Miracles Happen Everyday
By Beccabo

Chapters 6-End

Chapter Six - The Roundtable

"There is no medicine like hope, no incentive so great, and no tonic so powerful as expectation of something better tomorrow." - Orison Swett Marden

"Wait."

Robin tugged on Patrick’s arm as she came to a stop outside of the hospital conference room. He looked back at her with concern. "What is it? Morning sickness?"

She shook her head and said, "I have this strange feeling...like I’m going to face the firing squad or something."

Patrick grinned and put a reassuring hand on her arm. "It’s not that bad. They’re all friendly faces...Alan and Dr. Meadows. The only unfamiliar face will be Lucy’s, but I promise you that she’s harmless." Dr. Lucy Donovan was an old friend and colleague of Patrick’s from New York. He had asked her to sit in on this consult because she specialized in high risk pregnancies...including women living with HIV. "Plus, they’re not telling us anything we don’t already know. It’s just protocol."

"I know. It’s just that..." Robin shook her head and smiled. "I’m just being silly. Let’s go."

The newlyweds stepped into the conference room and were greeted warmly by the group of doctors sitting around the table. The lone unfamiliar face, Dr. Lucy Donovan, stood and made her way over to the couple with a huge smile on her face. "Hello, my friend." She said, reaching up for a hug from Patrick.

Patrick returned her hug and her smile, then stepped back and gestured to Robin. "Good to see you Lucy. I want you to meet my wife, Dr. Robin Scorpio Drake."

Lucy smiled warmly at Robin, who held out her hand to shake Dr. Donovan’s. But Lucy pulled Robin into a hug and said, "It is so good to finally meet you. I am in awe of the woman who finally tamed Patrick Drake."

Robin laughed softly and replied, "I don’t know about taming him..."

"Well, you got him down the aisle, which is a miracle in itself." Lucy laughed, moving closer to the conference table and pulling out a chair for her new patient. "So let’s talk about your other miracle, shall we?"

Robin and Patrick agreed and took their seats at the conference table with their team, which consisted of Lucy, General Hospital chief of staff Dr. Alan Quartermaine, and Dr. Meadows, Robin’s obstetrician. Alan looked around the table and joked, "Okay, who is going to make the first joke about this many doctors in one room?"

Everyone laughed, but Lucy went right into doctor mode and got the consult started. Putting on her eyeglasses, Lucy picked up the file that was on the table in front of her. "Robin, I’ve been looking over your file since Patrick and Dr. Meadows faxed it to me. You’ve been living with HIV for 11 years now and are currently in the Clinically Asymptomatic Stage, is that correct?"

Robin confirmed Dr. Donovan’s question with a nod and said, "Yes. I have been practically symptom free since my diagnosis, my viral load is virtually undetectable, and my CD4 count is holding steady."

"Which gives you an advantage over many of the women in your situation that I have worked with over the years. Added to that the fact that you and Patrick are both doctors, I think we should have a pretty smooth ride." Lucy peered through her glasses at Robin and her transformation into the professional, no nonsense doctor that Patrick described was complete. Gently, she began, "As a doctor and woman living with this virus, you know that it's likely that you may confront people who think that bringing this baby into the world is too risky, unfair or simply wrong. But my first words of advice are to remember that those people are most likely exposed to misinformation through media and people they know. From time to time, you may even question these things yourself. Yet, the choice of whether or not to have a child is a very personal one, and this does not change when you have HIV. Now, while there's no absolute way of preventing mother-to-child transmission, plenty of information exists these days to help you minimize the risk. It's not unusual that women living with HIV are sometimes even more knowledgeable about these things than their own doctors. Which is why I asked Dr. Meadows and Dr. Quartermaine to sit in on this meeting. You will be under their immediate care and I will check in periodically to gage your progress and to be a resource for them in any way. I will be on call for your delivery, and if necessary, if there are any complications during the pregnancy. Okay?"

Robin nodded and knew she liked Dr. Donovan immediately. She was smart and personable, but very professional. She didn’t speak to Robin as if she were a child, but didn’t take the fact that she and Patrick were doctors as an opportunity to slack off on her job.

Looking back at her notes, Lucy continued, "Your prenatal appointments with Dr. Meadows will continue monthly until the beginning of the eighth month. At eight months, I recommend a visit every two weeks and at month nine, visits should become weekly."

Lucy nodded to Dr. Meadows, who took over the conversation. "Robin, yours is a well-planned pregnancy and I am going to treat you as I would any of my other patients. Prenatal care is not all about blood tests. Because of your HIV maintenance, you already watch what you eat and get plenty of exercise, which is important for you to keep up through your pregnancy, as well. We’ve already done a careful assessment of your nutritional needs to ensure that you eat healthy foods, takes vitamins, and gets enough calories each day. Pregnancy increases the need for calories and protein. Folic acid, iron, calcium and fluids are all important to the baby's development and appropriate levels of each should be included in your diet." Patrick and Robin both scanned the contents of the folder that Dr. Meadows handed to them, while she continued, "As you know, regular exercise is also important. It strengthens and tones muscles, making pregnancy, labor and delivery easier to experience. Swimming and walking are beneficial since they place little strain on your muscles." Dr. Meadows then raised her eyebrow at Robin and said, "Good rest is also necessary. Pregnant women should monitor themselves carefully and not overextend themselves. At least eight hours of sleep a night is recommended, and many women will find they require even more."

