Rosalind
This story and all themes and ideas contained in said story are the sole
ownership of J.L. Scott. Any copyright infringements can be prosecuted in a
court of law.
To borrow a phrase: NYPD Blue no mine......no money, no sue, please? AN: This is where things get weird and probably confusing. This is more like a collection of scenes from various episodes that make up the part of the story that's important to me. So imagine them stuck in various places in various episodes that are "really" about other things. It might make more sense that way. Hope you enjoy! (Hint: Ros is pronounced Roz)
"Hey, John! The Lieutenant's awake!" Andy yelled as he ran down the steps of the station house. John was going to go park, but he just stopped and unlocked the door for Andy to hop in. He'd been on his lunch break with Allison. She was still unsure about this whole thing with Rosalind. She admired it in him that he was taking care of her, but she was obviously not one of those "oh, I love kids!" kind of women.
"They say anything else?" John asked.
"Nope. Just that he was awake" Andy replied. They made good time to the hospital and were soon enough being shown into the Lieutenant's room. McDowell and Ortiz were on their way from a canvas and Jones and Metaboy had been pulling in as John and Andy had been getting out of the car.
"Hey, Lieu" Andy said as the walked in. Rodriguez was half sitting, and there were still all kinds of tubes hooked up to him.
"Sipowitz, Clark. Hope your not taking time off the job to come see me" he said. His voice was shaky and he didn't really look all that well, but John figured no one who got shot ever did a week later.
"Nah, nothin that can't wait" Andy said. He looked at John. They both knew someone was going to have to tell him about Rosalind. John was the obvious choice. Just then Jones and Metaboy came in though.
"Hey Lieutenant" Metaboy said, "How ya feelin?"
"I've been better" the man replied, "It's nice of you all to come down here"
"Ah, no problem. We're glad you're okay" Jones told him. They chatted for a few minutes until Connie and Rita showed up. They both gave their regards to the Lieutenant, then Connie pulled John to the back of the group.
"Here" she said, handing him a familiar rag doll, "I found this in my car" She had picked the kids up the other day. John had run back to Caroline's house to see if Rosalind had left the doll there when she had realized she'd lost it and started crying.
"You collecting dolls now, Clark?" Rodriguez asked raspily, apparently having seen the exchange. Everyone kind of got quiet and looked back and forth between the two.
"Ah, we've got a case to work" Metaboy said and headed for the door, "We'll see ya, Lieu"
"Glad your better Lieu" Jones added and followed his partner. Thankfully, Andy and Connie stayed for moral support, and Rita sat down too.
"Uh, actually it belongs to a little girl named Rosalind" he told the Lieutenant, "Rosalind Isabella Rodriguez" He wasn't sure where to go from there. He looked to Andy for guidance but his partner just shrugged.
"Uh, this old lady brought her in to the station, looking for you. She, uh" he took a deep breath, "She said Rosalind was your daughter" The Lieutenant didn't say anything.
"And you believed her?" he asked after a stunned moment of silence.
"Your name's on her birth certificate" John told him. He hadn't thought to bring that particular document with him, but he figured Rodriguez would want to see it.
"The kid's mom's name was Rose Velaquez" Andy offered. Rodriguez looked at him.
"Rose? She moved to California about six years ago" he said.
"Yeah, that would fit with this old lady's story. Said she babysat the kid." Rodriguez looked from one of them to the other.
"Where's Rose?" he asked.
"Uh...she had breast cancer. She died a few weeks ago" John told him, twisting the doll in his hands, "Apparently she left Ros in legal custody of this lady, Mildred Collins, but the lady's at least eighty and she knew she couldn't deal with a kid, so she brought her to live with you. But you were in the hospital so..she left her with me" Rodriguez's eyebrows lifted.
"With you?"
"Yeah. I..I made her laugh. My name's even on the papers" John replied.
"Papers?"
"Switching legal custody to you, or, in the event you can't take her, to John" Andy told him.
