PREVIOUSLY

Todd immediately recognized Hank’s voice. A look of shock came over his face. They saw this look quickly turn to panic. Todd suddenly pulled away from Susannah and Dan's grasp. He turned and faced Susannah, the techs and Sam and Viki. "YOU'RE ALL A BUNCH OF LYING BASTARDS!" Everyone except Bo and Hank recognized Pete. He turned back to Bo and Hank. "I DIDN'T DO IT! HOW MANY TIMES ARE YOU GONNA DRAG ME IN FOR THINGS I DIDN'T DO! YOU'RE NOT TAKING ME TO JAIL! I'M NEVER GOING BACK THERE! NEVER!" Pete shrieked. A couple of people who were in the hallway turned to stare. . . .

Saber was inside smirking to himself. He'd been bored. Now this suddenly got interesting. Saber knew Hank and Bo weren't there to take Todd to jail. He also knew that Pete honestly believed they were. "They can't take you to jail if you're hurt, you idiot! Don't you ever use that brain of yours to think!". . . ."

"I KNEW YOU HAD TO BE A PART OF THIS, BUCHANAN! YOU THINK THIS IS PAYDAY DON'T YOU! YOU COULDN'T MISS SEEING THEM DRAG ME TO PRISON. IT'S NOT GONNA HAPPEN!" Pete reached into the pocket of the pants he was wearing. His movements were swift. He felt the scissors and before anyone could stop him he plunged it into his outer thigh and pulled it in a downward motion. He wanted to make sure it did the most damage it could. Pete felt no pain. He did not even grimace. Pete pulled the scissors from his pocket. Immediately, Todd's pants started becoming saturated with blood.

"Oh my God!" Viki cried out.

Without thinking, Bo lunged to take the weapon away from Pete before he inflicted further damage to himself. Just as the staff was about to try to put Pete in a hold, Pete screamed, "NO! I WON'T LET YOU HURT ME THE WAY YOU HURT TODD! I WON'T LET YOU DO THAT TO ME AGAIN! I HATE YOU! YOU'RE NOT MY FATHER! YOU'RE TODD'S FATHER! I HATE YOU!"

It was Peter Manning Pete saw towering over him when he plunged the scissors into Bo's left side.

*********************************************************************************************************************************************

For the moment, it seemed to all of them . . . Sam, Viki, Susannah, her staff, Kevin, Hank, whatever ICU staff was around and visitors, that everything was in slow motion. Bo gasped. His eyes were wide with shock. For what seemed like minutes, but was in reality a couple of seconds, Bo silently stared into Pete's eyes. Pete’s eyes were glazed over. He saw Peter Manning looking at him. Without thinking, Bo pulled back. The scissors that were still clenched in Pete's hand pulled out of Bo's left side. They were covered in blood, both Pete and Bo's blood. Bo brought his hand to his side. He felt a warm. Sticky moistness covered his palm. He looked confused. He removed his hand from his injured side and stared at the blood that covered it. He looked at Pete again and stumbled to a standing position. Pete made no attempt to stand or to come at Bo again. He stared ahead blankly. The scissors remained clutched in his hand. It wasn't until this moment that Bo felt the sharp pain in his left side.

The shocked silence immediately turned to chaos. Some visitors screamed. Some stood and gawked. Others ran, afraid for their own safety. Security was called. Susannah and her staff sprang into action. Hank and some hospital personnel started to head to Bo and Pete. "No! Hank . . . everyone . . . stay back! Get this area cleared of visitors and nonessential personnel. Let us handle this," Susannah ordered sharply. She then added, "Please call seven east and ask them to send some of my staff down here."

Jeff moved cautiously. He approached Bo and steadied him. "Commissioner Buchanan. I'm going to help you over to a chair."

"Don't let him hurt himself. He's been hurt enough," Bo whispered as he looked in Pete's direction.

A doctor and two nurses from the ICU rushed over to help Bo.

A nurse handed Susannah some gloves and gauze pads. A small puddle of blood was forming on the floor, under Pete's thigh. Susannah approached Pete slowly. "Pete, I'm going to take the scissors away from you now."

Pete didn't respond. He stared ahead blankly. Susannah was able to easily take the scissors away. He made no attempt to fight her. Pete began to speak in a flat, disconnected voice. "I'm strong. I won't let him do it to me. No . . . not me too . . . no . . . I won't let him. I should have killed him before he . . ." Pete stopped talking.

"Aaaahhhh!"

Susannah, the staff that was with her, Sam, Viki and Kevin all recognized Adam's voice. Adam's eyes shifted to the right. He seemed to take in his surroundings with his sideways gaze. He started to stand up. Frank quickly slid between Adam and the wall and gently pulled him into a hold. He knew pressure needed to be applied to Adam's wound and then it had to be sutured. Jeff and Dan joined in and stabilized Adam's legs and head to keep him from kicking and butting his head into Frank or trying to bite anyone. As they remembered, Adam had little strength. He could not fight the hands that held him. What he could do was scream and cry, and that he did, at the top of his lungs. Susannah ordered a sedative strong enough to put Adam to sleep. The nurse Susannah gave the medication order to hesitated for a moment. She was shocked by the incident. She looked at Adam struggling. She winced at his piercing, high-pitched screams. She was amazed that he sounded like a very young child. She rushed to get the medication.

Another nurse was applying pressure to Bo's side. They had pulled off his jacket and cut his shirt away. "I'm fine," Bo feebly told the doctor and two nurses who were working on him. The pain in his side was severe. Fortunately, the wound was lateral of any abdominal organs. The puncture wound pierced clear through his flesh and was not life threatening. "We need to get you to the ER, Commissioner," the doctor stated.

Carl, Eileen, Marcia and Steve, rushed through the doors and joined Susannah, Frank, Dan and Jeff. They stood by in case they were needed.

Bo looked over toward Adam. He had heard about him from Nora and Susannah. Still, he was astonished to see how young Todd's face looked and to hear the sounds a toddler makes come from Todd. "Is he okay? His leg looks bad," Bo commented as he winced in pain.

"Is he okay!" Hank couldn't believe Bo said that. "He just stabbed you!" Hank was even more shocked by Adam than Bo was. He had no forewarning. Hank had no idea why Todd was acting, looking or sounding like that.

"Let it go, Hank. Can't you see what's going on here? Ohhhhh," Bo moaned.

"I see that Todd just attempted to murder you," Hank stated.

"DON'T YOU EVEN THINK OF GOING THERE, HANK!" Sam shouted.

"Sam, don't," Viki cautioned.

Sam lowered his voice. He continued to blast Hank. "Todd is not responsible for his actions. No court in the world would hold him responsible." Sam couldn't control his fury. He ran up to Hank and got in his face. "IT'S JUST KILLING YOU THAT YOU COULDN'T PIN GEORGIE'S MURDER ON TODD AND GET YOUR OWN KID OFF SCOTT FREE!"

"Sam! Please! Honey. Calm down. I'm sure Hank meant nothing of the kind." Viki was afraid that Sam would go off the deep end if Hank made one more remark about Todd attempting to murder Bo. Sam was always on a very short rope these days. Much less than this set him off.

