What the Heart Wants
His heart felt frozen by fear as he turned the corner in the hospital and saw his worst enemy holding a gun to the head of the woman he could never quite get out of his system.
"This is irony at it's best, the only man here to save you just happens to be the man that destroyed you," Spencer gloated.
"Todd, just walk away," Marty said.
"We all know that's never going to happen. Spencer, what are you doing? You'll never make it out of here alive," Todd tried to reason.
"I don't know about that cause I've got a hostage and a gun and you don't." Spencer shouted.
"I understand that you want a hostage Spencer, why don't you take me. I'm the one that you hate not Marty."
"Todd don't," Marty whispered.
"It's okay Marty cause I'm not going to take Todd up on his offer. He's completely useless as a hostage where as you might come in handy in more ways than one."
"How about if I sweeten the deal then. You take me as hostage and then once you've gotten away, I'll take the bullet that you intended for her."
"No, I've got other ideas. Why don't I just shoot you and I'll take her as hostage anyways." Spencer said as he pointed the gun at Todd.
He grabbed the gun and tried to take it away from Spencer as he pushed Marty away from them. Spencer wouldn't let go of the gun as they fought for control. In all the chaos the trigger was pulled and a loud noise rang out.
Bo and John came rushing into the room and shot Spencer as Todd looked towards Marty.
"Marty," Todd gasped out in pain as he went to her side. There was blood, so much blood coming from her stomach.
"She needs help," Todd shouted as he placed his hands over the wound to try to keep the blood from pouring out of her.
"I'm sorry Marty," Todd said over and over again as Mike and Paige came in the room and loaded her on the stretcher.
"I forgive you," Marty whispered as her eyes closed.
"We got to get her to surgery," Mike said as he left.
"If she needs blood, I'm the same blood type. " Todd said as he followed them out. She had to be okay, she just had to be.
XOXOXO
"Is my niece going to make a recovery?" Dorian Lord questioned the doctor.
"I'm afraid that her heart is shutting down. I've put her on the list, but if we don't find a match soon, she's not going to make it through the night."
"Then she'll get a match. My niece will hang in there until a match can be found," Dorian said as she left the room. She didn't know if she believed in God, but she would pray like she believed and maybe just maybe her niece would get the miracle that she needed.
XOXOXO
After Todd had donated his blood, he went to the chapel with Starr and Cole to pray for a miracle.
"Todd, what happened? Why are you covered in blood?" Dorian asked as they entered the chapel.
"It's not mine. M...Ma...Marty was shot by Spencer," Todd managed to get out.
"That's terrible, that man has hurt so many people."
"Aunt Dorian, how's my mom doing?" Starr asked.
"Not good. The specialist said that she needs a new heart and she needs it fast or she won't survive."
"She has to survive," Starr whispered as her eyes filled with tears.
"She's going to survive this, she's a fighter. Marty and your mom are going to be just fine, they have to be," Todd said.
"Let's all pray for a miracle," Dorian suggested as she grabbed Starr's hand.
"For once I agree with you Dorian," Todd added as he grabbed her hand to complete the circle of support they had formed.
"I'm sorry to interrupt, but there's news on Marty," Doctor Michael Mcbain stated as he entered the chapel.
"How's my mom?" Cole asked.
"There was a complication, her heart stopped for several minutes. I'm sorry," Doctor Mcbain explained.
"What are you trying to say? Is my mom dead?"
"Physically no, we managed to get her heart beating again, but the damage was already done."
"What kind of damage? Just tell us what Marty needs and I'll do anything to make sure that she makes a full recovery," Todd impatiently stated as his voice rose in volume.
"She's not going to recover. Her brain was deprived of oxygen for too long. We've run the tests and there's no brain activity."
"Then run them again," Todd shouted.
"We did...I'm sorry Cole, right now the only thing keeping your mom alive right now is the machines. Marty was a donor and her heart is a match for somebody who desperately needs it to survive. We need to know if you want us to turn off the machines?"
"You can't do it Cole, don't listen to this quack. Please, your mom's a fighter, she'll come back to us, I know that she will. I'll hire the best specialists whatever she needs," Todd pleaded.
"Heart? You stated that Marty was a match for someone who needed a new heart. Is it Blair?" Dorian asked interrupting Todd's pleas to Cole."
"Yes, Marty is a perfect match for Blair. Without her heart she won't survive. I'm sorry, I really hate to pressure you, but we're running out of time. Do you want us to turn off the machines?"
"This can't be...I can't. Marty's a match for Blair...I can't, I don't know what to do," Todd whispered as he sat down on the bench. He felt sick...he loved Blair, she was the mother of his children, but Marty was his first love. If he was honest, he still loved her, his punishment was that they could never be together. He knew that, but still, he couldn't picture his life without her in it.
"I do, my mom actually already made this decision for me. I just...I just have to be brave enough to see it through."
