Tale of Two Geese
Without any care or consideration for thee nearby medical personnel and patients, one Gavin O'Brian sprinted through the halls of St. Clare's to reach what he feared was his dying father so they could have some sort of time and closure before the worst could happen.
Of course just as his rotten luck was FINALLY starting to dry out, the good ol Gavin luck came back and beat the ever loving shit out of him with his Dad getting shot in an attempted robbery. It was a nightmare that happened at the worst possible time before Gavin reached out and reconnected with his parents, before he proved himself as a man and an O'Brian for the first time in his life. Instead of finally giving a reason for his Dad to be proud, Joseph O'Brian's last memories of his eldest would be how Gavin was a distant loser who failed in Hollywood and hardly talked to his parents in the last several years.
Gavin had a dark and sinking feeling that this was it. It was bad enough he had to rush all the way from the other side of the country, but his connecting flight had to be rearranged from Denver to Dallas due to a snowstorm and from there they stopped in Cincinnati because of a terrible fuel leakage, and even once he got to New York his cab driver was a drunk idiot who took him 20 blocks in the wrong direction before Gavin finally noticed he was going the wrong way. It was as if the Devil was making sure Gavin only arrived when his father's body started getting cold.
After running through several flights of stairs, and a speedy dash across the floor, Gavin arrived to his father's suite and nearly smashed the door through barging in.
He came expecting his father to be on his death throes or with a blanket covered over him, and instead what he found was a calm scene of father and son bonding and laughing, which turned to quick alarm at Gavin bursting in with Bruce jumping into a fighting stance over the intrusion, with both O'Brians then relaxing and smiling at the return of the prodigal son.
Gavin stood absolutely stupified, in complete disbelief that his father seemed to be in perfect health, no signs of injury whatsoever besides the hospital gown, completely healthy and hale. It seemed that his rebound was going to continue and this scare was just a nasty little bump.
But what perhaps hurt Gavin somewhat was the fact that Bruce was here seemingly settled in. Gavin had been the one to inform Bruce with the terrible news, he had already been at the airport when he called, and yet Bruce got here first.
'The best son came to his father's side first as expected of him.' A dark voice within Gavin's mind taunted, one he tried desperately to ignore.
"Hey Gav." Bruce greeted warmly, just as he did half a year ago, eyes shining with an adoring gaze of a young man looking towards his hero, a look that Gavin did not think he could deserve.
"Hi." Gavin said weakly, almost wanting to leave in spite of the great trials he had taken to get here.
"Welcome home son." Joseph O'Brian said, looking at Gavin with pure joy and unconditional love that the firstborn had been starving for the past couple of years, a sensation doubled by the exuberant cry and hug of his mother from behind.
He truly was home.
For the next several hours Gavin spent some much needed time reconnecting with his family. He was pleasantly grateful to experience his parent's love once again, both incredibly joyous and happy with his return and were proud of his new job, not showing any resentment for the lack of calls and visits on his part, just happy that he was here. While Gavin dearly wished that the reunion could have happened under better circumstances, perhaps it was for the best. If there was no reason, he would have continued to hide on the West Coast out of shame and anxiety, missing what he lost through his own actions and not getting the closure he was finally receiving, the knowledge that he was loved and was no ugly duckling of the flock, it was as if a giant weight in chains had been lifted from his body.
With the doctors giving Joseph a relatively clean bill of health, the parents shooed their sons away to get some dinner and reconnect with each other while also making space for the tons of people who wished to see Joseph. Thus for the last hour Bruce and Gavin were conversing in the cafeteria with the same closeness and brotherly love of old times, only being interrupted once when a nurse asked if Bruce was Radar.
Filled with guilt over his abandonment of Bruce for the past two years and unsure where to begin or how to proceed, Gavin let Bruce do most of the talking, probably for the best as Bruce's recounting of his Hollywood adventures made for a riveting tale versus Gavin's dull memoirs.
