Todd listened uninterested in what the room full of doctors had to say. All he wanted to do was see for himself that Tea was really alive. He paced the room as they talked to him, trying to stress the actual condition of the situation. Todd seemed annoyed and bothered by their babbling.
Todd: I just want to see her.
Dr. Bhatnagar: She doesn’t want to see you.
Todd: Dr. Bhatnagar, ah heck, I’ll just call you Dr. B. I have a question for you. Since when have I cared what she wanted if it was different from what I wanted?
Dr. B: Since now. You WILL comply with her wishes. She’s confused. She’s disoriented. She’s been physically abused. We suspect sexually abused. (Todd’s face visibly contorts.) We suspect she’s been forced near death too many times to even fathom. (He looks the doctor square in the eye, realizing the words are stinging his heart like daggers.) If you love this woman, you will do what’s best for her and leave and let us get our work done first. We have to reach her psyche, through her demons and bring her out on the other side. From what we could gather, she was a strong, intelligent, beautiful woman. She can’t even say her name, let alone know how great she was. You don’t want her to stay like this forever, do you?
Todd: No. But I want to help. I have to help.
Dr. B: And right now, the best way you can help is by not doing anything. Leave the work to the experts and for now, that’s us.
Todd: Can’t I just see her?
Dr. B: If you promise not to say anything, we can take you in a room next to hers with two sided glass. You can see her, but she won’t be able to see you.
Todd: I just want to see her.
Dr. B: Promise me, you’ll do as I ask.
Todd: I promise. (Todd could hear himself lying the second the words left his lips. But this idiot, proclaiming himself the expert didn’t know Todd. He probably believed in the good of people. But if Tea had been so brutalized, nothing would keep him from her. And if lying got him close enough to make his own decisions, so be it. Once he was close enough, he would do as he wished and no one, not even the experts, could stop him.)
Todd walked down the hall with Dr. B toward Tea. He could feel his anxiety rising and he had all sorts of thoughts racing through his brain. Was this all just an elaborate hoax and there were really a room full of state troopers waiting her to cart him away? He had seen her coat. He had seen her boots. He had seen her footprints. Her footprints that went one direction and her coat and boots that went another. Had her boots just walked away on their own. What the hell was going on? What the hell had happened? Todd needed answers.
Dr. B and Todd entered a room and Dr. B made Todd promise not to make any sounds while he was in the room. Todd agreed. He raised the blinds of the room they were in and there she was for Todd to see in disbelief. She lay on a padded floor, clad in disgusting hospital attire, faded scars on her face, her hair torn and dry and tattered. She lay still in the corner, only twisting her finger softly around her hair. Then she would wrap and wrap until her hair was totally and completely tightened around her finger and she would pull with all her might, screaming as she ripped her hair from her scalp.
Todd: Tea, Nooooooo!
Tea rose to her feet and backed herself in the corner. Her eyes widened and she muttered repetiously, “Todd, Todd, Todd? Is that you? (looking down sadly) Right. It can’t be you. (Laughing sadistically) You’re dead!”
Todd: Tea, it’s me. I’m here for you. I’m here, Delgado.
Tea: Don’t call me that. (She screamed, her mood changing radically from the demonic to the forceful and angered.) Don’t call me Delgado. (A commanding, demanding voice now taking control.) I’m not Delgado to you. Only Todd can call me Delgado and Todd’s dead.
Dr. B: You need to stop. You promised.
Todd: (To the doctor) Shove it.
Tea: Todd, why? Why? Why did you do it? Why did you die on me?
Todd: (rushing toward the door and entering her room) I’m not dead, Delgado. I’m right here and I’m very much alive, just like you.
Tea: You’re not real. I’ve seen you before. I know your tricks. (She approaches closer to him shaking her finger and nodding her head.) You’re a ghost. (She smiled and whispered.) I’ve imagined you so many nights. And you always come to me like this and you tell me you’re not dead. (Changing he tone and her mood, emotional and distraught) But then I have to remember the explosions all over again and I have to relive all of that (whispering) unspeakable horror and I have to accept that you’re dead.
Todd: (moving closer to Tea) Look. Touch me. (He reaches his hand out to her.) Feel me. Let me feel you. Tea, I’m alive. I promise you, it’s true.
Tea: I want to believe you, but too many times I believed it and you always went away. Dreams always go away. They end.
Todd: It doesn’t have to this time. Just let me touch you.
Tea: Get away. (She backs up to the corner again.) Get away from me.
Todd: That’s my line, Delgado.
Tea: You have Todd’s sense of humor, but you can’t be. It can’t be.
Todd: I’m here Delgado. It’s me. Honest.
Tea: Todd Manning, honest? How much of a sick joke is that? See, you can’t be Todd.
Todd: (looking confused) Delgado, please.
Tea: Todd Manning begging, (pausing) saying please? Todd doesn’t beg and he doesn’t say please.
Todd: Delgado, knock it off. Come on. (He raises his voice.) Knock it off!
Tea visibly flinches.
Tea: Now that sounded more like Todd.
Todd: (He reaches his hand out again) Tea. I need you. Come with me. (He pauses, tears forming in his eyes.) Please.
Tea: Todd. (Softly crying) Is it really you?
Todd: It’s really me Delgado.
Tea: And when I fall into your arms, you’ll go away?
Todd: I’m not going anywhere. Please, Delgado, trust me. This one time, trust in me. Believe in me. Believe enough to make your dream come true. Believe in us. Come on, Delgado. You can do it.
Tea: I want to.
Todd: Then try.
Tea walks across the room and collapses into Todd’s waiting, wanting arms. They both fall to the ground, Tea an emotional mess of tears and hyperventilating. Todd joins her in the uncontrollable sobs. He holds her tightly, confused and muddled as to what he’s allowed and not allowed to do to her. She looks so fragile. Even if the bruises are fading, she’s still pretty physically banged up. Part of him wants to take her right here in the middle of the room in front of everyone. Another part of him wants to kill whomever did this to her. He knows that for now, the important part is to comfort and nurse her back to health. But the fear factor of the unknown recovery makes him rethink his next moves. He pulls her head up to make their eyes meet. She seems to be willing and he’s overwhelmed with the happiness, pure happiness of seeing her alive. He bends his head closer toward her lips, wanting only to press his softly against hers. As their lips meet, Tea violently jumps to her feet. And with two cold sentences she rips his heart out of his chest, a chest that had no heart just two hours earlier, thinking her dead all these months.
With all the fury and anger of a woman brutalized, Tea releases all her pent up rage.
Tea: (staring directly into his eyes) Why did you do it Todd?
Todd: (confused and desperate) Why did I do what?
Tea: (screaming at him, looking him right in the eye) Why did you rape me?
