June 1, 2006

General Hospital: Trauma Room

“It was supposed to be me.”

Jason stared at her for a long moment before shaking his head. “I don’t understand.”

Elizabeth smiled humorlessly and looked away. “Robin and I look alike from a distance.”

“You both have dark hair,” Jason shrugged. “What does that have to do with anything?”

“In a dark room, lying in a bed, Robin could have easily been mistaken for me,” Elizabeth continued, her voice soft. “She’s in that that operating room possibly because my husband thought it was me.”

Jason exhaled slowly and shook his head again. Clearly there was a piece to this that he was missing–even on Lucky’s worst day, he wouldn’t hurt Elizabeth.

Would he?

He had a flash of Lucky, five years ago, on the docks, pulling on a knife on him. Demanding that Jason stay away from Elizabeth. He’d been so angry back then but he’d never turned that anger on Elizabeth. What reason could there be now?

“Elizabeth–”

“Patrick’s been helping me study to be a surgical nurse,” Elizabeth interrupted. “But I wanted to surprise Lucky. I don’t even know why now, but it seemed like a good idea at the time. So Patrick and I met at the Cosmopolitan Hotel for a while and then Robin found out and offered to help me too so we started meeting at Patrick’s hotel room.” She swallowed hard. “Lucky apparently got suspicious and told Nikolas that I was having an affair with Patrick. Nikolas hired a private investigator and tonight, he gave Lucky photographs of my meetings with Patrick. And unfortunately, I kissed Patrick on the cheek after I left his room today.” Her mouth twisted into a wry smile. “I was helping him set up his room for a romantic evening with Robin.”

“That–” Jason hesitated and moved behind her, putting a hand on her shoulder. “That doesn’t mean Lucky shot Robin–”

“Nikolas gave those photos to Jason and for some reason, his first reaction after finding out Robin was shot in Patrick’s room was to look for Lucky.” Elizabeth turned and peered up at Jason. “And he can’t find him.”

“Okay…” Jason nodded. “I’m not saying that it doesn’t make sense to me, Elizabeth, or that it couldn’t happen–”

“Nikolas would never accuse Lucky unless he had a good reason,” Elizabeth murmured. “Lucky hasn’t been himself lately–not since he was injured. He’s been cranky, he’s been very short with me and for a while, he was–” she hesitated. “I asked Patrick to take him off the morphine drip, to change it to pain pills. He was using too much of it too often. And he’s gone through his prescriptions very quickly. I didn’t–I didn’t want to think that he was getting addicted–”

“Elizabeth–”

“But when he takes those pills, his mood swings become worse,” Elizabeth continued. “And he’s angrier. He’s angry all the time. I thought it was the pain and the money problems so I just told myself if I could get my certification and make more money, it would all be okay–” Her voice broke. “I don’t want to think he’s capable of this, Jason, I don’t!”

Jason curled an arm around her shoulders and drew her against his chest. “What can I do?” he asked quietly.

Elizabeth closed her eyes and was silent for a long moment, struggling with the realization that her husband, the man she had vowed to honor and love for all the days of her life, might have tried to kill her. She weighed that against the idea that instead of killing her, Lucky may have shot Robin instead.

She swallowed hard and drew away from his embrace. Her eyes were rimmed with red and swollen from her tears but they were also determined. “I need you to find Lucky. Because if he did do this and Nikolas finds him first, Nikolas will help him run. And Robin deserves better.” She took a deep breath. “I know it’s a lot to ask and I know you have so much going on right now with Sam and Alexis–”

“Don’t worry about any of that,” Jason said softly. “I want to find out who did this as much as you do. For you and for Robin.” He hesitated. “She didn’t deserve this, even if it was meant for her.”

Elizabeth bit her lip. “She was happy since she got back from the islands. Her father was back in town and they were getting along, Patrick had finally stopped acting like an ass, she had her family…it’s so unfair.” She closed her eyes again. “If she dies and it turns out that it was Lucky, I will never forgive myself–”

“This is not your fault,” Jason cut in. “Even if you had been having affair, nothing makes it okay for Lucky to try to–” he couldn’t even say it, he couldn’t say it. It was unfathomable to him.

Elizabeth swiped at her eyes. “I have to go tell Mac what happened. He needs to know so it can be investigated. I just…I need to tell him.”

“Do you–do you want me to come with you?” Jason asked. “Mac doesn’t like me–”

“No, I think it would be better if you didn’t,” Elizabeth sighed. “I mean, I appreciate it but Mac doesn’t need anything else right now and whether you deserve it or not, you raise his blood pressure.” She smiled faintly. “Even when you’re not doing anything wrong.”

“Then I’ll go start looking for Lucky.” Jason skimmed his fingers down her cheek. “You have my number, call me if anything–if you need me. Or if Robin’s condition changes, okay?”

“Okay,” Elizabeth agreed. “Thank you, Jason. You’re always there when it counts.”

General Hospital: Surgical Waiting Room

Carly and Jax entered the room at the same time and while Jax moved over to where Mac was waiting, Carly moved to the corner of the room where Patrick was seated. She sank into the seat next to him. “I tried–I tried to call you.”

