Inside, Goodone knew that Todd had enough, perhaps too much. He knew his son could not take any more. He did not want Todd to remember what happened after Peter had forced oral sex on him. No, Todd was not ready to remember that yet. Todd needed to be comforted and then rocked into a long, deep sleep. Goodone had helped Susannah to help Todd today, but now he had to pull Todd back inside to save him.

Drastic measures were called for. Todd's memory had caused pandemonium inside. The system was in total chaos. Not all the alters had been affected, but those who were, were acutely affected. Goodone and Carol were afraid for their children, as was Miss Perkins. Andy was hiding under his bed. Timmy had pulled himself into a little ball. Both were both crying hysterically. Thomas was stamping his feet and pounding his fists into his thighs, wanting to hit Todd for saying he hated mama. Storm and was hiding under the table. Tom trembled in Miss Perkins' arms. Rocky wanted to yell, scream, curse and hit them all for saying so many bad things about his dad. He wanted to hurt Todd for making them say those things and for causing trouble. Saber saw Todd's agony and smiled to himself. Brina was screaming in agony as every part of her body became filled with excruciating pain. Angel brushed her hair. She would be ready if her father came to her. Scared and Braver and Lisa and Sarah were holding on to each other for dear life.

Mike did not like it when he had to step in and take control. He would speak with Goodone about his trust in Susannah and his desire to help in Todd's therapy, later. Mike rose from his seat; he understood this called for immediate action.

"Todd. Todd! It's Doctor Hanen. I want you to try to answer me. Todd, you're safe. Your dad is dead. He can't hurt you anymore. Come on Todd. Talk to me."

Todd stopped rocking. He sat with his knees tightly held to his chest. His head was not buried this time. It was upright. His eyes were glazed over, his expression blank.

Susannah stood up. She walked to where a pale and shaken Sam and Viki stood, holding on to each other. "Try to talk to him." She suggested. "Do you think I should try too?" Téa asked. "Not right now," Susannah answered, gently. She knew her answer would upset Téa. She would talk to her once this crisis had passed and explain to her what a fine job she had done today.

Sam and Viki both knelt down to where Todd sat, still staring blankly. "Todd, it's Sam." "I'm here too sweetheart," Sam and Viki announced, tenderly. "We're so proud of you, Boomer. You faced so much today," Sam praised him. "Todd, I know how horrible it was for you to remember the things you did. Sweetheart, you know I understand. You are so brave. I have never been prouder of anyone in my life than I am of you. I love you so much." Viki looked into his eyes to see if there was any reaction to what she just told him. There was none.

Viki, Sam and Téa's arm's ached to hold Todd tightly and never let him go. Not being able to touch him now was unbearable. Viki and Sam tried again. "Sweetheart, please talk to us. I promise you are safe. It was a memory. It can't hurt you." "We will never let you be hurt again, Pal." There was no response.

They both stood up and walked over to where Susannah stood with Téa, Frank and Angelo. Seemingly, Todd had lost his connection to reality and gone into a dissociative state. Susannah tried, unsuccessfully, to get Todd back or one of the other alters to come out. After fifteen minutes of trying Susannah told Angelo and Frank to help him to his room and put him to bed. She would ask Terry to do vitals on him, once he got there. She looked at her watch. It was almost time for him to be given his afternoon dose of Dilantin and a feeding.

Angelo and Frank knelt down and looked at each other to coordinate their lifting of Todd to his feet. They both placed their hands on his arms at the same time. Without warning "Todd" started screaming in the high pitch of a very young child. He scampered away from them. When he was several feet away he sat cross-legged on the floor and started rocking himself again, gently this time. His facial features and expression had changed to one they hadn't seen before.

Susannah told everyone to stay back. She approached him carefully. She stopped when she was a little more than arm's length away from him. "Todd?" He remained silent. "Can you tell me who's out?" Susannah tried. Cautiously, Susannah got a little closer and knelt down along side of him. "Do you have a name?" She asked. Susannah reached out and turned his face to hers. He pulled back and made a small sound, but still said no words. He stood up and ran over to Susannah's desk. Along the way he bumped into Frank paying no more attention to him than if he were a piece of furniture.

He ran across the room in a hyper fashion, the way a very young child, perhaps one going through the "terrible two's" would. He drummed the palms of his hands down on her desk several times. He picked up many of the objects on Susannah's desk, sniffing each of them. He also licked some of them, as if to taste them. He quickly seemed to lose interest in that and headed for the window. He ran to it in the same hyper way he had run across the room. He stared intensely at the window shade and started to play with it, making it go up and down. They noticed he was looking at the window shade with his head cocked at a peculiar angle his eyes gazing sideways from the right. He was making little clucking sounds to himself as he played.

