To Journey's End Part Fourteen

             Todd wandered around the house pacing and Beth knew he was upset about the impostor taking his place in Llanview. “Todd, stop. You’re going to wear a hole in my floor. You really should be resting or better yet come into my office and we’ll check and see how we can get you home.”


            Todd stopped and looked over at Beth, sheepishly smiling. “I’m sorry. It’s just that none of this makes sense. Like you said last night, the guy doesn’t even look like me. How can he be me? Why would everyone even accept him as me? Blair and Starr know me. I know they couldn’t have forgotten. Yet, those articles say that guy’s been me almost since I disappeared.”


             Beth was going to say something when they both heard a car pull up outside the home. Todd and Beth looked at each other. “It’s probably just Sam, but to be on the safe side, you should go in to the bedroom.” Todd nodded and went to the spare room, closing the door most of the way and stood listening. At the knock on the door both realized it wasn’t Sam. Beth opened the door to discover Amy’s husband standing on her front porch. “Eli, this is a surprise. I thought you’d be in class today.”


             “I took some leave to help Amy’s settle in with the twins, but that’s not why I’m here. The other day out in the brush while we were searching for that poor fellow, I seemed to have run afoul of some critter and it looks like it’s infected. I figured I better get it treated can’t afford to get sick now.”


             “Of course, Eli, let’s go into my office.” Beth led the way to her office and began her examination.

Todd closed the door to his room the rest of the way. He sat down on the bed, thinking about all that Sam and Beth had done for him. His wrists ached and he rubbed the bandages. It was hard to even look at them without feeling chilled.

“Where is it?” demanded Baker

“I don’t know. I don’t remember, you tell me I’ve been out eight years.“

“Eight years, but for you it’s like yesterday. Who did you give it to? Was it John McBain?”

“I don’t know who that is? Look, why don’t you tell me what it is and then maybe I can give you an answer?”

“We’ve spent eight years taking care of you, waiting for this information. You have it. Now, who did you give it to?”

“I swear, I don’t know what it is you want. “

“Very well, If you don’t have it, than there no longer any reason to keep you alive.” Baker pulled out a syringe from his pocket. “One shot and it’s all over in thirty seconds.”

“Go ahead, but if you do you’ll never get what you’re looking for.” Todd bluffed hoping against hope to keep the man from killing him.

Baker grinned “You know where it is?”

“Maybe I do and maybe I don’t, but I want some assurance. If I give it to you, what happens to me?”

“Once we have it you’re free to go.”

“Ehh, I don’t know. I don’t think you’re going to just let me go. I don’t think you’ll kill me, if you do you’ll never find it.”

Baker put the syringe away. “You’re right, but I don’t have to kill you . Take a good look at that chair you’re strapped into. It’s wired to a switch on the wall. Now I flick that switch, it’ll send so much voltage through your body, you will beg me to kill you. Now where is it?”

Beth watched as Eli drove away. Suddenly a scream echoed through the house. Beth rushed to Todd’s room and found him writhing on the bed his eyes staring straight ahead, caught once again in his memory. As suddenly as the screaming had started, it stopped, and Todd lay still and unmoving. Beth moved immediately to assess her patient. His heart was racing and he was unconscious. But when she started to check his pupils he began to come around. “Todd, take it easy. You’re okay.”

Todd rolled away onto his side and curled up into a ball and began crying. Why had they done this to him? What had they wanted?

Beth moved around to the other side of the bed and gathered Todd’s shaking form onto her lap. “Shh, it’s going to be alright. You’re getting better. You’re going to go home.”

Todd pulled himself together, he appreciated the comfort Beth had just given him, but felt awkward and withdrew from her hold. He swiped away his tears with his hand. “Sorry, I don’t know what’s going on. It was so real.”

“Todd, you’re suffering from PTSD. You’re going to have these flashes. You’ll need to get some help. Please, promise me you’ll get some help when you get home.”

Todd weakly chuckled. “All my adult life people have told me to get help. I always felt if I did, I was admitting I was crazy. I’m not crazy Beth,”

“Of course you’re not crazy, I know that. But Todd, what you’re suffering from won’t just go away. If you don’t get help for it, it could incapacitate you when you least expect it or it could drive you over the edge. Please listen to me. You want to get back home with Blair and your kids, but you don’t want to have a meltdown in front of them.”

