"We need to talk." Patrick repeated for the tenth time. He didn't know what was wrong with the other nine attempts, but he just felt like the door didn't quite understand how important it was. He had been standing out in the hallway in front of the nursery for longer than he cared to admit, wondering how exactly he was going to approach his wife without causing a fight. Of course, he amended, maybe a fight was what they needed. It would be a step up from total silence. She would talk to everyone but him as if he was the cause of this new problem. Who knew? Maybe he was. He hadn't done anything to stop it.
At least the feelings they had been bottling up would boil to the surface leaving them no choice but to face what was really going on. The more he thought about it, the more he liked it. God, but what if she started crying? She knew it was his weakness. Not his only one. He was quite fond of that time when she…this was not the time to be living in the past. Right now he had to fix this. It was what a husband did, he talked to his wife. She needed to know that she could count on him through anything.
"He's a little fussy. Maybe he wants you." Robin suggested, offering the baby to Patrick once he finally worked up the nerve to come into the room. She brushed her hair back and leaned against the wall looking absolutely exhausted. The circles under her eyes seemed to have blended with the normal skin and her words were nothing more than a few mumbled whispers.
Patrick moved Nathan to right arm and used his left to steer Robin out of their son's room and into theirs. "Listen, why don't you lay down and get some rest. We're fine here." He promised, urging her toward the bed.
"I am more than capable of handling my children, Patrick." Robin assured him, stepping out of his reach.
Patrick bit his tongue. He could point out that they were just as much his, but he worried she might be too weak to do more than drop at his feet. Nathan, picking up on the never-ending tension, started to wail, his little fists beating against Patrick's chest. "It's okay. You're okay."
"You're not holding him right." Robin argued, reaching for the screaming infant.
"I've got him. He's fine. He'll calm down." Patrick countered, rocking his son and whispering to him.
"Maybe he's hungry. I'll get his bottle." Robin moved toward the door.
"You just fed him." Patrick reached out to stop her mid-step. "He's probably tired. Maybe he'll sleep if I take him for a drive. He usually likes that."
"You are not taking him out of this house. What if you get into an accident or something? We both know you need me to put him in the car seat correctly."
"An accident." Patrick repeated incredulously. "Because I'm prone to those."
"You aren't invincible. What if there's some cocky driver and he challenges you to a race? Will you remember that our son is in the backseat or will you take the dare?" Robin challenged, folding her arms across her chest.
"You are incredible." Patrick stepped out of the room.
"Do not walk away from me." Robin warned following after him.
"I'm not going to talk to you when you're like this." Patrick continued to rock Nathan, wishing he would fall asleep or at least stop screaming at the top of his lungs.
"Like what?" Robin wanted to know, stopping him at the stairs.
"Like this. You don't even know what you're mad about." Patrick clarified throwing up his free hand in frustration.
"I'm not mad. I'm just tired."
"Then sleep. For God's sake Robin, I'm here to help. Why won't you let me take care of you?"
"I'm not a child. I don't need to be taken care of."
"I don't care how old you are. I'll always be older for one and two, I like taking care of you."
"What do you want from me? I'm doing the best I can!" Even screaming, she was no match for her son.
"I want you to stop trying to control everything. I know that's like asking you to start going by a different name, but humor me, won't you?"
"Like I have any control over anything anymore!"
"Robin."
"No." Robin took a hurried step backwards. "I don't want your pity."
"My...my pity?" Patrick could barely form the words. "What are you talking about?"
"I screwed up. I admit it. Okay? Does that make you happy? I gave AJ power over us, over our lives. I messed everything up." By the end of her declaration, she was fighting back tears.
"You reunited AJ with his son. What was the harm in doing that? You didn't do anything wrong."
"And now he wants Morgan." Robin went on as if he hadn't spoken. "He can't have him."
"He won't get him. We're not going to let him." Patrick stressed every word, ignoring Nathan's fit and pulling Robin into his arms.
"I've worked so hard. It wasn't for nothing. It can't have been for nothing." Robin sobbed into his shoulder.
"It wasn't. Everything you've done for Morgan has been right. AJ doesn't have a case. You heard what Lulu said. You know that he's with Courtney. Do you really think anyone's going to believe that he didn't help her take the kids? No judge is ever going to side with him. Morgan isn't going anywhere."
