"So am I, sweetheart. So am I." Viki went to get the plate. She was really happy that Téa chose today to come to the hospital. She hoped with all her heart that she and Tom would have a nice visit without incident.

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"Tom, can you swing your legs over the side of the bed?" Susannah knew if he were unable to do that on his own he would not be able to attempt a walk to the art room. With just a little support from Sam to compensate for not being able to lean on his left hand, Tom was able to do it without any difficulty. "Good, now I just want you to sit like that for a minute. Do you remember how important it is that you sit up for a couple of minutes before you try to stand up after you've been laying down?"

"I remember. So I don't get dizzy, right?"

"That's right, honey. Do you feel any dizziness or lightheadedness?"

"Nope! Can I take Téa to the art room now?"

Susannah laughed. "Téa isn't even here yet. Let's try for the chair first, okay?" Tom nodded. Susannah turned to Terry. "Let's just leave in the hep lock." She turned back to Tom. "Tom, Terry is going to disconnect the IV line. There'll be a hep lock left in your hand. You've had that before, remember?" He looked nervous. "Honey, you know if you just leave it alone it doesn't hurt. Hmmm, do you remember that?" Susannah stroked his head. He did remember and calmed down. "All right, Sam. I think you and I can manage to get Tom to the chair."

"Sure we can, you ready, Boomer?" Tom nodded eagerly.

"Okay, Tom, were going to count to three and on three I want you to try to stand up? Here we go." Susannah instructed. Tom was able to stand on the first try. Susannah helped him on with the heavy robe, while Sam steadied him. She didn't want to put him through the effort of having to dress and in case he did make it to the art room she didn't want him to be cold. His legs seemed to be getting a little stronger and he seemed to have a little more strength and energy. It still took a lot of effort on his part to get to the chair. He could only manage small steps and was slightly short of breath when he got there.

"How come I can't walk like I used to?" Tom asked. They could hear the anxiety in his voice and see it on his face.

"Honey, do you remember that Todd's body was very sick?"

"I think so," Tom answered. He seemed confused.

"Well, being sick made Todd's body weak. It will just take some time for all of you to get some strength back, but you know what? You already seem stronger that just yesterday."

"I do?" Tom asked, smiling.

"Yes, honey, you do."

"That's cause I drank my milk. My mom says milk gives you strong bones and teeth. My teeth are real strong too, see." Tom opened his mouth wide so Susannah could see for herself. "I'm gonna show Téa that I'm strong enough to get to the art room." Tom sounded determined.

"We'll see, Boomer. Why don't you just rest in the chair for a while? Would you like me to get you some things from the art room to use here, in your own room?"

"No, I'll make it to the art room," Tom insisted.

Viki was coming back with the plate of cookies when she saw Té a waiting to be buzzed in. Viki went toward the doors. "Tom is out and he is very excited about you coming to visit him," Viki informed Téa with a smile.

"Really," Téa asked, hopefully.

"Téa, Tom thought you weren't coming to see him because you were angry with him or with Todd."

"No! Oh Viki! Did someone explain to him that it was because it upset Todd to see me?"

"Yes, Susannah did. He is really looking forward to your visit. In fact, he wanted you to have these. I was just getting a plate for them." Viki pointed to the cookies.

Téa looked at the plate of cookies and tears came to her eyes. "He's so sweet. I would never want to do or say anything to hurt Tom or any of them. Viki, do you really believe, with all your heart, that keeping him in the hospital is the right thing to do?"

"I want Todd to come home more than anything. Téa, if I didn't believe that this was best for him I would take him home this minute. Susannah saved my sanity. I wouldn't be here now if it weren't for her. Todd's case is considerably more complicated than mine. Nevertheless, I still have complete faith in Susannah's ability to help him. So does Sam. I understand why Blair is upset and why she feels taking Todd home would be the best thing, but you know what? If it were, Susannah would suggest it herself. Todd and all the alters aren't just a patient to her. She loves them. She would never do anything to hurt them. Now why don't I go in and see if Tom is ready for your visit?" Viki suggested. She gave Téa's forearm a little squeeze.

