Sam played Boggle Junior with him for a while. Tom started to nod off during the game and went back to sleep.
Bo and Tea didn't want to pull Sam or Viki away from the hospital so they took a cab. Tea called Viki and Sam to briefly tell them how things went. She said she and Bo would fill them in on the details tomorrow.
They were relieved that Commissioner Jackson was a fair and objective man. They wished he could have given them a more definite answer about questioning Todd and about going to the DA. Nevertheless they were grateful that he was going to check things out before he acted.
Susannah checked in on Todd before she left for the day. She told Sam and Viki that his electrolytes had gone up. They were still low, but out of the danger zone. Susannah saw his heart rhythm was improving as well. Viki told Susannah that Doctor Williams, Todd's cardiologist, had been in to see him earlier. Tom had been sleeping so soundly he didn't even wake up when Doctor Williams examined him. She told Susannah that he also noticed some improvement.
"Do you think Todd will be left with any permanent heart damage?" Sam asked.
"No permanent damage has been done by this last problem. It is imperative that we get those electrolytes up and keep them up. I think one more day on the drip should do the trick. Once Todd is a little more stable, perhaps the day after tomorrow, I want to put the feeding tube back. I also want Todd to have an abdominal endoscopy, just to be sure there are no problems in his digestive system that are causing his constant stomach upset. Todd will have to be put under a light anesthesia and I don't want to do that until we clear up this problem first." Susannah knew Sam and Viki were hoping things would improve on their own. Sadly, she also knew that wasn't likely.
Tom slept through most of the night. Sam stayed with him. He had one nightmare around two in the morning. It wasn't too bad as far as the way his nightmares usually go. He woke up crying and disoriented. Sam was able to calm him and get him back to sleep in less than ten minutes. He slept quietly the rest of the night.
Viki returned at eight-thirty the next morning. Timmy had been the one to wake up. Frank and Nancy had already cleaned him up, in his bed. Timmy definitely seemed more alert and awake. He said his tummy still felt funny, but "regular funny, not special funny." He did agree to eat some chocolate pudding and Viki went to get it.
"Where's Andy?" Timmy asked Sam.
Susannah told Sam and Viki about Andy's appearance. "I guess Andy went back inside, pal," Sam told him gently.
Timmy shut his eyes for a few minutes and then sadly admitted, "I can't find him. He hided himself like Todd."
"Timmy," Sam asked tenderly, "have you been missing Andy all this time?"
Timmy nodded. "He would play with me. He once showeded me his secret tree. I was the only one he showeded to. I couldn't climb it cause I was scared and he didn't laugh at me. He played the game with daddy sometimes so I didn't have to. I'm glad daddy didn't killeded him forever."
"Me too pal. Me too," Sam admitted and hugged Timmy tightly.
Viki came back in with Timmy's pudding and was able to get him to eat a little more than half of it. She also got him to drink a cup of milk. Susannah came into the room and was relieved to see Timmy looking so much better.
Timmy reached out for hug, which Susannah happily gave him. She examined Mr. Rabbit, who still wasn't feeling that good according to Timmy, and then she examined Timmy. Susannah played "the stethoscope game" with both Timmy, and at Timmy's request, Mr. Rabbit. Viki and Sam stood by, exchanging glances and smiling at their precious child.
"Can I go play with my toys?" Timmy requested after Susannah finished examining him.
"Maybe a little later sweetie. You have to stay in bed until the medicine in this bag is all gone."
"Why don't you tell me what toys you want and I'll bring them to you?" Sam suggested.
"My Pooh coloring book and my crayons."
Sam brought them to him, and colored with him for a while. Timmy became sleepy and took a nap.
The medication finished while Timmy was sleeping. When he woke up he was happy that the IV had been disconnected and only a hep lock remained in his arm. He was free to walk around.
"Can I go to the art room?" he asked Susannah.
After checking to make sure it wasn't occupied Susannah walked him over there. He was still wobbly on his feet, though much less than the other day. Susannah hoped he would react better to the next medication she tried.
Tea and Bo did not want to drag Viki and Sam away from the hospital. They came there to speak with them.
Susannah joined them in the lounge.
Bo and Tea gave them a detailed description of their meeting with Commissioner Jackson. Viki, Susannah and Sam were relieved that he seemed to be a fair man and that he was not going to rush into anything. They were worried by the knowledge that eventually he was going to have to turn the case over to the DA. Especially, when they heard what Bill Jackson had said about Steve Harris. They didn't want Todd being used as a stepping stone for someone's ambitions.