Over ten minutes had gone by. He gave no indication of tiring of his game. His concentration on the window shade no less intense than it had been when he started. Susannah came within arm's length of him. "My name is Susannah Hanen. I'm your doctor. You are in Llanview Hospital. You are very safe here. There are a lot of people here who care very much about you and will always keep you safe. No one will ever hurt you. It is safe to tell us who you are." Susannah's tone was calm and reassuring.

They all noticed that this alter stared up at the ceiling, peripherally, as Susannah spoke to him. Susannah went to one of the cabinets in her office and pulled out a little boy and a little girl doll. She also pulled out a stuffed giraffe and a plastic truck. She held up the truck and the stuffed animal. "Would you like to play with a toy instead of the window shade?" He paid no attention to her or the toys. He continued to raise and lower the shade as he continued to make the unusual clucking sound.

"Do you have a name?" Susannah asked. He gave no response. She tried a different approach. "Are you a boy, like this doll, or a girl like this one?" She held up the two dolls. Again he gave no indication of hearing her. Susannah held the boy doll in front of his line of vision. He sniffed and licked it and the sleeve of top Susannah was wearing, not seeming to be able to tell the difference between the inanimate object and the human being holding it.

Téa, Viki and Sam were starting to wonder if this alter was deaf. Susannah did not. She was beginning to see a familiar pattern to his behaviors. "Time to stop playing with this now. It's rest time." Susannah said slowly. He paid no attention. "No more playing with the window shade," Susannah said firmly, as she put her hand on the window shade, not allowing him to raise and lower it any more. Reacting, as she was afraid he might, this alter started to jump up and down and scream, not words, but infantile squeals. He started to hit himself in the head with the palms of his hands. Susannah grabbed his wrists. She noticed he had very little strength and could not pull his arms back from her grasp. "AAHHH, AAHHHH!" He protested in the same infantile tone, and tried to squirm away. He never made eye contact with her. He gazed at the ceiling as he screamed. "I like your quiet hands," Susannah praised him and released his wrists. He immediately went back to playing with the window shade.

Susannah was reasonably sure what this alter's diagnosis was. She knew if she was right, he would have to be treated in a very special way and in a special program. For now, Todd's body had been through enough, and she needed to get him back to his room so he could rest and receive his medications. Susannah knew that right now she would not be able to handle the situation properly. Todd's family had to be informed about what she suspected and consent to the program she had in mind. Yet, she wanted to do her best to start proper treatment for this child right now. Susannah took his hand. "Let's go play!" Susannah hoped to get him to play in his room and then get him to bed. The little alter once again started to jump up and down, screaming and crying. Susannah released his hand. He gave his full attention back to the window shade. Susannah walked over to Frank and Angelo and spoke to them in a low voice, Téa, Sam and Viki couldn't hear what she was saying. Susannah went to her desk and took the lid off a plastic container. She took out some Hershey's Kisses and put them in her pocket. Frank approached this alter. Susannah stood about a foot away from the window. "Come here!" She spoke in a calm and firm voice. Angelo took the alter's hands down from the window shade. The child once again started to scream and cry. He tried to squirm away. He didn't seem to like to be touched. Frank stood behind him and gently placed his hands on the child's shoulders and walked him to where Susannah stood. "Good walking!" Susannah praised enthusiastically, her voice highly animated. She held a Kiss that she had unwrapped out to him. His crying continued, but lowered. His eyes were still shifted to the right, yet he seemed to see the candy held out in front of him. He made no eye contact with Susannah. He sniffed the candy in Susannah's hand and quickly grabbed it and shoved it in his mouth.

Sam, Tea and Viki were wondering what was going on. Susannah seemed to be treating this alter like a puppy. This time Susannah moved a couple of feet away from him. "Come here!" She repeated in the exact same tone. The child did not respond. Once again Frank used a full physical prompt to get him to Susannah. The young alter was still crying. He did not like having demands placed on him. "Yaaayyy! Great walking!" Susannah praised, exuberantly. She held another Kiss out to him. He once again sniffed it and then grabbed and ate it. Susannah continued this as they headed for the door, each time she increased the distance between herself and this little boy.

The others in the room pulled to the side, realizing that Susannah was going to try to lead this child to his room using the candy. Susannah knew this was not the ideal way to handle the situation but she needed to get him to his room without him going into a full-fledged tantrum. She knew that if he were physically restrained and brought to his room that would most likely occur.

