Unsure where to start, he set the flashlight down and gently touched her face, “Blair, Babe, I’m here.” As he lifted her head, her eyelids fluttered and he knew she heard him. He moved the hair aside, noting how clammy her skin felt. He had no idea how long he had been wandering around anymore. He knew he had been in the woods for longer than an hour by now. Whoever had done this to Blair had known she wouldn't be found quickly and had taken his time with her. Holding her head, he leaned in close to her ears and whispered. “I’m going to get you down. Stay with me, Babe.”
His right hand slipped to her back and he felt something wet. ”What the....?” In the light, he realized it was blood and slowly walked to see her back. Todd couldn’t stop himself as he heaved to the side and lost his dinner. Her back was a mass of oozing welts; someone had beat her to a pulp. He dropped to his knees suddenly picturing Peter, standing over him with his belt. He glanced back up at his wife, really looking at the damage and also noticed the bruising and liquid running down her legs. She had been raped. He screamed in rage. The sound reverberated through the woods.
Cold anger filled him, the man who hurt her would pay with his life. Eerily calm, he stood back up and walked to the tree where the rope was tied off. He spotted a knife on the ground and started to reach for it, then paused. It was as if he had detached himself from the surreal atmosphere around him. Hold it, Todd, ‘he’ touched it. He pulled out his handkerchief and picked it up. Then he grabbed onto the rope to keep Blair from just falling to the ground and sliced the rope cleanly. Blair’s limp form almost pulled the rope from his hand and burned his palm as he stopped it from slipping free entirely. The sudden stop of the rope jerked Blair’s arms and she cried out in pain. Todd’s head whipped around at the sound and he cursed. “Damn it, Manning, just hurt her some more. You idiot!” He then carefully lowered his wife to the ground.
He rushed to her side, reaching for her shoulders to turn her, but every touch seemed to elicit a moan. “Oh God, Blair, I have to move you off your back. I’m sorry.” As gently as he could he rolled her on her side. Getting a closer look at her back, his hands clenched. The brutal bastard had marked her. His woman. At that moment, Todd wanted to throttle Mitch. He shed his jacket and laid it on the ground, then tenderly lifted Blair and moved her onto the jacket. Retrieving the knife where he had dropped it by the tree, he cut the rope and tape off her wrists and moved her arms. She cried softly as he began working on them. Her hands were almost blue and the muscles in her arms were twitching. “Shh, Babe, I know it hurts. Got to get the blood moving, forgive me.” He rubbed them, noting how cold they were. Blair started to shiver and Todd pulled his shirt off and covered her with it. As coverings went, it just barely worked but it provided some warmth. Looking around there wasn’t much left of Blair’s clothes, telling him that Mitch had been determined to humiliate her as much as possible. If help didn’t come soon, he’d have to find a way to move her himself.
He reached to check on his unborn child and felt a faint kick. He bent over and whispered. “Baby, you’re mommy isn’t doing very good right now, but I need you to hang in there. If anything happens to you...well, Daddy doesn’t even want to go there.” He was rewarded with another kick. He rubbed the belly to give the baby some comfort, praying she and Blair would get through this. The trauma they had just gone through couldn’t be good.
He reached to check on his unborn child and felt a faint kick. He bent over and whispered. “Baby, you’re mommy isn’t doing very good right now, but I need you to hang in there. If anything happens to you...well, Daddy doesn’t even want to go there.” He was rewarded with another kick. He rubbed the belly to give the baby some comfort, praying she and Blair would get through this. The trauma they had just gone through couldn’t be good.
He could hear voices getting closer and knew they had heard his cry. Blair and the baby needed medical help. “COLE, WILLIAMS, ANYBODY, WE’RE OVER HERE! I’VE FOUND HER!” He felt her hand grab his and looked down into her pain-filled green eyes.
“Todd, I knew you’d find us. I’m sorry. I fought him... I did.” Tears were streaming from her eyes as she begged him to understand.
