"Patrick, were you serious when you said she changed your mind about having kids?"
At first, he didn't know which way to respond. Should he come right out and tell her? Or should he just blatantly lie to her face and risk another fight? While his slow, boyish mind was wandering aimlessly, Robin's was going 300 miles a minute with which way she would react. What if he knew something? She wasn't planning to keep the child, knowing his reaction wouldn't be one to forget. She knew without a doubt that he wouldn't want a child, not yet anyway, and that the best decision for the both of them wouldn't include parenthood. Snapping back into reality, she noticed her boyfriend, staring blankly into space, still hadn't answered her question.
"Patrick?" she questioned, snapping her fingers in front of his face.
"WOAH, whoa, whoa…huh?" he replied, the blank look twisting into a confused one.
"Answer my question…Were you serious when you said that you'd changed your mind about having kids someday?"
"Hmm…You know what Robin, I actually started to like-"
"DR. DRAKE!!"
Right as he was about to tell her what he knew, he was interrupted by none other than Epiphany.
"Can it wait, I'm kinda busy right now—"
"Unless you want this patient to bleed to death, you're going to have to put off your little 'discussion' with Dr. Scorpio until later. We have a patient coming up from the ER with a GSW to the head. If you don't operate now, this man will bleed out in the middle of the hallway."
"Robin, I'm sorry, can this wait until later?" he half screamed as he took off down the hallway; the conversation being pushed to the back of his mind.
As she watched Patrick getting smaller and smaller as he took off down the hall, she said quietly to the open air, "Sure…we're just…having a baby," and slunk into the nearest chair.
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"Epiphany, was it really necessary to call me away from my conversation?" he said as he began to remove the bullet.
"Well, the patient could've waited, yes, but he would've probably ended up with permanent brain damage, so yes, it was necessary that you perform the surgery when you did. What were you and Dr. Scorpio talking about that you just couldn't pull yourself away from anyway?"
BEEPBEEPBEEP
"BP is dropping—WE'RE LOSING HIM, someone get me suction! Pip, this is gonna have to wait."
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"Hey Princess Selenia, what's up?" Hayley seemed to be getting better by the hour; Robin could tell at her feverish attempts to call her names.
"Wait…what the hell is that?"
"Don't you watch movies?" Hayley asked. "There's this kids movie, Arthur and the Invisibles, and there's these really short people--like 2 inches tall--called the minimoys…Princess Selenia is their badass queen."
"Huh…uhh, whatever. So…how are you feeling?" she asked with a dejected look on her face.
"What's wrong with you? Aww, did you and Dr. Dwake have a fight?" she said sarcastically.
"You know what kid, I'm just not in the mood right now."
"Seriously though, what's wrong?" It actually seemed like there was a hint of compassion, and this was her only chance for Robin to spill her guts, so she did just that.
"Well…I was actually about a minute away from telling Patrick the truth when he got called away for an emergence surgery. I guess he forgot the fact that he's off duty, but he was still here so I guess that's good enough. Anyway, I asked him if he was serious about wanting kids, and from what I heard, his answer might actually have been promising. But I can't be making the wrong assumptions now, can I? I was going to tell him, but I guess saving a man's life is more important than knowing about his own child's."
"Well, it's kind of hard for him to know which to choose when he doesn't even know about his own child. Don't be so hard on the guy."
"Wow, you know, I actually think that was the first nice thing I've even heard you say," she said as she began to show a half smile towards the girl.
"Yea, well, don't get used to it, that was a once in a lifetime deal there Dr. Shrimp-O. As a matter of fact, you might wanna remember that one; write it in your diary or something, that's definitely one for the books."
"Well, I'll consider it," she said, being interrupted by a small whimper coming from the bundle in Hayley's arms.
"Sorry, he's a baby…they cry sometimes," she said half laughing. "You wanna hold him?"
"Well—"
"It could be practice for your own kid," she cut her of eagerly.
"Hmm…guess it couldn't hurt," she said, a smile on her face.
The smile was uncontrollably getting bigger. She couldn't help it though, because as much as she wouldn't admit it, she really wanted this child. All she had to do was convince Patrick of the same. Staring down as the baby was placed in her arms, she couldn't help but look to her own future, hoping Patrick would want the same.
"He's so tiny!" she said excitedly.
"Well yea, babies are also known to be rather small on top of the whole crying thing," Hayley replied in a sarcastic tone. "Well you seem to be enjoying this, don't you?" she asked noticing her smile.
