Who's the Real Todd?: Chapter 12

Blair rushed down to the ER to meet the ambulance as soon as she got off the phone with Bo. God, why is this happening to him? They were just bringing Todd in as she got there and he was so quiet. She watched them wheel him into an examining room and go to work on him again.  Blair was so intent on the goings-on in the room that she didn't see Bo come in.

Bo walked up to Blair. "Blair, I think he's going to be alright. He had delayed shock from the events of this morning and that coupled with the debilitating effects of the poisoning was more than his body could handle today."

Blair turned to Bo, "I don't understand. What happened this morning?"

"There was a second attempt on his life this morning, Blair. Todd received a call this morning from someone claiming to be a reporter for the Banner wanting an interview with the new owner of the Sun. Todd was smart enough to get a name and when he called the Banner there was no such reporter, so Todd called me. We made arrangements for me to get a bulletproof vest to him before he headed out to meet this reporter and my men were canvassing the area around the meet to see if they could find a possible shooter. There was a slight problem, though. The shooter showed up at the penthouse. Todd found himself face to face with the barrel of a gun. Todd found out that she, and yes it was the same person who poisoned him, thought he was Todd Manning. She informed him her boss wasn't happy with him. Todd pretended to be Samuel and kept her talking because he knew an officer was on the way over. Long story short an officer arrived and took her away, but we found out the officer was bogus. My officer had been knocked out. Todd and Samuel sketched pictures of the assailants and brought them to my office, but the trauma was more than Todd could take and he collapsed." just then the doctor came out.

"Is he going to be alright?” asked Blair. “How much more can he take?”

"He's going to be fine, but his body really needs to rest. Because he was still recovering from the poison, the added stress emotionally from today's event was more than his system could take and shock set in. He was fortunate he wasn't alone when it occurred. He's coming around and I know he wants to go home but I urge you to talk him into staying here. I'm afraid too many more of these happenings might cause more than his heart to fail." he nodded at Bo and left.

"Bo, you know as well as I, he won't want to stay. My God, I'm totally stressed out over the happenings the last few days and I haven't been poisoned or had my psyche retreat or my heart fail. I'm worried about him, Bo. He's so determined to get Carlo. All these occurrences are getting to him, but he won't admit it. Bo, he was catatonic not two days ago. I'm afraid he's going to slip back there again and this time, we'll lose him permanently." Bo put his arm around Blair's shoulder and she turned to him giving way to the sobs she had been holding in. A few moments later she gathered back her composure and Bo handed her his handkerchief to dry her eyes.

"Blair, I can see why you're worried and I must admit I don't want to see him end up there either but Todd has always done things his own way and he's driven his body to hell and back. There is something very strong deep inside Todd that will help him survive this. You and I both know just what a survivor Todd really is. Now go see him, you've always added to his strength, don't stop now. I need to go check on Kelly and Natalie and find out how my brother is doing. I'll check back down here when I leave. Blair, don't let him leave here before I get back. We need to discuss his safety." Bo turned and headed to look in on his brother.

Blair still had Bo's handkerchief and she put it into her bag and pulled a mirror out to make sure all signs of her tears were gone. Then she went into the room to see Todd.

As she neared the bed his eyes slowly opened and he focused on her.  "God Blair, what happened this time? The last thing I remember I was with Bo. How did I end up here?"

"According to the doctor, and Bo, you had a delayed reaction to this morning's event. Your body went into shock. My god, Todd, you were almost killed again, and you didn't think to mention that earlier when we talked. I'm afraid for you. You need to stop this plan to get Carlo. It's not worth it. You are killing yourself just as surely as the person who almost shot you this morning. Heck, they don't have to kill you. They just need to be patient and you'll push your body one step too far and it will quit. Their work will be done." Blair stood above his head and looked down at him, waiting for a response.

Todd stared at her and felt her anger and heard the fear in her voice. She never had been one to mince words. "Blair, I didn't ask the gunman over for coffee, she just showed up at my door. I am very aware that I'm not one hundred percent right now. But I think you're overreacting about me killing myself. Just because I want to get Carlo shouldn't worry you, I'm working with Bo, I'm not trying to do it all by myself."

"That's just it Todd you shouldn't be working on it at all. The doctor said it's not just your heart anymore. You've pushed your body so hard and now with the poison, your body is on overload. He said you could put yourself into a position where your other vital organs might start shutting down from the stress. Both Ray and I are concerned your psyche is on shaky ground too. What do I need to do to make you understand? I can't lose you again. I can't." Blair's voice trembled and her tears reappeared and started slowly making tracks down her cheeks.

"Blair, don't cry, I'm sorry. What do you want me to say?" Todd stared, helpless to stop her tears. Her words scared him to death. Was she right? Was he foolishly putting everything at risk just to get Hesser? Todd closed his eyes unable to watch Blair cry. He was letting her down, and his body was letting him down. God will it never end. He hated this moment. Ever since he could remember one thing after another had been taken from him. His mother had left him, his psyche had fractured, now after years of torment and abuse his body was failing him, and the end result was that he might lose the one person he had truly found a connection too. He felt himself drifting deeper into his mind, "Samuel, what should I do? Ms. Perkins, guys, I need some advice, I'm floundering here?"

They appeared before him and what alarmed him was that they too looked sickly, like something was affecting them as much as him. Samuel spoke for the group. "Todd, you've got to back off. It's a struggle to stay here with you. Your mind and your body are tired, and it's affecting us all. You've got to give yourself time to fully heal. Listen to her Todd. you know she's right and you know in your heart what you want most and it's not revenge." his alters faded, and Todd felt so alone at that moment. He hated being alone. Being alone sucked. Then he felt a hand stroke his face and his eyes opened to the most beautiful woman in the world to him. He wasn't alone, he had Blair and he wasn't going to lose her. Not now, not ever!

Todd looked up at Blair, her love for him was spilling from her eyes. He felt a tear hit his face and he wiped it off. Reaching for Blair's face, he began brushing her tears away. "Alright Blair, I'll back off until I'm stronger. I can't lose you. I won't." he pulled her down and they kissed, each giving the other the comfort they needed so desperately.”  When they stopped to get their breaths, Todd said, "Now when can we leave. I can't stay here any longer."

Blair pushed away from him angrily, "Did you not hear a word I said! The doctor said your body needs to rest. So whether you like it or not, you're not going anywhere. You are staying here this time until the doctors feel you're strong enough to go home and face a crisis without ending back here."

"But Blair, I feel fine now and I want to go home. Look just go get a nurse and let get me out of here. " Todd started to get up only to find himself being pushed back down on the bed.

"You're so fine huh, well you look like death warmed over and your hands are trembling. You want to tell me that's fine. I don't think so Buster." Blair said decisively.

Todd was flabbergasted, but as he looked down at his hands he realized they were indeed trembling and he was reminded of Bo's office when he couldn't stop them from shaking. She was right, his body was definitely trying to tell him something. He was still bothered by the images of his alters, is that how he looked to Blair or were those images the result of the attack on his body by the poison. It had been an eye-opener, to say the least. He once again clasped his hands trying unsuccessfully to stop the trembling, and they felt like ice. "Alright, you win. I'll spend another night in this godforsaken place, but just one night. I hate this place."

The nurse entered the room and began checking Todd's vitals. She glanced at Todd's hands and typed in something on his chart. Blair looked at Todd and said. "Samuel Toddman, you are going to stay here until the doctor feels you are stable enough to go home and you're going to behave yourself. Consider yourself on bed rest until further notice. No arguments Mister." She turned and followed the nurse out.

