Something heavy was sitting on her chest. She couldn't breathe, but when she realized that she couldn't move either the panic began to set in. Without realizing it, Tory groaned and tossed until a soothing hand covered hers. Instantly she settled. Before long she was resting and dreaming. Much later when her eyes finally opened, Tory's first thought was that she was very tired. She blinked and tried to focus before realizing that it was night. Why did this all feel so strange? Why was she so tired? She just wanted to roll over and not think about work, to snuggle up against Lee…Suddenly alert, Tory sat up and groaned when the sudden movement caused pain to flare up in various body parts. She looked around and realized that she was in a hospital room that was dark except for a dimmed overhead light. It didn't take longer than a few moments for her to remember that there had been a car accident, a horrible accident. Lee!Tory ripped the blanket and sheet from her lower body but re

"Right," Tory agreed. "They aren't unhealthy, either. You should see them go, Mama. Those ladies have enough energy to run a marathon."Francine and Kaye returned a few moments later with a nurse and wheelchair in tow. "Give me a mirror, Mama." Mama and Kaye exchanged glances and Tory immediately reached up to explore her face with trepidation. Just because Lee was blind didn't mean she was willing to give up the one thing that most people could agree on; that she had a beautiful face.Her fingers told her that she was swollen and would be badly bruised. Mentally she prepared herself for what she would see. When her mother handed her a compact mirror she saw that she had a black eye and an angry purple bruise that covered one side of her face. The oxygen mask had been replaced with an oxygen tube and she saw that her lips were also swollen. Her skin tone was off causing her to look nearly grey. She handed the mirror back, regretting her decision to look at herself. When the wheelch

Macey and Tory headed for the ICU. None of the family was in the ICU waiting area so it appeared that everyone was now allowed into Lee's room to witness his awakening. Tory squeezed the armrest of the wheelchair. She knew that there was a chance that Lee's brain could have been injured even though no one talked about it. She saw everyone crowding around the bed and Macey pushed their way through so that she was front and center. "Mr. Torres, can you hear me?" One of the doctors asked. There were interns, doctors and nurses all crowded into the room--not to mention a roomful of relatives and a fiancée in a wheelchair. But no one moved, no one barely even breathed. "Mmm…" Came the whisper of a groan from the bed. Tory squeezed her hands into fists. Was that a groan of pain, or was it just his confirmation? She saw that his eyes were still closed but his breathing was different and he was moving his limbs restlessly."Mr. Torres, I'm Dr. Hendrix. Can you hear me?" There was no res

Tory felt a smile tugging at her lips as she found herself liking his parent's more and more. She had certainly hoped to make a better impression. Being accused of nearly killing ones son did not make for the best first impression. So the upside was that she knew they didn't totally hate her. But the downside was that now she knew they were talking about her behind her back. She sat down on the edge of the bed suddenly tired. It was wonderful when the clan was all on her side—but having them against her was unsettling. But she knew that she would go up against any of them if she had to. They were not going to push her away from the man she loved. She had no doubt about that, but she did worry about one thing; If they didn't eventually accept her as Lee's woman and trust that she would be there for him in all ways, could they influence him against her? She knew how much he valued his family…She just wanted to be there! To balance everything so that Roz couldn't stack the cards agai

"I don't need you to take off for me. I want you to take off for you." Tory glanced around the room watching the tide turn against her. "I need to work, honey¡­don't I?" She didn't know a lot about his finances. She knew he was more than comfortable in the financial department but now he would have someone else to take care of. She had a college loan to pay off and they had just bought a fifty thousand dollar car. "We'll talk about it later," he exhaled anxiously. "Excuse me." He got up and she watched him in surprise as he tentatively made his way across the room. She noted that he moved slower, his arms out before him as if he was no longer familiar with his surroundings. Just as he reached the corridor that led to the bathroom he stumbled over a toy that one of the kids had left on the floor. No less than 5 people jumped to his assistance before catching themselves and holding back. Lee caught himself before he fell but he kicked the toy in uncharacteristic anger. As soon as Lee