Susannah, Viki and Sam all exchanged looks. "Todd, who are you with?" Susannah pushed. "Michelle," he answered calmly. He then started to look nervous. "What are you doing now?" Susannah asked. "I can't find any matches, " Todd answered, doing what looked like the opening and closing of draws. "I don't want to get in trouble," he whispered to himself. "What will get you in trouble?" Susannah pressed. "Taking my dad's cigarette lighter. Michelle is disappointed if we can't light the candles," Todd sighed in dismay.

Appearing to open one more draw, Todd lifted something out of it. He walked a few steps. He lifted the top of the lighter and flipped the flame on with his thumb. He then proceeded to light fifteen candles.

Todd looked down smiling and blushing as he heard Michelle sing Happy Birthday to him. Suddenly Todd looked off to the side. Horror etched his face. "M-M-Michelle just b-brought me a b-birthday cake. W-w-we weren't doing anything w-wrong," Todd stuttered.

Todd looked at the floor. He saw the cake Michelle had baked splattered all over it. "Dad please! Don't!" Todd begged. "Oh, God!" He said to himself. "Todd, it's not happening now. Tell me what you're seeing," Susannah asked.

"My dad is calling Michelle a whore and a slut and a filthy little bitch. He's got her by the arm and he's throwing her out of the house. He's telling her how stupid and worthless I am and that she needs to get herself a boy who acts like a man and not like a little girl," Todd cried. He looked ashamed and clearly devastated by what had just happened.

"No! We weren't doing anything," Todd insisted loudly. "What is your father saying to you?" Susannah continued to press. "He said, 'don't you raise your voice to me. Are you screwing around with that little tramp right in my own house? Is that what you do when I'm not home?'" "She only came to bring me a birthday cake," Todd responded. Tears filled his eyes. "What did your dad say then?" "He said, 'you really think that junior slut likes you? She was laughing at you! She came here tonight so tomorrow she could tell all her friends what a pathetic loser you are.' Oh God!"

"Todd, what is it? What's happening now?" Susannah persisted. "I still have the lighter in my hand. He sees the lighter." Suddenly, Todd's arm thrust forward. He held it straight out, as if it were being held still by someone.

"Tell me what's happening?" Susannah prompted. "He wants to play the game different tonight. It's an experiment. He wants me to hold my hand over the flame for as long as I can, not just for a minute. I don't want to. Oh God, I just want him to leave me alone. I didn't do anything wrong. I didn't! I don't want to be hurt anymore." Then just as suddenly Todd pulled his arm away and "looking his father in the eye," he said, "NO!"

Todd stood frozen to the spot, staring at the father he saw in his mind. Sam Viki and Susannah froze as well. Their hearts were pounding.

"You dare to say no to me, you little bastard! Who the hell do you think you are! You're nothing but the son of a Goddamn slut. Do you think because some whore came to give you a cake that makes you some kind of man? Give me your hand!" Todd heard Peter say to him as he felt Peter grab his arm. Once again Todd's arm shot out in front of him. He just stared straight ahead as he felt the flame under his hand. Susannah knew that he had "gone away inside his head."

Todd put his hands to his ears. "He's crying. Make him stop!" "Who's crying?" Susannah asked. "I don't know it sounds like a kid. It's getting louder. Make him stop! Make him stop! I don't want to hear him!"

Susannah remembered Todd mentioning something about hearing a child cry before. She remembered it happened when he was discussing Georgie. "Can you see the child? Can you tell where the crying is coming from?" "No." Todd cried. "Look around and see if you see the child," Susannah suggested.

Todd looked around, but it wasn't the room he was looking at. It was his mind. "I can't find him." Todd pushed his hands against his ears. His eyes were squeezed shut. He backed into the wall, crying, "No, I'm scared. I wanna go back. Don't make me. Please! Let me go back!"

The voice was similar to Todd's, but not quite. When Susannah approached him, he scrambled away, to the corner of the room. "Todd you know I won't hurt you," Susannah gently assured him. He stared at her, still terrified. "Do you want Viki or Sam to come help you?" Susannah pointed to them. "I don't know Viki. I'm scared! Who are you?" Susannah's pulse quickened when she realized this was yet another alter they had never met.

