Stolen Chances

Part IV

 

By:  Nicky

 

Chapter 19

 

Todd walks into Llanfair, leading Michelle by the hand.  They were met at the door by a police officer.  Todd's heart fell into the bottom part of his stomach and he felt his legs go weak again.  He looks around frantically until he finds his sister crying on the sofa.

 

"Viki?  What's going on here?  Did you hear something about them?"  He runs over to where she's sitting, trying to read her face for clues as to what's going on with his apparently missing wife and children.

 

"Mr. Manning, a message was faxed here earlier regarding Mrs. Manning, your daughter Starr and a little boy named Ryan," a young officer tells him.

 

"Ryan's my son," Michelle says softly as the tears begin to flow down her face.  Her head was starting to throb from her injuries, but the pain was only physical.  Her little boy was missing and that fact brought on a pain far worse than a headache.  Her heart was crying out in agony, longing for it's missing piece, found only in Ryan.

 

"Mrs. Carpenter called us as soon as it arrived," the officer continues.  "It appears to be an FYI that this creep has got your family held someplace.  My guess is that a ransom note is soon to follow.  All we can do right now is search the area for your wife and the kids.  They've only been gone a few hours, and if you've already gotten a message, chances are they're still in the state.  And if the kidnappers want ransom, then they're probably some place pretty close.  Don't worry.  We'll find them."

 

"So basically, you think we should just sit around and either wait for you bumbling idiots to somehow stumble across my wife and kids, or we sit here and wait for the kidnappers to ask for ransom?  There's no way I'm going to sit here and do nothing.  That person stole everything that means anything to me and I'm not going to let him get away with it!"  Todd yells to the officer.

 

"Mr. Manning, I'd advise you to calm down and have a seat."  A voice from the doorway warns.  They all turn around to see Commissioner Sykes coming into the room, guiding a distraught Blair.  He leads her to one of the empty seats before walking up to confront Todd.  "Believe me, Mr. Manning.  There's nothing for you to do that won't make things worse for your wife."  He stares at Todd until Todd sits back down, seemingly defeated.

 

"Now that the three of you are here together, I need to know something.  Do any of you know anyone who would want to hurt your children?  Who would kidnap them?" Sykes continues.

 

"Todd's the common link here.  Why don't you ask him?  It's not like he doesn't have people who want to kill him.  I wouldn't be surprised if one of them snatched my little girl as some sort of payback," Blair hisses, looking over at Todd with a hateful glare.  "And as far as she's concerned," she says pointing to Michelle, "I'm sure she's involved.  I knew she would be trouble for Starr.  I knew it the minute I saw her."

 

"Shut up, Blair.  This is not the time for your pettiness.  My wife and my kids are gone.  The only thing important here is finding them." Todd says sadly.

 

"Commissioner Sykes, I think I know who might have done this.  You should check out a man named Roscoe.  Roscoe Wallace," Michelle admits.  "Roscoe and I have a bumpy past.  He thinks I owe him something and he came to town to collect.  After I wouldn't give in to him, he . . . he . . ." she breaks down into tears.  Todd goes over to her and puts his arm around her.

 

"It's okay, Michelle.  He can't hurt you anymore.  Sykes, I found Michelle a few hours ago in her hotel suite unconscious and in a pool of her own blood.  He tried to kill her," Todd finishes for her.

 

"Michelle, is this true?  This Roscoe Wallace assaulted you tonight?"  Sykes questions her.  She nods her head and he continues.  "And you have reason to believe that he may have kidnapped your son?"

 

"The guy was here tonight at the party.  In fact, he was here with Blair!  Blair, what's going on here?  What do you know about this?" Todd demands to know.  The question, however, is interrupted by the ringing of the fax machine.  Another message was coming through.  They all ran over to see if it was from the kidnapper.  Everyone except Blair.  She sat as if in a coma, suddenly aware that her involvement with Roscoe has something to do with her daughter being missing.

 

Sykes snatched the fax from the machine and began to read it.  He passed it to Todd when he finished. 

 

"The kidnapper's made a ransom demand," Sykes announces.  "The details are in the fax."

 

 

Téa is sitting in a small room, gently rocking Starr on her lap.

 

"Tee, I don't like this game.  I want my mommy and daddy," Starr cries.

 

"I know sweetie.  I know.  But you know how sometimes your nanny cleans up your toys and after that, you can't find your favorite doll baby?  Well, somebody came and picked us up and now your daddy doesn't know where to find us."

