PREVIOUSLY

Téa had been pacing nervously since Terry left. She felt like she was crawling out of her skin. When Téa heard the outer door to Susannah's office open, she jumped. Téa could not believe her eyes when she saw Todd walk in with no one holding his arm.

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

"Todd?" Téa looked into his eyes. She saw he was looking back into hers.

Todd stared into the eyes he had longed to see for months. He watched Téa's mouth as she spoke his name. Todd reached out a trembling hand. He wanted to touch the face he had dreamed about seeing. He suddenly pulled back when the memories of his latest disclosure flooded him. Todd began to tremble uncontrollably. Not only was he overwhelmed by seeing Téa, but also by the sudden light and sights around him.

Téa was trembling as well. "Ay dios mio! Oh thank you, God. Querido, you can see again. It's all right to touch me, Todd. Nothing bad will happen. I promise, mi amor."

Todd pulled back even further. He grew decidedly paler.

Susannah held her hand up to let Téa know she should not press Todd.

"Todd," Susannah spoke softly. "Can you see Téa clearly?"

Todd looked deeply into Téa's eyes again. It was as if he could not get enough of them. "Yes," Todd whispered. Tears welled up in his eyes.

Todd's knees began to buckle. Susannah grabbed for him and Frank rushed to Todd as well. They slowly lowered him to the floor. Todd began to breathe erratically. Perspiration broke out all over his body.

"Todd. Relax. Use your coping skills. Breathe slowly and deeply," Susannah instructed. She motioned for Téa to stay back.

Todd held on tightly to Susannah's hand. He was beyond being able to use his coping skills on his own. Susannah directed him every step of the way. Nearly fifteen minutes elapsed before Todd began to calm.

"Great job calming down, buddy." Frank rubbed Todd's back. "Good breathing. Nice and slow." Frank's voice was soothing.

Eileen handed Susannah a cool, wet cloth. Susannah wiped Todd's face and neck. She smoothed the strands of damp hair off his face.

Jeff brought over a dry sweatshirt. He helped Todd out of the perspiration soaked sweatshirt he was wearing and into the fresh one.

"Have someone get Viki and Sam and ask them to wait outside Todd's room," Susannah whispered to Eileen.

Todd pulled his knees up to his chest. He rocked himself gently. Todd had been sitting with his eyes tightly closed. He rubbed his eyes and opened them slowly. Todd saw Susannah's face come into focus, then Frank's. He found some comfort in Susannah's warm brown eyes and Frank's blue ones. He saw caring.

"I can see." Todd's whisper was barely audible.

Susannah checked Todd's eyes. They were reacting normally to light. She ran a few basic tests. His vision was normal.

"Did you do something to make my eyes better?" Todd asked timidly.

"No, honey, you did. You wanted to be able to see again. You don't need the blindness anymore."

"Are you saying it's my fault that I was blind in the first place? That I did something to my eyes?"

"No. What you had is called a conversion disorder. Your blindness was real, but it was not due to a physical cause," Susannah explained. "The blindness served a purpose for you. It gave you something you nee . . ."

"So it was my fault." Todd cut Susannah off. He wasn't ready to hear any more about this now. "Why not! Everything is always my fault." Todd suddenly remembered that he had touched Susannah and Frank touched him. "You have to go wash. Both of you have to go wash!"

They heard the panic in Todd's voice. They had hoped that Todd's self-loathing and fear of contaminating those he cared about had passed.

"Todd. Your touch did not hurt us in anyway. There is nothing we can catch from touching you," Susannah stated firmly.

"It'll rub off on you! There's filth in me. You wash! You wash!"

"All right, Todd. You need to calm down first," Susannah directed.

"Then you'll wash?" Todd sounded more like he was pleading than asking. Apparently he cared greatly about Susannah and Frank's well being.

"Yes, then we'll wash," Susannah promised.

Todd took some more calming breaths.

"Good job," Susannah praised. She motioned Eileen, Angelo and Dan over. "Todd. Frank and I are going into the bathroom to wash now."

"What about you? Did you touch me?" Todd asked Jeff.

"No. I only touched your clothing."

Todd accepted that and didn't ask him to wash.

Todd stared at Eileen and Dan. They realized this was the first time he'd ever seen them. "You match," Todd muttered.

"Match?" Eileen asked.

"You match your voices'," Todd explained.

Todd looked over at Téa. Tears welled up in his eyes at the sight of her. He never thought he'd see her again, except in his dreams. Todd stared at her for just another moment. Téa looked even more beautiful than he remembered. Todd wanted to burn her face and her stance . . . that familiar stance . . . chin out, shoulders back . . . no fear . . . no disgust . . . into his brain. Todd paused for a moment. He allowed himself a few seconds to feel the safety he always felt when he saw that stance that told him maybe . . . just maybe . . . he wasn't a monster to be feared and shunned. Todd wanted to remember Téa this way, forever. He also wanted her out of the path of danger. That meant out of his life.

Téa slowly approached Todd. "I'm not going to touch you," she assured him.

"You gotta get out of here, Delgado. Now!"

"Todd. Please. Querido, I've waited a long time for you to be able to look me in the eye when you talk to me."

"Then take a good long look now, Delgado. I want you out of here."

"Todd, I promise you won't hurt me. If you don't want any physical contact, fine. I won't touch you. Just talk to me. Mi amor, talk to me."

"Okay, let's talk. You're my lawyer too, right, not just Sam?"

"Yes, I handle some of your legal matters. I take ca . . ."

Todd cut Téa off. "Then you can make them let me go. You can get them to send me to a loony bin far away. Viki and Sam won't do it. They feel obligated 'cause Viki's my sister and Sam's got this thing for orphans. You can make them do it, legally."

Téa shook her head. "No. I won't do that. I'm sorry Todd. I won't do that."

Todd looked confused and angry. "You've always helped me out, Delgado. You got Starr for me. You got the Sun back for me. You helped me out when everyone thought I raped that nurse."

Téa was very happy that Todd was able to remember so much of their past now. That did not deter her from standing firm.

"Yes. I've always been there for you. I was happy to because I love you." Téa sighed. "Sorry, pal. This time I'm standing up for what's right for me." Téa got as close to Todd as she could without there being any physical contact. "You're what's right for me, Todd. You being in my life and not thousands of miles away is what is right for me. Being able to be here with you and see you and have you see me again is what's right for me. I understand why you're afraid you'll hurt me. I won't rush you. You can have all the time you need to work that out. But you're going to have to do it with me right here . . . in your life and sometimes in your face. I'm going to be selfish this time and do what I want. What I want is you in my life."

"You won't help me?" Todd's voice trembled.

"I won't help you to hurt me, no." Téa's heart was breaking for Todd.

"I'm trying to save you!" Todd protested.

"There's nothing to save me from. Todd, I know you believe that you'll end up hurting me. I understand that just my saying you won't doesn't help. You'll have to get to where you realize, on your own, that it's not true. Until you can do that, you're going to have to trust me."

Todd shook his head. "You have no idea what I can do to you, Delgado." Todd hung his head.

"Look at me." Téa's eyes filled with tears. It had been so long since she could say that to Todd.

Todd didn't budge.

"Look at me!" Téa spoke firmly.

Todd lifted his head. His eyes met Téa's.

"There have been two times since we've met that I lied to you. Once was in Niagara Falls when I pretended to be sick so Sam would have time to get there and help you. The other time was when I got you to untie me in the garden shack."

"Because I hurt you," Todd remembered.

Large tears splashed down Todd's cheeks. Todd's hand trembled badly as he reached out to touch the side of Téa's face that he hurt that long ago summer night. He pulled it back quickly and held it to his chest with his other hand.

"I won't hurt you again. Don't you see, Delgado? I'd rather die than hurt you again."

"I know," Téa admitted tenderly. "I didn't remind you of that night because I want you to feel guilty over hurting me. I brought up both those times because I feel so bad that I lied to you. I want you to know that those were the only two times. Even for your own good, or for any reason, I will never lie to you again. Do you think you can believe me?"

Without taking his eyes away from Téa's, Todd nodded. He was starting to feel cloaked in safety as he looked into the brown eyes that had the power to make the world seem not so frightening for a few brief moments at a time.

"Then believe me when I tell you that you won't hurt me. Your being in my life won't hurt me and your touch won't hurt me. I promise." Téa held her hand out to Todd. "You won't hurt me," she repeated.

Todd's hand was trembling even more than it had been as he slowly reached out to take Téa's hand. Just as his fingers were about to make contact with Téa's, Todd saw himself standing over his mother as she lay passed out, drunk. He felt his father in back of him, pushing him toward her.

"NO! NO!" Todd backed away from Téa "GET AWAY!"

"What? Todd, what is it? What happened?"

Todd used his coping skills. He was desperate not to lose it. He had to find a way to convince them to send him away.

Susannah and Frank watched from the bathroom doorway. They and the rest of the staff in Todd's room saw Todd was self-calming. They stayed back and allowed Téa to continue trying to help Todd.

"Querido, please. I know something just frightened you. Talk to me. Don't shut me out. Let me help you. Talk to me!"

Téa knew Todd as well as she knew her own name. She saw that familiar wall that Todd put up as clearly as if it were made of bricks.

Todd took one more deep, calming breath. "There's nothing to talk about, Delgado. You can't force me to let you visit. You can't even force me to talk to you. I have rights, even in a loony bin, I must have rights."

Todd looked around. It had been so long since he saw his room. Everything looked foreign to him, yet at the same time it looked familiar. Todd saw Susannah and Frank standing near the entrance to the bathroom. He walked over to them and addressed Susannah.

