Chapter 10

"What the hell were you thinking Drake?" Patrick arrived home and wasn't surprised to find Mac standing on his front door step. "I was supposed to take Emma to Robin – not you."

"I needed to see her Mac. I needed to know that she was okay." Patrick unlocked the door. "Do you want to come in, maybe have a beer?"

Mac considered it for a moment. "Are you sure that it's safe – I still have a gun and a pair of handcuffs."

"Mac, there is nothing you could say or do to me right now that I wouldn't deserve." Patrick threw his keys on the coffee table. "Are you coming in?"

Mac stepped into the room and studied Patrick. It was obvious that he was beating himself up over what had happened and he needed someone to talk to. "One beer."

"Have a seat." Patrick left the room and came back in a minute later with the beers. He handed one to Mac and sat down on the couch. "I had to see her."

Mac took a drink and nodded his head. "Why? You have a new life – one you created without my niece."

"I thought Robin had abandoned me and Emma; that she had walked out on us."

"Why would you think that? Robin fought so hard to get back to you, why would you believe for one second that she would willingly leave you?" Mac was honestly trying to understand Patrick's reasoning.

"Because I was hurt, I was hurt that she chose to go after Jason instead of staying home with us." Patrick paused, "Mac, my son had died and I was already feeling guilty for not being happy when I found out he was coming. When he died, I felt like it was my fault – like somehow my refusal to be there for him in the beginning led to what happened. And then when Robin refused to come home and be with us…"

"But that wasn't what was happened, she wanted to be home with you and Victor was holding her hostage. Meanwhile, she was feeling guilty because she knew that Victor caused the accident to keep her in line and doing what he said. She was trying to bring Jason home to his family, just like her parents brought her home to you." Mac was really trying to understand Patrick's point of view. "Is that what your relationship with Sam is about? You felt so guilty that you didn't want Robin to save Jason that you decided to give her a normal life to make up for it?"

"No, I love Sam. Maybe not in the same way I love Robin but I do love her. She is great with Emma and she has really been there for me." Patrick's voice betrayed a little doubt.

"So she is a great friend but are you in love with her?"

Patrick took a drink of his beer and shook his head. "Truthfully I have only been in love with one woman in my life and that is Robin." Patrick felt like a weight had finally been lifted off his shoulders with this revelation. "I love her but no, I am not in love with Sam."

Mac sighed. "Patrick, I wish I could say that I will be able to forget about the fact that you turned your back on Robin when she needed you the most but I can't. Anna finally told me about that call and there were so many red flags that you both should have caught. She told you she was broken Patrick. Why weren't you trying to find her and prove to her that she wasn't?"

"Pride, anger, denial, take your pick." Patrick finished off his beer. "You know what's funny – I can see it so clearly now. I replay every moment of that call or when I found her at the clinic and I can see how scared she was. She wouldn't look me straight in the eyes, she kept looking around like she was worried that someone was going to find me. And when she told me about Jason…" Patrick stood up. "Mac, what if she was lying about that?"

"Lying about saving Jason – why would she do that?" Mac wasn't sure where Patrick was going with this line of thought. It was almost like he was avoiding the real problem.

"Why did she lie to me about why she was staying at the clinic – to protect me and Emma." Patrick stood up and began pacing the living room.

"But Jason being alive – are you sure you just aren't feeling guilty about not being in love with Sam?" Mac stood up. "I think you are focusing on the wrong thing here. We need to be helping Robin get her memories back, not finding your girlfriend's dead husband."

"But Jason could help with that. If she saved Jason then he can help fill in some of those missing pieces. Maybe he was with her the whole time. We know her treatment worked – Helena and Stavros are proof of that. Is it really such a stretch to believe that she saved Jason first, that he was her first success?" Patrick finally stopped pacing and turned to Mac. "My, uh, Robin is brilliant. If anyone could do it, she could."

"I'm not denying that but I also think you may be clutching at straws here." Mac set his empty beer bottle down on the coffee table. "However, if Robin did manage to save Jason, he may be our best hope in helping her recover her memories. I will look into the explosion and see if I can find out anything. Meanwhile, I want you to think about how you are going to make things up to my niece."

Patrick nodded. "That is all I have been thinking about since I saw her in that Trauma Room Mac."

"Thanks for the beer and I will see you later." Mac walked out the door, closing it softly behind him as Patrick walked over and stared at the picture of him, Emma and Robin still sitting out on the shelf. He was so out of it that he didn't even notice Sam coming in to the living room from the kitchen.

"Patrick?"

Patrick turned around and quickly wiped his tear filled eyes. "Sam, I'm sorry when did you get home?"

"I got home a few minutes ago." She sat down on the couch and smiled at him sadly. "I think we need to talk."

"So have you thought about it?" Nikolas walked into Robin's room and sat down on next to her on her bed. Robin was sitting up, reading a book after putting Emma to bed.

Robin put her book down and shook her head. "Nikolas, it has only been a couple of hours since you brought it up. I need a little time to think."

Nikolas took Robin's hand in his. "I can understand that but we really don't have that much time, do we?"

Robin bit her lower lip and considered what he was saying. "I know that."

"Then we really need to make a decision so I can arrange everything." Nikolas scooted over closer to Robin and wrapped his arm around her. "I really think this is the best thing to do for all of us."

Robin couldn't help but lean her head on his shoulder and she let him pull her close. "Are you sure?"

"Robin, I meant everything I said to you after dinner." He leaned over and gently kissed the top of Robin's head. "I love you. I have spent years protecting you – please, let me continue to do it."

Robin closed her eyes and really thought about what Nikolas had said to her after dinner. She made a decision. "Alright – let's do it."