"....And in the final scene everything comes together when I'm challenged by Bob Falfa and Steve is coming to reconnect with Laurie. We do this exciting race at sunrise and everything's neck and neck at first but then I managed to pull through with my trusty car while Bob crashes due to a busted tire. Him and Laurie get out but Bob's car explodes so I keep my coolness and still remain top dog of Modesto. Laurie and Steve reconnect, Toad's doing alright with Debbie and Curt manages to talk to his dream girl but he doesn't meet here because he decides to go to college instead, and thus ends one hell of a night." Bruce said, finishing explaining the plot of his newest film American Graffiti.
Gavin was completely stunned at the recent streak of success that Bruce had achieved. The Goose was on the verge of being kicked out of town by a vengeful establishment, and instead he became a household name overnight due to starring in one of the greatest shows ever made, got to act and direct in the second season under Lucille Ball with stories apparently so great they made the beloved and widely acclaimed first season look like crap, he had a recent score of successful boxing matches with all first round knockouts, and now he was going to star in his own movie and its producer.
While Gavin and Cat floundered in the waters of Hollywood, Bruce was swimming like an Olympian and in a few years was achieving more success than veterans with decades of experience. Not too long ago Gavin would have been highly jealous, but now after months living in the fresh San Francisco air and trading in his pencil for a keyboard, he could finally marvel at the greatness of Bruce O'Brian, the Goose who could and couldn't help but be happy and proud.
"Sounds like a pretty good film Bruce. Although you're the absolute last person I would have casted to play a bad boy street racer." Gavin said, to which Bruce laughed.
"I know, Mom kind of reacted with the same level of shock, although if people think I'm a Nam veteran it shouldn't be too hard. I know it's not the greatest of concepts and a bit experimental, but I got a really good feeling about this Gavin, I think we're going to make a hell of a good movie and make some fresh art after the years of crap."
"Looking forward to it."
"You know, we're filming just about an hour away from San Francisco. Why don't you stop by the set, if you want I can get George to give you a cameo, you just have to look like someone from the 50's." Bruce offered sincerely.
Gavin was greatly taken aback by the offer, shaking his head, "That's very kind of you Bruce but I'm leaving movies for good just like Dad. Besides, I'm just now settling into the job and I don't want to take time off so early."
"Well could you at least stop by one weekend? It would just be nice to have you present for a bit, show you around the set, maybe you can watch one of my scenes. Please?" Bruce pleaded, looking like he would be in heavy heartbreak if Gavin said no.
With Bruce reaching out strongly this time and having snubbed his little brother for the past three years for no reason, Gavin didn't have the heart to say no. It would be good to show up just to provide moral support, and with Cat now living thousands of miles away for the near future, he had to step up and keep up the brotherly bond as the only other O'Brian on the West Coast. "Alright, I'll see what I can do, but only Friday and Saturday and one weekend."
Bruce smiled greatly, "Thanks Gavin." A comfortable pause then set between the two with Gavin looking to finish his meal only for Bruce to then deliver another gut punch. "Gav, why were you always so distant for the past three years. How come you never saw us and Cat much? I know I wasn't too great at keeping ties and it's partially my fault, but whenever I reached out, you were always so busy and when we were together you were uncomfortable." Bruce asked.
Finally having to face the conversation he had been running from, Gavin gave a brief sigh and slumped down, afraid of facing the music and how Bruce would react to everything.
Seeing his brother's defeated state, Bruce tried to backtrack, "You don't have to if you don't want to, I-"
"No, no, it's okay. You deserve an explanation and I guess it's better to tell you before I talk with Mom and Dad. Besides, it's not really your fault it's mine." Gavin affirmed. He then clasped his hands together in deep thought, having a distant and depressive look with Bruce patiently waiting.
"Bruce...you love to make movies, Cat loves to write stories and make them just as much as you, she's still going to make them with books. Both of you were meant for Hollywood, you deserve great things, that was not something meant for me."
