Dr. Patrick Drake and Dr. Robin Scorpio-Drake are fictional characters and a supercouple from the ABC daytime drama General Hospital and its SOAPnet spin-off General Hospital:Night Shift. The couple is commonly referred to by the nickname "Scrubs", rather than by a portmanteau like other supercouples. Robin, the daughter of popular characters Robert Scorpio (Tristan Rogers) and Anna Devane (Finola Hughes), is portrayed by Kimberly McCullough, the original actress cast in the role who has portrayed the character sporadically since she was seven in 1985. Jason Thompson was cast as 1980s character Dr. Noah Drake's (Rick Springfield) son Patrick in December 2005.
After their meeting for the first time and their first few scenes together, the developing couple's relationship became popular among General Hospital fans. After the birth of their daughter, Emma Grace Scorpio Drake, interrupts their first wedding on October 31, 2008 (she is born on-screen November 3), the couple finally weds on December 26, 2008.Stated on air, by character Patrick Drake.
Writing and music Canadian actor Jason Thompson was cast as "dreamy yet arrogant" Dr. Patrick Drake on General Hospital in December 2005. Kimberly McCullough had already been part of the series since 1985 as character Robin Scorpio. The writers detailed Patrick as the brilliant neurosurgeon son of Dr. Noah Drake. By having Patrick fall in love with Robin, the show's most popular heroine and also HIV positive, the series set out to create one of the genre's "most unique and touching love stories". "These are the kids of legacy characters Robert Scorpio and Noah Drake, giants of General Hospital history," said SOAPnet executive vice president and general manager Deborah Blackwell. "She's HIV positive, he's trying to change his ways, and they're in love. It's an incredibly compelling storyline."
With General Hospital:Night Shift, the writers anchored the show around Patrick and Robin and felt that this gave them an advantage on other couples within the series. "It's nice to start with the premise of a love story. Viewers know Robin and Patrick, but haven't seen a ton happen to them just yet. It gives us something to follow and root for right away," stated Jill Farren Phelps. In addition, the pairing would continue to appear on General Hospital.
Executives did not want Night Shift to be "your mother's General Hospital" and outlined Patrick and Robin's love story to involve the various ills and plagues of their patients, portrayed by a variety of guest stars. They felt this would expand the focus from a soap opera's "trademark tangled web" of romance to include the patients and their illnesses. Robin was presented as an accomplished medical professional who has been living with and successfully managing HIV for almost 15 years when she meets Patrick.
"The heart of the show will be about the cases and how they impact our doctors,” said Brian Frons, president of Disney-ABC Television Group. With Patrick and Robin as the show's main romance, the series was designed to tackle "grittier" and more "controversial" subject matter, partly due to daytime standards being different than what writers can do in prime time.
On May 29, 2006, Memorial Day, the series had Patrick and Robin make love for the first time to "Collide" by Howie Day. When the couple exchanged "I love yous", their official song became "Cloud Nine" by Cory Paul.
Storylines 2005–06 Dr. Robin Scorpio returns to Port Charles, New York in October 2005, having left in 1999 and coming back for a brief return in 2004. Samantha McCall (Kelly Monaco) seeks out Robin in New York City where she is giving a conference on drug treatment. Sam desperately asks Robin to help her save her fiancé and Robin's ex-boyfriend, Jason Morgan (Steve Burton). Jason is near death, suffering from brain damage as a result of taking an unknown drug to further his investigation of psychotic psychiatrist, Dr. Thomas. Robin agrees to return to help Jason with her experimental drug treatment. When the treatment fails, Jason is closer to death and in dire need of brain surgery.
Robin went to find Noah Drake and he was too drunk to perform the surgery. He tells her about his son, Dr. Patrick Drake, and says that he could perform the surgery on Jason. Patrick and Robin share their first scenes when she finds him having sex with a nurse in one of the rooms at the hospital he is working at. After hearing all about Jason's case from Robin, Patrick agrees to examine Jason, but does not officially agree to the surgery. Together, Patrick and Robin go back to Port Charles. After reviewing Jason's case, Patrick decides not to do the surgery until Robin challenges him. Proving that he is the "most gifted" doctor, Patrick performs the surgery successfully and Jason recovers.
Patrick decides to continue working at General Hospital, and relocates to Port Charles. Robin also decides to stay in the place she called home for most of her life. The two often disagree on patients' treatments, with Patrick leaning toward more invasive surgeries and Robin wanting to use drug therapies. The opposing physicians quarrel at the hospital on a daily basis. But it is Noah and Patrick's non-existent father/son relationship that helps develop Patrick and Robin's relationship. When he was a teenager, Patrick's mother died during a surgery that Noah was performing. Noah could not forgive himself and turned to alcohol as a result. He became a neglectful father and his relationship with Patrick suffered severely. At the same time, Robin developed her own set of father issues with the re-emergence of a not-so-dead Robert Scorpio. Early on, Robin and Patrick connect because of their dead beat nonexistent fathers. Though her father left shortly after he returned and never fully healed their broken relationship, Robin tried to mend the fence between Patrick and Noah and in a way acted as mediator. Robin and Patrick learn more about each other's pasts and soon Robin is able to convince Patrick to talk to his father. In conversation, Patrick admits his love for his father and inspires Noah to go to rehab.