             Todd hugged himself. He hated how vulnerable he felt. Because of what those men had done to him, he struggled just keeping himself anchored in reality. He had been so relieved when Sam had said the fingerprints proved he was Todd Manning, but now he was once again worried that he wouldn’t be able to prove it to Blair and the kids. He wasn’t sure he was going to be strong enough to fight any battles with this impostor without their support.

           “Beth, what if they don’t know me? What if they think I’m the impostor? I’m not sure I could stand that.”


             “From what I’ve seen so far, you’ll do just fine. You couldn’t have survived all these years if you weren’t strong. I believe you, and I hardly know you. Don’t worry, I’m sure that even if they have some small doubts at the beginning, they’ll quickly realize the truth. You are Todd Manning, just remember that. The rest will fall into place.” They both heard the screen door in the living room open and knew Sam had arrived home.


            Just to be on the safe side Todd let Beth go out first and then followed when he heard Sam’s voice.


            “Hi hon,” Sam returned the quick kiss Beth had just given him and looked over at Todd. “Is everything all right?” Todd appeared to be shaken up by something. Sam noticed the perspiration on his face and he looked like he had seen a ghost. Even Beth seemed subdued with her greeting. “Talk to me. What happened?”


            Todd didn’t know what to say. The whole flashback was just too traumatic and he wanted to find some way to erase it from his mind but Beth’s words scared him even more. These episodes weren’t going to just go away. The thought of more coming on him unexpectedly was downright frightening. Maybe it was too soon to go home. “No! You’ve been gone long enough, Manning. You got out of one prison. Don’t let your memories trap you in another one.”

“Eli stopped over for some treatment for an infection from a bite he received while out on the search party, and as I watched him leave, Todd found himself caught up in a memory.” Beth explained all the while keeping an eye on Todd.

Todd squared his shoulders. “I just had a little reminder of my stay with Baker. The bastard isn’t going to win. I won’t let him. Were you able to get me some ID?” He had to get his mind on something else and the trip home was the best way to do it.

Sam took his cue. Todd didn’t want to talk anymore about things he couldn’t control.

“I’ve got it right here.” Sam tossed Todd the wallet.


           Todd opened the wallet and took out the ID.

T.M. Lord

DOB 1/2/1970

Eyes Hazel

He couldn’t believe it, the picture was him, just as he was currently. “How?”


           “I took one of your older clippings and had a friend of mine work his computer magic. You can’t very well go home as Todd Manning since there is one there already, so I used your sister’s last name and just gave you your initials. It’s a pretty convincing ID. Now let’s get you out of here and on your way home.”


           “I guess if you could get me to the nearest big city, I can get lost there. Then get a job until I get enough money to get home. You folks have already done so much for me, I don’t know how I’m going to be able to repay you, but if I get my life back I’ll find a way."

Sam looked over at Beth. He read her face and knew she wanted to get Todd home the fastest way possible. He wholeheartedly agreed and turned back to Todd. “We’re taking you into Baton Rouge and putting you on a plane from there.” As Todd started to protest the costly gesture, Sam stopped him. “Don’t worry about the cost. Both Beth and I talked about this at length last night. Our life here is pretty simple and the pensions we get from the government have just been building up in our bank. The plane will get you back to your family the quickest and we want that for you.”

“You don’t even know me that well, I... I owe you my life.” Todd couldn’t find the right words to tell them what it meant to him. In the short amount of time he had been with them he had come to admire them both and been overwhelmed by their generosity toward someone unknown. He thought about Baker and Kent and the fact that they were still looking for him even though he was supposed to be dead. Beth and Sam had placed themselves in the middle, determined to help him no matter who those guys were. He tried to protest their involvement ,“I think you ought to get out of this now, before they come after you because you’ve been helping me.” Todd saw the resolve on their faces and finally shook his head. “Okay, we’ll do it your way. Thank you.”

By late afternoon they were on their way. They had stopped at a store and gotten Todd some additional clothes and a small carry-on, Beth had also given him some medicine and extra bandages for his wrist and ankles. They arrived at the airport a couple hours ahead of the flight and Todd had stayed with them as long as he could. As the boarding time approached he turned to them. They were new friends and Todd realized how few he had. He found himself all choked up and Sam took the initiative. “Listen pal, don’t worry about us. I can handle the likes of Baker. You just worry about keeping safe. Give us a call and let us know you’re all right sometime.” Sam shook his hand and then gave him a quick hug.

