It had been weeks since that bone-chilling call had interrupted her Halloween celebration telling her that her brother was near death from a gunshot wound to the chest. She had made it to the hospital in time to see Todd being wheeled into the OR for emergency surgery. Her former brother-in-law Dr. Larry Wolek had told her up front that the chances of his surviving the procedure in his weakened condition were very slim. But somehow Todd was still breathing several hours later when Viki was finally allowed to see him in the ICU. And now, three weeks and dozens of cups of terrible coffee later, they were still there.

Todd had never woken up after the surgery. The doctors became more concerned as the days went by and he remained in a coma, but they didn't have any definitive answers. The MRI had shown some swelling of the brain, theoretically caused when Todd had hit his head on the pavement after being shot. But at her insistence, Larry had shared an even worse scenario--that Todd might have sustained permanent brain damage from lack of oxygen when he had coded in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. He had been revived with shocks from the high-voltage paddles, but the doctors feared that the resuscitation might not have been in time. But none of what the doctors told her scared Viki half as much as what she feared in her own heart--that Todd wasn't waking up because he had lost the will to live.

The paramedics who had attended Todd after the shooting had found him alone on the docks. They were responding to an anonymous call to 911 asking for aid. Todd had been near death when they found him, but when Viki questioned them later, both professionals had insisted that Todd had been calling one name over and over. Viki hadn't even needed to ask what that name was. Her instincts told her that Todd had been calling for his lost love Téa even before the paramedics confirmed her guess. As the days had dragged on and Todd seemed no better, Viki had set out to find Téa in the hopes that she might be able to pull him out of his dangerous downward spiral.

Using the vast resources of the Banner, it hadn't taken Viki long to turn up newspaper reports from Ohio listing Téa Delgado as missing and presumed drowned in an automobile accident. Her heart had almost broken as she realized the pain and guilt her brother must have been feeling all the months since he had returned to Llanview. Viki's face burned with shame as she remembered all the hurtful things she had said to Todd when he had tried to reach out to her. Of course his behavior was worse than ever. His whole world had been turned on its axis when Téa was lost to him.

Viki had shared her news with Sam Rappaport, Todd's father figure who had rejected him because of his treatment of Nora. Sam was very concerned over Todd's health and stopped by regularly to see him, lending what support he could to Viki. But they both agreed that Todd had given up the battle.

Finishing her coffee, Viki stood over Todd as he lay in bed, staring at his face in search of the tiniest sign of life. She reached out and carefully smoothed the blankets, straightening them over his emaciated form. It helped her to do something, anything. She felt so helpless as she saw her brother's sunken cheeks and bluish eyelids. "It's Thanksgiving, sweetheart," she said in a soft voice. She always spoke to Todd as though he could hear her. "The whole family is so worried about you. Can't you wake up and give us a reason to be really thankful?" Todd continued breathing evenly without even the slightest twitch at her words. Blinking back tears, Viki continued. "Starr wants to come see you, but Blair doesn't think it's a good idea until you wake up. You don't want to disappoint her do you?" Again there was no reaction from the patient.

Viki began to shudder with sobs, wiping furiously at her wet eyes. "Hey," said a quiet voice in her ear as strong, comforting arms wrapped around her body. "You've done all that you can, Blondie. Quit beating yourself up." Viki turned around in Ben's arms, snuggling close against his chest as the tears continued to flow. Ben patted her on the back, allowing her to give vent to her emotions. They had gone ahead with their marriage after Todd had been shot, but the reception had been a hurried, quiet affair since Viki didn't want to spend too much time away from her injured brother. The honeymoon had been postponed indefinitely. "Jessie sent me down to get you. The turkey is almost ready."

"I can't leave now, Ben," whimpered Viki. "What if…"

"I'm sure the doctors will call you if there's any change. But this is our first Thanksgiving as husband and wife. Your kids and my brother and nephew are all waiting for us to carve the bird." Turning away from Ben, Viki looked again at Todd lying so still in the bed. Ben moved up to her side, taking her hand in his own. "Viki…you need some time away from here. Time with Jess and Kevin and Joey. Time to forget about hospitals and blood tests and CAT scans for a while. Come home and have Thanksgiving dinner with your family. Eat too much, laugh a little and get a good night's sleep. It will do you good." Viki bit her lip, hesitating.

"All right," she said slowly. "But I'm coming back early tomorrow morning. And I'm leaving instructions that I'm to be called if there is the least change in his condition." Viki stared for a few moments longer at her brother, waiting and hoping for some sign that he had heard her. Finally, she picked up her coat and purse and followed Ben out of the ICU.

"Hey you two! Happy Thanksgiving." Larry Wolek looked tired as he fumbled through a stack of paper work.

