SECRETS - PART THIRTY SIX
PREVIOUSLY
Todd had finished cleaning up the floor. "I finished. Is it all right if I go to bed?" he asked Peter.
Peter looked at him and laughed.
"What a wimp you are. It's not even ten o'clock yet. Was tonight too much for you?" Peter asked in a sarcastic and mocking manner. "At least you won't have to worry about that little whore ever coming back here again."
Pete didn't even have to make Todd's head hurt to get out. Before Peter had a chance to say another word, Pete, with all his rage and fury, pushed Peter up against the wall. With his hands around Peter's throat, squeezing as hard as he could, Pete shouted, "HOW COULD YOU DO THAT! YOU BASTARD! HOW COULD YOU DO THAT! I HATE YOU! I WANT YOU DEAD! I WANT YOU DEAD!" Pete did not hear Sam Rappaport come into the house.
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Susannah, her staff, Viki, and Sam all sat in silence as Timmy rested. Finally, after an hour had passed since "the secret of Todd's fourteenth birthday" was reveled, Todd's body was stable enough to be moved. They decided to take him back in Terry's vehicle, a large station wagon. Terry folded down the back seat and spread a quilt out. They laid Timmy down in the back. They propped his head and legs up with pillows.
Susannah and Terry covered him with two blankets and a quilt. Susannah rode with Terry, Jeff and Frank, so she could closely monitor Timmy. He slept fitfully on the ride home. He was moaning in his sleep and kept tossing around. Susannah had to keep turning him over on his back in order to keep his legs elevated. She spoke to him soothingly and stroked his head the entire time.
Terry pulled up to the ER entrance. Sam and Viki pulled up right behind them. Frank ran in to get a gurney. Susannah wanted Todd checked out in the ER before he was taken back to his room. His blood pressure had dropped again the last time Susannah had taken it. An IV was set up. Todd was treated for shock. After he remained stable for three hours, he was taken back to his room. He still had not woken up.
After getting him settled in his own bed, Susannah checked his vitals one more time. She checked the flow on the IV. She knew one of the nurses could do this, but she just couldn't bring herself to leave her patient just yet. Sam and Viki were both sitting in chairs they had brought to the opposite side of the bed from where Susannah stood. They all knew they would not be going home, that they would be spending the night with Todd.
Todd slept through the night and into part of the morning. Susannah spent the night on the couch in her office, but she may as well have stayed in Todd's room. She came in almost hourly to check on him. Sam and Viki took turns sitting with Todd, and trying to get some sleep in the lounge. Sleep did not come to Sam, Viki or Susannah that night. Each of them knew that the revelation of Michelle's murder was just the start of things to come. This was not something that they could keep secret. They knew the police would have to be involved. What none of them knew was what Todd's or any of the alter's reactions would be when they woke up.
Viki and Sam were both sitting by Todd's bed when they heard him start to moan softly. "Todd. Todd, can you hear me?" Viki called to him. She leaned close to his ear.
Susannah was called and told that Todd was waking up. Todd's eyes opened and closed again. He did this several times as his brain tried to wake up. Susannah had just gotten to Todd's room when he opened his eyes and looked at Sam and weakly said, "Hey Coach." They knew it was Tom who had woken up.
"Hey Boomer," Sam smiled and took Tom's hand.
Tom did not feel well. He was so tired. His head hurt and he felt nauseous and dizzy. "I don't feel so good" he whimpered and looked around. He noticed the IV in his left arm. Afraid of it, he reached over with his right hand to pull it out. Sam grabbed his hand just in time to stop him.
"No, honey, don't do that," Susannah said.
"There's a needle stuck in my arm. Take it out. I don't like shots," Tom cried out.
"Sweetheart, it's not hurting you is it? The part that hurts is already finished," Viki gently reminded him.
"Tom, you've had an IV in your arm before. Honey, you know if you just leave it alone you won't even feel it. I promise," Susannah added.
"I don't want medicine!" Tom cried. A couple of large tears slid down his cheeks.