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I don't know what's the matter with me."
"Nothing is the matter with you. Nothing." Patrick swept her hair off her neck and kissed her cheek. "You just need to sleep."
"I'm afraid." Robin admitted.
"What are you afraid of?"
"That I'll wake up and Morgan will be gone."
"Never." Patrick swore. "Look at that." He nodded at Nathan's sleeping form.
"He finds my emotional breakdowns as exhausting as you do." Robin noted.
"Short attention span." Patrick corrected. "I'm going to put him down and then we're going to lay down."
"You won't leave me?"
"I'll never leave you."
*****
"Big day today." Becca grinned, handing Cruz a Styrofoam cup of coffee. She nudged a pink box of donuts toward him.
"You didn't have to do this." Cruz assured her, biting into a glazed donut and looking rather pleased with himself.
"I figured it was the least I could do." Becca replied with a flick of her wrist. "Before the telephone lines start sparking fire that is."
"I appreciate you coming in on your day off." In the past, Cruz had thought there was nothing he could depend on, his employees especially, but when news of the takeover began circulating, every single person who had worked with him put in their resignation and took on side jobs until he could regain control of the magazine, or at least come up with some sort of countermeasure.
"Like I was going to miss this. Oh, Axe is going to be a little late, but he said not to worry. He struck gold."
"What does that mean exactly?" Cruz made certain to keep his voice steady. Kate was at the alternate office today delegating their new staff so that meant all issues would be his responsibility. As if that was anything new.
"I'm going to tell you something my mother always told me when I would get worked up about something."
"Becca—"
"Don't interrupt. She was a sort of masseuse/witch doctor in the teeny tiny town I'm from. Anyway, she always said that trust is like walking around in the dark. You don't always know what you'll encounter, but you'll appreciate the light that much more. Come to think of it, I don't actually know what the message was, but every time I think about it, I feel better."
"Thanks Becca." Cruz replied obediently. He waited for her to leave his corner of wall before he dialed his new lawyer for the tenth time since he got here. Kate had been the one to suggest Earl McGregor, just in case, but Cruz couldn't help but feel antsy. After all of their careful planning, their estimated waiting, today they would take down the beast. And they would hit him where he least expected it.
As prearranged, Brenda had found a temporary change of address until everything blew over. When she had started to argue that she could just as easily stay with a friend, Cruz had gone into protective mode and pointed out that Jax would know exactly where to look for her and he really didn't that on conscience.
"When I said I was just a phone call away, I didn't think that meant I couldn't leave long enough to take a piss." Earl McGregor chortled through a mouthful of Cheetos.
"Everything seems in place. You did what I asked?" Cruz figured he already knew the answer. After all, his simple requests wouldn't take more than a few phone calls, but he had never pretended not to be at least a little paranoid. He would feel better once all of this was over and done with and his biggest worry was
"Yes. It's all taken care of. I will warn you, I don't think Mr. Jacks is going to appreciate his second-in-command switching teams so late in the game."
"It'll be nice to pull the rug out from under him for a change." Cruz reasoned, leaning back in his chair.
"You did explain to Ms. Howard that I will be representing both of you?"
"Of course."
"Then you better get back to work Mr. Rodriguez." Earl bid him farewell and returned to the shabby file cabinet his last secretary had destroyed the day he fired her. "This is a mess."
"Doesn't he take a great picture?" Axe's jovial voice brought Cruz back to the present. He held out what could only be referred to as a candid picture of Mr. Mogul.
"Definitely has front page potential." Cruz laughed, snatching it away.
"Ken Doll just got here." Axe pointed out the thirty-something, five foot nine pressed and dressed man standing in the hall a few feet away.
"His name's Kent and he's our hat trick so try and be nice."
"I'll try and keep my distance. His aftershave is terrible. Hard to believe he's the closest thing this town has to a celebrity. Besides your friend of course."
"Yeah well Mr. Popularity got a nice dose of reality last night. Don't let me forget to thank Mac and Harper for going along with the plan." The commissioner just happened to return home at the exact moment Cruz needed him. He didn't mind helping Cruz out, though he bet that had more to do with Bobbie than himself. Either way, they brought Kent Mercer in on previous DUI charges and threatened to expose him to the media unless he did them a favor.