"Is it happy, Larry?" asked Viki in a strained tone. "Is there any good news about my brother?" Dr. Wolek grimaced, reluctant to cause more pain to Viki when she was obviously under so much strain.

"There's nothing new, Viki. I've told you we just have to wait and hope for the best. When Todd's brain is healed, he'll wake up, but…."

"But what, Larry?" asked Viki, her voice rising an octave.

"Look, Viki, you have to be prepared…Todd may be in a coma for a long time, maybe…"

"No! I refuse to accept that. There must be something you can do…a new drug, a treatment, something!" Ben's hands closed firmly around Viki's shoulders.

"Larry is doing everything he can. Now let's go home and eat some turkey." Ben began steering Viki toward the elevator. Larry gestured to Ben when Viki was turned away. When Bo Buchanan stepped off the elevator, it gave Ben the distraction he needed. He left Viki to chat with Bo for a moment while he slipped away to confer with Larry.

"Viki. Just the person I was hoping to see," said Bo with a tired smile. "Happy Thanksgiving."

Viki had no time for pleasantries. "Have you caught the person who did this to my brother?" she asked in an urgent tone.

Bo sighed wearily. "I'm afraid not, Viki. There are no witnesses and we found no weapon other than the one that was on the pavement next to Todd. As I've told you before, we've already ruled that out as the gun that wounded him." Bo took a deep breath. "I know you're not going to be happy about this, but I'm suspending the investigation."

"What? The person who did this is still out there. They could try again any time! I can't believe this, Bo!"

"Look, Viki. We have a lot of suspects, sure. RJ Gannon would probably top the list, except that there is no evidence that places him at the scene. So, unless Todd wakes up and tells us what happened, we may never solve this crime."

Viki's mouth settled into a hard line. "Are you sure you've done everything, Bo, or since Todd Manning is the victim you've done only what you're willing to do?" she asked bitterly.

Bo frowned. "My department treats every shooting the same regardless of our personal feelings about the victim," he said coldly. "You have to face the truth, Viki. Your brother has made a lot of enemies through the years. Any one of them could have taken a shot at him, but without evidence, we may never know who." Bo turned and punched the elevator button. "Have a nice holiday," he said coldly.

Across the room, Ben and Larry had their heads together. "What didn't you tell Viki?" asked Ben in an urgent whisper.

Larry looked cautiously to where Viki was talking to Bo. "I didn't want to ruin Thanksgiving for her," said Larry quietly, "but things are reaching a crisis point with Todd. If he doesn't come out of the coma in the next 24 hours, his kidneys and liver may start to fail. We can keep him alive indefinitely, but…" Larry glanced quickly at Viki and dropped his voice. "It may be kinder to let him go."

Ben grimaced. "I understand, Larry, but Viki just isn't ready to hear this now. Let her have this time with her family without having to worry about making that kind of decision." Larry nodded knowingly.

"Yeah. I'll have the staff call if there is any major change. Meanwhile, have a good holiday."

"Thanks, Larry," said Ben quietly. He turned just as Bo was getting on the elevator. "Have a good one yourself." He joined Viki at the elevator and the two of them took the next car.

Several hours later two nurses sat behind the desk in the deserted ICU.

"C'mon, Sadie, you don't honestly expect me to believe this, do you?" said one, skewing her face up skeptically.

"I'm just looking for explanations, Janet, and there don't seem to be any others at the moment."

"But a ghost?"

"Shhhhh," hushed Sadie, looking around to make sure they weren't overheard. "Do you want to get me fired? I didn't say it was a ghost….only….only that really weird things keep happening in Mr. Manning's room late at night."

"Like what?"

"OK, I've been on this shift almost every night since they brought him in several weeks ago."

"Yeah, me too. Go on."

"Well, I check on him every 15 minutes like we're supposed to and the rest of the time I'm sitting right here in plain sight of his door. So no one should be able to get in there with him unless I know it, right?"

"That seems reasonable," said Janet, making a notation and putting aside a file.

"Listen to this: one time I tucked the covers over the patient's arms after I checked him, but the next time I went in, someone had arranged his arms on top of the blanket and folded down the sheet." Sadie's eyes were wide.

"You must have just forgotten…."

"No. I'm sure of this Janet. Another time I found a coffee cup with lipstick sitting by Mr. Manning's bed."

"That's an easy one. Mrs. Carpenter, or I guess she's Mrs. Davidson these days, must have left…"

"I'm not stupid! Mrs. Davidson had left hours before, and she always throws her coffee cups in the trash."

Janet rolled her eyes. "That's it? You're basing this 'ghost story' on a coffee cup and some folded sheets?"

