Who's the Real Todd?, Ch. 4

Tea arrived at the hospital, she had stopped to get some food for Shaun and Dani. She entered the room and saw Dani still sitting next to her dad. "Here Miha, you need to eat. Has he shown any sign of waking up?"

"No Mom, nothing. I thought the doctors said he was showing signs of coming back to us, but he's not responding. Mom, there was a strange call earlier. Someone called checking up on Dad. But he stopped talking right after I told him who I was. Shaun took the phone and couldn't get any answer. You don't think it was the person who shot Dad, do you?"

"Miha, why do you think that? Did the man say anything else?" asked Tea

"He said he was a distant relative of Dad's, but when I said you hadn't told me about any distant relatives, he got quiet." replied Dani.

Tea had a sinking feeling when she heard Dani say distant relative. There was only one person in town who was claiming to be a distant relative of Todd's. "Dani, did he give you his name?"

"Yes, he said his name was Samuel Toddman.  Do you know him?" asked Dani?

Tea looked at her daughter, she chose her words carefully,"Yes I know him and I can tell you he had nothing to do with the person who shot your father. He is a relative and when your dad wakes up I would like you to meet him." She hated herself at that moment. She was keeping her daughter in the dark all over again. Only a year ago she had told Dani that the man lying on the bed next to her was her real father. Now she was going to have to break her heart again and tell her he wasn't. Instead, Dani had just talked to her real father and didn't even know it, but it was a sure bet, Todd knew. That was probably why he had gotten silent. 

"Dani honey, I need to go back out. You just reminded me of something I have to take care of that can't wait. Let me call Starr and ask her to come to sit with you. I'll be back as soon as I can. You should eat and I brought something for Shaun too." She quickly called Starr and found out that Starr was coming to visit shortly so she turned and told Dani her sister was on the way and headed out. She stopped and told Shaun about the food and alerted him to the fact that Samuel Toddman was a relative. Then she made tracks for the Penthouse. She needed to do damage control and she wasn't even sure if she could.

Todd's mind was in turmoil. He couldn't get the phone call out of his mind nor the words that Dani had uttered. She had said as plain as day she was Todd Manning's daughter. Why had no one told him? They all knew about her, he was sure of it. He was trying to keep his anger in check because not even Blair or Vicki had told him. He deserved to know he was her father. Hadn't he proven to Blair that he wouldn't rush Jack? Why hadn't they told him about his daughter? Todd paced, debating giving a call to Vicki, chewing her out and trying to get some answers. He was just reaching for the phone when the doorbell rang. Todd stormed to the door he was in no mood to talk to anyone right now. "What the hell..."Todd stopped and stared at the very person he wanted to talk to.

"Can I come in Todd?" asked Tea.

Todd stood back and gave her room to enter. The last time she was there Pete had come out. Todd felt his anger rolling around inside but it didn't seem to be unmanageable, he just wanted answers and he was pretty sure that was why Tea was standing in front of him. "Well this is interesting, I thought you wanted to stay away from me. That you were having a hard time with the idea that I'm me and that means the man you're married to is a fraud. To what do I owe this pleasure? Wait let me guess, this wouldn't happen to be because you found out I talked to my daughter today, would it? The funny thing about that, I didn't have the foggiest idea I had another daughter. What's even funnier is no one bothered to tell me either. Why is that? It wouldn't be because you kept her a secret from me, to begin with, would it? You know how I feel about my kids and you didn't tell me about her. Did you hate me so much, Tea?"

Tea heard the anger in his voice and she also heard the hurt. "Todd I don't hate you.  I never hated you. My God, I thought I married you. I know you're upset about Dani, I never meant for you to find out this way. Please, this is all so messed up. Ever since I found out you were you, I've been torn in two. I loved you, I came here looking for you two years ago. I fell in love all over again with the man I thought was you. It was just a year ago that I had to explain to our daughter that the man she thought was her father wasn't. You remember Ross, well he helped raise your daughter and she thought he was her father. Then a little over a year ago, Todd found out Dani was his. At least I thought Dani was his. I could no longer keep her apart from her real father since I thought we were in love and Todd had asked me to marry him. Dani went through so much getting to know her dad. She had to come to terms with the fact that you raped Marty and held all those people hostage, but Todd showed her he loved her because she was his daughter and he loved his kids. We were finally coming together as a family until recent events drove a wedge between Dani and Todd. Now he's been shot and Dani is mortified because her last words to Todd were that she hated him. How do I tell her that he's not her father? For that matter how do I explain about you? I'm still trying to wrap my head around all of this too."