“Carly–” Patrick closed his eyes. “Now is really not the time–”

“No, I know. I just…I wanted to tell you before she got to the hospital. I didn’t think you should find out like that. But I couldn’t get through to the hospital and then once I got here, I had to get through security and it took longer than I thought–I just…I’m so sorry, Patrick.”

He looked at her oddly. “You don’t even like Robin.”

“No,” Carly said matter-of-factly. “I can’t stand her. But I like you and you care about her and right now that’s all that matters to me.” She took his hand in hers and squeezed it. “For your sake, I’ll pray for her. But do me a favor? Don’t let that get out.”

“I called Brenda,” Jax said in a quiet voice. “She’s taking the next flight in from Rome but she won’t be here until tomorrow evening.”

Mac rubbed a hand over his face. “I hope Robin is still–” he broke off. That was a possibility he just couldn’t handle right now.

The door burst open and Robert Scorpio strode in. “Mac, what the hell–”

“She’s in surgery,” Mac stood and crossed to his brother. “We don’t know anything yet and we won’t for a few more hours. Are Felicia and the girls with you?”

“They’re down in the cafeteria getting coffee,” Robert answered. He gripped Mac’s shoulder. “The investigation? Is there anything I can do? Anyone who needs to be roughed up? Do we know anything at all?”

“Nothing,” Mac said dejectedly. “I’ve got my best men on it but until Robin can tell us what happened, all they can do is process the scene and look for fingerprints.” He gestured for Patrick to join them. “Patrick, if there’s anything you need from the room, you’ll have to get it immediately because the room will be sealed after that.”

The idea of stepping back into that room made Patrick’s stomach lurch but he had to think logically. His wallet and credit cards were in the room, his clothes, patient files. He swallowed hard. “I should go now before Robin gets out of surgery.”

“I’ll go with you,” Carly volunteered. “I’m sure there are still some things at the hotel I have to do anyway. Mac…I know that Robin and I–” she shrugged. “None of that matters right now. Whatever you need from me and Jax, all you have to do is ask. The hotel, the employees, whatever you need.”

“Thank you, Carly. It’ll go easier that way. There will be someone at the room, Patrick, who will make sure that you don’t touch–” Mac swallowed hard. “That you don’t touch anything we need but the scene is mostly processed.”

“Jax, can I have the keys?” Carly held out her hand. “You should wait here so you can update Brenda.”

Jax silently held out the keys to his car and watched as Carly lead Patrick out of the room. Mac Scorpio frowned after them and then looked at Jax. “Was that really Carly?”

Before Jax could answer, Elizabeth hesitantly entered the room and was relieved that only Mac, Robert, Noah and Jax was present. If Patrick had been here, she would have felt obligated to tell him as well and that was something she wasn’t sure if she could handle right now. She cleared her throat, “Mac…I need to speak with you.” She eyed the other occupants warily. “Privately.”

“Ah…”

Felicia Scorpio Jones and her daughters Georgie and Maxie entered behind Elizabeth and Felicia immediately threw herself into Mac’s arms, pressing her face into his shoulder. “I can’t believe this! It’s all over the radio!”

“It’s so awful,” Georgie murmured. “I can’t believe anyone would want to hurt Robin.”

“I know, I mean, she’s like the sweetest person,” Maxie sighed. She looked to Elizabeth. “Do you know anything about her condition?”

“Just that it was critical when she went into surgery.” Elizabeth hesitated, “But I’ll go get an update for you guys.” She slipped from the room.

Metro Court Hotel: Patrick’s Room

Patrick stared at the room and swallowed hard. The bed had been stripped of the sheets, blankets and pillows but the blood had seeped into the mattress. There were blood spatters smeared on the wall, the lamp that his pants had been thrown over earlier that night had been shattered…and the flowers lay in a soggy mess, petals strewn over the nightstand and stained with blood.

“I can’t–” He shook his head. “I can’t go in there.”

Carly nodded. “Okay, well, then just tell me what you need and I’ll get it for you.”

Patrick shook his head again. “If I hadn’t asked her to stay, she never would have been here.”

“You can’t think like that,” Carly said stricken. “You can’t blame yourself for this. You are not the one that shot her. And as long as that’s true, this is not your fault.” She touched his forearm. “Robin would never blame you.”

“All the other times I’ve been called in on a surgery while with a woman, she’s gone home,” Patrick ignored her. “I’ve never asked anyone to stay the night. Ever. Surgery or not. Why did I have to pick the one night that some maniac–”

“Hey!” Carly cut in. “Now you’re just being stupid. So you’re going to punish yourself for falling in love? For wanting someone in your life for more than ten minutes? That’s insane, Patrick, and Robin would smack the crap out of you for saying that.”

“For someone who doesn’t like Robin, you sure think you know her,” he said dryly.

“The trouble with me and Robin is we both always think we’re right,” Carly replied. “And we never back down. And we both refuse to admit we’re wrong. No matter how many years pass, that’s never going to change. But I know her well enough to know that she’s got some common sense. Now, all those thoughts in your head? Anyone would be thinking them right now but you got to stop it. Because this isn’t about you right now. Robin, if she makes it, is going to need you. So let’s get what you need and get you back to the hospital.”

