Doctor Cole removed the syringe with the blood sample in deftly and placed a small ball of cotton wool over the needle prick site. He smiled at his patient and his patient returned the smile.

"You have one of two options to choose from. As we have a lab here I can get the results in two hours so you can either stay here or go home and come back. Doctor Cole suggested.

Robyn looked a little puzzled, "how could I stay here for two hours? There's nothing I can do."

"On the contrary. When I was returning here from town I passed a rather interesting looking corner of town which was full of flowers and it was impressive. I believe that to be your garden."

"It is."

Doctor Cole smiled, "The clinic wishes to make the exterior almost as nice as the interior and a garden would suffice marvellously. I told the director of the clinic of your garden, he visited it as well and was just as impressed as me. He wants you to design and supervise the construction, planting and care of a garden."

Robyn was speechless. This was a tremendous offer and not something she thought herself capable of. Thinking more about it and the challenge it would provide Robyn accepted the offer.

"I thought you'd like it. Let me drop these blood samples at the lab and I'll take you to the director's office. Wait for me in the waiting area." Doctor Cole stood up and let his patient out before he exited the room.

Before sitting down in the waiting area Robyn thought it would be a good idea to call home and let everyone know of the delay. She went over to the payphones on the far side of the waiting area and dialled the number. When she finished the call she was smiling, Robbie had been ecstatic at the news of Robyn being asked to help the clinic design a garden. His voice had been filled with pride.

Doctor Cole found Robyn by the pay phones and led her down a corridor near by. At the end of the corridor was a door marked 'Director'. Robyn knocked on the door and entered when she instructed to.

Robbie had never felt more proud of Robyn. The news she had told him was excellent and he couldn't wait to share it. Sportacus and Kit would be just as proud as he was. Robyn was an accomplished gardener and there was proof of her skill in the garden itself. The hybrid seeds that Bessie had gotten Robyn for her birthday had already started to grow and were flourishing.

Thinking of Sportacus Robbie realised that Sportacus would heading back to Crazytown within the next five minutes to collect Robyn from the clinic. He was at a loss as to what to do he wasn't allowed to leave the house and Kit was off somewhere practicing some tricks. A knock at the door provided Robbie with the answer he needed.

"Come in," he called.

Ziggy walked into the house and smiled when he saw Robbie, "Is Robyn back yet?"

"No she isn't. In fact there's something you can do for me. Robyn's being held up at the clinic waiting for her blood test results and I need to tell Sportacus not to pick her up yet. Can you run over and send a letter to him for me?"

Ziggy nodded and ran off to do as he had been asked too. Instead of Ziggy returning Sportacus came back.

"I got the letter Ziggy sent me. What's going on at the clinic?" Sportacus asked. He'd intended on bringing Robyn home and then taking her back to the results later.

"She's been asked to design, supervise, plant and care for a new garden the clinic is putting in. Doctor Cole saw Robyn's garden and was very impressed, he told the director about it and the director looked at it. He was so impressed he's asked for Robyn to do a garden for them."

Sportacus smiled widely, "that's great news! Robyn must be excited."

"She sounded it. I'm very proud of her."

"Me too."

Robbie looked at Sportacus with an unreadable emotion in his eyes, "You've done a superb job with Robyn. Better than I ever could have done had I the chance to try. I can't thank you enough for everything you've done for her."

"You brought her up for four years. Those were the starting blocks of her life and in those four years you worked wonders. For a man that didn't even like kids you did an outstanding job too."

Robbie chuckled, "I still remember threatening to eat her if she didn't go away. Goes to show how little I knew about babies or kids at the time. You know the moment I picked her up she stopped crying, when that happened something inside me made me smile. I didn't know what it was until much later."

"What was it?"

"Love."

Sportacus smiled. "It was probably a strange feeling for you at the time."

Robbie nodded, "It was. Never having known love myself I didn't know what it felt like. I'd thought myself incapable of feeling love until I met her. She changed me in more ways than I could ever know."

"The innocence of childhood. The most powerful thing in the world."

"It couldn't stop Lily. If you hadn't have stopped her Robyn would be dead now. I've no doubt that that's what Lily intended to do after killing me."

Sportacus shook his head, "maybe it did stop Lily. Remember she made you think she'd dropped Robyn? She caught her before Robyn hit the ground. I've turned it over and over in my head for years; it's not something Lily would have done. She let Robyn live. She'd had plenty of opportunity to kill her. Why leave her with you?"

"I don't know. You're not the only that's been thinking about it. Perhaps not even Lily can kill a baby. As sick as she was even Lily had her limits." Robbie thought out loud.

Sportacus studied Robbie. The man hadn't changed at all since the day he died. He could still the faint scars on Robbie's cheek from when Lily had scratched him. His made him think back to the scars he'd seen on Robbie's back and he wondered if they were still there. What Robbie had gone through as child still sickened him and he still couldn't bear to think what would have happened to Robyn had she been taken to the orphanage.

"I'm sorry," Sportacus said suddenly.

Robbie frowned, "whatever for?"

"When Mr Snail took Robyn away I failed you. You asked me to look after her and not let them take her away but I did. If Mr Snail's car hadn't crashed Robyn would have been brought up in the orphanage."

"You didn't fail me. You tried to stop him, had she been taken to the orphanage you would have fought tooth and nail to get her back. What happened wasn't your fault and even so you've made it up for it with everything you've done for her." Robbie's words were reassuring and cheered Sportacus up.

The clock chimed four and it startled the two men. They'd been talking for some time and Sportacus blushed when he realised he'd actually be late for once. He had yet to collect Robyn and saying goodbye to Robbie went to do what he should have done half an hour before. Robbie suggested that Sportacus join them for dinner and he accepted.

Sportacus pedalled to Crazytown as fast as he could but still ended up being late. A very disgruntled and wet Robyn entered the airship. It had been raining outside and Robyn had been stuck out in it waiting for her usually punctual uncle to turn up.

Rolling her eyes Robyn entered the bathroom and took a shower. She'd have words with Sportacus later.