Chapter 9
Robin walked into the house and threw her keys on the table by the door. Unfortunately, the throw was a little harder than normal and the keys slid off the table and onto the floor. "Damn it."
She knelt down on the floor and reached under the table to retrieve them but she misjudged where she was and accidentally hit her head as she stood back up. "Damn it!"
Moving slowly, she pulled herself out from under the table and leaned back against the door, tears slowly trickling down her face. She had no idea why she was crying – it really hadn't hurt that much.
"Mom?" Michelle had heard the front door shut and walked into the hallway. Seeing Robin sitting on the floor with tears on her face, she quickly sat down next to her mom. "Mom?"
"I'm okay – I just hit my head." Robin wiped her cheeks and gave her daughter a small smile. "It doesn't hurt that bad. I don't even know why I am crying."
"I do." Michelle gave her mom a sad smile.
Robin shook her head. "Maxie called."
"She was worried about you. She told me what Patrick said." Michelle stood up and held out her hand. "I have a bottle of wine and two glasses."
Robin took her daughter's hand and pulled herself up off the floor. "That is the best offer I have had all day."
The two women went into the living room and sat down on the couch. Michelle poured them each a glass of wine and handed one to her mother. "Maxie said that Matt and Patrick got into it after you left."
Robin felt horrible. "I don't want to cause problems between the two of them."
"Mom, Maxie said that she overheard Patrick saying he cared about you." Maxie couldn't hear the whole conversation but she was certain that Patrick was in love with Robin.
"I know he cares about me as a friend but that's all." Robin took a long drink of her wine. "I think that maybe he feels guilty for not being there for us after your dad died and he is seriously overcompensating."
"He hurt you." Michelle had really hoped that Patrick would be the man to pull her mom out of the shell she had crawled into after her father died. Instead he may have just gotten her to retreat further.
"Before Patrick showed up Matt and Maxie were trying to convince me that Patrick was interested in me and I made the mistake of believing it." Robin blinked back a tear. "And then he said…"
Michelle waited for her mom to finish her sentence. When Robin didn't say anything she decided to prompt her. "He said…"
"He said the he needed to protect me because I was a widowed grandma and what kind of man would be interested in me?" Repeating the words hurt almost as much as when she first heard them. "I don't know – maybe he's right."
Michelle was ready to kill the man. "No he's not. You are a beautiful, intelligent, loving woman and any man would be lucky to be seen with you."
"This is silly – why am I so upset about this?" Robin felt the tears coming again. "It isn't like we were dating or anything."
"No but it's alright if you did." Michelle set down her wine glass and smiled at her mom. "I know you love dad and I know you miss him but he would not want you to spend the rest of your life alone."
"I know but I also have to be realistic. Michelle, I love being your mom and being Rylee's grandma but most men are not impressed with a 38-year old grandma and anyone who can't accept you two, I can't accept." She smiled at her daughter. "Then there is my HIV status – even in this day and age I still meet people who won't even shake my hand let alone someone who would want to date me."
"The right man won't care – dad didn't."
"But your uncle did." Robin bit her lip and a look of determination crossed her face. "But you know what, I think I finally realized tonight that I am open to dating again and, if Patrick isn't interested, there is someone else who is."
"Really?" Michelle decided that Patrick's loss may be someone else's gain. "Who?"
"Dr. Basal from ENT – he asked me to dinner after we finished our consult the other day."
Dr. Keith Basal was a gorgeous doctor with dark brown hair and green eyes. Michelle thought he was probably a couple of years younger than her mom but at least it was a start. "Why didn't you go?"
"It was the night of Rylee's recital but I did promise him a rain check. Maybe he would like to do it tomorrow." Robin pulled out her phone and texted Keith who responded with an immediate yes. "Wow – that was fast."
"And he knows about…"
"Everything." Robin confirmed. She took a deep breath and raised her glass. "To my first date in over fifteen years."
Michelle clinked her mother's glass with hers and smiled. Tomorrow before class she would let Maxie know about Robin's date and by lunch tomorrow Patrick Drake would know exactly what he had lost.
"Hit me again Coleman." Patrick held up his empty glass and smiled at the bartender. He had called Sabrina and invited her to the Nurse's Ball but she had turned him down immediately. Sabrina was dating Morgan Corinthos and suggested he do what everyone knew he wanted to do – ask Robin to go with him. But, instead of calling Robin, he had headed to Jake's to have a drink and try to figure out what the hell he was going to do.
"Sorry doc but I am going to have to cut you off." Coleman took the empty glass from Patrick and set a glass of water down and Patrick's phone in front of him. "I swiped your phone and called someone to come and get you."
"Who did you call?" Patrick didn't have anyone listed as an emergency contact.
"He called me sport." Noah walked up to the bar and smiled at his oldest son. "Want to talk to me about what happened at Matt's tonight?"
Patrick scoffed at the man. "No I do not. I just want to go home and pass out."
Noah put his arm around Patrick and helped him off the stool. "I'll take you to my place so that I can fix you a hangover cure and make sure that you don't hurt yourself tonight."
"Fine." Patrick didn't have it in him to fight with his father at the moment.
"Good and on the way there," Noah helped Patrick out of the bar and into his car, "you can tell me exactly why you are trying to convince Robin, the woman you love, that you are a complete and total ass."
"In all fairness, I am a complete and total ass." Patrick managed to buckle his seat belt and leaned his seat back. "Robin deserves…"
"Robin deserves to be with a man who loves her and treats her with respect." Noah started up the car and put it into gear. "You can be that man Patrick if you want to."
"What if I can't?" The fear Patrick was feeling came through loud and clear. "I have never been in love before and if I ever broke her heart, I don't think I could live with myself."
Noah parked the car and turned around to face his son. "Patrick, I know I have screwed up many times over the years and you have no reason to listen to me or believe me but loving your mother and being with her was the best decision I ever made."
"Even though she…"
Noah nodded. "Even though."
Patrick thought about what Noah was saying. As much as he hated to admit it, his father was right and Robin was worth the risk. "How do I fix this? How do I get her to forgive me?"
Noah smiled at Patrick. "I don't know right now but let's sleep on it tonight and, in the morning, we'll figure out what to do together."
