"Hey buddy." Patrick waited to see if Morgan would look up. He didn't. There was no response at all. His eyes were glued to the sheets on his hospital bed. It was a step up from the wall at least. As it happened, it was no less unsettling. "I heard you were a brave little kid today." Patrick went on, dropping into the lone chair beside the bed. "I'm proud of you." There wasn't even a flicker in Morgan's eyes, just a tightening of his shoulders as if he disagreed.

"You were. You were so brave." Patrick emphasized every word. "I know you're scared. Robin's with the doctors now and they're going to do everything they can to…" His voice fell away. He had to remember he was talking to a seven-year-old. "I wanted to come and make sure you were okay. Well not okay. I know you're not okay." He took a breath. And he had thought patience was difficult; he didn't know how to handle total silence. It reminded him far too much of the weeks they had been in Paris. He suddenly felt very alone.

"Dr. Wexler said you can go home tomorrow. Isn't that good news?" There was a frantic squeak behind his question. Morgan pulled the blankets up and turned away from Patrick, his head resting against the pillow. "I guess you're tired. It's been a bad day for you. I'm sorry I wasn't there." Patrick reached out to put his hand on Morgan's shoulder, but he pulled it back abruptly. "Do you have any idea how happy I am to see that you're okay? I mean, I know you don't want to talk right now and that's okay. I can do enough for both of us." Morgan didn't take the bait. Patrick suppressed a sigh.

"I know nothing I say is going to convince you of this, but I'm going to say it anyway: we're going to handle this as a family. I'm going to leave you with Uncle Lucas right now and check on Robin and Nathan. Is that okay with you?" No flicker of feeling one way or the other. "This is the best hospital in the state, Morgan." He leaned over and kissed his stepson's forehead. "I love you. I'll be back in a few minutes. If you get scared, you can have the nurse page me over the intercom and I'll come right back."

Having heard his name, Lucas stepped in and the two men shared a private look. Morgan closed his eyes, probably trying to will everything away. Patrick's mind was buzzing when he left the room. He should be stronger than this. He should have stayed with Morgan, but how could he when Robin was lying on an operating table? Right now he needed answers. Then he could come back and give Morgan some good news. Surely that would get him talking…or at least reacting.

He noticed that the rest of the Spencer clan had swept into the waiting room while he was gone. Laura started toward him first, but he held up his hand. He couldn't break down right now. She nodded and resumed her seat. Elizabeth was trembling in her seat, her back to him.

"Has there been any...?" He directed the question at anyone who might know.

Lucky shook his head. "No. No word."

Patrick strolled past them, his pace slow. He didn't have to wonder where he was heading. He just had to follow the line of nurses and other medical personnel. They were all going to the same place. Swallowing thickly, he moved past them, practically invisible, and stared inside. The room was a blur of white and blue. Everyone was moving about quickly. He couldn't see Robin behind them. Well of course he couldn't. She was so...she was so small. Tears sprung to his eyes and he furiously wiped at his eyes.

"Sit down son." Luke came up quietly behind him and whispered his suggestion so only Patrick could hear it. "It's going to be a long night and you'll need your strength."

"I don't have any strength." Patrick argued pointlessly. "I can't leave her, Luke." He protested when he tried to pry him from his spot.

"I wouldn't expect you to. Spencers don't run when there is trouble. But Little Scorpio is going to need everything you can give her to fight this. You need to conserve so you can fight when it's time."

"How could I have let this happen to her? To all of them?"

"Don't do it. Don't do the 'what if' game." Luke shook his head. "It doesn't do any good and it won't fix this. Robin doesn't need your guilt. She needs you to fight for her."

The elevator doors slid apart and Maxie stepped off. She ran in no particular direction, the front desk acting as the needle on her compass, and her eyes searched frantically for any familiar face. Though she would have preferred recognizing anyone else, she caught Lulu's familiar form. Her archenemy was quivering uncontrollably and there was a guy Maxie had never seen sitting beside her. He was whispering something that no one could hear. "I'm sorry it took me so long to..." Tears filled her eyes when she spotted Patrick. "She...she's not..." Maxie shook her head.

"No." Cruz promised, handing Bobbie a cup of coffee he knew she wouldn't drink. She was rocking Majandra who had fallen asleep on the ride over. "There hasn't been any word. She's in the O.R. right now."

"And the baby?" Maxie treaded carefully.

It was Dillon who answered this. "They've got a fetal monitor hooked to Robin. Unless something's changed, they haven't had to induce." This was news to Patrick. His eyes jerked frantically toward Dillon.

"How do you know?" Maxie challenged, more out of fear than frustration.

"Lucas told me."

"Can I have her please?" Cruz asked Bobbie.

"I've got her." Bobbie protested.

"I know. I just thought you might want me to hold her so you could drink something."

