Ficlet: What Goes Up Must Come Down
Title: What Goes Up Must Come Down
Author: empressearwig
Claim: Robin Scorpio/Patrick Drake
Fandom: General Hospital
Theme: 19 - Broken Bones
Disclaimer: None of the characters first appearing on the series General Hospital belong to me.
Robin burst through the doors of the exam room, breathing heavily.
“Mom!” Matt cried out. “I hurt my arm. But Dr. Andy said it’s going to be okay, and I get to have a blue cast. Isn’t that cool?”
“It’s very cool,” Robin answered by rote, as she crossed the room to be by his side, eyes scanning her son, looking for signs of any further injury. When all she saw was skinned knees, she gave a mental sigh of relief. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed a kiss to the top of his head. “You scared me to death.”
Matt squirmed in her embrace. “Mom!”
“No moving,” came the reminder from the doctor who was wrapping plaster around Matt’s arm.
“Right.” Robin straightened, and turned to Matt’s nanny. “Lisa, what happened?”
Lisa’s eyes were stricken. “I’m so sorry, Robin. He was playing on the swings at the park, and he jumped off, but landed funny. There wasn’t anything I could do to stop it once I saw that he was in the air.” Her eyes filled with tears. “I’ll understand if you don’t think I’m capable of looking after him anymore.”
“No, no,” Robin soothed. “It’s not your fault.” She looked down at Matt and smoothed his hair distractedly. “Someone knows better than to jump off the swings, but he doesn’t listen. It wasn’t your fault.”
Patrick skidded into the exam room. “What’s going on?” he demanded. “Matt, are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” Matt said dismissively. “Look at my cool cast!”
Patrick glanced down at the cast, which was just being finished. “It’s great.”
Dr. Andy finished smoothing the last piece of plaster into place. “I’m all done here. I’m assuming that you two have some questions for me?”
Patrick nodded. “Good assumption.”
“Why don’t we step out into the hall,” Robin suggested hurriedly, looking down at Matt. “Lisa, you don’t mind waiting with him, do you?”
“Of course not.”
“Great. Matt, you be sure to be careful of that arm,” Dr. Andy instructed with a smile as he left the room.
“I will! Thanks Dr. Andy!” Matt called behind them, as Robin, Patrick, and Andy all left the room.
When they were all outside with the door closed, Andy began quickly, “It’s a very simple break. It should heal perfectly in about six weeks. He should come back in to get the cast removed in about three weeks for a follow up appointment, at which time we’ll recast the arm with something less bulky and then three weeks after that, he should be back to his old rambunctious self.”
Robin gave a sigh of relief. “That’s great to hear.”
“Yes, thank you.” Patrick echoed. He blew out a heavy breath. “When I got that message, I swear my heart stopped.”
Andy smiled sympathetically. “I completely understand. But he’ll really be fine. I’m sure you two can remember how to treat him at home. Don’t get the cast wet, ice it to prevent pain, children’s Tylenol as needed for any pain that the icing doesn’t help with…”
Robin nodded. “I think we’re good there.”
“Great. Well, then be sure to schedule a follow up appointment with his pediatrician and try to convince him he’s not superman, alright?” Andy extended his hand to Robin, who shook it automatically, and then Patrick, who did the same.
“Thank you, Andy,” Robin called after his retreating back. She turned to Patrick and wrapped her arms around him tightly.
Patrick held onto her tightly. “Can we put him in a bubble or something?”
Robin laughed a little, pulling back to look up at Patrick. “He’d find a way to burst out of it. I think he gets that from my parents.”
“Of all the genes he could have picked to inherit,” Patrick grumbled. “He couldn’t have taken more after his sister? She didn’t end up think she was able to fly.”
“I think that comes down to one of them being a boy and the other a girl,” Robin pointed out dryly. She stepped back and held out a hand. “Come on, we should get back into our own miniature superhero.”
They walked back into the exam room, where Matt was chatting animatedly with Lisa. When he saw his parents, he lit up with a wide smile. “Can we go home now? I want to show Lana my cast.”
“I think that could be arranged,” Robin said, coming to stand next to Matt, mindful of his cast. “Lisa, why don’t you take the rest of the day off. I think Patrick and I are going to head home with him now.”
“Are you sure?” Lisa asked, as she picked up her bag. “I don’t mind staying to help.”
“No, it’s fine. I’ll call you later tonight to talk about the rest of the week,” Robin said, as she started to gather Matt’s things together.
“Again, I’m so sorry.” Lisa bent down to give Matt a hug. “I hope you feel better soon, okay? I’ll see you later.”
“Bye Lisa!” Matt called after her. He looked up at his parents. “Why does everyone keep acting like I’m dying? It doesn’t even hurt.”
“Oh, it will,” Patrick muttered, thinking back to his own experience with a broken hand. He shook his head to clear it. “You ready to get out of here, sport?”
“Yep!” Matt started to jump off the table, but Patrick swooped into catch him, setting him gently on his feet.
“I think we need to set up some new ground rules, especially for while you have that cast,” Robin started as they all headed out of the exam room. “Number one, no jumping off anything.”