Quartermaine Mansion: Foyer

“Gosh, it’s awful about Robin,” Lesley Lu Spencer sighed to her brother. “She’s really awesome. I was going to go the hospital but Dad said–”

“Lu, have you seen Lucky tonight?” Nikolas cut her off abruptly.

Lulu planted her hands on her hips. “Hey, I was speaking! It’s not polite to interrupt. And no, I haven’t seen Lucky in a few weeks. Not since I got back from the islands. Why?”

“Because I need to find him,” Nikolas said. “If you hear from him, you have to tell me immediately.”

Lulu studied her brother carefully. “Nikolas, you’re pretty odd to begin with but it’s worse than usual. What is going on?”

Nikolas shook his head. “Nothing.” He kissed her forehead. “I’ll be in touch.”

He left, slamming the front door to the mansion behind him. Lulu pursed her lips and tapped her chin.

“What did he want?” Dillon asked coming down the steps, keys in hand. “Did you still want to head the hospital? Georgie just called–Monica says her family should be there tonight just in case.”

“Something is weird with Nikolas,” Lulu remarked instead. “Robin’s always been one of his friends but he just stormed in here tonight looking for Lucky and didn’t even want to talk about Robin.” She glanced at her stepbrother. “Why do you suppose that is?”

“He’s a Cassadine,” Dillon said as though that answered everything.

“Yeah, but my instincts tell me that it’s something more this time. And his sudden search for Lucky seems awfully coincidental. Why would Lucky disappear the same time as Robin getting shot?” She tapped her foot. “What’s the connection?”

“You know, you’re being more paranoid than usual.” He took her by the elbow. “Let’s go to the hospital before you start talking about tailing your brother.” When she opened her mouth, he pointed at her. “Don’t even say it.”

She closed her mouth and glared at him. “Fine, let’s go to the hospital. But I’m telling you, something is going on here and I’m going to find out.”

General Hospital: Waiting Room

“Have you been able to get a hold of Anna?” Mac asked. He sipped the coffee that Felicia had brought up and winced at the strong–translation: awful–taste. But it was caffeine and that was more important right now.

“I keep trying but she’s not picking up.” Robert took his cell phone out and moved to a corner of the room to try again. Her phone was on this time and when she picked up, he began, “Anna, it’s Robert–”

Click.

He glared at the phone. “Bloody stubborn woman,” he growled. He started to dial again.

Elizabeth slipped back in the room, her eyes tired, her shoulders slumped. She joined Mac and Jax. “The surgery is still going, it’s going to be a few more hours but Robin’s hold her own and that’s encouraging.”

“Good, that’s good.” Mac sipped his coffee again and this time he was more accustomed to the taste and didn’t wince nearly as bad. “Liz, you needed to speak to me before…?”

“It can…” Elizabeth broke off. It mostly certainly could not wait. “It’s about what happened tonight. I think…” She bit her lip, took a deep breath. “I think I know–”

“I finally managed to get through to her on the third try without her hanging up,” Robert interrupted, joining them. “She’s taking the first flight from London. Do you have an update for us, Elizabeth?”

“Robin’s holding her own,” Elizabeth repeated. “But it’ll be a few more hours.”

“What were you going to say about the shooting?” Mac pressed. “Do you know something?”

Elizabeth opened her mouth to speak again but was interrupted when Patrick reentered. “Is there any word?” he demanded immediately.

“She’s holding her own,” Mac said impatiently. “Now, Liz…?”

This was going to be both the most painful and mortifying moment in recent memories, Elizabeth realized as Mac’s voice had been raised and now all eyes were on her. But she had to get through this and it wouldn’t be a secret much longer. “Nikolas came here tonight, he was looking for Lucky and it occurred to me that there’s a strong possibility to that Lucky might have shot Robin,” she said, speaking so fast that her words were coming out and tumbling over each other.

Mac shook his head. “That’s impossible, Elizabeth. What in the world would make you think that? What would make anyone think that? Robin and Lucky have been friends for years–”

“I know and it’s awful and I really hope I’m wrong,” But the longer this nightmare continued, the more Elizabeth realized that she could be right. Because otherwise, Lucky would have heard the news and would be here right now. In pain or not. “But Nikolas told me tonight that he gave Lucky news that would have upset him and with the pain medication he’s been on, he hasn’t been acting himself–” she licked her lips and wondered if there was a way she could get this out without having to say what Lucky and Nikolas both believed.

“What news?” Robert pressed. “I can’t imagine what news Lucky could have received that would make him break into Drake’s room and shoot an innocent woman.”

“If it was Lucky,” Elizabeth said painfully, “he would have thought it was me…not Robin.”

The room was so silent, a pin could drop and make a sound. Elizabeth lowered her eyes, ashamed.

A split second before Robert Scorpio lunged for Patrick Drake’s neck, Elizabeth realized that she’d forgotten to tell them that the news Lucky would have received was false.

June 1, 2006

Port Charles Police Department: Squad Room

“So Georgie swears up and down to me that she had no idea that Diego was involved in a car stealing ring,” Mac sighed. “I can’t decide if I believe her because I think she’s actually telling me the truth or because I want her to be telling the truth.”

