"Can I speak with you for a moment?" Terry asked.

"It's all right, you can speak in front of the Commissioner," Susannah assured her.

"The baby needed changing so we moved him to the bed and Frank was cleaning him up. Andy came out. He became terrified when he realized Frank was washing his genital area. He jumped off the bed and . . ."

"Where is he now?" Susannah interrupted.

"He managed to crawl under the bed before we could stop him. We didn't want to try to get him back out until we checked with you. He's talking to himself and crying. As weak as he is, his movements are much quicker than most of the others. We allowed him to get away from us. I'm really sorry Susannah." Terry took responsibility without making excuses.

"That's all right. I know how fast Andy can be. Who's with him now?" Susannah understood that this was not Terry's or Frank's fault.

"Frank," Terry replied and added, "Carl just came on shift. He's also in the room."

"We'll be right there," Susannah said to Terry. Susannah then looked at Bill and said, "You may as well meet Andy, but no questions, understand?"

"Doctor Hanen, do you always bark orders at people that way?" Bill asked, trying to hide his smile.

"Yes," Susannah answered and then said, "Let's go."

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

Andy was still under the bed when they got to Todd's room. As they walked into the room, they saw that Frank was on his knees. He was looking under the bed and saying, "Andy, I'm sorry I frightened you. I promise I wasn't going to hurt you."

"Frank, it's all right. Let me talk to him," Susannah said, as she gave Frank's shoulder a squeeze, letting him know that she wasn't faulting him in this situation.

Bill noticed Susannah turned on a tape recorder and put it on the floor near the bed.

"Andy, its Doctor Hanen. Viki and Sam are here too. It's safe, sweetheart. No one will hurt you. It's safe to come out from under the bed."

"I don't wanna! I don't wanna! No! I'm not your good boy. I don't wanna! Mommy hates me. She lies to me. Miss Perkins hates me. Nobody wants me with them. Only Timmy. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be daddy's good boy." Andy started to whisper to himself. "No, no, it hurts! I don't like to. It won't hurt if I'm a good boy. Mommy hates me. Everybody hates me. Everybody lies to me." Andy kept whispering these same things to himself, over and over again.

"Why do you think mommy hates you, Andy?" Susannah asked gently.

Andy didn't reply. He just kept whispering the same things to himself. Susannah was wondering if he wasn't prone to flashbacks after all. "Andy, I'd really like it if you talked to me. You don't have to come out from under the bed if you don't want to. You can stay there for a while if you feel safe there. I just want you to talk to me, sweetheart. Can you hear me? . . . Andy, can you hear me?"

"You lied to me."

"Sweetheart, do you think I'm mommy?"

"You said you weren't mommy."

"That's right, I'm Doctor Hanen. Do you think I lied to you?"

"You did!" He accused and started to cry again.

"Andy, can you tell me what you think I lied to you about?"

"You said daddy wouldn't do stuff to me anymore. You said it was safe here. Is Viki still my sister? Am I still gonna get to live with her and not daddy and mommy?"

Susannah remembered Andy asking this the last time he felt lied to. He had never forgotten what Viki promised him the first time they met. He apparently dreamed of the day he could live with her and never have to go home to Barbara and Peter, whom he still believed he lived with. Susannah motioned for Viki to come over and answer Andy.

"Andy, its Viki. Honey I will always be your sister and you can live with me forever if you want to. More than anything in the whole world I want you and Todd and everyone to be well enough to come home with me. I love you very much, Andy. So does Sam. We want you to live with us very much?"

"Will Sam do stuff to me? Did everybody lie about that too?"

"Andy I promised you I will never, ever 'do stuff to you'. I will never break that promise," Sam vowed to the child as he knelt down near the bed.

"Andy, Frank was not trying to hurt you. He was just trying to get you cleaned up. Frank would never touch you in a bad way or a way that would hurt you. Neither would any of the other men who work here. No one here will ever do that," Susannah reassured him.

"He wanted me to be a good boy. Mommy says I should be a good boy but she hates me if I am. Everybody hates me. They want me to go away forever. Miss Perkins won't let play with Timmy," Andy wept.

Susannah was hoping that maybe this time she could get Andy to explain why he thinks his mommy hates him and why Miss Perkins doesn't seem to want him around the other children. Susannah remembered that Miss Perkins left as soon as she brought up Andy. "Andy, why doesn't Miss Perkins want you to play with Timmy?"

"Mommy's gonna send me away."

"Why would mommy send you away?" Susannah followed his train of thought.