"That wasn't Todd," Bo spoke up. "Hank you know about the DID. That wasn't Todd, and this isn't Todd. This is a very young child."

Hank looked in Adam's direction again. He shook his head as if to clear it. "It's Bo's call. I have nothing to do with this business," Hank stated angrily.

"Sam," Viki called. She held her hand out.

Sam felt frightened. He wanted to hit Hank. He wanted to hit someone. Sam had been a believer in nonviolence all his life. He was a pacifist. Now all he wanted to do was pummel someone into the ground. Sam took a deep breath. He realized his hands were clenched into tight fists. He forcibly unclenched them and took another deep breath. Sam gave Hank one last angry look and headed back to where Viki and Kevin stood; between where Bo sat on a chair and Adam was being held on the floor. Kevin and Viki wanted to rush toward Adam, but Susannah held up her hand to let them know to stand back. They didn't want to get in the way of the care Bo was receiving either, so they stood rooted to the spot.

"Oh! Dear Lord! Bo, I'm so sorry," Viki called to him.

"Viki, I'm all right. Please. I'm fine," Bo called back to her as loudly as he could, which was not loud at all. His side was killing him.

When the doors opened to allow hospital personnel to wheel in two gurneys, they heard Rachel's voice. "What do you mean I can't go in there? My father and stepfather are in there! What happened? I told them I'd meet them. We're here to visit a patient . . . Téa Manning. What's going on?" Rachel tried to see around the security guard who blocked her way.

"It's okay. Let her in," Bo called out weakly.

The guard stepped aside and Rachel rushed in. She dropped the gift box she was holding down on a chair. She gasped in horror at the situation before her. "Oh my God! Bo . . . wha . . ." Rachel's mouth hung open.

"Rach, it's all right. I'm fine. I just have a little nick in my side. I need you to stay calm," Bo told her.

"Daddy, what's going on?" Rachel looked in Adam's direction as he continued screaming, crying and struggling.

"Todd flipped out and stabbed Bo," Hank responded.

"Oh, my God!" Rachel repeated. "Mom! I'd better call mom."

"Rachel no!" Bo ordered as firmly as he was able. They were now assisting him to one of the gurneys as they kept pressure on his wound. "Rachel, don't call your mom yet. She'll come here and all Hell'll break loose. Wait until they stitch me up. Let me be the one to call her."

Rachel looked at Hank. "Daddy, what should I do? Mom will never forgive me if I don't let her know Bo's been hurt?"

"Wait!" Bo held his hand up to them as they started to wheel him to the ER. "Rachel, please! I know what I'm doing. Don't call your mom. Let me be the one to call her. If she hears ‘me’ tell her what happened she won't become hysterical." Bo emphasized the word me.

"It's Bo's decision," Hank told his daughter.

Rachel reluctantly nodded in agreement. She would face her mom's wrath when the time came. She watched as they wheeled Bo out.

"We should go with him," Rachel said to Hank.

"Baby, I'll go. I think you need to sit down for a few minutes." Hank saw that Rachel looked faint. "They won't allow us in the ER cubical with Bo anyway," Hank added. He helped Rachel to a chair and headed to the ER to be with Bo.

Susannah had used the scissors she took from Pete to cut the sweat pants Adam had on away from his wound. She was applying pressure to it. Adam seemed to be far more upset with being held than with the wound. Susannah wondered if he was aware of the pain. She knew some children with autism were not cognizant of some of their body's sensations, including some kinds of pain.

"Where is that sedation?" Susannah called out.

********************

The nurse who had gone for the medication was so frazzled that she had dropped the glass syringe. According to protocol for a controlled substance, the nurse immediately stepped out of the medication room and looked for another nurse to act as a witness. This step had to be done first to protect the nurse who dropped the medication. If the syringe had smashed and the medication had spilled, the witness would have to sign that he or she saw it was spilled and that it was uncollectible. The young nurse found a witness. She then immediately filled another syringe to take to Susannah. Afterward she would come back to the medication room. She and the witness would inspect the syringe. If it were only cracked or merely contaminated from being on the floor the contents of it would be squirted into an ‘aliquot bottle’ and sent back to the pharmacy for disposal and a ‘narcotics loss form’ would be filled out.

*********************

Kevin moved closer to Adam. He couldn't take Adam's heart wrenching screams. Out of instinct, Kevin started to sing the Yogi Bear theme song he remembered Adam liking so much.

"Ehhhhhh!" Adam called out. The song had an immediate calming effect on him.

Rachel stared at Kevin as he knelt next to Adam and continued to sing.

"Ehhhhh, ehhhhh." Adam almost sounded like he was trying to sing along. He was no longer fighting their hold.

"Great quiet, Adam," Susannah reinforced.

Adam did not feel the pain in his thigh. All his concentration was on Kevin. He remembered Kevin as a source of fun. He wanted to play the seesaw game with him. Adam wanted to get on his knees and reach out for Kevin's hands. He became frustrated when he couldn’t and started to cry and struggle again.

Kevin sang a little louder. Adam started to quiet again.

"Good calming, Adam." Frank reinforced Adam this time.

Rachel stared in amazement. She was transfixed by the sight before her. She realized this was the alter with autism and she became immediately fascinated with him. Rachel was also shocked at Kevin's behavior. Not only was he able to calm this child, he was acting in a loving way toward a part of Todd.

Adam still wanted to get Kevin to play the seesaw game with him. He was once again struggling in the hold.

"Can I do anything to help?" Rachel walked closer to Adam and asked.

"Rachel, stay back," Susannah directed.

Rachel knew that some children with autism were fascinated with string and liked to stim with it. She unclasped and slid the thin gold chain she was wearing off her neck. She removed the small pearl that hung from it and dangled the chain in front of Adam's face. Adam instantly became mesmerized by it. "Way to go, Adam! Good sitting nicely!" Rachel reinforced his calm.

"Aaaaahhhhh," Adam called out. Frank felt Adam try to reach out for the chain. He glanced in Susannah's direction. Susannah nodded. Dan released Adam's head and Frank slowly released Adam's arms. Adam grabbed the chain from Rachel. He made no further attempt to get away from Frank or pull his legs away from Jeff and Susannah as Jeff held his legs still and Susannah kept pressure on his wound, respectively. Adam twirled the shiny chain between his fingers and stared at it with his peripheral gaze. Kevin continued to sing softly to Adam. Adam was staying calm.

The nurse finally brought the sedative. Susannah's staff saw she was leery to get close enough to Adam to inject him. "Here, I'll take that." Marcia held her hand out for the syringe. The anxious nurse gladly handed it over. Between Kevin’s singing and Adam stimming with Rachel's necklace, Adam did not feel Steve pull down the waist of the pants, on Adam's uninjured side, or Marcia inject the medication. After several minutes they saw Adam's eyelids grow heavy. They knew his head had to be spinning as the medication took hold. Adam started to suck his right thumb while continuing to twirl Rachel's necklace between the thumb and index finger of his left hand. As Adam's muscles relaxed, Frank felt Adam leaning back more and more against his chest. Rachel's necklace dropped from Adam's fingers as his left hand fell to his lap. Adam's eyes shut and he was asleep.

