December 3, 2006

General Hospital: Robin’s Room

It was nearly three hours after Robin was out of surgery before her eyelids fluttered and she turned her head to the left. “Patrick?” she murmured.

Anna sat up and leaned forward to grasp her daughter’s hands. “He’s sitting in the nursery, darling.” She smiled when Robin opened her eyes completely and frowned at her mother. “He’s been alternating between your room and sitting with your daughter.”

“Maddy?” Robin whispered. She licked her lips. “She’s all right? It was so early and–”

“She’s fine, love. Absolutely perfect.” Anna sniffled. “She’s in an incubator for just a few weeks to be on the safe side but Steven says she’s healthy.”

“I want–” Robin cleared her throat. “I want to see her.”

“As soon as you can move around.” Anna pressed her lips to Robin’s forehead. “You gave us all a scare. They had to rush you to surgery.”

“What? Why?” Robin coughed and Anna stood to pour her a glass of water. After a long sip, she repeated her questions.

“You were bleeding and the doctors whisked you away so quickly we didn’t know if you would be all right.” Anna took a deep breath and smiled weakly. “But of course you are and now you have a beautiful daughter to show for it.” She patted Robin’s hand. “I’ll go fetch the doctor and see if I can’t drag Patrick away from the nursery.”

General Hospital: Nursery

Patrick handed Maddy back to the on duty nurse and exited, pulling off the protective scrubs. He dumped them in the trash and turned to find Anna waiting for him. “Hey–is Robin awake?”

“She is, and she was asking for you.” Anna peeked through the window and smiled. “I can hardly believe she’s finally here, after all these months.”

“The nurse said that she was going to probably be sleeping the rest of the night,” Patrick said a little regretfully. He flicked his eyes towards the hall that would take him to his wife. “Ah, if you don’t mind–”

“Sure,” Anna waved him on. “I’m sure Robin wants to hear every detail.” She caught his arm as he moved past her. “Patrick, I just want to tell you how very glad I am that you and Robin found each other. You’ve given her a very special gift in Madelyn.”

“We gave her to each other,” Patrick corrected with a tired smile before going to see his wife.

Steven was just exiting Robin’s room when Patrick rounded the corner. He grinned. “Hey, Dad. How’s the new addition doing?”

“She’s incredible. Not doing anymore more than waving her arms and opening her mouth,” Patrick admitted, “but it’s still pretty cool.” He glanced towards the door. “How’s Robin? Is she still awake?”

“She is.” Steven crossed his arms. “A little weak but she’ll feel better in a few days. Barring infection, she’ll make a complete recovery.” He patted Patrick’s shoulder. “If she falls asleep, don’t panic. She’ll be in and out for a few hours but by tomorrow night, that’ll pass.”

“Thanks,” Patrick said. He pushed open the door and sighed in relief when he saw Robin sitting up slightly in bed, smiling at him with tired eyes. “Decided to join the rest of us, huh?”

“Gossip says that you have held our daughter,” Robin replied. “And Steven says I can’t see her until tomorrow, I won’t be able to get into a wheel chair until then.” She grinned as he sat beside her. “And unlike other people in the room, I generally think doctors know what they’re talking about when they say stay in bed.”

“Mm…says the girl who refused to sit out Tony Jones’ memorial service because of a silly life threatening virus.” Patrick took her left hand in his and rubbed his finger over her wedding band. “She’s beautiful. There’s all this hair, I didn’t know babies could be born with so much hair. It’s dark, close to my color I guess. She hasn’t opened her eyes yet but she keeps opening and closing her mouth in this cute little o.” He grinned. “And the nurse says I’m insane but I swear she smiled at me.”

Robin brought her free hand up to trace his dimple. “I hope she has a pair of these.”

“I don’t, my mother always said I got away with murder because I would just smile at her and she couldn’t stay mad at me.” He brought her hand his to his lips and pressed a kiss on her knuckles. “She’s incredible, Robin. I can’t wait for you to see her, to hold her. It’s the most–it’s just the best experience I’ve ever had.”

“I’m so jealous that you’ve seen her,” Robin murmured. “I want to hold her and I want to see her and pretend that she’s smiling at me.”

“You will,” Patrick promised. “I’ve been telling her about you all night, you know. How strong and beautiful you are and how lucky she is to have you for a mother. I’ve been telling her about the things you’ll teach her and how much…” he hesitated. “I’ve been telling her how lucky she is because she’s got a great family and two parents who love each other.”

Robin frowned at him but before she could speak, he continued. “I was standing outside the nursery just thinking about all the times I nearly said it and how much I wanted to say it. I don’t know why I never did because it’s true and it’s been true for months. And I know you know it’s true and I know you feel the same way. I guess…” he licked his lips. “It’s just a big thing to say and once it’s out there, you can’t ever take it back and I guess I was…worried,” he shifted. “Because sometimes it doesn’t last.”

“Patrick–” Robin pressed two fingers to his lips. “You don’t have to say it. I know it.”

“I know you do. But you deserve to hear the words. And don’t you dare say it first,” he warned when he saw her opening her mouth again. “We’ve done this entire thing ass backwards and I’ll be damned if you get to say it first.”

“Well, okay then.” Robin folded her hands primly and waited. When he said nothing, she arched an eyebrow. “I’m waiting over here.”

“I’m not saying it right now,” he told her. “You’re expecting it.”

“And you think I’m perverse.” Robin rolled her eyes and grinned at him. “She’s really here, isn’t she?” She leaned back against the pillows and sighed. “I can’t believe I’m finally a mom.” She looked at him. “And you’re a dad.”

“Which, somehow, terrifies me more now than it did before she was born.” Patrick laced their fingers together. “I told her she’s not dating. Ever.”

“Okay.” Robin patted his arm. “That’s what Uncle Mac tried to tell me and you can see that didn’t work out so well.”

“Hmph…well I guess we have a few years before we have to start worrying about it.” He leaned over to press a kiss to her forehead and then just closed his eyes, staying there for a long moment. “I was so scared, Robin. I was standing in front of the nursery, watching her and I just knew I wouldn’t be able to do it on my own.”

When he pulled back, Robin combed her fingers through his unruly hair and smiled. “Of course you would have. And you would have been incredible at it.” When he looked at her curiously, she arched an eyebrow. “Would you have done to Maddy what Noah did to you when your mother died? Abandoned her, let her deal with growing up on her own? Drowned your sorrows in alcohol?”

He exhaled slowly and felt a little of the weight lift from his shoulders. “No,” Patrick admitted quietly. “No, I would never have done that. But we make a much better team–I could never do it solo.”

“Well, I don’t intend for you to have to.” Robin hesitated. “Was she tested?” she asked softly. “I mean, I know it’s not recommended and she’ll probably only test positive because it’s so soon–”

“Steven didn’t test yet,” Patrick interrupted. “Because he didn’t want to get a false positive. You were on all the protocol, Maddy’s on protocol and they’ll test her when she’s eighteen months old because the antibodies will be gone by then. But Steven’s optimistic. He won’t admit it, but I know he is.”

“I know the odds are in our favor,” she said, “and I was able to keep positive while I was pregnant because I could take the drugs and do all the right things. But now she’s here and it’s out of my hands. I can’t control if she’s HIV-positive now, it’s already decided.”

“I know, but we’re not going to spend the next year and a half worrying about it,” Patrick told her. “We have our daughter and we’re going to have a great time staying up all night, dragging to work the next morning, teaching her to talk and to smile and to raise her head and all that other stuff. If she tests positive, we’ll deal with it then. But we’re not going to dwell on it.”

“No,” Robin promised with a smile. “We’ll concentrate on our miracle.”

General Hospital: NICU

Anna clucked her tongue as she wheeled Robin into the nursery and helped her adjust her protective scrubs. “Patrick wanted to be here when you met her, he’s not going to be happy that you didn’t wait for him.”

“He needed to sleep,” Robin said, “and I’m not waiting anymore. Steven finally gave me clearance.” Patrick had gone home two hours before when he’d passed out in a chair and she couldn’t wake him up by calling his name. She’d ordered him out of the room and Elizabeth had escorted him home with a solemn promise to keep him there until he’d had at least four hours of solid sleep.

But Steven had given her the green light to see Maddy fifteen minutes ago and while Robin felt a teensy guilty about not waiting for her husband, she’d been aching to hold her daughter since she’d woken up that morning.

The on duty nurse gently placed Maddy into her arms and suddenly, everything clicked in place for Robin. She could understand why Patrick was so upbeat and not worried about Maddy contracting HIV. This little girl, this little miracle, was capable of so many wonderful things.

“She’s so beautiful,” Robin said, glancing up at her mother. “Isn’t she perfect?”

“She is, darling.” Anna bent down and kissed her daughter’s head. “Absolutely breathtaking. I’ll be right outside, call when you’re ready to leave.”

“I’ve always wanted to be a mother,” Robin told her daughter. “I’ve dreamed of it for so long but I thought it would always be a dream, I never once thought it could happen. But here you are, in spite of everything. I have to believe that there’s a reason and that God wouldn’t give you to me and then give you the same disease. I have to believe there’s some justice in this world and that’s why I’m choosing to believe that you are safe and healthy.”

“I know your father has already told you so much about your new family so we won’t cover the same old ground — you’ll have the rest of your life to know them anyway. But they are a wonderful group of people and we’re both blessed to have them.”

“If someone had sat me down a year ago and said, Robin, you’ve just met the most incredibly obnoxious and arrogant man but in a year, he’s going to be your husband and he’s going to make your dream of being a wife and a mother come true, I would never have believed them. I could have never pictured the Patrick I knew then being the Patrick he is today. But I’ll tell you a secret–he might like to believe I’ve changed him or taught him things, but the man he is today was always there, hidden beneath the obnoxious exterior.”

“So he’s going to tell you that you’ll never date and that he’ll never let boys within fifty feet of you but I’ll work on him. My uncle Mac used to try that on me, but I fell in love with three wonderful men despite him. There was Stone, my first love and probably the purest. It was uncomplicated and it was sweet and I like to think it would have lasted but I guess we’ll never know. I’ll tell you about him more when you’re older because he was very special to me and he should be remembered.” She hesitated. “Jason kept me breathing, he taught me there was life after tragedy, after devastation and it’s hard to believe that I could be here today without those years with him, so I will always be grateful. And I’m secretly very happy he’s in love with your Aunt Liz, because she deserves some happiness.”

“And then there’s your father, my best love. The best happiness is that which is unexpected and he was definitely a surprise. He crashed into my life and he gave it color again. He gave me my dreams, he gave me laughter and love and he gave me you. So I’ll work on him with the no boys rule because I want you to have a Stone and a Patrick. I want you to have dreams and the drive to make them come true, which something your dad can teach you because he knows how to make something from nothing. He lost his mother and he lost his father for a while, but instead of letting go of his dreams, he worked that much harder to achieve them and now he’s the youngest neurosurgeon in the history of the hospital and the best of course, but if you tell him I said that, I’ll deny it,” Robin teased.

“I’m going to try very hard to be good at being a mother,” Robin promised, “and I promise to always love you, to support you and believe in you.” She leaned down despite the pain and kissed Maddy’s forehead. “Welcome to the world, Madelyn. You were worth the wait.”

There was a coughing from the doorway and Robin looked up and narrowed her eyes. “I better not find out you tied up Elizabeth to make your escape.”

Patrick grinned. “I recruited Jason. He came by with Cameron and distracted her long enough so I could get to the garage. Steven called the house.”

“Hmph, well you’re going right back home to sleep,” Robin told him but he ignored her and knelt in front her chair. “How much did you overhear?”

“I heard you telling our daughter that I was arrogant and obnoxious,” Patrick replied. He cleared his throat. “And telling her that I could teach her make her dreams come true. Thank for you for that, Robin.”

“It’s true,” she said softly. “Because you did it for me.”

“Well, it seemed only fair,” he said, leaning up to kiss her lips. “Because you taught me how to dream in the first place. I love you, Robin.”

Robin grinned — the declaration had been worth the wait as well. She knew it was true, she’d felt it for months and hearing it out loud was wonderful, but now that the words were out there, she realized that she hadn’t needed them after all. Words were nice, but sometimes it was what went unsaid that was more important.

“I love you, too,” she whispered. “I will always love you.”

+1

December 2, 2006

General Hospital: Nursery

He’d pictured this moment a thousand times in his head over the last few months. Every time he’d had an ultrasound with Robin and seen his daughter on that little screen, he’d picture watching her through the glass and he had been sure it would be the happiest moment of his life.

When Robin told him she was pregnant only six months ago, he’d approached the situation with thoughts of obligations and responsibilities. He didn’t really want to be a father, couldn’t really picture it in his head. But he’d been raised to do the right thing and he’d convinced Robin to marry him–though that had been as much for him as it had been for her.

As her stomach grew and he felt his child kick, something inside Patrick began to change and he started to wonder about being a father and what their child would be like. He wondered what it was about the experience that made Robin smile so often or radiate happiness. She was born to be a mother and he knew she’d be a good one. But he still couldn’t really visualize himself as a father, especially as the father of a daughter–a terrifying idea.

But that had changed after an ultrasound in September. It was the first ultrasound in which the baby was more than just a blob on a screen. They’d been able to confirm she was, in fact, a girl and she’d turned her tiny face towards the monitor and Patrick had been able to see his daughter for the first time. And in that moment, watching his baby, watching Robin coo and sniffle over their child, he wondered why he could have ever thought he’d be able to survive without a family.

