Todd continued to roll down the road trying to stay out of the paths of the cars maneuvering their way through the heavy traffic. He arrived at his destination, a dock leading to the beach and turned down it, heading to the end. He was exhausted and his arms were killing him. He rolled to a stop and rested his arms, gazing out over the ocean. He began to rub his biceps trying to ease the pain from all the work he had just put them through. Maybe Miguela had been right. Maybe he had jumped the gun thinking he was ready to face the world again. He watched as the ocean waves crashed against the pier and his stomach lurched as he got dizzy. It felt like the dock was moving under him. His hand reached out to touch the wooden rail and he suddenly pictured himself lying on a wooden raft as waves were pounding over him.
Gripping the rail harder, Todd tried to remember more. He closed his eyes and felt the raft lifting him up and down. The hand gripping the rail felt raw and painful. He removed his hand and looked at it, there were still places that were tender where the skin had been ripped off. It had been so painful when he had first awakened from his injuries. Both his hands had been severely damaged and as a result, they had been unable to get fingerprints. Now he realized his hands had been torn up trying to keep him afloat on the raft, but why had he been on the raft?
The hospital had tried to find out if anyone had gone missing from a cruise ship or if there had been any boats lost recently during the summer squalls, but they had turned up nothing. Todd hadn’t been able to help them because his memory was a blank slate. He rubbed his palm and stared at the waves. The memory that had surfaced earlier at the apartment complex only strengthened his belief that the reason he had been on a raft was that he was trying to escape something or someone. He didn’t feel like he should be running, but the thought of prison bothered him. He had a sinking feeling he had done something terrible. God, what kind of man am I? I raped a woman, what else am I capable of?
The memories that had surfaced made little sense. They were a jumble of violent acts against him and one look at his body had told him they were all too real. The scars of knives and bullet wounds told him that his life had been riddled with trouble. His memory of the woman he now knew as Vicki was painful too because that was when he realized he had raped someone just like the old man had raped her. He wasn’t a good man. Good men didn’t get shot or knifed normally. Some of the nurses had tried to suggest he might have been in the army or the police but Todd just didn’t feel like he had done either. There was a brief memory of dressing up in a police uniform, but Todd had a feeling he had worn it for an underhanded reason. He just couldn’t remember what it was.
The psychiatrist had been right about one thing. Todd hadn’t wanted to delve into his dreams any longer. He had been avoiding them because every one of them indicated the kind of man he really was and he didn’t like what he was remembering. With sudden clarity, Todd knew he had to make a clean break from the hospital. He had been using the children to hide from himself. He hailed a cab and prepared himself for the task of telling the children he was leaving.
****
Blair sat there looking at the picture of Todd and the doctor. He certainly looked like he was okay and the way the woman had her hand on his knee indicated they were friends at least. “Okay, I’ll admit it looks like he has a friend, but I want to talk to this doctor. You didn’t hear what they were talking about. You said he was working in the Children’s Ward. Maybe he was just asking about one of the children.”
Sam looked at Blair. The Todd she knew wouldn’t have thought anything about using a child to get someone’s attention if he was after something. Still, she had to concede Todd wasn’t acting like himself. Frankly, she had been surprised to hear he was working in the Children’s Ward. “About that, Blair. Don’t you find it strange for Todd to be working in a hospital and in a Children’s Ward? I can’t figure out what his angle is. It’s not like he needs the money and I mean, I know he cares for Starr and Jack but…”
“It is a little strange, but Todd’s always had a soft spot for sick kids. Of course, a couple of times they’ve nearly cost him his life. He was on a mission of mercy for a sick little girl when he was shot in Ireland and another time his plane crashed after he took a kid to get a new kidney. I’m not sure what it is but there is something in him that wants to help.” Blair put down the picture. She stood up suddenly feeling very angry with Todd and moved to look out a window. “Sam, I don’t understand any of this. How can he work with these kids and just leave Starr and Jack without a word? He swore he loved those two and he was all set to kidnap them and now it’s like he’s forgotten they exist. Starr’s been worrying herself sick because he hasn’t tried to even contact her. I swear I’m going to kill him if he’s been deliberately hiding to save his own skin.”