"My name is Susannah Hanen. I'm Todd's doctor. Can you tell me your name?" Hearing this Sam and Viki looked at each other with fear in their eyes. "I don't know. I don't think I have a name. This isn't the same house." "The same as what sweetheart?" Susannah asked. "The same as the one I was in. The same as Todd's house. You can call me Todd too. I had to pretend to be Todd so our father and Michelle wouldn't know it was me. I love Michelle. She's real nice to Todd."

He seemed to be calmer. "Todd, how old are you?" Susannah inquired. "Fourteen." "Have you been with Todd since he was fourteen?" He shrugged his shoulders and replied, "I don't know. I live inside a secret hiding place. I know about Todd but I don't think he knows me." "Where have you been?" "It's a secret. I can't tell anyone about my hiding place." "Do you know Miss Perkins or Tom or Timmy or any of the others who live with Todd?" "I know them. I can see them but they don't know me. I'm a secret." "Have you ever come out before today?" Susannah asked. "Once, Todd was so ashamed that his father called Michelle names and told her how bad he was. I don't think Michelle will want to be friends with Todd anymore. "

Tears filled his eyes when he said that. He was starting to get agitated. Susannah could see he was starting to loose his connection to her and to his surroundings. "He shouldn't have said no," Todd stated. He started to cry again. "Who shouldn't have said no?" Susannah asked. "Todd, it made our father angry and then I had to come and pretend to be him. NO! I WANT TO GO BACK INSIDE! PLEASE!", he screamed.

Then, without warning, Todd's body hit the floor, face down. It wasn't as if he fell but as if he were pushed. Todd's hands came together like Tom's had, as if they were tied together. Only now his ankles came together in the same way. Todd's body lurched as he felt the buckle end of Peter's belt hit his back, but he made no sound. Again and again his body lurched. He remained silent.

"Susannah please!" Viki cried out. She walked closer to where Todd lay on the floor. "FOR GOD'S SAKE! STOP THIS NOW!" Sam yelled. "Please! If you have to, leave the room!" Susannah spoke to them, harshly.

Susannah knelt down. "Todd, you're not in your house in Chicago. You're at Asa's lodge and you're safe. No one is hurting you. Tell me what's happening. What are you feeling?"

"He's hitting me with his belt. If I move or make any noise it'll get worse." Having come back for the moment, as the alter Todd tried to escape, it was Todd's voice that whimpered this as his body still lurched with each blow from the belt.

Then his body was still for a minute. Susannah took his pulse. "Rapid, but steady. He's all right," she assured Viki and Sam.

"NO! NO! WHAT ARE YOU DOING! DAD? NOOOO!" The alter Todd shrieked out as he felt Peter pull down his pants and underpants. He tried to free his hands and feet from their imaginary ties. He pulled his knees into his torso. He tried to get up even though his hands and feet were still bound. His body crashed onto the floor again. This time being held down by the weight of Peter's body.

"TELL ME! TELL ME WHAT YOU DID WITH THAT TRAMP!" Todd heard Peter scream. "Nothing!" Todd cried out. "We didn't do anything!" Todd's breath came in short gasps as Peter's weight on top of him hampered his ability to breath. "LIAR! YOU'RE JUST LIKE YOUR MOTHER! A WORTHLESS PIECE OF GARBAGE!" Todd continued to hear Peter scream.

"Todd tell me what's happening. What is your father doing to you?" Susannah pushed him to talk. Her heart was in her stomach. "He pulled down my pants. He's on top of me. He's . . . he's . . . NOOOO!" This time Todd's the scream was silent. He just mouthed the word.

Todd lay on the floor, silently, not moving a muscle. His breathing easier because Peter, finishing what he started, had gotten off of him.

"Todd," Susannah called out gently. She brushed back the hair that had fallen in his face. "Can you hear me?" She got no response. She realized this is the only alter she was aware of, other than Timmy and Andy, who experienced sexual abuse.

"Todd, it's not happening now. Now you're safe. Tell me what's going on. You don't have to relive it to let us know how badly you were hurt. We know. Just say it with words. Look at from the outside. It's not happening now," Susannah soothed.