Todd felt so frustrated, he knew she was scared and he didn't blame her but he couldn't just stay in the hospital and hide. The nurse came back in and added something to his IV. "That should help the tremors Mr. Toddman, you should see results shortly. The doctor will be in, he wants to talk to you." Todd nodded and leaned back into his pillow. He should never have come home, everyone would have been better off, even Blair. By setting this whole thing in motion he had put people in the line of fire that shouldn't have been anywhere near it. Manning had been shot and his family was in turmoil. Blair had been doing fine without him and the kids had been surviving. Even Samuel had been better off. He had endangered his life innumerable times since coming home and he wasn't any closer to getting Carlo. The shaking seemed to be stopping and Todd unclasped his hands.

The doctor came in and began examining him. "Mr. Toddman, I'm afraid to give you any more medication tonight. Your vitals are still a matter of concern and your color is still off. I had hoped for more improvement but I think the residual traces of the poison in your system are still trying to attack you. I want to keep you here through tonight and very likely tomorrow as well. We need to make sure all traces of that poison clears your system before I'm going to allow you to go home. Do you understand what I just told you? Your friend Ms. Cramer said you wanted the absolute truth, so here it is. Your body is trying to shut down and we're doing everything in our power to keep that from happening. She told me you said you felt fine. Is that really the truth or were you trying to make her feel better? My guess is you actually feel terrible. You need to rest Mr. Toddman, don't fight to get out of that bed too soon, at this point, you would fall flat on your face. " The Doctor suddenly realized that Todd had zoned out. "Mr. Toddman can you hear me." he checked the monitors and the heart rate was slowing down. Pushing the button brought the nurse running and he ordered a low dose of medicine to raise the rate back up. Fearful of sending Samuel into a heart attack with his weakened heart the doctor ordered constant monitoring for several hours.

Bo had rejoined Blair outside the room just waiting for the Doctor to complete his exam when the nurse had gone running in. He and Blair watched as they tried to rouse Todd. The heart rate began to rise and Todd showed signs of coming around again. Blair had grabbed onto Bo's arm for support when the nurse had gone inside and had finally released it when Todd began reviving. They watched as the Doctor talked to him quietly and then came toward them. "Doctor what just happened?” asked Blair.

"Mr. Toddman's heart rate plummeted and we had to raise it with medication. I'm not happy about that but we're sending him up to ICU shortly. The next 24 hrs are going to be critical. We're pushing fluids through him trying to clear the last of the poison from his system. We need to keep his heart stable tonight and we'll be watching for any signs of any other organ failure. He's awake again but keep it short." said the Doctor.

Bo and Blair went in but it was clear that Todd's condition had indeed worsened. He was barely conscious. Blair went to him and whispered something in his ear and his eyes opened focusing on her briefly before closing again. She turned to Bo " This is so wrong, Bo. I swear if he dies, I'll do everything in my power to bring down Carlo and I promise you it won't be pretty. Will he be safe tonight?" she asked.

Bo said. "I've sent a man to the Penthouse and LaBoulae as well as Manning's home. The officer in charge of guarding Manning is still in place and another officer will be here shortly to guard you and Todd. It's probably overkill since they didn't kill him when they had a chance. but I won't let Hesser have another chance at him. You stay with him because I think you are going to bring him through this. One thing that became very clear in the past Blair was his love for you. I think that is what will keep him here. I need to check back at the station and see if we managed to get any leads on the assailants and then I have to notify the marshals about a possible location where we can find Hesser. You hang tough Blair. One thing I know about Todd Manning is you can't ever count him out."

Starr was leaving James when her phone rang." Hi, Mom. What's up? It's not Kelly is it?... What?... Why didn't you call sooner?...Where is he?...ICU?...I was on my way to get Hope from grandma and go home... I'll call grandma. I'm coming up." she hung up and rang her grandma. "Addie, I need to leave Hope there longer. I've got to go back to the hospital...Mom just called, it's Dad... Something else happened... I've got to go. Thank you." Starr couldn't believe the last couple of days. Walker had woken up then someone had tried to poison her dad. Kelly had gotten stabbed by Hope's grandmother no less. Now her dad was back in the hospital, critical. What was going on? Someone wanted both her dads dead and they might get half their wish if her dad didn't start getting better. Starr parked and went to find her mom. She found her mom sitting in the waiting room lost in thought. "Mom, I'm here. Now tell me the truth. What happened to Dad?"

Blair looked up at her daughter and drew her down next to her on the chairs. "Earlier this morning, I left your father in pretty good spirits. He had plans to talk to Bo about what he and Walker discussed, but while we were here finding out about Kelly, he was facing a gunman in the penthouse."

"What! Mom was he shot too!" exclaimed Starr.

"No, he wasn't shot, and according to Bo, he managed to convince the assailants that he was Samuel and they left him alive. He was with Bo when he collapsed. He went into delayed shock because of the experience and was brought here. The doctors thought they had him stabilized and your father wanted to go home but this time, his body refused to cooperate. It appears that the poison has done more damage than first suspected. Trace amounts are still in his system and his body keeps wanting to shut down. I'm so worried Starr, he keeps going in and out of consciousness. The doctors had hoped for more improvement by now and they're a little stumped why he's not recovering faster. I think this goes hand and hand with the catatonic state he was in two days ago. I have this sinking feeling he's giving up because he doesn't want to hurt us anymore."

"Mom, why does he think he's hurting us? Nothing could hurt us more than him not being here".

"Your father's belief about his worth to us has always been tainted by his own feelings of worthlessness and self-hate. I think he believes he brought all this current sorrow on us when he decided to return," said Blair. "Why don't you go and see if he's awake. Try and make him understand we don't want him to leave." Blair hugged Starr and sent her in. As her daughter entered the room, Blair prayed Starr might be able to get through to her father.

Starr looked at her dad. He appeared to be sleeping and she thought about a few weeks before when she had sat by Walker's bed and told him to hang in there and stick around. She had meant those words when she had spoken to Walker because, in spite of all he had done, she still cared about him. But her heart ached for her Dad. She recalled all the wonderful screwy things they had done when she was little. The schemes they had planned when they were trying to keep Max and Skye from hurting her mother. He had always made her feel like she was the most important person in his life. She walked over to him and touched his shoulder. "Dad, are you awake." he opened his eyes and smiled at her.

"Hi Starr, sorry you keep finding me here. How's Hope?"

He sounded so weary, he was missing the fire that had kept him alive during the heart attacks. Mom was right, he sounded like he was giving up. "Dad, Hope is fine but I'm worried about you. What do you think you're doing? You come dropping back into our lives and now you've decided to drop back out. Have you given any thought to how we might feel if you leave again? The doctors told Mom you should be improving. What's the matter, is life getting too challenging for you? "

Todd looked at her puzzled by the anger in her voice. "Whoa, Starr, I don't understand. What is it you think I'm doing?" God, he was tired, it would be so easy to just go back to sleep, but Starr seemed really upset. He had never been able to stand it when she was mad at him and for some reason, she was mad at him now. He tried to clear the fuzziness that was threatening to overtake him. He shook his head and tried to sit up more in bed.

