Marty reached up a hand and stroked Patrick's cheek, "You can do it … it's timeLucy knows the truth." Patrick leaned his forehead against Marty's and Lucy felt a twinge recognizing the same gesture of affection that Ian had done so often. She ached with missing him, and he had only been gone a few hours.
Patrick looked up at the group gathered around the table before focusing his attention on his sister-in-law, "Well, it all started when we were lads. The Thornhart boys were holy terrors, always getting into fights and scrapes—but really it was wherever we'd see an injustice. And being sons of hired hands—there was plenty of bloody injustice to go 'round. It was always 'Seamus and Patrick are at it again.' That's the first thing people would say when they called our da to complain."
"Seamus? But... that's your son," said Scott in confusion.
"AND my brother—Ian's his first name, our mum picked it out. But our da always called him Seamus after his father, our grand-da. He didn't start using Ian until he went off to university. Where was I? Oh, yeah. When Seamus—I mean Ian—and I weren't fighting against others—we'd be fighting with each other. Then there was our sister, Grainne, no two boys ever loved their sister more than we… she'd ask us not to fight and we'd stop for a time… she's been gone such a long time… I still miss her so…" he said simply as a tear rolled down his cheek.
Marty held one of his hands tightly in her own, as he wiped away the tear. Lucy, Kevin and Scott sat quietly at the table, their attention solely focused on Patrick and his tale.
"Anyway… Grainne… she's got… I mean, she HAD a bit of a temper," Patrick laughed, "don't know where she got it from! She was tired of two overgrown boys beating off every bloody suitor that came calling and decided to strike off on her own. She got tangled up with an English lord… don't know how—but I can guess… well, then she came to me when she found out she was pregnant. Lord Whyting kicked her to the curb the minute he found out about the babe, and she needed my help. You see, she couldn't go to our mum or our da, and Seamus—Ian—he was off to bloody medical school. It was just me and Grainne. I took her to a place we found that'd do the abortion…" Patrick's voice caught in a sob and Marty put her other hand over his. "And… and the butcher… he… he botched it. She died… bled to death… right in my arms." Patrick had to stop as sobs wracked him and he laid his head on Marty's shoulder. The three from Port Charles exchanged looks with one another, but didn't say a word. Even Lucy hadn't heard the story in such detail before… probably because Ian had the same depth of emotion.
Patrick lifted his head and looked in Marty's eyes. "Go on," she said, "it'll do you a world of good. It's going to be all right—but you need to do this so that you'd don't lose your brother, too." Patrick nodded and got up from the table. The next part of the story was just as intense and he needed to walk about the room.
"After she died, I had such hatred in my heart. I blamed Lord Whyting… and I blamed my brother. It wasn't fair… but I kept thinking that Seamus was off saving the bloody world and he wasn't there when Grainne needed him," Patrick said.
"But Ian has always blamed himself for her death," Lucy said softly. "You didn't have to—he did it to himself."
"Aye, I know that now… but then, let's just say I had a lot of anger in me. Someone had to bloody well pay for what happened to her… so I stopped talking to my brother… and I got involved with some… er… terrible lads. They talked me into getting even with Lord Whyting for his part in Grainne's death and I went along with it. They put a bomb on his yacht, and I drove them away when the boat exploded and killed the bastard. I don't ever regret that he died—he deserved it and so much more pain for what he did to my sister—but I regret my part in it." Patrick walked over to the stove, picked up the teakettle and added some more water before setting it back on the burner. This was going to be a long story and it might go down better with some tea. He really wanted some whiskey, but he was afraid he'd never be able to finish if he started drinking.
"So… you're the terrorist? Do you think they got you mixed up with Ian?" Kevin questioned the man.
"No… I wasn't a bloody terrorist, just a mixed up kid. Anyway, that's only the beginning of the story. You'll have to be patient, man." Patrick answered him with irritation.
"Go on, Patrick. Tell Lucy the rest… she'll understand," Marty said softly, directing Patrick's attention to the women he loved.
"Thank you, Angel," Patrick answered her. "Lucy, I don't mean to upset you."
"You're not upsetting me, Patrick. Iknow you, you are every bit the good and honorable man your brother is… and it's easy to get lost sometimes. Trust me; I know a lot about making foolish choices. Please go on, whatever you can tell us that will help Ian… we need to know." Lucy said while looking intently into Patrick's eyes.
"Well… for a while everything was okay. I went to university and when I finished I began teaching at Trinity College in Dublin… and Siobhann, she was working against the terrorists—they called themselves the Men of 21… and they killed her… but Margaret… that's how I met Margaret… trying to honor Siobhann's last wish."
"Inishcrag," Lucy whispered softly.
"Aye… Inishcrag. After I got Siobhann's music to Inspector Quillen, the Men of 21 were after me, and I had to run. I followed Margaret to Llanview, Pennsylvania, on a stolen passport, but they found me there and almost killed me. They tried to bomb the Palace Hotel, but the police commissioner, Bo Buchanan, believed my story and I was able to help him stop them—Bo was able to get the bloody bastards… and the special branches agent who was behind it all," Patrick said. Hefrowned atScott and Kevin, "And that's why I know a little something about corrupt government agents."
Marty whispered, "Go on, Patrick... tell them the rest."
Patrick continued speaking directly to Lucy, "Margaret and I... we played the star-crossed lovers for a bit—always ending up with the wrong partner. But that's not important to Ian right now… and you know most of that story."