Justus Ward leaned back against the desk and smirked. “Kids. Glad I never had them.”

“Thank God for Robin,” Mac said, shaking his head. “The worst problem I have with her is her taste in men though that might be improving slightly. This one is an idiot, but at least he’s not a criminal.”

Detective Rodriguez stepped up to Mac hesitantly and swallowed hard. “Commissioner, we have a situation at the Metro Court,” he began, not entirely sure how to tell his boss what had happened.

“What did Carly do now?” Justus sighed.

“It’s not Carly.” Rodriguez hesitated but finally decided to just go ahead and say it. “911 got a call from one of the rooms–there was a shooting. I’m on call but, Commissioner, it was Robin.”

“Robin?” Mac echoed blankly. “Robin called it in?” Please don’t say it…

“She called it in,” Rodriguez confirmed. “But she’s also the victim. The EMTs are transporting her to GH now but she was unconscious when they arrived on the scene.”

Mac gripped his detective’s shoulder and Justus stood immediately in case Mac needed support to keep standing. “What was her condition? Where was she shot?”

“Ah, I don’t have all the details, sir, but she was shot once in the chest and once in the lower back. Sir, we should probably get over to GH–”

Mac nodded. “Yeah, we should–we should do that.” But he took another minute to gather his composure. Robin would need him to be strong, his family would need him to be strong right now.

Metro Court: Lobby

Carly gripped Jax’s arm as Robin was wheeled out the elaborate front doors on a stretcher. She swallowed hard. “Someone should call Patrick.”

Jax blinked. “I should call Brenda. Or find someone who has Brenda’s number.” He looked at Carly. “I–how could this happen?”

“I don’t know,” Carly said softly. She rubbed his shoulder and watched as the paramedics loaded the stretcher into the ambulance and flinched when the sirens began to wail. “I’ll call the hospital; Patrick should be warned before she just shows up.”

General Hospital: Emergency Room

Elizabeth leaned against the counter and surveyed the empty room. “It’s so dead in here tonight,” she sighed. “I can’t decide if I hate the slow nights or not.”

“I would rather have a slow night,” Emily Quartermaine decided. She made some notations in the chart of a teenager who had come in to have something…removed…from an unmentionable place. “The kids are lot more creative than I was at their age.”

Elizabeth snorted. “I wonder how they even got it all the way up there–it takes stamina–”

“Did someone say stamina?” Patrick asked as he joined them at the desk. “Because that is my middle name.”

“Must be good to be Robin,” Emily snickered. “How’d the surgery go?”

“Successfully,” Patrick grinned. “Was there any doubt? I’m going to head back out for the night–I have a beautiful lady waiting for me–”

Emily noticed the scanner light blinking and went to take the incoming call. Elizabeth took a sheet of paper from her pocket and waved it in front of Patrick’s face. “That last minute study session this afternoon paid off. I took my last test tonight and the results came in fifteen minutes ago.”

“You passed?” Patrick took the paper and grinned. “With me as a tutor, was there any doubt?”

“Okay, okay,” Elizabeth rolled her eyes. “But I am officially certified as a surgical nurse.”

Emily hung up the phone and whirled around. “We’ve got a GSW incoming, ETA two minutes. Liz, can you page the surgeon on call?”

“Ah…I’m right here, I can take it–” Patrick began.

“No, you can’t, Patrick,” Emily rushed to make sure the nearest trauma room was ready and a mystified Elizabeth paged Monica Quartermaine to report to the ER immediately.

“Why can’t I?” Patrick demanded. “It’s a gunshot wound, it’s not neurosurgery, I’m fully capable–”

Emily bit her lip and saw the ambulance pull up outside. “Patrick, you can’t because it’s Robin,” she blurted out.

“It’s Robin what?” Patrick asked, clearly not following her. “What about–” and then it sunk in. “No, that’s impossible. Robin is in my hotel room, she’s waiting for me to come back and–”

“Patrick,” Emily gripped his arms. “Listen to me, Robin is coming in with a very serious gunshot wound, okay? I don’t know the details, I just know that it–” she licked her lips nervously. “Patrick, they almost lost her in the ambulance.”

Sonny’s House: Living Room

“I want to watch cartoons,” Morgan whispered to his older brother as he and Michael snuck into the living room.

“No, they make too much noise,” Michael replied. He lifted his brother onto the couch and fumbled for the remote. “We came down to watch The Rock on Conan remember?”

Morgan pouted. “Scooby!”

Michael rolled his eyes and flicked the television set on. He started to change the channel but was soon engrossed in the breaking news report.

An unfamiliar reporter stood in front of the Metro Court. “I’m live at the posh Metro Court Hotel in downtown Port Charles where there has been a shooting tonight. Dr. Robin Scorpio, the niece of Police Commissioner Mac Scorpio, has been seriously wounded. We don’t have a lot of details but we can report that it does not appear to be a random shooting and that there are no other injuries. Commissioner Scorpio was not available for comment but we managed to get an exclusive interview with co-owners Carly Corinthos Alcazar and Jasper Jacks.”

