A/N- This is the start of Second Sweeps!! Rejoice!

Stack of Cards

Ric Lansing barely looked up as the orderly handed him the lab report and rushed off in the direction he had been told Dr. Quartermaine had gone in. Of course the poor kid hadn't specified which Dr. Quartermaine, so Ric took a secret pleasure in the prospect of the new orderly giving the wrong report to the Chief of Staff. It had become his contribution to the unofficial initiation to working at General Hospital and it was one he was proud to continue. It beat dressing up as an elf every year at the Christmas party, he figured.

He scanned the report quickly. It was exactly as he suspected. Making his way towards the exam room where his new patient waited, he waved at several of the nurses who were situated around the nurses station. All four of them were new, student nurses really, and while attractive, only fun to flirt with. Trying to carry on a meaningful conversation with anyone them, he had found was close to Chinese water torture. It had been suggested by one of his colleges that if he found the student nurse population less than appealing, then he might want to expand his horizons. Date someone he didn't work with. Ric had scoffed at the situation. As if he had time for that.

He had been continually amazed by how busy he had stayed since coming to Port Charles. Initially his friends from medical school laughed at him, giving up a shot at a lucrative New York City private practice to go to a small city's hospital department. But who was laughing now? He had more experience with high risk deliveries, high risk pregnancies, and just plain dramatic pregnancies than anyone he knew.

Ric paused to straighten out the few wrinkles on his lab coat before walking into the exam room. He loved this part of the job and he wanted to make sure the moment was perfect. As his mentor had told him during his residency, you only get one chance to change a person's life forever, so you better make it as good of a moment as possible. Every time, no matter what the circumstances. Dr. Meadows's words echoed in his head every time he went to tell a patient any news, her gentle rebuke reminding him, he was there for one purpose and one purpose only.

He opened the door wide, meeting the worried looks from his patient and her friend. It wasn't out of the ordinary for someone to bring a friend with them to this initial appointment, especially if the father was out of the picture. Ric supposed he would find out soon enough which was the case here.

"Well congratulations are in order." He announced cheerfully. "Your home test was correct. You are pregnant."

The silence that greeted his announcement wasn't altogether unexpected. Despite all the portrayals of this moment in the media, in his experience shock was usually the prevailing emotion. Ric kept up his chatter, figuring sooner or later either she would ask a question or her friend would take charge and make some sort of effort to listen. "Now I will want to see you again soon to do a more thorough examination but I would guess you were probably around two to three months along right now. Naturally we will know more after we schedule an ultrasound."

Still nothing but blinking. Ric moved to the table where he kept his prescription pad locked up. Taking it out, he sat down in the chair and wheeled in front of the still shocked girl in front of him. He knew she was in her mid-twenties, but she was a girl to him. "I want you to start taking these vitamins daily. It's rare but some women have a bad reaction to them. If you do just call me and we'll find something else for you to take."

He held out the pad but she still didn't reach for it. Her friend seem to break out of her shock first and grabbed at the outstretched paper. Tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ears she regarding him carefully. "When should she come back Dr. Lansing?"

"In a week or two. You seem to be taking excellent care of yourself but I just want to make sure everything is fine."

That seemed to bring his silent patient back into reality. "A week? I can do that."

"Good. And you may want to bring the father to that appointment as well." Seeing the startled gaze, he hurried to explain. "If he's not in the picture it's not necessary..."

"Oh he's in the picture. Whether she wants him there or not." Her friend joked.

His patient slapped at her friend. "Ignore her. I do. No he's around. Just never thought we would have this conversation is all."

"I can only imagine your circumstances. However if you think he would be willing to be involved, I always advise the sooner the better. The more I know about his family health history, the more we can plan for a normal, healthy pregnancy."

"We understand. Who do we see about setting up an appointment?"

"Talk to Darlene at the nurse's station. She'll give you some literature as well since this is your first pregnancy." Seeing his patient's eyes widen as his use of the word pregnancy again, he squeezed her shoulder as he stood up. "Relax. I'll take good care of you." He made his way to the door, opening it slightly. "Congratulations once again."

Seeing the door close behind him securely, Elizabeth and Robin turned to look at each other. In all the scenarios they had come up with between last night and the drive over here, this was not one they had considered. In fact, every scenario had been to explain away this reality. Looking in each other's eyes, both friends were aware the same thought running through each other's head. This changes everything.

