In My Veins Chapter 27: The Man Who Loves You The Most, a general hospital fanfic

Authors Note: This Short Story Is A Bit AU because Robert and Anna never Died in my version. Thus, Anna was never kidnapped by Faison that last time.

The Man Who Loves You The Most

"Daddy, when am I going to see you again," Robin asked.

She was sitting on the suitcase that Robert had just closed. She did not want him to go.

Robert took Robin's small hands in his and pulled her up off the suitcase. He pulled her closer to his side and Robin hugged him tightly. He had never known such pure love in his life before…not since her mother.

"It can't come soon enough for me Luv," he whispers.

"Then why do you have to leave," she asks.

He picks her up and sits her down on the foot of her bed. She was every bit Anna's daughter right down to those puppy dog eyes. When he looks at Robin, he could almost swear he was looking at her mother. If only they could still be the family they could have been so many years ago.

This was his girl. The greatest thing he had ever done. He hated that he had to leave her at all.

"You know how much I love you Robin. If it were up to me, I would stay here with you every night." You and your mother.

He strokes her hair and she looks into his eyes. He knows she understands.

"I am going to miss you daddy," she said sadly.

"Oh sweetheart, I will miss you too. You remember what I told you right?"

"When I'm missing you, just look up at the stars and remember that you will be looking at the same ones."

"That's right Luv. I will always be right here."

He moves his hand to rest on her heart. She puts her tiny one on top of his, repeating his gesture.

"If you need me, make a wish and I'll be there," Robin finishes.

"I will always be here for you Robin. Don't you ever forget that?"

She reaches out and wraps her tiny arms around his neck and he hugs her again. He loved this child before he even knew she was his. Now that he knows, he cannot imagine life without her. She is his world.

"I love you daddy."

"Oh Robin, I love you too. So much. "

Most nights I try to pack
Got you climbing on my back
Saying, "Daddy, when am I gonna see you again?"
You know I gotta go out on the road
And get on with the show
So most nights your mama's gonna tuck you in

When you're missing me, look at the stars up there
I'll be wishing on the same ones and singing this fathers prayer

I hope you see the seven wonders
I hope you sail the seven seas
I hope you let the whole world in your heart
But you still got room for me
I hope you find a guy that treats you right
On your wedding night, I'll raise a toast
Hope he understands
I'll always be the man that loves you the most

Robert helped Robin put the final suitcase in her car. When he turned back around, she could see the hint of tears welling in his eyes.

"I'm only going to be about seven and a half hours away Daddy. I will be back for Holidays. You can come visit me on weekends."

"You can count on it Luv," he says.

Robin can see him struggling and she understands it. A part of her is afraid to be so far away from her family. She just knows she has to do this for herself. Anna comes waddling over to the curb with Robin's little brother Andrew, who is eight now.

"Do you have to leave Robbi," he asks.

Robin laughs and then pulls him to her for a hug. "I'm afraid so little man. When you get bigger, you will understand why. For now, I will just tell you that I promise I will come to visit you and we can talk on the phone every night if you want to. Just promise me you will not cause mom and dad too much trouble okay. Soon, the twins will be here and you will get to be a big brother. They are going to need you to be a good boy. Can you do that for me Andy?"

"Pinky Swear," he said and they joined their fingers together. They all knew he would not be able to keep that promise but of course, nobody was going to say that to an eight year old. After he gave Robin another hug, he asked his mom if he could go play now.

"An hour Andy. You be back in time for lunch."

"Okay Mommy," he says and runs off to go find his friends. Oh the innocence of youth, she thinks. Robin then turns to her mother. Anna reaches out and runs her fingers through her dark hair the way she used to do when she was a child. "I know you need a little time with your daddy," Anna states. "And you know I am no better at goodbye then he is."

"I love you mom. You know all you have to do is call and I can come back any time. I am going to be waiting for that call to tell me my new little brother and sister are here. Promise me you will take care of yourself…and daddy. I know this is the hardest on him."

"You were his princess from the first day he met you. Are you really surprised?"

She looks back at her dad, who is double-checking her breaks, and smiles. Her dad would give her the world if he could.

"Not surprised at all," she admits.

"Be gentle with him Robin. He feels like he's losing his little girl."

"You'll take care of him right?"

"Don't I always?"

She laughs and gives her one more hug. Anna smiles at her and steps a little farther back, to give her and her dad some space. Robin walks back over to her dad.

