*****

.Mid-morning sun fills the penthouse...Todd comes down from a shower, to find Tea pacing nervously across the living room in her sweats...her white-socked feet walking back and forth, her hands on her hips. She looks up at him as he cops a squat on one of the steps.

"We can still call this off, y'know. You don't have to do this," he says, running a hand over his damp hair.

She sighs...then offers him a half-smile. "Yeah I do."

He shakes his head. "Tea, I'm not wrong about that guy. He deserves to rot. You don't owe him a damned thing...and if he's guilt-tripping you into defending him, I'll put a stop to that right now---"

She cuts him off. "Todd, stop. You don't have to do anything about anything."

He stares back at her with a questioning look. She shrugs back, in a lame attempt to downplay the situation.

"I'm not defending him. I'm just...telling Hank what I remember."

Todd studies her face for a moment...then shakes his head again.

"You can't even tell ME what happened to you. What makes you think you're gonna be able to tell anybody else?"

Tea does a take at that, a little put off. She opens her mouth, ready to spit something defensive back at him...but nothing comes out. Todd gets up and walks over to within a few inches of her. She looks up at him slightly, into his concern-filled eyes.

She sighs again. "That's a really good point. Hadn't thought of that," she admits, quietly.

He says nothing. They stand there silently, both of them looking in different directions, trying to think. Tea shuts her eyes a moment, shaking her head...her voice comes out softly.

"Todd...all I know is that I have to do this one thing. I hear what you're saying, and...you're right. You're absolutely right. But if I don't do this, I'll never be able to live with myself, so...I guess I'm really doing it for me."

She looks at him...and can tell by his face that he understands. He doesn't like it, but he understands. She reaches out, and gently clasps his hand.

"But I need you to help me."

His brow furrows a little at that. She offers him a little smile, even though her eyes are misty and her voice is weak.

"Just...don't go anywhere, okay? I need you here if I'm gonna get through this."

Todd feels a huge lump in his throat...all he can do is tighten his grip on her hand and stare back at her, his eyes connecting with hers.

The sound of the doorbell ringing breaks up the moment. Both of them sniff back the tears that were about to fall. Todd squeezes her hand, then heads for the door. Tea wipes her eyes, facing away, breathing deeply to psych herself up. She hears the door open...but it's not Hank's voice she hears echoing in the foyer. She turns around...

...to see Joely enter the living room. Tea's eyes widen in surprise. Joely smiles back at her.

"Thought I'd pop 'round before my flight leaves, in case you needed anything."

Todd leans against the inner doorway, watching Tea as she bursts out in laughter and tears at the same time, running over to Joely and hugging her.

"Oh...it's so good to see you," she says, then holds her away, sniffling.

"Listen, I...I'm so sorry about what I said before..."

Joely shakes her head. "Don't give it another thought."

Todd walks around them and stands behind Tea, who nods, wiping her eyes again and stepping back into him. Joely takes her coat off and throws it on the chair...she looks back up to see the two of them standing amazingly close together, their hands clasped together across Tea's belly. Joely smiles, looking between them...her eyes resting on Todd. The look on his face is enough to make her smile wider.

They share a knowing look...then Joely clears her throat. "So...how are the little ones?"

Tea looks down at her belly. "Good...pretty quiet right now, but they were moving around some last night."

Joely nods. "Well. Is there anything you need?"

Before they can answer, there's another knock at the door. Todd lets go of Tea's hand to go answer it. Joely reads Tea's face as she looks toward the foyer...she walks up to her.

"What's wrong?"

Tea looks back at her...but Hank enters the room, interrupting.

"Tea."

Tea looks up at him, offering him a nervous smile. "Hey." Joely turns and looks at him. Hank nods, but gives her a strange look, not recognizing her. Tea jumps in.

"Uh, Hank...this is Joely Atherton...Todd's therapist. Joely, this is Hank Gannon, my boss."

Both of them nod at each other and smile politely, shaking hands. Joely stares at his face.

"Gannon...any relation to RJ?"

Hank rolls his eyes a little. "Why...what'd he do now?"

Joely smiles, cracking up too. "Oh, not a thing. I met him the other night...charming fellow."

