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Meddling – Robin 6
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As I walk down the stark white corridor to the pre-op room to see Noah, the only sounds I hear are the pounding of my heart and the squish of my sneakers echoing on the stark, white tiled walls. I take a deep breath and push open the doors to see him lying there with his eyes closed. As I look at him, I'm struck with a wave of emotion for him as great as any I would feel for someone that I've known much longer than the few months I've known him. But then, we've been through a lot together in that short period of time. Even before I fell in love with his son.
"Thank you for coming."
Noah's words confirm that he does want me here right now and encourage me to enter the room to stand at his bedside. I take his outstretched hand in both of my own and smile down at him. There are a ton of things crowding around in my head right now that I want to say, but I'm a bit reticent as in the last conversation we had alone together I said more than I feel I should have. Was perhaps rougher than I should have been. Mostly, I'm embarrassed by my loss of control, so I settle for something in between trite and meaningful.
"I'm going to take you up on your offer to write that paper with me when this is all over."
"The first thing that first struck me about you, Doctor Scorpio is your certainty that what I had to offer was just what you needed and that I would come through for you." Noah laughed softly. "You're relentless."
"I am, when it comes to a friend." I was and I knew it, sometimes to my own detriment. Many times I've wished I was as relentless for myself as I was for others.
"Is that what you're calling it these days?'
"What?" I feel my brow furrow in confusion.
"You and Patrick. You're pretty relentless with him, does that mean you're friends?"
I have no idea why, but I find myself blushing at the mere mention of Noah's son. Since I'm standing above him and am wearing a pony tail, I can't even dip my head to hide my silly reaction behind my hair. My reaction sets off a spark of satisfaction in Noah's eyes and I now see that his request to see me was more than just to have a friendly visit. Noah Drake has an agenda. And I bet it has to do with his aforementioned son.
"Have you told him yet that you're in love with him?"
"Geez." I groan and bite my lip and blush even more. I'm usually better at guarding my feelings. Maybe it's the late hour and lack of sleep, but I think it's something special about these Drake men that just gets to me.
"I'll take that as a no. I hope that you'll grant some leeway to a man on his way to a serious surgery that he may not make it out the other side of."
"Noah! You can't allow yourself to think that way." I stop my heated interruption and tilt my head to study him more closely. "Unless it's just to manipulate me so you can say something completely outrageous concerning your son and I?" I chuckle at my own denseness.
"No one labeled you a genius for no reason, Doctor Scorpio," he teases for a moment, but then his mien is serious again and he squeezes my hand. "I need for you to know that whether this surgery works out the way we all hope it does that I am so grateful for all that you have done for me and for my son. I might never have gotten to know him again and that is a debt I will never be able to repay."
I let out a small sigh and shake my head. He's not done, but at this point I'm so choked up that I can't even speak to tell him that his gratitude is not necessary. These Drake men keep bringing me to my knees. Honestly, I kind of like it.
"I am so thrilled that my son has you in his life. My dying request to you." I make a squeak of protest at this, but he ignores me and goes on. "My dying request is that you continue to be relentless with him. He's going mess everything up, probably more than once, because he's never had to take a woman seriously before; he's never taken himself seriously before with a woman. I know this because I was him back when I met his mother. Thankfully, she was as relentless with me as you'll need to be with him. And my promise to you is that it'll be worth it."
I'm dizzy. My heart is racing, my knees are wobbly, my stomach is aching and tears are running down my cheeks. This man, this wonderful man, has just basically entrusted his wonderful son to me. And I really want that more than anything right now. All I can do is laugh and slash at my cheeks with the back of my hand.
"I love him, Noah. I promise I'll be relentless." Because what else is there to say?
A few minutes later I'm back in the hallway and I slump against the wall for a moment trying to compose myself, I need dry my cheeks and catch my breath. I rub at my eyes and face with a sleeve of navy blue Sorbonne sweatshirt I threw on right before Patrick showed up and I do a few deep Yoga breaths. Then for good measure I shake my head as if to reset my brain.
My heart is still hammering as I walk down the hall to send Patrick to see his father. As I push open the doors to the waiting room, Noah's last words are echoing in my ears.
He already loves you. Show him the way.