"Tea, that still doesn't explain why you kept her a secret from me when we were alone on that island. Or even before that. Dani is a teen that means she was conceived when we were in New York. Did you know you were pregnant when you left me? My God, I woke that day and all I had was a note. You told me you couldn't stay any longer because I couldn't give you what you needed. Do you have any idea what that did to me? I came home to Llanview to try and get back into Vicki and Sam's good graces again. I was afraid if I didn't I was going to permanently lose it. Along the way, Blair and I fell back in love and we had Jack. Then I lose them again and who shows up on my doorstep. You. Now I'm asking myself if there was a reason you showed up. I'm wondering if you came because you wanted to tell me something. But you didn't? Not only that but you stopped my plan to get the kids and we ended up on that island together.  Delgado, you had plenty of chances to tell me, but you didn't. I want to know why?" Todd looked at the woman who had held his heart long ago. There had been something between them on the island but when he had said he loved Blair and she had sent him back to Blair and the kids. It all seemed like another lifetime, Todd wondered how he would have felt if she had told him on the island that they shared a child. Would he have made a bigger effort to get her off the island with him, would he have stayed? It didn't matter now, except for the fact that he had missed out on Starr's and Jack's lives for the last eight years and now he's missed an entire childhood with a second daughter. It didn't look like he was ever going to get a break.

Tea looked back at Todd, She could see how deeply hurt he was and all she really wanted to do was hold him. But it wasn't her place to do that, she gave that up when she married her Todd. For better or worse, she was in love with a man she didn't really know. Tea realized at that moment that it didn't matter if she told Dani about Samuel being her real father. Tea was going to stay with the man she married. Dani wouldn't lose the man she had come to love, she would just gain a second father. She could do this. Todd had a right to get to know his daughter and Dani needed to know him. "Todd, I could give you a number of reasons why I didn't tell you.   They all sound pretty hollow right now, but I'm going to correct that.  You do have the right to know your daughter and she needs to get to know you.  I'm sorry for the lost time.  I can't give that back to you. Dani is all torn up about Todd, I'm asking you to wait until I can explain to her what is happening."

Todd reached down and handed Tea the Sun. "You better not wait too long. This hits the streets this evening. If she sees that before you explain she could end up hating us both."

Tea realized that Todd was right, once the paper was out, Dani was going to be asking a lot of questions. "Then we'll just have to do it now. Will you come with me to the hospital?" asked Tea.

Todd knew this could go bad so quickly but he had to see his daughter. "I'll go Tea because I need to see her. I would have preferred different circumstances but this is the hand we've been played. Am I to assume you've made up your mind to stay with Manning?"

"I guess I have Todd.  I love him and even though I thought he was you, he still makes me feel special and wanted. He gives himself to me in a way you were never able to do." replied Tea honestly.

Todd took a deep breath, the anger he felt at her deception had eased and he realized he was happy for Tea and was no longer jealous that someone else could love her. He had Blair, and Tea was a free agent. If she chose to remain with Manning it was her choice. "Tea I can live with that but you must know I will be a part of my daughter's life come hell or high water. Now let's go.  I want to meet my daughter." Todd took off out of the penthouse.

Tea shook her head as she watched him leave. He really was the same old Todd.

****

Once back at the hospital, Tea headed toward her husband's room. She saw Shaun but no sign of Todd, then her elbow was grabbed from behind.

Shaun saw the man come up behind Tea and grab her arm.  He noted the surprise on Tea's face. "Hey, you! Get your hands off Mrs. Manning. Before I break them off." he glared at Todd, who continued to hold onto Tea's arm.