Bruce appeared shocked at the confession, "But it was yours and Cat's dream-"
"Cat's, it was always Cat's dream. I like movies and stories, but I'll never love them like you two. Bruce before we left, I didn't have any future, just helping mom and dad run the bar. It was good work, but it wasn't what I wanted. The problem was, I didn't know what I want and I wasn't smart like you to get into college to find what I wanted. Cat was the dreamer, she wanted to go to Hollywood so bad from all the movies and Dad's time. I don't know if you remember, but Mom and Dad were pretty damn stubborn in refusing her to go, said she was going to suffer alone. So she asked me if I could go with her, because they would be okay with Cat if her big brother was protecting her. Cat gave me a purpose, she gave me freedom an an opportunity to find something with my life, so I made her dream into my own and we went to the West Coast, leaving you behind." Gavin started.
"I...I never knew. You guys were part of the inspiration for me going. I knew I could make something of myself if you two managed to plant your roots in Hollywood. I was honestly kind of dreaming we'd all make a film together. You writing the script, Cat the Director, starring me." Bruce said.
Gavin gave a sad smile, happy at least that his mistakes made some sort of positive with Bruce's career. "Well, I kind of grew to love it, not in the same way as Cat, but once I actually started writing scripts with her and we saw all the studios and stars, I was hoping to have some sort of Hollywood success, even if I was never gonna be a star like you. However, I came in with a half-assed goal. Hollywood's not meant for people who don't want it above all else, it's meant for dreamers and artists like you and Cat. I never had the drive or talent to be a success, and even once I started standing at the doors, all I found out was that it was a wretched hive of scum and villainy, full of awful and disgusting people who drown you in a tar pit so they can become a success. It's all rotten from the top down and I couldn't stand that kind of lifestyle, the kind that shit on Dad for being himself."
Bruce gave a sad nod with a brief and distant look, "I get what you mean. They treat you like garbage if you don't have a hint of fame, even then they work you can get screwed over if it's possible. Almost quit a few times, probably would have if we didn't win the courtroom. But now MASH is good and fun, and I'm making movies and meeting good people."
Gavin's lips curved upward, "That's good for you Bruce, but I never got that lucky break. I worked myself to the bone and in the end all I got was pennies on the dollar for busy work and not a shred of respect or acknowledgement. After a while I started hating the job, hating the life and the town, I couldn't walk through Hollywood proper without getting sick to my stomach. I hate Los Angeles and I didn't want to be with you and Cat when all you would see was a failure."
"You're not a failure Gavin, you just stumbled." Bruce tried to argue, with Gavin shaking his head with a sad smile.
"No, I failed Bruce, there's no shame in admitting it, and probably the kick I needed to set things straight and go where I was supposed to. I know now that I should have been more open, I wasted so many years keeping to myself but you were being amazing and Cat was building a family with William, I didn't want my misery to bring you two down. I'm sorry for not being the big brother I was supposed to be."
A heavy silence hung between the two O'Brians, with Bruce not knowing how to respond while also feeling guilt that he had been so focused on lots of other people and didn't reach out and help his brother.
Noticing the dour atmosphere he created, Gavin smiled and gave Bruce a pat on the shoulder, "Don't worry Goose, this story has a happy ending. For the past few months I've been working for Atari as a programmer and while the move was rough at first, things have been going great. I love my job, my coworkers are nice, met lots of great people, San Francisco is a hell of a better city than LA, life's been good before I got a call that my father got shot." Gavin said, with Bruce giving a weak laugh at the poor joke, "Honestly, for the first time in years I'm happy, I really am. I finally know what I want to do in life and things are good. Maybe I had to go through all that messiness to get here, and if so it might be worth it."
Bruce stared at Gavin with doubt and concern for a while, but at Gavin's strong insistence and content, he seemed to relax, "How the hell did you even get a job as a computer programmer anyways? It's like going from an athlete to an astronaut." Bruce questioned.
