Ficlet: Baby, It's Cold Outside (GH, Robin/Patrick, Lana Verse)
Title: Baby, It's Cold Outside
Author: empressearwig
Prompt: 25 - Snow
Pairing/Character(s): Robin/Patrick, Lana
Rating: G
Disclaimer: Nothing recognizable from General Hospital belongs to me.
Word Count: 1,060
Spoilers/Warnings: It's all AU.
Summary: If it snows two feet, will you and Daddy stay home and play in the snow with me tomorrow?
Author's Notes: Written for theechochorus.
Lana pressed her nose to the living room window, staring intently into the late January night.
Patrick walked into the living room, looking intently for a misplaced medical journal. Upon seeing the small, pink pajama covered form at the window, he stopped in his tracks. “Lana,” he said slowly. “What are you doing?”
She turned her head to face him, nose bright red from pressing against the cold glass. “I’m watching for the snow.”
Patrick laughed. “You know, I don’t actually think that watching for the snow is going to make it appear.” He crossed the room to stand by her side, and peered out the window himself. “I hate to say it, kiddo, since I know you were looking forward to it, but I think the weather man might have been wrong. It was supposed to start already, and it’s not going to snow two feet overnight at this rate.”
Lana frowned. “But I want it to snow,” she whined. “I want to build a snowman, and make snow angels, and we haven’t had any snow all winter.”
He ran a hand over her head gently and spoke soothingly. “I know, sweetie. Maybe next time, though.” He glanced down at his watch. “You ready to go get in bed now?”
Lana’s frown deepened. “Do I have to?”
“Yes, you have to,” came Robin’s voice from behind them. “Your bed time was half an hour ago, and you’re going to have school tomorrow.”
“Not if it snows!” Lana protested.
“Even if it snows, it’s not going to be enough to cancel school,” Robin said gently. “Let’s go.”
Patrick scooped up Lana in his arms, and the three of them walked up the stairs together to Lana’s bedroom. He deposited Lana on her bed and tucked her in, while Robin closed the curtains and flipped on the night light. Patrick pressed a kiss to Lana’s forehead and Robin did the same. As they turned to leave the room, Lana’s voice stopped them.
“Mommy?”
Robin paused in the door frame. “Yeah, baby?”
“If it snows two feet, will you and Daddy stay home and play in the snow with me tomorrow?”
Robin laughed softly, and said. “Yes, sweetie. If it snows two feet, your Daddy and I will stay home and play in the snow with you tomorrow. Well, unless the hospital needs up, but they’d try not to call us in if it snowed two feet. Go to sleep.”
“Okay, night.” Lana rolled over and clutched her stuffed koala bear tightly, clearly worn out.
Patrick pulled the door almost shut behind them and they headed towards their own bedroom.
Robin flopped down on their bed immediately. “I’m beat.”
Patrick laid down next to her and turned his head to face her. “It’s not going to snow two feet, right? You’ve lived upstate longer than I have. If it’s not snowing by now, it’s not going to, right?”
Robin shrugged her shoulders. “Probably not. But stranger things have happened.” She pushed herself up to a sitting position. “I’m going to give in and get ready for bed myself.” She stood and walked into their adjoining bathroom. “You coming?”
“No, I have to do some more work before bed. I’ll join you shortly.” Patrick stood up and looked out their window, where small flakes of snow were starting to fall. He shook his head and tried to ignore the sinking feeling in his stomach.
*
Early the next morning, Robin was jolted awake not by her normal alarm, but by the sensation of being shaken. “What, what?” she mumbled.
“Mommy, Mommy,” Lana whispered excitedly.
After rubbing her yes, Robin squinted at her daughter’s exuberant face. “What is it, baby?”
“It snowed, Mommy!” Lana tugged on her hand. “Come see!”
Robin let Lana tug her out of bed and over to the window. It took her a minute to focus, but as she looked out at the seemingly never ending sight of white, she realized what it meant. “Oh.”
