PREVIOUSLY

Dorian watches the expression on Todd's face. She notices the lines of worry furrowing in his brow. She sees the fear and concern of the uncertainty of the situation take over his body and is utterly amazed. Here standing before her is a man whom she thought possessed no feelings or emotions. But to see him this way only added another piece to her mind's puzzle of Todd Manning. She realized that she would probably never figure him out. She was shocked at how much he cared for Tea. But she was even more surprised to realize that she felt something other than hate for him. She actually felt sorry for him. She says a silent prayer for them both, knowing that the next few hours were going to be critical.

***************************************************************************************************

Max Holden rolls over and reaches a hand over to the night table, searching for the ringing telephone. It was after midnight and he'd had a hard day. Whoever was on the phone had better have a good reason for calling this late, Max thought to himself.

"What!" he bellows grumpily into the receiver.

"Max, this is Paul from Rodi's. Sorry to be calling so late. But, I just wanted to let you know that your lady friend is in here causing quite a commotion."

"What friend? Blair? What's she doing, Paul?"

"Yeah, Blair. That's the one. She's pretty wasted, man. We took her keys so that she can't drive. You might want to come pick her up."

Max slams down the phone. A drunk Blair. Something obviously had happened for her to be out drinking by herself. Something probably having to do with Todd Manning. He didn't understand her infatuation with that man. He was like a virus, eating away at all that was still good and alive inside of her.

"Why do I even bother with you, Blair?" a bewildered Max asks himself. "You're nothing but trouble." He takes one last glance in the mirror before rushing out the door.

A half hour later, he's dragging his inebriated fiance through the front door of Dorian's. He helps her up to her bedroom and onto the bed.

"Here we go, Blair. Home. Safe and sound."

"Max, you're too good to me. I guess that's why I keep you around," Blair says with a laugh just before passing out.

"And you're so beautiful," Max says to the unconscious Blair. He stares at her face, uneasy by the demons hauting her, but still beautiful. A face he loves to look at. "I guess that's why I stay around. Sweet dreams, my love," he says, kissing her on the lips before cuddling up next to her on the bed.

***********************************************************************************************************

Todd stares into Tea's hospital room, watching the many people buzz back and forth all around the room, attaching instruments, taking blood, and doing other mysterious medical acts that only brought more worry to his mind.

"Why don't you sit down for a while, Todd," Dorian says from behind. "Cassie brought us some coffee."

Todd turns around and silently obeys Dorian. He takes one last peek into Tea's room before finding a seat on the other side of the waiting room. He takes the coffee from Dorian and stares into the cup.

"Listen, Todd. I'm sure she's going to be alright. She's got excellent doctors working on her now. But I know that this is all pretty scary for you." She sits down next to him, and gently lays a hand on his shoulder to offer her support.

A doctor appears from the room and Todd runs over to him.

"Doctor, how is she? How's the baby?"

"Mr. Manning, we're still running tests, so we're not sure right now. But, from my initial observations, your wife doesn't appear to be in labor. The baby's fine. There's a strong and steady heartbeat."

"That's a good thing, right Doctor?" Todd asks with a sigh of relief at the news.

"That's very good news, Todd," Dorian answers. "But Doctor. What about her symptoms? The backache and the pains in her abdomen?"

"There are several things a woman needs to be aware of when she's pregnant. The backache and the abdominal pain are symptoms of labor, but they can also be symptoms of labor inducing factors. Factors such as stress, anxiety, high blood pressure, or dehydration. I see signs of all of those with Mrs. Manning. The symptoms she's experiencing are more than like from a combination of those and not an indication of labor."

"What does all of that mean, Doctor?" Todd starts to get worried again.

"It means that things are going to have to change for your wife. Her blood pressure is bordering on being dangerously high, and she's slightly dehydrated and undernourished. If left untreated, that could lead to premature labor. We don't want that happening, so I want to keep her in the hospital for a few days. We'll monitor her blood pressure and start her on fluids to get her hydrated. After that, it'll be up to you to make sure she stays away from stress and that she's eating properly and getting plenty of rest."

The doctor leaves and an exhausted Todd sinks back into his chair, running his fingers through his wild hair.

"It's not as bad as it seems, Todd," Dorian says, trying to encourage him. "All you have to do is make sure she rests and keep her away from stress."

"That's easier said than done, Dorian. She's fine most of the time. It's just . . . . "

"You don't have to say it. It's just Blair. That niece of mine has been causing a lot of trouble for the two of you."

"It's just Blair being Blair, Dorian. I don't think there's anything we can do to stop that. Blair doesn't scare me. What scares me is what she's doing to Tea. From what that doctor said tonight, I don't think Tea can take too many more confrontations with Blair."

