and gun. I have to admit, that got to me a little. Even though he was on a 'leave of absence', the duration would be long and the expectation of where he would be reassigned within the department necessitated that he return the two articles which defined his life for the last eight years.

With the administrative issues behind us, the next big hurdle would happen that night. A going away party was planned at Clancy's, a bar and dance hall over on Olive Street. Since it was a Thursday night, we figured we'd have the run of the place. Irene and the wives of the other guys in Homicide planned the evening. Rudy, Lessing, Tanner and Healy were coming with their spouses. Haseejian was bringing his sister. Devitt was planning to bring a new girlfriend. Of course, I was coming with Irene and Jeannie was bringing Dan.

And my new partner, Glenn Decker, late of Internal Affairs, was going to be there. He and Lenny were both coming solo, as was Steve. I know Steve had no concern with Glenn being there. After all, it was Steve who recommended Glenn and he gladly spent some time with him to help with the transition.

The women were cooking up something. I think it had to do with getting Steve out on the dance floor to do a bit of harmless flirting and teasing. I've found that most married men are happy to assign the dancing task to others. I figured Steve was a good sport and since the snippy Carolyn was out of the picture, he could turn his charm on full speed.

My partner…let me rephrase that…my ex-partner took three weeks to recuperate before the trip rather than the two that he thought he needed. It helped; he was rested and had better color. He was still too thin, but at least didn't look as emaciated as he had when I first took him home. He spent the time packing and tying up loose ends. Glenn was a big help with that. That also gave Glenn and Steve time to talk about 'the old man' and how things worked in Homicide.


"Where's the guest of honor?" Rudy inquired. As the senior man at the table, he was the de facto host. His men and their spouses did not get together often socially, but Steve's departure was a great excuse. By his count there'd be nearly twenty guests in attendance. The mix of people could be counted on for some lively conversation.

As everyone arrived, the spouses and significant others became reacquainted. Wine and beer flowed. Steve was one of the last to appear. The 'good-byes' had become progressively challenging and he was truly putting off the party as much as he could. While he knew his friends wanted to give him a proper send-off, the evening would take an emotional toll.

"Now, no one get too drunk," Rudy instructed as he waved to the barmaid for the next round. "The last thing we need is to have a cop with a DUI. Understand?"

"Yes, sir," the guests raised their drinks in unison.

"Except for you, young man. If you wish to tie one on, just go ahead. I'm sure one of us will be happy to drive you home." Rudy said as he nodded towards Steve.

"I'm leaving in the morning, so I can't overdo it too much. I get kicked out of my apartment at noon." Steve grinned. "It'd be bad for me to be hung over and asleep on the couch when the new tenants move in."

The group chuckled. "You still have furniture there?" Rudy asked.

"It's a furnished apartment. I really don't have many possessions. A ton of clothes, as I'm sure you all know, and a few household items and books, but that's about it. I was able to pack everything in a half dozen boxes and ship them out."

"No moving vans?"

"No - when I leave, it's just me, my car, my record collection and just enough change of clothes to drive three thousand miles."

"That's a hell of a long drive, Steve," Tanner commented.

"Yeah - I'm giving myself a week. I've never driven across country like that, so I'm sure I'll see some new things."

"What's your route?" Lenny asked.

"I start out on I-80. That takes me through Reno, Salt Lake and Nebraska. Eventually I get to Chicago. I thought I'd go up through Detroit and over through southern Ontario on into New York. I pick up 90 in Buffalo and that'll get me over to Boston."

"You'll see a lot of the country that way. I hitchhiked across the country about twenty years ago. It was incredible." Lenny never failed to amaze the people he was with.

Steve shook his head. "I'll settle for driving. But, yeah, I've always wanted to see Mount Rushmore, so I thought I might vary the route a little bit and catch some of the sights through the backroads."

"Flyover country," Roy Devitt commented grumpily. "You should sell the car and buy a plane ticket. What the hell do you need a car in Boston for anyway?"

"I'm keeping my wheels, man, and besides, it will be fun to cross the country in a sports car." Steve got a sparkle in his eye when he talked about his Porsche. He loved to drive fast.