"So, you've been talking to her for a while?" Rodriguez was confused.
"No. She hand wrote it, before she took off" Rita said from the back of the room.
"And it's legal?" the lieutenant inquired.
"According to Haywood" Connie told him, "She's been going to school with Theo, and going to my babysitter while John's at work. She's a real cute kid, Boss" Rodriguez kind of looked at them, not really seeing them. He remembered Rose, oh yes he did. One of his sister's friends. They were together for about a month and a half. Had she really gotten pregnant in that time? There was a chance, he supposed. Was it really his kid? Probably. Rose had been pretty mild, good Catholic girl. He'd been surprised, really, when she all the sudden decided to move to California. Barely said goodbye to him. He'd tried to call her, but she never seemed to be home. She wrote to Maria a couple of times, but she had certainly never said anything about a kid. Had Maria known? Nah, she would've told him. Rose, she'd been a quiet one. No family, a cousin or something down in Cuba, but that was it. Parents had died real early, and she hadn't had any brothers and sisters. Her Cuban family was unusually distant. It would be like her not to tell him they'd had a kid together.
"I have a daughter?" he whispered, more to himself than to anyone else in the room. It was almost unimaginable. Sure, he'd always wanted to settle down, have kids. He'd tried..was married for five years. Didn't work out. He really hadn't thought to ever have the chance again. And now at least a little piece of that dream was within reach. He had a daughter. Rosalind, Clark had said. And where was he when she'd shown up? In a hospital. Poor thing's mother had just died, and she'd been drug across the country to live with a father she'd never known, then passed onto another stranger. Precarious life, especially for a..five year old? It would have to be.
"What's she like?" he asked.
"Quiet" Andy said.
"Shy" Connie said.
"Skittish" Rita said.
"Rambunctious as hell, laughs a lot, funny little thing, real smart, talkative, really likes some show called Veggie Tales with talking vegetables or something" John added. The other three detectives looked at him like he was nuts. He shrugged.
"Just not around other people" he explained. Andy shook his head but Connie just smiled. She'd always suspected there was a soft spot in John Clark that would be just perfect for a dad. Of course, there was one in the Lieutenant too, and he was the real father here. Poor John. Poor Tony. Poor Rosalind. Poor all of them.
"I wanna meet her" Rodriguez told them. John nodded.
"I'll, uh...I'll bring her in after school. But Lieu..I don't know what she'll do, I mean..she is real shy around other people. She won't even talk to her teacher. I don't know if she was always like that, or if it's just cause her Mom died but..well, she may clam up" John could just see the scene. He didn't want to be witness to the pain on the Lieutenant's face when his own daughter wouldn't come near him, instead clinging to the legs of some man she'd only met a few days ago. How she had taken to himself so fast John wasn't sure. He felt lucky though, he was surprised to find.
"I just want to see her." Rodriguez assured him.
"Okay" Andy, Connie and Rita were out the door when the Lieutenant called Clark back.
"Hey, John. I appreciate what you're doin" he said.
"Ah, it's no prob Lieu. She's a good kid" John told him.
"No, really. It's good of you. Listen, if you don't want to watch her anymore, you know I understand. You're a young man and.well, I'd understand. I've got a sister, Maria, who'll take her.."
"No, Boss, really it's fine. I.kinda like havin' her around" Rodriguez looked at him for a minute.
"Thanks"
"No prob. I'll bring her around about one. That's when she gets off school" He smiled and took his leave.
Later
"Uncle John!" He was almost too late. Caroline was unlocking her car door as Ros dropped her backpack and ran across the parking lot to him. He scooped her up and gave her a kiss.
"Hey! You shouldn't run across the parking lot like that, okay, you could get hurt" he reprimanded her, but he wasn't really upset. He loved how she always ran to him and clamored for him to pick her up whenever she saw him. She was perhaps a bit too old to be picked up and carried around, being five, but he didn't mind. She certainly wasn't heavy. He crossed the parking lot to Caroline.
