The Nurses Ball.
Patrick was having a shitty night and wished he was anywhere but the Ball. While he'd been mildly entertained, the ongoing drama with Emma and her suitors, Spencer and Cameron, had grown even less amusing now that Josslyn was thrown into the mix. Instead of the boys fighting over Emma, she and Joss were fighting over them. On top of that, Robin was insistent on using the night to celebrate how they'd overcome most of their difficulties since her trip, so she'd been overly attentive and clingy. He was glad they'd gotten back to where they were thanks to counseling, but he didn't feel a need to advertise it to the whole town. And then there was Sabrina.
Sabrina showed up tonight, radiant, on the arm of Will Foster. He hadn't seen or spoken to her much (other than polite chitchat in the cafeteria) since catching them making out in the locker room and, from what he could tell, Will had used the time to his advantage. Sabrina rarely left Foster's side and unabashedly flirted with and planted mini-kisses him at ridiculously frequent intervals, making Patrick want to puke. Given how Foster fervently returned and one-upped her advances, Patrick figured he was a few months away from packing in his playboy ways for a white picket fence. The thought of Foster proposing to Sabrina brought on a headache, so, during some act or another near the end of the Ball, Patrick excused himself and made a beeline for the bar.
He had just gotten his beer and turned around to go back to his table when he bumped into someone. He absently muttered, "Sorry," and was about to be on his way when he recognized Sabrina's scent. He stopped and stared at her, mesmerized by her beauty.
Sabrina smiled and said, "It's okay, Patrick. No harm done."
When Patrick wouldn't move, Sabrina glanced around him and gestured with her head as she said, "Do you mind?"
Coming to his senses, Patrick responded, "Oh, sorry. No. Go ahead."
"Thanks!" Sabrina said cheerily as she stepped around him and put in her and Foster's drink orders. Patrick, unable to leave, lingered behind her. "So, ah, how've you been?"
Sabrina pivoted and placed an elbow on the bar. "Well. You?"
"Good."
The bartender sat her drinks on the counter, so she grabbed them and turned to leave. "It was nice to see you, Patrick. Please tell Emma I loved her act."
Before she could step away, though, Lucy got up on stage and started talking about last year's Ball and the accident that took their son. As a surprise to his parents, one of whom was responsible for resurrecting the ball, she, Felix and the other committee members put together a tribute to Gabriel. Frozen in place, Patrick stood there with Sabrina as the lights dimmed and Epiphany came out singing "You're Not Alone". As she sang, video appeared in the background. It started with clip from Felix talking about Sabrina and Gabriel and then switched to Elizabeth. Patrick assumed her snippet and the ones that followed would be more of the same, but he'd never been more wrong in his life.
Patrick stared in horror at the video screen as the clip cut from Elizabeth's testimonial to footage of him and Sabrina in the elevator on Valentine's Day. It started out innocently, with them chatting on opposite sides of the elevator, but then got progressively worse as the seconds ticked by.
- The lights going out and the emergency lighting coming on
- Him losing his temper over her ignoring him
- Him saying something and then her slapping him
- Him stalking toward her and pulling her into a heated kiss as he slammed her against the wall
- Sabrina pushing him away, ripping off their coats and pouncing on him
- Sabrina undressing him as they kissed while he yanked the tie that held her dress together
- Them frantically touching and kissing as he worked to divest her of her bra while her hands traveled to his pants
Patrick heard Sabrina utter, "Oh. My. God." Then, he saw Will turn toward them, frown and then rise from his chair (presumably come to her aid). Some people in the crowd followed Will's glance and turned toward them with expectant faces, but others' eyes remained glued to the video screen, enthralled by the brewing scandal, as Felix and Lucy scrambled to cut the feed.
Patrick's eyes traveled to Robin's chair, but she hadn't moved. Her eyes remained fixed on the footage of him and Sabrina ravishing each other. Just before the feed cut off, text appeared on the video board.
Dearest Dr. Scorpio-Drake
In repayment for your services, I wanted to enlighten you to what your hubby was up to while you were away. Turns out my little warning had some unexpected side effects that I truly did not foresee. I hate to be the bearer of bad news given what you've sacrificed for me, but now you know and can act accordingly.
Your Loyal Friend
When the feed cut, the lights went on, so Epiphany, who was unaware of the contents of video, stopped singing. In the dead silence, everyone watched as Robin got up slowly from her chair and turned to face him and Sabrina.
Stoically, she made her way through the maze of tables and chairs until she reached them by the bar. Then she stepped directly in front of Sabrina, raised her hand, and slapped her so hard Sabrina reeled back, dropping her drinks in the process.
The CRACK! reverberated through the ballroom as a collective gasp filled the air.