Téa wiped the palms of her hands against the jacket she was wearing. "Would you believe I am this nervous about seeing him?" Téa asked. She was slightly embarrassed.

"Yes, I would. Honey, that's normal. The last time you saw him things didn't go very well and you have been told how much sicker he is now. It's perfectly normal to be nervous. Why don't you sit in the waiting area and I'll come back for you in a minute, if all is well?"

"That's fine," Téa agreed. She headed for the lounge in front of Todd's room.

Viki was happy that Tom was still out and was doing well. She wanted him to have a good visit with Té a. She put the plate of cookies on his dresser. "Tom, Té a is outside. Would you like her to come in and see you now?"

Tom picked his legs up and sat in a cross-legged position. "I'm ready! I'm ready!" Thomas' excitement was growing.

Viki went out to get Téa. She warned her that Tom did not look very good and she should try not to let him see it if she became upset.

"Blair told me he looks very sick," Téa confessed nervously.

They went into Todd's room. "TÉA!" Tom shouted, bouncing in his chair. He held his arms out to her.

Téa's fingernails cut into her palms as she kept herself from reacting to the sight of him. As much as she had prepared herself, after what Blair had told her, she did not expect this. Even with the heavy robe on, Téa could see that Todd had lost so much more weight since she had seen him. His skin was a ghostly pale, made even more so by the dark circles under his eyes. She saw the bruise on his head and lip. His hazel eyes looked huge and innocent as he looked up at her. He held out his arms for a hug. Téa bent down and took him into her arms.

"I thought you were mad at me," Tom admitted. He continued to hold onto Téa.

"Tom, no. I was never mad at you."

Tom let go and looked up at her. With a big smile on his face he said, "I was never mad at you either. Will you go to the art room with me? Timmy fell down and I want to paint a picture for him. Do you like to paint? I forgot."

"I'm not as good an artist as you, but I can try," Té a answered.

"I can help you. I help Timmy and show him how to draw and color good. Look! I saved cookies for you," Tom pointed to the plate.

Téa went over and took a couple of the Oreos off the plate and ate them. "Thank you Tom, I love these."

"Yeah, me too. Okay, let's go to the art room." He uncrossed his legs and looking at Susannah. "See! I'm remembering to wait before I stand up." Tom turned his gaze back to Téa and explained. "Todd's body gets dizzy and could make us fall down if we stand up to quick. Pete says when we have our own bodies it won't matter how sick Todd gets, but I still don't want Todd to be sick even if it's just for his own body."

Téa became uncomfortable at the mention of Pete. "Have I been careful long enough? Can I get up now?" Tom asked Susannah.

"Sure honey." Susannah and Sam started to help him up. "Can Téa help me and walk with me? I want to show her how good I can walk."

Sam and Susannah looked at Téa. Téa felt awkward, but walked over to Tom and said, "I would love to help you, Tom."

"Téa, why don't you take his right arm and you and Sam can help him," Susannah suggested. She held Tom's right arm out.

Téa took his arm and held on tightly. Tom was once again able to stand. He had little difficulty when Téa and Sam helped him to his feet. They steadied him when he seemed a little off balance. "You okay, Boomer?" Sam was concerned.

"Yeah, Coach. Can we go to the art room now? I want to put out all the stuff for me and Téa to paint with."

"Do you feel dizzy or short of breath?" Susannah questioned.

"Nope." Tom shook his head.

"Okay honey. I want you to take it slow and tell me right away if you start to feel dizzy or short of breath. Do you promise?"

"Cross my heart," Tom swore.

They headed for the door. Although he was still weak, he definitely had more strength than Timmy had the other day, before he fell. With Frank, Jeff and Viki following directly behind and Susannah walking backwards in front of him, Tom made it to the door. His respiration had increased a little. Not more than would be expected. They walked into the hallway. Sam and Téa kept a tight grip on him. Susannah continued to walk backwards in front of Tom. Frank, Jeff and Viki continued to follow. They were all ready this time, in case he started fall. They made it halfway down the hallway. Susannah saw Tom was getting a little short of breath. "Let's stop and rest for a minute," she instructed.

Téa was very concerned that Tom would get winded after walking just a few yards. "I wanna get to the art room," Tom whimpered.