The staff moved quickly. They transferred Adam to a gurney and transported him to the ER. Susannah, Frank, Viki and Sam went with him. Before she left, Susannah told one of the doctors she would return later to help with the incident report. The rest of the staff went back to seven. Rachel and Kevin stayed behind. Susannah told them Adam would be out for hours.

"You wanna tell me what happened?" Rachel asked once she and Kevin were alone.

"I don't know all of it. When I got here, Pete was out. He was shouting that we were going to take him to jail. Rachel, he's always terrified of that. Every time he comes out he thinks he's going to be carted off to jail for killing Georg . . . oh God. I-I'm sorry. Rachel . . . I . . ."

"Kevin. It's okay." Rachel stopped Kevin from having to say anymore. She looked down at the floor and away from Kevin as she continued. "He's afraid of going to jail for my crime. He nearly did. I almost stood by and let him go back to prison."

"Come on, Rachel. You didn't. You confessed."

"Yeah, I confessed, after Todd practically had to drag it out of me. Do you think I ever would have confessed if the whole hostage thing hadn’t happened?"

"Yes I do," Kevin emphasized the word do.

"You're more sure of that than I am, Kevin. Todd wasn't the only one I almost let get convicted for a murder I did. I let Drew and Bo stand accused." Rachel smiled bitterly and shook her head in disgust. Disgust she was feeling with herself. "It was so much easier letting Todd take the blame than it was watching Bo and Drew being accused. I hated Todd anyway. I believed he never got punished enough for the things he did, so maybe this was just fair payback. I was his judge and jury." A tear slid down Rachel's cheek as she confessed her feelings.

"Rachel, I don't believe that you would have gone through with letting Todd get sent back to Statesville for killing Georgie. I think you would have come forward on your own, eventually," Kevin insisted.

"We'll never know. Will we? Even Asa almost dying and all that stuff that went down between Blair and Max and my mom and Sam and Todd getting stabbed didn't make me confess. It was only seeing you wanting to kill Todd and him wanting you to do it that shocked something in me and made me confess."

"Rachel," Kevin placed his hand on her arm in a comforting gesture.

"Kevin, it's okay. I've worked out a lot of the guilt I feel in therapy. It's just seeing Todd this way and seeing what happened to Bo . . . I hope Bo's right and his wound is no big deal . . . man! My mom's gonna freak when she hears about this. Damn! None of this would have happened if I had just admitted I killed Georgie."

"I'm sure Susannah must have told you that Todd has been sick most of his life. You didn't give him DID or any of the other things that are wrong with him."

"I know that. Susannah did explain that to me. I also know that Todd was able to function until he found Georgie's body. You can't deny that, Kevin. I can't take that back. I have to learn to live with it. I do, most of the time. Sometimes it's harder than other times."

"You were great with him," Kevin complimented Rachel. "I see the work you did with kids with autism really came in handy. I know what he wanted. Adam wanted to play this game with me that he likes. We pull each other back and forth in a seesaw effect. They couldn't allow him to move around because of his leg."

"You were great with him, too," Rachel praised Kevin. "That song you sang calmed him down considerably."

Kevin blushed slightly and laughed. "Yeah, finally, someone who appreciates my singing."

Rachel smiled. "Seriously, Kevin, it's not always easy to get through to children like Adam." Rachel stopped again when she realized what she just said. "I can't believe that was Todd . . . I . . . I mean . . . God . . . I know it's Todd, but . . . " Rachel was at a loss for words.

"Isn't it amazing?" Kevin agreed. "I feel the same way. I know it's Todd, but the children are really children who live in Todd's body. Once I'm with them I only see them as the children they are."

"I know. I got that feeling right away. Almost from the second I saw Adam I felt the way I do with the kids I worked with. How is that possible? The way he looked . . . his voice . . . they were so young," Rachel stated in astonishment.

"No one really knows. Susannah said there are many theories about the physical aspects of DID. The chronic and severe abuse may permanently alter the brain's chemistry . . . their immune, nervous, endocrine and cardiovascular systems react differently from each other's . . . who knows what else. Susannah can tell you more. It's the most damn fascinating thing I've ever experienced in my life. There's an infant alter. He's only five months old. He can't speak. He can't even sit up by himself. There's an old lady who walks around kind of hunched over. Her joints actually swell up with arthritis. Her vision is poor without glasses. When the children or women are out, Todd's facial hair doesn't grow . . . the hormones react differently. Rachel, I'm telling you . . . you've gotta see it to believe it."

"How come we never noticed any of this when we were in college with Todd?" Rachel posed.

"Are you so sure we didn't? All of us knew how moody Todd was. We all thought he had a few screws loose. Can you say that it never crossed your mind that he was sick?"

"I suppose it did. What crossed my mind more was that he was a mean and vicious monster . . . not even a human . . . maybe that's why it was so easy to let him go to jail for me," Rachel admitted.

"He was raised by a monster. I can't go into the things Peter Manning did to him. I can tell you that if you knew, you'd understand why Todd turned out the way he did."

"Rachel looked into Kevin's eyes. "Ever since I've heard that you were close to Todd's alters I wondered how you were able to get past everything he did . . . to you . . . to Marty . . . to my mom . . . to your own family. I think I have a fairly good idea now."

"It's only the past day or so that I've actually had any dealings with Todd," Kevin explained. "Before that it was always one of the alters. Usually it was the children. Sometimes it was one of the adults. Pete and I have had a few run-ins. This isn't the first time he thought I and my whole family were here to take him to prison."

"Was it my dad and Bo being here that pushed him over the edge today?" Rachel inquired.

"I guess so. I don't know where he got the scissors. I'm sure it wasn't Todd who hurt Bo or himself. There's an alter that hates Todd and all the other alters. I have a feeling he was involved in this. Rachel, Pete wasn't trying to hurt Bo. He thought it was his dad he was stabbing . . . or I should say Todd's dad. Pete freaks out if anyone says that Peter Manning was his dad too."

"This is way too complicated. My God, Kevin. How does Todd know if he's coming or going?"

"He doesn't. Rachel, when we knew him in college, many of the alters were dormant and those that were around either didn't come out very often or they pretended to be Todd when they did. Now a days Todd lives in chaos most of the time. He has no idea how long he's been here or what day it is. Today was a good day for him. He kept it together for Téa and for Starr. Starr came here, on her own, to see her daddy and Téa."

Rachel's head was spinning as she tried to process everything Kevin had just told her. Then she suddenly remembered. "Téa! Oh God, Kevin. We have to tell Téa what happened."