"I want another lawyer, not Sam and not Delgado. I want a new lawyer. I have a right to a lawyer. I have a right to a lawyer and a phone call."

Téa exchanged worried looks with Susannah and the staff.

Todd thought for a moment. "I want Nora. I wanna call Nora Buchanan."

"Can you tell me why you want Nora to be your lawyer?" Susannah asked.

"No," Todd answered. "I just do! I wanna see Nora and I want Delgado out of here! I don't want her coming to see me or any of those kids anymore. Do you get that!"

"Todd, do you understand that Viki and Sam are your guardians?"

"Yeah. So?"

Todd's eyes darted around the room. He squinted, as if suddenly seeing everything was overwhelming him. He also seemed to be looking for impending danger.

"So they decide if you get to see Nora or not. Téa is part of your treatment team. We need to think this through. If it is in your best interest for Téa to visit, than she will continue to do so," Susannah explained. Susannah knew that Todd was trying to push all those he loved out of his life. She could not let him isolate himself that way. She also knew what his reaction would most likely be to what she just said.

"THE HELL SHE WILL! YOU DON'T GET TO TELL ME WHO I HAVE TO SEE AND NEITHER DO VIKI AND SAM. I DON'T WANT THEM COMING TO VISIT ME EITHER! YOU CAN'T FORCE ME! YOU'RE NOT THE BOSS OF ME! YOU'RE NOT MY MOM OR MY DAD!"

"No, I'm not your mom or dad," Susannah responded calmly. "I am your doctor and I'm in charge of your health. If I believe the choices you're making are not healthy for you, I will not stand by and allow you to cause emotional or physical harm to yourself or to others."

"I HATE YOU!" Todd yelled out childishly. They could feel his frustration.

Todd headed for the door. Frank, Angelo and Susannah followed immediately behind.

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

Viki and Sam had been sitting in the lounge area outside Todd's room. They were flabbergasted when Nancy told them Todd regained his vision. They had both burst into tears and hugged each other. It seemed unreal. Sam and Viki jumped when Todd came tearing out of his room with Susannah, the staff and Téa following closely behind.

Todd stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of Sam and Viki. Tears welled up in his eyes. He stared at them for a few moments. Todd had missed seeing the two people he sometimes dared to think of as his mom and dad. Todd looked at Sam again. He was shocked by how bad Sam looked. He immediately felt responsible for whatever was wrong with Sam.

Todd looked in Sam's direction. "Are you sick?"

Todd's question surprised Sam. He didn't realize how he looked. "No, Boomer. I'm fine. What makes you think I'm sick?"

"Are you drinking or something?" Todd asked in a frightened voice.

"Of course not! Todd. It's me, Coach."

"I know," Todd lowered his head and mumbled. Todd was sure he had done something to make Sam sick in some way.

For a moment, Viki and Todd's eyes locked.

"Oh, sweetheart," Viki exclaimed. She started to walk toward Todd.

As if he'd been woken out of a dream, Todd pulled back sharply. "NO! Don't you touch me!"

Viki pulled back as well. "I won't. Sweetheart, there is nothing in your touch that will hurt anyone."

Todd stared at Viki for another moment and then walked over to the nurses' station. "I wanna use the phone."

"Whom do you want to call?" Nancy asked calmly.

"Nora Buchanan."

Todd's response shocked Sam, Viki and Nancy.

"I'm sorry, Todd. Nora is not on the list of people you're allowed to call," Nancy informed him gently.

Todd looked daggers at Nancy and walked back to where Sam and Viki stood. "Is it true that you and Sam get to say who my lawyer is?"

"What is it, Boomer? Tell me," Sam stated.

"I don't want you to be my lawyer anymore. I want Nora," Todd announced.

"Boomer. Téa and I have been handling your legal needs for months. Is there a problem?"

"No problem. I want Nora now. I want you to tell Doctor Hanen that it's okay for me to call Nora and for her to be my lawyer."

"Sweetheart. We have to check with Nora first. You know there are still some hard feelings between the two of you," Viki reminded him.

"Yeah. I know," Todd looked at the floor and murmured.

"Can you tell us why you want Nora to represent you?" Susannah asked.

"I just do!" Todd said obstinately. He looked Viki in the eye again. "I also want you to tell them that Téa's not allowed to visit here anymore."

Viki saw Téa standing back, with some of the staff. She saw the same love and determination in Téa's eyes that Todd saw. Viki knew Téa would never walk away from Todd. She also knew he needed Téa in his treatment and in his life, if he were ever to get that life back. Viki realized it was a two-way street and Téa needed Todd as much as he needed her. She hated to say no to Todd. Nevertheless, she was determined to stay firm on this.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart. I only want what is best for you. Keeping Téa away would not be best for you."

"WHO DIED AND APPOINTED YOU KEEPER OF WHAT’S BEST FOR ME!" Todd shouted furiously.

"The court decided that I was to make decisions for you. The judge knows how much I love you and knows I will only make decisions in your best interest," Viki said firmly.

"IT'S NOT IN MY BEST INTEREST TO HAVE YOU AND SAM AND DELGADO AROUND HERE! IT'S NOT IN MY BEST INTEREST TO KEEP ME FROM HAVING THE LAWYER THAT I WANT! YOU HATE ME! YOU HATE ME FOR RUINING YOUR LIFE AND MAKING YOU COME HERE ALL THE TIME! THAT'S WHY YOU'RE DOING THIS TO ME!"

Frank approached Todd. "Hey, buddy. You need to calm down. Come on. Let's go to the dayroom. Would you like to watch television? You haven't been able to do that for a long time."

"I WANNA CALL NORA!" Todd insisted.

Susannah walked over to Todd. "Todd, we've never discussed this before. I'm not sure if you realize that Nora is my sister."

Todd stared at Susannah for a few seconds. On one level he wasn't surprised. Somehow that information had passed from the alters who knew that and from Todd's own memory. On another level, Todd was shocked because he had not thought about this.

Saber laughed loudly. "Your wonderful Doctor Hanen . . . that you care about so much," he taunted. "She's connected to the Buchanans. They've been paying her to make you even crazier than you were. You can't trust anyone Todd, no one but me. I tell you the truth. I don't worry about hurting your tender little girl feelings. You listen to me and no one will get hurt. They know what you did to your own mother. They know what you made your father do to you. Everyone in this room knows what you did. They all think you're disgusting. They know there's something evil in you that drove your mother away and your father to do what he did. They're only pretending to love you and care about you because they think you're too crazy to handle the truth. The courts think you're too crazy to take care of yourself and make your own decisions. That's why they appointed Viki and Sam to do it. You destroy everyone you love, Todd. There's only one way not to get your filth on all of them. There's only one way not to have them end up dead, like your mother and father. You make them want to send you away. Think, stupid! This can work out for you. Nora would want to protect her own sister. She'll try even harder to do what you want. You get them to get Nora for you."

They could tell by the way Todd jumped and looked that he was hearing something or someone that only he could hear.

"Todd," Susannah called to him softly. "Did you hear what I said?"

"So, she's your sister. Big deal! I still want her to be my lawyer."

Susannah knew Todd had a right to have anyone he wanted represent him. Unless she deemed something he or she wanted detrimental to a patient, Susannah always tried to protect their rights. "We will speak to Nora."

"Susannah! That's ridiculous! Nora hates him. She threw his case when she represented him before," Sam protested.

Sam walked over to Todd.

"Boomer. You know I will always protect your rights. I love you and care about you."

Todd looked into Sam's eyes. Sam was not used to this.

"Don't!" Todd said sharply. "Don't love me. Don't care about me. Leave me alone! I want Nora to be my lawyer. Now I want you," Todd pointed to Sam, "and you and you," he pointed to Viki and then Téa, "to get out. I don't want you here!"

"Todd. Viki, Téa and Sam are part of your treatment team. They need to be here," Susannah reminded him.

Susannah saw fear in Todd's eyes when he realized he could not make them leave. Then she saw his nostrils’ flair with anger.

"Fuck you! Fuck all of you. You can stay here all you want. You can't make me talk to you." Todd started to head back to his room.

They all knew he was still trying to drive them away with things he believed would have made his mother leave him sooner than she did.

"Hold it, buddy," Jeff called out to him. "You can't stay in your room all day. You can go to the dayroom."

"Or you can come to my office with me. You don't have to have a session right now. We can sit quietly," Susannah informed him.

Todd glared furiously at Jeff and Susannah. Then without another word he stomped angrily to the dayroom. He plopped down in one of the easy chairs. He folded his arms across his chest defiantly and stared straight ahead. Susannah motioned Téa, Sam and Viki to follow Todd into the dayroom. She wanted to continue to observe his interaction with them. All attempts by Susannah, the staff and Todd's family to engage him in conversation failed. Todd also refused to acknowledge any offers of something to read, the television being turned on, music being played, or anything to occupy his time. The only clues Todd gave to what he was feeling were his occasional attempts to self-soothe, by rocking himself and breathing deeply. The memories, getting his sight back, his confrontations with Téa, his fear of harming those he loved, his desperation to get them out of his life and his anger and frustration at not being able to do so, were overwhelming Todd. Susannah knew he needed quiet. She ushered everyone but some of the nurses and techs out of the dayroom.

Frank noticed tears form in Todd's eyes as he watched them all leave. Todd then went back to staring straight ahead.

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

Susannah asked Sam, Viki and Téa to come to her office with her. Now they all sat in a semicircle in the club chairs in her office.

"I can't believe Todd allowed himself to let go of the blindness," Téa stated first.