"What do I think you're doing? I think you're giving up. Why now, why this time Dad? As long as I've known you, even when you and mom were so far apart that you thought there was no going back, you used to pull out all the stops to bring us back together as a family. Why are you quitting now? Do you seriously think that dying is the way to go? If you leave permanently then the world will right itself and everything will be all better. Dad, I've got news for you. Our lives were a mess long before you came home. In fact, your return has actually brought some joy back into my life and Mom's. Now you want to take that joy away. Well, I won't have it. You snap out of it Dad. You promised we'd be a family and I'm holding you to it." she glared at him. Holding her breath, praying she would see his fire return.

Todd looked at her. Seeing her clearly and realizing she was right. He had done it again, he had let his self-pity take over. He thought back to all the times they had had these conversations and each and every time she had managed to make him see clearly. She said he hadn't hurt them, that he had brought her and her mom joy. Things were still screwed up but he did have something to fight for. He wanted to keep feeling that joy too. "You're right Shorty, I don't have the time for this," he grinned at her.

There it was, there was the fire in his eyes. She grinned back and threw her arms around his neck. "Thank you, Daddy."

"Uh Shorty, air, I need air." but he hugged her as he said it. As she stood back away he said. "Now I'm awake, so tell me what's going on with Kelly and Natalie, and have they found Marty yet?"

She was so tickled, that he was back to his old self. She clued him in on Kelly's prognosis and told him they were still looking for Marty. No one had told Natalie that Marty had her baby yet. They were all hoping they could get the baby back before Natalie realized the truth.

Blair came walking in and saw Todd sitting up in bed carrying on a conversation and said a quick prayer of thanks. Starr had done the trick. She walked over to the bed and gave Todd a kiss and hugged Starr and whispered into her ear "Thank you, Sweetie." Starr gave her mom a quick hug back.

Todd saw the exchange between his girls and knew it had something to do with him, but he sensed they were both happy about "it" whatever "it" was, so he ignored it. They were interrupted by the nurse coming in for vitals. The nurse smiled at them all and Todd took that as a good sign. Blair and Starr also beamed as the nurse left. "Well everybody seems awfully happy at the moment, want to share the good news." he inquired.

Blair laughed, " You idiot, we're happy because it looks like you're going to live."

"Well, of course, I'm going to live was there ever any doubt?" laughed Todd and then realized Blair and Starr had gotten somber. "What, you mean there was some doubt?" he asked.

Blair said soberly, "Yes Todd, a half an hour ago, I thought you were going to die and so did the doctors."

Todd looked at Blair and knew she was serious. Had he really let it get that far. In his head he suddenly heard a voice " You bet you let it go that far, you be grateful for that daughter of yours Todd, she saved us all." Todd looked back at his daughter, one of the few things in his life he had ever done right. Now he understood the look between Blair and Starr. He turned his gaze to Blair and said. "I'm sorry."

Blair looked at Todd and smiled. It had been closer than all the other times combined because this time he hadn't been fighting. She knew now, more than ever, that Todd had to see Ray again. They had to find a way to get past his issues regarding his self-worth. Todd called it his curse and right now she wanted to curse both Peter Manning and Victor Lord for the harm they had caused. She defused the moment, "It's over now, you're recovering and another night or two in here will give your body the rest it needs." she saw his expression and knew he was going to object "Don't go there, Todd, we went over this earlier and after the last few hours it is no longer an option for you to go home. If you were to try to get up you wouldn't get very far."

Todd started to brush his hair out of his eyes and was surprised by how heavy his arm felt. He looked with shock at Blair. "Just what happened.  I remember the doctor coming in and talking to me. but then things got a little fuzzy for a while until Starr got here. That wasn't that long ago why do I feel like something the cat dragged in."

Blair reached over and brushed Todd's hair out of his eyes. " Take a look around Todd, you're not in the ER anymore, you're in ICU. The shock weakened you and the traces of the poison in you attacked your body. While the doctor was talking to you, your heart rate dropped and you passed out. It's been over six hours since the first drop. Even though the remaining traces of poison were cleared from your body, you wouldn't remain stable, until now. That kind of stress on a body can take it out of you and you're not going to be doing anything more strenuous than eating, I have a feeling. But don't worry, I'll be here to help." She grinned wickedly.

Todd suddenly got her drift and said " Damn it, Blair, don't even think about it, I'm not that helpless. I still have a little pride left." he relaxed against the pillow and said. "Okay, so I'm here for a bit. How's Manning?"

"Walker's improving steadily. The doctors think he'll be ready to go home soon. I haven't seen Tea since they brought you in this morning." replied Blair. "Starr as long as you're here, I'll go check on Walker and see if I can get an update on Natalie's baby. You behave, Todd, I'll be back shortly."

Blair left and Starr moved back closer to her Dad. "Anything I can get you, Dad, you're still pretty pale. Are you hungry?"

"Starr you were right to get mad at me. I was giving up. Earlier, I thought that if I hadn't shown up, I wouldn't have brought Hesser and his cohorts back to Llanview. Even Samuel was better off without me coming back. He had a life and I took that away from him for my own selfish reasons. I figured if I just stopped fighting everything might get back to normal for you and your mother and Tea and her family. I've made a mess of my life since I came back from Ireland. And I deserved everything that happened to me as a result. But there was one constant for me throughout all of this and it was you. For you and your mother, I've got to stick around. Quite frankly you both are the reasons I'm still breathing." Todd finished speaking and looked at his lovely grown-up daughter and marveled that she still loved him.

Starr wiped the tears from her eyes as her father looked at her and wondered again how she could have ever thought that Walker was her dad. In a way she felt a little sorry for her brother Jack, although he idolized Walker, he never had the opportunity to get to know this awesome man in front of her. Sure he was flawed, and in his past, he had done horrendous things but when he loved, he loved wholeheartedly. That was why he and her mom kept finding their way back to each other because through every fight and breakup, one thing had been constant. Deep down they were soul mates and would probably love each other till death. "Enough dad, what's important is that you decided to fight again. I'm going to see if we can get you something to eat. You rest, I'll be right back. "

Todd watched her leave and closed his eyes, going deep he found them together. They still looked the worse for wear, but they were there. "Yes I know, I messed up. I wasn't thinking straight. Sue me."

Samuel walked over and said. "The next time you think about giving up will be the last time Todd. Dwell on that thought. We can't help when you do it to yourself. Just like when you retreat into catatonia. We're helpless to stop it. You were weakened by the poison but you poisoned us by your lack of will to live and always before you've fought for yourself and us. Somehow you need to remember this day. Burn it into your thoughts and heart. You almost let everything you cherish go because you let your hatred for yourself take precedence. Now go to sleep we all need the rest." Samuel and the others disappeared and Todd let his thoughts just drift into a fog.

Starr came in and found him sleeping, she sat down and took his hand in hers. "You sleep Dad, it's good for you. Don't you ever think about leaving us again, please? I watched you leave when Mom told you to go all those years ago. My heart was breaking. especially when she wouldn't let you say goodbye. You almost did it again today, I won't let you leave again without saying goodbye." she squeezed his hand and he squeezed back but remained asleep.

Inside the door, Blair watched her daughter and heard her words. She had never realized that Starr had overheard her words to Todd asking him to leave. It was amazing how their daughter could love them as much as she did. They had put her between them so many times and she had just been stronger than the both of them. If they hadn't been so busy one-upping each other and not trusting in their love, their family might have survived intact. Now, years later, all they wanted was to be with each other and live out their lives together and in peace. Blair moved in and pulled her chair close to Todd's bed. He wasn't going to be alone tonight she and Starr wouldn't let him be.

