Through the Darkness, Chapter Twenty-Seven

CHAPTER 27

August, 2013

The next morning, after Todd put in an appearance at the family breakfast table, he decided to head over to his office.  Jack wanted to come, which warmed Todd’s heart even more, but he said “I think you should go with your Mom and Sam and see Victor.  I know he’d want to see you.”  Todd gave him an encouraging smile.  “Come by later, though.  In fact, we’ll all do lunch at The Palace.  I’ll have Starr with me, so it’ll work out.”

Jack seemed to accept Todd’s reasoning.  Blair smiled over her son’s head, mouthing a thank you to Todd.  She understood that was a big step for him, understanding there was still a place in Jack’s life for Victor, despite how well things were going between the father and son.

Starr decided to stay with Todd while he worked.  Though he had never heard of her having any interest in the publishing business, he welcomed her presence there at least.  While she was in the office, there was a knock on the door. 

“I was told you’d be here by now, so I thought we’d get this over with,” Nick said as he came in.

“I’ll go get us some coffee,” Starr said, giving her father some privacy.

Nick strolled in and took a look around.  “Never thought this is where you’d end up,” he said.

“Well, you’re not alone.  Most people, even here, thought I’d be rotting in some jail cell for the rest of my life,” Todd told him.  “Have a seat.”

Nick sat down.  “Well, it all makes sense now.”

“What’s that?”

“Llanview University.  Never could understand what a small school in Pennsylvania had to offer you.”

“Besides the full ride I got?” Todd asked.  It was something Todd hadn’t thought of in a lot of years; why he had chosen LU.  “Peter pushed me here,” he admitted.  “Said it was just about as academically challenging as he expected I could handle.”

“He knew…about who your father was, that he was some bigwig here?” Nick asked.

“Victor Lord, Sr., was long dead before I ever showed up,” Todd began.  “But Peter was cashing his checks for a lot of years before I started college here.”  Then Todd waved that off.  “Look, the last thing I really want to talk about his my old man, either of them.  And the one thing that has annoyed me in my life is talking to cops…even ones who were old football buddies.  So, can we get this over with?”

Nick asked Todd a number of questions about his abduction and Todd, for once, answered them without getting lippy.  When they finished, Todd asked him, “So, you’re heading back to Chicago?”

“Actually, that’s something I wanted to tell you.  Chicago, well, it’s getting bad.  And I’ve been looking to transfer.  So I mentioned this to your police commissioner, when I met him for breakfast and he told me that he’s down a detective or two, asked me if I’d be interested,” Nick said.

Todd’s eyes narrowed and his face got sucked in as if he’d eaten something sour.  “Please tell me you’re joking?” he asked.  “Please tell me you’re not joining Bozo’s Keystone Kops.”

“What, this is a nice community, I’ve got an old friend here, there’s an interest redhead who works for the LPD…”  Nick stopped at when Todd’s expression grew more disgusted.

“That redhead isn’t that interesting…and even if she was, she’s my niece,” he told him.

“Really?  I guess I forgot that there’s an age gap between you and your sister,” Nick said.  He noticed Todd staring at him.  “What, you really have a big problem with that?”

Todd swallowed.  “I learned my mother was, like, barely legal when she had my sister Tina.  And, by the time I was born, my father was about to be a grandfather.   The idea that you and my niece…it makes me uncomfortable.”  Then Todd got an evil thought.  “Also, just want to warn you, her father’s a Texan and he likes his guns.”

Just as he said that, there was a knock on his office door and Cord Roberts stepped in.  “You said something about talking to me at breakfast this morning, Todd?”

Todd’s smile only grew.  “Cord, great to see you,” he said.  “I believe you may have met Nick Jobek?  He’s the cop that Bo brought back from Chicago.”

“Yeah, I’ve had a talk or two with him,” Cord said as he shook Nick’s hand. 

“Yeah, he’s an old high school buddy of mine.  We used to play football together,” Todd explained.  “He’s going to be coming here, put a transfer in and all.  He’s said he’s attracted to the nice small town feel and the feisty redhead who works with the cops.”

“Really?” Cord asked, eying the cop.

“Uh huh,” Todd said.  “Nick, have you met my brother-in-law, Cord Robert?  Natalie’s his little sister.  Also a Texan.”

Nick looked real carefully at Cord then turned to Todd.  “You bastard,” he said.  “Well, I have to go.  I’ll see you in a few days.  I start in two weeks, gotta get my stuff moved here.”  With that, he hotfooted it out of the office.

Todd couldn’t contain the smirk on his face.  “You told him that intentionally, figured on a laugh?” Cord asked.

“Just warning him what he’s getting himself into,” Todd answered.  “But I am glad you showed up.  Look, Viki told me she’s agreed to keep the money Clint gave her for the paper.  But have you looked over the books?  Did Clint before he gave it to her?”

