Chapter 37

Patrick opened the door and gave Anna a small smile. "You ready for a visitor?"

Anna nodded her head and Patrick led Emma into the room. She jumped on the bed and hugged her Grandma. "Grandma Anna, are you okay?"

"Of course I am. How about you, my brave girl? Did that bad man hurt you?" Anna studied Emma carefully, looking for any problems.

Emma shook her head. "No but," her bottom lip trembled and tears filled her eyes, "he took Mommy."

Anna pulled the little girl close again and gently stroked her cheek. "Oh sweetheart, you did exactly what Mommy and Daddy and I told you to do. We will bring Mommy home, I promise you." Anna looked at Patrick. "Could we have a few minutes alone for some girl talk?"

Realizing that his once and future mother-in-law might be able to get through to Emma in a way he couldn't, he nodded his head. "I think that would be a great idea. I'll be right outside talking to Grandpa Robert, okay Emma?"

"Yes Daddy." Emma's voice was filled with a sadness that broke both Patrick and Anna's hearts.

Patrick stepped outside and caught the end of Robert's call. "Thanks Frisco – I'll have Mac call you as soon as they finish processing the scene." He hung up and looked at Patrick. "Giving Anna and Emma some alone time?"

"Yes, I think it will help if she talks to Anna." Patrick sat down in a chair by the door. "Anna was there and knows what happened. I'm hoping she can reassure Emma that there was nothing she could do. I can tell her until I'm blue in the face but I'm just a doctor. Grandma Anna…"

Robert sat down next to him. "Grandma Anna is a cop and a spy. If she couldn't stop him than maybe Emma will realize that she didn't do anything wrong. Makes sense."

"Nothing about this makes sense. Robert, what the hell is going on? Is this Marcus or Helena?" Patrick ran his hands through his hair. "Who the hell has my wife now?"

Robert noticed that Patrick said wife, not ex-wife, but decided it wasn't important right now. "No, it was a man by the name of Grant Putnam."

"Who is Grant Putnam?" The name wasn't ringing any bells.

Robert wasn't surprised Patrick didn't know about Grant. Robin had done her best to put the whole incident behind her. "Did she ever tell you about her Grandmother Filomena Soltini?"

"Yes, she wasn't Robin's biological grandma but she basically raised Robin for the first seven years of her life in Italy."

"Did she ever tell you what happened to her?" Robert wasn't sure how much Patrick knew.

"Briefly, years ago. We were on the roof here and it was not long after my dad's liver transplant. Sam had been shot and we worked together on her surgery. Afterwards I found her on the roof." Patrick hadn't thought about that night in a long time.

Flashback

Patrick walked out onto the roof and saw Robin standing there. "Didn't realize you and Sam were so close."

Robin looked at him and then looked back out over the city. "I don't really know her all that well."

Patrick was confused. "Then what's wrong?"

"Momentary overload. I'll get over it." She picked at something on the ledge, not looking at him.

"So the whole thing with Jason rears its head again, huh?" He tried to convince himself he wasn't jealous but it wasn't working.

Robin shook head and finally looked at him. "It's not how you think. It's just the look on his face when he brought Sam inside." She gave a sad laugh. "Did I ever tell you that I don't like the sight of blood?"

Patrick watched her carefully. "Interesting career choice."

Robin shrugged her shoulders. "It reminds me of when I was a kid. My parents, they were always in danger."

Patrick could finally see where she was going with this. "Well, I would imagine that's a whole other world than what Jason lives in."

"Bullets are bullets. They can't distinguish between the good guys and the bad." Robin's response was immediate. "I think you were right about me. I am a coward." She took a breath. "I remember crouching in a corner, feeling bullets go by me, hearing them. Have you ever shot a gun?"

Patrick's response was simple. "No."

Robin seemed almost lost in her own thoughts. "My grandmother was killed right in front of me. My stepfather was almost killed in a warehouse explosion. Those things stay with you. I guess I overcompensated - I got straight As, I became a follower of the rules. I just got so careful. What did my dad say to me? Right. He said I'm old before my time."

Patrick was beginning to get a clearer picture of why Robin was the way she was. "Well, maybe you have good reason."

End Flashback

Patrick pulled himself out of the memory, there wasn't time for that right now. "She told me that her grandmother was killed right in front of her."

Robert nodded his head. "She died protecting Robin. Grant Putnam was attempting to kidnap Robin and Filomena tried to fight him. He threw the poor woman to the floor and she hit head and died right in front of her. Then Anna came in and stopped him. Robin hid and Grant took Anna instead."

"So you're saying that history repeated itself tonight?" Patrick couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"No, this turned out much better. Robin was left catatonic by what she saw, it took us months to get through to her. Anna is alive and Emma is sitting on her bed talking to her. Plus, we didn't know back then who took Anna but we know who has Robin." Robert was hoping Patrick could see there was hope.

"Catatonic?" Tears fell down his cheeks as he tried to wrap his head around the hell the woman he loved had been through in her life – starting at such a young age. "So why now, why after all these years is he back?"

"That we don't know but I can't help but feel that there may be a connection between Grant and Jerry or Helena, maybe even Marcus. Once we find that connection, we will find our girl."

Patrick looked at Robin's father. "What did he do to Anna while he had her? Robin has worked so hard to get past her claustrophobia and manage her PTSD…"

Robert sighed. "He created a child's room in his basement – it was where he had been planning to keep Robin. It was caged in and there was a guard dog who was trained to kill." Patrick cringed and Robert put his hand on his shoulder. "Patrick, Robin is strong and has survived so much. She knows what she has waiting for her and she will fight to get back to you and Emma. Just believe that."

"I'm trying to Robert but it is just so hard." He stood up and began pacing the floor. "We need to get Emma someplace safe."

"I'm already working on transportation for you and Emma…"

Patrick interrupted him. "No, I am helping you find Robin."

"But Emma…"

"I'll call my dad and have him go meet us at the safe house. She has been wanting to see Grandpa Noah and, once she gets settled in with him, I will head back." Patrick was already pulling out his phone to make the call.

"Patrick, I understand what you are saying…"

"No!" Patrick took a moment to calm himself before continuing. "She went for months and months waiting for me to rescue her and I wasn't even looking. I will not let her down again. You make the arrangements for the safe house and Emma's protection while I call my dad."

Robert nodded his head. Patrick was a man on a mission and Robert had two choices: help him and be able to at least control the situation or let the man go off like a loose cannon. "I'll call Frisco."