"Yes, actually, this is about the happiest I've been all day."
"So, are you going to tell him then?"
"You know what…I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna march right up to him, look him straight in the eye, and tell him."
"Good…except for the whole 'straight in the eye' thing…It might be more like straight in the chest, considering your…height difference."
"Yes, thank you, ruin the moment!" she said, trying not to laugh.
"So, when does he get out of surgery then? It's like 11:30…shouldn't you just leave?"
"I was considering it, but I think I'll just stay here until he's done. Should be any minute now."
"You could stay in here if you want…I'm probably gonna fall asleep soon, but I don't mind. You could hold Ayden until you leave, but if I'm asleep by the time you do, could you take him back to the NICU for me?"
"Sure, but you don't exactly seem like the kind of girl who'd fall asleep before midnight."
"True, but I have had a long day so…trust me, I'll be out within the hour."
"Alright, whatever you say," she said, not paying much attention as she stared down at the baby in her arms. "Thank you. I know you might not understand right now, but you've really opened my eyes…you might just be a baby, but you've changed my life as well as my baby's for good. So thank you."
Noticing that he was falling asleep, Robin carried Ayden over to his basket, covered him with his blanket, and sat back down in her chair. Looking across the room, she realized that Hayley had been right: she had fallen asleep as soon as she had passed her baby off. Taking in the quietness of the room, Robin began to feel suddenly tired, and thought she'd get in a quick nap before Patrick's surgery was over. It was 11: 37; he should be back soon, so she closed her eyes and dozed off in the chair.
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It was 12:58, and Robin was nowhere to be found. Patrick had called her cell countless times, but it was either dead or shut off. Paging her wasn't making a difference either. He was beginning to get worried when he thought of another possible solution: Hayley's room. Making his way over to room 416, he noticed it was the only one with its lights still on. When he opened the door, he found an interesting sight: Robin, still clad in scrubs, slumped over in a chair snoring, Hayley sitting up in bed with Ayden, and the child attempting to grab his mother's earrings, almost succeeding in ripping them clear out of her ears.
"Well hello Dr. Late…she's been snoring for over an hour! Woke me up in the middle of a dream I would've liked to have finished. She woke the kid up too…you might wanna take her home and give her a time out or something," said a very aggravated Hayley.
"Well Hayley, you might wanna take note that a timeout for Robin isn't exactly what you might think it to be…It's actually quite the opposite—"
"Okay, EWW! Didn't need to hear that! Just…take her home; get her out of my room so I can get some sleep."
"Alright, alright, calm down," he said making his way over to the chair Robin was sleeping in. "Robin," he whispered into her ear. "Robin, wake up, it's time to go home."
"Dr. Drake, don't you think it's a little late? You've woken me up for the past three nights in a row…can't we take a break?...Well, if you insist," she replied, obviously still half asleep, with a playful grin appearing on her face. She began to move her face toward his until she was suddenly woken by a scream.
"WOAH, I did NOT need to her that!" screamed Hayley, startling not only her son who began to cry, but also Robin, who immediately popped up out of the chair, nearly banging heads with Patrick.
"Oh…" was all she could muster. "I-I'm sorry…sorry you had to see that…" she said embarrassed as she began to gather her things and remove herself from the chair. She still seemed groggy, and if it weren't for Patrick standing right next to her, she probably would've slumped right back into the chair.
"Why don't you go change out of your scrubs and meet me back here?" he said turning his attention towards Robin.
"Okay…" she said sleepily.
"You sure you'll be okay? You're not gonna fall asleep walking down hall are you?" asked a concerned Patrick.
"No, no, don't worry about it, I'll be fine."
"Okay then, I'll be here waiting when you get back."
About 10 minutes later, Robin was back, changed out of her scrubs, and getting more tired by the second. They said their goodbyes and made their way to the parking lot. Before she was even buckled, Robin was out. Patrick couldn't help but smile as he reached over to fasten her seat belt for her.
When they got back to the apartment, Patrick made his way over to the passenger side of the car, unbuckled Robin and gently lifted her out of the car. As soon as he had picked her up, Robin had snuggled her head into his shoulder, knowing, although she was asleep, who it was that had picked her up. Somehow managing to make his way inside the building, up the elevator and into the apartment door, Patrick gently laid her down on the couch and made his way over to strip down the bed and get himself into his pajamas. He carried Robin back into their bedroom, and while she was half awake, managed to help her into her pajamas as well. He helped her into the bed, covered her with the blanked, and wrapped his arms around her, only to be startled by her voice and the stirring of her turning to face him.