Robin looked up at Dr. Meadows’ pointed look and smiled. "Don’t worry, I’m going to be a good, little patient. I’m not taking any chances with this baby."

"Which means," Patrick said slowly, glancing over at Alan, "that you will be taking a leave of absence from the hospital until the baby is born."

Robin turned and looked at him. "What?"

"We think it is in your best interest Robin. Yours and the baby’s." Alan agreed quietly. "We will miss you terribly and you know that your position here will always be yours, but we’ve agreed that this is the best way to keep you healthy."

"You knew about this? And didn’t warn me?" Robin asked Patrick, who was shifting uncomfortably.

"Only since yesterday." Alan said, jumping to Patrick’s defense. "After consulting with Dr. Donovan, I asked Patrick if you would be agreeable."

"And I said you would be." Patrick added, ignoring the icy glare coming from his wife’s direction. "Because during your pregnancy there's a normal drop in CD4+ cell count that usually rebounds to pre-pregnancy levels after you’ve given birth. But, this drop may affect your risk for opportunistic infections if your CD4+ cell count drops below 200. So, in combination with the rest you will need to get and the need to avoid infections, I told them you would be agreeable. For the baby’s sake."

Robin took a deep breath, glanced around the table, and let it out without an argument. "Fine," she conceded. "I will take a leave of absence."

"You can continue your research from your home office." Patrick said gently, trying to cool off the hot water he had gotten himself into by not telling her about this beforehand. "You just can’t see patients."

"I’ll deal with you later." Robin said to him, under her breath but loud enough for everyone to hear and snicker at.

Lucy chuckled and said, "I’m sure you will, Robin." Then, back to business, she continued, "As an HIV-positive women, you are going to want to avoid amniocentesis because it is done with a needle that passes through your abdomen and into the womb. While this test may be necessary to look for any genetic problems that a developing baby may have, it can also increase the risk of transmitting HIV. As far as I can see from your medical history, I don’t see anything that indicates any type of need for genetic testing though." Lucy looked up from the file and asked, "Everything sound good, so far? Except for the leave of absence thing?"

Robin smiled. "Sounds good so far. But I’m concerned about the drugs I take to keep the HIV in check. I’ve read that they may not be safe."

Lucy nodded. "I understand your concern. Pregnant women are often advised not to take any medications during their pregnancy, so it can seem strange that HIV positive women are advised to take their ARV’s when pregnant. But many thousands of women have taken HIV drugs during pregnancy without it causing harm to their babies, and it has resulted in many babies being HIV negative who might otherwise have been infected. The health of many HIV positive women has also been improved as a result of them taking ARVs during pregnancy.

Since you are in your 5th week of pregnancy, I am going to recommend that you consider stopping your therapy for the next seven weeks to minimize fetal exposure to drugs during the earliest stages of development. The baby completes the development of his/her organs at twelve weeks after the last menstrual period. So, I think it's best to wait until organ development is complete before re-starting your therapy. Do you agree?"

"Absolutely." Robin and Patrick said together. They smiled at each other, their earlier exchange forgotten for the moment, and Patrick took her hand in his as Dr. Donovan continued.

"After the first trimester, you can restart your old regimen." She looked over at Alan and asked, "She had been on a combination of AZT, 3TC, and Indinavir, correct?" Alan nodded and Lucy continued, "I’d like to start you off on the AZT alone. If risk of infection grows, we will add combination therapy. But, adding drugs to your system while pregnant increases the risk of developmental damage to the baby." Lucy passed another file to Robin and Patrick, and then passed copies of the same file to Alan and Dr. Meadows. "A standard dose of the drug will be started after the first trimester of pregnancy so that you are taking Retrovir for six months prior to giving birth to the baby. The dose is one 300 mg tablet taken twice a day. At the time of delivery, whether it is by vaginal birth or C-section, higher doses of the AZT are administered through an IV line and a liquid form of the drug will be given to the baby immediately after birth and continued for six weeks."

"Vaginal or c-section?" Robin asked, looking over the information she was given. "I thought that C-sections were recommended."

"Delivering your baby is a personal and emotional experience, and how you deliver is a choice the two of you will have to make." Lucy explained. "There's a great deal of debate regarding the safest route of delivery of the baby. It centers around the risks and benefits of a C-section versus natural, vaginal delivery. In both settings, contact with some amount of maternal blood is unavoidable. C-sections have been said to greatly reduce an HIV-positive woman's risk of passing along the virus to her baby at the time of birth. However, it is still not known if C-sections are any more effective than taking a powerful anti-HIV drug combination during pregnancy and delivery in reducing this risk."

Scanning the information, Patrick said, "It looks like that while the benefits of elective C-section may sound appealing, there are also some clear drawbacks."

Dr. Meadows agreed. "Most significantly, C-sections -- even elective ones -- are not without potentially serious risks, including maternal hemorrhage, infection and other complications. In fact, in my experience, any significant form of surgery presents a heavy burden for HIV-positive people and should be undertaken only if truly necessary."

Dr. Donovan agreed and said, "You have some time to think about it and weigh your options."

"After delivery, will we know right away if the baby is HIV positive or negative?" Robin wanted to know, looking at Patrick.

