Dear readers,

hi there! Today is a sad day (22/03/2017), exactly one year after Brussels attack... The city that I love as my own, is in shock. An attack had happened today at Westminster Bridge/Parliament, until now 5 people dead and more than 40 injured.

I was not around Central London area today, I was near (zone 2) but not in the area.

It is sad be here at that moment, I ever saw at TV, read at newspapers but be in the city when this happens is a hearbroken situation. All my prayers to all the one's injured on it, their families and friends.

I will still love London and UK, nothing will change it. As the same way I love Rio and Brazil.

Here is another chapter for you guys. Hope all you are fine and safe.

Disclaimer: I do not own DWP and its characters. I only own some, some of them already had been created, other one's might be in the near future of this fanfic. And I do not own any money with the fic...

WARNING: There may be content that can disturb some people, please tread carefully.

35.

Priestly's Townhouse

Cara was preparing the dinner when the phone rang and she took it as fast as she could with her hands full of salad cream.

"Yes Miranda."

"Cara, I need your help and call Roy. That's all."

Cara was one of the small select group of people that knew Miranda's tone of voice and she recognized the fear and urgency in her voice. She quickly called Roy. He took the call on the first ring, knowing that with the Priestly's you're supposed to take it before the second ring came.

"Yes."

"Miranda needs you here and quickly, cross the road as fast as you can. I am opening the back door for you."

"Yes Cara."

Cara rushed to the room that she saw Miranda going into with Leslie rushing out. She was walking to the refrigerator that was in the other side of the kitchen but she knew it was better not interfere in wherever was happening in that place.

As soon as she came into the room she saw Andrea's body lying on the floor and Miranda's sad and worried face.

"Cara, I need you bring some alcohol and a tissue. Also call Dr. Sharon, her business card is in my bag. Please keep the twins as far as possible from here."

"Yes Miranda. But... hum, and you?"

Miranda is becoming to feel the anger coming back but Cara did not deserve it.

"What about me?"

"Do you want some camomile tea before I go to stay with the girls?"

"Yes, that is acceptable. Roy?"

"I am here Miranda. I will help with Andy."

Roy felt all the blood leave his body with how Miranda looked at him.

"I mean with Miss Sachs."

"Take her to my room. It is the room closest to the stairs and the most comfortable one."

"Yes. Excuse me."

Miranda did not want to move from where she was, but she knew it was necessary for Roy to take Andrea into his arms. She was feeling useless because she was not able to take the girl in her arms. She was more than able to do it, but did not know if she could do it with a damaged shoulder. She wondered if in the future she would have full movement like before.

Roy took Andrea's body in his arms and started to walk to the first floor of the townhouse, where Miranda's en-suite room was along with the living room and her office with two large bathrooms with a jacuzzi.

The twins ensuite room's are in the second floor, together the recreation room, two bathrooms and the first and smaller guestrooms. On the third floor, three guest rooms, all of them en-suite.

As Roy moved in the direction of Miranda's order, the man gasped. The room was beautiful, he did not expect nothing less than this but to be there was definitely a privilege to anyone, and he, even working years for the editor never went there.

"Put her on the bed, carefully. That's all."

As Roy made it, Miranda came near the bed when the man left. At the exit Cara almost jumped, the tea almost flying to the floor. He apologized and Cara came into the room.

"Miranda, Dr. Sharon said she can't come here now. But Dr. Frozen is in her way."

Miranda stuck her hand out and Cara gave her the tissue, it already had some alcohol in it.

"That is acceptable. Cara, stay with the girls."

"I will. The tea is on your desk."

"Thanks Cara."

Miranda very carefully put the tissue in front of Andrea's pale face. The girl didn't look like she was in pain but Miranda knew this did not mean anything. She almost had a miscarriage once with the twins. She was five and a half months and at that time there was no pain. She needed to be in the hospital for two days to be sure everything was alright.

