Neurosurgeon Dr. Patrick Drake arrived in Port Charles in 2005 when Jason Morgan needed life-saving brain surgery. Originally, Patrick's father, Dr. Noah Drake, was scheduled to do the surgery, but when he admitted he couldn't perform the surgery, Robin Scorpio found Patrick at Noah's urging. Patrick initially refused to do the surgery because of his father, but Robin, along with Carly Corinthos and Sam McCall, managed to persuade him to operate by casting doubts on his abilities as a surgeon. The surgery was a success, but Patrick earned a reputation as cold and heartless because of his lack of bedside manner. Whatever he lacked in bedside manner, Patrick more than made up for with his ability to flirt with almost any woman in his orbit.

Patrick enjoyed his flirtation with Robin and even went so far as to pretend to have an affair with Carly to make Robin jealous and test her feelings for him. Eventually, he realized his feelings for Robin had grown. Robin tried to deny her attraction to Patrick, but it was a losing battle. When Patrick cut himself while performing surgery on an AIDS patient and was exposed to the virus, Robin and Patrick's feelings were tested. Robin proved to be a tower of strength for Patrick during that time, and the two became lovers. Patrick eventually learned that he had not been infected. Patrick and Robin's relationship was not an easy one. He was egocentric, she was controlling, and they often clashed.

Despite their deep love for each other, Patrick balked at the idea of fatherhood and marriage. The depth of his opposition became painfully clear when Robin had a pregnancy scare. Realizing that Patrick would never give her the family that she desperately wanted, Robin decided to break things off with Patrick and find a sperm donor to give her the child she hoped for. Patrick was forced to stand on the sidelines and watch. He tried moving on with nurse Leyla Mir, but he couldn't. His heart belonged to Robin.

When Robin's cousin, Georgie, was brutally murdered in December of 2007 by the Text Message Killer, Patrick was there for Robin. The couple made love after the memorial service. Robin realized nothing had changed when Patrick suggested they table all talk of babies for one year to focus on their relationship as a couple. Robin was tempted until she realized that once the year was up, Patrick wasn't willing to consider starting a family with her. As much as it hurt both of them, Robin forced Patrick to accept that it was over between them. A couple of months later, Robin announced that she was pregnant. Patrick immediately assumed she had found a sperm donor, even though he had confided to another doctor that the condom had broken the last time he was with Robin.

In June 2008, Patrick welcomed another member of his family to Port Charles, his younger half-brother, Dr. Matt Hunter. Patrick and Matt's relationship was contentious at first, but over time, the two grew closer and learned to respect each other both as friends and colleagues.

When he learned he was the father of Robin's baby, Patrick was conflicted. He wanted to be there for his child, but he was afraid he would be a terrible father because of the example his own father, Noah, had set. Meanwhile, Robin didn't feel Patrick was ready for fatherhood. The two had a brief custody battle and argued their cases to the public via a video blog, but in the end, love prevailed. After a few rejected wedding proposals, a bout of cold feet, and a wedding interrupted by Emma's arrival, Patrick and Robin exchanged wedding vows on December 26, 2008, in front of friends and family.

After Emma's birth, the couple faced yet another challenge: Robin's battle with postpartum depression. After seeking treatment and taking medication, Robin began to feel like herself, and she decided to stop taking her medication without telling anyone. When Patrick realized what his wife had done, he staged an intervention and he, along with her doctor, friends, and members of her family, confronted Robin and urged her to continue her treatment for her sake and the family's. The intervention was a success, and Robin left for an inpatient treatment center. When Robin returned home, Patrick admitted that it had been a difficult time, but he also reassured her that he was committed to her and their life together as a family.

In April 2009, Patrick performed an experimental surgical procedure on sixteen-year-old Michael Corinthos that enabled him to awaken from a year-long coma. After a happy family reunion and great success at General Hospital, Patrick faced trouble at work when he, along with his brother, Dr. Matt Hunter, was sued for malpractice over the death of Brianna Hughes, the mayor's mistress, after she had emergency surgery. Sleuthing on Robin's part led to the discovery that the mayor's wife had, in fact, murdered his mistress, and that led to the malpractice charges being dropped against Patrick and Matt.

Patrick was also one of the first people in Port Charles to know the secret of Dominic Pirelli's true identity as Olivia Falconeri's son, Dante, and the fact the Dante was Sonny's oldest son. Robin was stunned to learn that Patrick had known the truth of Dante's identity and paternity and kept it from her, especially in light of her close relationship with Sonny. Robin's relationship with Sonny caused friction from time to time in Patrick and Robin's relationship. However, when Robin was called to testify when Sonny was on trial for Claudia's murder, Patrick was present in the courtroom to support Robin, despite his feelings towards Sonny and his lifestyle.

Patrick and Robin's relationship was tested again by Patrick's ex-girlfriend from his college days, Lisa Niles. Lisa was an orthopedic surgeon who arrived at General Hospital to consult with Robin on a case. Robin was immediately suspicious of Lisa's intentions, especially when Lisa decided to make Port Charles her home and join the General Hospital staff. When Robin and Emma went to London to visit Robin's mother, Anna, Lisa asked Patrick to help her move into her new apartment. It was clear to Patrick that Lisa had been making a play for him, and he told her in no uncertain terms that he loved his wife.

Lisa was undaunted in her quest to win Patrick back and ingratiated herself into Patrick's life by agreeing with him about Sonny being a bad influence on Robin. It seemed as if Robin and Patrick were putting their differences aside when Robin decided to do volunteer work in Africa and didn't inform Patrick of her plans. Patrick had no choice but to let her go and hoped that they would work out their problems when she returned.