 

"But he'll find us, right Tee?"

 

"He'll find us, Mija.  He has to," Téa says, hugging Starr tighter as the little girl begins to drift to sleep.  "How are you doing over there?" she asks Ryan.  He looks so scared.  And she couldn't do anything about it.  All she could do was love them the best that she could and that Todd found them soon. 

 

"Do you think they'll really find us, Téa?" Ryan asks in a sad tone that broke Téa's heart.  She lays the sleeping Starr on the bed and walks over to Ryan.  He lays his head on her lap and begins to cry.  "I'm scared.  And I want my mommy and daddy, too."

They both sit there, crying together and comforting each other.   They both jump when the door slams open. 

 

"Isn't this sweet?" Roscoe retorts snidely.  "Mama Téa and the little brat."

 

"What do you want with us?" she asks, standing up to face him. 

 

"You certainly are a brave one.  And beautiful too.  I must admit that Mr. Manning has excellent taste in women.  Michelle, the lovely Miss Cramer, and you.  He got lucky 3 times in a row."  He smiles as he lifts his hand to stroke her cheek. 

 

"Keep your hands off of her!" Ryan yells, stepping between Roscoe and his stepmother.  This attempt at bravery by the little boy amuses Roscoe.

 

"That's cute kid.  Real cute.  But don't do it again.  I can hurt you, little boy and you don't want that," Roscoe says, his sinister grin turning into a scowl.  "But if I don't get what I want by this time tomorrow, you'll know what it's like to be hurt.  So, you better hope your daddy comes through for you," he says as he turns around and walks back out of the tiny room.

 

"Téa, I don't like him.  He's mean and scary.  What are we going to do?" Ryan cries.

 

"I don't know, honey.  But we have to get out of here."  But how, Téa wonders to herself.  She couldn't let the kids know how scared she was.  They needed to feel that she had everything in control.  God, please let me know what to do.  I have to get my kids to safety, she prays silently closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep. 

 

A few hours later, she's awaken by the chiming of bells.  She's heard those bells every hour since they've been there and was starting to get annoyed.  Suddenly, she bolts up.  THE BELLS AT THE CHURCH!  She'd know them anywhere.  They had a distinctive chime that she's never heard anywhere else.  They were still in Llanview, she surmises.  She couldn't believe it had taken her so long to realize.  According to the bells, it was almost 4 a.m.  She didn't have long before sunrise.  If she was going to act, she had to act now.

 

"Ryan," she whispers, nudging the boy.  "Ryan.  Wake up."

 

Ryan sits up, still halfway asleep.  He rubs his eyes and looks around, realizing that he was still living his nightmare. 

 

"Listen to me, Ryan.  You have to be a brave little boy for me and get your sister out of here."

 

"How are we going to do that, Téa?  That mean man is keeping us here and he wants to hurt us."

 

"I'm not going to let him hurt you, honey. But you have to go now, before he wakes up.  Remember those bells we've been hearing?  I know where they're coming from.  We're really close to the church.  That means, if you can get Starr there, you two will be safe.  Do you think you can do that?"

 

Téa wakes up Starr and puts on her shoes and jacket, while Ryan works on opening the tiny window in the corner of the room.  He's finally able to wedge it open enough for him and Starr to crawl through. 

 

"Téa, aren't you coming?" Ryan asks before leaving.

 

"Sweetie, I can't.  There's no way I could get up to the window.  And I definitely couldn't squeeze through it.  You have to take care of Starr for me until you find your dad.  I have faith in you.  I know you won't let anything happen to her," she says, giving a reassuring smile and kissing him on his forehead.

 

"Buena Suerte, mijos," she whispers as the two little children make their way out the window and on their way to freedom.

 

Chapter 20

 

Morning found Llanfair in a more frazzled state than the night before.  Todd and Michelle spent the night trying to find as much cash as possible to pay the ransom and didn't get much sleep.  The drop was to go down at midnight, which didn't leave them much time.  Money was no problem for either of them, but getting their hands on $5 million in cash was more trouble. 

 

Viki wandered around the house most of the night delivering coffee to the variety of cops and FBI agents stationed about.  She didn't know what else she could do to help, but just being there for Todd was help enough for him. 

 

They were all startled by the phone ringing at 7 a.m.  The FBI agents picked up the phone and handed it to Todd.

