Chapter 3- James

She waited at the hospital for another few hours, watching the doctors and nurses passing her by. No one had come to give her more news, and eventually the tiredness took over and she fell asleep, leaning her head on the cold wall behind her.

She didn't know for how long she slept, but after what seemed like only a few minutes to her, someone shook her shoulder. She opened her eyes slowly, not sure where she was at first. But then she saw who woke her, and everything came back to her. The hospital, the accident, Barney.

"Robin?" asked a very confused James Stinson. He looked down at her, obviously surprised to see her there.

"Hey, James," she said. She didn't see him for seven years, but he still looked the same to her. Maybe just a little bit older.

"What are you doing here?" he asked her.

She stood up to join him, stretching her whole body. It was very uncomfortable, sleeping on a bench. "I was covering the accident story and I had to come here to make sure Barney's okay," she answered his question.

"I didn't even know you were back in town," he told her, and she just shrugged. She could feel the tension between them. Ever since hers and Barney's wedding, her relationship with James wasn't on best terms, and it got even worse after the divorce.

"Do you have any news? Did they tell you anything?" she asked him, eager to finally find out if Barney was fine or not.

James looked at her for a moment before replying, "Yes, they did."

"Well," she wanted to yell at him, but tried to stay calm. They were in the middle of a hospital, after all. "Tell me! Is he okay?!"

Please, let him be okay. She never believed in god, but if there was ever a time to start believing, now would be that time.

James shook his head, and the one word cut through Robin's heart. "No."

Her whole body started to shake as new tears started to form in her eyes. She whipped them away, and asked quietly, "Is he… is he dead?" she wasn't sure she wanted to hear the answer to that question, but she had to know.

"No, he's still alive," James informed her, and she felt relief wash over her.

"Oh, thank god," she breathed out, almost choking on her tears. She smiled in relief, but then she noticed James looking at her sadly. "What?" she asked him, worriedly. "Is it Ellie, then? Is she okay?"

"Ellie's fine. She was out of surgery a few hours ago, and she's out of danger."

"That's great," she said, and looked at his still troubled face. "Then what is it?"

"It's Barney," he sighed, and sat heavily on the bench. She sat next to him slowly, fearing his next words.

"He wouldn't wake up. They say it's too early to tell for sure, but they are pretty sure he's in a state of coma."

Robin didn't know what to think of that news. She hated them, but at least it was better than finding out he was dead. She shook her head at that thought; it wasn't doing her any good thinking like that.

"He'll be alright," she said firmly, trying to convince both James and herself.

James chuckled bitterly at that. "Yeah, he will. It's Barney, after all."

"Yeah, it's Barney."

James looked at his watch, and then turned to look at her again. "Why don't you go home? It looks like you've been here all night, and I think it's best for you to go get some rest."

"No, I –" she couldn't go home. She couldn't leave Barney. Not again. She remembered what Lily said to her, you're there for him now. She had to be there when he woke up. She owed him that much. She didn't want to leave him again and go back to her old life.

After seeing him last night, all covered in blood, and the thought that she might not get to see him again, made her realize something. She never wanted to go another day without seeing him again.

"I'm staying right here," she said out loud, not directing it at James, but hoping for him to understand that she wasn't going anywhere.

"Fine, then, suit yourself."

He got up and started to walk away from her, and she hurried after him. "Wait, where are you going?"

He kept walking, entering a small corridor. "To sit with Ellie. I don't want her to be alone right now."

"Oh," she said, following him. She didn't know what to do now. Sitting with her ex-husband's daughter didn't seem right to her, but what else did she have to do? She was tired of sitting there by herself. "I'm coming with you," she said, when he entered a small elevator.

"No, you're not." He said, and she hurried to get in before the door closed.

"Yes, I am."

"Did you even know he has a daughter before last night?" he asked, angrily.

Robin looked down in shame. He got to her, but she wasn't going to let him win. She would be there for Barney this time. She had to.

"No, but I know now and I'm not going to go away."

"Didn't stop you six years ago," he said while the elevator stopped. She had to admit, he did manage to hit a nerve.

"Look. I'm staying here, at least until he wakes up. And I don't care what you have to say about it," she stepped out into a new corridor, following him.

They got to a door in the end of the corridor, and James turned to look at her. "You have no right to be here," he told her harshly. "You left him a long time ago, and chose to walk out of his life. You can't just come back now, six years later, when he isn't even able to say anything about it, just because you-"

But she cut him off, not wanting to hear the rest of it. "That's exactly why I need to be here for him, now. I know I left, and that I have no right to come back just like that, but he needs me right now, and I can't walk away from him again. Don't you see, James? I have to make it up to him!" she said, tears spilling from her eyes again. She didn't mean to say all of that to him, but once it was out she realized it was the truth. She felt awful for leaving Barney and starting a new life without him, not even being there to see him becoming a father.