"You are not losing me, daddy. I will always be your little girl."

She reaches up and wipes the tears from his eyes the way he used to do when she was little. "I love you daddy. You are always going to be my rock. My hero."

"I'm so proud of you Robin. I know you are going to fly so high when you get there. Promise me you'll still have room for me when you get to be a world famous doctor?"

She smiles because she knows he will always be her biggest fan. She kisses his cheek. "I will always have room for you. You'll be looking at the stars at night won't you?"

"Every night. I'll be making a wish so I know that you will be there."

"I'll always be right here," she says, as she places her hand on his heart. Just as she did so many years ago, he puts his larger one on top of hers. This was their moment. The way they communicated.

"I love you Robin. It's time for you to go follow your dreams."

"Just like you did when you found mom again. Now look at you. You are about to have four children together."

"And I couldn't be happier."

"Neither could she."

"I know."

Robin hugged him one more time and Robert handed her a twenty-dollar bill. "If your car runs out of gas, I don't want you to be stuck."

"Thank You," she says, and she closes the door. Robert steps back onto the curb, and he and Anna wave to their daughter as she pulls out of the parking lot. Anna wraps her arms around his waist, her chin on his shoulder.

"She's not the only one who adores you Scorpio. Come on. We still have a little time before Andy gets back. I bet I know just what you need to get your mind off of missing Robin."

"You always know what I need Annie. I'd be lost without you."

"Good thing you're stuck with me then."

"I like being stuck with you."

She kisses his shoulder and he turns her around to face him. She puts her hands on his cheeks and pulls him in for a deep kiss.

"I promise not to let you fall," she says, and he puts an arm around her as they walk back to the house. This is what they did. When one of them was weak, the other was strong. Right now Anna would take care of Robert and they would have a little fun doing it. She knew there would be times when he would have to do it for her. This was all new for them.

Summer's gone and school is back
It's my turn to help you pack
I'll keep your room exactly how it is
I know you gotta go out on your own
I'm so proud of you, you know
You're the best thing that this old man ever did

When I'm missing you and all the stars come out
I sing this prayer when the quiet gets too loud

Robin had been driving around in her car for what seemed like hours, trying to calm herself down. She still did not know what she was going to do but she knew exactly where she needed to be. She needed to be with someone who always made her feel safe and loved. She knocked on the door and waited. Her hands were still shaking from the rage.

"I'm so glad you are here," she said, when he opened the door.

She walks right into his open arms and her head finds the familiar place on his shoulder as his arms wrap around her waist. She has never felt more protected then she did in her daddy's arms.

"What is it baby," he asks, as her tears stain his shirt, and his fingers run through her hair. He did not know who had put those tears in her eyes but he would give anything to make them stop.

"It's Patrick," She cried. "He…He cheated on me."

"Bloody Hell," Robert swore. "That Son Of A Bitch. I will kick his ass Robin. You know I will."

He kissed the top of her head and looked into those beautiful, broken eyes. "No man has the right to make you hurt this way. I am not going to let him get away with this. You deserve better sweetheart. You deserve a man who cherishes you. "

"Yeah, well, not every man in the world can be you."

He wants to take her in his arms and hold her until all the pain is gone but he knows that isn't possible. When she was a little girl with little problems than it was much easier. It was easier to heal a skinned knee than it was a broken heart. This was his child. Nobody had the right to take away that beautiful light in her eyes. He wanted to hurt the man who put it there. He wanted to protect her from any more suffering.

When there are no words that will take her agony away, he lifts her up into his arms and carries her inside where it is safe. He may not have the words to take away her pain, but he can still be there to listen. He puts her down on the couch and wraps a blanket around her shoulders.

"I'll be right back Luv."

She nods her head. She knows what he is doing. It was what used to make her feel better when she was a child.

"I know your problems are a lot bigger now but I figured a cup of hot coco couldn't hurt."

He sits down on the couch next to her and she takes a sip of her coco.

"You still make the best Hot Coco I have ever tasted."

There is a moment of silence as he watches her. She seemed so frail now. So small. He hated Patrick for doing that to his girl. He really wanted to hurt him right now but he knew Robin needed him more.

"Do you want to talk about it sweetheart?"

"Not really."

"Do you need to?"

"Probably."

Robin takes another sip of her hot coco and puts it down. She knows she can talk about this with him. He will never make her feel judged.