"Hi, John, what're you doing here?" she asked nicely. She was an attractive lady, brown hair and green eyes. Her husband was nice too, John had met him the other night when he'd picked Ros up.
"Uh" he lowered his voice and put the little girl on the ground, hoping she wouldn't hear, "Her dad woke up. I'm taking her to see him" Caroline nodded knowingly.
"Listen, is it going to be okay if I bring her by later, in case.in case I need to?"
"Sure" Caroline assured him, "No problem"
"Okay, you, you're coming with me" he smiled at Ros. She grabbed up her backpack and slipped her hand into his as they started back to his car.
"Bye, Caroline! Bye Theo!" she called behind her cheerily. John was surprised she'd raised her voice above normal outside of his apartment. And she was even humming to herself.
"Bye Rosalind!" Caroline called back and he could hear the surprise in her voice too. Maybe he would have a happy little girl to present to her father.
But she got quieter the longer they were in the car.
"Where are we going Uncle John?" she asked, obviously aware they weren't going home.
"We're going to the hospital" he told her warily. He could feel her tensing up.
"Why?" she asked. He had a feeling she'd spent a lot of time in a hospital.
"You're dad is better" he replied, "He wants to meet you"
"How much better?" she inquired. Ah. So she was acquainted with the fact that "better" meant just that..better. Not cured. Not ready to go home. Just better.
"I don't know, Ros" he answered truthfully, "But he was really excited that you were coming to visit" he added. He wasn't sure "excited" was the right word, but no harm in making the girl feel like she was wanted.
They got to the hospital a few minutes later. A nurse tried to stop them, saying kids weren't allowed in, but John strategically flashed his badge and asked again. She let them pass. He pushed the door open slowly and had to pull Rosalind in. The Lieutenant was asleep. He still looked kind of...tired. Rosalind just looked at him.
"Is that my daddy?" she asked quietly.
"Yeah. Yeah, that's your daddy" John answered.
To borrow a phrase: NYPD Blue no mine......no money, no sue, please? AN: This is where things get weird and probably confusing. This is more like a collection of scenes from various episodes that make up the part of the story that's important to me. So imagine them stuck in various places in various episodes that are "really" about other things. It might make more sense that way. Hope you enjoy! (Hint: Ros is pronounced Roz)
"Hey, John! The Lieutenant's awake!" Andy yelled as he ran down the steps of the station house. John was going to go park, but he just stopped and unlocked the door for Andy to hop in. He'd been on his lunch break with Allison. She was still unsure about this whole thing with Rosalind. She admired it in him that he was taking care of her, but she was obviously not one of those "oh, I love kids!" kind of women.
"They say anything else?" John asked.
"Nope. Just that he was awake" Andy replied. They made good time to the hospital and were soon enough being shown into the Lieutenant's room. McDowell and Ortiz were on their way from a canvas and Jones and Metaboy had been pulling in as John and Andy had been getting out of the car.
"Hey, Lieu" Andy said as the walked in. Rodriguez was half sitting, and there were still all kinds of tubes hooked up to him.
"Sipowitz, Clark. Hope your not taking time off the job to come see me" he said. His voice was shaky and he didn't really look all that well, but John figured no one who got shot ever did a week later.
"Nah, nothin that can't wait" Andy said. He looked at John. They both knew someone was going to have to tell him about Rosalind. John was the obvious choice. Just then Jones and Metaboy came in though.
"Hey Lieutenant" Metaboy said, "How ya feelin?"
"I've been better" the man replied, "It's nice of you all to come down here"
"Ah, no problem. We're glad you're okay" Jones told him. They chatted for a few minutes until Connie and Rita showed up. They both gave their regards to the Lieutenant, then Connie pulled John to the back of the group.