"Thank God," Viki declared. "I was so afraid he'd never allow himself to see again."

"Maybe he's letting go of what happened the night I let Peter . . ." Sam's voice trailed off.

They were all worried by the way Sam phrased that. His guilt was getting out of proportion.

"Sam, you didn't let Peter do anything to Todd. You had no idea that was going on," Susannah tried to get Sam to see the reality of the situation.

"In his own way, Todd cried out for my help every time we were together. Not knowing what was going on is the same as giving that bastard carte-blanch to torture Todd. I know what I did, and all the pretty spin you put on it won't change a damn thing," Sam said bitterly. "Now I don't want to discuss this anymore. I'm not your patient."

Téa broke the momentary silence that followed Sam's statement. "Doctor Hanen. Todd allowing himself to see again is a good thing, isn't it?" Téa's instincts told her something was bothering Susannah.

"Yes. Of course. In most ways it's a very, very good thing and does show that Todd is willing to let go of punishing himself in that way. It may also be that Todd had a need to see something that was much more powerful than his need to be blind. As for Michelle and the night of Todd's fourteenth birthday . . . I don't believe that Todd has forgiven himself for that at all."

Susannah could see they all looked disappointed.

"I'm sorry. I know you were all wishing for that. I hope I'm wrong, but I think what happened is that Todd pushed that night so far down that he's not thinking about it at all any more, not even on an unconscious level. His nightmares about that night have stopped. He is able to speak about Georgie without falling apart. He is able to tell us that he didn't kill her. That's as far as Todd is allowing himself to think about either incident. I'm concerned because I think Todd has reasons for wanting his vision back that have nothing to do with his need to punish himself lessening."

Viki looked anxious. "Do you think it's because his need to kill himself is stronger?"

Susannah nodded. "Yes, I do think that's a part of it. I'm very concerned that Todd has a more concrete plan in mind. I'm sure that Todd is hearing Saber, or some other alter or alters that we don't know about more often and that he, she, or they are encouraging this plan . . . or Saber or another alter might have a plan of his or her own. I also think Todd is finding a new way to punish himself."

"By removing all of us from his life?" Téa guessed.

"Yes. I believe that is Todd's choice of self-punishment now. Only it's more complicated than that. Punishing himself is only one reason Todd wants all of you out of his life. He genuinely believes that he's vile and filthy and he is trying to protect all of you. His fear of contaminating you by touch is very real. Todd's ability to love is powerful. His desire to protect those he loves this much is just as powerful."

"I understand what it is to feel dirty and vile in that way," Viki admitted. They saw the pain in her eyes. "I never took it to this extreme. However, I did feel that I was subhuman and not worthy of the hugs and affection my family gave me. Only one of my alters, Jean, had an aversion to being touched. In Jean's case, it was more her need to be emotionally detached from everyone. I felt all of her feelings eventually. Is it possible that Todd is picking up on Brina's feelings?" Viki asked.

"It is, but I don't think Todd is communicating with Brina. I think the trauma this is related to are the things Andy, Storm and Ritchie have gone through. It's tied in with Peter, not only sexually abusing and torturing Todd, but also with Peter forcing Todd to sexually abuse his mother when she would get drunk. Peter also made Todd do vile things to Barbara, like urinate on her. Most times, Peter would not stop until Todd was able to become sexually aroused. In Todd's mind, this is probably one of the greatest sins. Todd is being flooded with humiliation and shame. He thinks of himself in terms like disgusting and perverted."

"Thanks to Barbara," Sam spat out bitterly.

"Yes. The comments Andy overheard his mother making have a lot to do with his perception of himself. Even without those, Todd still would have felt tremendous shame. He feels as if his body betrayed him. He did not want to become sexually aroused. He has no understanding of the way his body works. He believes he must have wanted his dad to abuse him that way and that he must have wanted to abuse his mother that way if he became aroused. He thinks there has to be something wrong with him that made his father do the things he did to him. It is very common for children to believe they have the power within them to be responsible for everything that happens in their life. Todd has never gotten past this. He believes that there is something about him . . . about his body . . . that will drive people to hurt him and drive him to hurt people. Todd believes his body is only good for being used and for hurting others. His violence . . . particularly the rapes . . . reinforced this in Todd's mind. We need to get him to a different mind set. We need to change his perceptions."

"Until then, will he keep pushing us away?" Viki asked.

"Possibly. Todd is a paradox. He wants to push all of you out of his life. He fears hurting you. He fears the intimacy his relationship with each of you provides. At the same time he's terrified of being abandoned by all of you. When he first came back, after Ritchie had been out, and all of you were not there, he immediately thought you were gone for good. He assumed you became disgusted and fed up with him and left him forever. Todd wants a normal relationship with Téa. He has a tremendous need for the kind of nurturing you and Sam give him, Viki. Every instinct in Todd rightfully tells him he needs to regain the nurturing that he never got as a child. Todd's mind is a battleground. He's in constant conflict with himself."

"Damn it! We should have stayed at the hospital, even if Ritchie had no need for us to be there. All I did was stay home. I should have been here." Sam was filled with even more self-loathing than before.

"Sam, it is not realistic that any of you would be here twenty-four/seven. Todd has to learn that even if those who love him are not with him, they still love him and that they will not abandon him. Todd needs to learn that at a most basic level."

Susannah saw they did not understand. "Do you remember the way we played peek-a-boo with the Baby?"

They all nodded.

"We did that because it was fun for him. We also did that to teach him that even when he doesn't see us for a second or two, we will come back. I'm not saying we take it down to this level with Todd, but we will have to very gradually get Todd to understand that just because someone isn't with him or there for him at all times, it doesn't mean they are abandoning him. I think that Todd is at a point where it will be beneficial for him to experience all of you going about your life for a few hours a day . . . maybe just an hour or two at the beginning."

"What about nighttime?" Viki asked anxiously.

"I don't know about you," Sam said to Viki. "I'm not leaving him here at night without at least one of us being with him. Nighttime is very hard for Todd and for the children."

"I agree, Susannah," Viki stated. "I don't want to be away from Todd overnight either. Quite honestly, it's for my sake as well as his. I can't seem to sleep well when I'm away from him."

Susannah knew this was a common reaction for parents when a child is or has recently been very ill. There was no reason to ask Sam and Viki to stop staying over at this time. Susannah knew the time for that would come and she would work with all of them to make the transition easier.

"I'm not asking or advising either of you to leave Todd overnight," Susannah began, much to their relief. "My guess is that Todd will tell you he doesn't want either of you in his room with him at night and then he will become very upset to find himself without you. It's all right, for now, for one of you to stay with him. If he pushes you away, stay at the hospital so that he knows you're here. I think the nights will prove to be the breaking point for Todd when it comes to pushing those he loves away."

"What about daytime? Shouldn't at least one of us be here for him all day?" Téa asked.

"At first, yes. You can each increase your time away from the hospital gradually. First one of you at a time, then I'd like Viki and Sam to leave together for a couple of hours. I'd like you to leave for a few hours a day too, Téa. Every time Todd sees that you all come back, that he is not being abandoned, it will reinforce a more realistic perception for him. I'm not saying it will happen overnight. It may take months. It may take hundreds of assurances that you will always come back. Todd has had many years for the perceptions he has to become ingrained in his mind. They will not go away just like that. We will be doing a version of peek-a-boo that is more suited to Todd's developmental level with this issue."

Téa looked confused. "I don't understand."

"Todd has not been allowed to mature to an adult level on many issues. He perceives them as a child would. Todd's abandonment issues fall into this category. So does his sense of betrayal. Todd handles someone leaving him as a young child does. He is also this way when he believes someone has turned against him. With Todd it's all or nothing. You are either 100 percent in his corner or you are his enemy."

"Yes!" Téa exclaimed. "Oh my God. That is so true. I remember the way Todd felt about Sam working for Bo's defense during the investigation into Georgie's murder. Then when I became a part of the team, Todd felt totally betrayed. He felt the same way when I called Sam after we ran off for Canada. I don't think he's ever forgotten either of those things. It was the same with Patrick. Todd becomes obsessed when he feels betrayed."

"Todd had no way to learn a realistic view of things," Susannah explained. "He will have to relearn many of the things most of us learn as children. Almost everything in Todd's life has been distorted. He learned to adapt to this distorted life to save himself. Now he has to learn to adapt to life in a healthy way, not in a maladaptive way."

Téa sighed. "Just hearing about all of this is overwhelming. I can't even begin to understand what it will be like for Todd to have to go through all of this."

"It will be very difficult. I won't lie to you about that. Difficult and painful. We will take things very slowly . . . one step at a time. Todd becomes easily overwhelmed and frustrated. We know that and will push him only as far as he can tolerate. The more he succeeds, the better he will feel about himself. It will encourage him to go on."

"You're acting like all you have to do is press some magic button and Todd will suddenly start doing all these things. Right now he won't even speak to any of us. Do you expect any cooperation at all if you can't even get him to acknowledge your presence!" Sam lashed out.

"No. The issue at hand will have to be dealt with first," Susannah answered calmly. "I'm hoping that Todd's need for your love will overpower his desire to push you away. I'm also hoping once Todd realizes he cannot push those who love him and those he loves out of his life, he will begin to accept it and stop trying at this intense level."

"Todd has always tried to push away those he loves on some level, before they can reject him," Viki pointed out.

"That has more to do with his abandonment issues than the sexual abuse. Right now Todd is pushing all of you out of his life for a combination of reasons, that being just one of them. I have to warn you that he will most like pull out all the stops before he accepts that you are not going away."

"Do you think his regaining his vision also has to do with his need to force us out of his life?" Téa asked.