"Why would he do this to me daddy? Was it my fault? Did I do something wrong?"

"Don't go there Luv. This is on him. I do not care what his reasoning is; this is not your fault."

"But I…I struggled for a long time after Emma was born. I went to Africa without him. I left him. I left Emma."

"You did not leave him sweetheart. You certainly did not leave your daughter. What you were doing in Africa, was for a good cause. Patrick should have understood that. Do you have any idea how many times, your mother and I have had to be apart for one reason or another? Does that mean we walked out on each other? No. It just means we had to love each other a little harder until we could be together again. It did not mean we were going to throw away our marriage with another warm body just because we missed each other."

"You and mom are not the cheating type dad. Even when you were married to people you did not love as much as you loved each other, you were loyal. If you did not cheat on them, you certainly would never cheat on your soulmate. I want that dad. The kind of love you and mom have. The other half of my soul. "

"You can still have that sweetheart. You deserve that."

"But what about Patrick? What am I supposed to do about him? He is still Emma's father. I do not want her to suffer because of my choices."

"To be fair Robin, It was not exactly your choice. Patrick made that decision when he took another woman to bed."

"I know that but…"

"I can't make this decision for you okay. I know you love him. I also know he hurt you. You need to decide whether you can trust him again. Because Robin, without that, a marriage will not survive."

"How did you ever get to be so smart?"

"I fell in love with my perfect woman and for some reason, she loved me too. We might have had to go our separate ways for a lot longer then we should have but when we finally reconnected, it was as if no time had passed at all. If Patrick is the person you are meant to be with, you will find your way back to each other. If not, then someone else is out there for you and one day, you will find him and things will just click. Trust me Robin…you will know when you are with your soulmate. It is unlike anything you have ever felt before. I want that for you."

Robin wrapped her arms around her dad and gave him a big hug. "I love you, you big teddy bear."

"Shhh…Don't go telling people that. I have a reputation to uphold."

"Scouts honor," she says, crossing her heart with her fingers.

"Your mom and the twins should be back soon. You want to stay for dinner?"

Robin smiles at the mention of her siblings. Her Brother Andrew had moved out a year ago when he turned eighteen to join the police academy on the other side of the world. She could not blame him really. He wanted to succeed on his own…not because he was their son. She also knew it was hard on them with him so far away. She was grateful to still be so close to them. They needed each other now more than ever.

"How much trouble are they getting into now," she asked.

"Let's just say they are keeping us on our toes."

"They are eleven. Just wait until they turn into teenagers."

"Thank you sweetheart. Thank you for that lovely reminder."

Robin laughs as she looks at her dad. He always did know how to make her feel better.

"Oh come on. You two should be old pros by now. What? With all the drama Andrew and I gave you."

"I wouldn't trade it for the world Robin. I love being your dad."

She smiles as she takes his hand in hers. "I love being your daughter."

There is a moment of silence before Robin turns back to her dad.

"Will you hold me for a while? I just need some time in the safest place I ever knew. Then I will be okay."

"Second best offer I have had all day."

"What was the first?"

"I don't think you want to know."

"Dad," she yelled, as she playfully elbowed him in the shoulder.

"If you don't want to know these things sweetheart then don't ask," he replied. "You know that your mom and I have a very active sex life."

"Four kids later, I think I get that," she stated sarcastically.

"Well you wouldn't be here if I hadn't been rocking her world."

"There it is...that arrogant are lucky we love you anyways."

"I'm the luckiest man in the world. I'm not questioning that."

"Thank you Daddy."

"For what?"

"For being here. For knowing exactly what I needed to feel better."

"You sure you don't want me to beat him up?"

"I'm sure. Just knowing that you would is enough for me. This…right here with you is where I need to be. "

"I love you Robin. I'd give anything to take away your pain."

"I know. I love you too."

Without another word, Robin lays her head on her dad's chest and curls up in his arms. He holds her close, wrapping his arms around her. This was all she needed right now. The love of her dad. The greatest man she had ever known.

Trust your gut, hold your own
But allow for doubtin' too
Forgive the wrongs and love yourself
That's the hardest thing to do
If your back's against the wall, baby
Come on home
I'm always here for you

And when you've seen the seven wonders
When you've sailed the seven seas
When you change the whole world with your heart
I hope you think of me
When I go to sing my final song
Hope you celebrate and raise a toast
If you cry, they'll understand
For the man who loved you the most

The End