HELL - PART ONE
I must begin this new series with an apology for the messy way I broke up TnT in “Purgatory.” However, I do believe the strong, fiery and vindictive Téa Delgado that we knew before Pam Long got a hold of her would not welcome Todd back with open arms. From the first time I saw the spoiler indicating she would become a district attorney, her new job seemed laden with interesting story possibilities if Todd were to return. I hope I have done an adequate job of showing the conflict between her desire for revenge and the underlying feelings she still has for her wayward ex.
Many of you may be thinking that, given all the machinations Todd went through last year to stay out of prison, that he would never plead guilty and allow himself to be locked up, no matter the circumstances. I disagree. Obviously, he is guilt-ridden over the way he hurt Tea, Viki and others with his lies. I think he loves Téa enough to do just about anything to get her back, and if he believed he could make it up to her by doing jail time, he would do even that. Of course, he always punishes himself for his perceived shortcomings, and what better way to do that than to relive one of his worst nightmares?
In this next series I continue to explore Todd’s attempts to deal with his past. Many apologies to anyone in the psychology profession, because I really have no idea if what I’ve written is in any way accurate. I choose to deal with Todd’s breakthroughs as a means to draw him closer to Téa, rather than a story unto themselves.
So bear with me as I spin you a tale of TnT working their way slowly back together in fits and starts, as Todd proves that he can get the better of John Sykes, even when he is locked up and at his mercy.
MCW
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PREVIOUSLY
When the doors had finally shut and the elevator hummed as it carried its human cargo deep into the ground, Téa approached and laid her palm against the cold metal. She leaned her forehead against it and felt the hot tears rolling down her cheeks. Now she finally knew the truth of the words, “Be careful what you wish for.”
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Téa ran into the street without looking, oblivious to the cars screeching their brakes and honking their horns. She had run the entire eight blocks from the courthouse as fast as her dress heels would allow, and she didn’t stop until she was deep within the comforting presence of the Llanview Central Park. Slowing to a walk, she breathed deep and tried to regain her composure. A cart vendor sold her a diet drink, and she trudged along slowly, painfully aware of the blisters she now had on each heel. It was the first really nice day of spring, and she gratefully removed her suit jacket, carrying it neatly folded over one arm.
As she strolled the path, the young assistant district attorney shook her head in self-disgust, ashamed of herself for her headlong flight from her workplace. But after seeing Todd hauled off to jail, somehow she just couldn’t face the unctuous fawning of John Sykes, or the all too accurate accusations of Sam or Blair. Téa shuddered as she remembered the look of abject misery on Todd’s face when she had last seen him and the way he had looked down just as the elevator doors had closed, as though he couldn’t bear to watch as the outside world was sealed away from him. She stopped and swallowed hard to rid herself of the image. Setting her jaw, she told herself she had nothing to feel guilty about. Todd had earned his stay in hell.
The park was at its most beautiful that afternoon. Everywhere she looked, Téa could see showy banks of blooming tulips in every color and shade. The artificial lake glowed in the reflective sunlight, a few toy sailboats drifting on the surface. Many of the stately trees showed off their fine spring raiment of soft blossoms. Noticing a particularly gorgeous bed of deep purple tulips, Téa squatted down and gingerly ran her fingertip over the delightful fringe edging each petal. It was the kind of day that made one happy to be alive. Happy to be alive, if you weren’t currently being stripped, searched, chained and locked in a place so dreary, not even a hint of spring could ever penetrate the drab walls. Téa closed her eyes against a fresh torrent of tears.
Dragging her feet and limping slightly, she moved to a park bench and sat down, rummaging in her handbag for a tissue. As she blew her nose, a young couple from nearby Llanview University walked by hand in hand. They laughed and talked intently, their heads almost touching. Suddenly, the young man grabbed the girl, causing her to shriek, and bent her over backwards dramatically. As he kissed her passionately, her arms reached up to play with his hair as she returned his affection. Turning away abruptly, Téa looked towards the playground and saw a young father catch up a little girl and swing her over his head the way she had seen Todd do with Starr many times. A catch in her throat, she noticed an old couple a few benches away. They were feeding bread to a couple of perky squirrels, and as Téa watched, the man reached out to pat the woman affectionately on the knee. Téa dabbed at her eyes. She had never felt so alone.
Slowly, she pulled her briefcase onto her lap and opened it. Hesitating a moment, she reached into the last partitioned section of the case and felt around with her hand. She withdrew a small black velvet pouch that had been hidden deep within the folds. Carefully undoing the drawstring, she tipped it over and let the contents fall into her palm. There was her wedding ring, the one Todd had returned to her after he had left town. Téa knew she should get rid of it as Carlotta had suggested, especially now that her marriage to Todd was indeed over. But after staring at it for a moment, she slipped the ring on her left hand and held it out to look at it. Making sure she wasn’t observed, she fumbled again in the briefcase and brought out a worn newspaper clipping. It was a photo of her and Todd together that had appeared in the Sun just before their doomed wedding day. After looking at it for a while, she pulled out her copy of the marriage annulment and stared at Todd’s signature on the bottom. She reached out a finger and traced the script. Gritting her teeth, she pulled off the ring and sadly returned it to its hiding place. A tear escaped from her eye and made a shiny track as it slipped down her cheek.