Carly’s face filled the screen. “It’s just awful,” she sighed. “Our prayers are with the family–“

“Uh oh,” Michael sighed. He looked to his brother Morgan. “Mom’s on the news again. We better go wake Dad.”

Wyndemere: Study

“…sources say that the room was not registered to Dr. Scorpio, but to Dr. Patrick Drake, a neurosurgeon at General Hospital. Dr. Drake has not been located and the police will not say whether or not he is a suspect at this time–“

Nikolas glanced up from the sound of Robin’s name coming from the small radio he had tuned to the local news while he waited for an overseas conference call. He hadn’t caught the first portion of the report but the gist was startling clear as the report continued.

“There is no news at this time on Dr. Scorpio’s condition, only that she is listed in critical condition at General Hospital. This is Myra Gold with WKPC–“

Nikolas shut the radio off and then stared at it for a long moment as the pieces fell together and formed a horrifying conclusion. Robin Scorpio was injured while in Patrick Drake’s hotel room.

Robin, a petite brunette, who had been seeing Patrick.

Robin, who might look like Elizabeth from a distance.

His stomach lurched and Nikolas hurled himself out of his chair and called for the launch.

He had to find his brother.

General Hospital: Emergency Room

“Everyone wears gloves at all times,” Monica declared the second she entered the trauma room. She snapped the plastic on and nodded to Emily. “What do we got?”

Emily forced all other information from her mind and focused on the facts. “Twenty-eight-year-old female with gunshot wounds to the upper chest and lower back. Patient was conscious long enough to call 911 but EMTs were unable to rouse when they arrived. She flat lined twice in the–”

Emily’s voice faded as Dr. Noah Drake pulled his son from the room. “If Monica turned around and saw you, she’d rip your head off,” Noah remarked. “You know better.”

Patrick just shook his head. “Robin’s in there and–”

“And you’re staying out here,” Noah cut in.

Before Patrick could begin to argue his point, Mac Scorpio grabbed him by the shirt and shook him. “What the hell did you do to my niece?” he growled.

“Mac–” Noah grabbed at Mac’s shoulders. “Patrick was here all night–”

“It’s okay,” Patrick cut in, pulling himself form Mac’s grasp. “Commissioner Scorpio, I was called into surgery three hours ago–Robin was waiting for me at my hotel room. I don’t know anything more than that.”

Mac hesitated. “I’m sorry,” he said roughly. “I acted–I acted without thinking.”

“It’s fine,” Patrick tugged at the collar of his lab coat. “It’s no less than what her father is going to do when he gets here–”

“You called him?” Mac asked, surprised. “You must have a death wish–”

“No, I didn’t call him but…” Patrick gestured towards the television screens in the waiting room. “It’s all over the news. Do you really think Robert doesn’t know yet?”

Whatever Mac would say in response to that was cut off when the doors to the trauma room opened and Robin was wheeled out. Mac leapt forward but Monica stepped in front of him.

“Take her into the OR, I’ll be right in,” she told Emily and the other staff. She turned back to Mac and the doctors Drake. “Okay, Mac, I need to you be calm because it’s going to be a long night.”

“I’m calm, Monica. I need to know what happened, what’s going on?” Mac demanded. “Felicia’s been calling my cell phone for the last ten minutes and I didn’t want her to come down yet–”

Monica closed. “It might be for the best if Robin’s family were here.”

Mac blanched and any color Patrick might have had left was gone now. “Is she going to die?” Mac asked thickly.

“It’s going to be a long night,” Monica repeated. “The bullet to the chest ruptured an artery, that’s what we’re going into repair right now. The wound in her lower back is causing some hemorrhaging. We’re going to do our best to repair the damage but there are no guarantees.” She was silent for a moment. “It would be a good idea if her family were here.”

“Is there anything I can do, Mac?” Noah offered, touching the commissioner’s shoulder. “Anyone I can call?”

Mac cleared his throat. “Thank you but these are calls I have to make myself.” He shook his head, trying to focus. “Ah, if you could just wait here for an update? I’m sure Monica will keep Patrick apprised of the situation–” he stopped and realized Patrick was gone. “Where did he go?”

Nikolas rushed into the Emergency Room and made a beeline for Elizabeth who was standing near the trauma room, her eyes glassy as she stared into space. “Liz, have you seen Lucky?”

“What?” Elizabeth looked at him blankly. “No. I just–Robin was shot tonight, Nikolas.”

He nodded and found he couldn’t meet her eyes. “I–I know. I heard it on the news. That’s why–” he broke off. “I need to find Lucky.”

Elizabeth stared at him for a long moment. “Why do you need to find Lucky? He’s at home.”

“No–no, he’s not.” Nikolas exhaled harshly and took her by the elbow all but dragging her into the trauma room. “I know, Elizabeth. You don’t have to hide it from me. I’m not gonna judge you, I just…I want to know why.”

Elizabeth stared at him and slowly shook her head. “You’re going to have to spell it out for me, Nikolas. I just had to work on one of my best friends and now I have to go out there and keep her family updated as she fights for her life. So forgive me if I’m not in the mood–”

And then Nikolas realized he was judging. And he did have a side. “Some best friend–you were sleeping with her boyfriend,” he bit out. “I warned Robin about that jerk–”

“Whoa–” Elizabeth held up a hand and he shut up. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about your affair with Patrick Drake,” Nikolas said, his teeth clenched.

