PROMISES-PART THREE
The silence that fills the room is deafening. Starr looks with concern at the adults around her and then cheerfully adds
"Mommy...do you want to hear you too?"
Blair's face is slowly draining of color as she watches her daughter push on the play button. The sound of Blair's voice echoes throughout the room and snapping back into action Blair charges across the room towards Starr.
"That's enough now honey, we've heard enough."
Sam, frowning, walks towards Blair and Starr.
"I don't know if I've heard enough yet..." he looks at Blair with deadly calm "...Blair."
Trying to maintain her composure she attempts to take the recorder away from Starr, but Sam steps in front of her and kneels down beside Starr.
With a gentle smile he asks, "Would it be okay if I listen to your tape for a little while Starr? I think your Mommy would like to take you with her to see your Auntie Dorian." he turns to Blair with an intense look " Wouldn't you Blair?"
Blair is trembling slightly and with a shaky grip takes Starr's hand "Sure, come on Starr. Let's go see Auntie...okay?"
Starr struggles and runs to Todd throwing her arm around his leg, while still holding the tape recorder "Daddy.... do I have to go? Can't I stay with you?"
Todd is still trying to catch his breath from the absolute horror of what has just happened. He looks down at his little girl in stunned silence and then finally pulls himself together enough to lean down and hug her.
"You go Shorty...go ahead.... it's okay..." Starr looks at Todd with concern
"You sure Daddy?" her bottom lip is trembling at the tension she feels in the room.
Closing his eyes, he takes her in his arms and hugs her tightly
"Daddy loves you, don't you ever forget it. You got that Shorty?"
A single tear trickles down her cheek and Todd gently wipes it away and kisses her softly on her forehead. "Everything will be okay. You go with Mommy now"
Starr hugs Todd with all her might and kisses him back "Okay Daddy.... love you."
Todd stands up and watches her run to Blair. He whispers, "Love you too"
Starr shyly hands over the recorder to Sam and then takes Blair's hand.
Blair risks a glance at Sam who bruskly says "I'll talk with you later."
A silent pleading message in her eyes unanswered by Sam, Blair turns and starts to leave with Starr. She looks back once more at Todd with an expression of sympathy.
Todd hasn't had the courage to look at the three remaining people in the room.
He slowly lifts his gaze and his eyes come to rest on Tea first. She is standing in disbelief. She has a look of confusion across her face as she looks at Todd.
He sees as awareness starts seeping into her consciousness, and her face slowly turns a deathly shade of white.
Tea feels enormous waves of nausea attacking her and she covers her mouth as the enormity of what she has just heard hits her.
She whispers "Oh god...no....I- I think I 'm going to be sick...no..." Tea turns and runs towards the bathroom. Todd starts to follow her but Sam steps in front of him.
"Where do you think you're going PAL " the last word being spit out bitterly.
Todd backs away from Sam "Back off Sam. I mean it..."
Sam laughs sarcastically "Back off? Naaaa.... I don't think so buddy."
Sam walks up and puts his face up close to Todd "So you pulled it off did you? Aren't you just the cleverest little..." he grabs
Todd's shirt, pulling him and shaking him as he yells "bastard!"
Todd violently pushes Sam away and fiercely yells "Get off me Sam. I mean it...."
Sam throws his hands up in the air and paces across the room "Damn it...damn you Todd. I really believed you." Sam turns away and for the first time looks at Viki. She is standing watching everything. Her face is still in a state of bewilderment. Todd looks over at her and then turns away ashamed. Viki walks over to him as if she is sleepwalking. Her movements are unnatural and forced.
She whispers to him "It's not true. Tell me Todd, look at me and tell me it's not true..."
Todd is unable to face her and she tries taking his arm to turn him around and he brushes her off. He walks over to the window and leans his forehead against it with his eyes closed and his hands on either side of his head against the glass.
Viki follows him "Todd, please...." her voice is trembling with anxiety.
"I know you would never do that to me. I know it.... don't I?"
She grabs his arm and starts to shake him slightly as her voice rises in intensity "Todd, you wouldn't fake something like this.
Not something so terrible for me..."
