HEAD GAMES
Chapter ThirteenViki was surprised to see Todd looking at her when she turned around.
“Sweetheart?” She wore a cautious smile on her face.
“Mama?” he answered groggily.
Alarmed, she quickly made her way to his bedside where she’d spent the last few hours. “Todd, are you alright?”
“Viki?”
A wave of relief washed over her. “Yes, sweetie. It’s me. How do you feel?”
He contemplated his answer for a moment before answering truthfully. “Kinda bad. Am I sick?”
“You have pneumonia, but Larry says you’ll make a full recovery.”
“Larry?” Todd puzzled. He looked at his surroundings, aware for the first time that he was in a hospital. “Larry Wolek? I’m in Llanview?”
“Yes, you are. Do you remember anything?”
“No. How did I get here? How did I get sick? Why am I here in Llanview again?” His voice rose slightly in pitch due to the mild panic.
“It’s okay. You don’t have to worry about it right now. I’m sure it will come to you later. Just try to get some rest, alright? You look tired.” She tried her best to comfort him. She could tell he was scared, although he would never admit it.
“I am a little tired,” he allowed. He fidgeted slightly, wanting to say something else. “Um, Viki,” he began. He searched her eyes for understanding. “Nevermind.”
“I’ll stay here with you while you sleep,” she said in answer to his unspoken question.
Todd looked at her in amazement before settling down into a comfortable position. Within minutes he was sound asleep with his sister standing guard to keep the demons at bay.
*****
Todd slept comfortably throughout the night. Unfortunately, Viki did not. She tried dozing in the chair in the room, but could not find a suitable position in which to sleep. She finally gave up around 3:30 and slipped out for magazines in the waiting room periodically.
Finally, he awakened just before 6:00 a.m. to find Viki rolling her neck from side to side. Her clothes were disheveled and her hair slightly mussed. He observed her in silence for a moment. She really did stay here to watch over me, he mused. People did not usually keep their promises to him. Including Viki.
She gave a final stretch before glancing back down at her magazine. After a few moments, she had the feeling she was being watched. Slowly, she peered up at the bed. Her features softened considerably when she saw two hazel eyes looking back at her. Todd wore a faint grin on his face.
“Did you sleep well?” she questioned.
“Apparently better than you,” he quipped.
“You look at lot better than you did yesterday,” she observed. “Do you feel any better?”
“Yeah, actually, I do. When can I leave?”
“When Larry says you can,” his sister stated with a maternal look on her face.
Todd answered with a heavy sigh and a roll of his eyes. “Whatever.”
His face took on a more serious appearance. “Um, listen. I just wanted to…uh. You know. Say ‘thanks for staying and all,’” he stammered, his eyes cast down upon the blanket.
“I told you I would stay, sweetheart,” she spoke softly, seizing an opportunity to brush a stray lock from his forehead. She was relieved when he allowed the contact.
“Yeah, well. A lot of people say things they don’t really mean.” He gazed up at her with a hurt look on his face.
Viki knew what he was thinking. She always promised never to turn her back on him. But she did just that when she let him leave Llanview alone. A sharp pang of guilt tore at her heart.
“I’m so sorry,” she whispered as a tear escaped her eye.
He looked deeply into her eyes. For a split second they could feel each other’s pain. But the feeling grew too intense for Todd. He dropped his eyes and abruptly changed the mood.
“I still don’t know how I got here,” he declared a bit too loudly. “You gonna tell me or what?” He continued to avert his gaze away from his sister.
“I’m sure it will come to you. Perhaps it would help you to talk to your doctor,” she broached.
“Who? Larry? You think he’s gonna help me remember?” He looked at her quizzically.
“No, sweetie, your other doctor. Dr. Evans. Do you remember him?” She hoped he answered positively.
“What? I have two doctors? What for?”
“So you don’t remember Dr. Evans?” she asked for clarification.
“Duh, Viki.”
She couldn’t help but giggle in spite of the gravity of the situation. How she had missed her baby brother. She hadn’t realized just how much he had been a part of her life until he was gone. She was determined to make him stay and get the help he needed this time.
“So who is this Dr. Evans? Is he a specialist or something? Is there something you’re not telling me?” he quizzed.
Before she could answer, Larry interrupted with a knock on the door.
“Well,” he interjected. “You’re looking a lot better this morning. Your color is coming back. Let’s take a look. Viki, would you give us some privacy?”
She excused herself while he examined Todd, taking a position in a chair outside of his room so she could see when Larry left. Because she’d slept very little the previous night, or because she was relieved that her brother was on the road to recovery, she quickly grew sleepy. Her head nodded repeatedly before she arranged herself with her head in her palm. Within seconds she was asleep.
She sat up abruptly when Larry shook her gently.
“Looks like you haven’t gotten much sleep lately if you can actually fall asleep in one of these chairs,” he chuckled. “Personally, I think the furniture in this place must’ve been used once as medieval torture devices.”
Viki smiled sheepishly. She shook her head to clear the mental cobwebs. “How is he?”
“His vitals are much better today. He should be able to go home in a day or so,” he reported.
She sighed with relief. “Thank you so much, Larry.”
“His physical condition has greatly improved, but I don’t know about his mental situation. You’ll need to talk to Dr. Evans about that. I just don’t want you to get your hopes up yet, Viki.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll be fine. And so will Todd.”
She smiled gratefully at him before returning to the hospital room. She found Todd pushing around a cup of Jell-O with a spoon.