"Possibly. Honestly, I don't know," Susannah answered truthfully. "Hopefully, Todd will give us some clues."

"So you're saying nothing good came of Todd being able to see again after all this time?" Sam pressed. They all heard the anger and frustration in his voice.

"No. I'm not saying that at all. This is still a very good thing. Certainly if Todd is trying to isolate himself as punishment, it is not the severe punishment that being blind was. Todd regaining his vision will also help me to do treatment with him in ways I couldn't before. Before the blindness, Todd's depression, psychosis and constant dissociation were too severe for him to be able to participate in most treatment. Afterward, the blindness made it impossible without Todd going through more extensive training, like learning Braille. Then we had his physical illnesses to contend with. I was limited in how much I could stress Todd, physically. Now, not only is Todd getting stronger physically, he can see. That opens many doors as far as his treatment goals go.

"What kind of treatment do you plan for him now?" Viki inquired.

"I'd like him to start a communications journal with the alters. I'd like Laura to start working with Todd. Eventually, I'd like to videotape as many of the alters that will feel comfortable with that and I'd like Todd to see the tape. Todd has a distorted view of his illness. He is still in denial in many ways. On some level he still believes the Buchanans are doing this to him. He also believes it's the drugs. Todd still cringes at the mention of alters and he thinks of the alters he is able to communicate with as completely separate from himself."

Sam shifted uncomfortably. He too had his suspicions about the Buchanans. Only Sam was frightened by these thoughts because, most of the time, he was still able to realize how irrational they were.

"You won't force Todd to watch the tape?" Téa asked.

Susannah shook her head. "No. Oh, no. Of course not. When I feel Todd is ready, I will let him know that this is an option. It will be his decision. If he wants to meet the alters that way, he can. I will make it clear to him that it's his choice and he will never be forced. I would also like to have Frank and some of the other male techs start doing some sexual education with Todd. I want to begin at a very clinical and biological level and make sure that Todd understands the body's natural physical response to sexual stimulation. Todd's anorexia also needs to be addressed and so does his continued refusal to take his meds. These are extremely critical issues. Todd will not be able to progress to an outpatient program if he is going to starve himself to death as soon as he leaves here. Since, in all probability, Todd will be on some medications for many years to come and possibly for the rest of his life, he needs to agree to take them willingly. Forcing meds is not the long-term answer. Once he leaves here, he'll stop taking them. Suddenly stopping some of the meds, like his antiseizure med, can have dire results. So, I'd like to begin medication and nutrition sessions with Todd as well. I believe if Todd could see slides and pictures of how the body . . . the brain . . . our whole system works, it would mean more to him than just our words. I also want him to engage in activities with each of you . . . fun things . . . anything that he'd like to do, as long as it can be done on the unit and it's safe."

"Do you mean like watching a movie or something like that?" Téa asked.

"Yes. Todd might want to throw a football or baseball around with you, Sam. Viki, perhaps you and Todd can work on an article for the Sun or the Banner together or Blair can do that with him. You might try to interest him in playing board games with you . . . things like that."

"Todd likes to play Money Hungry," Téa announced.

Susannah smiled. "We can make sure to have that game here. Part of this will be Todd and each of you planning this activity together. Todd needs to start having some structure in his day. He needs a routine."

This all sounded too much like Adam's program to Sam. "Do you plan on rewarding him with M&Ms?"

They all heard the sarcasm in Sam's tone.

"Hopefully, Todd's reward will be the realization of progress," Susannah answered sincerely. "He will start to feel better. Todd can be stubborn. He has amazing will power. I fully expect him to get into a contest of wills with us and attempt to sit, just as we left him. We can't force him to engage with us. I'm hoping that as soon as he realizes he will not be allowed to isolate, he will see cooperation as a much more pleasant alternative to spending his days sitting still and staring. I don't expect anything big. Even a few minutes of doing some preferred activity with someone will be encouraged. While Todd is isolating, he will be instructed to walk, run in place, jump . . . do something physical. That will help with his depression and it will help build his stamina. When he's ready, he'll be taken to the gym. As I once told you, we have an open-air gym too. It's fenced in and safe. You can go up and check it out for yourselves if you like."

"I can't imagine what it would be like to finally feel fresh air on my face after being indoors for so long," Téa said sadly.

"I'm sure the first time or two will be somewhat traumatic and overwhelming for Todd. I think he will begin to crave it after that."

"He always liked to be outdoors when he was upset or wanted to be alone and think. He'd walk down by the docks or through the park," Viki remembered.

Sam surprised them by saying, "Physical activity would be good for him. I tried to encourage him to exercise."

"Yes. It is very important to his well-being," Susannah confirmed. She was happy that Sam finally agreed with some part of Todd's treatment plan.

"Do you think Todd is ready for all of that . . . I mean that he will be able to truly understand what you are telling him?" Viki asked.

"I do," Susannah affirmed. "The latest medications seem to have begun to restore the normal functions of Todd's nerve cells. Todd's depression is beginning to lift. His thoughts are more organized. His lucidity has increased, as has his ability to concentrate. For the most part, he's in touch with reality. His awareness about his condition is slowly growing. He's more aware of his surroundings. I believe he is stable enough for this. Even though he is still very ill, it was his physical condition and blindness that were holding this next level of treatment back, not his emotional fragility."

Téa sighed. "I don't think Todd is going to be too happy with any of this."

"No, I don't think he will be either," Susannah admitted. "I'm sure he will resist, possibly quite strongly, at the beginning. I don't expect immediate cooperation. Todd is not used to having demands placed on him. He hates being, what he calls, 'bossed around.' He hates therapy. I can't say that I blame him. No one wants to subject himself or herself to something they know will be very painful and frightening. Please understand that this won't all be thrown at Todd at once. I don't want him overwhelmed. Slowly . . . little by little . . . we will let him know what is expected of him. I will discuss all of Todd's treatment goals and programs in detail with you before I approach him with them. He will never be asked to do anything that is too much for him. He may think it's too much, but I promise you it won't be. If Todd has a big problem with any of the therapy goals we set for him, we will discuss it. If he has a valid reason for not wanting to do it, we will listen to him and reevaluate his treatment if necessary. Even with this, Todd will most likely be angry and disgruntled at the beginning. If you agree with the treatment plan we set for Todd, after I've gone over it with you in detail, it's very important that you all remain firm. I can almost guarantee you that Todd will try his best to get out of each and every step. He will try to manipulate each of you into telling me and the staff to leave him be. Even before he became this ill, Todd handled most aspects of life by manipulating people to get what he wanted."

"What do we do about Nora?" Viki asked.

"We call her and see if she will agree to a meeting with Todd."

Sam stood up. "You're not really going through with that! Nora hates Todd. She can't be trusted to do what's in his best interest!"

"Honey, I think Nora will be honest enough to let us know if she can't be objective."

"Providing she's not out to punish Todd in some way!"

They all stared at Sam for a second. Viki, Téa and Susannah realized he was being irrational. They knew, especially given Nora's reactions when she met Adam and Timmy, that she would not try to hurt Todd. She might not try to help him, but she would not hurt him.

"Honey," Viki began. "I'm not thrilled with the idea either. Todd wants Nora. I do feel under some obligation to at least approach her with this."

"What if Todd wanted to jump out of the window again? Would you feel obligated to allow him to do that too!" Sam snapped.

Téa spoke up. "Sam. Todd does have a right to an attorney of his choosing. If he doesn't want us to represent him any more and he wants Nora, then I think we need to follow his wishes. I don't like the idea either . . . if it's what Todd wants. . . ." Téa's voice trailed off.

"As one of Todd's guardians I say keep Nora and Bo and all the Buchanans the Hell away from Todd," Sam protested.

"Does that include me?" Kevin asked.

None of them heard him open the door to Susannah's office.

Viki remembered telling Nancy and Susannah's secretary to tell Kevin to come straight to Susannah's office when he got there.

"Your relationship is with Timmy and Adam, not Todd," Sam replied. His tone told them that he was not sorry Kevin just heard what he said.

"I don't know about that. Todd seemed to handle my being around him better than I'd expected. He seems to trust that I won't lie to him. Granted, that trust is based on Todd believing that I hate him too much to lie to him just to protect him," Kevin admitted.

"I'm not so sure Todd's wrong about that!" Sam said angrily.

"What the Hell is that supposed to mean!" Kevin snapped.

Sam walked over to where Kevin stood. "It means that all that hatred you felt for Todd couldn't have just gone away. Todd is not a four-year-old who idolizes you or a three-year-old you can play with and cuddle. He's a man you have hated for a very long time. I haven't forgotten the way you and your family tried to pin Georgie's murder on him. You wanted it to be him so bad you could taste it. All of you wanted it to be Todd! I haven't forgotten the way you took Todd out of Asa's lodge, at gunpoint. You wanted to kill him that night, didn't you!"

"Sam!" Viki called out. She placed her hand on Sam's arm. "You know that was before Kevin realized what drove Todd's behavior all this time. It was before he knew the damage Peter did to Todd."

"I'm not saying Kevin doesn't genuinely care for Timmy and Adam. It's Todd we're talking about," Sam defended himself.

Kevin took some deep breaths. He knew that he cared very much about Todd in addition to the children. Yet Kevin recognized some truth in what Sam said. He thought about some of the very same things Sam mentioned whenever he thought about forging a relationship with Todd. Kevin always wondered if there was still some part of him that could not forgive Todd and resented his relationship with Viki.

"Mom, I honestly don't know how I feel about Todd . . . not 100 percent anyway. I can swear to all of you that I will never deliberately hurt Todd again."

