The piercing, agonizing sound poured through her soul like soothing, warm liquid when she heard it, filling the empty gaps of her heart which had been cold and barren since he left. Every lonely part of her answered the cry without hesitation or any need to sift through what had since happened.
Rushing to the outstretched figure on the floor, she leaned down close to his head and whispered words she had wanted to say so many times since he had mysteriously vanished.
"Todd! I'm here...it's me, Tea...I'm right here!"
Still imprisoned by two strong men, his eyes blinked, turning an even deeper shade of amber.
"Tea..."
Very slowly, Slider relinquished his imprisoning hold and motioned Sam to do the same.
"Easy does it...keep an eye on him."
"Tea...," his voice repeated the name as if testing it out. His eyes and ears were still adjusting to the full range of sensory bombardment he had just been subjected to on his reemergence into the real world.
I'm here...I'm back...but there are so many shadows...see shapes but I can't figure out who they are... voices...
She wanted to bury her face in his chest and cry out with gratitude for his return, and she would have, except she knew he wasn't ready for any brazen emotional display. He had just been through a mental ordeal which rivaled even the most unusual cases. Later...there will be plenty of time later...
"Yes, Todd...don't worry...I'm here," she reassured him, stroking his fevered forehead with soft, cool fingertips.
Materializing out of the shadows, a large, disturbing form halted at the stair landing causing Slider to spring up from his crouched position.
"Who's there?"
The deep, resonant voice rang out with authority. Tea's fingers stopped moving, and her body convulsively twisted around in shock.
"FBI!"
"Del! No!!" she fairly screamed out and instinctively hovered over Todd's body protectively.
"What the hell?" Sam's voice thundered in surprise.
"Excuse me...Mr.?" Slider began advancing toward the man.
"Delgado." Tea filled in the missing surname, her voice hollow yet tinged with resentment. "Slider...my brother...Del."
Sensing another movement on the stairs below, Slider frowned. "You're not alone...are you, Delgado?"
"Tea...enough!" Del completely ignored him, his face hardening and his mind marshaling every facet of his background training in case he needed to go into immediate action.
"I don't think I have to tell any of you why I'm here."
"Delgado...Del," Slider intercepted him smoothly, taking hold of his arm. Arching his head in the direction of a closed door, he said in a lower tone, "I need a word with you...in private."
Peering suspiciously over Slider's shoulder, Del met the full force of his sister's challenging, but somewhat fearful stare. "All right," he assented finally and let Slider usher him down the hallway to a room. Opening it, Slider motioned Del inside and then softly closed the door.
"First off...my name is Slider Paxton. I'm a psychologist and a friend of Todd Manning's."
"Great...get on with it!" Del said coldly -- his eyes barely blinking and his ears straining to hear any noise outside the room.
This man is Tea's brother?
"Before you do anything...you have to know...Mr. Manning is not dangerous. I can vouch for him."
"You can vouch for him until doomsday for all I care...there are procedural policies of the FBI which demand that I..."
"Don't rattle off procedures...we're way past that now," Slider interrupted with controlled irritation. "Besides...you're in charge of this fugitive apprehension, right?"
"I am."
"Then, you have the power to make decisions. I think we can pretty much assume that your sister, Mrs. Manning, won't press charges against her husband for what happened while he was under the domination of another personality. Getting to the bottom of all this will take some time...time enough for you to release him into my custody."
"Your custody... just what are you driving at, Paxton?"
"Release Manning to me and I'll be responsible for getting him in therapy in order to declare he is of sound mental state."
Del glared at Slider. "I'm not as confident as you that his mental state will ever be sound."
"I was a close personal friend of the man, Delgado. He wasn't always like this."
"His friends and loved ones seem to have one hell of a blind spot about him," Del snapped back.
"Okay...I can understand you want to protect your sister. That's why I will personally see to it that he's completely checked out before he is released and that he stays away from her during that time. And...if you need references as to my professional reputation, you've got them."
Del eyed him thoroughly and crossed his arms. "I'm not in the habit of making deals, Paxton...and this isn't by the book...he still has plenty to answer for."