"It's all my fault. I made him do it. It's my fault," this "new" Todd cried. "No, Todd, no! It's not your fault. You didn't do anything wrong. No matter what your dad is telling you, it's not your fault."

Susannah was about to try to get him off the floor so she could check his blood pressure when he suddenly turned over. Still feeling that his wrists and ankles were bound, he inched his way to the wall. He looked to the left. He gasped. A look of horror came over his face.

"Nooo!" He wailed. "What are you seeing? Todd, tell me what you're seeing?" Susannah prodded. Her heart was racing. "Michelle! She was standing outside looking in the window. She saw everything! OH GOD! OH GOD! OH GOD! Oh God!" Todd shrieked. Then to himself Todd whispered, "I wish I was dead."

Todd's eyes became wide with horror! "No! Oh God, no! He's going after her. Run Michelle. RUUUN! She can't hear me. It's like she can't move. No! No! He's got her by the arm. He's dragging her into the house!"

Todd was fighting furiously to free his hands and feet. All the while he was screaming, "NO! DAD DON'T!" "What's your father doing?" Susannah asked. "Her coat came off and her bag dropped. She's trying to get out the door. She's trying to get away from him. He's pulling her back. Her clothes are ripping. She got away and tried to get out the door again. He's got Michelle by the hair! He's hitting her across the face. She's screaming! She's screaming for me to help her. Oh God!"

Todd kept trying desperately to free himself. "He's taking her to the basement! I hear her screaming for me to help her. She keeps screaming for me to help her!" Todd tried to lift his "bound" hands to cover his ears but all he could do was lift them, together, to his forehead. "She stopped," he whispered.

Todd pushed himself back against the wall as hard as he could, as if he were trying to become a part of the wall, as if he were trying to disappear into it. "What do you see? Todd, tell me everything that happened that night" Susannah prompted.

"My father is coming back upstairs. He's coming over to me." Todd's body jumped up as he felt Peter pull him into a standing position. He started to move his legs as the ties around them were severed. "NO! NO! DON'T MAKE ME!" he shrieked, as Peter pulled him down to the basement.

Once down the stairs, Peter threw Todd down on the floor against the opposite wall from where Michelle lay dazed from a punch Peter had given her. Her hands and feet were bound with rope. Todd tried to stand up but fell back down against the wall as a wave of dizziness overpowered him. Peter stood there, silently assessing the situation and deciding what he needed to, what he wanted to do. Michelle broke Peter's concentration when she started to moan softly. Her eyes began to focus. She realized where she was and started to cry.

"Please Mr. Manning I won't tell anyone. I swear I won't. Please, let me go. Todd, help me!" Michelle pleaded softly. She lifted her head as best she could, trying to see Todd. Peter bent down to where Michelle lay. He licked his lips. "You like my son? You like Todd, don't you?"

Michelle could not see Todd shaking his head and mouthing the word "no." He was trying to warn Michelle not to say she liked him. "Yes, I like Todd a lot. We're best friends," Michelle replied through her tears. Todd squeezed his eyes shut. "Would you like to be more than 'best friends' with my son?" Peter mocked the words "best friends."

Michelle stared at him, not knowing what he meant. Smiling, Peter walked over to where Todd sat and lifted him up by his hair. He dragged him over to where Michelle lay. Without removing the ties around Todd's hands Peter pulled down Todd's pants and underwear and pushed him down, on top of Michelle. Peter's own body sandwiched Todd between him and the terrified girl.

Peter reached for his pocketknife and cut the ties from Todd's hands. Grabbing Todd's wrists in each of his hands, Peter held Todd's arms down on either side of Michelle's head. Michelle started screaming. She tried to squirm away but the weight of Peter, holding Todd on top of her, made any movement impossible. Todd used every bit of strength left in him to try to get off of Michelle; however, Peter's weight prevented him from moving.

"Todd please!" Michelle begged. All Todd could do was stare into her once beautiful blue eyes, now clouded and near black with terror. "I'm sorry! Oh God Michelle, I'm so sorry!" Laughing, Peter mocked Todd's words. "'I'm sorry, Michelle. I'm so sorry!'" Peter imitated Todd.

