A/N: Time for a little change up. Patrick is going first since what's going on now revolves around him, or rather around what's inside him. Curse words.

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MEDDLING – PATRICK 17
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I'm acting like a twelve year old and I don't give a flying fuck.

I more than don't give a flying fuck, I am reveling in the petty rage that hums through my body as I slam around the doctor's locker room at General Hospital. I feel righteous even though I logically know I'm not right about anything. I am being a little boy whose toys are being manhandled by some snotty visiting cousin. In this case the toys are my surgical reputation and my girlfriend - my life. Mine!

Yup, I'm standing here kicking my locker because I feel like someone is threatening to take what's mine and I know, I am more than clear that it's not true and that I'm being irrational, but that doesn't change how I feel.

Who is the accused culprit? None other than Dr. Noah Drake, my own father.

Ridiculous and stupid and still, I don't care. To tell you the truth, this not acting like an adult feels fantastic! Completely energizing. If I wasn't so pissed I'd laugh. Ah hell, I let loose and laugh anyway. It's not like there are rules to this shit, and if there were I don't know them. I don't even know how I got to this.

I started out this morning resenting the heavy surgical schedule I was coming back to because of the time it would take me away from Robin, my amazing and sexy girlfriend. Unbelievable, but nothing I wasn't all right with. I wasn't really planning to quit my job and live out the rest of the days in bed with her, however tempting. I just adapted the best way I could by deliberately settting the alarm an hour early this morning so I could pretend for a little while. If you know what I mean.

Then, voila, after my first surgery everything shifted on its axis with just a simple statement. After sufficiently stroking my ego about the surgery my boss, Dr. Brandon Stuart, the Chief of Surgery came to the reason he had sought me out – he had just spoken with my father about coming on staff permanently and wanted to know if I had a problem with it. I have no illusions that he would reject the great Noah Drake's comeback at his hospital on my say so. Having my Dad and me on staff is going to be a feather in his cap and make a great story for fundraising. It might even land next year's American Neurological Association conference here in Port Charles.

I told him I thought it was great, just as I told my dad when he asked me about it.

And then Stuart said it, the words that set me back on my heels - "Good. Good. Having your father on staff will also lighten your load. I know you have a heavy schedule over the next few weeks. It reflects well on you."

Then with a clap on the back I was left standing in the corridor with my hands on my hips, wearing my dirty scrubs and a frown. He was right, about all of it. My heavy load reflects well on me because it's due to the fact that I'm getting referrals from doctors all over the Northeast, hell from the entire country, which means my reputation is growing and I am fast on my way to where I want to be in my career. So while I might be adjusting to being back from vacation and grumbling about not being with Robin 24X7, I'm damn proud of myself. And somewhere in my gut was, is, the feeling that "The Legendary Noah Drake" is going to steal some of my well-earned thunder.

And it made me mad as hell; it makes me mad as hell. From every angle.

I'm pissed that it looks like I'm nervous about the competition – because I'm not.

I'm pissed that Robin might think of less of me for feeling this way.

What I'm pissed most about is the past that I thought I had put behind me. I'm pissed that I have had to work my ass off in this field to get where I am with the added pressure of people constantly comparing me to him, many of them waiting for me to break and flame out like he did.

Most of all, I'm pissed that I got cheated out of my dream of building my career working side-by-side with my father and now he's going to waltz in and not only compete with me now, but it's now too damn late for him to teach me the things that made him a legend. I feel completely and utterly cheated.

Still, this was not the moment that pushed me over the edge. Since I had a couple of hours before my next surgery I decided to seek out my lovely girlfriend and entice her to have a late lunch with me, maybe even talk over how I was feeling with her or, you know, get naked with me. I went up to the tenth floor Nurse's Station to find her only to see her flirting with my father and then leaving going out on a lunch date with him!

I stood there for a long moment watching them leave before turning on my heel and walking away. I went to the stairwell and paced around trying to get my temper under control and talk myself out of doing something rash. Eventually I calmed down, outwardly, went out and asked Liz if she knew where they had gone. I changed quickly back into my jeans and t-shirt and headed for Kelly's.

I was back to seething before I got to the table. From the distance I could see how relaxed and comfortable Robin and my father were with each other. I could see that they were having a good time. Robin's back was to me, but I could see the look of admiration on my father's face. It infuriated me. He's always had that with her, while I had to fight tooth and nail to get her to look at me with anything but irritation, with a hint of lust.

Did I seriously think my father was making a play for Robin or even consider for a moment that Robin would take him up on it? Yeah, I have to admit I did, but only for a split second and not with my head. I made myself go over there, but I couldn't relax and Robin knew something was off with me. So did my dad, but rather than address it head on I walked away while he was in the middle of talking to me soon after Robin had left to go back to work. I haven't seen either of them since.

Here I am two surgeries later, it's hours after Robin has gone home, slamming around like a sullen adolescent. I've missed dinner with Robin because of the surgery, but that's for the best in this mood. I'm just going to go home today and blast the stereo, work out and see if I can't work this out of my system.