Chapter One: Romance
December 24…
Gregory House stared at the couple across from him as they sat in the Detroit hospital cafeteria. They were a nice, middle age couple who were looking to adopt the little baby girl that had been born just hours ago up in the maternity ward.
"Mary said that you wanted to put the baby up for adoption. Are you sure that you want to do this? She's your daughter-" the woman said but was stopped by her husband.
"Lauren and I just want to make sure that you are sure about this," the husband said quickly.
House looked at them both and slowly nodded looking at the couple, "I'm eighteen. I'm not ready to be a father. She's better off with you. I'm a struggling college student. What can I offer her?"
The parents looked at him carefully, "We'd like to adopt her. We understand that her mother died in the birth and you want to put her up for adoption."
House looked down at the little baby in the incubator. She was so tiny wrapped in a white blanket looking up at him. Her hair was a white blonde and her eyes bright blue. He kept telling himself this was the right thing to do. He couldn't provide for this baby like her new parents could. They could give her a wonderful life, a great education, and a family. Everything that he couldn't give to her.
A nurse walked into the area and gently put a new band on the baby's ankle. House read it slowly after the nurse had left.
Emma Bethany Aslin.
She wasn't his anymore. She was Mark and Lauren Aslin's daughter.
Five year old Emma skipped down the dock singing a song carrying her teddy bear. She stopped and looked into the water and watched the triangular fin rise from the water and descended beneath the surface again. The fin came up again swimming in the opposite extra. Emma was mesmerized by the fin and stood on the edge of the dock. The shark came closer to the surface and its black beady eyes met Emma's gaze. An arm came around her waist yanking her back from the edge as she dropped the bear into the water and the shark took it.
"Are you stupid? Standing that close to the edge is dangerous," the boy said breathlessly.
"Hey! You made me drop my bear. I want it back!" Emma said crying.
"I just saved you from becoming shark lunch," he spat back, causing Emma to cry harder. The five year old ripped herself from the boy and began to run away. She had only gotten three feet when she tripped and fell to the dock, scrapping her knees and elbows. Emma only cried harder. He went to her and helped her stand up.
"I don't like you. You're mean," Emma stated as she wiped her eyes.
The boy stopped seeing more tears fall from Emma cheek, "I'm sorry I didn't mean to be mean to you. I'm Robert."
Emma wiped away her tears and stared at him.
"I'm Emma. I forgive you," she said. "My elbows hurt."
"My dad's a doctor and he can help." Robert said, grabbing Emma hand and pulling her off the dock and up the sandy hill to the beach houses.
"You're going to go to the seminary?" Fifteen year old Emma asked as both she and Robert searched the house for hidden booze.
"Yeah, I'm hoping that maybe Mom will get help once she sees that we won't take care of her." Seventeen year old Robert Chase said to Emma as they both moved the books off the bookshelf looking for anything that Marianne Chase could use to hurt herself.
Emma was silent. She'd developed feelings for her best friend over the years. In the decade that they'd been friends, Robert had been her rock. When her mother had been diagnosed with breast cancer a year ago, Robert had been the one who had helped her take her mother to chemo and the hospital. He'd been the one who had stood by her six months ago when her mother had died and had been there with her when her mother had been buried. He'd also been there for her when her father had started on a downward spiral to depression. She was falling in love with her best friend and he was going away to live a life devoted to God.
"You alright?" Robert asked as he picked up the box of booze bottles they had collected. Emma swallowed and looked at Robert as he pulled down the access to the attic.
"When are you going?" Emma asked.
"I start next week."
She didn't reply but climbed the ladder to the attic. Holding back a sob she started pushing old boxes around and moving things around looking for vodka bottles.
"Hey," Robert said, "It's not the end of the world. Emma, you and I can still be friends. It's not the end of the world."
Emma stared at him and stopped moving, "I want you to be happy Robert and if this makes you happy then I'm happy."
She wrapped her thin arms around his neck and hugged him. He smelt like the sea air and the cologne he sometimes wore. Closing her eyes, Emma rested her head on Robert's shoulder and choked back a sob.
"Em, don't cry." Robert whispered. "Everything is going to be okay."
Emma nodded, "I know. I just don't want you to go away."
"You can visit, Emma, and I can see you. It's not the end."
Holding on to Robert, Emma said a silent prayer that God wasn't taking Robert away from her like this. Not when she'd just found him and was falling in love with him.
"How do you like your classes?" Emma asked as they sat on the dock with their feet dangling. Chase looked at her and smiled. She looked beautiful with creamy white skin and sea blue eyes. The wind blew and he could smell her perfume.
Roses.
"They're good. How have you been?"