“See!” Lana crowed. “I told you.”
“Yes, you did,” Robin said distractedly. “We need to turn on the tv and see what’s going on now, though, sweetie.” She pushed Lana onto the bed and under the covers next to Patrick and then slid back under herself, shivering slightly in the morning cold. She reached for the remote on the night stand and flipped on the local news. Tuning out the annoying peppiness of the anchor, she scanned the bottom of the screen for the scroll of cancellations that invariably accompanied a storm like this. Seeing the name of Lana’s school, she sighed. “Well, looks like you got your wish.”
“No school?” Lana asked excitedly.
“No school,” Robin confirmed with a sigh. She reached over and shook Patrick’s shoulders. “Wake up.”
As he always did, Patrick shot awake. “I’m up, I’m up.” He looked over at Robin’s frustrated expression and Lana’s excited one. “What’s going on?”
“It snowed two feet, Daddy!” Lana exclaimed happily. “I get to stay home and play!”
Robin nodded in confirmation, at Patrick’s questioning look.
“Oh,” he said flatly. “Well, I was wrong.”
Lana looked back and forth between her parents. “What, don’t you guys want to play with me?” she pouted, sticking her lip out.
“It’s not that,” Robin sighed. “Mommy just had a lot of work to do today at the hospital.” She ran a hand across Lana’s unruly morning hair. “But playing in the snow with you will be lots of fun. Why don’t you go back to bed for a little while and try to get some more sleep, though, alright? Daddy and I will make a big snow day breakfast for you later, I promise.”
Lana frowned. “Can’t I just sleep here?”
Patrick laughed. “Sure you can, I’m going back to sleep, too.” He laid down and tucked Lana in under his arm, while Robin slid out of bed and went back to the window.
She stared at the still falling snow and the ground covered in white, and smiled slightly. She remembered being Lana’s age and wanting nothing more than a snow day and to play with her parents all day long. She cast one final glance out the window and slid back into bed.
The best part of snow days really was getting to stay in bed late. Who was she to mess with tradition?
Author: empressearwig
Prompt: 25 - Snow
Pairing/Character(s): Robin/Patrick, Lana
Rating: G
Disclaimer: Nothing recognizable from General Hospital belongs to me.
Word Count: 1,060
Spoilers/Warnings: It's all AU.
Summary: If it snows two feet, will you and Daddy stay home and play in the snow with me tomorrow?
Author's Notes: Written for theechochorus.
Lana pressed her nose to the living room window, staring intently into the late January night.
Patrick walked into the living room, looking intently for a misplaced medical journal. Upon seeing the small, pink pajama covered form at the window, he stopped in his tracks. “Lana,” he said slowly. “What are you doing?”
She turned her head to face him, nose bright red from pressing against the cold glass. “I’m watching for the snow.”
Patrick laughed. “You know, I don’t actually think that watching for the snow is going to make it appear.” He crossed the room to stand by her side, and peered out the window himself. “I hate to say it, kiddo, since I know you were looking forward to it, but I think the weather man might have been wrong. It was supposed to start already, and it’s not going to snow two feet overnight at this rate.”
Lana frowned. “But I want it to snow,” she whined. “I want to build a snowman, and make snow angels, and we haven’t had any snow all winter.”
He ran a hand over her head gently and spoke soothingly. “I know, sweetie. Maybe next time, though.” He glanced down at his watch. “You ready to go get in bed now?”
Lana’s frown deepened. “Do I have to?”
“Yes, you have to,” came Robin’s voice from behind them. “Your bed time was half an hour ago, and you’re going to have school tomorrow.”
“Not if it snows!” Lana protested.
“Even if it snows, it’s not going to be enough to cancel school,” Robin said gently. “Let’s go.”
Patrick scooped up Lana in his arms, and the three of them walked up the stairs together to Lana’s bedroom. He deposited Lana on her bed and tucked her in, while Robin closed the curtains and flipped on the night light. Patrick pressed a kiss to Lana’s forehead and Robin did the same. As they turned to leave the room, Lana’s voice stopped them.
