"I saw him with her," Todd whispered.

"You saw whom with her?" Susannah had an idea. She wanted to be sure.

"That little boy. That little blond boy I met before . . . the one who's taking care of Randy. I saw him playing with Starr. She thought he was me. How can she think he was me?"

"Because Tom lives inside you. He uses your body," Susannah explained gently.

Todd looked perplexed. "No . . . I . . . no . . . he . . . he's a little boy. I-I saw him. He's just a li . . . okay, I don't wanna talk about this anymore."

"All right, Todd. You don't have to talk about this now." Susannah knew Todd could not handle this right now. "Todd, you need to rest. You're in the playroom. We're going to take you back to your room now."

"Is it the same day?"

"Yes. It's just a couple of hours since you went inside."

"Did Delgado go for that test?"

"Yes, she is probably in her own room by now. If you like you can call her later, after you've had some rest."

"I want to go to her."

"I'm sorry, Todd. I can't allow that." Susannah was firm. "You've been through enough today and you need to go back to your own room now. There's a good chance that Téa will be able to come visit you and as I said, you can call her after you've had some rest."

"Just one more time, I want Delgado to see that I'm okay. I went away in front of her. Did I do something bad when I went away?"

"No. Absolutely not. Tom came out. Téa loves him and he loves Téa. He was only with Téa for a few minutes and then she went for the CT scan and Tom and Starr went to the playroom."

"I don't wanna talk about that . . . that . . . Tom. I wanna go see Delgado. If I was good why won't you let me go to see her?"

"Because you need to rest." Susannah did not want to get into a medication tug-of-war with him now. She didn't mention that it was also time for some of his medications. She believed he would be willing to take the Dilantin in exchange for another visit to Téa. Susannah didn't suggest this. She did not want him learning to use his medications as a bargaining tool.

"Please! I promise I won't ask to see her again, if she's really okay. I want her to see me." Todd emphasized the word me.

"Hey, buddy. We can tell Téa you came back. I'm sure Téa is really tired and after she's rested I'll bet she'll have someone bring her to see you," Jeff told him

"Delgado is the one who was hurt. I don't want her to have to go running all over the hospital. She should stay in bed. I want to be the one who goes to see her." Todd looked down. "You think I'm too stupid and too crazy to go there again. You're mad at me because I was afraid to go off this unit before. I disappointed you. You think I acted like a coward and a little girl. You hate me! Why don't you just admit it!" Todd cried out.

"Todd, that's not true at all. We are all very proud of the way you handled yourself," Frank praised him.

"Then why are you afraid to let me go see Delgado again?" Todd began to cry.

Susannah and her staff exchanged looks. Susannah thought for a moment. She did believe Todd's confidence in all he achieved should be reinforced. "Todd, you understand this is an unusual circumstance because Téa was hurt. You will not be allowed on and off the unit regularly, not yet," Susannah added. She wanted him to understand that sometime in the future this would be a possibility.

"I get that! I'm not that stupid," Todd snapped.

"You're not stupid at all. I wanted to make sure we are clear on this. I also want to explain to you that if you go see Téa now, you can only stay with her for a few minutes. Both you and Téa need your rest."

"I know," Todd answered quietly. "I don't want to make Delgado worse. I just want her to know it's me. I want her to know that I came back and she can depend on me to take care of her . . . not some kid."

They understood how important it was for Todd to not only prove to Téa that he could be counted on, but to prove that to himself as well. "All right. Let me find out what room they moved her to and we'll take you there," Susannah agreed.

"Really?" Todd couldn't believe that they did trust him.

"Really." Susannah stroked his head.

Todd sat without saying a word as he waited for Susannah to get off the phone. They could tell he was anxious. His knees bounced up and down as he sat.

"Todd, Téa is fine. The CT scan showed that the hematoma has shrunk. Téa has just been moved to a private room on the fourth floor. Sam and Viki are with her. Are you ready to go there now?"

"I need to do something first," Todd began. "Do they have a phone in the gift shop?"

"Yes, they do," Dan told Todd.

Todd didn't say anything further. He hung his head.

"What is it Todd?" Susannah pressed.

