To Journey's End Part Eight

 The situation had just gotten more absurd.  He, Todd Manning, was sitting having dinner with a lawman.  Todd felt like he had dropped into the twilight zone.  Could anything be more weird?   Still laughing weakly, he looked at Sam. “I could use a drink.”

Sam looked at Beth , who nodded and he went and poured Todd a stiff one and also got one for himself.  “Here Todd.  This should do it,” he handed Todd the drink and took a sip from his own.  “What’s funny?”

Todd‘s initial gulp burned down his throat and he almost choked but the second one  steadied him.  He finished the glass and set it down on the table. “Sorry, my life’s a mess.  One thing I do remember is that I don’t think I have a very good track record when it comes to the law.”

           “Kinda figured,  I’ve seen your scars.  Don’t worry, I don’t hold a man’s past against him.  I guessing there’s nothing out there against you right now. You been held for eight years. I think we need to find out about that right now.  I know whoever those guys were, they don’t belong to any law enforcement organization.”


          Todd met Sam’s stare. “No, law enforcement isn’t in their playbook, that’s for sure.”  He glanced down at the now cooled cup of soup and pushed it away.  He suddenly felt cold again. He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms around his body, rubbing his hands up and down his arms trying to warm up.  Beth got up, walked out of the kitchen and returned with a throw which she placed over his shoulders.  “Thanks,” he murmured grateful for the sudden warmth.
   
          “So, I vaguely recall Beth telling me she was in the Vietnam war.  That’s where you two met, huh?”  He began making small talk even though he knew Sam wanted to talk about where he had been held.


           Sam and Beth took the cue and began telling their story.  Sam started.   “It  was around the time of the Tet Offensive.   Viet Cong had attacked Da Nang and a number of towns and cities in South Vietnam.  After one particularly intensive battle, my squadron was order to evacuate back to Da Nang to be airlifted to an different location.  As sniper, I was ordered to watch their backs and the group headed out.  We were within a mile of the evac area when we were attacked by a group of guerrilla fighters. It was a battle for survival.”
   
          Beth reached across and took Sam’s hand as he talked, Todd found it comforting to see how much they supported each other. Now his parents... He shook his head.  He didn’t want to think about his parents. Sam continued.


        “I and a pal of mine got separated from the rest of the squad.  Bullets were flying everywhere. It was like being in a nest of hornets.   My pal Bo dropped and I remember slinging him up on my back, and firing all around me as I made my way to the sound of the helicopter.  Something made me stumble, but I just kept firing.  Then the guys were around us laying down cover and the last thing I recall was dropping Bo down into the helicopter.  When I awoke I was staring into these beautiful eyes.” Sam squeezed Beth’s hand.


    Todd found the story fascinating. “You were injured?”


    Beth took over the tale.  “Sam had been shot twice.  One in his upper leg  and one in the back.”


     Todd winced as another memory hit him.  He was falling to his knees as the second shot hit him.  Blair had been his only thought.   He wrapped the blanket about him tighter unaware how white his knuckles had gotten.  

Both Beth and Sam noticed, but Beth continued.  “Sam ended up on my operating table.  And it was touch and go there for a while.  The bullet had come very close to Sam’s spine.  After several hours on the table, I was finally able to snag it.  I saved it for him and I had it when I went to check on him.  When he opened those grey eyes and smiled at me I was hooked. It was so funny. I handed him the bullet from his back and he said. “Yep, that there is my lucky charm, it’s already working. It brought me my one true, Babe.”

    
             Todd’s eyes met Sam’s, he could relate.  His own one true babe, had saved his life too.  They had just barely become friends but even then he had known she was important to him.   He wondered if she missed him as much as he missed her.  It didn’t really matter, because he knew she loved him, and that was what had kept him going all these years.  “You still have it, don’t you?”


           It was actually more a statement then question, but Sam nodded and reached under his shirt and pulled it out. It hung there, a simple little bullet. The thing that had brought Sam and his wife together.

Todd smiled, “Good for you, pal.  Oh and thanks for finding me yesterday.  I owe you.”

“Not an issue.”  Sam’s stomach grumbled. “Hey Beth, is the soup all we get?   I’m starved.”

Beth looked at the fine figure her husband presented. “You’re starved, my ass,” she said as she playfully shoved his shoulder on her way back over to the stove.

Sam looked at her behind as she walked away. “I’ll take some of that too, if you’re offering.”

             Beth turned around blushing. “Sam Clayton, behave yourself, we have a guest.”


             Todd laughed at the two of them, and relaxed into his chair.  His appetite returned as Beth placed a roast down on the table.  Followed by mashed potatoes and gravy and a vegetable medley.  The liquor had done the job and Todd felt his tension drift away as he tucked into the food put on his plate.