Laura, the art therapist, brought Timmy into the lounge. He had drawn a picture of Andy and he wanted to show it to Sam, Viki and Susannah.
Bo, who had not seen Todd since that day at the jail, could not believe his eyes. He could not believe that this incredibly pale, almost skeletal, young man he saw was Todd Manning. He noticed that Laura had to steady him as they walked. He also noticed Todd's face. The innocent Timmy came shining through. This was clearly a child Bo was looking at.
"Look! I drawed Andy," Timmy proudly held up his drawing up for them to see.
Timmy was happy to see Tea and said, "I remember. Your daddy bought you stuffed animals."
"That's right," Tea stroked his hair back as she spoke to him, "and do you know what? My grandmother still has some of my toys in her house. Would you like her to send me some of them for you?"
"Really!" Timmy exclaimed gleefully.
"Really," Tea said. Timmy's big smile was like a reward to Tea.
Timmy noticed Bo sitting there and pulled back towards Laura. They all realized that Bo was a stranger to Timmy. He had no memory of meeting him in the jail cell that day.
"Timmy," Susannah said holding out her hand, "come here sweetie. I want you to meet someone."
Timmy hesitated for a moment and then took her hand and stepped over to where they all sat.
"Timmy, this is Bo Buchanan. Bo, this is Timmy."
"Hey there Timmy. How'er you doin'?" Bo smiled at the fragile child standing before him.
"I drawed a picture of Andy," Timmy said shyly. He held up the picture again.
"Let's see pal," Sam held out his hand for the picture.
They looked at the picture of a little boy with medium length dark blond hair and hazel eyes. Andy was closer in appearance to Todd than either Timmy or Tom. They saw that Timmy drew Andy standing in front of a huge tree.
Timmy sat down on the floor in front of them and asked hopefully, "Do you think Andy will like it?"
"I'm sure he will sweetheart," Viki assured him. She kissed the top of his head.
"Can I put Andy's name up on the board in our room and the day room?" Timmy asked Susannah.
"Sure you can sweetie. We'll go do that in just a minute, okay?"
"I want to show Kevin. Is he ever coming back?" Timmy asked Viki. She heard the sadness in his voice.
"I just spoke with Kevin and he is coming to see you today. He should be here very soon," Viki promised him.
"Kevin's coming just to see me!"
The joy on Timmy's face and in his voice surprised Bo.
Timmy turned to Bo and Tea and proudly informed them, "Kevin is my bestest friend. He says I play football the best and he knows a whole lot of good games. Do you know how to play alphabet spaghetti?" Timmy asked Bo.
"No, I can't say that I do," Bo responded. He smiled at Timmy.
Timmy explained the game to him.
"It sure does sound like Kevin knows some good games," Bo admitted. Bo was impressed and deeply touched by what he could only think of as a delightful child.
"Timmy," Susannah said, standing up and holding her hand out again, "let's go get Andy's name up on the bulletin board and get your picture hung up."
"Okay." Timmy grinned and took Susannah's hand. Bo noticed he was too weak to stand up on his own. Susannah helped him and he then walked to his room with her.
"So that's Timmy," Bo said.
Viki, who had gotten used to the way Todd looked, saw the expression on Bo's face when he first saw Todd and it broke her heart. "I know you were probably shocked by Todd's appearance," Viki stated. Her voice broke slightly.
"He's lost a lot of weight." Bo acknowledged.
''Thirty-four pounds since July," Viki confirmed and added, "They're going to put the feeding tube back tomorrow." Viki took Bo's hand. "Bo, you can see that Todd cannot be brought in to this whole Michelle thing. Can you imagine that little boy you just saw being questioned by the police?"
"No Viki, I can't. Unfortunately, I have no jurisdiction in Chicago. I have no control over the situation. We have to hope that Jackson, on his end, or Tea and Sam and I on our end, can find some proof that it was Peter who killed Michelle and not Todd."
"Who's Michelle and why would anyone think Todd killed her?" They were all surprised to see Kevin standing there. He had come into the lounge looking for Viki.
"Kevin! We didn't hear you come in," Viki said. She looked at Bo, Tea and Sam nervously.
"What are you talking about? Is Todd in some kind of trouble?" Kevin inquired anxiously.
"Kevin this is a private conversation," Tea stated coldly. No matter how Timmy felt about Kevin now, Tea had not forgiven him for hitting Timmy with the football. She didn't trust Kevin.
"You don't think this is any of my business! This is my family you're talking about. This affects my mother and my . . . well Todd is family too. Now what the hell are you talking about? Did Todd kill someone?"