Lucy looked long and hard at the couple, waiting anxiously for her answer. This was the big question. Slowly, she shook her head. "As in any HIV test, it often takes at least three months and as long as eighteen months to definitively learn the HIV status of your baby. During this time, your baby will receive a number of blood tests. Most hospitals, including this one, now test babies born to HIV-infected women using "PCR". This test can be performed within a few days after delivery and looks for HIV itself in a blood sample collected from the baby. All babies born to HIV-positive mothers, including those who are not truly HIV-infected, will test positive for HIV antibodies at birth and for many months afterward. This is because a baby is born with its mother's antibodies, and it takes time for the baby to lose them and develop its own."

"But after eighteen months, we will know for sure?" Patrick asked.

Lucy nodded again and said, "And during that time, your baby will be given AZT, usually in syrup form, for the first six weeks." Lucy put down her paperwork and removed her glasses, a gentle look coming over her face. "The bottom line, Robin, is to take good care of yourself and gets lots of support. Support can mean a lot of different things, but it definitely means having someone to talk to – someone who can listen, who won't judge you and your decisions, and will help you figure out what to do when things get murky. From what I know of your husband and what he’s told me of your family, I don’t think that will be any problem for you."

Robin laughed and looked at Patrick, squeezing his hand. "No, support is definitely not a problem."

"Everyone in this town is rooting for them." Alan added with a smile.

"You’ve got a great team around you here." Lucy said, smiling at the other doctors sitting around the table. "A good OB/GYN, a good HIV specialist, and I know Dr. Meadows is going to help you find a nutritionist who can help you satisfy your cravings – and will also help you to eat right." She handed Robin a business card with the name of a support group on it. "Talk, talk, talk to other positive mothers about their experiences. And be sure you have a plan for yourself and the baby so you're prepared after the birth. Taking great care of yourself while you're pregnant is important – but it's just as important that you pay attention to yourself after your baby is born. Lots of women have trouble keeping to their pill schedules once the whirlwind of changing and feeding and cleaning begins. Just remember, your health matters too." Taking Robin’s other hand, she finished by saying, "Most of all, do whatever you need to feel good about yourself. Trust your instincts. Take time to pamper yourself. You, and your baby, are worth it."

"That," Patrick promised the room with a smile as he put his arm around his new bride, "will not be a problem."

Chapter Seven - The Child Within

"The world breaks everyone and afterward some are strong at the broken places..." — Ernest Hemingway

Three Months Later

"What," Robin asked, wrinkling her nose as she walked into the kitchen, "is that smell?"

"Chicken." Patrick replied, his nose buried in the cookbook propped up on the windowsill while stirring the vegetables he was sauteeing on the stove.

"No." Robin playfully disagreed, taking a peek in the oven at the dish that was causing their apartment to smell so...strange. "I’ve had chicken before and never once did it smell like that."

"It’s organic. I found this organic recipe book over at the health food store and some of the meals sounded pretty good."

"I finally get you to cook for me and this is what you choose to make?" Robin teased, picking up the recipe book he was looking at and thumbing through the pages. "Is this anything like tofu chicken?"

Patrick scowled and grabbed the book back from her, setting it back on the windowsill so he could see how long to cook the vegetables. "It’s very healthy for you and the baby."

"Not if it makes me gag, it’s not." Robin continued to tease, watching him closely. He was completely absorbed in his vegetable task and looked adorable standing over the stove. "You know what else is good for me and the baby? Steak. I like steak. Lots of protein in steak."

He threw her another annoyed look and said, "We’re having chicken."

Trying to be helpful, she leaned over his culinary creation and said, "I think that if you turn the flame down a little under the vegetables then you wouldn’t..."

Not feeling playful, Patrick turned on her and said, "Tell me again why you chose this moment to come into the kitchen? Shouldn’t you be resting or something?"

"I’ve been resting all day." She grinned at his annoyed expression. "I wanted to see my gorgeous husband."

"And crap all over his cooking." He finished for her, his playfulness returning at her smile. And at the fact that she called him gorgeous. "I swear, Robin, I save lives all day at the hospital, do the grocery shopping, and then I come home to slave over a hot stove. For you. And all you can do is..."

Robin ended his playful rant by sealing his lips with hers for a sexy kiss. Dropping the wooden spoon he had been using to cook with, he wrapped his arms around his wife and drowned out his long day in her kiss. When their lips parted, Robin whispered, "Thank you for making me dinner. But," she continued to tease, "you should turn the heat down under the vegetables so that they don’t burn."

Patrick released her with a grin and turned back to the vegetables. Robin watched with a smug look as he turned down the flame on the stove and began to stir them again. "How was your day?" he asked, adding some cracked pepper to the pan.

"Oh, you know, the usual." Robin said, taking the container of cranberry juice out of the refrigerator to pour herself a glass. "I finished building that new towers project down by the docks this morning, so it left my afternoon free to fly to Washington to consult with the Joint Chiefs about the problems in the gulf."

Patrick smirked and said, "I’m glad you’re talking this leave of absence so well."

"You said I had to stop working, but you never said anything about having to like it." Robin shot back. "But Maxie and Felicia were here all morning going over plans for the nursery, Liz stopped by to have lunch with me before her shift started, and Georgie came by after school for a visit. So there was never a dull moment."

"Did you get time for a nap?" He asked, glancing up with a look of concern of his handsome face. Robin was quiet as she shook her head no and Patrick asked softly, "Nightmares?"