Peter pulled Todd off Michelle and threw him back towards the corner of the room. As Todd fixed his clothes, shame and repulsion mingled with the terror he was feeling. A wave a dizziness even stronger that than before washed over him and he threw up. Wiping his mouth off, Todd stood up. He saw that Peter was kneeling over Michelle, stroking her hair and softly saying to her, "Todd isn't man enough for you is he? Is that why you came here tonight little girl? Is it? I don't want you to be disappointed. I want you to get what you came for."

Peter caressed Michelle's cheek. She tried to turn her face away from his. With all the strength Todd had left in his thin young body, he pounced on Peter and tried to drag him off Michelle.

Peter stood up and grabbed Todd by the throat and pushed him up against the wall. Todd's head hit the wall hard enough to leave him dazed. Peter quickly tied Todd's hands and ankles up again, using rope this time. The sharp fibers from it cutting into Todd's wrists, as they had Michelle's. That done, Peter turned his attention back to Michelle.

Peter stood over her and muttered, "Garbage. You're nothing but garbage, just like Todd's mother and like Todd." He ripped the young girl's clothes off. First the blue sweater, then the blue skirt.

Todd stared as her torn clothes were thrown in front of him. He remembered once hearing the Todd who he was pretending to be tell Michelle that she looked real pretty in that outfit. He remembered how it matched her eyes. Todd watched as Peter proceeded to rip off Michelle's panties and bra. The girl lay naked and shivering at Peter's feet.

Todd felt as if he were in a dream, no, more like one of the nightmares his namesake had. He looked around the basement and nothing seemed real or familiar. Todd heard Michelle's screams but they seemed to be coming from very far away. He heard his own and didn't know they were coming from him. When Peter shoved a handkerchief in his mouth he didn't even realized it. Todd stared at his father and Michelle, as Peter raped her.

Standing up, Peter turned to his son and calmly declared, "Never send a boy in to do a man's job." Todd, his eyes glazed, just stared at his father. Michelle lay on the ground, quietly whimpering. Peter then announced, "I need another drink," and with that he headed upstairs. "Todd! Todd! Please! TOOOD!" Michelle screamed. Todd looked around. He realized where he was.

"Please Todd, help me!" Michelle cried." Todd tried to free his hands. They wouldn't budge. The harder he tried the more the rope cut into his flesh. He got to his knees and inched his way to Michelle. He was able to spit out the handkerchief. When he was next to Michelle all he could say was her name over and over again.

"Untie me! Todd, please untie me!" Michelle begged. Todd maneuvered his way around until his back was towards Michelle's hands and he felt for her wrists. Michelle raised herself to a sitting position. She turned her back towards him, to assist him. When Todd found her wrists he felt for the knot in the rope and tried to untie it. At first it wouldn't budge. Finally, Todd felt the knot give way and Michelle's hands were free.

The young girl quickly worked to untie her ankles. She turned to Todd and started to untie his hands. "No! Don't! Run! Get out of here. Don't stop for me. Just run. Michelle, please! Run!" Todd begged.

Suddenly, Michelle realized she was naked. Michelle covered herself with her arms. She then walked to where her clothes lay and covered herself with the torn clothes as best she could. Michelle hesitated for a moment and cried, "Todd, I can't just leave you. What will he do to you?" "Michelle please! I'll be okay. I'm begging you. Run! run! RUN!"

Michelle looked at Todd once more and started up the stairs. Todd, with his back to the basement stairs, didn't see Peter come walking down. Nor did he see the baseball bat in Peter's hand, but Michelle did.

In shocked silence, she backed down the stairs until she was once again next to where Todd sat. Crouching down, she looked up at Peter and she whimpered, "Nooo, please!" Feeling Michelle next to him again and hearing her pleas, Todd maneuvered his body around just as he heard Michelle scream, "TOOOOD!" one last time.

Todd saw the hands holding the bat as it crushed Michelle's skull, with a loud terrifying sound. The thud and cracking sound of the bat making contact with Michelle's head reverberated throughout the room. A sound so loud, it seemed to fill every cell in Todd's body. Then it seemed as if the entire world had turned red. It was everywhere Todd looked. He felt the warm stickiness of Michelle's blood as it splashed over him.

