Who's the Real Todd?, Ch. 40

Todd and Blair worked steadily, getting Todd more proficient with his mobility device. A lot of the nurses were really impressed with how he was able to get along with its use. There had been no further improvement in his vision, but Michael urged him to be patient. The latest cat scans of his heart showed that he still needed to keep the stress level to a minimum, but the Doctor told him he could begin working again. The brain scan revealed no other problems and everything appeared to be healing on schedule. Both doctors agreed Samuel could be discharged, and Blair lost no time making the arrangements for their flight home. Both she and Todd needed to get back to their family.

One of the calls they had received while Todd was recuperating had been from Starr. Starr said that Walker's headaches were getting really bad. Michael had received another call from Larry Wolek, this time about Walker and the continued need for secrecy. Plans were being made to find a way to get Tea and Walker out of town on some business trip, so they could fly to Seattle and talk with Michael. Tea and Blair had talked for hours about what Tea could expect. When Tea heard about Todd's vision, she expressed her sorrow and then her concern for her own husband. Blair tried to ease her fears by telling her Michael was an excellent surgeon and to trust in his skills. By the time they finished their call, Tea was reassured enough to begin finding a way to get her Todd up to Seattle without raising any red flags.

During Samuel's final hour in the hospital, Michael stopped in for one final check of Todd's eyes and to deliver the implants to Blair. He asked to be alerted if Samuel's headaches should return because that would mean another problem had arisen.

Todd immediately remarked. "Don't worry Doctor, I promise we won't keep you in the dark." Both Blair and Michael looked at him in shock and then they saw Todd grin. "Gotcha," was all he said.

Michael laughed and walked to Samuel and shook his hand and wished them both luck and left, still chuckling. Blair walked to Todd "You're a nut. Are you ready to get home, Mr. Toddman?" He nodded and she offered her arm. Todd carefully gripped her arm and they left the hospital suite for the last time - if Todd had anything to say about it.

Starr and Hope were waiting anxiously, as the plane landed. Starr had dressed in her favorite color, pink, since her mom told her that her Dad could make out colors. She had Hope in a bright yellow outfit because that was the color Samuel had her in, in his portrait. Her mom and dad must have been the last two people to depart the airplane. Starr watched as her mother led her father down the hallway headed to the baggage pickup. Hope yelled. "Mommy look, Dragon."She took off toward her dragon before Starr could stop her.

Todd and Blair had been starting down the hallway when Blair spotted Starr and Hope. Todd was looking around and using his device to stay clear of other passengers, but she could tell by the grip on her elbow that he was exceedingly nervous about all the people surrounding him. When Hope yelled, Todd had stopped them and appeared to be looking for his granddaughter. Blair whispered. "She's in bright yellow and headed straight for you."

Todd focused as well as he could on the little blur of yellow-headed his way and got down as she neared. Holding out his arms, he waited as she barreled into them and hugged him. "Princess Shorty how wonderful you came to meet us. Did you bring Sir Dragon anything to eat because if not he'll just have to eat you," he hugged her and started nuzzling her neck in play?

"No, Dragon, don't eat me. " she giggled.

"Oh very well, I'll wait," he lifted her into his arms and stood up as he noticed a figure in pink moving closer. He smiled because she wore pink for him. She loved pink and it was one of his favorite colors too because it was his daughter. "Hi, Shorty." He gripped Hope in his unencumbered arm leaving his right hand free to hold Blair's arm. "Thank you for coming to greet us."

Starr gave her dad a kiss and hugged her mom then said. "Princess Shorty missed her dragon and so did I. Let's get you home. Come on Hope, you walk with me." She lifted her daughter out of her dad's arms, both of them were a little reluctant to let go, and set Hope on the ground and took her hand. "Let's go get Dragon's luggage," she led the way and they made their way to get the rest of their belongings.

Starr had a limousine ready to take them home and they were all sitting comfortably. Todd was showing Hope his new Toy and she was getting a big kick out of it. It finally hit Todd that it was taking an awfully long time to get to the penthouse. "Hey, where are we going?"

Smiling, "Home" is all Starr said.

Todd looked over at her, wishing he could make out her features, but her tone sounded happy. "Well, this limo driver needs to learn Llanview. It shouldn't take this long to get to downtown."

Starr reached over and touched her dad's leg. "It's okay Dad he's going where I told him to go. Just sit back and enjoy the ride."

Suddenly the car turned down the driveway and Todd realized where Starr had brought them. In his mind, he pictured once again driving into the clearing and seeing the home nestled in its setting. He gazed out the window, but it was too disconcerting so he sat back and waited for the car to come to a halt.

