Patrick felt Robin grasp his hand weakly and quickly looked at her face. To his relief, she was showing signs of waking up, albeit slowly. He touched Noah's shoulder, "Dad, she's waking up," he said, his voice full of joy.
Noah turned around abruptly when he heard what Patrick said and quickly came around to Robin's bedside. He saw her eyes fluttering, not fully opening, but a good indication that she was starting to come out of the anesthesia from the surgery. "Robin," he said gently, pulling out his penlight and flashing it in her half open eyes. "Can you hear me?" he asked as Robin closed her eyes tightly against the intruding bright light.
Patrick heard a muffled reply through the oxygen mask and felt her weakly squeeze his hand again. "Dad, she's squeezing my hand. She can hear you," he said, hope filling his voice for the first time since they had started walking down the aisle after being pronounced husband and wife.
"That's great, Patrick," said Noah giving his son a smile. He watched as Robin was able to keep her eyes open longer and gave her a warm smile.
"Pat… rick?" said Robin, her voice hoarse and muffled through the mask.
"I'm right here, darling," said Patrick, as Robin slowly turned her head hearing his voice. She gave him a weak smile through her mask, warming Patrick's heart.
"Hus… band?" she asked slowly and with difficulty.
"Yes, darling, we were married before you were hurt," he said, hoping to relieve any anxiety she may be having. He saw Robin give a slow smile and squeeze his hand again. He saw the joyful spark from within her dull eyes after he said that and then they slowly drifted shut, but he could tell she was fighting to stay awake. "Robin, sweetie, you need to sleep now," he told her gently. "We will have plenty of time to talk about our new life later," he said. Robin gave him another light squeeze and then her hand relaxed as she couldn't fight the overwhelming urge for sleep that overtook her.
"Dad," said Patrick excitedly, "she woke up and talked to me. She's going to be all right, I just know it," he said, smiling a genuine, happy smile, the first one Noah had seen since the wedding had ended.
Noah was truly happy for Patrick as they both knew that since Robin had woken up and seen Patrick and even remembered that he was her husband, it made the possibility of permanent brain damage from lack of oxygen remote. It was truly a good sign and something to be eternally grateful for. He clapped Patrick on the back and said, "Robin waking up and recognizing you is a very positive sign. She's going to be fine, son. We have every reason to be hopeful for a complete recovery," he said cheerfully.
"But what about her blood pressure? Is it stable yet?" he asked, still worried about the other shoe dropping and plummeting his world into despair yet again.
"Well," paused Noah, "it hasn't stabilized yet, but I have every confidence that it will soon," he said. Patrick nodded, a little bit defeated at that news, but still extremely happy that he had a chance to see her beautiful brown eyes again.
Noah reached over to the supplies in the cabinet at the head of the bed and took out the nasal cannula, hooking it up. He gently reached around to the back of Robin's head, lifted it up slightly, and removed the oxygen mask. He then, equally as gently, replaced it with the plastic tubing that oxygen flowed through, tucking it under her nose and up and over her ears for optimum comfort, and then finally lightly dropping the "V" of the tubing on her chest as both sides of the tubing formed into one tube that delivered the life saving oxygen. "There," he said as he finished, "that should make her more comfortable, especially for when she wakes up next time and wants to talk to you," he told Patrick, with a twinkle in his eye.
"Thanks, Dad, that will certainly help," said Patrick with a smile. "She'll appreciate that, I'm sure." Both men paused for a few moments looking down at the woman they both loved. "Dad, if you don't mind, I'm going to stay with Robin for awhile. Since she woke up, the visiting times don't need to be as strictly adhered to and I just want to be with her," he said, looking at his Dad for confirmation.
"Sure, son, that should be fine. I'll go tell Robin's family and Bryan the good news," he said with a smile and a pat on Patrick's arm as he turned to leave.
Patrick paused a moment as Noah was leaving, "Dad, wait," he said.
Noah turned back to him in surprise. "Is there something you need, Patrick? Something I can get for you?" he asked, worried that something was wrong.
"No, Dad," said Patrick, coming around to face Noah. "I just wanted to say thank you," he said, wiping a tear that had fallen. "I can't even express to you how much it meant to me that you helped to save Robin," he said, his voice full of emotion.
"Patrick, son," said Noah, grabbing his arms and pulling him in for a hug. "I would do anything for you, don't you know that yet?" he asked, pulling him back and looking in his eyes. "I love you, son. And I love that girl you married. She's like a daughter to me. I would do anything for the both of you. I'm just glad I was able to help," he said softly.
Patrick nodded silently and swiped at his face that suddenly had more tears falling down it. "Thanks, Dad, just… Thanks," he said gruffly, turning back towards Robin and sitting down at her bed, slightly ashamed at the show of waterworks, even if it was towards his father.
Noah smiled knowingly and patted Patrick's shoulder, "I'll see you later son," he said and turned around striding off in the direction of the waiting room to talk to Robin's friends and family.
Patrick picked up Robin's small hand that was always dwarfed in his big one, and just sat silently holding it, as he smiled.
Noah entered the waiting room and watched as various heads popped up as the occupants all awaited further word on Robin's condition.
"How is she?" asked Anna. "Can I see her yet?" she asked, standing up and striding quickly over to Noah. She didn't break stride as she neared him and Noah was sure she was going to run him right over.