"Mmm...he IS that," he replies, then looks back at Tea. "So...you okay to talk?"

Looking between the two of them, Joely suddenly realizes what's going on. She looks at Tea too.

"Should I leave?"

Tea stands there for a minute, her mind going in all different directions. The other three watch her carefully, as she closes her eyes and takes a deep breath to calm down. After another moment, she opens her eyes.

She looks at Hank. "Yes."

Then she looks at Joely. "No."

Both Hank and Joely smile at that, sitting down in the chairs as Tea sits down on the couch. Leaving his familiar perch by the inner doorway, Todd comes over and sits next to her. Tea looks at him nervously, trying to get some strength from him. Without a word, Todd wraps his hand around hers. She squeezes back...then looks to Hank, who leans forward a bit.

"Okay then. Well...before we go any further here, I just want you to know...things haven't changed at all, there's no need for you to appear at the trial. So you don't have to worry about that. I'm only here because I'm concerned about the doctor's report on you...which said that there was evidence of sexual assault..."

From her chair, Joely watches as Tea's eyes darken somewhat, at the just the mention of it. Joely glances over at Todd, who catches her look. The exchange lasts only a few seconds, but both of them know that all they can do is keep quiet, and just watch her. Hank also pauses, trying to step carefully.

"...now I know that Bo's already asked you about this. I know you told him Shelton wasn't responsible...and Roseanne wasn't either, is that correct?"

Tea nods. "Yes, that's correct," she whispers.

"Are you sure?"

She tips her head a little. "Yes, Hank, I'm sure. I'm not trying to protect them, they...they didn't do it."

Hank sits back and rubs his chin, thinking...then he nods.

"Okay. But...you told Bo that...you don't really KNOW who your attackers were."

Tea bites her lip hard, trying to stay calm...she can feel her heart rate starting to pick up, that funny tingling. She takes another deep breath, squeezing Todd's hand.

"That's correct. But I DO know who it WASN'T...and it wasn't either of them."

Hank stares at her for a moment, as if he's still trying to decide for himself whether she's covering up or not. Tea reads his face, sighing.

"Okay...Hank...can we just stop talking AROUND each other here? I know what you're thinking. You're thinking that I'm covering for Shelton...that I'm too scared to charge him."

Hank pauses a second...then shrugs slightly. "It's not unheard of...and it's certainly understandable."

She nods. "Yeah, well...that's NOT the case here. I'm not covering for anyone."

There's a silence, as Hank sighs. After a moment, he leans forward again.

"Tea, listen. I'm not trying to pressure you here...but the fact is, you WERE assaulted. Now, Shelton and Roseanne may not be directly responsible...but SOMEBODY is. And if we can go after them, we should...they shouldn't be allowed to get away with it."

"Believe me, Hank...if I could tell you, I would. But..."

Tea can feel the heavy silence in the room, as Hank, Todd and Joely watch her, waiting for her to continue. She glances at Todd, who squeezes her hand tightly...his eyes giving her the option...

...you can stop...you don't have to say anymore...

She swallows hard...then actually shakes her head no, muttering under her breath...

"No...it's okay," as she turns back to Hank.

Across from them, Joely takes note of what she just saw, putting a hand to her mouth. She finds herself smiling behind her hand, marveling at the strength and depth of their connection.

Tea wipes her face with her free hand, never letting go of Todd's hand. Hank sighs...his voice softening.

"Tea, I don't want to upset you. If you don't want to tell me anymore, that's fine. I just...look, we all care about you...and I just want to make sure we're doing everything we possibly can for you, that's all."

The sincerity in his voice makes Tea smile...and even makes Todd look over at him, surprised.

"I know...and I appreciate it, I really do..." she replies...

Then suddenly, she realizes she has the strength to speak freely. She doesn't know how she knows, but she can feel it...a sudden release, like someone has lifted the barriers in her mind, finally giving her permission to remember.

She sighs. "...but the truth is I have no idea who they were...and there's no possible way I could ever identify them."

She takes a moment to look at everyone...studying their faces before going on. Then she seems to drift, her eyes getting a faraway look.

"I was blindfolded the entire time. All I remember are voices...and the smell..."

She shudders a little, making a face...as if she could smell it now.

