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

Chapter 30: Meet Me Halfway

Carefully, I reached out for him to caress his cheek. But my fingers simply slipped through him, making my eyes fill with tears immediately.

"Robbie", I stuttered but my words only came out in a whisper, "You-... You can see me?"

He nodded slowly and tried to touch me but he simply slipped through me like I did before.

Immediately, the tears started to stream down my cheeks. After all this time, he was finally able to see me again.
Thousands of questions came to my mind, so many things we needed to talk about before I had to leave again.

Robert bit his bottom lip and I recognized he wanted to wipe away my tears but he couldn't. He couldn't move. He was... Frozen.

"Stop crying, Kate", he whispered and faked a smile as his eyes filled with tears, "Stop wasting your tears..."

I half smiled at him and looked down at his hands that were already shaking.

"I am so sorry, Robbie", I sobbed and- as a natural reaction- reached out for his hand just to recognize once again that I wasn't able to touch him, "I didn't mean to scare you."

He quickly shook his head.

"Don't be sorry", he countered seriously, "This is the best Christmas present I could have ever imagined."

I blushed immediately, just like I did back then.

"You're so beautiful, Kate, you've always been", he mumbled and regarded me closely from head to toe, "But not like those girls in the magazines. No, you're beautiful for the way you think. You're beautiful for that sparkle in your eyes when you talk about something you love. You're beautiful for your ability to make other people- including me- smile even when you're sad. You are beautiful deep down to your soul, sweetheart."

I sobbed and couldn't hide the smile on my lips as he talked about me like that.

"I don't know how much time I've left", I added quietly, "And I just want you to know that I'll always be there for you. No matter what's going to happen. I'll always watch over you, Robbie. God, I love you so much!"

Once again, my vision got blurry because of all the tears.

"Are you real?", he suddenly asked, "I'm afraid everything might just be a dream..."

I quickly shook my head.

"No, this is real. I am here. I am always here", I assured him.

He nodded slightly.

"Good", he mumbled then, "I've already thought I would have been drunk again..."

Suddenly, everything around us was covered in silence again, non of us saying a single word.

I looked down at his hands that had now stopped trembling.

"I never wanted to hurt you, Kate", he sobbed eventually, "I never wanted this to happen. And I-... I-... I never wanted you to die."

"I know, Robbie", I said and nodded quickly, "Of course I know."

"Okay", he mumbled apathetically.

"Don't blame yourself for something you have never been able to control", I tried to talk him down, a weak smile on my lips, "Everything's just as it's supposed to be. Remember what I used to tell you?"

Immediately, our eyes met.

"Sometimes, things happen for a reason", we both said in unison and carefully, yet without touch, pressed our palms against each other's, looking into another's eyes.