"Hey Dr. Parker...what can I do for ya?"
"Hey..." she says, pulling her pager off of her belt. She looks at it.
"...got a page from Dr. Wolek...one of my patients was just brought in."
The nurse thinks a moment, then grabs the phone. "Oh! Tea Delgado, right?"
Dr. Parker sighs. "Oh no...what happened?"
The nurse holds the phone away from her a bit, and her voice echoes all over the floor.
"Dr. Wolek, please report to the nurses' station," she says, then hangs up.
"I'm not sure, doctor. I think she fainted. Her husband...that publisher guy...carried her in himself."
Larry Wolek walks through the hall toward them, holding out a hand for Dr. Parker. She smiles politely, and shakes his hand.
"Larry, how are ya?"
He lets out a tired breath. "Oh, y'know, same ol' same ol'. Good to see ya, Beth."
The nurse goes back to her computer as the doctors walk away. Larry hands Beth the chart...she takes her glasses off of her collar and starts reading, eventually making a face.
"Ohhhh, Tea..." she groans.
They stop in the middle of the hall. Larry rubs his neck.
"Yeah, Todd brought her in a little while ago...she passed out while making a visit to the courthouse today."
Beth looks up. "What the hell was she doing THERE?"
He shrugs. "All I can think is she was having it out with her niece."
She does a take...then nods, slowly. "Ohhhh...that's right. I forgot about that..." she says, looking back at the chart.
"...well, when can I get the ultrasound tech down here?"
"Already called 'em. They'll be down in a minute."
She smiles. "Great, thanks. How long before her blood work comes back?"
He checks his watch, then starts to walk away. "I'll call 'em and find out...shouldn't be too long though. Listen, I got rounds...page me if you need anything, okay?"
"Thanks Larry...oh! Wait! Which room?"
"Oh! Exam three!" he yells, from down the hall.
Beth tucks the chart under her arm and heads for the exam room. She walks in and finds Tea sitting up in the bed, sipping some water. Tea looks up at her...and smiles, halfheartedly. Beth sighs as she walks up to the bottom of the bed.
Tea sighs back. "Hi Beth."
" So how're you feeling now?"
Tea puts the cup down on the tray in front of her. "Uh...better."
"Mmmmm-hmm..." Beth replies, blandly, as she flips open the chart again and skims it.
"...and where's Todd?"
Tea fidgets, straightening her blankets out and then her hair. "He, uh...went to make a call, I think."
Just then, Todd comes back in. He sees Beth and rolls his eyes a little. She turns around and he recovers quickly, putting on a polite smile.
"Hey Doc."
She gives him the evil eye over the top of her glasses.
"Hi Todd...won't you sit down?" she asks, dramatically.
Todd and Tea exchange knowing glances as he sits down in the chair next to the bed. There's a silence as Beth rereads the chart. Finally, she flips it shut and puts it on the tray as she comes around and sits down on the other side of the bed. She reaches out and gently lifts Tea's chin, then turns her head from side to side, examining her face. Then she sits back, and takes her glasses off.
"Now. What happened?"
Again, Todd and Tea look at each other, knowing they're about to get an earful. Beth was a wonderful doctor...but she still had a VERY Brooklyn attitude. Tea looks back at Beth, taking a deep breath.
"Well, I, uh...I found out this morning that my niece was one of the kidnappers..."
Beth nods. "Yeah, I heard that too. I'm sorry."
Tea nods back. "...so anyway, I...I..."
Beth tips her head. "...you decided to go to the courthouse and pay her a visit, right? And let me guess...you were probably yelling at her, or she was yelling at you...something along those lines?"
Tea's face covers over with guilt...she nods. Beth nods back, slowly...then turns to Todd.
"And you KNEW about this?"
Todd shrugs, eyes wide. "No...well, I---"
Tea jumps in. "No, Beth. He didn't know until after I'd already left. It's not his fault."
Beth takes it all in for a moment, then sighs again. She shakes her head at them both.
"Okay...so, help me out here. Exactly WHAT part of 'stay at home and rest' did you guys NOT understand?"
They exchange glances...then they both look back at her like a couple of kids getting scolded.
Beth leans forward. "I mean, because you obviously didn't listen to me...or didn't hear me, or SOMETHIN'. So tell me. HOW can I put things to you so that you'll understand..."
