The Devil You Know: Chapter 9

The next morning, Sam was the first to get dropped off at school, leaving Jack alone with Blair for the drive to Port Charles High.  He figured it was a good time to bring up the incident with his father then.  “Mom,  has Dad been acting strange around you lately?”

“Strange how, Jack?” Blair asked.  The question caught her by surprise, but she was curious about what her son was talking about.

“Well, last night, he was kind of staring off into space when Molly and I had to go ask him a question.  And even before that, he also kind of got distracted.  That was the day at the tuxedo shop,” Jack told her.

Blair remembered Todd’s far off look that day.  Then she thought of something.  “When you two were talking that day, what was it about?”

Jack thought for a minute before he answered.  “He was telling me about his, well…mother.  Uh, Bitsy, I think?  I asked him why she didn’t keep fighting for him after her and Peter Manning split up.”

“And when he spaced out this time, what was that about?”

“We hadn’t even talked to him.  We had just found his staring,” Jack clarified. 

Blair took in that information.  “Jack, your dad is definitely going through a lot, not just the last nine years but…he still hasn’t fully recovered from the shooting.  And I think this trip is also weighing on him.  Now he’s got the wedding and Tina wanted to have a family bonding night right before it, plus he’s never been the most open book in the world.”  They had gotten to the high school by then.  “I’ll have a talk with him when I get to work.”  With that, Jack got out of the car and went inside.

Blair drove down to the Manning Enterprises offices and found Todd there already.  At first glance, he seemed to be reading over copy, so she greeted him with,  “So, what’s the big news headline for the day.”  But she quickly saw that Todd wasn’t paying her any attention.  “Earth the Todd, over.”

“Huh?” he said as he looked up.  “Oh, hey Blair.”  He looked back at his work.  “Ah, no big story breaking yet.  I swear, if this keeps up, I’ll have to rename this place The Banner and start writing about park dedications.”

“Is everything okay Todd?  You seemed far away when I got in and it’s not the first time you’ve been that way either,” she asked, her voice laced with concern.  “Even Jack commented about it this morning.”

Todd put his papers down and looked at her.  Over the years, he could and did hide a lot from her.  But this time, he swore to himself that it would be different.  “I don’t know, Blair.  It just, since everything died down, I feel like everything should be alright and it’s not.”

“Okay, you want to tell me what’s not alright?” she questioned.

“Yeah, the kids are doing great and my business is running like clockwork, even down in Llanview with my ‘special’ brother running it, but…” he let out a sigh, “I feel like I’m waiting…that the other shoe’s gonna drop and it feels like it’s falling in my head.”  He stood up, clutching his crutch.  “I’ve never admitted to be the picture of mental health, but right now…I get lost in memories and not good ones.”  Then he added, almost under his breath, “Not that I have many good ones.”

Blair could see the pain he was going through.  It was one of the things that she always wanted to protect Todd from.  “What good memories do you have?”

He looked back at her and smiled.  “Everything related to you,” he said.  “Well, almost everything.  Like the night in the stables.”

Blair had to laugh.  “Remember how I said I would always hold onto that memory, even when I was old and gray?  You dismissed it, but here you are now, doing exactly that.”  She walked up to him and touched his cheek.  He closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against hers.  They stood there for a minute until she stepped back and asked, “What good memories do you have of your childhood?”

Todd had to think really heard about that one.  Eventually, he said, “I don’t remember where we were or what we were doing, but I remember sitting somewhere with Bitsy and her looking down at me and being proud of me.”  He closed his eyes again, trying to concentrate on that image…but nothing was forthcoming. 

And then the moment was broken by a knock at the office door.  Todd called for the person to come in and Carly Jacks entered the room.  She saw the closeness of Todd and Blair and immediately felt like she was intruding.  “Sorry!  I can come back if now is a bad time,” she said, turning to leave.

“No, it’s okay,” Todd said.  Blair flashed him a look, hoping he would try retrieving whatever he was trying to remember, but Carly stepped further into the office. 

“Well, since you’ll be leaving soon for the wedding, I have something for you,” she said, handing him a silver tipped cane.

“Thank you, Carly, for making me feel like an old man,” Todd responded sarcastically, making his way back to his desk chair.

