Patrick Drake stared out the window at the falling snow. It was close to midnight and he was kicking himself for being so stupid. Five years ago he let Robin go, because he could never promise her the one thing she wanted more then anything. Now he could see her happy with someone else, married and a mother. Andy proved to be the lucky guy in the end.
"Stop thinking about it." Kelly Li came in, hanging her lab coat up, "Having it play over and over again in your mind is not going to make it any easier, not even after all this time."
Patrick turned to her, "What makes you think I was thinking about that?"
She smiled, "Patrick, you are always thinking about that. Its been five years, you and Robin couldn't share your vision of the future, Andy was willing and open to do so."
Patrick didn't want to talk about this, not again, he was sick of it. "Looks like your preparing for Labor."
Kelly nodded, "Maxie Zacchara, I talked to Leo earlier, turns out it makes perfect sense. She snuck out earlier to visit her sisters gave."
Patrick nodded, "She and Georgie were very close."
"But it gets better, when she was there, she saw her father—and her sister."
Patrick rubbed his forehead, "Do we need a psych consult?"
"No, Leo saw Georgie as well. Turns out she's alive. I'm sure before too long we'll all know why." Kelly pulled her hair back, "Patrick, cheer up. Its Christmas after all."
Patrick watched as Kelly left the on-call room and went to his locker and began to change out of his scrubs. He just didn't know where he was suppose to go from here, he was in a standstill, waiting for Ford to step-down to become Chief of Staff, and romantically, well he was stuck in the past the distant past.
He pulled on his sweater and grabbed his bag, ready to leave for the night, to go home put TBS on, and fall asleep watching A Christmas Story, and that would be his holiday.
He stepped out into the cold air, feeling the crispness against his face as he made his way to his car. Yet as he reached it, he unlocked it, tossed his bag in and then locked it again, looking out at the snowfall before starting to walk.
Clear his head. That's what he was sure he was doing.
He had to open himself up again, give himself a chance to fall in love again. Robin had shown him what it could be like, but in the end it couldn't work out. And now, now he was alone, walking in the snow, wondering if he could ever find something like that again, and if so—how?
"Don't you think it's a little late to be wondering around?" Carly sat next to him on the bench.
"Shouldn't I be asking you that?"
Carly gave him a look, "What has you out and about this late at night?"
"Thinking."
Carly nodded, "Always good, let me guess how to move on romantically."
"Something like that." He looked at her, "Why are you out this late?"
"Jerry is suppose to be meeting me here, he found the present that Janie wanted. Jax is at home with the kids, probably trying to convince Michael to go to bed. Teenagers!" She announced flabbergasted.
Patrick laughed, "Who would've thought you'd be trusting Jerry with anything."
"Oh I know, but he saved Michael, Morgan, and Janie's lives. Plus the kids adore him, I can't stop that even if I want to."
"Carly, how do you bring yourself to fall in love again?"
Carly nodded, "Yum, well it kind of just happens. You wake up one day and everything is normal and then before you know it, it happens. You could be anywhere, and you meet someone and you have this connection. The bad thing is, you might not see that connection for a while, and then another normal day hits and bam you're in love, you know it, and nothing else in the world could ever feel like it."
Patrick nodded, "Maybe it'll happen just like that."
"It will." Carly saw Jerry, "Merry Christmas Patrick."
Patrick watched as she went to meet her brother-in-law, and wondered if he'd been ignoring something, someone all the time. But he realized that one day he'd know, it would be clear and then and only then would he have a renewed peace.
The snow began to pick up falling in bigger chunks and Patrick decided it was time to go home to his warm apartment.
As he unlocked his car again he looked up and saw Kelly coming from inside, "How'd it go?"
"Wonderfully, a beautiful baby girl. We did a C-section, she seems to be doing very well. Leo's keeping an eye on her though."
Patrick nodded, "Well, have a Merry Christmas Kelly."
She smiled, "You too Patrick. I'll see you soon." She got in her car and Patrick watched for a moment. Suddenly he knew what Carly was talking about, he was seeing it and feeling it himself. Maybe he wouldn't be spending New Years Eve alone this year.