“I haven’t even seen Pa since I got here and all I’ve gotten on the situation has been from Viki and Natalie a little bit.  But from what I understand, he snuck it into her accounts.  Told her they managed to get the money out of Pellegrino before the government stepped in,” Cord said.  “When she learned the truth about that, she was fuming.  I think Nigel had to talk her down.”

Todd took that information in.  “Okay, well, look, can you keep me advised about The Banner’s financial state.  I told her I’d help if she needed it, but I don’t think she’d actually tell me.”

Cord looked surprised.  “You?  I remember a time you were out to destroy The Banner.  Stole her staff, poached files, stuff like that.”

“I didn’t want to destroy it. Viki’s alters did.  They just used me and The Sun to do it,” Todd retorted.  “Besides, you hear the ‘It’s your legacy’ spiel enough and I guess it sinks in.”  He heaved a sigh.  “Look just keep me in the loop, okay?”

Cord nodded.  “I’ll let you know if there are any changes,” he said as he stood.  “Oh, and that buddy of yours…anything I need to know?”

Todd smiled.  “No, actually, he was always a pretty good guy.”  Cord left, seemingly satisfied.  Todd sat back in his chair and got to work.

**********

The knock at the door got Tea up off the couch.  She answered to door, finding Blair, Jack and Sam there.  “Hi, come in.  I guess you guys want to see your dad, huh?”

“Yeah,” Sam said, getting excited.  Then he calmed down as he asked, “Is he really alright?  He didn’t get hurt too, like Uncle Todd?”

Tea smiled as she looked up at Blair.  “No, he’s fine.  He’s just very tired.  I’m going to go get him,” she said as she went left the room.  She and Victor returned a few minutes later and Sam rushed into his father’s arms. 

“Dad, I missed you!” Sam said.

Victor held his son as he closed his eyes.  Blair looked at the two and thought something was different.  Victor had never been a particularly warm personality with any of the kids, but right now, he seemed to struggling with his emotions.  She looked over and saw Jack turn to her with the same confused expression on his face. 

Victor put Sam and held out his hand to Jack.  “Everything okay with you?”

Jack covered any uncertainty he may have been feeling.  “Yeah, everything’s fine.”

“Are you staying now?” Sam asked.

Victor nodded.  “Yeah, I am, but I don’t know how much I’ll be able to see you.  I have to see a doctor.  I’m alright, but I hurt your uncle and they want to make sure I’m not going to hurt him again,” he said.

Tea turned to Blair.  “Can you help me get something in the back?” 

Blair saw the desperation in her eyes.  “Sure.”

When they were out of earshot of Victor and the boys, Tea almost collapsed in Blair’s arms.  Blair gathered her up and tried to calm her.  “It’s going to be alright,” she said.

“Blair, he’s so…different.  Even different then he was when he came back in the spring.  He still won’t tell me anything, and now it’s even more important, because it’s for his defense,” Tea told her through her tears.  “I don’t know what to do.  I’m afraid to even tell him about the baby.”

“Has he given you reason to be afraid of him, anything like that?” Blair asked.

Tea shook her head as she stood up and went into the bathroom for a tissue.  “No, but with the psych evaluation he’s facing, I don’t know what to do.”

Blair stood up and took Tea’s face in her hands.  “I think you need to tell him about the baby.  Be honest with him.  It may give him something to fight for.”

The two women went back into the living room.  Jack looked up at them as they came in and noted that Tea had been crying.  Blair shook her head and Jack acknowledged that.  Victor looked up and saw them.  “Is everything alright?”

“Yeah, it’s fine,” Blair assured him.

“Mom,” Sam called out, “I have a question.”

Blair looked down at her son.  “What it is?”

“Well, now that Jack is calling Uncle Todd ‘Dad’, does that mean we’re still brothers?  Isn’t he my cousin?”

It was Victor who answered.  “You and Jack will always be brothers, Sam,” he explained.  “But because you’re my son and Jack is Todd’s son, it just another strong connection you two have.”

Sam smiled at that.  “I asked Uncle Todd this question so I’ll ask you…would you have wanted to grow up with your brother and sisters if you could have?”

Victor looked up at Blair and Jack before answering, “I think I would have.”

His son seemingly satisfied with that answer, Blair said, “We have to get going.  You said you wanted to meet Uncle Todd for lunch, right?”

“Yea!  We’re going to The Palace for lunch.  They make the best milk shakes!” Sam cried enthusiastically.

As they headed for the door, Victor called after Blair.  “Look, I think we four should all sit down to dinner one night.  I think we have a lot to talk about.”

Blair nodded.  “I also heard Viki mention something about a big family dinner she wants to have.  But I’ll talk to Todd about one for the four of us.”  With that, they left.