"Daddy likes me best. I'm gonna be a baseball player when I grow up." He seemed to be calming down.

"Sweetheart, do you think you could come out now? I like to be able to see your face when I talk to you." Susannah coaxed.

"Will I have to do stuff to daddy and let him do stuff to me?"

"No Andy, I didn't lie to you. I promise daddy will never come here. He will never hurt you again. Frank was not trying to do stuff to you. " Susannah decided to try a slightly different approach. "Andy, do you know a little baby who lives with you and Todd? He's only five months old."

"No," Andy responded.

"Well, sweetheart, there is a little baby who lives in Todd's body too. He doesn't know how to use the bathroom yet, so he wet himself. Frank was just getting him cleaned up. He wasn't trying to hurt or do stuff to you or the Baby. Andy, do you understand?"

"Is the baby going to be punished for wetting himself?" Andy sounded concerned.

"No! Andy, none of you will ever be punished again. Not for that and not for anything else. Do you think you can come out now, sweetheart?"

"Can I have ice cream?" Andy requested.

A huge smile popped out on everyone's face when they heard Andy ask that.

"Yes, you can have all the ice cream you want. What flavor do you like?" Susannah asked him happily.

"The white one," Andy replied.

Susannah turned to Frank. "Will you please get Andy some vanilla ice cream?" Susannah turned her attention back to Andy, who was still under the bed. "Okay Andy, your ice cream is on its way. Will you come out now sweetheart?"

Andy slid out from under the bed. "You promise you didn't lie to me?" he asked, looking Susannah in the eye.

"I promise. I will never lie to you."

Andy sat cross-legged on the floor, facing Susannah. "Is everyone mad at me?" he asked. His head was hung down.

"Noooo Andy," Susannah assured him. She moved next to him and put her arm around him. "No one is mad at you."

"Will I be able go play with Timmy?" Susannah noticed the sadness in Andy's eyes as he asked this.

"Yes, if Timmy comes out you can play with him." Susannah was afraid that once inside, Miss Perkins might not allow it. Susannah noticed the top of the hospital gown he was wearing was torn and had a bloodstain on it. "Andy, can I look at your shoulder to see if it's hurt?"

Andy hadn't noticed that he had a pretty bad scrape on his shoulder, probably caused by his shoulder brushing against the bed's metal mechanism. In his panic about being touched, he hadn't even felt it.

"No! I don't like Doctor Evans," Andy refused.

"Andy, I'm not going to take you to see Doctor Evans," Susannah promised.

"He always does thing that hurt. Mommy says it won't hurt but then it does. He says it will only hurt a little and it hurts a whole lot. Everybody lies to me."

"Andy, I won't lie to you. If it's going to hurt to fix your shoulder, I'll tell you it will, okay?"

He thought about it for a minute, then said, "Okay."

Susannah turned him around slightly so she could get a better look at his shoulder. She was relieved to see that it was just a bad abrasion and wouldn't need anything too painful to patch it up. Frank came in with his ice cream. Susannah stood up and told him to put it aside for a few minutes. She then approached Viki. She whispered, "Do you know when Todd last had a tetanus shot?"

Viki shook her head. She had no idea.

Susannah walked over to Terry and took her aside and spoke to her quietly. "Will you please get me some gloves, a basin, gauze, antiseptic, bandages, and he's going to need a tetanus shot."

"Do you want to call more staff in here?" Terry asked, afraid that Andy would resist being patched up and certainly resist being given a shot.

Susannah knew Andy would resist, but she also knew it would only traumatize him further to be physically restrained.

"No, you and Frank will be sufficient. Todd's body is weak and Andy has little strength anyway. If necessary Sam can probably hold him still long enough for me to give him the shot."

Susannah turned walked back to where Andy sat on the floor. "Andy, would you like a bandage with a picture of one of the Flintstones on it?"

He nodded yes, eagerly.

"Terry you know which ones to get?" Susannah called to her.

"Sure do," Terry replied and went to get the necessary supplies and medication.

When Terry came back with the supplies Susannah needed, Susannah knelt down next to Andy again. "Andy, I have to put some antiseptic on the scrape on your shoulder. It will sting for about a minute, and then it won't hurt."

"Do I have to?" he whimpered.

"Sweetheart, if I don't clean it you can get an infection and that would hurt a whole lot more," Susannah explained. She put her arm around him again and asked, "Andy, do you think you can hold still while I do this or do you want Sam or someone to hold you?"

"I want Sam to hold me. It don't hurt when Sam holds me."

