Chapter Twenty-Five:
Patrick was waiting in the lobby while Robin was in for her exam with Brittany. She didn't want him in there for the actual exam, but she was going to call him back as soon as they were done. He tried to occupy himself with something other than worrying, but it was hard.
He always felt they dodged a huge bullet with Robin coming home so healthy. Her HIV was under control and he was so thankful, but he worried they would find something out that would burst their bubble.
Maybe he just wasn't used to happy ever after.
"Patrick?" Matt asked him as he sat there.
"Oh, hey," he smiled as Matt walked up with Maxie. "How are you guys doing?"
Matt looked at Maxie and she grinned.
"We're pregnant!" Maxie squealed and Matt laughed.
Patrick grabbed his brother and picked him up in a bear hug.
"That's the best news ever!" he said and then hugged Maxie gently.
"She told me you already knew," Matt smiled and Patrick blushed.
"Not really. I just heard the ladies talking last night. This is an official announcement and it's awesome," he said and grinned so his dimples were deep. "You guys are going to make the best parents."
Maxie wiped her eyes and held onto Matt's arm.
"I know Matt will be a great dad. I think I have a lot more to learn," she said.
"Maxie, you have been amazing with Emma and she loves you so much. You have all of the qualities needed to be an amazing mother and I can't wait to see you with a child," Patrick said and Matt nodded.
"With a dad as an ex con, you have nothing to worry about," he winked.
"Nice," she said and they all laughed.
"Why are you here? Is everything okay?"
Patrick nodded.
"Yeah, Robin is in for an appointment and I'm just waiting for her."
"Oh, well we all need to get together to have dinner soon," Maxie said.
"Absolutely," Patrick smiled and watched them walk out.
He was so happy for his brother and he prayed everything would be okay for them. Matt and Maxie both deserved some happiness.
He turned to sit down and saw Natalie walk in and smile at him as she walked over.
"Hi Dr. Patrick," Natalie smiled.
"Hi Natalie! What are you doing over here?"
"I'm waiting for my daddy to come get me."
"Should you be walking alone?" Patrick asked as he noticed the little girl's pale appearance.
"I'm not alone. Mr. Evan is over there," she said and Patrick looked at the wall and saw a handsome man standing there, eyeing him.
"That's him. He takes me places when mommy and daddy are busy. He is mommy's security but he is more like my Uncle. My daddy told him all about you, otherwise he might shoot you for talking to me."
Patrick raised his eyebrows at her and she giggled as Evan walked over, having heard her.
"Natalie, you know I don't shoot people," he smiled and looked at Patrick. "Hi, I'm Evan Thrushcross."
"Hi. Patrick Drake," he smiled at the slightly younger man. "Have you worked with Brittany for long?"
"Since Natalie was a year old," he said and grinned at her. "My wife and I just moved here with our son."
Patrick smiled.
"Kevin is really nice. He is going to go to school with us. I told him about Emma and he wants to meet her," Natalie said. She smiled and then her monitor beeped.
Evan helped her check the number and she took out a little juice box.
"I'm good, keep talking," she grinned and Patrick smiled at her spunk. She truly just kept going.
"My wife and I have heard so much about you," Evan said as he kept an eye on Natalie.
"I hope all good," Patrick said and looked up as Jade walked out.
"Hi Auntie Jade!" Natalie squealed.
"Well hello mini red," she said and looked at Patrick. "You can go to the office and meet your wife," she smiled as the tiny redhead hugged her.
"Thank you. It was nice to meet you," he said to Evan and went to meet Robin.
Jade stayed with Evan and Natalie and waited.
Patrick walked into the office and saw Robin sitting there. He was worried when her saw her tears.
"What happened? Are you okay?" he rushed to the chair.
"Oh, yeah, I'm fine," she smiled. "I just worry that I went for so long without medical care and I'm so relieved to be home, but I don't want anything to be wrong."
He sat down and held her hand.
"Did Brittany think there was anything to be worried about?"
"No. She did an exam and took blood and urine and she went to get the results. She didn't seem to think anything was wrong."
"That's good," he smiled. "I'm sure there is nothing to worry about."
"I know," she said softly.
"I ran into Matt and Maxie in the hall. He knows she's pregnant and they are both thrilled."