Starr and Hope exited the car and then Blair. She smiled at what she saw. Todd got out slowly putting on his glasses to protect his eyes from the sun when he heard."Welcome, home." He realized a group of people was waiting for him and Blair. He tried to make out by size who might be standing there. Sam was easy.  He thought he picked Jack out of the bunch. Then someone moved forward and he realized it was Vicki. She came up to him and gave him a kiss.

"Welcome Home Todd," she said

Todd then realized the welcome was for him specifically, and he found himself tearing up. He was grateful for the glasses, and he was trying to talk but he found himself choked up. He didn't know what to say. The only one who had ever welcomed him home in this way had been Starr. That all these people had turned out to see him was overwhelming. Vicki was offering her arm and he took it and she led him inside. There was some sort of banner hung over the stairway. With huge colorful letters, it read the same thing Vicki had told him. Todd was staring at the sign wishing he could truly see it when he felt a little hand tug at his slacks. He dropped his gaze and saw her bright yellow outfit and knew it was Hope. Since he was now inside he removed his glasses and quickly blinked away his tears. "What Princess Shorty?"

"Dragon surprised?" she asked.

"Dragon is very surprised. Did you help your mommy with this?" he pointed to the sign.

"Sam and I made it. It's Big" replied Hope.

Todd dropped down to her level and gave her a big hug. "It's fantastic, thank you so much." he grabbed her hand and using his device he headed into the living room. He paused at the door because he was making out shapes that hadn't been there the night of the Wedding. He looked back trying to locate his sister and she replied "It wasn't me"

He turned his gaze on Starr, who also replied: "Nope not me either?" That only left one person. Before he could find her, she was at his elbow.

"It's the style you like. I had a lot of time on my hands when you were sleeping, so I got online, Starr and the movers did the rest. I know you can't see the true shapes but I think you'll love the coverings." Blair loved the look of the room the rustic colors worked great with the Wood and stone interior. With smooth and suede leather it gave off a masculine air but then Blair had brought in brighter tones in the pillows and lampshades along with the window treatments and you could see a woman's touch at work. Elegant walnut accent tables were placed in strategic spots around the room. All in all, Todd found the room comfortable to his eyes, the colors were just right and not too harsh. He wondered about the rest of the rooms, but he couldn't explore because they had guests. Todd walked over to what he was sure was the couch and sat himself down.

Hope came and snuggled up next to him. "Dragon, tell a story, Dragon been gone a long time."Todd turned to put his arm around Hope and Sam and Bree came over when they heard the word 'story'.

Starr came over and said. " Hope give Dragon a chance to catch his breath. He just got home maybe you and Bree and Sam could go play for a while."

Hope just snuggled closer and said. "No! I want story"

"Me too," said Bree.

"Me three." said Sam.

Todd looked up at the pink blob that was Starr and said. " Starr, it's alright, I'll tell them a story. Why don't you and your mother show the rest of our guests the house? I'm not up to doing that but I can certainly tell a story." Starr looked over at her mom and Blair agreed because she was anxious to see if all the furnishing fit the rooms as she had planned, and Starr had been the only one to see the house fully furnished. So with Starr leading the way, the group followed her towards Todd's office wing and Todd began his story.

"Once upon a time, there was a great dragon who had become very powerful and wealthy. He loved his queen and her daughter and granddaughter very much, so he spent his wealth on them without batting an eye. Now the dragon also had a great deal of fondness for the young children in his kingdom and often times would invite them to play in his great cavern full of games and fun equipment he had amassed from all over the world. When the children of the village came to play his cavern was full of laughter."

"One day two traveling wizards came into the dragon's valley and found out about the immense wealth that the dragon had and decided to get his wealth for themselves, but they needed a plan. They realized that the dragon was very partial to the children of the valley, so they came up with a plan to lure the children away and make the great dragon come looking for them. With their dark magic, the two wizards built a fantastic playground and soon the children were clamoring to it but then the playground vanished with all the children inside. The villagers cried and went looking for their children but could find no sign of them. The villagers pleaded with the great dragon for help and he went in search of the children. With his sharp ears, the dragon soon was getting close and he found himself outside a barrier.  He could hear the children but was still unable to get through to them.

"One night the wizards realized that the great dragon was going to get loose and he would come after them so they decided to make it impossible for him to find them. They made an evil little creature and carefully sent it to the dragon one night as he slept. The creature crawled into the dragon's head and started messing with the dragon and he forgot why he was behind the wall and he left and wandered around for months, not knowing who he was or where he came from. After a while, the evil creature began to come apart and the dragon started recalling the children crying. Once again he opened his ears and began making out their cries again. Now the Dragon was furious. The children had been missing their parents and it was time they got to go home."

