Tracy answered all of Robert's questions about her disease, her daughter's care, what's been going on for the past 16 years, and other relevant inquiries. He found out that Tracy didn't want to ruin Robert's career before it had even started. That's why she hadn't told him that she got pregnant. He lost touch with her cousin and never thought of Tracy again after that one night. Now she had no other choices but him or foster care.

Robert walked out of her room and over to the young girl sitting in chairs. Now that he got closer and paid a little more attention he noticed that the girl's hair was darker than he originally thought. It was more of a dark strawberry blonde with a hint of red to it. Her curls were somewhere between waves and ringlets. 'She really is quite beautiful', he thought. He definitely saw a lot of himself in her. The hair he had when he was 15, her short, slim stature, and especially her eyes. Her dark, chocolaty brown eyes mirrored his exactly. They showed the same awkward nervousness that he was feeling.

He sat down in the seat next to her. "Hi," he said with a small smile. "I'm Robert Romano." He timidly extended his hand to shake. Robert could be called lots of things, but never before was shy one of them. He was terrified.

The girl smiled, gently shaking his hand, "Robyn Gracie Warner, or Romano. I don't really know how that's supposed to work. It's nice to finally meet you." She laughed nervously, "That's probably the understatement of the year."

"I'm sorry it took this long," he said feeling somewhat guilty. He knew he shouldn't feel bad. How could he have known that there was a part of him existing somewhere else?

"Don't be. I get that it wasn't your choice. My mom's given me a really nice life by herself," Robyn glanced over to her mother's exam room with an overwhelming sorrow in her eyes. "The doctors said she only had about a month left. That was over a month and a half ago. How long do you think she'll last? She's been looking worse the past few days." It comforted her to know that he could answer her medical questions. She felt that he'd be honest with her and not sugar coat everything like the other doctors did.

Robert didn't want to give the girl false hopes, the situation didn't look good. He couldn't look her in the eyes. He'd said this to strangers a hundred times, and to him she really was a stranger, but somehow this was different. "I don't think she'll last the night," he paused, still staring down at his hands. "We have her on a lot of pain medication right now, but I think that's all we can do for her. I'm sorry."

Robyn's eyes welled up with tears; she didn't know what to do. She wanted to run into the arms of her mother like she did when she was a baby, but now her mother was too weak to even hug her. Robert set a hand on her shoulder and escorted her into the doctor's lounge so they could have a little bit of privacy. Some of the staff were beginning to notice his very un "Rocket" like behavior. Luckily it was unoccupied. They sat opposite each other in front of the table.

Robert placed a hand on hers to try and console the girl as best he could. It seemed like it calmed her down a bit and she stopped crying. "Where are you staying now?" he asked her.

"We got to Chicago a few days ago. We were staying at the Holiday Inn, but we checked out this morning," Robyn pulled her hand away. It was nice of him when she was crying, but now it made her a little uncomfortable. He sensed that too and was happy she pulled away. She attempted some conversation, "I've gotta confess, Dr. Romano. I've kinda been following you around a little since I first got here. Before I actually met you I wanted to see what you were like."

Robert smiled. So that's why she looked familiar. He must have seen her in random places the past few days. "And that didn't scare you away?" he asked genuinely surprised. He knew he didn't have that great of a first impression. Hell, he didn't leave a good impression on people he's known for years.

She glanced around nervously, "Actually, I was terrified. You seemed, well… mean, impatient, angry, sarcastic, egocentric…" she drifted off.

Robert laughed, "Yeah, that sounds about right."

"No, but your not what I thought you'd be like at all," Robyn explained, not wanting to offend him.

He looked her in the eyes and said seriously, "A lot of people in this hospital don't like me. I'm Chief of Surgery, Chief of Staff, and the best goddamn surgeon in this place. When I'm at work or when I'm dealing with people from work then I'm everything you said and worse because I take my job seriously," he paused, then added with a grin, "But when I'm not working, I'm a pretty okay guy. And you can call me anything you want except for 'Dr. Romano' or 'Bob'. Can't stand the name 'Bob'."

Robyn smiled; so far she really liked this man. She wasn't ready to call him 'Dad' just yet, she didn't know if she ever would be. She decided that for now 'Rob' would do.

Helah walked into the lounge and told Dr. Romano that she needed to talk with him outside. He excused himself and left Robyn. A minute later he walked solemnly back into the room.

"I'm sorry, Robyn," he said gently. "Your mother just passed away. I'll take you to see her if you'd like."

Again Robyn's eyes welled with tears and she almost collapsed in sobs. Instinctively she pressed herself against Robert and buried her face in his chest. She needed some kind of contact. She just wanted her mother to hold her once more, but she knew that could never happen. Robert wrapped one arm around her trembling body and with his other hand he cradled her head. He understood that she needed to know that she wasn't alone. He was all she had now. Even though they were perfect strangers she felt safe in Robert's arms, and he felt whole with her in his arms.