"Here" she said, handing him a familiar rag doll, "I found this in my car" She had picked the kids up the other day. John had run back to Caroline's house to see if Rosalind had left the doll there when she had realized she'd lost it and started crying.
"You collecting dolls now, Clark?" Rodriguez asked raspily, apparently having seen the exchange. Everyone kind of got quiet and looked back and forth between the two.
"Ah, we've got a case to work" Metaboy said and headed for the door, "We'll see ya, Lieu"
"Glad your better Lieu" Jones added and followed his partner. Thankfully, Andy and Connie stayed for moral support, and Rita sat down too.
"Uh, actually it belongs to a little girl named Rosalind" he told the Lieutenant, "Rosalind Isabella Rodriguez" He wasn't sure where to go from there. He looked to Andy for guidance but his partner just shrugged.
"Uh, this old lady brought her in to the station, looking for you. She, uh" he took a deep breath, "She said Rosalind was your daughter" The Lieutenant didn't say anything.
"And you believed her?" he asked after a stunned moment of silence.
"Your name's on her birth certificate" John told him. He hadn't thought to bring that particular document with him, but he figured Rodriguez would want to see it.
"The kid's mom's name was Rose Velaquez" Andy offered. Rodriguez looked at him.
"Rose? She moved to California about six years ago" he said.
"Yeah, that would fit with this old lady's story. Said she babysat the kid." Rodriguez looked from one of them to the other.
"Where's Rose?" he asked.
"Uh...she had breast cancer. She died a few weeks ago" John told him, twisting the doll in his hands, "Apparently she left Ros in legal custody of this lady, Mildred Collins, but the lady's at least eighty and she knew she couldn't deal with a kid, so she brought her to live with you. But you were in the hospital so..she left her with me" Rodriguez's eyebrows lifted.
"With you?"
"Yeah. I..I made her laugh. My name's even on the papers" John replied.
"Papers?"
"Switching legal custody to you, or, in the event you can't take her, to John" Andy told him.
"So, you've been talking to her for a while?" Rodriguez was confused.
"No. She hand wrote it, before she took off" Rita said from the back of the room.
"And it's legal?" the lieutenant inquired.
"According to Haywood" Connie told him, "She's been going to school with Theo, and going to my babysitter while John's at work. She's a real cute kid, Boss" Rodriguez kind of looked at them, not really seeing them. He remembered Rose, oh yes he did. One of his sister's friends. They were together for about a month and a half. Had she really gotten pregnant in that time? There was a chance, he supposed. Was it really his kid? Probably. Rose had been pretty mild, good Catholic girl. He'd been surprised, really, when she all the sudden decided to move to California. Barely said goodbye to him. He'd tried to call her, but she never seemed to be home. She wrote to Maria a couple of times, but she had certainly never said anything about a kid. Had Maria known? Nah, she would've told him. Rose, she'd been a quiet one. No family, a cousin or something down in Cuba, but that was it. Parents had died real early, and she hadn't had any brothers and sisters. Her Cuban family was unusually distant. It would be like her not to tell him they'd had a kid together.
"I have a daughter?" he whispered, more to himself than to anyone else in the room. It was almost unimaginable. Sure, he'd always wanted to settle down, have kids. He'd tried..was married for five years. Didn't work out. He really hadn't thought to ever have the chance again. And now at least a little piece of that dream was within reach. He had a daughter. Rosalind, Clark had said. And where was he when she'd shown up? In a hospital. Poor thing's mother had just died, and she'd been drug across the country to live with a father she'd never known, then passed onto another stranger. Precarious life, especially for a..five year old? It would have to be.
"What's she like?" he asked.
"Quiet" Andy said.
"Shy" Connie said.
"Skittish" Rita said.
"Rambunctious as hell, laughs a lot, funny little thing, real smart, talkative, really likes some show called Veggie Tales with talking vegetables or something" John added. The other three detectives looked at him like he was nuts. He shrugged.