Peter stood in front of Todd and lifted him to his feet. He turned Todd around so he was facing Michelle. She was on her back, partially wedged up against the wall. The left side of her skull was caved in. Her shiny hair was matted with her own blood and brains. Her blue eyes were open. "Michelle?" Todd called to her, "Michelle, I'll get you untied, I promise." Peter pushed Todd to his knees so that he was closer to Michelle's body and screamed, "LOOK AT HER! LOOK WHAT YOU DID TO HER!"

Peter lifted Todd back to a standing position and turned him around so that Todd's back was facing Peter and placed the bloody baseball bat in Todd's hands. He squeezed Todd's fingers around the base of the bat. Then Peter threw the bat on the floor and took off the work gloves he was wearing and threw those on the floor as well. He then cut the rope off Todd's hands and feet.

"We have to get rid of her," Peter said, not bothering to notice that Todd wasn't hearing him. Todd was just staring at the bat and gloves that lay on the basement floor. "We have to get something to put her in. Todd get that old sleeping bag off the shelf." Todd didn't move. Peter spun around and grabbed Todd by the shoulders and shook him.

"What the hell is the matter with you Todd! Do as I say! TODD!" Peter commanded, shaking even harder. Like a robot, Todd got the sleeping bag off the shelf and handed it to his father. Peter put it on the floor and unzipped it, laying it open.

"You take her feet," Peter ordered. Todd just stood there, staring, his eyes blank. Peter walked up to Todd and slapped him across the face so hard he knocked him over. Peter grabbed him by his arm and pulled him back to his feet.

"Do you want to go to jail! Do you! Look what you did!" Peter once again turned Todd toward Michelle. Peter turned Todd back so that he was once again facing him. "I'm willing to help you. Do you want me to help you?" Peter asked, as he shook Todd by the shoulders.

Todd looked up at his father and nodded. "Then we have to get her out of here and put her where she won't be found. Now let's get her into the sleeping bag and then we have to get the basement and ourselves cleaned up."

In silence Todd and his father put Michelle in the bag. Peter also put the bloody bat and gloves in with her and they cleaned the blood from the basement. Peter, using the bathroom in the basement, took a shower. Naked, he went upstairs to get dressed, leaving Todd with instructions to shower and to make sure to wash the blood from the shower before he was through.

Peter returned carrying some clothes for Todd and the coat and bag that had fallen off Michelle in the front hall. Peter carefully gathered up the bloody clothes that he and Todd had taken off and placed them in a large green plastic bag.

"We'll go out through the garage. You wait here," Peter instructed. Once again Todd followed his fathers instructions, silently. In a few minutes Peter came back down and said, "We have to get her to the car. Don't just stand there like an idiot, help me." Peter and Todd carried Michelle up the stairs and out to the car's trunk.

Peter drove out to a wooded area about twenty miles from their house. He drove the car as far into the area he planned to leave Michelle in as he could. "We have to carry her the rest of the way," Peter barked.

They carried her about fifty yards and placed her on the ground. "Wait here!" Peter ordered. He went back to the car and returned with two shovels. Todd stood there shivering in the cold January night. He never felt so cold. He felt as if he would never be warm again.

Peter handed him one of the shovels and said, "Come on! Let's go! What are you waiting for!" Todd put the shovel into the earth. "I can't. It's too cold. It's too cold. It's too cold! It's too hard. I can't leave her here. Don't make me," Todd pleaded. Peter walked over to Todd and pushed him against a tree. He didn't need to say a word. The look on Peter's face was enough. Together, father and son dug a grave.

Peter made sure it was deep enough and then he and Todd placed Michelle, sleeping bag and all, in the grave and shoveled the cold earth back into it's place. Peter told Todd to gather some leaves and branches to cover the fresh grave with.

Having now, fully, slipped into his own world, Todd commented, "She likes lilacs." "What?" Peter asked. "She likes lilacs. I heard her tell Todd she likes lilacs." "What the hell do you mean you heard her tell Todd?"