 

"Hello?" he asked warily, anxious to hear the next orders of the kidnapper.  Instead, he heard the familiar voice of Andrew Carpenter.

 

"Todd?  It's Andrew.  I know it's early, but this is important."

 

"What is it Andrew.  We're sort of in the middle of a crisis around here," Todd snaps, angry that he has to waste his time talking to Andrew.

 

"Well, there's someone here claiming to be your son.  They got here . . ."

 

"What?" Todd asks, interrupting Andrew midsentence.  "Andrew, are you sure?  Is he okay?  Let me talk to him."

 

"Dad?", the voice on the other end of the phone says.

 

"Ryan is that you?"

 

"Yeah.  As soon as we got here, Reverend Carpenter called you for us."

 

"We?  Who's there with you?  Starr and Téa?" Todd asks, suddenly elated that his family is safe.  The others in the room start hugging each other in relief while Commissioner Sykes gets on his cell phone and send a few units over to the rectory.

 

"Just Starr.  Téa told me I had to take care of her and get her away from that place before the mean man hurt us."

 

Todd closes his eyes and tries to hold the tears back.  Tears of joy that his children are safe mixed with tears of agony as he hears about his wife still being in the clutches of the kidnapper.

 

"Ryan, let me talk to Reverend Carpenter, okay?" Todd manages to say through is pain.

 

"Andrew, I'll be there as fast as I can.  I know I've never asked you for anything and I don't really have a right to, but please take care of my kids until I get there," he begs the reverend.

 

"Don't worry, Todd.  You can count on me," Andrew says.

 

 

Ten minutes later, Todd is flying through the doors of the rectory, running around trying to find Starr and Ryan.  He spots them on the floor playing a game with River.  They look up when they see their father and run over to him.

 

"You found us, daddy!  Just like Tee said you would," Starr exclaims.

 

The reunion is bittersweet for Todd.  Téa was still missing and he had to find her before anything happened to her.   The kids gave a statement to the police and Sykes put out an APB on Roscoe after hearing his description from Ryan.  But that wasn't enough for Todd.  He couldn't sit around and wait for Roscoe to make the next move.  He had to find Roscoe first.

 

"Sykes, an APB isn't enough.  It's still early.  Maybe this Roscoe doesn't know that the kids are gone yet.  If Ryan showed us where they were held, we could go get this monster and rescue my wife," Todd says.

 

"Out of the question, Manning.  You need to let the professionals do their job," Sykes replies in an attempt to thwart Todd's rescue mission.  When he could see that that wasn't going to happen, he relented under the condition that both Todd and Ryan stayed under police protection the whole time.  Todd also had to agree that once they found Téa, he would let the police handle the matter. 

 

They all got into unmarked police cars and headed in the direction Ryan believes he came from.  After driving around for an hour, Ryan was finally able to pick out the house in which they were being held.  He remembered tying one of Starr's ribbons to a tree near the road to let him know which house it was.   They found that marker and knew they had found the right house.  They only prayed that Téa was still inside - and still alive.

 

 

Inside the little house, Roscoe looked out of the window and noticed the police surrounding them.  They were in unmarked cars, but he knew they were cops.  Something was going on.  He went to check on his little hostages, shoving the door open.  To his surprise, only Téa was still in the room.

 

"You've been busy, lady.  Where are the kids?  Did they get out and call the cops?  Téa, Téa, Téa.  Why did you have to make this so difficult for me? Now, I'm going to have to make things difficult for you."  He glares at her and she's able to see the hate and anger in his eyes.  She could see that he was running scared and getting desperate.  And Téa was pretty sure that wasn't good for her.

 

"Such a pretty face," he says grabbing her face with his rough hands.  She winces at how hard he starts to squeeze her cheeks.  The look in his eyes change from one of hate into one of a murder ready to strike.  He lets go of her face and reaches for her neck, ready to choke the life out of her.  She lets out a blood curdling scream and jumps out of the way before he can get to her. 

 

 

"Did you hear that?"  Todd yells, jumping out of the car and running towards the house.  He makes it a few steps before being tackled to the ground by a group of cops. 

 

"Let us handle this, Mr. Manning.  Stay down.  We have no idea what this man will do!"  one of the officers explains. 

 

"Please go get my wife," Todd cries.  "He's hurting her.  You can't let him hurt her."

