Every Breath You Take [RDJ Fanfic] - COMPLETED

One Hundred Sixty Three

"Mr Downey?" is finally spoken, a word that jerks his head up from the waiting room seat. "Doctor Idowu will meet with you in just a few minutes, but he feels it's unnecessary to keep baby Downey in the ICU.  If you'd like to come with me, we can discharge him to your care and we'll be more than happy to set up a bed for him in mom's room."

He blinks, processing, but stands slowly.  "Now?"

"Yes," the female nurse chuckles, not phased by it being Robert Downey Jr.  "We've taken his records down, so all we need are the parents to pick a name for the birth certificate, and-"

"Corey Anthony Downey," he states, not missing a beat.  "That's what we agreed on..."

"We'll get that squared away, too," she smiles, then gestures into the NICU unit.  "Want to follow me?"

He does so, but hesitantly.  "I thought with how early he is he'd have to stay."

"Usually, we'd keep an eye on them a few days," she agrees.  "But since he was delivered at thirty three weeks and he's gained his weight back from that dip in the second trimester, he's healthy enough to send home."

"I'm...I can't take him home yet."

"Okay," she smiles politely again, keeping the mood light.  "We'll arrange for everything after the doctor talks with you, but for now..." she murmurs, leaning down to scoop up one of the smaller babies in a blue blanket and hat.  "Meet your son."

Licking his lips, he gently accepts the baby to be passed into his arms, and he cradles him with care, gazing down at the soft skin on his sleeping face.  He's swaddled nicely, so he isn't fussing...yet.  

"I'll send the doctor in," she adds quietly, hand on his shoulder as she passes.  "Congratulations."

Swallowing, he smiles back, but tries to focus on the baby in his arms.  He's got the same curved nose as his dad, the same dark eyelashes, and the thin lips that could come from either parent; that's not certain yet.  Eye color is to be determined in person, but from what he saw on the sheets, it's listed as brown, not hazel, so he definitely takes after Robert.  But Lord, is he small.  Not unhealthy small, just...smaller than anticipated.

It's quiet in the room, with nothing but the occasional nurse stepping in to check on an infant before stepping back out to mark a chart.  Most of them are asleep...or perhaps too unwell in their incubators to wake themselves up or cry.  Thankfully...that isn't Corey.

Still waiting for the delivery doctor, Robert bites his lip, thinking of what to say.

"You're lucky it's just me right now," he manages quietly, bouncing him slightly in his arms.  "Mom'd be pissed you look just like me.  Probably.  Dunno, maybe you can pull off the cute vibe since you're so small and you can get away with it..."

And then he lets himself go, opening up instead of playing his Tony charade from fear of the unknown.

"I'm dad, by the way," he adds.  "We met...briefly earlier...uh..." he stammers, suddenly unsure.  "That's weird.  'Dad'..."

There's a heavier sigh than anything else in the last few hours, then he shakes his head to start over.

"I'm gonna be honest, kiddo, I didn't have a whole spiel planned for the first time we met cause I assumed mom would be talking your ear off...she does that.  Just do me a favor and when she does," he whispers, clearing his throat after a moment, "when she does, just let her go on and on for as long as she wants.  She's got the most beautiful voice, so just listen and make her happy, okay?  She only does it cause she loves you and it calms her nerves, so if we listen...we calm her nerves."