“Aw, Mom!”
Author: empressearwig
Claim: Robin Scorpio/Patrick Drake
Fandom: General Hospital
Theme: 19 - Broken Bones
Disclaimer: None of the characters first appearing on the series General Hospital belong to me.
Robin burst through the doors of the exam room, breathing heavily.
“Mom!” Matt cried out. “I hurt my arm. But Dr. Andy said it’s going to be okay, and I get to have a blue cast. Isn’t that cool?”
“It’s very cool,” Robin answered by rote, as she crossed the room to be by his side, eyes scanning her son, looking for signs of any further injury. When all she saw was skinned knees, she gave a mental sigh of relief. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed a kiss to the top of his head. “You scared me to death.”
Matt squirmed in her embrace. “Mom!”
“No moving,” came the reminder from the doctor who was wrapping plaster around Matt’s arm.
“Right.” Robin straightened, and turned to Matt’s nanny. “Lisa, what happened?”
Lisa’s eyes were stricken. “I’m so sorry, Robin. He was playing on the swings at the park, and he jumped off, but landed funny. There wasn’t anything I could do to stop it once I saw that he was in the air.” Her eyes filled with tears. “I’ll understand if you don’t think I’m capable of looking after him anymore.”
“No, no,” Robin soothed. “It’s not your fault.” She looked down at Matt and smoothed his hair distractedly. “Someone knows better than to jump off the swings, but he doesn’t listen. It wasn’t your fault.”
Patrick skidded into the exam room. “What’s going on?” he demanded. “Matt, are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” Matt said dismissively. “Look at my cool cast!”
Patrick glanced down at the cast, which was just being finished. “It’s great.”
Dr. Andy finished smoothing the last piece of plaster into place. “I’m all done here. I’m assuming that you two have some questions for me?”
Patrick nodded. “Good assumption.”
“Why don’t we step out into the hall,” Robin suggested hurriedly, looking down at Matt. “Lisa, you don’t mind waiting with him, do you?”
“Of course not.”
“Great. Matt, you be sure to be careful of that arm,” Dr. Andy instructed with a smile as he left the room.
“I will! Thanks Dr. Andy!” Matt called behind them, as Robin, Patrick, and Andy all left the room.
When they were all outside with the door closed, Andy began quickly, “It’s a very simple break. It should heal perfectly in about six weeks. He should come back in to get the cast removed in about three weeks for a follow up appointment, at which time we’ll recast the arm with something less bulky and then three weeks after that, he should be back to his old rambunctious self.”
Robin gave a sigh of relief. “That’s great to hear.”
“Yes, thank you.” Patrick echoed. He blew out a heavy breath. “When I got that message, I swear my heart stopped.”
Andy smiled sympathetically. “I completely understand. But he’ll really be fine. I’m sure you two can remember how to treat him at home. Don’t get the cast wet, ice it to prevent pain, children’s Tylenol as needed for any pain that the icing doesn’t help with…”
Robin nodded. “I think we’re good there.”
“Great. Well, then be sure to schedule a follow up appointment with his pediatrician and try to convince him he’s not superman, alright?” Andy extended his hand to Robin, who shook it automatically, and then Patrick, who did the same.
“Thank you, Andy,” Robin called after his retreating back. She turned to Patrick and wrapped her arms around him tightly.
Patrick held onto her tightly. “Can we put him in a bubble or something?”
Robin laughed a little, pulling back to look up at Patrick. “He’d find a way to burst out of it. I think he gets that from my parents.”
“Of all the genes he could have picked to inherit,” Patrick grumbled. “He couldn’t have taken more after his sister? She didn’t end up think she was able to fly.”
“I think that comes down to one of them being a boy and the other a girl,” Robin pointed out dryly. She stepped back and held out a hand. “Come on, we should get back into our own miniature superhero.”
They walked back into the exam room, where Matt was chatting animatedly with Lisa. When he saw his parents, he lit up with a wide smile. “Can we go home now? I want to show Lana my cast.”
“I think that could be arranged,” Robin said, coming to stand next to Matt, mindful of his cast. “Lisa, why don’t you take the rest of the day off. I think Patrick and I are going to head home with him now.”
“Are you sure?” Lisa asked, as she picked up her bag. “I don’t mind staying to help.”
“No, it’s fine. I’ll call you later tonight to talk about the rest of the week,” Robin said, as she started to gather Matt’s things together.
“Again, I’m so sorry.” Lisa bent down to give Matt a hug. “I hope you feel better soon, okay? I’ll see you later.”
“Bye Lisa!” Matt called after her. He looked up at his parents. “Why does everyone keep acting like I’m dying? It doesn’t even hurt.”
“Oh, it will,” Patrick muttered, thinking back to his own experience with a broken hand. He shook his head to clear it. “You ready to get out of here, sport?”
“Yep!” Matt started to jump off the table, but Patrick swooped into catch him, setting him gently on his feet.
“I think we need to set up some new ground rules, especially for while you have that cast,” Robin started as they all headed out of the exam room. “Number one, no jumping off anything.”
“Aw, Mom!”