"Mom!" Monica's shrill voice brought me back to my senses.

I was seeing everything in slow motion and soon I was thrown back to that day when Mira had acted weird and was pointing the dark outside calling her son. I had stood next to Robert, watching the scene unfold with my mouth wide open and even bigger eyes.

Before Mira could collapse like an old autumn leaf, Robert caught her in his arms in reflex. His face was paler than I remembered, like he had committed murder.

Though Monica's voice was shrill and loud, it didn't get much attention from the others. Only a couple of them turned towards us and when they saw a small crowd, they just waved it off as if I had found a new excited fan. They smiled and turned back into their conversation.

Monica's hands shook and I started to wonder if it was the alcohol or the current situation she was in. James and Nick came too. Nick placed his hands on my shoulder as if to tell me that everything was okay, but I was not in a position to acknowledge him. James caught Lily's arm, supporting her who already had tears in her eyes as Dad wheeled himself further.

"Scarlet! Scarlet!" Robert shouted, getting me out of my trance. "Get me a fucking chair!"

I nodded my head and got him what he was asking for. Mira was made to sit in the chair and Monica stood next to it giving Mira the support that she needed.

When I looked at his face, something broke in me for him and I wanted to make it all okay. I shook my head to release some of the nerves I was having. Monica, being the daughter, had curled up next to her mother, sprinkling water on her face to get her up again. Robert and others just stood there watching it.

I knew I had to take control.

"We need to take her to the hospital." I said, getting on my senses. "An ambulance will take an eternity to get here. We need to leave."

Even after hearing my words, none of them made a move to do something about it. I wanted to face-palm myself at their behavior.

"James!" I snapped. He looked at me alarmed. "Take Lily home." I said, she was already crying like she had seen someone dead. "Nick, take Dad home. Dad, I'll get home as soon as I can." I said, looking at him. I knew he was going to tell me otherwise and before he could do so, I began speaking again. "I'll call you. Get home, take your tablets and sleep it off. Robert and I will take care of this."

I hadn't even asked if Robert was helping me, but I knew he wasn't that cruel to back off from this. He was still in shock, watching the mother daughter interaction. His face had an expression of something I hadn't seen before. Was it pain or concern? I couldn't tell.

"Get going!" I shouted, and the boys came in action. "The party's over. Go home."

James and Lily walked together, giving me a nod, silently asking me to take care. Dad held my hand as Nick started wheeling him. "Be safe, honey." He said, before he left.

"Rob," I called, pulling his hand to get his attention. He turned towards me, his expression guarded and his walls high up, not letting me through. It had been very long since I had interacted with that wall. "You do have a car on you, right?" Unable to talk, he just nodded his head, his eyes darting back to the person in question. "I think you should get it. We will bring Mira to the entrance by then." When he stood still, watching, I pushed his shoulders in the opposite direction. "Go!"

On noticing the urgency in my voice, Robert snapped back to reality and went with a small jog to get the car. I saw Monica who was trying very hard not to cry. She was stroking her mother's hair, since she wasn't conscious yet.

"Mon, let's get Mira to the entrance." I said, putting a hand on her shoulder. She nodded. Unlike others, she had dealt with these situations and knew what to do. "The entrance is not far away if we go this side. Will you be able to hold her up?"

Though there were two of us, carrying Mira was difficult. Just as I looked around to see if there was someone who could help us, I saw Gary with his beer glass.

"Gray!" I shouted and he turned around to face me. His face broke into a warm smile, but when he saw me worried, he increased his pace towards me.

"What happened, Scarlet?" He asked, anxiously.

"I want help." I turned my head to my left to let him know the situation. "Could you help us get to the entrance? Rob has gone to get the car."

"Sure, sure." He said, taking Mira in his arms. He carried her in bridal style, as if she didn't weight at all. We walked mostly in shades, making sure that no one would notice us and Gary, he could have worked in mission impossible. He would stand behind the pillars until the guest would disappear and then move ahead. "That's the car?"

I bent down to see if Robert was at the driving seat. When I was confirmed that it was him, I nodded my head. Monica went ahead of me to open the back door of the car to accommodate Mira. She went in first and waited for Gary to place her mother next to her. When everything seemed okay, I thanked Gary.