 

The police rush the house from all sides, kicking down doors and breaking windows.  In less than a minute, they have Roscoe trapped in the room with Téa.  He looks around in desperation, realizing that his plan has been destroyed.  He grabs Téa and holds her in front of him as a shield and opens the door. 

 

"Back off!  Back off now or I'll make Mr. Manning a widower!" Roscoe yells.  He still has Téa and is pulling her out of the room, and towards the front door of the house.  "BACK OFF!"

 

The officers make no attempt to move.  It was obvious to Roscoe that he wasn't getting out of that house.  His plan was ruined.   There was nothing left.  Nothing but revenge.

 

"This is my last warning," Roscoe says ominously.  "Back off or else you'll all be very sorry."

 

"No can do, Roscoe.  Let Mrs. Manning go and then we'll talk," Sykes replies.  The other officers get prepared to shoot Roscoe if he doesn't comply with the orders.  "As you can see, you don't have much time.  My men are ready to shoot you, Roscoe."

 

"Alright!  You want Mrs. Manning?  You can have her," Roscoe says, letting Téa go and reaching into his pocket for a gun with his now free hand.

 

But Téa doesn't run.  She just stands there.  She stands there for a few seconds before collapsing to the ground, unable to move.  A small empty glass vial falls from her hands and rolls across the floor.  This stuns the officers enough for Roscoe to pull his gun and start shooting.  He's able to make it out the front door somehow, only to find himself stepping into a storm of bullets from the officers outside, unable to dodge death any longer.

 

The gunfire stops and Todd runs into the house.  He stops in the doorway when he sees his motionless wife on floor.

 

"What did he do to her, Sykes?" Todd demands to know, running to her side.  "Delgado.  Can you hear me?  Don't leave me.  You can't leave me!  What's wrong with her?"

 

"He poisoned her, Todd.  Just before all of the gunfire started.  Here's the container it came out of," he says, holding the empty bottle with a handkerchief.  "I don't know what this stuff is, but we have to get her to the hospital.  The ambulance should be here any second."  One of the officers look at Sykes, sending him an ominous glare.  Things didn't look good for Téa, and he knew it.  He suddenly felt very bad for Todd. 

 

"I'll go out and wait for the ambulance.  Why don't you just stay here with her, Manning," Sykes offers, unable to make eye contact.  He didn't know what Roscoe poisoned her with, but he could tell she was slipping away.  The only thing he could do now was allow Todd to spend whatever time she had left with her. 

 

 

Viki ran down the corridor of the hospital emergency room.  She stopped when she saw a worried Todd pacing nervously back and forth across the room. 

 

"Todd!  How is she?" Viki asks, but afraid that she already knows the answer. 

 

"Not good," he whispers through a hoarse voice.  "She was poisoned.  Right before the cops raided the house, he poisoned her.  By the time they could get to her, she was already unconscious.  She's been like that since then."

 

"Poison?  What about the baby, Todd?"

 

"They tried to get her stabilized, but he poison is making everything inside of her to fight and try to kill each other.  They have to take to baby before it tries to abort itself."

 

"That's what they're doing now?"

 

"Viki, I don't know if the baby can make it.  Téa was only seven and a half months along."

 

Viki sits down with Todd and holds his hand, offering silent support.  She couldn't imagine the pain he was going through and just wanted him to know that she was there for him.  Several minutes later, a doctor comes into the waiting room.

 

"Mr. Manning," the doctor says.  "As you already know, your wife was poisoned and as a result we had to deliver the baby early."

 

"How are they, doc?  Is the baby okay?  Is Téa okay?" Todd asks.

 

"Congratulations, Mr. Manning.  You have a little girl.  Your wife and daughter both survived the surgery.  But they both have long battles ahead of them.  Your baby still has a lot of developing to do.  And Téa has to fight the poison until it's out of her system.  We're not sure how much damage the poison has already done.  Right now, all we can do is wait."

 

"Is she awake?  Can I see her?"

 

"Your wife is still in recovery, so it'll be a few hours before we know anything.  But, you can come with me to the Neonatal ICU to see your daughter if you'd like."

 

Todd and Viki follow the doctor to a big glass window behind which is a room with a dozen babies hooked up to machines. 

 

"You can't go in just yet, Mr. Manning," the doctor tells him.  "We need to see how she does in the next few hours.  But I'll have the nurse bring her to the window so you can see her."