"I want to know!" Scott said, and was answered by Lucy's "Shh, not now Scott! Go on, Patrick."
The teakettle had started to whistle and Patrick busied himself making a fresh pot of tea for a few minutes. "Do you have any biscuits to go with this?" he asked Lucy. She got up and took a package of cookies out of the cabinet, removed them from the wrapper and put them on a plate.
Marty said, "I think I'll just go check on Seamus for a second." She could tell that Patrick needed to gather his composure before he started the next part of the story… and gave him those few minutes to gather his thoughts.
Marty returned to find everyone sitting around the table enjoying a fresh cup of tea in silence. She commented, "Seamus and Caroline are still sound asleep, and Aisling, Christina and Danny are arguing with Carmen about why they have to take a nap. It seems that we'll have time to talk for a little while longer."
"Lucy, I can't wait to meet my newest niece when she wakes. I bet she's every bit as beautiful as her ma," Patrick said, "I guess I need to finish my story now—help me, Angel?"
Marty started the next part, "Patrick was trying to make a life for himself—and for us—teaching at Llanview University, and we were trying so hard to work through our problems and make a life together. But an evil man…"
"NOT a man!" interjected Patrick vehemently.
"Yes, a… a curse… disguised as a man… he hated Patrick and he hated that I was with him… and he would do anything to hurt Patrick… so he … he dug into Patrick's past. And the terrorists who blew up Lord Whyting's yacht found… Patrick… found us," Marty finished.
"Aye… they came to kill me, and cause whatever mayhem they could, just because that's all they knew," Patrick said. "We beat them, but at a cost… Angel?"
Marty could tell that he needed her to help, as he was too overwhelmed with memories to continue, "We were finally married and then they showed up at our wedding reception… when…"
"… When they came to murder me before our wedding night. We thought we gave them the slip, but they found us, and…"
"…and he took a bullet for Todd! I though I'd lost him, there was no pulse… no nothing… until…"
"…later, I woke in the ambulance and my Angel spirited me away and doctored me back to health. …but I was 'dead' to everyone in Llanview…"
"…Todd Manning… the… the curse… he made sure of it. He ran the newspaper, and covered it with front-page stories about how Patrick died and how he was a terrorist… even after Patrick had saved his sick, twisted life!"
Lucy noticed the venom with which they mentioned this Todd Manning, and realized that there was another story there… one that they were not going to share… at least not at that moment. She reached across the table and took her sister-in-law's hand in silent comfort.
"Bo Buchanan… he's a good friend… he helped us get over to Dublin… and he helped me get my life back. I turned myself in, and came clean about the Lord Whyting bombing—and my part in it. In return for my testimony, they gave me a pardon… which is how I came to be teaching back at Trinity… a pillar of the community, so to speak," Patrick said with a short, wry laugh.
"Those INS agents, they must have read about Patrick in back issues of Llanview's newspaper, and not bothered to check any further," Lucy said in excitement. "I remember now that they asked a lot of questions about you Patrick… but I didn't know … I think I even told them that you lived there for a while… I'm so sorry."
"You've got nothin' to apologize for, I got my brother into this mess," Patrick replied. "If I'd told you both the whole story, you could have been prepared. You need to understand that it was a bad time—and one I'm none too proud of. I hope you don't judge me too harshly."
"Patrick… I love you… you and Marty and the children… how can I be angry with you? It must have been horrible. I'm sure Ian has a secret that he's kept from you...we all have secrets," Lucy answered thinking about how Ian would probably never be able to find the words to tell his brother that he had been a vampire for a time.
"Now that we know where this terrorist stuff came from, I better get on the horn with Williams and tell him what to look into. I assume since they let you back into the country that you're a fine upstanding citizen in both Ireland and the U.S.?" said Scott. "I don't want any surprises or Lucy will be having a very long-distance marriage."
"You're right. I've been in and out of the U.S. visiting my New York publisher and traveling with my wife when she needs to take care of business," answered Patrick. "That… 'person' is still there… so I avoid Llanview. Except for a few close friends… they all believe I'm dead and Margaret's a widow with our daughter. It gets a little trickier now that we've got Seamus, but she doesn't go back much… she grew up there, but it wasn't a very happy place for her."
"That's right… and to be honest… this was going to be my last visit to Llanview. I've decided to move or liquidate all my holdings—our friends can visit us, but that part of my life is over," Marty agreed with her husband.
At the sound of whimpering, all three Thornharts reacted, "I believe that's your wee one, Lucy. It doesn't quite sound like Seamus, but I'd better go with you in case he wakes, too. Be right back, Angel," Patrick kissed his wife on the cheek.
Lucy and Patrick stepped into the living room to find Caroline fussing herself awake, but Seamus still soundly sleeping on his blanket. Lucy lifted Caroline from her crib and placed her in Patrick's arms, "Well… hello there little Grainne… we've been missin' you for a good long while."
He whispered a poem from A Child's Garden of Verses, as Caroline's first introduction to poetry. The tiny girl looked at him with solemn eyes as he whispered, enjoying the feel of her in his arms,
"We see you as we see a face
That trembles in a forest place
Upon the mirror of a pool
Forever quiet, clear and cool;
And in the wayward glass, appears
To hover between smiles and tears,
Elfin and human, airy and true,
And backed by the reflected blue."
Lucy followed Patrick as he carried Caroline in the kitchen to sit with his wife, feeling sad that Ian couldn't witness this first meeting between Patrick and Caroline… but determined that he would be back with them soon.