As she still doesn't get a response, she backs away slowly, "My god..." her eyes fill with tears of fury, "How could you.... how could you do that?"
Todd stands up straight and covers his ears as he yells "Shut up...just shut up...what do you know?" he walks directly to Viki
"You don't know Viki. You don't. I couldn't do it.... I couldn't go to jail.... I just couldn't."
Viki's face fills with resentment "So it's all about you and to hell with everyone else...I guess I've been wrong about you all these years. I even defended you to my own son. He quit his job because I believed you over him."
Sam walks over too "I ignored my son sometimes and came running every time I possibly could because I thought you might need me...Well pal, you really had me fooled. I bet you got a really good laugh at our expense didn't you?"
Todd frowns and shakes his head "No, I never meant it like..."
Tea walks into the room and joins Sam and Viki. Her face is drained of color and she looks devastated.
She asks Todd "What did you mean then. What did you want from me?" she adds sadly "I don't get it...I don't.... I don't understand… why?"
Todd looks dumbfounded "WHY? Isn't it obvious...350 years in jail ring a bell for you?"
Tea walks over to him and scream " NOT THAT...why did you lie to us? Why didn't you trust us to help you? We did everything we could for you and all you can do is lie to us."
Todd laughs sarcastically "Oh yeah.... there's that nasty trust word again. " Todd leans forward in Tea's face and says, "I was really feeling the love as you said I should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.... lots of trust there Tea"
Todd turns viciously to Sam "AND you. You traitor...you promised me. You promised I would never have to talk about that night and you were going to tell...." Todd turns away abruptly.
Sam watches Todd closely and walks up to him "Tell what Todd?"
Todd's face is filled with fury as he spits out "You know what Sam. You know it and you were going to use it. I told you I never want to talk about it "
" It? There is a name for it Todd. There is a name for it and you had better learn to say it if you ever want to get better."
Todd pulls at his hair in his absolute need to escape this conversation, he charges across the room throwing everything in his path around. Tea and Viki back away, but Sam follows him.
"Come on Todd.... say it...say it right out loud..."
Todd stops and twirls around and grabs Sam by the collar "What for? It won't change a damn thing.... nothing."
Sam looks at him calmly "You don't know that Todd. It might change everything."
Todd lets go of Sam and walks back over to the window "Nothing can ever change what happened that night...nothing. " he turns back and looks at Viki with sorrow "I didn't mean to hurt you. I didn't but..." he closes his eyes.
Viki walks over looking devastated "Todd you had to know how this pretense would hurt me. You of all people...you that went through the same thing I did. You had to know."
Todd clenches his teeth and furiously says "It was different for you Viki. Sometimes I wish.... I wish I could have been someone else that night. I tried really hard.... you know...to try and forget it. I thought if I could really be Tom or Rod.... I thought I could escape jail...I thought I could.... somehow let some other part of me be the one he did that to. I wanted it to be someone else that hid under the covers every night hoping he wouldn't come to my room… but...." wearily Todd wipes away a tear as he screams at Viki "it was me...not a Pete or a Tom or a Rod..." then barely in a whisper "...it was me that my father finally raped that night."
With a tiny gasp Tea covers her face to try and stifle her sob of despair as she watches Todd relive this moment. There are tears in Viki's eyes as she reaches for Todd.
Just then Blair bursts back in through the penthouse front door.
"Todd, you've got to get out of here. Max just called me to let me know how happy he was that he gave a copy of that tape
to the police and they are on their way here right now."
Absolute terror fills Todd's face and he rushes to the door.
Just as he reaches it he turns back to look at Sam and Viki " I am sorry...I wish.... I don't know what but...." he turns to Tea with a pleading look and says softly "Come with me...."
Tea looks at him so confused not knowing what to do. Who is he now then? If there never was a Tom or Rod or Pete.... who is he?
Todd sees her indecision and whispers " I have to go...it's now or never Delgado.
Tea shakes her head and says "I...I can't...I just can't...."
Todd closes his eyes and takes a deep breath then says "Good bye.... I love you Tea."
He looks at Blair with a weary little smile "Thanks for the millionth time and give my love to Starr.
"
Todd glances back once last time as if to memorize the faces of those he loves and then disappears out the door.