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 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!
"Rosalind, you're making me late!" John shouted angrily. Why did she have to be such a pain today?
"I don't want to go!" she shouted back. John went back into the living room. Where was she?
"Well too bad!" he said, watching to see where her voice came from, "We have to go or you can't stay with me"
"You said I could!" The blankets? It just looked like a heap to him, but then she was small. He strode over and pulled them up. There she was, curled in a little ball underneath them all. Her hair was sticking up all over the place and her jumper was wrinkled again.
"C'mon" he said and pulled her up by her arm.
"No! I don't want to! I don't want to!" She screamed and tried to run away again. John picked her up and had to be careful of her flailing hands. He didn't want to show up with a black eye. He grabbed her backpack and slammed the apartment door behind him. He had to put Rosalind down to lock the door and was relieved when she didn't run away down the hall.
"Stop pouting" he said. She stuck her tounge out at him. John rolled his eyes, grabbed her hand and headed down to the car.
"What took so long?" Maria asked when they walked into the courtroom, "You're almost late" John sighed.
"Rosalind decided she didn't want to come" he told her. The little girl was splayed across his chest, her head resting on his shoulder, asleep.
"She's cranky today, she didn't go to bed on time last night" he added, taking a seat behind the table next to his lawyer.
"You shouldn't carry her around like that" Maria scolded him, "She's too big" John ignored her, again, and set Rosalind in the chair next to him, waking her up.
"Shh..sit here and be quiet for just a little while okay?" he told her. She nodded groggily. Just then the judge walked in. They went through the whole "herey herey" thing, John's lawyer presented the papers Mildred Collins had left and the judge asked if anyone wished to contest them. John held his breath for a moment, but nobody said anything. The judge looked the papers over again.
"This court hereby declares John Clark legal guardian of Rosalind Isabella Rodriguez" he said and banged his gavel. John let his breath out. He'd been afraid, for just a second, that the judge would reverse the orders.
"Can we go home now?" Rosalind asked testily. She was fully awake again.
"I have to go to work" he told her, "You're going with Aunt Maria" Rosalind sighed and picked up her own backpack.
"I'll see you at lunch" he told her and jogged out. The new Lieutenant, Barbados, wasn't a bad fella but he didn't want to be any later than he had to be. He walked into the station ten minutes before he had expected to.
"Hey, how'd it go?" Andy asked.
"No prob" John answered nonchalantly.
"Congratulations!" Connie exclaimed and gave him a hug. John let himself grin a little. Yeah, congratulations indeed!
That night........
"Do I get to stay with you forever, now?" Rosalind asked quietly as he tucked the blankets around her.
"Yep. Forever" he answered with a pleased kind of feeling, even if she had been a brat all day.
"Are you my Daddy now, then?" she inquired. He looked down at her, a little surprised. She waited for the answer, watching him with huge brown eyes, tangled brown/black hair, her little doll squeezed close to her face. What should he answer? He didn't want her to forget about her real father. That wasn't likely to happen, though, because she was going to be babysat by his sister, Maria, while he was at work. She had two kids herself and thought it would better for Rosalind to spend time with a family. Plus, she could learn their family traditions and what not too. Maria had even offered to come by and pick her up for church on Sundays. John had considered it, but he remembered hearing somewhere that kids learned from example. If he wanted her to go to church on Sundays, then he had better set an example for her. He kind of groaned at the thought. She wasn't even really old enough to understand what was going on at church, and he didn't have any plans to become Catholic any time soon. But he had signed up for the long haul and he wasn't backing out now. He was going to do this right.
"Yeah" he replied finally, "Yeah, I'm your Daddy now" She didn't say anything so he just kissed her forehead and said goodnight.
"Goodnight, Daddy"
To borrow a phrase: NYPD Blue no mine......no money, no sue, please? AN: 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!
"Rosalind, you're making me late!" John shouted angrily. Why did she have to be such a pain today?
"I don't want to go!" she shouted back. John went back into the living room. Where was she?
"Well too bad!" he said, watching to see where her voice came from, "We have to go or you can't stay with me"
"You said I could!" The blankets? It just looked like a heap to him, but then she was small. He strode over and pulled them up. There she was, curled in a little ball underneath them all. Her hair was sticking up all over the place and her jumper was wrinkled again.
"C'mon" he said and pulled her up by her arm.
"No! I don't want to! I don't want to!" She screamed and tried to run away again. John picked her up and had to be careful of her flailing hands. He didn't want to show up with a black eye. He grabbed her backpack and slammed the apartment door behind him. He had to put Rosalind down to lock the door and was relieved when she didn't run away down the hall.
"Stop pouting" he said. She stuck her tounge out at him. John rolled his eyes, grabbed her hand and headed down to the car.
"What took so long?" Maria asked when they walked into the courtroom, "You're almost late" John sighed.
"Rosalind decided she didn't want to come" he told her. The little girl was splayed across his chest, her head resting on his shoulder, asleep.
"She's cranky today, she didn't go to bed on time last night" he added, taking a seat behind the table next to his lawyer.
"You shouldn't carry her around like that" Maria scolded him, "She's too big" John ignored her, again, and set Rosalind in the chair next to him, waking her up.
"Shh..sit here and be quiet for just a little while okay?" he told her. She nodded groggily. Just then the judge walked in. They went through the whole "herey herey" thing, John's lawyer presented the papers Mildred Collins had left and the judge asked if anyone wished to contest them. John held his breath for a moment, but nobody said anything. The judge looked the papers over again.
"This court hereby declares John Clark legal guardian of Rosalind Isabella Rodriguez" he said and banged his gavel. John let his breath out. He'd been afraid, for just a second, that the judge would reverse the orders.
"Can we go home now?" Rosalind asked testily. She was fully awake again.
"I have to go to work" he told her, "You're going with Aunt Maria" Rosalind sighed and picked up her own backpack.
"I'll see you at lunch" he told her and jogged out. The new Lieutenant, Barbados, wasn't a bad fella but he didn't want to be any later than he had to be. He walked into the station ten minutes before he had expected to.
"Hey, how'd it go?" Andy asked.
"No prob" John answered nonchalantly.
"Congratulations!" Connie exclaimed and gave him a hug. John let himself grin a little. Yeah, congratulations indeed!
That night........
"Do I get to stay with you forever, now?" Rosalind asked quietly as he tucked the blankets around her.
"Yep. Forever" he answered with a pleased kind of feeling, even if she had been a brat all day.
"Are you my Daddy now, then?" she inquired. He looked down at her, a little surprised. She waited for the answer, watching him with huge brown eyes, tangled brown/black hair, her little doll squeezed close to her face. What should he answer? He didn't want her to forget about her real father. That wasn't likely to happen, though, because she was going to be babysat by his sister, Maria, while he was at work. She had two kids herself and thought it would better for Rosalind to spend time with a family. Plus, she could learn their family traditions and what not too. Maria had even offered to come by and pick her up for church on Sundays. John had considered it, but he remembered hearing somewhere that kids learned from example. If he wanted her to go to church on Sundays, then he had better set an example for her. He kind of groaned at the thought. She wasn't even really old enough to understand what was going on at church, and he didn't have any plans to become Catholic any time soon. But he had signed up for the long haul and he wasn't backing out now. He was going to do this right.
"Yeah" he replied finally, "Yeah, I'm your Daddy now" She didn't say anything so he just kissed her forehead and said goodnight.
"Goodnight, Daddy"