He had helped Elizabeth paint a fairy tale in the nursery and he’d passed over a challenging surgery to move the furniture in. He’d even sat through the surprise baby shower Brenda, Maxie and Georgie threw for Robin. And Noah caught him more than once reading books about childcare in the lounge. He began to dream about her–what she’d look like, what her personality would be like.

She’d have Robin’s eyes, he’d decided. And Robin’s hair. He really wanted that. And her mother’s height. But maybe she’d have his mouth and his chin. She’d have his long fingers and Robin’s grace. Maybe she’d take dance lessons like her mother or maybe she’d play sports. He could coach a softball team, Patrick decided. His father had coached his Little League team and it had been a great experience for them.

And she’d grow up to be smart–he and Robin would always encourage her to do well in school and to do the best she could. He liked to think she’d carry on the family tradition and go into medicine but he’d love her even if she did something else. If she wanted to be a chef, or a teacher or even a lawyer. She would be gracious and she would have Robin’s dignity, her courage but he wanted her to have his confidence and his self-assurance.

She was never going to date, he’d decided that. Or not until she was thirty at least. She wouldn’t want to leave home after high school and they would have to practically push her to leave them. She’d love them so much she’d come home nearly every weekend and they’d never go ten years without speaking.

And maybe she’d want a sibling or two and Patrick could picture him and Robin having more children and of course, before he realized what he was doing, he’d dreamed of an entire family, each with their own quirks and personalities.

The more he pictured Madelyn Devane Drake, the more impatient he was for Robin’s scheduled cesarean section on January 29. Though her viral load had remained the same throughout the pregnancy and she could have risked a normal delivery, she was still nervous and opted for the safest method.

He had pictured the day of Maddy’s birth for months and it would always include him at Robin’s side, taking all the insults she could throw at him while holding her hand and helping her through the pain. He couldn’t wait for Steven to hand him his daughter so that he could give her to Robin. And he wanted to be able to stand the window of the nursery and point out to anyone who might walk by that that was his daughter there.

But it hadn’t unfolded that way. Instead, Robin had gone into premature labor. He’d rushed her to the hospital with Brenda and Elizabeth’s help. They’d been finishing up the nursery–adding stuffed animals and other things he couldn’t remember. Her contractions had been close together and there had barely been time to contact everyone much less prep her for surgery.

She’d made it into surgery and Patrick had been at her side, holding her hand as Steven had made the first incision. His daughter had been born but he couldn’t hold her as Steven hustled her over to the attending nurse who set Maddy into an incubator and wheeled her out of the room. Disappointed, Patrick had turned to Robin just as the monitors around her began beeping.

And everything had happened so fast after that. The monitors had begun beeping shrilly and Robin’s eyes had slid closed. There was suddenly blood and then Patrick had been all but shoved out of the room.

It had been a terrifying twenty minutes before Steven had emerged from the delivery room to tell Robin’s family and friends that the new mother had begun hemorrhaging during delivery and they had to take her up to surgery to repair the damage. She’d lost a lot of blood and was very weak. And then they’d wheeled the gurney past them, Robin lying so small and pale.

And then she was gone.

And now he stood in front of the NICU where his newborn daughter layin an incubator. She wasn’t in any danger and would be moved to a regular bed in a week or two. But she’d been born eight weeks early and it was better to be safer than sorry.

He felt someone step up to him and knew it was Elizabeth as everyone else was back in the waiting room, pacing and biting their nails. Patrick thought Robin would rather he stay with Maddy.

“I never told her I loved her,” Patrick said roughly.

“She knows,” Elizabeth murmured.

“How?” Patrick cleared his throat and dragged his hand through hair, keeping his eyes glued to his daughter. “I never told her, never even really hinted at it except that one time before the wedding. How could she know?”

“Because sometimes you don’t need the words,” she replied. “Do you think Robin loves you?”

He licked his lips. “I know she does,” he answered after a long moment. “But she still deserves the words.” He glanced at her. “You like to hear the words, don’t you?”

“They’re nice,” Elizabeth allowed. She touched the glass and smiled softly at the new Drake baby. “And yes, sometimes you need the words. If Jason had told me he loved me four years ago, things might have turned out differently. But he didn’t and we both suffered through unhappy marriages before we found each other again but it’s not like that for you and Robin. It’s nice to hear the words and I enjoy hearing them but as long as you know they’re true, you don’t always need to say them.” She touched his arm. “Patrick, if the worst happens, she knows you love her.”

“That’s not allowed to happen,” Patrick said firmly. “I’m not raising our daughter without her. So she’s going to be fine.” He only wished he felt as sure as he sounded.

“Then you can tell her every day for the rest of your lives that you love her,” Elizabeth told him. She tipped her head towards the glass. “She’s beautiful.”

“I didn’t get to hold her,” he said quietly. “For months, that’s all I pictured. Steven would hand her to me, and I would get to hold her. But instead, she’s in an incubator. And Robin hasn’t even seen her. How is that fair?”

“Give me one second,” Elizabeth said, holding up her index finger. She went to the doorway and called over the on duty nurse. After a brief discussion, during which Elizabeth went into the room, she reappeared with a set of protective yellow scrubs. “Put these on.”

In less than five minutes, the nurse had helped settle Maddy into his arms and directed him towards a nearby rocking chair. “You can have about ten minutes and then she has to be back,” the nurse cautioned him before giving him some privacy.

She was tinier than he’d pictured her but still as beautiful as he thought she’d be. She had a tiny thatch of dark hair that was close to his shade but he thought it might lighten to Robin’s hair. Her tiny hands were curled into fists and her eyes were closed. “So I’m your dad,” he said hesitantly.

Maddy didn’t show any signs of hearing him but he went on anyway. “Your mom and me, we’ve been waiting for you for a really long time. I’m sorry you haven’t met her yet, but you’re going to love her. Everyone does.”

“Ah,” he paused and cleared his throat, “I apologize in advance if I screw you up, okay? I don’t really have a lot of experience with this parenting thing and I spent about a decade being selfish and irresponsible. If your mom hadn’t come along, I might still be stuck in New York.” At this Maddy opened her tiny mouth in an ‘o’ shape and he grinned, feeling bolstered by the movement. “But your mom did crash into my life and she seems to know what she’s doing so I’m just going to follow her lead and hope for the best.”

“I don’t have a lot of deep thoughts,” Patrick continued. “I let your mom take care of that stuff. I don’t over analyze and I can be impulsive. It makes a good balance because your mother is one of the least spontaneous women I’ve ever met. And she likes to think something to death before she makes a decision. But she’s also the bravest woman I know. And the most gracious, compassionate and kind woman I know. You could do a lot worse for your family, Maddy. Your grandparents on her side are brave and smart and even a little clever but if you ever tell Grandpa Robert I said that, I’ll deny it. Your Grandpa Noah’s just as brave and he’s smart too. And he’s had lot of life experience. He’s made mistakes and he knows better than anyone how to pick the pieces back up and put them back together so if you ever have a problem you can’t go to me or your mother about, I’d recommend him.”

He blinked and took a deep breath. “There’s Uncle Mac and Aunt Felicia. They’ll always support you, no matter what you decide to do. And your uncle Mac is a cop, so he’ll be able to teach you how to protect yourself. Your cousins Georgie and Maxie know all about being a teenager and boys so I want you to stay far away from them. Your Aunt Brenda…” he hesitated. “She’s loyal. And she’ll always have your back. But she talks a lot, so I recommend bringing earplugs along. And there’s your Aunt Liz, she can teach you how to dream big but please don’t pick up on her taste in men, it’s atrocious and as far as I’m concerned, you’re going to a convent school.”

He brushed a knuckle down her cheek. “I can teach you how to hold a scalpel and how to repel really awful pick up lines and how to tell which guys aren’t good for you. But anything worth knowing is going to come from your mother, because she’ll teach you how to be strong, and how to keep going even when you don’t think you can win. And she’ll teach you how to love and how to care for other people. And about friendship and compassion. I know she’ll teach you because she taught me. And she gave me two of the most incredible gifts I’ve ever received in my life. Herself and you.” He leaned down and kissed Maddy’s forehead. “Welcome to the family, Madelyn. You were worth the wait.”

After he’d handed Maddy back to the nurse and saw her safely settled, he stepped out of the nursery and stripped off the yellow scrubs, balling them up and tossing them in a nearby trash bin.

“Thank you,” he told Elizabeth, hugging her. “That was better than performing my first surgery.”

“Nothing like holding your baby for the first time,” she remembered. She tipped her head in the direction of the waiting room. “Why don’t we head back and wait with the others?”

0

September 1, 2006

General Hospital: Locker Room

“Do you have a second?”

Robin stilled in her motion of buttoning her shirt and turned to look at an apprehensive Kelly Lee. She smiled faintly. “You waited until Patrick left for the day.”

“Yeah…” Kelly shifted. “I owe you an explanation, Robin,” she said softly. “And I’m counting on your generosity to let me give it to you. You don’t have to forgive me, you don’t have to let me off the hook but I feel like I have to explain myself.”

Robin sighed, and started to sit down–which was starting to be more difficult than it used to be. In the month since the wedding, her little bump had grown and suddenly Robin found many things just a little harder–sitting, standing, lying down. And the finish line was still a distant spot on the horizon.

Kelly held out a hand and Robin gripped it gratefully. “Four months to go and I feel like a house,” Robin sighed. “Why is that?”

“You have a very petite frame,” Kelly remarked. “Any extra weight is going to feel like a ton.” She cleared her throat. “I should start by telling you that my mother died of AIDs.”

Robin’s head snapped up and her eyes filled with sorrow. “Kelly…I am so sorry–”

“She’s been gone for ten years,” Kelly continued, looking away. “I’ve mostly–I’ve mostly come to terms with it. She received it through a blood transfusion before they knew to test the blood. She lived with it for a full decade and well…you actually remind me a lot of her. Courage, grace–not letting it rule your life.”

Robin nodded. “Thank you, I guess.”

Kelly sat down and stared at the ground. “About five years before she died, in 1991, she became pregnant. And despite the doctor’s advice to terminate the pregnancy, she went through with it. I thought–I was sure it would be okay because something like that–” her eyes filled with tears. “Something like that could never happen twice.”

“Kelly…” Robin murmured.

“My brother was born with AIDs,” Kelly continued in a hushed voice. “And for a while, we thought he might still live a full life, like my mother. He was a really sweet boy. Always smiling, always laughing.” She wiped her eyes. “But his body couldn’t fight it and he died when he was four. My mother was devastated and she just…” she sighed. “She lost the will to go on. She died a year later and by the time I was nineteen years old, I was completely alone in the world.”

“Kelly…” Robin reached out and took her hand. “I am so unbelievably sorry for your loss–”

“In the years I’ve been practicing, you were my first patient with HIV, so I panicked.” Kelly swallowed. “I didn’t think I could–I really value you and Patrick, as friends. And I didn’t think I could sit and watch history repeat itself. Even though I know the odds are your baby will be completely healthy, that research has come a long way in the last fifteen years. But I’m sorry and I hope you can forgive me–”

“There’s nothing to forgive,” Robin said softly. “I wake up every morning terrified that I’m going to pass this disease on to my child. But with the advances that have been made, it would have been wrong not to take the risk, take the chance.” Her lips curved into a smile. “This baby was conceived against the odds–a one night occurrence with all the protection in the world. I have to believe that it happened for a reason.”

“I really appreciate you being so nice about this–” Kelly started but the door flew open and Patrick strode in.

“Robin, you’d better be ready go–” he stopped at the sight of Kelly sitting next to his wife and took in the tears in her eyes. “What did you say to her?” he demanded.

“Whoa–” Robin started the laborious process of standing and without thinking about it, Patrick held out his hand to pull her to her feet. “Patrick, Kelly and I were just clearing the air–”

“I thought I told you to stay away,” Patrick began but Robin pinched his arm. “Ow!” he yelped. “What was that for?”

“It’s very sweet that you want to protect me from everything but please believe me when I say that Kelly wasn’t bothering me.”

“Then what she doing here?” Patrick demanded. “What could she possibly have to say–”

“I should just go,” Kelly said awkwardly. “Thank you again, Robin, for accepting my apology. Please–feel free to tell Patrick what I said. Though I don’t blame him for disliking me.”

“You’re damn right!” Patrick called after her as she scurried from the room. “Robin–”

“Patrick, you cannot attack first and ask questions three months later,” Robin rolled her eyes. “You jumped all over those poor nurses last week–”

“They were talking about Liz again and then they said that thing about you–” Patrick shook his head. “I’m not going to let people talk about you like that. You should just accept it.”

“Mmm-hmm, but you have to accept that this is a hospital. It’s life, death and gossip and everything we do is grist for the rumor mill, okay?” Robin gripped the lapels of his jacket and tugged his face down so she could kiss, unable to make it to the tips of her toes anymore. “Now, I thought we agreed that I was still allowed to drive myself home for at least another six weeks. What are you doing back here?”

“Are you going to tell me what Kelly Lee said to you?” Patrick demanded.

“Yes,” Robin said, glaring at him. “What are you doing back here?” she repeated.

“I got a call from the realtor on my way home.” Patrick reached into her locker and retrieved her jacket and purse. “She took me to see a house.”

Robin arched her eyebrows. “I thought we were waiting until after Maddie was born to discuss moving. The realtor was just supposed to get our requirements and wait for us to contact her.”

“Yes, but she found a place that fits all of our requirements but it might go fast so she wanted to give us first dibs.” Patrick bounced on his heels. “So I took a look at it and it’s perfect.”

“We can’t move now,” Robin said, torn between being horrified at the idea of packing up her entire life to move and wanting to bring her daughter home for the first time to her own room in her own house.

