Chapter Ten:
"Are you okay? Can I get you anything?" Noah asked Robin after the men left to try and find Tommy.
"No, I'm okay. I just want to get Tommy and go home. I want to see Emma and figure out what happens next."
"You know, I'm not the guy to make excuses or try and defend the indefensible, but as someone who lost their way in life, I know it can be an incredibly difficult thing to overcome. Patrick hasn't been okay since he watched that lab explode and I would also say he hasn't made very good decisions on anything except caring for Emma. What I also know is that he knows that. He wants to do better. None of his care and concern is a lie."
Robin nodded.
"I appreciate that, but I need time to figure things out. He has had a lot of time to adjust to a new life and he has decided to move on from 'us'. I haven't, and I need to do that. I had this fantasy in my mind that Patrick was sitting at home waiting for me and I realize now how ridiculous that was. I think for now we just need to get home."
Noah smiled and looked at his hands.
"Can I just ask that you try not to hate him?"
Robin wiped her eyes.
"I don't hate him. That's the problem."
Noah held her hand and they waited.
XXXX
Mac and Patrick had been around all of the trees and had found nothing. Patrick began to really worry that he wasn't going to find his friend.
"Here," Mac said and noticed a trail through the leaves.
They moved the leaves and saw Tommy lying there, covered in bruises.
"Shit," Patrick said as he turned Tommy over and his friend moaned.
"Tommy? Can you wake up?"
His eyes opened and he squinted at Patrick.
"Hey, about time," Tommy said and Patrick sat him up.
Mac looked around, not liking how open it was.
"Can you walk?" Patrick asked.
"If you help me, yeah," he said and Patrick put Tommy's arm around his shoulders.
"Let's go," Mac said and Patrick helped Tommy to the hotel.
They went up to the room and when the door opened, Noah helped Patrick get Tommy to the bed next to Robin.
"Oh God, is he okay?" Robin asked.
"Here give this to Robin," Tommy said as he pulled out the meds and paperwork from his pocket.
Mac handed it to Robin and she looked at the numbers.
"That's not so bad," she said and looked at them. "I need to order meds," she said and Tommy grimaced as Patrick helped him pull his shirt off.
"In the bag."
Robin opened it and smiled as the exact meds were there. She should have known he would know what to get.
"Thank you," she said and lay back.
"You might have a broken rib, but I'm hoping it's just bruised," Noah said as he bandaged the cuts on Tommy's torso.
"I'm fine," he said. "We need to get out of here as soon as we can. They followed me because Helena wanted to finish our evening together. I feel like she's the type not to take no for an answer."
Robin was quiet.
"She did this to you?"
Tommy held a bag of ice to his cheek.
"She had someone grab me from the hospital, but I think the men who beat me up in the woods were just trying to rob me. The problem was that Helena had them inject me with something and I did my best to get out of there before I was unable to move."
Mac was on the phone and he looked at them.
"The plane will be here tomorrow morning to take us back. I spoke with Brittany's pilot and they are ready to go."
Tommy smiled.
"Good. Now excuse me while I go puke," he said and stumbled to the bathroom.
The rest of them smiled and Patrick waited a minute and made sure Tommy didn't need any help.
A little while later, Tommy and Robin were asleep in their respective beds and there was a cot brought up for a third bed.
"It's getting late. We need to get some rest and be ready to go in the morning," Noah said.
"The two of you should go to the room next door and I'll stay here with Robin and Tommy," Mac said.
Patrick sighed and Noah nodded.
"Let us know if you need anything," Noah said.
Mac sighed and sat next to Robin's bed.
"Will do."
XXXX
Anna dropped Emma off at camp and made her way to work. She was sick with worry about Robin and after talking to Patrick after they found her, she had one thought on her mind.
Eliminate Helena Cassadine.
She said the obligatory hellos and got the updates in the cases that were in progress. She walked into her office and froze.
"Hello Luv," Robert said with a charm only he could bring.
Anna smiled and hugged him and stood back.
"You got my message."
"I did, but I'm confused. "Robin was taken again but my brother found her?"
Anna took a sip of her coffee.
"Sit down Robert."
He did and she told him what she knew. She watched the mix of emotions cross his face that an untrained person would never notice.
Robert was a difficult man to read and he was trained to hide every bit of emotion. Anna knew, when it came to their daughter, all bets were off.
"Let me get this straight. When I left after Christmas, she and Patrick and Emma were back together and happy. You are telling me she left to try and save Jason Morgan and that piece of shit husband of hers divorced her? She told you both she was broken and not worthy of this life and you both bloody ignored it and never once thought to call me? She was held, again, for months and months and I am just hearing about this now?" he asked her, his anger making her shame grow.
"I'm sorry Robert, but Victor was more lethal than I anticipated and then there was an inquiry into where Faison was. I had things coming at me from all angles and I messed up."
"Where is she now? Is she okay?"
Anna crossed her arms and sighed.
"Mac arranged a private flight home for them tomorrow."
"How the hell did Mac arrange that?" Robert asked. "My brother hasn't got the funds for that."
"Patrick's best friend Tommy got it. His wife is famous and she has a jet or something. They will be coming back after the jet gets there in the morning."