"Are you sure you kids will be okay?" He asked, eyeing Robert suspiciously. "I don't think he's in the right temperament to deal with this."

I looked at Robert, who was looking at Monica and Mira through the rear-view mirror. I turned my head back to Gary and shook my head. "No, Gary. I'll take care of it all. Thanks again." I climbed the passenger seat and closed the door.

As soon as I was seated, Robert started the engine. A nearby local hospital's location was fed to the GPS. Robert made up the lost time in his driving and I was glad that Robert hadn't lost focus.

We reached the hospital in ten minutes and as we reached the hospital grounds, I ran out of the car to the receptionist, asking for them to get a stretcher for Mira. With the urgency in my voice, the nurse obliged and got a stretcher for us. By the time I got back to the car, Robert and Monica had managed to get Mira out.

Soon, the stretcher was placed, and Mira was taken in. She was directly placed into the ICU, trying to examine what was wrong with her. We sat outside the ICU room, waiting for someone to tell what was happening.

Monica slumped down on the plastic chairs, breaking down. I went next to her and pulled her into my arms. Though she was elder to me by a few years, she seemed like a weak five-year-old. She rested her head on my shoulder, controlling her tears.

I knew this feeling of being alone. The night when Dad had broken his leg, I was a crying machine, cursing all the hospital staff and making it look like a fish market. But, Monica? She was sophisticated and controlled. Perhaps she had been through these before?

Suddenly, she sat upright and turned to me. Her mascara had run down to her cheeks along with her tears and her eyes had turned red. "I need to call Clark and let him know." She said and I nodded my head in understanding.

She got up and moved a little distance away for some privacy. I looked around and saw Robert who was strangely silent. I remembered the time when I had asked Robert to help me with Dad when he had fallen unconscious. He had been eerily silent the whole time too, not saying anything much. I wondered if it was because he had been to hospitals a number of times and if that scar on his forehead was the reason for his aversion.

I walked to him and looped my hand around his. He looked at me and I saw him being vulnerable. His walls had come down, if not permanently, I got to see him for who he was. His curly hair was disheveled, his black coat crumpled and his hands almost shivering, as if he had committed a crime.

"Rob, it's going to be okay." I said. "I think you should go home too. I'll take care from here."

"I don't want to go." He said and held on to my arms tighter and I thought if he was scared of hospitals along with his scare for thunders too. "I'm staying."

"Okay, okay." I consoled, rubbing his hand over mine. I didn't want any more things to worry about. It was as if he was crumpling in front of me and all I could do was stay next to him, trying to hold him together.

But why was he dazed with all these? He had seen instant deaths in races and acted as if it was a normal thing that happened every day. Yet, here he was acting like a baby, watching the person he had seen just a few seconds back collapse in his arm.

Maybe it was because he saw how close Monica and Mira were with each other, considering his parents wanted him out at thirteen? I couldn't tell. But my heart broke every time I saw him, looking anxiously at the ICU.

When Monica came back after a conversation with Clark, Robert's guard rose up and he stood straighter, not wanting her to read him out too. But Monica was too distracted to do anything much. I uncoiled my hand from his and he gave me a nod, telling me that he was going to be okay. I sat next to Monica, waiting.

After another hour, the doctors came out of the ICU ward. When they saw us in anticipation, they gave us a smile.

All of us stood up as they walked towards us. "Hi, I'm Doctor Andrews and this is Doctor Ross." He introduced as he wiped his hands with a white towel. "Who's the relative?"

"I'm the daughter, Monica." Monica went ahead, leaving me behind with Robert. "Is she okay?"

"Yeah, she seems okay. Nothing too serious to worry about." Andrews said. He was balding and looked older than the other doctor. "We did all the tests and I saw the reports just minutes back. All are in check."

"Then..." Monica let the words hang.

"We found a lot of alcohol in her blood stream. We can blame it on that right now." Andrews said. "But, Ross has some points. Ross?"

Ross was a female doctor, a little younger as if she had joined recently. Though she was young at her experience, she made it up in her confidence.