We'll get there, honey. You just need to rest for a minute."

Once Tom got his breath back they continued on to the art room. Laura was there and was very happy to see Tom. Tom made the introductions. "This is Téa. She's married to Todd, but she's my friend and she came to see me because she's not mad at me. We had cookies cause we both like Oreos. Té a's gonna draw a picture for Timmy with me because he fell down. Todd's head and lip and arm got hurt, see!" Tom pointed out the injuries to Laura.

"I see. Looks like all of you have had a pretty hard time lately," Laura confirmed.

"That's okay, it don't hurt so much now. And I know it's not Christmas because Doctor Hanen gave me a watch that says what the day and date is. Téa! Téa! I wanted to show it to you. Look! See, it talks too." Tom pushed the button that activated the voice.

"That is the best watch I've ever seen," Téa observed. She stroked back Tom's hair. Tom's big smile filled Téa's heart with love for him. Laura noticed that Tom was a little more talkative and animated than usual. She reasoned that was because he was excited to be out of his room and to have Téa with him. Laura, set up some watercolors, brushes and paper on the table.

"Tom, is all right if I ask Téa something while you set things up the way you want them?" Susannah asked. "Okay," Tom responded. He was already giving his attention to organizing the art supplies.

Susannah took Téa aside and whispered, "I think it would be a good idea it we gave Tom a little room to breath. Would it be all right with you if we left you here with Tom and Laura? Frank, Jeff, Viki, Sam and I will be right outside. The door will stay open."

Téa thought for a moment. She looked at sweet gentle Tom. "Of course it's all right. We'll be fine."

Susannah informed the others of the plan and headed back to Tom. "We'll let you have a nice visit with Téa and we'll be back a little later, okay honey?"

"Uh-huh. Don't worry, I'll take good care of Téa," Tom assured Susannah as he continued to organize the paints and brushes.

"We can paint a picture together for Timmy, from both of us," Tom suggested. "I wanna draw a picture of Timmy with Sam and Viki because he loves them a lot?"

"That sounds great," Téa encouraged.

"Sam and Viki love Timmy more than me, but that's okay because he's four and that's little and I'm seven and that's almost a grown up." Tom acted like he didn't care. Téa could see that he did, very much.

"Tom, why do you think that? Sam and Viki love all of you the same. They love you very, very much," Téa assured him.

"Sam and Viki want to be Timmy's new mom and dad. He said Sam is his daddy now." Tom said this without jealousy, just sadness.

Téa felt so profoundly sad for him. She knew how much Tom wants his beloved Coach to be his dad. She realized it must be breaking his heart to think that Sam wants to be Timmy's dad and not his. What made it even sadder was that Tom showed no jealousy toward Timmy. In fact, he seemed genuinely happy that Timmy was loved. Téa wondered if Susannah or Sam and Viki were aware he felt that way. She couldn't let him go on thinking that.

"Tom." He looked up from sorting the art supplies. He looked Téa directly in the eye. His innocence made her heart melt. "Sam wants very much to be a father to you too. He's always telling me how proud he is of you and how talented and smart you are. He's always says how much he wishes you were his son. He wishes he could have always been your real dad. Viki feels the same way. They wish you were well enough to come home and live with them right now."

Tom's face lit up. Téa had never seen a smile so big on it before. "Really, Coach said all that? He's proud of me and wants me to be his son too? Him and Viki want me to live with them forever too?"

"Yes, that would make them very happy. Viki just told me today how much she wished you could come home and live with her and Sam." Téa was so happy that she could make him feel better about this. She had never quite realized the extent of how separate each alter could feel from each other and how important it was to make sure each one of them knew he or she was loved. Téa made a mental note to make sure to tell Sam and Viki about how Tom had been feeling.

"Timmy likes finger-paints, but not me. I like these." Tom pointed to the watercolors. "Finger-paints are for babies and they're too messy," Tom complained.

Téa noticed how methodically Tom arranged the supplies. He had the various hues of the every color arranged in order of deepness. The brushes were arranged according to size. The paper was centered, perfectly, between him and Téa. Everything was lined up perfectly with nothing out of order. Téa wondered if keeping things in order was so important to Tom because his life was so out of order and so beyond his control.