Andy's words brought tears to Sam's eyes.

"Andy why don't you go sit on the bed okay, sweetheart?" Susannah suggested.

"Okay," Andy agreed as he stood up and headed for the bed.

Sam sat down next to Andy and held him in his arms.

Susannah lowered the shoulder of his gown. She poured the antiseptic on the gauze and cautioned Andy, "Sweetheart, this is the part that's going to sting."

Sam felt Andy's muscles tighten. "It's okay pal. I'm right here. It won't hurt for long. Just for a minute."

Susannah applied the antiseptic.

"It hurrrrrts," Andy whimpered. He rested the back of his head against Sam's chest.

Susannah applied some antibiotic cream and Terry handed her the bandage . Susannah showed it to Andy.

"Barney! Sam look! It's Barney Rubble. He's got a little boy named Bamm Bamm that's cause he goes 'bam bam' all the time. Barney don't punish him for making noise. He likes his little boy. All the time."

"Andy," Susannah spoke calmly, "I'm going to have to give you a tetanus shot." As she expected, Andy immediately tried to get away from Sam and get back under the bed.

"Andy, it will only sting for a couple of seconds. I promise," Susannah tried to calm him.

"Nooooo, I don't want a shot," Andy wailed.

Sam tightened his grip on him and Frank stood ready, outside the door. He hoped that Sam could handle the situation. He knew that if anyone but Sam tried to hold Andy now, it would only set him off even more.

"Come on, Andy, I've had tetanus shots. They don't hurt much and it is only for a few seconds," Sam stated comfortingly.

"I don't want a shoooot!" Andy cried, continuing to struggle.

Viki sat on the other side of the bed and rubbed his back. She tried her hand at calming him. "Honey, I know you're afraid of shots and that's okay. I don't like them either, but this is a really quick one."

"Noooo! Everybody lies to me. They say it won't hurt a lot and it does. Doctor Evans said he was just gonna look at my hand but he made mommy and the nurse hold me and he did stitches on my hand and it hurt a lot. He lied to me and mommy lied again. She said don't tell that daddy cut me with the glass cause I spilled my milk. She said daddy wouldn't get mad if I didn't tell. Daddy punished me when I got home anyway. Mommy went upstairs and let daddy punish me. She always lies to me."

"Andy, I'm not lying to you. You'll see after it's over that it doesn't hurt much. Now come on. Let me have your arm." Susannah reached for his arm again.

"Noooo!" Andy protested and tried to pull away.

They knew the more this dragged out the more frightened he was becoming. Sam quickly turned Andy around so that Andy was resting on his knees and sitting back on his heels. He and Sam were facing each other. Sam realized it was getting too easy to control Todd's body. He was just getting weaker every time he held him. Sam held Andy against his chest. He held on to him tightly, with his right arm and held Andy's right arm out for Susannah to inject him, with his left. Andy's chin rested on Sam's shoulder. Viki held on to Andy's left arm. Susannah quickly swabbed the skin over his deltoid muscle and injected him. Andy's cries got louder when he felt the stick.

"That's it. It's all over," Sam informed Andy, as he gently rubbed Andy's back.

"Baby, Doctor Hanen is finished. You're not going to be stuck anymore," Viki assured him. She kissed the back of the hand she was holding.

"No more?" Andy whimpered, tearfully.

"Nope, that's it pal. No more shots."

Andy held on to Sam. He turned his face around and rested his cheek against Sam's shoulder. Sam rubbed his back. "See bud, no one lied to you. It only hurt a little. Right?" Sam reminded him and kissed the top of his head.

Andy nodded without removing his cheek from Sam's shoulder. Andy noticed Bill standing near the door. "Who's that?" he asked, pointing to Bill.

Susannah waved Bill closer. "Andy this is Mr. Jackson."

"My shoulder got cut. I got a Barney Rubble bandage, see!" Andy looked up at Bill and showed off his bandage. His long dark blond eyelashes were still wet with tears. He pointed to his shoulder.

"I see! That's a very good-looking bandage. I'm sorry you got hurt, Andy," Bill added.

"That's okay, I get hurt a lot. I'm not clumsy! I'm not and I'm not gonna say I am!" Andy suddenly sounded angry.

"Who tells you to say you're clumsy?" Susannah asked.

"Mommy! She says I have to say I fell down cause I'm clumsy. I'm not! I can run good and throw a ball good. I can climb my tree all the way up. I can ride my bicycle real fast. But I can't do wheelies like Thomas yet. He can do them real good."

