Help Me Fall

Chapter Thirteen: Walking on a Thin Line

'We need to talk.' The words echoed through out the room even as he took his same seat from moments before, and his hand found hers once more. He fidgeted uncomfortably for a few moments waiting for her to begin speaking. He knew what was coming. Deep down he knew all along what she had to tell him. Maybe that was why he had lost all control just a while before? Or maybe it was just the emotions of the night catching up with him?

"You really scared me tonight, you know that?" He broke their long silence, unconsciously gripping her hand tighter.

She only nodded her reply, not bothering to try and smile. "We need to talk." She repeated.

"Can't we just be happy right now? Can't we just be happy that you survived and you are going to be okay before we start getting too serious?" He asked a little rougher than he had intended. "I was terrified tonight." He said quickly, trying to rectify his previous mistake. "I'm sorry I ran out of here and I can't explain why I did… Just know that tonight I saw a different side of you. I saw the vulnerable side, the scared side and I wanted to help you. I wanted to take that pain away but I was frozen. And I'm sorry for that… those moments on the docks…"

"It wasn't your fault Patrick." She answered the question she knew he had been dying to know the answer to. "I don't blame you. You couldn't have stopped this from happening to me…"

"But I was supposed to protect you. You told me you trusted me…"

She didn't make any sound, just waiting for him to finish his rambling guilt knowing it would eat him alive if she didn't. "Please don't do this. Patrick, please…" She gripped his hand and somehow gained the energy and power to bring his face closer to hers and locking their lips together. "This isn't your fault."

Their eyes locked and his heart sank. There was no more avoiding what was staring them in the face. The moment was here. The whole truth was about to come out. "What's wrong, babe?" He whispered gently.

She took a shaky breath. It was the moment of truth. She either told him and he stuck around or he ran for the hills. "I can't feel my legs Patrick."

His throat suddenly restricted and he was finding it hard to breathe. His hands were sweaty and his heart was beating faster than it should have been. It seemed the world around him was spinning faster and faster out of control and there was no way to stop it. He was losing control and slowly losing everything and everyone that meant anything to him, and he couldn't do anything about it. "What- what does this mean?" He asked unsure but he knew what it meant.

"I might never walk again." She spoke what he had been too afraid to. "The doctor is worried because the swelling hasn't gone down." She was talking so calmly, like everything was fine… but it wasn't.

"What are you going to do?" He asked stupidly. What could she do? If something was permanently wrong with her back, there wasn't anything that she could do.

"I don't know." She said truthfully, bowing her head. "I'm scared, Patrick."

Whatever he had been thinking, whatever his insecurities were, they were all gone with her sudden revelation. "Oh baby, you have nothing to worry about. Everything is going to be fine." He spoke the words but there were no guarantees.

"You don't know that! I don't know that! I may never walk again! Now on top of having HIV and receiving those same stares from people, they will have even more of a reason treat me differently." She was slowly starting to give in to her anger. She had had time to process the information and she was a doctor but you never expect something like this to happen to you; you never expect to be the one put in this situation. "You can just go." She spat, turning the top half of her body away from him.

"What?" He choked out.

"I know that you don't want to be here anymore. You can go now while I am giving you the out and I won't hold anything against you."

She was building that wall again. One brick. Two bricks. Three.

"Robin, I'm not going anywhere." He stood and sat on the edge of her bed, getting closer to her. "I know this is going to be hard but I'm not going to leave you to go through it alone." He felt the sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. Did she really believe that he would leave her to go through this alone? "Remember you told me that you trusted me? Well trust me now… I'm not going to leave you. I promise." He slowly guided her face to look at him, guiding her chin with his finger.

She nodded in response, a lone tear escaping her eye.

--

"It's done boss." The man stood in the shadows, smiling evilly. "She might never walk again." He stated proudly. Maybe he was wrong for doing what he was. Maybe he was making the biggest mistake of his life. But there was no turning back now. Besides, she deserved whatever was coming her way. "Dr. Drake is in the room with her and her family are everywhere." He continued relaying the information to the man on the other end of the line. "They haven't showed up yet…" He began but stopped speaking as the elevator doors opened and two men stepped out. "They just walked off the elevator."

--

"We want to see Robin Scorpio." Sonny told the nurse behind the desk.

"Are you family?" That was really a good question. Once upon a time, no one would have had to ask that question; they would have just known. But now… everything was different. Robin had been right earlier that day, they weren't family anymore. They never spoke and when they did, there voices were so full of hostility.

"What the hell do you think you are doing here?"

Sonny turned and came face to face with Mac Scorpio. "I'm here to make sure Robin is okay…"

"Why does it even matter to you? How did you—this had something to do with the two of you didn't it? Whoever did this, was doing it to hurt the two of you?" Mac fumed. "Robin has been gone for TEN YEARS and she comes back for SIX months and she is already drug back into your life and the danger that surrounds it!"

"Mac, this was an accident…" Jason stated.

"In Port Charles? With the two of you and all of your countless enemies running free? I doubt it." He spat. "Stay away from her. The two of you are the reason she is even here so just leave. She doesn't need the two of you interfering."

"I suggest you listen to the man." The rough voice came from behind the group of men.

"Patrick, is it Robin? Is she okay?" Mac asked suddenly worried.

"She is fine, well except for the obvious…" He was glaring at the two mobsters standing only a few feet away. "Why exactly are the two of you here? I thought Robin said all she had to say to the two of you earlier?"

"Earlier? What are you talking about?" Mac sent a questioning glance between Sonny and Jason and Patrick. "What exactly did Robin tell them earlier?" The other men stood, sizing each other up. They were threatening each other, daring. "I suggest someone start talking…"

"Robin and I were at the park this morning…" Patrick began explaining, still staring Jason up and down. "Jason saw us and decided to join the fun." He said sarcastically. "I left to come to the hospital and met up with Robin later at Kelly's and she told me that she told him," he nodded toward Jason, "to stay away from her."

"Really?" Mac asked with pride shining in his eyes. "She finally kicked Morgan to the curb huh?"

"Yeah and she had a confrontation with Sonny here just a few hours ago…" Liz added walking up to the group. "She told him the same thing she told Jason only it seems she got a little more physical with Sonny…" She gave a small smile. "She slapped him in front of everyone…" She explained.

"Well I'm guessing that only made the both of you angry so you decided to get back at her. Am I right? Maybe you only wanted to scare her? Am I getting warmer?" Mac continued to antagonize them.

"Or Jason maybe it bothered you to see her with me this morning?" Patrick spoke up. "Don't think I didn't notice the stares…"

"She's too good for you!" Jason finally gave in to the urge. "You are only going to hurt her…"

"Funny… I think you already accomplished that."

"Watts, Simpson…" Mac gestured for the two nearby officers to join them. "Arrest Mr. Morgan and Mr. Corinthos and take them to the station." He watched as the officers followed their orders, and guided them over to the elevators. "Charge them with the attempted murder of Robin Scorpio."

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A/N: I know it's short and I apologize. But I think this chapter speaks for itself.