Falling For You
By Beccabo

Chapter 18

Chapter 18 : You've Got To Have Friends

"So what is the next treatment option?"

Robin shrugged her shoulders and looked helplessly at Liz as they walked to their cars at the end of another long day at the hospital. Robin had been back to work at General Hospital for about a week now and Liz’s fears for her health were starting to fade. Robin was back to her old self and hard at work on the Gracie Markum case. "I’ve run every test imaginable on that child and am no closer to finding out what is wrong with her than the day her mother brought her in."

Emily, walking out with them, chimed in and said, "The results from the latest battery of tests should find their way up to your desk by tomorrow, so let’s clear some space in our schedules about mid-morning and you can show me why I should follow you into the fascinating world of neurological research." Emily grinned and put her arm around Robin and Robin in turn laid her head on her friends’ shoulder. "But for tonight, let’s try something different. Let’s leave work at the hospital and concentrate on something else...your love life. Or lack of it."

"Oh good," Robin replied sarcastically, laughing. "let’s move from one depressing subject to an even more depressing one!"

"So, what’s going on with Patrick?" Emily wanted to know. "A few weeks ago he was following you around like a little lost puppy and ever since your illness he’s been so reserved. He hasn’t gotten on anyone’s nerves at all. Something’s wrong."

"Of course something is wrong," Liz exclaimed. "Did you not see the man while she was comatose? He was a wreck. He realized that he was in love with her and it scared the hell out of him! And now he has no idea how to act. He can’t pull the arrogant jerk act anymore because now we all know that there’s more to him, but he’s afraid to confess his true feelings because he can’t handle the thought of rejection." Liz looked sideways at Robin and asked, "You wouldn’t reject him, would you?"

"Why is that all of you blissfully happy newlyweds always want the rest of the world to be in love along with you?" Robin teased her friend.

"Way to avoid the question." Emily said, laughing. "But I can see where Patrick is coming from. I mean, I drunkenly confessed my feelings to Sonny and that turned into the worst night of my entire life! I can’t believe I am still showing my face around in public!"

Robin and Liz both laughed, and then Liz said, "Well, we all know that Patrick is crazy about Robin but he is being such a guy about the whole thing. So, you have to make the first move."

"Were you not just listening to Emily’s impassioned little speech about rejection?" Robin joked. "It works both ways, you know."

"He’s not going to reject you." Liz said matter-of-factly.

"Has she been taking amateur psychology classes that we don’t know about?" Robin asked and Emily laughed.

"He is in love with you!" Liz said, grabbing Robin’s arm and playfully pushing her around. "How many different ways do I have to say that?"

"I don’t think you are the one who has to say it." Emily said. "Patrick does."

"What? Are we living back in the stone age? Who says the guy has to say it first?" Liz asked. "We are women in control of our own destinies. Taking charge of our own lives."

"I’m just not as confident about Patrick’s feelings for me as you are." Robin shrugged. "I guess I am beyond help."

"Maybe." Liz agreed, with a twinkle in her eyes. "But luckily, you have friends who refuse to give up on you. So, here’s the plan. Lucky is working the late shift tonight and won’t be home until very early tomorrow morning. Lulu is escaping the craziness of the Quartermaine’s and has agreed to babysit for Cameron tonight. So, you will go home and change into your sexiest dress, tousle the hair, sparkle up the make-up and meet us at Club 51 for a night out on the town. We will dance, drink, and flirt like we were carefree again."

Robin shook her head. "I don’t think so. I’m tired and all I need is..."

"A life!" Liz interrupted with a laugh. "You can’t back out. Do you know how much I had to go through to get Lulu to babysit?"

Robin was hesitant, but Emily gave her a playful shove with her shoulder. "Come on, Rob. We haven’t had a girls night out in so long! And we deserve one! The last few weeks have been awful!"

Robin finally conceded and Liz and Emily were giddy. "Yeah! Watch out Port Charles...the girls are hitting the town!"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Well, I just did what any self respecting girl would do. I threw my shoe at him." Robin’s eyes sparkled as she recounted for her girlfriends a story from her time in Paris. Of course, the sparkle in her eye was probably the result of the many empty cocktail glasses on the table in front of her. Once Robin had started drinking those sweet, pink concoctions she had found it hard to stop.

"So, did you hit him?" Emily wanted to know, leaning in closer so that she could hear her story over the music pulsating through the club.

"Of course. With my spiked heel, right in the head." She pointed to a spot on her own head to demonstrate her point. "He probably still has the scar to prove it. So he’ll always remember me."

Liz and Emily all dissolved into laughter at the look on Robin’s face. It was so good to see her happy. "Just a fair warning to all those boys out there...don’t piss this woman off." Liz warned through her laughter.

"Speaking of boys," the waitress interrupted, setting down another round of drinks for the giggly girls, "I do believe you are being scoped out by that hottie over there." She nodded in the direction of a nearby table and all four women turned to look in that direction. The direction of Dr. Patrick Drake.

Turning back around, Emily pretended to fan herself. "Whoo, girl! Dr. Drake is looking hot tonight!"