"Laura!" Tom called out. "Is there a different blue? This one don't look like Viki's eyes."

Laura put some additional paints out for him. "Tom is quite the perfectionist," Laura smiled and informed Téa.

"What does that mean?" Tom looked up at Laura and asked.

"That means that you like everything you do to come out perfectly." Laura defined it for him.

Tom thought about it for a few seconds. "Yeah, I'm a perfectenist," he agreed. Laura and Téa exchanged glances. They both smiled. "Sam has blue eyes too, but his are more gray blue than Viki's," Tom commented. Tom looked at Téa. "I like brown eyes like yours. They look like a teddy bear's. My eyes are green. I wish they were brown like yours and Timmy's. Todd likes your eyes too. He likes to look at your eyes. Do you wanna draw Timmy or Sam or Viki?"

Téa could not believe the remark that Tom had just, so causally, made hit her like a ton of bricks. She bit her lip as she tried to keep from crying. It was no use. The tears came. A wide-eyed Tom looked at her. "Did I do something bad?"

"No, Tom. No, not at all. I'm sorry. I just got very sad for a minute."

"Are you sad because you miss your mom?" Tom big eyes looked questioningly into Téa's.

She stroked his head and kissed his cheek. "Yes, sometimes I do miss my mom." Tom patted her shoulder. "Don't cry Téa. Maybe you can live with Viki? She's the best mom in the whole world, next to my mom. I get real sad too when I think about my mom. She went away. Maybe when she comes back she can live with Viki too."

Téa's heart ached for him. She knew his mom was never coming back to him. Téa was overcome with emotion. She could not stop the flow of tears.

"Is everything all right?" Laura asked. She saw what was happening.

"Téa misses her mom and she's real sad," Tom volunteered.

"Do you want me to get Doctor Hanen?" Laura inquired

"No, I'm fine," Téa sniffled. Laura sat back down and allowed them some more time together.

"Don't feel so sad Téa. I'll bet both our moms will be back real soon. Do you wanna paint a picture for your mom for when she comes back? We could do that instead if you want. Please don't cry."

That Tom, as bad as he felt, was trying to comfort her only made Téa weep more. Tom wiped one of Téa's tears away with his right index finger. He paused for a moment, staring at Téa's teardrop on his finger. "No! That's not true!"

"What is it Tom? What's wrong? What's not true?" Téa asked as Laura looked on attentively. Tom blinked several times. The finger before his eyes blurred and got far away.

"Tom, is there a problem?" Laura approached him.

"No. No problem at all," he responded with a smile.

"Okay, hon. "You let me know if something is bothering you or if you need something." Laura sat down again.

He moved his chair a little closer to Téa's. "So, you miss your mom and that's why you were crying, huh?"

Téa, noticed something different about Tom's voice. "I say if she wanted to leave you, let 'er. Why miss them if they want to go?"

"Well," Téa began. She sensed something had changed. "Yes . . . I . . . I . . . I mean you do miss your mom. That's okay. I know you loved her very much and . . ." Téa suddenly felt very uncomfortable around Tom.

"She meant nothing to me," he said coldly, cutting Téa off. He moved his chair even closer to hers. She could feel his breath on her face and neck. Then in his most innocent voice, she heard him ask, "Why did you turn Todd in to the police?"

"The police?" Téa repeated. She was confused.

"You did try to scream and get away. That wasn't very nice. Not if you loved Todd like you said."

Téa was getting extremely uncomfortable. "Todd was hurting me. He was hurting himself. I wanted to get help for him."

"You mean you wanted to punish him for being a man and doing what he needed to do."

"Tom, maybe we should go back to your room now?" Téa suggested nervously.

He looked up and saw Laura watching them. "It's all right. I was just asking. Let's paint." He held up two brushes. "Which one do you want?" Téa pointed to the brush on the left. He held it out to her and as she reached for it he pulled it back and laughed and then handed it to her.