"Now what?" Elizabeth managed.

"I have no idea." Robin answered stunned.

Cruz realized quickly was in over his head here. When he had this idea he should have just pounded his head into the nearest wall until he regained sanity. He didn't know how to shop, much less shop for a baby. When Cameron was born, he had given him a gift certificate. While Lucky laughed himself sick over it, Jess had been less than pleased.

It seemed like such a simple idea. That should have been his first clue. His simple ideas were never simple. It had been a simple idea to call up Bobbie and finish the interview his damn self and now look at him. Just go out and buy an outfit for the baby, something cute but not too cute. Something that would in fact identify his daughter as a girl and not a boy or a rejected extra from the Wizard of Oz. However he was beginning to consider suggesting a division of labor with Bobbie. She could buy the clothes. He would stick with toys. It seemed fair to him.

Jumpsuits? Sleepers? Sleep bags? Onesies? Since when did going shopping require a second language? Why did they all look the same to him? Was it some secret parenthood DNA test that you had to pass before you had the child? Would they keep his daughter at the hospital if he showed up to take her home with a onesies and not a sleep bag?

Cruz held up what he assumed to be two onesies. He checked the tag carefully when he notice how tiny the clothing actually was. Surely he had wandered into the toy department and this was just the largest doll dress section known to man. Babies just could not be that small.

"You look like a stiff wind might knock you down." The salesgirl teased, pushing a strand of green hair behind her left ear. She couldn't have been older than twenty and yet she was patronizing him? "Shopping for a friend?" She had now moved to twirling a strand of kiwi hair around her index finger.

"No. My fiancé." Ok so he hadn't asked her just yet. He was going to. It still counted.

"She trusted you with a task this important? Wow." Her purplish green eyes seemed to roll into the back of her head.

"Leave him alone. His fiancé sent reinforcements." A familiar voice sounded behind them. Cruz had never looked so pleased to see anyone in his life.

"Laura. What are you doing here?"

"Actually, I'm daydreaming of a time when I'll be shopping in this section again. For now, I'm helping you. Bobbie called. She said you seemed a little...overwhelmed." Laura told him, patting his shoulder.

He would never underestimate the power of a woman again. Cruz had only talked to Bobbie on the phone and she knew he was overwhelmed? She was either psychic or just knew him far too well. He smirked as he planted a light kiss on Laura's cheek. "So do I get to be the one to freak Lucky out about the fact you daydream in this section? Or is it Patrick?" His eyes lit up as a thought struck him. "Oh I know. Tell me I get to tell them both!"

"I know nothing for certain." Laura assured him. "But you can bet, a woman knows these things. I knew Bobbie was pregnant before she even told me. Give me five minutes with those girls. I can probably tell."

"I thought you wanted them to stick around. The last time you spent five minutes alone with one of them, they ran out of the house and straight to New York City." Cruz pointed out.

"Ha-ha, do you want my help or not?" Laura challenged, using a wave of her hand to dismiss the strange salesgirl.

"Yes. I'd throw myself on my knees but I do have an image to maintain."

"As do I. I can't have men falling at my feet. I have a husband, you know." Laura smiled, taking the outfit from him. "Sweetheart, this is a rainy day outfit. What are you planning on doing with it? Babies can't sleep in something like this."

"I was making sure this was for an actual child and not a doll." He admitted sheepishly. "Are babies really that small? I don't remember Cam being that small."

"That's because my son is a little over protective and didn't let anyone hold that boy until he was six months old." Laura reminded him.

"True Cameron was the bubble boy." Cruz nodded remembering all too well. "Well what is she supposed to sleep in then?"

"She?" Laura looked like she might implode, her smile was so big.

"She." Cruz smiled. He thought Bobbie would have told Laura already. Apparently he was wrong. "It's a girl."

"Well, for starters, this is the boy's section." Laura lifted an eyebrow in speculation.

"That would explain the blue." Cruz followed Laura over towards the more frilly section. "See I was afraid I was going to be swallowed alive by all the frou-frou."

"Yellow and green are wonderful colors if you get sick of pink and blue. Though, you've got to have a little pink. And bows. You're going to need bows. Do you have any bottles? Diapers? A changing table?" She watched his reaction to each one and figured she had just sent him into a full-fledged panic.

