A/N: My apologies for the delay in posting this part -- between my holiday weekend that got extended due to bad weather and problems, it's been a bit difficult to get posted. This is the final chapter of Growing Up Chase that will appear in chronological order (which is to say, it's the last part I had laid out in my original plans). Other parts may be forthcoming, but you'll need to watch the listed ages to put them in the right place in the larger story. Unless I decide to take the time to rearrange all these chapters. Thanks again to all my lovely reviewers -- I really do appreciate the comments! I should be much better about replying in the future, as I'm defending my thesis on Monday and will have loads more time after that.
Growing Up Chase
by Rebel Yell
Part Twenty-Four (Age 26)
" So, you're not selling the place?" Dan asked, casting a glance at his best friend before looking back out over the beach and to the ocean beyond. They were on the terrace out the back of Rob's house, despite it being a little chilly now that the sun was going down. It was winter after all.
" Never. It's home. Much as I call any place 'home' any way."
" You're going to let it sit empty again?"
" Johanna will be here a couple days a week to keep it up, of course. Liz says she'll be in and out, when she can do with living in London. Dan, you…do know I'm coming back, right? This isn't like Liz -- I'll be back."
" In how many years?"
" Likely three, I suppose. Sounds forever doesn't it? This is the chance of a lifetime. Dr. House does some brilliant work. It's very prestigious, his fellowship. Could be great for my career."
" Dad's heard of Dr. House you know."
" Yeah, he told me. Warned me off more like, at least three times. Never knew he cared so much."
" He's a doctor. So are you. I'm not. So you got adopted."
" You make a lot more money working for your uncle than you would as a doctor."
" And I don't have to deal with blood or other bodily fluids -- definitely a perk, that. What's New Jersey like anyway? You never did talk much about the interview."
" Dr. House is…an ass of the first order. Within two minutes of meeting him, he commented on my 'great' hair, my 'pretty' face and called me British. When I was leaving, he whistled and made some comment about my ass."
" And you want to work for him?"
" He was trying to get a rise out of me, like it was some sort of test. If commenting on my ass is the worst he's got to say -- he's not nearly so bad as your dad seems to think." Rob sighed, took a few drinks from his beer, and looked over at Dan with an odd look on his face. "He knows my dad. Well, Dad called House at any rate about my application."
" Ouch. House the type to…consider it a favor for another famous doctor?"
" No. In fact, House flat told me I wasn't going to be hired and having my famous father call on my behalf wasn't going to help."
" But he did hire you."
" Yeah. He smiled when I told him I didn't want the position if he would give it to me after my dad called. Turns out, the call was to ask him not to hire me. Rowan doesn't think I can manage. How he even bloody well knew I was applying I've not a clue. I certainly didn't tell him."
" You didn't even tell me and Liz."
" Exactly. And I told you before that I didn't tell you about it only because I didn't really expect to get a position in America. So I called my dad to ask him about it -- he's got no business interfering in my life now -- and got Catherine. I hate that fucking woman."
" Rob…it's not worth being so angry. You know that."
" Maybe it is worth it." Rob bit out, anger and frustration clear in his voice, although Dan knew that it was really hurt feelings that lay under it all. "Maybe…maybe it was her all along. Boarding school and trying to sell this place and the whole mess with my dad."
" Your dad left before he ever met her."
" I meant…the mess with me. Not Mum."
" Exactly. Your dad left. He left you, Rob, not just your mum. I understand divorce but I can't ever understand how a man can leave his kid like that."
" Yes, well, some children --some people-- are difficult to love." Dan looked over at his friend, and knew that Rob was utterly serious.
"Ow! What the fuck was that for?" Rob grimaced, rubbing the back of his head.
"For talking shit about my friend. You know, this is the most depressing going away night I could imagine. Why don't we go out, call people over…something?"
" I already said my goodbyes at the hospital, been round to see your parents and sisters, went to see the Fitzpatricks, even visited Colin at his new parish. There aren't a lot of people going to miss me, Dan."