In the summer of 2010, while Robin was still in Africa, Patrick and Lisa performed a risky surgery on a terminal cancer patient. They decided to celebrate at Jake's, where they both had a little too much to drink. To make sure she got home safely, Patrick took Lisa back to her apartment, where they ended up in bed. When he arrived home, Patrick was stunned to find Robin waiting for him. She had decided to return home early from Africa to surprise him. Patrick was wracked with guilt over his impulsive infidelity.

Even though Patrick made it clear to Lisa that the night they spent together had been a mistake, Lisa pulled out all the stops to get him back in bed. She even threatened to divulge his infidelity to Robin. When Robin discovered her hospital locker had been vandalized and her face had been cut out of all the family photographs, Patrick immediately suspected Lisa, who, of course, denied it. While Robin was on a short trip to New York, Patrick arrived home to find Lisa had made herself comfortable on his couch. Lisa professed her love for Patrick. Patrick tried to let her down gently and asked her to leave. After Lisa left, Patrick discovered that Robin's face had been cut out of their wedding picture, just like the ones in Robin's locker. When Robin returned from New York, Lisa broke into their house again and stole Robin's HIV medications.

One night when Patrick and Robin arrived home, they discovered that Lisa had taken Emma out without their permission. Frantic, they searched everywhere, and returned to find Lisa and Emma back home. Lisa calmly explained that she had taken Emma out for ice cream and couldn't understand why Robin and Patrick were so upset. After Lisa made a veiled threat on Robin's life, Patrick realized she was out of control, and he confessed his infidelity to Robin. Robin was heartbroken and asked him to get out. Lisa took her plan up a notch when she threw herself in front of Robin's car and made it look like Robin had hit her on purpose.

Patrick thought that he and Robin should act like they were getting a divorce to throw Lisa off the track and get her out of their lives for good. So Robin and Emma moved in with her uncle, Police Commissioner Mac Scorpio. Lisa's next act was to put one of Emma's stuffed toys in a test tube of boiling water in Robin's office.

Lisa invited Patrick to a NASCAR race because racing was a passion they had once shared. When Lisa overheard a conversation between Patrick and Robin's cousin Maxie about the invitation, she realized she had been played. Lisa cancelled the plans, sneaked into Mac's house, and put tranquilizers in Robin's HIV meds. The tranquilizers caused Robin to lose consciousness behind the wheel, and she crashed with Emma in the car. With Robin and Emma gone from Mac's house and Lisa gone from General Hospital, Patrick feared that Lisa had kidnapped his wife. Patrick's fears escalated when a nurse that Lisa worked with was found dead in a hospital stairwell. Patrick was sure that Lisa had Robin, and he was frantic to find her.

Mac was furious about Patrick's infidelity, and his suspicions led to Patrick's arrest. Because there was no evidence, Mac had to let Patrick go. Patrick found Robin trapped at the bottom of a well. Lisa confronted them, and this time she had a gun and threatened to kill herself. Patrick stopped her, and Mac had her sent to Shadybrook. The ever-crafty Lisa managed to fool the doctors. She was released in record time and free to wreak havoc on her former lover, Patrick, and her nemesis, Robin.

When Robin was admitted to General Hospital with injuries sustained in a fire, Lisa made her next move. She was attempting to poison Robin's I.V. bag, but Maxie caught her in the act. A clever Lisa quickly handed the syringe to Johnny Zacchara, who just happened to be in the hall. Patrick knew that Lisa had no business being in Robin's room, and he convinced the chief of staff, Steven Webber, to put Lisa on probation. Robin was grateful to Patrick for supporting her, and they agreed to spend Thanksgiving together. However, the syringe saga was far from over.

Johnny Zacchara decided to stage a scavenger hunt between Robin and Lisa for the syringe and left clues all over town. Patrick found the final clue, but a fatal car accident that killed four-year-old Jake Spencer put the hunt on hold before Lisa's guilt had been proven. Patrick and Robin worked together to save Jake, but despite their best efforts, Jake died on the operating table. Patrick was distraught that he had not been able to save Jake. After Jake's death, Robin realized that life was too short to hold on to her anger. She forgave Patrick for his affair with Lisa and asked him to return home. They agreed to go to marriage counseling to work out their residual problems.

With Patrick and Robin happily reconciled, Lisa plotted her next move. Patrick's animosity towards Lisa only escalated her plans for revenge. After she overheard Robin ask Kristina if Kristina could babysit, Lisa befriended Kristina so she could gain access to the Drake house. Lisa gave the stressed-out teen a narcotic and told her it was an herbal supplement. While Kristina was babysitting, Lisa dropped by on the pretense of giving Kristina more "supplements." When the drugs took effect and Kristina fell asleep, Lisa bugged the house. While she was there, Lisa stole Patrick's credit card statement and started making purchases that would prove she and Patrick were having an affair.

Lisa's plan turned potentially lethal when she sabotaged Robin and Patrick's gas heater. When Robin arrived home early and heard a noise in the basement, she went to investigate. Lisa locked Robin in the basement with the leaking heater -- or so she thought. Starting with the credit card identity theft, Patrick's antenna had gone up. Then Kristina had told him about Lisa's visits to the house while Kristina was babysitting for Emma.

Patrick and Robin investigated further and found a website about faulty gas heaters on Lisa's computer. Patrick was convinced that Lisa was going to try to kill Robin. They devised a plan to set Lisa up, and they succeeded. When Mac hauled Lisa off to jail, Patrick and Robin were finally freed from her evil schemes. Robin put her wedding rings back on, and they sealed their reconciliation with a kiss.