The MST, Firestorm, Ch. 38

Bo stopped at the nurses' desk to get an update on Todd's condition. Todd was doing better and it looked like he might be allowed to go home the next day or so. That was good news. It meant they could forge ahead and get plans underway without endangering Todd any further. Bo entered Todd's room to find Vicki and a lab technician already there.

"Commissioner, please come in, this should only take a moment. I understand that you personally are going to see that this DNA test is handled securely. Do you trust where it is going?" asked Samuel.

Bo was surprised at how easily he was able to tell Samuel from Todd. Samuel just came across as more dignified and well, nice. Todd had always had a chip on his shoulder. Even yesterday, Samuel came across as more reasonable, more like Sam. That was it, Samuel reminded him of Sam Rappaport. Bo answered Samuel's question. "I'm certain there will be no problem with this set of samples. I'm hand-delivering them myself to the lab and I'll get the results myself and bring them to you. Is that satisfactory?"

"I believe that will do just fine, Commissioner. Now would you please help me convince Vicki that I'm on the mend and she doesn't have to hover any longer." Samuel looked over at his sister. "Really Vicki, you have your daughters to think about right now. I promise I won't overdo it."

"Vicki, I won't let him get overtaxed, but we really need to talk. I know that Brody brought Tess back. You need to try and reach your daughter and Samuel is in good hands right now. Go, I'll keep you updated." said Bo.

Vicki knew they were ganging up on her, but they were both right. Jessica's condition had to be addressed. Tess was being very stubborn and refusing to let Jessica out. Vicki wasn't sure how they were going to get Jess back. And Jess's kids were caught in the middle right now, especially Ryder. She smiled at Bo and patted Samuel's hand. "You're right, I'm needed at home. Take care of him, Bo. Thank You." then she left.

The lab technician sealed the test samples and handed the envelope to the commissioner and then exited the room.

"Have a seat Commissioner. The reason you're talking to me right now is that I was the one in charge following Todd's trauma his final night in town. I don't remember a lot of what happened, but I have had a few memories return that might shed light on what was done to Todd." Samuel paused and waited for the commissioner to get settled "Should I continue?"

"Samuel, by all means, go ahead. Whatever you remember is going to be crucial if we're to figure out how you were replaced by the current Todd. Like you said, you were in charge, so I'm guessing that Todd won't be of much help at this stage." replied Bo.

"I'll start at the beginning. The first thing I recall was a knife coming towards my face and a figure standing over me saying I would always know who had carved me. He carved and said 'L for Laurence', the pain was more than I could take and I passed out. I have a vague memory of another man finding me.  I heard someone on the phone talking about a brother and an accident than I was out again. Then my memories become a little surreal. I have memories of corridors. I'm being forced down these corridors. The doorways at the end of the corridors lead to different memories. I remember that if I refuse to open the doors I received a shock like someone has zapped me with a cattle prod. This seems to go on for days. But I finally come to three doors I can't open. For some reason after several attempts when I think I can't take anymore, the shocks stop. What I didn't know at the time but do now, is that with each door opened the memories were somehow recorded and then locked away from me.”

Samuel paused for a moment as a headache started to form behind his eyes.  He knew just talking about the memories was causing the pain, but he continued.  “I lingered in a gray place for a long time, then I woke up.  I was a mess.  According to the doctors, just about every bone in my body had been broken and some of them had begun to set improperly. It seems I was delivered to Philadelphia General some weeks later than my initial accident.  The worst of my injuries had been addressed at a different facility, but they hadn't treated them all. The only thing that makes any sense is that I was taken to a small clinic at first. Usually, a small clinic will handle the most dangerous injuries and make a patient stable and then they'll transfer the patient to a bigger hospital for the rest of their care. For some reason, I was taken someplace else before I was sent on to Philadelphia General." Samuel paused again and reached for some water.  He took a sip. and closed his eyes for a moment, reaching for his forehead to rub it and try and alleviate the throbbing.

Bo noticed the gesture. “Samuel, just take it easy.  Don’t push yourself.  If this is too tiring let me know.”

Samuel opened his eyes and looked at Bo.  “It’s nothing, I get headaches from time to time.  Let’s see, where was I? Oh Yes.  I awoke from a coma several weeks after arriving at Philadelphia General. The only thing I could remember was my name. Every time I tried to remember more I would have excruciating headaches. They were brutal, much worse than this current one. Finally, the doctors convinced me that I should just concentrate on getting better. When I was well enough to leave the hospital, I felt like I was being watched. I transplanted myself to Paris where I've been until recently. While in Paris there were several times I felt like someone was keeping an eye on me. I couldn't tell you who they were, but they were always there. Occasionally I would spot someone staring at me but when I caught their eye they would look away. Since all they were doing was watching. I tried to live as simple a life as possible.”

