Dance with the Devil: Chapter 7

Like any typical young adult, Starr Manning was a late sleeper. But as the hours crept along, she had gotten hardly any sleep and by five thirty in the morning, she had decided to give up. She looked over at her brother who appeared to be dead to the world and she tried to make her way to the bathroom quietly. Looking in the mirror, her face still showed signs of puffiness from all the crying she had been doing the day before. It felt like it had been the longest day of her life. She showered and by time she came back into room, the light was on and Jack was sitting up in his bed, listening to music.


“You’re up?” she asked incredulously. Jack was more of a late sleeper than even she was. It was a trait inherited from their mother, as Todd Manning was a world renowned insomniac.


“Yeah, I’m just waiting for you to get out of the bathroom,” he replied dully. As he washed up, he called to her, “You wanna get some breakfast? That girl I met told me they have good pancakes at that diner, Kelly’s.”


Starr’s eyes were slits as she stared at the bathroom door. Was this really her brother that had come last night? She tried to mask the uncertainty in her voice as she answered, “Yeah, that sounds great. By time we finish, I can get to the hospital and check in on both Mom and Dad.”


“I’ll come with you,” he said as he came back into the room. When he saw his sister’s look, he shrugged his shoulders. “What, I can’t be worried about Mom, too?” He ignored the voice inside that was actually worried about Todd Manning.


They headed to the lobby and Starr left a note for Cord and Tina telling them their plans. They made their way to Kelly’s and found it open despite the early hour. Walking in, Jack saw the same man behind the counter as yesterday. He looked up and his expression soften. “Well, if it isn’t Mizz Starr Manning. I heard about your dad. Is he alright?”


Starr smiled sadly at the man. “When we left the hospital just before midnight, he was still in a coma. Since it’s too early, my brother offered to take me out for breakfast, considering how much of a jerk his been lately.” Jack was about to protest when Starr made the introductions. “Mr. Spencer, my little brother, John Cramer Manning. Jack, Luke Spencer.”


“Nice to formally meet you, Mr. Manning, but for your information, Starr, we met yesterday when he enjoyed one of our fine burgers with a side of fries and Miss Lansing-Davis.” He smiled and nodded to Jack but addressed Starr. “Now, what has your brother done that was so bad that he’s treating you to breakfast?”


“That’s what I’d like to know,” Jack mumbled.


“Well, for starter, he refused to come with Mom when she came up here earlier this summer. Then with the more time our mother was spending here, he was being a pain in the ass to our Aunt Viki, who doesn’t deserve it. Then according to our Aunt Tina, he protested coming VERY LOUDLY the whole flight here yesterday. I think he can pay for breakfast because of that,” Starr said.


Luke had to chuckle at the brother-sister duo sitting at his counter. He looked over the Jack who merely shrugged his shoulders.


When the food came, Jack asked, between bites, how everything went after he and Molly left yesterday. “This crazy lady came into the diner and Molly suggested we high-tail it out of here.”


“As yes, Heather Webber. The perfect lesson for why to not do drugs.” Luke began to explain a little bit about the history of Heather Webber. The Manning sibling sat in rapt attention with the story, but soon the diner began filling up and Luke at other customers to attend to.


Starr and Jack finished their meal, paid the bill and, looking at their watches, decided to head to the hospital. When they got their, they found no one sitting outside. Looking in the room, both Viki and Blair were inside with their father who was…


Star opened the door and launched herself into her father’s arms. She knew she really shouldn’t but she was so relieved to see him awake, she didn’t care. “Oh, God, Dad! You’re awake!” she exclaimed, crying on his shoulder.


“Hey, Shorty, I’m so happy to see you,” he said into her hair. He closed his eyes and savored the embrace. Looking over his daughter’s shoulder he saw Jack, hanging back. The teenager was unsure of where to go, but he moved further into the room. “Hi Jack.”