It so happened that Todd was thinking of her, too, as he emerged from the basement locker room dressed again in the blue uniform of the Llanview City Jail, the hated handcuffs binding his wrists. Seeing Téa a few minutes before had weakened his carefully constructed wall of indifference to his fate. When he had seen her running toward him in the corridor, he had expected to have his nose rubbed in the complete mess his life had become. But those had been real tears in her eyes. Instead of gloating, Delgado had seemed confused and upset at his downfall. Todd knew that her apparent sympathy meant very little as far as their relationship was concerned, but he was currently in dire need of even the tiniest glimmer of hope, and Téa was like the last shred of net keeping him from plunging into the abyss of despair. Although he was resolved to accept his sentence, losing the woman he loved was an almost unbearable punishment, and it was some consolation to know that he might catch a glimpse of her from time to time in the police station. As his guards escorted him toward the lock-up, Todd fought against his rising panic by falling back on his familiar anger. Inwardly he sneered at himself for his soft thoughts of lost love. Delgado was probably out there snuggling up to that jerk detective and toasting his destruction with the Buchanans. Looking at the floor, he told himself that Téa was the one who had done this to him and deserved his contempt. Yes, he should hate her and use his time behind bars to plan revenge. But deep in his heart he knew he could never despise Delgado. She had loved him and tried to help him. The blame for their failed marriage rested solely with him.
Swallowing hard, he headed for the locked gate that marked the entrance to the jail, but he was grabbed from behind and roughly shoved toward the staircase leading to the squad room. He tripped and had just regained his balance when the tip of a nightstick was prodded brutally into the small of his back. “Upstairs, Manning. The commissioner wants to see you and welcome you personally with an itinerary for the lovely little vacation we have planned for you.” Todd grunted, clenching and unclenching his fists, comforting himself with thoughts of what he would like to do to the sadistic guard. Gritting his teeth, he began the long climb, realizing that part of his punishment would be to be paraded through the squad room in chains for the amusement of the cops and any Buchanans who happened to be hanging around. As for Bo, he knew the time had come for the commissioner to take his revenge for all the pain Todd had caused him and his family, both real and imagined. Yes, Bo would have to be paid his pound of flesh.
As they arrived at the commissioner’s office, Todd waited quietly as the policeman knocked on the door, bracing himself for the ordeal he knew was upon him. Another cop opened the door and the prisoner stepped quickly through before the nasty guard could use the nightstick on him again. He strolled nonchalantly across the room and planted himself in front of the desk, while the second officer waited just inside the door. “Wow. A private audience with the main man himself. How did I get so lucky?” said Todd in mock amazement. Bo was sitting in his chair, leaning back with his hands folded behind his head. He smirked at Todd with an amused glint in his eye. Manning stared back, making eye contact and trying as best he could to keep his face impassive. As he watched, Bo lifted his feet and rested them on the desk, crossing them casually.
“Ya know, Manning, this is better than I ever imagined it would be,” he taunted, continuing to smile stupidly. “I’ve got six whole months to think up new and inventive ways to make you pay for everything you’ve done to hurt the people I love. It’s quite a challenge, really, trying to pack a life sentence’s worth of punishment into just half a year.” Todd forced himself to relax, realizing it would take everything he had to keep hold of his temper. But knowing that Bo’s goal was to rattle him, he vowed inwardly not to give him that satisfaction.
“The guard said you would tell me the terms under which I’m to be imprisoned,” said Todd evenly, knowing the answer was something he didn’t want to hear.
“Oh, c’mon Todd!” laughed Bo. “Even you aren’t that stupid. Can’t you figure it out?”
“Let me guess. Solitary?” said Todd as though he couldn’t care less where he spent the next six months. Bo put his feet down and leaned forward on the desk. He made a great show of looking over a paper.
“Well, that would be nice, I’ll admit, but unfortunately we don’t exactly have a section set aside for solitary confinement. You’ll have to settle for the high security lock-up. I believe you’re familiar with the place and its spacious 5 x 9 accommodations. Let’s see…you escaped from custody less than a year ago. Guess that means we’ll have to put you under a 24 hour lock-down.” He glanced up quickly and was rewarded with a small grimace from his prisoner.
“Look Bo, call it whatever you want. We both know it’s the same thing, so spare me the details of your sick plan. Just do it and get it over with.”
The commissioner grinned in satisfaction. Todd continued to stare at him, showing his anger only in his eyes. “That’s it? You’re awfully quiet, Todd. Don’t you have anything else to say?”