"Kevin," Bo began. He stood up and put his arm around Kevin's shoulder. "If we tell you, you have to keep it to yourself. You can't turn it into a story or use it against Todd in some way."
"I wouldn't do that!" Kevin declared angrily.
Kevin turned to Viki. "Mom, look I know why everyone feels that I can't be trusted where Todd is concerned. I just hope you know that's not true. I would never again do anything to hurt him."
"Honey I know that," Viki assured Kevin. She caressed Kevin's cheek.
"Is this the thing you said I'd find out about soon enough? Is this what you meant by 'Todd's in trouble?'"
Viki looked at Sam and Bo and Tea and then said, "Kevin sit down."
Kevin was left speechless by what Viki told him. They all noticed tears well up in Kevin's eyes as he listened to the horror of the night of Todd's fourteenth birthday. It took Kevin several minutes before he could speak. Even then he wasn't sure he digested it all.
"You're telling me that Peter Manning used sexual abuse as a way to punish Todd? You're telling me that he raped and then murdered a fourteen-year-old girl in cold blood and Todd was forced to watch it and then bury her! You're saying that a bat with his fingerprints is out there somewhere with that girl and . . . Oh my God! Georgie! The bat!" Kevin suddenly made the connection. "That's why he lost it after he found Georgie. Oh God! Mom! I accused him of killing Georgie. Oh, God!" The tears that had filled Kevin's eyes now spilled down his cheeks.
"Kevin look, I did too. I mean I really thought he did it." Bo confessed.
"All those things I printed in the paper about him . . . mom, I'm so sorry. You tried to tell me."
"Kevin," Viki began. She put her hands on Kevin's shoulders. "What counts is what you do now and how you treat Todd now. Honey let me tell you, Timmy's face lit up the room when I told him you were coming to see him. He cares for you very much you know?"
"I do know mom. I would never, ever, hurt him or any of them. Mom does Todd remember about the murder?"
"No! Kevin you have to be very careful what you say in front of Timmy or any of them. Todd has no memory of being sexually abused or even being as severely physically abused as he was. Oh Kevin, you can't imagine how Peter tortured that boy. I mean day in and day out. He would drag him out of bed in the middle of the night to torture him."
Kevin's mind was spinning. He was bombarded with guilt for all the things he felt about Todd. It wasn't that all of Kevin's hatred and jealousy suddenly vanished. It was the realization that he never bothered to even think about why Todd did the things he did. It was also the thought of such atrocities being done to a child.
Then something else occurred to Kevin. "If Todd wasn't the one who stayed out for the abuse then which one . . . I mean . . ."
"You want to know what Peter did to Timmy?" Viki stated. She could see her son couldn't find the words.
Kevin nodded.
Viki took Kevin's hand. "Kevin, Timmy was physically abused but mostly he and Andy, a six year old alter, were the ones who were sexually abused. From the time Todd was four."
Viki had not seen Kevin really breakdown weeping in a very long time, not since she told him what Victor had done to her. Kevin sat with his face in his hands. His body shook with sobs. Even Tea and Sam believed his feelings to be genuine.
Finally Kevin calmed down. He looked up at Viki, who had been holding him pressed to her waist as she stroked his head. Viki wiped the tears from Kevin's cheeks. "I know, it's seems too horrible to even think about, let alone go through. Todd couldn't go through it. That's why Timmy and the others were created. Timmy had no choice. He had to go through it. Kevin, as soon as we have the chance you and I will sit down and I will fill you in on the rest of the details of Todd's life. For now, you have to remember to be careful what you say in front of Timmy. He remembers the abuse but thinking about it causes him to have flashbacks. Kevin, you must also remember that what you heard about Todd and Michelle must not leave this room. Bo and Tea went to the Chicago police and the Commissioner there is looking into things. We are too, on our end. Todd can't be questioned. He is far to fragile for that."
"I know," Kevin acknowledged sadly. You told me how sick he's been for the past few days. That reminds me . . . ." Kevin sniffed away the last of his tears. "Is Timmy still too sick to get out of bed?"
"No, he's feeling better and was able to go to the art room before. He's still very weak and his . . . all their health is very precarious right now," Viki informed her son.
"Is Susannah still planning on putting a feeding tube in him tomorrow?" Kevin asked Viki.
"Yes, I'm afraid so. We just can't get any of them to eat enough," Viki lamented.
Kevin could see the fear in Viki's eyes. He remembered what she told him on Christmas Day. "As bad as you could possibly imagine things were for Todd, they were worse." A shiver ran down Kevin's spine. He wasn't sure if he wanted to know any more about Todd's tortured life.