Miranda stayed, she looked at Andrea's face scanning her body with her eyes, trying to see any signal of distress. Nothing came in scene.

"No Nate! Nate stop!"

Miranda was now at full attention to Andrea. She was coming back, that was a good sign, but not if she would come with some kind of flashback of what that prospect of cooker did to her.

"Andrea, darling. You are safe."

"No! No, don't touch me! Nooooooooooooo!"

Miranda didn't know what she was supposed to do. She never was in a position like that. She never needed to deal with someone that survived such a big trauma.

"Andrea, please. Andrea, you are safe."

Andrea started to cry hard and sob, not fully awake yet. Miranda didn't know if she was supposed to touch the girl or not. Would it do more harm than good?

As Miranda was starting to put her hand on Andrea's body, a voice echoed in the room.

"Don't touch her Ms. Priestly."

Miranda was furious that this person came into her room and did not even knock on the door but at the same time, relieved that Dr. Frozen arrived that fast.

"How long was she unresponsive?"

"Six minutes, 48 seconds"

"What?"

"You asked how long. This was the time she was unconscious."

"Okay. And how long was she is in this distress, not fully awake?"

"Twenty-three seconds"

"I will need to wake her up before a full exam. Talk to her."

"What I am supposed to say?"

"What you say to your wife when you are both alone? Forget I am here!"

Miranda stay looking for the doctor as the woman was an alien. What was she supposed to say to Andrea? She already said "darling" and "safe" and this obvious did not work as it was supposed to be. So now, she was wondering what was the correct thing to be said.

Dr. Frozen was taking her instruments from her bag. Dr. Sharon called her in a rush telling her to go to the townhouse but no further details were said. She was near the couple but something looked out of the place with Miranda's behaviour. She obviously cared for the woman that was laying in her bed but she looked like she was a bit scared of her.

Dr. Frozen did not believe that Andrea nor Miranda were violent people but she knew too that many times what you see was not what was true. So the doctor decided to not keep looking but, maybe, trying to focus in listening. If the relationship of these two involved a violent relationship she needed to inform the authorities.

"Andrea, please, come back to me."

Andrea started to sob harder. Miranda decided to get closer to the girl's body and very carefully stopped close to her left ear and gently took the hair in front of it.

"My dear Andrea, please, wake up."

Andrea's eyes started to move very slowly and then Miranda saw the most beautiful eyes wide open in front of her. A mix of feelings that she was able to recognize: fear, shock and relief.

"Welcome back Andrea. How are you feeling?"

"Mi-Miranda?"

"Yes darling, I am here."

"Where's Nate?"

"Not here and he will never be near you again."

Andrea knew better than anyone, Miranda always kept her word. If she says Nate will not be near her anymore, she was sure it would happen, even if Miranda needed to kill the man with her bare hands. Andrea started to give a shy smile to Miranda. The editor just gave a small smile back.

"Andrea, how are you feeling? I need to do a further exam on you to be sure everything is alright."

"I, I don't know what happened well, I-I mean, Miranda, I was talking with your lawyer."

"Yes dear, I am well aware of this."

"Why, why had she done it to me?"

Dr. Frozen was not understanding the conversation. What happened between Miranda, her lawyer and Andrea that made the young woman lose her consciousness and faint?

"Excuse me, but Andrea I really need to check on you."

Miranda started to move from the bed and Andrea started to miss the heat of her body. So close and too far at the same time. When Miranda looked to the bed and met Andrea's eyes she needed to try to remember how to breathe. The missing was there, Andrea missed having her around.

"Don't be a fool Miranda. The girl is scared, that's all."

Andrea did not want Miranda to leave but she knew the woman do not have any real obligation to be near her. They were not a real couple, they were not lovers, she was not the other parent of her baby. So Miranda did not need to be there.

"I need to check on the girls."

Miranda left the room and as she closed the door, she stopped in the corridor and leaned against the wall for a little bit before she composed herself and walked to the other floor, to her girls room.