"Since when is life by the book?" Slider slung the words back crisply.
Del's eyebrows knit together in thought. Half a minute later, shrugging slightly and glancing back at the closed door, his unforgiving eyes again fixed on Slider.
"You've got your time, Paxton...but this is only a temporary setup which I can jerk out from under you and him any time I get the urge."
"Agreed." Slider said simply but sighed internally with profound relief. Thank God!
***************
A light hand fell on Tea's hunched shoulder, and she briefly gave up her silent vigil to look into Viki's eyes.
"Don't worry, Tea...I trust this man, Slider. I think he'll work something out."
"You don't know my brother," Tea said flatly in a tone of weary resignation. "His primary mission in life has always been to keep me insulated from the world. He's also very strict when it comes to matters of the law. What am I going to do, Viki?"
Despite trying to maintain a positive attitude, Viki's heart ached with dread for Tea. She's just found him...and she may lose him again!
"Listen...Tea," she spoke with cool confidence. "I'm not without some influence with some people high up in government. You can count on me to make all the necessary petitions in his behalf...he's my brother, after all, and I'm committed to seeing that he has a decent life to live."
A weak smile crossed Tea's face again as she looked back down at her husband. "We're so much alike, Viki. We never gave up on him, and you're right...there is hope. With you, Sam...and Slider, he has the best possible support."
"Don't forget you're included on that team, Tea," Viki said gently.
"Oh...I haven't, Viki. Todd must know by now that I'm not going anywhere. Strange... we've been through so many tough times together, but when I knew without a doubt that I loved him, well...any obstacles that popped up had no power over me. It's really very simple, isn't it?"
"Perfectly simple...Tea, is he coming around?" Viki asked seeing the blank, somewhat dazed look on Todd's face.
"You would probably be a better judge of his condition, Viki, but I don't think he's totally with us yet," Tea said wistfully.
Viki nodded in agreement. "I remember when my personalities were integrated...my focus didn't return immediately. I had to slowly reacquaint myself with the world."
"Hey...well, anyway, it's just great to have him back!" Sam's hearty voice joined in as he stood over them. "Give him time, Tea...Boomer will be back to his old self again."
Old self?
A shiver of foreboding trickled surreptitiously down her spine, but Tea dismissed the intrusive sensation with a toss of her hair. It's nothing....this is all just catching up with me...
***************
The door down the hall opened and two men filed out. One of them wore a harsh, stony face, and the other looked as if he had just won a great victory.
Tea rose to her feet to face her brother. I'm not letting him go without a fight...if this means I sacrifice my brother's love, then so be it!
"Del, I have something to say and you're going to listen!" her brown eyes danced with fierce determination.
"Wait...Tea," Slider interjected. "I think you need to hear him out first."
"Why...so he can recite the FBI code of ethics to me? I've heard it all before, Slider. This is not about rules and regulations anymore, and..."
"Tea, he's letting him go," Slider inserted before she could bluster on.
"What?" Tea's clinched fists and stiff back relaxed automatically.
"That's right...it's all arranged, Tea. Todd will go back with me and be in my custody for a while. I can provide the therapy he'll need for readjustment as well as make sure that he's in the clear...mentally."
Stunned, Tea couldn't speak right away. Her throat was suddenly tight and she felt like she needed a good, stiff drink.
"Del..." she swallowed quickly and restrained herself from throwing her arms around the neck of her proud, autocratic sibling.
"Don't think I've dropped this, Tea," he said -- his voice threatening, but his manner slightly embarrassed.
"...I'll still keep tabs on him, and this is only temporary. There may be issues to work out with the local authorities, too."
"Good move, Delgado," Sam beamed in spite of himself.
Her feet left their position and moved toward him without any conscious idea that she was doing it. As she neared him, her eyes were wide and full of love.
"Del...you can't know what this means..."
For an instant his rigid face softened as he met her grateful eyes, and his right thumb carelessly brushed across her cheek.
"Chiquita...mi hermana....you don't give me enough credit sometimes...I do know," he murmured.
Raising his voice again for the benefit of the others, he said, "I know that I must be loca to do this. Make damn sure I don't regret it!"