" Have you…talked to Liz about this yet?"
" I, uh…yes?"
" Fuck, Rob. You're moving to another country and you didn't tell her? She's going to fucking flip she comes back here and you've moved out without a word to her."
" I told her I got a new job, and I was moving, the house would be empty most times. I just…failed to mention the America part of it."
" She's going to fucking murder you."
" She left me first."
"Are you twelve?" Dan sighed, and stifled the impulse to slap Rob round the back of the head again. "At least she told you before she moved to another continent. Your flight leaves tomorrow, and Liz hasn't seen you since she left for London over a year ago -- because you avoided her at the holidays when she was home. You think she's going to be all right with the fact that when she gets back for another visit --next month by the way -- you've moved to America without telling her? Without giving her a chance to throw you an obnoxiously large going away party? And I'm the one going to hear all about it, not you."
" I didn't avoid her. She was here for about four days before she had to go film something and she spent all that time, rightly, with her family. I'm distinctly not her family and wasn't invited -- if you care to recall they rather hate me. It doesn't change anything at any rate. She couldn't have thrown me a party, she's in London shooting a film, no time off until next month. And she already never sees me, just rings me at every time of day and night. She can still ring when I'm in America. I'll tell her when she calls tonight. I swear."
" Which should be any minute, and you can tell her while I'm sitting here so I know you did it. She made time to drop in to see me and Jen -- I'm sure she had time to see you, but you --"
" I had to work. She said she understood." Rob didn't say anything for a few minutes, and Dan let him think over whatever it was for a bit. He finished his beer, watching Rob sip at his second, wondering if there'd be a third. Rob was a binge drinker, especially when he was upset. He might go weeks without having a second drink even when they went out, but the times he got to a third, he didn't stop 'til he was too drunk to think straight. It worried everyone who cared about him no little bit.
" I wish I wasn't going."
" You don't have to go. I know you had an offer from RPA -- Dr. Jessup thinks the world of you. Even Pete…doesn't hate you. Which is apparently high praise indeed."
" I have to go. I have to prove--I have to do this."
" Prove what? You've got nothing to prove to anybody, Rob."
" Maybe I have to prove it to myself."
" Prove what?"
" That I can. That I'm smart enough, good enough. I want to go, but I wish I could stay closer. I've just made a commitment to you, and Jen and Jack especially. There's this place, and Liz. All this…it's all I know. I guess I'm just a bit nervous about leaving it all."
" I'd be fucking terrified." Dan admitted, trying to imagine moving away from Australia.
"Jack will practically be in school before I get back from this. Some godfather I'm turning out to be."
" He'll be three and a half, perfect age for you to come back. He won't remember you were ever gone."
" I should go to Confession before I leave in the morning." Rob smiled at him though, and Dan didn't even try to hide his confusion, eyebrows raised in a clear question, "Envy. You know I'd swap lives with you in an instant. Lovely wife, perfect little baby son."
" I'm pretty well set, aren't I?" Dan admitted, unable to moderate his own grin. "He's the best thing I've ever done, or will ever do, mate. Well, him and any other little ones Jen and I have."
" You ever think…you ever worry you won't be a good father?"
" Every day. I just pray I do all right that one day, then move on to the next when it comes. If I can do like my own dad, I'll be fine. Why?"
" I…you know Pete uh…had a vasectomy couple months back? Got four kids, him and his wife decided that was it."
" Interesting but what's that to do with this conversation?"
" I've been considering it myself."
" What? A vasectomy?" Dan sputtered, choking on the very idea, glad he'd waited a moment to take another swig of beer. "You're twenty-six! Why on Earth would you want to do something like that?"
" You ever think maybe I'm not fit to be a father?" Rob asked, but he was looking away from Dan, and his voice was so soft it was almost lost in the sound of the tide coming in.