Miranda arrived at Caroline's room and it was empty and the same at Cassidy's. Now she was curious where they were with Cara. She started to go downstairs and stopped dead at the kitchen.

"Oh Cass, mom will not like this!"

"Why not?"

"Please girls, Miranda will like it if you both do it at the right time."

"And can the three of you let me know what exactly I will be against and what it might be?"

Cassidy and Caroline looked at each other. Cara decided to say something but Miranda put her hands up silencing the woman.

"Cara, please leave us alone. You can offer Roy some coffee and cookies."

"Yes Miranda."

Miranda gesticulated for her children to sit on the chairs near the large wood table. After that she walked slowly to the fridge and put two glasses of milk in front of the girls. Caroline and Cassidy knew the meaning of this, it was a white flag, but still demanding the truth.

"So, who is going to start?"

Caroline looked down to the floor too ashamed to start and Cassidy was too nervous to say a single word. Miranda looked at her girls, the one's that she knew every single movement and pushed a chair to sit.

"Please girls, I will not be mad but I demand to know what it is."

"As you demand from your employees at the magazine!"

"Please Bobbsey."

Caroline looked to her mother and her twin and decided to take the situation into her own hands.

"Mom, after you told us about Aunt Julia..."

Before Caroline could continue her confession of whatever it was, made Miranda stand up.

"Why are you bringing Julia to this conversation?!"

"Mom, you came to us once to say you loved Aunt Julia like a couple. We know

you like dad but you did not love him. I mean not on the same level."

Miranda continued looking at her girls. Since when had they became so mature? And how did she not see this coming? Had she been so careless that she did not see anything like this happening?

As she was going to say something, the doctor came to the kitchen, following the voices.

"Ms. Priestly, can I speak to you?"

"Andrea?"

"She is fine, the babies are fine too."

The twins look to their mother and agreed with them to leave the kitchen area. The girls ran upstairs since they wanted to check how Andrea was.

"Please Dr. Frozen, have a seat. Would you like some coffee, tea?"

"Oh, tea will be good."

"So, could you give me any further information since my daughters are not around anymore."

"Andrea is fine as are the babies. They did not have any signs of distress but I would recommend for her to stay on bed-rest for a few days. If anything happens, I don't think it will be anything, but please ring."

Dr. Frozen took her business card and put it on Miranda's small table since the woman did not make any movement that she would take the card in her hand.

"And Ms. Priestly, your wife needs to rest. So no stress in any way, a calm house and no sex."

"What?!"

"You and Andrea, no sex for a while. At this time of the pregnancy it's common the woman be really aroused but in these circumstances you need to avoid it."

Miranda was looking to the doctor in shock.

"Your wife had a terrible and traumatic event. Someone attacked her and forced her to have sex, that by itself is awful and with her memory loss, we do not know exactly how deep it is then to factor in that she is pregnant."

Miranda kept looking on. Her mind did not stop to process the words that the doctor said.

"Ms. Priestly?"

"Yes Dr. Frozen. And, call me Miranda."

"The pregnancy of Andrea, when did you both decide to have the babies? Is it a

sperm donor or is it related to her ex-boyfriend?"

At this Miranda started to see red. This woman, even if she was Andrea's doctor for the moment, wanted to know too much about the girl's life. She could not give an accurate response, but she believed that yes, the father was that soon-to-be-killed man. Who was Andrea's former boyfriend. She was already taking care of that thing!

"Dr. Frozen, I understood all the proper care Andrea is in need of. I must guarantee to you that we are not going to have intercourse. Anything more than that relates to us and my babies, you will need to have to speak with my lawyer. That's all."

At that exact moment Cara was coming back. But after years working for Miranda she knew exactly what each movement of the woman was meaning to be done.

"Dr. Frozen, Cara will pay you for the visit. I am needed upstairs."

Dr. Frozen just kept watching Miranda walking upstairs and Cara took the check to pay the doctor.

"So, Dr. Frozen, how much does Miranda owe you?"