Don't Shoot the "Messenger", Ch. 65

Blair lay in Todd’s arms looking over at the nursery. She was now safely into her eighth month and so far so good. The partitions had been backlit and were providing a warm glow to the room. She looked over and really studied them, noting something in them she hadn’t noticed before. Every partition had a small black dragon in it. In one, he was flying over Sleeping Beauty’s castle as the prince led his princess into the courtyard. In another, he could be seen keeping a watchful eye, just inside the trees, on Snow White as her prince awoke her. Amazingly, he sat curled atop Cinderella’s coach as she went to the ball, and lastly he was depicted as the Beast in the panel of Beauty and The Beast. Todd had once again put his own spin on his fairy tales. She giggled softly as she remembered his fractured fairy tale the night she lost it over Max. She snuggled closer and drifted off to sleep.

It was early morning, Todd awoke suddenly when he felt Blair jerk in his arms. “Babe what is it?”

Blair felt a contraction hit her. “I think I’m in labor.”

“What! No! It’s too early. Are you sure the contractions are for real? Maybe it’s just one of those Braxton Hicks things.” He gasped as her hand suddenly grabbed his side tightly.

“I don’t think it’s them. God!” She panted quietly through gritted teeth and then took a deep breath. “ We need to go. Now! There’s still time. My water hasn’t broken yet.” She rolled over and climbed out of bed. Grabbing her robe. “I’m going to alert Starr. She and Cole can stay with the boys. Get Williams.”

Todd jumped into his jeans and grabbed a t-shirt, picking up his cell at the same time. “Williams bring the car around it’s time.”

Starr was hugging her mom and encouraging her to be calm as Todd exited their suite. “Mom, don’t worry about a thing. I’ll get the boys up and we’ll be ready to drive down when Williams gets back here. Now take it easy and remember your breathing.”

Todd insisted on taking the elevator down, he didn’t want to hurry the labor any faster because Blair walked the stairs. The doors had just closed when Blair reached for his arm clinging to it as she had another contraction in the elevator. Todd decided it was time to start counting how many minutes were between each one. They headed out the door and found Williams waiting with the door open. “God Blair, I can’t believe this is happening again. Why can’t your babies ever wait until the right time?” He said as he lowered her into the car.

Blair looked at Todd, astonished. “They come when they’re ready to come. Do you think a couple more weeks would have made this less stressful?” She shook her head and grabbed his hand again as he settled next to her. “Here comes another one. I think we have time to make it to the hospital.”

“Babe these contractions are only about four minutes apart. At this rate, we won’t even make it off the mountain.” Todd shook his hand as soon as Blair released it. Seeing her look, he commented, “Hey you just don’t realize your own grip.”

Blair gave him a glare then thought better of it. He was doing his best. “Just don’t panic. You’ve already delivered your son. I trust you if something happens and you have to deliver this one.”

Todd paled at the thought and reached for the liquor cabinet.

“Don’t you dare Mister. I need my husband sober. We’re going to be alright, just tell Williams to pick up the pace a little bit.” Blair bit her lip, as another wave hit her, and couldn’t quite stifle a groan.

“You heard her, Williams, drive as fast as you can and still get us there safely.” Todd sat there patiently timing Blair’s contractions. He had decided the best way to save his hand was to give her his arm to grip instead. He helped her breathe through the next two noting the time between was getting closer. “ You’re doing fine Blair. That last one didn’t seem as bad.”

“Speak for yourself. I’m getting the feeling your daughter is anxious to make an appearance.” To prove her point, she gripped his arm again and began her breathing She was using Todd’s dragon watch as a focus point, as she rode the contractions from start to finish.

Seeing that the contractions were now only two minutes apart, he decided to put in a call to John to see if they could get a police escort once they hit the city. “John, sorry for the early call. We’re on our way into town. The baby is coming and she’s not wasting any time.. Can you help?” He listened and then closed the call. “John will have a police car meet us as we enter the city. That should expedite the lights.”

They just cleared the mountain when water gushed out, soaking the limo floor. “Oh, God, we’re not going to make it.” Blair cried as a hard contraction took her. They were coming every minute now and Blair was almost hyperventilating as she tried to breathe through them. They had picked up the escort but were a good twenty minutes still from the hospital. “Todd, I’m sorry.”

“Babe, what are you sorry about? We’re almost there. Just hold on, it won’t be long now.”

“Todd, there is no more time, the baby’s coming. You’re going to have to deliver her.”

“Damn. Williams pull over now. Get Llanview hospital on the phone and tell them what’s going on. You’re sure, Blair?”

“I’m sure, Todd. I want to push, it’s time.”