“No, we can’t,” Patrick said, “because if you think you’d be doing any of the actual moving, you’re insane. But I can take care of it–”

“You have a busy surgical schedule,” Robin pointed out. “You’ve got one scheduled every week until the baby is born–”

“How hard is it to move from an apartment to a house?” Patrick asked. “We don’t have a lot of furniture and most of our stuff is still in boxes because you never unpacked and I never got my things from storage, so really–this makes sense.”

Robin sighed. He looked excited about it and they had been planning on starting a search after the baby was born anyway. How much harm could it be to at least humor him and go see the house? Chances were it wouldn’t have everything she wanted and she’d be able to talk him out of it.

Twenty-five minutes later, standing in front of the house located at 213 Gardena Court, she fell in love for the fourth time in her life. A two story brick home with flowers decorating the front lawn, ivy crawling up the outside walls, a two car garage and driveway-not to mention the large backyard that she could glimpse even from the front walk.

And a little white picket fence enclosed the front lawn.

“The inside can’t possibly be this perfect,” she murmured. She eyed Patrick suspiciously. “It is, isn’t?”

Patrick nodded and then gestured towards the left. “The elementary school is two blocks in that direction and the hospital six blocks in the opposite direction and, of course–”

“Uncle Mac’s house is three blocks over,” Robin murmured. “How many bedrooms?”

“Three,” Patrick answered. He took her elbow and dangled the key in front of her. “Wanna go see?”

She sighed reluctantly–every woman wanted to spend their final trimester moving, after all. But she agreed and followed him inside, where her suspicions were proved to be correct. The inside was just as perfect. Three bedrooms, two full baths. A large kitchen and adjoining dining room, a front living room and a back room that could be used for anything. And the sparkling water of the lake was visible from the back deck.

“I can see why the realtor thought this place would go quick,” Robin mused. She hesitated. “It is perfect but I’m not sure if we really want to move right now–”

“Look, all we’d really need set up is our bedroom, a table in the kitchen, a couch, a television and of course, the nursery. We can do that in a day,” Patrick insisted. “Well, not we, but I’m sure your uncle and your father would pitch in. And your cousin’s husband. And Liz can probably rope her brother into it, if we need him. And just think–we could bring Maddie home to her own room, instead of a bassinet in our room. I could probably convince Liz to paint fairies or whatever you want on the walls.”

Robin bit her lip. When he put it that way, it did seem like a good idea and she really did want to be settled when Maddie came. “I guess you’d better call the realtor and put a bid in,” she finally said.

Kelly’s: Courtyard

Later, after securing a promise from the house’s owners to have first dibs (they were an elderly couple who were moving to Arizona to be closer to their grandchildren and of course, were suckers for the newlywed pregnant couple who wanted their house), Robin had a craving for Ruby’s chili, so she talked Patrick into taking her to Kelly’s. Not that Patrick required much persuading these days. She only had to make a vague comment about something she might want and it would appear within hours or days of her saying so.

She’d wanted a jar of chunky peanut butter in the middle of the night last week, and instead of pointing out they had the smooth kind in the kitchen like any other sane man, Patrick had put on his shoes and gone to an all night convenience store for her chunky peanut butter.

So, all Robin had to do was merely mention that she was interested in chili and Patrick had made a u-turn and headed for the diner.

Elizabeth and her brother Steven were having dinner there with her toddler, Cameron. She waved them over when they entered the courtyard. “We didn’t order yet, come join us.”

Once, they were all seated and ordered, Elizabeth glanced at Patrick hesitantly before asking, “So, Kelly Lee was looking for you earlier. Did she find you?”

Patrick scowled. “You knew Kelly was looking for Robin and didn’t inform me? Listen, Webber, we’re going to need to discuss the ground rules again–”

“Oh, put a sock in it.” Elizabeth rolled her eyes. “I refused until Kelly told me what she was going to say to you and that changed everything.”

“Oh, so you know.” Robin nodded. “She did find me, thanks. And we worked everything out.” She briefly filled them in on Kelly’s past. “So, I can’t really blame her for a knee-jerk reaction.”

“It’s unfortunate,” Steven sighed. “The advances that have been made are incredible, but every once in a while, you’re reminded of where we’re coming from. I can’t imagine would it be like to go through something like that.”

“But Robin and Patrick don’t have to worry about it, right?” Elizabeth asked, her eyes dark with concern. “Your tests are all still normal, right?”

“My last round of tests show that my viral load is still at pre-pregnancy level,” Robin nodded. “So barring any complications, it should be okay.” She took a deep breath. “But there are no guarantees, Liz.”

“And I refuse to make them any promises,” Steven told his sister. “But we’re doing everything we can.”

“Good.” Elizabeth nodded and grinned. “Hey, just think–Cameron and Maddie could end up together one day.”

Robin laughed. “Oh, that would be great. I’ve been thinking about that lately–all the kids that are going to be in her generation. Molly Lansing and Skye’s having a baby–she’s due soon actually. And of course, Jax’s son, John. But it would be fabulous if Cam and Maddie–”

“Whoa, whoa, I think it’s a little early to be marrying my kid off,” Patrick remarked. “In fact, Maddie’s not going to be thinking about marriage until she’s at least thirty-five. Or boys for that matter.”

“I hear you,” Steven said sympathetically. “I don’t have any daughters but I know that they’re not getting within five feet of the opposite sex. It’s going to be all girl Swiss boarding schools.”

“You got any pamphlets?” Patrick asked, half-serious. Robin whacked his arm. “I’m just looking out for our daughter’s best interests, Robin.”

“Idiot,” she rolled her eyes. She turned her attention back to Elizabeth. “So, Patrick and I just put in a bid on a house–he talked me into it, but it’s really incredible.” She gave them a brief description of the house and Elizabeth clapped her hands to together in excitement.

“You have to let me paint the nursery,” she said. “I haven’t painted much since Cam was born and I miss it so much. Please, please let me paint it.”

“Oh, Patrick already volunteered you,” Robin informed her friend. “But, of course. How could I turn that down?”

“Fabulous,” Elizabeth sat back, satisfied with the turn of events. “I just have to get my brother married off and my matchmaking work is done for the year.” She turned a speculative gaze on her resigned brother. “Brunettes or redheads?”

Steven frowned. “Whatever happened to blo–” He stopped talking abruptly when Patrick shook his head.

“We don’t acknowledge that hair color in her presence anymore,” Patrick informed the other man. “As far as we’re concerned, it doesn’t exist.”

“Right,” Steven drawled. “Redheads, then. But I make my own choices, Bit, don’t think you can mess with me on this.”

“Hey, I am excellent at this,” Elizabeth sniffed. “I managed to get them back together, didn’t I?” she waved a hand at Robin and Patrick. “I mean, sure they’ll say they did it on their own–”

“No, I’ll admit that you saved me from a lot of irritation by pointing out the stuff I was saying to Robin that, you know, sucked,” Patrick told her. “I don’t know if I’d give you all the credit–”

“Well, I would,” Elizabeth nodded firmly. “I also was instrumental in Nikolas and Emily getting back together this time. I’m very good at pairing up other people.” She frowned. “I’m just not having the same success with myself. But I’m working on that too.”

Steven and Patrick both frowned at this. “What are you talking about?” Patrick demanded and Steven said, “I thought we talked about you not hanging out with Jason Morgan. He threatened to kill me once.”

“Me, too,” Patrick nodded. “What’d you do?”

“Tried to date Carly. You?”

“Hit on his fiancee.”

“Repeatedly,” Robin muttered, glaring at him.

Patrick held up his hand in mock protest. “Hey, that was before you started to give me the time of day. I had to pass the time somehow.”

“Anyway, I thought we talked about how I’m not eight and you don’t pick my friends,” Elizabeth said, picking up the thread of the earlier conversation. “And we’re just friends. He’s still hung up on Sam McCall.”

“Damn right,” Steven nodded. “No little sister of mine is going to date that…that.”

Elizabeth arched an eyebrow. “I’ll have you know that I have been there and done that.”

“Me, too,” Robin nodded. “Twice, in fact.”

Steven shook his head, slightly disgusted. “There’s just no accounting for taste.” He met Patrick’s eyes over the table “Be glad you’re an only child. Sisters are more trouble than they’re worth.”

“So are brothers,” Elizabeth replied, whacking him in the arm.

0

And as he spoke, he spoke ordinary words
Although they did not feel
For I felt what I had not felt before
You’d swear those words could heal.
And as I looked up into those eyes
His vision borrows mine.
And I know he’s no stranger,
For I feel I’ve held him for all of time

August 3, 2006

Vacation House: Living Room

Patrick entered the house, two large brown paper bags in his arms and frowned when he saw Robin in the kitchen. “You’re supposed to be in bed,” he remarked, striding into the kitchen and placing his bags on the table.

Robin looked up from the pint of ice cream she was polishing off and flushed. “I was. But then I got hungry.” She licked the spoon. “Mmm…pistachio.” She eyed the bags. “What in the world did you get?”

Feeling somewhat embarrassed, Patrick started to unpack the bags. He’d ended up with ten different kinds of pickles, eight bags of chocolate and thirteen jars of peanut butter. “You weren’t specific.”

“That is so adorable,” Robin remarked, amused. Her eyes caught something on his hand and she reached for it. Belatedly, Patrick remembered that Cece had scrawled her name on his palm and tried to yank it from Robin’s gasp.

“It’s not what you think,” he said, a little panicked. “I mean–yes, random women do still give me their numbers but that’s not what this is and–” he hesitated. “I would never call numbers like that–even when I was single–”

Robin rolled her eyes. “Patrick,” she interrupted. “Look at my face. Am I mad?”

He broke off his rambling explanation and eyed her carefully. “No, but you’re pretty good at hiding it actually.”

“Patrick. I was only asking what it was.” She studied the scrawl. “It is a woman though, the handwriting is too neat.”

“Yes but–” Patrick narrowed his eyes. “You’re really not mad. You don’t even think I picked a woman up at the grocery store.”

“The store you were at because I asked to you go and from which you came home from with a lifetime supply of pickles,” Robin said wryly.

He sat at the table and shook his head. “You went from not trusting me at all to having absolute faith in me,” he realized.

Robin pursed her lips. “I guess so. Once I realized that you had never given me a reason not to trust you and that it was only my own issues screwing that part up…it made it easier.” She reached for one of pickle jars and pried the top off. “So who did you run into at the store?”

“Ah…Cecily Hawthorne, a girl I grew up with back on Long Island. Her family has a house here and we all used to vacation here together, along with Parker Stewart’s family. We grew up on the same street together.”

“Oh, that’s nice. Did you have a chance to catch up?” Robin asked.

“Yeah, a little. She and Park got married, which isn’t entirely surprising since they never looked at anyone else but each other once we got to puberty and realized girls were different.” Patrick smirked. “Well, I already knew but it never occurred to me that Cece was a girl until Park got all moony over her.”

“You were ahead of your own time,” Robin said dryly. She changed her mind about the pickles and reached for one of the peanut butter jars.

“Anyway, she wants to meet you. So she gave me her number so that we could get together before we head back to Port Charles. Is that okay with you?”

“Sure,” Robin agreed. “A chance to meet someone who knew you before you were the charming idiot you are now?” She tapped her chin. “I wonder how many humiliating stories she’ll share.”

“Oh, she won’t be able to hold herself back,” Patrick replied, with an exaggerated sigh. “She’ll think it’s her duty as my friend to let you in all the most embarrassing moments of my first eighteen years.”

“Well, of course it is.” She dipped a piece of chocolate into the peanut butter and then tossed it in her mouth. “My luck is that the only people who could tell you about my embarrassing moments…” she hesitated. “Well, Stone and AJ are gone and Jason doesn’t remember them. Brenda has too much loyalty and Lois lives in New York. Also, Sonny doesn’t like you.” The slight melancholy after mentioning Stone passed and she reached for more chocolate.

“I’ll drag them out of Brenda,” Patrick decided. “Now…for my reward for being such a good husband…”

August 4, 2006

Vineyard: Parker and Cecily Stewart’s House

Robin tugged at her shirt. “I’m fat,” she mumbled. “I don’t think I’m in any position to be meeting new people.” She turned and started off the porch but Patrick grabbed her elbow and directed her back.

“Not so fast, Sunshine.”

Before Robin could make another attempt, the door swung open and a bubbly vivacious blonde flew out to wrap Patrick in a bear hug. “I couldn’t wait any longer for you to open the door.”

She drew back and fixed a bright smile on Robin. “I’m Cecily Stewart, but you can call me Cece.” She ignored Robin’s offered hand and hugged her. “I hope you don’t mind, but I figure any woman brave enough to take Pat here on is a friend of mine.”

Robin laughed and patted Cecily’s back before drawing back. “They’re thinking about erecting a statue of me in the locker room.”

Cecily eyed Robin’s ring and recognized it, throwing Patrick another grin. “Well, if that isn’t the most gorgeous rock–let me congratulate you because according to Pat, y’all are newlyweds.”

Robin opened her mouth to respond but Cecily barreled right over and took Robin’s hand. “Listen to me, where are my manners? Come in, come in!”

Once she had the duo in the foyer, Cecily gave Patrick a nudge toward the back of the house. “Park’s out in the backyard, fiddling with the grill. Why don’t you go pretend you know what you’re doing and let me hassle your new wife for a while?”