“Hey,” was all the answer he got back. He shifted his eyes from side to side. “How are you feeling?”


Todd shrugged his shoulders. “Ah, they’ve go me on so many drugs, I can’t answer that at the moment.” With that comment, Jack crack the tiniest of smiles. Blair could tell Todd was slowly winning over his son. He’d have to take it step by step.


Starr turned to her father. “We were so worried about you. You looked like you were near death!”


“Ah, takes a lot to kill me,” he said as his family was looking at him in shock. “What, it’s true! Besides,” he began, remembering the conversation he had, “I was told I wasn’t going to die.” He reconsidered telling them about it for a moment because they would think he was crazy, but then again, he had expert testimony to back up that claim. In a low voice, he said, “It was Merrie.”


Blair looked from Starr to Viki, who had placed her hand over her heart. She remembered it was the name of Viki and Todd’s sister ho died decades ago. Sensing the brother and sister needed to talk, she gathered the kids up to help her find the cafeteria. Viki moved closer to the foot of the bed.


“It’s so strange. Ever since I came in here, it’s like she’s been beside me.” Viki looked back at the hallway. “Your nurse, Elizabeth Webber, her grandfather came to Llanview forty years ago to treat Merrie.” She gave her brother a sideways glance. “Are you sure it was her?”


“Red hair with a hairdo that looks like it’s out of the Seventies? Yeah, it was her. The same woman whose picture is on the mantle at Llanfair,” he told his sister. “She lectured me and, this was weird, she slapped me. Guess she was trying to knock some sense into me.” He looked to the side.


Viki chuckled. “If I thought that was what would have worked, I would have done that years ago.” She caught her breath. “Has it?”


He returned his gaze to her. “Maybe. We’ll have to see.” He cleared his throat. “Are you sure she’s my sister?”


“Why do you ask?” Viki replied, understanding his meaning of the word, my.


Todd shook his head. “It was something she said.” He looked back at his big sister. “If it’s too difficult…”


Viki was lost in a memory for a moment. Taking a deep breath, she answered, “Father was never sure, I am know because she set a pattern.”


“What kind of pattern?” Todd asked, truly curious about his family for once.


“She gave birth to a set of twins by Larry Wolek--a boy, Daniel and a girl who died shortly after birth. Since then, it’s been revealed that I have twins, Natalie and Jessica and I have brothers who are twins. The only link between Merrie’s children, my daughters and you and your brother is our father.” She added, “There is a familial link that can be associated with twin births.”


Todd decided to shift the conversation. “So you dragged Jack up here?”


“Well, Cord and Tina came as well,” Viki informed him.


“Why would Tina even care to come for me?” Todd asked incredulously.


Viki gave him one of her patented long-suffering expressions. “Besides the fact that she is your sister, you do share a common blood type. When John called us to tell us about the shooting, he made us aware you may need a transfusion, so…”


A look of horror crossed Todd’s face. “Tina’s blood is running through my veins?” He flopped his arms on the bed, turning his face to the ceiling as he winced. When he looked back, Viki was obviously taking some delight in his discomfort, as she held back a chuckle. At that moment, the object of his disaffection walked into his room.


“There’s my baby brother,” Tina said in a tone of voice that sounded like she was talking to her dog and not to Todd.


He immediately put his arms around his face as to shield himself from the oncoming hug that he knew was coming. Tina backed away, perturbed by the display. “That’s the thanks I get for giving you my blood?”


Todd lowered his arms. “I didn’t ask you for it.” Tina gave him a not-so-gentle slap on the shoulder. “What it is with my sisters hitting me today. I have just been shot, am doped up on God knows what, and everyone keeps smacking me.” He tried to look around Tina. “Where’s Blair?” he whined as his head fell back against the pillow.


Blair, at that moment, was in the cafeteria when John McBain came in looking for her. “Hey, in there any change?” he asked the family. The wide smile on Blair and Starr’s faces was all the answer he needed. “Any chance we may be able to talk to him?”