Sam took Viki's hand. They both turned to Téa. "Susannah seems to know how to handle him. It'll be all right," Viki whispered. This child paid absolutely no attention to the others standing in the room as he passed them. He was either looking to the side or to the ceiling. He was still crying, but not screaming.

Kevin had arrived at the hospital and headed for Todd's floor. He noticed that hardly anyone was there. He asked, Marcia, who was at the nurses station, where everyone was. She informed him that they were in Susannah's office. "Do you know if Todd is out?" Kevin asked. "I'm not sure. The last I heard was that an other alter had come out. It's been pretty quiet. There's been no call for assistance." "Thanks," Kevin told her and headed down there. He would wait in the outer office. If it were Todd who came out, he would remain still and quiet until he passed by.

As Kevin headed down the hallway, he saw the odd sight of Susannah walking a few feet backward, stopping, calling "come here," and Frank leading a crying Todd to her. She would praise him and give him a candy. He would sniff it and then grab it and shove it in his mouth. "What the hell?" Kevin thought to himself. Kevin was sure this wasn't Todd. The sound of his crying was that of a very young child, more like a baby crying. Kevin held back against the wall as Susannah and "Todd" passed by him. He noticed his mom, Sam, Téa, and some of the other staff members following behind. They all looked upset. Kevin headed for them.

"Mom, I'm here. What's going on?" "Todd had some very traumatic memories and another alter came out. This one doesn't seem to be able to communicate with us," Viki informed him. "Was Susannah leading him to his room with candy?" "Yes, he started to become upset because he wanted to play with the window shade in her office and she stopped him," Téa further explained. "Was he able to tell you his name?" Kevin inquired. "No, he doesn't seem to be able to speak or maybe he can't hear," Sam theorized. "You think he's deaf?" Kevin asked.

Kevin seemed surprised. Then he thought out loud. "I guess if Todd can be blind another alter can be deaf." "Honey, we don't know yet." Kevin saw the pain in Viki's face. "What happened before this alter came out? Was Todd out?" "Yes." A tear slid down Viki's cheek. "What is it? Did something happen to Todd?" Kevin was getting anxious. "He remembered some of the sexual abuse. He remembered some things about his mother and how his dad threw her out into a snow storm," Téa confirmed. Kevin looked at her. "Oh man!" Kevin immediately made the connection. "Téa, I'm sorry." "I'm fine! Todd's the one you should be sorry for," Téa snapped. She was so filled with hate for Peter Manning. "I'm sorry, Kevin, I didn't mean to take it out on you," Tea apologized. "Did he remember being raped? Did Timmy come out?" Kevin asked a little more frantically. "No, it was Todd. Peep was out this morning and then another alter named Storm came out, but it was Todd who remembered. He remembered his father forcing oral sex on him," Sam informed him.

Kevin felt sick to his stomach. He could not imagine having to face something like that. He shuddered slightly. Kevin noticed Viki remained quiet. He took her hand. It was cold. "Mom, are you all right?" "Yes, honey. I'm fine. Or I will be. It never really goes away you know, it's always there. It will be that way for Todd for the rest of his life. He will learn to live with it, but it will always be there," Viki stated. "Mom, is it all right if I hug you?" Kevin asked, understanding that Viki might not want that right now. Viki smiled at her son. She took him in her arms.

"Good job walking to your room!" Susannah praised, once she had this child in his room. She gave him one more candy, which he took, once again. Even though he had to be physically prompted to do so he complied with her instruction, so she reinforced his behavior. She knew it was never too soon to start using Applied Behavior Analysis techniques with this alter. He was going to be a challenge. Steve, Angelo and Janet came into the room. Frank had quickly filled them in on what had transpired and left for the staff lounge. Frank needed a break. He could still hear Todd's agonizing screams. He could feel that every muscle in his body was tight as a drum with hatred for Peter Manning.

Sam, Viki, Téa and Kevin had also come into Todd's room. "Ehhh! Ehhhhh!" This alter cried out, jumping up and down again, when he realized he wasn't getting anymore candy. Susannah realized she would have to lay in a supply of M&M's and other tiny treats and dole them out one at a time, because having so many Kisses would make him sick, and possibly hyper. Susannah knew she had to find out what other reinforcers worked with this child.

"No more candy." Susannah said slowly and clearly. She put her hands on his shoulders and guided him to the toy box. He showed no curiosity in any of the toys. She wondered how much he was able to understand. He continued to jump and make the same sounds. Then, apparently not wanting the candy that badly, he stopped. He ran to one side of the room and then the other several times. Kevin and the staff members who hadn't seen it were surprised by how hyperactive this alter was. He started to run out of the door. They realized he was not trying to escape. He just wanted to go back out into the hallway, but Susannah knew Todd's body needed to rest.