"I know," Kevin admitted in a worried voice. "I don't want her to hear it from the staff here. Her room is way at the other end. I don't think she heard any of what went on here. She's been through Hell the past few days. Todd has been switching left and right and all the alters that came out had issues with Téa. She's been worried sick about Todd's reactions to her accident and he was terrified for her. You should have seen him, Rachel. He was holding on by a thread. I never thought Todd would be able to stay Todd the way he did. He was there for Téa. He was strong. He tried his best to take care of her. He was that way for Starr, too. It must have been too much for him already and then when he saw Bo and your dad . . ."

"It pushed him over the edge." Rachel finished Kevin's statement.

"Yeah. I think it did," Kevin concurred. "He'll be all right. He's hurt himself worse than this before. Bo's wound didn't look too bad either. The scissors was a small one, luckily. I don't think it did too much damage." Kevin paused. He looked around. Housekeeping had arrived and was in the process of cleaning up the area. Kevin shook his head and sighed deeply. "We better get to Téa. News travels fast in a hospital."

Rachel collected the present she had gotten for Téa. She and Kevin headed for Téa's room.

**************************

Téa lay in her bed with her eyes closed. She wasn't asleep. She was going over the events of the past few hours. Téa hugged herself as she remembered the feel of Starr in her arms. She closed her hand into a fist as she also remembered what it felt like to hold Todd's hand. Téa smiled. "I had my family back today," Téa whispered to herself. Téa was so proud of Todd. She was in awe of him. She felt like she had witnessed a miracle. “You were there for me, mi amore. You took care of me. You protected me. You made sure I was taken care of. Oh, Todd. I hope doing that didn't end up hurting you. Was it too much for you?” Téa wondered. She put Todd's well being ahead of her own. Téa knew there were times, like today, when Todd did the same for her.

For all their many problems, Téa knew that when push came to shove her relationship with Todd was symbiotic. There was mutual caring for each other's needs and wants. Both benefited from their love. Neither was only interested in what the other could do for them. Todd had tried with all his might to be the kind of man and husband he wanted to be for Téa and she had done everything within her power to help him and save him, time and time again. Each had been the caregiver to the other when it was necessary. Téa would sometimes wonder if, in part, both she and Todd sought the love from each other that was stolen from them when their mothers' deserted them.

Today, more than ever before, Téa knew they were bonded for life. In these long months since Todd had been hospitalized, Téa had come to realize that if severe illness and accidents had not torn them apart neither of them would allow anger, frustration and mistrust do it. Téa understood that trust was not easy for her and almost impossible for Todd. Yet, in so many ways, they trusted each other with things neither had ever trusted another living soul with.

Téa opened her eyes and looked at all the gifts Todd had sent to her. She was deeply touched by them. In her mind she was able to hear Todd telling her doctors to make sure not to hurt her. Téa thought of the surprise Todd and Starr planed when Todd hid Starr behind him. She remembered the twinkle in his eyes at her reaction to his surprise. It was the first time, since before the hostage situation, that Todd had a moment of fun. Téa felt her heart swell with love for him. For the fist time, in a very long time, Téa had some real hope for their future. She closed her eyes again and continued to go over every second of this day in her mind.

"I think she's sleeping," Rachel whispered to Kevin when they saw Téa lying in bed with her eyes closed. They both noticed the big smile on her face and assumed she was dreaming. Both hated that they would have to wipe that smile away with the news they came to give her.

"Rachel! Kevin! I'm not asleep. It's okay. Come in." Téa opened her eyes when she heard them come into the room. She was happy to see them.

"Maybe you need to rest? We can come back a little later," Rachel declared.

"Will you get over here!” Téa patted the bed.

Rachel and Téa hugged tightly. They nearly crushed the box Rachel was holding. "This is from Bo, my dad and me," Rachel stated as she handed Téa the box.

"It's beautiful," Téa exclaimed as she pulled the lavender, velvet and satin bed jacket out of the box. "Something tells me you were the one to pick it out," Téa guessed.

"You know it, girlfriend," Rachel admitted. "Daddy and Bo are sweet, but their idea of a good present is a fishing rod."

Téa laughed. She noticed Kevin looked troubled. When she looked into Rachel's eyes she saw that, even though Rachel had a smile on her lips, her eyes were troubled as well. Téa began to feel anxious. "Is something wrong?"

Kevin moved closer to the bed. "Téa, I don't want you to get upset. Everything is okay now. There was an incident."

Téa's heart began to pound so loudly she had trouble hearing Kevin. She knew that any conversation that started out with "I don't want you to get upset," was always bad news. "Is it Todd . . . Oh my God! Is it Starr? Tell me! Kevin, tell me!"

"Honey, calm down. Todd and Starr are okay. Everyone is okay . . . sort of," Rachel announced.

"What do you mean 'sort of?' Tell me!" Téa repeated.

"Starr is fine. Blair came and took her home some time ago. She wasn't here when it. . . ." Kevin ran his fingers through his hair as he searched for the words. "I wasn't here for the whole thing, but from what I gathered, Bo and Hank ran into Todd as they were taking him back to his room. Hank approached him or said something to him . . . I don't know. Whatever it was . . . Todd became frightened or angry . . . something . . . Pete came out." Téa gasped. "Yeah, Pete," Kevin confirmed sadly. "He freaked. He thought Bo and Hank were there to take him to jail. Pete became delusional. He thought Bo was Peter Manning. Téa, somehow, Todd got hold of a pair of scissors while he was away from his unit."

"Oh God!" Téa cried out.

"No one is hurt seriously," Kevin stated emphatically. "Pete did use the scissors to cut himself. He cut his leg up. Susannah doesn't think any real damage was done. It will take some stitches to close it, but there won't be any permanent damage."

Tears welled up in Téa's eyes and slid down her cheeks. For a second she felt she had jinxed the situation by feeling so optimistic. The reminder of the severity of Todd's illness slapped Téa in the face. "Did Todd come back? Oh God, Kevin. He'll be terrified of having to go have stitches. Did they sedate him?"

"Yes. Uh . . . Téa, Todd didn't come back. Pete went inside and Adam came out," Kevin informed her.

"Adam?" Téa brushed her hand over her mouth. She tugged on her lower lip for a moment before she took her hand away. She looked at Rachel. Rachel saw the intense pain in Téa's eyes. She thought of what a contrast it was to the happiness that had been in those eyes when she and Kevin first walked in. "Rachel, Adam is a baby. He's only three years old." Téa let Rachel know.

"I know," Rachel gently acknowledged. "I was there. I saw him. I couldn't believe my own eyes and ears at first. He's okay. Really. Aunt Susannah had them give him something to put him to sleep. Even before that, he didn't seem to be in pain. He was fairly calm as long as Kevin kept singing to him."

"He remembered you and that cartoon song he likes you to sing to him?" Téa asked hopefully. She was happy Adam had familiar faces around him. She also hoped he would remember her.

"He sure seemed to. He kind of zeroed in on me as soon as he came out. I'm kind of like this walking juke box to him," Kevin joked sadly.

"Then he's really okay? The wound isn't serious?"

"No," both Kevin and Rachel answered together.

"Then what is it? There's something else. I can see it in both your faces'," Téa declared.