Sam and James exchanged a glance. Sam had been thinking about the very thoughts that were going through Blair’s head. “Blair, you asked me to find him. What do you want to do now?”
Blair stared out the window. Inside her heart was breaking. She had been so sure something terrible was keeping Todd from coming home and now she wasn’t so certain. Tea had told Sam he had headed out on the raft to come home to them. Why had he changed his mind? She straightened her shoulders, the only way she was going to know was to see him. “I want to talk to the doctor and then I’ll confront the bastard and tell him just what I think of him. Right now, I think I need to see if Jack and Starr are okay after that long flight. Sam would you be kind enough to see if we can get some food here. I’ll go check on Heddy and the children.” She turned and left the room.
Sam took a deep breath. “Well, that went better than I thought it would. I feel for her. Todd was always unpredictable. He would run hot and cold and I know their lives have been turbulent. Still, after what Tea Delgado told us, I really thought Todd wanted nothing more than to get home.”
James walked up behind Sam and lightly began rubbing her shoulders. “You know, you’ve been looking at this the way you remember Todd. From what you’ve told me, a lot of years have passed since you had any contact with him. He could have changed. We still have no idea what happened to him on that raft. Maybe the guy realized he was bad for his family and decided to just let them get on with their lives without him.”
Reaching up, Sam placed a hand on James’ hand. “Maybe but I always got the impression Todd would love his children more than himself and if he’s decided to leave them like you say, I still think he would have found a way to say goodbye.”
Blair suddenly rushed into the room. “Starr’s missing. I think she might have decided to find her father for herself. She must have heard us talking about the hospital. We need to go there now in case she headed there.”
****
The sun was dropping in the sky by the time Todd arrived back at the hospital. He made his way to his room and began packing his meager belongings. There wasn’t much, but through the generosity of the hospital, he did have a couple of outfits as well as some scrubs to call his own and he had enough money saved up to at least help him get a room at a hotel for a few months until he figured out what he was going to do next. Setting everything on his bed he headed for Dr. Sanchez’s office. Her door was closed and Todd realized she was probably still in surgery. Okay, it looks like you’ll have to face the children now. No sense in putting it off. It isn’t going to get any easier.
He arrived on the ward and went to the activity room where the majority of the children were playing quietly. All of them descended on him, talking at once, and wanting to know all about his afternoon and why Dr. Sanchez had ordered him to take it off.
“Are you okay Mr. Drake? We were worried when you didn’t come in this afternoon.” Blanca said after giving him a quick hug.
He patted her shoulder and looked at all of them. They really cared for him as much as he did them and leaving them was going to be very hard, but he knew he had to do it. “I’m fine Blanca and I’m sorry I worried all of you. You know I’ve been trying to remember more of my life and today something happened that made me realize….Um look, sit down and I’ll tell you a story.” They gathered around him, pulling some chairs and pillows to sit on and waited for him to start. Just then he noticed someone was missing. “Where’s Lucy?” He looked at Blanca, but she lowered her eyes and started sniffling.
Li spoke up. “Lucy started coughing really bad this afternoon. She’s back in bed and the nurses are worried about her. Her mom and dad are here and have been for a while.”
“I see. Well, we need to keep up hope she’ll recover. She‘s a real trooper.” He looked over the group and realized no matter how optimistic he was, they all knew the outcome if Lucy didn’t get better. He felt like a real heel. He was about to tell them goodbye and for all he knew, they could lose one of their friends just as quickly. Maybe you should put it off, Todd. They’re going to need you if anything happens. Leave the hospital but don’t give up the kids just yet. Even as he thought it, he knew it wouldn’t work, he would just be avoiding the inevitable. The children relied on him too much already and he, them. If he left now, then in time they would forget him. “Let’s see. I was going to tell you a story. Right?”