"I wish I knew what to tell you. But like you said, Blair will be Blair. It doesn't matter what anyone of us says. She doesn't stop until she gets what she wants."

Todd turns and walks back towards the room, leaning his head against the door post. He lets Dorian's words sink in and realizes that she is right. If Blair is bent on destroying Tea, then there was nothing anyone would be able to do to stop her. For some reason, Blair saw Tea as a threat. She's not going to give up until she's won.

But what's the prize? What's the ultimate goal? Todd wonders to himself if Blair honestly thought there was a chance of their getting back together. He remembered she claimed to be engaged to Max Holden, but she seems to spend more time plotting her revenge than actually planning her wedding. That stunt at the house last week was evidence of that. Blair deliberately took advantage of Tea's hospitality and used it as an opportunity to undermine her place in Todd's life.

A place that seemed to be growing more and more each day. Todd couldn't explain it, but for the first time in his life, he felt happy. For the longest time, he didn't know how to define that word. But the first moment he met Tea, he felt the sensation that was unknown to him for so long before. The way she walked into any room as though she owned it always brought a smile to his face. Her determination and dedication to a cause increased his respect for her. The way she refused to let anyone step all over her made him realize that she was a force to be reckoned with. And most importantly, he appreciated the way she cared for and nurtured his most prized possession, Starr.

But for all the unexpected joy and happiness she's brought to his life, he's reciprocated with nothing but pain and anguish. She tried so many times to get him to open up. All she ever wanted was for him to treat her with a little dignity and respect. The dignity and respect that she deserved just for putting up with his sorry butt. The dignity and respect that he finally allowed himself to bestow upon her. The first real feelings Todd felt for anyone in a long time. Feelings that grew over time into friendship.

"Some friend I am, Delgado. I warned you that I'd end up hurting you," he mumbles to himself, just barely audible.

"Todd, don't blame yourself for this. How can this be your fault?" Dorian tries to comfort him. "We both know what Blair is capable of."

"But I put her in the middle of it, Dorian. I almost welcomed the competition between the two of them. And now look at where she is. Scared, pregnant and trapped. And it's all my fault."

"Maybe I'm not the best person to be here right now, Todd. Should I call Viki or something?"

"I'll be okay. Viki is with Starr. She's still getting used to the new house and I didn't want her waking up and not finding me or Tea. And she'll be there to get Starr off to school in the morning," he says, looking down at his watch. "Actually, make that a few minutes," he says when he notices the time.

"Is it morning already?" Dorian asks, amazed.

"Dorian, I'm so sorry. I know you're ready to go home. You've been here all night with us. I can't believe you did that. I can't believe you stayed."

"To tell you the truth, Todd, neither can I. You and I have never been big fans of each other. But, I knew that Tea needed me tonight. And no matter what I felt about you, it wouldn't have been fair to make her suffer."

"Well, you may not believe this coming from me, but thank you. I..."

"You're welcome, Todd," she says, not allowing him to finish his thought. Enough had been said between them. They share an awkward, silent moment. Neither of them knowing what to say at this unprecedented event.

"Mr. Manning." The moment is interrupted by a doctor emerging from Tea's room. "You can see your wife now."

"Thanks, Doctor," Todd says, shaking the man's hand. "And thanks again, Dorian." He flashes a quick smile before slipping into the room. He walks slowly over to the bed and peeks down at Tea to see if she's awake.

"Was that Dorian out there with you?" a groggy Tea asks. "I can't believe she's still here. I can't believe the two of you survived the night here together," she says with a sleepy giggle.

"Well, I'm glad to see that your sense of humor is intact, Delgado." Todd sits on the edge of her bed, trying not to disturb her too much. "Besides, she didn't stay for me. She stayed to follow up on her patient. We were both pretty worried, you know."

Todd looks away, not able to make eye contact. His eyes always betray him. She can always look into them and see his innermost thoughts. And he did not want her to see what he was really feeling. He did not want her to see that he was so scared for her that he felt his heart would explode. He didn't want her to see how afraid he was of losing her. He didn't want her to realize how much he actually cared.

"I was scared too, Todd. But I knew you were out there. I knew you were here for me." She reaches over to the edge of the bed and grabs hold to his hand. She gently places it on her stomach and hugs it close to her body.

Todd turns back around towards her, but notices that she's already drifted off to sleep.

"Oh Tea. You have so much faith in me," he whispers, not wanting to wake her. "You've taken care of me and Starr all this time. Now it's time to take care of you. I'm going to fix this. I promise. One way or another, Blair is not going to bother you anymore."

TO BE CONTINUED...