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If You're Not the One - 17
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Robin sat in the dark room for a moment after she hung up with Brenda.
She hadn't mentioned Jason's arrest to Brenda, but it was in the forefront of her mind now. She had a sinking feeling in her stomach as she tried to picture what kind of life Jason would have without Sonny. A life taking care of Crazy Carly and her children, most likely.
No matter what had happened she would always care about him, love the boy he had been to her once, even if no one else could understand that. Remembering the bloodthirsty satisfaction in Lucky's eyes she had a momentary worry that Jason would go to prison, that would be something he could definitely not survive, but then she dismissed it. Between Justus and the Quatermaines she was sure they would keep him out of prison.
Well, whatever he did unless he had a medical problem it really wasn't her concern and definitely out of her control.
Right now she needed to be there for Patrick and for Noah.
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"I was trying to remember the last time I told you I loved you. I think it was the Christmas before Mom died. I've let a lot of other emotions get in the way, but there's no room for them now. All that matters is that we're here and I'm not letting you die. Because I love you and I'm proud to be your son."
She stood in the doorway listening as Patrick's shared his most private feelings with his comatose father. She felt she that Patrick would hate for anyone to hear him, but she couldn't tear herself away. His words tore at her, ripped off protective layers and laid her bare. This man was more beautiful than any man she had ever known, she didn't know how she could have ever doubted him like she did just a handful of days ago.
"You were my hero when I was a kid, Dad, what I wanted to be when I grew up, and I still see that man in you. And I know you're going to be angry when you get out of this and you see what I've done. But if you live it's going to be worth it."
She closed her eyes and took a breath. For the first time in a long time she felt she was exactly where she needed to be and doing what she needed to do.
She opened her eyes to see Patrick looking back at her. He had obviously been crying and he wasn't trying to hide it from her or asking her to leave. If anything, he seemed comforted that she was there. Slowly, she stepped into the room and walked up to him and put her hand on his shoulder. When his hand reached up and settled his own on top of hers a tear slid loose down her cheek.
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"Nothing to do but wait," Patrick said as he watched them wheel his Father towards the O.R. He sounded tired, almost desolate instead of the relieved one would have expected as his father finally went in for a life-saving transplant. He turned without looking at her and walked back into his father's room and settled on the bed.
Robin walked into the room after him and sat on the bed next to him. She looked at him, hunched over and tearful and wondered if she was intruding. "Mind if I wait with you?"
Patrick's breath hitched and he mouthed a "no", but still did not look at her. Robin waited while he gathered himself. After a while, he sat up straighter and looked at her.
"This is -- this is different for you, right? Usually you're the one doing the surgery, not sitting around waiting for the results." It was inane, but the silence needed to be broken. There were hours yet to go.
Patrick appreciated her effort, more so appreciated that she was there with him. It moved to him to talk about what he never did, his mother. He knew she would understand and even had a right to know what had led them all there. He couldn't get it out of his head that his father was having this surgery because of her. Without her intervention his father would have died drunk in a bar somewhere and he would have heard about it after the fact. Probably called to identify the body. The time he had wasted sat ill in his stomach.
"The last time I was in the I.C.U. was when my Mom died. She kissed me goodbye and told me not to worry, Dad would pull her through. Dad was there and promised me that Mom would be okay." His voice was raspy as he pulled the words from a deep place he rarely looked in; he didn't look at her but knew she was listening. "She was weak but lucid. The odds were against her, but Dad was the best neurosurgeon in the City. They wheeled her away and he went with her, and I just waited. Time felt like it dragged on forever. And it was taking too long, I knew there was something wrong, and -- finally the assisting surgeon came out and told me that they lost my Mom on the table."
"Your dad couldn't face you."
Patrick nodded, implicitly understanding she was empathizing with his father, not asking a question. She always just seemed to get his father. "Walked out of the O.R., Crossed the street to a bar, started drinking and never stopped."
"Well, Noah did find the strength to get sober. And thanks to this transplant, he'll have a second chance at life."
God, he thought to himself. She always finds the bright side. Why did she bother? Why was she there? It moved him and he had to ask. "Why do you care so much?" He covered his mouth and turned his head slightly to look at her.
"I happen to like and admire your father." Her response dredged up an inner chuckle in Patrick. She was, indeed, still president of his father's fan club. When the hell was she going to be president of his? "No other reason?" he asked, fishing.
Robin knew that this time she was the one hiding behind a flip answer. He had just opened up his barrier and it was time for her to let down her own guard in return. "All right, even though you infuriate me most of the time, I can admit that you're a brilliant doctor."
Patrick sighed. Today of all days he needed to hear that and to hear that from her.
Robin's voice gentled. "And underneath all that posturing I think lies a really decent human being." More than decent, she admitted to herself, beautiful, caring. A true healer. The next words were a whisper. "I'm glad that you didn't have to be a living donor for your father. If something had gone wrong, you could've died."
"Are you saying you'd be sorry if you lost me?" Her answering smile said more than words could have. "The surgery's going to take hours. Want to grab a coffee?"