“Don’t talk. It’s alright.” He felt she was trying to shield him somehow, there was no way to tell her it was too late. He didn’t blame her and he had to make her understand that. “You didn’t do anything wrong. You just need to rest. We’ll get help and get you out of here.” He wiped her tears and cradled her head in his lap. She didn’t need to worry, after all, he would make sure the person who did this to her never hurt anyone again.
Blair suddenly groaned and cried out. “God, Todd, something’s wrong.” Another pain ripped through her. “It’s the baby. Please, I can’t lose her.” She was holding her belly with one hand, as she pleaded with Todd to save their child.
Todd knew he could no longer afford to wait until the searchers found them. “Blair, I going to try and get you out of here myself, but I’ll have to pick you up. Do you understand?”
She squeezed his hand. Her whole body was raw and she knew it was going to hurt. “Do it, Todd. Our baby...” He laid her head down and was starting to get up when Shaun and John entered the clearing.
One look at the scene told them it was bad. John frowned. “Stay put, Manning. We have an ambulance on hand at the house. Shaun, you remember how we got here? Go bring the EMTs to us.” Shaun turned around the way he came and rushed out. John walked over and got down next to Todd. “ How bad is it?”
“It’s bad. John, there isn’t time to wait for them. We’ll have to take her out. Something’s wrong with the baby.” Blair though semi-conscious reached for Todd’s hand as another pain assaulted her. “Don’t worry Babe, I’m not going to let anything happen to our little girl.”
Todd again moved to get up and John noted the stains on his slacks. In the bad light, he couldn’t tell what they were, but he had a really bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. He watched as Todd very carefully began to pick her up and heard Blair cry out as the jacket peeled off her back suddenly and dropped over Todd’s arm. Swinging his flashlight, he saw the top of her back exposed to the light. The angry welts that he could see above Todd’s arm, marred what had once been smooth and soft. John clenched his jaw “My God!”
Blair passed out again, as Todd shifted her in his arms, her head lolling on his shoulder. He looked at John, knowing he had seen some of Blair’s back. “John, cover her back up please.” Todd’s voice was ragged and John knew that Todd wasn’t as together as he had appeared at first. John repositioned Todd’s jacket across Blair’s back and dropped a beacon, used for just these occasions, to the forest floor. Todd’s shirt was barely covering the rest of Blair, so he removed his own jacket and wrapped it around her too. Then he took the lead taking the path he and Shaun had discovered that led to the clearing.
Todd held Blair close. When John had seen Blair’s back, the pity and shock in his eyes were like a blow to Todd’s gut. He had been trying desperately to keep it together for Blair and it had taken one sympathetic look from John to shatter that control. He wanted to scream and rage and literally hit something more than a tree trunk. He wanted to tear apart Mitch for laying his filthy hands on Blair. He forced himself to take a few deep breaths, determined to not let John see him like that. His arms tightened protectively around Blair and he wished he could take her back to dinner time when they had all been so happy. “Babe you’ll get through this. You’re stronger than me. Our little girl is going to make it, too. She’s a fighter, just like her mom. You wait and see.” He whispered to her and kissed her head as it rested against his shoulder. He knew who had harmed her, the minute he took the hard look at Blair’s back. Thankfully, he hadn’t taken the baby, at least not yet. Todd vowed then and there nothing would stop him from finding the sadistic bastard and ending his life once and for all.
After walking for about twenty minutes give or take, John and Todd met up with Shaun and the paramedics. Todd tenderly laid Blair onto the stretcher, and the paramedics quickly checked her and the baby out.
“Sir, do you have any idea how long she’s been out here?”
“It’s been a while, but I have no idea how long I’ve been out here. Who cares, let’s just get her back to the hospital, for God’s sake” Thanks to Shaun, they had brought out a blanket and they were able to cover her properly.
