But if my silence made you leave
Then that would be my worst mistake
So I will share this room with you
And you can have this heart to break

---

June 22, 2006

General Hospital: Nurse’s Station

Mac Scorpio stepped up to the counter and waited for Elizabeth Spencer to finish with a fellow nurse before turning her attention to him. “Hey, Mac,” she said warmly. “What can I do for you?”

“I need to have Patrick Drake paged,” Mac told her. “Can you do that for me?”

“Sure…” Elizabeth drawled. She flashed him a curious look before lifting the receiver. “Dr. Patrick Drake, please report to the fourth floor nurse’s station. Dr. Patrick Drake.” She set the receiver back down. “Do you…need anyone else?”

“No, just Dr. Drake. Thanks, Liz.” Mac gestured towards the small cluster of chairs and couches to the right. “I’ll wait over here.”

Five minutes later, Patrick stepped up to the desk. “Liz, you paged me?”

“Uh, yeah.” Elizabeth pointed to where Mac was calmly standing between the couch and chair, his arms crossed and his face impassive. “Commissioner Scorpio needed to speak with you.”

Patrick glanced over at Robin’s uncle before looking back at the clearly intrigued nurse. “Thanks. I think. Have…have you seen Robin yet today?”

“No, she actually called in sick.” Elizabeth picked up a chart. “I think she said something about taking a short leave of absence, maybe to go see her mother. But I’m not sure.”

“Right.” Patrick took a deep breath before crossing the short distance between himself and Mac. “You wanted to see me?”

“Robin might not have mentioned this to you, but I raised her after we thought her parents were killed. She was about thirteen, fourteen at the time and mostly grown but I finished the job. She’s like a daughter to me.” Mac’s genial tone didn’t mask the disgust he clearly had for the doctor and it only deepened the more Mac talked. “I’ve watched her get hurt more than once by a man who clearly didn’t appreciate the jewel that she is and I’ve watched her walk around for the last few weeks like someone had ripped her guts out so you can imagine just how pissed off I am right now.”

“I’ve got a pretty good idea. Commissioner,” Patrick coughed. “I’m not sure what Robin’s told you–”

“She’s told me enough.” Mac’s eyes narrowed. “Now, I’m willing to give you the benefit of the doubt because I know that Robin doesn’t tend to make the same mistakes twice. Now, she’s going to handle this however she sees fit, she’s a grown woman and she’s been making her own decisions for quite some time. However, if you step out of line, just once…” Mac leaned towards him. “I want you to know that I’ll be watching you.”

Patrick swallowed. “If I could just–Commissioner, Robin gave me about ten seconds to take in the news before she walked out. I’m sorry that I didn’t have the answers that she needed right then, I’m not even sure I have them now. But I know that I have a responsibility to Robin and to our child and I intend to take care of them both.”

“My niece deserves to be more than a responsibility, Dr. Drake,” Mac all but snarled.

“That’s not–” Patrick let out an impatient breath. “There’s nothing I’m going to say right now that’s going to stop you from wishing you could break me into little pieces, is there?”

Mac considered that for a long moment. “No, no there’s really not. It’s good that you plan on stepping up but you might want to inform Robin since she’s made up her mind about moving back to Paris to be with her mother for the duration of the pregnancy.”

Patrick’s jaw clenched. “That is not going to happen. She might hate me, but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s my child, too and I have a right to be a part of this. If she thinks she’s going to shut me out and not even give me a shot at this, she’s got another thing coming.”

He stormed away and Mac nodded. “That ought to do it,” he murmured. He stepped back over to the nurse’s station. “Thanks for your help, Liz.”

“Ah…Mac…” Elizabeth crossed her arms on the desk and leaned forward. “You and Patrick…you were speaking somewhat loudly and you should know that well…” she coughed. “It should be said that certain people might have overheard, including half the nursing staff. Robin should be warned.”

“She’ll have my head for interfering,” Mac sighed. “But he needed to be set straight.”

