Torn [A Robert Downey Jr. Fan-Fic]

Chapter 20

"Hey Kate", I greeted and sat down next to her bed, "How are you doing today?"

I watched her as her chest slowly moved up and down. Lately, she was hypotonic and had lost quite a lot of weight. Her face was pale, her cheeks sunken.

I opened her medical file.

Although she got nourished with a feeding tube for almost two years now, she lost more and more weight. She didn't respond to it very well. But I couldn't imagine any other opportunity to help her.

I softly stroked the back of her hand.

"Why don't you wake up?", I whispered quietly, "Just give me a sign. I want to help you, Kate..."

The same damn silence as usually.

I carefully touched her face, gently caressing her dark brown curls.

"Nate!", I suddenly heard her familiar voice and leaned back immediately, forcing myself to smile.

"Hey little princess", I greeted her as she ran towards me.

I opened my arms before she hugged me tightly, burying her head in my chest as I softly stroked her head.

"How are you? How was school today?"

"Good", she answered happily, "How's mummy?"

I stared at her intensely, her blue eyes examining me closely.

"She's still sleeping", I answered.

She nodded slightly and seemed to be disappointed.

"So, what are you going to do this afternoon? I mean it's Friday..."

"Nate, I'm eight not eighteen!", she corrected me smirkingly and giggled.

"Oh, but you look like you're already grown up", I countered and softly kissed her forehead.

She giggled again.

"Wanna go to the cinema?", I suggested then, "Just Rose, you and I. What do you think?"

Immediately, she smiled from one ear to another.

"Yes of course", she agreed happily and hugged me again.

Since the incident that one night I cared for her like a father. Her real father actually gave a damn about her. He didn't even ask to see his little girl. I didn't mind because she was a gorgeous little girl- what else to expect at least she was Kate's daughter- but still it was strange.

"Mummy, please wake up", Elsa mumbled then and carefully reached out for her mother's hand.

I recognized that her eyes filled with tears. I gently caressed her hair, trying to console her.

"Does she hear us?", she wanted to know curiously and looked up to me.

"I don't know", I admitted honestly, "Sometimes, I think she does but... We can't be sure."

She buried her head in my chest again and I felt her cold tears through my scrub. I softly stroked her hair.

"I'm sure she'll wake up again", I whispered into her ear, "We just have to believe in her, Elsa. She would never leave you alone."

"She'd never leave you alone, either", she countered quietly.

Smart little girl. She was so much smarter than other kids of her age.

"Knock, knock!"

I turned around and recognized Rose in the doorway.

"Any plans for today?", she asked with a smile on her lips.

"Nate wants to go to the cinema with us", Elsa announced happily.

"Does he?", Rose wanted to know and looked at me.

I nodded slightly.

"Yeah, why not?", I retorted and forced myself to smile.

"Well, because usually you spend your days with Kate", Rose countered and crossed her arms, still smiling at me, "Especially the weekends..."

"Maybe it's time to enjoy the little things again", I said smirkingly.

She seemed to be surprised.

"Great", she said then, "So, you'll fetch us at eight?"

"Eight's great", I replied and half smiled at her.

"Okay", she mumbled and reached out for Elsa, "Come on, sweetheart. We gotta go!"

Immediately, she jumped up and ran over to Rose, grabbing her hand.

"See you later, Nate", she waved goodbye before she left with Rose.

-

We walked along the pathway, on our way to Rose's apartment. It was about 11 p.m., already dark outside.

Elsa ran in front of us, Rose and I slowly following her.

"She's crazy about you", Rose mumbled and looked up to me, "She really has a huge crush on you."

I half smiled at her.

"Yeah, Kate mentioned something like that", I replied smirkingly.

"Not everyone would have cared for her like you did", she continued, "That's really kind of you, doc."

She always called me doc. It was some kind of nickname for me.

We finally reached her flat.

"Elsa, sweetheart, could you already go upstairs and get ready for the night? I'll be there in five minutes", Rose said.

"Okay", Elsa agreed and hugged me one last time, "Good night, Prince Charming!"

"Good night, little princess. Sleep well!", I waved goodbye as she ran upstairs.

I recognized Rose giggled next to me before she sat down on the stairs in front of her flat, looking up to the sky.

I sat down right next to her, looking up as well, thinking about Kate. I was really worried...

Suddenly, I felt her tenuous fingers searching for my hand.

I looked at her in surprise before she leaned her head against my shoulder.

For a while, we just sat on the stairs like that, looking up to the stars without even saying a word.

Then she looked up to me again, her brown eyes staring at me intensely before she carefully touched my cheeks.

I didn't really know what happened until she softly placed her lips on mine to kiss me, pulling my head towards hers firmly.

I didn't want to kiss her. I didn't feel anything for her. But I couldn't push her away from me either.

Suddenly, she started to laugh, shaking her head slightly.

"Gosh, I'm so stupid", she said and looked away.

"No, I'm sorry", I wanted to apologize.

"You don't have to be sorry", she countered, "I mean, I should have known..."

I looked at her in surprise.

"It's easy to see that you love Kate", she continued, "I guess, I just... Well... I don't know."

"Oh, no need to worry", I mumbled quietly.

"I just don't understand why she can't see the way you look at her..."

"It's okay", I retorted, "She does not need to know..."

"But she should! She should know, Nathan! You're good for her and that's why she should know."

Maybe she was right. But if Kate didn't feel anything for me we wouldn't be friends anymore. And I just couldn't risk our friendship... But anyway, she was still in coma. Nobody knew if she was ever going to wake up again. And even then she might not be able to remember anything that has happened...

Everything was too complicated right now.