The Florencia Lozano Homepage - Fan Fiction
| REACHING OUT BY TIMA |
CHAPTER 42 |
PREVIOUSLY: [Todd kicks the front passenger door until Del reaches over and opens it. Todd puts Tea into the car and shuts the door. After putting her wheelchair in the car, he gets in himself.
Silently, the three passengers return to Tea's temporary place of residence.]
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chapter 42:
[The trio return to the rehabilitation center, following an uneventful ride from the police station Del and Todd had temporarily been detained at.
Del stops his rental car in front of the main entrance of the building. Todd quickly gets out of the car and opens Tea's door.]
Tea: I'm doing it myself this time.
Todd: You'll get hurt.
Tea: I'll try not to.
Todd: That's not good enough.
Tea: It will have to be, because I'm doing this for myself this time.
[Del appears at the side of the car with Tea's wheelchair.]
Del: She needs to learn.
Todd: You want her to fall?
Del: I was there the first time she had to learn how to walk. She fell down, she got back up and kept on going. That's what she'll do now.
Todd: You're no help.
Del: I'm not here to help you. I'm here to help my sister. Have a little faith, man. Tea's strong enough to handle whatever she needs to.
Todd: You don't know what the hell you're talking about. You don't know anything about Tea.
Del: I know she's not a weak victim for you to control, like you enjoy so much. You should save yourself the aggravation. Find someone you can push around more easily.
Todd: Shut up!
Tea: Both of you, shut up!
Todd (to Del): Now, you got her angry.
Del: Me?
Tea: Todd, you need to leave. Right now!
Todd: He started it.
Tea: This doesn't have anything to do with whatever is going on between you and Del. We gave you a ride back so you could use your van to find a place to sleep tonight.
Todd: I'm sleeping with you.
Tea: No, you're not.
Todd: Okay, I'm not going to sleep, but I will be with you.
Tea: Not tonight. I think you should leave right now.
Todd: My stuff's in your room.
Tea: Fine. Wait by my window and I'll pass it to you.
Todd: When did you get so insensitive?
Tea: When you pushed my patience beyond the breaking point.
Todd: Del's getting us dinner, right? I'll go to your room with you and we'll make out until Del gets back. If he doesn't want to see anything, he'll stay gone for at least a few hours.
Tea: Why won't you stop?
Todd: Because you don't want me to.
Tea: Believe me, I do want you to stop trying to upset my brother.
Todd: He's my brother, too.
Del: No, I'm not.
Todd: Brother-in-law...whatever.
Del: Ex-brother-in-law.
Todd: Are you sure about that?
Tea: Now what are you trying to imply?
Todd: I'm just chatting pleasantly with my brother-in-law.
Del (to Tea): Who handled things when you ended your last marriage to this loser?
Tea: Why?
Todd: Never mind. It's not important. I need to get you inside.
Tea: Turn around.
Todd: Why?
Tea: So, I can get into my chair without your paranoia interfering.
Todd: Is it paranoid for me to know with certainly that you'll fall and break every bone in your body if you do this by yourself?
Tea: Yes. Now, turn around.
Todd: How can I catch you when you fall, if I'm turned the other way.
Del (to Tea): Maybe you should just let him do it.
Tea: Do no take his side.
Del: I'm not. But, if you continue arguing with him, this will take all night.
Tea: I won't argue with him anymore.
Todd: Good.
Tea: I'm doing it myself. No more arguments.
Todd: I have more arguments.
Tea: Tough!
Todd: If I were the one in your situation, I'd let you carry me.
[Tea laughs at the image of her carrying Todd.]
Tea: I promise I'll be okay. You don't have to worry. If something does happen, this is the perfect place for it. The staff would immediately take care of any damage I do to myself.
Todd: Is that the real reason you're doing this? This is part of your plan to hurt yourself?
Tea: I'm doing this to help myself.
Todd: So, it's me you're trying to hurt?
Del: I'd like to hurt you. And, if you make me wait any longer for dinner, I will.
[Del approaches Todd and pushes lightly against his chest, trying to get him to step away from Tea. Todd pushes back.]
Todd: Back off, before I take you out.
Del: You couldn't take out a microscopic insect by stepping on it with your entire body weight.
Todd: What the hell is wrong with you, Delmonico? I'm trying to take care of your sister. Isn't that what you want?
Del: I want someone who will love her, and respect her. That's not you.
Todd: You don't know anything about me.
Del: I know the way you've treated her in the past. I know the way I've seen you treat her in the short time that I've been here. You don't listen to her. You don't do what she asks you to do.
Todd: She asked me to leave her alone so she could die. Is that something you think I should have done?
Del: The only thing you ever did right, when it comes to my sister, is telling me about how depressed she was.
Todd: She needs me around so she doesn't feel that lousy anymore. Why are you trying to help her push me away?
Del: Because she needs a man, not the little boy I see standing in front of me.
Todd: Little? Maybe we should get Tea's opinion on that, because that's never been a word she's used to describe me.
Del: That's not what she told me.
Tea: Thanks, Del! You can stop now, I'm done.
[Del and Todd both look toward Tea and find her in her wheelchair, smiling at them.]
Del: But, I was just about to have some fun with this bastard of yours.
Tea: It will have to wait. I'm hungry. And, Todd needs to leave.
[Del approaches Tea and squats next to her chair.]
Del: You'll be okay with this loser?
Tea: I'll be fine.
Del: If he's still here when I get back with dinner, I get to have the fun of tossing him out, right?
Tea: Maybe Todd will surprise both of us and actually do what I ask him to do, for once.
Del: I'm looking forward to tossing that boney body.
Todd: Speaking of bones...
Tea: Stop.
[Todd smiles slightly, in response to the smile that's on Tea's face. He decides to stop trying to irritate Del, for now, since she seems to be in a good mood right now, and he doesn't want to risk that.
Del kisses his sister on the cheek.]
Del: I'm proud of you.
Tea: I'm proud of myself.
Del: Good! You should be. You've come a long way since the accident. If you don't let that creep of yours get in your way, you'll be out of here soon and on your own again.
Todd: Luckily, the only creep in her life is leaving town tomorrow.
Del: Where are you going?
Todd: I'm moving in with Tea, as soon as her creepy brother finally leaves.
Tea: Boys! I feel just like I did when I was little, watching my big brothers going at each other.
Del: We were never as juvenile as this guy.
Tea: I remember some of the stupid things you and Enrique would bicker over.
Del: I was more mature at the age of four than this little boy over here is at the age of thirty-one.
Todd: How do you know how old I am?
Del: I checked you out when my sister first made the mistake of getting hooked up with you. I know everything about you. I know where you've buried all your skeletons. I know where you've hidden all your cash. So, you better watch your step with me, Manning. I could destroy your world, any time I want to.
Todd: You never would.
Del: If you keep testing me, you'll find out.
Todd: There are only two things you could do to destroy me and you don't have the balls do either thing.
Del: That's what you think.
Todd: Unless you get off on hurting little girls, or your own sister, there's nothing you could do that would really hurt me. So, stop pretending you're such a tough guy and do the only thing you're good for...go get us some grub.
Del: I'm not getting you anything.
[Del speaks to Tea in Spanish for several moments as they discuss what they'll have for dinner. He soon returns to his rental car and drives away, leaving the former spouses alone in front of the rehabilitation clinic, staring at each other.]
to be continued...
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2001 COPYRIGHT BY TIMA
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