"Jacobs!" he yelled out, "Inform Stanton I'm on my way in!"
"...Paxton...uh...Slider," he motioned him over and said gruffly, "I'll have papers faxed to you authorizing your custody. Just sign them and fax them back to me...okay?."
"Sure thing," Slider said. "And Del...thank you!"
Nodding and dismissing Slider's words with a stiff wave of his hand, he retreated down the stairs.
"Santa Maria!" Tea's face looked heavenward after Del and his associate had left, and she spun around to face Slider.
"Slider, I can't...I don't..." she tried to speak but the words but they came out all muddled.
"Not now," Slider's tanned face broke into a grin, "Save all that for later. We've got to get Z back to my place."
"Z?" Tea's head cocked to one side.
"Long story," Slider smiled again. "One I won't mind telling you down the road."
In the excitement his mind had forgotten someone -- someone who had moved aside when Todd had reemerged. She had said nothing all this time, and Slider now noted her deliberate attempt to fade into the background.
"Sherry," he said softly to the woman standing at the perimeter of their group. "It's over...maybe you could come and take a look at him and see if..."
Abruptly he stopped speaking as he saw her face go taut with pain. Mumbling something incoherent, she started for the stairs.
"Tea," she paused at the top step and turned toward her, "I'm glad your husband is back...I really am." Her eyes met Slider's for a second with an expression he couldn't quite identify.
"Sorry, Slider...I can't...have to go..."
"...Very sorry," she muttered under her breath --- her form hurriedly running down the stairs.
Of all the...damn!! What was I thinking? Of course she's hurting...of course, she doesn't want to help us out with Todd...she lost Nick!"
As she made her way back to Todd, Sherry's strained words echoed in Tea's mind. I owe her a lot...she helped you get back to me...poor Sherry...
"I'm going with you," Tea declared as Slider and Sam got ready to lift Todd's weakened body from the floor.
Shaking his head rather sadly, but firmly, Slider said, "Not yet, Tea...I gave your brother my word that you wouldn't go near him until I have a chance to assess his mental condition."
Tea's eyes blurred with the onslaught of fresh tears. "But...you can't...you can't expect me to walk away from him now...not after everything! Slider...he needs me...I won't desert him!"
"It's not a desertion, Tea...it's just a little delay, that's all. I made a deal with your brother, Del, and I don't want to jeopardize that. Can you understand what's at stake here?"
Tea's hand came up to cover the small sob forming in her throat. Nodding with effort, she watched as Slider and Sam got Todd upright, their arms shouldering his weight and steadying him on his feet. Okay...whatever it takes...but this is killing me!
"Can I...talk to him? Before he...goes? "
Slider hadn't the heart to tell her anything but yes especially when her eyes were practically begging him for permission.
"Sure Tea..."
"I'll make it quick," she willed her disappointment to back off for the moment. Now is not the time to come unglued...he needs to know that I will wait for him no matter what...
Looking intently at the dull, flickering ember like glow coming from his eyes, she remembered at once the bright, raging fire emanating from them the night in the countryside. Any doubt she had of his love for her had been seared out of her mind the moment he had touched her under that glittering sky. Yet, her subconscious mind had still picked up on something unsettling within him -- something still attached to his psyche that refused to give him up. So began the journey you had to go through to get back to me...
"Todd....listen. You're back...you did it. The worst is over, and you're finally...you're coming back to me soon. Todd...do you remember when you found my locket? Querido, you were underwater, but you weren't lost. You swam right back up from that darkness to the surface. It's just going to take a little time to get used to everything up here again, okay? Each day you're going to get stronger, and when you're ready, I'll be waiting, Todd... remember that, I'll be waiting..."
Her small, graceful hand reached out and tenderly covered his and rising up on tiptoe, her lips brushed up against his ear. In a hushed whisper, she said the words that she knew would be sown in his heart and soul and bloom there in the days ahead without her.
"I love you, Todd Manning..."
She didn't see it, but the dull back light in his eyes had transformed into a fiery hue that shone out with intelligence and even more...