Patrick and his old med school buddy, Dr. Danny Conklin, had met up for dinner while Danny was passing through Port Charles. Patrick and Danny had been inseparable in med school and during the early days of their medical careers. Since Patrick had moved to Port Charles, he and Danny hardly got to see each other anymore. Dinner didn’t seem to give them enough time to catch up, so they thought they would check out the local action at Club 51. But Patrick had wanted to leave almost as soon as he arrived, until he saw Robin walk through the door.

From the moment she had walked in the door with Emily and Liz, Robin had captured the full attention of every man in the room. Of course, the low cut jeans, eye popping black tank top, and the tousled hair-do she sported probably had a something to do with that. It was a far cry from the well put together doctor she played at the hospital. Patrick couldn’t take his eyes off her.

She was no longer sitting at her table and Patrick’s eyes scanned the crowd until he found her. She was easy enough to spot, her hair sparkling under the neon lights. Some guys had challenged her and Liz to a game of pool and the girls were about to take them up on their challenge. He chuckled to himself. If those men only knew that they were about to play against one woman who grew up in the gap between the Corinthos crime family and the police commissioner and another who had married the legendary Luke Spencer’s son, they would just hand their money over to her now and save themselves the humiliation. Patrick was sure Robin and Liz had picked up some tricks along the way.

"She is beautiful, isn’t she?" Danny’s voice suddenly invaded Patrick’s private thoughts.

"Hmmm?" Patrick looked over at him, not realizing that he had just been caught wearing his thoughts on his face.

"The brunette in the black tank top." Danny said, looking over his shoulder. "You know her?"

"That’s Robin Scorpio."

Danny’s jaw dropped to the table as he said, "That’s Dr. Robin Scorpio? The one that developed the new drug therapy for catastrophic brain injuries and has been driving you nuts for weeks now?" Patrick nodded with a grin and took another swig of his drink. "When in life do brains like hers come in a package that looks like that? You are one lucky son of a bitch."

"She’s got some serious baggage." Patrick remarked, his eyes drifting back to where Robin was lining up her next pool shot.

"So help her unpack it, Drake. That’s a no-brainer." Danny said, letting out a low whistle. "Her cutting edge research and your skills in surgery? You two would make a powerhouse team."

Danny’s eyes were twinkling with mischief and Patrick couldn’t help but smile. "Are you telling me how to do my job?"

"No, I’m telling you how to get the girl. The girl you haven’t taken your eyes off of all evening."

Patrick lowered his voice, even though their conversation couldn’t be heard above the loud music. "What makes you think I need you to tell me how to get the girl?"

"Well, the fact that you have been sitting here all night staring at her when all you really want to do is go home seems to be an indication." Danny replied, almost smugly. "That isn’t like you, Drake. My old boy would have moved in for the kill before those three little hotties even got to their table." A knowing look came over Danny’s face as he said, "Oh no! Oh no way!"

"What?" Patrick asked, a slow grin coming over his face as he watched Liz and Robin collect their pool winnings from their very embarrassed challengers.

Danny burst out laughing. "You’re in love with her, aren’t you? Oh my God, it’s all over your face. It’s finally happened. The legend with the ladies, Patrick Drake, had fallen in love. This is a whole other ball game, my friend. Your usual come ons and pick up lines are obviously not working on this girl. You’ve got to make an all out confession. Nothing less than a true declaration of love is going to get you anywhere with Ms. Scorpio."

"I don’t need your advice or your games to get the girl. I can do just fine on my own." Patrick raised his glass to Danny’s meddling ways and finished off his drink.

"Yeah, well you may just get the chance to prove it." Danny said, nodding in the direction behind Patrick. He turned around to see Robin making her way over to him.

"Are you following me, Patrick?" Robin asked, standing over their table with her hands on her hips and a flirty look on her face.

Patrick quickly shook his head and stood up. "Ah...no. We’re just a couple of guys," Patrick motioned to Danny, "having a drink. This is an old friend of mine, Dr. Dan Conklin."

"Nice to meet you, Dr. Scorpio." Danny said, unable to hide the smirk on his face. "I’ve been hearing so much about you."


Patrick shot Danny an icy look and then looked at Robin. "But, since you mentioned it, do you really think that you should be out so soon after cheating death?"

Ignoring Patrick’s comment, Robin did something next that shocked the hell out of both of them. "Liz and Emily were just telling me that since you’ve been acting strange lately, then I should be the one to make the first move." She said, lacing her fingers through Patrick’s and moving her body closer to his. He could smell the alcohol on her breath, but knew that wasn’t what was making him dizzy. "So this is me, making the first move. Dance with me." She whispered sexily into his ear.

"I don’t dance," he grinned down at her, putting his arms around her to steady her. "Especially to this." When she twisted her beautiful features into a fake pout, he said, "I’ve got no rhythm. Great hands, but no rhythm."

"Why don’t you let me be the judge of that?" She whispered, seductively.

Patrick was not sure if it was her hot breath in his ear, the sexy tone of her voice, the scent of her perfume, or the feel of her body pressed up against his that caused him to do what he did next. But something silenced the nagging negativity in his head and he found himself following her out to the dance floor.

to be continued...

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