“What’s the point? Nothing I say will change your mind. You’ve already got my torture all planned out.”
“True. But you’d make it so much more fun for me if you’d squirm a bit.” Bo stood up and moved around to the front of the desk. He sat down on the edge, facing his captive. “I’ll have to allow your therapy sessions with Susannah, but the HS lock-up comes with a whole set of restrictions: limited phone calls, limited personal items, limited visits…” He waited for Todd’s reaction.
“Guess it’s a good thing I’ve managed to burn all my bridges with everyone,” said Todd without changing expression. “I won’t have to disappoint any of my fan club.”
“I have to hand it to you, Manning. You do manage to play the part of the aloof convict very well. Too bad for you I know your weak spot. There is someone you care about. Someone you want to see more than you want food to eat or air to breathe.” Todd tensed up, knowing that the worst blow was about to fall. “Say, a little girl…oh, about six or seven, with long blonde hair and a smile to die for. Am I getting warm, Manning?”
Todd took a deep breath and gritted his teeth. “You’re not going to deny me visits with my daughter,” he managed to choke out.
Bo moved in for the kill. He stood up and moved just a few inches away from Todd’s side. The prisoner remained staring straight ahead. “Oh really, Todd? And why do you think I’d allow you the one thing you want most in the world?” He spoke so close to his ear, Todd could feel his breath stirring his hair.
Giving up any pretense of hiding his pain, Todd turned to face him. “Why, Bo?” he whispered. “Why? Because I’m not the only one you would hurt if you keep us apart.” Bo blinked, stepping back slightly. Seeing that he had hit his mark, Todd continued. “That’s right, Bo, you’d be hurting a little girl. I’m still her father, in spite of my crimes, and she needs me. I understand your need to see me suffer, but don’t hurt Starr as well.”
“Maybe the best thing I can do for her is to keep you away,” sneered Bo, recovering slightly.
The emotional turmoil finally got to Todd and he let the anger show. “Keep telling yourself that, Bo,” he spat. “Maybe it will help you sleep better at night.”
“Oh I don’t think I’ll have a bit of trouble sleeping, Manning,” said Bo, moving back behind his desk. “Not when I know you’ll be locked up down there, crying for your little girl and wondering which of Blair’s boyfriends she’s calling Daddy this week.”
“You bastard!” shouted Todd, unable to keep control any longer. He stepped forward menacingly, bringing the guard off the wall to a position directly behind him. His hands worked frantically, causing the chain between them to clank dully. Looking anywhere for a weapon to use against the smug face opposite him, his eyes fell on a framed photo of the commissioner’s dead son, Drew. “At least my kid is alive, happy and comfortable with her mother. Yours is in his grave, put there by you when you sent him out to deal with a crazy chick with no one to watch his back!” Bo lunged forward with his eyes popping out of his head, and Todd knew he had sealed his own fate. The commissioner reached out his hands as though he’d like to throttle the prisoner, then thought better of it. He looked at the young policeman.
“Get this piece of crap out of here before I kill him!” he shouted. The guard grabbed Todd by the elbow and began to drag him away. Suddenly overwhelmed by the hellish existence he was condemned to endure, the prisoner pulled free and looked toward the tiny window, tears standing in his eyes. “That’s right, Manning,” said Bo, twisting the knife. “Take a good look at the sky and sun, because that’s the last you’re going to see of them for a long, long time. No spring, no summer, just gray walls and steel bars.” The officer, who was inexperienced enough to still feel sorry for an offender, approached Todd and gently took his arm. Taking a deep breath and swallowing hard, Todd straightened his spine, shrugged off the cop and marched toward the door. “Make sure you do a body cavity search before you lock him up,” called Bo after him with a malicious grin. Almost through the door, Todd stopped and leaned against the doorframe, bringing up his chained hands to steady himself.
“You win, Bo,” he choked out. “You’ve got me in your power to punish as you see fit with the whole town cheering you on. Go on and gloat all you want.” His eyes hardened as he recovered his inner strength a bit. “But don’t flatter yourself. You are an amateur compared to my old man when it comes to dishing out punishment. You won’t break me, and someday I’ll get out of here. Then we’ll see if you still have the guts to make your point when I’m not in chains.” His voice took on the quality of a low growl. “And when you’re sitting up here all high and mighty congratulating yourself on what a great cop you are, remember one thing: you are a hypocrite-the worst kind. Because you can’t call this justice. It’s revenge, pure and simple. Face it, Bo, we are more alike than you’d like to admit.”
The door closed behind him and Bo stood staring at it, his chest heaving. Suddenly, his hand shot out and he grabbed a coffee mug that said “The Commish.” He threw it at the door with all his strength and watched as it broke in a million pieces, showering the carpet where Todd Manning had just been.
TO BE CONTINUED
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