With the limo stopped, Todd went to work. He reached into the liquor cabinet and grabbed out the whiskey and took out his pocket knife. Luckily, he had grabbed his good pair of shoes, so he took out one of the laces. Using the liquor, he sterilized both the lace and his pocket knife and then help Blair get comfortable on the bench seat. As he covered her from view he heard a knock on the window and opened it.

“Is everything alright in there? Why did you pull over?” It was Officer Fish.

“Everything’s fine. Fish, see if you can find me a something clean I can wrap the baby in. She’s coming now.” Todd didn’t wait to see if Fish understood him or not. He turned back to Blair. She had been breathing hard, trying desperately to avoid pushing until Todd told her to. Todd looked and saw his daughter’s head crowning. “Okay Babe, push when you’re ready.”

Relieved to be able to push, Blair gave her daughter a shove.

“Okay Babe, her head is out, and here comes her shoulders. One more push, Blair.” As she pushed, Todd’s daughter dropped into his hands. He caught her gently, wiping her nose and clearing her mouth. She started making small little cries as her lungs filled. The sound was clear as a bell. He laughed and looked at Blair. “She’s here, you did it.”

She was tiny and perfect and she was breathing on her own. Todd cut the umbilical cord and tied off both ends then laid his daughter on Blair’s tummy. “She’s beautiful. And so is her mother.” He reached up and smoothed away Blair’s tangled lock of hair from off her face. “I love you, Mrs. Manning.”

With her hand on her child, Blair replied back. “I love you, too.”

Fish arrived back, obviously out of breath, but handed a nice clean tablecloth into the limo. They could hear the ambulance in the distance. “How is it going?” He asked.

“Great, she’s here..” Using water from the bar, Todd cleaned off his daughter the best he could and wrapped her up. Then he laid her in her mother’s arms. Once the ambulance pulled up, Todd took his daughter back and let the EMTs remove Blair to the ambulance. There they worked on Blair making sure all afterbirth procedures were covered. Once she was settled, the baby was checked out and placed in the incubator for transportation to the hospital. As they left, Fish offered to still provide an escort for the limo and Todd made it to the hospital right on the tail of the ambulance.

Less than an hour later, Todd and Blair were allowed to see their daughter. She weighed in at four pounds, eight ounces, but she was breathing on her own. The doctors insisted she spend at least one night in the NICU nursery just so they could monitor her if any problems arose. The moment they mentioned problems, Blair had gotten alarmed. But her fears were quickly laid to rest, when the nursery staff told her they “didn’t really expect any trouble, the baby was doing fine.”

Dr. Conklin checked on Blair and said she too had come through the delivery with flying colors. Later, Blair and Todd sat in the NICU nursery taking turns holding their little girl. One of the nurses came over and told them their other children had arrived. Todd picked up the baby and moved to the window so all of them could see her. Through the glass, he heard their remarks.

“Dad, she’s beautiful,” said Starr. She looked at her dad standing there so proud, knowing this was the first time he had truly been in this position. He had missed her birth and fumbled Jack’s, but this time everything was as it should be. ‘ I love you” she lip-synced to him. He nodded back with tears in his eyes.

“Wow, she’s sure is tiny. Will we get to hold her?” asked Sam.

“Sure Sam, but you’ll have to be very careful.” replied Starr.

Jack looked at his little sister and was glad she had arrived okay but he couldn’t help feeling a little sad as he recalled what he had been told of his birth, and how it had played out.

Todd saw Jack’s face as he looked at his little sister and then watched it change from happiness to sadness. He knew instantly what Jack was thinking about. He kissed his daughter’s forehead, smiled at his kids and walked the baby back to Blair. After a few words to her and the nurse, he headed for the door of the nursery, shed his gown and went outside to talk to them directly.

“The nurse said if you gown up, you can go in and see the baby. She’s allowing it since we’re the only ones here this early. Starr, why don’t you take Sam in and help him. Jack and I will be in there next.” Todd said.

He waited until Starr and Sam were through the door. Then he turned to his son. “You were a big help to me today.”

Jack looked at him in surprise. “What do you mean?"

“I had to deliver your little sister. If I hadn’t delivered you all those years ago, things could have gone a lot different. I just kept remembering everything I did to bring you into the world and it calmed me down. When you were born, I was a basket case. Sam and Doctor Troy MacIver talked me through it by phone. I thought your mom was going to shoot me because I was so inept.” Todd met his son’s eyes. He knew his had unshed tears in them. “You were a beautiful baby, Early, like your sisters. I didn’t know that at the time. If I had, I might have known you were mine. I can be pretty dense when it comes to common sense.” He took a moment to wipe the tears out of his eyes with the back of his hand. “I can’t take back what I did. It happened and I’ll always regret it because it cost me all of you for a long time. But, Jack, you’re my flesh and blood and you’re now a big brother to a little sister. You have my permission to be very overprotective of her. Remember, you helped bring her into the world.”