"I don't have any money or a credit card," Todd looked and sounded embarrassed.

"Did you want to have a gift sent to Téa?" Susannah guessed. "Yeah," he whispered.

"I can go there for you, buddy. Tell me what you want and I'll bring it back here and then you can go see Téa," Frank suggested.

"No! I wanna go now. If I wait, something can happen. I might . . ." Todd hung his head in shame again.

"You're afraid you'll go inside if you wait," Susannah verbalized his thought for him.

"Yeah," Todd admitted.

"Todd, I'll call the gift shop for you. I'll use my credit card. Tell me what you want to have sent to Téa," Susannah offered.

"Really! You'd do that for me?" Todd was stunned.

"Yes, honey. Really."

"I'll tell Viki to pay you back as soon as I see her. She can get my money from the bank," Todd promised.

"Don't worry about it. Now, what would you like to have sent to Téa?"

Todd thought for a few moments. "Some of those balloons that say get well and stuff like that on them . . . flowers . . . yeah . . . girls like flowers . . . oh and some candy . . . Delgado likes candy . . . yeah . . . and some cheese crackers . . . Delgado liked those cheese crackers I kept in the couch . . . and some of those girl magazines . . ." They could see Todd was thinking as hard as he could. He was trying to think of everything Téa would like. They all exchanged smiles at his enthusiasm. "Do they have any Puerto Rican pork in the cafeteria? Delgado likes to eat that?"

Susannah laughed. "No, Todd. I'm sorry, hon. I don't think I've ever seen that in the cafeteria. Maybe Carlotta can bring her some?"

Todd thought again for a few minutes. "I guess that's it. Can you ask them to send it to her real fast?"

They realized Todd wanted to be there when she received his gifts. They guessed he wanted to make sure they came and that she liked them. "I'm sure they can make a rush delivery if I ask them too," Susannah assured him. "One thing, honey . . . they don't have real flowers in the gift shop. They do have some beautiful silk flowers. Those don't die. They last forever." Susannah didn't want him becoming upset over the flowers.

Todd thought for a moment. "I want Delgado to be around forever too. Okay get her the silk ones," he commented and agreed. Susannah and the staff exchanged smiles again.

"I need to go to my office and get my credit card. I'll call from there and be right back," Susannah explained to Todd.

Todd nodded.

Susannah was back within ten minutes.

The fear Todd felt about leaving the unit began to surface again. "Doctor Hanen," Todd whispered. "Can we do that breathing thing again before we go?"

"Yes, of course we can. Excellent job asking for help, Todd. We're very proud of you," Susannah praised.

Susannah guided him through the abdominal breathing and progressive relaxation techniques. Todd was able to do them with greater ease and he remembered more of the steps on his own. He calmed faster than he had earlier.

"Great job, Todd." Frank praised him.

"I think I'm ready," Todd announced timidly.

"I think you are too," Susannah confirmed.

They noticed Todd taking deep calming breaths as he felt the unit doors open again. He was anxious, but his earlier success had given him some confidence in his ability to leave the unit without something terrible happening. "We're gonna take the elevator that's only for patients and staff again, right?" Todd asked in trembling voice.

"Yes. We'll take the patient transport elevator," Susannah promised.

Susannah and Dan led Todd to the elevator. Frank and Jeff followed closely behind. They once again described every step of the way to him as they made their way to Téa's room.

Viki and Sam were in Téa's room when they guided Todd in. They all turned toward the door with shocked looks on their faces.

"Sweetheart, I'm so surprised to see you off your unit again. Did Starr go home?"

"Yeah, Blair came for her. She promised she wouldn't be mad at her," Todd said in a childlike way.

"Did you have a good time with Starr, Boomer?" Sam asked. These were practically the first words Sam had spoken since he and Viki went in to see Téa. Sam had been sitting there quietly. He seemed lost in thought.

"I don't wanna talk about Starr." Todd tone was more a plea than a statement.

"I'm sorry. You don't have to talk about Starr if you don't want to." Sam was already kicking himself for saying the wrong thing.

"Delgado?" Todd didn't know if Téa was in the room.

"I'm here Todd. I'm in bed," Téa called back to him.