“Oh, I don’t think he did.” Elizabeth twirled a pen in her fingers. “If there’s anything I know about Patrick Drake, it’s that he takes his responsibilities as a surgeon very seriously. I imagine that translates to other parts of his life. Is Robin…” she hesitated. “Is Robin happy about the baby?”

“Part of her is,” Mac admitted. “But the other part…”

“Is scared to death.” Elizabeth smiled faintly. “Well, tell her congratulations and if she needs anything, just to let me know.”

Robin’s Apartment: Living Room

“I’m excited to see you, too, Mom.” Robin sighed and tucked her legs underneath her. “I’m just waiting to hear when Dad will be able to come to Port Charles for a quick visit before I set my plans. There’s something I have to tell you both but it’s better in person…no, it’s nothing bad. It’s just–its news that’s better face to face. No, I’m not going–”

“Robin!”

Robin’s head jerked at the loud pounding on her door coupled with the call of her name. “Mom…I have to go.”

She hung up and bit her lip, wondering if she could hide in her bedroom and continue avoiding Patrick. She really wasn’t ready for this.

“Open the damn door!” Patrick pounded again. “Don’t make me open it for you!”

She narrowed her eyes and strode towards the door. She threw open the locks and yanked the door open. “Will you be quiet? Do you want to get arrested?” Robin demanded.

Patrick ignored her and stormed into the apartment, whirling around to stab a finger at her. “If you think for one second that I’m going to let you get on a plane with my child, you’d better think again.”

Robin blinked. “What are you–how did you?” She closed the door and pressed her forehead against the cool wood. “My uncle talked to you.”

“Yeah, and it’s a good thing he did. Were you planning to tell me you were running away?” Patrick demanded. “Or were you just going to disappear and never tell me?”

“I’m not–” Robin bit her lip. “I’m not going right away. My father’s coming to Port Charles so I can tell him. I wasn’t going to just disappear without talking to you.”

“Well, I’m thrilled to hear that,” Patrick retorted, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “You’re not going at all.”

Robin bristled. “Look, this might be a novelty for you but I’m making this easy on everyone involved if I just go stay with my mom until the baby is born. By then…” she took a deep breath. “By then, we’ll know if the virus…” she broke off and looked away.

“That’s what this is about?” Patrick asked. “You think that I won’t want to be a part of the baby’s life if he tests positive? Jesus, Robin…” he turned away and rubbed his hands over his face, devastated by the clear lack of faith she had in him.

“It’s a possibility that we….that I have to think about,” Robin said quietly. “I mean, the odds are against it but…it’s possible. And it’s possible the baby wouldn’t have the same luck I’ve had with my protocol. He could die within a few years, he could develop AIDS and die and then you would really hate me and I’d hate myself so you know, I’m sorry if I just want to make this easy on you and me and my family–”

“How is dealing with this by yourself going to make this easier?” Patrick replied sharply. “I can’t believe you think so little of me that it would matter whether our child tested positive or not.”

“You might like to think it doesn’t matter, but that’s because it’s a hypothetical theory, it’s not reality but as soon as it becomes real–”

Patrick reached for her, gripped her shoulders tightly. “Look at me, Robin. Look at me, damn it!”

She closed her eyes for a long moment before opening them and meeting his turbulent gaze. “I couldn’t bear for you to look at me and know that I signed our child’s death warrant,” she said softly. “Please…just let me go. If the baby tests negative, then we can revisit this and talk about joint custody–”

“The hell with that.” His voice was quiet, yet held an undertone of cold contempt. “The hell with you taking off and disappearing for the next eight months because you think I might reject our child and you. That’s not going to happen.”

“Oh really?” Robin challenged. “I’d love to hear how you think this is going to play out.”

“That’s easy.” Patrick released her and stepped back, his expression suddenly shuttered. “We’re going to do the responsible thing–the only thing for people like us–who were raised by people who taught us better.”

A knot formed in her stomach as Robin could almost hear the rest of his statement before he finished.

“We’re going to get married and we’re going to raise the baby together.”

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