Patrick laughed and kissed Robin’s cheek before disappearing out onto the patio. Feeling slightly overwhelmed, Robin trailed behind Cecily as the blonde moved towards the kitchen and resumed cutting up fruit that sat out on the counter. “I’m sorry if I seem a little–”

“No, it’s okay,” Robin cut in. “Now I know how Patrick felt when my best friend Brenda was planning the wedding.” She leaned against the counter and laughed at the memory. “She’s somewhat–” she paused, searching for the best term. “Detail oriented,” she settled for. “She had folders and folders of things she wanted him to make decisions about and he really could have cared less.”

Cecily snorted. “Sounds like our junior prom. I don’t know about your high school, but where I come from, you start planning in January. The dresses, the limo–we did practice runs and booked our rooms at the shore early. Patrick, of course, didn’t realize he’d have to secure a date in January in order to pay for the limo, so he just paid for it by himself. And then when he finally started to look for a date, all the most popular ones had given up on him and he kind of had to think outside the box.” Cecily smiled at the memory. “So he picked the shyest freshman girl he could find, gave her a dozen roses and asked her. It was really very sweet of him, even if it was because he was a slacker.”

“Well, he can certainly be sweet–when he wants to be,” Robin said dryly. She smiled. “It’s nice hearing stories from before–” she shrugged and looked away.

“Before Mattie died,” Cecily nodded. She turned and fixed a sad smile on the other woman. “You would have thought the sun rose and set by her the way Patrick idolized her. Some guys go through a phase where they can’t stand their parents, they want to be away from them but–” she shook her head. “Pat wasn’t like that. Mattie and Noah were fabulous and they were like second parents to Park and me, especially after mine divorced.” She shrugged. “He smiled a lot back then–I mean, he still smiles now I guess but that first summer, after she died…”

She cleared her throat. “Noah closed this house up that same summer–she died right before we graduated from high school and I guess we all thought they’d come up for the summer like always but instead, Noah came up early without Patrick, got roaring drunk and burned all the pictures of Mattie that were in the house.” Cecily sighed. “Patrick showed up about a week later to find the house trashed, Noah drunk out of his mind and all the pictures of his mother gone. They had an awful fight and Patrick stormed out. That was the last time anyone saw him until yesterday, in the grocery store.” She moved forward and caught Robin’s hands in hers. “Thank you for bringing him back to me, to my husband. And thank you for giving him that smile–the one where his eyes lit up when he told me you were due in January.”

Robin flushed and pressed a hand to her abdomen. “It’s been a bumpy road,” she admitted. “But I think we’re going some place really wonderful. He’s going to be a wonderful father, I just know it.”

“How are things with his dad?” Cecily asked softly. “Did they ever patch it up?”

Robin laughed, a little shakily. “Noah was part of the bumpy road. I met him first, actually. In a bar in New York. He was one of the only neurosurgeons that could have performed a procedure on a friend of mine. But when Noah couldn’t do it–he was still drinking then–he recommended Patrick.” She briefly filled Cecily in on the events of Noah’s illness and the transplant–to which Cecily rolled her eyes and muttered something about stubborn idiots under her breath.

The sliding door to the patio opened and Patrick poked his head in. “Park wants to know if you intend on bringing the rest of the food today or sometime before we pass out from starvation.”

“Here,” Cecily thrust a plate of food at Robin. “Come meet my other half.”

0

Just a dream, just an ordinary dream
As I wake in bed
And the boy, that ordinary boy
Or was it all in my head?
Did he ask if I would come along
It all seemed so real.
But as I looked to the door
I saw that boy standing there with a deal.

August 3, 2006

Martha’s Vineyard: Beach

“Something’s been bothering me.”

Robin glanced up from the sand castle she was carving and smirked. “The fact that I am whooping your ass at this contest?” she teased, digging out a trench for the moat.

“Very funny…” Patrick lobbed a pile of sand her way, careful not to aim for her face. It had taken almost an hour to convince Robin to come down to the waterfront that morning since she had tried on all the swimsuits she’d brought with her and realized that after four months, she was finally beginning to show. Just the slightest and, in his opinion, cutest bump but Robin wouldn’t hear of exiting the house in anything less than a full set of clothing.

He’d tossed her one of his t-shirts that hung down to her knees practically and hid her figure. After all that, she’d started to have fun and had suggested the sand castle contest. It was nice to see her grinning like a little kid and looking happy.

“No, I’ve been thinking about Elsie Horowitz. Something she said at the wedding struck me as odd–more than the rest of it.”

Robin sighed. “Can’t we just forget the whole awful thing? It’s the one thing that mars an otherwise perfect day.”

“Just answer me this one question and I promise, we’ll forget all about it,” Patrick pledged. He frowned at his sadly crumbling tower on his castle. Clearly, it had been too long since he’d attempted one of these.

“Fine,” Robin huffed.

“When she came up to me, I was standing with Elizabeth and Elsie insinuated that it was odd that Elizabeth was there and that it was vulgar that she’d accepted the offer to be a bridesmaid at all,” Patrick remarked. “I thought that was strange since everyone knows you and Liz are best friends.”

Robin’s lips thinned and she shook her head. “Nope, I’m not answering that.”

Patrick frowned. “Why would you not answer that? It can’t have–” he narrowed his eyes. “What does it have to do with you? The only reason you wouldn’t tell me is if you’d think I’d go do something you’d think was stupid and the only times that’s happened recently–”

“You are such a pain.” Robin tossed her shovel aside. “I guess it’s probably better if you know. There are some…things being said about the fact you’re letting Liz stay at the condo, rent-free.”

Patrick scowled. “I haven’t heard anything–”

“Well, after the way you threatened Kelly Lee, no one’s going to say anything within a hundred feet of you.” Robin dug her toes into the damp sand. “Look, if you want the truth, it goes back to when we broke up in the spring. The only other woman you were around was Liz and there was just the barest bit of gossip that there might be something going on there. And then when she left Lucky, the rumors were a little stronger. And now that it’s common knowledge that she was going to move into the condo after the wedding, a lot of the staff think…” she sighed impatiently. “They think you’re having an affair with her and you’re setting her up so it’ll continue after the wedding.”

“We work with some of the stupidest people in the universe,” Patrick muttered. “An affair with Liz–of all people. She’s like…a sister to me. I haven’t even hit on her since she whacked me upside the head with that chart after Christmas.”

“Well, I know that,” Robin rolled her eyes. “And everyone who’s actually friends with us knows that but it’s going to take people some time to accept the truth.”

“And what truth is that?” Patrick asked curiously. “That I understand the definition of fidelity?”

“Well, yes but what I meant was that the female employees seem to have trouble with the idea that sexy Dr. Patrick Drake would willingly commit himself to marriage, no matter who the woman.” Robin grinned impishly. “I think they’re a little angry with me for taking you off the market.”

Patrick scoffed. “If they only knew I almost had to wrestle you to the ground and shove the ring on your finger.” He abandoned his sad excuse for a castle and pulled Robin into his arms. “They’ll just have to get used to the idea that I’m no longer a single man.” He pursed his lips. “It may take some time and intensive therapy–”

Robin swatted him. “Patrick, honestly, the gossip doesn’t bother me. I trust Elizabeth and more importantly, I trust you. And Liz couldn’t give a damn about it either. So really, you don’t have to worry about me.”

“It’s now my job to worry about you,” Patrick said. “And in return, you have free reign to run my life.” He frowned. “Not that my lack of permission ever stopped you before.”

“Oh…I was merely giving you advice, not running your life.” Robin rolled her eyes, tilting her face up to kiss him lightly. “I really am having a wonderful time. The only thing that would make this better…”

“Why, Mrs. Dr. Scorpio-Drake,” Patrick teased, “you are insatiable.”

“Well, I wouldn’t mind that,” Robin that, “but I was referring to….pickles.”

“Pickles,” Patrick repeated. He wrinkled his nose. “This is another craving isn’t it?”

“And while you’re out,” Robin continued, ignoring her new husband’s amused tone, “you can pick up the chocolate and peanut butter that I was promised and did not receive.”

“I didn’t realize that I had volunteered to go,” Patrick replied. “Why can’t you go?”

Robin twisted around his lap and wounded her arms around his neck. “I’m feeling a little sleepy,” she almost purred. “I thought I’d wait for you…in bed.”

In other words, he would be rewarded for his sacrifices with more sex with his wife. Patrick quickly started gathering the various items they’d brought to beach. He didn’t need to be asked twice.

Martha’s Vineyard: Grocery Store

Fifteen minutes later, Patrick stood in front of row of pickle jars and contemplated which one suited Robin better. She hadn’t been specific and he hadn’t realized how many types and even if he could pick from the type, which cut did she want? He cast a look into the shopping cart where he had thirteen different types of peanut butter and eight different bags of chocolate.

With a sigh mixed with exasperation and amusement, he started to load his cart with all the different types of pickles.

“Is that Patrick Drake I spy?” a familiar voice called from behind him. He set a jar of dill sliced pickles in the cart and turned to see a pretty blonde standing behind him, with a wide grin that had earned her a Best Smile spot in their senior high school yearbook.

“Now I know that’s not Cecily Hawthorne,” Patrick shook his head. “You’re way too old to be Cecily.”

The woman took a magazine from her cart and whacked him over the head with it. “Jerk!”

Patrick clutched his head and feigned pain. “Well, not as bad as the calculus book you cracked over my head but…”

Cecily laughed and hugged him tightly. “I haven’t seen you here at the vineyard since…” she drew back and smiled awkwardly. “Well…it’s been a while.”

“Since my mom died,” Patrick confirmed. “I didn’t think anyone still came here–”

“Oh, well my parents gave me the house when I got married,” Cecily flashed her hand and he saw the glint of her wedding band. “They moved to Arizona.”

“You actually suckered someone into marrying you?” Patrick teased. “How drunk was he?”

She arched a brow and took his hand in hers, examining the gold band on his own finger. “No more drunk than your wife.” She grinned. “I married Parker, of course. Who else?” Cecily started digging in her purse. “I have pictures of the kids–”

“You and Park procreated?” Patrick winced. “God help us.”

Cecily scowled. “Your charm has clearly deserted you. How did you ever sucker a woman into marrying you? And while we’re on the subject…” She tapped her chin. “What did make the great Patrick Drake take the plunge? If I remember correctly, you told Park that it would have to take some kind of miracle or a gun to your head.”

“I was fifteen,” Patrick replied, defensively. He sobered. “I’m glad I ran into you, Cece. It’s been a while since I saw anyone that I actually gave a damn about.”

“Well, I’m glad to see you, too.” She squeezed his arm. “Now, tell me about Mrs. Drake.”

“That would be Mrs. Dr. Scorpio-Drake,” Patrick corrected, dryly. “And she’d be the first to tell you that. She’s a researcher at the hospital where I’m working in upstate New York.”

“Another doctor…” Cecily clucked her tongue. “Never would have imagined that. I was sure you’d go for the simpering housewife who fawns all over you. She must be some girl. How long have you been married?”

“Three days,” he admitted. “I should have invited you and Park, Cece–”

She waved that away. “I didn’t invite you to ours. Of course, the way you stormed out of the vineyard that last summer, no one thought we’d see you here again. Three days? Newlyweds?” she sighed dreamily. “That’s the best time, the happy time before the screaming kids.” Cecily smiled when she said that, and the love she had for her children was clearly written on her face. Patrick wondered if he’d look like that in a few years.

“Well, we’ll only have a few months,” Patrick remarked, “Robin’s due in January.”

Cecily’s eyes widened and she smacked him in the arm. “Get out! You’re not only married but you’re going to be a daddy?” She squealed again and hugged him more tightly this time. “I knew it! I knew you’d fall hard one day!” She drew back. “We have to go out for lunch, all four of us. It would be great to catch up and I know that Park will want to meet your Robin as much as I do.”

“I’ll check with Robin but I’m sure she’d jump at the chance to hear all the humiliating stories you and Park won’t be able to hold in,” he remarked wryly.

“Well, that’s our duty as your childhood best friends,” Cecily grinned. She glanced in the cart and laughed. “Pregnancy cravings. Park did the same thing when I was pregnant with Marian–she’s our oldest. I told him I wanted potato chips and he was at the store and panicked so he brought home forty different kinds.” She reached up and kissed his cheek, not even bothering to hide the glossy sheen of tears in her eyes. “I am so thrilled that you’re back, Pat. And that you look so happy and that you’re married and are going to be a daddy–I’m so relieved.” She sniffled.

“Cece…” Patrick shifted uncomfortably. “I’m sorry I didn’t keep in touch–”

“No, you were going through a rough time and it’s our fault as much as it is yours. But it’s not too late. Listen…” she grabbed his hand and took a pen from her purse, scrawling her phone number across his palm. “You talk to Robin and let me know when you want to get together. And if you don’t call in two days, I will just drop by,” she threatened. “Park is never going to believe this.”

0

And he said take my hand,
Live while you can
Don’t you see your dreams lie right in the palm of your hand
In the palm of your hand

August 1, 2006

Martha’s Vineyard: Vacation House

Robin looked up at the two-story Cape Cod home that stood before her. Situated just off the beach, it was an absolutely breathtaking view and she decided that there would be more weekends away in her future. They’d left the reception early to make the two hour drive to the Vineyard and would be staying until the following Sunday night. “You guys used to stay here?”

“Yeah…” Patrick set their bags on the porch and came back down the steps to join her on the walk. “Dad sold the house on Long Island where I grew up but Mom actually left this place to me.” He jingled the keys a little and looked at the house with a melancholy expression. “Her parents bought it for them as wedding gift.”

“And to think all my parents gave you was a copy of your official WSB background check,” Robin joked. She wrapped her arms around his forearm and leaned her head against his shoulder. “It’s beautiful, Patrick, I’m glad you decided to open it back up.”

