Chapter Eight:
Robin woke up and looked around, thankful she was alone. Her head was foggy and she vaguely remembered Patrick being here and arguing with Brenda. She also remembered Jason.
How did they not recognize him?
She wiped her eyes and sat up, her head pounding and her mouth felt like she was chewing cotton. She reached for the water on the tray and took a drink, grateful her throat wasn't too sore.
She pushed the nurses call button and waited.
"Yes Dr. Scorpio?"
"Can I see my chart?"
"Someone will be right in," the nurse said and Robin sighed.
"Excuse me, can I come in?" Sam asked from the door.
Robin looked at her and nodded.
"Of course."
Sam walked to the bed and sat down. She looked at her hands and then at Robin.
"How are you doing?"
Robin smiled a little and shrugged.
"I'm okay. What can I do for you?"
Sam was glad she wasn't cold to her.
"I want to know what happened to my husband, from the beginning if you can."
Robin nodded.
"Of course. I don't know much about how they initially got him, because I was being held myself. I didn't learn of Jason's death until I was rescued, sort of, and read about it. Faison confirmed it for me, but I never take his word for anything. Other people confirmed and I saw the news clippings of the time. It wasn't until Victor Cassadine showed up at my house that I learned he was being help in a cryogenic state."
Sam felt her eyes fill with tears. She knew he was alive, she always felt it.
"There was no way for you to know," Robin said softly, seeing Sam's tears.
"But I did know. I mean, I felt like he was out there. I should have done more to check. I should have done more," she said.
Patrick walked to the room and heard them talking, so he sat outside, listening, but giving them time to talk. He didn't know what to do to get Robin to open up, but he hoped maybe she would talk to Sam.
Robin took a few breaths, her stamina waning.
"It was clear to me that Victor wasn't going to give me any proof unless I agreed to go, and I also knew he wouldn't take no for an answer. It wasn't Jason he cared about as much, or so I thought."
"What do you mean?"
"He wanted me to use Jason as a guinea pig to try and develop a formula to bring the rest of the Cassadines out of their cryogenic state. Helena and Stavros, especially. If it killed Jason, he would know not to use it on his family. He also would have no more need for me."
"How is this possible?" Sam asked.
"There is a lot about the Cassadines that you may not know. There was a time when they almost froze the world," Robin sighed. "It sounds as ridiculous as it was. Anyway, I figured I would do all I could to revive Jason and if it worked, he would help me escape. I never planned on helping them revive those psychos. I didn't actually think I could revive Jason. I didn't know if it worked."
"What do you mean?" Sam felt her heart break at what Robin had been through.
"When Patrick was in his car accident, I freaked out on Victor. I knew Emma was in the car and Sabrina was pregnant and she was there, too, although that wasn't planned. I was terrified my husband and daughter were going to be hurt and the accident proved Victor had all the power. He wouldn't let me leave to come and see Patrick or Emma and for Patrick, that was the final straw. Victor didn't allow me any contact, but he went to the hospital and gave Patrick a number to reach me."
Patrick put his head in his hands as he heard them. He couldn't believe this. He wanted to kill Victor. He needed to do something.
"When Patrick called me, it was the worst thing ever. He was so broken and his son had been born and I knew he needed me. I knew Emma needed me. I knew I should go back, but I was terrified. Victor had so much power and I had nothing. I did what I knew would be heartless and cruel. I refused to come home and Patrick told me not to bother ever coming home. He hung up on me and started the divorce proceedings."
"Robin, I'm so sorry. I know that sounds ridiculous and pathetic and hypocritical considering what you came home and saw, but you have to know this wasn't something we did to hurt you."
Robin looked at Sam and shook her head, not wanting to discuss this.
"I went back to work to try and revive Jason. I worked day and night and it was just like I was being held again by Faison and Jerry. I was able to skype with Emma, which was amazing, but Patrick wouldn't talk to me. When I learned his son died," she started to cry and Sam felt her own tears come. Robin pulled herself together and wiped her eyes.
"Anyway, I was close to finishing the protocol when you and Patrick came to Creighton Clark. When Patrick found me, I was terrified. Victor wouldn't hesitate to kill anyone, Patrick, Emma, you or Danny. I needed him to leave. I had to get him to go and so I lied. I told him I was unable to revive Jason. He was so mad and hurt that I refused to leave. He was ready to divorce me and I knew that. He wouldn't listen to me. He couldn't. He left and that was that."
"Victor came in right after you both left and he was furious that you found me. He made me inject the protocol into Jason before I was certain it would work and then he had his goons take me away and chain me to a wall. I hoped when I was unable to contact Emma, someone might get a clue that something was wrong, but that didn't happen. What I didn't know, was that it worked. Jason woke up and he was getting better each day. The problem was that Victor and Helena were treating him."
"How did Helena wake up?" Sam asked.
"Victor had my notes and he had his own team duplicate what I did. I should have destroyed everything, but I didn't have time. I should have, but I didn't. Another stupid mistake. Everything I did was stupid and it cost me and so many others so much."
Sam shook her head and held Robin's hand.
"You saved his life. You brought him back to us," she said and her tears fell.
Robin took her hand back and her chin quivered.
"But Sabrina and Patrick lost their son and I can't change that. I lost so much time and I can't get it back. I also had to realize that the man I love doesn't love me and my mother didn't come for me. I have very little to come home to, and all I want now is to have a relationship with my daughter for however long I have left."
"What do you mean? Are you sick?"
Robin smiled sadly.
"I've been sick for years. Nothing you need to worry about."
Sam exhaled a shaky breath.
"How did you get free?"