Thoughts of the baby dying had infiltrated her dreams during the last month and she began to wake up in the middle of the night weeping hysterically, pleading with the forces up above to help her because she couldn’t bear to lose what she treasured the most. The sheer force of her hidden terrors disrupted her sleep, causing her to toss and turn and scream out in the night. Patrick would always hold her until the nightmares ceased, but he knew that she refused to fall back asleep after her dreams woke her.

"Did we do the right thing, Patrick?" she asked softly, not able to look up at him.

Patrick put his spoon down once again and turned off the stove. He moved closer to Robin and pulled her into his arms. "Yes." he simply said, trying to reassure her.

"But the chances of the baby being born with the virus have not been completely ruled out. If he is, and has to live his life with HIV, then it is my fault. For being selfish and for not aborting..."

"Stop." Patrick said, taking her face in his hands and forcing her to look up at him. "We decided that we weren’t going to live in fear, didn’t we? Because fear will make it so that we’ll never be able to take any risk in life, never be truly happy."

"But this risk isn’t just about us anymore. This child..."

"Will be loved." Patrick told her, using his thumb to wipe away the tear that ran down her cheek. "Will be spoiled. Rotten." He grinned and continued, "Between our two families...not to mention Liz and Lucky, Jax, Nickolas, even Sonny...this kid is never going to want for anything. Especially not love. Because he will know that his amazing mother defied the odds to bring him into this world and he will carry that with him for his entire life."

"I’m going to die one day, Patrick." Robin reminded him. "Even with the advances in medicine, I can’t live with this virus forever."

"And I could walk out of the hospital tomorrow and get hit by a bus." Patrick replied. "Mac and Lucky puts their lives in danger every time they go to work. Your parents defied death on a daily basis. It never stopped any of them from loving their children."

"If anything, it made them love us even more. Knowing that we were never sure exactly how much time we were given." Robin agreed. Then she whispered, "I want to see my child grow and become an adult. A happy, healthy adult."

"I know." Patrick whispered back, leaning down to rest his forehead against hers. "But you can’t keep doing this to yourself. You can’t live in fear. Fear can stop you in your tracks. It can change you... turn you... mold you and shape you into something you're not. Don’t let it do that, Robin. Don’t let fear cause you to miss a moment of any of this. This pregnancy, this baby, this life we have created."

Robin shook her head and closed her eyes. Against the fear. Against the doubt. Patrick’s words played over in her head as she allowed his love to wash away all her insecurities. "I took a risk on you." she whispered.

"And look at how that turned out." Patrick smirked, pulling her into his embrace again where she remained safely for a few more moments.

Suddenly Robin’s eyes flew open and she said, "Oh, my God! Patrick!" There was a look of concern on his face as she grabbed his hand and placed on her stomach. "Can you feel that?"

Patrick placed his hand firmly on Robin’s abdomen and tears of joy came to his eyes as he felt the slightest movement from within. "He’s moving!" Patrick said, laughter mixing with tears. "Our baby is moving!" Moving his hand to a new place, he said, "Wow, he’s going to quite an athlete."

"Or she could be a dancer." Robin said happily. She looked down at Patrick’s hand on her stomach and said quietly, "The baby is trying to tell me something. That this whole experience is something that is so out of my hands and so out of my control. And that I have to focus on life. Focus on what I can do while I'm here, what things I can teach our child about life and strength and faith and love because no one knows exactly when they may leave this earth. I have to give him or her the most wonderful and blessed life that anyone could ever ask for."

"Well," Patrick said, kissing her firmly on the lips, "it sounds to me like we have a pretty smart kid in there."

Chapter Eight - Father to Son

"One night a father overheard his son pray: Dear God, Make me the kind of man my Daddy is. Later that night, the Father prayed, Dear God, Make me the kind of man my son wants me to be." ~ Anonymous

"So, how is Robin dealing with her leave of absence?"

Patrick smirked across the table at his father as he took a sip of his coffee. "Dealing with it? She’s not dealing with it. I’ve never seen someone so deep in denial in my entire life."

Noah ducked his head and chuckled. "That good, huh?"

"It’s driving her crazy, which is driving everyone else crazy." Patrick leaned back in his chair and looked around the deserted hospital cafeteria, before finally looking back at Noah. "I mean, Felicia and Maxie and Georgie have all been parking themselves in our living room to keep her company, and Liz and Emily stop by when they’re not working....but my wife was not cut out to be a stay-at-home anything. She’s worse than a caged animal."

"Pacing back and forth, growling at her zoo keepers? That kind of thing?" Noah asked and Patrick smirked again as he nodded his head in affirmation. "Well," Noah continued, "at least she’s getting some work done. I saw her work on the Hopkins case and Monica never would have been able to isolate that infection if it hadn’t been for Robin’s research."

"Somehow," Patrick replied, raising his eyebrow, "that didn’t seem to smooth things over. But the nursery’s almost done. You’ll have to come over for dinner one night this week and take a look at it. Just ignore the hideously large shaggy bunny sitting in the corner."

Noah chuckled and asked, "Not a fan of big bunnies?"

"Not ones that come from Sonny." Patrick rolled his eyes and took another sip of his coffee. "That guy is unbelievable. Besides the bunny, he has sent over a couple of huge bunches of balloons, the ugliest floral arrangement known to man, and two gift baskets...one full of baby stuff and the other full of chocolates and relaxation stuff for Robin. He’s making me look bad."

