Todd wasted plenty of time getting Marissa back to her mommy, but none getting her to safety and the nearest hospital. Marissa needed to be checked out. His suspicions about her paternity had subsided. This might actually be the gift Tea needed to help her recuperation. Tea had obviously given her lots of love, but something had made her remove her from her world. If Tea thought that she couldn’t love the child of a man who had so brutally hurt her, how could his confusing thoughts of paternity end up being a good thing? Was it the right thing to take her to her? Maybe Marissa would be the one who could warm her heart and bring her back to the good side, the side he had so casually taken for granted and would have a lifetime now to make up for.
Marissa sat in the waiting room next to him nibbling on the crackers he had bought her out of the vending machine. Todd sat and stared at this gem. He daydreamed in delight how much she looked like him! Starr looked more like her mother than he, but this one, looked like the perfect combination of two soulmates working on a masterpiece. The doctor asked to speak to Todd alone, not wanting to confuse the child.
Doctor: She’s basically in good shape. We’re done with her for now. You’re free to go.
Todd: Let’s go see your mommy, Marissa.
Marissa: Okay.
When Todd arrived on the 13th floor of the Seaside Hospital later that afternoon, he was not prepared for the greeting he was met with.
Moe: Todd, where have you been? We’ve been trying to reach you for days! We’ve had a set back while you were gone.
Todd: What happened? Is she all right?
Moe: Physically, she’s fine, but she’s had a breakthrough while you were gone and she might not be in the best frame of mind for you to take (motioning the toddler) her in there. This is her child, I presume?
Todd: (To Moe) You can presume anything you’d like. It doesn’t mean I’m going to listen. (He notices Moe’s face contort. He can see that look in the doctor’s eyes telling him he really needs to listen.) (Conceding defeat and in a softer voice) Is there some place I can leave her while I go and talk to her mother?
Moe: Peggy? Can you take this little darling down to day care for Mr. Manning while he speaks with his wife alone? What’s her name?
Todd: Marissa. Her name is Marissa…like her mother.
Peggy: Sure. Will you come with me little girl?
Marissa: (Looking up at Todd) I want my mommy.
Todd: I know you do. I want your mommy too. I’ll go say hi and see if she’s up for some company from you.
Marissa: How come you get to go? I want to see my mommy! Why wouldn’t my mommy want to see me?
Todd: (bending down on her level) I know your mommy would always want to see you. But she’s not feeling well right now, but maybe later, she’ll feel better. And like I said, she’ll always want to see you. (Repeating for emphasis) She’ll always want to see you. (Under his breath so the little girl couldn’t hear) She may not always want to see me.
Marissa walked away from Todd with Peggy. She never took her eyes off of him. It’s like she knew instinctively. Damn she was smart!
Todd walked into Tea’s room and could tell from the get go, he wasn’t going to like this conversation.
Tea: Where the hell have you been?
Todd: And how the hell are you? Yeah, I missed you too. (Realizing his warm greeting hadn’t gone over well and regrouping.) I really feel, like since you’ve come back, I’ve been in a bad version of “The Twilight Zone.”
Tea: Why? What makes you say that?
Todd: Because you’re the one with all the questions, all the quick and witty snide remarks and I’m the one on the defensive.
Tea: As well you should be. And as usual, you’re avoiding the question!
Todd: I went to find your daughter.
Tea: My what? (Turning her back to Todd) Great! Now YOU’RE nuts. I don’t have a daughter. (Turning and looking at him, anger evident in her voice) Where the hell have you been?
Todd: Okay, we’ll play the game your way for a while. But only for a while.
Tea: Todd, that’s not funny. I don’t want to play games and I don’t want to continue this conversation. If you want to lie about where you were, go ahead. I’m angry enough with you already without you adding lying to your repertoire.
Todd: I don’t have a repertoire and I don’t have an agenda. And I’m not lying. I’m not doing very well, am I?
Tea: So far, I’d say you’re earning a big fat F.
Todd: This game only works if we’re both play by the same set of rules.
Tea: There are no rules when it comes to us Todd. We make them up as we go along.