"Did your head test go okay?"

Téa laughed. "It went great. I'm much better. I should be able to leave day after tomorrow."

Todd turned in Susannah's direction. "I wanna get over to Delgado."

Dan and Susannah walked Todd over to Téa's bed.

"Here, Todd. You can sit here," Sam stood up and moved away from the chair he was sitting in.

"Todd, we'll be right here in the room with you. We'll give you some space so you can talk to Téa," Susannah informed him. She and Dan moved away. They stayed within arm's length of him.

Viki motioned to Sam. "Let's give them some privacy," she whispered. "Sweetheart, is it okay if Sam and I step out into the waiting room?"

Todd thought for a second. He was beginning to feel anxious. He didn't want Viki to be far from him. "Just outside, right?"

"We'll be right outside the room," Viki assured him.

"Yeah, okay," Todd agreed.

Viki and Sam exchanged looks as a man from the gift shop came into the room right after they stepped outside. "Todd asked if he could get a few things for Téa," Frank filled them in. They could tell by Frank's smile that this meant a lot to Todd.

"Téa Manning?" the deliveryman verified.

Téa's eyes were wide with surprise as she saw everything in his arms. "Yes," she managed to get out. She held out her arms. Téa immediately knew whom everything was from. "Todd, did you buy out the entire gift shop?" Téa asked with a huge smile on her face.

"They didn't have any Puerto Rican pork," Todd mumbled.

Téa laughed again. "That's okay. I'm not supposed to eat anything heavy anyway."

"Girls like flowers and candy and . . . and . . . did they bring you girl magazines? I told them to."

"Yes, they're right here. The flowers are so beautiful. Oh Todd, they're just lovely."

"They didn't have real ones. Doctor Hanen said these last forever." Todd repeated what Susannah told him.

Téa took Todd's hand. He tensed up for a second when he felt her hand on his and then he relaxed and held her hand tightly in his. "Querido, I love that they last forever. I want to remember this day and you coming here to see me forever too. I can keep these with me always."

"Yeah," Todd whispered. He placed his other hand on top of Téa's. He sandwiched her hand between both of his for a moment. He became conscious of his action and quickly took his hand away. "Did they bring you those cheese crackers that you like? I told them to bring you cheese crackers."

Téa smiled. "Yes, they're right here. Téa picked up one of the packages of crackers. "Would you like one?" Téa offered in the hopes she could tempt him to eat.

Todd wanted to share it with her, but the thought of eating made him feel nauseous. "No thanks," Todd replied.

"Todd, I love everything you got me." Tears welled up in Téa's eyes. "You made me so happy. I can't even say how much it means to me that you did this . . . I . . . I don't just mean the presents. I mean you coming to see me. I know how hard that had to be for you." Téa reached out with her other hand and stroked Todd's cheek. "Mi corazon," she whispered. "You are the bravest and strongest person I have ever known in my life. I love you." Todd pulled back from her touch. "Please don't be afraid to love me. It's safe, Todd. Your love is safe. It won't hurt me."

Todd sat still for a few moments. He lifted Téa's hand to his face. He shut his eyes and rested his lips and part of his cheek on her palm. "I don't ever want to hurt you again, Delgado. You're like . . . like . . . this . . . this . . ." Todd clenched his teeth as he was overcome with emotion. He tried to organize his thoughts. "Delgado, you told me your world was filled with darkness . . . that's how I feel most of the time. I can't get to the light . . . I . . . oh God! This is coming out stupid!"

"No, Todd. No, it's not. Tell me," Téa coaxed.

"I feel like I'm locked away in the dark . . . even before I couldn't see I was in the dark . . . there's no air . . . there's nothing to hold onto. Everything hurts. A girl I once knew told me I was darkness. I-I didn't know what she meant. Now I . . . I . . . You show me the way to the light, Delgado. You give me something to grab onto to pull myself to the light . . . I-I can't do it . . . I can't hold on for long. I fall back. The difference is I know you’re still there trying to reach out to me to pull me into the light with you. You're . . . you're this good and clean thing that came into my life. You make me wanna be good and clean too. I can't. I'm covered with dirt. I always was. No matter how hard I try to scrub it away, it won't come off. Sometimes you make me feel . . ." Todd stopped talking. He let go of Téa's hand.