"Bows?" He started to stagger. "We don't' have any of that stuff. We are so not ready for this. I have to go right now and..."

"Relax. Robin and I are putting together the baby shower. We'll make sure you get everything you need. What, specifically, are you looking for today?" She decided to use her calm, all-knowing, mother's voice.

"I was thinking..." He looked at his feet, suddenly realizing how very much like a sap he was sounding like in this moment. "Something to bring her home in?"

"Well, you just come with me, and I'll fix you up." Laura promised, taking him by the hand. "It's really easy. Once you get started, it's hard to stop."

"So Lucky's not paranoid? You do have outfits shoved in closets for future grandchildren?" he teased her, following her willingly.

"My son is young. He's got plenty of years to put together a nice family. And Elizabeth has all the right genes." Laura replied.

Robin was barely aware of driving home from the hospital. She parked her car in its designated spot, rode the elevator to the seventh floor, and let herself into the loft. The keys fell from her grip when she spotted Morgan sitting on the bottom step of the stairs, waiting for her. His head shot up at the slight noise she made coming in and he ran to her, his arms wrapping around her legs.

"I guess you're not mad at me anymore, huh?" Robin deduced, holding him tightly to her.

"Aunt Courtney was watching a TV show and one of the little boys got a hold of a gun. It was terrible." Morgan wasn't known for hysterics, so Robin figured it had to have been pretty traumatic for him. Soap operas had always had the same effect on her. She was terrified by the lack of acting, the repeated storylines, basically the entire plot being centered around the worst characters.

"And you just happened be in there with her watching this TV show?" Robin asked carefully.

"I heard a gunshot and didn't realize it was make-believe." Morgan informed her. Robin dropped to her knees, pulling him into a real hug, and he buried his face in her shoulder, shaking slightly.

"What was she doing watching that with you home?" Robin asked, mostly to herself. She and her roommate were about to have a talk, that is, once she was able to formulate more than one thought at a time. That doctor's appointment had pretty much wiped her self-confidence away with the flick of a switch, or rather the color of a strip.

"She thought I was still taking my nap, but the people started screaming, and I thought..." He didn't finish his thought. He didn't have to. If she could have taken him out of his dangerous upbringing sooner, she would have. She was less and less comfortable with situations like this. All she knew to do was hold him closer and rock him. In a little less than six or seven months, she would be holding a little baby. It was unreal. She couldn't believe everything had changed in the span of an hour.

"Morgan, honey, I think we need to talk about some things, okay?" Her tone was enough to make him lift his head and catch her stare. "Let's go sit down on the couch."

"What kinds of things?" Morgan wanted to know.

"Well, for starters, what you said about me choosing Patrick over you. I want you to know, that's not what I was doing. I would never do that. I love both of you, but you're my son and nothing can change that." Robin told him, trying to be as clear as possible.

"I know." Morgan's answer surprised her. "Aunt Courtney told me that too."

"She did? Well, anyway, do you understand that, sometimes, I spend time with you, and sometimes I spend time with Patrick? I'm not favoring one of you over the other. I'm just making sure you don't get sick of me." She responded, repeating his words to him.

"I don't want it to change." Morgan told her in a shaky voice.

"Why would it change?" Robin almost slapped herself for asking the question, but she felt she needed to know his answer before she could go on.

"I don't want Patrick to live here with us." Morgan stated matter-of-factly.

"Patrick doesn't live here. He has his own apartment. You know. We've taken you over there. Remember the racetrack?"

"I remember you trying to cheat." Morgan teased, causing Robin's eyes to widen in astonishment.

"Oh yeah? I was, was I?" She smiled before tickling his sides until he was falling onto his back, his giggles echoing off every wall.

"No fair!" Morgan squealed, trying to wiggle away from her.

Robin wondered how her son would handle learning that his life was, in fact, about to change drastically. Despite her promises otherwise. She couldn't change the inevitable. Too much had happened. She only prayed he forgave her for this poor planning.

Releasing him from her tickling assault, she combed her fingers through his hair and kissed his forehead. "There's something else we need to talk about." She told him.

"Do we have to?" Morgan whined with big brown eyes.