"I think she has some kind of trigger." Ross started and my breath hitched. When the same thing happened with me, there was a trigger too. Mira had told me to go slow and it reminded of her son. "You know, like certain situations, words, actions – they can trigger excess hyper activeness or excitement which she's not able to control." She looked at Monica and gave a nod. "We suspect it is psychological."

"Yeah," Monica sighed, rubbing her head, subduing her headache. "They have happened before. But she's completely normal the other times. She doesn't even agree to see a doctor."

"What was she doing when she lost her consciousness?" Ross asked.

"We were at a party." Monica said and I was grateful that she didn't mention it was a racer's party. "We were just being introduced." Monica pointed her thumb towards her back where we were standing. "And suddenly, she fell down."

"Well, we have a few suppressants prescribed for her." Andrews spoke, holding the cloth on one hand as he put his left hand on the coat pocket. "We are going to keep her in observation tonight, and tomorrow you can take her home."

"Just don't go in front of her when she wakes up." Ross bent her head towards us, directing her sentences at us. "We can't be sure if she's okay." Ross then looked at Monica with a smile. "It's better if she gets in contact with a psychiatrist."

"Okay." Monica agreed. Andrews patted her back before the two of them bid farewell.

Robert's phone began vibrating and he went in the opposite direction to attend the call. I walked towards Monica. "Hey, you okay?"

She had stopped crying and it seemed like she had come in terms with her mother's health. She gave me a sad smile. "She's going to be okay. We have gone through this before, it had reduced in between but has picked itself back up." She ran her hands over her hair. "I blame it all on that bastard." She said looking away. "You guys head home, it's already twelve."

"What about you?" I asked. "You should get some rest and we can come back tomorrow."

"No, Clark is on his way." She said. "We will take care of it from here. Thank you so much, Scarlet. I don't know what I would have done without you and your friend. Tell him I said thanks. Get him to the shop once in a while."

I nodded my head. "Take care. If you need anything, just give me a call."

I hugged her and left, walking towards Rob. He was still on his phone when I reached him. He looked at me, his face completely changed from vulnerability to irritation.

"Yeah, she's with me." He said, not leaving my eyes. "No, we had some emergency and we had to leave. No Cal, we cannot make it back. Yeah... No... Okay, I'll get the car tomorrow."

"I'm guessing he's pissed?" I asked but Robert only let out a sigh. "Come let's go home."

"What about... M... Mira?" He asked. "Shouldn't someone stay over?"

"Monica said that she and her boyfriend will take care from here." I repeated what I was told. "I'll visit her tomorrow after classes."

"But... shouldn't we be staying over?" He asked, a little more worried than usual. "Can she handle on her own."

"She's been on her own for some time now." I said. "I think we should agree with her and give her some space to breathe."

Robert nodded his head in understanding. He took my hand in his and we walked out the hospital together. It was a dark night with no clouds and no moon.

"Where is your cell phone?" Robert asked.

"It's in the car. I must have forgotten." I said, as we reached the car. It was there at the dashboard blinking. I knew it was Dad who had called. Once the doors were unlocked, I answered the call and told him that we would be coming home in another hour and he shouldn't wait for me. I leaned on the leather seat and sighed, switching my phone off. "It's been a long day, huh?"

Robert stayed silent all throughout the way, not uttering a word for all my questions. It was either a sigh or an inaudible grunt which answered them. When we reached my place, I remembered that I had left my school bag with my track outfit on the other car in which I had gone to the party.

"Calvin will get the stuffs tomorrow." Robert said. "Hey, can I stay over?"

"I thought you were going to." I answered and got down the car. Robert followed closely behind me as if he was scared that I will vanish the next minute. Dad had listened to me once and had fallen asleep, lightly snoring. I knew it was because of his medicines rather than his tendency to listen to my words of advice.

I locked the front door before I went to bed with Robert at my tow. "I'll go freshen up while you can use the bottom washroom."

Robert grunted again and I left him for fend himself. He had been here more than a couple of times and was sure he could make himself at home if need be. I climbed up the stairs and reached my room. Once I had retrieved a pair of pajama pants and a oversized tee-shirt, I went to the washroom to change.