Kevin faced Sam and looked him in the eye. "Todd has suffered ten fold . . . a thousand fold . . . for the pain he caused me and everyone else. I don't want him to suffer anymore. I can't swear that something I inadvertently do will not hurt Todd, any more than you or anyone else in this room can swear that. I admit I can be more selfish than anyone here. And I'm the only one here who has hated Todd. So, when I deal with Todd, I will have to be more careful and examine my motives more closely than any of you. I know that."

Sam saw Kevin's eyes fill with tears.

Kevin looked up as he tried to keep his emotions at bay. He ran the fingers of both hands through his hair.

"Sam, I promise you I will never try to hurt Todd. He's my family. If Todd is willing, I want to have a good relationship with him . . . or at least one where we don't try to hurt each other . . . for mom . . . for Todd . . . for me . . . I want to get to know the real Todd . . . the one under all the damage."

Sam looked into Kevin's eyes. He wanted to believe him. Sam thought he saw the truth in Kevin's eyes. Sam no longer trusted his instincts. He prayed Kevin was being honest. Sam nodded. He went back to his seat.

Viki, Téa and Susannah filled Kevin in on all that had happened.

"Oh my God!" Kevin smiled. "Todd can see again! That's fantastic!"

Like the others, Kevin was upset to hear Susannah's theory on Michelle and the night she died. He had hoped that Todd regaining his vision meant that Todd had realized that, on that long ago night, he was as much a victim as Michelle was. Kevin was horrified by Ritchie's disclosure. He could not imagine the kind of pain Todd felt when he heard Ritchie.

"I don't understand," Kevin began. "Why isn't Goodone protecting Todd? How could he allow him to hear what Ritchie disclosed?"

"Goodone understands that Todd has to face what was done to him," Susannah explained. "He is a better judge of how much Todd can handle than I am. I'm sure it killed Goodone to allow Todd to hear that. Nevertheless, he knew Todd was strong enough. Goodone acts only in Todd's best interest. I trust Goodone's instincts. He will know when Todd has had enough and either pull him inside or allow Todd to go inside."

Kevin sighed. "I don't know how anyone can face that much pain. I don't think I could."

"Todd's a survivor," Téa said with admiration in her voice. "He knows what he has to do to get his life back. In some ways, Todd is stronger than all of us put together."

"I know that," Kevin responded with sadness in his voice. "Maybe it's because I know I never would have been strong enough to have survived Todd's life that I wonder how he was able to."

Viki took Kevin's hand. "You come from the same stock as Todd and I do. You survived a lot more in your life than most people."

Kevin looked into his mother's eyes for a moment. He became uncomfortable. He didn't believe for a second that he could have survived life with Peter Manning. Kevin didn't want to discuss this, especially in front of Téa and Sam. He turned to Susannah. "Do you think I should stay away from here now that Todd can see?"

"I think we should wait for Todd's reaction. I'll ask him if he wants you to visit. Kevin, you do understand that Todd getting his vision back will not put an end to your relationship with Timmy or Adam."

Susannah's words made Kevin blush. That was exactly one of the things he was worried about. Kevin was embarrassed that his need to be with those children was so transparent. What Kevin was not sure they realized was that it was becoming increasingly important to him to work things out with Todd. Kevin needed to know if, when he spent enough time with Todd, he would revert back to the same person that only wanted to see Todd suffer . . . that came close to killing Todd.

Viki saw her son was uncomfortable again, so this time she changed the subject. "Are you going to call Nora and tell her Todd wants to see her or do you want me to do it?" Viki asked Susannah.

"I'll call her, if that's all right with you?" Susannah answered.

"Nora!" Kevin was shocked. "Todd wants to see Nora!"

After Viki explained things to Kevin he protested as vehemently as Sam did. "Nora hates Todd, Mom. Why on earth did you agree to that?"

Now it was Sam's turned to be shocked. He never thought Kevin would respond that way. Sam realized he believed Kevin and possibly Téa were out to get Todd more than he thought he did. This blew a hole in his belief. If it were true, Kevin would have jumped at the opportunity to give Nora a chance to hurt Todd. Then Sam quickly wondered if Kevin was feigning that reaction to throw him and Viki off the track. God! What is wrong with me? Sam thought to himself, anxiously.

"Honey. Todd wants Nora to be his attorney."

"Instead of Sam and Téa?" Kevin couldn't believe it.

Viki shook her head. "Yes. I'm afraid so."

"And you approve of this?" Kevin asked Susannah accusingly.

"Todd has certain rights. An attorney of his choosing is one of them. If I truly believed Nora would hurt him I would not allow it," Susannah stated.

"We're not even sure if Nora will agree to see Todd, nevertheless become his attorney," Téa pointed out.

Kevin turned to Viki. "I don't like it. Téa and Sam have been handling all of Todd's legal needs." Something occurred to Kevin. He turned back to Susannah. "You're not going to tell Nora about Michelle or the bat are you?" Kevin's tone was accusatory.

Sam couldn't believe that this hadn't occurred to him. "No, she's not!" Sam announced loudly. Sam's eyes traveled from Susannah to Viki. "Please tell me neither of you has any intention of telling Nora what happened with Michelle. Bo has managed to keep it from her all these months, as far as we know."

"I don't see that anything that happened the night of Todd's fourteenth birthday has any bearing on whatever he wants to talk to Nora about. She won't hear anything about that night from me," Susannah promised.

Viki felt Sam's eyes on her. "No, of course I didn't plan on saying anything to Nora about that. How could you even think I would?"

"I'm not sure what you'll agree to anymore. I wanted to be sure."

They all felt the tension in the room. "Do you think Nora will agree to see Todd?" Téa asked Susannah and broke the silence.

"Honestly, I have no idea. A couple of weeks ago I would have said unequivocally no. Now, I'm not sure." Susannah remembered Nora's reaction to Adam and Timmy. She knew they got to her sister.

"I suppose there's only one way to find out," Téa sighed.

"Yes," Susannah agreed, knowing Téa meant that Nora needed to be called. "I want to check on Todd and then I'll come back here and call Nora."

"Can we see Todd?" Téa asked.

Susannah saw hope in Téa's eyes. She knew Téa was hoping that Todd had let go of the self-punishment he was putting himself through and that he would once again allow her in his life. She knew how difficult Téa's confrontations with Todd had been for her. "Let me see how he's doing first. I'm sure he's not in crisis or I would have been called. Just give me a few minutes with him."

Viki, Sam, Téa and Kevin headed for the lounge near Todd's room. They stayed away from the dayroom area, in case their presence upset Todd.

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

"When did he go down?" Susannah asked when she saw Todd curled up in the chair, fast asleep.

"About forty minutes ago," Terry answered.

"Did he talk to any of you or respond to you in anyway?" Susannah asked.

"Nope. Not one word." Frank began to fill Susannah in on the rest. "He sat as you left him, arms folded, staring straight ahead. He didn't budge until he started to nod off. He tried to keep himself awake, but he's worn out. Once he fell asleep, we put the pillow under his head and made sure his neck was in proper alignment. Then we covered him with the blanket. He didn't stir at all."

"He's going to test us . . . all of us. He's going to try everything he knows to get us to reject him and walk away," Susannah cautioned.

"We know," Eileen confirmed. "At the same time he's scared to death he'll be left alone. He did all he could do to keep himself from crying when all of you walked out of here."

Susannah and the staff looked at Todd with deep affection in their eyes. They wanted to help this tortured young man more than they wanted anything else.

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

"TÉA! TÉA! TÉA! TÉA!" Todd began to scream.

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

"Oh my God! Did you hear that?" Téa jumped up as Todd's screams reached the lounge near his room. Téa ran for the dayroom. Viki, Sam and Kevin followed.

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

"Todd. Wake up buddy. You're having a bad dream. Come on. Wake up," Frank gently shook him.

Susannah knelt in front of Todd. "Todd, you need to wake up. Open your eyes, Todd."

Jeff, Eileen, Terry and Angelo stood nearby, in case they were needed.

Todd's eyes shot open. "TÉA!" he cried out again.

"I'm here. Todd, I'm right here," Téa called out as she rushed into the room.

Todd's eyes filled with terror. He jumped off the chair. His feet became tangled in the blanket. He fell to the floor with a loud thud, before Susannah and Frank could catch him. Still caught in the throes of his nightmare, Todd continued to scream Téa's name. He didn't seem to realize he fell. Todd tried to free himself from the blanket that was twisted around his feet and legs.

Téa rushed to Todd before the staff had a chance to move toward him. Forgetting Todd's fear of contact, Téa took him in her arms and held him pressed tightly to her.

"Todd, querido, are you hurt?"

"TEA! TEA!" Todd continued to scream.

"I'm here. Querido. I'm here. You're safe. I'm holding you."

Todd's eyes filled with shock and fear. He was still not used to being able to see and seeing Téa filled him with terror for her.

"Oh God, Delgado. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry." Todd's words were coming out a mile a minute. Tears poured down his cheeks. "I tried not to. He would have hurt you anyway. I got it on you. I tried to get away. I asked Sam to take me away. He didn't want me either. I never meant to hurt you. He knows I love you. That's why you had to be first. Oh God. I'm sorry, Delgado. I'm sorry. I'll try to get it off. I'm sorry."

Todd startled Téa when he grabbed hold of her and tried to brush away the filth and slime he believed he saw on her. His rubbed his hands up and down her arms, chest, and back. He tried to rub it off her face and hair. Téa was sitting on her legs so he couldn't get to them.

"It's not coming off! Oh God! It's not coming off!" Todd cried out.