 

A few minutes later, Todd sees a nurse rolling a cart to the window.  He looks at the tiny baby lying on the bed.  His tiny baby.  She had the tubes and wires and machines, but all he saw was his beautiful baby girl lying there.  He could count her fingers and toes.  He could see the soft, dark brown fuzz just beginning to grow across the top of her head.  He wanted to touch her, but knew that he couldn't.  He couldn't do anything for her but wait.  Wait and pray.

 

"She's beautiful, Todd," Viki says, admiring her new niece.  "What's her name?"

 

"Her name?  Téa and I never talked about names.  Should I give her one?"  He looked into the window again to see his baby and he realized that this was something he could do for her.  Right now, faith was the most important thing in determining how he would get through this all.  Giving her a name would show that he has faith and it would remind him of that faith when times got really bad.  He stares at her intently, examining every aspect of her little body before finally saying something.

 

"Ana Marisa," he says quietly after a few minutes.  "That's her name."

 

"Ana was Téa's mother's name, right?" Viki asks.

 

"And Marisa is Téa's middle name," Todd adds.

 

"It's nice that you're honoring them both, Todd," Viki says has she puts her arm around her brother.  "It's a very nice name."

 

They both stand there, looking through the window at the baby for awhile, constantly amazed at the new things they discover about her each minute, and even more amazed at how much they grow to love her each second.  Todd kisses his fingertip and places it to the window by the baby's cart.  "Welcome to the world, Ana Marisa Manning.  I love you."

 

Chapter 21

 

Todd sits sadly next to Téa's hospital bed.  It's been almost twelve hours since her emergency cesarean, and she still hasn't regained consciousness.  The doctors couldn't tell him much about the effects of the poison.  All they could tell him was to be patient and wait for it to leave her system.  And that's what he's been doing.  Waiting and wondering how she could end up like this.

 

His mind flashed back to the party and the moment Blair arrived with Roscoe.  "She must have had something to do with this whole thing," he says to a nonresponsive Téa.  "But why?  Why would she do this?  How could she hurt the kids like this?  Especially Starr?"

 

"I can't answer that either," Todd is startled by a voice from behind him.  He turns around to see Michelle standing in the doorway.  "I don't think anyone but Blair can answer that, Todd," Michelle says as she walks over to the other side of Téa's bed.  "How is she, Todd?"

 

"Look at her.  She's just lying there.  She hasn't woken up since they found her at the house with Roscoe.  It was some sort of poison that penetrated her skin.  I don't even think she knew what had happened."  Todd grabs Téa's hand, gently stroking it.

 

"And the baby?" Michelle asks quietly, almost in a whisper.

 

"So far everything is okay.  The doctors tell me that 9 out of 10 babies born after the seventh month survive.  And Téa was almost 8 months along.  She just needs a little time in the neonatal unit to finish developing."

 

"That's good.  The kids will be glad to hear that."

 

"The kids!" Todd exclaims suddenly.  "Michelle, I'm so sorry.  I left you all night with the kids.  I've been here the whole time and between Téa and the baby, I completely forgot to see how they were."

 

"Todd, they're fine.  Starr went right to sleep as soon as we got back to Viki's.  Ryan's been wandering around aimlessly, though.  He's pretty worried about Téa."

 

"Do they know what happened?  I mean with the poisoning and the baby?"

 

"We didn't tell them anything, Todd.  But they knew Téa was here in the hospital.  And they wanted to come see her."

 

As if on cue, two small heads came poking through the door.

 

"Can we come in, Daddy?" Starr says solemnly.  She looks over to the hospital bed and sees Téa laying unconsciously on the bed.  "Is Tee going to be alright?"

 

Todd notices the sad look on the little girls face.  The little girl couldn't love Téa anymore if she were her real mother.  He can see that she is distressed to see her stepmother like this.

 

"Come here, sweetie," he says lifting Starr up on his lap.  "Ryan, come stand us."  Todd looks at both of them, trying to find words of comfort and explanation to ease their little minds.  "You guys, Téa is sick.  That bad man gave her some bad medicine that's making her sleep for awhile.  But the doctors say that as long as she's sleeping like this, they can give her some good medicine to make the bad medicine go away.  It's just going to take a little while."

 

"Where's the baby, Daddy?" Starr asks, not sure she wants to hear the answer.  Her face lightens when Todd smiles at her.