Blair stirred. She could see them all gathered around her and felt a flush, embarrassed suddenly, she grabbed the blanket pulling it around her. Another spasm of pain gripped her and she clutched her stomach again. “Todd! The baby!” He swallowed the bile that forced its way into his mouth and wrapped her hand tightly with his. “She’s still with us Blair.” Her hand was frigid and Todd started panicking, “Fellas, she‘s freezing. What’s going on?”
“She’s going into shock. We need to go,” the EMT said. They picked up the stretcher and continued back down the path to the waiting ambulance.
Todd was grateful when he saw the clearing of the trees, but his relief quickly turned to alarm as they exited the tree line. There was a full-blown media circus on his front lawn. Reporters and news vans with lights all aimed at the trees were standing waiting for the search party. It was absolutely the last thing he needed. Shielding Blair as much as possible, he let go of her hand and faced the crowd. “John... What the Hell!” Suddenly cameras were going off and they were surrounded by news reporters shoving microphones in his face.
“Mr. Manning, we understand your wife has been missing for a couple of hours.”
“Is this somehow related to the other missing girls?”
“Can you tell us what happened?”
It was the final straw. Todd reached out and grabbed one microphone and tossed it into the trees. Then he manhandled the reporter, getting right in his face. “Get the hell out of here, or you’ll never tell another story.” Pushing the man away he turned and shoved the cameraman closest to him. “You take one more step toward my wife, and you’re a dead man.” The cameraman backed up, quickly seeing the crazed look in Todd’s eyes, that told him he meant every word.
John had been afraid for Todd, ever since finding him so calm in the woods. He moved to Todd’s side and touched his shoulder, barely stopping Todd’s fist as he suddenly rounded on him. “Easy, Todd.” He trapped Todd’s arm and prayed he wouldn’t have to take him down. He shook his head at the two officers that had started to move in to help him. “I’ve got this, get these reporters back.”
The officers turned and began pushing the newsmen and reporters away. Shaun also ran interference, keeping them away from the paramedics and Blair.
When the hand had fallen on his shoulder, Todd had instinctively reacted. John had caught his injured hand and the pain had brought him to his senses. The fight went out of him as quickly as it had started. He looked at John and back over to the stretcher where Blair lay. “Let me go, John. I’m fine. Just keep them away.” He started to go to Blair.
John saw the pain in Todd’s eyes, he also saw the pallor and the sweat glistening on his chest. He had seen shock victims before and knew Todd was on the verge of collapsing himself. He refused to let Todd go. “You’re not fine. Let’s go.” He led him over to the ambulance into which they were loading Blair.
Todd’s eyes were on Blair only, as they lifted her into the back of the ambulance. “I’m riding with them.” He said to the paramedics “They need me.” As he climbed into the ambulance, he saw Starr, Cole and Jack standing with Bo. “John, please stay and explain things to Starr.”
Under the lights in the ambulance, the paramedics had begun to remove Todd’s jacket. Blair suddenly cried out and they got their first look at what the jacket had been covering.
“Can’t you give her something for the pain?” Todd asked.
“We can’t, Sir. Her system is threatening to crash because of the shock. We have to stabilize her, if we’re going to save her and the baby. She's lost consciousness and can't feel anything right now.” They were working frantically, checking her pressure, and listening to the baby. They had contacted the hospital and they soon had her hooked up to an IV containing the medicine that would bring down the pressure without endangering the child any further.
Todd had regained Blair’s hand when he sat down next to her, and now he was unable to stop his tears from falling. “Blair, I’m sorry. This shouldn’t have happened. In my head, I knew he was still out there, but I let my guard down.” She was so still. Todd was finding it a little hard to breathe and his chest had tightened. He gulped for a breath and struggled to keep focused on Blair, ignoring the pain radiating from his soul because he had failed her. Todd slipped to the floor to be closer to his daughter and while holding Blair’s hand in his left hand, he started gently rubbing circles to let his baby know her dad was there. “You and mommy just have to hang on. Daddy screwed up, but he’s going to make up for it.”