"Give the guy a break. He’s trying to walk the straight and narrow. At least where Robin is concerned."

Patrick glared at his father over the rim of his coffee cup and said, "Look, dad, Mac and I don’t agree on much in this world, but we do agree on the fact that we don’t want this baby to think of the Godfather of Port Charles as ‘Uncle Sonny’. He’s screwed his own kids up enough and I’m not letting him get his hands on mine."

"Robin and Sonny..." Noah began.

"...have a long history. Whatever." Patrick finished for him, annoyed. "But this baby signifies a new beginning. We don’t need any of Sonny Corinthos’ nonsense creeping in and screwing things up." Patrick finished his coffee and began to get up to throw his cup away.

"Let me get you a refill." Noah said, stopping Patrick’s movement by getting up himself and taking both of their cups over to the coffee machine for free refills. Coming back to the table, he set Patrick’s cup in front of him and said, "There you go. Black, one sugar. Just how you like it."

"What’s going on, dad?" Patrick asked, stirring his fresh cup of coffee and eyeing his father.

"Does something have to be going on?" Noah asked innocently. "Is it really so strange for a father and his son to share a cup of coffee?"

"When you’re the father and I’m the son, then yes. It is a little strange." Patrick smirked. "Not to mention the fact that we both have patients upstairs waiting for us."

"I wanted to talk to you." Noah began quietly, glancing around the cafeteria. "I mean, Robin’s in her sixth month of this pregnancy now and it may be a little late for me to start playing wise father, but..." Noah’s voice trailed off as he caught the look Patrick was giving him from across the table. "I don’t know, maybe it just took me this long to gather up the courage to have this conversation with you."

"Dad, if this is about mom and..." Patrick began, ready to give his father an out.

"I was so proud of you when things started happening between you and Robin." Noah said, gathering his courage and not wanting to be deterred by his son. "She’s an amazing woman and I think that the two of you bring out the best in each other. I watched you become the man I always knew you were destined to be when she came into your life. You loved her for who she was and accepted the fact that maybe there would be some limitations, but it had nothing to do with the love that the two of you had for each other. No matter what anybody said. You knew that there would just be some things that you had to learn and do differently, but that you still could love each other as any other couple."

"But?" Patrick asked, believing he knew where this was going.

"I just want you to be prepared for what this baby means." Noah said, meeting Patrick’s eyes.

"I know what it means..."

"No, you know what you think it means." Noah corrected him, adding a certain strength to his voice. "I know that you and Robin are trying to treat this pregnancy as any other pregnancy. But deep down, you know that this is not just any other pregnancy. There are risks involved here that can shatter the perfect little world that you have been living in before you even know what hit you."

"We know the risks, dad. We researched the..." Patrick began, but Noah was not finished.

"But I don’t think you have thought about the ramifications of those risks. In fact, I’m sure you haven’t. I wouldn’t want to if I were you." Noah said, looking back down at his coffee. "Robin will get sick some day. It may not be today, it may not be because of this pregnancy...but she will get sick. It’s part of the disease. And if your child becomes infected, he will get sick one day, too."

The two men were quiet for a few moments as the weight of Noah’s comments hung in the air between them. Finally, Patrick said, "I know, dad. I really do. It keeps me up some nights when I should be sleeping, creeps into my thoughts when my mind isn’t occupied by other things." Patrick sighed and said quietly, "The price that I’m going to pay for getting everything I’ve ever wanted is having to live with the knowledge that I could lose it all some day."

"And you’re okay with that?" Noah asked quietly, searching his son’s face for the truth. And he found it when Patrick nodded his head. Taking a deep breath, Noah began again. "I loved your mother..."

"Dad." Patrick stopped him, not wanting to rehash it all again.

But Noah had to say it. "I loved your mother more than anything in this world." He repeated, daring Patrick to look away from him or interrupt him again. "Just as you love Robin. And in the end, I, too, had to live with the knowledge that I was going to lose her. I thought I could handle it. I thought...." Noah’s words trailed off and his eyes filled with tears, which he didn’t bother to wipe away. "I never thought that it would destroy me. But it did. And now, I’m watching you face the same fate. Only it’s worse, because you might also lose your child." Noah shook his head and whispered, "I don’t know what I would have done if there was ever a danger that I would lose you, too." Finally wiping away his tears, Noah’s voice became stronger and he said, "I know that I haven’t been the best father in the world, but I must have done something right. Even if it was just choosing your mother. Because you grew up into a man that I am so proud to know. And now, for the first time since we lost mom, I’m going to try and be the father that I should have been all along. I will be here for you, Patrick, through all of this. Through whatever the future is going to throw at you. And Robin. If you’ll let me."

Patrick was again silent for a time. After taking a long sip of his coffee, he finally looked up at his father and said, "We’ve been through a lot, you and me. And, because of this life that I’ve chosen, it seems we’re going to be in for a lot more. I’d really like to be able to talk some of it over with my father."

Noah smiled a soft smile and said, "I won’t let you down. Not this time."

Chapter Nine - Mommy and Me

"The moment a child is born, the mother is also born. She never existed before. The woman existed, but the mother, never. A mother is something absolutely new." ~ Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh

Eight Months into Robin’s Pregnancy

"Have you thought of any names yet?" questioned Maxie, flopping down on the sofa in the Drake’s living room with a book of baby names in her lap. She began flipping through it as she continued saying, "You want something cute, but not too cute. The kid is not going to be little forever and you don’t want to be calling a 40 year old man ‘little Petey’."

