Chapter 26

"How's she doing?" Robert sat at the kitchen table as Lucky entered the room. He had been unable to stay in the bedroom with Robin while Lucky helped strip away Marcus's suggestions. Lucky felt it would be less stressful to Robin if it was just him and her, one on one.

"Remarkably well, all things considered, but Robin has always been resilient." Lucky rubbed his neck with his hand. "Robert, the things he told her, the way they used Patrick and everyone she loves against her, it's going to take a while to work through it all."

Robert sighed. "Is she going to be okay?"

"Why don't you ask me?" Robin walked into the kitchen and sat down next to him at the table. "I'm not made of glass Dad and I am not going to break."

Robert smiled at her. "I know you're not sweetheart – you're a Scorpio."

"Devane-Scorpio, thank you very much." Robin's face was streaked with tears but she still managed to put a brief smile on her face. "How soon until my little girl gets here?"

"We are actually expecting Patrick in a little bit. Anna and Emma will be coming up tomorrow – we wanted to break up the trips so Marcus wouldn't know who to follow or where to go."

Robin nodded in agreement. "She's safe with Mom, I know that. Mom would die for Emma, especially after what happened with me."

Robert's heart broke as he saw the tears appear in her eyes again. "Robin, why don't you lay down and get some rest?"

"And waste this time with you? I don't think so. Besides – you wanted to know what happened and I am ready to tell you." Robin took a deep breath. "First of all, I have no idea where I was – they did a good job of keeping me in the dark, both literally and figuratively. I remember being pulled off the plane and thrown in the back of a van. All the windows were blacked out, I couldn't see a thing. The building we stopped at was an office building of some sort. I was dragged to the basement and thrown in a room."

She stopped for a moment and Robert took her hand. "It's okay – you don't have to go on."

"I want to." She looked at Lucky and smiled. "I need to. Anyway, they didn't turn on the lights so I just sat there in the dark, crying. I missed Emma and I knew that they wouldn't let me contact her again. I hoped that Patrick and my mom would figure out what was wrong but …" Robin wiped away the tears and continued, "I was lying on the floor and I heard a knocking coming from the wall. It was Marcus. For the first three weeks he was the only person I spoke with. The guards brought me my meals and pills but refused to speak to me. He was there, promising to get me out of there no matter what. I would hear him screaming while they tortured him or at least while I thought they were torturing him."

"You didn't know Robin." Lucky sat down across from her and gently patted her hand. "You were already emotionally weak and they took advantage of your kind nature. You could never turn your back on someone in pain."

"Helena started coming in after that. She wanted me to help create a mind control drug, something more powerful than your basic brainwashing. I said no and they took it out on Marcus." She shook her head. "No, they made me think they took it out on Marcus. I couldn't, I couldn't let that happen but I worked very slowly. I dragged my feet because I knew someone was coming – I mean you and mom found me when you thought I was dead, how could she not know something was wrong now?"

"Robin, if I had known…"

"I know Dad. Helena figured out what I was doing and decided to make it clear that no one was coming for me. Every day I was put in a room and shown pictures of how everyone was doing just fine without me; Patrick with Sam, mom with Emma, you with Ethan and Holly – everyone looked so happy. I tried to fight her, told her that she was making it up, doctoring the photos. That's when," she stopped again and looked at her dad. "Did I ever tell you that Dr. Keenan had ECT done on me the first time I was taken?"

Robert wrapped his arms around Robin and held her close. "That bastard."

"Helena didn't go that far – she didn't want to damage my brain but she had a tazer. For weeks it went on, each time I insisted that Patrick or someone else was coming for me, I got hit by the tazer. Then one day Marcus came in and offered to take my place. Helena insisted that he was the reason I was still alive, he was protecting me and defending me and that, if I ever wanted to get home to Emma, I had to trust in Marcus."

"So you did?" It was taking everything Robert had not to run out the door, go straight to Wyndamere and put a bullet in Marcus's head. The man had been a party to psychologically, mentally, emotionally and physically torturing his daughter and he would pay for it – they all would but not today. Today Robin needed him here.

"It took one final push. There was a guard there, one that took an interest in me." She didn't look at her father as she spoke. "He was always just there, walking too close to me down the hall, leaning over me, reminding me that no one wanted me, especially not Patrick. He came in my room one night and," Robin began breathing faster, "I fought him but I couldn't, he was so strong…"

"Robin, I love you, no matter what." Robert took a deep breath. "Did he…"

"No, Marcus stopped him. He came from out of nowhere and pulled the guard off of me." Robin shook her head. "He beat the man up and promised that he would never let anyone hurt me again. He even offered to be my doctor so I could deal with my PTSD and that's when the sessions started."

"And he began planting suggestions." Lucky hated that his friend had been put through so much.

"Apparently. How could I not see it?" Robin felt like a fool for trusting the man.

Robert squeezed Robin tight. "Robin, you are the victim. You were the one who was held captive, manipulated and tortured. You did nothing wrong but try and help a friend. If anyone is to blame, it's me."

"Daddy…"

"No, I am the reason the Cassadines are a part of your life. If I hadn't gone after them years ago maybe you could have had a normal life." Robert's guilt overwhelmed him.

"Dad, if you hadn't gone after Helena, millions of people would have died. Please don't blame yourself. I love you and, despite everything that has happened, I don't regret my life. After all, I have Emma and I wouldn't trade her for anything. I just need to figure out a way to deal with what happened to me and move on with my daughter." Robin's tears finally stopped at the thought of her daughter. "She is all that matters now, keeping her safe."

Robert's guilt was replaced by pride that this strong and beautiful woman was his daughter. "And we will but right now I imagine you are hungry – ready for a little snack?"

Robin gave both men a weak smile. "Sounds great."

Patrick sank to the floor against the wall outside the kitchen door – he had heard everything and finally realized just how much Robin had been through and how much he had let her down. What those bastards did to her they did because he had been too blind and selfish to see what was really going on.

The worst part was that they had to work so hard to shake her faith and love in him – faith and love he didn't deserve then and he certainly didn't deserve now. But he would – he would do everything in his power to be the man Robin and Emma deserved to have in their lives.

Patrick slowly stood up and quietly went to the stairs – Robin had been through enough today and she needed to feel safe but, unfortunately, he wasn't the person to do that - at least not anymore.