“Well, I know it’s not Hawaii but I didn’t think you’d want to be too far from your doctors.” Patrick turned and surprised her by lifting her into his arms. “Might as well start this marriage off right.”

“Besides, in a few more months, you won’t be able to lift me at all,” Robin giggled, curling her arms around his neck. He carried her effortlessly up the stairs and through the open door.

Inside, the house looked much as it did the last time Patrick had been here on vacation with his parents shortly before his mother had been diagnosed with the tumor that had eventually taken her life.

Robin watched his eyes fill with sadness and she bit her lip. “We can go to a hotel,” she offered softly. “Maybe go to the city instead and see a show–”

“No…” Patrick shook his head and gently slid Robin down his body until her feet hit the floor. “No, I just haven’t been back since before my mom got sick. The last time we were here, we were still a family.”

“You’re a family now,” Robin reminded him. “You and Noah, you’re a family again and I’m sure that would have made her happy.”

“She would have hated how we spent the last decade,” Patrick admitted. “With my dad trashing his career and me…” He met her eyes. “What would have really made her happy is the fact that I’m married, that I found someone to spend my life with that she would have loved too.”

Robin blushed and looked away from his intense stare. The more he said things like that, the more he acted the way he had this afternoon with that board member, the more Robin began to believe that he might actually love her. That he wasn’t telling himself that he did so that he could believe it, but that it was true. She reached up and toyed with one of the buttons on his shirt. “So…this honeymoon…does it include food?” she asked, changing the subject.

“We stopped on the highway so you could eat, you can’t possibly be hungry again,” Patrick remarked. But he took her hand and led her towards the back of the house and the kitchen. “Actually….I had little late night snack planned before we…” he turned back and wrapped his arms around her waist, “began our vacation.”

“Mm-hmm…and when you say began,” Robin said with a grin, “just what did you have in mind, Dr. Drake?”

Patrick’s grin mirrored hers and his dimple winked at her in the moonlight that filtered through the windows. “Well, Mrs. Dr. Drake–”

“Scorpio-Drake,” Robin corrected good-naturedly.

“Mrs. Dr. Scorpio-Drake,” Patrick repeated with his face set in a serious expression, “I thought we could start here…” he pressed her mouth to the skin just underneath the curve of her jaw. “And see where we end up.”

Her eyes fluttered shut and her lips curved into a wicked smile. “Or we could just go upstairs.” She opened her eyes to see his somewhat surprised look. “Patrick, let me explain something to you about pregnancy.” She gripped the fabric of his shirt and pulled him closer. “There is a stage where all I’m going to want to do is tear off your clothes and have my way with you as often as possible.”

“I’ve heard of this stage,” he remarked soberly. “And let me just tell you that I will do whatever I can to support you in your time of need. When will this be occurring so I can circle it in red on my calendar?”

“Oh…” Robin undid the first few buttons on his shirt. “It started about a week ago.”

Vineyard House: Bedroom

Several hours later, Robin curled up into Patrick’s side. “I’m having the strongest craving,” she said conversationally as if seconds ago she hadn’t been panting and demanding that he move faster and harder.

Patrick blinked and looked at her oddly. “You have the capability for rational speech at a moment like this?”

“Mmm-hmmm…do we have peanut butter and chocolate downstairs?” Robin asked, her wide brown eyes looking up at him.

“I don’t think you’re asking out of academic curiosity.” Patrick leaned back against the pillow and closed his eyes. She couldn’t expect him to move right now could she? “I don’t remember if we do.”

“If you go check…” Robin’s fingertips traced a pattern on his bare stomach, “I’ll make it worth your while.”

“Well…” Patrick grinned into the darkness of the room. “The sacrifices a man makes for his kid.” He kissed her, and then untangled himself from her body before searching for his boxers.

“We might have left them on the steps,” Robin said with a grin. “Or I could have flung them over the banister. It’s a toss-up, really.”

“And I left our bags on the porch,” Patrick muttered. He finally settled for a towel that he wrapped around his waist and started downstairs.

He found his boxers underneath a plant in the hallway which was somewhat mystifying. Patrick didn’t even remember being in this area. Robin had some arm on her. He slipped them on and retrieved their forgotten luggage from the porch. He set it in the foyer and started to walk through the living to check on Robin’s peanut butter and chocolate.

A gift wrapped box on the coffee table distracted him and Patrick frowned, wondering where it had come from. The wedding presents were actually waiting for them back at Robin’s apartment.

He reached for the card and instead found a letter with his name scrawled across it in Noah’s familiar handwriting. Patrick shook the letter free.

Patrick,

I’m proud you, Patrick. A father couldn’t ask for a better son.

The letter was unsigned and Patrick set it aside. He withdrew the first video tape and smiled at the label. “For Patrick, on his graduation from college,” he murmured out loud. There were dozens of the tapes and Patrick wondered how she’d managed to keep the filming of them a secret.

They ranged from events like his graduation from medical school to inane moments such as his first day as an intern. His mother had thought of every occasion and every possibility. Which didn’t surprise him.

There were three videos grouped together with a rubber band and a post-it from Noah. I thought you’d want to watch these first since they’re the most relevant.

“For Patrick when he falls in love,” he murmured. “For Patrick on his wedding day.” His throat closed and he couldn’t even say the third out loud. For Patrick, when he finds out he’s going to be a father.

“Patrick?” Robin’s voice floated from the steps. “Did you…” she emerged from the shadows at the foot of the stairs, wearing Patrick’s shirt that she’d scrounged from the upstairs hallway. How she’d managed to get his boxers off before the shirt she wasn’t sure. She paused, seeing him seated on the couch a stack of tapes at his side. “What you’d find?”

He turned and held out a hand to her. She took it and curled up at his side, reaching for one of the discarded tapes. “For Patrick, when he takes the MCATS,” she read. Her dark eyes found his in the dark room, illuminated only by the soft lamp to Patrick’s right. “From your mother.”

“My father found them when he opened the house back up. All the stuff from our old house was stored here when he sold it and I guess these got lost in the shuffle.” He bit his lip. “He thought they’d be a good wedding gift.”

“Do you want to watch one?” she asked. He didn’t answer. Instead, he stood and crossed to the cabinet where the television and VCR were set up. He turned the TV on, slipped the tape in and retrieved the remote control. Patrick returned to the couch and put an arm around Robin before pressing play.

The screen flickered for a moment before a delicate blonde woman appeared on the screen, seated on a sofa in a sunny room. Her smile was bright and cheerful but her eyes were a little glossy, as though she’d been crying. She had a dimple in her right cheek and Robin could see Patrick in her face. “She’s beautiful,” she murmured. Patrick pressed pause and Mattie Drake’s image froze on the screen.

“I thought she was the prettiest girl I’d ever seen,” Patrick admitted. “I told her when I was six that I wanted to grow up and marry someone who looked just like her.”

“What’d she say to that?” Robin asked, thoroughly charmed.

He met her eyes. “She told me not to worry about the outside so much. It wasn’t really that important but she hoped someday I’d meet someone beautiful inside and out.” He looked away for a moment. “I didn’t really understand what that meant for a really long time but I get it now.”

Uncomfortable but pleased all at the same time, Robin reached across him and pressed play.

“Well, if you’re watching this, Patrick, then I assume you’re married,” Mattie Drake began. “And if your new wife is watching this with you…” she gave a little wave. “Hey, there, sweetheart. Welcome to the family. I wish…” Mattie seemed to struggle for a moment to find her composure. “I’m sorry that we’re not going to get a chance to meet, honey. I know my son, though and I know you must be wonderful. I wonder sometimes what kind of woman Patrick is going to marry. He tells me that there are too many girls to just be with one and if he ever settles down it won’t be until he’s too old to hit the singles bars.” Mattie laughed. “My boy thinks he’s charming.”

“Oh, I like her,” Robin smirked.

“But I know my Patrick and I know how much he’s like his father. And I want to tell you, my son’s wife, that when he gets that look on his face–and I’m sure you know which one I mean–that intractable, I’m right, you’re wrong, get over it smug look–” Mattie grinned. “The best way to distract him and make your point…” she paused. “Patrick, darling, leave the room for a moment so I can tell your wife all my secrets.”

“Yeah, she’s kidding,” Patrick remarked. He pressed pause for a moment. “Because there’s a bundle of tapes for you.”

“For…?” Robin hesitated. “Are you serious?”

He retrieved a few tapes he’d set aside. “For Patrick’s Wife, when she has her first child. For Patrick’s Wife, on her wedding day. And one you’re never going to watch…For Patrick’s Wife, all the embarrassing stories and highlights from your husband’s childhood.”

Robin giggled and took the trio of tapes. “I definitely like her now.” She tucked the tapes away. “Let’s watch the rest of yours.”

Patrick nodded and pressed play.

“I’m kidding,” Mattie said with a smile. “I’ve already made a new tape for my daughter to watch and I’d like to make more. She’s going to need a manual to handle you, my boy, and there’s no reason she should have to learn as she goes like I did.” She clasped her hands in her lap. “Marriage is wonderful, Patrick. It was the best decision I ever made and I just know that you’ve picked a wonderful girl. I expect no less from you, of course. She’s going to be strong enough to handle your innate arrogance and gentle enough to love you the way I hope she loves you.”

“It was seconds–” Mattie corrected. “I was repulsed, naturally and went back to my date. Your father, never one for subtlety, sent a bottle of champagne to the table and when I gave it back, he told me that he always got what he wanted and he’d decided he wanted me.”

“Oh…it is so clear where you got your cheesy pick ups,” Robin laughed. She swatted Patrick’s shoulder. “Although I will say you were slightly better.”

“I refused him for two months straight,” Mattie continued.

“I wish you all the love and the joy in the world, Patrick and to you, too, my new daughter. I wish that I knew your name but…” Mattie shrugged. “Maybe I have a miracle and I’m sitting next to you and we’re laughing about my paranoia.” 

Robin felt Patrick’s muscles tense and she pressed her forehead into his shoulder but said nothing.

“But if not and you’re watching this after I’m gone…I love you, Patrick. There is nothing that could ever change that. I know that I will always be proud of you and all that you do. Be safe, be happy and above all else, love each other.” 

The tape flickered to static and Patrick pressed stop. He took a long, shaky breath. “So…out of curiosity…”

“Hmm?” Robin raised her eyes to meet his.

“When did you decide I wasn’t a useless idiot?” Patrick inquired.

“When you blackmailed me into our first date,” Robin replied. She laced their fingers together and stared at her new gold wedding band. “The way you spoke about your mother, and how your father handled it…it was the first time I thought I could understand you.” She bit her lip. “To tell you truth, when you spoke about her, I wanted to hug you. To do something to take away the pain I know you still feel.”

“I don’t think anything’s going to take away that pain,” Patrick said after a moment. “But I know more than ever that my mother would have liked you and it helps.” He brushed his lips over her forehead. “It helps that she would have been proud of me because I’m not sure that she would have been before I moved to Port Charles.”

Robin nodded and was silent for a moment. Finally…”I’ve been thinking about names for our daughter,” she said. “And I think the one that I like the most is Madelyn Devane Drake.”

“And what if we have a boy?” Patrick asked with a smile.

“In the unlikely event that I am wrong,” Robin remarked, “and if you remember what your mother said, that’s not a possibility, but if I am…I was thinking Malcolm. For my uncle.”

“Malcolm Scorpio Drake,” Patrick agreed. “I think it has a nice ring to it. We’ll have to keep it in mind in case Madelyn makes her appearance first.”

“Oh…you want to have more kids?” Robin teased.

“I’m undecided but I don’t think I want just one. It’s lonely being an only child, don’t you think?” Patrick asked pointedly.

“I suppose.” Robin leaned up and kissed him softly. “Do you want to watch another?”

“Actually…” Patrick slowly unbuttoned the top button on Robin’s shirt. “I think I’d like to get back to our previous activity.”

She grinned. “Well…if you insist…”

0

But he was looking to the sky.
And as he asked if I would come along
I started to realize
That everyday you find
Just what he’s looking for,
Like a shooting star he shines

August 1, 2006

Quartermaine Estate: Gardens

If anyone had stood in front of Patrick Drake a year ago and told him that he would not only be getting married, but that it would be his idea and his persuasion that brought it about, he would have told them they were smoking crack.

If anyone had told him that he would be expecting a child and be looking forward to the experience, he would have directed the unfortunate soul to the nearest insane asylum.

And if anyone had told him that he would meet a woman that would make all those that came before her pale in comparison, he would have said that he’d already met her and she’d been dead for a decade.

Those thoughts occurred to Patrick as the ceremony began and the attendants began their slow march down the aisle–Georgie, Maxie and Elizabeth all in matching dresses and differing colors. Emily Quartermaine escorted Cameron Webber with his pillow on which rested the wedding rings and little Kristina Davis-Corinthos prancing with her basket full of rose petals. And of course, Brenda looking elegant in her gray dress that she had fought for so fiercely.

The crowd was full of people that had known for Robin for years and had spent them morning–and much of weeks leading up to this day–sending warning glances in his direction. But those looks faded away when Robin stepped up to the end of the aisle, her arm wrapped around her uncle’s, a bouquet of white lilies in her hands.

Robin was smiling and her eyes were sparkling and he realized that that look was for him and it was that look that seemed to finally convince the crowd at large that Robin had indeed made the choice best for her and not just for their child.

He watched her come towards him and not for the first time, he wished that his mother was sitting in the front row; he wished that his mother could have met Robin because he knew she would have not only approved, but loved her. And she would loved a grandchild.