Susannah indicated to Angelo and Steve that she wanted them to stop him. "Okay, hey buddy, come on. Let's go back inside," Steve said, blocking his path to the hallway. He tried to push past them. When he couldn't, he started shrieking and poking himself in the eyes. Steve held him from behind and slid him down to the floor with him. On the way down this new alter bit Steve's arm hard enough to break the skin and draw blood. "Janet, right leg, Angelo left," Susannah called out as she rushed over and helped stabilize his head. She gave Eileen an order for a sedative. The little alter continued to struggle.

Susannah was cautious with the dose of medication because she had no idea of his tolerance. She estimated his age at three to five years old. If in fact he was a he. Susannah knew she did not want to handle it this way in the future, but again, for now, without the time to explain the situation to everyone, this was necessary. As hard as it might seem to Todd's family, and even some of the staff, unless this little boy was causing real injury to himself or others, it would be best to ignore his tantruming. She would have to explain that to everyone in the debriefing.

Susannah was aware that he seemed hypersensitive to touch and realized there was a possibility that he might be hypersensitive to sound, taste, smell, and sight as well. She knew being in this new environment and the feel of all those hands on him was freaking him out. Being held was causing him great distress. His struggling increased, yet, when Eileen came in with the injection he seemed to have little response to it being administered.

Within a few minutes he started to calm. Susannah let go of his head. Cautiously, limb by limb, they released him. Although Steve's arm was still bleeding slightly, he continued to hold him gently. The little alter tried to raise his thumb to his mouth but because of the way he was being held could not lift his arm up. Susannah told Steve to release him. The child pulled away and curled up on the floor. He was already feeling very sleepy. The medication was working quickly. He started to suck his thumb and rock himself, while continuing to make small whimpering sounds. He soon fell into a deep sleep. Susannah had him moved to the bed. He was already overdue for the phenytoin and his feeding.

Susannah straightened up. She saw Todd's family huddled on the other side of the room. They all had the look of someone who had just witnessed and accident. "Just give me a few minutes and we'll talk," Susannah promised and headed for her staff. She spoke to Steve first. "You need to go to the ER and get your wound cleaned and then get a tetnus shot and have a baseline test for HIV and hepatitis. The latter is just policy and nothing to be concerned over. There has been an exchange of bodily fluids and we always do that as a precaution. They will probably start you on antibiotics. You'll also have to fill out an incident report. They'll have an occupational hazard packet down there with everything you'll need to fill out." Since Marcia had not been involved in the session or the restraint, Susannah turned to her, "please administer his meds and the feeding." Turning to the other staff members she said, "I want the rest of you to gather in the lounge."

Viki and Sam, kept staring at this alter as he remained curled up in his bed, sucking his thumb and sound asleep. He appeared very young and extremely vulnerable. Téa stared out the window. Lost in thought. Kevin paced nervously. Susannah asked them step outside with her. "Susannah, I'm sorry Steve was hurt, will he be all right?" Viki said as soon as they were all settled down. "Oh, yes, he won't need stitches or anything major. The tests and the tetnus shot are just a precaution. Neither he nor Todd are in any danger of infection from the other." Once assured of that, they all started to ask Susannah questions without giving her a chance to reply.

"Susannah, what the Hell is going on with this alter. Is he deaf?" Sam asked. "His behaviors were so strange, I mean really strange, "Téa, commented. "He seems wilder and more unpredictable than any of the others do. How young do you think he is? He certainly can walk and run, but he doesn't seem to be able to speak. Is he deaf, Susannah?" Viki pressed. "Did a new alter come out because of what Todd remembered?" Kevin asked. "Okay, let's just calm down for a minute and I will try to answer your questions," Susannah spoke soothingly. "This is an alter who hasn't been out before?" Sam asked for clarification. "Yes, I believe this is an alter who has never been out before. He may have already been in the system or Todd may have split off a new alter or fragment, and no, I don't think he is deaf. I believe this alter is male and approximately three to five years old, although I'm leaning closer to three." Susannah explained and then went on. "I'm reasonably sure that this one has no language skills. I am also reasonably sure that this alter is autistic." Most of the staff had already figured that out, but Viki, Sam, Kevin and Téa looked at each other with fear. Susannah could feel their anxiety increase. She was afraid that, of them all, this alter's behaviors would be the hardest ones for them to cope with. Getting into his world and even more, getting him into theirs would not be easy.

TO BE CONTINUED