"The dragon came back to the invisible wall but it had weakened because the Wizards had forgotten about the dragon and he began breaking down the wall. The children in the playground happily began hitting the wall from their side and soon there was a hole big enough for the children to crawl through and they crowded around the great dragon. He told the children to cover their ears because he was going to summon help. In order to protect their ears even further, he spread his mighty wings and sheltered the children from his great voice."

"With a powerful cry, the great dragon trumpeted and the ground shook from the force of his voice. The villagers heard the cry and knew the dragon had found their children, suddenly the sky over the village was filled with dragons and the villagers marveled never having seen any other dragons but for their own."

"The Wizards heard the mighty cry and realized that the great dragon was coming to get them. They had one more plan they could use and they did it. They sent one last message to the evil creature inside the great dragon's head telling it to latch on and bite the great dragon."

"The great Dragon reeled from the pain inflicted by the little creature but he refused to stop trumpeting until he saw the horde of dragons winging his way. The throng of dragons landed and beat down the rest of the wall and on orders from the great dragon, they each offered rides to the children. One by one the children mounted and were instructed by the great dragon to hold tight. The great dragon watched as his dragons lifted as one and began winging the children back to their families. Suddenly one little boy noticed that the great dragon wasn't following. The little boy and his dragon returned to find the great dragon injured and bleeding because of the creature inside him."

"Now the little boy, whose name was Sam knew a great young wizard who lived in the valley next to the great dragons. Sam had once lived with the wizard for a while. Sam promised the great dragon he would get help and he took off on his dragon to fly and get help. Back in the village, the dragons were landing letting the families reunite. Suddenly little Bree realized her cousin Sam hadn't returned and a cry went up as the villagers saw that the great Dragon also was missing. The queen had sent her guards to find out what had been going on down in the village and she worried about her great dragon. Little Hope and her mother Princess Starr had found the evil wizards sitting with their fake dragon and they had quietly left the cavern to tell the Queen."

Todd paused to catch his breath and Hope said."Dragon, is great dragon aw right?"

Todd hugged her and said "I think he's going to be alright eventually. Do you want to here the rest of the story?" and he saw all three smudges bob.

"The great dragon was very weary but he waited patiently for young Sam and then he saw the dragon descending toward him. The young wizard got off and went up to the great dragon and using his powerful magic he looked inside the great dragon and saw the evil creature attached to the dragon's brain. With a powerful spell, he separated the evil creature from the dragon and forced it to crawl out. but the great dragon found he was not fully healed. The damage the little creature had done to the great dragon had hurt the dragon's eyes and he found he could no longer see clearly.

With the aid of the young wizard, the other dragon, and Sam, the great dragon made it up into the air and carefully made it home. He landed in his valley and was met by his queen and her family. Everyone was angry at the two evil wizards and the queen ordered them stripped of their powers and sent into the wasteland to scavenge off the land. The young wizard did one more thing to them. He sent the evil little creature to bite and pester them the rest of their days.

The queen and her subjects felt terribly sad for their great dragon and all wondered if anything could be done to help the dragon see again. The young wizard told them the dragon's sight might come back but they should all be patient.

All at once Sam and Bree and Hope. "No, Dragon!"

Todd looked at them in surprise and "No What?" he asked

Bree looked at Sam and Hope and she said. "The great dragon didn't need to wait. Because all of the children cried and then used their tears to make the dragon's eyes better and after they washed the eyes, the dragon was able to see everyone clearly once more." Sam and Hope nodded in agreement.

Todd was overwhelmed by the three children and felt his tears begin to fall.

Hope reached up and said "Don't cry Dragon. It's alright. The great dragon all better now."

Behind the children and Todd standing in the doorway stood everyone who had finished their tour and been listening quietly to Todd's Story. Everyone had tears streaming down their faces at the love the children were displaying for their dragon. They watched as Bree and Sam stood up and gave Todd big hugs to calm his tears. No one spoke but silently hugged each other. They knew that the children had no idea dragon couldn't see. They also knew Todd would never tell them.

Blair broke the spell, quickly realizing that Todd would need a moment to compose himself. "Children, would you like to see the special playroom that your dragon made for you. " All three kids looked at Blair and back to their dragon.

He nodded and said. "Yes, you'll love it, go check it out. Thank you all for a great ending to my story." They hurriedly went to Blair, little Hope giving one last hug to her dragon before joining her grandmother. Todd took the moment to dry his tears before everyone else came back into the room.

Starr walked over to her dad hugging him from behind and said. "You tell the most spellbinding stories. Those kids love you."

Reaching up he patted her arms and said. " And I love them." he could hear everyone coming in. "So you must tell me what you think of my home," he said to no one in particular. He received another hug from Starr.

