There's a whole continent to cross, as well as a vast ocean, and Rowan Chase has many hours in which to think. He knows with inevitable certainty that he'll never see his son again. As painful as that realization is, he can console himself with the thought that he's finally had the opportunity to witness for himself the outcome of that long ago miracle birth, the beautiful child who is now a clever, capable man.
Why let reconciliation go just because he's dying? He'll leave a letter for Robert with his solicitor, to ease him through the shock.
Pulling a tablet out of his briefcase, he scrawls the date at the top, and begins to write: From one Doctor Chase to another---
I hope you won't be too angry with me when you read this. I came to the States to talk with you and to consult with Dr. Wilson on my own case. By now, you will understand what I mean. When I came, it was with the intention of being honest with you about my condition, but in the end, I couldn't do it.
Rowan pauses, looking at the written words. Soon, the balance is going to change forever: he will be the patient, the one helpless before the onslaught of his lifelong enemy. But it's been a good life, nonetheless, and his son gives him hope for the future. Rowan won't live to see grandchildren, that's a foregone conclusion---but over the years, he's encountered some of his former patients with their children and grandchildren, and in a sense, they're his, too...
Observing Robert with the young patient they treated, Rowan noted the same compassion that made his mother such a good nurse...but also a courage Cynthia never possessed. Driven, Rowan remembers Tomas telling him. Now that he's seen his son in action, Rowan agrees. The stubborn persistance that once made Robert an exemplary student is saving lives. If the younger man has doubts about himself, he doesn't show them.
I have watched you work, and I admired your competence and grace under pressure. You've always been remarkably self-reliant, but knowing that others can rely on you with their lives made me proud. And yet, the more I watched, the more I became aware that I shouldn't take credit for any of it.
I may have enabled your education, but what you have made of your life owes nothing to me and everything to your own keen mind and strong heart. Realizing this, I chose, perhaps selfishly, to try to gain your respect rather than your pity. I hope you can forgive me for that.
Good-bye, Robbie. I wish you could know how much I have always loved you.
Your father,
Rowan
The End.
Once of the reasons I relate to Chase is because I also lost my father to lung cancer. I still miss him. Happy Father's Day, Daddy.
A big thanks to all my lovely readers, and an even bigger thanks to my reviewers. I appreciate everyone's enthusiasm and support very much!