Beth hugged him and he returned her hug, she whispered in his ear. “Don’t ever forget, you lived all these years for Blair and the kids.  Now you’ll finally be able to see them. They haven’t forgotten you, of that I’m certain. Take care Todd.”

Todd gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek, “I intend to be very careful and Beth, I’ll get that help. That’s a promise.” Todd grabbed his bag and headed through the gate.

Watching from afar, a man reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. “Baker you were right. He just boarded a flight headed to Llanview. I’m on the next flight out. I’ll get him. I’ll be home in no time after I dispose of our problem.” Kent hung up and prepared for his own flight to Llanview to complete his unfinished business.

****

He stood tall behind the curtain, watching his family through the opening. This was it. After a bizarre couple of weeks, he was finally going to rejoin his family. His thoughts wandered back to Beth and Sam. When they had put him on the flight, they had no idea what he would encounter when he arrived in Llanview. He had made a new friend in a little boy who called Blair, Mom; and he had had to kill Kent to save the little guy. With the help of a guy named John McBain, he had managed to elude another attempt on his life and McBain had even gone so far as to help him try and prove his identity. But tonight was the culmination of all his dreams. Todd stepped out from behind the curtain just as Tomas pointed to the impostor and proclaimed “That man is not Todd Manning.

“I am.  I’m Todd Manning and I’m home.” said Todd.

Todd looked across the room at his beloved Blair and his beautiful daughter, Starr and handsome son, Jack. They were his family. His Journey’s End.

.

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To Journey's End Part Thirteen

           Todd awoke refreshed and focused. He heard Sam and Beth laughing out in the kitchen and smiled. Sam was one lucky guy. He would treasure Beth’s gift deep in his heart, her kind act had given him a sense of calm. He knew he was no longer a monster. After receiving Beth’s generous gift, he had dreamed about Blair and her beautiful Christmas gift. She had told him he was someone she desired that night and she hadn’t been afraid of his past. He remembered it like it was it was yesterday.

“Thanks a lot Dad, next time leave me something I can use, like a toaster. “ He tossed the key his father had given him down on the desk in his motel room and there was a knock at his door. He opened it to find Blair standing there looking gorgeous.

“Are you alone?” she asked

“No, I’ve got a bunch of people here, as usual.” he said sarcastically

“How would you like to have a little party for two?” She inquired.

She entered and they shared his bottle of scotch talking about his father’s will reading and everything that had gone down with her that night. Then a song came on his radio and Blair looked at him.

“I want to dance.” Blair stood in front of him, tall and sensuous.

“With me?”

“I’m a big girl,” she licked her lips “I know what I want and I want to dance with you, Right here, right now. How about it Todd?”

As he stood up in front her, she reached and played with his hair, then she went to put her hands on his waist and he moved and gave himself more room. He put a hand on her waist and she  once again raised a hand and smoothed his hair gently pulling it off his face.  God it felt so good.

“I don’t feel like being alone tonight.” she whispered huskily
.

She was looking at him with those beautiful green eyes and he knew he would do anything to keep her there with him at that moment more than anything..“Me either.’ He started to kiss her and stopped himself, but then Blair took the initiative and kissed him, suddenly they could hardly keep their hands off each other. 

They were going at it hot and heavy on his bed when he backed off to get his breath, Blair's hand came up and caressed his cheek and jaw and he suddenly grabbed her hand and held it down and began to kiss her desperately and roughly.  Blair broke loose and asked him to slow down.

"I'm scaring you aren't I.  Aren't I! Come on, I'm scaring you! Why can't you just admit I'm scaring you!"

"No. Todd, Todd look at me.  I'm not afraid of you.  I'll admit  that I ..that  I used to be.  Every time I would run into you  I thought , well you know.  I'm lucky to get away alive."

"That's funny. I never saw that fear." Todd said softly.

"Why?' she said again playing with his hair."because I acted tough." she got off the bed "What can I say?  We're alike, steel on the outside but on the inside "

"Not steel."  he had confronted her then with the fact that she wanted to forget someone that night and then told her how he felt.  "There are a lot of things about myself that I wouldn't mind forgetting."

Blair made a rule about 'no rules" and they had agreed at the time "no love."

The night had escalated from there and the next thing he knew she was suggesting they go to her place.  He had been so turned on and yet found himself afraid of his emotions that night; he had grabbed her keys to drive and she had accused him of being macho and wanting to be in control. He had been anything but.

 "I'm not in control"

They had talked some more in her penthouse. She had reached for him once again and he had started to leave, but he needed her so bad, he had taken off his coat and turned to her.”If you want me to stop you just let me know.”