She gestures with her hands, accentuating each word. "...and DO...WHAT...I...SAY??"
Todd makes a face...then looks at Tea, who hangs her head shamefully for a moment. Beth leans in closer to Tea.
"Tea...look at me, girl."
She looks up. Beth's voice lowers to a more gentle tone.
"When was the last time you ATE? Can you even remember?"
Tea thinks...then shrugs. "Last night...sometime..."
Beth nods. "Yeah...right. Exactly. I mean, come on...what made you think it would be a good idea to go and confront your niece RIGHT THIS MINUTE??"
Tea shuts her eyes a moment, trying to keep from crying. "I...I wasn't thinking."
Beth nods again. "That's right. You weren't. You went against my specific instructions, walked into that stress-filled situation on an empty stomach, got yourself ALL worked up I'm sure...and then you fainted."
Just then, the ultrasound tech pokes her head in. "Excuse me..."
Beth turns around. The tech smiles politely. "...uh...are you ready, doctor?"
Beth shakes her head. "Gimme a minute."
The tech nods and ducks out. Beth rubs her face, then looks at them both.
"Okay, look. I'm not tryin' to cramp your style or anything here. I'm not telling you to stay at home and rest just 'cause I FEEL like it. Tea...DO YOU UNDERSTAND the gravity of your situation?"
Tea just looks back at her with guilty eyes. Beth moves in closer.
"Well, I'll run it down for you again..." she says, counting off each point on a finger.
"You're pregnant with twins...a tricky thing all by itself. You were forcibly abducted and held hostage for a week, during which time you ate maybe once a day and got water only a few more times than that. You were sexually assaulted..."
Tears start to roll down Tea's cheeks at that. Todd shifts around uncomfortably as he watches her face twist up with pain, wanting to reach out to her...but he holds back, just watching her, as Beth continues.
"...you have lost AT LEAST five pounds that you desperately need. And now you're at the point where you're passing out."
She stops, taking a breath. Tea cries for a moment, then sniffles, wiping her face.
"I'm sorry."
Beth looks at her for a moment...then reaches out and wipes a stray tear off her chin.
"Oh, Tea. I feel awful for you, baby, I do. I can't even IMAGINE what this must've been like for you, or what you're going through now, but...fact of the matter is that you are NOT the only one to consider here. You CANNOT come out of a situation like the one you're coming out of, and expect to be able to function normally. YOU NEED REST. I can't put it any plainer than that...and I ain't just sayin' it to be NICE."
Tea nods, wiping her chin. "I know. I'm sorry...I just..."
Beth reaches out again and lifts her face. "Tea...whatever anger or frustration you're feeling that's making you put yourself in these stressful situations...girl, you have GOT to put it aside...for those two kids in there. Do you get me?"
Tea nods again. "Yes."
"Good," Beth replies, then turns to Todd. "And YOU..."
Todd takes a deep breath, bracing.
"When I give specific instructions to parents, I expect the mother to follow them, and I expect the father to MAKE SURE SHE FOLLOWS THEM. Work with me here, okay?"
Todd starts struggling for excuses. "What...? I didn't know---"
Beth silences him with a pointed finger. "Todd...you knew ENOUGH to know that she MIGHT want to take off to go scream at her niece when she found out about all this. Taking off? A no-no. Screaming? A BIG no-no. But what did you do? You left her alone in the house. So you weren't there to talk some sense into her when she got it in her head to do this. That's NOT helping, man."
Todd stares at her, about ready to fire back...but then he realizes that she's right. He sighs, blowing some of the hair up off his face. Beth lingers on him for a moment...then she gets up, grabbing the chart.
"Okay...let's get that ultrasound done. I'll get a more detailed list of instructions for you after I see the twins and go over your blood work. But I'll tell you this right now..."
Todd and Tea both look at her, anxiously...Beth points at Tea.
"...I want YOU at home, in bed, for AT LEAST the next two weeks...maybe more, depending on what I see today. You WILL rest, and you WILL start eating again, got me?"
Tea takes a deep breath, and nods. Beth's eyes dart over to Todd...he shrugs immediately.
"I got it, I got it. Jeez."
Beth almost cracks a smile at him...then walks out to get the ultrasound tech. Tea and Todd both let out a heavy sigh. Todd runs a hand through his hair.