"...I remember waking up to it...god, it was gross...like the subways in New York. I remember trying to move...but my hands were tied behind me, around a post or something. Then I heard these voices...they started far away and got closer. Sounded like a couple of kids, using all that stupid hip-hop lingo. I tried to be as quiet as possible, but I guess they saw me anyway..."

Hank and Joely's eyes are focused on her, listening intently. Tea closes her eyes...Todd watches her, feeling like he's watching her walk down a road he can't follow her on. His chest tightens up with worry for her, as she drifts deeper into her memories, eyes still closed.

"...they came in...untied my hands. I tried to break away, I kept trying to break away, but...they grabbed my arms, and...dragged me out, so I was flat on my back. One of them held my arms, and the other one ripped my leg brace off. I remember...I remember them talking about whether or not they could do it with a pregnant woman. Then I remember...someone...someone tried to stop them. A girl...not Roseanne, though, her voice was different. But they threatened her, too, so I guess she ran. Then the one guy got on top of me...I locked my knees together, tried to close myself up as tightly as I could. He got really close to my ear, and told me that if I fought him, he'd go find himself a coat hanger...start his own little abortion clinic..."

Joely lets out a horrified breath at that, covering her mouth. She looks at Todd, who keeps his focus on Tea...his jaw set hard, trying to hold down the tremendous wave of rage and guilt building in his gut...trying to keep it together.

Tea sighs, as the tears fall from her closed eyes. "...I tried...I tried so hard...I screamed and screamed, but nobody could hear me through the tape on my mouth. There was no way I could escape, my arms and legs were pinned...and once he threatened the babies, I knew they'd have no problem beating me to death. I didn't know what else to do, so I...I gave up. I stopped fighting. I could feel him...he was breathing really hard...I could feel his hand jammed up there. I just shut my eyes...I was hoping I'd pass out. Then all of a sudden, there was this loud POP. I heard something streak past me, I guess it was a bullet. Then I...I heard him."

Tea opens her eyes, finally...and sees them all staring at her. She looks at Todd, and sees all the emotions on his face...especially the helplessness. She wipes her face again, looking at him as she speaks, wanting him to understand...

"Over those few days, I learned to recognize that voice...and I knew it was him. It was Shelton...telling them to let me go. The one who was holding my arms let go pretty quick, so I pushed the other one off of me, and I...I just started crawling away. I heard Shelton threatening them again...then they finally took off."

With that, she looks at Hank and Joely, sighing.

"So you see...if he hadn't come back when he did, I'd probably be dead. He saved my life."

Hank lets out a long breath, rubbing his face. "Yeah...I see what you mean. But I ALSO see that if he hadn't abducted you in the first place, you never would have BEEN in that kind of life-threatening situation."

"Exactly."

Tea's head turns toward Todd, her eyes wide at his sudden interjection. She stares at him for a moment, but says nothing...instead, turning back to Hank.

"I know how screwed up this is...believe me, nobody knows it better than I do. But I'm not making this stuff up."

"I know you're not. All I'm saying is that we can probably get him on reckless endangerment now, too."

Tea seems to deflate at that...her shoulders sink, her head drops. Hank gets off his chair and kneels on the floor in front of her.

"Tea...I just want to make sure that you get the justice you deserve. I want to get that sonofabitch on EVERY possible charge."

She looks up at him. "But that's not what *I* want."

Hank shrinks back, affected by the fragility and exhaustion in her whispered reply. Joely looks over at Todd, taking note as he glances away, shaking his head. Hank studies Tea's face for a moment...then he nods, and stands up.

"Alright. I guess that's the end of that, then," he says, tiredly, checking his watch. "I have to get back, so..."

He reaches out, gently touching Tea's chin, lifting it up. "...you take care."

She gives him a little smile. "Thanks for listening to me on this."

Hank smiles back...then he bends down and plants a kiss on her head. He turns to Joely, nodding at her, politely...then glances at Todd, quickly, on his way toward the foyer. Todd and Tea exchange a loaded look...then Todd gets up to walk Hank out. Joely lets out a long sigh as she gets off her chair, and sits down on the couch.

"Are you alright?" she asks, softly.