Blair sat down on the bed looked at him with passion in her eyes and held at her hand to him.”Merry Christmas” was all she said. It had been unbelievable.

It was the first time he had been with a woman since the night he had raped Marty . so he let her take the lead, not wanting to hurt or scare her. He had been so afraid he would loose control but it hadn’t happened instead all he had felt were the incredible sensations of fondling and making love to a woman who wanted him as much as he wanted her.  Afterward he had felt strange. He had come to really like Blair and he had been uncertain just what this night was going to mean to their budding friendship.  It proved to be more than he ever imagined.

After giving herself to him completely, she had remained his friend and then became his lover and wife. God, every part of him ached for her, to hold her and let her know he still loved her. It was time to go home to be with Blair and their children. Todd ran his fingers through his hair, he missed them so much it was all he could think about. Todd got up. He wandered to the kitchen. Sam and Beth were kissing and Todd felt uncomfortable. He looked away, “Um sorry to interrupt, but Beth, is it all right for me to shower?”

  Sam and Beth parted at Todd’s words and Beth found herself blushing because Todd had seen the moment of intimacy. She recovered quickly and replied. “Go ahead Todd, I’ll bring you another change of clothes and wrap new dressings when you’re finished.”

 Todd nodded and headed for the bathroom.

Sam moved away and picked up his jacket. “I think he’s going to want to get back to Llanview after last night’s revelations. He’s going to need some sort of identification, so I’ll go to my man at the license bureau and explain I need an undercover ID. In the meantime you and he can look into various forms of transportation that will get him there. I’ll be home for lunch.” Sam kissed her again and gave her a love pat on her behind, and headed to town.

Beth stood at the door watching Sam leave and then turned her mind to getting some spare clothes for Todd. After placing the clothes just inside the bathroom door she went back to the kitchen to fix him some breakfast.

Todd grabbed the socks and headed into the kitchen. He had managed to make it through the shower by not paying too much attention to his many scars instead he had tried to keep his mind on his family, going over his list and letting more pictures sift through his mind in connection with his family members. He sat down at the kitchen table where Beth had bandages all set out, and patiently allowed her to change his dressings.

“Your color is definitely better than yesterday. You still have some infection around those ankles so you’ll need to keep them covered a little longer. Any nightmares last night?”

Todd smiled at her “Not a one. I dreamt of Blair and my family and nothing awful happened. It was great.”

“That’s good. Now I want you to eat everything this morning.” She placed a large plate of bacon and eggs in front of him, a separate plate of toast and jam, and a pot of coffee. “We’ve got a big morning ahead of us if we’re to figure out how to get you home. I’ll be in my office for a few minutes, I need to get down my notes on Amy’s two sons and then give her a call and check on them. Are you going to be okay while I do that?”

Todd nodded, his mouth already full of food. He felt he had a new lease on life this morning and everything tasted marvelous. He spotted the file on him sitting across the table and reached to get it. He pushed everything that pertained to him aside and found the clippings concerning the impostor.  He began reading, wanting to know as much as possible about the man claiming to be him.

***

Sam got to town and stopped at his office to make sure his deputy had things under control, since Amy was home with her twins. He found one of the articles with Todd’s picture and grabbed it and started for the door. He was about to head for the license bureau when Fred stopped him. “Sheriff, you got a call earlier from that 'Jerry' guy. He wanted to know if the authorities had been able to retrieve any of the remains yet.”

“Damn, I have no idea. They didn’t call yesterday so I’m assuming they haven’t yet.  Look, stay here and monitor calls. I have an errand to run, I’ll be back shortly.” As Sam left his office, he did his usual walk to check on the small downtown area but his thoughts were a mile away. If "Jerry or “Baker” as Todd called him, was calling for info, than more than likely they hadn’t stopped their search for Todd. It was now imperative they get Todd on his way to Llanview as soon as possible. Sam’s resolve was in full gear. He would have loved to have arrested Baker and Kent for breaking into his house but the only witness Sam had was the man he was hiding from them. He didn’t like anyone to break into his house and both men had violated his space. Todd had done the right thing by getting out of the house, but Sam didn’t want to even think what could have happened if Beth had been at home. Sam walked into the photo lab and up to the counter.

“Nathan, I need your computer skills, I have a request from the State Marshal for an undercover ID, this is the picture they sent me, but they informed me we need to make some changes in the picture. Can you help me out with that?”