Mac and Robin finally arrived at the end of the aisle and Mac reluctantly placed Robin’s hand in Patrick’s. “If anything ever happens to her, I have a .45 and a shovel,” he threatened and those who could overhear laughed.

“Uncle Mac,” Robin hissed but she was smiling. She kissed her uncle’s cheek and then Mac moved away to join Felicia and Robin’s parents in the front row.

“You look beautiful,” Patrick said softly and her grin widened.

“You don’t look so bad yourself.” She handed her bouquet to Brenda and they looked towards the minister.

“Dearly beloved…”

Quartermaine Estate: Gardens

“It was so beautiful,” Emily sighed, propping her head on her chin and looking out over the dance floor. “And she looks really happy.”

Elizabeth sipped her champagne. “I sure hope this turns out better than the last wedding I went to.”

Emily arched a brow. “Hey. That wedding was fabulous. It was not the fault of the planners that bride’s ex-husband got drunk and made a fool of himself and it certainly wasn’t the planners’ or the bride’s fault that the groom sucks.”

“I meant the marriage,” Elizabeth rolled her eyes good-naturedly. “But thank you sticking by me during this. You and Nikolas have been so great.”

“Not as great as Dr. Drake of course. With whole rent-free condo,” Emily teased. “He’s so sweet, isn’t he?”

Elizabeth snorted. “Yeah…no. He has his moments, but they’re usually reserved for Robin. As they should be of course.”

Noah cleared his throat and stood, tapping the side of his champagne glass to get everyone’s attention. “As the best man, I was informed by the maid of honor that it was my job to give a speech.”

“You didn’t write it for him, did you?” Patrick asked Brenda, eliciting a lot of laughs from the crowd at their respective tables.

“He wouldn’t even let me proofread,” Brenda muttered.

“Now, now…Brenda did a wonderful job planning this,” Noah remarked. “And it was a lot of fun watching her torture my son with menus and folders and fittings.” He cleared his throat. “I had the pleasure of meeting Robin Scorpio a full week before my son–” he grinned. “And she certainly packs a wallop of a first impression, what with the tossing of cold water over my head and all.” He looked at his blushing daughter-in-law. “It was the best thing anyone’s ever done for me. I’ve liked you from the first, Robin. You’re loyal, you’re dedicated, compassionate and kind and you’re all the things that Patrick’s mother and I ever wanted for our son. You gave him back to me and I can never repay you for that.” He looked to Patrick. “You are the best of the people who made you and you are a better man than I could have dreamed of. And I don’t include your surgical skills in that description. Your mother would be proud of the man you’ve become.”

When Patrick looked down at the table, Robin squeezed his hand, lacing their fingers together.

“I have had the experience of working with the two of you as you fought your way to the point where you are right now and when I say fought, I literally mean fighting each other,” Noah continued with a lot of laughter from the hospital staff. “And it has been my privilege to watch the journey that began not so auspiciously in an operating room nine months ago. I wish you all the luck, the love, the joy and the wonder in the world as you embark on your lives together.”

He sat down and Brenda stood immediately. “Well, okay, he did better on his own,” she admitted with a grin. “Great job, Papa Drake.” She raised her champagne glass. “I’ve had the honor and the incredible joy of knowing Robin Soltini Scorpio for a very long time and honey, we have been through rough moments together,” Brenda directed at Robin. “We have been down and we have been out but you have handled your life with courage, dignity and grace and I have always admired and loved you for it. I want to be you when I grow up, Robin. I am so proud of you and I am so happy that you’ve found someone to share your life and dreams with.”

She turned to Patrick. “After Robin told me about Patrick for the first time, I knew my girl was smitten. Because she’d never used so many adjectives to say the same thing about a guy since…” she smirked. “Ever.”

Robin gasped. “Brenda, that’s confidential information!”

“No, no,” Patrick grinned. “Go on.”

“Her words…and I quote–‘I have never met a more infuriatingly stubborn and arrogant jackass in my entire life. He thinks that he is God’s gift to the world and no amount of arguing will change his mind.'” Brenda grinned. “Clearly, it was love at first sight.”

“Hardly,” Robin snorted.

“But anyway, I had my doubts about you, Dr. Drake, until you agreed to let Robin have the wedding of her dreams when you probably would have been happier in a judge’s chambers like a month ago. You put up with me–and I know I can be a trial at times–and you’ve put up with this entire town giving you death glares and threatening you with bodily harm. You’ve proved yourself worthy of my little sister.” She looked to Robin and placed a hand on her shoulder, her voice suddenly thick. “Stone would have approved.”

Robin bit her lip and looked down, a tear slipping past her lashes. “Thank you.”

“Enough sap.” Brenda raised her glass high in the air. “To Patrick and Robin!”

The guests raised their own glasses and echoed the sentiment. Brenda downed her glass in one shot. “Let’s get this party started!”

Later, as Brenda instructed the DJ to play the song she’d picked out, Robert pulled Robin out onto the dance floor set up in the gardens.

Back when I was a child, before life removed all the innocence
My father would lift me high and dance with my mother and me and then

“Thank for you letting me do this,” Robert said kissing her cheek and drawing her into the dance.

“Thank you for being here.” Robin bit her lip and looked up at him. “And thank you for staying.”

Spin me around ’til I fell asleep
Then up the stairs he would carry me
And I knew for sure I was loved

“So, this Drake guy’s going to stick around then,” Robert remarked.

Robin laughed. “Yes, Dad, I think he’s going to stick around for a while. What tipped you off? The vows or the ring?”

“The fact that he put a tuxedo on in the middle of the summer in an outside ceremony, actually,” Robert admitted.

I could get another chance, another walk, another dance with him
I’d play a song that would never, ever end

“Brenda can be amazingly persuasive,” Robin remarked. She rested her head against his chest and closed her eyes. “I never thought I’d be able to be in your arms again.”

“I never thought you’d let me,” he said quietly.

How I’d love, love, love
To dance with my father again

“I’ve been given a miracle,” Robin said after a moment. “I have my parents back and I don’t want to be angry anymore. I want us to be happy, I want us to be a family. I want you in my child’s life.”

“That is something that I can grant.” Robert kissed her forehead. “You looked absolutely breathtaking today.”

“Brenda has good taste in music,” Elizabeth remarked, joining Patrick at the bar as he watched Robin dance with her father. “This was a good choice for them.”

“Mmm.” He glanced at her. “I don’t think you look like a duck, by the way.”

She rolled her eyes. “Gee. Thank you so much.” She shifted. “So, I’m going to pay you rent whether you like it not. If I have to sneak it into Robin’s locker or make really large donations to the baby’s college fund, I’m going to pay.”

“Liz…” Patrick set his drink down and looked at her. “I don’t need the money–”

“No, I know that…I just…I don’t want people to have any reason–” she stopped, coughed. “Never mind. I’m paying you and that’s all there is to it.”

Patrick narrowed his eyes. Clearly there was something he was missing here and he was going to get to the bottom of this. “Elizabeth, you are a rotten liar–” he began.

“Dr. Drake!”

Patrick cut off his interrogation and turned to find Elsie Horowitz, an elderly member of the hospital board of directors, at his elbow. “Mrs. Horowitz,” he said politely. “Thank you for coming.”

“It’s a lovely place for a wedding,” Elsie said. She looked oddly at Elizabeth. “I find it odd that you’re here, Nurse Spencer.”

Elizabeth coughed again. “Yes, well, I should be–look, there’s a nail. Let me go jab my eye with it.” She hurried away.

“Why is it odd that Elizabeth is here?” Patrick asked curiously. “She’s Robin’s bridesmaid–”

“Very vulgar of her to accept, of course.” Elsie cleared her throat. “Dr. Drake, we enjoy having you on staff. You’ve brought the hospital a great deal of success and publicity in your short tenure.”

“Thank you,” Patrick said, still bewildered about Elizabeth’s reaction and Elsie Horowitz’s comments. “I enjoy working at GH–”

“But it worries me, Dr. Drake, the chances you have taken with your career,” Elsie continued. “You nearly lost your medical license over that business with your father and Dr. Scorpio–”

“I was able to keep it,” Patrick cut in. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Horowitz, there are so many people here that I have to talk to so if there’s something specific–”

“Of course, Dr. Drake, you’d probably appreciate if I were candid.” Elsie smiled, but there was a look in her eyes that put Patrick on guard. “I was disappointed to hear that you’d chosen to marry Dr. Scorpio.”

And then suddenly, Patrick realized that this was the board member that had screwed with Robin’s mind and caused all the problems to begin with.

Across the garden, Elizabeth darted between guests. “Excuse me, excuse–oops, sorry Ned. I’ll have that cleaned–excuse me–”

She finally caught Robin as she was stepping off the dance floor. “Robin, you have to go save Elsie Horowitz from Patrick.”

“Oh, no,” Robin groaned. She picked up the hem of her dress. “Dad, I’ll be right back.”

“Who is Elsie Horowitz?” Robert asked Elizabeth curiously. She shook her head.

“Oh, no–I am not answering that.”

At the bar, Elsie was digging her own grave and not even realizing it. “Dr. Scorpio, of course, is a wonderful researcher and an asset to the staff but you must realize that your career will be stalled with a woman such as her by your side, Dr. Drake. I only say this because I am so certain of your potential. I understand that she is pregnant–a regrettable event to be sure–but–”

“Mrs. Horowitz, how nice of you to come,” Robin said breathlessly, emerging from the crowd so fast that she nearly knocked Patrick over. “It’s lovely to see you.”

“Elizabeth to the rescue, I imagine,” Patrick rolled his eyes. “Honestly, that woman.”

“Patrick,” Robin began. He held up a hand.

“Mrs. Horowitz, I’ve been trying to find out who you are for weeks, so thank you for making my life a lot simpler.” Patrick cleared his throat and Robin groaned into her hands. “My career will succeed no matter whom I choose to spend my life with. I have the necessary talent and the drive. I’m not at all worried about my career–”

“You should be if you’re so inclined to take the blame for another’s foolish actions,” Elsie replied, shooting a disdainful look at Robin. “Shame on you, Dr. Scorpio, for allowing Patrick to take the blame before the ethics committee.”

“The ethics–” Robin broke off and slugged Patrick in the arm. “You lied to me.”

Patrick sighed, resigned. “Can we have this argument later after I set Elsie over here straight?” Without waiting for Robin’s response, he looked back at the speechless board member. “Robin is my wife and she deserves nothing less than your respect. If I find out you’ve even breathed a word of anything less than happiness for me, my wife, our marriage or our child, I will quit General Hospital and take any number of the job offers that I receive weekly.”

“Patrick–” Robin hissed.

“That would be a mistake, Dr. Drake–” Elsie began, rattled by the threat.

“And don’t think you can black ball me at any hospitals or for any positions that I might be applying for within the hospital,” Patrick continued. “You will only be revealing yourself for the ignorant bigot that you are. Now, if you’ll excuse me, this day is about my wife, not you.” He took Robin’s arm and walked away from the stunned woman.

“I cannot believe you just did that,” Robin moaned. “She is going to be out for your blood–”

He tugged her behind a hedge and out of sight. “Robin, you must know that General Hospital is not the only place that I can operate. right? And that no one is going to not hire me because I married a woman with HIV–I’m too good for that and I can perform a lot of difficult procedures other surgeons won’t even attempt. My career will survive an ignorant bitch like Elsie Horowitz, okay?”

“Yes, but–”

“I get three job offers on average a week,” Patrick continued. “I have for almost two years and I used to just take the best one and go with it. I never stayed anywhere that long. In fact, nine months is the longest I lived anywhere where since my internship. Your family is here, my father is here. I would rather stay here but I swear to God, if one more person badmouths you–”

“Okay, okay…” Robin put a hand over his mouth. “I appreciate it and I know you’re trying to protect me. Believe me, it means a lot to me.” Her soft look turned into a glare. “So I imagine Alexis and Ric were your lawyers when you went before the ethics committee.”

“Yes,” Patrick admitted.

“And I suppose the reason no one ever found out that I forged that signature was because you took the blame for it,” Robin continued, her hands on her hips.

“Yes.”

“You nearly lost your license, you idiot!” Robin whacked him in the arm and burst into tears.

“Oh, Jesus…” Patrick panicked. “Don’t–don’t cry, Robin. I’m not at all good–stop that!” He jerked a napkin from his pocket and handed it to her. “Please don’t cry–I’m sorry–”

Robin patted her eyes, her tears quieting into sniffles. “I’m-I’m sorry, I cry at commercials these days.” She sniffled again. “Your career is everything to you–I can’t believe you’d risk it–”

“It used to be.” Patrick tilted her face up. “It’s not anymore.”

Robin stood on her tips of her toes and kissed him softly. “That’s the sweetest thing you’ve ever said to me.”

0

Cause you and I both loved
What you and I spoke of
And others just read of
Others only read of the love, the love that I love

August 1, 2006

Robin’s Apartment: Living Room

The morning of Robin Scorpio’s wedding did not get off to an auspicious start. In fact, her morning started in the bathroom, as it did most mornings except for some reason, Robin’s unborn daughter (she had now decided she was having a girl and no amount of arguing with her would change her mind) had decided this would be a good morning to begin early training for the Olympics gymnastics team.

Brenda tapped on the bathroom door. “Sweetie, you know that Maxie, Liz and I are out here, right?”

Her only answer was a tortured moan.

Elizabeth emerged from the kitchen, some sort of frothy concoction in her hands. “This is going to make her perk right up,” the nurse announced.

“Yeah?” Maxie asked. “What kind of alcohol did you put in it?”

“She can’t drink alcohol,” Brenda admonished, smacking Maxie’s arm, “She’s pregnant with Brenda, Jr.”