“So let me get this straight.  You decided to leave the country on a feeling.  Why Paris?”

“Why not.  I thought I had eluded my watchers in the states.  Having no knowledge of my past, all I could go on was my gut telling me to disappear.  I’m not sure how they found out where I was, but I’m guessing it was my paintings of Blair.”

“So it didn’t occur to you to go to the police when you found out you were being watched in Paris?”

“What was I supposed to tell them.  I couldn’t remember anything.  It wasn’t until recently that my memory began returning.  At first, if I tried to push it, I was again hit with the headaches; but I decided that I needed the memories and I almost did myself in. That's when I called Philadelphia General and had them send me my records. A day after calling the hospital, I had a breakthrough. I remembered how I got this scar. That day I painted a picture of a woman in an alley behind a place called Rodi's. When I recalled the memory, I just about despaired, I couldn't believe I had hurt someone that way. That night I had a chance meeting with a woman named Alex.  I'm grateful to her, she brought me out of my despair. Yet even as I talked to her I suddenly had the feeling I had when I felt like I was being watched. It was like she was associated with my watchers. I took her back to her hotel and that was going to be it; then I thought maybe I could turn the table on my watchers by getting to know Alex. The next day I spent the afternoon with her, but she suddenly got cold feet as if she knew she was in over her head. Although we made plans for the next night, she ended up canceling and flying back here to the States.

The same night as my date with Alex, Blair arrived at my door.  I won't go into that except to tell you that after I dropped off Blair the next morning I made a visit to the Gallery that sold my paintings. That morning I got a list of my patrons. Two gentlemen seemed to be my staunchest supporters. They were always in a bidding war for my paintings. One name was familiar to me because he had been mentioned by Blair. His name was Todd Manning. The other gentleman's name was Carlo Hesser."

Bo thought it odd that Manning was buying portraits of Blair, but when Samuel mentioned Carlo he really took an interest. That was a name that hadn't been heard from in a while. Now Samuel's friend Alex made a little sense  Could that have been Alex Olanov?  She was someone who had more than a passing acquaintance with Carlo. Samuel was right. Very likely, if Alex Olanov was the woman, she had been sent to distract Samuel and to find out if he was getting his memory back. Why was Carlo keeping an eye on Samuel? Did he know that Samuel was Todd Manning? If Carlo was involved in this, then it had just gotten serious. "Stop Samuel, you're saying Carlo Hesser has been buying some of your paintings."

Samuel nodded. "There's more Commissioner. The day after Blair and Alex both left Paris, my records arrived from the hospital. Several days later I had a face to face chat with the doctor at Philadelphia General and we found an admitting doctor who had noticed the ambulance I arrived in. The name on the ambulance was the Kipling Neuroscience Research Facility outside of Philadelphia. I enlisted Todd's contacts and did some investigation into any projects or research and came up with two projects that were ongoing in 2003. One project was known as REMSWITCH. It was research on Memory Transference. The other Project was known as BLINDSIDE. It was a project involved in hi-tech spying using relative unknowns and making them into someone else. Through the use of Remswitch and some micro technology memories of another person were inserted into the brain of the unknown who then took on all the mannerisms and memories of the original. The two projects melded together to make the perfect mole. A mole so believable that he truly believed he was the original individual. I believe I was one of those test subjects and it is my belief that the current Todd Manning is the unknown who became me. The last piece of the puzzle is the name of one of the backers at the Kipling Facility. Yes, you guessed it. Carlo Hesser."

Bo sat back. " Do you have any proof that you were at the Facility?"

"As of yet, no. I went to the cemetery the night after the report and you know those results. I need to find someone who saw me at that facility and who might have seen Manning. I'm also trying to figure out where I might have been taken the night of the beating. I've narrowed my search down to two medical facilities between here and Philadelphia. They'll also need to be checked. If I can place Carlo with me on that night then we'll know we're on the right track." said Samuel