”You bet, Sam. Things are real slow this morning this should be fun. Give me the picture and I’ll scan it into my computer.” Sam handed the picture over and watched Nathan put it into his machine. It came up on the screen and Sam began giving him the changes needed for the ID.

“You need to shorten the hair and give him a beard. Yes, that one, the trim one. Now can your program age him, say eight or nine years? That’s perfect. Print that picture for me will you Nathan.”

They waited on the picture. Then Nathan handed both back to Sam. “The guy looks pretty mean with that scar and all.  He must be into something serious to have to look like that.”

Sam looked at his friend.  He hated to lie, but he had to make sure Nathan kept quiet about the picture. “Nathan, this guy’s going to be going pretty deep undercover. This is a government sting operation. You can’t talk about this to anybody, not even your wife. If word of this leaked out, you could get the guy killed. Promise me this stays between you and me. Do me a favor and delete that download, too.”

“Hey Sam, mums the word. Just glad I could be of service to my country.  I won’t say anything. Have a good day now and tell Beth, 'hi.'”

Sam nodded and said he would, then headed to get the rest of the ID. A short time later he walked down the street, putting the ID into a wallet with about three hundred dollars.  It was a small amount but should be enough for Todd to find a place to stay in Llanview and have a little left over for food.

Walking into his office, he noticed his deputy sitting with his feet propped on the desk, reading the morning newspaper. “Things pretty slow around town today, I guess huh Fred?”

Fred started and his feet dropped off the desk, landing on the floor with a thud as Fred sat up quickly.”You know how it is, Boss, it’s the middle of the week. Amy is big news today, having her babies here in the office, and twins at that. Must have been something else yesterday.”

Sam smiled, recalling his panic when Amy’s water had broken. He had been thrilled when Beth walked in the door. “You have no idea, Fred. How did the that pileup on the state highway turn out? You didn’t make it back here by the time I left.”

“It was pretty bad, Sam. We delivered a number of injuries to the Baton Rouge Hospital. It looks like the whole thing started when that early morning fog that rolled in. The initial accident occurred when the lead car ran over an alligator. After that, it was the domino effect. I figured you had your hands full with Amy, so I stayed to help with the clean up efforts, too.”

“Okay, be sure and give me a written report by the end of the day, Fred. I have to make sure all the 't’s' are crossed and the 'i’s' are dotted.” Sam sat down at his desk and got busy on his own reports concerning the search for the missing person that had ended so gruesomely. He had called yesterday morning to alert the proper authorities and they had promised to send someone out to try and retrieve what evidence they could from the site of “Todd’s” demise. Sam knew eventually they would send a report stating that no human bones had been discovered, and “Todd” would be listed as missing instead of deceased. He was counting on those extra days to give Todd the leeway he needed to return home. He would continue to stall Baker until that final report came in.

***

Beth wandered out of her office after her call to Amy. The babies were doing terrific but it sounded like it had been a hard night for the adults. “Todd, did you see a photo lying around somewhere of me and Sam, it’s missing from my desk.” She paused, surprised to see Todd doing pushups on her kitchen floor. He was obviously feeling much better.

Todd looked up and paused, getting to his feet. “No, can’t say that I have.  I didn’t move anything yesterday, I promise.”

“Oh, I don’t think you moved it. It’s just weird that it’s not on my desk. Wait a minute, there it is. How on earth did it get there?” The picture in question was sitting on the table next to the recliner and Beth headed over to pick it up.

“Wait, Beth. You say it’s usually on your desk and neither you nor I moved it. That means Baker or Kent must have picked it up. Sam might be able to get fingerprints off of it , and find out who these guys are. If they saw that picture it might explain why they left yesterday rather than wait around for you. They recognized Sam. They probably didn’t want to talk to him again.”

Beth looked at the picture and nodded. “Of course, they came looking for a doctor, hoping that I may have treated you. When they realized Sam and I were together, they decided the sheriff would get suspicious if they were continuing to look for you after everyone thought you were dead.” She walked to the phone and dialed Sam. “Honey, you need to bring your fingerprint kit with you. Todd and I think the men who broke in yesterday left some prints after all. Okay, we’ll see you soon.”

She looked over at Todd. “He’s going to bring it. He said they called early this morning, trying to find out if your remains had been retrieved. I think we had better get serious about getting you to Llanview.”