"Becca, we need more air freshener." Axe shouted out, his eyes finding Kent's.
"Watch it, Axe." Cruz warned.
"What? You don't think I could take that GQ wuss?"
"Reel it in. He's going to help us."
"Do you think maybe we could finish our discussion from the other day?"
"You're not getting a corner office." Cruz shook his head.
"Why not? I am an integral part of this team."
"Okay, let's put it this way. Until I get an office with four walls and a door, you're stuck. Fair?"
"Fair. Oh, man." Axe's eyes grew to the size of saucers when he noticed the pink box. "Donuts!"
*****
Lance was still sleeping, which Dillon supposed was a good thing. He couldn't be in pain if he was sleeping right? Bobbie had offered to sit with him for a while, giving Dillon a chance to track down his husband and have a little talk with him.
Pacing down the hall, Dillon shook his head. Lucas had called Sage. Without telling him. And she had come? And now she was willing to be tested? Had Lucas threatened her? Bribed her? Cast a magic spell over her? And why had he not bothered to tell him about the call?
Did Lucas really blame him for Lance's increasingly dire situation? His husband had sworn he didn't blame him, but now Dillon wasn't' so sure. It wasn't like Lucas to keep secrets. Even less like him to make a move like this without even hinting about it. Plus there was the added evidence that ever since Dr. Wexler made her announcement, Lucas had been more scarce than Lulu.
If he was Lucas, where would he be? The chapel? Too obvious. Lucas wouldn't go there if he was looking to hide. The courtyard? No. He'd go someplace safe. Someplace that comforted him. Suddenly, he knew exactly where Lucas had gone. Reaching the elevators he pressed the numbers for the pediatrics floor.
Stepping out of the door, he took a few steps and easily spotted his husband standing near the windows behind the nurse's station. Coming up behind him, Dillon tapped Lucas's shoulder quickly. "This is not the vending machine at the end of the hall where Lance is." He pointed out.
"Did something happen?"
"Nothing new. Well nothing new to you that is."
"What does that mean?"
"Sage."
"She came?"
"She did. We had an interesting conversation."
Lucas sighed, but he wasn't sure if it was out of relief or helplessness. He had known contacting Sage would be a risk. He hadn't even gotten her directly the first time he called. Talking his way around Diego hadn't been easy either, but it had been worth it if he could get Sage on the phone. "I didn't want to get your hopes up if she said no."
"But she said yes." Dillon pointed out. "Did you think I wouldn't see her?"
"I didn't mean for you to find out that way, but I'm glad she came nonetheless. If she can help..."
"If she can help." Dillon sighed and ran his hands through his unruly hair. "If she helps then what?"
"Then Lance is okay."
"And what about Sage?"
"She wants nothing more to do with Lance. Nothing has changed." Lucas promised.
"How do you know?" Sure Sage had told him the same thing, but Dillon still didn't believe her words. What could stop her? If she saved Lance, could she really continue saying she didn't want to know her son? "If she saves him everything will change."
"That's not true. She doesn't want him to be a target so she'll leave just as soon as the tests are done. The only reason she's here is because I begged her to come."
"Because there was no other option." Dillon whispered. "Because I failed him again."
"You didn't fail him. Damn it, Dillon. I can't help him any more than you can!"
"It could just as easily have been mine. Let's say we changed the combination and it was my family that carried the genetic disorder? Do you really think that would change anything? Lance is sick and bickering about it, blaming ourselves, isn't going to do anything about it."
"I know. I know." Dillon sighed. "I know you're right. I just hated finding out we were to this point. And to see Sage just before it." Dillon looked up into Lucas's eyes. "What are we supposed to tell Lance?"
"He's just a little boy. There's no reason to worry him."
"No. I mean what do we tell him about Sage? If she can save him. What are we supposed to tell him?"
"We don't tell him anything. She doesn't want a relationship with him and I'd just as well keep him away from any mob ties."
"I just don't want to confuse him."
"I agree. We won't. There's no reason for him to know about Sage."