"Now you be careful. I don't need to be hearing from the highway patrol that they found you in pieces along I-80," Mike reprimanded the young man.

"Yes, Mother." Steve smirked at his former partner and then looked over to Glenn. "Get used to that!"


Some of the guests had brought Steve small farewell gifts. Indeed, Norm Haseejian had something very special for his coworker.

"Steve, I want you to meet my sister, Louise. She's always wanted to meet me the boys in the office, so I thought this would be a good opportunity." Norm felt the need to explain why his sister was his date instead of a girlfriend.

"Why, it's my pleasure, ma'am." Steve nodded to the woman who appeared to be well into her fifties.

She returned the smile. "This is for you, Steve." She handed him a small pound-sized bag which was wrapped in tissue paper.

"You shouldn't have." Steve said as he unwrapped the gift. He smiled in appreciation. "It's Kona coffee - and whole bean, too. How wonderful! This is the good stuff."

"Yes, it is," Haseejian agreed. "I got it while I was on vacation in Hawaii last month."

Steve remembered the group had been a bit short handed while he was recovering from the shooting. The men were due their vacation time and Norm was on schedule for a trip to Honolulu. "How was your time away, Norm? We haven't talked to much lately."

"Yeah, well, I understand you've been a little preoccupied and all." Norm teased lightly.

"Ain't it the truth." Steve responded with a grin aimed at Louise.

"It was a good time. I got to meet with some of our colleagues on the islands and some wonderful vets who had spent time in a German prison camp."

"Sounds like you had an adventure," Steve replied. He looked at Norm and Louise and was amazed at the resemblance. How there could be a female form of Haseejian was an unsolved genetic mystery.

Norm smiled and told Steve about the case he had been on, his new friends, and the crazy cockatoo that tried to drink his coffee. As it turned out, the embarrassed owner of the cockatoo bought Norm Kona coffee as a replacement. He was hooked and brought back several pounds.

Steve raised his eyebrows. "But did this experience teach you to make better coffee?"

"Well, I brought some Kona in as a treat for the guys. But then when that ran out, it was that same old tar tasting bitter stuff that you grew to love."

"Blech," Steve teased. "Thanks for this, though. I know I'll go through it fairly quickly." Steve winked at Norm's sister. The charm was in full throttle.


Suddenly, the disc jockey started his turntable. The women eyed one another mischeviously. "Okay, girls," Irene instructed. "Now comes the fun."

She wagged her eyebrows at Steve. "Sweetheart, we ladies wanted to give you a proper send-off." Steve's eyes open wide at the insinuation. "Each one of us picked out a song for you, and we're going to take you out onto the dance floor."

"Oh, no…" Steve laughed as he raised his hands in defense. "Irene, you are scaring me here."

"It will be fun. And I'm first." Mike's girlfriend got up and grabbed Steve's hand.

"Help me," the young man squeaked to the older detective.

"He's not going to know what hit him," Mike commented dryly to Glenn. He peered over to Dan and Jeannie. Dan looked uncomfortable, while Jeannie had a tightly drawn expression across her face. Mike thought perhaps the pair had a lovers spat before the party.

The song stylings of Barry White came through the stereo speakers. "You're The First, The Last, My Everything" seemed to be an appropriate song to begin the evening. Irene grabbed Steve around the waist and led the dance. He was beet red to start, but by the end was clearly having fun. When the song was over, the wives of Tanner, Lessing, and Healey took their turns. The disc jockey played Marvin Gaye, Billy Paul and Al Green while each woman swooned to music with their handsome dance partner.

"I think the girls are reliving their youth," Lessing commented. He could hear hoots and cheering coming from the other women as well as some of other patrons. Clearly, the atmosphere was festive.

"'Me and Mrs. Jones'? I think we're going to need to hose the women down when we get home." Rudy looked over at his wife who was next to dance and had planned to take the musical tribute in a different direction. As Mrs. Healey sat down after a rousing dance to "Let's Get It On", the captain's wife grabbed Steve for a little bit of Grand Funk Railroad. "Some Kind of Wonderful" blared while the pair danced and ended up singing repeatedly the latest line of the song.