“They expect me to eat this crap?” he sneered.
“You’re on a clear diet. If you eat all of this and keep it down, they’ll let you have some solid food later on.”
He exhaled a sharp breath in disgust before lifting the spoon to his lips. He grimaced with every bite but managed to finish the cup. Viki grinned inwardly to watch her brother make such a big production over such a small cup of gelatin.
“Feel better?” she asked.
“Yeah. I think I can leap tall buildings in a single bound now,” he replied sarcastically. Secretly, he had missed the verbal jousts with his sister. It felt good to be back in her company.
Suddenly, the door breezed open and in strode Kevin.
“Mom, I thought you might want to go to the hearing with me,” he announced casually.
“Hearing?” Todd squeaked. “Am I in trouble? What have I done” Panic welled up in his eyes.
“Nothing, sweetheart. You haven’t done anything wrong. This hearing isn’t for you,” she reassured him.
“Then who?” he posed nervously.
Viki and Kevin looked at each other uncertainly.
HEAD GAMES
Chapter 14
Viki brushed her hair back nervously before answering her brother’s question.
“The hearing isn’t for you, Todd. You’ve done nothing wrong. It’s a hearing for someone else. You don’t need to worry about it. You just need to concentrate on getting well.”
Todd wasn’t buying her explanation.
“What are you keeping from me? Is the hearing about Starr? Is that it? Is Starr okay?” he asked in a panic. The excitement caused him to cough deeply and repeatedly. Viki rushed to his side.
“No, there’s nothing wrong with Starr; she’s fine. Nothing bad is happening. Now just lie back and relax,” she assured him.
Todd looked directly at Kevin who was standing by the door with a look of distaste on his face.
“Whose hearing is it, Kevin? Tell me.”
Viki shot a warning look toward her son, but he ignored her.
“It’s for Powell,” he answered, waiting for a reaction. He got one.
“Powell? He’s back in town? Why? What did he do?”
“Calm down, sweetheart,” Viki encouraged. “You’ll just get upset and start coughing again.”
“Why didn’t you want to tell me about Powell? When did he get out of the institution?” he questioned.
“We…I just didn’t want you to get upset,” she replied, glancing sharply over her shoulder at Kevin, who stared guiltily at his shoes.
Todd leaned back on his pillow and angrily crossed his arms. “Oh, I get it,” he said in an eerily soft voice. “You were afraid of what I would do to Powell once I found out that he’d been sprung. Well, you don’t have to worry, Viki. I’m not going anywhere near your precious cousin. He’s safe from me.”
She sighed wearily. “No, Todd. That’s not why I didn’t tell you. I wasn’t worried about what you’d do to him; I was worried about what he’d do to you. I’m trying to keep you safe.”
It was Todd’s turn to look guilty. He hadn’t expected this explanation. He thought Viki had chosen Powell over him. He was stunned at her protectiveness over him.
“Sorry,” he mumbled. “You think he’ll come after me?”
Viki froze momentarily. What should I tell him? she thought. Fatigue slowed her response.
She finally came up with an answer. “I just don’t want to take any chances with you, sweetheart.”
“Why was he arrested?” he quizzed.
“He just got himself into trouble. Don’t worry anymore about it.” She smiled and kissed him gently on the forehead. “Will you be okay here by yourself for a couple of hours while I go to the courthouse?”
“I’m a big boy now. I think I can manage.”
If only that was true, Viki thought. She put on a smile before turning toward the door. She shot Kevin a withering look as she passed him.
*****
Powell’s hearing drew a large crowd of media and spectators. The courtroom was full to capacity. People seemed just as interested in hearing the sordid details about Todd as they did about his captor. This was the biggest thing to hit Llanview since…well, since Todd Manning.
Viki sat impatiently as the charges were read. She was appalled at the numerous crimes that had been committed in an attempt to frame her brother.
When Powell pled not guilty, the spectators let out a collective gasp. His attorney asked for, but was denied, bail. Mr. Lord was ordered to undergo a psychiatric evaluation before a trial date was set. The entire ordeal lasted under ten minutes.
Viki was relieved. She was in a hurry to get back to her brother’s side. She feared that some unscrupulous reporter would impede his recovery by asking him questions about his captivity. She was desperate to do a better job of protecting him this time.
*****
Viki stopped by Llanfair to shower and change clothes. She had intended only to lie down for a few minutes but was alarmed to find that she’d slept soundly for almost two hours. Hurriedly, she made her way to the hospital.
She could hear her brother yelling as soon as she got off the elevator. She sprinted to his room and found Dr. Evans standing at the foot of Todd’s bed with his hands on his hips and the bed’s inhabitant barking at him to get out of his room.
“Gracious! What’s all this noise about?” she asked in a calm voice.
“This guy says he’s my doctor, but you told me Larry was my doctor and nothing else was wrong with me. I think this guy’s a reporter or something. Call security and have him thrown out, Viki,” he ordered.
“Now calm down, Todd,” she intoned. “This is Dr. Evans. He is your doctor in addition to Larry.”
Todd raised his eyebrows in surprise. “What do you mean? Why do I need another doctor? Am I sicker than you said? Do I have something besides pneumonia?”
She looked at the doctor, who nodded his head toward her, giving her permission to tell.
“He’s another kind of doctor.”
Todd narrowed his eyes at her. “Go on.”
“He’s your psychiatrist, sweetie.”
He bolted upright in his bed. “My what?! I don’t need no damn shrink.” He threw back his covers. “I’m outta here.”
