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)
Ros put her backpack down and dug around in the outside pocket. John wasn't sure if he should wake the Lieutenant up, or if they should just make some kind of loud noise and let him wake up. He just stood there, Ros digging in her backpack, for a second.
"I found it!" she announced and pulled a picture out of her backpack. She didn't hand it to John, but he could see what it was a picture of. It was the Lieutenant and a young woman, probably at some kind of family picnic or something because it was at a park. The woman was hispanic too, with very long dark brown hair that was blowing in the wind. Seeing the picture, he could see how Ros looked a little bit like both of her parents. She had her father's eyes, but her mother's smile.
John didn't have to worry about waking the Lieutenant up because Ros did it for him. She pulled a chair over to the side of the bed and climbed up on it, holding the picture next to her father's face. She scruitinized it for a moment.
"Yep. That's him" she said as if it had been in doubt. That's when Rodriguez woke up. Ros was right there by his face and it seemed to startle him.
"Hello!" she said.
"Here, Ros, back up a little" John pulled the chair away from the bed a little. He was uncomfortable now. Very uncomfortable. Should he leave? Should he stay?
"Uh, Rosalind, this is your Dad" he introduced them, not sure what name he should use to introduce the man.
"Are you Tony Rodriguez?" she asked as if nothing terribly important were going on.
"Yeah. How'd you know that?" Tony asked, pressing a button so he could sit up a little more.
"Mommy told me" she held the picture out, "See, that's you. Rodriguez is my last name too, you know"
"Is it?" Tony studied the picture, "I remember this day. Your mom and I went to a Fourth of July party in the park with my sister" He gave the picture back to the little girl.
"So what else do you know about me?" he asked.
"You're a police and you help people be safe" she said, looking down at the picture instead of up at him. Tony studied her a minute. She looked a lot like Rose. And a little like Maria. She wasn't being all quiet and skittish like Clark had feared, but maybe that was because the man was still in the room. He had taken a seat on the other side of the room.
"Yeah, I do that. What did your mommy do?" The last time he'd seen Rose she was working on a nursing degree.
"She helped people feel better at the hospital" Rosalind answered, finally looking back up at him. So, Rose had accomplished that, at least. Good. God, he wished he'd known all of this. He wished he wouldn't have stopped calling. He wished she would've called him. He wished a lot of things.
"Why are you in the hospital?" Rosalind asked him. Tony considered how best to explain to her.
"A bad man hurt me" he told her.
"Mommy went to the hospital a lot. She was sick." The little girl almost looked like she would cry, but didn't. Clark had said Rose had died of breast cancer. Cancer? She'd barely been......well she would be about 29 now. 30 maybe, he couldn't remember when her birthday was.
"I'm sure she didn't mean to get sick" he said, "I'm sure she didn't want to leave you" Rosalind looked up at him, with a very little smile.
"She said she'd watch me from Heaven to make sure I brush my teeth" she said.
"I'm sure she is" Tony replied. There was a lull in the conversation and he wasn't sure what to say. Clark was still sitting in the back of the room, but it was obvious he didn't really know what to do either.
"Ros, why don't you tell your dad what you did in school today" he said finally. He gave the Lieutenant an apologetic look and Tony wondered for a second what that was all about but he didn't have to wonder long. Rosalind burst into conversation, telling him everything she could probably bring to mind as quick as she could get it out. He had to struggle to get it all and manage to put in an attentive "oh, really?" or "that's neat" here and there.
"I like coloring, I have lots of pictures, do you want to see?" she finally stopped and looked at him for an answer.
"Sure" he said and she hopped out of her chair and drug her little backpack over. She opened up the big part and pulled out a dozen papers that looked like they had been ripped out of a dozen coloring books. She spread them out on his legs. They actually weren't bad, especially for a five year old. Most of them were even in the lines for the most part. She had to explain who or what was in each picture. But he didn't mind so much. Clark had been the right one. She was rambunctious and talkative and by the looks of it smart as a whip. Then she pulled one out that she had drawn herself. It was three stick figures, one with a red "dress" on and long brown "hair", another in a blue "suit" with yellow buttons on it, and then a little figure in blue and green. He had an idea of what this was a picture of.
"And I made this one by myself. See, this one is Mommy and this one is you, and this is me" she pointed to each figure as she told him.
"That's real good" Tony told her, feeling his throat tighten up. Surely because of the meds. Or the pain. Or both. Or maybe none of them.
"You can have it, if you want" Tony knew a milestone when he heard one. He smiled down at her.
"Yeah, yeah I'll hang it up on my wall, right there" he put the picture on the table next to him. The door opened a nurse poked her head in.
"I'm sorry, but visiting time is over for now" she told them.
"Come on, Ros, I'll take you back to Caroline's" Clark said, getting up from his seat in the back and helping collect the colored pictures.
"You come back and see me tomorrow, okay?" Tony asked, glancing at John to see if it would be doable. John nodded.
"Okay." Ros smiled at her Dad as she went out the door, "Bye Daddy" This time Tony knew it wasn't anything but threatening tears that made his throat tighten up.