Samuel laid back and looked at Bo trying to gauge if he believed the story or not. There were parts of his story he really had trouble relaying to Bo. He was aware that the commissioner was all too familiar with Todd's past. Samuel, on the other hand, was still trying to wrap his head around some of the terrible things that Todd had done. He couldn't understand what had driven Todd to commit those acts. If he couldn't understand it, then how was Todd supposed to. Samuel figured it had to do with the third door in his mind. The one guarded so well by the rest of Todd's alters. He had attempted to find out what was behind that door, but Ms. Perkins said the only one with the key was Todd and he had buried the key where even he couldn't find it. There was something inside of Todd that has been eating at him for a long time. It was in the darkness that had scared Samuel in Paris. It had seemed like something evil lived in that darkness. That something was just waiting for the right opportunity to get a better foothold then it would take over and Todd would be lost forever. Samuel closed his eyes for a moment. He didn't want to think what that would mean for all of them, but he knew he didn't want it taking over him and he would do everything in his power to continue to keep it in its hole. There must be a way to trap it there so it would never threaten them again.

Bo again watched as Samuel's eyes closed and wondered if maybe they should take a break. He had the impression that Samuel wasn't as calm as he tried to appear. Samuel was having to adjust to the truth about Todd's life on the fly. There wasn't time for him to get used to the things that Todd had done, he just had to accept them and move on. Bo got up and moved to Samuel's bedside. " Samuel, do you need a break. I realized that Todd's life is essentially new to you and it's a lot to take in. Todd's also going to have a period of adjustment because both you and he have been out of the loop for eight years. Remember we're just getting started here. This mess isn't going to get cleared up in one day."

Samuel opened his eyes and said. " I'm alright, it's just that sometimes the memories come at me a little too fast and I feel the need to step back and put up a shield before they overwhelm me. I told you I had two likely places I could have been taken following the beating. One was the Cherryvale clinic and the other one was the Silver Mountain Hospital. If we know the actual day I disappeared, we can check and see if someone with my injuries was brought in." Samuel looked directly into Bo's eyes and said. "I know what Todd did a long time ago to your wife, and I tell you right now, that Todd deeply regrets those actions. He has no excuses for his actions and they eat at him. He'll never admit it, but I hope you know he respects you. I know you'll never call us friends, but maybe we could agree to be frenemies." Samuel smiled and offered his hand.

Bo stared at Samuel and then shook his hand. "Frenemies will work. You can pass that along to Todd. I think I've got enough information to get started. I'll check into the Cherryvale Clinic and Silver Mountain Hospital first. I think you’re right, if we can find out where you were taken that night, then we'll be that much closer to your not-so-good samaritan. You say you have some reports on the Kipling Facility. Is there any chance I could see those?"

"Certainly Commissioner, all you have to do is give Starr a call. She knows where I put the papers. She's staying in the Penthouse. The doctors tell me I might be able to go home tomorrow or the next day. I'm shooting for tomorrow. I've been told Todd hates hospitals and I can tell you he's not alone. I need to get out of here as much as he does." replied Samuel

“I'm going to leave and drop these DNA samples to the lab. We should have the results within a couple of days. In the meantime, we're all in agreement that a distant relative of Vicki's arrived and recently suffered some health problems. Since you went to so much trouble to make it look like you're still in Paris, I'll explain to the registration the need for anonymity and have your name removed from your records. Then you'll need to keep a low profile. If Carlo is behind this, I want to find a way to catch him with his finger still in the pot. If he discovers you're here, he won't hesitate to immediately cover his tracks. For right now I need you, Vicki, Blair, and Starr to keep Todd from doing anything foolish. Todd’s biggest drawback is jumping the gun. He's going to have to find a way to be patient. I want to try and help Todd get back his family but not at the expense of that family. He has a lot to find out about the last eight years and what has been going on with regard to his family. You both need to work on getting better. You'll be back in your home soon enough. I'll see you when the results come back and Samuel, I'm the Police Commissioner, I'm right in the middle of another major case. Tell Todd, I'll help him, but I'm not his own personal police officer. Remind him we work by my rules or not at all." With those final words, he picked up the manila envelope and left.

Samuel called the nurse and asked if there was a handheld mirror handy. She brought him one from the nurses lounge and told him to ring when he was finished with it. Samuel held the Mirror in front of him and looked at Todd. "Well, it's done. The balls in his court now. Did I cover all the bases for you."

"You did fine Samuel. I can't do anything until they let us out of this hospital. With any luck, Bo is going to find out the clinic for us and more about the Kipling facility. Once we have all the information then we can go after Hesser’s bank accounts. We'll hit him where it hurts." said Todd.

Samuel laid the Mirror down. Then he pulled the table to him and grabbed the sketch pad and started drawing another picture of his sister. Whenever he had felt unsettled at home, Vicki had always comforted him. He was feeling that strange unsettling urgency. He wanted to crawl out of his skin. He worked swiftly on the sketch, the sooner he had her finished the sooner the feeling would dispel.