"Patrick, we were…can we have…talk now?" she muttered, eyes half open staring back at him.
"Hun, you're half asleep, why don't we just wait till morning?" he replied, placing a kiss on her forehead before she turned back around. "Goodnight…I love you."
She felt his breathing against her back, and waited until she was sure he was asleep before she said into the darkness, "Patrick…I'm pregnant."
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When she woke the next morning, Robin expected to have Patrick's arms wrapped around her. Either that or the shower running, but when nether was present, she turned over to face his half of the bed. She found a piece of paper on his pillow and picked it up to read it.
Robin-
Had to go in early to check on the patient I operated on yesterday. Meet you at the hospital.
I love you,
Patrick
PS-Don't worry, I promise we can finish our conversation later. Everything's going to be fine.
Pulling the letter close to her face, she smelled his cologne on the paper, wishing she could just tell him. She picked up her cell phone from the nightstand and realized that she was going to be late taking her meds if she didn't get up now. Making her way over the kitchen, she noticed her pills already out, sitting next to a banana and a glass of orange juice on the counter, along with another note.
I love you
-Patrick
As she swallowed her pills, she couldn't help but smile. If only she had known what he was really up to…
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Patrick had lied.
Mr. Anderson hadn't needed him for labs, test results, or anything for that matter. What he was really doing was spilling his guts to an innocent teenage girl who could really care less.
Opening the door to room 416, Patrick peered into the room, noticing that Hayley was indeed awake, and made his way over to her bed. Pulling a chair up alongside her bed, he began to speak.
"Okay, I've only got a couple minutes, but you're the only person I thought of talking to, so…I need your advice on something…Okay, here goes: I was going to pick up Robin's test results from earlier, and one of the blood samples said she was pregnant…why don't you seem at all shocked about this?" he asked as he looked up and saw the calm look on her face.
"Well, it's partially because I'm still tired as hell, and also partially because, well…I already, sorta kinda knew."
The look on his face signaled that he was about to explode at her, so before she had a chance to begin on a yelling rampage, she pointed at Ayden who was asleep in his basket.
"Sleeping child," she whispered. "So feel free to yell, but keep it down."
"I CAN'T BELIEVE SHE TOL YOU BEFORE SHE TOLD ME!" His face was getting red with anger as he began to figure it all out. "I mean, I'M THE FATHER FOR CRYING OUT LOUD! Damn it Robin—"
"HEY!!" she whispered. "Just in case you were wondering, she only came to me because she was afraid you'd leave her. We were talking yesterday, and she told me that she was going to tell you as soon as she could. She's obviously scared too Dr. Dumbass. I mean, she's HIV positive and pregnant; take it from someone who knows, it's scary as hell."
"Wait…she actually thought I would leave her?" he asked, sitting back down in the chair; his face returning to its natural color.
"Well yea, that's what she said."
"I would never do that. God, I can't believe she would ever think that. Walking out on her and our child would be the most selfish and fucked up thing I would ever do. I love her so much it hurts…I would never in a millions years think of doing that to her and our child."
"Well, that's what she said. Glad you not as much of an ass as I thought you were."
"Gee thanks, that sure makes me feel better…"
"Listen, I'm----I can't believe these words are actually going to pass my lips, but I'm sorry, and I'm sorry that she didn't come to you first…If you want to talk, go ahead, I'll just listen."
"Honestly Hayley, I'm scared to death about this baby. When I first heard about the baby, I'll admit that the first thing that came to mind was fear. All that kept going through my mind was 'I can't handle a kid, so why they hell should I stay? As much as running scared isn't a good thing, it doesn't sound too much like a bad idea, so why don't I just get the hell out of here while I still can; before she finds out that I know, and be done with it.' But that's when I remembered something, a dream actually, that I had the other night. It didn't end well, but the beginning was all I needed to change my mind. We were apparently moved into our own house, and we were married. I was walking down the hall when I heard a baby crying, and there was Robin, rocking our daughter to sleep. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen, and when I remembered that dream, there was no way I could walk out on Robin and that child. I have to tell her what I know."
He finally looked up and saw Hayley, still staring at him intently. She didn't say a word, just managed a small smile and nodded her head. He was glad to get things off his chest, and muster a small "thank you" before he left the room.