Todd nodded and sat down at the kitchen table. His hand shook a little as he picked up the file he had read earlier. Someone had taken over his life and he felt like his family was in danger. Who was this guy and how had he convinced everyone he was him?

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To Journey's End Part Twelve

            Todd had been on pins and needles all through dinner. Sam’s cryptic remark about his past made it hard to even swallow down his food. He was certain that Sam had found out something horrible and he wasn’t sure if he could take another shock. He was watching Beth and Sam as they worked to clean up the mess left by Baker and Kent around the front door. Beth had ordered him to take it easy while they worked and Todd found himself controlling an overwhelming urge to leave. Just sitting there, while they worked gave him too much time to think. Just what had Sam found out? He said he wasn’t going to sugar coat things, that sounded bad.


           “Okay Beth, hold it right there.” Sam ran a strip of duct tape down to seal the opening.

Beth kept glancing over at her patient. His hands were fidgeting as he cleaned his nails for the umpteenth time, and his bottom lip was getting chewed on constantly. His eyes had darted around the room so many times Beth had lost count as he tried not to look at them. “Sam finish this up, he can’t take much more waiting?” she whispered through the door.

Sam looked through the panes of the door and saw what Beth had been watching. “Damn it. Why didn’t you say something sooner?” Sam frowned at her through the window.

“Because you were all concerned about the safety of this house and I knew until you had that off your mind you wouldn’t switch to another subject.” Beth said smiling at him.

“Am I really that single minded?”

            “Yes, but I love you anyway. Now are we finished?”


            “Just one last strip. Hell, I figured he wouldn’t want any bad news. That’s why I’ve been stalling.”


            Beth wanted to laugh. “Sam, I thought you were a better read of people. After you told him he was Todd Manning, you turned around and dropped a bombshell on him.”


          “What do you mean? I didn’t tell him about anything. What bombshell? “ Sam looked at her with a puzzled looked on his face.


         “Sam, If you were dying to know any news about yourself and I told you I had some information on you and I would tell you but not sugar coat it. How would that make you feel?”

         She watched her husband’s face as he realized what he had done.  


         Sam looked with alarm at Todd and knew without a doubt that Todd was in agony and he had just been torturing the guy, keeping him waiting. He looked at his wife and put the tape down and walked back into his living room. “Todd, I’m sorry.”


         Todd looked up at Sam and heard his words but it took a minute to absorb them. “What Sam? Why are you sorry?”


         “Look, just wait a minute, I’ll be right back.“ Sam turned around and left the house. He ran around to the driver’s side of his car and opened the door reaching in for the file sitting on the console between the seats. He had debated telling Todd everything on his way home, then had decided to hold off until the man was stronger. He was sorry he had even mentioned it. Now Todd had been sitting there anxiously waiting for the news Sam had told him about. It was going to tear the guy up but he needed to know. He bounded back up onto the porch and entered the living room. “Here, I’m sorry I made you wait.” Sam handed Todd the information he had managed to get from IAFIS and the Internet.


         Todd took the file with shaky hands, Sam had assured him he was Todd Manning, but he still had way too many blanks in his memory. He took a deep breath and opened the file.  The top page was the fax from IAFIS stating that the fingerprints had been identified on file in Llantano County, Pennsylvania, belonging to the convicted rapist of one Marty Saybrooke. Todd stared at those words “convicted rapist” and he closed his eyes. An image of a terrified, long haired strawberry blond filled his mind, “Oh God, Marty!” He was lost for a moment as more pictures flooded through his mind. Pictures of a fight with a man and the man falling and dying. His tear filled eyes looked at Sam. “I raped her...a man died because of me. What kind of monster am I?”

Beth had quickly covered her mouth at his words, sitting down abruptly, her legs unable to hold her as the words struck home. Todd was a rapist. It had to be a mistake, but Todd seemed to be remembering it and he believed it. There had to be more to his story.

Sam sat down and pulled his chair closer. “The kind of monster who’s also a man. Keep reading Todd.” Sam too had been alarmed at first when the result of his fingerprint check had come through, he had tried to picture the man in his home doing such a violent act but it was hard. The man sitting in front of him right then didn’t seem capable of that kind of violence, yet the papers didn’t lie and Todd had just confirmed it, but Sam knew he was a different man now. Sam had heard the love in his voice when he talked about his friend Sam and his family, a career criminal he wasn’t, even though the papers made him out that way,

Sam had looked up the whole story and seen all of it. Todd had been in college when he had committed his crime, his victim had managed to get a confession from him and he had been sentenced to eight years in prison. He had escaped prison and during his rampage of revenge, a man named Suede Pruitt had died. Subsequently after being recaptured and on his way back to prison, Todd had found himself freed again because of a car crash.  Instead of escaping when he could have, he had stuck around and saved four lives, one of those had been his rape victim.  No, there was a lot more to him than his crimes.