Hours later, Todd moved slowly across the room. He had been trying all morning to get the feel of his legs under him. The first time he sat on the edge of the bed he had almost toppled off. Only by grabbing the table in front of him, had he been able to keep from falling. The room had steadied and he had tried to stand up. What a joke. After working so hard to keep himself upright, he had undone it by trying to stand. He had gone down hard, knocking the table into a chair in the process and making so much noise the nurses had come running. That had been hilarious as they worked to get him back in the bed. They were all baffled as to how he fell out of the bed. He told them he had a bad dream and the next thing he knew he was on the floor.

Once they left, Todd sat on the edge again. This time, he put his feet down on the floor and leaned on the bed until his legs took his weight. Then he had started walking just around the bed. The whole time he was out of breath. After two strolls holding onto the bed, Todd finally let go and walked around it without holding on. He was feeling better, he just needed to get moving again. Before he could get back into bed the doctor showed up and caught him. After a brief talking too about the dangers of giving himself another heart attack, the doctor sat him on the bed and checked him out. It seemed the heart monitors agreed with Todd, so the doctor arranged for Todd to get a portable monitor and told him he could start moving around. If the heart rate remained in a reasonable range with the increase in activity, then he would probably be moved to a regular room. So here he was moving around. Todd finally got to the door and turned to make his way back to the bed. On his way to the bed, he heard the door open behind him.

"Now there's a sight that would make any heart beat faster. Those are sure some pretty legs you got there, Darlin'." Blair said laughing. "But just what are you doing?"

Todd turned to her and sat on the bed. "I'm moving around, what's it look like I'm doing? Only the special few get to see these legs, you should feel honored, Blair. "

"Oh be still my beating heart. I've been granted the honor of seeing your legs. Will wonders never cease." Blair grinned and walked over to Todd. "Seriously, should you be up this soon?"

Todd looked at her standing right in front of him. He stood and pulled her close and answered her question the only way that made sense.

Blair felt his lips take hers and his arms around her and just melted. The last time he had held her like this had been the brief moment in Paris, but she had initiated that kiss because Samuel was in charge. This was all Todd and it felt so good and so right. The kiss seemed endless and marvelous. The adage "Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder" was never truer. He ended the kiss and just looked at her. He was feeling a little wobbly, so he continued to hold onto her, but he would have held on no matter the reason. He thought back to that awful night so long ago, she had professed to love him but had asked him to go for the sake of the kids. She was here right now but would she stay? Did she still feel that he was a danger to their kids? No, she couldn't, she had allowed Starr and Hope to move in with him. That had to mean something.

Blair looked into his eyes, but they weren't really focused on her, she wondered where his thoughts had gone to. He was still holding her so he must be thinking about her but when was he thinking about. She took his face in her hands and said, "Todd, come back to me." she waited and his gaze connected with hers. "Where were you?" she asked.

"Blair, have I been gone long enough? Can I come home now?" he asked.

At his words, she knew where his thoughts had gone, "Oh Todd yes. Please come home and don't ever go again. I'm sorry, so sorry I ever asked you to go." She said and then kissed him and tried to let him know just how glad she was that he was back. This kiss was different, for it was asking for forgiveness and filled with remorse. With tears mingling both her's and his', two halves of a broken heart sealed back up and became one. She felt his fingers wiping away what was left of the tears. She thought how funny it was that Todd had always wiped away her tears. He had been there when things ended the first time with Max, when she had gone back and forth with Cord; he had been there when she had literally lost it and shot Max, whenever she had been low he had been there. She had been foolish to send him away, and it had cost him eight years. She was going to find a way to make this work. This time, she understood more about him and she now felt like she had an ally in Todd's camp. With Samuel's help, she was going to really get to know Todd better so she could avoid the earlier mistakes.

Todd wiped his own tears and holding on to her wrist he sat back on the bed. " I want that Blair. I need to come home. I know a lot of years have past and I know, that for you, it hasn't been as long because someone else has been me. I don't know how I feel about this other man. You know I've always hated the thought of someone else touching you and I'll be honest, it's eating at me that you thought he was me. I hurt here, Blair" he touched his heart. "It aches to know that both you and Starr didn't know he wasn't me. I love you and Starr so much I'm really trying to get past the hurt. You have to help me because I'm afraid that ache is going to cause me to do things I'll regret and then I'll lose you again. Please, whatever you do, don't push me away again. I don't think I could stand that."