Jason’s Penthouse

Sonny was surprised when Jason opened the door only seconds after his knock. “You’re still up?”

Jason frowned at the sight of Sonny Corinthos at his door, considering they were still technically not speaking. “What’s wrong?” he demanded. “Have you heard from Alexis? Do you know where Sam is?”

“You haven’t been watching the news,” Sonny sighed. He rubbed his cheek. “Ah, there was a shooting at the Metro Court–”

Jason blinked. “Carly? Is she okay?” He turned and reached for his keys. “Is she at GH?”

“No, no–” Sonny shook his head. “Jason, it was Robin. She was shot. The boys heard it on the news and when they saw Carly on the television, they woke me up. I know neither one of us is particularly close to Robin anymore but I figured…”

“What happened?” Jason demanded. “Why would someone shoot Robin?”

“I don’t know. The news hasn’t said much other than she called 911 but was found alone in the hotel room, which is registered to her boyfriend, that Dr. Drake guy. No word on her condition other than its critical. I left the boys with Leticia but I was going to head over the hospital.” Sonny scratched his temple. “I thought if, ah, Emily or Elizabeth was on duty, I could find out how she is.”

“I’ll go,” Jason said quietly. “Elizabeth will tell me. And it’s probably better if Mac Scorpio doesn’t see you. We don’t know–we don’t know if the shooting is related to anything and he might think it is so just let me go and check on her.”

General Hospital: Emergency Room

Rodriguez had pulled Patrick away from his father and Robin’s uncle to question him about the events of the evening. He pulled the neurosurgeon into a quiet corner. “I need to know what happened this evening and where you were about forty-five minutes ago.”

Patrick sighed and scrubbed a hand over his face. “I was here, in the operating room. A patient went critical and needed to be operated on so I came in take care of it. My surgical staff can verify that.”

“Okay,” Rodriguez noted that. “You and Dr. Scorpio had a date this evening?”

“At the hotel, yeah.” Patrick took a deep breath and focused on telling the detective everything. A small fact, a detail that was unimportant to him might be able to help Robin and that was all that mattered. “We had dinner in my room about seven and ah…” he scratched the back of his neck. “We were in bed until about nine-thirty–that’s when my beeper went off. Robin was going to leave but–” Patrick’s voice faltered for a moment. “I asked her to stay, to wait until I got back.”

Rodriguez decided to veer off that line of questioning. “We’re getting the security tapes from that hallway but was there anyone else in your room that day? Any other visitors?”

“Yeah–Elizabeth Spencer.” Patrick took a deep breath. “I was helping her study for a certification test and she helped me set up the room for Robin. She left about six; Robin arrived about a half hour later. But no, no one other than her.”

General Hospital: Trauma Room

Elizabeth stared at Nikolas for a long moment and it began to come together for her. It began to make horrifying sense.

“You think I’m having an affair with Patrick.” Elizabeth licked her lips. “How–why would you think that?”

“Lucky–” Nikolas shook his head. “He was suspicious and I wanted to put his mind at ease so I hired someone to trail you–”

“You what?” Elizabeth exploded. “You hired someone to follow me? To what–take pictures of me?” She dragged her hands through her hair. “Christ, Nikolas–there was nothing to find out–Patrick was helping me study for my surgical certification. We weren’t having an affair–he’s crazy about Robin. I was there tonight–”

“I know!” Nikolas cut in harshly. “I saw the picture of you kissing him!”

Elizabeth stared at him, her eyes wide and then something in her head clicked and she backed up. “Oh my God. Oh my God.” Something curled in the pit of her belly and she felt nauseous. “Did you give that picture to Lucky? Did you show it to him?”

“I had to, Elizabeth. He’s my brother. My first loyalty is to him.” Nikolas was breathing hard and beginning to get angry. “He trusted you, Elizabeth, how could you do this to him?”

“I didn’t do anything!” Elizabeth retorted. “I kissed Patrick on the cheek, the same thing I’ve done to you a thousand times. We are friends and I can’t believe–” She turned away, terrified at the possibility. “Robin is only a little shorter than me, we have dark hair, and we have almost the same build–”

“You don’t know that it happened that way–”

“If Lucky went into Patrick’s room and saw Robin sleeping, he might have thought it was me.”

And the implication that held shattered her.

Nikolas watched her for a long moment. “You understand why I have to find Lucky, why I have to make sure it didn’t happen that way, that he didn’t do anything–”

“I don’t know where he is,” Elizabeth said numbly. “I haven’t seen him all day, not since I left the apartment to study with Patrick. I was going to surprise him,” she said as an afterthought. “It was going to be the answer to our problems, you know? Surgical nurses make twice as much money. We were finally going to be okay.”

“You should have thought about that before you started spending time with Patrick Drake. You know the guy’s reputation,” Nikolas said shortly. “You had to think people were going to talk–”

“First all, I assumed that my husband trusted me,” Elizabeth said. “And secondly, it never crossed my mind that anyone, especially Lucky, would talk about anything. I’m married and Patrick’s only been chasing Robin since the day he moved here. No one was talking, Nikolas! No one but you and apparently my husband thought anything was wrong!”