"Well when finding gigs became hard and distant between each other, I decided to pull a Bruce and start going to the library researching for backups and new skills. From all the reading, I figured that computers are basically going to be the future of the economy and home life so that was the safest bet. Turns out when you're good at math you're good at software, and I took classes and bought books to catch up. I honestly don't know how the hell I passed the interview, but now I'm making arcade games and it's been a fun ride so far."
Wanting to uplift the depressing mood he created, Gavin decided to switch topics to something he heard from their mother which had him very intrigued. "But enough about all that bad stuff, what's this I've been hearing from Mom about you dating a famous movie star's daughter?" Gavin asked, to which he was shocked to see his little brother actually breaking out into a blush and smiling bashfully like a schoolgirl.
"Well her name is Carrie Fisher, she's Debbie Reynolds and Ed Fisher's daughter." Bruce said wistfully, saying Carrie's name with absolute adoration and bliss.
Gavin was a little concerned at the information, "I saw in the papers that Debbie Reynolds had a nasty divorce recently, hope your girlfriend's doing okay."
"Oh well there was...a bit of a rough patch but Carrie's doing pretty good right now. Besides the divorce was necessary and a long time coming, Debbie did herself good by getting rid of that bastard." Gavin raised an eyebrow to which Bruce shrugged his shoulders, "Well I kind of acted as Debbie's muscle during the proceedings and give the man a good ol nerve shot when he tried to raise his hand at Debbie." Bruce said so casually. Gavin shook his head, only with Bruce.
"Well it seems like you made a pretty good impression with the in-laws."
"Oh yeah, they're good people, really happy I was able to meet them, especially Carrie, gosh she's just so amazing." Bruce gushed.
"Sounds like you like her a lot." Gavin said, surprised that Bruce seemed so invested and happy with a relationship that couldn't have lasted more than a couple of months, though who was he to judge given how his love life was progressing with a similar level of bliss?
"I LOVE Carrie. She's just so kind, smart, funny, talented, beautiful; she's more than I ever could have hoped for and I'm so grateful and blessed to be her boyfriend. She's the best thing that's ever happened to me and I'm just so happy to be with her." Bruce affirmed.
It was a kind of love that Gavin had only seen twice, with his parents and with Cat and William. And considering that Cat had the same feelings for William just a month into their relationship, Gavin had a feeling that someday he'd have Carrie Fisher as his sister-in-law.
"How did you two meet anyways, you both starring in a movie together?"
Bruce shook his head, "No, it wasn't anything like that, she hasn't even started any Hollywood work yet. We actually met at the local library, she was picking up some school books and I was doing some research for some scripts." At the answer Gavin couldn't help but let out a heavy laugh, wheezing uncontrollably with his mood lifted entirely at the information that Bruce give. "What's so funny?!" Bruce demanded.
"God Bruce, you're such a nerd! The only guy I know who could meet the love of his life at the library." Although with Bruce's incredible current physique it was no surprise on Carrie's end why she reciprocated.
"Shut up." Bruce said in mirthful annoyance, giving a few laughs at the image. "Honestly it was probably for the best. We got to meet each other and fall for one another as normal people instead of Radar O'Reilly and princess Carrie and everyday since has been an incredible adventure. You know, she's actually in town right now, her and her mom are working on Broadway. Why don't we go visit in the evening? I would love to introduce you to the family."
Figuring that he was probably going to meet with Bruce's future wife and in-laws, Gavin thought it would be for the best, "Sure I guess. You know I've actually just met my own dream girl in San Francisco. We started going out right before Christmas and things have been going pretty well." Gavin chimed in.
Bruce smiled at the information, as Gavin's dating life from high school had been fleeting and brief with unrequited loves and bad dates. "Hey man good for you. So whose my lucky sister in-law?"