"Doctor my ass...more like a friggin' GENERAL."
Tea glances at him...and for the first time in what seems like forever, she cracks up. Todd looks over at her, surprised..and thrilled...like it's the first time he's heard her do that in years. Tea is also surprised at herself...she covers her mouth immediately, glancing up at him.
He grins at her. "Too late...I heard it."
She takes her hand away from her mouth, and grins back...but the lightness of the moment soon passes, as she looks down at her belly, folding her hands over it protectively. Todd watches her face carefully, as she starts stroking her tummy...lightly, soothingly. Her eyes have darkened...he can tell she's faraway now, thinking about something else entirely.
Todd gets off the chair and sits down on the edge of the bed, facing her.
"Delgado."
She looks up suddenly. He makes a face at her, his confusion and frustration starting to catch up to him.
"What is it? Where'd you go just now?"
She returns his confused look...but then realizes what he's asking. She opens her mouth, the words on the tip of her tongue...
...but then she bites her lip, looking back down at her hands. Todd glances away for a second, knowing he's been shut out again.
Beth comes back in just then, with the ultrasound tech behind her, wheeling in the cart with all the equipment. Both of them start fluttering around Tea and Todd, getting ready to do the ultrasound. Tea looks back up at Todd...and sees all the confusion, anxiety and frustration she's causing him. She tries to keep her eyes locked with his, but finds that she can't...because she's holding back from him, and he knows it.
She sighs heavily, knowing the day was only going to go downhill from here.
****************************************
Over at the PD, Bo sips some coffee as he walks into one of the interrogation rooms. Dean looks up from the head of the long table where he sits, handcuffed to the chair. Bo strolls over and sits down next to him, putting his coffee down and dropping a folder on the table in front of him.
Dean gives him a look. "Y'know, I get the feeling I should have my lawyer here."
Bo shakes his head. "Nah. Just wanted to have a little chat...about something I came across in this report from the hospital in Jersey."
Dean looks at him, waiting...then shrugs. Bo grins slightly, then flips open the folder, and scans it for what he's looking for.
"Where is it now...ah! There it is," he says, picking it up and reading.
"Right...says here that the doctor who took care of Tea that night found 'evidence that suggests sexual assault, most likely an attempted rape.'"
Bo looks up at Dean...and notices that his face is exactly the same, unaffected by what he just said. Bo tosses the report back down on the table, and leans in closer.
"So. Anything you wanna tell me?"
"Not without my lawyer here. I'll be sure and tell him about this little 'chat', too."
Bo shrugs, sitting back. "Go ahead. We're not charging you with anything else...yet. But I just wanted to make sure you knew we'd be getting Tea's side of the story..."
He pushes back from the table, getting up. "...so you'd better be prepared...in case she decides to file additional charges."
Dean glares at Bo as he walks to the door. Bo turns around as he opens it.
"Oh. Have a nice day."
Dean's eyes narrow to slits as Bo mock-salutes him, then shuts the door. Dean lets his head drop back...he closes his eyes for a second, thinking for a moment. Then he looks back up, his eyes focusing on a miscellaneous spot on the table...the wheels turning in his head. Slowly, his eyes widen as an idea forms in his head...just as two officers come in, and release him from the chair. Each one grabs one of Dean's arms as they lead him out and down the hall.
As they take him back to holding, Dean smiles to himself, having come up with a new plan.
****************************************
The doorbell rings at the penthouse. Todd gets up from the couch, rubbing his neck as he walks over to answer the door. He swings it open and finds Carlotta standing there, her arms filled with bags of stuff.
"Oh...hey," he says, a little uncomfortably, as he takes some of the bags from her and steps aside.
"Hi," Carlotta replies, just as uncomfortably. She rearranges her load, and walks in.
Todd shuts the door. They stand there staring at each other for a moment, awkwardly. Finally, Carlotta smiles a polite little smile.
"Uh...kitchen?"
Todd's eyes widen. "Oh! Yeah...in here."
He leads her into the kitchen. They drop the bags on the table, and Carlotta starts emptying them out.
"I got everything on that list. But if there's anything else she needs, y'know, just call me, I'll be happy to get it."