There was slight knock on the open door to the trauma room and they both turned to see Jason standing there. “I was–I was hoping to get an update on Robin,” he said, looking at Elizabeth oddly before turning a glare to Nikolas.

“Since when do you give a damn about anyone but yourself?” Nikolas demanded. He stormed out the room and out of the hospital.

“Elizabeth?” Jason questioned. “What’s going on?” He stepped inside the room. “Is Robin…is that why you’re crying?”

She was crying? Elizabeth pressed her hand to cheek and felt the tears. “I didn’t realize I was–” she said softly. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes and tried to regain her composure. “Robin’s in surgery, she’s listed as critical. That’s all I can really tell you, Jason.”

He nodded. “Okay, I know you two are close,” he started.

“But you asked why I was crying,” Elizabeth cut in. “I’m crying because it should be me in that OR right now.” Her eyes found his and she echoed a conversation they had shared a month ago. “It was supposed to be me.”

May 31, 2006

Metro Court Hotel: Patrick Drake’s Room

Elizabeth Spencer paused in the doorway and slid her textbooks and notebook into her bag. “Thanks again for helping me,” she said, turning back to her friend and colleague, Patrick Drake. “I will be so relieved when I get certified and can surprise Lucky.”

“Well, thank you,” Patrick replied, glancing over his shoulder at the room that Elizabeth had helped him set up for a romantic evening with Robin Scorpio. “I appreciate the help.”

“Robin is going to have a fabulous time and going to all this trouble will definitely make up for the absolutely horrible thing you said to her this morning,” Elizabeth teased. “You certainly lose all that charm when it comes to her.”

“I do not,” Patrick scoffed. “She’s just abnormal.”

Elizabeth snorted. “Yeah, that’s the attitude to take. It’s no wonder she wants to smack you half the time.” She swung her bag over her shoulder and took one last look at the table with the white table cloth and candles waiting to be lit. “Don’t forget the flowers,” she said sternly.

Patrick scowled. “The last time I bought her flowers, they ended up in the trash–”

“No arguments, just do it.” Elizabeth stretched up and kissed his cheek. “Have a good night and don’t screw it up!” she called as she went down the hall and pressed the button for the elevator.

“You’re a pain,” he called after her.

Wyndemere: Study

Nikolas sighed and tossed the recently developed photos onto his desk, rubbing his hand over his face. When Lucky had asked for his help, Nikolas had agreed only to clear Elizabeth’s name.

He’d hired the most reputable private investigator in the area and sent her on Elizabeth’s trail and for two weeks, Izabel Elliott had brought him photographs of Elizabeth meeting with Patrick Drake at his hotel room.

Each photo depicted a comfortable relationship but until today’s batch, Nikolas had remained unconvinced that his sister-in-law was pursuing an extramarital affair and since he’d been privy to the knowledge that Robin was seeing the good doctor, he’d been less likely to believe it.

But today, Elliott had brought photos that showed a different story. Photos that showed Elizabeth standing in the door way of Patrick’s room, smiling up at him and then reaching up to kiss him.

His heart broke for his brother and for Elizabeth, because surely something horrible had to have happened to drive her to this. Something must have gone wrong because they had been so happy.

As much as he loathed this responsibility, he now had to take these photos to Lucky and tell him that his fear was a reality.

Jason’s Penthouse

“So no word where Alexis has her stashed?” Carly Corinthos asked, examining the polish on her nails. She frowned when she realized she had a smear and made a mental note to visit the hotel’s manicurist again.

Jason exhaled slowly and lined up another shot, sinking a dark blue ball in the left corner pocket. He reached for the chalk. “Stan can’t find any trace of Alexis or Sam.”

“Hmm.” Carly leaned against Jason’s desk. “Well, at any rate, Alexis has Sam’s best interest at heart. She just wants her to get well again and you know as soon as Sam is healthy, she’ll come back to you.”

“I guess.” Jason lined up another shot. “She’s alive, that’s what’s important.”

“Right,” Carly agreed. “And you know…” she hesitated. “I can see where Alexis is coming from. She just found Sam, she wants to protect her and she thinks that being around you isn’t safe. Of course, Sam is a grown woman and gets to make her own decisions but no matter how old Michael gets, I will always want to keep him safe.”

“I know that,” Jason said, sounding impatient with the conversation for the first time. “I know why Alexis took her and I don’t blame her for it. I just want to know if Sam is okay and I don’t know that. She could have developed more problems or something could have gone wrong with her recovery. She had brain surgery, Carly, and I don’t know anything about her condition right now.”

“Okay, okay…” Carly shifted. “I can ask Jax if he’s heard from Alexis but I doubt she’d call him. And you could bug Ric’s phone because you know Alexis is in touch with him since she has the girls with her.”

“Ric’s gone,” Jason said flatly. “He left town yesterday and probably joined Alexis. I appreciate the help, Carly, but I’ve already thought of all this.”

