Chapter 2
Patrick couldn't help but stare as Robin smiled to herself as she returned to her charts.
"Take a picture it lasts longer" Liz hissed at him as she walked by him.
"What?" he asked, pulled from his thoughts.
Elizabeth just glared at him. "Hey Robs – ready for coffee?"
"Absolutely" she said turning to see Elizabeth behind her.
"Who was the hottie?"
"Pardon?"
"The guy in the expensive suit – wow" Liz raised her voice just enough for Patrick to hear.
"Oh Bruce? He's a friend from Paris. I haven't heard from him since I moved back but we had a lot of fun together" Robin stepped down from the podium and headed to the cafeteria with Elizabeth in tow.
Patrick hadn't realized how hard he was gripping his pen until the ink exploded on his hands.
"Damnit" he swore.
"Rough morning?"
"Dad" Patrick said as his father Noah approached.
"How's it going?"
"Just fine" he grumbled.
"Did you accidentally get decaf this morning?"
"I'm not in the mood. Do you need something?"
"Just trying to make conversation."
"Yeah ,well" he said picking up his charts. "Stop trying." He retreated to his office and shut the door. Things with his father were still rocky on a good day and he had no interest in trying for a family moment. His mind kept being pulled back to Robin. He wished he had an off switch – he didn't want to think about her. He needed a distraction and needed one soon. He considered calling Carly but in the end there was just too much baggage there. Not to mention he didn't particularly care for her ex-husband or her best friend – the local mob heavyweights. All he had to do was get through the shift, which was less than an hour old, and then he would be free to find a change of scenery.
Having completed his rounds, he returned his charts to the Nurses Station. Robin was there, chatting with Dr. Oliver, another neurologist on staff.
"Robin?"
Her back stiffened at the sound of his buttery voice. She wished he didn't affect her as much as he did but she would have to tough it out until she became immune to it. "Dr. Drake?" she turned to him.
"Have you finished the notes on the Stewart case?"
"I left them in your inbox" she said coldly.
"I'd like to review them with you."
"Why?"
Dr. Oliver sensing the rising tension opted to find safety away from the Nurses Station. The two young doctors had made quite a name for themselves with their verbal sparring and woe be the person who got caught in the crossfire.
"Because I'd like to make sure that I understand what you've written."
"Do big words scare you too?" she asked sarcastically. She instantly regretted it but there was no backing down – she was a Scorpio after all.
A smile flickered at the corner of his lips. "I got the big words covered thanks. I just don't always follow your analysis as it tends to be long winded at times."
Robin walked towards him. "Long winded? It's called thorough – evaluating all the facts and making a complete diagnosis. Maybe you'd like to try it some time?"
Patrick narrowed his eyes. "Are you calling my diagnostic skills into questions?"
"Are you questioning my analytical ability? Because the New England Journal of Medicine understood it well enough to publish a half dozen of my articles"
"Well you can practice medicine or you can write about it but it's hard to do both" he said sardonically.
Robin's mouth fell open. "Jackass"
"Truth hurt?" he asked petulantly.
"I'll tell you what's going to hurt" Epiphany Johnson interrupted "If I have to separate you two, you are not going to enjoy it. So smarten up and start acting like the professionals you are paid to be." Patrick and Robin exchanged dirty looks. "Don't you two have patients?"
They walked in opposite directions leaving Epiphany to shake her head. "Here we go again" she mumbled under her breath.
Robin crossed Patrick's path several times during the rest of their shift. He made several attempts to engage Robin in conversation but she cut him dead each time. The only time he could get more than a one word answer from her is if it related to a patient. Even then she was still cold. He didn't know what he had expected when he ended the no strings relationship but he was pretty sure he hadn't counted on a deep freeze.
Patrick watched her at the Nurses Station at the end of shift as she was on the phone.
"Hi Bruce – it's Robin……..no, long day but I would love to see you……..how about 8?….where are you staying? ……Okay, I'll see you at the MetroCourt at 8……can't wait to see you"
Patrick's brow furrowed at the lightness in Robin's voice. For someone who was supposed to be hung up on him, she seemed far too excited to see this Bruce character.
"Adding eavesdropping to staring?" Elizabeth asked.
"Do you just materialize out of thin air?"
"If you're so interested in Robin why did you break up with her last night?"
Patrick turned his back to the Nurses Station and faced Elizabeth. "Because I can't give her what she wants."
"Do you figure if you say it enough times out loud it will be true?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Nothing" she said in a sing song voice.
Well aware of Patrick's presence behind her, Robin walked to the locker room without a look back. Patrick watched her walk away before turning back to his charts. Liz clucked her tongue.
"Back off Liz."
"Suit yourself"
"I generally do"
"And that's worked brilliantly for you so far, hasn't it?" she asked walking away.
Robin sighed on her walk home. The day had certainly taken some unexpected turns. She had been dreading seeing Patrick and he certainly hadn't done anything to make it easier. Of course he hadn't made anything easy from their first meeting so why would he start now? Bruce was a nice surprise for her. She had met Bruce at a cocktail party thrown by the hospital she was working at in Paris. He was the political attaché to the American Embassy in Paris and he proved to be the perfect date. Well mannered, well dressed and unfailingly polite they had spent many a great evening together on the diplomatic party circuit. Bruce had a girlfriend back in Manhattan who would come out on occasion for a visit but otherwise Robin was his defacto date – and he hers. She never had to face another hospital function without the dashing foreign service officer on her arm.