"What decision?" Todd asked as he looked at Cole.
"She told me that she never wanted to be kept alive by machines. She was a donor for a reason and she would want to donate her heart to somebody who needed it if she couldn't make a full recovery. Run the tests one more time, if their is still no brain activity then we'll give her heart to Starr's mom," Cole stated as he grabbed Starr's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.
XOXOXO
"Can I...can I spend a few minutes alone with her?" Todd asked as he saw Cole exiting Marty's room.
"I don't know if that's a good idea considering..." Cole stated.
"Considering how I've already hurt her beyond repair," Todd finished for him. "I don't blame you for wanting to protect your mother from me, but I'm not going to hurt her. I just...I just want to say goodbye."
"Please Cole, my dad really needs this," Starr pleaded on his behalf.
"A few minutes, but I'll be right out here," Cole said.
"Understood," Todd said as he entered Marty's room.
"I don't know if you can hear me...the doctor's say that you're already gone, but I feel you here," Todd whispered as he sat by her side and took her hand in his.
"I'm going to talk and I want you to listen. In a few minutes the doctor's are going to come in here and turn off the machines. It will be hard, but I want you...no I need you to fight with everything that you have to stay here. Your son needs you, I need you. It's true, you've always been my conscience, my heart, my soul and without you...I'm afraid that the monster will come back. If there's any part of you that can hear me, please stay with me," Todd pleaded as Doctor Mcbain, Cole and Starr walked in the room.
"I'm sorry, but the tests remained the same...there's no activity. It's time to unplug the machines.
"I know," Cole said as he signed the papers.
"Don't leave me," Todd whispered over and over again as the medical staff removed all the equipment and unplugged the machine.
Todd felt as if he was holding his own breath as he watched, waiting for a miracle that would not come.
"Time of death 12:01," Doctor Mcbain stated as he wiped his eyes.
XOXOXO
"What happened?" Dorian asked as Todd entered Blair's hospital room.
"Marty died, they are removing her heart as we speak and I'm sure that they will be here to get Blair any minute."
"I'm sorry Todd, but it's for the best."
"Can I have a few minutes alone with Blair?" Todd asked.
"Yeah, I'll go see where the doctors are," Dorian stated as she walked out.
"I need you to survive this Blair. Marty's death can't be for nothing and I can't lose you on top of everything else tonight," Todd said as he leaned down and kissed her.
XOXOXO
"You've always been my conscience, my heart, my soul...Don't Leave me," Blair heard a familiar voice whispering over and over again, constant and steady like the beating of her heart as she fought through the fog of unconsciousness. The whisper faded like a lost memory with just a brief trace of resonance as her eyes fluttered awake.
"Blair, you've come back to me...you're awake," Dorian said as she squeezed her nieces hand.
"Was Todd here? I thought...I thought that I heard him say something important, but I can't quite remember what it was," Blair said as the fog of sleepiness dissipated and was replaced with pain.
"He was here, but he left to get some rest," Dorian stated.
"My chest...why does my chest hurt so much? Am I in the hospital? What happened to me?" Blair asked.
"You've been really sick, you almost didn't make it and if it wasn't for Marty you wouldn't have," Dorian explained.
"I don't understand, Marty's a therapist, how could she possibly have helped me?"
"Blair, Marty died last night. You needed a new heart and she was a donor."
"Marty's dead?! She can't be, you're kidding right?"
"I'm sorry, I know this is hard, but I thought that I needed to be the one to tell you. Starr is with Cole and Todd is in no shape to be here."
"It's true...oh my god, Marty's dead. We hated each other, but I never wanted her to die," Blair whispered as a tear slid down her cheek.
"Todd, he must be devastated, I have to find him," Blair said as she tried to sit up.
"You will do no such thing. You just had major heart surgery and less than twenty four hours ago you were at death's door. You need your rest."
"I can't rest. Todd needs me, I can feel it."
"Will you lay back and rest if I call him and tell him to come here?" Dorian asked.
"Yes," Blair agreed as she laid back down.
XOXOXO
Todd sat at Rodi's and downed shot glass after shot glass of Vodka. He had told Dorian that he was going home to rest while Blair was in surgery, but he had just used that as an excuse to leave. Dorian had been so grateful that Blair was receiving another heart and he would have been too, if it was anyone's but Marty's. He was in so much pain, and he was angry, not just angry, but furious. Furious with god, with Spencer, with himself and even with Marty for leaving him when he begged her not to. He wasn't just furious, but he was scared too, because he hadn't felt this much anger since the night he had destroyed Marty. He was afraid that now that Marty was dead, that angry beast that had destroyed her was back.
He heard his cell phone ring and he saw that it was Dorian, probably calling with news of Blair, but he couldn't answer it. His only hope was to keep on drinking until the pain and the anger faded.