Robert nodded and looked at his hands.
"I need to make some calls. I'd like to see Emma tonight if that's okay."
Anna knew he was holding his anger inside and she nodded.
"She would love it. Call me later and we can meet for dinner."
He nodded and walked out.
Anna sat at her desk and felt her tears fall.
What a colossal mess.
XXXX
Patrick couldn't sleep. He sat up and saw Noah sound asleep so he grabbed his bag and went out onto the balcony. He pulled out the notes Tommy had grabbed and he picked up one of the journals Robin had written.
He opened it to a random entry and using his phone as a light, began to read.
"One of the best memories I have was during a really scary time for me. After everything happened with Lisa, I began to have trouble. The cut on my arm wouldn't fully heal and I was running a low grade fever. I began to feel more run down and I knew the potential for a secondary infection was real.
I didn't want to tell Patrick. I was so worried he would feel guilty. There was no way to know if Lisa messed with my meds and I was just scared. Patrick and I were finally back and track and I just couldn't bring Lisa back in.
But I left him out of my struggles and by doing that, he felt like I didn't trust him. I was lost and when I went to Jason to help me run away, I was at a really low point in my life with this disease. I didn't want to leave. Hell, I just got everything back, but I didn't want Patrick and Emma to watch me die. I just didn't know what to do."
Patrick felt his tears fall and remembered that time like it was yesterday. There were so many things he could have done differently. He should have known she wasn't feeling well. He should have read her body language better. He made it all about his pride and it wasn't. He continued reading.
"The best moment came when I came home from the specialist and Patrick was there. He confronted me and I had no choice but to tell him everything. The truth was simple.
I needed him. I was scared and nobody has ever made me feel as safe and loved as Patrick.
Patrick: Robin, you weren't at a conference, were you? You're the patient.
Robin: Did Elizabeth tell you?
Patrick: Yes.
Robin: I'm sorry. I didn't want you to find out like this.
Patrick: Can you just tell me what's happening?
Robin: [Sighs] My HIV meds stopped working. I found out the morning after Lisa died.
Patrick: That was months ago. Why didn't you tell me?
Robin: [Sighs] [Sighs] I don't know.
Patrick: You don't know?
Robin: I don't know. I...[Voice breaking] I was scared.
Patrick: Of what?
Robin: Of losing what we have together.
Patrick: So you kept a secret, Robin?
Robin: We have worked so hard to be happy in our marriage and with our daughter, and I just wanted Christmas to be perfect. I didn't want everything to change that.
Patrick: But it has changed, and you just decided to keep it to yourself.
Robin: There was no reason for you to know yet.
Patrick: I'm your husband. I love you. You're-you're supposed to be able to tell me everything.
Robin: But you know if I had, you know that if I told you, everything would have been different. The way you look at me, the way you talk to me. You're doing it right now.
Patrick: [Sniffles]
Robin: You wouldn't have been able to hide how sad you were. We wouldn't have been able to cover for our daughter. There would have been no moments of pure joy. I didn't want that for her. I don't want that.
Patrick: Well, what about what I want, Robin? Do you just get to decide that? Is that the way it's gonna be?
Robin: No. No. That's not what I was-I wasn't trying to hurt you. I was just trying to keep your life from falling apart all over again.
Patrick: Our life. This is our life here. You don't get to shut me out.
Robin: I'm sorry. I am so sorry.
Patrick: Do you not trust me?
Robin: Of course I trust you.
Patrick: [Sniffles] So what happened in Africa? [Sighs]
Robin: I wasn't there. I was...I was in Seattle.
Patrick: [Sighs]
Robin: Dr. Makeba heads up the infectious disease department at Mercy West. I lied to you. That was wrong, and I'm sorry. I just didn't want to worry you for no reason.
Patrick: No reason?
Robin: Because I started a second round of meds, and I hoped that they would work. I took a resistance test, and I found out that they weren't, that I needed to get on a new protocol, and I just...[Sighs] I was going to get it under control on my own.
Patrick: And?
Robin: And I'm on a third protocol now. I've seen Dr. Makeba's research. He's had great results with his test patients in Africa.
Patrick: Meaning what?
Robin: Meaning after a few months, their viral loads dropped dramatically, making HIV virtually undetectable in their systems.
Patrick: Okay. And does he think you're gonna respond the same way?
Robin: We'll know in a few weeks for sure. But I guess we have-we have good reason to hope.
XXXX
Robin: Look at me. I want you to remember me like this, like the strong, healthy person that I am, not some shadow of who I am.
Patrick: This disease is not gonna steal who you are, okay? I don't care what you look like. I don't care if you're not strong enough to hold my hand.
Robin: [Sighs]
Patrick: This is you. This is us.
Robin: [Sniffles] I'm scared. [Sniffles]
Patrick: I don't want you to be scared. No more secrets.
Robin: [Sniffles] Okay.
XXXX
Patrick put the journal down and looked out at the darkness.
His words meant shit. Everything he promised went down the toilet. He didn't know that he even believed he deserved another chance with her.
He ran his hand through his hair and walked back inside and to his bed. He lay down with the journal and prayed she would get better.
Something had to go right for this family.