Chase watched Emma point her toe and flick the still water with her feet. He'd always noticed how perfect her legs were but never before had the sight of her legs ever created such a stir in him.
"I've been good. I'm graduating early and I'm going to university."
Robert caught his breath as the wind blew again and pushed Emma's already short dress up farther. He caught a glance of her thighs and held his breath. The idea of running his hand up Emma's legs and touching her body was all he could think about. He shouldn't be having these thoughts about Emma. She was his best friend and he should be respecting her body not fantasizing about it.
The sound of a boat sounding its horn brought both of them out of their thoughts.
"What time is it?" Emma asked.
Robert glanced at his watch, "It's a quarter after one."
Emma instantly moved to stand up, "I 'm late. I'll call you later."
Watching her run back down the dock, Robert couldn't help but notice how her hair blew in the wind and the dress hugged her curves. She carried her shoes in her hand and her books in the other. She took his breath away and made him uncomfortable at the same time.
"Robert, please come in and sit." The father said as he offered him a chair.
Sitting, Robert was suddenly nervous. The past few months he'd been straying and he knew it. Emma was more and more on his mind. Her scent, her smile, perfume, hands, laughter, but most especially her eyes, Emma's eyes were like the ocean after a storm calm and peaceful. She was all he could think about at night when he was falling asleep. He'd imagine her smiling face and dancing with her on the warm sands of a beach.
"I wanted to talk about your life, Robert," The priest said quietly. "I'm concerned that maybe there's something going on here that will affect you for a long time to come…"
Robert stood at the door to the small one bedroom apartment that Emma rented. It was late, but he needed a place to stay. Knocking again, Robert waited and heard the lock in the door being disengaged. Emma stood there in an old t-shirt that hit mid-thigh and looked half asleep.
"Robert, it's two o'clock in the morning. What's going on?"
"Can I talk with you?"
Emma moved and let him in, "You can sleep on the couch. Let me grab some sheets."
Robert set his bags on the floor and sat down on the chair at the table. Emma walked in again carrying the sheets setting them on the couch. Moving to sit down across the table from Robert, Emma gave a yawn.
"What happened, Robert?"
Robert took a look at Emma and remembered what the priest had said about him loving her. His devotion to Emma was the one thing that held him back from his devotion to the church. For the first time, he was looking at Emma in a new light. Not as his best friend, but as the woman he loved.
She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear as she looked at him, "Robert, you're making me nervous."
He chuckled and looked at Emma, "I got called into the father's office today. He and I had a nice chat."
"About?"
"I got kicked out of school. I failed a test." Robert replied, shrugging.
"You got kicked out of school?!" Emma yelped, sitting up straighter. "What kind of test did you fail?"
Robert Chase cleared his throat, "It's not as bad as it sounds."
Emma raised her eyebrows, "Not as bad?"
Taking a deep breath, Robert looked Emma in the eye and gulped. He had to tell her how he felt before it was too late and Emma found some else to love. The father had said that love was the greatest gift in the world and that he should embrace that while he had it.
"I failed a test of faith and I got kicked out," Robert said standing up and walking into the kitchen to get a drink of water. With his back turned, Emma could feel hope rising in her chest at the thought of actually having a chance to be with Robert. Maybe there really was hope to be with the man she'd loved since she was ten years old.
"What do you think you'll do now?" Emma asked.
Robert shrugged and turned to look at Emma who'd tucked her feet under her, "I don't know. Probably go to University."
They looked at each other.
"I love you." They both blurted out at the same moment.
Emma looked at Robert with a smile who was also trying not to break into a smile. They both burst into laughter and Robert walked over to her giving her a hug. Wrapping her arms around his neck, Emma smiled at the scent of him and rested her head on his shoulder.
"I love you," Robert said again softly. "That's why I left school. They asked me if I could completely devote myself to the church and I realized I love you too much to not have you with me in my life."
"I love you too and I'm glad that you're here."
Robert looked at Emma as she walked down the aisle of the small church. It'd only been two months since he left the seminary and now he was marrying Emma. They were young. He was only nineteen and she was eighteen but he was in love with her and he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. Emma stood next to him and they said their vows. He didn't have enough money to buy her an engagement ring or a fancy reception and wedding but he had more love to give to her than anyone else in the world. Sliding the thin silver band onto her ring finger, Chase smiled at Emma who looked beautiful in a simple knee length white dress with her long hair gently pulled back in curls. He'd never been so happy in his life when the priest said that he could kiss Emma. Holding her hand, Robert and Emma Chase stepped into the sunshine and smiled.
"I love you," Emma whispered, kissing his cheek.