Todd nods as he lifts a huge bottle of vitamins out of one of the bags. Carlotta watches as he makes a face at the size of the pills, shaking his head. She cracks a little smile as she goes into the remaining bags, pulling out a couple of foil-covered bowls. Todd rounds up all the bags, crushing them all into a pile and throwing them out.
"What's that?" he asks, as he puts the other groceries away.
Carlotta walks over to the oven and turns it on. "Dinner. I made WAY too much soup for today. I thought Tea might like it, whenever she gets hungry."
She pulls the foil off one of the bowls. Todd peeks at it...a really loaded vegetable soup. The appealing smells waft out and up his nose. He makes an impressed face.
"Looks good to me."
Carlotta smiles proudly. Todd looks up at her...and grins, sort of. There's a silence as they share a fairly pleasant moment for once. Finally, Todd stands back, shoving his hands in his pockets.
"Listen...I know that we're not...well, y'know..."
"...friends?" she finishes. Todd makes a face.
"Well, that's not the word I was looking for...but, uh..." he shrugs. "...I guess it's the closest thing..."
Carlotta just looks at him, waiting. Todd takes a deep breath.
"...anyway, I just, I dunno...wanted to...thank you, I guess...yeah, that's what I wanted to say."
Carlotta's eyes widen at that...she says nothing for a moment, taken completely off-guard. Todd gauges her reaction...and decides to do some more explaining.
"I mean, for helping out...you know. I really shouldn't leave Tea alone after what happened today, but, y'know...it's kinda hard for me to get all this running around done if I can't leave."
She nods. "It's the least I can do."
He nods back. They share another short silence...then Carlotta offers another smile, and grabs the bowl off the table. She turns around and puts it in the oven, then closes it up, brushing her hands off. She goes to grab the other bowl.
"I'll put this one in the fri---"
"HELP!!! HELP ME!!!!"
Carlotta nearly drops the bowl. Todd jumps. They look at each other...then they both run out into the living room. Another blood-curdling cry comes down from the stairs...
"PLEASE HELP ME!!!! SOMEBODY!!!"
"Oh, God..." Todd whispers, as he flies up the staircase. Carlotta follows close behind.
Todd throws open the bedroom door and sees the all-too-familiar sight of Tea, thrashing around in the bed, screaming at the monsters in her nightmare...
"NO!!! LEMME ALONE!!! SOMEBODY HELP!!!"
He curses to himself for not pulling the sheets down as he goes through the task of freeing her again. Carlotta stands in the doorway, hand over her mouth.
"Tea, wake up!" Todd says, firmly, as he untangles the sheets. "Wake up!"
He tosses the sheets aside, getting as close to her as he can. "Delgado, wake up...right now!"
Her eyelids fly open suddenly...she sits up in a panic, chest heaving, sweating and trembling at the same time, looking around wildly.
"No...no...oh..." she whimpers, as she comes out of her nightmare, slowly.
After a minute, she realizes where she is and starts to breathe a little slower. Then she slaps her hands over her eyes as she starts to cry. Todd sits down on the bed, facing her...he looks at her for a moment...then turns to Carlotta.
"Carlotta...could you, uh...get her some water...please?"
She nods...then turns and heads back downstairs. He turns back to Tea, who's crying hysterically now, behind her hands. He glances up at the ceiling, trying to draw strength from somewhere, as he feels like just crying with her. Finally, he inches a little closer.
"Delgado..."
Tears leak out from behind her hands, spilling all over the place. Her voice wavers, coming out heartbreakingly low.
"Oh my God...what's wrong with me...?"
He rubs his face, the tone of her voice just about doing him in. He swallows hard.
"Tea, look at me...please..."
She hesitates a moment...then drops her hands...and looks up at him, her entire face soaked. A long silence passes as they look at each other. Tea's face twists up as more tears fall...still terrified of being touched...but needing him more than ever now. She struggles, hoping that she can get over her fear long enough to reach out...and hoping that he will respond, no matter what she does.
"I'm so scared, Todd...I can't...sleep...I can't see anything...but I...I can feel them..."
As painful as the words are to hear, Todd lets out a breath, relieved that she's finally talking to him. He inches closer...she starts to back away at first...then shakes her head, willing herself to stay still. Todd whispers to her, his own eyes misting up...
"...shhhh...it's alright..."
Their faces get to within inches of each other. Tea looks into his eyes, and busts out in a gut-wrenching cry...