" Why? Because your dad's an ass? No. I think if you know you want to do it different, you'll be fine. Besides, you're too fucking loyal to be like your dad. You love someone and there's nothing this side of Heaven or Hell that'll make you leave them."
" I'm leaving you. All of this."
" Just a…really long trip abroad. You aren't going to go off and forget us. Look, Rob, don't do anything permanent all right? Promise me, you won't do anything like that until you're…thirty, at least."
" I promise. I can't promise I won't consider it."
" Think all you like, just don't do it. You're still young and well, your parents did a pretty good number on you. Give it time. You could fall in love and decide you want a family with some girl in New Jersey for all we know."
" Only if she wants to come live in Oz in a few years. Or I can convince you and Liz to move with me to America." Rob laughed, and set an unopened beer back on the table. "I don't know how I'm going to manage three years without you, Liz and Cols to jerk me in line when I get weird."
"Just give us a ring, Rob. We can verbally smack you about until you fall back into line."
" Wanna go for a swim?"
" Now?" Dan asked, looking out at the dark waves as they rolled in. The sun wasn't fully set, but it was getting close. Rob was grinning like an idiot, already standing to pull his shirt over his head.
" Come on, Danny. Old times sake. Go for a swim, get cleaned up and head out somewhere. My last night in Australia for some time, we should enjoy it."
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"You're shipping the rest of my things tomorrow right?"
" Yes, Rob."
" Right then. This is it." Rob glanced over his shoulder at the line to get through security for international flights. It was his third trip to America in just a few short months -- the first to pass his USMLE, then his interview in Princeton, and now he was leaving semi-permanently. It might be the full three years before he managed enough time off at a time to make a trip back home feasible.
" You…uh…you know I love you, mate." Dan managed, sounding only a little uncomfortable.
" I know. Love you too. But not in the gay way."
" Come here you little poofter." Rob chuckled as he was pulled into a tight hug. He wrapped his arms around Dan's broad shoulders, and returned the hug just as enthusiastically. "Take care of yourself, Rob. Call me for anything -- even if you just need to hear a voice with a normal accent."
" I will. I'll call in a few days, when I get things settled a bit. Tell Liz I'm sorry and…see if you can talk her into speaking to me again sometime this year? Who knew she'd be so angry that I'm moving closer to her."
" Don't get me started, Rob. She'll calm down in a few days. You might want to send her something fairly extravagant as an 'I'm sorry I'm an idiot' gift. And next time she calls, and you have something important to tell her -- try not telling her while she can hear some random girl you met in a pub whispering dirty things in your ear."
" It wasn't a random girl. That was Susan, she's one of the nurses in pediatrics -- known her nearly a year now."
"My point being that maybe Liz feels like she was being ignored on top of being informed at the very last minute that you were moving to America."
"Right. Apologize profusely, extravagant gift, any other advice?"
" Call her when you get homesick the first time -- she's a sucker for you, Robbie. Won't ever be able to stay mad at you if you sound sad and upset."
" Right -- apology, bribery, manipulation. Those I can do."
" You'd better go. Just one more thing, Rob." Dan grabbed him, pulling him into another hug and Rob smiled as he returned the gesture once more. "No matter what happens, you can always come home. Always a place for you here in Sydney, and I don't mean your house. We love you -- me, Liz, Jen, Jack, Colin, everybody. Nothing will ever change that. You can always come home. You've got family here."
" You can't make me cry in public, Dan." Rob insisted, barely holding back the tears gathering behind his eyes. This time, he pulled Dan into another hug, ignoring the slightly odd looks around them. When he finally pulled back slightly, Dan mussed his hair fondly (a favorite reminder that Dan had ended up several inches taller and a lot broader) and pushed him away.
"Go on. Get out of here, Rob."
" Give my best to Jen and Jack. And tell Liz I'm sorry I'm an idiot." Rob reminded, adjusting the carry-on bag on his shoulder and reluctantly forcing himself to walk away from his oldest friend. A walk away from Australia. Just as much, it was a walk towards whatever awaited him in America.
