Dance with the Devil: Chapter 53

Starr was working with the band on some new material at the Haunted Star when Michael showed up.  After she finish her rehearsal, she went up to him and kissed him.  “Hey, sorry I haven’t really talked to you since the party.  Things have gotten a little crazier in my family.”

“That’s alright.  I know what it’s like to have a family like ours,” he said in an understanding voice. 

“Well, things just got more complicated,” she mumbled.  When Michael looked at her, she answered, “My uncle’s been found.”

Michael’s eye’s went wide.  “Your Uncle Victor?  I didn’t hear anything about it,” he said.

“Well, we’re trying to keep it quiet, for his safety.  The police still think whoever had him could come back to get him, so the press, as in my dad’s paper, has been put in lockdown,” Starr explained. 

“So, I’ll get to meet more of your family,” Michael said, though his voice was unsure.

“Well, maybe not yet.”  Starr paused then said, “Uncle Victor, when he thought he was my dad, never really reacted well to me dating.  Think of my dad’s reaction to us and then times it by a thousand.”

Michael remembered Todd Manning’s initial reaction to his and Starr’s kiss at the Haunted Star earlier in the summer.  He had been upset, probably more at who Michael’s father had been than at the actual relationship, but had calmed down a moment later.  “I take it Victor wouldn’t like me,” he replied.

Starr sat down at a table as she was about to explain the aspect of her and Cole that had never been brought up.  “When I started dating Cole in high school, ‘Todd Manning’ had forbidden it.  Cole’s parents have a history with my own.”  She took a deep breath as she continued.  “When he was in college, my dad had a one night stand with Cole’s mother, Marty.  He wanted it to turn into more, but when he was rejected, he…led a gang rape of her.  He was eventually convicted, but pardoned after he saved her and my cousins CJ and Jessica from an accident.”

Michael was surprised, to say the least, about Starr’s revelation.  While Todd did seem to be a forceful presence, not unlike his own father, he would have never guessed the man could be that brutal.   

Starr saw the look in Michael’s eyes.  “He’s more than made up for it in the years since, but it’s something that still haunts him, especially since he learned who his own father was and what Victor Lord was really like,” she said.  “There was a point that they co-existed in town.  Anyway, after my parents got remarried when my mom was pregnant with me, Dad learned that a patient of Marty’s was dying and no one could reach her where she was in Ireland.  So Dad flew there to pick her up, but was unable to return with her.  Later, we thought my dad had died in Ireland because he had been confused with someone Marty had met there, a poet named Patrick Thornhart.”

“Thornhart, as in Cole?” Michael asked.

“Yes, he was Cole’s father.  Anyway, he came to town to find Marty and met my mom, who, by then, had blamed Marty for my dad’s death and stole Patrick from her.  However, my dad wasn’t dead and when he came back to the penthouse where we lived, he found them together…” Starr’s voice trailed off. 

“Some welcome home,” Michael thought aloud.

“Yeah and as you can expect, my dad didn’t take it well.  He nearly left town permanently after that.  If my Aunt Viki hadn’t talked him down, I may have never met him,” she said sadly.  “He even hid from everyone in my aunt’s attic, where she finally brought me to him.”  A smile lit up her face.  “He told me once that the day he first held me was the day the sun came out for him.   Anyway, he did eventually come back to my mom but didn’t let on for a while that he saw her and Patrick together.  Then my mom found out she was pregnant by Patrick.”

“You and Cole shared a sibling?”

“Mom lost the baby late in her pregnancy, but it still stung.  Eventually though, Marty and Patrick got together, leaving town after getting married.  No one really saw much of them until Marty came back with her son when he was in high school.  We started dating and fell in love,” Starr explained.  “’Dad’ couldn’t handle it.  I mean, he totally flipped over the idea, even beating him up a few times.  And then, when I got pregnant, he threw me down a set of stair to get to Cole,” Starr said in disgust.  “He was really out of character over the situation.  My dad, the real Todd Manning, never ever put me in danger.  Then it got even crazier.  Marty was presumed dead, but when she was found alive, Victor brought her to town and hid her.  He said he had fallen in love with her and he hoped that if she returned the feelings, he would finally be redeemed.  When my dad found out about this shortly after he returned last year, he was horrified.  He has never felt that he can even be forgiven for what he did.”     

“How did your dad react to you and Cole when he came back?” Michael asked.

“Well, at that point, Cole was in prison but when I told him about Hope and who her grandparents were, he had this look on his face…like his crime was being thrown back at him.  Then it passed and he wanted to see a picture of her.  When he saw that, he got emotional.”  Starr thought about the situation for a moment.  “Truthfully, I still think Marty is an Achilles’ heel to him.  If he had been around, he may not have liked it, but he wouldn’t have gone to the extreme that Victor did.”  Starr smiled at Michael.  “That’s why he laid off so quickly that night.  He had an initial reaction, but he saw how happy you made me and he accepted it.”  She smiled at him again and they kissed.