Tea blinks slowly...as if she barely has the strength to do it. She nods, but Joely notices she's not even looking at her...her eyes are still glassy and far away. Tea gets up from the couch just as Todd enters the room again. Joely looks between the two of them, staring at each other, communicating silently. After a moment, Tea turns away and makes her way up the stairs, without a word.

*****

Tea hangs over the bathroom sink, filling with cold water. She turns the faucet off and dunks her face in for a few seconds, holding her breath. Then she lifts her head up, breathing in, letting the cold shock her into waking up. She stands there like that for a while, before grabbing a towel off the rack and drying her face off. Walking out into the hallway, she stops. She can hear Todd and Joely, talking quietly downstairs...about her, no doubt. She lets out a long sigh, turning and heading for the bedroom.

As she does, her eyes widen as she suddenly becomes aware of something. She takes a quick breath in, as a stab of abdominal pain rips through her...a pain so horrible, she can't even exhale. She reaches out for something, anything to grab onto...all she can do is paw the wall, leaning on it as she doubles over. An eternity seems to pass before the pain subsides...when it does, her legs seem to turn to jelly under her, and she sinks to the floor. She clutches her belly, knowing that's where it's coming from. Her eyes are wide with panic, as her breathing becomes faster and more labored.

She sits there like that for a second, just listening to herself...

"No...no...please..."

But after a few more seconds, she feels another cramp starting to build deep inside her. She takes one deep breath, and lets out a cry before the pain can stop her...

"TODD!!!" Downstairs, both Todd and Joely jump at her scream. Todd vaults up the stairs, and Joely follows. Both of their mouths fall open at seeing Tea on the floor, squirming in pain.

"Oh my God...I'll call an ambulance..." Joely says, turning right back around and running downstairs.

Todd gets down on the floor with Tea, clearing her hair back, so he can see her face. She looks up at him, unable to speak...all she can do is grab his hand and squeeze the life out of it. He feels himself starting to panic, realizing how helpless he is. Still holding his hand, Tea rolls onto her back as the cramp becomes unbearable, letting out a cry.

Just then, Joely yells up to him from downstairs. "They're on their way!!!"

He looks down at her, as she relaxes her grip on him, the cramp subsiding.

"Todd...I don't know what's wrong..."

He nods, gently tugging on her hand. "It's alright, c'mon...can you sit up?"

She pushes herself up, and he pulls her all the way to a sitting position. He holds her face in his hands, feeling the sweat pouring down from her hair. Then she tenses up as another cramp hits her hard and fast. She grabs onto him, crying...Todd holds her as tightly as possible, not knowing what else to do, as she whispers to him between breaths...

"...ohgod...I'm scared..."

He kisses her forehead. "Shhhh...you're gonna be okay..."

They sit there like that for a few minutes, holding onto each other, before they hear banging on the door downstairs. Todd sniffs, trying to hold it together. He holds Tea away from him, their eyes connecting. Nothing is said, but she nods at him, hearing Joely letting the EMT's in. Todd quickly hooks an arm under her legs, and the other under her back...Tea wraps her arms around his neck as he lifts her up. Slowly, carefully, he makes his way down the stairs carrying her.

Joely watches as Tea passes from Todd's arms to the two EMT's, who gently set her down on the waiting gurney. Todd watches helplessly as they start working on her, a steady stream of medical lingo passing between them. One of them turns to Todd as the other starts rolling the gurney out.

"How far along is she?"

Todd doesn't respond at first, his gaze fixed on Tea, as the EMT rolls her out into the hall.

"Mr. Manning?"

Suddenly, Todd snaps out of it and looks at him.

"How far along is your wife?"

"Uh...six...six months, I think...maybe a little more, I...I can't really remember."

The EMT nods, writing it down. "Okay. You can ride with us, if you want."

Todd nods, wiping his face with the back of his hand. He strides past Joely without thinking...then suddenly remembers, turning back to look at her. Joely grabs her coat and walks up to him. He stares at her, his eyes glassy with tears. Joely bites her lip, sniffling...then she gently rubs his arm.

"Come on. I'll follow you."

Todd takes a second to run a hand through his hair, sniffing the tears back...then he grabs his keys and coat, walking out quickly with Joely behind him.