"I just love the suite with all the graphic art. Something tells me that you designed that suite for me, am I correct?" Starr had released him and moved to sit down with him. "Mom showed me how to make the seasons change. We all exclaimed over the colors and creatures on that wall. Hope will love it when she sees it.

Vicki walked over and asked. "Todd would you like a drink or something you're probably dry after telling your tale."

"Something tall and cool would be nice Vicki." he replied, he turned to his daughter "You really liked it. I'm glad." Vicki returned with a tall glass of lemonade which Todd eagerly took a sip. It tasted marvelous. Since the loss of his sight, he had noticed that his other senses had gotten sharper, with the exception of his hearing. The lemonade hit his taste buds like sweet and sour explosions happening in his mouth. It was very refreshing. He downed it immediately and handed the glass back to Vicki who laughed and went to get him another. Jack came over and talked excitedly about the high-tech suite and wondered when he was going to get to stay there and Todd told him as soon as he wanted. Todd hoped the boys would be moving in soon. He wanted the boys there, it was their new home too.

Vicki came back a second drink and remarked, "You might savor that one Todd" She leaned in and gave him a kiss on his cheek and whispered, " There is a cup holder in the couch just to your left." She watched as he brought his left hand up casually and found the spot on the couch arm. He transferred the drink from one hand to the other and carefully set the glass in the holder. As Vicki started to move away he grabbed her hand and gave it a little squeeze. then he returned to his conversation with Jack and Starr.

After getting the children ensconced in the playroom with Jessica keeping an eye on them, Blair had intercepted Natalie and they were discussing all the latest happenings around town and if Carlo had made any more unannounced visits. Natalie told Blair about Brody and John's findings in the woods. They had found a cigar butt and ash where Carlo had been watching the ceremony. The testing on the cigar butt proved it was Carlo, but he had once more dropped off the radar.

Jack hurried over to his mother when she came in the room and asked when they were all moving out to Dragon Heart. Blair stopped and it suddenly occurred that she should get the boys out there, while it was still summer break, and let them get used to their new surroundings. She told him it would be soon, but to give her and Samuel a week to recuperate from their honeymoon. He was disappointed, but she reminded him he was going to be spending time at Walker's house for the next couple of weeks; so by the time he was ready to return to her, they would have his stuff all moved into the new home.

Vicki had joined Todd, and Starr went in search of her daughter. Todd turned toward Vicki and asked. "Was this all of your doing?"

"Actually it was your nieces and Starr that arranged all this. They wanted to let you know you have support from all of us right now." Vicki looked at her brother. She could tell he wasn't fully focused on her and she prayed that Michael was right and that Todd would eventually get his sight back. "I know you're not really the party type. So I hope you're alright with this."

Todd heard her worry coming through her voice and reach for her hand. It took a slight amount of fumbling but he found it "Sis, you know me, I roll with the punches. This was a surprise but not an unpleasant one. In fact, this is probably the first time I really felt welcomed home. It felt good Vicki. I can hear the worry in your voice, I've had a little setback but that doesn't mean I've stopped my plan to get Carlo."

"Todd, you should let Bo and John take care of it from now on. Blair told me how long you were dead. Dear God Todd, I've lost too many family members. Please give up this fight. You have so much now, don't jeopardize it all over again." she tried to get her fear across to him but she knew she was probably speaking to a brick wall.

"Vicki, I can't stop now. I'm this close to finding them and I have to see it through. Hmmph, see it through, ironic isn't it how often we say that phrase and now it's got a double meaning for me." he closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead, he was beginning to get a slight headache. "Sis is there any food at this shindig, I feeling a bit lean right now."

"Oh my, how thoughtless of me, of course, you're hungry. Everyone there is food in the kitchen please help yourselves and Todd, you wait here, I'll get you something." She rose and left with several of the others.

Blair came over behind her husband and started rubbing his temples and he relaxed back against her allowing the ministrations, thankful for the soothing touch of her hands. "Are you holding up okay? I know this was a surprise if you want I'll ask them all to leave." She moved her hands to his shoulders and massaged the tension out of them.

"Blair it's fine. Just what you're doing is helping a lot, I'm sure I just need some food. It's been a long time since our last meal. You must be hungry too." he was getting drowsy from her massage.

She leaned close to his ear and whispered. "I'm hungry but not for food." she kissed his cheek and smoothed his hair around his shoulders.

Vicki arrived with a plateful of sandwiches for both of them and another lemonade for Blair. Blair accepted the plate and drink and moved to sit next to Todd handing him a sandwich to get started on. Typically, Todd, he started eating with relish. Blair and Vicki smiled at each other. Some things never changed.