For most of 2006, Robin has to deal with not only her complicated relationship with Patrick but trying to mend the relationship between herself and her parents. They start a "no-strings sex" agreement. When Patrick and Robin start to get closer, Patrick gets scared and "breaks up" with Robin, stating he does not want an "emotional bond". Eventually, thanks to Noah, Patrick and Robin find their way back to each other. Soon after, tragedy strikes - Patrick, while performing brain surgery on a patient with end stage AIDS, is stuck with an infected needle and might have contracted HIV. During this time, Patrick realizes just how much Robin means to him and just how much of a strong, amazing person she is. Robin stands by Patrick all throughout his ordeal. Patrick blurts out that he loves her and after some road bumps, they properly declare their love for one another in a courtyard in November 2006.
In December, Robin finds an apartment for Patrick. Though reluctant at first, he decides to keep the place. What came next for the twosome has come to be known as "The Couch Chronicles" where Robin bought a leather couch for Patrick (since he was none too eager to buy furniture for himself, and Robin saying she enjoyed that sort of decorating), Patrick taking back the couch (after his friend Pete Marquez scared him believing Robin had ulterior motives), Patrick reordering the couch, Robin insisting he take it back and finally Robin seeing he liked the couch (this and agreeing to move in with him, which was also a source of argument for the two in between the couch fighting). Robin moved in for one day, and by the next Pete was over trying to get Patrick to leave for Vegas to reprogram him. It wasn't until Noah came by offering his congratulations that Patrick felt backed into a corner and left with Pete for Las Vegas. A hurt Robin called on her girlfriends for what she hoped to be a roadtrip but was arrested shortly after when a guy came onto her. Patrick had an unpleasant time in Vegas and called Robin only to find out she had been arrested. After each had a talk with wise Uncle Mac (John J. York), Patrick apologized but Robin was too upset.
Patrick's 6 month HIV tests came back inconclusive at the same time. Robin tried her best to convince him to take it again but Patrick was stubborn and believed this was a bad sign telling him he was positive.
2007–08 In February 2007, Robin is shot in the stomach during a hostage situation at the Metro Court Hotel. Emily Quartermaine (Natalia Livingston), with the assistance of Carly Corinthos (Laura Wright) and Patrick (via telephone), saves Robin's life. While Robin was in peril, Patrick was a wreck. At the culmination of the hostage crisis, Robin's friend, Nikolas Cassadine (Tyler Christopher), carries Robin out of the Metro Court to safety. She undergoes surgery to remove the bullet in her abdomen. At the hospital, Patrick tells her that he thought the worst thing that could happen to him was him testing positive for HIV but he realized that HIV would be a blessing compared to losing her because he loves her "beyond reason". On March 2, 2007, Robin is released from the hospital and brought home to her Uncle Mac's house to recuperate. Patrick's HIV test results come back as an affirmative negative. Both were relieved.
On March 15, 2007, Robin attempts to get her life back to normal and goes to work. But she is told to leave by Dr. Russell Ford, despite Patrick's and Monica's (Leslie Charleson) words of assurance that she will be able to handle being back at work so soon after her surgery. She gives in and leaves the hospital. Later, she is sitting on the pier, thinking, when Patrick shows up. He says that he is looking for her and she replies that she had run out of private thinking spots. Patrick says that he tried the park first and had hoped that she had gone there instead of the pier where there are many stairs. Patrick and Robin make up and discuss "therapy" options. In the end, Patrick carries her home.
On March 26, 2007, Patrick and Robin argue over her decision to not move back into their apartment with him. She then goes over to Wyndemere to see Nikolas and asks if she can stay with him. Nikolas is not home at the time, and as she searches through his desk to find a paper to leave a note, she is stopped by Mr. Craig (Sebastian Roche), the head gunman from the Metro Court hostage crisis, and finds out he is blackmailing Nikolas for a new identity. When Nikolas returns home, he finds Robin tending to Craig's wound and finds out that Craig had decided Robin might be useful in his blackmail plot. Craig instructs Robin to go about her normal life and not to draw attention to herself. Also, she cannot tell anybody, especially Patrick and he makes numerous threats against Patrick to keep her in-line. Robin goes about his instructions and gets into a fight with Patrick. On March 29, 2007, Patrick goes over to Wyndemere and demands that Nikolas tell him what is going on. Nikolas hesitates and Robin walks in. She can see Craig out of the corner of her eye, holding a gun. She fears for Patrick's safety, so she lies to him and tells him they are over. Later, Craig decides that a good cover story for Robin living at Wyndemere will be to have Robin and Nikolas play out a very public love affair. They agree, fearing for their loved ones' lives. At the end of the day, Alexis (Nancy Lee Grahn) walks into Wyndemere, stopping dead in her tracks when she sees Robin and Nikolas in a very delicate position on the couch. The two brush it off as though it is nothing, but Alexis is clearly suspicious. Robin and Patrick are reunited following an almost deadly confrontation with Mr. Craig. Once Nik is in the clear for good, Robin and Patrick go home together.