"What?" Téa asked gently. "Todd, tell me. What do I make you feel?"

"Like maybe I can be clean . . . like maybe I'm not so dirty and so bad . . . that maybe someday I can touch you without hurting you . . . without making you as dirty as me . . . I . . ." Todd couldn't go on.

Téa took both his hands in hers. She held them together and brought them to her chest, just below her neck. She rested her chin on them. "It's safe to touch me, Todd. There's no dirt. You won't hurt me and I won't hurt you. I promise. I will always try to pull you to the light. The light is safety Todd. It's where you can live your life and not be afraid that you'll be hurt or that someone will hurt you. It's where you can be the person you want to be and where you will be able to feel love. I want that so much for you, mi corazon. Don't give up. Don't give into the darkness. When you're not able to pull yourself out, I'll be there to help you. Todd, you're not alone anymore. There are a lot of people who will help you to hold on. You don't have to be afraid. If you fall back, we'll pull you right out again."

Tears spilled down Todd's cheeks. "Don't get me to believe that, Delgado. Don't make me think that's true," Todd pleaded with her.

"It is true, Todd. I know you might not be able to believe it now or feel it, but it's true. You'll see, mi amor. We're safe with each other. You'll see," Téa swore to him. She kissed his hands and rested them in his lap.

Susannah saw that Todd needed to go back to the unit. He was becoming overwhelmed. "Todd, we need to get you back to your room. You need to lie down for a while and rest and Téa needs to rest too."

"Yeah," Todd muttered. Instinctively he knew he'd had enough. "Delgado, are you really okay?"

"Yes. Todd, I'm more okay than I've been in a very long time."

"Nothing's hurting you?" Todd needed to be sure.

"Just a tiny headache and they'll give me something for that."

"You tell them if you need anything, Delgado. If they don't have it, you let me . . .” Todd’s chin began to tremble. He felt shame wash over him. He had started to tell Téa to let him know if she needed something. Todd quickly realized that he might go away and not be there.

Téa realized what was going through his mind. "I'll let you or Sam or Viki know if I need anything. Don't worry, querido. I'll be fine."

"Are you ready to stand up?" Dan asked Todd.

"Yeah," Todd whispered. Susannah and Dan helped him up. "You take care of yourself, Delgado."

Téa heard the desperation in Todd's voice. "I will. I promise you. I'm not leaving you, Todd."

Téa hugged the flowers to her chest as she watched Todd leave her room.

*****

"Are you okay, sweetheart?" Viki asked Todd as soon as he walked out toward where she and Sam sat.

"I'm tired," Todd whispered.

"We'll go back to your unit with you, pal," Sam announced.

Todd really wanted them with him. He was feeling very anxious. Nonetheless, he put Téa first. "No. I don't want Delgado to be alone."

"Téa's brother and grandmother are going to be spending some time with her and Carlotta will be coming over later. She won't be alone," Viki assured him.

"Téa needed to get some rest too. This has been a busy day for her," Susannah pointed out. Not only was it the truth, Susannah knew Todd needed Viki and Sam with him.

Todd nodded. "Okay. You go right back to Delgado if she needs you."

"We will, pal. We will," Sam promised.

They led Todd down the hall. They were about to make the turn back to the elevators when Bo and Hank came through the doors. Hank was sorry to hear what happened to Téa, when Rachel told him. She also told him she and Bo were going to visit Téa. Hank always liked and admired Téa. He decided to go along and visit her too. Rachel stopped at the gift shop and let them go ahead. They assumed she would know what Téa would like more than they would. Hank knew little of Todd's condition, other than he was suffering from DID and other mental and physical illnesses. Hank did not even know Todd was experiencing a conversion disorder that left him unable to see. Bo was much more informed. When Bo saw Todd being led along the hallway he knew enough to stay quiet and not chance Todd's reaction to him.

Like Nora, Hank still felt little compassion for Todd. Now, seeing Todd for the first time since the hostage situation, Hank was shocked at Todd's appearance. "Viki, Sam . . . Todd," Hank greeted them when they came almost face-to-face with each other.