"I can't." Bobbie replied and no further explanation was expected.

"Where are Cameron and the twins?" Lulu managed to ask. Maybe if the kids were nearby, she could distract herself.

"My grandmother's." Elizabeth managed. "Lance is more than welcome too Dillon."

"He's with Edward right now. I figured the Quartermaines could serve as a great distraction for him."

"Elizabeth, tell me about the wedding plans." Laura goaded.

"Umm we're thinking Christmas." Elizabeth managed. "Anything to top last year."

Laura grimaced. "Yeah, sorry about that."

"Well I'm sure the non-appearance by my parents will help that along tremendously." Elizabeth smiled shakily.

"You don't need them. You've been a Spencer for a while now." Laura told her.

"I wouldn't say that too loudly. That could really confuse people." Lucky pointed out. "Or give the wrong impression."

"Oh you." Laura smacked Lucky's arm lightly.

"I'm just saying..." Lucky started to defend himself.

Dr. Joanne Walker pushed open the doors, alerting everyone to her sudden presence. Her eyes scanned the room until she recognized Patrick. "Mr. Drake." She said grimly. He stood up slowly, fear clear in his gaze.

"How's Robin?" Patrick asked.

"She's stable."

"And the baby?"

"He's a little trooper." She found a smile for him.

"Can I see her?"

"No."

"Why not?" Patrick snapped. "You just said she was—"

"Stable. Not good. Not even fine."

"What does that mean?"

"It means, with the machines, she's able to breathe. She hasn't regained consciousness yet."

"Why not?"

"Well that's what I'm trying to figure out. We were able to get most of the bullet out."

"Most?" Patrick echoed.

"Some of the fragments were too small and others were found in areas too sensitive to extract from."

"I don't understand. Why can't I see her if the surgery is complete?"

"Because the area hasn't been sterilized yet."

"I don't care."

"I do."

"I need to see my wife." Patrick stressed every word.

"What you need to do is sit down and wait out here until I tell you it's okay to come in." Behind them, a machine beeped madly. Years of skill had taught Dr. Joanne Walker to not let her emotions show on her face. "I have to get back in there."

"What's going on? What is that?" Patrick demanded, blocking her path.

"Let me pass." Dr. Walker insisted edgily.

"Not until you tell me what that is."

"You're killing your son right now Mr. Drake." Dr. Walker said with just the right amount of malice. He fell back a step and she shoved past him.

"Patrick, come on." It was Cruz. He was trying to steer Patrick back to his chair. "Come on. There's nothing you can do for them right this second."

"Get off of me." Patrick shoved him and his concern in the opposite direction.

"Patrick let the doctor do her job." Lucky cautioned his cousin. "Robin needs her. Go see your son. He needs you."

Wordlessly, Patrick stalked toward the elevator, tears choking him. Lucky was right. Cruz was too. There was nothing he could do for Robin and Nathan. He had to concentrate on Morgan. Everyone watched him go, pity clear in their gazes. Why feel sorry for a man who had done little or nothing to protect the family he had spent the last sixteen months building? He wanted to scream at them. Feel sorry for Robin whose only crime was that she loved him, for Morgan who had trusted him, and for his son whose life could have just been compromised because of his father's inability to face a world without all of them in it.

Patrick didn't go to see Morgan as everyone was expecting him to do. He wasn't in the right condition to be around a frail, catatonic child right now. Until he could get a hold on his emotions, he wasn't going near Morgan. No reason to make it worse if it could be avoided. He would walk around for a bit, clear his head if possible. Things weren't going to get better immediately; he was already coming apart at the seams. If Robin were to wake up right now, she would be ashamed of how he was acting. Cruz and Lucky were just trying to help; the doctor was just trying to her job. But he couldn't see that could he? Not when it was easier to focus on the anger he felt, easier to place it on the closest person.

It must have been absolutely terrifying to be trapped in his mind the way Morgan was with no escape. What was it that kept him from talking? Was it fear? Had he just completely stepped out of the real world and into his mind? Did he no longer feel safe here? Patrick had promised to protect them, but he couldn't even do that. God sent them to him and he hadn't kept up his end of the bargain. What was he going to do if one or both of them died? He hadn't legally adopted Morgan, but it seemed as good a decision as he could put together right now. At least, whether Robin woke up or not, he would have a say in further treatment for their son.

And treatment would be necessary for Morgan if he didn't start talking soon. The first time this had happened, Patrick hadn't been this worried. Granted, at the time, he had barely known Morgan and he simply refused to speak. Back then, he hadn't known what it was like to hear that sweet little boy laugh, to see the joy on his face when he completed another level on his game, or hear his thoughts on used and abused cartoon characters. Now that he knew, he wasn't willing to give it up. No matter what it cost him, he would get Morgan talking again.