 

"I'm glad you asked that, Shorty.  Your baby sister is in another hospital room.  We can go see her if you want."

 

"A girl?  It's a girl?"  Starr is quiet for moment.

 

"Starr, what's wrong?" Michelle asks the child, noticing her silence.

 

"Well, I was kind of hoping for a little brother.  But, a sister is good too."

 

Everyone laughs.  It feels good to have the tension broken for a little while. 

 

"Starr, my princess.  I can't really grant you that wish.  But, I can do you one better."  He looks over at Michelle, and she smiles back nodding.  As if to tell him that now would be right to tell Starr about Ryan.  "I can't give you a little brother right now, but how about a big brother?" 

 

Starr looks confused for a minute, but then sees Todd glance at Ryan and gets a huge grin on her face. 

 

"Ryan?  Ryan's going to be my brother?  Are we going to adopt him?"

 

"I don't have to Starr."  He looks at her and pauses for a moment, trying to figure out how to make her 6 year old mind understand.  "Ryan's mommy and I were friends a long time ago.  We loved each other a lot and we made a baby.  But something happened and we couldn't see each other.  I didn't know about that baby until just recently.  Starr, Ryan was that baby.  He's my son.  Do you understand?  I'm his daddy and Michelle is his mommy.  That means, he's your brother."

 

They all look at Starr to see how she's absorbing the news.  She's shocked for a while, not really knowing how to process what's she's just heard.  But then she remembers hearing the words that Ryan was her brother.  That was all she cared about.

 

"Ryan?  Ryan's my brother?  Cool!" she says, her confusion turning into a bright smile as she runs over to him.  "That means you get two baby sisters!"

 

"Speaking of baby sisters, can we go to the nursery now?" Ryan wants to know.

 

"Yeah, that's a good idea," Todd says, leaning over to kiss Téa on the cheek.  "I'll be right back, Delgado.  I'm not leaving you.  Ever," he whispers into her ear before turning to walk out the door with the others.

 

Chapter 22

 

"How is she doing today, Abuelita?"  Todd asks as he strolls lithely into Téa's hospital room, slightly startling the older Delgado woman.   He walks over to the night stand and replaces the wilting flowers with a bouquet of fresh ones he'd just bought. 

 

"About the same, Mijo.  I just don't know what's wrong with her."  Abuelita looks down at her granddaughter and sighs.  "I thought that she would have been awake sooner than this."

 

It's been 23 days since that fateful day.  Téa was still unconscious, but Ana Marisa was growing and developing by leaps and bounds.  For that, Todd was grateful, but he missed his wife.  And he prayed daily for her to come back to him.

 

He spent about a week grieving for her as if she were already dead, but he soon realized that Ana Marisa needed him.  She needed him to be strong for her.  She needed him to be able to take care of her when she was ready to leave the hospital.  And he wasn't going to learn by sitting by Téa's side crying day and night.  He missed the times when both Ryan and Starr were infants, so he had no clue how to take care of a newborn.  He resolved that it was necessary for him to get himself together for his new baby daughter.   Téa's grandmother had come to help him with the kids while Téa was still in the hospital, but that wasn't enough.  Todd had to be able to take care of Ana Marisa.  He had to for Téa.  She couldn't do it, so he felt like he had to, for Téa's sake.

 

"Mr. Manning, there you are."  Todd turns around to see Ana Marisa's doctor coming into the room.  "I need to talk to you."

 

"Nothing's wrong, it is?  The baby's fine, isn't she?"  Abuelita asks, starting to get worried.

 

"It's nothing like that.  Ana Marisa's great.  That's what I'm here to tell you.  I want to run a few more tests, but I think she's ready to go home with you, Mr. Manning."

 

"Home?  I can take my daughter home?"  Todd runs over to Abuelita and gives her a huge hug.  Both are laughing through the tears.  It was a day they'd been waiting for and it's finally here.  Ana Marisa was going home where she belonged.  But going home without her mother.  The joy turns bittersweet when they both realize what that means for Téa.  The doctor excuses himself when he notices their sadness.  Todd takes his honorary seat next to Téa's bed and grabs her hand, holding it to his cheek while he sobs softly.

 

After awhile, Todd feels he needs to leave.  He gets Abuelita to stay with Téa and walks out the door.  Todd doesn't know where he's going, but lets his steps lead him to his destination.  After several minutes of walking around the hospital, Todd looks up to find himself standing outside the chapel.  He peeks inside and when he finds it unoccupied, he slowly steps inside, finding a pew towards the back to sit on.