"Yes, we have to." Robin replied firmly, shaking her head at his attempt to get out of an important discussion.

"Too bad. Mail's here." He declared, hopping up from the couch and running over to the door.

"Morgan, don't open the door for strangers." Robin cautioned him, but he already had the door halfway open.

"Gee thanks, Miss Scorpio." Darnell, the building mailman, teased her kindly.

"I'm sorry Darnell, but Morgan is still too little to open the door for anyone, and he knows it." She added, catching the six year old's guilty stare.

"Your mom is right about that." Darnell agreed, nodding enthusiastically. "You never know who's going to be at the door…like my mother-in-law. Sometimes I just wish…" He prattled on. "Sorry." He apologized with a bashful grin.

"Anything good?" Robin asked him as she signed for the four-by-six package.

"I think I'm going to let you decide that for yourself. Hey Morgan, you a basketball fan?" Darnell inquired, pulling a tiny ball from his back pocket and spinning it on his index finger.

"Cool!" Morgan lunged for the toy, but Robin reached for his wrist before he could reach it.

"This is for you." Darnell handed the toy over once Robin's eyes conveyed that it would be alright.

"What for?" Morgan wanted to know.

"Christmas. I'm taking an early vacation in effect tomorrow morning and I probably won't see you guys until well into January." Darnell explained.

"Well we'll miss you." Robin assured him.

"I'll miss you guys too, but the wife's been waiting three year to take a vacation like this and I kind of sprung it on her for our anniversary." Darnell's eyes went soft at the mention of his significant other and he had to adjust his hat to keep them from seeing the overwhelming emotion pour onto his cheek.

"I bet she's lovely." Robin smiled.

"Prettiest girl in the world. Lucky for me, she still hasn't figured out she's way out of my league." Darnell took the signature box from Robin, handed over the small box, and bid them farewell, whistling a happy tune as he strolled down the hall.

"What is it? What is it?" Morgan wanted to know, trying to use Robin's wrist to see. Even on his tiptoes, he was having an impossible time.

"I don't know. Let's take a look, shall we?" Reaching for her keys, she selected the pocketknife she kept on the chain and sliced open the weak strips of tape. Peeling each piece away, she reached inside and came back with a tiny blue jewelry box.

"What is it?" Morgan persisted.

"Just a second." Robin wasn't sure how she managed to stay so calm when she was just as impatient as he. "Here, there's a card." She read it silently to herself and then used her thumb and forefinger to pry open the lid of the jewelry box.

"Oh." She sighed, fingering the oval-shaped locket. The front of it was carved in gold stars and the back held an inscription: "Wear us close to your heart." Popping the clip, she studied both halves. On the left, there was a picture of Morgan playing Poker with Patrick. On the right, there was a picture of Robin and Patrick curled up under the stars the night of his birthday.

"Happy Birthday." Morgan was pleased with himself for finally snatching the card out of her hand. "P.S. I'm outside. What's that mean, Roby?" He asked, glancing up.

Gulping, Robin got to her feet, the jewelry box forgotten on the couch while she kept the locket tightly grasped between her fingers. She crossed the room in a few long strides and slowly opened the door, her heart dropping to her feet when she noticed Patrick standing in the hallway, a smug grin on his face. She wasn't even aware that she was crying as she leapt over the threshold and ran into his arms, letting him pick her up and twirl her around, her hold on him never loosening.

"I guess you liked your present huh? Told you that you would." He stated glibly, lowering her to the floor, his face still close to hers. Brushing her hair out of her eyes, he kissed the tip of her nose.

"I'm sorry I bailed on our date. It wasn't fair…" Robin began to tremble slightly.

"No need to explain a thing." Patrick promised, touching a finger to her lips to silence her. "Unless you're planning on doing so again, in which case I'll have to take you hostage." He continued, scattering kisses all down her slender neck.

"You're stuck with me." Robin assured him with a crumbling smile.

"I wouldn't have it any other way." Patrick whispered back. Lifting his head to meet her tender stare, he pressed a greedy kiss to her lips, one that had her standing on tiptoe.

"Ahem!" Morgan cleared his throat just behind them. Breaking apart even so slowly, they regarded him with mild curiosity, their lips swollen and wet from lingering kisses. "Can we eat? I'm hungry." He pointed out, folding his arms impatiently.