"Well, I'll bet someday you'll be able to do them too," Bill encouraged him.

"I can already ride real fast. Someday I'm gonna ride all the way to the moon and then mommy'll be sorry she lied to me all the time. But I don't want to leave Timmy and Randy, I'll take them too." Andy looked directly into Bill's eyes and asked. "Do you have a dog?"

"No, but my son does," Bill replied.

"Then how come you don't?" Andy didn't understand.

"My son doesn't live with me all the time. He lives with his mother half the time, but when he comes to see me, he brings Patches with him," Bill explained.

"You let your son live with his mommy?" Andy was shocked.

"He lives with her half the time and with me half the time."

"I'm gonna live with Viki when Todd gets better. She's my biggest sister." Andy pointed to Viki.

Bill laughed and asked Andy, "Would you like to see a picture of Patches?"

Andy nodded enthusiastically.

Bill took out his wallet and showed Andy a picture of a large, shorthaired, tan dog. Standing next to him was a little boy.

"Is that your little boy?"

"Sure is, that's Josh. He's eight," Bill stated.

"I'm six. I'm in first grade and I can read and write and do numbers. I can do the alphabet backwards. Wanna hear?"

"Yes! I would like to hear you do that very much," Bill said and smiled at this lovable little boy.

Andy took a deep breath and quickly went from Z to A.

"That is very good!" Bill exclaimed and applauded.

"I can play baseball real good too," Andy informed him.

Bill loved seeing the gigantic smile on Andy's face. Bill looked toward Sam and Viki. He could see the love and pride for this child shining in their faces.

"Do you like your little boy?" Andy asked Bill.

"I love him very much," Bill confirmed.

"My daddy don't like me too much. Only sometimes, when I'm a good boy. He only likes me then. I'm glad Timmy don't have to let daddy like him."

"Andy, why are you glad Timmy doesn't have to let daddy like him?" Susannah asked.

"I don't want Timmy to have to get sent away. I don't want mommy to hate Timmy," Andy admitted sadly.

"Why would mommy hate Timmy?" Susannah pressed.

"They got a trains and a real big track here. Did you see the trains?" Andy asked Bill. They knew he was changing the subject.

"No, I haven't," Bill answered.

Andy looked up at Susannah. "Can I take him to see the trains?"

"Andy, don't you want your ice cream?" Viki held the slightly melted ice cream cup out to him.

"Oh yeah, I forgot." Andy reached for the ice cream. Andy held the cup out to Bill. "You want some?"

"Oh thank you, Andy, but I just had lunch," Bill responded.

Andy turned to Sam. "I won't get punished if I drip it on me, right?"

"No Andy, you won't get punished for anything. I promise," Sam assured him.

"Do you want me to show you the trains after I finish my ice cream?" Andy asked Bill.

"I sure would. If it's all right with Doctor Hanen?" Bill and Andy looked towards Susannah.

"Is it okay?" Andy asked Susannah.

"Sure it is, sweetheart. I think it would be a good idea if you got washed and dressed first. Okay?"

"Okay," Andy agreed readily.

"I'll get Frank as soon as you finish your ice cream," Susannah informed him.

"No! I want Sam to wash and dress me," Andy protested.

They all realized that Andy was still afraid of Frank touching him.

"Sure pal. I'll get you cleaned up and dressed," Sam agreed.

Viki and Sam stayed in Todd's room and Susannah went with Andy and Bill. Andy took Bill's hand and walked him to the playroom. Bill noticed that Susannah held onto Andy's other arm to support him as they walked. Even with that, he seemed unsteady on his feet.

When they got to the playroom, Andy showed Bill some blocks and stuffed animals and toy cars. "Timmy likes these. Do you know Timmy?" Andy wanted to know.

"No Andy, I don't." Bill confessed.

"Timmy lives in here." Andy patted his chest, remembering what Susannah had told him. He then showed Bill the trains.

They played with them for about half an hour. Then Andy started to question Bill again. He was obviously intrigued with a man who was not only being kind and attentive to him, but who allowed his children to live alone with their mother.

"Does your little boy like to play baseball?"

"He sure does," Bill answered.

"I play real good and I once hit the ball real far and daddy smiled at me. I hit it good a lot but sometimes I miss." Andy hung his head down.

"Andy, everyone misses the ball sometimes," Bill consoled him and patted Andy's back.

"Does your little boy ever miss?"

"Sure he does," Bill firmly admitted.

"Is that because he's a clumsy little bastard?" Andy asked innocently.