Gavin gave Bruce a brief warning of a look which told him not to go blurting to their mother before he continued, "Well here name is Susan, she's this really beautiful and sweet librarian, so nice an an absolute joy to be with. As for how we meet....well she saved me from almost starting a bar fight."
"Oh so I'm a nerd for finding love at the library but your relationship born from a would-be bar brawl is more romantic?!" Bruce said in faux outrage, with Gavin laughing at his own description. The rest of the meal was spent in higher spirits with both O'Brians sharing happy tales of their love lives.
After they finished their lunch, Gavin went to use the restroom while Bruce returned to be with their parents. As he was washing his hands, Gavin looked at the mirror in front of him and felt a great deal of shame and disgust at the sight of himself. While Gavin had been mostly truthful in his revelation of his difficulties in LA, there was one aspect of his last days that Gavin did not share and would be a secret he took to his grave, a time where Gavin had been experiencing a disgusting emotion where he looked back on himself in shame and self-loathing for ever feeling such a way, how for his last couple of months in LA Gavin had hated his younger brother Bruce.
It was tough being the older brother of the Goose. Gavin had always been shy, awkward and heavily unimpressive in just about everything in life except for a top mind in math and a recent newfound talent for computers. Bruce in comparison was a fun extrovert, confident and charismatic and extremely talented where he could master a skill of anything he set his mind to and could study and learn at the rate of a post-grad student. It was not as if Gavin had high ambitions or a desire to be the greatest at anything, he could live with Bruce being a master of some and him average at everything. But it was hard when everyone you knew absolutely adored and praised your kid brother as the pride and joy of the community while you were overlooked and pushed to the side, an afterthought to the point where some would mistake the O'Brians as a family of four, Joseph and Sarah with their two kids Catherine and Bruce.
Bruce was the shining star and scrappy hero, Cat was the beloved artist and beautiful ray of sunshine, Gavin was the weird tall guy who was not as good as his siblings. When Gavin left New York with Cat, he had been heavily grateful to his sister for the opportunity to escape New York and start anew, to leave that sad shell of an Irishman behind and finally make something of himself, be somebody. Unfortunately, Los Angeles proved to be every bad memory of New York but a hundred times worse. In those dark days Gavin felt abused and misled as a pathetic cog in the machine and he had begun to understand that for all of his woes in his late teenage years, he had always had the support and love of his parents and despite not being the favorite, he still had the kindness and solidarity of the community of Hell's Kitchen, something he severely lacked in Los Angeles. Even his beloved sister and partner in crime was growing distant, far too consumed in her marriage with the love of her life and building up her prospective career as a talented writer.
Gavin was content to suffer in silence, and then Bruce came and the dynamics of the wonder kid and the borish older brother seemed to explode as Bruce arrived in Hollywood with his blood stream receiving a constant infusion of Irish luck. While Gavin and Cat struggled for months to find stable housing and some sort of employment, Bruce was able to crash on the couch of the legendary Clint Eastwood and instantly get commercial roles and bit parts. Gavin worked himself practically a hundred hours a week trying to pump out scripts for anyone who would pay and spend his free time trying to desperately improve his craft and create great original works in vein hopes of a breakthrough while Bruce was learning Kung Fu, new languages and owned himself an apartment complex.
The tipping point had been when Gavin had been laid off from his first stable job he recently got as a script editor for Columbo, blacklisted because Bruce was a decent human being and fought for worker's rights and to correct the injustices of MASH. Years of frustrated grinding, broken dreams and frustration had given Gavin an open door into television and now he was blacklisted from everywhere in Hollywood, everyone and anyone he met either afraid or disgusted by his very presence due to being the brother of the infamous Goose, someone who he had barely kept in contact with for the past two years. The complete killing of his hopes had crushed Gavin, convincing him that his life had no meaning and he would never do anything. In those dark days when Gavin had lost everything and was dancing with homelessness, Bruce had in the meantime become the beloved star of the media, a millionaire and was producing his own movie.