His anxiety was beginning to get the better of him as pain stabbed through his chest and his vision blurred. He leaned his head against the gurney, struggling to slow his breathing. Unbidden, the vision of Blair hanging from the tree, her back a bloody mess, came into his head and he drew a sharp breath. Mitch had marked her to get back at him. This was all his fault. Todd lifted his head from the gurney and shook it in an effort to drive away the blackness that threatened to knock him out. Man up Manning. They need you strong.
The paramedic was studying the monitors, mother and child seemed to be hanging in there, but he found himself looking more intently at the father. The detective had expressed concerned for the father and he began to see why. The man was sweating and his color was off. His breathing also appeared labored. The paramedic moved to the front of the ambulance and told his partner to alert the emergency room staff they were bringing in not one, but possibly two patients. Then he slid in next to Todd. “Mr. Manning, their stats are stabilizing, but you don’t look so good.” He reached to try and take a blood pressure reading.
Todd had looked up at the monitors when the paramedic spoke, but the minute the man touched him, he freaked. “Get your hands off me. I’m not the one injured tonight. Quit trying to drum up business for the hospital.” He jerked away from the medic as if he had been burned. Todd shook his head as his vision clouded again. Don’t you dare wimp out, Manning! “Can’t you move this thing any faster?” The drive was taking too long. Why had he ever moved them up to the mountain? The next few minutes were intolerable. Todd felt like he was suddenly under a microscope. The attention the guy was giving him just succeeded in raising his blood pressure more. “Damn, stop that! I’m all right I tell you, just help my wife!” The ambulance started slowing down and pulled into the ER bay. “We’re here, Babe,” he whispered to her.
Todd started to get back up on the bench, struggling as his legs gave out for a moment. The paramedic moved to aid him. He glared. “It’s nothing, they just fell asleep. Listen do your job. I don’t know why you have this sudden interest in me but leave it. Please get my wife...” Todd's voice broke as he looked at Blair. She was so still and the baby had stopped kicking. “I can’t lose them.” The paramedic met his eyes and nodded. The back door opened to the ambulance and they moved Blair quickly into the ER bay. Todd stood carefully, getting his legs to steady under him, then followed them into the hospital.
Todd was relieved to see Larry standing there waiting on the ambulance. No one paid much attention to him as they wheeled Blair into trauma. He tried to resume his place by her side but the nurses moved him back and he resigned himself to staying put until he could get back close to her. He watched as Larry examined Blair. When they removed the jacket off of her, he closed his eyes remembering her cries from earlier. He felt chilled and wrapped his arms around his chest. His vision was getting a little fuzzy, and he wiped a hand across his eyes trying to clear it up.
Larry had been on call when he heard they were bringing in Blair Manning. He wasn’t prepared for the condition she arrived in. His immediate thought went to her baby and its welfare. Informed of the pains Blair had when they found her, he called her doctor and listened carefully to the child’s heart. The IV to stabilize Blair’s blood pressure in the ambulance seemed to be doing its job and the baby’s heartbeat was leveling out.. Looking at the paramedic standing not far from him, Larry asked, “Your partner mentioned two patients. Were you referring to the child?”
“No, Sir, I think the father’s having trouble, but he wouldn’t let me examine him. He’s over there.”
Larry looked around and saw Todd leaning against the wall. Even from his vantage point, Larry knew something was wrong. He walked to him. “Todd??
Todd pushed away from the wall as Larry came towards him. “Is the baby okay, Larry?”
“The baby’s going to be all right. Todd, you probably should sit down. You’ve sustained a shock tonight. How are you feeling?”
“Who me? Hell, I’m just great. Blair’s not doing so well, though. It was bad, Larry.” He looked down at his bloody hands and slacks. His hands clenched, recalling touching her back for the first time and finding out what Mitch had done. “He hurt her,” the anguish in Todd’s voice was palpable. He took a step toward Blair and collapsed at Larry’s feet.
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