"Honey, it's just salt water. It won't hurt you."
Tom thought about it for a minute and calmed down. "Am I getting it because I don't feel good?" he asked.
"Can you tell me in what ways you don't feel good?" Susannah coaxed.
Tom ran down his list of symptoms and then asked, "Am I going to have to stay in bed? Will I be able to play with my toys and the neat new cars they have in the playroom?"
"You may have to stay in bed for today but then you'll be able to play with your toys and go to the playroom all you want, okay honey?" Susannah assured him as she stroked his hair.
"Okay," Tom mumbled. He was getting sleepy again. He smiled at them and then turned over and went back to sleep. He gave no indication of remembering anything that happened at the lodge. Of course this surprised no one, since Tom had nothing to do with Michelle or any memories of her.
Susannah asked Frank to sit with Tom for a while. Susannah then left an order for Compazine to be administered if his nausea persisted when he woke up. She also left orders to get her immediately when he woke up. Susannah, Viki and Sam headed for Susannah's office.
"I know none of us got any sleep last night and we are not in the best frame of mind to discuss what the next step will be. I think we have to talk about what we found out," Susannah stated as soon as she, Sam and Viki were settled around her desk.
"My God, Susannah, how could Todd ever have survived that night, even with the alters?" Viki asked. "I can't even begin to comprehend all that happened to him in that one night. He was humiliated, burned, beaten, raped, forced to witness the rape and murder of his best friend and then forced to bury her body. How can anyone survive that?"
Susannah leaned forward and stated, "Viki, I have always said Todd was strong. He is a survivor. We just have to hope those instincts are still intact."
Both women noticed Sam just sat there, listening to them and not saying a word.
"Sam," Viki asked and took Sam's hand. "Are you all right?" Sam nodded and then spoke.
"I was there. Can you imagine that? I was there. I saw him right after all of that happened. Hell, I saw him again the next day. Great going Rappaport! Imagine if I didn't live by my instincts," Sam said, sarcastically.
"Sam you cannot continue to blame yourself. You didn't do these things to Todd. Peter did, my father did," Viki insisted with tears in her eyes.
"Viki is right," Susannah pointed out. "You didn't do this to Todd and your guilt will not help him in any way. Sam, Todd is not only going to need you as his friend now but also as his lawyer. Do you remember one of the things he told us? Peter put Todd's fingerprints on that bat. Buried somewhere with Michelle is the bat that killed her and Todd's fingerprints are all over it."
Sam had even more reason to doubt himself now. Not only did he fail to save Todd all those years ago, now his legal instincts were failing him. Neither he nor Viki were even thinking about the legalities of what Todd's repressed memory reveled. Their only concern had been what all this had done to Todd.
"Sam," Susannah asked, "How long before we have to contact the police and do we contact Bo or the police in Chicago?"
"What about that poor little girl's parents? All these years, wondering what happened to their daughter. Oh God, my heart breaks for them," Viki said.
"Susannah, do you believe Todd's memory of that night to be accurate? Is there any doubt in your mind that things didn't happen just the way he described?" Sam asked.
Susannah wished she had a conclusive answer to give him. "Sam, no one can ever be one hundred percent sure about repressed memories recovered through hypnosis unless they are somehow proven to be true, but yes, in my opinion, I think Todd described exactly what happened. It fits everything that we have come to know about Todd and it fits what you walked in on that night," Susannah answered.
Sam sat quietly for a moment then said, "We have to find the burial site and then we have to have the body exhumed. There might still be enough DNA evidence to prove Peter raped her. If Todd's memory pans out, we have to find her parents, if they are still alive. We have to let them know what happened to Michelle."
"Do you think Todd will be a suspect because of the fingerprints? Sam, we can't let that happen!" Viki's voice was filled with panic.
Sam took Viki's hand. "Viki, I swear to you, I will not let that happen. No one, no one, will ever hurt Todd again! I won't fail him again. I will take him out of the country before I would let that happen," Sam declared fiercely.