"Oh that's so awesome," Robin said. "I'm so glad she told him and they are in this together. I hope they know how lucky they are.
"They do. I think this will be an incredible blessing to both of them."
"Oh good, you're here," Brittany smiled as she walked in.
"I was hanging out with your daughter in the lobby. I met Evan, too," Patrick smiled.
"That's great. He finally moved here with his family and now we're just waiting on Jack and Stephanie."
"Who is Evan?" Robin asked.
"He's my security, well, mainly for Natalie now. My celebrity status sometimes causes problems for her, so we like to be careful. She needs to be safe."
"She told me he would shoot me if I wasn't approved."
Brittany rolled her eyes.
"Nice. I'll talk to her about that."
Robin smiled at them and loved their new little circle of friends.
"So, let's talk about what I found on the exam and with the tests," Brittany said.
Robin squeezed Patrick's hand and he smiled reassuringly at her.
"Is anything wrong?"
"Not wrong, but there are a few things I'd like to look into a little further. Your blood pressure is high and your EEG showed a little abnormality. Have you ever been told you have a heart murmur? I didn't see it on your chart, but I definitely heard it."
"No. I don't think I ever heard that. Are you sure?"
"I am, but I'd like to refer you to cardiac specialist to do an exam and work up. I wonder if it's possible that during your captivity, you were given treatment that might have injured your heart muscle. Were you given any kind of drugs or maybe exposed to some kind of radiation specifically targeting your chest?"
Robin felt her tears come as she sat there.
"I don't know. They did all sorts of things to me but a lot of it I don't remember. I know they used shock treatment on me and I had a hard time recovering from that. Is it possible that had an effect?"
Patrick felt sick as he listened to her. What the hell did these monsters do?
Brittany smiled warmly, putting Robin at ease.
"I am not seeing anything that can't be treated or controlled. I am just trying to gather all of the information I can in order to make the best assessment."
Patrick sighed.
"Do you have a doctor in mind you want us to see?"
"Actually, I do. Dr. Jack Stephens is on his way here to GH to work and he is a dear friend. He is one of the top cardiac specialists in the world and he has a lot of success treating challenging cases, not that I think you are. He has worked on me and Jade and we were incredibly difficult cases. I will set something up with him and if you feel that you want to look elsewhere, I will be happy to oblige."
"I've heard of Dr. Stephens. He is widely published and seems like the best in his field," Patrick said.
"Don't tell him that, or his head will grow," she grinned. "He is an amazing man and I know you will like him."
Jade knocked and walked in.
"I have the labs back," she said and walked to put them down.
"Thank you," Brittany took them and Jade walked out.
Patrick and Robin waited and worried.
"Well, this changes a few things," she said and looked at them. "You have high levels of HcG in your blood."
"You mean," Robin said and covered her mouth.
"You're pregnant."
There was silence and then Patrick looked at her.
"I'm pregnant?" he stood up. "I mean we're pregnant?"
Robin started to cry and Brittany looked at them.
"I'll give you a minute."
"Hey, what's wrong?" Patrick asked as he knelt in front of her chair.
She launched herself into his arms and he held her tightly as his tears came.
"I never believed this would happen," she said as she sat back. "I dreamt about being home with you and having another child but it never seemed like a possibility. I love you so much and I'm so proud to be here with you."
He wiped her tears and leaned in to kiss her deeply, her arms wrapping around his neck.
"I love you, too, so much. This is the most amazing news."
She smiled and sat back, touching her stomach.
"A new baby?"
He put his hand over hers and his own tears fell.
"A new miracle."
"But what if something is really wrong with me? With my heart? What will that mean?"
He sat down and kissed her hand.
"We are going to get through all of this. Nothing is going to happen to you and we are going to move forward with our new growing family."
"What about what Maxie said? Is someone out there to get me? We are both pregnant and that could be so dangerous. What are we going to do?" she asked, her panic overwhelming her.
"Shh. You need to stop worrying and enjoy this right now. We will be smart and vigilant. We will talk to your mom and figure out whatever we need to do to stay safe. This is an amazing blessing, Robin. I'm so happy."
She nodded and smiled.
"I am too. I just worry that being this happy is a recipe for disaster. I don't think I know how to trust my happiness."
He looked up as Brittany walked back in.
"That's what my job will be. I will help us both trust in this miracle."