Peter stood over Todd and slapped him across the face again. "Snap out of it! We have to get home." Peter had to drag Todd back to the car. "She likes lilacs," Todd kept repeating to himself as they drove. Then the boy, who loved Michelle and had come out that night and answered to Todd, went back to his hiding place, where he would stay for almost fifteen years.

Todd came back when he and his father were about a mile from home. Todd had no idea how long it had been since his birthday, but the humiliation of what happened in front of Michelle was fresh in his mind. He couldn't bear the thought of seeing her in school again. He wondered how much time had gone by. Maybe he had already seen her and forgot.

Todd's body hurt all over. His wrists hurt a lot. He looked down at them and saw that they had red welts around them. He pulled his sleeves down to cover them, as he always tried to cover the wounds he didn't remember getting. Todd wanted to sleep. He just wanted to get home and sleep. He wondered what he was doing out at night with his father and why they were driving around. He also wondered where they had come from. Finally they drove into the garage.

Peter instructed Todd to go to the living room and build a fire. Todd was so tired, but he did as he was told. Peter came into the room and told Todd to go into the front hallway and clean up the mess in there. Todd saw the remains of his birthday cake on the floor. That was when he realized it was probably still the same night.

Todd still wondered what he was doing out with Peter. "Maybe dad felt bad about what he did in front of Michelle and took me out for my birthday," he thought.

"How stupid are you!" Todd heard the angry voice say. Startled, he turned around. He had never heard this voice before. It was different from the others he heard. Todd was terrified. He was always frightened when he heard the voices, even though as a very young child he had found comfort in them. He would talk to them and feel less alone. Now they terrified him.

"The only thing he thinks about your birthday is that it never should have happened," the angry voice said. Todd put his hands to his ears trying, in vain, to block the voice out.

"I hate him!" the voice said. Todd tried to ignore what he was hearing and continued to clean up the cake. Peter had thrown all the bloody clothes and the handbag into the fire. The smoke was strong and Peter came into the front hallway and opened a window. He also opened the door a crack, to let some of the acrid odor out. Todd had finished cleaning up the floor. "I finished. Is it all right if I go to bed?" He asked Peter. Peter looked at him and laughed. "What a wimp you are. It's not even ten o'clock yet. Was tonight too much for you?" Peter asked in a sarcastic and mocking manner. "At least you won't have to worry about that little whore ever coming back here again."

Pete didn't even have to make Todd's head hurt to get out. Before Peter had a chance to say another word Pete, with all his rage and fury, pushed Peter up against the wall. With his hands around Peter's throat, squeezing as hard as he could, Pete shouted, "HOW COULD YOU DO THAT! YOU BASTARD! HOW COULD YOU DO THAT! I HATE YOU! I WANT YOU DEAD! I WANT YOU DEAD!" Pete did not hear Sam Rappaport come into the house.

"I HATE YOU! I WANT YOU DEAD! I HATE YOU!" A stunned Susannah, Viki and Sam heard Pete scream. His hands were still around the throat his mind's eye saw. "Pete! It's all right. It's not happening now. Todd's father is dead. He can't hurt anyone anymore. It's all right Pete. We know what happened. You can stop now. We know why you wanted to kill him. It's okay. Pete, I want you to relax. It's over. You and Todd were able to tell the secret. It's over. You need to calm down now."

Susannah looked over at Sam and Viki. Both seemed to be frozen, not yet able to process what they had just seen and heard. "Pete, it's Doctor Hanen. You need to relax. I want you to go back inside and go to sleep now. I want you to calm down and go to sleep. Pete, I'm going to count from three to one and when I get to one I want you to go into a deep trance."

Susannah's hypnotic command had no effect on Pete. He was still in that room with Peter and could not hear her. Susannah ran to the bedroom and called Frank, Jeff and Terry into the front room. "I need to give him a shot." Susannah called to them.

Frank and Jeff rushed to where Pete stood, "strangling" Peter. They were able to restrain Pete without much difficulty. Despite Pete's rage he was dazed and confused. On top of that, Todd's body was weak.