By the time I had come out, Robert was already in the room, sitting at the edge of the bed. He had removed his jacket and his shirt, sitting half naked on my bed. His formal pants were still on, thankfully and I wondered how he would sleep with them. If it was any other day, I would have made sure to make fun of him and never let him forget this. But today, the Robert I knew was not himself. 

I made a dash to my Dad's room to find one of his old pajama pants. I reached back to the my room to see Robert sitting in the same position. I threw the pants at him and pointed my washroom for him. He walked into it, without another word.

I was arranging the laptop, switching other lights off as usual for the videos when Robert came out. The pants were a little big for him, but something was better than nothing. "Hey, can we just skip this tonight?" He asked, pointing his chin to the laptop. When I nodded, he gave me a return nod. "I hope you don't mind me without a shirt."

"That's okay." I gulped. We had snuggled through most of the nights, but never once had  he shredded his shirt. But tonight, it was different, and I didn't know what had possessed him. He came and slipped under the blanket, staring at the ceiling. "What happened, Rob?"

At my words, he pulled me towards him, taking me under his arms. The sudden contact of his bare chest, ran a lightning down my spine, tingling me everywhere. Suddenly, inside the cold room, I felt hot. He held on to me tightly as if he didn't want to let go.

"Rob?" I jerked my head to look at his face. It was ashen like in the party. "You okay?"

"In the party..." He started, his breathing ragged. He let go of me slightly and I fell on my side, looking at him to my left. "Why did she fall after seeing me?"

"I thought you had an effect only on the young girls." I tried to lighten the mood. "But you can charm old women too."

He turned towards me; his body leaned up on mine with only support from his elbow. He looked down at me and some light had come back to his handsome face. Suddenly, my breathing was ragged, and I could see each and every emotion pass through Robert as see saw me.

Bravely, I raised my hand to touch his chin. The stubble under it tickled my hand as I stroked it. "It was not because of you." I said. He closed his eyes, not wanting to let his emotions betray him. "You didn't do anything wrong, Rob."

"Please don't say anything." He said, as he fell on me, his eyes closed. Though I was tired with the race and mentally exhausted with the hospital, the weight that fell on me felt comfortable. I hesitantly, put my arms around him in a soothing manner as he snuggled to find a more comfortable spot. "Please."

"Okay." I agreed, as I felt his smile on my neck. He pulled me to him and held me even tighter than before. "But you need to tell me what's bothering you."

"She... she just remained me of my mother." He said, his breathing tickling me. "It... it just took me by... surprise."

I had understood. Having gone through the phase where the parents kick you out at an early age of thirteen was not in good memories. And if Mira prompted him of her, I felt proud of him for helping her out. Even though his parents had kicked him out of the house, he had the heart to help someone who looked like his mother.

"You did good." I said, running my hands over his bare back. My fingers left behind a trail of goose-bumps on his back and I thought I heard a groan from him. "You did good."

Robert shifted his face and ever so lightly pressed his lips on my neck. The touch was so light that it made me giddy. I closed my eyes as my breathing became heavy. It was something that I had never felt before. I wanted him to stop and start all over again at the same time. But his slow pleasurable torture didn't stop. He ran his lips up till he reached my cheeks while he barely moved his hand.

"Thank you." He said, as his lips found mine in that darkness, seeking refugee as if I had protected him from drowning. It wasn't hungry yet, but it made me run out of my breath.

When he pulled back for a breather, I saw his eyes turn complete dark. If we started, I knew we wouldn't be able to stop. He leaned down again.

"I think we should sleep now." I murmured, my eyes travelling down to his lips. I saw a slow smirk come up.

"Okay." He agreed, but that stupid smirk was still on. "I won't be able to control anyway."

I stifled a laugh at his not so subtle words. Robert smiled, a genuine one after everything we had gone through the day.

"I'm sorry about your race." I said.

Robert who had leaned in before, looked at me and his smile widened by an inch. "Win some, lose some, Scarlet." He said, pecking me on my lips again. He laid back on top of me, circling his arms around me. "I'm tired, love. Let's just sleep it off."

He pulled me to him and hugged me tighter as I put my hand possessively around him, growing a little brave with him. I could feel his smile, but he didn't complain. 

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A/N: So,what do you think? Robert's definitely bipolar. Let me know how the story flow is.