"No. There's other stuff. One time I sensed someone over my shoulder when I was working with Mr. Manning and I swear I saw a hooded figure in the window." Sadie shuddered visibly. "But it had disappeared by the time I got to the door. And there's other things…murmuring voices, whispers. I'm telling you, Janet, something really weird is going on here."

Janet stared thoughtfully toward the door to Todd's room. "Have you mentioned anything to Mrs. Car…er…Davidson?"

"No. I didn't want to upset her further. And I don't dare mention it to Dr. Wolek. He'll send me for a psych evaluation."

"Look. There are two of us tonight, and not too many patients. We'll keep an extra eye out and call security if anything looks suspicious. I'm sure there is a reasonable explanation for all of this, but we can't be too careful. Mr. Manning is a shooting victim, after all, and someone could still want him dead." Janet reached out to pat Sadie's arm reassuringly when she saw her sudden look of alarm. "Don't worry. We won't let that happen."

It was peaceful out here in the water. The boat rocked gently in the current as he lay in the bottom staring up at the fluffy clouds. For a long time, he listened to the water lapping at the wooden sides as he savored the unfamiliar feeling. But soon he became aware that the boat was beginning to plunge up and down, causing him to hit his head against the hard planks as it slapped against the heaving waves. Bits of spray flew off the bow and covered him with a fine mist, chilling him to the bone. The clouds were no longer fluffy and white, but dark and ominous.

Gingerly, Todd sat up in the boat. All around him were gray, churning waves. He twisted round and round, but there didn't seem to be anything but choppy water everywhere he looked. He was cold and wet and tired. Adrift on the sea, he didn't know what he was supposed to do. All he could do was drift along on the boat, riding the waves to their crest, then plunging down into the troughs. After what seemed like an eternity, he spotted something white far off on the horizon. Little by little it grew closer. Soon he could make out that it was a waterspout--a long, shiny column of water that seemed to stretch all the way from the ocean to the clouds. He remembered reading somewhere that a waterspout was much like a tornado--caused when a funnel cloud touched down over a body of water and sucked up millions of gallons into its vortex. Suddenly he could hear the roaring of the spout as his little boat drifted closer.

As he drew nearer, he felt himself grow calm. Somewhere inside him, he realized that the shiny white column was where he belonged. It was his destiny. All he had to do was steer the boat into the waterspout and all his troubles would be over. Lying back, he sought the feeling of utter peace that he had experienced before. All he could hear was the rushing of the spout, as the white light inside it seemed to illuminate the entire ocean.

But something was wrong. He didn't feel peaceful at all, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't seem to steer the boat in the right direction. Something was holding him back. Suddenly, he became aware that there was a rope tied to the bow of the boat. Someone was pulling on the rope and preventing him from entering the vortex. As he looked up, he saw that he was very near shore now. A tiny figure stood on the sand holding on to the other end of the rope. He shook his head no. He wanted the peaceful feeling of the waterspout. But the person on the shore kept pulling him in. Bit by bit he was getting closer. Soon, he was close enough to hear the person calling to him.

"Todd! You have to hold on. I'm here, but I need you to fight for yourself." He'd know that voice anywhere! It was Téa. He was close enough to see her face now as she pulled at the rope with all her might.

Todd looked wistfully at his lost love, then back at the white column of water. The noise was almost deafening as it came closer. "Come with me, Delgado!" he shouted.

"No!" she called back. "I fought it once, Todd. I fought it for you. Now you have to try and hold on. Come back to me." Suddenly, Todd realized that the rope had slipped from the bow of the boat. He was adrift again. He could still see Téa on the shore, but she was getting smaller. She couldn't pull him in any farther. He'd have to make it the rest of the way on his own. The boat was now in the surf; the looming waves were breaking over the bow. The waterspout was almost upon him. It would be so easy to let it suck him up into its blinding white light.

With a sudden urgency, Todd flung himself over the side of the boat and began half wading, half swimming toward the shore. He could see Téa there with her hands stretched out toward him. He could hear her voice calling him. "Todd, Querido, come back. I'm here for you, and I'll never leave you again. I love you, Todd." He was so close now, her hand was only inches away from his. He could feel the drops of sea spray hitting his face. "Todd, I'm here….I love you…" He choked at the water in his lungs. His chest hurt so badly…he was having trouble breathing… A wall of water washed over him and he rolled and rolled in the wave. He could still hear her voice as he struggled to open his eyes….

"That's it," whispered Téa as she saw Todd's eyeballs moving rapidly underneath his lids. "You're almost here, Querido. Only a little bit more. Open your eyes, Todd." Another one of her tears splashed against his face. He gasped for air, whimpering slightly against the pain of his wound. Téa held his hand tightly in hers. With her free hand, she stroked along his forehead and chin. "Please, Todd," she begged. "I need you to live." Todd stopped coughing, and for a minute Téa feared that he was lost. She put her head down and gave into sobs. But gradually she became aware that the hand in hers was moving slightly, returning her steady pressure with a tiny squeeze. Looking up in surprise, she was just in time to see Todd open his eyes.