He had introduced her to his circle of friends and they spent a number of Sunday afternoons stuffing their faces with cheese and baguette in the cafes of the Left Bank. Bruce had been recalled from Paris to work as a political advisor to a Senator and the last she had seen him was at his farewell party in the bar of the Georges V hotel.
She changed into a red halter dress and gold shoes. Grabbing her purse she left to meet Bruce. She was unable to keep the smile from her face as she bounced towards him.
"Hi!" she said enthusiastically.
"Gorgeous girl" he said kissing her hand. He pulled out her chair for her as she sat down. Bruce sat down across from her. "I took the liberty of ordering some wine for us – you still like the Chateau Neuf du Pape right?"
"Good memory" Robin grinned. "I'm so happy to see you."
Bruce had changed into a black dress shirt and black pants that set off his blonde hair and blue eyes nicely. "And I you. How have you been?"
"Pretty good – you know – busy, busy, busy" she said taking a sip of her wine.
"Ah – working to avoid life again?"
"Not at all" she said somewhat untruthfully "I have a new position and I need to prove myself to secure my tenure."
Bruce opted not to pursue it further. He knew Robin's patterns and when things got tough, she got to work. "And your health?"
"It's great. Had a small setback during the winter but I'm back on track so it's all good."
"Glad to hear it."
"So what brings you to Port Charles?"
"Well" he said swirling his wine around. "I was here for an interview with the board."
"So you said, but why?"
Bruce grinned. "Because I'm doing it – I'm going to run for Congress."
Robin squealed. "NO.WAY! Oh Bruce! I am so pleased for you."
Unseen by the old friends, was a certain young neurosurgeon and his date for the evening. Patrick's head had shot up at the sound of Robin's squeal. He narrowed his eyes as he looked over at their table. Robin was smiling and laughing with an ease that he had thought only he could bring out..
"….so I said there was no way I would let him cash out that stock, I mean honestly – selling Google stock? What was he thinking?"
Patrick looked at his date and smiled. Candice was an investment banker that he had met several months ago. Based out of Manhattan, she always called when she was passing through and Patrick liked spending time with her – preferably in his room.
"And how is Marian – did you finally propose?" Robin asked.
Bruce shifted uncomfortably. "Actually Marian and I called it quits several months ago."
"Oh Bruce I'm sorry – I thought you guys were solid."
"So did I but she made it clear the political life is not for her."
Robin gave his hand a squeeze. "Are you seeing anyone?"
He shook his head. "You?"
Robin smiled ruefully. "Not anymore."
Bruce grinned. "Maybe this trip will be more beneficial than I imagined."
Patrick had difficulty pulling his eyes from Robin's table. Luckily for him Candice liked to talk about herself so much that she wouldn't notice if he left the table. He stiffened as he watched Bruce escort Robin from the restaurant at the end of their meal. She couldn't possibly be moving on, could she?
Robin had so overwhelmed his thoughts that he was forced to offer Candice a rain check. Shockingly, frighteningly, Patrick was not in the mood for sex. By the time he got to work in the morning, his mood had gone from bad to worse.
Robin saw him get off the elevator and knew immediately he was in bad humour. His normally soft, playful eyes were dark and his jaw was locked in a tight line. Robin nearly flinched when he looked at her.
"Epiphany could you ask Dr. Scorpio if she could return the Harder file that she's been holding on to for three days now?"
Epiphany looked up and fixed Patrick with a warning look.
"Epiphany could you please inform Dr. Drake that the file is on his desk where it has been for the last two days. He would know this if he and his ego could both fit through the door."
"Epiphany please tell Dr. Scorpio…"
"Oh hell no" she said, raising her voice. "You two are not starting this up again. Do I look like the UN to you?" They both snapped their heads up at her tone. "Either figure out how to work together or I will sort it out for you." She stomped away grumbling about how stupid people with that much education could be.
"Happy now?" Robin shot at Patrick.
"I don't know, if I say no will I get a lecture?"
Robin yelled in exasperation. "You are impossible!"
"Takes one to know one."
"What is your problem?"
"Can we talk about the other night?" he said trying to defuse the situation.
Robin narrowed her eyes. "I think you said quite enough then, don't you?"
"So what? You're just going to cut me out?"
"Why not? Can't take your own medicine?" she hissed.
"I'd like to think we can be friends."
"Why? Fix your guilty conscience"
"What the hell do I have to feel guilty about?"
"Oh I don't know – for being a jerk?"
"You're calling me a jerk? You go from flirting with Nikolas to some random guy in the hospital."
"For Christ's sake how many times do I have to tell you I wasn't flirting with Nikolas and that wasn't some random guy – he's an old friend of mine."
"Whatever" he said dismissively.
"Oh my god – are you jealous?"
"Should I be?"
"You broke it off with me, remember?"
Patrick was about to reply when he felt a hand close tightly around his arm. Robin's eyes widened in surprise as she felt the same thing.
"I have told you two that I will NOT have this kind of behaviour on my floor. You may be doctor's" Epiphany said pulling them along the hall "but this is my floor."
Epiphany kicked open the door to the linen closet and pushed them in. "You two will stay in here until you can figure out how to talk to each other without inciting a war."
"Epiphany we have patients…" Robin started.
"Not right now – right now you WILL be working on establishing a cordial, professional relationship. I'll be back for you in an hour and either this will sorted or your families can claim you from the morgue but when I come back it will be over." She pulled the door shut.
They both stared at her in shock. Patrick turned to Robin. "Troublemaker"
"Me? You started it."