Todd attempted to cover Téa with the blanket. Todd's mind was caught between the nightmare and reality. He thought Téa was naked.

"Why? Why? Why? I shouldn't have. Oh God, Delgado. I tried not to. I didn't mean to love you. I tried not to. I knew this would happen. I tried so hard not to love you. I warned you. I warned you over and over again. I tried to warn you when we talked in your room that night. I tried to warn you when we went to the Bayberry Inn. I knew you'd end up being hurt. It's too late now. I knew I'd do something terrible to you. I knew it! Please don't hate me. Don't leave me again. Don't send me away. Oh God. Oh God." Todd cried out between gasps for breath.

Téa knew Todd was somewhere between the world of the nightmares that constantly haunted him and the loving and safe world she tried to make for him. She knew if Todd were completely in reality he would not admit his love to her this way or touch her.

"Shhhh. Mi amor, shhhh. No. I'm not leaving you. I'm not sending you away. I could never hate you. I'll never leave you. Shhhh. Nothing bad happened to me. Nothing got on me. Your love does not hurt me. Your love saves me. Nothing bad happened to me. It was a nightmare. You just had a bad dream that's all. It's safe to love me and let me love you. Nothing terrible happened. I'm not hurt. I'm okay. Shhhh. Look at me." Téa took Todd's head in her hands. "I'm not hurt. Nothing got on me," she repeated.

Todd looked down at Téa's body. He slowly pulled the blanket away from her. He was afraid of what he would see when it was removed. He saw that Téa was fully dressed in beige linen pants and a white linen shirt. Her clothes were clean. He looked up. Todd saw Téa's beautiful soft skin and shining hair were as he remembered. The filth he believed he carried had not touched her.

Even though tears continued to fall, relief filled Todd's being as his eyes traveled over Téa's body, from her hair down.

"You're really all right? Delgado, you're really all right?"

"Yes. I'm all right, Todd. You didn't hurt me. Querido, you didn't hurt me."

Todd's hands were shaking as he slowly touched Téa. His touch was gentle, as if Téa were made of fragile crystal. It was also as if he couldn't believe she had been left unscathed by his poison. Todd ran his hands up Téa's arms, shoulders and neck. He tenderly took her face in his hands. He stared into Téa's eyes for a moment.

"It's not on you. It was a dream." Todd squeezed his eyes shut. Despite the smile of relief on Todd's face more tears fell. "It was a dream. It was a dream. It was a dream."

Téa realized Todd was trying to get himself to believe it was a dream. He was still having a hard time deciphering reality from his nightmare. He was caught in an existence somewhere in between them both.

"I'd die before I'd hurt you, Delgado," Todd whispered.

"You won't hurt me. Mi corazon, you won't hurt me," Téa whispered back.

Gently, Todd pulled Téa's face close to his. His senses were filled with her aroma. Todd closed his eyes. He wanted this feeling to last forever.

Téa pressed her cheek against Todd's.

Todd nuzzled against Téa's softness for a few moments. He opened his eyes and stared deeply into Téa's. "No, Delgado, I'm scared."

"You don't have to be afraid to love me and let me love you, Todd. You don't have to be afraid to touch me. There's nothing bad in you. It's safe, mi amor, it's safe."

With his trembling hands still on either side of her face, Todd's lips found Téa's. He felt the mouth he had longed to see press gently against his. They tasted each other's tears. For a moment, Todd felt enveloped in safety and love.

"You are such a stupid piece of shit. That was no dream, Todd. This is the dream. No one will ever be safe as long as you're around. Are you forgetting all the things you've done? Are you forgetting the evil that grows inside you? Téa's doomed, like the rest of them, if you don't listen to me. Look who's behind her," Saber finished said those last words in a singsong voice.

With terrified eyes Todd looked past Téa. He saw his father's hate filled eyes looking back at him. Todd heard laughter as loud as thunder pulsate through his head. He didn't know what was real and what was not. Todd once again felt filth and slime crawling on him like lice and growing inside of him like cancer. The dream came back to Todd and once again became his reality.

Todd pulled away from Téa. "NO! NO! NOOOOO!" Todd pulled himself across the floor as he backed away.

"Querido. I'm here. You're safe," Téa started to reach for him.

Todd jumped up. "NO! GET AWAY! GET AWAY!"

Todd's movements were swift. He caught Susannah and the staff off guard. He got past them and made his way out of the dayroom.

"Stay here!" Susannah instructed Téa as she ran after Todd.

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

Todd squinted as the bright lights of the hallway hurt his eyes. When he saw Viki, Sam and Kevin, he ran for the doors that led off the unit.

"Let us handle this. Please wait in the dayroom with Téa," Susannah called out over her shoulder to the rest of Todd's family, as she and the staff rushed after Todd.

Todd threw his body against the doors with all his might. They rattled, but did not give way. Before the staff reached him, Todd rammed his head into the doors hard enough to stun him. He slid down. His back remained against the doors.

Frank was the first to reach Todd. He could see Todd was dazed. He did not move to restrain him.

Susannah rushed to Todd. "Get me some gloves," she ordered.

Nancy brought her a pair of gloves.

Susannah didn't want Todd any more freaked out than he already was. She held her hands up in front of his face. "Todd, I have gloves on. I need to touch you. It won't be with my bare hands."

Todd moaned softly.

Susannah felt his head. There was no bump and no blood. His scalp was intact. Susannah checked his eyes. His pupils were round, equal and reactive. "Do you feel sick to your stomach?"

Todd didn't respond at first. After nearly a minute, he shook his head. Todd drew his knees to his chest. He buried his head in them. "Please let me go. I don't want to hurt Delgado. I don't want to hurt any of them," Todd begged.

"Todd, I promise you. There is nothing about you or inside you or on you that will cause anyone any harm," Susannah tried to assure him again.

"I hurt Delgado so bad. It got on her. She hates me. She's gone. Now she's gone forever." Todd's words were slightly muffled by his knees.

"No, honey. Téa's here. You were just with her in the dayroom."

Todd lifted his head and looked into Susannah's eyes. It felt strange for both of them. Todd saw the caring and honesty in Susannah's eyes that he remembered. He always imagined it when she spoke to him. Now he was able to see it for himself again. "I let him hurt her. I let him rip her clothes off. I touched her. I got it on her. I destroyed her. She went away. I didn't want to. I'm gonna have to hurt all of them and you and the staff too." Tears trickled down Todd's cheeks.

"Did that happen in your dream?" Susannah asked gently.

Todd shuddered. "It was real."

"No, hon. It was a dream. Téa is fine and so are the rest of us. You did nothing to hurt us."

Todd looked questioningly into Susannah's eyes. He was confused. He was still somewhat dazed from hitting his head into the door, from the dream, from Saber's taunts and from the hallucinations he was having. He was still having difficulty with reality.

Susannah stroked Todd's head with her glove-covered hand. "It was a dream, Todd. You're awake now and you're safe. No one can hurt you and you can't hurt anyone."

More of the dream came back to him. Todd looked down at his body. He was shocked to see that he had clothes on. Susannah saw the fear in Todd's eyes as he looked at his arms and hands. He couldn't see the filth and slime now, but he felt it.

"Can you talk about your dream?" Susannah coaxed.

"I wanna take a shower," Todd whimpered.

"You've already had two showers today. You don't need a shower now," Susannah said firmly, but her tone was tender.

"It's too late anyway. I already got it on Delgado," Todd whispered.

"Téa is safe. She's all right. You did not get anything on her. Would you like to see Téa again? Then you can see for yourself that she's okay."

"Next time it won't be a dream. Next time all of you will be hurt for real. Please let me go. Tell Viki and Sam they have to send me to another hospital far away. I'll even go back to jail if they don't want me in another hospital. Please tell Téa not to come here anymore. Tell them all not to come here anymore. Todd looked up at the staff that was near him and at Susannah. I don't want to hurt you. Please! I don't want to hurt anyone."

Frank knelt down to Todd. "It would hurt all of us if we never got to spend time with you anymore."

"It sure would, pal," Jeff spoke up. "All of us care very much about you."

"That's true, Todd," Susannah added. "It would make us very sad if you just walked out of our lives. It would be heartbreaking to your family. They all love you so much. They love to be with you and talk to you. They feel very safe with you. They know you won't hurt them."

"I will!" Todd insisted. "You don't understand."

"Make me understand," Susannah encouraged.

Todd sighed deeply. He pulled his hair back with both his hands. "I'm a mistake. There’s something wrong with me. There's always been something wrong with me. My birth mother and father knew it. So did my mom and dad. I hurt people and I make people hurt other people. You heard. You know what disgusting things I did to my mom. You know what disgusting things I made my dad do to me. I got it on them. I don't want to get it on anyone else. Please! Please! Just tell Viki and Sam to put me away somewhere. I don't care where. Or kill me. You can do it. You always want to make me take drugs. Give me enough to kill me and I'll take them. I swear I will. I don't want this anymore. I don't want to think and remember and come back and not know what's going on. I don't want to hurt anyone anymore. I don't want to hurt anymore. Please! You'd put a horse or a dog out of its misery. If you really care about me, you'll help me!"

"Todd," Susannah began softly. "I know you're hurting. I know every day is painful for you. Honey, I promise you it won't always be this way. You've come so far. You've made amazing progress. You're getting well. You're on your way to getting your life back. You've come too far to give up on yourself. The people who love you don't think you're a mistake at all. They think you're a blessing in their lives."

Todd put his hands over his ears. "Stop it! You won't understand. You won't understand until it's too late. I saw what I did to Delgado. If I don't hurt her, he will. He'll hurt all of you."