Susannah could see that Bill was shocked, not by Andy's words but by his tone. He asked it as if every child in the world was told that.

"Andy, no daddy should ever say that to his little boy. I'm sorry if your daddy said that to you." Bill's heart was breaking for this child.

Suddenly Andy stood up and kicked the trains and yelled, "I'M NOT CLUMSY! I'M NOT!"

"No Andy, of course you're not," Susannah assured him. She rushed over to him and put her arms around him as she saw him start to topple from dizziness.

Bill knew that two of the techs had discreetly followed behind them as they had walked to the playroom and stationed themselves outside. He wondered if Susannah was going to get them.

Andy leaned into Susannah for a minute. "I want my tree," he whimpered softly. The dizziness passed and Andy turned to Bill and told him, "I have the biggest tree in the whole world. It goes all the way up to the sky. I can climb it real high and no one can see me. Sometimes I take Timmy to the tree but he's afraid to climb up. He sits underneath it and I talk to him. I told him when he's as big as me he'll be able to climb up too."

"Andy, that was very kind of you to encourage Timmy that way," Susannah praised him as she stroked his head.

"I love Timmy," Andy declared. He turned to Bill again. "I can almost touch the sky when I'm up in my tree. Mommy says that's where God lives. She says God loves us. Mommy always lies to me." Andy was getting angry again.

"Sweetheart, don't you think God loves you?" Susannah asked gently.

"God thinks I'm a bad boy and punishes me. He thinks we're all bad. He lets everyone get hurt. Daddy once heard mommy tell us God loves us and he laughed and said 'how could God love His biggest mistake.' So He can't love us. We're a mistake. Why can't I go to my tree now?" Andy started to cry.

Susannah lifted his tear stained face by the chin. "Andy, I'm sorry, sweetheart. Your tree is very far from here and you know you need to stay here because Todd's is still sick."

Andy sat back down on the floor in a cross-legged position. He covered his eyes with his hands and put his head in his lap, and continued to weep.

"Andy what is it? Sweetheart tell me?" Susannah coaxed. She knelt down and hugged him. "Daddy's gonna kill me. He won't let mommy take me. I'm scared," he whispered. Susannah felt his body stiffen.

"Viki?" Todd asked. He felt himself in someone's arms.

"No Todd, its Doctor Hanen.

Todd quickly pulled away. "Where's Viki?" He cried out. He began feeling the air and floor around him in an effort to orient himself to where he was. Panic started to overwhelm him.

"Todd, it's all right. You're in the playroom. You're sitting on the floor. Viki and Sam are waiting in your room for you. I'll take you to them right now." Susannah spoke softly and slowly. She was trying to stave off another episode.

"Viki is really there?" Todd asked as if he didn't believe it.

"Yes, Todd, I promise you, Viki is in your room. Come on now, let me help you up and we'll go to Viki."

Susannah motioned to Bill to stay quiet. She knew a stranger in the room would terrify him. Susannah took Todd's arm and helped him up. Bill watched as Todd felt his way along as Susannah led him out the door. Bill shook his head and thought, My God, what kind of monster was Peter Manning.

Viki realized it was Todd as soon as Susannah led him into the room. "Todd, I'm right here, baby. Both Sam and I are here."

"Viki, Viki," Todd called. He reached out for her.

Viki took him in her arms. Todd held on tightly. "I'm so tired," he whispered.

"Todd, would you like to lie down for a while?" Susannah suggested. She knew his body needed the rest and it was almost time for a feeding.

"Viki?" Todd held on to her. He didn't know if he should say yes or not.

"It's all right, sweetheart. You can rest. I'll stay with you. I won't leave. I promise." Viki had to reassure him of this several times before he let go of her.

Todd allowed them to put him to bed. He held on to Viki's hand and said, "I love you, Mama," then he fell asleep.

"I love you too, baby," Viki whispered and kissed his forehead.

Bill was waiting in a chair, in the lounge near Todd's room. Susannah came out of the room and sat down heavily in the chair next to him. "I guess you've had quite the introduction to Todd," Susannah commented.

"Is he all right?" Bill was very concerned.

"He's asleep. Even in his sleep, he's holding onto to Viki's hand for dear life. He thinks she's his mama."

Bill could see that Susannah was tired. He wondered how she could manage this day after day. He knew the things Andy said and the look in his eyes would haunt him for a very long time, maybe forever. "The difference was startling," he remarked.

"What do you mean?" Susannah asked, her brain slowed slightly by fatigue.