"Or a 40 year old woman." Georgie piped up from the loveseat, where she was sitting with Patrick and Robin’s dog, Riley, on her lap. She scratched Riley’s sleepy head and said, "And nothing too trendy, because names that are cute now will be so out of style in, like, five years."

Robin shook her head, not believing that she was taking baby name advice from her teen-age cousins. Grinning, she sarcastically said, "I was thinking Chrysanthemum if it’s a girl, and Stavrosovich if it’s a boy,"

"That baby would hate you for the rest of its life," Maxie responded, wrinkling her nose as she thumbed through the pages of the book.

"Forget about the baby," Georgie interjected, "Patrick would hate you for the rest of your life."

"Please," Liz said, coming in from the kitchen with a plate of sandwiches and rolling her eyes, "Patrick is so far gone that she could name that kid Sunflower Venus Marzipan and he would think it was the most ingenious name in the world!" Liz grinned at Robin and handed her a sandwich before setting the plate down on the coffee table.

"Has Patrick expressed any name preferences?" Georgie wanted to know.

Robin shook her head and then it was her turn to roll her eyes. "He’s such a pain." She giggled. "All through this pregnancy he would act so aloof when I wanted to talk about names. Then I finally get him to pick one and you want to know what he picks? Brooklyn. Brooklyn Rose."

"That’s not so bad." Maxie said, looking at Georgie. "Our friend...."

"I know, I know." Robin said, knowing that Brooklyn was becoming a more popular name these days. "But I just have a thing about naming a child after one of the five boroughs of New York!" The look on Robin’s face sent the girls into peals of laughter. There was just something about the company of these women that made Robin feel so safe.

They spent the rest of the afternoon talking and laughing and coming up with crazy baby names until it was finally time for Liz to head home and Maxie to leave for her evening classes at P.C.U. Georgie stayed behind with Robin until Patrick came home...none of them were willing to leave her alone for even a second. As much as Robin hated the fact that they were mothering her, she was touched by the love that they showered on her. Robin had spent so much time alone while she was in Paris, but now she couldn’t imagine why she had stayed away from Port Charles and these amazing people for so long.

While Georgie took Riley out for a walk, Robin stretched out on the sofa and rubbed her big, round tummy. She grinned down at her baby and said, "So what do you think of all this, baby? All these crazy people? They’re all waiting for you to join us out here in the world. And you’ll love everyone in this whole, crazy town." Robin paused for a moment, then grinned mischievously. "Except Carly. You’ll probably despise her. Most people do. Maybe you can throw up on her? That would be really good. Entertaining, as well." Leaning back against the pillows, Robin continued wistfully, "And I know you’ll have just as much spunk as I do. If you turn out to be a boy, then you have to promise me you’re not gonna chase every girl in sight. Like your daddy did. Because then no one will take you seriously...except for me. And if you’re a girl, maybe you’ll be as adventurous as your Grandma Anna is." Robin grinned again and said, "Grandma Anna. She’s going to hate that name. But she’s going to love you. And so are your daddy and I. Oh, we’re going to love you and hug you and squeeze you and kiss you so much. You just hang on another month, ok?"

As if her child had heard her, Robin suddenly sat up with a start. There was a wetness between her legs and an intense pressure in the pit of her stomach. She started breathing faster as her thoughts began to reel. Clutching her stomach, Robin prayed quietly, "Oh God, not now. It’s too soon! Don’t let this be happening now."

Chapter Ten - The Labor of Love

"Making the decision to have a child - it's momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking outside your body." ~*~Elizabeth Stone~*~

The clock was ticking. The "grandfathers", Mac and Noah, were pacing up and down the hospital corridor, watching the delivery room door worriedly. Maxie was sitting in the waiting room with Georgie and Emily, both young sisters biting their nails with worry. They didn't know what was happening beyond that door and the waiting was killing them.

"She was so calm. So Robin-like." Georgie muttered quietly. "But I could tell that she was scared. It was in her eyes."

Mac came over to sit next to her and Georgie put her head on his shoulder. "You did good, baby. You got her here as quickly as you could and that’s what she needed. Patrick and Dr. Meadows and Dr. Donovan have got her now."

"And all we can do is wait." Maxie muttered. "I hate waiting."

"It’s too soon." Noah said quietly. His grandchild was coming early. Not too early to be of any harm, but still early. And he wanted more than anything in the world to be in that delivery room. But just as too many cooks can ruin the stew, too many doctors can ruin a delivery. Finally, he asked, "Is Liz in there?"

Emily nodded her head, handing a cup of coffee to Mac and preparing to pour another for Noah. "Robin requested it."

"How much longer?" Georgie asked.

"I’m sure they are holding off on delivery until they can get a course of AZT into her system to protect the baby." Noah said, moving closer to the door and trying to peer through the small window. "But you never know with babies. They come when they are ready."

And baby Drake was ready. Inside the delivery room, Patrick held Robin’s hand and kissed the side of her head, unsure what to do for her. He was never helpless. Especially within the walls of this hospital. But at this moment, he couldn’t do anything for Robin that wasn’t already being done. Dr. Donovan had administered the IV that was coursing the AZT into Robin’s system, Dr. Meadows was preparing Robin for delivery, and Liz was instructing the nursing staff on how to take care of the baby when he was born.