"Sam. SAM!" Susannah shouted, "Pete needs you." Composing himself, Sam jumped to his feet and approached Pete, who was still screaming out at Peter. Terry prepared a syringe from the medication in Susannah's bag. "I WANT TO KILL HIM! HOW COULD HE DO THAT!" Pete screamed. "I know you do Pete and I don't blame you." Sam tried to comfort him. Pete wasn't even aware of Terry injecting him. "I HATE HIM!" Pete continued to cry out, until the drug hit his system.

Frank and Jeff half walked and half carried him to the couch and laid him down on it. Viki rushed over to him. Sam knelt down by his head and Viki sat next to him on the couch. "I didn't hurt her. I didn't hurt her," Pete whimpered. "We know you didn't," Viki said. She stroked his head.

For the first time, Pete didn't pull away from a display of affection. "I'm so sorry pal. I saw you that night. I had no idea. Oh, God! I'm so sorry," Sam confessed, as tears fell down his cheeks. Pete looked up at Sam and once again repeated, "I didn't hurt her." "I know you didn't pal. I know you didn't."

Then Pete was gone and Timmy was back. He looked up at Asa's moose head and asked Sam, "Are you sure he's not real?" Realizing it was Timmy, Sam, his voice choking with tears, answered, "no Timmy. It's not real, just a big ol' stuffed moose." Sam kissed Timmy's forehead.

"How come you're crying? Did the moose bite you?" Timmy asked Sam. Unable to compose himself, Sam had to get up and walk away for a minute. Timmy's lower lip and chin started to quiver. "Is Sam mad at me?" Timmy whimpered. Viki pulled Timmy into a hug. "No, sweetheart. No baby, Sam is a little upset over something he heard, not at you." "I love Sam. I don't want him to be mad at me, then he won't wanna be my daddy no more," Timmy cried.

Hearing this, Sam pulled himself together and once again knelt down next to Timmy and Viki. Sam took Timmy from Viki's arms. He held him tightly. "Timmy, I will always want to be your daddy. I love you so much." "This much?" Timmy asked. He held his arms out as far apart as he could get them. "A million times that much," Sam swore, once again kissing Timmy's forehead.

Sam gently rocked Timmy until he was almost asleep. Susannah came over and asked Timmy how he was feeling. "I'm cold," he answered. Viki turned to Jeff and asked him if he would please bring some blankets in from the bedroom. Susannah felt Timmy's forehead. His skin was cold and clammy. She took his blood pressure. It was eight-five over forty. His heart rate was one hundred and thirty. Susannah checked his eyes. His pupils were dilated. She knew that Todd's body was starting to go into shock. "Frank," Susannah called to him, "would you also bring some pillows out here." Susannah stroked Timmy's damp hair. "Timmy, I'm going to put some pillows under your legs. I want you to try to sit up a little."

Timmy was too weak to pull himself up. Sam and Susannah helped him while Terry placed a couple of pillows under his knees. Susannah also placed some pillows behind him. Frank covered him with two of the blankets Jeff had handed him. Susannah tucked them securely around Timmy.

"There you go, snug as a bug," she said to Timmy and tapped his nose with her index finger. "I'm still cold," Timmy whimpered. He was shivering and his teeth were chattering. Sam brought another blanket over and Viki tucked that one around him too. Timmy asked for Mr. Rabbit. Frank retrieved him and handed him to Timmy. Timmy clutched Mr. Rabbit to his chest. Viki adjusted the blankets around Timmy and Mr. Rabbit. Susannah asked Terry to sit with him while she talked to Sam and Viki.

"What's wrong with him? Why is he so cold?" Sam asked. He was frightened. "Todd's mind and body have just been through a major trauma. He's in mild shock. He should stabilize soon. We need to keep him warm and keep his legs elevated." "Should I call an ambulance?" Viki asked. She was terrified. "No, I think that will frighten him. He'll stabilize soon. Then we'll get him back to the hospital." Timmy had fallen asleep and didn't even feel it when Terry took his blood pressure fifteen minutes later. It was one hundred over sixty. Todd's body was coming around. They all sat silently. None of them spoke about what they had just been witnesses to. There would be time for that tomorrow.

TO BE CONTINUED