 

"I know this is the last place anyone would expect to find me.  But something led me here for a reason.  I guess I should just make the most of it," Todd begins, not really knowing what he's saying, or who he's saying it to.   The same beckoning that led him to the chapel is now pulling words that he's hidden deep within his heart.

 

"I've been in this situation before with You.  I'll make a mess of my life and then when I really need something from You, I make all of these bargains and deals and promise to change if You would just grant my . . . prayer."  Todd almost chokes on the word.  Faith in a higher power was a non-existent factor in his life.  He had a hard enough time trusting people. 

 

"I'm not going to pretend with You.  Not that it would make any difference anyway.  Today's not any different from those other days.  My life is a mess.  And You're the only one who can fix it.   Téa's the best thing that's ever happened to me.  I love her so much it scares me sometimes.  I should thank You every day for sending her to me.  But she's been away from me for a while now.  And I'm here to beg you to bring her back to me.  No bargains.  No promises that I know I won't keep.  I'm just pleading for her life."

 

"But what kind of life would she have with me?  I've had my share of problems.  But I'm ready to change.  For her.  And for my children.  They're going to need me to be strong.  And to be strong for them, I'm going to have to stop fighting things from the past and focus on the future.  I've done all that I know how to do and I end up going around in circles.  It's time to try something else.  Something bigger than any person or any problem I could ever face.  I guess that something is You."

 

Todd stays in the chapel for what seems like hours.  He's never enjoyed such a sense of peace and contentment.  For those moments, nothing else mattered in his life and he had a feeling that everything would work out for the best.  He turns around and starts to leave when he notices a figure standing in the back of the chapel.

 

"Viki?"

 

"I didn't mean to disturb you, Todd," Viki responds.  "You seemed so peaceful."

 

"It was peaceful.  Like a peace I've never known.  I can't really explain it."

 

"I've been looking everywhere for you.  I have a few things to talk to you about.  First, there's the issue with Blair we need to discuss.   Have you been reading the papers?"

 

"No.  I haven't really had the chance to.  Her trial date is coming up soon, right?  How's the investigation going?  I know they found a few things in Roscoe's possession that connected her to him and they also caught up with an accomplice or partner of some sort that claimed Blair initiated contact with him.  But is it really enough for a trial?"

 

"Well, that's one thing I need to talk to you about.  They don't really have enough to convict her.  Hank was looking for you to testify, but if you don't then their case won't really hold water.  What are you going to do, Todd?"

 

"You know, I've been in here doing some serious thinking.  It's really time for me to make a change in my life.   There's too much for me to be grateful for.  I don't have the energy to deal with revenge and hate anymore.  Besides, from what I hear, Blair is tormenting herself enough.  She doesn't need me hating her.  And neither does Starr."

 

"That's very admirable of you, Todd.  So you forgive her?"

 

"Forgive?  Viki, I think I'm a long way from that.  I know that Blair didn't set out to deliberately scare my children or to leave my wife on the brink of death, so I can't really blame her for this situation.  But, if she wasn't involved, Téa wouldn't be where she is right now.  I don't want to talk about Blair right now.  What else were you about to say?"

 

"The doctor was looking for you.  All the tests were fine.  Ana Marisa can go home, Todd.  Today."

 

Todd looks at his sister with a tear in his eye.  He's so happy that he can finally take his baby home.  There's still sadness in his heart about Téa, but he allows himself to be happy for Ana Marisa.  He takes Viki's hand, and together they walk out of the chapel.  As he turns to close the door on their way out, he looks back towards the alter and mouths the words thank you to his new found source of strength and peace.

 

 

"Mr. Manning, I just need you to sign this last form before you leave."  A nurse shoves a piece of paper in Todd's hands and he hastily scribbles his name across the bottom.  Nothing could ruin this moment for him.  This was the day his baby daughter was finally ready to leave the hospital.  After spending the first 3 1/2 weeks of her life hooked up to tubes and wires in a cold, sterile hospital, Ana Marisa was finally about to journey to her home and her family.

 

"Todd, do you have everything you need?" Viki asks as the nurse hands a sleeping Ana Marisa to her father.

 

"I think we'll be fine, Viki.  But you can do one thing for me."

 

"Anything.  Just name it."