Todd continued to read through his tears. He found an article that Sam had printed telling the story about hospital rapes and his part in capturing the real perpetrator. Another article named him as the Lord Heir, there was a picture of his sister Viki and Todd found himself tracing her features on the page. I trust you above all others. He remembered a scene in a tomb. It was his father’s tomb, the night before he was to marry Blair, he recalled Viki’s torturous revelation that their father had raped her as a child. She had convinced him that he wasn’t his father, and he had married Blair.

Todd’s tears dried as he looked at other articles. The article of the death of Publisher Todd Manning shortly following his marriage to Blair Daimler, then another article about his miraculous return.  Next he found an article stating how he had held half of Llanview hostage, among those held had been Blair and Viki.  Later, another article about an infamous DID trial and the fraud perpetrated on the citizens of Llanview as Todd Manning once more escaped punishment for his many crimes. At this point, Todd had read more than enough to convince him he was the scum of the earth and deserved everything that had happened to him. He finally found himself reading an article about the death of his mentor, Sam Rappaport, and his own disappearance in connection to Sam’s death. Todd crumbled that article and turned as pale as a ghost. “I didn’t kill you Sam. It wasn’t me. Mitch had me.” He flung the file to the floor and turned into the couch as his tears for his friend overwhelmed him.

Sam looked on and reached a hand out, patting Todd’s shoulder to once more offer comfort to the man in front of him. He knew that the man was in for another shock, but Todd needed a moment to digest what he already had seen.

Beth picked up the papers looking at them and then one article caught her eye. “Todd Manning Returns.” The article talked about the new look of Todd Manning after his harrowing escape from the man known as Mitch Laurence. She couldn’t believe what she was looking at. The man looked nothing like Todd. “Sam, what’s this? It doesn’t make sense.”

Sam looked at the article Beth was holding up and shook his head, “I don’t know what to tell you. There’s more.” he indicated she look at the rest of the clippings.

Todd stirred, “What doesn’t make sense Beth. It’s all there in black and white. I’m someone you folks should have left to die. It’s obvious isn’t it. One crime after another, but I swear I didn’t kill Sam.  Please tell me you believe me.  I know I didn’t kill him.  He was the closest thing to a real father I had.  I loved him.”

           Beth carried the papers over and sat next to Sam. “We know you didn’t, Todd, it turns out someone named Lyndsay killed him.”


          “That’s Sam’s ex- wife.  Why would she kill him?” He didn’t know how he knew that, but it had just come to him. Why would a detail like that be so easy to remember and yet other things were taking forever to access?


         “The papers said it was accidental. That she was mentally disturbed and thought he was someone else. Todd, you should know there’s something here that’s probably going to confuse you because it certainly has us confused.” She handed him the article proclaiming the new Todd Manning.


         Todd read the article and slumped back on the couch. “It can’t be, I’m Todd.. You said I was Todd. How can he be me?” Beth handed him the rest of the articles that Sam had copied. Todd sat there and felt like he had dropped into another world. His breath caught as he read the next clipping in front of him. “Todd Manning Found Guilty in the Rape of Wife.” he couldn’t believe what he was reading, “Blair” he whispered. He rubbed his eyes, his stomach lurched as he thought about someone hurting Blair the way he had hurt Marty. Sam had stapled another paper to the article and Todd gingerly turned the page over to see the one underneath. The attached copied paper, stated that Blair had misinterpreted the actions of her husband due to a brain tumor and the guilty plea was overturned.

Todd was shaking and Beth took the rest of the papers from his hands. “I think that’s more than enough for now. We’re not going to solve this tonight.” Todd had received too many new shocks and she was concerned he would have a relapse. She should have put a stop to everything earlier when he had gotten upset about his friend.

Todd grabbed her hand. “Beth, I need to know everything.”

“I don’t think this is doing you any good. Whatever you’ve done, I don’t believe you deserve what was done to you. Your wounds tell me you were indeed held for a number of years and if you’re truly Todd Manning, than there’s much more going on here.” Beth closed the file.