Kevin and Rachel exchanged quick glances. Kevin took a deep breath. "Right after Pete cut up his leg, Bo tried to take the scissors away from him. Pete thought Bo was Peter Manning and he stabbed him in the side."

"No! Ay dios mio! Is Bo all right? You said no one was hurt seriously?" Before Téa gave Kevin and Rachel a chance to answer, she started to get out of bed.

"Whoa! Where do you think you're going?" Kevin held onto Téa's arm.

"I'm going to be with Todd . . . Adam. Where is he? Is he in the ER or the treatment room on seven?" 

"What is this, musical visitors? Todd freaks out and insists they bring him to you. You freak out and wanna go to him. Stay put! Adam is heavily sedated. He won't know you're there. They took both Bo and Adam to the ER. Adam is not in any danger. They'll both need stitches and they'll be fine!"

Téa realized what Kevin said was true. Right now, she'd be in the way. On top of that her head was throbbing and she was slightly nauseated. "They will let me know if . . . if . . . I don't know. If it turns more serious."

"You know they will. I'll personally go check on both of them in a bit, after they've had a chance to take care of them. I'll report back to you," Rachel promised.

Téa leaned back against the pillow and sighed. She shook her head in dismay. Suddenly she realized something. "Bo's not going to press charges against Todd for this, is he?" Téa sounded panic stricken.

"No!" Kevin stated firmly. "Téa, Bo was emphatic. He realized it wasn't Todd who stabbed him and that it isn't Todd who's out now."

"I'll bet Hank wasn't quite so understanding," Téa declared. "Oh, Rachel. I'm sorry. I didn't mean that as a put down of your father. It's just that . . ."

"I know," Rachel cut Téa off. "Sick or well, Todd is not one of Daddy's favorite people. Téa, don't worry. Daddy is letting Bo call the shots."

"Not that any charges against Todd would stick under these circumstances," Téa proclaimed. She knew she would tear Hank to pieces in the courtroom if he even tried to prosecute Todd for this.

"We know that. Come on, Téa. Calm down. Todd is not in any trouble over this. Sam already warned Hank that he'd make mince meat out of him if he tried. With two ferocious lawyers on his side, Todd doesn't have to worry." Kevin made light of it to ease the tension.

Something else occurred to Téa. "Rachel, what about your mom? Has Nora been notified?"

"No. Bo asked me not to. He wants her to hear his voice telling her what happened so she won't be so upset."

"Madre de Dios. Nora's going to have even more reason to hate Todd now. She was finally coming around a little. Did she tell you that she saw Adam and finally believes that Todd is really sick? She actually said she understood her sister's motives for wanting to help." Téa asked Rachel.

"Mom told me about Adam. I know she does feel less resentful toward Susannah. She even mentioned inviting Susannah, Bill and his kids over for the first seder night."

"I have a feeling she is going to rethink that when she hears what happened," Téa guessed.

"Well, that will be my mom's problem. I think my aunt is doing the right thing and I think Bo is too. Todd needs to be helped. Man, I never thought I'd hear myself say that," Rachel confessed.

"I never thought I'd hear myself saying or thinking most of the things I've said and thought the past few months," Kevin admitted. "Rachel, one thing I know. No matter what your mom and dad think, Todd has been punished a thousand times over for everything he's ever done and he's still punishing himself."

Rachel nodded in agreement. She thought about what she had just seen. "Adam is amazing. Does he come out very often?"

"He came out, for the first time that we know of, a little over a week ago," Kevin informed Rachel. "He was out for a few days. God! So much has happened since then. It seems like a hundred years since Adam's been here. I was holding Adam when Todd came back. He totally freaked out when he realized I was holding him. Then I think it was Tom who came out. He's seven, and he has the world's biggest crush on Téa. Then Todd came back, then Rodd . . . was it Rodd?" Kevin looked toward Téa. Téa nodded. Kevin continued. "Then Todd came back. An animal alter came out. I think . . . God, I can't even remember. Tom came back, then Todd again. Todd's been switching so much. Then Téa got hurt and Starr visited. Todd stayed out. He held on like someone dangling off a sixty-story building. You know the rest. Pete came out and now Adam. We have no idea how long he'll be out or even if he'll be the one to wake up from the sedation."

Rachel tried to absorb everything Kevin said. "I don't know how you guys do it. How do you cope?"

"Most of the alters are the sweetest, most loving children you can ever meet. Rodd is a warm, loving generous man. Even Pete is really just a scared kid. I can honestly say it's a joy to know most of them."

Rachel heard the admiration and love in Kevin's voice. She saw it in his eyes as well. It was something she'd never expected between Kevin and Todd. "I can see that. Adam seemed as real a little boy as the kids I worked with."

"Téa, you should have seen Rachel with him," Kevin began. "She was great. She gave him her necklace to stim with and he quieted right down and went to sleep easily."

"You weren't half bad yourself." Rachel praised Kevin.

Téa noticed that Rachel and Kevin were looking at each other with admiration. "Do you think one or both of you can go down to the ER and see how Adam and Bo are doing? I know you just got here and I appreciate your visiting me and the gift, but I . . ."

"It's okay." Rachel understood. "You can't relax until you know how they are."

"Can we get you anything?" Kevin asked.

Téa shook her head. "Just news on Adam, and please tell Bo I hope he's okay and thank him from me. Tell him I'm very grateful that he understands."

Rachel hugged Téa goodbye. Kevin patted Téa's hand and they left for the ER. Téa rested back against the pillow. She bit her lip. It did no good. The tears came. Téa turned on her side and cried into her pillow.

******************

"Commissioner, you have that filled and make sure to stay on those antibiotics for ten days. Don't stop taking them until the prescription is finished," the surgical resident who worked on Bo cautioned him.

"No problem. I hardly felt it when you stitched me up. You did a great job." Bo thanked him.

"That's because of the Lidocaine. When that wears off you may be in considerable pain. Make sure to have that prescription for painkillers filled as well," the doctor pressed.

"Will do. Thanks again," Bo said. "Listen, I know I can't use my cell phone here. Is there a phone I can use to call my wife? I need to let her know I'm okay and I need her to bring me a shirt."

"Why don't you sit tight and rest for a while. I'll have someone bring you some juice and some gelatin. I'll also have a phone brought to you," the doctor assured Bo.

********************

"Daddy," Rachel called to Hank as she and Kevin approached him in the waiting area. "How are they? Are Bo and Adam all right?"

"No one has told me anything about Adam." Hank sarcastically emphasized the name Adam. "And I didn't ask. Bo is doing fine. I was just in to see him. The doc says they did some kind of X-ray on Bo . . . a flat plate of the abdomen I think he called it. It showed there was no air in Bo's abdomen. He got lucky. He could have had some organ damage. They stitched him up. A few days on painkillers and antibiotics and he'll be fine. Baby, you can go in and see him if you want. I know he was waiting for them to bring him a phone so he could call your mom and give her the news. I figured I'd wait around until Nora got here."

"I'm going to find out about Adam," Kevin told Rachel. "If you see Bo, tell him I'm glad he's okay too and that I'll try to see him before he leaves."