"Shaun, it's alright he just startled me. This is the relative I told you about, Samuel Toddman. I ran into him while I was out and when he told me he wanted to come to check on Todd, I told him I would meet him here. I was looking for him when he came up behind me. He was just trying to get my attention. Are Dani and Starr still in with Mr. Manning?" asked Tea.

"They're both here Tea.  Mr. Toddman, I'm here to guard Mr. Manning and when I saw you grab Tea, I thought you were going to hurt her. She's been through an awful lot this last year and I won't let anyone hurt her," replied Shaun, watching Todd to see what he would do next.

Todd released Tea's arm and held out a hand. "I'm glad to see someone is on the job protecting Todd's family. I assure you I mean no harm to Tea. Like she said I came to see my cousin and to meet the rest of my family." Shaun shook Todd's hand as both men sized each other up. Todd liked the big man in front of him. He was reminded of the times on the football field when he had stared into the eyes of defensive backs who were getting ready to try and stomp him into the ground. They each knew what the other was there to do and respected each other for it. That's what he saw in Shaun. The man was doing his job and Todd respected him for that.

While Todd was sizing up Shaun, he had been sizing up Todd. Shaun saw a man who had been through the wars but had survived. He liked his handshake, it was firm but not pushy. The man standing next to Tea at first glance looked like trouble personified, the kind you want to always keep in your sights because if you lose sight of him you could get it in the back. Shaun had met plenty like that in prison. Shaun wondered if this man had seen some prison action. Something about him indicated he probably had at some time in his life. Shaun glanced at Tea and noticed that although she had been alarmed when he first arrived, she wasn't afraid of him. In fact, she seemed quite comfortable with him. Like she knew what he was capable of but it didn't bother her. If Tea liked the guy then he was alright in Shaun's book. In fact, Shaun had a feeling he might actually end up liking the guy. "Go on in, I'm sure the girls would love a change of scenery now that you are here," said Shaun.

Starr looked up when the door opened, her eyes seeing Tea and then her father enter the room. She watched her father glance briefly at her and then turn his focus on Dani. My god, he knows. He knew Dani was his daughter. She looked over at Dani and saw that Dani didn't know her mother and somebody else had entered. Starr got up and walked toward her dad. She got to him and he looked down at her, before she could say anything he brought a finger up to her lips and shushed her.  He mouthed 'we'll talk' and then stood there as Tea approached Dani.

Dani glanced up when she felt Starr move and then she saw her mother and the man behind her. Dani looked at his face and remembered all those old pictures her Mom had shown her with her dad in them. What was going on? How come this guy had the same face as her dad before the plastic surgery? Starr knew him, she could tell from the glances they were giving each other. "Mom, what's going on? Who is this guy?"

"Miha, I want you to take it easy, what I'm going to tell you is going to shock you as much as it shocked me." Tea looked at Todd and knew what she had to do. "Dani, this is your real father, Todd Manning."

Dani sat there stunned. What the hell did her mom mean? She was sitting next to her dad. "Mom are you crazy? Why would you say that? He can't be my father., this is my father," She points to the man lying in the bed, "You told me so yourself. You married him. How can you believe this man could be Dad?" she stared at the man standing in front of her.

Todd looked at his daughter, wanting so much to take her in his arms and ease the pain he saw in her eyes. She was so confused and really just wanted him to disappear. She was beautiful and he saw traces of himself in her features. He couldn't take back Tea's words now, they were hanging in the room like a sword over their heads. He said the first thing that came to his mind. "Hello, Dani. I'm not here asking for anything from you. But I just found out about you, and I had to meet you. I know the timing is terrible and I'm sure you have a lot of questions but one thing is certain, I am Todd Manning."

"Wait a minute," said Dani, "I recognize that voice. You're the man who called earlier. You said you were a distant relative. A guy named Samuel Toddman. Why are you lying to my Mom? What are you trying to pull? Just because you look sorta like my father did, doesn't mean you can waltz in here and now claim to be him. You know nothing about my father. If you did, you would know that you can't get away with this. If you claim to be my father, where have you been all this time? Why have you let a man you claim isn't you, live like you? Prove to me you're my father. You say you know my mom, what's her full name?"