"Bye, Ros"
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)
Ros put her backpack down and dug around in the outside pocket. John wasn't sure if he should wake the Lieutenant up, or if they should just make some kind of loud noise and let him wake up. He just stood there, Ros digging in her backpack, for a second.
"I found it!" she announced and pulled a picture out of her backpack. She didn't hand it to John, but he could see what it was a picture of. It was the Lieutenant and a young woman, probably at some kind of family picnic or something because it was at a park. The woman was hispanic too, with very long dark brown hair that was blowing in the wind. Seeing the picture, he could see how Ros looked a little bit like both of her parents. She had her father's eyes, but her mother's smile.
John didn't have to worry about waking the Lieutenant up because Ros did it for him. She pulled a chair over to the side of the bed and climbed up on it, holding the picture next to her father's face. She scruitinized it for a moment.
"Yep. That's him" she said as if it had been in doubt. That's when Rodriguez woke up. Ros was right there by his face and it seemed to startle him.
"Hello!" she said.
"Here, Ros, back up a little" John pulled the chair away from the bed a little. He was uncomfortable now. Very uncomfortable. Should he leave? Should he stay?
"Uh, Rosalind, this is your Dad" he introduced them, not sure what name he should use to introduce the man.
"Are you Tony Rodriguez?" she asked as if nothing terribly important were going on.
"Yeah. How'd you know that?" Tony asked, pressing a button so he could sit up a little more.
"Mommy told me" she held the picture out, "See, that's you. Rodriguez is my last name too, you know"
"Is it?" Tony studied the picture, "I remember this day. Your mom and I went to a Fourth of July party in the park with my sister" He gave the picture back to the little girl.
"So what else do you know about me?" he asked.
"You're a police and you help people be safe" she said, looking down at the picture instead of up at him. Tony studied her a minute. She looked a lot like Rose. And a little like Maria. She wasn't being all quiet and skittish like Clark had feared, but maybe that was because the man was still in the room. He had taken a seat on the other side of the room.
"Yeah, I do that. What did your mommy do?" The last time he'd seen Rose she was working on a nursing degree.
"She helped people feel better at the hospital" Rosalind answered, finally looking back up at him. So, Rose had accomplished that, at least. Good. God, he wished he'd known all of this. He wished he wouldn't have stopped calling. He wished she would've called him. He wished a lot of things.
"Why are you in the hospital?" Rosalind asked him. Tony considered how best to explain to her.
"A bad man hurt me" he told her.
"Mommy went to the hospital a lot. She was sick." The little girl almost looked like she would cry, but didn't. Clark had said Rose had died of breast cancer. Cancer? She'd barely been......well she would be about 29 now. 30 maybe, he couldn't remember when her birthday was.
"I'm sure she didn't mean to get sick" he said, "I'm sure she didn't want to leave you" Rosalind looked up at him, with a very little smile.
"She said she'd watch me from Heaven to make sure I brush my teeth" she said.
"I'm sure she is" Tony replied. There was a lull in the conversation and he wasn't sure what to say. Clark was still sitting in the back of the room, but it was obvious he didn't really know what to do either.
"Ros, why don't you tell your dad what you did in school today" he said finally. He gave the Lieutenant an apologetic look and Tony wondered for a second what that was all about but he didn't have to wonder long. Rosalind burst into conversation, telling him everything she could probably bring to mind as quick as she could get it out. He had to struggle to get it all and manage to put in an attentive "oh, really?" or "that's neat" here and there.
"I like coloring, I have lots of pictures, do you want to see?" she finally stopped and looked at him for an answer.
"Sure" he said and she hopped out of her chair and drug her little backpack over. She opened up the big part and pulled out a dozen papers that looked like they had been ripped out of a dozen coloring books. She spread them out on his legs. They actually weren't bad, especially for a five year old. Most of them were even in the lines for the most part. She had to explain who or what was in each picture. But he didn't mind so much. Clark had been the right one. She was rambunctious and talkative and by the looks of it smart as a whip. Then she pulled one out that she had drawn herself. It was three stick figures, one with a red "dress" on and long brown "hair", another in a blue "suit" with yellow buttons on it, and then a little figure in blue and green. He had an idea of what this was a picture of.
"And I made this one by myself. See, this one is Mommy and this one is you, and this is me" she pointed to each figure as she told him.
"That's real good" Tony told her, feeling his throat tighten up. Surely because of the meds. Or the pain. Or both. Or maybe none of them.
"You can have it, if you want" Tony knew a milestone when he heard one. He smiled down at her.
"Yeah, yeah I'll hang it up on my wall, right there" he put the picture on the table next to him. The door opened a nurse poked her head in.
"I'm sorry, but visiting time is over for now" she told them.
"Come on, Ros, I'll take you back to Caroline's" Clark said, getting up from his seat in the back and helping collect the colored pictures.
"You come back and see me tomorrow, okay?" Tony asked, glancing at John to see if it would be doable. John nodded.
"Okay." Ros smiled at her Dad as she went out the door, "Bye Daddy" This time Tony knew it wasn't anything but threatening tears that made his throat tighten up.
"Bye, Ros"