 

"Do you think you could take Abuelita back to the penthouse?  Michelle is there with the kids.  They're all waiting for me to get there with the baby.  But I need to make a stop first."  He pauses a moment as he looks at his baby's sweet, angelic face.  "There's somebody we need to go see." 

 

He holds the baby snugly against his chest and starts his trek down the hall towards Téa's room.  The closer he gets, the harder it becomes to make the steps.  He has to hold back the tears as he peeks into the room and spies a still unconscious Téa across the room.  He takes a deep breath and slowly opens the door, standing in the doorway for a few moments before finally venturing to her bedside.

 

"This is our stop, Ana Marisa.  There's somebody here I want you to meet," Todd says, as he sits down, turning the baby around to face Téa.

 

"This is a very special lady.  Now, she's not going to say much.  But you have to believe me when I tell you that she loves you very much.  Ana Marisa, this is your mother.  Téa, this is our baby girl."  He finally allows the emotions to take over as the tears begin to fall.  He grabs Téa's hand and wraps the baby's hand around one of Téa's fingers.

 

"Téa, we love you.  And we want you to come back to us.  But I need for you to know how much I love you and miss you.  Every moment with you felt like a lifetime of happiness.  I'm the luckiest man in the world, Téa.  Because of you.  So, even if you can't come back to us, I thank God for every moment we had together.  And every time I look in this little baby's eyes, I'll see you and remember our happiness.  Then I'll thank God again for her."   Todd leans across the bed and gently strokes Téa's face, studying every detail and etching it into his memory. 

 

"We need to get going, Téa.  But I'll always be here for you.  Remember that.  You just get plenty of rest and concentrate on getting better.  We need you Delgado."  Todd gets halfway to the door when a sound stops him in his tracks.

 

"How's a girl supposed to rest around here with you yapping on and on," a weak voice whispers from behind him.  Todd spins around and runs back to Téa's side and is shocked to find her eyes squinted as she struggles to focus.

 

"Téa?  Was that you?" he asks, still in shock over hearing her voice again and seeing signs of life in her body.  "Téa, you're awake!  Don't move, I'm going to get a doctor."  He starts to leave again, but she stops him.

 

"No, don't go.  What's happened to me?  How long have I been here?"  She gets panicked when she feels her flattened stomach.  "The baby!"

 

"Hey, calm down," Todd says reassuringly.  "The baby's fine.  You've been in here for almost a month now.  Unconscious.  You had us all scared to death, Delgado." 

 

"The baby's okay?  Really?"

 

"Really.  You can see her for yourself."  Todd holds the baby up for Téa to see.  Téa's eyes instantly well up with tears.  She struggles to lift her hand to the baby's face, but doesn't make it that far. 

 

Todd notices how weak she is and comes up with an idea to help mother and child bond.  He somehow props Téa up in her bed and then sits behind her, so that she's leaning back on his chest.  Then he places the baby in her arms, making sure to keep a firm grip on them both.

 

"Todd, she's perfect.  And so beautiful."

 

"Say thank you to your mommy, Ana Marisa," Todd says with a smile, but then he stiffens slightly, hoping Téa isn't uncomfortable about the baby's name.  "Is it alright that I named her already?"

 

"Of course it is, Todd.  I love the name.  And it suits you, Miss Ana Marisa Manning."  Téa says, looking down at her daughter.  She leans back farther onto Todd's chest and enjoys the feeling of his arms around her.  And she revels in the joy of feeling the little, soft, warm baby squirming in her arms.  She still doesn't know what all happened to her.   All she knows is that none of that matters because at that moment, she has all that she could ever need or want. 

 

Todd looks at them both.  And at that moment he was stunned to realize that he could actually feel Téa's joy and contentment.  He could actually see the peace on Ana Marisa's face.  There was nothing as important as what he was experiencing right then and there.  That's when the epiphany came.  This is what life is supposed to be all about.  Not about trying to fix the problems of the past or seeking revenge on those you thought wronged you.  It was all about taking the stolen chances and enjoying them to the fullest because they were few and far between.  Moments like this one.

 

Todd leans his head back against the wall and listens as both Téa and Ana Marisa's breathing gets deeper and more regular as they fall asleep.  He smiles to himself as another wave of peace covers him, rocking him into his own slumber state, leading him to dreams and visions of their happy future.

 

THE END.

 

 

      

 

 

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