CH 19

Patrick watched as Robin slept still completely floored that she was actually there. They moved her from Ferncliff back to General Hospital to get her completely checked out after finding her the day before. Anna went back to the station to try and figure out how to handle Britt and her mother. The words 'full pardon' were thrown around at one point but Patrick really didn't care what happened to them. He had enough to deal with and rationalize in his head. He's wife was back from the dead, and he hadn't spoken to his girlfriend in almost 24 hours. It would sound ridiculous had he said it out loud.

"Patrick?" Robin said opening her eyes.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" He asked.

"Great, waking up to you" She smiled

Patrick gave Robin a quick smile still uncomfortable about the entire situation. He was beyond happy that she was alive, but there was something in him that didn't feel the way he should have.

"I want to see Emma." Robin stated

"I don't think that's a good idea right now." Patrick replied.

"Patrick, she's my daughter. I've been away from her long enough."

"I understand that Robin, but you have to understand that Emma thinks you're in heaven. And she has thought that for almost 2 years now. Bringing her here now without being able to talk to her first…"

"No, you're right. I don't want to scare her. You should probably talk to her first. Explain what's going on."

"Even if I'm not sure myself?" He whispered.

"Excuse me" Felix said entering Robin's hospital room with a water container. He stopped and looked at Patrick and then back to the woman he had only seen in pictures "Wow, it's true. She really is alive." He said setting the container down.

"I'm sorry, do I know you?" Robin asked.

"Oh, no. I'm Felix Dubois, a nurse here at GH. And I'm friends with Patrick's…" Felix stopped mid-sentence and exchanged looks with Patrick. "I'm friends with Patrick. Yeah... um ok. Let me to go check on another patient." He said trying to rush out of the room.

"Felix hold on a minute. Robin I'll be right back." He said closing her door behind him. "How's Ethan?" He asked quietly.

"He's fine. Well as fine as he can be. They got the bullet out. Didn't hit any major organs. He should be released in a couple days."

Patrick looked down at his feet "And Sabrina?"

"Sabrina is… doing as well as can be expected. She's been at Ethan's side the whole night."

Patrick flinched at that last statement. Although completely irrational, the thought of the woman he loved holding vigil at another man's bedside sent a pang of jealousy up his spine "Which room?" He asked.

"610. But Patrick…." Before Felix could finish his sentence Patrick turned to begin walking in the direction of Ethan's room. He looked in the open door and saw Sabrina standing up against the windowsill looking out to the street below lost in her thoughts. She looked so beautiful yet so sad.

"Hey" Patrick whispered.

Sabrina turned to see him standing in the doorway, then to Ethan who was fast asleep in his bed. She walked out into the hallway and closed the door behind her. She stood there against the door for a moment without saying anything. She just studied his face and braced herself for what she was sure to be nail in her fairytale.

"How are you?" Patrick asked

"I'm fine. How about you?"

"I'm.. I'm ok."

"And Robin?" Sabrina heard a couple of the nurses whispering about how Robin was quietly transported to the hospital and how Patrick now had a wife and a girlfriend to tend to. It was all comical to them. Sabrina's heartbreak was quickly becoming a punch line around the halls of GH.

"She's fine." Patrick replied avoiding eye contact.

"Did she tell you how all this happened?"

"Um.. She told me what she knew, which really wasn't much. Just that she woke up in Ferncliff after the lab explosion. She started to tell me about the things they did to her, but stopped. Guess she wanted to spare me the image."

"Wow. I'm sorry that happened to her." Sabrina said with genuine concern in her voice.

"Sabrina, listen…" Patrick started to inch closer to her

"Patrick you know what, Ethan is going to be waking up soon and I promised I would be here for him until they track down Luke, so..."

"But we have to talk" Patrick said abruptly.

"No, I have to be here for my friend, and you have to go… to your wife." Sabrina turned and went back into Ethan's room before Patrick could respond. She closed the door and tried to stop the tears from falling. She had been up all night with no one to talk to but herself. In that time she had made a decision. It wasn't easy, but it was the right thing to do. At least that's what she tried to tell herself. She made the decision to give Emma back her family. Sabrina loved Patrick with all her heart, but she loved Emma too. Maybe even more. She saw the look in her eyes when she told Sabrina about the mother daughter bake sale. She saw how sad she would get when Robin's name was mentioned. Sabrina saw herself in Emma. Wanting so desperately to be strong but longing for the mother she lost. Sabrina saw it and recognized it because she was once that little girl. How could she deny Emma the one thing Sabrina herself wished for as a child? Sabrina was once ready to give her life to save Emma's. Now she would trade in her happiness for that of the little girl she had come to love as her own. She pulled out her cell and sent a text to Felix: I need your help. Meet me at the house asap.

Patrick reluctantly turned and walked back down the hall and into Robin's room where he found her and Elizabeth reuniting.

"Oh there you are" Robin said happy to see her husband again. "Where did you go?"

"I uh… went to go check on another patient." He replied exchanging looks with Elizabeth.

"So I'm going to let the two of you talk but I will be back, you hear me?" Elizabeth smiled giving Robin another hug.

"I look forward to catching up some more." Robin replied

"Me too" Elizabeth said turning to leave the room. As she walked past Patrick, she gently touched his arm and gave him a rather somber look. One that did not escape Robin's eye. "I'll see you guys later" She said as she left the room.

