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Manning House....a few days later

Téa, in a half asleep daze, hears a loud moan next to her. Suddenly, she feels the bed start to shake. She sits up and rubs her eyes, alarmed at the sight of her husband, thrashing wildly, in the throes of another torturous memory.
"Todd!" she says loudly, moving closer to him, attempting to catch his flailing arm.
"No...no...don't..." he mutters, the angst clear on his sleeping face.
"Todd, wake up," she pleads, holding down one of his arms, stroking his face, attempting to calm him and wake him at the same time.
Suddenly, Todd bolts up straight. He looks around, disoriented, blinking, his breathing ragged. He turns to face Téa, leaning closer as she strokes his sweat dampened hair.
"Delgado?" he whispers, trying to control his breathing.
"It's okay, Todd...I'm here...it was just a dream, Querido."
He attempts a deep breath, trying to calm down. But his mind can't erase the images melding together...Angela...Peter...Tea. He shakes his head and quickly gets out of bed, walking out of the bedroom. A confused Téa follows him downstairs into the living room. She walks into find Todd taking healthy swig of scotch, desperately trying to erase his nightmare. He sits down on the couch and looks at her. He can see her slightly protruding stomach through her t-shirt, and the memories come flooding back. Téa walks over and sits down next to him.
"Was it the same dream?" she asks gently.
"Yeah," he says quietly, taking another drink.
Téa watches him in silence, not wanting to push. Todd looks at her. He hadn't told her completely about the nightmare...only about Angela. He hadn't told anyone. He doesn't want to frighten her...but he feels the need to tell her everything...to hear her reassuring words.
"Téa....I didn't tell you all about the nightmare...I mean I left out some stuff."
Téa reaches out and takes his hand, which he gratefully squeezes. "Do you want to tell me?"
"I don't wanna scare you."
"I can handle it, Todd...I promise."
He looks at her again, and taking another gulp of his drink.
"The dream starts out with me in my old room....except I'm me now..not a kid. And I hear Peter yelling at her...at Angela...just like he did that night," he pauses, staring straight ahead, "I try to open the door...to get to her...to help her...this time," he says sadly, "but it's locked. I finally get it open and go to her....only ...it isn't her lying there," he stops, swallowing a lump in his throat.
Téa hasn't taken her eyes off him. "Who is it Todd?" she asks.
He turns his face to her, and Téa catches the pain in his eyes. "You," he chokes out.
Téa blinks in shock and looks down. After a moment, she looks at him. He checks her eyes, like always, and sees no fear.
"Go on," she whispers.
Todd looks straight ahead again. "I go to you...try to wake you up..but you're unconscious. Then....I hear him...Peter...telling me that he wouldn't let me be happy...that I don't deserve you or our baby. I'm so angry....and I go after him for hurting you....that's it," he says, looking down.
"Oh, Todd," Téa whispers sadly.
He looks up at her, tears in his eyes. "I'm sorry Téa....I couldn't save her....I couldn't save you..." his voice trails off.
Téa moves closer and reaches her free hand up to stroke his hair. "Todd...it was a dream...you would never let anyone hurt me...I know that."
"Yeah..but I let him hurt Angela."
"Todd...you were a little boy! There wasn't anything you could have done!" she pauses and leans in to touch her forehead to his hair. "This is why..isn't it...this is why you've been so up and down about my pregnancy."
Todd is silent, and turns so their foreheads are touching. He gazes into her eyes, confirming her thought.
"Todd...you have to make some peace with this....I want you to enjoy this with me," she says softly.
"How?" he whispers.
She pulls away slightly, staring into his eyes. "Finding Angela...you know we haven't talked about it since that day outside of Dr. Michael's office."
"I told you...it was okay."
"Yeah..but you didn't seem to sure...I wanted to give you a few more days to think about it."
Todd takes a deep breath. He had been thinking about it. Part of him was scared...confronting his past again....but he also thought it might be good....maybe just maybe he could begin to put it behind him.
"Okay Delgado...let's find her," he says, pulling her close.

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Next day, Sam's office

"So, how are my favorite parents to be?" Sam asks, smiling.
"Okay, Sam...how are you?" Tea replies as she and Todd take a seat in Sam's office.
"Great....apparently in his haste to bring you down Todd...Asa slipped and let Viki in on one of Nora's strategies. She's gonna go for the angle that you and Tea may not be married because you're claiming incapacity."
"But we are married!" Todd says, his voice rising.
"Relax Boomer, Viki said your marriage is legit...and she's got the paper to prove it."
Todd relaxes a little and glances at Téa.
"Other than that, the case is going pretty much as planned. Did you guys have a question?"
Téa and Todd glance at each other. Todd clears his throat. "Uh yeah Sam...but not about the Sun. About something else."
"Shoot."
Todd shifts awkwardly in his seat. "It's about Peter...about one of his old girlfriends. I was wondering if maybe you remembered her."
Sam looks at him curiously. "Well, Todd...Peter had his fair share of women from what I can remember...but maybe. Who?"
Téa squeezes his hand, urging him to continue. "I was like eleven, around....her name was Angela....she had brown hair, brown eyes...she was around for a while, at least compared to the others."
Sam leans back in his chair, searching his memory. "Angela...Angela....the name is familiar...maybe you talked to me about her?"
"It's possible I guess...I don't remember."
"Let me think on it and get back to you. Is something wrong?"
"No....we uh...we want to find her."
Sam looks surprised. "Why? If you don't mind me asking?"
"Just something I need to do Coach....you know....to put behind me."
Sam nods, figuring this has something to do with Todd's therapy. "Well let me know if I can do anything."
"Actually Sam, there is something. You had your practice in Chicago for a while, right? Maybe between the three of us we can come up with a list of halfway houses there. That was the last place Todd saw her," Téa says.
Sam nods. "Okay, sounds like a good start."
Téa stands up. "Oh...I almost forgot..I have to call Carlotta...can I use the phone in the lobby Sam?"
"Of course Téa."
The men watch as Téa leaves.
Sam looks at Todd. "She looks great, the pregnancy is going well?"
"Yeah," Todd smiles, "it is....it looks good on her that's for sure. The doc says she's healthy and the baby's healthy....I just want to make sure it stays that way."
"What are you worried about Todd?"
"It's just between her work, the Sun case, and now this thing with Angela...I just don't want her to get too stressed out. She really wants to help me, you know...with this Angela thing...in fact finding her was her idea. She really cares, you know? I just want to protect her," he finishes quietly.
Sam looks at him. "Todd, Téa's smart, she's not going to do anything to put herself or your baby in jeopardy."
"I know that Sam...it's just that Delgado...sometimes I think she worries so much about me that she forgets about herself. "
"Well..I'm sure you will take very good care of her."
"You got that right, nothing's gonna happen to her," he says, grinning.
"So, the Sun case is heating up, huh?" Todd says, his eyes taking on a mischevious light.
Sam smiles. "That it is, Boomer, that it is..."

To be continued....