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9:17 AM
Robin had decided to surprise Patrick with a coffee and donut from Kelly's, and as she made her way down the hall, she heard his voice coming from Hayley's room. Stopping to hear their conversation, she heard words she thought would tear her life apart.
"…I can't handle a kid, so why they hell should I stay? As much as running scared isn't a good thing, it doesn't sound too much like a bad idea, so why don't I just get the hell out of here while I still can; before she finds out that I know, and be done with it…"
Dropping the coffee and the bag with the donut, her head began to spin. She didn't bother to listen to the remainder of the conversation; that was all she needed to know.
She made her way down the hall to the bathroom and stared at herself in the mirror. Her mascara was streamed down her face as the tears began to pour our. Placing her forehead against the mirror, she quietly whispered into her unresponsive reflection, "I can't deal with this anymore."
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9:22 AM
Making his way out the door of Hayley's room Patrick nearly slipped on a puddle of coffee that was gathering from the knocked over cup on the ground. Signaling to the attendant at the nurses station to page a janitor, he began his rounds, not knowing what his girlfriend was about to do next.
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9:27 AM
A tearful Robin made her way to room 416. When she opened the door, Hayley immediately sensed that something was wrong.
"What's wrong?" she asked, a fearful look on her face.
"Hayley, I can't deal with this anymore. I…I can't have this baby. I don't wanna lose Patrick—"
"What do you mean you can't have the baby?!" Hayley began to feel sick. If it hadn't have been for the baby in her arms and the wires attached to her chest, she would've jumped out of the bed.
"Ha…don't act like you don't know…I just overheard your conversation with Patrick…guess I was right. He does want to leave me doesn't he?"
"That's not what he said! You didn't hear the rest of the conversation—"
"I didn't need to hear the rest of the conversation, Hayley. Frankly, I don't think I'd have wanted to. From what I heard, its either I don't have the baby or I don't have Patrick. I can't live my life without him, so I guess—"
"NO! You can't do this!" Hayley screamed, this time waking up Ayden who had been asleep in her arms. Noticing the tears streaming down her face, Robin began to feel scared, but that obviously wasn't making too big of an affect on her decision. "Robin…please…"
She had never heard Hayley call her "Robin" before. The girl had obviously gotten too emotionally attached, so Robin figured this was all for the better.
"Hayley…I have no choice…" she said in an almost silent voice as she made her way towards the door.
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9:33 AM
Hayley frantically hit the page button, hoping to get someone's attention. Finally, after waiting what seemed like hours, Epiphany finally entered the room.
"What IS IT Miss. James?! What was so urgent that you had to have the whole staff panicking--"
"GET-DR-DRAKE." Her face was pale as a sheet, and tears were streaming down her face as she tried to calm herself down.
"He's with a patient at the moment," she replied trying to sound a little more sympathetic. "Are you feeling any pain? What's wrong Miss James?—"
"I'm-fine. Get-Dr-Drake-NOW."
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9:41 AM
Robin was sitting on an examination table wearing a hospital gown. She was silently crying as she waited for the doctor to come in. She was ready for this whole nightmare to be over; she could just get back to her life without having to worry about anything else. But that's when she began to think. Think about her baby, about how it would have no say in any of this. Thinking about how taking the life of a child was wrong, and that it would be on her conscious for the rest of her life. But most importantly, she remembered her conversation with Hayley. Patrick knew about the baby, and it wasn't until now that she had come to realize this fact. What was she doing? She couldn't go through with this.
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9:49 AM
"What is so urgent that you had to call me out of my patient's room—"
"It's Robin…she's going to have an abortion unless you get down there now."
Patrick's face turned the exact shade of his lab coat as he stared back at the equally pale teenager.
"A-are you sure?"
"She overheard us talking and mis-misinterpreted it…Patrick, please…stop her before it's too late."
Hearing her call him "Patrick" instead of some weird slang term made him realize that this was all real. He immediately made his way out the door and to the elevator. All he could think about was Robin, sitting on an examination table, about to rid herself of their child. He thought he was going to be sick until the elevator opened. Not listening to anything anyone was saying to him as he made his way down the hall, he finally found the room she was in.
He barged into the room and saw Robin, sitting on the table in the dark, knees clutched to her chest, sobbing. He made is way over and sat down next to her, instantly wrapping his arms around her; never wanting to let her go. She immediately laid her head in his chest and began to cry more than she had been before.
"Patrick…I'm…I'm—"
"Shh…It's okay…everything's going to be okay Robin."