HEAD GAMES

The trial's preliminaries dragged on for hours. Todd sat rigidly, every muscle tensed, as he awaited his turn on the witness stand. Viki gave his hand an occasional squeeze; she could feel his anxiety.

Powell sat smugly beside the expensive lawyer his parents had hired. He had entered a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity. Sporadically, he glanced back at Todd and delighted in the terrified look he saw on his enemy's face.

A one-hour lunch break was finally called. As the reporters jostled each other to question Todd, Viki shot them all a withering glare. They backed off, not wanting to evoke her wrath. Viki Carpenter was a powerful force to be reckoned with amongst Llanview's media.

As the courtroom cleared, Viki and her children stood, welcoming the chance to stretch their legs. Todd remained seated as though frozen to the bench. His sister lovingly stroked his hair.

"Come on, sweetie. Let's get something to eat. We'll all feel better afterwards," she encouraged.

They were interrupted by Hank Gannon, who approached them from his place at the prosecutor's table.

"Viki, Todd," he greeted them professionally. "I just wanted to let you know that I'll be calling you, Todd, to the witness stand immediately after lunch."

Todd swallowed hard. "I don't think I can do this," he whispered.

"What, sweetheart?" Viki asked, bending down to hear him better.

"I don't think I can do this," he repeated.

She looked pleadingly at Hank. "Isn't there some way to avoid putting him on the stand? He's been through so much already."

"I'm sorry, Viki. We just don't have a strong enough case without his testimony," he answered. "Don't worry. I'll go as easy as I can on him."

"What about the defense?" Kevin questioned. "What are the chances that they'll go easy on him?"

Remarkably, Kevin's attitude toward Todd had softened considerably after Powell's last attempt to harm his uncle. He still harbored years worth of resentment toward him about Marty's rape, but he had managed to let some of his anger go. He thought it best, not only for Todd's and the family's sake, but for his own.

Hank took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. He looked down at his hands before raising his head to meet Viki's anxious eyes.

"They will probably bring up Todd's past criminal history."

"Hank," Viki said sharply. "Todd is not the one on trial here. I won't allow them to rake him over the coals."

"Viki, we have no choice. If he doesn't testify, then Powell will be free to torment him as much as he pleases. This is the only way to insure a conviction. I don't plan to give them the opportunity to question Todd about all of his criminal activities. But a lot of it goes to his relationship with Powell. I don't see any way to keep some of his record out of this trial," he offered.

"I don't like this at all," Viki countered, looking at her brother still glued to the court bench.

"We'll go easy on him, Viki. You have my word. He'll get as many breaks and as much time as he needs," Hank assured her.

“What about Judge Hollins? He’s not a big fan of Todd’s either,” Kevin said. “What makes you think he’s looking out for Todd’s best interests?”

Hank avoided the question, despite the fact that the same point had already gone through his mind.

"This is the only way to stop Powell from ever doing this again,” the D.A. reiterated.

She sighed and stroked her brother's head. "I'm sorry, sweetie."

Todd bowed his head.

*****

"Would you speak up, Mr. Manning?" Adam Burroughs, Powell's attorey bellowed. "I didn't hear your answer. Did Mr. Lord use physical force to get you to return to Llanview with him?"

"N-no," Todd stammered.

He had been on the witness stand for over an hour and was becoming more and more unhinged.

"Did Mr. Lord threaten you in any way to get you to return with him?"

"I don't…," he paused. "No."

"You don't know? Either he did or he didn't. Which one is it, Mr. Manning?" Burroughs bullied.

"No," Todd said softly.

"Isn't it true that Mr. Lord found you in a homeless shelter and offered, out of the kindness of his heart, to bring you back home?"

"I'm not…homeless shelter?"

"You do remember being in the shelter, do you not, Mr. Manning?"

"No. I wasn't…Viki?" He looked to his sister for support.

Hank interjected. "Your Honor. It's obvious that Mr. Manning could use a break."

"I disagree, your Honor," Burroughs countered. "I would like to push forward and not waste any more of the taxpayers' money or the jurors' time."

"Get on with it then," Judge Hollins ordered with a wave of his hand.

"I'll ask you again. Have you ever lived in a homeless shelter, Mr. Manning?" the attorney asked more forcefully.

"No," Todd whispered.

"Speak up, Mr. Manning."

"No," he said a little louder.

"Remember, Mr. Manning," Burroughs cautioned. "You are under oath."