"Jason found me. He broke through the doors and shot the chains off so I could get free. We ran out just as the explosion happened and I hot wired a car to take us home. He knew you were there waiting and he wanted to get home to you and Danny. He loves you so much, Sam."
Sam nodded and wiped her eyes.
"What happened?"
"I dropped him off at the penthouse and went to go find my mom at the Metro Court. I would explain everything and then see Emma. Helena was there waiting and I have been with her since. I thought Jason was home and that's why I was so surprised he didn't come and find me. I figured he would tell someone. Helena allowed me to Skype one last time and I told Patrick and my mom that I was going to Paris because I was too broken to be around Emma and I was so lost," Robin smiled sadly as she looked at Sam. "It wasn't a total lie. I was broken. I just wanted someone to finally help me, you know? I wanted someone to come after me. I wanted to be home and instead, everything was wrong. Helena signed my divorce papers and sent them back, so I guess there was nothing left for people to think other than I abandoned my family."
Sam shook her head and sighed.
"Jason must have been in the crash on his way to me. He was hit by a car and run over. He was brought in as a John Doe and his whole face had to be repaired. He was in a coma for a while and had no memory of anything. He called himself Jake and we didn't know anything more."
Robin sighed and looked at her.
"I'm really tired and I think I've told you everything. Can you let me rest now?"
Sam stood up and nodded.
"Thank you, for everything. I know that isn't enough, but thank you."
Robin smiled a little and looked at her.
"Jason is family. I couldn't leave him like that."
Sam went to leave when Robin stopped her.
"Sam?"
"Yeah?"
"Are you in love with Patrick?"
Sam looked at Robin and shook her head.
"No. We were both just looking for something we lost. We didn't find it."
Robin nodded and turned over, closing her eyes.
Sam turned to walk out and head back to Jason who had been taken for an MRI. She didn't see Patrick when she walked out.
He walked into the room and went to the side of the bed, sitting down.
"I want to be alone," Robin said without turning around.
"I was hoping we could talk," Patrick said softly.
Robin turned to face him and she nodded.
"Okay."
He was surprised by that.
"I heard what you told Sam," he began. "I didn't want to interrupt."
"Oh, well that's good I guess. Do you have any questions I can answer that will help you?"
"What do you mean?"
She sat up more and smoothed her hair back.
"Do you want me to talk to Sabrina and try to explain things to her?"
Patrick shook his head.
"She and I both know that Victor was responsible. This isn't your fault, Robin."
She blinked and her tears fell.
"How did you find out?"
"Faison told me and Sam. He was in custody and Sam confronted him about shooting Jason. I thought he was the one who paid Rafe to run us off the road but he told us it was Victor. He admitted to shooting Jason, but was adamant about having nothing to do with Gabriel's death."
Robin was confused.
"So you knew Victor went after you and Emma to keep me in line?"
Patrick sighed.
"I figured it was to keep me quiet, too."
Her brown eyes were swimming as she looked at him.
"Why didn't you try to contact me? Why didn't you try and see if I was okay? Do I mean that little to you? Were you okay to just turn away and never look back?"
He stood up and paced in the room before he turned to her.
"I didn't know how to handle being second place. I didn't know how to be someone who wasn't enough."
"Patrick, I was his only chance," she began.
"So what?" He yelled at her. "So fucking what? Why is his life more important than ours? What do I have to do to be that important to you? Should I go around killing people in the name of 'good'? Should I work for a mobster and call myself a good guy? What do I have to do to be the man who is enough for you?"
"He was important to me. I don't know why you can't understand that. I wasn't and am not in love with Jason. I have a history with him and he is very important to me. He isn't more important than you, Patrick, but he was in a dire situation and I was able to possibly help him. I just couldn't live with myself if I turned my back on that."
"So you turned your back on me and Emma? That you could live with?"
"I didn't think it would cost me my family, but I am not sorry I tried to help him. If I hadn't gone, I wouldn't have been someone you or Emma could have been proud of. I wouldn't have been able to look at Sam or Danny and know I could have made their lives better by bringing Jason home. I didn't think I could ignore the fact he was out there and needed help."
"Like I ignored you?" he asked bitingly.
She met his gaze.
"Maybe? A little? I didn't blame you for not finding me, Patrick, but I was stunned with how much anger you showed when I had to leave. I never thought you would file for divorce and so quickly."
"You had just come home and our lives were ripped apart by everything that happened. I didn't understand how you could simply walk away from what we had found again."
"I didn't walk away forever. I needed to help a friend," she sighed. "I need to sleep and I understand we aren't going to agree. To be honest, I get it. You are through with me and I need to figure out how to move forward. I would like for us to be able to co parent Emma and not be horrible to each other. I hope one day we can be friends. For now, I need you to leave."
This wasn't what he wanted. He didn't know why he was being so stubborn and why he couldn't say what he needed; what he wanted.
"I'm truly sorry you walked in on me and Sam. I never meant for that to happen."
She couldn't help the tears that fell as she looked at him.
"You don't owe me any explanation. You are free to be with whoever you want, as am I. Goodbye Patrick."
He watched her turn her back and curl up and he ached to get into the bed and hold her. He didn't want this. He didn't want any of this.
"Robin!" Jason said as he ran into the room, Sam following.
"I couldn't stop him. He was afraid she was dead," Sam said. "He woke up after they brought him back and wanted her."
Robin turned and saw him and smiled.
"I'm okay," she said and Patrick and Sam watched as Jason pulled her into his arms and held her.
"Oh Robin. I remember what they did to you. I remember what they said and what you had to do. I'm so sorry," he said as he held her.
Robin couldn't help it. It felt so good to be held and cared about.
She cried into his shoulder and Patrick and Sam stood back and stared.