Chapter 13

Patrick sat in his bed staring at the door, waiting for Robin and Emma to get there. Robin had promised to bring Emma in first thing so she could see that her Daddy was doing better. He turned on the TV and was flipping through the channels, not really watching anything when he heard the best sound in the world coming from the doorway.

"Daddy!" Emma ran to the bed and jumped up to hug Patrick. "Mommy told me you woke up!"

"That's right baby girl, Mommy woke me up." Patrick smiled warmly at Robin.

"I'll leave you two to get caught up and I am going to going over your test results with Grandpa Noah."

"Robin wait – I was hoping we could talk for a few minutes first."

Noah came in the door at that moment. Patrick had asked him to keep an eye on the door and then to come and take Emma for a few minutes so he could talk to Robin. "Emma, I have some coloring books and crayons in my office. I thought we could go down and color a picture for Daddy while he and Mommy talk."

"Can I Mommy, please?" Robin nodded her assent after giving Patrick a dirty look. Emma happily grabbed her Grandpa's hand and ran out the door with him.

"Dirty pool Drake."

"We need to talk. I have some major groveling to do." Robin was close enough to the bed that Patrick was able to grab her right hand and pull her close to the bed. "I was a major jerk. I threw away everything we had and was so caught up in my own feelings that I couldn't see what was right in front of me. I could blame it on the brainwashing but the truth is that I was so hurt and angry I refused to trust my instincts. Somewhere deep inside I knew something was wrong and I ignored it."

"Patrick…" Robin tried to stop him but Patrick wouldn't let her.

"No Robin, I have to say this. After all we have been through, all I have done to hurt you, I should have shown more patience and understanding about your decision to help Jason. I knew you really didn't have a choice but I still used it as an excuse to give up on us. I forgot our deal – walking out is acceptable, giving up isn't. What I did is unforgivable and yet I am asking you, no I am begging you to please forgive me. I want us to start over again, a new start for you, me and Emma to be a family again. You don't have to answer me today – just promise me you'll think about it. Please, just think about it?"

Tears filled Robin's eyes. As much as she still loved him and wanted it too, the future he wanted just wasn't possible anymore.

"Patrick, I know you are sorry for what happened and I am too. Maybe if I had told Victor no or had found a way to sneak a message to you or my mom this would have never happened. But it did. It did and you asked for a divorce and started seeing another woman." Patrick looked distraught at the mention of his dating Sam. Robin looked at him. "I understand why it happened but it doesn't change the fact that it happened."

"The truth is that I think we are past the point of a new start. Too much has happened for us to be able to start again. I will always love you but I have decided to start over again with someone else."

"Nikolas."

"Yes – he figured out where I was and attempted to rescue me. When he didn't succeed he was held with me and we spent a lot of time together, really getting to know each other again. Turns out we are far more compatible than we ever knew. We survived together and worked together to escape. He and I well," Robin stumbled over the words, "Patrick, I love him."

Patrick winced at her statement but also noticed that she didn't say that she had fallen in love with Nikolas. "Robin, I know we can work this out."

Robin steeled herself. He had no idea how had hard this was for her to do. "There is nothing to work out. Nikolas and I are getting married."

"What! Robin this is crazy."

"No Patrick, this is actually one of the sanest things I have done in a long time."

"When?"

Robin paused before speaking. "Six weeks." She turned away from Patrick. "Emma is so excited. She is going to be my maid of honor and she loves Wyndamere." She turned back to him. "Since we live in the same town, I'm sure we can come up with a custody agreement that works for both of us."

Patrick was in shock. There was not a hint of excitement in her voice, more like resignation. Something was very wrong with the whole situation but he decided not to press it at this point in time.

"Okay. We can talk about this after I get out of here." He stared her straight in the eyes. One look from Patrick affected her more than a day with Nikolas ever would. His next words stabbed at her heart. "All I want for you is to be happy Robin. That is all I have ever wanted for you. I hope you know that."

"I know." Robin sighed. She had one more bomb to drop and it was bigger than the wedding. "There is something else you need to know. Apparently, either during my first kidnapping or this latest one, a, um, procedure was done on me."

Panic filled Patrick's eyes. "Oh my God, Robin, are you okay?"

"I'm fine." She knew that this would be hard for him to hear, so she just spit it out. "They took some of my eggs. The Cassadines felt that I was a good match for their gene pool."

Realization slowly dawned on Patrick. "Robin, what are you saying?"

"Hey Robs, this little guy was missing his mommy." Nikolas walked into the room with a crying baby boy in his arms. Smirking at Patrick, he handed the baby to Robin. "Did Robin tell you the good news – we have a son!"