            Todd listened attentively as Beth and Sam had a conversation about someone named Amy, who Todd finally figured out was Sam’s assistant and very pregnant.  “I tell you Beth, she’s got to be carrying twins.  I mean really, she can hardly get around the office these days.  Why didn’t you tell her to take off the last month.? I could have handled things for that long.”


           “Honestly Sam,  I don’t know what you’re worried about.  You’ve delivered several babies on you own here in the county.  Why does Amy scare you?”


          “I told you, I think that woman is carrying more than one this time and I don’t want to be the one delivering if there are two of them.”
   
          Todd felt  tired all of a sudden and began drifting off.   Beth realized he was falling asleep and she and Sam helped him back to bed.  Todd was fast asleep by the time  they left the room.


           “Todd, Oh, God, Todd it’s time.  You need to find Paloma.” 
  

           “Damn it Blair, Listen to me.  I came down here to tell you...  Wait a minute, what do you mean find Paloma?”  He looked at his wife clutching her stomach, lying on the floor near her bed.  “My God you’re not having the baby now are you?  Aren’t you supposed to be in a hospital?”


         “Todd, stop talking and get Paloma.”


         “I can’t, she went out.  I’ve got a car. I’ll get you to a hospital. “


         “Todd the hospital is an hour away there isn’t time. You’re going to have to do it.”


         “Are you insane! I can’t deliver a baby,”  he reached down and lifted her onto the bed.  “I’ll call Sam, he’ll know what to do.”  He pulled his phone out of his pocket.  “Sam, I need your help. Blair’s having the baby.  Yes, I told her I loved her, but that’s not the point.  Sam, the baby’s coming now what do I do? Blair hang on, Sam’s got a doctor with him.

"Doc, I need to do what? I’ve got to look where?”

              Blair screamed and Todd listened intently. “I don’t know nothing about birthin’ no babies.”  A few minutes later he held the baby. “It’s a boy, Blair.  He’s beautiful."

“He’s yours Todd. He’s our baby.”  He laid the small infant beside his mother.  “I love you Blair,” and he began to cry. 

Todd tossed and turned and woke up abruptly. Who are you kidding Manning, all the wishful thinking in the world won’t change the truth. You gave you own son away. Then you continued to lie to Blair. You really are a piece of work.  Todd laid there the rest of the night  remembering truths he wished had stayed buried in his subconscious.  Thanks to things they did to him, his brain still seemed disconnected from his memories.  If it weren’t for his constant litany, he would have lost them all.  Blair, Starr, Jack - they were the ones keeping him together.  His sister Vicki also kept surfacing, and he knew he could trust her above all others.

           Beth looked in on her patient and found him awake. “Todd is everything okay?’


           “I need to go Beth. I have to get home.”


            “Where is that,Todd?”


            “I’m not sure but I’ll figure it out.”


            “We can’t keep you here, but perhaps you should stay just a little longer.  Let your wounds heal and the time should help your memory, too.  I know you want to get back to your family but you’ve  been through something truly horrific and its taken a toll on your whole body.  Let Sam do some digging?  Now that we have a name, I’m sure we can figure out your destination.  What do you say?  Give us another twenty four hours, and then we’ll help you get home.”  Beth knew he might say no and she would be helpless to stop him, short of drugging him.  She would never do that after what he had been through.  So she simply said a silent prayer he would agree to her request. She waited but Todd didn’t answer her. “Well, just think about what I said.  Right now let me change those dressings.  This might hurt a little bit.”

Todd watched  quietly as she unwrapped his wrists and  grimaced when he saw the way they looked.  He had known the pain when they had turned him on like a light bulb, but had been too far gone when he escaped to register the damage.  He had had only one thing on his mind, which was getting out of there before they killed him.  Now as he looked at the wounds making note of the peculiar scars, he started visualizing the bands as they had held him in the chair.  His body began to tremble and anxiety built.  Feeling like he was going to smother, he couldn’t get a breath. “Beth stop, please stop,” he pulled free of her and shoved his hands beneath the blanket.

Beth immediately registered that Todd was in the beginnings of a panic attack.  She got up and went to her medicine cabinet.  She had two choices she could give him a shot or a pill; the shot would work quicker but given what he was currently remembering and she was sure he was remembering, the pill would have to do.  Once he was sufficiently relaxed, she could finish what she had started.   She took the pill bottle out and grabbed two pills. “Todd, I just going to give you something to help you calm down.  It won’t knock you out , I promise.  Do you trust me?”

Todd nodded and took the medicine.  He was scared, and he hated feeling that way. Beth had been nothing but kind.  He knew she wouldn’t hurt him.