Susannah didn't know if Todd was referring to Saber, his father, or some other alter or a voice he was hallucinating.

"Who'll hurt all of us?" Susannah probed.

Todd rocked himself gently. His arms were folded tightly around his knees. Suddenly Todd remembered something. "Did I see Kevin? Is he here?"

"Yes. Kevin is in the dayroom with Viki, Sam and Téa," Susannah confirmed.

"I wanna see him," Todd requested.

Susannah exchanged quick glances with the staff that were standing near Todd.

"We'll get Kevin for you. First you need to move away from the doors. Would you like to go back to the dayroom to see Kevin? I can ask Téa, Viki and Sam to wait outside."

"I wanna see Kevin in private," Todd said firmly.

"You know at least one staff member has to be with you at all times, buddy," Frank gently reminded Todd.

"Because you know I'll hurt someone," Todd stated angrily.

"Because we promised you we'd keep you safe and we intend to keep that promise," Frank explained patiently. "You can talk to Kevin. I'll sit to the side and read my book and you won't even know I'm there."

"Yeah, sure," Todd mumbled.

When Todd had some trouble getting up, he allowed Susannah to help him because she still had gloves on. This was not good, but at least Todd allowed himself to be touched that way.

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

As Todd approached the dayroom, he stopped walking.

"Is something wrong?" Susannah asked.

"Are Viki, Sam and Delgado still in there with Kevin?"

"Yes, they probably are," Susannah replied.

"I don't wanna go in there until you tell them all to leave. I want everyone except Kevin to leave."

"Terry, will you please explain to everyone that Todd wishes to speak with Kevin in private," Susannah directed.

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

"Me? He wants me to stay and everyone else to leave?" Kevin was astounded.

"He wants to talk to you alone. Frank will be in the room with you and some other staff members will be right outside," Susannah assured Kevin.

"I'm not afraid of him hurting me." Kevin was angry that Susannah or anyone would think that. "What I'm afraid of is saying or doing something that will hurt him."

"Be as open with him as you can be. Be honest with him. Don't walk on eggshells. Todd will sense it and become uncomfortable. If he says something that upsets you or makes you angry, tell him. Stay calm if you can, but be upfront with him about what you're feeling. You were great with Todd when you interacted with him when Téa was hurt. There is something Todd thinks you can give him that the rest of us can't. Just talk to him. Let him lead the conversation," Susannah instructed.

Before they left, Susannah told Todd's family that it might be helpful if they were to wear medical gloves around Todd. She explained that Todd allowed her to touch him, when she showed him she had gloves on. She advised that they all grab a handful and keep them in their pockets.

"It's only a very temporary solution until we can work on this issue with Todd," Susannah assured them.

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

Todd looked down at his feet when he saw Téa, Sam and Viki walk out of the dayroom. He did not look up until he heard them walk away.

"Kevin is waiting in the dayroom. Whenever you're ready, we can go in," Frank let Todd know.

Todd's eyes darted around the hallway. Once again he seemed to be on the lookout for danger. Todd wondered if Kevin would be able to see the filth that he felt covering him. He felt ashamed. Nevertheless, he had to talk to Kevin. He felt sure Kevin would help him.

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

Kevin turned to the door when he heard Todd walk in. Even though Kevin knew Todd could see again, it was startling to see Todd walking on his own.

Todd made his way over to Kevin. He sat in the chair that faced Kevin's. Frank sat off to the side, but close enough to reach Todd in a second's notice. More staff waited right outside the dayroom, in case Todd made a run for it again, or in case they were needed inside.

"I'm very happy that you can see again," Kevin awkwardly started the conversation.

"Thanks. You love Viki a whole lot, right?" Todd got to the point immediately.

Like the others, Kevin was not used to Todd making eye contact with him. "Yes, of course I love Mom. I love her very much." Kevin had no idea where Todd was going with this.

"You still hate me, right?" Todd stared into Kevin's eyes.

Kevin stood up. He walked a few steps away from where Todd sat. His back was to Todd. "Come on, Todd. We're supposed to be making peace for Mom's sake. Remember?"

"This is for Viki's sake." Todd stood up and walked over to Kevin. He faced him again. "You always hated that I was in your mom's life and that I was part of your family. You still do. Right!"

Kevin looked into Todd's eyes. He knew what Todd needed to hear. "Yes. I always hated that you were in our family and that you were a part of Mom's life." Kevin hoped Todd didn't notice that he used the past tense.

"Then here's your chance to get me out of Viki's life and your family for good. You make Viki send me away. You make her send me to another hospital far away from here or you make her tell them to let me go and I'll go so far away you'll never have to worry about me polluting your family’s gene pool again."

"No one makes Mom do anything. You know that about her, Todd."

"Oh don't give me that, Buchanan!" You're Viki's golden boy. The sun rises and sets with you! She'll listen to you."

Kevin felt anger rise within him. "As usual you've got everything wrong and twisted. You're the one the sun rises and sets for with Mom. You're the one that she'd do anything for!"

"No! Don't lie to me! You're her son. You're her real son. I saw the way she always looked at you, even during the trial. My dad would sit there looking like he wished the earth would open up and swallow me. Viki always looked at you like you like she loved you no matter what. She thought you were good no matter what you were accused of. She wasn't embarrassed by you. She never looked at you like you were a disappointment to her and she wished you were never born. She was proud of you, even then."

"Why shouldn't she have been proud of me? I didn't do what I was accused of. I didn't rape Marty. You did!"

"I KNOW WHAT I DID!" Todd shouted. Then quietly, he added, "All the more reason for you to get me out of Viki's life and Sam's life and Téa's life and your life. You warned all of them they should stay away from me at one time or another. I'm giving you the opportunity to do what you've always wanted . . . get me out of everyone's life . . . most of all yours!"

Tears sprung to Kevin's eyes. That was what he had always wanted. A year ago . . . even months ago . . . before Christmas. He realized it was not what he wanted now. It wasn't even Timmy or Adam that Kevin was thinking about. It was Todd. Kevin did not want Todd out of his life, or out of Viki's. Kevin wanted Todd to know what it felt like to have a mom like Viki. He wanted him to know that kind of love. Kevin realized that even if it were possible for him to talk Viki into sending Todd away, he wouldn't do it. It was not that he wouldn't do it because it wasn't what Viki wanted. Kevin knew, this time with certainty that it was not what he wanted. He wanted Todd, Todd himself, in his life and in Viki's. For the first time, since the fire . . . since he cheated on Cassie with Barbara . . . since he wanted to kill Todd . . . since he thought he had romantic feelings for Téa, Kevin felt better about himself. The self-hatred he'd been feeling began to lift.

"What the Hell is wrong with you, Kevin? Are you going to help me, or not?"

Kevin had been lost in his thoughts for a few moments. "You're right, Todd. I love my mother. I love her with all my heart. I would do anything to help her and make her happy."

"Good! Then you go out there and get her to send me somewhere so far from here that no one will even remember my name in a month from now."

"Sorry, Todd, no can do. I just told you. I love my mother."

"Huh?" Todd was confused.

"I love my mother enough to want her to have whatever makes her happy. You make her happy."

Todd's mouth hung open for a moment. He looked into Kevin's eyes to see if Kevin was mocking him. He saw that he wasn't. "Did you get into some of the drugs they keep around here?"

Kevin tried to keep himself from smiling. He shook his head. "Mom not only loves you, she loves being around you. She loves having a brother. For some reason she loves that sense of humor of yours. She feels close to you in a way she never did to me, or even to Joey or Jess. It would break Mom's heart if you weren't in her life. She couldn't take it. I won't do that to her."

Todd stared into Kevin's eyes. He started to laugh. "Oh. I get it. I'm slow, but I finally get it. They told you that I wanted to leave. Viki put you up to saying this. Did she write the whole thing out for you or did you improvise it yourself?"

"Todd, what the Hell are you talking about? No one told me to say anything to you."

"Don't lie to me, Kevin. You think I'm completely stupid? You want Viki's love. She asked you to keep her crazy brother here. You talk me out of leaving. You score points with Mommy and at the same time you get to stay and watch the show. You've always wanted to see me like this, haven't you! You love that they're keeping me crazy and locked away! You don't really love your mother. Getting revenge on me means more to you than she does. You don't care what happens to her. You don't care how much danger she's in or Sam is in or Téa or even Starr. All you care about is seeing me suffer. Wouldn't it be enough to know that I'll be suffering no matter where I am? Wouldn't it be enough to know that every minute of my life hurts and it'll always hurt for as long as I'm alive! There's no out for me Kevin. You all got what you wanted. I'm being punished for everything I did. I deserve it! I admit it. I deserve all of it. I made you hate me. I made all of you hate me. I'm a mistake! Let me fix it! Tell Viki to let me out of here and I'll fix it. I'll make sure that I never hurt you or Viki or Sam or Téa or Blair or Marty or anyone ever again. I'll make sure Shorty is safe. Do you hate me so much more than you care about all of them?"

"How, Todd? How are you planning on making sure everyone is safe?" Kevin asked angrily.

"That's none of your business. I will! That's all you need to know!"

"By killing yourself as soon as you get away from here?" Kevin guessed.

Todd looked away from Kevin. "What's it to you?"

Kevin grabbed Todd by the shoulders. He saw the shocked look on Todd's face and felt Todd's body stiffen in his arms. Todd tried to pull away, but Kevin held on tightly.