Faced with the culmination of years of failure, Gavin hated Bruce out of both jealousy for his success and anger for getting not only him, but Cat blacklisted. Perhaps Gavin could begrudgingly live with the former, but it was Cat who was the real dreamer of Hollywood, the one who pushed them to go take a chance at Los Angeles, who had been waiting her whole life to make movies and now just after she had a baby she was kicked to the curb and told she had no talent and was never welcomed. While Cat turned to Bruce for a place to stay, the night of her blacklisting she first went to Gavin and cried her heart and soul.
Seeing his beloved younger sister so depressed that she wanted to leave the country entirely filled Gavin with a deep rage. The day the Powell family moved out, Gavin had marched to Bruce's apartment and had been intending to chew the Goose out for being such a reckless glory hog and sabotaging his family in the pursuit of fame and fortune. Yet when Gavin burst in and was about to tear Bruce, he saw his little brother lovingly sing their crying niece an Irish lullaby, soothing little Sarah and tearfully asking for forgiveness for having pushed her family away, all the while eyes looking upon Sarah with love and warmth.
In that single moment, all of the hatred that Gavin had kept bottling up had evaporated like a block of ice in the Sahara, especially when Bruce turned to Gavin and looked at him with the same level of adoration as when he was little and thought his big brother was the coolest guy around and a hero. Gavin understand then that Bruce was no great monster trying to ruin his life, he was a good kid trying to do his best and succeed in his dreams in this cruel and hateful world. Such a feeling was reinforced by Cat and William's sentiments of gratitude towards Bruce for sheltering them and for all the good he had done for his fellow cast and crew in fighting the good fight against the crooked studios.
It was his absolute lowest point, one that Gavin felt completely disgusted at the most single thought of the memory to the point where he had immediately gone straight to confession the next day in spite of never having gone for the past decade. In a dark way though, experiencing such a terrible emotion did wonders as it pushed him to be a better man, reconnect with his faith and cut all ties with the tar pit of America and start anew. As if God had rewarded him for turning a new leaf, suddenly Gavin's life started to get better and everything was looking up for the first time. He somehow managed to land a job at Atari with great pay and stability, when he moved to San Francisco he became roommates with a genius named Steve Wozniak and in a short period of time Gavin felt like he had gained his first true best friend. Best of all he recently fell head over heels for a beautiful librarian who returned his affections and so far their relationship had been going wonderfully.
Maybe in some other life through different paths Gavin could have found a career in Hollywood, but now it was clear that Hollywood was only big enough for one Goose and for that Gavin would say thanks and good riddance. Bruce was doing great things, far better than he ever could be, and while Gavin's years in the town had been born thanks to taking the scraps of his sister's dreams, acting and fimmaking was something Bruce had wanted most of his life and he earned the success he had been given, and then turning around and doing lots of good for others.
'Let Cat and Bruce be the artists they were meant to be, Gavin O'Brian is going to do wonders with computers.' Gavin silently affirmed, letting the past grief and guilt wash out completely to continue forward in his new life without any regrets.
Little did Gavin know that one day he would meet his true calling and destiny, not making video games, but changing the world as part of an apple tree.
A/N: Alright everyone, so the first of a two part series introducing the forgotten and silent O'Brian, Gavin O'Brian. Next part will be about Gavin joining Apple, but for this I decided to look into why Gavin was absent from the Quest, why he failed at Hollywood and switched to computers, and why he and Bruce don't seem to be close like Bruce and Cat. Basically Gavin has a lot of issues and insecurities from living in Bruce's shadow, which were made greater with Bruce's Hollywood adventures. Unlike Cat, he didn't come to Hollywood with a strong dream and paid for it in failure which along with a whole host of bad luck in comparison to Bruce's Irish fortune, just made him miserable in LA and go to pursue other stuff. While he's still distant from Bruce due to personal stuff, at the end of the day he loves Bruce and is trying to be a better man and find where he belongs, which will be seen in the next part.