"When Todd came out. Everything changed. His voice, his body language, even his face. I've never seen anything like it. He is totally blind, isn't he?"

"Yes, all Todd sees is darkness," Susannah confirmed.

"He would really rather stay like that than remember what happened to Michelle?" Bill couldn't fathom this.

"He doesn't want to, Bill. He has no choice. His mind cannot handle that memory or the guilt he feels for having survived that night. Not yet anyway. Todd is terrified of the dark and the helplessness of being blind. Yet it is preferable to him than thinking about that night or feeling that need to be punished for what happened to Michelle."

"All those things Andy was saying, what did he mean?"

"I'm really not sure yet. He has said those same things many times. I don't know what he means when he says 'I'm daddy's good boy,' or when he says his mother hates him. As far as I know Barbara Manning loved all of them. She was just too weak and frightened to help them. She may have had her own dissociative disorder. She was an alcoholic. She encouraged all of them to let the father do whatever he wanted to avoid further punishment and to pretend to be somewhere else while they were being abused. Perhaps that's what she did herself? In her own twisted way, she was trying to help them. She would lie to them and Andy is very angry about that. She would tell him that if he cooperated with Peter she would stay in his room after he fell asleep and she would protect him. Then once he fell asleep she would leave and Peter would come in to sexually and physically abuse him."

Bill shook his head. He felt a lump in his throat. "No wonder he's angry with her," Bill declared.

Andy may be one of the only alters who can feel anger towards her. Thomas, an eight-year-old is very angry with the father, but adores the mother. He will not allow himself to feel anger. Braver, one of the boy twins, seemed to show some anger then quickly felt guilty about 'upsetting mommy'. Something or someone made Andy go inside and hide and not come out for many years. There may be a gatekeeper. I don't know. Timmy mentions that 'Daddy killded Andy,' as he says. Miss Perkins becomes uncomfortable and goes away when I bring him up. Now today Andy brought it up for the first time, He said he was scared because 'Daddy's gonna kill him because he won't let Mommy take him.'"

"Do you have any idea what he meant by that?" Bill pressed.

"No, I don't. I may try to hypnotize him the next time he's out. That should make it easier for him to talk about it. It may also help to retrieve any memories he's buried. The problem is, I have to be very careful not to get them too upset. Most of them will relive the incident and Todd's body is just not strong enough to go through those traumas over and over again." Susannah, didn't know if it was exhaustion or being able to talk to someone who wasn't emotionally tied to Todd, but she realized she found herself saying more to Bill then she ever intended to. She was nearly certain she could trust him. Today had been a hard day and she was grateful for his company.

Susannah was already sure of the answer but she needed to ask.

"So Commissioner, what is your impression of Todd? Do you think, at age fourteen, he picked up a bat and bashed in his best friend's skull in cold blood, or in an attempt to protect the father who had just beaten, burned, and raped him, and raped Michelle?"

Bill looked her in the eye. "Susannah, I have come across people that you would never in a million years think would have committed a crime. They seemed like choirboys. Yet they were killers. Some out of anger, some out of fear, some for money and some for passion. I did think it was possible that at the moment, when Todd realized Michelle had the power to send his father to prison and to take away the only parent he had, he could have panicked and killed her. Or perhaps he did it on Peter's orders."

"And now? Do you still think that?" Susannah hoped she hadn't misjudged Bill."

"No," he replied firmly as he shook his head. "I consider myself to be a good judge of people and I do not think that child is capable of murdering his friend for any reason. I'm not just talking about Andy; I'm talking about Todd too. He seems to be as much a child as the rest of them. And Susannah, in case you're wondering, I know about Todd's past. I know about the rape and that a man died after getting into a fight with Todd. I even know that he was a suspect in the bombing of a yacht."

"You did your homework," Susannah acknowledged with a slight nervous edge to her voice.

"I tell you that because I don't want you wondering if I'll change my mind about Todd once I find those things out. Knowing all that, I still do not believe this kid could have killed Michelle. I realize you wanted me to meet the Baby and Andy so I could see for myself that these helpless children couldn't have done it," Bill said, smiling.

Susannah smiled back, realizing she had been caught in the act. "And here I thought I'd pulled one over on you," she confessed.

"Well in a way you did. I came here today not one hundred percent sure that Todd didn't do it," Bill admitted.

"And now you are?" Susannah asked.

"Now I am. Do you always go above and beyond for all your patients?"

"No, not like this," Susannah answered in her usual honest fashion.

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COPYRIGHT 1998 R/S

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