Viki and Susannah both knew he meant it. "Well, let's hope it doesn't come to that." Susannah remarked, and then asked, "Sam, can we wait a few days before we do anything? You have to get the police to agree not to question Todd at this point. He is not even close to being able to handle that. We don't even know if he retained any of the memories he revealed under hypnosis. Most of what was told to us was told by the alter who also calls himself Todd, but Todd himself might not have any memories of what happened. Also, physically, he is in no shape to be questioned by the police. You have to make very sure they realize this."
Sam nodded and assured her, "Don't worry, I won't let them within a mile of him. I do agree that we should wait a few days, then we have no choice. I think my best bet would be to speak with Bo. He has been helpful to us so far. I think he has learned to be objective when it comes to Todd."
That's more than I can say for my sister, Susannah thought. Just then Susannah's phone rang. It was Terry. Todd was having a nightmare.
Terry, Nancy, Frank and Jeff were with Todd when Susannah, Sam and Viki got to his room. They were trying to hold him still so he wouldn't dislodge the IV. The voice they heard screaming was clearly Todd's.
"NO! NOOOO! GET AWAY! GET AWAY!" He shrieked over and over again. He was fighting the hands that held him with whatever strength he had left.
"Let's get him in restraints," Susannah ordered. Within minutes Todd was again in restraints.
Susannah tried waking him up but he was trapped in his dream. Knowing Todd's body could not handle this now, Susannah ordered a sedative. Finally, Todd seemed to calm down a little. He opened his eyes but just stared ahead, not aware of anyone or anything in the room.
"Todd," Susannah called softly. She stroked his cheek. "Todd, it's Doctor Hanen. Can you hear me?"
She got no response. Viki and Sam looked at each other, both thinking the same thing. All that he went through yesterday and he's right where he left off. Nothing has changed.
"Todd, I want you to try to look at me," Susannah turned his face towards hers. Todd eyes were blank. He gave no indication of hearing her or feeling her touch. Susannah patted his head and said, "I'll let you rest for a while. Okay Todd? If you want to talk , just tell someone and I'll come right back."
As Viki, Sam and Susannah turned to leave they heard him call out. "Sam! Sam!" Sam rushed back to Todd's bedside.
"I'm right here, pal. I'm right here," Sam soothed, taking Todd's hand.
"Sam, please, don't leave me, Sam!"
"Todd, I'm right here. I'm not ever going to leave you."
"Sam! Sam!" Todd cried out, apparently, not realizing that Sam was right next to him. "Sam please don't send me back to him. Please don't make me go there. Sam! Saaaam! Saaaam! Please!"
They had never seen Todd like this. He was inconsolable. Whatever his reality was at this minute was not allowing him to feel Sam's touch or hear his words. The sedative Susannah ordered was having little effect on him. He just continued to scream and cry for Sam. It broke their hearts. There was no way to get through his suffering and help him. He was trapped in his own world with his demons and they could not reach him.
Twenty minutes had passed and Todd's cries and screams for Sam were just escalating. Susannah ordered an even stronger sedative. This one finally put Todd to sleep. The restraints were left in place.
Viki could not take much more. The second they were out of Todd's room, she burst into tears. Although Sam felt like doing the same himself, he took Viki into his arms and comforted her. Sam and Susannah sat Viki down in one of the lounge chairs. Sam sat next to her and Susannah knelt down in front of her.
"Dear Lord, he's even worse than he was. Susannah, what was happening to him? Why was he screaming for Sam that way? Why couldn't he feel or see Sam? My God! He was suffering so," Viki burst into tears again.
"Do you think this episode was related to his going to the lodge? Do you think he remembers what was said? Is that why he is like this now?" Sam asked. His own eyes filling with tears.
Susannah shook her head. "I don't know. I won't know what Todd remembers until he is alert enough and calm enough to be spoken with. I do know that Todd is so fragile now that I cannot push him. I do believe that the memories that were recovered at the lodge are having some effect on him. At least on his subconscious. He should sleep throughout the day. I don't think we'll be getting anything out of him today.
CONTINUED IN PART 36B