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Who's the Real Todd?: Chapter 11

Todd found himself walking down a strange corridor, there were a number of doors, but he couldn't get any of them to open. The place smelled like a hospital, but he saw no patients or staff. He continued to check the doors when suddenly one of the knobs turned. Todd hesitated, the last time he had opened a door like this he had been greeted with the picture of Peter standing over him. He dropped his hand and looked up and down the hallway, still no staff around. Suddenly he heard a scream coming from the room he had started to open, he couldn't just let whoever was in there suffer. He reached for the knob again and opened the door. Someone was sitting with his back to him, the scream was definitely coming from the stranger. Todd rushed around to see if he could help only to stop horrified. The man had no face, but Todd could still hear his scream.
The stranger was covered in bandages like he had been in some terrible accident. Todd couldn't look away from his face or lack of one. He reached to try and help the man and suddenly found himself trapped underneath many bandages, in agony and screaming, looking up at his own face. Todd awoke screaming, breathing hard.

 Blair was looking at him alarmed " Todd, what is it? You're safe, you're here with me." 

 Todd grabbed her arm to make sure she was real, he started shivering, he hadn't felt this cold since his night in the tomb. He couldn't shake the last image from his mind. Trapped and injured unable to do anything else but scream.

 Blair realized Todd's nightmare must have been powerful. He was almost in shock. She pulled the covers up around him as best she could because he wouldn't let go of her. Then she snuggled closer to give him her warmth. Slowly the shivering lessened and his breathing slowed down. "Todd are you alright? Do you want to talk about it?"

 Todd turned his head and looked into Blair's eyes. "I don't know. It was so strange. I know it was just a dream, but it really hit me in the gut. I was in this corridor at some hospital and I couldn't get into any of the rooms, then I found one that would open. At first, I didn't want to open it, and then I heard him scream."

 "Who Todd? Who was screaming?" asked Blair.

 "I wasn't sure when I opened the door his back was to me, but he seemed in such pain, I went around to see if I could help. It was horrifying, the guy had no face but I could hear his screams. He was covered in bandages and seemed in agony so I reached to touch him to see if I could do anything for him when suddenly...God Blair ...I was him...I was in agony and covered in bandages and I was looking up at myself." Todd closed his eyes still seeing the image.

 "My God, Todd, no wonder you woke up screaming. But you see it was just a nightmare, maybe you're empathizing with Walker. Both you and he have obviously been through something horrible together. After everything that happened a long time ago and then yesterday the two of you finally meeting, your subconscious just wove the two of you together, the same way your lives have meshed together." she played with his hair smoothing it and looked into his eyes. "You're not a bad guy, Todd. Deep down you know Walker is as much a victim as you."

 "You think that's what it is huh Blair. Me having sympathy for him. No wonder it was a nightmare." Todd grinned and Blair knew he was feeling better.
 
 "Oh you," she punched his shoulder,"You just can't admit you have any decent feelings for anyone can you?"

 "Feelings, what are those. You know me, Blair, I'm bad to the bone," he rolled on top of her and held her down. "So you think I have decent feelings huh. Alright, I have feelings I'll admit that but right now I wouldn't call them decent." At that, he devoured her mouth with his, expressing just exactly what his feelings were.

 Sometime later they rolled out of bed and headed to the bathroom to clean up. After the shower Todd sat on the edge of the bed as Blair combed his hair, "I love the feel of your hair Todd, I missed it when you had it shorter. You put a lot of women to shame with this hair."

 Todd reached for her hand and stopped her. He drew her around in front of him. "Samuel let it grow in Paris because it seemed like something an artist would do. I always loved it when you would play with my hair. It stirred things in me. Back when we first met, the very fact you were willing to touch me when everyone else shied away, meant so much to me. You made me feel like I was a person, not just a thing. I often wondered what would have happened in my life if we hadn't met Blair and all I see is darkness. You were a definite turning point in my life." he stood up to meet her gaze. "I know I've said this before, but I need you to understand that without you, my life is a living hell. I need this to work Blair."

 With tears in her eyes, Blair said. "I'm not going anywhere, ever again." She embraced him and he held her fast.

 Slowly he released her, bringing up his hand to wipe away her tears, "Let's finish getting dressed. I need to go talk to Bo this morning. Then I need to track down Kelly and find out if she's heard anything yet from her reporters about the Kipling Facility." he turned and grabbed his shirt.

 Blair smiled, that was her Todd, always mercurial. He really did hate sappy scenes. She quickly got dressed and was delighted to see that he waited for her. He smiled and took her hand and they headed downstairs.

 Todd saw Blair off and reached down to pick up his copy of the "Sun" and opened it to the editorial page. His column was there and looked fine, now he had to reach Kelly. There was still no answer in her office and he was starting to get worried. With the attack on him still fresh, he prayed someone hadn't picked up on the fact that Kelly was investigating the Kipling Facility. Suddenly his phone rang, not too many people knew the number so he picked it up warily. "Hello? Yes, this is Samuel Toddman... You want an interview for The Banner...I guess for my cousin Vicki, I can accommodate you...Why don't I meet you at the Paper in about a half-hour? May I ask your name again? I didn't catch it the first time. Thank you, see you soon." Todd hung up and immediately called the newsroom at the Banner and asked for the reporter whose name he had just been given. He had been right, there was no reporter by that name working for the Banner.

 Picking up the phone he immediately called Bo. "Hello, Bo, someone just called and wanted to set up an interview at the Banner, but his name is bogus. I think I'm being set up for another hit. We're supposed to meet in a half hour. Is that enough time to get some officers to check the area? I have a feeling he'll be thinking of picking me off in front of the paper. Yes, I'll wait here for a short time but if I don't show he'll know I'm on to him. I'm leaving in fifteen minutes with or without the vest Bo." Todd hung up and began to pace. He hated being in this position. Carlo was still staying one step ahead and it bothered him.

 The doorbell rang and Todd answered. He found himself staring down the barrel of a gun. At the other end of the gun was the woman who had tried to poison him. He backed slowly into the room as she followed still keeping the gun trained on him. Todd was grateful that Starr and Hope had already left for the morning. He noticed that she hadn't shut his front door and if he could just keep her from killing him before the police arrived he might make it out of this unscathed. "My dear, I'm not sure what I've done to injure you, but surely killing me isn't the answer. Perhaps you could at least tell me why you want me dead?"

 "You know exactly why I'm here Mr. Manning. You came home too soon and my boss was not happy to hear that you were here, " she replied.

 "I see.  I think you're operating under a certain misconception. I'm not Mr. Manning, I believe my distant cousin is still in the hospital. My name is indeed Samuel Toddman and I'm an artist. I haven't been in the States all that long, but I assure you I'm not the man you think I am." Todd moved to stand in front of the gallery of Samuel's muses forcing his attacker to stand and face him, putting her back to the front door. "Perhaps there is some way to prove to you I am indeed Samuel Toddman.  Would you allow me to draw something for you? I've never had such a beautiful attacker before. I would love to draw you, there is something fascinating about a dangerous woman." he reached down on the hearth and carefully picked up his pencil and sketchbook. "What do you say?  My artwork brings in a pretty good price these days.  Won't you let me have one more opportunity to do what I love best, drawing beautiful women?" she nodded and Todd began sketching. He realized she figured she had all day so she might as well take home a souvenir. She was watching him sketch so intently that she never noticed the officer coming up behind her until it was too late.

 "Are you alright Mr. Toddman?" the officer inquired after cuffing the suspect.