“She is not naming this baby for you,” Maxie rolled her eyes. “She’s going to name it for…” she bit her lip. “Hey, Robin!” she called. “What are naming the baby?”

“Why don’t we ask her that later?” Elizabeth suggested. She stepped up to the door and knocked lightly. “Robin? I’ve got a surefire remedy to curing morning sickness.”

The door was slowly slid open and Robin peered up at the blearily from the floor. “Gimme.”

Elizabeth handed the glass to her friend and Robin gulped it down eagerly. When the glass was empty, she set it aside and leaned her head against the tiled wall. “She’s a gold medalist already.”

“Right,” Brenda nodded, clueless but Elizabeth just laughed.

“Cam was a silver winner, I think, by the time my sickness wore off.” She held out a hand and with Brenda’s help, they got the bride to be off the ground. “Now…let’s get you ready for your wedding.”

Quartermaine Mansion: Bedroom

“Okay, let’s run through this,” Anna said, clapping her hands together. “Something old, something blue, something borrowed, something new. Do we have it all? And the dress doesn’t count as new,” she added as an afterthought.

“Well…” Felicia stepped up and twirled the blue garter around her finger. “Here is your something blue.”

“And…” Emily held up an elegant silk handkerchief with Lila Quartermaine’s initials sewn into the edges. “Grandmother would have wanted you to use this, so this is your something old.”

Maxie held out a silver bracelet. “Mom gave me this when I turned sixteen and it’s my favorite bracelet so I thought you could use this for something borrowed.”

“You guys…” Robin sniffled.

“Don’t cry!” Brenda yelped. “You’ll ruin your make up and we’ll never get it done again in time for the ceremony.”

“Well, don’t cry before I give you the something new anyway,” Anna smiled. She took out a slim jewel case and opened it. “I thought it would look lovely on you.”

Robin stared at the slim gold necklace with a delicate diamond and sapphire heart dangling from it. “It’s beautiful, Mom. I can’t believe…”

“When I saw this in the store…” Anna removed the chain from the case, handing the case to Felicia, “I knew it would be perfect. Turn around.”

Robin obeyed and lifted her hair up so that Anna could clasp it. “Mom…” she turned back around and embraced her tightly. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

“I wouldn’t miss this for the world.”

Quartermaine Mansion: Gardens

It had been Brenda’s idea to hold the ceremony in Lila Quartermaine’s rose garden and the family had been more than happy to open their estate for the wedding. Patrick seriously underestimated the amount of people that loved Robin and wanted to see her happy. As if the pre-wedding death threats hadn’t been enough, he was now getting glares from her nearest and dearest.

Not that it bothered him–those death threats only became a possibility if he hurt Robin and he was pretty sure that wasn’t going to happen. At least not soon.

He hoped.

Anyway, he was ignoring those glares and studying the members of the hospital board very carefully. Robin had refused to leave the asshole who had insulted her off the list, fearing (and rightly so) that Patrick would be able to find out who it was by process of elimination and for his career aspirations, they couldn’t very not invite any of them so Patrick knew that he was here today.

The ceremony was due to begin in a half hour so Patrick was just milling around, feeling very uncomfortable in a tuxedo during August, wishing like hell he’d put his foot down in June and gone for the quick elopement.

“I have been sent to check on the groom.”

Patrick rolled his eyes and turned to find Elizabeth staring back at him, dressing in a strapless tea-length baby blue gown. “Well, you checked on me.”

“Your tie is crooked.” She strode forward and reached up to adjust it. “So, are you nervous?”

“Am I supposed to be?” Patrick asked wryly. She huffed and looked up at him, annoyed. “No, I’m not,” he answered. “I know that I’m making the right decision. Why should I be nervous about it?”

“Because it’s the thing to ask,” Elizabeth murmured. She finished adjusting the tie and patted it. “Robin looks beautiful, you know. You’re very lucky she decided to look past that face of yours and marry you anyway.”

“Hey,” Patrick grumbled. “Well at least I don’t look like a duck.”

Outraged, Elizabeth planted her hands on her hips and glared at him. “I do not look like a duck. You…you look like a horse’s ass!”

“Now children,” Noah admonished joining them. “This is happy day.”

“She started it,” Patrick said, somewhat childishly. Elizabeth stuck her tongue out at him when Noah wasn’t looking.

“Ah, the joys I was spared when you ended up an only child,” Noah sighed dramatically.

“Oh, you didn’t get the memo?” Patrick asked, slinging an arm around Elizabeth’s shoulders. “I adopted the pain in the ass. If she’s going to treat me like an annoying brother, I’m going to treat her like a bratty sister.”

“I have one brother, that’s quite enough,” Elizabeth sniffed. “Actually, since he ended up in jail that one night, it’s more than enough. He is way too old to be going around trying to beat the crap out of people.”

“Since the person he was arrested for assaulting was your idiot husband, I’d say he was justified. If I didn’t value my hands more than you, I might have thought about doing the same,” Patrick countered.

Noah arched an eyebrow. “Clearly I’ve missed something in translation.”

“I’m going back to Robin and the girls. Now that Brenda is satisfied you haven’t run out, my work here is done.” Elizabeth poked him one more time before leaving them.

“What’s that about Steven Webber assaulting Elizabeth’s husband?” Noah asked curiously. “Does it have anything to do with why you’re giving up a perfectly good condo to move into Robin’s smaller apartment?”

“Her husband was cheating on her, Elizabeth moved into her grandmother’s, Steven found Lucky and beat the crap out of him, getting himself arrested. I’m letting Elizabeth stay in the condo after the wedding because I don’t need it anymore and she does. And that’s the short version.”

“Right,” Noah nodded. He hesitated. “Patrick, I know that we spent most of the last decade at odds but I’m honored at that you asked me to be your best man, even if Brenda Barrett decided for you.”

“Brenda decided but I agreed,” Patrick pointed out. He shoved his hands into his pockets and was silent for a moment. “You are the reason that I have Robin in my life. She came to you first and you sent her to me. For the rest of my life, I will never be able to repay you.” He paused and swallowed hard. “I wish Mom could have met her.”

“She would have liked her,” Noah said. “Mattie would have adored her, I can promise you that.” He put a hand on Patrick’s shoulder. “And you know…your mom’s here. She’s always going to be with you.”

Quartermaine Mansion: Terrace

“I want to speak with you for a moment,” Mac tugged on Robin’s arm to keep her back from the rest of the wedding party. Robin had finally sat down with her uncle and her father and explained her inability to decide who should walk her down the aisle and who she should dance with. It had been argued out between the two of them, but Mac finally got the right to walk her down the aisle.

“What’s up, Uncle Mac?” Robin asked curiously, adjusting the full skirt of her dress around her.

“First of all, you look absolutely breathtaking,” Mac began. “I can’t get over how much you’ve grown up and how fast it all went.” His face sobered. “Robin, I just…I want to make sure you’re doing this for the right reasons.”

Robin frowned. “I don’t understand.”

“I know why Patrick proposed–your mother and I all but threatened him into it. I realize that, sweetheart, but I just want to make sure this is what you want. I don’t want you to do this because I want this life for you or because Anna wants this or because you didn’t know how to say no–”

“Uncle Mac…” Robin pressed her fingers to his mouth to keep him from speaking. “Patrick did not propose because you and Mom threatened him and I didn’t say yes because this is what you guys want. I know why Patrick asked and why I said yes and believe me, Uncle Mac, I am more than okay with those reasons. This is what I want. This is a good thing. Patrick is going to be a wonderful father and we’re going to be happy together, I promise you.” She kissed his cheek.

“Okay,” Mac agreed. “But if he makes you cry even once…”

“I am my mother’s daughter, “Robin remarked. “I’ll make him cry twice as hard.”

Mac shuddered at that thought. “God help him.”

Brenda came to the door, “Hey guys…the ceremony is about to begin, let’s go!”

0

And I know that you try so hard
And you wait so long
And you don’t know the moment when you went wrong
But I think you should know
It doesn’t make you unbeautiful

July 18, 2006

Robin’s Apartment: Living Room

Robin sleepily shuffled to the front door and unlocked the two padlocks before unlocking the door lock. She pulled it open and peered blearily up at Patrick. “It’s late isn’t it?”

“Ah, if eleven is late, sure.” Patrick rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m sorry for waking you up–I meant to be earlier but there was an emergency at the hospital and then–”

Robin shook her head and held up a hand. “Say no more, it’s okay.” She stepped back. “Come on in.”

“If you want to go back to sleep,” Patrick began, “I’m sure this could wait until then. I just didn’t want you to think that I flaked out on you.”

“I’m awake now,” Robin sank onto the couch and curled her legs up underneath her. “I fall asleep all the time right now. Steven says that after the first trimester, my appetite and sleeping habits should level out again. At least for a while.”

Patrick sat next to her and absently let his hand drift over the warm skin on her knee, his fingers tracing little circles. “So I know we never finalized which apartment we were going to use after the wedding but I’ve been thinking we should use yours.”

“Fine with me but you just bought that condo,” Robin said, a little more awake now. “And I only rent, so–”

“Yeah, but…” Patrick shifted uncomfortably. “Elizabeth went home on her break this morning and saw Lucky cheating on her.”

Robin’s eyes bulged. “Are you serious? She’s sure?”

“Yeah, I asked her if she was when we were picking her things up from the apartment tonight to take to her grandmother’s. That’s the other reason I’m late. She didn’t want to ask Nikolas because that’s Lucky’s brother, her brother Steven might kill him and the only other guy friend she has is Jason, who apparently might also kill him.”

“It was nice of you to help her–what did she say when she asked?”

“Well, she replied–and I quote–the naked bouncing and the grunts and groans are pretty hard to mistake.”

Robin bit her lip. “Oh. Well, yeah that would be hard to mistake.” She propped her elbow on the back of the couch and rested her hand against her face. “That’s so awful for her, she was so happy. So happy that she kept trying to set me on blind dates the entire six weeks we were broken up.”

Patrick frowned. “And she was encouraging me to work it out–that little brat.”

“I think she was trying to make a point,” Robin considered. “Because I came up with a lot of creative excuses to wiggle out of those dates and after a while, she was just making guys up I think. She has a twisted sense of humor and she liked to see me squirm.”

“Yeah, well…she feels funny staying with her grandmother so I offered her the condo.” Patrick tugged on his ear, slightly uncomfortable. “Rent-free.”

Robin smirked. “You’re just a softy when it comes to her, I think. It’s cute, really. If I didn’t know Liz any better, I might be jealous.”

“Hey,” Patrick said, trying to decide if he was insulted. “I thought we were working on trusting me.”

“We are, which is why I’m not smacking you,” Robin replied. “Besides, I know you and Liz are just friends. And it’s good for you to have a female friend. You don’t think I know some of your words are actually hers?”

Patrick grimaced. “I’ll have you know that I am one hundred percent original–”

“The lame come-ons, sure,” Robin giggled. “No, I just mean I recognize Liz’s brand of advice, that’s all. Anyway, it’s nice of you to offer the condo. I just hope she’s making the right decision. She and Lucky were together for so much of their lives…it’s a shame.” She looked down at her hands.

Patrick took her hand in his, his thumb rubbing over his mother’s ring. “It is a shame but I can’t blame her. I mean, fidelity is pretty important.”

Robin arched an eyebrow. “Are you, Dr. Patrick Drake, speaking in defense of fidelity? I’m shocked.”

He scowled, “I never cheated on anyone, Robin. I never dated one girl for more than a few weeks at the most but I never made any promises I couldn’t keep either.” He straightened and slid away from her, a little hurt by her obvious low opinion of him.

Robin sighed and followed him, tucking her head into his chest, “I was just teasing, Patrick. I know you wouldn’t cheat. You may not have been monogamous but you certainly weren’t a cheater.” She bit her lip. “And you’ve never broken a promise to me, which is important. I know I can trust you.”

“Well.” He would find it difficult to be upset with her after that. “It’s getting late, I should probably head home.”

When he would have stood, Robin put a hand on the inside of his forearm to stop him. “Why don’t you stay?” she asked softly. When he looked at her curiously, she flushed and ignored the urge to look away, choosing instead to meet his eyes. “We’ve made the decision that this not going to be a marriage of convenience, right?”

“Right,” Patrick drawled. “But–”

“So we’re going to have to share a bed in the near future. C’mon, Patrick, it’s late and you’re exhausted. I would feel much better if you stayed here tonight rather than getting behind the wheel of car.”

“Are you sure?” Patrick asked quietly. “I don’t want you to think–”

“I’m not saying we have to…do anything. We can just sleep, or whatever.” She bit her lip and smiled shyly at him. “You’re not going to make me worry about you driving are you?”

He grinned and leaned forward to kiss her softly. “I wouldn’t want you to worry on my account.”

July 19, 2006

Robin’s Apartment: Bedroom

Patrick stirred and reached across the mattress, frowning when his arm met empty space. He cracked an eye open and rolled over when he saw Robin’s side of the bed was still warm, but deserted. “Robin?” he called blearily.

His only answer was a rustling from the bathroom. He sat up and shoved the sheet off his body. They had done nothing the previous night except sleep though he wondered if that would have been the case if Robin hadn’t passed out almost as soon as her body hit the mattress. He grinned to himself–less than two weeks until that changed.

He heard another sound from the bathroom–and this time, he recognized it as the sound of retching. Morning sickness, he thought to himself and stood to pad out to the kitchen and get a glass of water. He took a wash cloth, ran some warm water over it before taking both into the bathroom.

Robin was seated next to the toilet, her feet planted flat on the ground, her arms resting on her knees and her head leaning back against the cool white tile. “Hey,” he said. “Water?”

