Todd and Marty Ch. 04

"I was out of my mind with worry for you and our baby," Todd explained. "If you want to think I broke my promise to you tonight because of this... that's fine, I'll go. Security wants to throw me out of the hospital anyway. They think I'm some thug or something..."

Todd got up, slightly dizzy still from his head wound. He didn't really want to go, but he thought he had let Marty down by his display of violence earlier against John. Right as Todd was about to walk out the door, Dr. Michael McBain walked in.

"Todd, what happened to you?" Michael asked, seeing the nasty gash on Todd's head. "That's going to need to be stitched up."

"I'll live," Todd said, sounding defeated.

Turning to his patient, Michael said to Marty, "You're one lucky woman, Marty... cause if my brother hadn't have gotten you to the hospital when you did, you would have bleed to death tonight. The bad news is that you hemorrhaged and we had to give you emergency surgery to save your life. Marty, you won't be able to have any more future children... But the good news is, you have a very healthy, 5 pound 8 oz baby girl."

"Todd, please don't go," Marty said softly.

Dr. McBain's words registered then. No more children??? That was it?? She had been hoping if things worked out with her and Todd that they could have had at least one more child.

"I...please thank John for me, Dr. McBain," Marty said. Then she looked at Todd.

"Please get stitched up for me," she said to him softly.

"Marty, you lost a lot of blood tonight. You're going to need a transfusion," explained Dr. McBain. "We checked your blood type... it's really rare, and we don't have any of it on hand."

"I have the same blood type. While you're stitching me up... take the blood from me," spoke Todd.

"Alright, come with me... I'll have a nurse take care of you," Michael said. Glancing at Marty, Todd then left the room with Dr. McBain.

A moment later, a nurse walked in, handing a tiny baby girl in a pink blanket to Marty. "Here is your daughter," the nurse said with a smile. "She's all cleaned up and she wants her mommy." The baby girl, with big blue eyes, looked up at her mother.

Marty held her baby girl, her eyes lighting up. "Hi Paloma," she said softly. "Wait till Daddy comes back, he'll be gushing over you. You are so gorgeous," she said softly, looking at the tiny little bundle in her arms.

About a half hour later, Dr. McBain came back, carrying a couple of bags of fluid containing Todd's blood. He got the bags of blood set up so they could flow directly into Marty for the transfusion. "Ohhh there's that little baby now," he said, smiling down at the adorable baby girl in Marty's arms. "She looks just like you, Marty. She's absolutely precious."

"Uhhhh... Marty, I don't know how to tell you this... but after we got Todd all stitched up and we got the blood for your transfusion, he left the hospital. He said there was something he had to do," said Michael a bit awkwardly. He really didn't understand Todd Manning or Marty's attraction to the man, but he hated to hurt Marty by telling her that the father of her newborn child had suddenly left without proper explanation.

After getting six stitches in his head and giving his blood, Todd left the hospital by taxi. He went home and took a shower after disposing of his bloody clothing. He couldn't stand wearing clothes that were caked with Marty's blood. After he got out of the shower, he sat down on the edge of the bed wearing nothing but a towel. Everything Marty had said at the hospital came rushing back to him. He had wanted to kill John McBain tonight... if Marty hadn't have stopped him, he certainly would have. John McBain, his kids' stepfather would be dead. He would have someone else's blood on his hands which were already stained with so many crimes. "Marty, I just can't live with this," he said, taking off his cross and laying it down on the bed. He had broken his promise to Marty tonight and he hated himself for it.

"I don't deserve you or our baby," Todd said after he got dressed and walked outside into the night.