 "Yes officer, I'm quite alright." Todd finished the sketch signing it with Samuel's name He handed the sketch to the officer and said. " I promised her the sketch. Perhaps they'll let her keep it." Todd's hands were shaking as he set the sketch pad back down. "My dear, I regret that we'll not be spending any more time together."

 "Hey Mr. Toddman this is great," the officer paused long enough to show his prisoner the sketch he had just been handed. Her eyes widened at the portrait that Samuel had finished. She looked over at Samuel and said. "You really aren't him are you?"

 Todd shook his head and watched as she was taken out of his apartment. It was well past the time he was supposed to have met the reporter. He wondered if Bo's men had managed to find him anyway. The phone rang and this time, Todd let the answering machine take the call. It was time to start screening calls. Todd didn't want another killer showing up when Starr or Hope might be home. The caller hung up without saying anything and Todd pressed caller ID. It showed an unknown number. Todd wrote it down and called Bo. "Sorry Bo, I got a visitor before I could leave for the interview. I haven't seen the officer with the vest, but the officer McBain put on me, to protect me, is bringing in the woman who tried to poison me... Yes, she showed up here with a gun. She called me by my real name and said her boss wasn't happy that I came home. I played dumb and told her I was Samuel and tried to keep her talking figuring the officer with the vest was going to arrive anytime. As luck would have it I guess she really wasn't in a hurry to shoot me and she consented to my drawing her. Your officer showed up and caught her off guard. They should be at the station soon... Wait a minute what did you say? John didn't assign a second officer. Then who was the officer that just took her away?... Damn, they played me. Thank goodness I kept up the charade. She thinks I'm Samuel now. Shit, I gave the sketch to the officer... No, I'll sit down and make a couple of drawings. Thank goodness for Samuel's talent. Hang on, I'm going to have a look around.  I wonder what happened to your officer? " 

 Todd put down the phone and went out into the hall outside the penthouse. Walking over to the stairwell, he opened the door and discovered the officer. The man was still alive. Todd went back to the penthouse and picked up the phone. "Bo, send an ambulance. Your officer is here. He's alive but unconscious. He's in the stairwell on the Penthouse floor. I'm fine and Starr and Hope are gone thank goodness. Carlo must have wanted definitive proof that I had my memory back or not. Since they didn't kill me they must have been ordered to leave me alone if I was still Samuel."

 "Bo I'm worried about Kelly. I haven't been able to reach her….What? ... When did it happen?... Who did it?... My God, Marty!... Does anyone know where Marty is?... Okay, I need to reach Blair and find out if she knows about Kelly. Yes, I'll stay put until help gets here for your officer. I think I'm safe for now. By the way, I might have an idea where we can find Carlo... No, I'll come down there... We need to talk privately." at that, Todd hung up. He quickly dialed Blair, she answered and told him she was at the hospital and they were waiting for Kelly to get out of surgery. Todd told her to stay put and he would see her soon. Then he went to wait with the injured officer.

 Todd was reeling, it was like he had dropped into an alternate universe. Marty had attacked Kelly. What had driven Marty to that extreme? Then his thoughts went back to opening that door and seeing the gun aimed at him. That first moment he had been sure he was a goner. it was only when she didn't shoot right away that he had thought he had a chance. It was unreal, he started thinking back to what the young officer had said. He had never said McBain had sent him, now that he thought about it. Todd realized he had just assumed it because the officer wasn't carrying the vest that Bo was sending over. Todd had grabbed the sketch pad to draw the two assailants while he waited for the ambulance. His memory was fresh with the woman's face and he sketched her in no time but he was having trouble remembering the man. "Todd, let me out, I'll draw the officer. I remember him better than you, I was able to observe while you were busy," said Samuel. Todd passed a hand over his eyes, "Go ahead, Samuel, I'll take a break." Todd slumped briefly against the wall of the stairwell just as the EMTs arrived. They looked at both men and then Samuel stirred.

 "Sir, are you alright?" asked the EMT. "You appeared in distress when we arrived."

 "I'm fine. I just felt a little faint there for a moment. The stress of all this I guess. Really, I'm okay, you need to look after this young man. I'll get out of your way I need to complete this sketch for the Police." Samuel allowed the EMT to help him up and he headed back into the penthouse. He quickly went to work finishing the sketch of the man who had impersonated the officer. "Todd, you rest, I'll take this down to Bo." Samuel looked around the room to see if the young man had accidentally left anything behind but it was obvious they were pros. There was absolutely no sign they had even been there. He locked the door and headed out, Bo needed the pictures as soon as possible and Samuel knew Todd wanted to get to Blair as quick as he could.

 Samuel walked into the police station and headed for Bo's office. Several heads turned and did double-takes. They had worked in the department and knew the original Todd Manning so when a guy walks in looking like the old Todd Manning you take note. Samuel had to smile, he knew the questions would be circulating before he left Bo's office. He knocked and waited.

 Bo said"Come in" and Samuel entered. "Good day, Commissioner. No don't get up, I brought you the sketches that Todd told you about. He's resting. He was struggling with his memory of the police officer so I came out to finish that drawing. If you'll give me a minute he'll be out shortly." Samuel sat down and closed his eyes.

 Bo waited, he knew it wouldn't take too long, even though it was fascinating to watch. He found it incredible that he had been able to tell it was Samuel the moment he entered the room. It was something about his speech patterns and his overall attitude that separated him from Todd. Todd's eyes opened and looked around for a minute. He realized Samuel had made the trip down to the police department but what bothered him was that he didn't remember the trip. That hadn't happened since the episode in Kelly's office. It was starting to happen too much and he knew he would have to talk to Ray about it the next chance he got. His gaze returned to Bo. "Sorry Bo, I'm just a little off-kilter. I just lost a little time and wasn't expecting that. I believe these might help you out." and he handed over the sketches he found in his hands. "You might be able to match them to someone in the system." Todd sat back. He had noticed his hands shaking a little, it was another little annoyance or problem that had recently developed, he was wondering if the tremors had something to do with the poison. He clasped his hands together to control the tremors and waited for Bo to finish with the sketches.

 Bo took the sketches out and handed them to an officer and joined Todd back in his office. He observed Todd studying his hands and noticed the tremors. "You doing alright Todd?  I heard you had a very close call with that poison and now someone just showed up to kill you. That had to be unnerving."

 Todd sat back and said, "Seems to be an ongoing occurrence for me lately, these near-death experiences are getting tiring." Todd's sarcasm seemed a little forced and Bo had a feeling he was near the end of his rope. Todd realized that Bo had seen through his attempt at levity and quickly changed the subject. He wasn't ready for any sympathy from Bo. "Manning and I had quite a talk yesterday morning and I found out some information that might help you find Carlo. Manning told me a little bit about the doctor who has been taking care of him since 2003. It sounds like his Dr. Kipling might, in fact, be the same Dr. Ivan Kipling that had dealings and plots around here in the eighties. It seems Dr. Kipling has a home not far from the Kipling Neuroscience Research Facility. I'll bet you even money that Carlo might be hiding out there. Samuel has already established a connection between Hesser and the Facility. It stands to reason he might go to his partners for assistance."