She always felt bad for not being able to give him the thing she knew he wanted from her, and she was happy that at least by her leaving him, he got to get that from someone else.

James looked at her, not saying a word. A few minutes have passed, when suddenly he grabbed the door handle and opened the door. She looked at him, shocked, as he gestured for her to come in.

She was scared of what she would see on the other side of the door, but she knew she had to get over her fear and do the right thing, for Barney.

She entered the small room, taking a look at the white hospital bed in the middle. There was a small figure laying in it, covered by white sheet. She was sleeping, and that made Robin a little bit more comfortable. She had a few bandages on her arms and one on her left cheek, but other than that she seemed to be fine.

Robin, and James who came in after her, took their sits on either sides of the bad. Now that she wasn't covered in blood, Robin could see that she looked a lot like Barney. She had his narrow nose and his high forehead, and of course the blond hair. But she also had differences, her big puffy lips and her small chin. She probably got that from her mother. Robin wondered again who that woman was, and where was she right now? Was she even aware her daughter was in a hospital?

"She looks just like Barney," she said instead of asking all the questions that were running through her head.

James smiled at that, "Yeah, she does."

"I'm sorry I wasn't around for so long," she apologized, though she knew he wasn't the one she should apologize to.

James sighed. "It was pretty rough on him after you two got divorced. He took it really hard."

Robin felt even worse after hearing this.

"He got back to his old habits, sleeping around and drinking and gambling. It didn't help that it was hard for him to find a new job. But then Ellie happened, and she changed him. He got back to the person he used to be with you, and he realized that there were still things worth living for."

"I'm sorry," she said again, because she didn't know what else to say.

"You should tell that to him, when he wakes up," he told her, and she nodded, both of them ignoring the implied if he wakes up.

Suddenly there was a movement from the bed between them, and the small girl's eyes opened wide, looking everywhere around her in panic.

When her eyes landed on Robin, they became even wider, and Robin found herself staring at Barney's eyes. They were exactly the same color and shape, that it scared her and she had to look away.

Ellie then noticed James and relaxed immediately. "Uncle James," she whispered, her voice small and course.

"Hey, Ellie baby," James smiled reassuringly at her, taking carefully a hold on her hand. "How are you feeling?"

"M-my head hurts," she mumbled quietly, glancing nervously at Robin. "Who's that?" she asked her uncle.

James and Robin switched glances, and he turned back to his niece. "That's Robin, she's um..."

"I'm friends with your dad," Robin chipped in, because she hoped that was what she was.

"Oh," said Ellie. She smiled shyly at her. "Nice to meet you. I'm Ellie."

"Hi Ellie, nice to meet you to," she smiled back at the young girl. She had to admit she was one of the most beautiful girls she had ever seen.

"Where's my daddy?" she asked James, while he started to stroke her hair with his hand.

"He's asleep right now," he told her, because what else could he say?

"Can you wake him? I want him to take me home," she said, a single tear running down her wounded cheek.

"Not right now, baby," said James, whipping the tear away with his thumb. "Maybe you should go back to sleep yourself, it's already late. Look, it's dark outside," he said, pointing at the small window in the room. It was indeed very dark out side.

"O-okay," the girl sniffed, yawned in the most adorable way Robin had even seen, and closed her eyes, falling to sleep rather quickly.

They sat there for a few moments, each trapped in his own thoughts, when suddenly James said, "it's not fair, you know?"

Robin turned to look at him, raising her eyebrow at him, as if to question what he was talking about.

"Barney is all she has," he explained.

She thought maybe now would finally be the right time to question him about the girl's mother, but then the door opened and a nurse entered the room.

"James Stinson?" she asked, and James nodded and got up.

"Yeah, that's me," he told her.

"I have here Ellie's surgery results. Everything seems fine. She was very lucky; it seems that her father took most of the blows on himself. She needs to stay here for the night, and after we check her again in the morning to make sure she really is fine, she could go home."

James' face looked torn between joy and restlessness. "She can go home? Already?" he asked, making sure he understood her right.

"Yes, she can," the nurse replied.

"Okay, then. Thank you."

"You're welcome. Now I'm going to ask you to leave, visiting hours are over. She'll be alright here by herself tonight, she has us to take care of her, and you can come tomorrow to pick her up."

The nurse smiled at them kindly before dismissing them from the room. They walked quietly, side by side, out of the hospital. Robin didn't want to leave, but she knew there was no point in staying another night on a bench. She needed to take a shower, change her cloths and get a good night sleep.

When they reached the street outside, and tried to stop a cab, Robin turned to face James. "Where are you staying?" she asked him.

"Hotel room," he shrugged.

"Alright, then." Just then a cab stopped near them, and he opened the door for her. "See you tomorrow?"

he looked up at her in surprise. "You're coming?"

"Of course," she said, a bit offended by the question. "I told you, this time I'm not going away."

He nodded, and closed the door behind her. "Good night, then. See you tomorrow." He waved at her as the cab took off.