The next morning…

Patrick had been called into the hospital right after dinner due to a severe car accident. He'd been in surgery most of the night and was surprised to see ten missed text messages from Sabrina asking him to call her as soon as possible. Patrick texted Sabrina as he changed, but she didn't respond, so he gathered his stuff and made his way to his car. However, when Patrick walked through the entrance into the parking lot, he was accosted by a barrage of reporters shoving microphones in his face asking for comment on his affair with Michael Quartermaine's fiance'. Completely taken aback, Patrick shouted "No comment!" and pushed his way past them and got in his car, locking his door behind him. He took a deep breath to regain his composure. Affair with Sabrina? What were they talking about? He and Sabrina hadn't slept together since before their failed wedding.

Confused, Patrick texted picked up his phone only to have it ring in his hand. "Sabrina? What is going on?" Patrick listened dumfoundedly as Sabrina told him about the article insinuating she was cheating on Michael with him by taking their brief conversation at the cemetary and turning it into something tawdry. Patrick managed to remain silent until Sabrina stopped speaking, but then he blew. Angry more on Sabrina's behalf than his own, Patrick dug deep for expletives he hadn't used since his player days in cursing the media (who were hovering outside his car like vultures) and their taste for blood at the expense of the "famous". Once he quieted down, Sabrina simply said, "I wanted you to hear it from me so you could prepare Emma." Then, "I'm really sorry to have dragged you into this. Michael has been doing damage control all night, but a rumor like this is hard to quash quickly."

Patrick thanked Sabrina for letting him know. He paused a minute and then stuck his nose where he knew it didn't belong by questioning whether this is kind of life Sabrina would ever be happy in. He knew Sabrina valued her privacy, so could she really live with details of her life splashed all over the news?

Without hesitation, Sabrina said, "I love Michael and AJ, Patrick. I would do anything for them."

Patrick sat in stunned silence over Sabrina's admission. He knew Sabrina loved with her whole heart, but part of him refused to acknowledge she'd truly moved on from them - from him. To hear hear say she'd do anything for Michael in the same tone of voice she once said she would do anything for him hurt in a way he'd never expected.

Michael stood in the doorway and caught the tail end of Sabrina's call with Patrick. If he had any doubts about her commitment to him, they were vanquished with her statement. Carly and Sonny always said they would do anything to protect him, but their actions usually ended up hurting him rather than helping him because, in the end, they always looked out for themselves first. Hearing Sabrina say she would do anything for him with such conviction was music to his ears.

He saw Sabrina disconnect the call, so he went into the living room. "How did Patrick take it?"

Sabrina grimaced. "Not well. Hopefully, he'll get to Emma in time to minimize the damage." She sighed. "I'd hate to be the cause of anymore pain for her."

Michael walked over to her and grasped her lightly on the shoulders. "This isn't your fault, Sabrina." As he pulled her into a hug, he added, "Emma will be fine. So will Patrick and so will we - because I have a plan."

"A plan?"

Michael smiled. "Yup."

"Are you planning to let me in on it?"

"Not yet." Then he smirked and said, "You'll find out soon enough."

Sabrina didn't like being left out of the loop and started to interrogate him. Luckily, he was saved by AJ's wailing over the baby monitor. Sabrina, who was incapable of letting AJ cry for more than a few moments, turned to leave the room, but warned him that he wasn't off the hook. She would get it out of him one way or another. He smiled. He couldn't wait to see her try...