Robin cracked her eyes open and groaned. “Patrick…really…you don’t want to be in here right now–”

“No, but you don’t want to be in here either so I’m staying.” He sat next to her and rested the cloth against her cheek. “I haven’t been able to here for you for this and I want to be, Robin. Going to doctor’s appointments isn’t all there is. I want to help.”

Robin smiled wearily and rested her head against his shoulder. “You’re really sweet, Patrick,” she murmured, taking the glass of water from him and taking a long gulp.

“Shh, don’t let that get out,” Patrick said with a half grin. “I have a reputation to protect.”

0

So tell me the story about
What goes around comes around
Why you’re so afraid to say what you’re thinking
And why I have to keep on guessing for you

July 18, 2006

General Hospital: Nurse’s Station

Very aware of all the eyes on them, Patrick swallowed hard and reached for the ring. But he didn’t take it. He closed his hand over Robin’s hand, forcing her to curl the ring into her fist. “No.”

Robin licked her lips again and her eyes looked around at the interested stares. She narrowed her eyes at the female nurses who looked way too invested in the outcome of this scene. “Patrick, this is your mother’s ring,” she began quietly.

He took her by the elbow and directed her towards the stairs that led to the roof. “We’re not discussing this here.”

Robin tightened her fist around the ring to keep from losing it and reluctantly followed Patrick out onto the roof. “You should give this ring to someone–”

“I gave it to you,” Patrick shook his head. He opened her hand, plucked the ring from her grasp and then unceremoniously shoved it back onto her finger. “This is your ring, do not take it off.”

Robin sighed. “You don’t make any sense. I thought you wanted to call this all off, do joint custody–”

“Well, I’ve had about twelve hours to think about it and look–” Patrick sighed, irritated that his father was right and now Patrick would have to at least open up a little instead of being able to sail through this entire thing without risking anything. “You were right last night. You think I asked you to marry me because of the baby and then I got angry when you acted like I asked you for the baby. I’m sorry for that.”

Robin hesitated. “I’m not following you–”

“I’m not following me sometimes,” he muttered. He turned away from her and braced his hands against the stone ledge, looking out over the city of Port Charles. “You probably think that any girl could have turned up pregnant at this point and I would have proposed.”

Robin shrugged and looked away. “Isn’t that true?”

“No!” Patrick cursed under his breath and turned to look at her. “I’ve got high standards, Dr. Scorpio. Do you really think I would have tied myself to just anyone?”

Robin rolled eyes. “If you’re not going to be serious, I’m leaving.” She pulled open the door but Patrick grabbed her hand.

“I asked you because I knew we could make it work,” Patrick admitted. “Those other women, they never meant anything to me. And I know I didn’t mean anything to them. You are different. You’ve always been different.”

“Different how?” Robin pressed. “They had bigger boobs? I’m not as tall, what?” Frustrated, she pulled away from him. “What does different mean?”

“Because you get to me and they never did. Christ, Robin, do you think I talk about my mother on all my first dates?” Patrick demanded. “Do you think I tell everyone about my alcoholic father that threw away his career because my mother died? Robin, you are the first woman I’ve ever dated that’s even known my mother was dead.”

“So I’m supposed to feel special because you told me a few things you’ve never told anyone?” Robin cried. “Well, we’re past that now, Patrick. That might have impressed me a few months ago but–”

“I didn’t tell you to impress you. I didn’t tell you to make a point,” Patrick cut in, irritated. “I told you about my mother because I couldn’t not tell you. You opened up to me about Stone, about Jason. And you were the reason that I even spared a second thought about my father and helped him go to rehab! How could I keep you out after that?”

Robin breathed in shakily and shook her head, tears sliding down her cheeks. “None of this means anything, Patrick, if we’re still in the same place we were then.”

“You’re so damn thickheaded,” he muttered. “Robin, I asked you to marry me because I knew we could have what my parents had!”

Robin huffed. “Your parents were in love, how could we possibly have what they had–” And then she shut up and met Patrick’s turbulent gaze. Recognition flickered in her expression and she bit her lip. “Oh.”

“Oh?” Patrick repeated in disbelief. “That’s…that’s all you can say to me right now?”

“Uh…” Robin tried to search for coherent thoughts trapped in the hazy recesses of her mind. “I can’t–I can’t think right now.”

Speechless, he could settle for. Before he could press her, his beeper vibrated and he swore under his breath. “I have a surgery–are you on shift today?”

Robin blinked and tried to focus. “Ah, no. I–I took a leave until after the wedding. To deal with–stuff.”

“Okay, will you be home later then?” Patrick asked, slightly amused at her scattered words. “We still have a few things to iron out.”

“Ah, yeah.” Robin was beginning to recover from the shock. “Patrick–”

He cut her off with a short but intense kiss that curled her toes and scattered her thoughts again. “I’ll see you then.” He left her alone on the roof, blinking at him.

Scorpio-Jones House

“It’s about time you got here,” Georgie muttered as she ushered a still somewhat bemused Robin into the house. “Brenda has lost her mind.”

“I resent that!” Brenda called from the living room. “Black is a perfectly lovely color for a bridesmaid gown.”

“Black?” Robin echoed. She followed her cousin into the living room where Maxie, Brenda, Felicia and Anna were surrounded by swatches and design books. “Brenda, they can’t wear black.”

“Sure they can,” Brenda shrugged. “It’s the bride that can’t wear black. And it’s not really black, it’s like a gray color.”

“I look better in jewel tones,” Maxie sniffed. “Black washes me out.”

“And I’m totally better in pastels,” Georgie nodded.

Anna was about to interject when she realized that beyond her first few comments, Robin hadn’t joined the conversation and then she saw the circles beneath her daughter’s eyes. She stood, took Robin’s elbow and steered her towards the kitchen. “Quick conference to discuss, ah, flower arrangements.”

“If you like the gray so much,” Maxie began, “you use it for your maid of honor gown. Georgie, Liz and I will pick out a dress we like and order different colors. How does that sound?”

Brenda’s reply was lost when Anna closed the kitchen door behind them. She directed Robin into a seat and then sat adjacent to her. “What’s wrong, luv?”

“Ah…an hour ago, I might have been able to tell you,” Robin said slowly. “An hour ago, I was giving Patrick back the ring and the wedding was off.”

“What?” Anna said, surprised. “What happened?”

“We had an argument last night and he said the wedding was off. I went to return the ring today and he wouldn’t let me and I think he might have told me he loved me but I’m not sure.”

“Uh huh.” Anna pursed her lips. She decided to take this one step at a time. “What was the argument about?”

“It wasn’t an argument so much as…a misunderstanding I guess. A lack of communication. He had started seeing the marriage in a different way than I thought he had and I was still trying to pretend that the whole thing really didn’t matter to me so we got into a fight about that. He didn’t like the thought that I felt like I was making this whole sacrifice for the baby. He didn’t think he deserved that and he doesn’t.” Robin bit her lip. “I started to think that this was all a mistake. That no matter how much I loved him, we couldn’t make it work. So I went to the hospital today to give him the ring.” She stared at the diamond on her finger. “It was his mother’s.”

Anna nodded. “And he wouldn’t take it back.”

Robin bit her lip. “No. He took me to the roof and we argued about why he’d asked me to marry him and then he said it was because he knew we could have what his parents had.” She laughed softly. “And I started to say that wasn’t possible because his parents were in love and then I stopped because I realized what he was trying to tell me but now I’m wondering if he was trying to tell me that because that’s the way he feels or if that’s because he knows that I want him to feel.”

Anna sighed. “Darling, you know you’re the light of my life, but you overanalyze things. Would Patrick lie to you about something like this?”

“Yes,” Robin said without hesitation. “He wouldn’t mean to, and he wouldn’t do it on purpose but I think he wants to feel that way because he wants what he had growing up so maybe he thinks if he tells himself he feels that way, he’ll believe it.”

Anna stared at her daughter. “I can’t decide if I want to smack you or Patrick. I might settle for both at this point. He asked you to marry him, he gave you his mother’s ring, he’s not had one complaint about this huge wedding and God knows, even I’ve complained about it. Robin, the man clearly feels something.”

“I know,” Robin said hesitantly. “And I told myself from the start that if he feels even a little of what I feel for him then we’ll be okay.”

“And what’s changed?”

Robin met her mother’s eyes and smiled miserably. “I want him to love me. Is that so awful?”

Anna sighed. “It was so much easier when all you wanted was a dog. At least that I could handle.”

General Hospital Operating Theater: Scrub Room

The surgery finally over, Patrick stripped his gloves off and started to wash his hands. Elizabeth, who he had added to his permanent surgical team weeks ago, joined him, muttering something under her breath about blondes.

“What’s with you?” he asked. “You’ve been cranky since you got back from your break this morning.”

“I hate men,” Elizabeth grumbled. She dried her hands and started out of the room but Patrick grabbed her elbow and held her back.

“What did my gender do now?” Patrick asked, glad to have a chance to nag her about her problems for a change.

“Your gender has issues about keeping their pants zipped,” Elizabeth replied hotly. “Do you really want to continue this conversation?”

“No,” Patrick admitted. “But I’m going to anyway.” He tipped his head towards the door to the hallway. “Come on, I’ll buy you a cup of coffee.”

He led her down to the cafeteria and once they were seated, Elizabeth blurted out, “Lucky’s cheating on me with his new partner.”

Patrick stilled in the act of stirring sugar into his coffee and stared at her. “Come again.”

“His new perky blonde partner,” Elizabeth clarified through clenched teeth. “We’ve both been working a lot and haven’t spent a lot of time together and he was irritated that the one day we both have off coming up is your wedding so I told him we were going to that but he was angry about it. I went home on my break this morning to talk to him about it and you know what he was doing on his break?”

“His partner?” Patrick suggested, somewhat crudely.

“His blonde perky partner with the large breasts,” Elizabeth confirmed. She clenched her fists, trapping the sugar packet within. “God damn blondes, I do not understand it!”

“What’s wrong with blondes?” Patrick asked, confused.

“Oh, this is only the millionth time in my life I’ve been passed over for a stupid blonde,” Elizabeth told him. “First when I moved town, Lucky couldn’t concentrate on anyone but Sarah, my perfect blonde sister. Everyone loved Sarah, everyone wanted me to be like Sarah. But Lucky and I were dating and then four years later, who does he cheat on me with? Perfect Blonde Sarah.” Elizabeth took her plastic fork and stabbed a sugar packet with it.

“Uh huh,” Patrick said slowly.

“Then Jason cheats on me with Courtney Matthews,” Elizabeth continued. “He says he didn’t but while I was waiting in his penthouse, scared that he was hurt or injured, he was at the Oasis, watching that stupid twit strip. Supposedly he was just protecting her.” Elizabeth snorted. “Right, so that’s why two weeks after we broke up, he’s kissing her in the goddamn rain and then a month later after she kicks her husband out, he’s sleeping with her. Fine, whatever.”

Clearly words were no longer necessary, so Patrick just sipped his coffee.

“And then Ric asked Courtney to marry him instead of me to get at Sonny. God damn Courtney,” Elizabeth muttered scathingly. “And then he slept with Faith Roscoe, a psycho blonde that caused my miscarriage.”

Patrick winced. “I’m sorry, Liz–”

“So that’s three separate guys that have tossed me over for blondes and Lucky has the nerve to do it again!” Elizabeth stabbed another sugar packet repeatedly.

“Okay, Sparky, I think we’re going to take the weapons away from you now–” Patrick plucked the fork out of her grasp. “If it makes you feel any better, clearly they have no taste. I would never sleep with a stripper or a psycho rather than you.”

Elizabeth frowned. “Thanks. I think.” She exhaled slowly. “Anger is better. Anger is easier. This will teach me to brag about my wonderful marriage, huh?” she said darkly. “Just the other day in the locker room, with you and that stupid guest list. Boy, what an idiot this makes me.”

“This does not make you an idiot,” Patrick told her. “This makes Lucky an idiot.”

“I hope he gets shot again,” Elizabeth said. “And this time, it hits him right in the–”

“Okay, okay,” Patrick cut her off, not wanting the visual image. “Is there anything I can do? Do you need a place to stay?”

“I’m going home after work to get Cam’s things and then we’re going to my Gram’s,” Elizabeth sighed. “I don’t know what comes after that.”

“Well, here’s something. After the wedding, Robin and I are moving into her apartment until the baby is born but I haven’t put my condo up for sale or rent yet. I can sublet it to you until you know what you want to do.”

Elizabeth shook her head. “I could never afford the rent–”

“You don’t have to, I don’t actually need the money,” Patrick shrugged. “It’s close to the hospital, it’s in a decent neighborhood.”

She hesitated. “If you’re sure. Just…for a while.”

Patrick nodded. “Okay, so after wedding and I’m moved out, you can move in. It’s actually saving me the hassle of renting it or selling it.”

“Well, glad this situation works for someone,” Elizabeth sighed. She shook her head. “Okay, let’s talk about something different. For example, why Robin tried to give you your ring back.”

“Oh, I fixed that,” Patrick told her. “I told her I loved her and that’s why I asked her to marry me.”

Elizabeth stared at him for a long moment before shaking her head. “No, you didn’t. You would never say that.”

Patrick frowned. “Well, I didn’t say those exact words but Robin got the idea.”

“Yeah, this is going to end well,” Elizabeth sipped her coffee and grimaced. “There’s no sugar.”

“Well, you killed them all with your trusty fork there, Sparky,” Patrick said dryly. “Those mean sugar packets won’t be bothering you again, I can tell you that.”

0