TK kept his mouth firmly pressed shut as Lorna continued her work at the counter. She was pouring and mixing, but never tasted anything herself. TK wasn't much of a cook, but he'd watched Carlos work a kitchen plenty of times, adding dashes of this and that as he went along. And he always took a little taste here and there to make sure nothing was missing. TK had a sneaking suspicion that this wasn't something he wanted to eat.

His heart ached a little as he thought about Carlos again. Had he come home yet? TK didn't know how much time had passed and he couldn't see any windows from where he was sitting. Did Carlos know he was gone? What was he going to think was happening?

If this had been earlier in their relationship, Carlos might've thought that TK had run off for whatever reason. He could be impulsive and prone to acting out of emotion, but he'd been working on that. If they had any disagreements, they talked them out instead of yelling and storming off. And besides, today had been a good day for them. No issues at work and plans for after. Carlos would know something was wrong, so that gave TK a little comfort. If he could trust anyone to find him, it was Carlos.

"There we are!" Lorna said brightly, carrying over a bowl and setting it on the tray in front of him. TK glanced down at it warily, a frown settling in between his brows as he took in the details. He had no idea what was in the bowl, but that wasn't what he was focused on at the moment. The dish was obviously something geared toward a young child, with dinosaur pictures along the outside. And the spoon had a similar theme.

TK hadn't thought much about what he'd been strapped down to, since he was stuck either way, but now that he was paying more attention, it was painting a very confusing picture. It wasn't just a tray over his lap, he was sitting in a high chair. What the hell was this? He had so many questions, but he doubted he'd get answers he wanted to hear. And TK couldn't risk opening his mouth.

"It's your favorite, remember?" Lorna said, picking up the spoon to stir what was in the bowl. It was a thin, brown liquid that TK didn't recognize. It could've been soup or broth, but the thought of drinking it made his stomach turn. "I made it just how you like."

TK kept his jaw locked, holding his head back as far as it would go. He could feel Burt still hovering behind him somewhere, but he couldn't turn to see how close he was. His focus was keeping whatever Lorna had out of his mouth. If she'd crushed up some sort of pills into this, it would be even more tragic than what it already was. TK's sobriety was so important to him and if it was ended due to force, he would be devastated.

He shook his head firmly, sending her the most pleading look he could muster. His gaze wasn't nearly as powerful as Carlos', but he needed some of that natural influence that Carlos had. That face that people stopped and listened to, even if they didn't particularly want to. TK's face was screaming that he wanted to be let go.

"Come on, sweetie. Just try it," Lorna cajoled, holding a spoonful up to his mouth. TK jerked his head to the side, feeling a bit like a tantruming toddler. They shouldn't have been surprised, since they were treating him like a child. "Don't be stubborn. I don't want to have to punish you, but I will." TK could feel Burt step closer to him and he tensed up even more.

"Brian," Burt said in a deep voice, the warning clear. A heavy hand was set on TK's shoulder and he would've jumped out of his skin if he wasn't tied down. He had to keep it together, but all he wanted to do was cry. This was so much worse than getting abducted with Tommy and Nancy. He was glad that no one else was in danger, but he also hated being alone here. And these two somehow scared him even more than the previous kidnappers.

"Open up," Lorna insisted, pushing the spoon against his lips. TK barely held back a whine as she pressed at the seam of his mouth. But there was no way he would open it.

The sound of his finger snapping took him completely by surprise. TK looked down in shock, finding the index finger on his right hand bent at an odd angle. He didn't even feel any pain, although he knew he should. His brain hadn't quite caught up yet. But when Burt grabbed his finger and squeezed, TK couldn't hold back.

TK screamed and Lorna took advantage, shoving the spoon into his mouth. She was too aggressive with it, bumping the back of his throat and setting off his gag reflex. TK was heaving without conscious thought, spitting out everything that was in his mouth. But not before a chemical taste could settle into his taste buds.

"Brian!" Lorna chastised, wiping his chin with a napkin. TK was panting out sobs, from the pain in his hand and the confirmation of what was going on. He was being poisoned.

"Please don't do this. Please," TK begged, not caring about pride at the moment. He just wanted to survive this.

"I have to make you better," Lorna insisted.

"But I'm not sick!" TK argued. "Lorna-"

The harsh slap across TK's cheek stunned him. His eyes watered as he felt oddly betrayed by the move.

"You don't call me that!" Lorna snapped, grabbing him roughly by the chin and forcing him to make eye contact with her. Any softness that had been there was gone now. "I am your mother and you will refer to me as such." TK could feel a few of his tears spill over as she glared harshly at him.