 Bo had to hand it to Todd, once again he had managed to get some pertinent information that could get them back on track. Not only that but he had just provided two very good likenesses of his assailants. Bo had always known Todd was intelligent but when he was younger he hadn't always chosen the correct path to get to the bottom of things. Todd's efforts had sometimes helped but more often than not they had hindered many investigations. He was actually a very good investigator and he probably would have made a good cop in a different lifetime. This new Todd took a little getting used to. "Thanks, Todd, I'll get a call out to the Marshals that are looking for Hesser but I'm more concerned right now about these attempts on your life. You think the reason they didn't kill you is they figure you're still Samuel and are therefore not a threat yet."

 "Right Bo, I think Carlo doesn't want to have to dispose of me if he can help it. I do think I'm still under surveillance and he'll be keeping tabs on my movements. I know, keep a lower profile." Todd ran a hand through his hair. " I thought you guys had him safely in custody. Damn it, Bo, I just want this over. I want my life back. Has there been any more news about Marty? Blair told me Kelly was in surgery."

 "I was just informed that Marty tried to kill Natalie by throwing her off the roof of the Angel Square hotel. She's also taken Natalie's son. I've got men looking for her. Vicki called and said Natalie had survived the fall. It looks like Marty has really lost her mind." Bo replied.

 Todd shook his head, he hadn't seen Marty since she had left his penthouse with Patrick's dead body. Only later had he heard that Marty and a very undead Patrick had gone to Ireland and they had raised their child there. He still was having a hard time wrapping his head around the fact that Starr had a baby with Marty's son. "It seems unbelievable that she has gone so far. I know she's Hope's grandmother and to hear how much she has lost it, why Bo? She came so far after I almost ruined her life. I envied her and I still owe her all these years later. If you find her do you think she can be saved?"

 Bo looked at Todd and realized how far he had come from that arrogant boy who had once sat in his office. Something had definitely changed in him. Two attempts on his life in less than 24hrs would rattle a healthy man and Todd was taking serious risks with his heart as he remained determined to get Carlo. Now he was actually concerned for Marty and her well-being. "It depends on if we can get her safely, she's armed and not rational right now. We're going to try and bring her in without harming her. You understand she already seriously hurt Kelly and Natalie and now she's taken Liam, he's our first concern, Todd." Todd didn't respond at first and Bo looked at him again worried that something wasn't right. Todd seemed lost in thought. "Todd, are you alright?"

 Todd blinked and focused on Bo. "What?" he shook his head trying to clear his head but he was having trouble thinking. He looked at Bo and Bo was asking something but he was having trouble making out the question. "Samuel what's going on." he got no response from his alters and his hands had begun to tremble again. "Bo, help." he passed out.

 Bo was around his desk before Todd's final word and caught Todd as he toppled forward. Bo laid him on the floor and checked to see if it was his heart. Todd's heart was beating soundly but something had made Todd pass out and the trembling that Bo had observed before Todd passed out might have had something to do with it. Bo grabbed his phone and put out a call for medical assistance. "Todd, can you hear me?" Todd was down for the count and was showing no sign of coming out of it. The EMTs arrived and began working on Todd while asking questions of Bo. After hearing of the attempt against his life and the earlier attempt by poisoning they surmised that Todd had gone into delayed shock.

 Bo watched as Todd was taken to the hospital, he had been right when he had seen Todd's hands shake and he should have done something then. He had known in his heart that Todd had endured too much the last 24 hrs, it was amazing that Todd hadn't collapsed sooner. He picked up his phone and called Blair. "Blair, Samuel collapsed and is headed to the hospital... He's in shock but stable... I'm coming down. I'll fill you in when I get there."

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Who's the Real Todd?: Chapter 10

Blair and Jack made their way off the elevator and turned down the hall to Walker's room. Jack saw the police officer standing outside and looked inquiringly at his mother. "What's going on Mom, I thought you said Dad woke up. What happened to Shaun and why is there a police officer outside his room?" asked Jack

"Jack, I was exhausted when I got home this morning. I haven't told you everything that happened when we brought Samuel here last night. Someone made an attempt on Samuel's life last night. They tried to poison him and very nearly succeeded in killing him. His life was saved because instead of leaving the hospital he chose to have a talk with your dad. The officer was assigned to guard both your dad and Samuel. Shaun is also still working for your dad, he's probably on a well-deserved break. Now listen up, you're going to tell your dad what you've been doing to Shane. I suggest you listen hard to what he's going to say to you I think you're in for a surprise." They walked into the room and saw both men were resting.

As the door shut behind them Manning opened his eyes and saw Jack. "Well, my son has finally come to see me. Why the long face?" asked Manning.

"Mom has me grounded." grumbled Jack

"Why Blair, what did he do?" asked Manning.

"Your son has been bullying, Shane Morasco. but I'll let him tell you himself, maybe you can figure out why he felt the need to do it. I sure can't." replied Blair. " Samuel tried to talk to him about it last night, but Jack thinks you'll side with him, against us. I told him he might be surprised. Go ahead Jack, tell him what you did."

Manning listened as Jack told what he and his friends had been up to and then he heard about the cyberbullying and the latest entry that Jack put out there. The more he listened and watched as Jack talked, the more it bothered him. Jack was rattling off the events like he was describing a term paper or something. There was no remorse that he had hurt the other boy if anything Jack seemed proud of his accomplishment. He also acted like he was sure his dad would approve. Then Manning heard Jack say that the Morasco boy had considered suicide. Manning looked at Blair and she nodded. "Whoa, Jack you drove the boy to contemplate suicide. Doesn't that bother you?"

"Well a little but he's such a wimp Dad, he couldn't face a little fun on the Internet." answered Jack.

"Jack, tell your father just exactly what you posted," Blair said getting mad because Jack was leaving out the crucial items.

Jack cringed at his mom's tone and told his dad what they had posted. He saw his dad's eyes narrow but didn't realize that his dad's mood had gotten somber. "Mom got all bent out of shape, but the guy is weak, it was just a joke."

"Your mom was right to be bent out of shape. What you and your friends did borders on criminal. You pushed too far Jack. Everyone can get to a point where life isn't worth living, even me. A couple of years ago I stood where that young man stood, on the edge of a roof. There is a big difference between us, I did make the jump and I'm only here because I got lucky, I fell into the river. You don't believe me, ask your Mother, she saved me." Manning looked at Blair remembering the conversations afterward when Vicki and Blair both chastised him for not thinking of his children and for trying to take the coward's way out just because he was unhappy.

Jack looked over at his mother and she nodded. He looked at his dad and couldn't believe that the man he idolized tried to kill himself. He didn't know what to say to his dad.

From behind them, another voice entered the conversation. "He's right Jack, we all can be pushed to the point where no life is preferable to the life we're facing. I also stood on the edge of a roof once. Thinking who would miss me. But my sister talked me out of taking the easy way and I'm still here and kicking because of it. What we're trying to get through to you is that even you might find yourself in that place one day. None of us want you to end up there. This path you're on is a very sticky one. Neither of us wants you to be like us. We've both done things, we wish we hadn't. People have been hurt by our actions, not because they deserved it but because we thought they deserved it. Marty didn't deserve to be hurt, but we practically ruined her life and ours in the process. You're hurting Shane because you've decided he's weak. You have the power to make him miserable and you're using it. You need to hear what we're saying, Jack, because if you aren't, if it is not sinking in, then we've got a big problem." Todd pulled himself back up on the bed to face his son and saw he hadn't gotten through to Jack. Todd looked at Blair and Manning and shook his head.

"I already told Shane I was sorry, what do you guys want from me?" asked Jack.