*********************

"Red . . . Red! . . . Listen to me . . . I'm fine! . . . it's just a flesh wound . . . I told you . . . Hank frightened Todd . . . he shouldn't have walked up to him that way . . . No! . . . I'm not blaming Hank . . . I don't care how it sounds. I'm not blaming him. I just think he should have had more sense . . . Todd is locked away . . . what more do you want . . . he's a patient on a lock-down psych unit . . . Susannah was right there . . . there was staff with him . . . Come on, Red. The guy had a right to see his wife . . . I'm sure Susannah thought he was well enough to go off the unit . . . Yeah, like you would really sue your own sister . . . is that what you want . . . to teach Susannah a lesson or do you want revenge on her from some childhood sibling rivalry thing? . . . Okay, I'm sorry. I just hate to hear you talk like that. I know underneath it all you love Susannah very much. I thought the two of you were working toward fixing your relationship . . . Todd didn't try to murder me. It was Pete and he thought I was his father. God only knows what that man did to him. Come on, Red. Show some compassion . . . I didn't almost die. Stop making such a big deal out of this. Look, I know you're upset. I understand and I don't blame you, but if you're going to carry on this way then I think I'll get Hank or . . . I don't want you coming here and giving Susannah a hard time and I certainly don't want you to give Viki and Sam a hard time. Sam is falling apart as it is . . ." Bo rolled his eyes. Now he had to listen to Nora go on about Todd being the cause of Sam falling apart. "Honey . . . Red! Maybe it's best you wait for me at home. Rachel can go get me a shirt and Hank can dri . . . yeah, Rachel's here."

Bo sighed. He realized he and Rachel had not yet told Nora about Téa. They had known what her reaction would be. "Red, Téa had an accident. She fell and hit her head. She's doing great now. She has to be here for a couple of days for observation . . . Yes, Todd was there when she fell and no it wasn't his fault. Téa lost her balance and fell . . . I know you like Téa . . . maybe we didn't tell you because we knew you'd react this way . . . I'm not telling Rachel to leave . . . she's in no danger from Todd . . . Adam, the little autistic boy you told me about, came out . . . You yourself told me he was just a baby. You know Rachel's not in any danger from him. Anyway, he's been heavily sedated. They're stitching him up . . . Because Pete did a lot more damage to his leg than he did to me . . . I was stupid. I know better than to try to take a weapon away from someone that way . . . I'm not making excuses for him. It's a fact. I acted foolishly and I should have known better . . . Rachel's a grown woman. I'm not telling her where she can and cannot visit . . . Red . . . Red. I don't think it is a good idea for you to come here . . . Red! . . . hello . . . shit!" Bo slammed the phone down.

********************

Susannah, Frank and Jeff were in the cubicle with Adam. Susannah insisted that Viki and Sam go to the cafeteria for some tea or something. They were both quite shaky by the time the surgeon began to stitch Adam up. She also gently pointed out that they were going to be in the way in such a small area.

"He's lucky that no real damage was done," the doctor who was suturing up Todd's leg commented to Susannah. He had just pulled and knotted the last of the forty-one stitches it took to close the wound Pete had self-inflicted. "In addition to the antibiotic, he's going to need a heavy duty painkiller when he wakes up," he further remarked.

"Maybe not," Susannah stated. "If the alter who was out when we sedated him is the one who wakes up, he may not feel the injury as much as some of the others."

The surgeon shook his head. "I've never seen an actual case of DID, not even during my psych rotation."

"You may have and not known it. Often DID patients are misdiagnosed with schizophrenia, mood disorders, personality disorders . . . some psychiatrists and psychologists still don't believe DID is a real disorder and refuse to make that diagnosis," Susannah informed him.

"I do know the patient has to meet the criteria for DID according to the DSM-IV," the young doctor stated. Susannah could see he was very curious about this.

"Yes. And to that end there are diagnostic tools we use. With kids we might use the Child Dissociative Checklist . . . The Adolescent Dissociative Experiences Scale . . . possibly The Imaginary Friends Questionnaire. With adults we have the adult version of the DES, the Structured Clinical Interview for Dissociative Disorders, the Dissociative Disorders Interview Schedule, the Diagnostic Drawing Series . . . most of these diagnostic tools are fairly new and have come out during the last decade or so. There are some rating systems that measure the degree of the severity of dissociation, like The BASK model of dissociation. Although that is not used that often these days. I can tell you that this patient has tested off the wall on DID symptomatology. There's some excellent information out there. Some of the leaders in the field are Frank Putnam, Colin Ross, Joyanna Silberg, Richard Kluft, Marlene Steinberg, Dorothy Lewis and others. If you're interested in the specifics you can stop by my office sometime and I can give you a reading list that will keep you busy for the next year."

"This sounds like one complicated patient."

"He is. Todd is severely ill. His system is one of the most complicated I've ever worked with. I've had little success with mapping, that is having Todd and the alters diagram their system for me. There are many alters. There are now thirty-six that we've either met or heard of. There may be more. It's possible that he might be poly-fragmented, meaning he has over a hundred alters, but I don't believe that to be the case. In most cases of poly-fragmentation there are multiple perpetrators. In Todd's case the perpetrator of abuse was his father. His mother contributed with passive abuse and abandonment, but as far as we know, she was not physically or sexually abusive and she did love him. Alters are still coming forward and many don't know each other. The upside is Todd has been having increased co-consciousness with some of the alters. I'd like to do journaling with Todd and the alters, but his conversion disorder, blindness, makes that impossible right now."

Another doctor stuck her head in the door and told the young surgeon he was needed elsewhere. Susannah smiled. She could see he hated to tear himself away from their conversation. She remembered her own keen interest and excitement in the field of Dissociative Disorders particularly DID, when she first started out as a psychiatrist. She wondered if he would eventually switch specialties the way she had.

"Well, good luck to you and Todd. It sounds like you have your hands full with this one." The surgeon glanced at Adam one more time as they dressed his newly stitched wound and he left.

Kevin approached cubicle twelve as the young doctor left. "Todd Manning's in there, right? I'm family." Kevin stated.

"Yes. He's all stitched up. They're dressing his wound now. His psychiatrist is in there with him.

"Susannah. Is Adam okay?" Kevin asked as he stepped into the cubicle.

Susannah waved Kevin all the way in. "He's doing okay. We'll be taking him back to his room in about fifteen minutes. How's Bo? Have you seen him?"

"No. I saw Hank. He said Bo's fine. They did some kind of X-ray to be sure. Hank did say Bo was going to call Nora."

Susannah sighed. "My sister is not going to be in the best of moods when she gets here."

"I think that's a safe bet," Kevin responded.

"Kevin, I'm very happy that you were there when Adam came out. You were very good with him."

"I was surprised he not only remembered me, but that song," Kevin stated.

"Some children with autism have excellent memories. I'm grateful that Adam seems to be one of them. I'm extremely happy that he was able to retain some of the experiences of his last time out. If we are not able to build on what he learns each time he's out, it will make working with him almost impossible," Susannah explained.