Noah put up his hand up to ward her off, as she seemed about to jump him in her excitement to see Robin. "Not yet, but I do have some more good news," he said as he paused to gauge their reactions. As they were all waiting anxiously for him to continue, he crinkled his eyes and said with a smile, "Robin woke up very briefly and was able to see Patrick. She was lucid and cognizant so any lack of oxygen she may have experienced each time her heart stopped, doesn't seem to have affected her. Of course, we won't know for sure until she's awake all the time, but it's definitely a good sign."
A collective, relieved sigh could be heard throughout the room. Anna spoke up again, "So when can I see her then? Is Patrick still with you?" she asked noting that Patrick had not come back with him.
"Yes, Patrick is still with her," said Noah. "I'll allow her one more visitor, but that's it," he said sternly looking out at his audience gathered there.
"Let's go, then," said Anna, ignoring Robert's glare as she moved to push Noah out the doorway if needed.
Noah grinned good naturedly, seeing Anna's impatience, and exited the doorway, leaving Anna to follow him. He quickly led her down the hallway to the ICU door and paused before he opened it. "Now, Anna, please don't be shocked by the way Robin looks right now," he said quietly. "She's obviously been through a lot and is hooked up to a lot of machinery." As he saw her nod her head sadly, he continued, "As she gets better, we'll begin removing things, but right now it's kind of a shock, ok?"
Anna swallowed the lump in her throat and said, "Ok," in a clipped tone. The world traveling, savvy super spy was not in her element here and she knew it. "I just want to see Robin for myself, to be sure that she is still with us," she said quietly. "I just want to see for myself that she is alive."
Noah nodded his head, he understood her sentiment all too well. He could only imagine what he would feel like if it had been his son in that bed. The emotions threatened to choke him as he opened the ICU door and led Anna in to see her daughter.
Anna and Noah could see Patrick sitting quietly by Robin's bedside holding her hand when they approached. He looked up silently and smiled when he saw Anna with Noah. "She woke up," he said gratefully.
Anna nodded, smiling herself, "That's what Noah told us," she said. "He also said that it's a good, positive sign."
"Yes, it is," said Patrick encouragingly. "I think Robin is going to be just fine. She will just need some time for healing and then maybe we can still even take our honeymoon in a few weeks."
Anna grinned, "Robin would love that," she said and paused. "I think she was planning on the two of you going to visit Brenda soon in Italy. Maybe you could go there," she said, walking to the other side of Robin's bed and sitting down, gazing at her daughter.
"That would be great," said Patrick. "We'll go anywhere she wants after she gets better," he said. Abruptly changing subjects, he growled angrily, "Does Mac have any idea who did this yet?"
"No," said Anna quietly, frustration showing in her voice. "I think his crime unit was just finishing up on the island just before I came in here," she said. "He's been on the phone most of the evening and I can tell he's pretty frustrated. Apparently, the shooter was a professional and didn't leave any trace of his identity or even a clue to his whereabouts when the rifle was fired."
"Damn," said Patrick angrily, his voice rising slightly. "I really want whoever did this caught. Do you think that Robin is still in danger?" he asked fearfully anxious as he cradled Robin's soft hand in his own.
"I don't know," said Anna regretfully. "I really just don't know. Do you have any idea who might have done this to her? Or anyone that she made upset recently?" she asked, hopeful that they might uncover a clue.
"No…" said Patrick as he paused to think. "I can't think of anyone who would want to hurt her. Pretty much everyone who knows her loves her, just like I do," he said wistfully, gently rubbing light circles over Robin's hand.
"I know, that's the problem in a nutshell," said Anna. "Everyone who knows her, loves her, but obviously there's someone out there who doesn't and wanted her dead," she said as she shook her head trying to dispel that thought from her mind. "Just the thought that someone is out there who wants my luv dead is hard to wrap my head around," she said.
"I know, me too," said Patrick. Shooting his head up quickly, he asked, "I haven't seen any guards around. Is there someone around who will guard her and make sure nothing happens to her?" he asked, a frantic tone to his voice.
"I think Mac is working on that as we speak," said Anna. "There isn't a need until she gets moved to her own room and unauthorized people may be going in and out. Once that happens, Mac will definitely have a guard or two assigned to her," said Anna reassuringly, as Noah patted Patrick's shoulder. Patrick looked up to his father and let out a sigh, grateful that he was with him.
"Good," said Patrick, relieved and sitting back in his chair as he let out a long and slow breath. He had unconsciously moved to the edge of the chair as they had been talking about Robin's shooter and future guards, but he felt a bit less on edge and had moved to get more comfortable. "I can't imagine anything more happening to her," he said with a frown.
"Neither can I, Patrick," said Anna, agreeing wholeheartedly with her son-in-law. They all three fell into an easy silence as they watched the sleeping woman on the bed before them, mother, husband, and father-in-law, falling into an easy pattern of waiting.
The employee waited for the phone call from his contact in the ICU. When Dr. Scorpio-Drake was scheduled to be moved, his contact would call him and he would then set the plan in motion for the doctor on the cardiac care unit to carry out his part of the mission. It was a simple plan, all it called for was an IV bag filled with a certain drug and no one would ever be the wiser. He called Dr. Sadhi for confirmation of his earlier instructions.