Thorns On My Rose: A Story of the Daughter of Robert Downey Jr. (EDITING)

Chapter 11 - Letters From Christy Tollen

Robert's Perspective

It took about eleven minutes to get everyone out of the room.

Jamie and Jude were all too eager to leave, first off. Probably had to do with the fact that the situation had officially become awkward as hell, since I was now in the room with my runaway child that was hooked up to more machines than fucking Darth Vader. It also probably pertained to the grown man that was holding Rose' s hand, which, let me say, is not. Fucking. Okay.

At all.

So Jamie, Jude, and the slightly annoying, but concerned, doctor, Travis, left in about two minutes. They left after I very impolitely, told them to get their asses out the room. The first time through the fourth time, they hesitated, which, was not good, because the more I tarry with them, the more credibility I lose, according to Mr. I'm A Grown Ass Man Who Is Holding Your Barely Breathing Daughter's Hand.

And honestly, it had been, and still was, a long fucking day, and I didn't need this.

So telling them to leave and them leaving took a total of three minutes.

Once they left... Well the ordeal with the pedophile went something like this.

Me: Who the fucking hell are you? What the fucking he'll are you doing here? Why the hell are you holding her hand?

Pedophile: *looks at me calmly before answering, continues to hold Alana' s hand* I'm a... friend you could say. I'm Alex. I'm the cab driver that was in the accident and I'm not really in the mood to be yelled at, please, Mr. Downey. I'm holding her hand because she squeezed it.

Me: *looks quickly from The Pedophile, Alex, and then to Alana-Rose, skeptical and angry* Really?

Pedophile/Alex: *nods* Yes, sir. I'm... concerned. I lied to get in here. I said that I was her brother, David. Which obviously isn't true. *let's go of Rose's hand and frowns a little* I'm really sorry, for everything. And, if you blame me, it makes total sense. I blame me too, actually, which is why I'm even still here at this damn hospital.

Me: *runs hand through hair, agitated, tired, angry, etc.* Listen. I don't know you, at all. This whole situation is awkward and personal, ridiculously personal, two things that should never, ever mix. I'm... Well, me, and I don't know if you're telling the truth or if you're just here because you're a sick perv, or because you're a crazed fan who is gonna freak out on me at any given moment. And to be honest, I don't give a rat's ass. I just... *I try not to cry in front of random stranger and pedophile named Alex* I just wanna be with my girl. I've... overseen searching for her, and I would really just like some alone time with her, please.

Pedophile/Alex: * frowns at my wary reaction but nods and comes around to shake my hand*

Me: *I shake my head* Sorry. Yeah, no. I can't right now, man. I'm... irritated, and just fucking tired. I haven't seen my daughter in a while and now that I do, she's in a damn hospital. I'm sorry, but, just... just not now. Sorry. Another time, maybe.

Alex: *nods like he understands, proceeds to exit the room, looking back at Alana-Rose before leaving*

Me: *sigh, relieved and not exactly relieved at the same time*

And that's kinda how that went down.

I'd been here for about thirty minutes, holding Lana' s hand, my eyes trying not to droop, but inevitably doing so. I jumped, snapping awake. Stay awake, stay awake. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and plugged the buds into Lana' s ears, turning the radio station to The Fray. She loved their Pandora Station. Of course, I bought their music, but I knew that she liked listening to Pandora more than the actually bought music. She liked to hear the new songs she'd never heard before, liked to hear the advertisements, even though they bugged the hell out of me.