“Beth’s right. Those men came here looking to take you back. That means they don’t want you returning home. If they can’t take you back, they want you dead. Neither of those men showed an ounce of sympathy when they thought you had died. You’re a problem that needs to be resolved, and I’m betting if you get back to Llanview, you’ll be interfering with a plan already in place.” Sam knew he had Todd’s attention now. “For now, they have no proof you’re alive. Stay here, get better, and we’ll work on getting you home.”

Todd looked from one to the other. “You’re serious. After what you both know about me now, you’d let me stay here?”

“This is what we know about you. You’ve been tortured for a number of years and I’m guessing by those newspaper clips, it’s been at least eight. You love your wife and children and just want to get home. Nothing I’ve seen or heard from you indicates to me that you’re dangerous or delusional.” Beth leaned over and whispered in Todd’s curly ear. “Besides I’m still waiting for a chance to go down on you.”

Todd was not sure he heard her correctly and said, “What?”

Beth smiled “Just wanted to see if you were listening.” She watched as Todd blushed clear to his toes.

Sam looked at Beth. “What did you say to him, hon?

Beth just sauntered over to her husband and said “I’ll tell you later. Why don’t you go take that shower you were wanting earlier, I’ll keep Todd company.” She turned and winked at Todd and laughed when he lowered his eyes from hers.

Todd couldn’t believe it, but Beth was actually turning him on with her outrageous suggestion.

Beth watched as Sam left the room. She turned back to her patient. Her stomach was fluttering as she realized she was about to do something she had never done with anyone, but her husband. She wasn’t sure if it was the knowledge that he had once raped someone and was dangerous, or the knowledge that her husband could catch her, but something in her wanted to help the man lying on the couch. She quivered knowing she was totally turned on. She walked back over to the couch and knelt down on the floor beside him. “Todd let me do this for you. I know it’s been a long time but I want to make you feel better.”

“Beth, you’re serious aren’t you?” he was shocked, never in his wildest dreams did he think this generous and loving woman would make such an offer. She had just found out he was a convicted rapist, yet she was offering to make him feel better. He wasn’t sure any of this was real anymore. He watched fascinated as she undid his zipper and reached in to free him. The stroke of her soft hands around him was unreal. Beth began stroking and kneading him and then she brought her mouth down on him. The sensations were incredible and he knew he wouldn’t last long.

As a doctor, Beth knew all pressure points to get the best response, besides she had had plenty of practice on Sam. She looped her tongue around him, teasing him and felt him shudder against it. Beth could hear her own heart beating faster as he began to softly moan and she knew he was going to climax soon. She gripped his hips, as she placed her mouth to fully encompass him, her fingers relishing the tight muscles beneath the surface. He was in excellent shape but she had already seen that. Now she realized just how toned he was.

His body was overpowered with feelings rushing through him, he knew he should stop her, but it had been so long since someone had cared about him at all. His body was starved for affection and Beth was giving it too him. He gave into the urges, unable to fight any longer.

Todd suddenly caught her head as he gently pushed deeper. Beth relaxed to let him, continuing to massage him with her lips and tongue. Suddenly he came inside her mouth and from long practice, Beth swallowed and then slowly withdrew from around him, his hands had dropped their hold on her and were laying across his chest and by his side. His breath was quick and uneven and his eyes were closed. She kissed his firm stomach enjoying the tremor and slight moan that escaped from Todd. She carefully zipped him back up. and leaned closer to him, wiping his brow and making sure he was all right. ”You should call it a night.” she said as his eyes opened and met hers. She got ready to rise, when he grabbed her hand.

“Wait.”

Beth remained alongside him a moment longer. She was at peace with her decision. He had been so strung out after all the revelations, he had needed an outlet to release the tension. She was glad she had been able to do that for him. She sensed he was more relaxed and it was good. Now he might be able to get some sleep.

Todd sat up and slowly leaned toward her. Gently kissing her, he said. “That was the nicest present I’ve been given in a very long time. Thank you.”

Beth smiled and put her arm under his shoulder. “Come on, let’s get you to bed.” Todd got his feet under him and with her help retired to his bed. Sleep took him quickly.

Beth smiled as she left his room.

Sam was coming out of the bathroom, and asked.”Is he going to be all right tonight?”

She nodded, “I’ll be in to join you after my bath.” she patted his arm and shoved him toward their room, “you better be awake when I get there Mister.”

Sam began humming as he headed to his room, the twinkle in Beth’s eyes told him he was in for some good times that night.

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