Jack swallowed hard, fighting his own tears as he listened intently to his father. He had been feeling down, but now he actually felt a little cheered up. Even though his birth hadn’t turned out the way he would have liked, it now had been turned into a reason to be happy. He had helped his little sister be born. Wow. “Can we go see her now?”

“Sure, let’s go.” Todd puts his arm around his son’s shoulder and walked back into the nursery with him.

***

A couple of days later the house was filled with activity as all were preparing to welcome Blair and the new baby home. Everyone was busy when the doorbell rang. Todd happened to be coming down the stairs and went to open it. “Yes?

“Delivery for Mr. and Mrs. Manning.”

Todd looked at the object the man was holding. It appeared to be a picture judging by the shape of it. Who would be sending a picture to them? Maybe, Tomas, he had finally gotten his gallery reopened. Todd reached for the picture, setting it inside and handed a tip to the delivery man. Todd hated surprises, even if this might be from Tomas. Todd was going to check it out carefully. He lifted the picture and headed for his office. Once inside he shut the door and took his time looking at the wrapping around the picture.

"What’s the matter, Todd?” Samuel inquired.

“I don’t know. Someone sent this, but I’m getting a creepy vibe from it.”

"You don’t think it’s safe?"

“After this last year and a half, would you?”

“I guess not. But this is a happy day. Leave it until tomorrow. Go get your wife and new baby. We’ll deal with the picture later.”

“You’re right. I don’t see any wires or anything. What kind of harm can a picture do?”

Todd stepped away from the object and glanced at his watch. “I’m late, Blair’s going to have my head.” There was a knock on his door.

“Dad, you better hurry,” Starr said as she opened the door. “By the way, I found this envelope sitting on the floor in the front hall.” She handed it to him . “Don’t forget Mom’s waiting.”

Todd looked at the envelope and a chill ran down his back. Opening it, he pulled the note free of the envelope.

My Dear Sir,

My congratulations. Your latest plan was faultless. Once again I underestimated you. I understand your lovely wife has given birth to a new daughter, please accept my humble gift to celebrate the event. I look forward to our next encounter.

Sincerely,
C. H.

Todd crushed the letter in his hand. It can’t be. He’s supposed to be in jail. Todd tore open the paper covering the picture. His heart lurched as he recognized the portrait. That son of a bitch. He stared at the painting Samuel had done of Blair crying over an empty cradle.

"My God, Todd, he didn’t?" Samuel whispered in his head.

"Damn right he did! That bastard just threatened my daughter. I don’t understand how he got out of jail, or how he got his hands on this painting.  This used to be in the vault gallery that Jake set up.  If Carlo had access to that, then someone in my organization is still helping him.  There’s no way I can let Blair see this."

You’re right. You need to get rid of it. Give it to Williams and have him dispose of it. There’s nothing we can do about him right now. Blair’s waiting for you.

God, Samuel, you don’t think? ...I’ve got to get to Blair. Todd recovered the portrait and took it with him to the car. He had Williams put it in the trunk and gave him his instructions regarding the disposal. Then he got in the limo. The whole ride down the mountain his heart was racing.

"Todd, you need to calm down."

I can’t. What if he already made good on his threat? Am I going to get to the hospital and find out my child is missing?

Blair would have called if there was a problem. Carlo wants to scare you. You can’t play his game. Seriously, he’s not going to make his move right now. With everything that’s happened with Mitch, I think it’s safe to say he’s decided to take a backseat for now. We’re lucky he has such an ego. Forewarned is forearmed. You know he’s out now. Before we had no idea.

Todd realized Samuel had made some good points. Carlo had obviously been out for some time and hadn’t done anything. You’re right. He loves dramatic gestures. This was his way of getting under my skin and making me get careless. Thanks, Samuel, Blair and the baby are fine. They’re coming home.  I’ll handle Carlo the same way I handled Mitch if he even comes close to my family.

The limo pulled up in front of the hospital and Todd left Williams waiting at the entrance, he practically ran down the hall trying to get to Blair’s room. Relief washed over him as he stood in the doorway looking at his wife and baby. She was sitting on the bed, holding the baby, talking to some official looking person. He smiled, there was no way her homecoming was going to be ruined by Hesser.

           “One last thing before you go. What name do you give your daughter?” Said the registrar.

            Blair smiled over at Todd. “You made the decision You get to tell her.”

            Todd walked over and stood next to his wife and child. “Her name is Belle Kymberly Manning.” He held out his hands and Blair handed him his daughter. She was so tiny in his hands, he marveled at every perfect little part of her. For someone so small she had fought to survive right alongside her mother. “ Belle,” he whispered close to her head, “it’s time to go home.” Holding his daughter close to his chest, he held out the other hand to her mother. “Are you ready to go, Blair?”

            Blair took his hand. “With you? Always, Todd.”