Had he held up the doctor for too long? Was his son dead? Robin? Both of them? He couldn't think about that now. Surely someone would have come to get him if that were the case. He could barely remember a time when he wasn't worrying about something, be it Robin, the baby, or something to do with his relatives. He shook his head. He didn't want to think about Logan now. Or ever. How could his brother have carried this out to such an extent? And why go after Robin? He was just as much to blame if not more. He had pursued her without any sort of encouragement. Logan had cut himself off from the family and then from Patrick completely. It had been his own choice so why did he have to come after Robin and Morgan? If Lucas hadn't planted the bug on the telephone…

A chill swept over Patrick, seeping into his skin and past all rational thought, instantly numbing him. His mind refused to process anything more. He found the double doors broadcasting a large red EXIT sign and walked right through them. The temperature was muggy and the air was nonexistent. He nearly choked on it.

An old married couple hurried past him, their smiles ecstatic. When they realized he was watching him, they stopped. The wife, a tiny woman of perhaps seventy, explained, "Our granddaughter has just given birth to our first great grandchild." There was a strong sense of pride in her voice and it was clear her husband felt the same way.

"Congratulations." A thick, throaty voice answered them. He looked behind him to see who it was. There was no one behind him.

"What about you?" The husband urged with his jolly smile.

"My wife and sons were in an accident." Patrick told them. He watched their faces cloud over in despair. "But they're alright now. Would you excuse me?" He scurried away from them before they could respond, calling himself a callous ass for not lying and keeping them in good spirits. The truth was, he couldn't pretend, not now. Not at a time when he needed to prove just how real they were to him, how sustainable this life they had built was.

Patrick wasn't sure how long he walked around. His stroll was aimless. It didn't solve any of his problems. It didn't clear his head. However, when he returned to Morgan's room, his breathing was easier and he wasn't alone: Georgie had slipped in. He knew the rest of the Scorpios would descend eventually and they would voice all of his fears and self-loathing thoughts. "Hey Georgie."

"Hey Patrick." Lifting herself up off of Morgan's bed, she made her way over and wrapped her slim arms around Patrick's waist. "I'd ask how you are doing but that seems a little pointless."

"Thank you for coming." Patrick said monotonously. "I bet Morgan's happy to see you." He looked over at his stepson for some kind of confirmation. His eyes were focused on the wall now.

"You know me. Never miss a party." Georgie tried to joke.

"Robin told me you were headed to Australia."

"Maybe." Georgie allowed. "If everything goes to plan."

"That's exciting."

"I hope so." Georgie looked over at Morgan. "You know you are coming to visit me right Morgan?" Morgan glanced listlessly at the coloring book and crayons Georgie had brought him.

"What do you got there?" Patrick asked.

"I know he likes Spiderman, but I thought Transformers might be good for a change of pace."

"Wasn't that nice of Georgie?" Patrick prompted.

"Has there been any word?" Georgie asked quietly.

"No, but the surgery went well." Patrick decided to edit as he went in front of Morgan.

"That's good. That's really good."

"Yeah." Patrick nodded. "When did you get here?"

"About the time you left to find out about Robin. I thought someone should sit with Morgan."

"Where's Lucas?"

"The police needed to take his statement."

"Oh."

"Yeah. It sounds like he won't be in any trouble or anything. I'm sure my dad will see to that. It's probably just to make it all look official and all."

"Trouble?" Patrick mouthed. "Hey, Morgan, Georgie and I are going to talk outside for a minute, okay?"

"I'll be right back Morgan." Georgie promised as they made their way to the door. "I still have to finish that story for you about Steven and the mean, ugly actress."

Patrick closed the door behind them. "What kind of trouble?"

"He didn't tell you?"

"No."

Georgie chewed on her lower lip and looked to the ceiling. "Patrick...when Lucas got there, Logan was trying to kill Robin and Morgan. He didn't have a choice. He had a shot and he took it. I don't know how to tell you this Patrick...but Logan's dead."

Patrick's throat tightened. "I had a feeling."

"I'm so sorry Patrick. I know he was an ass, but he was still your brother."

"I can't think about him right now."

"Yes. I mean no of course not. You have to concentrate on Robin and Morgan and Nate. I get it."

"I hate to ask..."

"You want me to stay with Morgan so you can go check on Robin?" Georgie assumed.

"Actually, I was going to ask if I could stay with Morgan and you could check on them."

"And you want Robin to make fun of you for the rest of your lives for being a chicken?"

"It's not that. When I was there a few minutes ago...please?"

"Alright I'll go. But don't think I'm not telling Robin everything about this."

"She'll defend me like always." Patrick tried to smile. It faltered and he glanced back at the door to Morgan's room.

"Of course she will." Georgie assured him. "Go on. He needs you too."