"Please don't," TK whimpered, moaning in despair when she ignored him and got another spoonful. He clamped his mouth shut again, steeling himself for more pain. Burt wasn't touching him at the moment, but TK knew that wouldn't last for long. He had nine other fingers and countless other bones to break and make him scream. He needed to be strong.

Burt grabbed a handful of his hair, jerking his head up roughly. TK winced, but didn't cry out. They were getting angrier and that would only make things worse for him, but TK had to fight. He couldn't accept his fate, roll over, and die. If he didn't survive this, people were going to see that he didn't give up.

"Brian, why are you being like this?" Lorna admonished, signaling to Burt. Before TK realized what was happening, his nose was pinched closed and he couldn't breathe. He didn't even have time to adequately inhale before the ability to do so was taken from him. But he still couldn't open his mouth.

TK tried to squirm, but the hand in his hair was keeping him firmly in place. Why were they doing this to him? What kind of enjoyment were they getting? TK felt his lungs burning as they screamed for oxygen. As a former firefighter, he had experience with less than ideal breathing situations, but he couldn't hold out forever. His body would force him to breathe eventually.

TK took a chance, sucking in a quick breath through the corner of his mouth. Lorna tried to pounce, but he pressed his lips closed before she had a chance to get the spoon in his mouth, spilling the liquid down his chin. He felt a little flash of satisfaction from the frustration on her face. TK didn't get nearly enough oxygen, but it was better than nothing.

"Enough!" Lorna shrieked, slamming the spoon down on the tray. TK had a brief moment of relief, thinking she'd given up on trying to force-feed him, but he was quickly proven wrong. Lorna jammed her fingers against his lips, using her nails to claw at him. TK could feel the delicate skin splitting from her frantic movements and the taste of blood snaked its way onto his tongue.

She finally pried his mouth open, sticking a finger in so he couldn't close it again. TK sucked in a panicked breath, then bit down as hard as possible. Lorna screamed as he ground his teeth into her skin, slapping at his face as she tried to pull away. Burt let go of his nose, wrapping a hand around TK's neck and squeezing.

TK couldn't hold back his choked cough, finally releasing Lorna's finger from his mouth. She cradled it to her chest, staring at him like she couldn't believe he would do something like that. That he would fight back. His strength was waning though, after being deprived of oxygen so many times in a short timespan. Burt was holding his throat so tightly that TK was terrified that something inside of him would get crushed.

TK felt his brain go fuzzy, but he tried to fight off the sluggishness. He needed to keep his wits about him if he had any chance of figuring a way out of here. But Burt wasn't letting go, showing TK just how little he appreciated seeing his wife hurt. If he lost consciousness, he wouldn't be able to stop them from doing anything.

"Let him go," Lorna directed quietly. Bruce gave him another warning squeeze, then released his throat. TK's head dropped to his chest in exhaustion as he was finally able to breathe again. For a few minutes, the only sounds that could be heard were his harsh pants, Lorna's soft cries, and Burt's angry huffs. TK was so tired, but this ordeal was only just beginning.

"Lorna?"

"Back to the fingers."

"Wait!" TK shouted, feeling his adrenaline jolt him into moving again. He wiggled and squirmed as much as he could, but the restraints kept him from moving very far. There was nothing he could do to stop what was happening.

His middle finger was next to go and TK couldn't hold back his cry as he felt the twist and snap. Lorna abandoned the spoon, shoving the lip of the bowl into his mouth and pouring. His mouth was flooded with liquid and TK couldn't stop his throat from reflexively swallowing some of it. He tried using his tongue to push everything back out, but it was easier said than done. Lorna kept the edge of the bowl in his mouth, so TK took a chance, grabbing it with his teeth and jerking his head to the side. She let go in surprise and TK let the bowl drop, spilling the rest of the contents onto the tray and floor.

"Brian!" Lorna hissed, slapping his face aggressively again. TK barely paid attention, coughing as he tried to bring up everything he'd accidentally swallowed. Burt slapped a hand over his mouth when he realized what he was doing, trapping everything that was trying to escape.

"Lorna, tape!" Burt snapped. TK whined as Lorna rummaged under the sink, coming back with a roll of duct tape. There were fingers in his hair again as Lorna prepared a piece of tape and TK couldn't do anything as it was pressed down against his lips. He shook as he tried to force himself to calm down and stop crying. Getting all weepy was only going to make his nose stuff up.

"Why did you make me do that?" Lorna moaned, moving up to cradle his head against her chest. TK stared straight ahead, trying to pretend he was anywhere else. That he wasn't being subjected to a warped version of comfort by a delusional woman who'd just hurt him. If things had gotten so bad, so quickly, he was terrified to think about what could happen next.