Kevin stepped over to where Adam lay on the gurney, sound asleep. Kevin kissed Adam's forehead. "Look at his face," Kevin pointed out. "You can tell it's still Adam."

Susannah looked down at Adam and smiled. "I know. I've already told the staff on seven to get out Adam's special blankets and make the bed with them. I'm not sure how long he'll be out. Once he's fully awake, I'd like to start doing ABA with him again."

"Sam's gonna love that!" Kevin shook his head in dismay. He knew Sam hated seeing Adam forced to do anything.

"Who knows? Perhaps he'll feel better about it this time around," Susannah stated optimistically.

"Hi. Is it all right for me to be in here?" Rachel stuck her head through the cubical curtain.

"Sure, honey. Come on in." Susannah held her open arms out to Rachel. They hugged each other.

"Rachel, I want to thank you for your assistance with Adam." Susannah praised her niece. "Both you and Kevin were extremely helpful. You both made things a lot easier for this little boy."

Rachel looked at Adam. His sweet, innocent, youthful face mesmerized her. "Kevin explained some things about Todd's condition to me. Mom told me about Adam. Still, I could never have imagined him if I hadn't seen him with my own eyes." Rachel gently stroked Adam's head. She stared at him for another few seconds. "Aunt Susannah. I know I'm not in any way a professional yet, and I have a long way to go to get my degree." Rachel prefaced her request. "If it's all right with you, and with Viki and Sam, I would very much like to work with Adam. If he's the one who stays out long enough for ABA therapy," Rachel added.

Susannah hesitated for a moment. It wasn't that she didn't believe Rachel wasn't qualified. Rachel had demonstrated that the training she'd already been through had paid off. "Rachel, are you prepared for your mom's possible reaction to you working with Adam, especially after what happened today?" Susannah knew her sister well.

"I know Mom will be upset and afraid for me. I'm not a kid anymore. She's going to have to trust me to make decisions for myself and if she can't . . . well . . . then she's just going to have to learn to live with my decisions whether she agrees with them or not."

"Rachel, I'm not trying to offend you, but I have to ask you this." Susannah looked her niece in the eye. "Do you want to work with Adam to get back at your mom in some way?"

For a second, Rachel's feelings were hurt. She quickly got over it and realized why Susannah asked. "No. I don't think so," Rachel said honestly. "I loved working with children with autism. It's what I want to do with my life. Adam has touched something deep within me. I felt it the second I laid eyes on him. I suppose a part of me feels I owe Todd. I won't deny that, but I think it's Adam . . . he shows so much potential. I want to help him connect and find his way in this world with whatever time he has to spend in it."

Susannah smiled. Rachel said exactly what she was hoping to hear. "If Sam and Viki have no objections, I'd love to have you on our team," Susannah told her niece and gave her a big hug.

*********************

"Oh my God!" Nora exclaimed when she stepped into the cubicle Bo was in and saw his bandaged abdomen. Nora had not even bothered looking for Hank in the waiting area. She rushed right to the back to see Bo.

"Hey, Red. I tried to tell you not to come. I'd have been home within the hour. Please stay calm. It's just a flesh wound."

Nora stared into Bo's eyes and shook her head slightly. She caressed his cheek then slapped it lightly. "Idiot!" Bo smiled. Nora's tone turned what she said into a term of endearment. "He could have killed you."

"Nah. It was a small scissors. The double cheeseburger I had for lunch acted as a buffer." Bo tried to lighten Nora's mood.

"A double cheeseburger! Great! Then you could have had a heart attack before Todd almost killed you."

Bo put his arms around Nora's waist and pulled her close to him. "What do you say we go home and see how much action these stitches can take?"

"Mmmmm,” Nora purred. "Did they accidentally give you Viagra instead of a painkiller?"

"Don't think I'm gonna need it," Bo purred back. He patted Nora's behind.

"If I knew near death experiences turned you on this way, I'd have tried to kill you myself," Nora quipped.

Bo was relieved that Nora seemed to have calmed down on the way to the hospital. "Not even close, Red. You're not gonna get rid of me that easily."

"Oh, Bo," Nora stopped joking. She hugged Bo tightly.

Bo hugged her in return. He rubbed her back. "Red, come on. I swear. It was no big deal. It's a flesh wound. I'm not even going to have to take any time off from work. Just forget about it."

"Todd is dangerous. You can't deny that," Nora declared firmly.

"And that's why he's in a mental hospital. He's more dangerous to himself than he is to anyone else. Honey, he's sick. He didn't know what he was doing. Pete came out. He's a kid. He's a kid who was horribly abused. He thought we were there to take him to prison."

"Prison! For what?"

"For killing Georgie," Bo said softly. He could see Nora was shocked.

"Doesn't he remember that Rachel went to Statesville for that?"

"Red, I don’t know what he remembers or knows. All I know is that he was terrified that we were there to take him to prison and then he thought I was his dad coming at him. Pete never meant to hurt me."

"And Todd never meant to kill Suede Pruitt. He never meant to get Patrick shot. People have a way of getting hurt and killed around Todd whether he or one of his alters means it or not!"

"Why don't we head home? I have to stop at a pharmacy and have these filled." Bo took the two prescriptions out of his pocket. I should eat light tonight. Maybe we can pick up a pint of Chunky Monkey?"

"Oh, yeah. That's light." Nora teased and smiled. "Only if you make it two pints." Nora hesitated for a moment. "First I want to see if Rachel is still here. If she's not with you, she probably went back to see Téa."

"She might be with Hank. Did you check the waiting area?"

"No," Nora admitted. "I rushed right in to see you. So do we have to wait for a doctor to discharge you?"

"No," Bo answered. "He already did. All the paperwork is done. He said I can leave whenever I was ready."

"Oh, here." Nora handed Bo a shirt that she had in the bag she was carrying. "I should ask them to give me the one you were wearing as evidence."

"Red, don't start," Bo cautioned.

"Just joking," Nora announced.

Bo put the shirt on and put his jacket on. He and Nora were going to go to the waiting room to let Hank and Rachel, if she were with him, know that it was okay to leave.

*****************************

As Bo and Nora stepped out of the cubicle Bo had been in, they saw Susannah, Kevin and Rachel walk alongside Adam's gurney, as Jeff and Frank guided it along. They hadn't bothered waiting for patient transport. Even though it was obvious that Adam was in a deep sleep, Nora's calm vanished when she saw her child walking so close to him. Nora rushed over to them. Bo followed, moving as quickly as he could under the circumstances.

"Are you out of your mind!" Nora directed this at Susannah. "First you allow a dangerous patient to run amok all over the hospital and now you put Rachel in harm's way!"

"Mom, please! Don't start. Aunt Susannah did no such thing."

"Please take Adam upstairs and get him settled in," Susannah directed Frank and Jeff.

They quickly pushed the gurney toward the elevator. "It's gonna hit the fan," Jeff remarked to Frank on the way.