He stared at her in confusion, remaining silent. Téa began to laugh through her tears, holding his hand tightly to her chest. "Delgado?" he asked groggily. "Are you real?" He tried to reach out his free hand, but it fell to his side, heavy as iron. "This…this must be a dream," he croaked, his eyes not leaving her face.

"It's not a dream…I'm here, Querido," she said.

"Where…where am I?" he asked in a raspy voice, finally tearing his eyes away from hers to look at his surroundings. "What happened?"

"You were shot, Todd. You're in the hospital. But you're going to be OK now. Do you hear me? You're going to be fine."

Todd continued to look confused. "Shot?" He slowly brought his hand up to feel the bandages over his chest. "My head is killing me," he said squeezing his eyes shut for a moment.

"You hit your head when you fell…on the docks. Do you remember?" Todd stared at her face, his mouth working slightly. Finally his facial muscles relaxed.

"The docks…on Halloween, right?" He startled suddenly. "RJ shot me….the bastard!" Téa stroked along his arm softly, willing him to calm down. Todd looked up at her again. "You were there, Delgado. I saw you."

"Yes, you saw me. But you weren't supposed to, Querido. I only wanted a glimpse of you…I didn't mean for it to happen." Her tears began to fall again.

"You were out there, too. In the ocean." Téa looked up at him, puzzled. "You saved me, Téa. You wouldn't let me go into the…the tornado or whatever it was." Téa gasped, holding her breath.

"You….you saw it?" she finally whispered. She leaned closer to Todd, laying her head against the pillow next to him. "I almost went into it…that night. But I fought it, for you."

"So…so you didn't drown? You're real?" he croaked, his voice filled with emotion.

"As real as you, Querido," she said softly. "But now that I know that you're OK, I have to be going." She looked furtively over her shoulder, glancing at the window that looked at the nurses' station.

"No, don't," said Todd, clutching onto her hand with amazing strength. "I need you, Delgado…it's been hell without you."

"I know, Todd. It's not easy for me, either. But…but I have a lot to think over now."

"Don't abandon me, Téa….please." The tears at the corners of Todd's eyes were threatening to fall, but it was obvious he was tiring fast.

"Look, Todd. You need to rest and get better….we both need some time. I…I don't really know if we can be together anymore. I need to think….hard."

"I don't need to think, Téa. I want you to stay."

Téa hesitated, biting her lip. "I'll be back for Christmas, Todd, and I'll give you an answer then. In the meantime, get better. Starr needs you, Viki and Sam need you." She pulled away from his insistent grasp, pulling her dark flowing cape tightly around her body.

"No! Come back, Téa!" wailed Todd as she melted toward the doorway.

"Mr. Manning?" said the night nurse, staring in shock as he struggled to sit up. "You're…you're awake!" She quickly overcame her inertia and rang the buzzer for her companion before running to Todd's side. "My goodness, a lot of people are going to be happy to see you!" she exclaimed as she easily forced him back onto the pillows. "Call Dr. Wolek!" she ordered as Janet came through the door, looking just as shocked as she was. The other nurse left to do her bidding. "My name is Sadie," said the first one in a comforting tone to Todd, who remained agitated.

"Téa!" he kept shouting weakly. Finally he acknowledged the solicitous nurse. "Get Delgado back in here," he ordered.

"Who?" she asked in confusion.

"My wife! The woman who was just in here!" Sadie settled Todd back against the bed. He didn't have the strength to fight her ministrations.

"Dr. Wolek is on his way, Mr. Manning. Everything will be all right. And your sister will be here as soon as we call her."

"But I want Téa," he said, sounding like a small child.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Manning, but I've been right outside the door. No one has been in here at all tonight except me and the other nurse."

Todd stared at her incredulously. He remained silent until Larry Wolek arrived a few minutes later, followed closely by Viki, who must have broken every speed limit to get to the hospital in such a short time.

"Oh Todd!" she exclaimed in joy as Larry began to examine him. "This really is the best Thanksgiving ever! I've never been more grateful for anything in my life…" Tears flowed down Viki's face as she moved to Todd's side.

"She was real…she had to be," he mumbled listlessly as Viki took his hand. The two nurses hovered nearby as Larry shined a bright light into Todd's eyes.

Across the room, unseen by anyone, a ghostly face peered through the blinds at the scene. A few minutes later a janitor came by. He quickly mopped up the two tiny drops of water on the floor outside the ICU.

To be continued in my Christmas story...