“It’s not to make you feel like an old man,” she retorted.  “Look, you’re walking your sister down the aisle, right?”  At Todd’s confirming eye roll, the blonde added, “You really want to do that--”

“For the record, I really don’t want to do it at all,” Todd interrupted, earning a smack on the shoulder from Blair.

“’--using this,” Carly finished, pointing to the crutch.  With that, Carly snatched it away from Todd.  “Try using this instead.”

Todd looked at the item, now leaning against the glass-topped table, incredulously.  Then he grabbed for it and, pushing himself up from the chair, maneuvered around the room.  Carly nodded approvingly, glad to see the strides he was making with it. 

Then Blair came along his side and held out her arm.  “Let’s try one thing.  Imagine I’m Viki and you’re walking me down the aisle.”  She took Todd’s arm and laced hers in it.  “Now try balancing with the cane.”

When Blair took Todd’s arm, he wasn’t imaging walking his sister down the aisle.  He was imagining he and Blair walking back up it.  He wasn’t even paying attention to where he was, he just kept looking in Blair’s eyes, a stupid grin on his face.

Blair returned the look.  She knew this man so well and knew just what he was thinking.  She was thinking the same thing, seeing herself in a wedding gown walking back up the aisle after  being pronounced husband and wife.

Carly could see the look these two were giving each other.  She didn’t want to interrupt them, but she had to.  “Well, that seems to work.  How does it feel?”  But Todd wasn’t even paying attention to her.  “Todd, do you feel comfortable with the cane?”

“Yeah,” came his breathy, distracted response, his eyes never leaving Blair’s.  “Yeah, it’ll work out.  Thanks Carly.”

Carly couldn’t help but smile.  She had been almost totally forgotten by the Mannings.  Saying her goodbyes, she left them there in the office.

“We really should start thinking about our own wedding.  Time got away from us when Cassie and Andrew were here,” Blair said, catching her breath.

“Yeah, I’ve been having some thoughts about that,” he said as he walked back to his desk, “but I think we should talk about them after Viki’s nine hundredth nuptials.” 

“Fine, we can do that,” Blair agreed.  “Now, can we get back to what we were discussing before Carly came in?”

“Look, can we…table that as well?  I’m just not up to it today,” he replied as he sat back down and tried to concentrate on work.

“Alright, Todd, we don’t have to discuss it now.”  She could see he wasn’t paying attention to her.  “Look, I have to go run an errand.  I’ll see you back at the house, okay?”  She bent over, her lips meeting his.

When they parted from the kiss, he smiled at her.  “Alright.  See you then.”

Blair got on the elevator and went to the Metrocourt’s restaurant.  She grabbed a seat at the bar, unaware the Lucy Coe was sitting next to her.

“Oh, Blair, am I glad to see you!” the other woman exclaimed.  “Is Todd here?”

“No, he’s at work and he’s kind of busy.  He needs things squared away before we leave for the holiday,” Blair covered.  “If you want, I can give him a message.”

“Thank you.  I spoke to Carly earlier and the date we discussed is fine.  Also, you said you and your daughter were going to perform.  Any thought on what that will be?”

Blair had barely even thought of that.  “Well, it was crazy last night when we got home, so I honestly haven’t given it any thought.  When do you need to know by?”

“Well, typically, a week to two weeks beforehand would be okay--”

“That works out perfectly, Lucy,” Blair said abruptly.  When she saw the other woman’s put-off expression, she softened.  “Sorry, I just have a ton of things on my mind.”

“Anything I can help with.  I’m a pretty good listener,” Lucy offered with a smile.

Blair returned it but shook her head.  “Sadly, the help I need, well really the help Todd needs is, shall we say, more professional.”

“A shrink?”  Lucy asked bluntly.

Blair’s laugh was short and caustic.  “As a matter of fact, that may be it.”

Lucy reach inter her bag and pulled out a business card.  It read ‘Kevin Collins, Psychiatrist’.  “My husband.  He’s great, a real good listener.  If you need professional help.”  With that Lucy hopped off the stool.  “Well, just tell Todd we have a date and when you know what your performing, let me know.”  And then she left.

Blair looked at the card.  She knew Todd never did well with talking, even with professionals.  But then again, he did seem to open up to his therapist years ago.  She decided to keep Kevin’s card, just in case Todd was really desperate.


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