Todd looked confusedly at Hank, then at his sister. "I don't know."

"You don't know?" the lawyer prompted quickly.

"I don't…I don't remember," he admitted, his head hung down in shame.

"I see. If you don't remember whether or not you were ever in a homeless shelter, then perhaps you don't remember whether or not Mr. Lord did all the horrible things you are unjustly accusing him of."

"Objection!" Hank lodged. "He's badgering the witness."

"Sustained," the judge answered. "Do you have a question for the witness, Mr. Burroughs?"

"Yes, indeed, your Honor. Mr. Manning, can you remember whether or not you are under the care of a psychiatrist?"

"Psychiatrist?" Todd repeated, his voice cracking.

"Are you hard of hearing as well as crazy, Mr. Manning?" the defense attorney shouted.

"Objection, your Honor," Hank interjected loudly. "Mr. Manning is not on trial here."

"I'm having to repeat every question over and over again," Burroughs yelled.

"Perhaps if you stuck to relevant questions, you wouldn't have to keep repeating yourself," Hank countered.

The disagreement dissolved into a shouting match with the judge screaming over the top of them to try to regain order in his courtroom.

Todd covered his ears to try to block out the angry protests. Unbidden tears slipped down his cheeks, and he was thrust into the throes of another flashback.

Viki kept her eyes on her brother, and as he began to rock back and forth in his chair, she called out to him. The courtroom quieted as all eyes turned toward the witness stand.

"I'm sorry, Daddy," he whispered. "Please don't yell. I'm sorry, Daddy." He continued whispering as in a chant, while he rocked dazedly back and forth.

"Oh, Todd," Viki said to herself.

HEAD GAMES

Chapter 22

The sun was shining brightly through the windows as a gentle breeze stirred the curtains. It was a beautiful warm spring day, and the smell of blooming flowers lightly scented the air.

Todd felt truly loved.

Viki brushed the hair from his face, then rubbed his back comfortingly.

She spoke tenderly to him. “Todd?”

A tall, thin man in his late 50’s, wearing a long white lab coat over his slacks, shirt and tie, joined her in the waiting room, sitting beside her on the straight vinyl chair.

“How long can he go on like this, Dr. Mayfield?” she questioned the man. “He’s been like this for days.”

She turned her attention back to her brother, looking for some indication that he knew her. There was none.

“He was severely traumatized, Mrs. Carpenter. There’s no way to predict how long he will remain in this dissociative state,” he explained.

“I knew I should have put my foot down and forbidden him to testify at Powell’s trial. It’s all my fault. I should have known better,” she chastised herself.

“Don’t be so hard on yourself. You had no way of knowing what the trial was going to do to him or that he would have an emotional breakdown."

“I just hate seeing him in this place,” she admitted, looking around at the sterile waiting room with its stark white walls and uncomfortable chairs, which were bolted to the floor. The nurse’s station was in the center of the room, and beyond that was a door with wire reinforced glass.

“Orton is the best mental health facility in the region, Mrs. Carpenter. I assure you that your brother is getting the best around-the-clock care,” he stated with pride.

“I don’t doubt that, Doctor. It just breaks my heart to see Todd in this state, unable to communicate, lost in his own world, committed to this facility. Please promise me that he will get better,” she pleaded.

“We’ll do the best we can,” he pledged. As he stood, he placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder and gave her a sympathetic smile. Then he departed to go on his rounds, leaving Viki alone with Todd.

“Please come out of this, Todd,” she begged him.

He failed to respond. She pulled him close to her and rocked him lovingly in her arms.

“When you’re ready, sweetheart, I’ll be here for you,” she whispered.

*****

Powell was led down the long corridor wearing shackles on his wrists and ankles.

“Keep moving,” one of the guards alongside him prodded.

They stopped when they reached the end of the hallway. There was a locked door on the left and one on the right. As one of the guards paused to unlock the security door on the left, Powell gazed through the opposite glass door.

To his amazement, he saw Viki, and in her arms was his old enemy, Todd.

A guard grabbed Powell by the arm and yanked him away from the glass. “Your ward is this way, you psycho. This is where you’ll be spending the next 30 years,” he informed the shackled man.

As the security door slammed shut behind him, Powell glanced back over his shoulder at the door on the other side of the hall. An evil grin spread across his face, and he began to laugh maniacally.

The end

Author’s note: Many thanks to Jena, Kattali, Darcy, and DimWitt