"What's it to me, Todd? What's it to me! It's everything to me! I'd be the one left behind to see the carnage. I'd be the one to see the suffering and devastation. I'd still be here to see my mother mourn the loss of her favorite child. I'd be the one left to see her curl up and die inside if she didn't have you in her life. I'd be watching Sam fall apart even more than he already has. I'd be the one watching, as Sam would probably be the next one to join you. I'd have to be here to see Starr turn out God's knows how miserable because she'd lost the one person in her life that she loves more than I've ever seen a child love anyone. Then for dessert I'd get to see Téa turn hard and bitter when all the dreams she has for her life are ripped away from her because the love of her life was a coward who chose to run off and die rather than stay and fight!"

"What'd you know about it!" Todd looked into Kevin's eyes and the dam burst. "I've been fighting all my life! I've been fighting for as long as I can remember. There was not one second of my life that I wasn't fighting. I'm tired! I want to protect every one of them and I can't! I don't know how. This is the only way I know! I'm so tired. I'm tired of hurting everyone I love, and I'm tired of being hurt! I know God hates me and wants to punish me. He always did. I'm sorry if it's a sin to go against what God wants. I just can't do it anymore. It never stops hurting. It's never quiet. He's always there. I can't get away from him. He's there when I'm awake. He's there when I sleep. I tried. Sam said leave that house. I did. It didn't help. He followed me here. Everything followed me here . . . the anger . . . the pain . . . the fear. I'm scared all the time. You always called me a coward and you were right! I'm scared to be awake and I'm scared to go to sleep. I'm scared that it's always here. It's under every bed . . . around every corner. It gets you in the middle of the night. I can't do it anymore, Kevin. I can't. T-there're things that come back to me now . . . m-m-memories . . . like pictures . . . voices . . . I hear them all the time. They cry. They yell. They tell me things. I can't make them stop. Sometimes I can't tell what's a memory and what's real. They all hurt the same. They hurt so much I feel like I'm being ripped apart. I don't wanna be alive anymore. I don't wanna wake up anymore. It'll never stop hurting. He hurt me! My dad hurt me. He's still hurting me. I just want it to stop. I don't wanna hurt Viki or anyone. I just want it to stop! I hurt. I HURT!"

Todd broke down in sobs. He became limp in Kevin's hands.

Kevin pulled Todd to him and held him tightly in a hug. Todd's head fell on Kevin's shoulder.

"Shhhh. Todd, I know. I know. I know it hurts. I know your dad hurt you. I'm sorry. He never should have done the things he did to you. I know you think you'll somehow hurt everyone you love and care about. You won't! I swear to you. I won't let you. Okay? I'll watch out for them. I care about all of those people, too. I'll make sure that no one gets hurt. Not anyone you love and not you."

"If I don't hurt them, he will. You can't stop him," Todd sobbed. "No one can stop him."

"Yes, I can." Kevin didn't know if Todd was talking about his father, Saber or another alter.

"No. You don't understand," Todd protested through his tears.

"I do, Todd. I understand," Kevin assured him.

"No, you don't! It's me! He hurts everyone because of me. I make him! There's something bad inside me that makes him hurt everyone. You have to get rid of me. You have to let me go. It's the only way all the hurt will stop!"

Kevin pulled Todd away from him. He held Todd firmly by his upper arms. "You listen to me!"

Todd's head hung down as he continued to sob.

"Look at me!" Kevin shook Todd.

Frank stood up. He was ready to move at any second. He was not sure he liked the way this was going.

"Look at me!" Kevin said loudly.

Todd slowly raised his head. His face was tearstained. He looked into Kevin's eyes again.

"You know that I hate some of the things you've done to me and to a lot of people that I care about. You know that I've always been the first one who's wanted to see you punished for the things you've done. I've always wanted to see you get what you deserve. I've made no secret about that. You know that!"

Todd's chin trembled. He nodded.

"You don't deserve this, not any of this. You don't deserve to be this ill. You don't deserve to be separated from everyone you love. You didn't deserve to be left by your mom and you never deserved the things your dad did to you." Kevin emphasized the word never. "You were a little kid. There is nothing . . ." Kevin shook Todd gently as he said the word nothing . . . "not one damn thing in this world that you or any little kid can be, say or do that deserves the kind of discipline or punishment your dad dished out. It wasn't you, Todd. It was your dad. It was always your dad. Don't let him continue to hurt you and those you love. If you talk Mom into sending you away, you'll be letting him hurt those you love all over again. You'll be causing them all the kind of pain they'll never get over. You know what it's like to be left by someone you love. Don't do that to them, Todd. Don't let your father win again."

Todd's eyes left Kevin's. Todd was quiet for a few seconds.

Now that Kevin had a second to calm down, he prayed he'd said the right things to Todd.

Todd sniffed as his sobs ended. "I'll bet you'd be happy to get rid of me," Todd stated in an almost childlike tone.

Instinctively Kevin understood.

"I'd drive you to the airport myself, but they all love you too much. They'd all be sad and miserable for the rest of their lives without you, all of them. I guess I'm stuck with you."

"Yeah," Todd said softly. "And I'm stuck with you, too. Too bad we can't choose our family."

Kevin released his tight hold on Todd. He continued to keep his hands resting tenderly on Todd's arms. Todd didn't look like he could stand much more, literally or figuratively. "Yeah, too bad," Kevin said gently.

"I'll bet you wouldn't have picked me to be in your family in a million years," Todd stated.

"Probably not," Kevin admitted.

"Well, I wouldn't have picked your family to be in, in a billion years," Todd topped him.

"Looks like we're stuck with each other and we'll have to learn to make the best of it."

Todd shrugged. He wiped his eyes with the palms of his hand and wiped his nose on his sleeve. Todd looked down at the floor and away from Kevin's eyes. "Yeah. For Viki, right? 'Cause she don't like us fighting all the time."

"Yeah," Kevin said lovingly. "For Viki."

Todd made eye contact with Kevin and then looked away again. "Do you know about the things I made my dad do to me?"

"I know about some of the things your dad did to you and forced you to do," Kevin confirmed.

Todd stared into Kevin's eyes for another split second.

"Did you really mean it when you said you'd play baseball with me and teach me how to play good?"

The switch startled Kevin. He immediately recognized Tom's voice and facial features. "I not only meant it. I'd love to play baseball with you."

"I wanna be really good so maybe my dad'll love me and won't make fun of me so much."

Tears formed in Kevin's eyes and spilled down his cheeks.

"Did I do something bad?" Tom asked in a trembling voice.

"No, not at all, I was just thinking of something very sad." Kevin put his arm around Tom. "Speaking of dads . . . Sam's mentioned how much he wants to be your dad and he already loves you so much and he's so proud of you. He seemed a little sad to me when I saw him. I'll bet once he finds out you're here, he's going to be so happy. Maybe we can include him in our baseball game?"

"Coach is here!" Tom exclaimed.

"He's probably right outside, with Viki and Téa."

"Téa!" Tom bounced up and down. "Téa's here, too!" Tom noticed Frank. He rushed over to him. "Hi, Frank! Téa's here."

Frank smiled. "Hi, buddy. I'm so glad to see you. Now why do I get the idea that you want to go see Téa?"

"Because I do, a whole bunch." Tom answered seriously. He looked up at Frank with his large innocent eyes. Frank noticed that Todd's hazel eyes immediately took on a greenish hue when Tom took over the body.

Frank rumpled Tom's hair. "Téa wants to see you a whole bunch too, buddy. Your whole family does. They're going to be very happy to see you. Come on," Frank held out his hand, "let's go see them."

Tom surprised Kevin by taking his hand, too. "Kevin, does Téa's heart still sing when she sees me?"

Kevin grinned. "You, bet it does. Téa's heart sings very happy songs when she sees you."

Tom smiled, then his expression turned serious. "Kevin, Téa still don't want you to be her boyfriend, does she?"

Kevin stopped walking. He faced Tom. He placed his finger under Tom's chin and lifted his face. "Téa never wanted me to be her boyfriend and she still doesn't. Téa loves you."

Tom's smile returned. "I love Téa, too. When I grow up, I'm gonna marry Téa and we're gonna be able to go skating and dancing every day, and we're gonna draw pictures together and do puzzles, and I'm gonna buy Téa a gazillion Oreos, and me and Téa will have tea parties with Starr, and Téa's heart will sing all the time."

Kevin put his arm around Tom's shoulder and hugged Tom to him. "You know what, Tom?"

Tom shook his head.

"Good friends share secrets, so I'll share one with you."

"I'm your good friend?" Tom asked hopefully.

"You're my very good friend," Kevin confirmed.

The expression of delight on Tom's face almost caused Kevin to burst into tears again. He bit his lip and quickly pulled himself together and continued.

"So since we are such good friends, I'll tell you a secret. Téa wants to be married to you when you grow up, too. She'd love to spend the rest of her life getting to do everything with you."

Tom looked as if he were going to burst with joy. The sadness left his eyes. His smile reached from ear to ear.

Kevin lost the battle. He could not hold back his tears when Tom threw his arms around him and said, "I love you, Kevin. I'm so happy that you're my good friend."

Kevin hugged Tom tightly. He rubbed Tom's back. "I love you too, buddy, and I love that we're good friends."

Frank smiled. He was very glad that Kevin and Tom worked out their problems and found each other. He could see that this relationship was beneficial to both of them. They were both beaming.

Kevin looked lovingly at Tom. "We'd better get out there. If I know Téa, she's not going to want to miss one more minute of spending time with you and neither will Viki and Sam."

Tom once again took Frank's hand and Kevin's hand and the three of them headed to see Viki and Sam and most of all, Téa.

TO BE CONTINUED

COPYRIGHT RS 2001/RHFC

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