"What . . . are you defending her?" Nora looked at Rachel like she couldn't believe what she was saying. "Look at what happened to Bo. Okay, Todd is sick. But you!" Nora pointed to Susannah. "You should have known better. I imagine the hospital administrators will think that too."

"Red!" Bo snapped angrily.

"Nora, if you want to discuss this, please come to my office in a little while. Right now I want to be there when they get Adam settled in his own bed."

"You should have thought about keeping all of them in their own bed before Todd, or Pete or whoever the Hell it was, almost stabbed Bo to death!"

"I'm the one who insisted Todd be let off the unit. If you have a problem with that, you can take it up with me!" Sam yelled to Nora from across the room. He and Viki had come back to the ER through the back way.

"Come on you two," Bo looked at Nora and then at Sam. "This is an emergency room. Keep it down."

Nora and Sam noticed ER personnel and visitors alike staring at them. They also noticed the security guard looking their way.

"Okay, I'm not going to press this now. I just want it to go on record that I think Susannah showed very poor judgment and so did you Sam. What in God's name made you think Todd was ready to leave his unit?"

"Todd did fine! He was able to handle monumental amounts of stress today and he was there for Téa and Starr. His wife and daughter needed him and he was there for them." Viki stated with pride, as she defended Susannah and Sam's actions.

"He was doing great, until Hank opened up his big mouth and terrified Todd," Sam added.

Remembering where she was, Nora held her temper and any further comments. "I need to get Bo home. Come on, Rachel."

"Mom, I'm not ready to leave yet."

"Haven't you seen Téa yet?" Nora asked.

"Yes. I promised her I'd come back and let her know how Adam was doing. Then I want to wait around for Adam to wake up."

"What! Why on earth do you need to wait for him to wake up?" Nora queried.

"We'll talk about it later. Why don't you get Bo home now," Rachel suggested.

Nora didn't like the sound of this. "Why do you need to wait for him to wake up?" Nora emphasized every word.

"I want to get to know him. I'm going to be working with him. If it's all right with Viki and Sam," Rachel added.

Bo rolled his eyes in anticipation of Nora's reaction. "You're . . . tell me I didn't hear you say you're going to be working with Todd. Susannah! You're not really going to place Rachel in this kind of dangerous situation? Sam? Viki? you're not going to allow this?"

Sam and Viki said "no" and "yes" simultaneously and respectively. They exchanged looks.

"Why do you want to work with him?" Sam asked suspiciously. Before he gave Rachel a chance to answer, he accused. "Do you want to find some way at getting back at Todd because he forced you to confess to killing Georgie?"

Rachel was shocked that he would think this. "No. I swear. I-I had some training and worked with children with autism when I was in Statesville. I'm planning on going to Llanview U to continue my studies. I think I can help Adam. If anything, I feel I owe Todd something for all the months of misery and suffering I put him through because I didn't have the guts to come forward."

"You don't owe him an explanation," Nora interjected. She was furious that Sam was making accusations toward her child. "Rachel, it doesn't matter whether Sam or Viki want you to work with Adam. You're not going to do that!"

"Mom, I'm almost thirty years old. You don't seriously believe you can still tell me what I can and cannot do!" Rachel turned to Sam and Viki. "I'm sorry. This was not the time to ask you about this. If you don't want me working with Adam, I'll understand. I just want you to know that I was very moved by him and I wouldn't hurt him for the world. I only want to help him. I'm going to see Téa now. I'll stop by Aunt Susannah's office later. If you've made your decision by then, please let me know." Rachel started to walk away.

"Rachel," Nora called after her.

Rachel turned back. "Mom, I know you're very upset right now. I also know you love me. I'm not doing this to hurt you. This isn't about you. I'm an adult and you're going to have to learn to accept that. You can disagree all you want with my decisions. All I ask is that you respect them and me and don't expect me to live my life as you see fit." Rachel kissed Nora on the cheek and left the area.

Susannah, Kevin and Bo were very proud of Rachel at that moment.

Adam's going to be out for a while yet, right?" Kevin asked Susannah.

"He should not be coming out of sedation for another couple of hours," Susannah replied.

"Mom, Sam, do you need me to do or get anything for you?"

Viki looked in Sam's direction. He shook his head. "No, sweetheart. Thank you. We're okay."

"Then I'm going to catch up with Rachel," Kevin announced. He headed off after her.

"Let's go home, Red. Everyone needs some time to regroup," Bo announced firmly.

"This is your fault!" Nora accused Susannah. "You put it in her mind to do this."

"Rachel is her own woman, Nora. I think she just made that perfectly clear," Susannah pointed out.

Nora looked daggers at Susannah. "If anything happens to my daughter, I'll never forgive you."

"Nora, you know Adam is a baby. He won't hurt Rachel." Viki tried to reason with her.

Nora laughed at the irony of the situation. "Look around, Viki! We're standing here, in the ER! Why, because one of those so-called children stabbed my husband! Am I the only one left on the face of the earth who can see that Todd, in any way, shape or form, is not fit to be around innocent people, especially if one of those people is Rachel!"

"No, you're not the only one." Hank had come into the ER to see if Nora had gotten there and to find Rachel and ask her if she wanted a lift home. "What's this about Rachel being around Todd?"

Nora turned to Hank. "Haven't you heard the latest? Rachel has been enlisted into working with Todd by her loving aunt."

"No way! My daughter is not going near that psychopath again."

"No, Sam!" Viki pleaded. She held onto his arm. She saw he was about to go after Hank.

Sam held back. He was breathing hard and erratically, as he tried to control himself.

"That's it! Nora, we're leaving. Hank, this isn't the time or place. You're the DA. I'm sure you don't want to be involved in an incident in the ER," Bo proclaimed.

Hank turned to Susannah. "I always thought you had more sense than this." He then turned to Nora. "Don't worry. Rachel won't be working with Todd. She's not thinking clearly now. Give her time to come to her senses." Hank patted Nora's arm and left the ER.

"God! What a mess this is," Viki whispered to Susannah.

"Red?" Bo started to head for the exit.

Nora turned to Susannah. "I can't believe you hate me so much that you would want to hurt Rachel to get to me?"

"Red!" Bo called sharply. He glanced into Susannah's eyes for a second and shook his head slightly. It was enough to let Susannah know that he hoped she would not take Nora's words to heart.

Nora left with Bo.

"Susannah, I'm sorry." Viki took Susannah's hand. "Nora is very upset. I'm sure she didn't mean most of what she said. I don't think Hank meant it either. They both know how much you love Rachel."

"I understand their concerns. I can handle their anger and I'm happy to see that Rachel seems so much better about handling their disapproval. I don't want you or Sam to feel pressured about Rachel working with Adam. She will understand if you decide against it." Susannah placed her hand on Sam's arm. "I believe Rachel was being honest with you and with herself when she said that Adam got to her and that's why she wants to work with him. You saw for yourself that she was good with him. Again, I know she will understand if you don't feel comfortable with her working with Adam. Now, I'd better go upstairs and see how our boy is doing?" Susannah patted Sam's arm and squeezed Viki's hand.

To Be Continued.... End of part 1
Part 2

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