Vicki sits in the chair next to her bed, watching her eyes move rapidly. She wants to touch her and bring her back from the darkness, but she knows that there is nothing that she can do. So she waits. And she waits. The hours pass, and still there is no change in her condition.

Doctors and nurses wander in and out of the room, checking her vital signs. They all say that it's only a matter of time before she awakens. To herself, Vicki wonders if it is better for Tea to stay lost in her head, than to awaken to this hell.

How could this happen? Why did it happen? She didn't deserve this; no one deserves it. Vicki stares out of the window, into the illusion of a peaceful town.

Tea feels herself being pulled toward a bright fluorescent light, but she fights the urge to follow. She can hear the beep, beep, beep and whirs of the machines. She smells the sterility in the air. She tries several times to open her eyes, and slowly they open. She feels the I.V. in her arm, and the stiffness of every part of her body.

Vicki hears the rustling and looks at Tea's broken body. I have to be strong for her. The bed seems as if it's miles away, as she makes her way back to her chair. Tea looks at her, confusion written all over her face. She opens her mouth to speak, but nothing comes out.

"Would you like some water sweetheart?" Vicki pours her a glass of water and holds to straw up to her mouth. She takes a long sip, the water soothing her sore throat. She licks her dry, chapped lips, over and over. "Would you like some more?" Tea shakes her head and stares at Vicki with a million questions in her eyes.

She opens her mouth to speak, but she closes it. The tears form, but she holds them back. "Did he?" Tea asks, her voice just barely audible.

"I should go get Larry and let him know that you're awake," Vicki says as she stands to leave.

"Vicki."

"Yes?"

"Why?"

"I don't know. I just don't know. Tea, you are not alone. I could not love you more if you were my own sister, and we are going to get through this. Do you feel up to talking to Bo?"

"I don't remember much."

"Okay, you just relax, and I'll get Larry. I'll call Bo too, and you can tell him whatever you do remember. Is that okay with you?" She nods her head and turns away from Vicki.

She stares into the empty space, until the objects in the room blur. Her head pounds. Those sacred places inside of her ache with a pain greater than she has ever known. No amount of medication can alleviate the intense anguish that she is experiencing.

Vicki watches through the window as Larry examines her. The tears form, and again start to fall, looking at her friend, a shadow of her formal self. Bo watches, both women obvious pain, but for very different reasons. He hesitates, not sure of what to say, or what to do.

He approaches Vicki, deeply effected by the scene he is witnessing. He is always effected by rape cases. He thought that it would get easier, but it never did. As he watched is friend and colleague, so strong, so helpless, he wept to himself. But he had a job to do, and he was going to make sure that whoever did this would pay dearly. "How is she?" He asks Vicki.

"Hurt, confused. I am a writer, a publisher of a newspaper, yet I cannot find the words to comfort her. I just feel so helpless. Look at her, just a few hours ago, she was so full of life, now she looks so…empty."

"Vicki, we're going to get this bastard."

"I know you will Bo. I made a promise to myself that I would always take care of her, for my brother, and I failed."

"Vicki, you can't blame yourself for what happened to her."

"Logically, I know that I am not to blame, but I have always felt responsible for Todd, and in turn his wife when he left."

Larry finishes his examination, and joins Bo and Vicki. He looks worn, Tea's condition taking a toll on him.

"How is she Larry?" Vicki asks, her voice filled with concern.

"Physically, the wounds will heal."

"Can I go in and talk to her? I need to ask her some questions."

"Yes, but you have to be very gentle. If she starts to get agitated in the least, I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

Bo excuses himself from the conversation, and quietly makes his way into Tea's room. She is staring at the ceiling, lost in her thoughts. She hears to footsteps, and jumps slightly.

"Tea, it's me, Bo."

She looks in such a way, that his heart breaks all over again. She watches him, without really seeing him, looking through him.

"Are you up to answering a few questions?" He observes her body language, the way she clings to one side of the bed, the side directly opposite of him.

She doesn't answer; she just stares.

"Okay, well, I'll ask anyway, and if you feel up to it, you can answer."

She pulls her blanket up to her neck, a barrier between she and Bo.

"Did you get a look at the guy?"

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. The seconds pass, and, silence.

"Did he have any distinguishing marks?"

Nothing, but the sound of her inhaling, and exhaling.

"Do you know his approximate height? Build?"

An eternity passes.

She runs her hands up and down her arms, roughly. She rubs her face. She shivers.

"What's wrong?"

She licks her lips and opens her mouth to speak. "I can't get him off me. I need to take a shower. I need to get him off me."

Larry watches an agitated Tea through the window, and quickly puts an end to Bo's questioning. "Tea, are you in any pain?"

"No, I just, I need to take a shower. I need to wash him away."

"Okay, I'll get a nurse to help you-"

"No, I can do it myself." She calms down, and takes a deep breath.

*****

Vicki paces outside of Tea's room, wanting to call Carlotta, but not wanting to invade her privacy. Bo waits with her, neither sure of what to say to the other. His cell phone rings, breaking the spell.

"Buchannon."

"Commissioner, it's Lewis. We've got some bad news."

"What is it?"

"There was a leak, and the press got wind of the rape. WDLV ran with the story tonight."

"Damnit."

"Sir, we think the leak came from the hospital. It'll probably be in the papers in the morning."

"Thanks for letting me know." He presses the end button, forcefully shoving the phone back into his pocket. "Damnit."

"What's wrong?"

"The press somehow got wind of the rape."

"How could this have happened?"

"One of my men seems to think that it was a hospital leak. I'm going to talk to Larry about limiting the number of people allowed in her room to only a few trusted people."

*****

New York

He tried to sleep, but he had this nagging feeling, that kept nudging him awake. His stomach started to hurt, sharp, shooting pains. His head hurt, a constant pounding. His whole body ached with uneasiness. He kept seeing her face, troubled, pained. He knew something was wrong, he sensed it, his connection to her stronger than ever.

He awakened with a jolt, his final image of her screaming in agony. His breathing ragged, sweat dripping from his brow. Sometimes he would call her, and hang up after hearing her voice. He had to make sure she was okay. Something was different this time, something inexplicable.

He looked at the clock and decided it was too late to call. He paced for awhile, but he could not shake the sick feeling in his heart. He turned on the television and flipped from channel to channel. For some reason, he stopped at the local news channel.

There were sports highlights, and entertainment news, but that what caught his attention was a picture of Tea. He turned up the volume, and stared at her face.

"Tea Delgado, Llanview, Pennsylvania Assistant District Attorney, and former wife of The Sun newspaper publisher, Todd Manning, was apparently the victim of a rape late yesterday evening. Sources close to the case said that she was alone, when a man dragged into an alley, and proceeded to rape and beat her. When contacted, the Llanview Police Department had no comment."

The anger and rage that he had worked so hard to control the past few months, came bubbling to the surface. He saw red in every direction. His heart beat faster and faster, until it felt as though it would burst from his chest. His body began to shake, as he wept. Everything began to blur, the tears blinding him. It was as if someone tore out a piece of his heart, a part that he would never regain.

Oh, shit Delgado, what have I done? I never should have left you; I never should have left. Shit! Shit! Shit! He looks toward the sky seeking answers from the Creator. How could you have let this happen? She's never hurt anybody, she's perfect, so how could you let such an imperfect thing happen to her? I don't get it. Damnit! Everybody says that everything happens for a reason, but what's the reason for this? Oh, I get it. This is payback for all the shit I've done, right? You get to me, through her, is that your game?

To be continued...