Robin smiled and stood up and held out her hand. He was always asking her out, she was glad he hadn't ever really given up on her. Before they could say another word Epiphany's footsteps sounded behind them.
"What happened?" Patrick tensed.
"Your father's still alive. The surgeon will be here shortly to explain – "
"Epiphany, you know more than the surgeon. Tell me what happened." Robin moved closer to him.
"You know that the R.N.'s are not supposed to update family members on surgery, Dr. Drake." She mentally rolled her eyes that she even bothered to say it. It was why she had come in there, to give them time to get going on the backup plan she knew they had.
Patrick was about to try and bully it out of her, reacting immediately to the words and not reading the situation, when Robin stepped in. "Come on. We wouldn't dream of asking you to bend the rules. Now, what are you not supposed to tell us?" There was no mistake in Robin's speaking. In this, she was with Patrick 100.
"That Detective Beaudry's liver wasn't viable."
"Then there's no choice. My Dad needs my liver. We have to perform living-donor-transplant surgery tonight." He glanced at Robin as he said it, seeing her fear, relishing it, but there was no other course and he knew she would back him.
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"I've scheduled Dr. McCane for my liver surgery and Dr. Ellis for my father's transplant. Tell them to be ready within the hour," Patrick informed Epiphany over the sound of the radio that was on behind the Nurse's Desk announcing for the hundredth time the death of local mob boss Sonny Corinthos and the steamy circumstances surrounding his murder, including his dalliance with his young babysitter who was the adopted sister of his robotic hit man. Patrick had already checked and had been ironically relieved to discover that nneither Sonny nor his killer were a blood type match for his father. He really didn't want to have to be grateful to the mob boss for saving his father. If any death should be senseless Patrick figured it was his.
If you have any second thoughts, now's the time," Robin said.
"None." He looked down at her, his face absolutely calm and certain. This was what he had wanted to do from the beginning. He needed to do this for his father.
"Sneed from administration called. We have a problem," Epiphany announced. Patrick turned to face her.
"Let's solve it," Patrick said imperiously.
"You need a signature on your psych evaluation form. Without it, the hospital can't authorize surgery."
"Okay, we're going to have to skip the formalities because we don't have time. What part of 'my father is out of time' don't you understand? I'm not going to waste a minute tracking down a shrink for a signature."
"You can be as overbearing and Dr. god-like as you want. It won't help get your father a liver. A signed psych evaluation will."
"Epiphany's right, Patrick." Robin once again stepped in where Patrick's temper and impatience was going to get in the way. "There's a protocol in place."
"What, to protect the hospital and your backsides when my Father slips away?"
"I'm no fan of Iris Sneed, but she's right about this. The rules are there to protect you, to make sure you are not making any decision under duress."
"Are you questioning my mental stability?" Which was a wholly fair question given his wild-eyed look at that moment.
"Don't cloud the issue. It does not work with me." Epiphany snarked back.
"Fine." Patrick grabbed the file from her hand and walked to the other side of the wall behind the Station. Knowing what he was about to do Robin rushed after him and cut around the other side of the pillar.
"Hey. Don't do that!" She stood in front of him.
"Don't start! I'm not going to lose my father because some signature's missing on some stupid form!" His pen was poised over the signature box. He didn't have the time to deal with Ms. Righteous' lecture on the rules.
"Well, then stop wasting time. Shut up and let me sign it." She grabbed the file out of his hand, already ready with her own pen. He stared at her stunned, his heart feeling like it was dropping to his shoes. "Come on. Your chicken scratch isn't going to fool anyone. I can match Lainey's signature better than you can."
He blinked, momentarily unsure if he was awake. "Robin, this is forgery. You can get in a lot of trouble for this." As he spoke she signed her named and handed him the file.
"You're welcome." She held it out to him with her eyebrows raised.
"Thank you," he whispered. He was rocked. No one had ever risked this much for him. No one until this dark haired dervish spun into his life and turned it upside down and now with that one act she was putting it right side up again and in a way it hadn't been since his mother had died on that table. The words were not enough, no words were enough. So instead he gave her his heart, he just didn't know it yet.
"Let's go." She turned and headed back to the Nurse's Station to get things underway. Once again he followed her, once again trying to comprehend why she would put herself on the line like that for him.
He didn't understand how breaking the rules like that fit into her strongly held convictions. He didn't realize yet that there was no rule she would not break for a love as pure as the one she saw he had for his father. Didn't realize that she was loyal and steadfast and had her own strong sense of right and wrong and that what so impressed him about her on the stand at Manny's trial was nothing for her. He was just coming to learn that these qualities were the source of her morality, not some bureaucratic rules made up by faceless men in a room somewhere away from real life and death decisions.
It was this code that had her stand with Stone until the end with a strength and conviction most adults could not conjure up, let alone imagine. It's what had her stay with Jason and stand up for him even when he didn't necessarily deserve it or her. It was what had her refuse the only antidote during the epidemic. And it was what had her forge that signature on the paper in order to give Noah and Patrick a second chance.
This was the legacy of her parents. And now that Patrick had her loyalty and her heart there was no lengths she wouldn't go to in order to help him.
Or keep him.