Patrick stood awkwardly by the door not knowing exactly what to do next. He felt like a fish out of water. Nothing made sense. Here he was back with his first love and all he could think about was the cold shoulder he had just received from his current one. His head was pounding from exhaustion and confusion.

"So" Robin said breaking him out of his thoughts "Do you want to tell me what's going on?"

"What do you mean?" He asked

"Patrick, I saw that look you between you and Elizabeth. And that look with that other nurse earlier. I know coming back from the dead is a bit of a shock for people, but I can't help feeling something else is going on."

"Something else like what?" Patrick asked diverting his eyes.

"Well for starters, my husband hasn't so much as held my hand let alone kissed me since he found me. We can start there."

"I'm sorry, I just… this is all really confusing for me, Robin."

"I get that. But… are you sure there isn't something else going on?"

Patrick finally looked at Robin and realized that hearing the details of the last year and a half of his and Emma's life would be best coming from him and not some gossiping candy striper. He ran his hands through his hair and took a seat in the chair next to Robin's bed. For the next two hours, Patrick poured out his heart. He told Robin every single last detail about him and Sabrina. He told her about the place he was in after she 'died' and how Lulu and Maxie helped him through it, but then how Sabrina made him whole again. He told Robin about how it was her own words on that DVD that allowed him to give his heart to Sabrina. He told her about how much Emma loved her, how accepting Robin's family was of their union. Although he didn't want to, he even told Robin about everything Britt Westbourne and their baby that wasn't. About how Sabrina saved Emma's life without any regard to her own when Britt's crazy mother tried to do away with them. He even attempted to tell her about Sonny being Sabrina's father but that he would leave that back from the dead story for another time. He also stopped short of telling Robin that Sabrina was now living in their home in fear that it would upset her too much. He filled her in on the events at the courthouse the previous day and that when he left her room earlier it was to check on Sabrina more so than Ethan. By the time he had finished, he felt like a 3 ton beam had been lifting off his shoulders. He looked at Robin who had remained silent the entire time with no real expression on her face.

"Say something, Robin" He pleaded.

"I'm not sure what to say exactly." Robin whispered looking down at his ring less left hand. She knew there was a strong likelihood Patrick would move on in her absence, but that didn't make it hurt any less. The woman who Patrick was describing sounded exactly like who she described in her DVD. She sounded exactly like the person she wanted to be in Patrick and Emma's life. So why did she feel so betrayed?

"I know this is a lot to deal with. I'm sorry…" Patrick began

"Patrick, it's alright. Stop apologizing. I knew this was a possibility. Hell, I even expected it. Sabrina sounds like… a wonderful woman. What she did for Emma, I don't even know what to say. I would like to meet her if that's ok."

"I… don't think that's a good idea right now. You're still recovering. We haven't even gotten your labs back yet. You've gone almost two years without the right meds.."

"I'm fine, Patrick. I just want to thank her for taking such good care of my family while I was gone."

"Yeah well… she's not even talking to me at the moment, so…" Patrick was interrupted by a knock at the door.

"How's my girl?" Anna said entering the room.

"Hey Mom. I'm ok."

"Where's Emma?" Patrick asked.

"I had Duke take her to the aquarium. She was getting a little antsy. She doesn't understand why she hasn't seen you or…" Anna stopped and looked at Robin.

"It's alright, Mom. Patrick told me about Sabrina."

"Oh. Ok, well… Ethan?" Anna asked Patrick trying to change the subject.

"He's going to be fine as well. What's going on with Britt and her mother?" Patrick replied.

"You know what, we'll get into all of that later. Right now, I want to spend some time with my daughter and you need to go home and get some rest."

"Yeah, I think you're right" Patrick said standing up from his chair and walking towards the door. "I'll be back in a little while. If there's anything you need, call me."

"Will do." Anna said as Patrick left the room.

"Wow. He couldn't get out of here fast enough, huh?" Robin said looking down at her hands.

On his way out, Patrick decided to try to talk to Sabrina again. He had to make her listen to him. He had to tell her how he was feeling even if he wasn't entirely sure himself. He stopped by Ethan's room and looked into the window. He saw Ethan there, awake talking to Luke, but didn't see Sabrina. He figured she must have left to give father and son time to talk. Patrick thought of where she would go next. He picked up his phone and tried her number. No answer. He then tried Felix's number. Again, no answer. "Dammit, Sabrina" He said to himself as he walked towards the elevator to leave.

Patrick arrived home 20 minutes later hoping to see Sabrina's car in the driveway but didn't. He walked in door and dropped his keys on the console table. He took a few steps into the living room and felt something was off. He looked around and noticed things that no one else would. Certain objects were absent. Little items disappeared. He searched around with his eyes and noticed that pictures and books were missing from the shelves. A blanket with a Puerto Rican flag on it that was always hanging across the back of the couch had vanished. In a panic, Patrick ran through the house to the bedroom and opened the closets and the drawers. He went into the bathroom and saw the bare countertops and leaned against the door frame trying to catch his breath. After a few minutes Patrick staggered back into the bedroom, collapsed on the bed and buried his head in his hands to catch the tears. His corazón was gone. Her scent, her possessions, her essence had all vanished. Every single trace of Sabrina Santiago ever being there had been erased.