Todd: (Forcefully) Not this time!
Tea: Then where were you?
Todd: I went to see Blair. She’s fighting me for custody of Shorty again and I had to make sure I was in a good legal position with you in the nut house and Shorty out of the state.
Tea: Thank you for telling me the truth.
Todd raises his hands in disgust.
Todd: I tell you a lie, you believe me. I tell you the truth and I can’t be trusted. I give up! I can’t win!
Todd leaves the room, thoroughly disgusted and visibly upset.
Todd: (Shouting down the hall at anyone who can listen) Can anyone figure out this woman? She’s driving me nuts. I think you better reserve the room next to her for me. I’m going to need it by the end of this evening!
Moe: Todd, Todd! Calm down! We had a hard few weeks without you. She’s made tremendous progress, but I should have updated you before you went in. She doesn’t remember much about that time. It’s still stuck in her subconscious. She’s resisting it because it was so painful for her. You have to remember. Even though her outside wounds are healing, she’s locked a huge amount of the pain, deep inside of her. She hasn’t talked about the murder accept in her hypnosis. She hasn’t even remembered the baby, yet. We’re there. We’re right there. And we’re all in agreement, that you’re the one who should bring her over. We need her to trust us. Right now she does. If you tell her the things you heard on the tape, it might force them out and therefore, allow her to deal with it. If she doesn’t and refuses, then it will only be you, well, from what we’ve heard about you, being you. She will expect this sort of thing from you.
Todd: Great! I get to be the bad guy. You’re right. She is used to that in me.
Moe: I’m glad you get my point.
Todd: Oh no. You’re wrong. I don’t get the point to this whole conversation.
Moe: Us, she’s trusting right now. We can’t break that trust and expect to continue to make progress, yet, if we don’t break through this particular wall, she may never decided to do it. I tried to reach you a few days ago, and was only able to reach your sister. She said she wasn’t sure you could handle this.
Todd: What does she know?
Moe: Well, she seemed like a very together lady, when I spoke to her.
Todd: Well, I guess it depends on which day of the week and which alter you were speaking with. Niki isn’t that smart, but she’s awfully trendy, in a whore-ish kind of way. Jean, on the other hand, is smart, if you like waking up next to your head in your bed!
Moe: I don’t believe you.
Todd: Then do your homework better. My sister had D.I.D. and fooled everyone into believing she has this altogether life. But she just married a man half her age and that was before she married the same man twice and divorced him before the ink was dry. She almost makes ME seem sane!
Moe: (under his breath) Not sure that’s possible. (To Todd) Okay, now, I guess I had better look at that one again. But the bottom line here is, do you think you can talk to her? Really talk to her? Tell her the things on the tape are true? I mean, you were there, right? You SAW the body. You found the child she fathered with that maniac. You have to know it’s true.
Todd: Well, sometimes, the truth is the lie and the lie is the truth. It’s all a matter of perception.
Moe: What is that supposed to mean?
Todd: Well, the maniac was killed and he did die the way she said. And she did father a child with a maniac, but things aren’t always as black and white as they seem. Besides, I can tell right now, I’m not her favorite person.
Moe: That’s so not true. Deep down inside, that’s the biggest truth of all. She does love you. You’re love is the only thing right now that will get her through this burning lake to the other side.
Todd: Did you just say ‘burning lake?’ Have you been talking to Tea?
Moe: Yes, but that’s an old analogy that my mother used to use.
Todd: Weird.
Moe: But you have reservations?
Todd: This isn’t a hotel. (Moe didn’t even crack a smile. Todd’s attempt at injecting humor only seemed to be reinforcing Viki’s comments to the doctor and placing serious doubt in Moe’s eyes. Todd tried again, more sincere.) The only thing I want is for her to get better. The only problem with going through burning lakes is that most times, someone has to go threw there with you. I’m not sure I’m the right person to take her through. I’m sure I could get her through, but who’s coming back for me if I don’t make it through to the other side?
Moe: That’s a risk you’ll just have to take. There is no one else for her. Is there someone else for you?
Todd: I used to think so, but now I’m not so sure. Interesting question, isn’t it?
