Téa sighs with relief as she looks at her now fully awake brother. José grins back, squeezing her hand.
"Mija," he says, "I'm so sorry you got dragged into this."
"José, it's over, okay? I'm just glad you're okay. So what now?"
"Del and I are gonna stay in Llanview for a while. And I'm gonna take the deal...tell them what I know about the organization. Then...I'm gonna try and straighten out my life."
Téa smiles warmly at him. "I'm glad. And I'm glad you two are gonna be sticking around for a while. I miss my brothers...it's nice to have some family around." She reaches over and pulls him into a hug. He had only woken up a few days earlier. It had been a long month, watching over him every day.
"And you, mija? What are you up to?"
Téa smiles, secretly thinking of the appointment she just came from. "Nothing," she says, "the usual...work, Todd...he's pretty much a full time job," she says lovingly.
José makes a face. "Yeah, well I want to get to know him better, make sure he's good enough for you. Although, he did save your life...he can't be all bad."
"Gee, thanks! Listen, I gotta run, but I'll be back tomorrow, okay?"
"Yeah, te quiero mija."
"Te quiero."

**********************************************************************************

Manning House, Later that afternoon

Todd paces the room, anxiously awaiting word from Téa. His eyes fall to a copy of the Sun that is laying on the couch, but that only serves to make him angry. He jumps slightly when he hears Téa's car door slam. He walks to the door and opens it, watching her walk up the stairs.
"So?"
Téa laughs. "Hello to you too!"
"Hi, so did you hear yet?"
"Todd, I would have called you if I had. She told me she would call me at home sometime this evening with the results."
"Well....how long does it take! I mean...don't we have all this technology now...we have to wait all day for some pregnancy test!"
Téa walks into the living room and puts her coat down, shaking her head. She sits down on the couch and runs her hand through her hair.
"How's your brother?" Todd asks, sitting down next to her.
"Good, Larry says they'll probably release him in a couple of days. He and Del are gonna be in town for a while...at least until after this whole Coronado thing is wrapped up."
"Great," Todd says sarcastically.
"Hey...those are my brothers!"
"They hate me."
Téa rolls her eyes. "They don't hate you...they just don't know you. And you've always been so charming to them," she says wryly. "Besides...they're just protective of me."
"Whatever," Todd says, glancing at the phone, which draws a giggle from Téa.
"So, how was your day?"
"Okay, Blair agreed to the custody agreement Sam drew up...could have knocked me over with a feather."
"Todd, look Blair knows how important you and Starr are to each other."
"Yeah, so we get Shorty every other weekend now and one night each week. It's not enough for me...but it's a start."
"Good, it'll be great to have Starr around again. You know we should take her shopping so she can decorate her room!"
Todd rolls his eyes. "Delgado, you take care of the chick stuff, okay?" She giggles. Todd picks up the copy of the Sun.
"You see this garbage!"
"Yeah, I caught that."
"My paper has become a Buchanan suck up rag!"
"What did you expect, with Asa running it?"
"Hey, I never expected Asa to be running it, I expected Blair, Max, and Kelly to be running it."
"I have no idea what you were thinking , leaving the Sun to those three."
"Yeah, well Delgado, that should have been your first clue that I was screwy."
Téa laughs. "You may have a point there. But there's not much you can do about it. Asa bought out Max and Kelly and fired Blair. He's in charge."
"Can you believe Blair is working for the Banner? And she actually seems to like it! Who knows....but if Big Daddy Asa thinks that now that I'm back...that I'm just gonna let him sit by and turn my paper into something respectable..he's crazy."
"You're going after the Sun?"
"Damn right, besides it's been a while since I caused any trouble," he says, grinning, "or can I not tell you that, Ms. ADA?"
She leans over and kisses him gently. "It'll be our secret. Let me know if I can help." She leans in for another kiss, which Todd returns passionately. They are interrupted by the loud ringing of the telephone. They pull apart and look at each other, hope mirrored in their eyes. Téa gets up and answers the phone, Todd staring intently at her, watching her every facial expression.
"Hello? Yes, this is Téa Manning....okay....really? ....yeah....Monday at 10 is fine...Thank you!"
She hangs up and beams at Todd...who has already guessed the good news by just watching the sheer joy on her face.
"We're gonna have a baby?" he asks.
She nods and throws herself into his arms. Todd holds her close and closes his eyes, not believing that this moment is actually happening. They pull apart, and Todd presses his forehead to hers. Looking into her eyes, he whispers hoarsely, "I love you Delgado."
"I love you too Manning," she says softly, tears beginning to run down her cheeks.