Robin’s pains were absolutely unbearable, making her feel as if she were being torn in two. Sweat drenched her body and the bed as she endured another grueling contraction. Robin felt as if she couldn’t go on anymore. "I’m so tired." she told Patrick, gripping his hand tightly. "I don’t know if I can do this anymore."

"Yes, you can Robin. Yes you can." Patrick assured her, wincing slightly at the strength of her grip. "You are stronger than any of us and if anyone can get through this, you can."

"I just want you to listen closely to what I have to say." Dr. Meadows instructed from her place at the foot of the bed. "On your next contraction I want you to concentrate and push really hard. While you push I’m going to count up to ten. When I get to ten stop pushing unless I tell you otherwise, OK?"

"OK." Robin said quietly.

"Push!" The doctor called out. "1-2-3-4..." and Robin moaned loudly. Patrick grasped Robin’s hand even harder and whispered, "I’m here, baby. I’m here to prevent anything bad from happening to you."

"You are a brain surgeon." Robin snapped, in more pain than she had ever experienced in her life. "What the hell do you know about..."

"...9-10, stop!" Dr. Meadows called out and Robin stopped yelling at Patrick long enough to cry out and then leaned back, tears running down her exhausted face.

Robin turned her head toward Patrick and said, "I know this is the oldest cliché in the book...but, don’t ever touch me again."

Patrick chuckled and said, "Whatever you say. But I predict that you will change your mind very quickly once this is over. You never could keep your hands off me." Leaning in closer, so that only Robin could hear, he whispered, "You are going to be such a great mother. You have so much love and life inside of you to give. I love you so much."

"I love you, too." She whispered, and then looked up at Dr. Donovan. "How are we doing?"

Lucy Donovan glanced at the monitors she had hooked up to Robin and said, "Your vitals are good. Blood pressure is a little high, but that is to be expected. I’ve got something to bring it down once the baby is delivered."

Dr. Meadows’ voice was heard once again, saying, "OK, Robin. We need to push again. We’re almost there. Ready? Push!" Dr. Meadows began her countdown and with all the strength she had left, Robin gritted her teeth and pushed one more time. She felt as if the very life was taken out of her as she slumped her body back on the delivery table.

"That's great, that's great. I can see the top of the head." Dr. Meadows smiled and said, "Just a few more and you'll have your baby."

Once again, Robin screamed and her face contorted with agony and concentration as she pushed the head out. Sweat was pouring down her forehead, and she was quickly losing her strength.

"Okay Robin, we've got the head, just one more push and that should do it."

"I can see it, Robin." Liz exclaimed excitedly, grinning toward her friend. "That is the cutest little top of the head I’ve ever seen."

"Go." Robin instructed Patrick. "Go and see."

Patrick shook his head and said, "I’m staying here."

"Are you really going to argue with me?" She asked as he dabbed the sweat off of her forehead.

"Why should today be any different?" He smirked as he moved closer to Dr. Meadows so that he could see his child come into this world.

"Would you like to do the honors, doctor?" Dr. Meadows asked, moving out of the way so that Patrick could take her place.

Glancing at Robin, he held the baby's head with one hand and reached out to grasp Robin's hand with the other. She suddenly felt like all her energy had been restored, and locking eyes with Patrick, Robin silently told him she was ready. He let her hand go, preparing to support the baby, just as Robin gave her last push. A moment later, the baby's lungs filled with air and began crying.

The tears began running down Robin’s face as she watched Patrick hold their child. Dazed, he smiled up at her and said, "It’s a boy, Robin. It’s a beautiful baby boy!"

Everything that happened next seemed to be a blur. Liz immediately took the baby out of Patrick’s arms so that she and Dr. Donovan could wash Robin’s blood off of him while Dr. Meadows attended to Robin’s needs after the birth. It seemed like it took an eternity for them to bring her baby back to her, but soon she looked up into Patrick’s face as he brought their child closer.

Tenderly he placed a gentle kiss on the baby’s forehead and whispered in words that only he could hear, "This is your mommy and she can’t wait to meet you, you precious little angel." Placing the baby in Robin’s arms he brushed his lips against the sweetness of hers. "Here you go, mommy."

Robin took her son into her arms and cried tears of joy at the sight and sounds of her son. "Hi, baby." she whispered, as Patrick silently wiped the tears from Robin’s cheeks. "Look what we did," she said to Patrick, smiling through her tears. "Look at our perfect, little miracle."

Chapter Eleven - Welcome to the World, Robert Stone Drake

Four months later

For everything there is a season,
And a time for every matter under heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die;
A time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal;
A time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to seek, and a time to lose;
A time to keep, and a time to throw away;
A time to tear, and a time to sew;
A time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate,
A time for war, and a time for peace.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

"Give me that baby."

Robin laughed as she released her son into his grandfather’s waiting arms, and kissed her father on the cheek. Her eyes shone with love as she gazed upon big, strong, adventurous Robert Scorpio cradling his grandchild with tender care and making funny faces down at him.

"He looks like a Scorpio." Robert told Luke, who was sitting on the other side of him as he nursed his drink.

"He looks like a baby." Luke replied, shaking his head. "A happy, healthy, well spoiled baby."