Blair shook her head. “They’ve got him on a lot of painkillers so I don’t know how good any of his answers would be. Plus he is still in the ICU. They were talking about moving him into a regular room this afternoon if he continues to improve.”


John nodded. “We’re looking into that name you gave me last night. She seems to have gotten to her shift at the diner late yesterday and now, no one can find her. Just as a precaution, the commissioner is going to assign guards to Todd’s room later today. I would suggest he not be left alone until they got there.” John looked at the state of Blair’s clothes. They were wrinkled and obviously slept in, with as much sleep as he figured she’d gotten overnight. “Not that I think there’s going to be a problem with that.”


When Starr turned a questioning eye to her mother, Blair explained her theory of the shooting to her kids. Jack heard the name Heather Webber and sat up straight. “She did come into the diner last night all flustered,” he told them.


“What time was that, Jack?” John asked.


Jack thought for a minute. “It was late but before dad…I mean Todd came out of surgery. I was at the hospital for that,” Jack said, slipping up on the one word.


Blair allowed a small smile on her face and Jack looked away from his mother. She knew her son so well, because he was just like his daddy. John wrote a few notes from other pieces of information Blair had provided on a napkin and excused himself. Blair and the kids then proceeded to return to the room. When Todd saw her, he gave her a desperate expression. “Good, you’re here. I need you to save me from these two mother hens.” When both women scoffed at him he just ignored them, reaching his hand out to Blair. “Don’t ever leave me,” he pleaded.


As Blair grasped his hand, Viki’s cell phone when off. After a few minutes, she excused herself. “The police commissioner needs to ask me a few questions.” Seeing as Todd had not taken his eyes off Blair, she grabbed Tina’s arm. “Maybe you can help me answer some of them?” she asked, trying to telegraph her meaning.


“Viki, you’ve been around him more than me, I just don’t know if I can--” As her sister squeezed her arm and nodded to Todd, Blair and the children, Tina finally got the meaning. “Well every little bit of information helps.” With that the sisters made their way to the police station. When Viki got there, she was surprised at what she found. Natalie Banks was there with little Liam and Clint Buchanan was in a seat as John McBain fiddled with the anklet. Sitting on a nearby desk was Sam Manning.


Clint looked up as Viki approached. At her questioning gaze, he merely answered, “We unfortunately owe another big one to Dorian, but suffice it to say, Nora was able to wrangle Judge Franklin, after he received a call from Pennsylvania’s junior senator. They’re resetting this thing for a five mile radius, which should include the Metrocourt Hotel and the hospital.” Nodding his head over to Victor’s son, he explained, “He saw us leave and when we wouldn’t tell him, he sat in front of the door. After that he won’t let us leave without him. He missed Todd, I guess.”


Viki embraced him and then moved to her daughter. “We just got here. The court order stated we had to report here first, but we were going to head to the hospital as soon as possible.” Natalie broke away from her mother. “Is there any word?”


Viki smiled. “Todd woke up around three this morning. By breakfast, he was already on a roll.”


“Same old Todd then?” Clint asked. He kissed her head. “That’s reassuring at least.”


It was then that John brought over Anna Devane. “Commissioner Devane, Viki Banks, Clint Buchanan and their daughter Natalie.” He lifted Liam up. “And this is Liam.”


Anna nodded to them, and waved at the little boy. “Ms. Banks, I do have a few questions, if you have the time. Mr. Buchanan, if you’d like to join us.” Anna moved the two off to an office as John handed Liam to Natalie.


She looked at him. “Anything new with the case?” she asked.


John turned to her. “We’re following a few leads, but nothing definite. Blair told us what Todd tried to say before he lost consciousness, so were looking for that person now.”


It was at the moment, a figure made a move to Todd’s room. They was about to enter when another woman was seen to be already in there and were further scared away by the sound of footsteps on the floor.