Un-betaed

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From Chaos to What?  Chaos is a ladder

(Won’t get into all of the cleanup that hospital staff had to do to that room.  Just be glad that you weren’t on maintenance duty at the time.  Now on to other things.)

Chapter 4

Totally oblivious to what is happening in other parts of the hospital, Todd and Evangeline remain in their cocoon of calm.  Evangeline is sleeping in a chair in Todd’s room. Her tiredness finally caught up with her.

John walks in to tell Todd about Margaret and sees Evangeline asleep.  He stops just after entering the room and stares at her.  John continues to stand watching Evangeline sleeping in the chair in the corner of Todd’s hospital room not realizing that Todd is watching him watching Evangeline.  Not one to allow a golden opportunity to pass him by, Todd says, loud enough for John to hear but not loud enough to wake Evangeline, “Beautiful isn’t she John.”  John’s eyes jerk from watching Evangeline to glaring at Todd.  Not wanting to respond to Todd’s comment John simply sidesteps it and concentrates on the news that he initially came to deliver, that of the deaths of Spencer Truman and Margaret Cochran.  As Todd’s attorney John decides that Evangeline should hear this also but as he steps to awaken her he sees that she is already awake because she heard Todd talking and heard him say ‘John’.

Surprised that John’s here Evangeline asks, 

“John, why are you here?  Has something happened to Margaret?”  

While she is talking Evangeline walks over to Todd’s bed and sits in the chair next to the bed.  John watches her moving about and is so impressed at how well she maneuvers on her own.  Todd shakes his head as he again watches John watching Evangeline and knows that John once again underestimates the strength and resiliency of Evangeline.  Todd can’t blame John though because Todd himself almost fell into that same mindset but Evangeline has shown him that although hindered by her blindness she is by no means defeated.  She doesn’t give up.  She fights to the bitter end.  

Todd interrupts John’s Evangeline gazing to ask him the same question that Evangeline asked, 

“John has something happened to Margaret?”  

Coming back to his senses John says, “Margaret Cochran is dead.”  

Todd almost falls out of the bed shouting, “How could you let Spencer kill her while you were there!  Did he poison her!  Will you have an autopsy done!”  

Evangeline tries to calm Todd, “Todd just wait. There has to be more to this.  Let John finish.”

John stands and watch Evangeline calm down Todd.  He notices that she takes Todd’s hand and entwines their fingers.  John’s gut clenches as he sees the tenderness that Evangeline shows Todd. She’s offering Todd her support. John remembers when he had that type of support from her.  He thinks about their conversation in the outer room from the execution viewing room when they talked about Todd being innocent and Truman’s involvement in all of this.  Once again Evangeline was right.  Truman orchestrated this entire thing.  As Evangeline walked away back to the viewing room with Cristian, John looked longingly after her hoping that he wasn’t too late.  Too late for what though?  Too late for salvaging some kind of relationship with her.  John knows in his heart that there will always remain a place for Evangeline.  Coming back to himself, John tells them, 

“Margaret is dead and so is Dr. Spencer Truman.  While I was interviewing Margaret she came out of her daze and recognized Truman.  She accused him of setting up Todd to get Blair and used Margaret’s baby as leverage against her to cooperate with his plan.  When I told her that Todd was executed, but before I could tell her that he is still alive, all hell broke loose.  Margaret grabbed the gun from the guard’s holster; shot Truman dead between the eyes; then turned the gun on herself and pulled the trigger. They are both dead and now down in the hospital’s morgue.  You were right Todd.  Truman did set you up.  I believe what Margaret said because no one would make up such a story. But one thing remains unknown. Where is her baby?”  

John watches Todd react to all he has said and is surprised that Todd is so calm because he expected Todd to rant and rave about the incompetency of the Llanview Police; and that he will sue the department; and that he was right all along and no one believed him.  But Todd did none of that.  Todd didn’t say anything.  

Evangeline’s voice cuts through the eerie silence, “We will find your son Todd.”  

Todd turns to her and says, “But first we will get your sight back.”

John feels like he is intruding and begins to turn to leave but not before Evangeline stops him saying, 

“John thank you for all that you have done.  Bringing Margaret back you saved Todd’s life.  Now that you’ve found David Vickers perhaps you can solve your father’s murder too.  I hope that you do John, I really do.”  

John doesn’t know what to say to that but he knows that he has to say something, 

“Evangeline you made all of this possible.  You provided the clue to me about Vickers and if I had not searched for him I would not have found Margaret.  So in actuality you saved Todd’s life not I.  And if Vickers is the key to solving my father’s murder then you saved my life too.  My father’s murder has been the one thing haunting me all of these years and I’m closer to a resolution all because of you so I thank you Evangeline.”  

And with that John leaves because if he stays he is sure that he will do or say something for which neither of them is ready.  He is thankful that Todd will help Evangeline regain her sight.  If anyone can do it, it is Todd Manning and for that John is thankful for Todd.

Todd sits with Evangeline after John leaves and just holds her hand and relishes in the thought that he doesn’t have to worry about Margaret and Truman ever again.  His mind starts to wander thinking about where is his child.  If what John says is true then his child with Margaret is out in the world somewhere and he has to find them.  Evangeline’s voice breaks through his thoughts, 

“Todd we will get private investigators working on this right away.  What about Rex Balsam?”  

Todd almost chokes, “I wouldn’t trust him farther than I can throw him.  I want professionals on this.  Now don’t try to get me off track Attorney Williamson.  I said first we will get your sight back and then ‘we’ will find my son.  P-E-R-I-O-D.”