"...please help me..."
Todd takes a deep breath...and wraps his arms around her. She stiffens up immediately, despite herself. She shuts her eyes, trying desperately to push the fear down...because she knows she needs this...needs him. She whispers to him as she cries harder...
"...don't let go...please...I'm so scared..."
Despite her body's reaction, he knows now...knows she wants him to hold her. He tightens his grip, burying his face in her damp hair, whispering back...
"I know...I know...but I gotcha...nobody can hurt you now..."
Her body finally stops fighting her, relaxing...and after a moment, she reaches up and grabs onto his shoulders, tucking her head in the crook of his neck, sobbing her heart out. He holds her as tightly as he can, and starts rocking them back, and forth, gently..letting his own tears fall and get soaked up by her hair...still whispering to her...
"...ohhhh Tea...I love you...I'll keep you safe, I swear I will."
Carlotta appears in the doorway with a glass of water for Tea...but she stops. As she looks at them, she knows, somehow, that she shouldn't be breaking this up. Quietly, she puts the glass down on the dresser...then reaches for the doorknob. She watches them for another moment...then closes the door.
*****************************************
All is quiet in the dimly lit living room when Todd comes down the stairs a while later. He doesn't even make it all the way down the staircase, stopping and sitting down, rubbing his face. Carlotta looks up at him from the couch.
"She alright?"
He drops his hands at the sound of her voice. He sort-of nods, then pulls himself up and off the stairs. He starts pacing slowly, rubbing his knotted-up neck. Carlotta watches him for a moment, and then grabs her purse.
"Well. I didn't want to leave until I knew she was okay, but...I guess I should probably go now...you guys need your privacy."
Todd says nothing at first, watching her as she gets up and heads for the door. She turns around as she opens the door.
"Oh...um...if you don't want to eat now, you should probably turn the oven off."
They stare at each other for a moment...then Carlotta offers a little smile, and waves.
"Well...call me if you need anything," she says, about to shut the door.
Todd glances down at the floor...then turns toward her, taking a few steps forward.
"Carlotta...wait."
She stops, stepping back inside. She looks at him as he walks up to her in the darkness of the foyer...her face softens, seeing all the emotions painted on his face. Todd sighs, not really knowing what it was he wanted to say to her. She searches his eyes, and tries to talk for him.
"She's been like this since you came home, right?"
He nods...and the words start to come out. "I...I don't know what to do for her, Carlotta...this was the first time she let me hold her in...days...but I can tell it's not helping...she's still...scared, she's terrified. I bet she won't even sleep a full hour."
Carlotta sighs. "I guess all you can do is be there for her."
Todd leans on the door, his tone more urgent now. "But that's just it, see...I-I'm...I'm not enough...she needs MORE than ME."
She looks at him questioningly. "I don't understand..."
He glances off to the side for a second. "I can't explain it...I just recognize it, I know it. It's just something I...feel. Tea, she's...acting very much like..."
Carlotta leans in, listening. Todd's eyes drift away for a second.
"...me."
It takes a minute, but slowly, Carlotta's eyes widen, as she realizes what he means...she nods.
"Todd..."
He suddenly gets pulled back to reality, and looks at her. She sighs again.
"...then maybe you should call somebody, y'know? Somebody who can help her."
Todd looks at her, thinking...then glances away, an idea forming. He looks back at her, nodding. Carlotta gives him a little smile.
"You know I've never exactly thought very much of you. But I'll give you this...if YOU can admit to ME, that you can't handle this alone...you must love her...very much..."
She lingers on his face a moment. "...you know what she needs, Todd. Do what you gotta do."
She smiles again...then turns and walks out. Todd locks the door behind her, and then falls against it, exhausted. He stays there for a while, thinking...then he checks his watch as he stands up and walks over toward the desk. He stops, making a face when he sees how late it is.
He paces around some more, tossing the idea around in his head. Finally, he stops, turning and staring at the phone sitting there on the desk. He stares at it for what seems like forever, trying to decide if he should really do this. But then he thinks of what just happened upstairs...Tea...screaming in her sleep, being attacked by ghosts that he can't fight for her. He could be there for her any other time...but when it mattered most...she would be alone. He knew exactly how scary that was.
"Screw it," he mutters, as he crosses the room and grabs the phone.
To Be Continued...
