Larry Wolek looked over the file and films that Blair had given him. Blair hadn’t been exaggerating. Todd’s injuries had been severe. From the scans, he could definitely see the damaged parts of the brain that would cause amnesia. The substantial damage to his back and spine was also a good indicator that paralysis was a definite possibility. Laying the file down on his desk, Larry frowned. He was not a big fan of Todd’s, but the man was the half-brother of his first wife and that made him extended family Todd had clearly been through something terrible but was he faking everything or was the report correct. He reached across his desk and phoned one of his colleagues.
“Dr. MacIver, I was wondering if you could look at the medical records of a new patient. The man was badly injured several months ago and currently is suffering from amnesia and partial paralysis. I just wanted to see if you agree with me on my findings.” After getting an affirmative answer from the other doctor, Larry put in a long-distance call to Guam. He was still on the phone with Dr. Sanchez when Troy MacIver knocked on his door.
“Come on in, Doctor. Please have a seat.” Larry thanked Dr. Sanchez and assured her that he would keep her informed of her patient’s progress. Hanging up, he looked at Troy.“Thanks for coming so quickly.”
“You have my interest up. You said the man had amnesia and is paralyzed and that his accident happened several months alone. Just what kind of amnesia are we talking about?”
“Well, that’s the problem, for now, it appears to be total amnesia. According to his last doctor, he woke up without any idea of his name or his past.”
“For that to happened, his brain must have experienced some major trauma. Full retrograde amnesia doesn’t happen often.”
“I agree but I would like you to look at his scans. I wanted to see if you see what I do.” Larry got up and put the scans and X-rays up on the light board. He then stepped back and let Troy get a good look at the injuries.
Troy whistled. “My God, how did he survive? Most men would have died from the brain injury alone.”
“From talking to his doctor, it was touch and go in the beginning. It’s clear the man has an indomitable spirit As you can see by his x-rays, this isn’t the first time he’s been severely injured.” Larry had to admit he had been shocked by the recent injuries, but it was the extent of Todd’s previous injuries that had floored him. The last time Todd had been in the Llanview hospital had been the DID debacle. At that time there had been no need for a full-body scan. Until now, Larry had not had any idea what Todd went through following his near-death in Ireland.
Troy looked at Larry. “The man must have a will of iron. It looks like he has some significant damage in the brain that would certainly account for the amnesia.” Troy turned and picked up the file. “This report says he has been having some flashes of memory. That could be a good sign he’ll get all his memory back but it’s no guarantee. The paralysis is another matter. His back was broken in several places and the damage to his lower back would account for it. Everything looks like it’s been healing correctly but that kind of trauma definitely took its toll on the nerve bundle at the end of his spine. His surgeon was very thorough repairing the damage, but he would have had significant swelling. Even though the swelling appears to be gone. The nerves might take a lot longer to rebound. Why did you ask me to come and look at these, surely you saw the same thing?”
Sighing, Larry nodded his head. “I did, but I just wanted confirmation of my findings. So, you agree with me the amnesia and paralysis are real.”
Troy looked over at Larry. “That’s a strange thing to say. Yes, I believe the man suffers from both amnesia and paralysis. Mind telling me why you would think they weren’t real?”
“Because the patient you’re looking at is Todd Manning. He’s not exactly known for his honesty. I wondered if he was faking.”
Stunned, Troy looked back at the scans and X-rays. So Blair had found Todd and now he understood why Todd had been missing for so long. He had his misgivings about the man but the proof of his condition was right in front of him. “Dr.Wolek, I know enough about the man to understand your reluctance but looking at these scans tells me he’s not faking anything, in fact, it would explain why he hasn’t contacted his wife all this time. Can I take it that Todd Manning is now back in Llanview?”
Larry nodded. “He is. Blair Manning dropped off this information to me just a short while ago. It looks like Todd is going to still need some therapy. He recently began to have some feeling in his right leg, but his left leg is still paralyzed. I appreciate you giving me your findings on what you see. As always, this is covered by patient confidentiality. I’m sure you’ll keep this to yourself.”
“Yes, certainly.” Troy saw himself out. As he walked down the hallway, he thought back to his last conversation with Blair. She hadn’t given up hope of finding Todd and it looked like she had succeeded, but he was guessing it hadn’t been the happy reunion she had hoped for.
****
Vicki waited until the car started moving to ask her question. “Blair, were you planning on heading home after you drop me off at Llanfair?”
Blair nodded. “Yes, it’s been a long day and I think everyone wants to sleep in their own bed.”
Todd stared straight ahead, his mind was racing. It never occurred to him that Blair would want everything to return to normal so quickly. How could he tell her he needed more time, without hurting her again?
