How To Save A Life [A Robert Downey Jr. Fan-Fic]

Chapter 39: Up And Down

Days passed by.
Weeks.
I didn't exactly know how much time has passed by since I had arrived at this mysterious place where nothing ever happened.
Every day, I went to Westminster Bridge and leaned over the railing of steel, staring at the flowing water until it got blurred and I was eventually allowed to see Robert.

He used to spend most of his days on his own, occasionally meeting Tom and Liz. Although they didn't have any appointments at her practice any longer, yet, she listened to him all the time, trying to help him.
He didn't say a lot and preferred to stay alone but still she advised him, encouraged him.

He used to go jogging to suppress his desire of drowning his sorrows in alcohol. And although it was not always easy for him, he still was on a good way up.
There've been days that were better, days where he went outside and just went to town, not getting stressed by any of those paparazzi that were always following him wherever he went.
Yet, there've been days that were worse, where he just stayed at home, laying in bed or on the couch, simply stating at the empty walls, lost in his own thoughts.

Unfortunately, this day was one of the bad days. He simply sat on the couch in the living room and apathetically stared at the wall across from him. Until suddenly, the doorbell rang.

Uttering a sigh, he ran his fingers through his hair and got up, walking through the hallway till he opened the door.

"Hey", Liz greeted and smiled sadly, "May I get in?"

He nodded slightly and opened the door to let her in.

"What happened?", she asked curiously as they walked into the living room where she sat down on the couch, crossing her legs as she waited for Robert who went into the kitchen to get her something to drink.

"Thanks", she said and half smiled at him as he handed her a glass of water and sat down next to her, nervously rubbing his sweaty hands in his lap.

"I-... I'm not quite sure", he replied hesitantly and stared down at the ground, avoiding eye contact, "It's just... Ups and downs, you know."

She nodded slightly and took a sip of her glass of water before she cleared her throat.

"Robert", she started then, looking at him although he was still avoiding her gaze, "There's something we've never talked about although I think it's pretty important for your healing progress."

He gulped and shrugged, not sure what exactly she was talking about.

"Grace", she said then, her voice soft and careful like he was fragile and she was afraid to break him, making him raise his head immediately, "Her death."

"It's been a long time ago", he countered sternly, "I don't know how-..."

He stopped, his eyes starting to fill with tears.

"You've once told me that your marriage almost broke down due to the stress of loosing your child", she continued carefully, "Can you tell me what happened?"

He took a deep breath and swallowed hard, wiping away the tear that was streaming down his cheek.

"I-... I-...", he stuttered nervously and ran his fingers through his hair, taking another deep breath, "We had a lot of problems."

She nodded slightly and hesitantly reached out for his hand, unsure whether she was allowed to hold his hand or not until their fingers touched eventually.

"After Gracie's death", he started and gulped, his voice weak and shaky, "It was not easy for Kate. She was not able to deal with the whole situation, didn't realize it was the best for Grace to let her go. In her defense, it truly wasn't easy for both of us."