Chapter Ten:

AN: This chapter is written in Todd's point of view

I had been out of jail for an hour now. Tea had finally shown up and I was let out on bail. I needed to find Marty, I had a feeling that something was wrong, and I needed to make sure that she was okay. I called her several times, but all I got was her voicemail. I stopped by her apartment, but she wasn't home, so I decided to see if she was still at the hospital.

I headed into her office and knew that my worst fears had come true as soon as I had opened the door. Marty was on the floor, there was a letter opener in her back, and blood, there was so much blood. I ran over to her and placed my fingers on her wrist, hoping that I wasn't too late. She was breathing; she was still here with me. I pulled out my cell phone and called for an ambulance.

I wanted to pull out the letter opener, but I didn't want to hurt her, so I placed my hands over her back and tried to apply as much pressure as I could.

"It's okay Marty, help is on the way. Don't give up on me, I know how hard you can fight, so you fight to stay as much as you can," I said to her.

I didn't know if she could hear me, but I needed to tell her to fight. Marty was a survivor, she had survived the hell that I had put her through. She would survive this as well, she had to.

The paramedics showed up and took Marty to the hospital. I rode with her and watched them wheel her away into a room. I paced around the waiting room waiting for a doctor, a nurse, anybody to show up and to tell me something about Marty. While I waited, I wasted no time. I called my men and gave them orders about Hannah. I knew that bitch was responsible for what happened to Marty. I was determined to deliver the amount of pain that Marty had felt ten fold to her. She needed to learn that there were consequences and nobody hurt the people I cared about and lived to tell about it.

"Where's my mom Manning? What did you do to my mom this time?"Cole shouted as he came into the waiting room.

"I didn't do anything to your mom Cole? I told you that Hannah couldn't be trusted and to get your mom out of town, but you wouldn't listen and now your mother is paying the price for your foolishness," I screamed back.

I couldn't take Cole's attitude right now; I had warned him, he didn't listen and now Marty was hurt and if she died he would pay with his life.

The doctor came into the waiting room and went straight over to Cole.

"I am sorry, but your mom has lost a lot of blood. She will need a blood transfusion and unfortunately we don't have enough of her blood type in storage. What blood type are you?" I heard the doctor ask Cole.

"My mom and I don't have the same blood type. I'm not a match."

"I'm a match," I stated hoping that I could help Marty the way that she had helped me years ago.

"Todd this doesn't concern you. Go home," Cole ordered.

"Cole, I could help your mom."

"Right, like you did when you pushed her down the stairs. For all I know you're the one who stabbed her."

This bastard was really getting on my nerves, Marty was bleeding out and he was wasting time making accusations.

"God, you're so stupid. Think Cole. Why would I stab your mom in the back and then call the ambulance? If I stabbed her why would I offer to help save her?"

"Perhaps you feel guilty," Cole mumbled.

"Look I don't know what's going on between you two, but Cole we don't have time to waste. Your mom urgently needs a blood transfusion. Since she's unconscious and you're her next of kin we need you to sign off on it," The doctor explained.

"Cole, are you seriously going to stand by and let your mom die because of your hatred for me," I said in a last ditch effort to convince the brat to let me help.

"Fine, I'll sign what ever papers you need," Cole muttered and then glared at me.

The nurse showed me to a room where I donated the necessary blood that was needed for Marty.

Hours of uncomfortable silence went by as Cole and I waited for the doctor to come back out. Finally he came into the waiting room.

"The surgery was a success. Dr. Saybrook is awake and she's asking to see you Mr. Manning."

"I'm coming too Manning, so don't get any ideas," Cole spat out.

"I'm sorry, but I only want you're mother to have one visitor at a time," the doctor explained to Cole like he was a little child.

I walked into Marty's hospital room. She was connected to all these different tubes and she looked so weak, tired and fragile.

"The doctor said that you wanted to talk to me."

"I wanted to tell you that I'm sorry," Marty began to explain.

"Don't apologize to me Marty,"

"I should have never believed Hannah. She has to be lying. You didn't push me down the stairs," Marty continued.

"It's okay Marty, given our argument and history with one another I don't blame you for jumping to the worst conclusion about me. What happened to make you change your mind?"

"I talked to Ford about Hannah. He thinks that she attacked him. He told me that she stalked him, she's obviously troubled. I was on my way to my office so that I could call John and Nora to tell them what I found out. The next thing I remember is waking up here. The doctor told me that you helped save my life.

"Just returning the favor for all the times you've saved mine. I'm going to make her pay, I promise you, if Hannah had anything to do with attacking you, she will pay."

"Todd, we don't know if it was her, promise me that you'll let the police handle it. Don't do anything that you'll later regret."

"Sorry Marty, I can't do that. You deserve justice for your child and for what happened to you tonight and I promise you that you will get that," I said and then walked out the door before she talked me into changing my mind. I hated denying her anything, but Hannah needed to pay for the hell that she had put Marty and me through.