Chills ran down Téa's spine. What he had just done was all to familiar to her. She looked into his eyes and her blood ran cold. Gone were Tom's innocent wide eyes. She knew she was looking into Pete's angry eyes. She realized he was trying his best to pretend to be Tom, just as he had always pretended to be Todd. He could not quite pull it off once Téa had become aware of his existence. She knew that Tom had gone inside right after he wiped the tear from her face. "Tom," Téa began. She went along with it because she was afraid of setting him off. "I think you're overdoing it. Maybe you should go back to your room and rest."

"Oh, I don't think so. I think we should stay and finish what we started. So let's see, where were we? Oh, yeah. You were going to tell me why you betrayed Todd the way you did? Let's see, could it have something to do with religion?"

"Religion?" Téa was getting frightened.

"I thought maybe you were in a rush to get away from Todd because you need some spiritual guidance from the good Reverend. You and him always did like to get into each other's . . . minds." Pete smirked.

"I turned Todd in to help him. He needed to be stopped from hurting himself and everyone else," Téa replied defensively, but firmly.

"So, you did it for his own good. You had to teach him a lesson. You had to discipline him," Pete spat out. He looked at her coldly. Téa stood up. "Where the hell do you think you're going?" Pete grabbed Téa's arm.

Using the adrenaline running through him, Pete stood up on his own. He noticed that he felt a little stronger than he had the last time he was out. He wondered how long he had been gone this time. He was relieved he was not in jail. He had been surprised when he looked out and saw Tom was just sitting in the art room and not in a prison cell. He wondered if Viki talked Kevin and the rest of the Buchanan’s out of sending Todd to jail. Or maybe they sent Téa in to get him to confess? Pete wondered to himself.

Pete felt a little bad because he had just yelled at Tom and told him to stop being an idiot and believing that his mom was coming back. He screamed that she left and she was never coming back. Then, ignoring Miss Perkins' protests, he pulled Tom back inside so he could come out while Téa was there. At least I didn't remind him that his mom is dead, Pete thought to himself. Pete didn't enjoy being mean to a kid, but Tom and some of the others got on his nerves. They were so naive and stupid. They let people do things to them. They were weak and let themselves get hurt and he hated that. He knew no matter how young he ever was, he would never let anyone do to him the things that most of those stupid and weak kids let happen to them.

Seeing what was happening, Laura stood up. "Is there a problem here?" she asked again.

"I think you should get Doctor Hanen," Téa requested.

"Tom, I want you to let go of Téa's arm and sit down." Laura spoke firmly.

"I don't take orders from you, bitch!"

Laura knew they were no longer dealing with Tom. She didn't want to call a code. Laura calmly went to the door. "He switched," she whispered.

Susannah told Sam and Viki to wait outside. She, Frank and Jeff walked into the art room. They knew that Todd's body was still extremely weak and they would not need much staff should a restraint become necessary.

"Who's out?" Susannah asked.

"Tom!" Pete answered.

"I don't think so. Tom wouldn't be holding Téa's arm that way. I want you to let go of Téa. Now!" Susannah ordered firmly.

Pete tightened his grip. He didn't have the strength in his hand to hurt Téa. Nevertheless she was getting more and more frightened.

Susannah looked at him. Gone was the soft roundness of Tom's face. It was replaced with the hard angles. She looked into his eyes. She knew it was Pete. His eyes were cold and angry. Unlike Saber's, they weren't void of life and filled with hatred.

"Pete! I said, let go of Téa's arm. If you can't, we will have to help you to let go." The two very large men, Susannah and Laura approached Pete in a show of force.

Pete hated to give them the satisfaction. He was enjoying the fear Téa was feeling. She had betrayed Todd and made him feel afraid. Pete felt now it was her turn. Pete knew he wasn't strong enough to fight those goons who worked with Doctor Hanen. Pete was starting to feel weaker. The adrenaline rush was leaving his body. He held on to the table for support. "Look at me." He requested of Téa. She looked at him for a second and then looked away. "Look at me!" Pete demanded. Tea stared him in the eyes. "You'll be back. You know why? Because you'll never get Todd out of your system. No matter what you do or where you go you will always end up coming back. You are in this for the rest of your life, Delgado." They noticed his head lower slightly and his eyes blink a few times.

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