Manning frowned, even he heard the insincerity coming out of Jack's mouth. Jack really didn't think he had done anything terrible. Manning had seen Samuel's face and realized that Samuel had seen it in Jack's face too. Jack had no remorse whatsoever for what he had done. It was apparent that they both had failed Jack, the question that arose now was how did they reverse Jack's attitude before it was too late. "Jack, we want you to stop. That's what we want." Even as he said the words to Jack, he knew they were going to go in one ear and out the other. God of all times for this to happen. Manning felt frustrated he was still getting over the attack and Samuel just showed up and they were smack in the middle of a crisis. How were they going to give Jack the attention he needed right now when all their lives were in turmoil. "Jack think about what we've told you today. It's important to us that you understand. For now, you probably need to get to class. Keep your distance from Morasco and stop the harassment. That's an order, Jack." said Manning. Jack looked at all of them and when his Mom nodded he left the room.

The mood in the room was somber, Blair looked at the two men in her life and realized they both saw what she had seen. "We have a problem, what are we going to do?" she asked.

Todd spoke up first, "We'll deal. This is not good but we can't give it the proper attention until Hesser and his hired assassins have been caught. It's time I got out of here. The Sun hit the streets this morning with my picture on the front page. The town is going to be speculating who I am and why am I here. That means the assassin who shot at you Manning is now aware I'm in town too. We have two killers on the loose, gunning for us both. if we can't find Hesser soon, they'll make more attempts. You said that Dr. Kipling had a home outside of Philadelphia. We need to get word to Bo about its location. It's possible Hesser might be hiding out there. Blair, find the doctor and get me out of here." Todd carefully set his feet on the floor and stood up. The shot the doctor had given him earlier had done the trick and his body had stopped being wracked with pain. He still felt a little shaky but he didn't like being trapped in the hospital just waiting to be attacked.

Manning watched enviously while Samuel regained his feet. He too wanted out of the hospital but he was still too weak. A month-long coma wasn't something he could just leap out of bed from. At that moment, Tea walked through the door and came to his side. She kissed him, then she stared over at Todd and said."What are you doing? Don't you think you should rest longer?"

Blair had walked over to give support to Todd until she was sure he was stable, then she gave Todd a kiss and went to get Todd checked out.   He looked over at Tea and said. " I have to go. I need to put in an appearance around town as Samuel. It's imperative that Hesser thinks I'm still Samuel and just trying to make a play for the Sun. He can't know I have my memory back. It's the only thing that will keep him off guard right now. I'm already concerned about the attempt to kill me yesterday. He suspects I have my memory, now I have to make him go back to believing I don't, so he'll call off the hit. He mustn't find out you're aware of the problem either Manning. It's time for us to put on a show of being enemies so he'll come out of hiding. Are you ready?" he looked at Manning.

"You bet. Tea, you need to try and stop Samuel's takeover. This has to look real." Manning said.

Todd nodded at both of them. "Alright, then folks, it's Showtime!"

Vicki was coming round the corner to Walker's room when she spotted the policeman. She saw Blair talking to a doctor and intercepted her. "What's happening? Why does Walker have a police officer guarding him now?"

Blair looked at Vicki. "The police officer was put in place last night. Todd dropped into a catatonic state at my house early last evening and I brought him here. Somehow I broke through to Samuel and with his help, we got Todd back. The doctor ordered a mild anti-depressant for Todd and we watched as he took it but before leaving, Todd chose to see Walker who had just woken up. Todd was talking to Walker when Walker called for help. We entered the room behind the nurse to find Todd passed out on the floor." at those words Vicki gasped. "It's okay Vicki, he's fine now. Walker told us Todd's last words were, that he had been poisoned, so they immediately pumped his stomach. The very fact that he chose to talk to Walker saved his life. It was a potent poison, any longer in his system and he would be dead. Bo decided to send one officer to guard both men during the night and he's going to stay and help Shaun guard Walker. Todd is well enough to go home so I'm getting ready to take him there. Come on let's go see them. By the way, Walker has been told he's not the real Todd." Blair took Vicki's arm and they entered the room together.

Todd had taken a chair to wait on Blair. He and Tea and Manning had a plan ready to put into play so it was necessary to get out on the street as soon as possible. He saw his sister enter with Blair and knew she had been told the whole story about the previous evening. He saw the concern on her face and rose to greet her. "I'm fine Sis. You know me, still have a few cat lives left." he kissed her cheek and looked at Blair. " All ready?" Blair nodded and he turned to Manning and Tea. Nodding, he walked to the door and opened it wide so all in the hall could hear. "It's been a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Manning, I hope you don't begrudge a distant cousin for trying to get a piece of the pie. Believe me, it was a simple business transaction." he left the room followed by Blair.

Tea went to the door and yelled. "Mr. Toddman, cousin or no cousin, you have a fight on your hands." then she slammed the door and retreated inside.

Vicki looked stunned, "What was that all about?” Puzzled she turned to the man lying on the bed. “Oh, it's good to see you awake Todd."

Manning looked at the woman he called sis and realized he couldn't call her that any longer. All this time he had thought she was his half-sister and now he knew that it wasn't true and judging by Vicki's reaction to Samuel, she also knew the truth. "You don't have to pretend to care, Vicki, I know I'm not your brother. It's been made very clear that I have no idea at all who I am. I still feel like I'm Todd, I love the same people and my memories are almost the same as his." his voice just petered out as he looked at both Vicki and Tea.

Tea went back to her Todd and said. "Remember, we're going to find out the truth and even if you never remember your true self, I'm going to be by your side." she took his hand and then looked back at Vicki. "Sorry for the theatrics earlier, we're not sure who's watching, so Todd figured we would let everyone think he's Samuel Toddman the new owner of the Sun. If the person who tried to poison him is still around, we hope the word will get back to Carlo that he's still Samuel and not Todd."

Vicki looked at Tea and nodded. "That's probably for the best right now." then she looked at the man who had been her brother for so many years. He had helped her daughter, Jessica, when she had first started manifesting Tess and he had held her hand when she had almost died from a heart attack, she cared deeply for him and wanted him to know that. "We don't know your real name, but I still love you like a brother. For the time being, would you mind if I call you Walker? That is the name you had when we first met and I think it fits you very well. I understand if you don't want that. In which case I'll continue to call you Todd. You tell me what you want me to do." She waited for his answer.

Manning thought about it and said. "If you can, I would still like to be Todd, Vicki, I know I don't really have the right to the name, but it's the only name I feel comfortable with right now."

"Very well, Todd, I'm very glad you're awake at last. I know it must have been hard to wake up as Todd Manning and then have your identity taken away last night by someone who you've only seen pictures of. I apologize for my brother, he isn't known for his tact. Although this time I'm glad his lack of tact had him in here with you when the poison attacked him. Thank you for getting him help." said Vicki. "I want you to know that you are still part of this family, you might not be by blood but you definitely qualify by sweat and tears. So you continue to get better and I hope this plan you and my brother have hatched will bring Carlo out, so the two of you can get on with your lives." Vicki sat and visited a little longer then left to find Clint.

After leaving the hospital, Todd had Blair drive him back downtown to the Manning building. He made a big show of entering the lobby and greeting the doorman. Then he headed for the executive floor to try and find Kelly. Upon entering his office he saw that she had left for the day. He took advantage of the quiet to sit and write an editorial concerning his desire to be a hands-on owner and the wish that all of the employees would know that their jobs were still safe even if the reins were held by a new party.