“I was thinking you might want to all stop and relax for a little bit at my house. After all, you have been gone for a couple of weeks. I’m sure you don’t even have anything to eat at LaBoulaie. Have dinner with me before you go home.”
Before Blair could object, Todd spoke up. “Blair, I think that’s a great idea, let’s get something to eat. I’m starved, I got used to a pretty regular eating schedule in the hospital but you’ve been flying me all over the place without a decent meal. You owe me, besides, it will give me a chance to talk with Vicki.” he turned his head and looked directly at Blair.
Although Todd’s tone was casual and carefree, the look in his eyes told a different story. He was upset about something. “Okay Todd, we’ll go to Vicki’s. Starr would probably like some time to move around since we’ve all been sitting for so long. Thank you, Vicki, dinner and some unwinding time would be great.”
A short while later the limousine pulled up in front of Llanfair. Todd was impressed. It was a beautiful estate. “Nice digs, Vicki. With a house that size, there must be a lot of family living here, right?”
“Currently, it’s just me and my daughters: Jessica and Natalie. My son Kevin is in Texas and my son Joey is in London.” She looked at Todd but he showed no sign that the names were familiar. Her eyes met Blair’s and she realized Blair had been hoping for something to click too.
“Oh well, I’ll get to meet my nieces I guess. They know me, right?”
Vicki nodded. The limo pulled to a stop near the front door. A few minutes later Todd and the rest of them entered the house. Starr looked around at all the decorations and exclaimed. “Mommy, did we miss Christmas?”
“No Starr. In fact, we still have a week to get ready. Don’t worry we have plenty of time. Right, Todd?” She looked at Todd but his focus was on the stairway leading up to the rest of the house.
The moment he had entered the door, the stairway had drawn his attention. Todd couldn’t look away, in his mind he saw Vicki standing at the bottom telling him how their father had abused and raped her when she was small. That memory had opened up his mind to something he himself was guilty of, but now, all he could think of was how his sister must have felt when she remembered it. His eyes blazed as he looked at Vicki. “How can you do it? How can you live here after what he did to you?”
The anger and upset in Todd’s voice caught both Vicki and Blair off-guard.
“Todd, what’s the matter? Vicki has lived in this house all her life. It’s the Lord's family home. Where else would she live?”
While Blair was baffled, Vicki realized the reason behind Todd’s anger and went to his side. She put her hand on his shoulder and his hand came up to cover hers. She recalled his words to her back at the airport and understood where his upset was coming from. “Todd, he’s dead, and can’t hurt me any longer. Those memories tore me apart for a while, but I’m stronger today, and this house has so many good memories now. Love, life, and happiness permeate it. It’s Home. I can still hear the sound of laughter when Kevin and Joey were younger and Jessica grew up happy and healthy. That’s something I have you to thank for.“ She squeezed his shoulder. “You saved her life years ago and I’ll always love you for that. You had no idea at that time that she was your niece or that you were my brother. You did it because it was the right thing to do. Look, Christmas is a little over a week away. I’m grateful Blair found you. We have much to celebrate. Let’s put our energy into getting you well. Now, I invited you to dinner. Why don’t you go into the library and relax I’ll have dinner ready before you know it. Blair, why don’t you fix Todd a drink, I think he could use it. It’s been a rough afternoon.”
Todd held onto Vicki’s hand reluctant to let it go. Then he released it and rolled his chair into the library. Pulling up next to Vicki’s couch he locked the wheels and watched Starr as she searched around the tree to see if any of the gifts already there were for her.
Picking up one of the boxes, she shook it and looked puzzled. “Mommy, this box is empty, what’s going on?”
Blair laughed “Starr, those aren’t real gifts. They’re just decorations You know the real gifts won’t show up until Santa brings them on Christmas Eve”
Starr put the package down and frowned at her mom. “Mommy, I’m not a baby anymore. I know Santa isn’t real. Do you think I still have time to send my Christmas list to Aunt Dorian?”
Todd laughed out loud at Starr’s remark. “I take it, Aunt Dorian is an easy mark.”
Blair smiled. “When it comes to Starr and Jack, yes. If she likes you she’ll do anything for you but you don’t want to get on her bad side.”
“Hmm, is that a warning or am I already on her bad side.”
“You’re not one of her favorite people, but don’t worry she’s not one of your’s either.”
“I see.”
Vicki walked into the room. “Who isn’t one of Todd’s favorite people?”
Todd looked over his shoulder. “Someone named Aunt Dorian.”
“Don’t worry Todd, Dorian and I have a very similar relationship too. But she’s in Paris right now so you won’t be seeing her anytime soon. Blair, I took a tray up to Heddy so Jack could continue to nap. We can all eat in the kitchen. I hope you don’t mind.“
Todd turned his chair to face Vicki.“Now you’re talking. Just point me in the right direction. I’m hungry enough to eat a horse.”
*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
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