"Just not around other people" he explained. Andy shook his head but Connie just smiled. She'd always suspected there was a soft spot in John Clark that would be just perfect for a dad. Of course, there was one in the Lieutenant too, and he was the real father here. Poor John. Poor Tony. Poor Rosalind. Poor all of them.
"I wanna meet her" Rodriguez told them. John nodded.
"I'll, uh...I'll bring her in after school. But Lieu..I don't know what she'll do, I mean..she is real shy around other people. She won't even talk to her teacher. I don't know if she was always like that, or if it's just cause her Mom died but..well, she may clam up" John could just see the scene. He didn't want to be witness to the pain on the Lieutenant's face when his own daughter wouldn't come near him, instead clinging to the legs of some man she'd only met a few days ago. How she had taken to himself so fast John wasn't sure. He felt lucky though, he was surprised to find.
"I just want to see her." Rodriguez assured him.
"Okay" Andy, Connie and Rita were out the door when the Lieutenant called Clark back.
"Hey, John. I appreciate what you're doin" he said.
"Ah, it's no prob Lieu. She's a good kid" John told him.
"No, really. It's good of you. Listen, if you don't want to watch her anymore, you know I understand. You're a young man and.well, I'd understand. I've got a sister, Maria, who'll take her.."
"No, Boss, really it's fine. I.kinda like havin' her around" Rodriguez looked at him for a minute.
"Thanks"
"No prob. I'll bring her around about one. That's when she gets off school" He smiled and took his leave.
Later
"Uncle John!" He was almost too late. Caroline was unlocking her car door as Ros dropped her backpack and ran across the parking lot to him. He scooped her up and gave her a kiss.
"Hey! You shouldn't run across the parking lot like that, okay, you could get hurt" he reprimanded her, but he wasn't really upset. He loved how she always ran to him and clamored for him to pick her up whenever she saw him. She was perhaps a bit too old to be picked up and carried around, being five, but he didn't mind. She certainly wasn't heavy. He crossed the parking lot to Caroline.
"Hi, John, what're you doing here?" she asked nicely. She was an attractive lady, brown hair and green eyes. Her husband was nice too, John had met him the other night when he'd picked Ros up.
"Uh" he lowered his voice and put the little girl on the ground, hoping she wouldn't hear, "Her dad woke up. I'm taking her to see him" Caroline nodded knowingly.
"Listen, is it going to be okay if I bring her by later, in case.in case I need to?"
"Sure" Caroline assured him, "No problem"
"Okay, you, you're coming with me" he smiled at Ros. She grabbed up her backpack and slipped her hand into his as they started back to his car.
"Bye, Caroline! Bye Theo!" she called behind her cheerily. John was surprised she'd raised her voice above normal outside of his apartment. And she was even humming to herself.
"Bye Rosalind!" Caroline called back and he could hear the surprise in her voice too. Maybe he would have a happy little girl to present to her father.
But she got quieter the longer they were in the car.
"Where are we going Uncle John?" she asked, obviously aware they weren't going home.
"We're going to the hospital" he told her warily. He could feel her tensing up.
"Why?" she asked. He had a feeling she'd spent a lot of time in a hospital.
"You're dad is better" he replied, "He wants to meet you"
"How much better?" she inquired. Ah. So she was acquainted with the fact that "better" meant just that..better. Not cured. Not ready to go home. Just better.
"I don't know, Ros" he answered truthfully, "But he was really excited that you were coming to visit" he added. He wasn't sure "excited" was the right word, but no harm in making the girl feel like she was wanted.
They got to the hospital a few minutes later. A nurse tried to stop them, saying kids weren't allowed in, but John strategically flashed his badge and asked again. She let them pass. He pushed the door open slowly and had to pull Rosalind in. The Lieutenant was asleep. He still looked kind of...tired. Rosalind just looked at him.
"Is that my daddy?" she asked quietly.
"Yeah. Yeah, that's your daddy" John answered.