"Good Lord, Irene. What have you started?" Mike asked his lovely companion. She grinned back at Mike and then changed her expression completely as looked over to his solemn daughter and her date. They were watching intently, but not saying anything.


After several songs, Steve tried to be considerate of those ladies who weren't part of the initial spouses group. He offered to dance with Roy's date, but she shyly declined. Shrugging his shoulders, he offered his hand to Louise and smiled. "I thought you would never ask," she said warmly.

The Rolling Stone's "She's a Rainbow" began playing and the two attempted an almost formal cotillion dance to go with the music box melody. Norm grinned from ear to ear as he saw his sister dance for the first time in years.

Afterward, Steve kissed his dance partner's hand and escorted her to her seat. "Ladies," Steve said as he grabbed his beer and raised it in a toast. "I did not expect what you did for me this evening. You've worn me out, but I have had a wonderful time." The ladies responded with a giggle and then raised their glasses to the young man.

He looked at Irene and then peered around for the men's room. "I'll be back in a minute."

"Don't take too long, sugar. We're going to want seconds," Irene called out.

"And thirds!" Louise added.


When Steve returned, he extended his hand to Jeannie. "I don't believe I've had the pleasure yet this evening…"

She looked over at Dan and smiled shyly as he nodded. At that moment, Irene attempted to engage Dan in a conversation. Steve and Jeannie made their way to the dance floor and he wrapped his arm around her waist and took her by the hand as the music started.

Frankie Valli's voice sang "My Eyes Adored You" in the background.

"I haven't seen much of you lately," Steve spoke lowly to Jeannie as he held her in a rhythmic embrace. Indeed, she didn't visit Steve as often once she learned he had decided to move to Boston. "I missed you."

She remained quiet for a moment as she listened to the lyrics. The meaning of the verses seemed to apply so much to their particular situation. She wrapped her arms around her friend and moved her lips toward his ear. "I've missed you, too. Steve, I'm so sorry. I thought by making myself scarce, it would be easier."

"Aw, Jeannie. I'm sorry, too. This is definitely the worst part."

Steve closed his eyes and remembered the times that he and Mike picked the girl up at the bus station as she returned home from college. It seemed like every trip home she made resulted in some adventure for the trio. The couple continued to sway to the music.

Irene gazed at the pair, as did Dan. "Dan, would you like to dance?"

"No, thank you, Irene." Dan anticipated that Irene would try to take his mind off of what he already knew was true and his response was terse. Steve's move to Boston was upsetting for Jeannie. There were clearly feelings Jean had for the other man that Dan knew was based on more than friendship.

"I wish this was easier. I feel like I'm walking away from family," Steve noted.

Jeannie nodded, but didn't want to say more.

The couple held each other tighter and continued to sway until the music ended. Dan couldn't take the sight anymore and rose to cut in. Irene held her breath and Mike noticed the quick glimpse of panic in her face. He looked out onto the dance floor where nearly a half dozen couples were slow dancing and saw his daughter and Steve, with Dan close by. Mike could do nothing but hold his breath as well.

As the music ended, Steve gave Jeannie a light kiss on the forehead. By then, Dan had reached them. Steve broke apart the embrace and turned his attention to Dan. He touched Dan on the arm lightly which seemed to take the other man off guard. He whispered something in his ear and then walked off the dance floor.

"Be good to her," was all that Steve said. As he walked back to the table, the former detective began planning his exit from the party.


a/n: There were some real 'gems' when it came to 70's music. It was a treat to think back on songs of my childhood which could fit this scene. Hopefully the readers have heard some of these songs, especially those that are outside of the country. The inspiration for the party and dance scene came from SNL (an American show), where the cast members danced with the departing Kristin Wiig to Mick Jagger singing, "She's a Rainbow".

A couple of nods to fellow writers: first, to 'Tanith' for bringing back a fun musical memory in her "Seeing is Believing" story and also to 'jodm' for her wonderful two SOSF triple-crossovers that featured the colorful Haseejian, ("Mistaken Identity" and "Close Encounters of the Cockatoo Kind").