Falling For You
By Beccabo

Chapter 5

Chapter 5 : Girl Talk

"One orange sherbert and one hot fudge brownie sundae deluxe. With extra hot fudge." Mike winked at Robin as he set the bowls of frozen treats down in front of her and Liz and said, "We don’t get a lot of orders for the hot fudge brownie in the middle of winter, Dr. Scorpio."

Robin smiled a tired smile and said, "It’s the only vice I have left, Mike. And it’s been a long week."

The teasing smile left Mike’s face as he awkwardly patted Robin’s shoulder. "Well," he said quietly and sympathetically, "then enjoy it, ladies." Liz smiled her thanks at Mike as he walked back behind the bar.

"See," Robin whispered, picking up her spoon and digging into her ice cream, "pity. From Mike, who I barely know. I make one little comment about needing ice cream to soothe over a bad week and suddenly I’m on my death bed and this is my last meal."

"If you’re always ready for a fight, my friend, you’re always going to find one." Liz scolded with a smile, taking a bite of her sherbert.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Robin snapped back, instantly sorry once the harsh words were out of her mouth. She took a big bite of her ice cream and closed her eyes while she savored the sweet chocolate on her tongue.

"It means chill out a little, Rob." Liz said, ignoring the edge in Robin’s voice as only a friend can. "You’ve been on edge all day and it’s freaking people out. You’ve snapped at Monica, Jason, Sam, Alexis, Noah, Bobbie, the ER nurse, and me...on more than one occasion, I might add. I thought I had better get you out of that hospital before you started taking it out on your patients."

Robin was quiet for a moment and then she finally said, "I had a colleague in Paris who once told me that the only thing standing between me and true happiness were my demons shouting down the better angels in my brain. Do you think that’s true?"

Liz regarded her friend for a moment before reaching over to take a spoonful of Robin’s sundae. After she finished her bite, she said, "I think that you have been through more in your short lifetime than most people ever have to go through. And however you choose to cope with that is up to you...not me, not Mac, not Jason, and certainly not your colleague in Paris."

"So, how am I doing with this coping nonsense?" Robin asked, a teasing edge to her voice but Liz could tell that her answer was important to Robin.

"In my professional opinion?" Liz asked, sitting up straighter and pretending to open an imaginary folder sitting in front of her. "Let’s see. Number One - You are a productive member of society who is not only an amazing doctor, but who is going to change the world of medicine as we know it some day. Number Two - You have amazing family members and friends who absolutely adore you. And," Liz looked lovingly at Robin, "Number Three - You get out of bed every day. So I would say that in the classic struggle between a person’s demon’s and their better angels, we finally have a fair fight in Robin Scorpio."

Robin was touched by Liz’s words and it took her a moment to ask, "What does getting out of bed every day have to do with anything?"

"There are a lot of people who don’t." Liz said matter of factly. "There are people who face the same struggles you do every day and choose to hide from life. They choose to miss out on all the things you get to experience. It’s easy to pull the covers up over your head each morning and let the world go by. What takes courage, my friend, is getting up every day and facing whatever life throws at you. Which you do." Liz reached across the table and took Robin’s hand in her own and continued, "Which I admire. And I am so glad you are here, getting out of a bed in Port Charles every day. Because I have missed you terribly."

"But I do hide from the things that scare me. Like love." Robin admitted, the tears threatening to fall from her eyes.

Liz squeezed Robin’s hand. "So you have a few relationship phobias, big deal. You’ll work them out."

"And if I don’t?"

"I’ll still love you." Liz reassured her. "And so will a lot of other people."

"Thank you for being my friend, Lizzie. I couldn’t do this without you." Robin gave Liz’s hand a final squeeze before pulling her hand away. She wiped away the tears that had formed at her lids and joked, "Okay, this love fest has got to stop." Robin took another big bite of her sundae and looked apologetically at Liz. "Was I really a monster today?" She asked.

"Let’s just say that you weren’t yourself. And people started to notice." Liz told her, then added slyly, "Including Dr. Patrick Drake. Who you did an excellent job of avoiding all day, in case you were wondering."

"I wasn’t avoiding him..." Robin began, but Liz’s laughter cut her off.

"Give me a break, girl!" Liz laughed, pointing her spoon at Robin with a mischievous twinkle in her eye. "You were too funny, making sure he wasn’t going to be in all the places you had to be. Checking around corridors, taking your break at a different time, avoiding his patient’s rooms. I felt like we were back in high school! I was ready to ask you if you wanted me to pass him a note in gym class." Robin made a face, causing Liz to laugh even harder. "OK, I’ve waited all day to find out what’s eating you. I’ve given you ice cream and compliments, so now you have to spill it."

Robin shook her head and picked at her ice cream. Finally, she looked up at her friend and said, "Patrick came over last night. For what reason, I’m not so sure. But whatever the reason, he showed up, egged me on, and..." Robin paused, causing Liz to motion for her to continue. So Robin did. "And I told him about Stone and my HIV status."

Liz was quiet for a few minutes as the two women ate their ice cream. Finally Liz asked, "How did he take it?"

"Surprisingly well, actually. Shocked the hell out of me." Robin admitted. "And then he tried to kiss me...again."

"That ogre!" Liz said, sarcastically. "How dare he show you that he’s not scared away by your HIV status by kissing you? He has some nerve."

"Are you done?" Robin asked with a grin while Liz giggled through her next bite of sherbert.

"So," Liz teased, "the kissing wasn’t as good this time and you were avoiding him all day in case he asked you for a performance evaluation?"

"No." Robin said, flicking some ice cream off her spoon in Liz’s direction. Liz ducked and continued giggling. They acted like such children when they were together and Robin enjoyed every minute of it. But with Lucky and Cameron at home, Liz and Robin didn’t spend nearly as much time together as they would like. "I was very busy all day. I wasn’t avoiding him." Robin tried to reason with her, but Liz wasn’t buying it.

"What aren’t you telling me?" Liz asked, her tone turning serious.

"It was a pity kiss." Robin said, matter of factly. "Intended to ease an awkward moment."

"How do you know that?"

"Because I know him." Robin answered. "It was all about his ego. What better way to prove his prowess with women than by bringing a little excitement into the life of the poor, little HIV+ Robin Scorpio?"

"Or," Liz said slowly, looking over Robin’s shoulder at the front door of Kelly’s, "by taking Emily to dinner."

"What?" Robin asked, turning to look in the direction Liz was staring. Sure enough, through the front door of Kelly’s walked Patrick and Emily. Patrick and Robin’s eyes met and Patrick smirked before helping Emily off with her coat. Robin turned back to look at Liz and asked, "What’s going on here? I thought Emily was busy batting her eyelashes at Sonny?"

Liz shrugged her shoulders, not taking her eyes off Patrick and Emily. "I have no idea what this is all about. She didn’t tell me a thing."

"Great." Robin said, slumping down in her chair. "This is just what I need."

"Why should you care?" Liz asked, a sly smile on her knowing face. "I mean, now that he’s busying himself with Emily it means he has less time to harass you. Just what you wanted, right?"

"Right." Robin answered, spooning more ice cream into her mouth and vowing not to turn around.

to be continued...

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