Blair had taken a seat and watched him work and was surprised when he brought the editorial over to her for her critique. It was so reminiscent of days long gone. She read what he had written and made a minor correction here and there then she handed it back for him to read.

He smiled and sent the editorial to print. After writing a personal note to Kelly, Todd walked over to Blair and said. "Let's go get a drink at this establishment of yours. It's time for Samuel to get out and about in this town."

"Todd are you sure you're up to this, just this morning you were still in some pain from that poison. The doctor told me that he had to give you some additional pain medication after we left." Blair asked.

"The doctor should have kept his mouth shut. I'm fine Blair, really. Besides, you're doing the driving. Come on, I haven't been out on the town since I got here and I've been in town for well over a month now. I want to see if I recognize anyone or if anyone will recognize me." he pulled her to her feet and guided her out of the office, securing her hand in his arm he headed for the elevator. He was actually feeling pretty good, now he had a scheme in mind and they were putting it into play.

They arrived at the Capricorn and Todd had a definite sense of DeJaVu. One of his fondest memories took place in the Capricorn, he wondered if Blair remembered that night the way he did. The club hadn't changed a whole lot in eight years he saw one familiar face and that was Christian Vega. Blair walked in holding his arm and took him straight to the bar.

Christian did a double-take when he saw who Blair walked in with. For one moment, he thought he was seeing Todd but he realized Todd was still in the hospital and hadn't looked like his old self for eight long years. As Blair and the gentleman came closer, Christian knew who was with Blair. Samuel Toddman had just walked into their bar. "Well Blair, it looks like your mysterious artist decided to come to visit I see. The name is Christian Vega, I must say it's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Toddman." he held out his hand.

Todd took Christian's hand and shook it and said. "Thank you, but how did you know my name?"

Christian looked at Samuel and was amazed at how much he looked like Todd. The biggest difference was the two scars and his demeanor. "I accompanied Blair to France when she went looking for the artist of her portrait. I also drew a sketch of you from Tomas's memory so that Blair might find you. I saw several other paintings you did of Blair. They were outstanding by the way. What brings you here to the States, Mr. Toddman?"

"Well, you see, after meeting Blair, I was curious to meet her ex-husband. She told me that I used to resemble him but that he had had reconstructive surgery. I did a little research into his background and found out we were distantly related so I decided to come and meet some of my relatives. Blair and I recently reconnected and she thought I might enjoy a night out in her club. How is it you drew a sketch of me but you’re here tending bar? That is a strange combination of artist/bartender." Todd inquired. He knew Christian was an artist and that he had tended bar for his brother Antonio but he also knew he should show a little curiosity to keep Christian off guard.

Christian replied. " I teach art at Llanview University and I'm half-owner in this bar with Blair. We've been friends for a long time."

Blair had been quiet during the whole introduction. She felt Todd stiffen up when he heard that she was partners with Christian. Todd had trouble when it came to her and Christian. She had once tried to make him jealous by hitting on Christian and then later she and Christian had become friends with benefits when both their lives had been turned upside down. She knew Todd did not need to be told about that fling so she drew him away from the bar and sat him down near the stage. "Wait here," then she went and whispered something to Cris and he flip a few switches and the lights came up on the stage. Music began playing a very familiar song and Todd turned as Blair started singing making her way to the stage. He hadn't heard the full song since Valentine's day 2002. Blair looked out at Todd, saw him, and sang to him alone. As always the applause was generous when she finished and Blair walked down to join Todd at his table. When she sat down he leaned over and gently kissed her and whispered in her ear. "Thank you."

            Blair smiled and gave him another kiss then she said, "I think it's time I took you home, tomorrow you can be all strong and get to work on your plan to out Carlo. Just last night you collapsed outside my door and then shortly thereafter you were poisoned. I'm afraid someone might take a shot at you the way they did Walker. Please let me take you home?"

Todd smiled and nodded. "Okay we'll go but you have to promise to tuck me into bed," he said with a grin.

Blair laughed and said, "Samuel, you dog. Don't tell me you say that to your other girls, you've completely changed my image of you."

Todd was surprised at the comment until he realized that Christian had come up to them. He played along so Christian wouldn't get suspicious. " Blair, I'm just a poor starving artist from Paris.  Surely you don't begrudge me my muses. Oh, Christian, you tell her, Artists are human just like everyone else. We just put our women up on pedestals more often. Oui."

Christian smiled, he liked Samuel. Blair seemed contented and liked having him in town. After everything she went through with Eli, it was good to see her happy. "Blair, give the guy a break, he doesn't know many people in town. At the same time, Samuel, you better be good to her. She's a good friend. She deserves a little happiness right now."

"Christian, you have no need to worry. Blair is one of a kind and I'm a fortunate man indeed that she's taken a liking to me. You both have a nice establishment here and Blair, you're enchanting when you sing. I'll definitely have to come here more often." he took Blair's hand and kissed it like Samuel would have done. Blair blushed and felt the tingle that ran from her hand to her heart. Todd gave a knowing smile and rose from his chair. He helped Blair rise and said goodnight to Christian and led Blair out.

The drive home was quiet and the penthouse was still when they entered. Todd looked around and felt his tension ease. Yesterday morning seemed like a lifetime ago. He walked to the bar and poured a couple of drinks. "Blair, when did you and Christian become partners?" he asked curiously. He handed Blair her drink and sat down next to her, waiting for a reply.

Blair took a sip and answered. "I bought into the club when Antonio decided to leave town. Walker was running the Sun and I didn't want to work there so I needed another outlet. The Club seemed like the ideal investment. Christian needed some capital to keep the place open and so we became partners."

"Why did you bring Christian to Paris with you?" asked Todd.

Blair looked at Todd and realized he was trying to figure out if there had been anything going on between her and Christian in Paris. She quickly decided to clear that up. "Todd, nothing was going on between Christian and me in Paris. Christian came with me to help me locate you and to see his fiance Layla who was working in Paris. You should be grateful to Christian, without his skills as an artist we wouldn't have gotten a sketch of Samuel and I wouldn't have found you. The moment that Christian showed me your sketch, was a defining moment. I knew I couldn't leave Paris until I found the man in that sketch. When Samuel opened that door, it was fate. I have you here now and this is where I want to be." she put down her glass and leaned in to kiss him. Todd pulled her close and the kiss deepened.

It was a kiss full of promise and Blair sighed when Todd ended it.  He looked at her and said. "You promised to tuck me in. I think I'm ready." he grabbed her hand and they headed upstairs. They entered his room and he closed the door so they wouldn't be disturbed. Blair led him to the bed and sat him down then she slowly undressed him. He laid back and watched as she undressed and joined him in the bed. Then he gather her back into his arms and began kissing and caressing her, his beautiful Blair. Todd kissed the nape of her neck and made his way down her body with his lips. Her skin was smooth as silk and she quivered as he found her firm breast and suckled them.  His hands continued to caress and he felt her hands begin their own exploration, her fingers were magical and his body felt so alive. He looked down into her eyes as his fever rose, threatening to light the sheets on fire and he knew she was ready. They joined as one, senses crashing like waves pounding the beach. His body exhausted, he gave Blair one final kiss and fell into a deep sleep.

Blair held him, letting her own heart settle down. When she was sure he wouldn't awaken if she moved, she carefully removed herself from the bed and covered him. She went to the bathroom and cleaned up and grabbing her gown, she dressed and joined Todd back in the bed. Leaning over she ran her fingers through his hair and then kissed him. Wrapping him once more in her arms she fell asleep.

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