Todd had decided to go to his office after talking with Jack at the hospital and Blair had accompanied him.  On the way there he had told her about the advice he had given Jack when she had been down in Llanview and what Jack had done with the advice.  “That explains why he was like the way he was on the way to the hospital.  He really does seem to like that girl,” Blair had commented. 

“And he’s afraid he’s lost her.  Can’t say I blame him,” Todd had responded, meaningfully.  He looked at Blair.  “How many times have I thought I lost you because of secrets and lies?”

“It’s all worked out for us, though,” Blair assured him.  “Look, neither of us ever had much trust in anyone other than ourselves.  But I think we’ve both grown in that.  Let’s just not dwell on the past.”

“Agreed,” Todd said as the arrived at their floor in the Metrocourt.  When the doors opened to Manning Enterprises, Sam Morgan and Damian Spinelli were waiting for them. 

“Hello, Todd, Blair,” Sam said, nodding to each.

“I’ve got a check for you,” Todd said as he rolled into his office.  After he wrote it and handed it over to Sam, he said.  “From my whole family, thank you.  I may not be entirely thrilled he’s back, but you made his son happy and for that, I thank you.”

Sam nodded back.  “Well, we didn’t learn much else, but we have been working on following up on the van Spinelli saw.”

“It did have a New York license plate, but when I ran a check on it, it turned out to be a fake.  And I was sadly unable to purse said van due to being run into a ditch by it,” Spinelli said sadly. 

Todd was about to ask a question when his phone rang.  He noticed the call was coming from General Hospital and picked it up immediately.  “This is Todd Manning.”

“Mr. Manning, Dr. Harmon.  I wanted to call and let you know, I found a surgeon to assist me with your procedure,” the voice came over the line.  “I’d like you to meet him beforehand.”

“Ah, yeah, sure.  Look, tomorrow, I have to be at the hospital for something else, can we meet then?” he asked.

“He just got into town, so that should be fine.”  With that, the call ended.  Todd turned his attention back to his office.  “You’re still looking into the van?”

“Well, there is still more to this case, such as the fate of your sister-in-law and he son.  Now that your brother is back, do you not want to continue the search?” Spinelli questioned.

Todd lowered his head and nodded.  “Yeah, I owe that to Victor,” he said as he dismissed the investigators.  When they left, Todd turned to look out the windows. 

Blair came up behind him and put her arms around his shoulders.  “We’ll find them.  Have faith in that.”

At the hospital, Dr. Matt Harmon escorted his colleague to the elevators.  “Mr. Manning will be here to meet with you tomorrow.  Thanks again, Dan, for coming in.  I don’t blame him for being unsure of me,” he said.

“Matt, I’ve worked with you for a long time.  Hell, I taught you a lot of what you know.  Anything to help you out and reassure a patient,” the other man sad as he got on the elevator.  “See you tomorrow.”  Matt turned and dropped some papers at the nurse’s station. 

When he finished, Viki Lord and Clint Buchanan, emerged from around a corner.  “Dr. Harmon, how’s everything going with Todd?” Clint asked.

“Well, I’m going to do one last evaluation with him tomorrow and have him meet with a former teacher of mine who’ll be assisting.  After that, we can schedule the surgery, probably for within the next few days,” Matt told them.  His pager went off.  “Excuse me, I have to take this call.” 

They said their goodbyes as Clint and Viki made their way to Victor’s room.  He and Sam were watching the TV.  “Aunt Viki, are the doctors really going to let my dad go home tomorrow?”

Viki laughed at the boy’s enthusiasm. “Yes, it looks that way,” she replied

“Awesome!” he said.  “Then you’ll come back to our house and I can show you all the new Spiderman toys I got.”

Victor looked at him curiously.  “What this about me going to your house?”

Clint looked at Viki and called to Sam. “Let’s go get some ice cream, what do you say to that?” he asked as he took Sam’s hand.

When they left, Viki sat besides Victor.  “We’ve spoken with the authorities.  They feel, since you and Tea were both taken from Llanview, as well as Tomas being killed there, it may be safer to stay here,” she explained calmly.  “Todd has offered to put you up at his home, so you can be around Sam and Jack and get yourself readjusted.  Also, your return has been kept under wraps in both the Sun and the Banner.”

Victor was unsure of how to react.  He and Todd were going to be going head to head for the inheritance left by their father, so he really didn’t know if he wanted to be under the same roof as the guy, as well as Blair.  All he really wanted to do was get out of the hospital and find Tea and his son.

Viki could see the turmoil her brother was going through from his face.  She began to worry about him.  “Victor, let the police look for them,” she said, almost able to read his mind.  “Take Todd up on his offer.  He means well.”

“Yeah, I’d take your sister’s advice,” came a gravelly voice. Victor looked up and saw John McBain standing in the doorway with am official-looking woman.  “Besides, we have some questions for you about your disappearance.  Since you seem to have the time, let’s talk.”

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