Todd looked over at Tea and said. "Your mom's full name would be Tea Marissa Delgado Manning Manning Rayburn Manning. But to me, she'll always be Delgado. I know your name is Dani. Is that a nickname? I just can't see Tea naming her daughter a boy's name."

Dani straightened up and said "It's short for Daniella. Why did you say you were Samuel Toddman on the phone?"

"Dani, I couldn't very well call and check up on Todd Manning and say I was Todd Manning at the same time. There is a lot going on here and it has been necessary for me to live as Samuel for the time being. I am your father and I have proof. Why I haven't been here and the man you know on the bed has, is a story that will require a great deal of explanation. For the time being, Llanview must believe that the man in that bed is Todd Manning and I'm Samuel Toddman, a distant relative. I know we hit you with some shocking news today, but believe me when I say I'm in the same boat as you." Todd paused and his eyes met Dani's. "I didn't know you existed. If I had known I would have moved heaven and earth to be with you." He tried to convey all he was feeling into his words as he looked at her.

As Dani's eyes dropped from his, he didn't know if he had gotten through to her or not. "You don't know me personally but from what your mother told me earlier, you are fully informed about my past. I have to believe since you accepted him with my past," Todd nodded at the man on the bed, "and that you'll give me an equal chance to prove I've changed too. I would like to get to know you, Dani. I won't push. But if you need to talk my door is always opened to you." Todd looked at her once more, gave a squeeze to Starr's shoulder, and exited the room before Dani has a chance to see the tears beginning to form. He moved past Shaun and headed quickly for the elevator.

Shaun noticed Samuel's quick departure and wondered what occurred in the room. Samuel moved like someone who got hit with some news but it wasn't all good. Shaun heard the door behind him open again as Starr left and headed straight for Samuel. Obviously, she already knew him because she joined him on the elevator with her arm through his. If Shaun were a betting man he would say Starr's gesture was a comforting one. Why had Samuel needed comforting? He quickly opened the door to check on Mr. Manning thinking something had happened and saw Tea and Dani also comforting each other. "Is everything alright with Mr. Manning, Samuel just left here looking pretty upset. You two look mighty upset too."

Tea and Dani look at Shaun and Tea said "Shaun it wasn't anything with Todd, but it was a family matter that has hit a little close to home. Why did you say Samuel seemed upset? How could you tell?"

Shaun replied, "Being a bodyguard, you learn to read body language so you know when someone is about to make a move. Believe me. Samuel left here like someone had kicked him in the gut. That's why I thought something had happened to Todd. Well, I'll go back to my post, hope you're alright."

"Mom, do you believe Shaun? Do you think he was upset?"

Tea looked at her daughter. " Dani, you can't comprehend how upset your father is right now. You're upset because I just dropped another father in your lap, but in a way, it's not quite as much of a shock for you as it is for him. You know all about him and you've had a year to come to grips with the thought that Todd Manning is your father. The real shock for you is that this man lying here isn't your father." 

Tea hugged her daughter, then she reached and moved Dani's hair behind her ear looking into Dani's eyes."Dani, you and I share one problem. We love the man on that bed. Now you have to decide if you're going to give the man who just found out he was your father a chance to also be your father. For myself, I'm so torn because I believed I was marrying my one and only love and now I've found out I didn't. The first day I saw your father was a little over a week ago. I didn't believe him at first either, but then something happened that convinced me he was indeed Todd. My heart tumbled when I realized what had happened."

Tea watched Dani move closer to her father lying on the bed. "Dani, all I ever wanted to do was reconnect with your father and bring our family back together. I thought I had done just that. Now I don't know what to do. It's too late for Todd and me, I realized that today when I talked to him earlier. I knew how Todd felt about kids. I helped him get Starr when she was little. When I had my chance to tell him about you I didn't and he'll never forgive me for keeping you from him. Now I think he and Blair are closer than ever. I did make one decision today. I'm standing by this man. I don't know who he is but I don't think he does either so we'll find out about him together. I do believe he loves me and I know I love him. So he'll always be a father to you, Dani. I know you love him. Still, I hope you can find some room in your heart for your real father. I can tell you, he'll be there for you just like he said." Tea kissed Dani's cheek and hand in hand they sat down again to watch and hope their Todd would wake up soon.