“Mommy?”
Robin paused in the door frame. “Yeah, baby?”
“If it snows two feet, will you and Daddy stay home and play in the snow with me tomorrow?”
Robin laughed softly, and said. “Yes, sweetie. If it snows two feet, your Daddy and I will stay home and play in the snow with you tomorrow. Well, unless the hospital needs up, but they’d try not to call us in if it snowed two feet. Go to sleep.”
“Okay, night.” Lana rolled over and clutched her stuffed koala bear tightly, clearly worn out.
Patrick pulled the door almost shut behind them and they headed towards their own bedroom.
Robin flopped down on their bed immediately. “I’m beat.”
Patrick laid down next to her and turned his head to face her. “It’s not going to snow two feet, right? You’ve lived upstate longer than I have. If it’s not snowing by now, it’s not going to, right?”
Robin shrugged her shoulders. “Probably not. But stranger things have happened.” She pushed herself up to a sitting position. “I’m going to give in and get ready for bed myself.” She stood and walked into their adjoining bathroom. “You coming?”
“No, I have to do some more work before bed. I’ll join you shortly.” Patrick stood up and looked out their window, where small flakes of snow were starting to fall. He shook his head and tried to ignore the sinking feeling in his stomach.
*
Early the next morning, Robin was jolted awake not by her normal alarm, but by the sensation of being shaken. “What, what?” she mumbled.
“Mommy, Mommy,” Lana whispered excitedly.
After rubbing her yes, Robin squinted at her daughter’s exuberant face. “What is it, baby?”
“It snowed, Mommy!” Lana tugged on her hand. “Come see!”
Robin let Lana tug her out of bed and over to the window. It took her a minute to focus, but as she looked out at the seemingly never ending sight of white, she realized what it meant. “Oh.”
“See!” Lana crowed. “I told you.”
“Yes, you did,” Robin said distractedly. “We need to turn on the tv and see what’s going on now, though, sweetie.” She pushed Lana onto the bed and under the covers next to Patrick and then slid back under herself, shivering slightly in the morning cold. She reached for the remote on the night stand and flipped on the local news. Tuning out the annoying peppiness of the anchor, she scanned the bottom of the screen for the scroll of cancellations that invariably accompanied a storm like this. Seeing the name of Lana’s school, she sighed. “Well, looks like you got your wish.”
“No school?” Lana asked excitedly.
“No school,” Robin confirmed with a sigh. She reached over and shook Patrick’s shoulders. “Wake up.”
As he always did, Patrick shot awake. “I’m up, I’m up.” He looked over at Robin’s frustrated expression and Lana’s excited one. “What’s going on?”
“It snowed two feet, Daddy!” Lana exclaimed happily. “I get to stay home and play!”
Robin nodded in confirmation, at Patrick’s questioning look.
“Oh,” he said flatly. “Well, I was wrong.”
Lana looked back and forth between her parents. “What, don’t you guys want to play with me?” she pouted, sticking her lip out.
“It’s not that,” Robin sighed. “Mommy just had a lot of work to do today at the hospital.” She ran a hand across Lana’s unruly morning hair. “But playing in the snow with you will be lots of fun. Why don’t you go back to bed for a little while and try to get some more sleep, though, alright? Daddy and I will make a big snow day breakfast for you later, I promise.”
Lana frowned. “Can’t I just sleep here?”
Patrick laughed. “Sure you can, I’m going back to sleep, too.” He laid down and tucked Lana in under his arm, while Robin slid out of bed and went back to the window.
She stared at the still falling snow and the ground covered in white, and smiled slightly. She remembered being Lana’s age and wanting nothing more than a snow day and to play with her parents all day long. She cast one final glance out the window and slid back into bed.
The best part of snow days really was getting to stay in bed late. Who was she to mess with tradition?