Todd immediately recognized Hanks voice. A look of shock came over his face. They saw this look quickly turn to panic. Todd suddenly pulled away from Susannah and Dan's grasp. He turned and faced Susannah, the techs and Sam and Viki. "YOU'RE ALL A BUNCH OF LYING BASTARDS!" Everyone except Bo and Hank recognized Pete. He turned back to Bo and Hank. "I DIDN'T DO IT! HOW MANY TIMES ARE YOU GONNA DRAG ME IN FOR THINGS I DIDN'T DO! YOU'RE NOT TAKING ME TO JAIL! I'M NEVER GOING BACK THERE! NEVER!" Pete shrieked. A couple of people who were in the hallway turned to stare.

Susannah knew this had to be handled very carefully. They were in a public place and Pete was volatile. "Pete, Bo and Hank are not here to take you to jail. They're here to visit Téa. She was hurt. Look around Pete. You're in a different part of the hospital. Todd was here visiting Téa." Susannah kept her voice calm.

Pete quickly glanced around. He didn't trust them for one minute. He knew it was some kind of trick.

Saber was inside smirking to himself. He'd been bored. Now this suddenly got interesting. Saber knew Hank and Bo weren't there to take Todd to jail. He also knew that Pete honestly believed they were. "They can't take you to jail if you're hurt, you idiot! Don't you ever use that brain of yours to think!"

Pete hated Saber. Pete couldn't count how many times Peter had said those exact words.

"Pete, there's a pair of scissors in your right pocket," Saber informed him. "Don't say I never did anything for you, you ungrateful little bastard."

"I'LL NEVER LET YOU TAKE ME BACK TO STATESVILLE! I'LL DIE FIRST!" Pete shrieked. He backed himself over to the wall.

"Pete," Bo began. He'd heard about Pete. "Susannah's telling you the truth. We're not here to arrest you. You haven't done anything wrong. We came to see Téa."

"YOU'RE A FUCKIN' LIAR! YOU LIED ABOUT TODD KILLING GEORGIE WHEN YOU KNEW DAMN WELL RACHEL DID IT! YOU LET THAT BITCH LIE ABOUT IT! YOU WERE BOTH MORE THAN HAPPY TO LET TODD GO TO JAIL INSTEAD OF YOUR PRECIOUS RACHEL!"

"No, Pete. I had no idea Rachel did it. I'm sorry you had to go through all of that. Everyone knows Todd didn't kill Georgie," Bo stated firmly.

"Rachel paid for what she did Todd! She went to jail." Hank spat out. Sick or not sick . . . he was incensed at what Pete said.

"Hank don't," Bo cautioned.

"What the hell's going on here?" Kevin asked angrily as he came through the doors. He had no idea Todd would be back visiting Téa again. He came to see how Téa was doing and then he planned to go see Todd on his unit.

"I KNEW YOU HAD TO BE A PART OF THIS BUCHANAN! YOU THINK THIS IS PAYDAY DON'T YOU! YOU COULDN'T MISS SEEING THEM DRAG ME TO PRISON. IT'S NOT GONNA HAPPEN!" Pete reached into the pocket of the pants he was wearing. His movements were swift. He felt the scissors and before anyone could stop him he plunged it into his outer thigh and pulled it in a downward motion. He wanted to make sure it did the most damage it could. Pete felt no pain. He did not even grimace. Pete pulled the scissors from his pocket. Immediately, Todd's pants started becoming saturated with blood.

"Oh my God!" Viki cried out.

Without thinking, Bo lunged to take the weapon away from Pete before he inflicted further damage to himself. Just as the staff was about to try to put Pete in a hold, Pete screamed, "NO! I WON'T LET YOU HURT ME THE WAY YOU HURT TODD! I WON'T LET YOU DO THAT TO ME AGAIN! I HATE YOU! YOU'RE NOT MY FATHER! YOU'RE TODD'S FATHER! I HATE YOU!"

It was Peter Manning Pete saw towering over him when he plunged the scissors into Bo's left side.

TO BE CONTINUED