Prologue

It will have blood, they say: blood will have blood

William Shakespeare, “Macbeth”

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December 16, 2007

General Hospital: Nurse’s Station

“I feel like Thai food tonight,” Robin Scorpio announced. Her significant other (Patrick Drake disliked labels of any kind, especially boyfriend) grimaced.

“I still haven’t recovered from the last time,” he said. He reached for a chart and after studying it for a moment, scrawled his name at the bottom. “What about Chinese?”

“We had that last night.” She sighed. “I think one of us is going to have to learn to cook.”

“And when are we supposed to find time for this?” he asked, completing another chart. “Between your drug trials and my surgery schedule, we should be glad we know what each other looks like.”

“This is a good point.” Robin pursed her lips. “We need to make friends with people who cook.”

“Now that is an idea I can get behind.” He filed the last chart. “Who can cook?”

Robin opened her mouth and then closed it. “I have no idea.” She was distracted by seeing one of her friends step out of the elevator with one of her favorite former patients.

Elizabeth Morgan had brought her two-year-old daughter Laura Ann in with a bad case of pneumonia a few years ago. Robin had been working an extra shift in the emergency room to help out and had been assigned the case. She and Elizabeth had immediately bonded and Robin had become one of the little girl’s aunts.

“Aunt Rob!” Laura Ann – Lanie – proclaimed. Her godfather, Luke Spencer had long ago decided that two Lauras in the family was asking for trouble and had begun calling her Lanie shortly after her birth. The name had stuck almost immediately.

“Hey, baby girl.” Robin stepped out from the nurse’s station and crouched on the floor to receive a big hug. “We look very pretty today. Did Mommy do these curls?” she asked, tugging on one of Lanie’s brown spirals. Normally, her hair hung in a straight line to the middle of her back. Today, it was curled, with spirals springing all over. It was tied back with a pale pink headband with a pretty bow on top.

“Of course,” Lanie replied cheerfully. “Daddy’s not allowed to go near my hair anymore.”

“Yes, not since Jason cut it a little uneven,” Elizabeth laughed. “I’m here for an appointment.” She glanced around. “Emily was supposed to meet us here to keep an eye on Lanie but I guess she got held up.”

“I can watch her,” Robin offered. She jerked a thumb back at Patrick. “We’re just finishing up some charts so we can head home for the night.”

“What do you say?” Elizabeth glanced down at her daughter. “You want to hang out with Aunt Rob and Mr. Patrick?”

Lanie nodded eagerly. “Do I get to tell them our secret?” she asked in a loud whisper. “Or do I have to wait for them too?”

“You can tell them, sweetheart.” Elizabeth leaned down to kiss Lanie’s cheek. “Thanks, Robin, I shouldn’t be too long but Emily should show up soon.”

“Not a problem.” She held out her hand. “Come on, Lanie. We can go check out what Mr. Patrick’s up to.”

Once they were back in the nurse’s station, Robin lifted Lanie to sit up on the counter. “Lanie has a secret for us.”

“A secret?” Patrick raised his eyebrows and set his pen down. “Is it a good one?”

“It’s a great one,” Lanie said. “Mommy says that I can’t tell Daddy yet because it’s a big surprise but I’m going to be a big sister this summer.”

“Wow!” Robin responded. “I bet you’re very excited.”

“Extremely.” Lanie grinned. “Mr. Patrick? Are you coming to my party?”

Patrick frowned and glanced at Robin. “What party?” he asked. “I wasn’t invited to any party.”

“Oh…right.” Robin smiled sheepishly. “I forgot to tell you. Lanie is having her fourth birthday in January. Elizabeth and Jason are throwing a party on January 5 and we were invited.” She shrugged. “I figured you’d have other plans.”

She actually figured Patrick wouldn’t want to go to the party at all. They’d been dating on and off for almost two years but the year before, they’d been off so he hadn’t been invited. This year, she hadn’t asked him simply because Patrick wasn’t entirely fond of children. He got along well enough with Lanie in small doses but a birthday party where several small children would be in attendance might be asking too much.

“Mr. Patrick, I would like you to come to my party,” Lanie said. “It will be lots of fun. And for my present, you can buy me a pony. Mommy and Daddy say I’m not old enough but I think they’re wrong.”

“I’ll have to consult on a present with Aunt Robin,” Patrick said after a moment, “but of course I’ll come to your party. How could I miss my favorite kid’s big day?”

“Yay!” Lanie clapped her hands.

“Robin?” a student nurse called from the other side of the station. “There’s a phone call for you.”

“Stay right here, Lanie,” Robin cautioned before leaving to take the call. Patrick frowned after his girlfriend. It was one thing to talk to the kid with Robin here but alone? What if he said something completely inappropriate and scarred for her life?

“Mr. Patrick, are you sure I can’t have a pony?” Lanie asked. “I’d take real good care of it.”

“I’m sure you would,” Patrick remarked, stalling. Robin knew how to relate to kids and he wasn’t about to answer this without her input. He heard the phone clatter behind him and turned.

Robin hurtled past him, grabbing the purse she’d stashed under the counter in an effort to make a quick getaway after their shift ended. “I have to go. I have to get a plane to Rome.”

“Rome?” Patrick repeated. “What’s in Rome?”

Robin didn’t answer him. She rushed to the elevator and started pressing the down button. Not wanting to leave the child perched on a counter from which she could fall, Patrick grabbed Lanie and hurried to catch Robin before she got away. “Robin, what’s going on?”

“Aunt Rob?” Lanie asked, confused.

“Brenda—” Robin shook her head. “I have to get to her.”

Patrick saw Emily coming towards them and all but shoved Lanie at her. “Here. Take her.” He turned back to Robin and grabbed her arm to keep her from getting on the elevator. “Robin, you can’t just take off to Rome and not tell me what’s going on!”

“Brenda, someone threw acid on her,” Robin managed to say. “I have to go be with her. Can you cover for me?” she asked him. “Arrange to have my patients looked after? I just—I have to go.”

“Right.” He squeezed her hand. “I’ll take care of everything. Call me when you get there, let me know what’s going on.”

“I will.” The elevator doors slide closed and Patrick turned to a bewildered Emily.

“What’s going on?” the resident asked, setting Lanie on her feet.

“You know,” Patrick said. “I really don’t know.”

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