“Well, fine,” Carly sighed. She grabbed her purse. “I have to get to the hotel anyway. Will you call if you need anything?”

“I won’t,” Jason answered.

Carly pursed her lips. “I could be annoyed with you but I’m choosing not to be. Good night.”

Spencer Apartment: Living Room

Nikolas silently handed the manila envelope to Lucky. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I wish…”

“I don’t want to hear it,” Lucky said shortly. He tore open the envelope and watched as photograph after photograph slid from the envelope. He swallowed hard and wished like hell he could take another pill but he couldn’t–not with Nikolas standing there.

Lucky rifled through them, each photo worse than the last–Elizabeth smiling, Elizabeth laughing, Elizabeth talking, touching and looking at that goddamn doctor like he’d hung the moon. One after another after another–and then he stopped.

Elizabeth kissing Patrick.

He took a deep breath and forced his fist not to clench. He looked up at Nikolas with what he hoped was a somewhat calm expression. “I appreciate you looking into this for me,” Lucky said slowly. “When Elizabeth gets home, we’ll…talk about this.”

Nikolas hesitated, opened his mouth to say something but closed it. “Okay. Well, I should be going. I promised Maxie Jones I’d meet her. She wanted to discuss something. If you need me, Lucky–”

“Goodbye,” Lucky said shortly. He gathered the photos together, straightened them and tucked them back inside the envelope.

Nikolas shook his head and left.

Lucky reached into his pocket and withdrew the half full bottle of pain medication. He yanked at the cap and took three pills at once. He could handle this. He was a Spencer for Christ’s sake. Spencers were strong and capable.

Spencers wouldn’t stand for a betrayal like this.

Lucky downed the rest of his beer in one long gulp, his mind somewhat hazy from the pills he’d taken this morning and the six-pack of alcohol he’d downed today. The edges around his vision were a little blurry but for some reason, Lucky felt like he could see clearly for the first time in weeks.

And he knew what he had to do.

Metro Court: Patrick Drake’s Room

Robin Scorpio purred low in her throat and moved away from Patrick to sprawl out on her back. “I could stay like this for a few weeks,” she said languidly. “I don’t think I’m able to move.” She pried an eye open to look at his grinning expression. “Not that I attribute that to you or anything. I worked a long shift.”

“Right, mind-blowing sex had nothing to do with it,” Patrick drawled. He curled his long fingers around Robin’s hip to draw her back to him. “Let me see if I can make you eat those words–”

His beeper went off and he muttered something under his breath. He sat up and searched for his discarded pants.

“They’re over that lamp,” Robin indicated with a feline smile.

He grinned back at her and got out of the bed, strolling nude over to the lamp in question. “You can’t help yourself, Scorpio, you couldn’t wait to get them off me.”

Robin snorted. “You’re the one who threw them.”

Patrick ignored that and unclipped his beeper from the pocket. He grimaced. “One of my patients just went critical, I have to go in.”

Robin sat up, clutching the sheet to her chest and started to wrap it around herself. “I guess I’ll head out then–”

He sat next to her on the bed and stopped her from getting up. “No, no, stay –” he leaned forward and brushed his lips over hers but pulled back before he could get distracted. “With any luck, this shouldn’t take long and I’ll be back in a few hours.”

Robin arched an eyebrow. “You want me to stay the night? Well,this is new–”

“Just be quiet,” Patrick muttered. He kissed her again. “I’ll see you in a couple of hours.”

General Hospital: Nurse’s Station

Patrick stifled a yawn as he approached Elizabeth. “I was beeped?”

“Yeah, sorry,” Elizabeth sighed. She handed him a chart. “Danni Franklin had a seizure and after she came back from a scan, the aneurysm had grown–your father said to get a hold of you because she needs surgery tonight.”

“Well, I suppose Danni can’t help it if Robin and I were finally going to have a date that didn’t end with her stomping out of my room,” Patrick said. He flipped the chart open and started to make notes. “The flowers went over well, by the way. I don’t think they’ll be landing in the trash this time.”

“I told you so,” Elizabeth said smugly.

Metro Court: Patrick Drake’s Room

Unfortunately, the flowers were a loss.

It was an idle thought that crossed Robin’s mind as she desperately reached across the bed for the hotel phone. Her vision was getting blurry and she couldn’t really feel her legs–or anything else for that matter. She could see the dozen yellow roses that she had set on the nightstand. One of the shots had gone wild and hit the bouquet, decimating the delicate flowers.

Her fingers brushed against the receiver and the white plastic was smeared with red as Robin fumbled to grasp it.

Blackness was threatening but Robin struggled not to give in to it, trying desperately not let the room fade. She bit her lip and dialed three digits.

“911, what is your emergency?”

“My name is Robin–” Robin panted for breath, she couldn’t move anymore, she could barely breathe. The shock was beginning to wear off and pain was beginning to radiate through her body. “R-Robin S-Scorpio. I’m at the M-Metro Court Hotel, R-Room 1080. I’ve been–shot.’

“Ma’am, we’re sending an ambulance and a squad car. Do you know who shot you?”

Robin slumped against the blood stained pillows and finally let the blackness seep in.

“Ma’am? Do you know who shot you?”