"A Scorpio baby." Robert informed him, winking at Robin.

"With a little Drake thrown in for good measure." Noah remarked with a smile, coming up to the table and looking down at his grandson.

"Yeah, but he got my name." Robert said smugly, grinning up him.

Noah pasted a false look of hurt on his face as he put a hand on Robin’s shoulder. "You know, daughter-in-law of mine, that hurts. Not only did you not name my grandchild after me, but you gave this guy ammunition to torture me with for years to come." He teased, taking a sip of the orange juice he had commandeered from a nearby waiter’s tray. "What does a guy have to do to get a break around here?"

Before Robin could answer, Luke jumped in. "Apparently," he drawled with a twinkle in his eye, "you have to play dead for over a decade."

Robin shook her head and covered Noah’s hand with her own. "How can we ever make it up to you, grandpa?"

"Have another kid and name him Noah." Noah answered simply.

Robin rolled her eyes and groaned, while Anna answered, "And what if they have a girl?"

"Noelle?" Noah joked and everyone laughed.

"Please don’t encourage him!" Robin protested through her laughter. "While pregnancy was every bit the beautiful experience everyone said it would be, we are in no hurry to have another baby."

"But it’s been six weeks, so at least you can go back to having fun trying." Robert remarked, grinning at her.

"Daddy!" Robin exclaimed, feeling the embarrassed color rise into her cheeks.

"Robin, everyone at this table has children." Anna told her, grinning at her daughter’s embarrassment. "We all know that the six week visit to the doctor after having a baby is also the go ahead for being able to have sex again."

"And given your husband’s reputation, we would be shocked to hear that you actually waited the recommended six weeks." Luke teased.

"Well, we had other things to celebrate after that visit." Robin said quietly, and knowing what she meant, everyone turned to look at the little miracle grinning up at them from his grandfather’s arms.

"Look at these genes that you passed on." Anna remarked, resisting the urge to reposition the baby in Robert’s arms so that he didn’t look so precariously close to dropping him on the floor. "Beauty, brains, and strength from both sides of the family, the adventurous spirit of the Scorpio’s, and the pure charisma of the Drake men. You, my darling daughter, are going to have to keep a close eye on that child."

"But not too close an eye," Robert said, shifting his namesake up to his shoulder so that he could see around the room. "For a Scorpio man needs the freedom to roam."

The conversation continued around him as baby Drake’s eyes were drawn to all of the people and excitement around the room. It was a day of celebration...the christening of Robert Stone Drake into the Port Charles family that already loved and adored him. The restaurant of the Metro Court was full of family and friends who had come to celebrate his birth and his clean bill of health. Everyone was there...all of the Scorpio’s, Drake’s, and Spencer’s, Jax, Nikolaus and Emily, Ric and Alexis, Alan and Monica, Dr. Meadows and Dr. Donovan. In his joy, Mac had even kept his objections to a minimum when Sonny and Jason showed up, although they wisely sat alone at the opposite end of the room and tried to avoid the stares being leveled at them from Robert, Mac, Patrick, and Anna. It was a day of celebration indeed.

Placing his arm around Patrick, who had joined the group at the table, Mac stood up and grabbed the closest piece of cutlery (a teaspoon) and tapped it on the side of his glass of champagne.

"Quiet please, everyone." He announced, his voice raising above the laughter and conversation that filled the room. "I need everyone’s attention. Your’s too, Maxie. So, stop flirting with the bartender and get back to your boyfriend." This last part was aimed at his daughter, who just grinned and then stuck her tongue out at him. He just shot a grin back at her. "Okay, on behalf of the entire Scorpio and Drake clan, I just want to thank everyone for coming today and enjoying the free champagne brunch that we are treating you to." Mac appreciated the chorus of chuckles at his little joke and continued, "We are here today to celebrate the birth of a very special young man and the love of his remarkable parents." He raised his glass of champagne high in the air, as did all of their guests. "Please raise your glasses in a toast to my amazing Godson, Robert Stone Drake." Casting a look at the baby, who had finally returned to his mother’s arms, he said tenderly, "May you have a long, happy life my darling boy."

There was a chorus of "Robert Stone’s" as they toasted the baby of honor and sipped from their glasses. Mac held up his hand and a silence fell around the room once more. "As entertaining as I am, his parents seem to want to say something. So if you will bear with us for a moment, or so longer, we will return you to your free food and drinks shortly."

Robin shook her head with a grin as Patrick rested his hand on her back. All eyes in the room focused on the happy parents as Patrick began, "We'd like to thank you all for coming today. It means a lot to us that you came, especially since we know that there are a few of you here who didn’t completely agree with our decision for Robin to have this baby. We know that your concern had nothing to do with baby Robert, but because of your love for Robin and your concern for her safety, as well as the baby’s." Patrick rubbed Robin’s back and continued with a huge smile on his face. "Well, we have some excellent news to share with you today. At our last doctor’s appointment, we were told by a very happy Dr. Alan Quartermaine that little Robert’s most recent blood test came back negative for HIV."

The room erupted in a chorus of happy gasps and spontaneous applause. Tears came to Robin’s eyes as she and Patrick surveyed the room of people who loved them so much and were so happy about their news. Holding her son closer to her, Robin whispered, "Welcome to the world, Robert Stone. We can’t wait to show you what a wonderful world it can be."

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