The children nodded and smiled.
“Alright.”
Once upon a time, there was this large dangerous dragon. He was fierce and hated by all. The dragon reveled in the fear of all the people but little did he know the people of the villages were planning to trap him and stop him from hurting them anymore.
The villagers worked together to ambush the dragon. They placed several sheep atop a hill knowing the dragon would attempt to grab them and carry them away. They watched as the great dragon swooped down to get the mouthwatering treat his eyes saw. The trap was sprung as soon as he picked up the first sheep. Working as one, the villagers had made a heavy chain, one that they hoped would bind the dragon to the ground long enough for them to attack him. Each of the sheep had been tethered to the great chain as it lay hidden in the tall grass.
Totally unprepared for all the extra weight, the Dragon faltered and lost momentum, tumbling to the ground awkwardly. The awkward landing damaged his right wing and before he could get airborne again the villagers attacked. His feet tangled in the chain as he attempted to fight the villagers. In fury, the dragon did the only thing he could do. He blasted the chain with his fiery breath even though it meant damaging his foot and in desperation sent the blast of flames around his body causing the villagers to fall back. They had managed to hurt him but had been unable to reach his heart. The mighty dragon lifted off the ground pulling away from the melted chain, his injured leg raw and bleeding as the links surrounding it dropped free, his right wing was torn but still provided enough lift. There were huge gashes in his sides where the villagers had struck but the dragon ignored the pain and flew away from them before they attacked again.
The dragon knew sooner or later he would be forced to land and heal but he realized he needed to fly clear of all the outlying villages because they too might attack. In his heart, all he wanted was revenge against the villagers that had hurt him. The dragon traveled far away from the land where he had been hurt and began to feel very weary from his wounds and his mangled leg and wing. Suddenly he found himself overtaken by a storm, it took every bit of the strength he had left to remain in the air. When the storm played out the dragon found himself struggling to stay above the waves. In the distance, he spotted a small island. “If I can just make it to that beach I can rest.” said the dragon to himself.
Todd paused and looked at the children “What do you think? Will the mighty dragon make it to the island?”
“Of course,” said Li “if he was strong enough to escape the villagers, I know he can make it to the island.”
“I don’t know,” Blanca said quietly. “He’s hurt pretty badly. Besides, he’s not a nice dragon. He was mean to those villagers. That’s why they wanted to hurt him.”
Li turned to her, “but he’s a dragon and that’s what dragons do. He was just being himself.”
Todd looked over at Blanca. “Do you think he should die?”
“Oh No! He’s hurt. I want him to make it to the island. Maybe if he makes it, he can change how he acts and then no one will want to kill him anymore.”
Todd gulped, Blanca’s compassion touched him deeply.
Li squirmed in his wheelchair. “Mr. Drake, tell us. Did the dragon make it to the island?”
Todd glanced out the activity room window and watched a couple of nurses head into Lucy’s room. So far it appeared that Lucy was holding her own. He looked back at the children and continued his story.
The dragon struggled but found himself dropping ever closer to the ocean. Suddenly, a huge shark leapt out of the water and attempted to pull him under.
“Oh No!” cried all the girls.
The dragon roared and let loose another massive fireball which engulfed the shark making it fall back into the ocean but its jaws clung to the dragon anyway and soon the dragon found himself under the water. In desperation, the dragon used his other back claw to free himself from the shark ripping it in two and he surged to the surface. With his mighty tail, he swam through the waves and using the last of his strength, he pulled himself onto the beach and collapsed. The dragon looked around, he was all alone. He heaved a great sigh, for now, he was safe but he wondered if he would see another sunrise. Unable to stay alert for any trouble the mighty dragon fell asleep.
The girls all cheered and Li looked at them and shook his head. “See I told you the dragon would be alright.”
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